The McGill Tribune Vol. 28 Issue 23

&] MAKING A SPLASH AT NATIONALS, f PAGE 18

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The hotel valued each gift certificate at $2 ,0 0 0 .

Last year's AUS executive intended to raffle the certificates to raise money for Red and White. However, the raffle only generated $3 0 in revenue, and the gift certificates were never given away.

This year's AUS Executive also want­ ed to raffle the certificates. However, the Red and White committee planned to use one gift certificate for the Red and White Hype Party instead. Anyone who bought a Red and White Hype Party ticket would be entered into a draw for the presiden­ tial suite.

On January 1 4 , Leon-Carlyle con­ tacted Delta Montreal. She booked the

Arts Undergraduate Society VicePresident Events Marisa Leon-Carlyle resigned last month after she admitted to misappropriating a gift certificate to Montreal's Delta Hotel. According to sev­ eral anonymous sources, Leon-Carlyle used the certificate, which was originally meant to be raffled-off to raise funds for the Red and White Ball, to throw a party for her friends in a Delta Hotel suite.

Delta Hotels was one of the sponsors for McGill's Red and White 20 0 8 gradu­ ation ball. As part of their sponsorship package, Delta included a pair of gift certificates, which could be redeemed for two nights in the presidential suite of the Delta Hotel on Sherbrooke Street. See VP DENIES on Page 2

C o u n c il c e n s u r e s E le c t io n s M c G ill G ileadi denies w ro n g d o in g B ernard R udny

hamber Music Without Borders, McGill's latest student-run chamber music initiative, plays host ) the homeless at 12:30 p.m. every Thursday in St. James United Church on St. Catherine's St. See age 14 for story.

H O C K E Y

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ATHLETICS & RECREATION

In a confidential meeting last Thurs­ day, the Students'Society Council passed a motion censuring Elections McGill for failing to fulfill its mandate.

Elections McGill is an independent body, funded by SSMU, which organizes the Society's elections and referenda.

Initially, Law Councillor Alexandre Shee brought forward a motion that called for the resignation of Nicole Gileadi, Elec­ tions McGill's chief electoral officer. How­ ever, the final motion that Council passed censured the organization as a whole. It cited problems with campaign oversight, promotional activities, accessibility to candidates, and bilingualism standards.

Vice-President University Affairs Nadya Wilkinson explained that the cen­ See SSMU on Page 2

P L A Y O F F S

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sure was intended to force action on these issues.

"It was really clear that certain things that Elections McGill was doing, or not doing, were jeopardizing the election," she said. "We didn't get quorum last se­ mester—which is not unheard of, but not common—and there are concerns that we won't get quorum this semester."

The censure came in the middle of SSMU's winter election season, and only one day before advanced election poll­ ing started. Although the voting record is confidential, under SSMU's Constitu­ tion, three-quarters of Council must have voted in favour of censure.

Gileadi took issue with the motion, and denied the accusations of wrongdo-

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V P d e n ie s th a t she s to le S S M U issues re b u k e Leon-Carlyle th re w Delta H otel bash Action taken in confidential sessio Continued from cover

presidential suite for February 13 , the date of the Hype Party, and negotiated an extension to the expiry date of the second gift certificate past its original February 28 expiration.

However, the Red and White committee decided to cancel the raffle for the presidential suite a few weeks before the Hype Party. Ac­ cording to Leon-Carlyle, with the room booked and the gift certificate set to expire on Febru­ ary 2 8 , she used the room to throw a "Red and White Hype Party pre-party."

"Everyone was kicked out at midnight and told to go to the Hype Party," Leon-Carlyle said.

Facebook photographs of Leon-Carlyle and her friends in the presidential suite surfaced the next morning. AUS councillors immediately began asking questions, and the AUS execu­ tive started piecing together the facts. After a few days, Carlyle realized she was being investi­ gated and approached AUS President Nick Wolf.

She tendered her resignation on February 18 .

"The reason why I resigned is I wanted to do what was best for arts students," LeonCarlyle said in an interview with the Tribune. "I didn't want scandal and problems plaguing Red and White."

Last Wednesday, AUS Council held a fivehour confidential session discussing the matter.

According to confidential sources, the debate was heated and emotions ran high. AUS Council discussed whether Leon-Carlyle deserved more punishment. Some Council members thought Leon-Carlyle should pay $2,0 0 0 to the AUS in re­ muneration. Other options were proposed, but,

according to anonymous sources, AUS Council was sharply divided.

"Some councillors suggested that she should pay the amount the raffle generated last year, which was $3 0 ," said one source. "Even $2 ,0 0 0 , which was the value the Delta hotel rec­ ognizes [the certificate] at, was suggested."

AUS VP Finance Kendall Zaluski sharply criticized Leon-Carlyle's actions and called on Council to "punish her further." However, some AUS Council members responded that Zaluski was overreacting.

Another anonymous source defended Leon-Carlyle. "$2,0 0 0 was way too much," the source said. "I think that the AUS did not budget to gain any funds from it."

AUS Council passed a motion in confi­ dential session to keep information related to Leon-Carlyle's resignation from campus media.

According to one of the Tribune's anonymous sources, AUS Council didn't want the news ap­ pearing on the Internet. Council also didn't want to affect Leon-Carlyle's future job prospects.

According to a statement released after confidential session, an investigation into LeonCarlyle's actions is ongoing, and AUS Council will respond after deliberations end.

Some AUS Council members who con­ tacted the Tribune were outraged and appalled with their Council's leadership.

"I think it's disgusting, and I'm not happy at all with the AUS," one anonymous source said.

"Partly, this is due to the leadership."

Even after her resignation from the AUS Executive, Carlyle still sits on the Red and White Ball planning committee in an advisory role. ■

Continued from cover

ing it contained.

"Frankly, I was very shocked," she said.

"It's completely unprecedented. I think that the claims made in the motion were unwar­ ranted, and I also think the manner in which [SSMU Council] passed the motion was very unprofessional."

In the past, councillors have criticized Elections McGill's lack of bilingual election materials— something the organization says it has worked to correct. Gileadi was also criticized for travelling to Ottawa for two days during the current election period, and for being difficult to contact.

Although Gileadi maintained that both she and her staff have met all of Elections McGill's core obligations, Wilkinson said that Council's concerns can't be brushed aside.

"I know that there have been com­ plaints about this election, and there are actions which took place which cannot be denied," Wilkinson said. "There were inac­ curacies in the print media, there was a lack of availability ... emails weren't always sent out promptly."

After the censure was approved, a sec­ ond motion was passed to inform the cam­ pus media of Council's actions. Although the issue was first aired during a public session, Council voted to make the debate confidential.

Wilkinson explained that closed ses­ sion was necessary for councillors to feel

comfortable speaking frankly, and to av a public discussion of individual staff m< bers. Shee, along with Councillors Will Jo ston and Billi Wun, voted against mak the debate confidential. Although he apf ciated councillors'desire for confidentia Shee would have preferred an open disc sion of the motion.

"It's something that was deemed be of public importance, and I'm kind sad that it wasn't done in more of a pu forum," Shee said. "I think [that] would h been much better and much more transp ent."

Gileadi also criticized the confiden debate, as she felt Elections McGill desen an opportunity to defend themsel against Council's claims.

"I think it's unfortunate that Council the need to take such an extreme cour she said. "We've never given Council a r son to believe that simply conveying tl concerns to us wouldn't improve the sit tion."

However, Shee disagreed that Electic McGill was open to criticism. And while emphasized that the censure applies to organization as a whole, he also critici; Gileadi's leadership. "[Gileadi] has been doing a horrible, this year, and has been doing— more tf anything else— damage control the wh time," he said. ■

CAMPUS

S o u th A fric a n p o litic ia n d iscu sses A p a r th e id Kasrils argues Israel's policies are sim ilar to his co u n try's past laws D aniel O tis S mith

South African politician Ronnie Kasrils, a former member of the African National Congress and lecturer for the Palestin­ ian solidarity movement, gave a talk entitled "Boycott Israel— The Apartheid State," on Wednesday night at the keynote event of Israeli Apartheid Week at McGill. The week's events focussed on defining the Israeli state as an Apartheid system akin to that of South Africa's old system of racial segregation The series of lectures, film screenings, and demonstrations began on March 1 and ended yesterday.

Throughout the speech, Kasrils likened the Palestinian experience to the black experience in his own country dur­ ing apartheid. The South African Apartheid finally fell with the country's first democratic elections in 19 9 4 , when the ANC re­ placed the National Party.

"The whole story is one of colonial settlement and then using a Zionist doctrine, then new to the Jews at that stage— they had to be proselytized with this—and it's been about settlement as in South Africa, dispossession, displacement of an indigenous people," Kasrils said.

He also noted differences between the two systems, stat­ ing that while the South African Apartheid government sought to retain its repressed citizens as a labour force, the Israeli state originally intended to deport Palestinians entirely. While gen­ erally advocating for the use of peaceful means over violence, he also argued that Palestinians have the right to use force.

"Repression generates resistance," Kasrils said."And unfor­ tunately, in that, those who stand up to fight back and have very little resources can very easily resort in quite a rough manner, to say the least, which happened in the streets of South Africa. But again, is it a just cause? Is it a just struggle? Is it a legitimate struggle? And certainly, through the eyes of [for­ mer South African President Nelson] Mandela and [CapeTown Archbishop Emeritus Desmond] Tutu, we see the Palestinian cause as a just cause and a legitimate cause."

Hillel Montreal issued a press release last week criticizing the event.

"Hillel Montreal condemns both the gross mischaracterization of Israel and the systematic trivialization of the hor­ rors of South African Apartheid," the re­ lease stated. "In his attempt to apply the struggles of his younger years to a com­ pletely dissimilar topic, Kasrils has dem­ onstrated a very limited understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

In terms of action, Kasrils called for worldwide boycott, divestment, and sanctions (known as BDS) against Israel.

"I'm not here to say what [the Pal­ estinians] could have done in that situ­ ation. But I think there's a lot you can do without blowing yourself up," Kasrils said, referring to suicide bombing, and continuing with examples from the South African BDS effort.

Meg Leitold, an organizer for Israeli Apartheid Week and third-year women's ADAMSCO! studies student at Concordia University, South African politician Ronnie Kasrils, w ho spoke last W ednesday at McGill. expressed satisfaction with the keynote event and Kasrils's contribution.

"It's been really great to have an acts against human rights." anti-Apartheid speaker," she said. "Con­ Newburgh also called for co-operation between grou| nections between South Africa and Israel I think are clearly profound. That [the South Africans] see the struggles as inex­ supporting Palestinian solidarity and Jewish student unit tricably linked to the struggle going on in Palestine lends cre­ groups on campus.

"Jewish students and pro-Israelis want to work with [So dence to the claim that Israel is a racist, Apartheid state."

Zach Newburgh, U2 Middle Eastern studies, who actively darity for Palestinian Human Rights] to come together ar campaigned against last month's General Assembly motion share mutual respect," he said.

Leitold, meanwhile, dismissed characterization of tf condemning Israel's bombing of education institution in Gaza, week's events as biased as lacking substance. dismissed Kasrils's lecture as an obstacle to debate.

"We've received a lot of criticism about one-sided event "Presentations like Ronnie Kasrils's provide an unfair and Leitold said. "No one would be shocked if victims of South A inaccurate presentation of Israeli policies," he said. "This cuts off conversation and limits serious and precise discussion on rican Apartheid didn't speak on panels with South African ra the topic of Israelis and Palestinians. They single Israel out as ists." ■ if it were the only country in the world that commits grievous

'ww.m cgilltribune.com

10.03.09 • The McGill Tribune • 3

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t h e i s t b u s a d v e r tis e m e n ts c o m e t o M o n tre a l Controversial campaign has spread across Europe and North America A ustin

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Ten controversial bus advertisements promoting atheism ant up last Tuesday around downtown Montreal as part of |e Quebec Humanist Association's new campaign against esalished religion.

The ads, which read, "God probably doesn't exist. So quit arrying and benefit from your life,'' in French, follow a slew I similar ads put up by atheist and humanist organizations in fies across Europe and North America, including London and ashington, DC. "This campaign claims to be an affirmation of the preshce of [non-believers] in our society and is also a call for disfssion and rationality,"the QHA's website reads in French.

The movement began in London last June in response a "Jesus Said" bus ad campaign that displayed a link to a absite which said that non-Christians were separated from ad and doomed to an eternity in hell. After a public backlash hainst the ads, and an outpouring of money and support for ■heist and humanist counter ads, 8 oo buses in the Greater bndon area displayed atheist ads this January, with other cit| following shortly thereafter.

"I think what they are trying to do is say that there is bmething called 'bad religion' and something one might jantto call 'grace-filled religion,"'said Patricia Kirkpatrick, proIssor of religious studies at McGill and minister at St. James le Apostle Church. "I don't suspect that they care to look into Le biblical faith, to see there what it has to say, but the Bible |ould agree with them."

Michel Virard, president of the QHA, did not respond to nails requesting an interview.

As defined by the QHA website, humanism is, among ^her things, the "unequivocal rejection of all belief in the suarnatural and of all dogmatic thought."

But after only a few months, the movement seems to be Jinning out of steam, with cities across Canada—such as Hali|x and Ottawa— banning the atheist ad campaigns outright, aly and Australia have also banned the advertisements. In anada, city transportation authorities that oppose the ads ave claimed that because public transport is the only transporItion alternative for most commuters, the city has a responsi­

bility not to oublish publish bilitv offensive or contro­ versial messages. To­ ronto transit author­ ities have approved the ads, which went up in late February.

The Montreal Transport Associa­ tion (STM), which contracts out ad­ vertising space on buses to Metro Media and has given ad space in the past to pro-Catholic mes­ sages, claims the ads do not violate ethical standards.

"When [Metro Media] is asked [to run an ad], they have to judge it ac­ cording to ethical rules like the pub­ licity should not be violent, should not carry sexual conno­ tation and shouldn't ATHEISTCAMPAIGN.ORG cause prejudice to anyone. And they An atheist bus advertisment in London, England, where the concept originated. also have to respect the Canadian Pub­ "I don't think that anyone would look at that ad and be licity Standards," said Marianne Rouette of the STM's public af­ convinced in any way ... because I think the word "probably" fairs department. "We do [support Metro Media], Who are we ;.. is not convincing,” said Emily Shore, a master's student in to decide that this religion is better than another? ... We are occupational therapy and an active member of Hillel McGill. "I lucky enough to live in a country where freedom of speech is don't think it's going to change anyone's way of doing things." valued."

Still, some believe that the ads, which will be running in Montreal from March 3 to March 3 1 , will not have the impact that the Quebec Humanist Association was hoping for.

[D U C A T IO N

r i tis h C o l u m b i a t o o p e n n e w n g l i s h - l a n g u a g e la w s c h o o l Diversity of Calgary will partner with province T ori C rawford Facing a shortage of lawyers in the province's rural areas, ritish Columbia will open its third law school in 2 0 1 1 . The new w school will be located at Thompson Rivers University in Kamops, and is part of a partnership with the University of Calgary, he existing two schools are located in Vancouver and Victoria.

The project has been in the works for approximately six onths, and will be the first English-language law school to pen in Canada in more than 30 years. During this time, a dispary has been growing between the number of lawyers practicing urban and rural areas across the province.

"There is a shortage of lawyers in the interior of British Combia right now," said John Sparks, general counsel atThompon Rivers. "Students who go down to those large cities to study iften want to remain there after they graduate, so law firms lutside of urban centres often have a difficult time attracting lew lawyers."

Although the idea for the new school was put forward by he university, Robert McDiarmid, a Kamloops lawyer and former jresident of the Law Society of British Columbia who worked >n the proposal, believes that the location itself is an important tep in addressing this disparity.

"From a practitioner's perspective, we felt it was going to >e useful to have people who have spent their entire legal eduation in a smaller town, so that, including their articling, they would have been here for at least four years," McDiarmid said.

Hopefully this will make it easier to recruit and keep them."

Thompson Rivers will aim its recruiting efforts directly to­ wards students interested in practicing law in smaller towns and

rural areas. While other law schools across the country consider primarily GPAs and LSAT scores when determining which can­ didates are admitted, the new law school will take a different approach.

"We want people who will end up practicing outside of Vancouver and Victoria," Sparks said. "We will use the admissions process from the University of Calgary, who we are collaborat­ ing with on this project. We will use a process where we take a statement of intent from the individual as to why they want to study law at our school. We'll also look at and assess references from the candidates."

The new law school will initially offer places for approxi­ mately 4 0 students. Although its size is smaller than most law schools, both Sparks and McDiarmid agree that this number will likely meet the province's needs for the foreseeable future.

Other provinces have not yet announced similar plans.

Claude Desbiens, president of the Saguenay-Lac St. Jean regional branch of the Quebec Bar, says that his area has little trouble attracting lawyers. Located in the interior of Quebec, he emphasized the unique opportunities the region offers.

"The quality of life for young lawyers in our region is very nice," Desbiens said. "For example, a lawyer practicing in Chi­ coutimi can take only five or 10 minutes to get to their office. But if you work in Vancouver, Montreal, or Toronto, it usually takes much more time. If you work closer [to your office] you can take more time for family or for sports."

Possible plans to open three new law schools in Ontario were eliminated last summer when the provincial government announced it would focus funding on medical schools instead.

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Los Angeles-based royal memorabilia dealer Alicia Carroll put a set of six love letters written by Prince Charles to a Montreal woman three decades ago up for auction on eBay last week. The young prince wrote the letters to Janet Jenkins, an employee of the British Con­ sulate in Montreal, between 19 7 6 and 19 8 0 .

Jenkins was not expecting them to turn up for sale on the Internet, however. "I was surprised to discover this morning they are back on eBay," Jenkins told the AFP last week. "I hope nobody buys them, actually."Carroll dismissed her com­ ments, however, saying she bought the letters from Jenkins seven years ago and that Jenkins should have known she would resell them. She is asking for $3 0 , 0 0 0 .

A series of stupid decisions landed a 65 year-old Florida man in jail last week. Appar­ ently desperate for cheap food, yet unwilling to pay for it, the man attempted to shoplift packages of Ramen noodles and Famous Amos cookies, along with a Klondike bar, from a Tex­ aco gas station in Fort Pierce, Florida. The store owner confronted the thieving senior citizen as he tried to leave, at which point the man pulled the Klondike bar from his back pocket and attempted to bribe the owner by offering him $ 6 9 for the frozen treat. Unimpressed, the owner called police, who arrested the man and charged him with violation of probation charg­ es and retail theft.

— Source: AFP, Associated Press

The McGill Tribune

4 • News • 10.03.09

SPEAKER O N C A M P U S

CAM PUS

SU S c a m p a ig n s u n d e r w a y V e n u s : a c o lo n y ?

Multiple positions will likely be acclaimed Landis promotes sky cities K ayan H ui T rip Y ang Much like this year's Students' Society elections, the Science Undergraduate Society elections are on track to have multiple positions acclaimed. The portfo­ lios of president, VP external, and VP finance have each attracted only one candidate. VP communications is also likely to be acclaimed, after one candidate recently dropped out of the race. Due to SUS by-laws, nomina­ tions for uncontested positions have been extended to March 1 1 .

While critics may point to election acclamations as a sign of student apathy, current SUS President Neil Issar does not believe that science students are uninterested in politics. Issar pointed to the nine candidates jockey­ ing for the three science representatives to SSMU posi­ tions.

"There is no lack of interest in being involved with SUS," Issar said. "We have nine candidates running for three SSMU rep positions, and three candidates con­ testing for a single science senator spot. A lot of stu­ dents are looking for experience in SUS, before maybe running for a future executive position."

There is a Meet the Candidates event scheduled for Tuesday, March 17 , where science students will be able to meet and talk with SUS candidates. Campaigning is from March 16 to 18 , with voting beginning on Thurs­ day, March 1 9 .

Issar believes his supervision of a financially suc­ cessful SUS year makes him a prime candidate for reelection, though no one is currently running against him. After starting the year in a shaky situation, Issar and the SUS achieved a balanced budget while expand­ ing staples such as Frosh, Carnival, and the Graduate School Fair. Issar attributes this to the collective effort of this year's executive and committee members, and the shrewd decision-making of current VP Finance Jordan Doherty.

"We started off in an uncertain situation due to last year's expenditures," Issar said. "Some difficult deci­ sions were made this year, such as the discontinuation of Sustenance, SUS's science life newletter. Our current budget surplus is the result of the hard work and an ex­ cellent dynamic between all our executives and com­ mittee members."

If the VP external, communications, and finance positions remain uncontested, they will be filled by Dara Djafarian, current SUS executive Kristen Raffensperger, and incumbent VP Finance Jordan Doherty. The races for VP academic and VP internal are shaping up to be more competitive, with several experienced candidates in the running. Incumbent VP Academic Ayman Ashraf is the favourite for re-election, while carnival co-ordi­ nator Varun Jain and Medical Direction executive Estee Fagen will battle it out for VP internal.

Jain outlined his plans for the VP internal portfo­ lio—the prize of what could be this year's most heated exec race.

"In addition to improving SUS Frosh and Carnival, I plan to introduce smaller, more intimate events to bet­ ter connect our student body," Jain said. "Introducing Battle of the Bands during Carnival and organizing an SUS dodge ball team would do wonders for a closer sci­ ence community."

Fagen believes her experience in organizing largescale events makes her an ideal candidate for VP in­ ternal. As this year's Medical Direction GMT Organizer, Fagen organized a week-long trip to Panama. Fier plat­ form consists of making social events more appealing to certain students, such as Montreal locals.

"Science Frosh and Carnival are always a great time and are difficult to improve, but I'll introduce ideas that will make them even more immersive," Fagen said."Many students from CEGEP don't participate in Frosh— I plan to change that. I also prioritize tighter logistics for Frosh and Carnival, so these events run efficiently."

Unlike last year, this year's SUS Council and election season have been free of controversy. Last year was a tumultuous time for the executive, which saw the res­ ignations of the VP finance, CEO, and a science senator.

The CRO, whose duties include running the Freshman Undergraduate Science Society and SUS Executive elec­ tions, was fired before campaign season. Last year's president Spencer Ng and VP communications Ritu Modi oversaw the election season and performed the duties of the vacated positions.

"The elections so far have run very smoothly.

There's been no mid-year turnover in SUS Council ei­ ther," said current CRO Ana-Maria lancu. "We have not come across any real obstacles to election season, but we are prepared to handle any situation that arises." ■

On Thursday evening, Geoffrey A. Landis, a science fiction writer anc scientist at the NASA John Glenn Research Center, spoke to members of the McGill community on the subject of"Colonizing Venus with Floating Cities,' as part of the Mini-Beatty Public Lecture Series. The hour-long talk, which was held in the Strathcona Anatomy and Dentistry Building, focussed on potential exploration and colonization of the planet Venus.

The talk incorporated elements of both hard science and science fic tion, and drew a diverse audience from across the McGill community.

"We've never had a topic like that, and it's very exciting to see,"said Flojatollah Vali, science director of McGill's Electron Microscopy Centre. "By the way he put everything together, I didn't really see so much science fiction— everything seemed to be reality."

Although Venus has been referred to as the "hell planet" because of its scorching surface temperatures and sulphuric acid-formed clouds, Lan dis suggested that surface exploration was challenging but possible. Rov­ ers, balloons, airships, and the "Aerorobot" are among the proposed mis­ sions designed by Landis and his colleagues at NASA. Audience members watched a simulation of the missions, called the "Venus Rover."

Landis argued that at 60 kilometres above the planet's inhospitable surface, and above the sulphuric clouds, Venus is far more favourable to and adaptable for human habitation than Mars, the oft-cited planet for fu­ ture human colonization. That the cold temperatures on Mars require active control and that the thin atmosphere does not adequately shield radiation were just two of the reasons given for the unsuitability of colonizing Mars.

Venus would be a "paradise planet" in comparison, said Landis.

Landis did not ignore the factors that could impede successful human habitation on Venus, such as longer periods of daylight and night, and rac­ ing winds of 10 0 metres per second. In the face of atmospheric and climatic problems on Venus, Landis proposed the concept of "terraforming," where­ by humans would alter the environment to make it suitable for their surviv­ al. Images were displayed throughout the presentation of small, separate cities "floating" above the planet's surface.

"Dr. Landis gave a positive outlook of scientific progress without over­ looking the fact that this project is of tremendous magnitude and way above our capabilities right now,"said Louis-Marc Battier, Ui economics and East Asian studies. "Still, it is fascinating to see that, either through pure science or science fiction, people are finding solutions to this enormous challenge."

The talk was followed by a question period, in which Landis answered questions ranging from how the first and subsequent colonies would be established on Venus, to whether asteroids could become a profitable re­ source in the future.

"It's an interesting and complicated universe out there," Landis said.

"There's a lot of it to explore and Venus is just one part of this huge solar system ... We need to explore and see what's out there." ■

CAM PUS

D e b a t e m a r k s h a lf w a y p o i n t o f A U S c a m p a i g n Candidates for executive positions and spots on SSMU council take part J am es G ilman Candidates for next year's Arts Undergraduate Society ex­ ecutive positions debated each other last night, marking the half-way point of AUS election campaigning, which began on March 4 and runs until 12 a.m. on March 1 4 .

The debate took place in the former McGill International Students' Network Lounge, and future Students' Society nurs­ ery, in the Shatner building following a fire that closed down the Leacock building, where the debates were originally meant to be held.

Candidates for the seven executive portfolios, as well as the three acclaimed arts representatives to SSMU, laid out their platforms and took questions from each other, current AUS executives, and gallery members.

Five of the seven executive positions are being contested, with Karina Gould and Marco Garofalo acclaimed in their posi­ tions as president and vice-president external, respectively. In addition, Julia Fluggett, Joël Pedneault, and David Whiteside are acclaimed as the three representatives to SSMU. Gould, who will take over from current President Nick Wolf, explained her platform and emphasized her desire to strengthen ties with different campus groups.

"I really think it's important that we reach out to freshman students, both in residence and on campus," she said. "I also think that we need to provide more accessible volunteer op­ portunities for arts students. I'd also like to work with the other faculties on campus to create more interfaculty events."

The other five positions are each being contested by two candidates.

Incumbent VP Academic Claudette Van Zyl, who took over for Pat Boily partway through the year, is running to retain her

position against Byeong Chang, a member of the Curriculum and Faculty of Arts committees.

Van Zyl argued that her experience in the portfolio gave her an advantage, as she would not have to face a learning curve upon taking office.

"I'm not here to make you some vague promises— I've shown you progress over the past few months," she said. "I've shown you a direction for the future that we will take. Please help me keep this momentum going."

Chang argued that a steep learning curve would not be a major issue, however, as he would have the entire summer to settle into the position.

In the race for VP events, Riley Dalys-Fine highlighted his experience managing Bar des Arts and his local knowledge as a native Montrealer, while Marta Gruntmane promised to make McGill the"best party school" in North America, claiming that it was currently only the 10 th best.

Laura D'Angelo emphasized her experience in her race for VP internal with Taylor Rusnak, a first year student who sits on the residence council and the Arts Freshman Council.

"I've been the fine arts commissioner for the past two years for the Fine Arts Council, I've organized Nuit Blanche ... two years in a row, and I've also sat on the AUS financial man­ agement committee," D'Angelo said. She also argued that the AUS needs to make itself more accessible.

Flowever, Rusnak argued that being a new face is not nec­ essarily a disadvantage.

"Although I am just in my first year at McGill University— some might say that would make me the underdog, I disagree.

I think that the AUS can benefit from a fresh new face with new ideas," she said.

Much of the debate between VP communications candi-

ADAMSCOTTI

Candidates for AUS VP academic Byeong Chang (left) and Claudette Van Zyl took part in election debates last night. dates Maia Frieser and Louis-Michel Gauthier centred on the issue of bilingualism, and ensuring that AUS announcement emails are properly translated.

Frieser argued that not being a Francophone doesn't mean she cannot ensure proper translation, and she pointed to other qualifications that she saw as giving her an advan­ tage, such as her English and technical computer skills. Gau­ thier countered that after AUS's difficulties with French issues this past year, electing a Francophone would send a positive message.

In the race for VP finance, Maya Kaczorowski emphasized her knowledge of mathematics and economics, as well as her previous experience as an executive with the Society of Undergraduate Mathematics Students. Fier opponent, Shehreyar Jamshed, focussed on his experience in finance, which includes an internship with Citigroup.

Advanced polling begins at 5 p.m. on March 12 , and runs until the same time the following day, while regular polling opens at 12 a.m. on March 1 4 . The results will be announced immediately following the closing of polls at 5 p.m. on March 18 . ■

www.mcgilltribune.com

10.03.09 • The McGill Tribune • 5

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The McGill Tribune

E le c t io n s COMPILED BY THE TRIBUNE NEWS TEAM PHOTOS BY ADAM SCOTTI

VP INTERNAL

0 [x]

ALEX BROWN BRENDAN SULLIVAN because you need to know who you're serving before you can really do a good job of serving them.

What makes you better qualified than your opponent to do this job?

Alex Brown II 3 psychology and economics What have been Julia Webster's great­ est accomplishments in the portfolio this year?

I think that Julia's done a really excellent job of integrating athletics into the events cal­ endar. Traditionally, they kind of get left out.

They're sort of in their own little world, but I think she's really made a concerted effort to go there, rather than just ask them to come and talk to us.

With regard to your personal style, what do you think you'll bring to the portfolio?

I am really outgoing— any of my friends can fully attest to the fact that "shy" is like the least appropriate word to describe me. So, in terms of being able to go out and talk to people and be approachable, I think that that's one of the strongest qualities that I can bring. I really do want to get to know people and be able to serve them better that way,

I've been working closely with people in this portfolio and within all different events in all different aspects all over campus since I've set foot on McGill campus three years ago. So I really do know what I'm getting into and what I have to deal with. I think that that really en­ ables me to take on the challenges that I'll need to take on, and I can bring a lot to the position.

VP UNIVERSITY AFFAIRS: Rebecca Dooley U2 psychology and women's studies Vice-President University Affairs Nadya Wilkinson has done an admirable job facing a lot of challenges this year, such as fighting the travel ban, in particular.

What's one area that she could have done better, though?

I'm coming from a position where I want to see a lot of proactive and progressive things happen, but I know when you get in there with administrators, there are so many walls that come up at y o u .... I don't really know exactly what Nadya's position was in some of those ways, but I think that [being more proactive and progressive] is one thing that I'm interested in exploring.

What are your plans to make campus events more sustainable?

Was there any specific issue you had in mind to work on next year?

They've made a lot of progress so far— I think Julia did a really good job this year. The Greening Events Guide is coming out soon, which I'm really excited about. The Environ­ mental Committee and Greening McGill have worked really hard on putting together this guide. They've put together a five-year plan, which should be really excellent, and it makes a lot of really good recommendations. We've spent a lot of time this year doing research: looking into the practices we use now, look­ ing into what sort of events we hold, what sort of products we use, if it's clothing, paper, whatever it is, looking into what we use and what would be better. And so I think at this point, it really is a lot of taking action on what we know is better, because the research has been done. It's just a matter of moving for­ ward and actually doing it now.

[McGill Principal] Heather Munroe-Blum keeps talking a lot about how, 'Oh, we're going to have to make some cuts, and they're going to be conservative cuts across the board because we're going to have to start spending conservatively because of the economic crisis.' So I think that, unfor­ tunately, something we're going to see a lot of next year is the university threaten­ ing to cut funding in certain areas. ... And also international tuition is going to be an­ other big thing I'll be dealing with a lot with [acclaimed SSMU Vice-President External] Sebastian [Ronderos-Morgan] next year. I think that those two issues will bean impor­ tant part of my portfolio next year.

You took a leading role in Vice-President External Devin Alfaro's Reclaim Your

VP CLUBS & SERVICES: nities to be on campus, whether it's at events like SnowAP or Four floors. I know that she's also worked with a number of other groups that aren't normally included, and I'd like to continue that tradition.

What makes you the best candidate for this position?

I would definitely say that, first and fore­ most, I have a lot of experience with things that are related to this portfolio—such as co-ordinating events, co-ordinating people to work those events, working with venues, and budgeting. So in that sense, I have the basic experience that you need. But I think what makes me the best candidate [for VP Internal] is that I have an outside perspec­ tive. [Alex Brown] is very good at doing the regular SSMU events, but Queer McGill goes above and beyond that, and I've been really involved with them.

What do you feel were Julia Webster's big­ gest accomplishments within the porfolio this year?

I think that Julia has done a really great job of being inclusive, in terms of reaching out to other groups, whether it's athletics or some of the services. She has really made an effort to be inclusive and to get people to come to events. She has really reached out to Queer McGill a lot, she's offered us a lot of opportu­

I don't think that all of the events should be held within SSMU. I think that a lot of peo­ ple aren't necessarily comfortable crossing McTavish Street and coming over [to the Shatner building] and that's why events like OAP are popular— because it's held right on lower field. So I think that moving the SSMU name outside of the SSMU building is a great way to do that, andin order to do that SSMU should work with faculties. ... So the first thing I want to do is, within the first month, try to attend the meetings of all of the facul­ ty groups to open up a dialogue with them.

What are your plans for making SSMU events more sustainable and environ­ mentally friendly?

That's a really tough question. We always use plastic cups at events that Boréale provides, and while I'm sure that cuts costs, recycling plastic cups isn't that green. There are bio­ degradable corn-made plastic cups that we have used at Queer McGill, but I don't know how financially feasible it would be to use that many of those types of cups. There are events like SnowAP which waste exorbi­ tant amounts of energy— I think more than anything that's the one that needs to be re­ formed.

Campus campaign. How will this experi­ ence interacting with the administration inform your actions as vice-president university affairs, which is a very differ­ ent approach to effecting change?

I liked [when I first looked at the portfolio] that I was coming at it from the more activ­ ist grassroots perspective in dealing with administration in their formal setting .

There's a more us-versus-them mentality in a lot of ways in that sort of setting. But I don't really plan on dealing with the admin­ istration with that sort of mentality.

What ideas do you have to facilitate agreement between students and pro­ fessors, especially at Senate?

Professors have a lot of similar experience with the university as we do, in a way that administrator's don't. We do have a lot of amazing professor allies. ... I'll soon be going to lunches with Nadya [to introduce myself to] professors that we have good re­ lationships with. ... I'll let them know that we want them to help us, and we want to help them when things get tough with the administrators.

SSARAH OLLE

(ACCLAIMED) What do you think the VP C&S can do to increase student participation in SSMU clubs, outside of Activities' Night?

What changes do you foresee yourself making in the way that events are held by SSMU? Brendan Sullivan II 3 biology and political science

[HREBECCA DOOLEY

(ACCLAIMED)

Sarah Olle U3 religious studies What do you think the role of the VicePresident Clubs and Services is with han­ dling controversial club applications, such as Choose Life?

The VP clubs and services sits on the clubs and services committee where [he or she decides which] clubs to approve. So as a member of that committee, they do get to share an opinion and vote on whether clubs are approved. However, I liked how [current] VP [Clubs and Services] Cook handled the situation with Choose Life by not speaking in Council, so as to not alienate any students who did not agree with the decision of the Clubs and Services committee. I believe that it is the job of the chair and the members of the committee who sit on Council to repre­ sent the decisions of that committee. And it is the job of the VP clubs and services to act as a resource to members of the club, and to people who do not agree with the club, to try and figure out a solution that can suit everyone.

The first thing would be to make everything around clubs and services easier and have less bureaucracy, because I think that really turns people off. I know as the Interest Group Coordinator I assisted groups in applying to become a new club. It's a difficult-to-understand process and it seems like it takes so long and there's all this paperwork. It seems very unnecessary. So.I want to streamline some of those processes and I want to get more things online. Because who does things on paper anymore? Only SSMU, apparently.

The second way would be to increase visibil­ ity for our clubs. I think that right now, clubs do things for themselves and nobody hears about it. I want to create opportunities for clubs to talk about these accomplishments.

Are you satisfied with how clubs are ad­ vertised on the Internet, where you go and there's the list?

Hopefully, once I complete the clubs guide, it will be up on the Internet. Because right now, even as Interest Group Coordinator, I didn't know what some of our clubs did because their names were really unclear. ..

There's a group right now that's applying that calls themselves the Pirate Club. And I was like, wow, is this happening? But they actually wanted to deal with issues to do with piracy— like stealing, copyright issues.

So, I think that the list, as it stands, is not suf­ ficient.

10.03.09 • The McGill Tribune • 7

www.m cgilltribune.com

VP EXTERN AL:

[^SEBASTIAN RO N DERO S MORGAN I PRESID EN T:

(ACCLAIMED) Sebastian Ronderos-Morgan 1)2 political science and economics Do you believe that SSMU needs some form of provincial or federal representa­ tion? If so, what are some of your specific representation plans?

Yes, I think that, in terms of SSMU having a voice that will get more attention at the provincial level, it's important that we have some sort of coordination with other uni­ versities___We're in the process right now of developing a formalization of relationships. ... It's called the Table de Concentration, and it's much less of an institutionalized structure vis-à-vis the Quebec Federation of University Students (FEUQ) and the Cana­ dian Federation of Students. [As long] as it follows what has been drafted so far, I think that [the Table de Concentration] is going to function quite well. For example, there won't be fees charged to each student of the member organizations.... [Also], if there are press releases or lobbyist campaigns that we would like to engage in, they would be done in coordination with the other member or­ ganizations and we would have a formalized structure, but we wouldn't need secretaries, offices, and a paid group of executives to ex­ ecute our plans.

VP FINAN CE AND O PERATION S

0 JO SE DIAZ

(ACCLAIMED) get any maintenance in terms of the equip­ ment right now. ... As for generating more revenue, it's basically working closer with Tanya [Gert's manager], and getting rid of the promoters.

There's been much talk, but rarely action about renaming the book store. Is that something you're considering?

Yes, it's a possibility to rename it. It's some­ thing that the executive [has talked about].

So it's something that I'm totally open to, I have no particular suggestion quite yet of what a name would be.

You've been working a bit on restructur­ ing your portfolio, do you have any pre­ liminary ideas about the way in which you'd like to see it restructured?

I'd like to try a variety of things. As I men­ tioned in the debate, for Haven in particular, we are implementing a new inventory sys­ tem right now, so we're still in the process of making sure all of what we have can fit with the inventory, customizing the inventory to work with Haven. ... And also another pos­ sible source of business for Haven would be the possibility of trying new things like buying and reselling vinyl records, comic strips, posters at the beginning of the year. ... As for Gert's, this year there were a lot of problems because first of all, Gert's doesn't

Ivan Neilson U3 economics and finance Describe your style of leadership, and what qualities you would bring to next year's executive, if elected.

I'm very in favour of working with my VPs. I would like to give them a lot of individual autonomy to manage the individual aspects of their portfolio and bring their own indi­ vidual style to the position that they hold.

But, at the same time, I would like to sort of corral them all and give a general sense of direction to the operations of the Society. I would like to be involved, but I don't want to micromanage.

Do you believe in General Assembly re­ form?

I think the campus press in general misreported a little bit the extent to which Re­ claim was within VP External Devin Alfaro's portfolio. It wasn't even him who necessarily

Explain your general plan of action for the two big issues in your portfolio. How can you reinvigorate Haven Books and Gert's?

As the only student voice on the Board of Governors, what actions will you take on that body to advance student concerns?

SSMU still doesn't have a Memorandum of Agreement with the Post-Graduate Students' Society. Is negotiating a new MoA with PGSS a priority for you next year?

Reclaim Your Campus started off with a very well-attended event, and then seemed to fizzle out. What do you think went wrong with Reclaim, and how do you intend to combat general student apathy towards campus political action?

Jose Diaz U3 economics

There were the reforms that [former SSMU President] Jake Itzkowitz brought in, and there was a system that we had before that, but neither provided us with something op­ timal. I do believe that there is value in hav­ ing set GA dates, however.

came up with the idea, it was brought about by a number of different groups within the campus, and he was taking it on as a facilita­ tor. .. .The idea was sprouted, but the energy on the ground level wasn't enough for peo­ ple to take that much time out of their lives to get involved. That being said, I do like the idea. I think that it's a really good idea for there to be solidarity on campus between different organizations like labour groups and student organizations.

I think developing good relations with PGSS is a priority for next year. I have the institu­ tional memory of about a year and half, and so far as I know, there is no really good rea­ son why the grievances that have existed in the past cannot be resolved. I think that an MoA, given the fact that PGSS does have spots in SSMU Daycare, is very important.

The committee [SSMU's Finance and Opera­ tions Review Committee] has not met yet. I'm not sure if the committee will actually meet or start working sometime soon, as two of the members are campaigning, membersat-large have not been appointed, it's very chaotic... I know what the specific problems that [former Vice-President Finance and Operations Tobias Silverstein] had in mind are, in terms of how you feel limited as a VP FOPS and you cannot possibly fulfill what the constitution says you should be doing because you do not have the actual power to look into a lot of budgets of the Society.

But I think part of that is because the So­ ciety has created this structure. We have permanent staff—we have comptrollers, accounts payable and accounts receivable clerks, a general manager, people who have received this budget— so it's important for the VP FOPS to deal with these people.

IVAN NEILSON M ARSH ALL PETERS

I'm in favour of looking at our entire GA sys­ tem, because clearly it's something that's not optimized at the moment. I'd like to see what happens with this semester's referen­ dum question, because I'd also be in favodr of leaving our system as it is and trying to make it work, because for the last couple of years we've being going back and forth.

Well, it's difficult, because you are just one student and you are acting as a governor of the university. At the same time, you have to be acting in the interests of students. I would like to see the Board make financially sound decisions, because clearly underfunding is something that they are concerned about, and the first target seems to be student pro­ grams. If we look at the Provost's Task Force, they're asking, "How can we spend less and get the same value of education?" And I don't think that they're taking the right ap­ proach, so we need to make sure that they're not being too aggressive in opening new projects or making new investments.

What is your position on Bill 1 0 7 , which proposes to mandate university gover­ nance reform in Quebec. What type of response would you advocate taking to­ wards the bill?

I'm against [Bill 10 7 ]. I'm for responsible re­ form of the boards of universities, but I think that [McGill] is one situation where that doesn't apply. I think McGill is well-managed, and I think that some universities in the Uni­ versity of Quebec system would benefit greatly [from reform]. But I think that McGill has found something that works for them, and being forced to incorporate a one-sizefits-all solution wouldn't work for them. I think McGill needs to be very vocal with the government, and I think everyone on cam­ pus needs to get involved in order to tell the government that we're not interested [in Bill 1 0 7 's proposed reforms].

Marshall Peters U3 physics Could you describe what you see as your style of leadership and, what qualities you think you'll bring as a SSMU executive if you're elected?

I think it's very important for a leader to know when to lead and w hen...not to interfere when someone else takes head of a com­ mittee or something, in such a way that you would be negatively influencing it, and cre­ ating a more bureaucratic process. You have to know when things need to be fixed and when they don't, so knowing when to step in is probably the biggest quality a leader could have.

What would you consider SSMU's biggest achievements in the past year, and what lessons should we take from this year?

SnowAP needs to be looked at, definitely. I love it as something that we have, and share, and it's something that doesn't exist any­ where else at a Canadian university, and as a result we should not eliminate it. But we definitely shouldn't let it be a source where we're losing tons of money every year. ...

Other things: I know [SSMU] definitely didn't handle the Gaza issue with the GA very well. ... Whether or not the GA is the correct forum to approach the Gaza issue should be looked at.

One of the big things you spoke about on Wednesday was the general student apa­ thy toward SSMU. How would you plan to address that as SSMU president?

I think face-to-face contact is an amazing thing. The best way to get people to actually care about something is when you tell them that something's coming, and is going to be happening. And as a result, I might even

have to kick all of the SSMU execs out of the office for a half hour and tell them to just go walk around and tell people what's going on. That should almost be the main priority of SSMU, to involve as much of the student body as possible with the organization.

The SSMU president is the only under­ graduate voice on McGill's Board of Gover­ nors, so what would you do in that forum to advance students' concerns and to get things done with the administration?

I'd be quite the black sheep on that board.

I will have to be very careful about what I say to them and how I approach them, but I'm very good at approaching people of all ages, which is just a talent of mine that I'm blessed with. I think I can use that to discuss the necessity of bettering the educational in­ stitution so that we just keep moving up in the way people feel about us. Because if we can see eye-to-eye on the fact that McGill can only go upward in terms of an educational institution, and should only go upward, then we'll have a lot to work with.

O

p in io n H IS T O R IA ME A B S O L V E R A

Y O U H A D A N O P T IO N , SIR

Remembering the true spirit of activism

I was bom under a bad sign, as were you T imothy M ak

M ax S ilverman

TIMOTHY.MAK@MAIL.MCGILL.CA

MAXWELL.SILVERMAN@MAIL.MCGILL.CA

ou and I are truly screwed, aren't we? We have the misfortune of at­ tending and graduating university at possibly the worst time in decades.

In the midst of a global economic melt­ down, we will enter a hyper-competitive job market with no substantial work ex­ perience or real-world training. We will then clutch our diplomas with sweaty hands and wonder what the hell we're supposed to do. Just a few years ago, we came to McGill with high hopes. We enrolled in liberal arts programs— some­ thing intensive enough to feel like we were doing something worthwhile, yet casual enough for us to lounge around and go drinking on Thursday nights. For our parents'generation, a bachelor's de­ gree (even in psychology, sociology, or political science) was enough to guar­ antee a decent job and a respectable, middle-class life. But alas, that's no lon­ ger the case. As the price of education rises, the value of our diplomas is falling through the floor.

In these bad times, I've been think­ ing a lot about Malcolm Gladwell's O utli­ ers. In the book, he discusses the factors required for people to succeed, and con­ cludes that an individual's surroundings matter much more than their actions.

One of Gladwell's primary illustrations is birth years: of the 75 richest people in history, roughly 2 0 per cent were born within nine years of each other, from 18 3 1 to 1 8 4 0 . Why? Because between the 1 8 6 0 s and 1 8 7 0 s, when these men were in their prime, the United States underwent a transformative economic boom— rail­ roads were built, industry expanded, and the economy was revolutionized.

Similarly, modern computer moguls like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and the found­ ers of Sun Microsystems were all born 2 0 to 2 5 years before the personal comput­ ing revolution. As Gladwell puts it, these entrepreneurs were just "old enough to

Y

be a part of the coming revolution, but not so old that [they] missed it."

Are we the progeny of yesterday's discarded lottery ticket? Will the Mal­ colm Gladwells of the future look back on the late 1 9 8 0 s and early 1 9 9 0 s cohort, and lament our damned luck? Will some pop sociologist make us the case study of his or her book in 50 years? I can see it now: "Well, you really didn't want to be born in the late 8 0 s ... just old enough to catch the 2 1 st century's first recession, but not so old to have benefited from the boom years that preceded it."

We may be preparing to enter a world wreaked with havoc but, as McGill students, we're uniquely equipped to change this before historians make their judgements. Every day I see someone our age do something inspiring—they start a charity, volunteer, or help out someone in need. Hope lies ahead, if we're willing to trudge through deep mud to retrieve it.

Along with the importance of tim­ ing, Gladwell discusses the role of tenac­ ity in achieving excellence in Outliers.

He claims that it takes 10 ,0 0 0 hours (on average) for someone to become worldclass at what they do. The world's most successful violinist, its most skilled com­ puter programmer, the Beatles— they all practiced for 10 ,0 0 0 hours before being crowned as the best. This motivates me, not because of the number of hours, but because of the sheer possibility. It affirms a fundamental principle that I've always held dear: success comes to those who work themselves to their very limits.

This notion gives me a large measure of peace. If there is anybody in our coun­ try who could, by exertion alone, save us from what seems like certain doom, it's the upcoming graduating classes of McGill. The road ahead is dangerous, dark, and deep, and we have miles to go before we sleep. I wish us better luck. ■

f your neighbour's house was on fire, you would break all kinds of laws to save them.

You would smash their windows, cause a public disturbance, and so on. So why won't we do the same when it comes to the most pressing social issues of our day?

This was the philosophy of Tooker Gomberg, the man to whom I owe my in­ volvement in politics and activism.

Tooker's activism represented the best of activist traditions: he believed in the power of individual action, and in living as lightly on this Earth as possible. But Tooker was also a collectivist, believing in the power of human cooperation. Moreover, he understood that even if every socially conscious citizen gave up their car, became a vegetarian, and virtu­ ally eliminated their environmental footprint, we would still have a long way to go in fight­ ing the real climate criminals.

Tooker was proud of his Jewish back­ ground and, like many of us, this informed his quest for social justice and the fight against oppression. But he was also profoundly universalist, seeing the joy of life in every crea­ ture, from humans to the very smallest of animals.

Tooker was a reformist and an institu­ tionalist, in that he believed we could use many structures already in place to benefit our causes. But he was also a radical and a revolutionary, understanding that no real justice could come about without a profound change in the structure of our society at every level: social, personal, institutional, and gov­ ernmental.

When Tooker ran for elections, it wasn't for personal advancement. His campaign for mayor of Toronto was devoted to raising con­ troversial issues, which it did. In the wake of a massive grassroots campaign, his 2 0 0 0 mayoral bid helped defeat the city's insane plan to dump all of Toronto's garbage in an aban­ doned mine upstream from Aboriginal com­ munities in Northern Ontario.

Tooker's passion was real environmental­ ism, what we now call environmental justice.

I

He understood that the fight for a better envi ronment was not only part of, but completel) dependent on, the global struggle for a bet ter world.

Tooker was, more than anything, a doer When recycling technology became accès sible in the 19 7 0 s, he didn't wait for the gov ernment to implement it (which took anothe two decades), but instead founded Canada': first-ever curbside recycling program witf some friends on bicycles with bike trailers.

Tooker never lived to see many of his own accomplishments come to fruition. H< fell victim to depression and— due to whal appears to have been a dangerous mixture of anti-depressants and an ignorant doctor— took his own life five years ago. Shortly be fore his death, Tooker wrote an open letter to young activists, urging us to take care of ourselves and take care of each other, to feed our hearts and our passions in addition to our activism, and to realize that the movement for a better world is stronger when its activ ists are healthy.

It's tragic that Tooker never lived to see a world like ours, where the majority, liberal consensus is that climate change and envi­ ronmental degredation are today's key is­ sues. But I wonder how he would feel about the state of the world. On the one hand, more people believe in this issue than ever. On the other hand, having been co-opted by ludi­ crous pseudo-solutions like carbon trading and other eco-capitalist non-solutions, envi­ ronmental activism has never been so weak.

And so I fall back on two of Tooker's guid­ ing philosophies that always help bring me peace. The first borrows from Gandhi: ideas are first shunned, then they're mocked, often they're criminalized, and only then do they become part of the liberal consensus. The second borrows from Maimonides: you alone can't change everything in the world, but you alone can (and must) do something. When you're up against a juggernaut, just trying to be a wrench in the gears of the system is often the best we can do. ■

FRESH HELL

G e t o ff F a c e b o o k , a n d g o h u g s o m e b o d y Z oe D aniels

ZKDANIELS@GMAIL.COM n a recent conversation, a male friend of mine complained that the females he knows "cry all the time," while bragging that he hasn't cried in a year. I suspect he was lying about that last part, but I understand his disdain for tears.

For a long time, I've abhorred crying in front of people be­ cause it makes me feel manipulative. I know that, along with expressing an emotion, I'm initiating a transaction to receive sympathy and attention. I also don't like reinforcing the idea that crying is a particularly feminine expression of weakness.

But sometimes, it really is the only thing to do.

Recently, I had a crying fit for no apparent reason. It prob­ ably had to do with feelings of loneliness and anxiety in a new city—feelings shared by an enormous number of city dwellers.

And I think that the solution to this kind of problem is simple: more affection. Not more sex or more flirting, but more affec­ tionate touching.

This may seem hypocritical coming from someone who thinks Free Hug Days are creepy, but I don't mean hugs from

I

strangers, or lingering touches on the arm from your bus driver.

I mean that friends—and especially new friends— need to give each other a clap on the back once in a while. Physical contact links people in a way that conversation can't, and the Facebook generation needs that connection.

Now that so much social interaction happens online, touch­ ing is less frequent and more problematic. Touching is part and parcel of face-to-face communication, but absent from email and Facebook (no, pokes don't count— although they're indica­ tive of the importance of touch in human communication).

A lack of physical contact is also self-reinforcing. A single touch can have many possible meanings, and when we're not used to physical contact, the inferences we draw are often wrong. Ironically, the fear of miscommunication is a big reason to shy away from expressing affection: a hug or a snuggle mean different things to different people. The main reason I'm hesi­ tant to be affectionate with people I know is that I fear they'll miscontrue my intentions.

Most people have had a friend they liked as something more, tried to express it physically, and ended up in a Wildestyle tangle of misinterpretations. There's even more fodder for farce on the Internet, where an invitation to "come over and watch a movie"can mean several very different things, indistin­ guishable without physical cues.

Like many ladies of my age, I've been the subject of Facebook flirtation and titillating text messages. These flirtations may seem psychologically warped, but they're nothing com­ pared to physical contact. Because we skip the intermediate stages of touch, real-life flirtation can be both intensely inti­ mate and completely foreign. The remedy for this situation is simple enough: express more affection, so that everyone's less anxious and lonely.

This column is essentially a 5 0 0 -word appeal for a hug. And I can't be the only person wanting one. So hug someone you know and like. If it's me, great. If not, good job spreading the love. Now, maybe girls won't cry as much. ■

vww.mcgilltribune.com

10.03.09 • The McGill Tribune • 9

T 1 ___________ ______ T he McGill

1RIBUNE www.mcgilltribune.com

Editor-in-Chief Matt Chesser

editor@mcgilitribune.com Managing Editors Crystal Chan Thomas Quail

seniored@mcgilltribune.com Production Manager Samantha Chang

production@mcgilltribune.com News Editors James Gilman Theo Meyer

news@mcgilltribune.com Opinion Editor Bernard Rudny

opinion@mcgilltribune.com Features Editors Meghna Marjadi Carolyn Yates

features@mcgilltribune.com Arts &Entertainment Editors Kyle Carpenter Carolyn Grégoire

arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editor Jacob Kanter

sports@mcgilltribune.com

E D IT O R IA L S

O h d e a r , O k la h o m a e're starting to sound like a broken record. Last Tuesday, the Tri­ bune editorialized about the need to respect freedom of speech on campus after student groups tried to block a speech byTürkkaya Ataôv, a controversial Turkish academic. That same day, two bills were introduced to the Oklahoma state legislature, condemning the University of Oklahoma for teaching evolution and inviting alumnus Richard Dawkins to speak on campus.

Dawkins is one of the world's most prominent evolutionary biologists.

He has also drawn attention in recent years for his pronounced atheism, especially after publishing the best-selling The God Delusion. In a state like Oklahoma—where roughly 80 per cent of the population are devout Chris­ tians—Dawkins is understandably unpopular.

If nothing else, Todd Thomsen—the author of both resolutions— is a master of irony. Thomsen's first resolution begins by noting that "the Uni­ versity of Oklahoma is a publicly funded institution which should be open to all ideas." Of course, it then proceeds to condemn the invitation given to Dawkins, because he expresses "views that are not shared and are not rep­ resentative of the thinking of a majority of the citizens of Oklahoma."

This situation would almost be funny, if it wasn't so sad. Thomsen also attacks the university's department of zoology for "framing the Darwinian theory of evolution as doctrinal dogmatism rather than a hypothetical con­ struction within the disciplines of the sciences." Unfortunately, this logic is all too common in the American "Bible Belt." Suffice to say, it's bunk. Evolu­ tion by natural selection is the organizing principle of the biological sci­ ences, and calling it a "hypothetical construction" isn't a criticism— science is in the business of creating hypotheses.

Unfortunately, a victory for free speech in the Oklahoma legislature won't mean much.Thomsen's (non-binding) resolutions are almost certain­ ly unconstitutional—they're mainly an effort to score political points with a certain segment of the electorate. But Dawkins should be able to speak at his alma matter, and University of Oklahoma students deserve to have a free and open campus, even if it's in a closed-minded state. ■

W

{ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ \

C O R R E C T IO N In last week's article, "Redmen coast through to OUA Eastern Final,” Redmen goaltender Kevin Desfossés was described as a mid­ season pick-up from the Binghamton Senators. In fact, Desfossés was assigned to the IHL's Port Huron Icehawks after failing to make the Senators' roster.

Also, in the article "Major on thin ice," a quote was incorrectly at­ tributed to Abibalach Friedelmonger. In fact, the speaker's name was Aviva Friedman.

Photo Editor Adam Scotti

photo@mcgilltribune.com Online Editor Kaylea Howarth

online@mcgilltribune.com Design Editors Femi Kassim Janet McMullen

V______________________________________/

N o t a s m o k in g g u n esperate times call for desperate measures, at least from the Ontario government. Faced with an $i 8 -billion budget deficit over the next two years, it's doing anything it can to scrape together some cash.

Unfortunately, that also seems to be the impetus for the province's new anti-tobacco legislation.

The Tribune doesn't support the tobacco industry. At stressful times, you may see certain members of our editorial board smoking outside the Shatner building— but even they know that tobacco products are a health hazard. Smoking kills 4 5 ,0 0 0 Canadians per year, and the tobacco industry profits from their misfortune.

But even as opponents of big tobacco, we think the legislation intro­ duced in Ontario last week is a mistake. Modelled after a similar law in Brit­ ish Columbia, it would allow the province to sue the tobacco industry "to re­ cover past and ongoing healthcare costs... due to tobacco-related illness."

First of all, this legislation does nothing to solve the real problem. Rath­ er than encourage Ontarians to quit smoking, the province is looking to cash in on their habit. If additional healthcare funding needs to be extract­ ed from the tobacco industry, there's a better way to do it: increase the tax on tobacco products. Increased prices will help reduce consumption and fill the province's coffers.

The government's proposal is also based on inaccurate information.

When announcing the legislation, Ontario Attorney General Chris Bentley claimed that tobacco-related illness costs the province $1.6 billion per year.

This figure is based on a gross misinterpretation of a study entitled The Costs

D

o f Substance Abuse in Canada 2002.

If Bentley had read the second page of the study, he may have noticed that "it does not measure the impact of substance abuse on government expenditures and revenues." The $i. 6 -billion figure is based on the gross cost smoking imposes on the healthcare system. However, the Ontario gov­ ernment wouldn't save all of this money: if they didn't contract smokingrelated illnesses, tobacco users would still cost the sytem in other ways.

Unfortunately, this net cost isn't evaluated.

Good public policy should be tailored to the facts— not the other way around. And whatever statistics are being fudged to justify this leg­ islation, it's still a bad idea. The dangers of smoking have been common knowledge since the 19 6 0 s. Unfortunately, people are willing to believe anything—whether it's that light cigarettes are "safe," or that McDonald's serves "healthy" meals.

Tobacco companies shouldn't be held responsible for Ontarians'poor decisions. But this proposal does exactly that, while also opening the door to all sorts of lawsuits involving unmeasurable damages. What's the health­ care cost of Big Macs, or stiletto heels? The province should think twice about the precedent it's setting— especially since Dalton McGuinty was sold to Ontarians as a fiscally responsible premier. ■

V O X P O P U LI

design@mcgilltribune.com

Don't allow genocide denial at McGill

Copy Editor Tori Crawford

Advertising Manager

M c G ill A rmenian S tu den ts ' A ssociation MCGILL_ASA@HOTMAIL.COM

Matt Ward

cpm@ssmu.mcgill.ca Publisher Chad Ronalds

Contributors Oluwadamini Adesegha, Zoe Dan­ iels, Austin del Rio, Arielle Frank, Kayan Hui, Adam Laidlaw, Kailan Leung, Timothy Mak, Valerian Mazataud, McGill Armenian Students' Association, Daniel Otis Smith, Lukas Samuelson, Max Silverman, Ryan Taylor, Trip Yang, Tyler Ye

Tribune Offices Editorial Shatner University Centre Suite no, 3480 McTavish Montreal, QC H3A 1X9 T: 5 14 .398.6789 E: info@mcgilltribune.com Advertising Brown Student Building Suite 12 0 0 ,3 6 0 0 McTavish Montreal, QC H3A1Y2 T: 514 .398.6835 F: 5 14 .398.7490

n February 2 0 , McGill University decided that its campus was an appropriate stage from which the Turkish professor and known genocide denier Türkkaya Ataôv could spread the fabrications, omissions, and factoids of the Ankara government that aim to question the veracity of the Armenian Genocide of 19 15 , during which 1.5 million Armenians were mas­ sacred by premeditated measures taken by the Turkish Ittihadist government.

This has set the precedent for other histori­ cal revisionists and genocide deniers to find a podium in academia under the name of "free­ dom of speech." Apparently, this principle out­ weighed the lost lives of millions of innocent victims and their unspeakable suffering in the minds of the decision-makers at McGill.

Ataôv said, "It is only when all nations come to terms with their past that the Turks can be asked to come to terms with their past. And if they do, we will consider every part of the his­ torical record, and theTurks will be among those

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with the whitest records."

Did he forget about the mass killings of 1.5 million Armenians in 19 15 , the expulsion of 1.5 million Greeks from Anatolia in 19 2 3 , the special property tax on minorities in 19 4 0 , the Istanbul Pogrom of 19 5 5 , and the 3 7 8 ,0 0 0 Kurds displaced by the army?

Ataôv also said that in Turkey, second opin­ ion is respected. What about Article 3 0 1 of the Turkish Penal Code, which makes it illegal to insult the Turkish people and government? We still remember the trials of the famous novelist Orhan Pamukand the journalists Hrant and Arat Dink. Hrant Dink was even gunned down in front of his office in 2 0 0 7 . By Western standards, mur­ der is not considered to be a form of respect.

Investigations concerning Turkey's secret Ergenekon network showed that hundreds of people were blacklisted by Turkish intelligence agencies, which categorized people accord­ ing to political and religious affiliation, as well as sexual orientation. There seems to be quite

a deal of hypocrisy on the part of Ataôv, who openly blames the Western world of being racist when there is such a thing as Ergenekon in Tur­ key. Does he not see that the Turkish Nationalist Movement Party has an important presence in the parliament, while its youth branch has ultra­ nationalist and neo-fascist orientations?

Most shockingly, Ataôv even said that the Nuremberg Trials were unfair. Was he sent to McGill to defend the Nazi leaders responsible for the Holocaust?

The falsification of history, denial of the Ho­ locaust, or of any crime against humanity recog­ nized as genocide by the international academic community can't be protected by a false label of "freedom of speech."The directors of McGill and the Turkish Students' Society of McGill Univer­ sity should formally apologize to the Armenian community and other victims of atrocities. ■ Mardig Taslakian is the vice president exter­ nal o f the McGill Armenian Students' Association.

.......

^

T H E F A TE O F TH IS P A G E LIES IN Y O U R H A N D S The Tribune is accepting applications for next year's opinion editor, who will succeed the brilliant and incredibly good-looking Bernard Rudny. The position involves editing letters, columnists, and outside contributors, as well as writing self-aggrandizing house ads.

If you would like to apply for the position, please send a cover letter, a ÇV, and three relevant writing to editor@mcgilltribune.com. The deadline for applications is March 27 at 5 p.m. Late applications will not be accepted.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Students' Society of McGill University in collaboration with thçjribune Publication Society. Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the Students'Society or McGill University. Letters to the editor may be sent to letters@mcgilltribune.com and must include the contributor's name, program and year and contact information. Letters should be kept under 300 words and submitted only to the Tribune. Submissions judged by the Tribune Publication Society to be libellous, sexist, racist, homophobic or solely promotional in nature will not be published. The Tribune reserves the right to edit all contributions. Editorials are decided upon and written by the editorial board. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the McGill Tribune, its editors or its staff. Please recycle this newspaper. j

The McGill Tribu

10* Opinion • 10.03.09

fte r careful deliberatio n , the M cGill Tribune Editorial Board proud presents o u r fo u rth annual SSMU election endorsem ents. W hile th year's electoral slate includes fo u r acclam ations, w e still provic o u r analysis o f each candidate's potential, along w ith our th o u g h ts on th fo u r SSMU referenda questions. We'd like you to keep o u r endorsem en in m ind w h ile vo tin g , but the choice is in yo u r hands. Do some researc read o u r candidate in terview s on pages 6 & 7, and cast y o u r b allot onlin at ovs.ssm u.m cgill.ca. Polls close on Th u rsd a y at 4 p.m.

A

SSM U E le c tio n E n d o rs e m e n ts P hotos

by

V alerian M azataud

and

A dam S cotti

PRESID EN T: The clear-cut choice for Students' Society president is current Arts Senator Ivan Neilson. A pragmatic and ar­ ticulate student councillor, Neilson understands the lim­ its of the presidency and will work to strengthen the or­ ganization without seeking to unrealistically overhaul SSMU. A political moderate, Neilson should be able to work effectively with the rest of the SSMU executive and build a healthy, constructive relationship with the McGill administration. The Tribune is confident that Neilson's pragmatic political views will be in line with the views held by the majority of McGill stu­ dents. He will help the orga­ nization continue on a pro­ gressive but sensible course for the future—one that is not overwhelmed by divisive ideological views. Neilson would also be the first Montreal-born member of the executive since 2 0 0 6 . It will be a nice bonus to have a personable, bilingual Montrealer holding SSMU's highest office.

That being said, we do have some res­ ervations about Neilson's ability to function in a leadership role. Neilson has very little leadership experience and has not been a particularly vocal member of Council or Senate—troubling qualities for a presiden­ tial hopeful. Because of his soft-spoken na­ ture, we are unsure of Neilson's ability to be a forceful representative of student rights, and while we're sure he will excel with diplomacy, we hope that he can be outspoken when the situation demands an authoritative voice.

Neilson will also have his hands full with a strong-willed group of vice-presidents next year, and we hope that he can manage to rein them in when they're unable to see the bigger picture.

Marshall Peters, meanwhile, has shown that he does not have a firm grasp of the dayto-day operations and concerns of SSMU. His pet projects range from the quaint (more birdhouses on campus) to the severely mis­ guided—such as a project to expand Mid­

x

IVAN NEILSON A LEX BROWN

VP INTERNAL:

BRENDAN SUI

night Kitchen, or create a similar food service to provide no-or-low cost meals for most McGill students.

Peters is also unaware of large issues fac­ ing SSMU, such as the Quebec government's problematic Bill 10 7 , which would restructure McGill's Board of Governors, or smaller de­ tails, such as the capacity of the Shatner Ball­ room, which he mistakenly claimed would be better able to host a GA debate than the higher-capacity cafeteria. In short, the mere fact that Peters hasn't taken the time to ac­ quaint himself with the most basic details of the organization makes him an unqualified candidate for president.

While Neilson is the obvious choice in this race, Peters's candidacy does speak to the sometimes troubling insularity of SSMU and the apathy that results from the discon­ nect between the average McGill student and the Students' Society. While Peters lacks the necessary experience to take charge of an or­ ganization with a multi-million dollar operat­ ing budget, in a year with four acclamations, his candidacy should serve as a reminder to the incoming executives that SSMU needs to become more relevant to the students that it represents.

As a current co-coordinator of Queer McGill, and with experience in their Allies program last year, Brendan Sullivan is a strong candidate. In any other year, the Tri­ bune would likely endorse him. However, Alex Brown's long-term dedication to, and familiarity with, the VP internal portfolio makes her an exceptionally qualified candi­ date. Brown has been planning parties—a large part of the VP internal's job descrip­ tion—since her first year. The two years she has spent on Council have also made her familiar with the way SSMU works.

Brown is a self-described Council dork who rarely misses a meeting as a clubs and services representative, and frequently speaks up during contentious debates. She is also intimately familiar with the work that has been done in the portfolio this year, such as the upcoming Greening Events Guide, which describes how to hold more sustainable events. In addition, her outgo­ ing personality seems to lend itself perfect­ ly to the job.

The Tribune has concerns, however, over both candidates' policies on SSMU's more costly events, such as SnowAP. In last Wednesday's debates, Sullivan suggested reducing SnowAP from 10 days to four, which would cripple one of McGill's few

traditions. Brown said that despite the high carbon footprint and non-cost-effective structure of the event, she would keep it in place. While Sullivan's cut is too drastic, the Tribune cautions Brown against inaction on this, and other loss-generating ventures.

Both candidates should also consider ways to involve more students in SSMU events. Sullivan has expressed his interest in inviting more speakers to campus—an excellent example of expanding the inter­ nal portfolio outside of traditional events.

Brown has said that she would organize more daytime activities during Frosh to supplement the alcohol-heavy evenings.

However, we'd like to see both candidates be a little more creative with their proposals.

The problem isn't the presence of alcohol at events— it's the lack of other activities.

The Arts Undergraduate Society's re­ cent Nuit Blanche showed that cultural events can succeed on campus, and they don't need to be dry. What they do need is art, music, and more involvement on the part of McGill's various clubs.

Julia Webster, this year's VP internal, did an excellent job reaching out to facul­ ties and other campus groups. But hers was just the first step on the road to improving SSMU events.

REFEREN D U General Assemblies constitutional amendment— NO The GA has been a recurring problem for the Stu­ dents' Society. Whether it's the low turnout of past as­ semblies or the hostile atmosphere of the most recent one, GAs are a consistent disappointment. We've voiced our displeasure with them at length in past editorials.

But whatever your view of GAs, this motion should be opposed as a matter of principle, because it deceives students as to what they're voting for.

On the Elections McGill website, the motion is de­ scribed as "placing the specific regulations governing GAs in the by-laws rather than in the constitution [to] allow for greater flexibility and efficiency in the GA pro-

cess.'That's a sensible goal, and we support shifting the existing regulations to SSMU's by-laws in principle.

But the motion also does away with the qualified quorum and a handful of other regulations created by last year's GA reform. Qualified quorum is two per cent of the student body— roughly 4 0 0 students— but the new regulations would revert to the old quorum of 10 0 students.

We're unhappy that this change isn't mentioned in the motion's introductory clauses. Frankly, it's decep­ tive: students have no way of knowing that they're vot­ ing for these changes unless they compare the old and new sections of the Constitution clause-by-clause— something the average voter is unlikely to do.

Even students who support these changes s io i oppose this motion. Pulling the wool over voters' ye: no way to fix democracy at McGill.

McGill Undergraduate Students' Fund fee renewal—YES

The MUSF provides student bursaries, and p, ys f various campus life and library improvement pr >jec The McGill administration also matches the libra y ii provement contributions dollar-for-dollar, giving si dents even more bang for their buck.

This one is a no-brainer. Students can alwa is 0 out of the $ 1 9 fee via Minerva, so there's no rea on oppose it.

vw.mcgilltribune.com

10.03.09 • The McGill Tribune *11

/P CLU BS & SERV ICES:

U

SARAH O LLE

a c c l a im e d ) Though current Students' Sociy Interest Group Coordinator Sarah lie has been acclaimed as next year's ce-president clubs and services, the ibune is pleased to endorse her as i extremely strong candidate for the >sition. As IGC, Olle is the only SSMU nployee working directly under curnt VP Clubs and Services Samantha >ok, giving her an unmatched level familiarity with the portfolio. She as also consistently attended SSMU luncil meetings this year, despite le fact that she is not required to do >, giving her a wealth of experience dealing with SSMU's tangled buaucracy.

According to Olle, one of her first iorities for the coming year will be esiblishing a master list of clubs and serces that is organized categorically. She is said that the lack of such a list has d to confusion about club mandates— ting the example of "Live in the City," a ub whose mission she was originally infused about (don't all McGill students ^e in the city?). After investigating, Olle iscovered that the club actually prolotes live music in Montreal. She hopes îat master list of clubs would prevent iis type of confusion.

VP FINANCE & OPERATION :

0

JO SE DIAZ

(ACCLAIMED)

The Tribune also supports her plan to expand Activities Night into a two-day event, and to complete the process of putting room bookings for the Shatner building online.

As the chair of the Clubs and Servic­ es Committee, Olle had to walk a fine line this year in dealing with controversial stu­ dent groups such as Choose Life. She has, for the most part, dealt with such groups in a pragmatic and fair manner. We hope Olle will continue to put herself above partisan divisions and deal with future difficulties in a similarly mature style.

ifP U N IVERSITY A FFA IRS:

x

R EBECCA D O O LEY

ACCLAIMED) Although we would like to see an in­ coming vice-president university affairs with more experience in formal student politics, or in dealing with McGill's admin­ istration, we're happy that acclaimed can­ didate Rebecca Dooley is taking over the portfolio.

Current VP University Affairs Nadya Wilkinson will be a tough act to follow, and events this year, particularly the admistration's controversial travel policy, have highlighted the importance of this portfolio. However, the Tribune is pleased that Dooley has shown a willingness to

Although we're not entirely happy with the current status of the finance and operations portfolio, it's comforting that Jose Diaz will be picking it up next year.

Diaz is a change of pace from his predeces­ sors. SSMU's finance and operations VPs typically have academic backgrounds in finance or man­ agement, while Diaz is an economics student.

The Tribune typically favours candidates with strong finance backgrounds, because the VP finance and operations serves as SSMU's chief financial officer.

However, Diaz has a wealth of experience with SSMU's financial side (he sits on several committees includ­ ing the Finance and Investment Advisory Committees), so we're not particularly con­ cerned.

Di az is also an

active and out-

spoken 'm em b er of Coun­ cil, and we look

VP EXTERN AL:

x

forward to seeing a VP finance who is more po­ litically involved, rather than a pure "numbers guy."

Diaz also has experience with SSMU's events, clubs, and services, which makes him a well-rounded candidate. He faces serious chal­ lenges with Gert's and Haven Books—SSMU's consistent financial flops— but Diaz is right to emphasize flexibility when developing new business models. He also offered ideas for ad­ dressing student-run food services, as the Shat­ ner building's cafeteria lease expires in 2 0 1 1 , and wisely advocates the end of Gert's failed night­ club posturing.

But whatever Diaz's qualifications, the el­ ephant in the room is his predecessor.

Tobias Silverstein, who was this year's VP finance and operations, also seemed like a com­ petent candidate. However, his professional con­ cerns with the structure of the portfolio led him to resign mid-term, and nothing has been done to address the issues raised by his departure.

The Finance and Operations Review Committee, which is supposed to review the portfolio (and of which Diaz is a member), has yet to appoint all of its members— much less hold a meeting.

Diaz is the right man for the job. Unfortu­ nately, it's still unclear exactly what that job is.

We encourage SSMU to review the portfolio promptly so that Diaz can start the coming year on the right foot.

SEBASTIAN RONDEROS-M ORGAN

(ACCLAIMED) make up for lost time. In her own words she will "act as VP Wilkinson's shadow" over the next few months. She attended her first Senate meeting last week, and has shown a laudable desire to learn as much as possible about the job.

Although she comes from a grass­ roots activism background, Dooley has shown that she is open to working in a more formal environment. The Tribune is pleased that she seems aware that as VP university affairs she will be a politician, and SSMU's chief representative to the administration, not a student activist.

Yet Dooley's back­ ground is not neces­ sarily a handicap. It is important to note that Wilkinson came to the portfolio as a SSMU outsider: she was previ­ ously the chairperson of the Sustainable McGill Project. The Tribune hopes that Dooley will be able to continue the success Wilkinson has brought to the portfo­ lio, and that she will do everything she can to best represent students to the administration.

Arts Councillor Sebastian Ronderos-Morgan is a capable and effective student politi­ cian, and the Tribune supports his acclamation as next year's Students' Society vice-president external.

Ronderos-Morgan has been an active member of SSMU Council this year. At meet­ ings, he has been an articulate and progressive voice. He has also stuck firmly to his convic­ tions: when Council approved Choose Life for full club status on February 12 , Ronderos-Mor­ gan spoke against the approval.

In addition, Ronderos-Morgan balances his rhetorical presence on Council with strong meat-and-potatoes committee work. He is a member of the Environmental and General Assembly committees, and also chairs SSMU's External Affairs Committee. On the External Af­ fairs Committee, Ronderos-Morgan has worked with this year's VP External Devin Alfaro to as­ sist in the creation of theTable de Consultation, a new provincial student alliance. While theTribune is unsure about the exact form theTable de Concentration will take, we're pleased that Ronderos-Morgan acknowledges the need for SSMU to have some form of external represen­ tation. We're also glad he has advocated stay­ ing away from bloated bureaucracies like the Canadian Federation of Students-Quebec and the Quebec Federation of University Students (FEUQ).

That being said, we hope that—a vast change in the commitment level of grassroots

student groups notwithstanding— RonderosMorgan will leave Reclaim Your Campus where it belongs: in the garbage heap. We also be­ lieve he should be more committed to lobby­ ing against Bill 10 7 , which proposes restructur­ ing McGill's Board of Governors, even if the bill doesn't immediately alter student representa­ tion on the Board.

We are, however, pleased with his idea to get involved with events like Burst Your Bubble.

Our main gripe with the VP external portfolio is that it seems to have much fewer responsibili­ ties than the other execu t iv e s .

If Ronderos-Morgan broaden the port­ folio's mandate, while continuing to represent stu­ dent needs, then he will make a fan­ tastic VP external.

JESTIONS letics and Recreation Facilities Improvement Fund fee renewal—YES This fee, which is separate from the regular athletics pays for renovations and the development of new letics facilities. Student contributions are matched the McGill administration.

Voting "yes" will help satisfy the large demand for re sports facilities at McGill. And even for students involved in athletics, improving facilities is a wise intment that can help increase gym revenue.

Quebec Public Interest Research Group fee increase—YES

QPIRG McGill is a left-wing political group that runs a number of projects and events on campus. They're asking for a total increase of $0 .75 , which is reasonable given that their fee has been $3 per semester since 19 8 8 .

Although we're endorsing QPIRG's fee increase once again (it was on the ballot last semester), we do so with a certain amount of trepidation.

Some of their programs, such as Culture Shock and Radical Frosh, are positive contributions to campus life, and we'd like to see them expanded. But some of the other events QPIRG sponsors, such as Israeli Apartheid Week, are troubling.

IAW, in particular, is counterproductive: using the

word "Apartheid" in this context is inflammatory, and instead of fostering discussion among students of dif­ ferent backgrounds, the program reinforces old grudg­ es. And while some of the discussions being held dur­ ing Israeli Apartheid Week are worthwhile, the event's general tone is an unfortunate example of how QPIRG sometimes insists on adopting divisive idological posi­ tions.

We're cautiously endorsing QPIRG's fee increase.

Students who disagree with the group's politics can eas­ ily opt out via Minerva. However, we hope that QPIRG will devote their resources to programs that are con­ structive, instead of those that further divide McGill students.

S

tu d en t

x v s .y

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T h e l o n g a n d t h e s h o r t ( s ) o f it Pants versus shorts: The epic battle between clothing continues Shorts

Pants

Wearability: Low. Unless it's warm outside and shorts are nec­ essary, it's far more difficult to get away with wearing short shorts than it is to get away with wear­ ing pants.

Wearability: High. There are very few public situations where wearing pants is inappropriate.

Pants are also useful for concealing un­ derwear.

Cliché quotient: High. Flying by the seat of your pants, having ants in your pants, and getting caught with your pants down—not to mention several more obscene variations on a similar theme—all make frequent ap­ pearances in bad writing.

Cliché quotient: Low. HavAB0UT.C0® ing ants in your pants is a lot more rhyme-friendly than havin ants in your shorts— and a lot more uncomfortable. Suggestei alternatives include: the long and the shorts of it, the short end of the stick, to make a long story shorts.

National holidays: None. However, some participants o No Pants Day have been known to wear shorts, and in Bermu da, Santa Claus sports a pair.

National holidays: No Pants Day is a widely recognized phenomenon ABOUT.COM that counts Paul Martin among its prestigious participants, while the No Pants Subway Ride has seen international participation in recent years.

Comfort: While shorts have as much potential to be un comfortable as pants, the fact that there is less material mean there is a greater chance of a correct fit. On the other hand, ar incorrect fit can result in wardrobe malfunctions or awkwarc questions.

THE WINNER: Pants Despite the many assets that shorts possess and bestow on their wearers, there are simply more pants in the world— and with good reason. Where would shorts be if old pairs of jeans had not been turned into cutoffs? ■

Comfort:Though an asset in winter, pants become uncom­ fortable the moment it warms up. On the other hand, wearers do not tend to stick to chairs and other surfaces, while those in shorts lack that particular advantage.

Appearance: While shorts have the potential to increasi the hotness factor of the wearer, in some incarnations— name ly neon, spandex-based ones—they also have the potential ti turn wearers into objects of ridicule.

Appearance: Because pants have more substance than shorts, a bad pair of pants is infinitely more embarrassing.

— Carolyn Yate

G IZ M O S & G A D G E T S

C a le n d a r

Party Without Borders When: Thursday, March 1 2 ,1 0 p.m.

Where:TNT night club, 14 33 Crescent Street

O ld c o f f e e g r o u n d s

Shake off some stress at Engineers Without Border's party of the year. There will be drink specials all night ($ 2 shots before midnight). Doors open at 10 p.m. and presale tickets are $8. All funds go to help EWB send volunteers to Africa this summer. Contact events@mcgill.ewb.ca for more info.

Survivor: Stephen Harper's Canada When: Thursday, March 1 2 , 7:30 p.m.

Where: Shatner Ballroom NDP McGill presents a panel of parliamentary and institutional candidates on a variety of topics.

The latest biofuel research has revealed that a variety of oily plants can be used for fuel. While corn had been the previous standard, a new wave of environmentally coffee-scented motorists seems imminent.

It takes between five and seven kilograms of coffee grounds to get one litre of biofuel (which would go for about one dollar a gallon) through a process called transesterification, the same procedure used to produce biofuels from other resources. Used coffee grounds also have an advantage similar to vegetable oil, since motorists can simply go around to coffee shops and pick it up. ■ — Carolyn Yates

2009

Masked Ball: A n

E v e n i n g o f M y s t e r y : S u p e r s t it io n s

When: Friday, March 1 3 ,8 p.m. to midnight Where: Shatner Ballroom Formal attire and masks required. Tickets are available at Players', third floor Shatner Building. Email ^events.players@gmail.com or call 5 14 -39 8 -6 8 13 .

A d v e rtis e y o u r M cG ill e v e n t in cam pus calendar. Send th e n am e, d ate, lo catio n , a n d o th e r in fo to fe a tu re s @ m c g illtrib u n e .c o m .

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10.03.09 • The McGill Tribune • 13

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Vw e e k e n d a w a y in t h e n a t i o n 's c a p i t a l ittawa makes a cheap getaway—and make sure you visit The Works A dam S c o r n I If you're looking for a break from the big city, our nation's Ipital is the place for you. Only two hours away by bus (and l l y $ 2 5 each way), Ottawa is a great town with enough to le p you busy for a weekend outside the bubble.

I Depending on whether you choose to head to Ottawa on Friday evening or Saturday afternoon, you will likely arrive Ithin hours of lunch or dinner. Dropping you off downtown, le bus leaves you within walking distance of Ottawa's pride Id joy—The Works at 580 Bank Street. The industrial and Istic atmosphere of the restaurant adds to the selection of 1 er 50 different burgers, 37 milkshakes (or additional varieties lade-to-order), and a stack of onion rings assembled like a Iramid on a stick.

I Leaving The Works, you can choose to walk off your meal I following the Rideau Canal downtown or through the eclecI shops in the Glebe. Downtown Ottawa is linked by beautiI walkways along the canal or through the downtown neighlurhoods which have seen little change since the 19 0 0 s.

I Whether you are looking to spend a lot of money on a lazzy hotel or for cheap digs, the Ottawa Jail Hostel is the lace for you. With shared rooms starting at $33 and private loms at $8 1 , you get to walk away knowing that you spent |e night in a jail and walked out a free person.

I Within minutes of leaving the hotel, you can visit the 17 7 lar-old Rideau Canal. It's the only canal from the colonial pepd that still uses its original structures and technology, which leans it is still fully manually operated. The Canal continues I serve as a waterway between Ottawa and Kingston in the limmer months and is the largest skating surface in the world Lring winter.

A trip to Ottawa without seeing the parliament buildings p close is like a poutine without gravy. The impressive buildgs were rebuilt in 19 2 9 following a fire in 19 16 , which only the prliamentary Library survived. Behind Paliament is a stunning ew of the Ottawa River and the Gatineau hills on the other pe. Tours of both the Senate and House of Commons run

ADAMSCOTTI

From left: a scene from The Senate, the exterior of the Parliament buildings, and the War Memorial downtown. daily. From June 26 to August 2 6 , visitors can watch the mili­ tary precision of the Governor General's Foot Guards perform the Changing of the Guard daily at 10 a.m. on the front lawn of Parliament. And, the hill behind Parliament has become home to roughly a dozen stray cats, who are fed and cared for through private donations.

Walking back downtown brings you past the National War Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This impres­ sive and solemn moment pays homage to those lost fighting for both Queen and Country and is the focal point for Remem­ brance Day every November.

Ottawa boasts a wide selection of museums, the most notable of which are the National Art Gallery, the Museum of

G e t a h e a d th is s u m m e r.

Choose from among 300 courses in a variety of disciplines

Civilization (in Hull but close to Ottawa), the Canadian War Mu­ seum, the Royal Canadian Mint, the Museum of Aviation, the Nature Museum, and the Museum of Science and Technology.

The Museum of Civilization, Art Gallery, the Mint, and the War Museum are all within a pleasant walk from one and other. The Byward market is best visited in the summer with an outdoor fruit and vegetable market along with a wide variety of out­ door patios to sit back, have a cold beer and enjoy the fresh air.

Ottawa may be a small city, but in addition to the monu­ ments here it has numerous festivals, activities, and one of the most diverse dining cultures in Canada. So take a weekend away, relax and get to know the nation's capital. ■

B e a T r ib u n e E d it o r .

The Tribune is calling for applications for the 2 0 0 9 -2 0 1 0 Editorial Board.

The following positions are open: Managing Editor (2 ) Production Manager News Editor (3 ) Opinion Editor Features Editor (2 ) Arts & Entertainment Editor (2 ) Sports Editor (2 ) Photo Editor (2 ) Copy Editor Online Editor Design Editor (3 ) Submit a cover letter, resume, and three relevant samples addressed to Matthew Chesser, Editor-in-Chief to editor@mcgilltribune.com, or drop off a copy in the Tribune office, Shatner 1 1 0 .

Applications are due by March 2 7 at 5 : 0 0 p.m.

Questions? Email, call, or stop by our office.

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Y O U 'R E N O T T H E BOSS O F M E— B U T Y O U C O U L D BE.

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$ McGill

The Tribune's Board of Directors is now accepting Editor-in-Chief applications for the 2 0 0 9 -10 academic year. If you would like to apply for the position, please drop off a portfolio that includes a cover letter de­ tailing your interest, a CV, and three relevant writing or design samples at the SSMU Office front desk (Brown Building, Suite 1 2 0 0 ) to the atten­ tion of VP Clubs and Services Samantha Cook. The deadline for applica­ tions is March 27 at 5 p.m. Late applications will not be accepted.

This position is open to all members of the Society. However, prefer­ ence will be given to candidates with Tribune-related experience. If you have any questions about the application process, or what the position entails, please contact editor@mcgilltribune.com.

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E x p lo r in g t h e b o r d e r l e s s w o r l d o f m u s i c McGill students perform chamber music for the Montreal homeless T homas Q uail Montreal's homeless have it tough: dilapidated liv­ ing conditions, discrimination from fellow citizens, and that damn-cold Montreal winter. On any given day, many of them can be found huddled together smoking cigarettes, just trying to scrape by. But on Thursdays at lunch they're found where you'd least expect them to be— attending a chamber music concert at St. James United Church on St. Catherine Street.

Three weeks ago, I visited St. James on a chilly Thursday afternoon. The church was playing host to a new chamber music recital series, Chamber Music Without Borders. And after reading that a friend of mine would be performing Bartok's second violin concerto—one of my favourite contemporary concertos— I felt compelled to attend.

The recital was set to begin in 15 minutes. The organizers were busy shuffling the piano from one side of the stage to the other and testing the microphones. I was sitting ten pews from the front. I looked up and admired the church's architecture: appropriate stain glass, wonderful wooden beams, a powerful organ at the front. But with one peeling wall off to the altar's left, it seemed like St. James had seen better days.

I then overheard CMWB organizer, Aaron Schwebel tell

ADAMSCOTTI Marcin Swoboda plays his viola to pews of listeners.

a group of McGill music students something quickly. "They're all coming; I went up and asked them, they should be here soon."

I was intrigued. CMWB was purported to engage the McGill community, but I thought that meant your typical Mon­ treal noon-hour recital audience: old Jewish women, music students, and lunching Montreal businessman. Who could these people be?

And slowly, it dawned on me. One by one, they filtered into the hall: they all moved slowly, treading quietly (and most appropriately) in the sanctity of the church. They were all homeless; they were all here for the classical music noon-hour chamber music recital.

Laura D'Angelo was first up, performing the first move­ ment from Bela Bartok's second violin concerto. The concerto, composed in 19 37 for Hungarian virtuoso Zoltan Szekely, is marked in large part by technical passages and dark harmo­ nies.

How would they respond? The concerto has underly­ ing romanticism, but, of course, Bartok's gypsy dissonance resonates throughout the entire first movement. It's a diffi­ cult piece, disjointed and unpleasant to even the trained ear.

Would they be bored? Would they like it?

D'Angelo performed marvelously, lending the technically challenging first movement a sensible balance of mystery and hope, with soaring sound and deep resonance. But, of course, my eyes were trained on the group of homeless men in front of me. I really couldn't tell if they enjoyed it.

After D'Angelo, The Bombadils, a celtic-jazz fusion band, performed seven Irish folk numbers. Vocalist and violinist Sarah Frank led the group with her energetic and melodic voice. In addition, flautist Anh Phung incorporated her jazz background into the Celtic folk songs, lending the songs an interesting and virtuosic layer. The men loved it: they clapped uproariously.

CMWB is an outreach program designed to connect McGill musicians with the Montreal community—specifically, the homeless from the St. James Drop-in Centre. It's a symbi­ otic relationship: McGill's student musicians get a responsive audience, while the Montreal homeless community gets a brief break from their tough day.

"Before [Chamber Music Without Borders], there really wasn't anything available like this for McGill musicians to per­ form outside of school," said Julia Loucks, a CMWB organizer and U3 violin performance major. "[The homeless] seem to re­ ally enjoy it, it's awesome."

CMWB originated during a car trip from Montreal to Hali­ fax. Motivated by a lecture given at Scotiafest, an annual music workshop, McGill students Mira Benjamin, Aaron Schwebel, and Laura D'Angelo set out to develop a chamber music out­ reach program in Montreal. While music professor Douglas McNabney helped CMWB through its nascent stage, he has since backed off, leaving the students to run it themselves.

P O P R H E TO R IC

'm sure most of you have realized that certain ves­ tiges of Internet nerd-dom have entered the average university student's lexicon. People are using insipid Internet terminology like "FAIL,”"FTW" (For The Win), and "FML" (Fuck My Life). They are annoying and lazy when used in instant messenger or text messages, but using these dreadful acronyms or single-word catchphrases in verbal face-to-face communication borders on a criminal act. Please allow me to illustrate this wholly unacceptable practice :

I

Sarah McOnlinespeak: "BTW John, did you sit through that awful 8 :30 lecture this morning?"

Johnny lnternetacronym:"You actually woke up for that?

FAIL! WebCT recording FTW!" Sarah McOnlinespeak: "FML." Oh, that's clever. You're speaking in the same way that you would type on the Internet. In case you didn't catch the sarcasm, I was being facetious— it's not clever.

More importantly, it's not funny.

Unfortunately, I might be in the minority by seeing a

All LOL'd out problem with these obnoxious little Internet catchphrases creeping their way onto our Facebook profiles, and much worse, our daily conversations. But before you as­ sume that I'm some Luddite windbag who is writing this rant with a fountain pen by candlelight, let me say that I am well-versed on the Internet. I've seen 2 girlsicup. Four girls, three guys, two cats, four cups, I've seen it. Lolcats and FAIL Blog, I've seen them. I've seen it all.

I'm not going to argue that these abbreviations are ruining the English language. I personally have little re­ gard for the integrity of the Queen's English. I'm coming from a position of annoyance at the now widespread usage of Internet trends that were never funny in the first place. Writing the word "FAIL" in boldface lettering across a picture of someone screwing up isn't funny to begin with—the pictures speak for themselves— and mimick­ ing this with your speech is even less funny. These are lazy attempts to be funny. Can we all please strive to be a bit more clever in our attempts at humour? Clearly too many people are content to use these obnoxious bits of Inter­ net lore to exemplify how hip and "with it" they are. The thought process must resemble something like this:"I just

ADAMSCOT Thursdays with CMWB: Jeff Dyrda on violin (above) an Swoboda on viola play a string trio at St. James Church.

Now in its third month, CMWB has weekly concerts booke from now until the end of the school year.

"Everyone's been really enthusiastic," Loucks said. "Sti dents have been eager to play in the recitals, and more sti dents have asked how they can help get involved."

CMWB has also started fundraising for St. James Unitei Church and its Drop-In Centre. Over reading week, the Lotus land Project, comprising four of North America's mosttalentei musicians— Mark Fewer, Brad Turner, Jodi Proznik, and Johi Novacek—teamed up with CMWB to help raise funds for S James and the CMWB concert series.

After the concert, I approached one of the men who sa in front of me. His name was Carl Pelton, and he was a residen at the Drop-In Centre. Pelton had attended most of the CMWI noon-hour recitals: he'd liked the variety this time.

"I liked the Celtic band the best today; they were great Pelton said as he walked towards the east-side exit back to th< unforgiving Montreal winter, and another afternoon on the streets. ■

L ukas S amuelson saw this hilarious website ... let's quote it endlessly!"

It's a case of people jumping on a wagon that has rolled through the fair prairies of amusing, long past the dusty desert of overdone, and has now landed itself with no oxen and broken wheels in the swamps of "Oh God, just stop it."

I enjoy the Internet as much as the next guy or gal, but seriously, those Lolcats pictures or those amusing"de motivational posters" are the last things you should be modelling your sense of humour after.

At least one other cynical jerk agrees with me— check out the incredibly poignant and succinct stopsay ingfail.com. There are hundreds of funnier ways to tell your friend that he or she has made an ass of themselves without saying "fail."There are a thousand ways to seek pity for your tragedy of a life without saying "FML."There are a million ways to express incredulity at a situation other than "WTF?" It's a shame that people are using the Internet's worn-out jokes in conversation, jokes that were lame to . begin with. When and why did people start thinking un­ originality was funny? ■

10.03.09 • The McGill Tribune • 15

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ISIC

ouring h er h e a rt u t th ro u g h so n g 'vhat inspires breakout singer/ ongwriter Serena Ryder C arolyn G régoire Proudly following in the footsteps of legendary Canadian singer/songwrit;rs like Neil Young and Leonard Cohen, breakout artist Serena Ryder is on the l/erge of musical stardom. The Ontario-native songstress has hit the ground running with her new and most personal album to date. Is it O.k. is an impres­ sive display of Ryder's powerful vocals and honest, heartfelt lyrics.

With her unique blend of folk, country, and rock, the 2 6 -year-old singer/ kongwriter has developed a fan base across North America and earned wide­ spread critical acclaim, winning the Juno Award for Best New Artist last year.

Recorded with Grammy award-winner John Alagia—the producer behind )ave Matthews Band and John Mayer— Is it O.k. was released last November |n Canada and last month in the U.S. Ryder claims that the album is about em­ bracing what she's feeling and accepting herself as she is.

"This record was really cathartic for me," says Ryder. "I was going through lot of stuff, a lot of heartbreak—not necessarily guy-girl heartbreak, but life heartbreak ... I ended up writing from a place that really tried to allow myself ko feel what I was feeling and the first song on the record really encapsulates that essence for me. The chorus says'Let me feel what I feel'... hopefully it will Inspire people to feel comfortable in their own skin, which is one of the hardest things to do."

Growing up in Millbrook, Ontario listening to the oldies on AM radio with her dad, Ryder began singing and performing at the age of seven. "I grew up |in a town of 3,0 0 0 people, and there was one cab driver in the whole town and iis name was Ernie ... He actually was kind of my first studio manager and he vrote the first articles about me and things like that ... [He] got me my first jigs at The Legion and places where the audience members are in their late | 6 os, 7 0 s, 8 0 s. So there's this little kid singing oldies on the stage to a bunch of |people ten times her age."

Ryder soon progressed from oldies to acoustics at age 13 . When her dad Ibought her a $5 0 guitar from her uncle, she immediately started writing and (singing her own songs. "That's kind of when it opened up to me that I could (write my own stuff, that I could be a part of a group of songwriters that I'd been (listening to for so long ... At that time I was really inspired by Neil Young, he (was kind of the one who taught me to play. I just listened to 'Harvest' over and |over again,"says Ryder.

Since that time, Ryder has been honing her lyrical skills. Is it O.k. is the culImination of her incredible evolution as a songwriter. "I don't think that there's la science to it,"says Ryder, describing her organic songwriting method. "That's Ithe beautiful part of it, that there's no real science to writing a song ... Usually I what I do is I sit down with my guitar and I just start making sounds and I start |trying to find the words inside. It's a very intuitive process for me."

Since she completed recording is it O.k., Ryder has collaborated with Great I Lake Swimmers, Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene, Toronto's The Beauties, and acoustic rocker Stephen Kellogg. Ryder is currently touring Canada to pro­ mote her new album, making a stop in Montreal to perform at the Just for | Laughs Theatre.

"You play the same song every night, but it has a different meaning every I time you do it because you're in front of a different pair of ears and hearts and eyes," says Ryder. "There's a passion [in Montreal] for the sound of voice and for the presence of a heart on stage that's very European and very intense ... I love that. It's inspiring for me have an audience that is so open-hearted and so | affected by another open heart." ■

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Serena Ryder plays at the Just for Laughs Theatre on March n at 8 p.m.

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TIME IS RUNNING OUT! THERE ARE ONLY FOUR ISSUES OF THE TRIBUNE LEFT, SO NOW'S THE TIME TO WRITE FOR A&E WHILE YOU STILL CAN. CHRISTOPHERWAHL Get up close and personal with Ryder at her Montreal performance on Wednesday.

MEETINGS EVERY MONDAY AT 5:30 AT GERTS.

The McGill Tribune

16 • Arts & Entertainment • 07.10.08

ART

R e v ie w s Bell Orchestre. As Seen Through Windows.

Montreal's Bell Orchestre, the latest band to sign with Canadian indie super-label Arts and Crafts, are a hard group to pin down. With a roster featuring many prominent Montreal musicians— including members of the Arcade Fire—you might expect something similar to the indie-rock that group is known for. Instead, Bell Orchestre is best described as contempo­ rary instrumental chamber post-rock with a heavy dose of Steve Reich minimalism. The problem with As Seen Through Windows is that the group, who first began playing improvisational music for modern dancers, can't seem to decide what kind of band they want to be. Most of the songs are far too eclectic in their ideas, often sounding like two or three different songs thrown to­ gether. "Air Lines/Land Lines,” in particular, lacks cohesion. It also doesn't help that many of the songs go on for far too long without really going anywhere. For example, the dreamy and atmospheric "Water/Lights/Shifts" would function well as a 3 0 -second interlude, but cannot sustain itself for its 3 -minute duration. These problems, as well as the incredibly out of place "The Gaze," severely hurt the flow of the album and make it difficult for lis­ teners to stay engaged for extended periods of time.

Maybe the problem is that Bell Orchestre is no longer playing for the dancers with whom they began. The music, though innovative and exciting at times, sounds like it would function better in a supporting role becuase it ultimately cannot stand on its own. There are good ideas here, but they're buried under grandiose and excessive arrangements.

— Ryan Taylor

Lamb of God. Wrath. The aptly-named sixth album from Lamb of God weaves between the political ("Contractor" discusses military out­ sourcing) and the personal ("Broken Flands," "Everything to Nothing"), resulting in a dis­ tinctive and satisfying oratory mix.

Wrath is bookended by gentle guitar, which does nothing— perhaps unfortunate­ ly—to mitigate the incredible amount of screaming throughout the rest of the album.

While hardcore Lamb of God fans Will no doubt find the monotony a wel­ come relief after a nearly two-year interlude of silence since their last album Sacrament, listeners who still have their eardrums will probably just be bored. Still, prior to the Feb. 2 4 release date, drummer Chris Alder stated that the album needed no hype: "We have topped ourselves and ... you will feel it." He was speaking literally.

The album wraps up with "Reclamation," which begins and ends with the sound of falling rain and echoes the gentler tones of the opening track before taking listeners through a seven-minute epic which might as well be to Wrath what "Redneck" was to Sacrament.

Though only marginally different from their previous releases, the fact that Wrath even exists demonstrates Lamb of God's staying power in the metal community, and their instantly-recognizable style is only improved on by their latest album.

— Carolyn Yates

J o b O p p o r t u n it y

Front Desk Receptionist * F le x ib le H o u r s ( m in . 1 0 , m a x . 1 5 ) - P le a s a n t e n v iro n m e n t - M ay b e

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Exhibition displays works of Van Dongen O luwadamini A desegha The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is currently displaying a retrospective of the works of Van Dongen, the Dutch painter remembered for his innovative paint­ ings which characterized the Fauve movement of the early 19 0 0 '. The exhibition is a chronological display of about 45 art pieces consisting of Van Dongen's work, including sketches, portraits, and abstractionist art.

Kees Van Dongen was born in 1877 in Delfshaven, Holland, and left home at 18 to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rotterdam. He began his art career in Zandstraat, a Dutch city suffused with brothels, bars, and street vendors. His pieces were depictions of scenes of the environment in which he found himself.

He sought to lend a certain elegance to the crude ex­ istence of the prostitutes and denizens of the broth­ els. For example, one of his quick sketches depicts prostitutes wearing conservative gowns talking to men dressed in business suits smoking pipes. The prosti­ tutes are not only dressed respectably, they have as­ sumed imperial, austere postures. He brought out the beauty and elegance which he saw in the events happening around him, and lent an unconventional perspective of the ghettoes of Holland in the 1 9 0 0 s.

Van Dongen moved to Paris in 18 9 7 where he met and befriended Pablo Picasso, whose influence is

clearly visible in his work. Around this time, he began to show more innovation and experimentation in his paintings. His Fauvist instincts began to surface, marked by bright, contrasting colours which he used to depict reality, at times vaguely, and at times acutely. It was dur­ ing this period that the Fauvist movement gained mo­ mentum, practiced by the likes of Henri Matisse, Mau­ rice de Vlaminick, and Henri Rousseau.This was when he painted Le Moulin de la Gallette, a striking painting of a party scene in which there are two couples dancing and flirting tastefully. He developed as a caricaturist while in Paris, and gained a reputation as an artist with a talent for abstracting from— in essence, simplifying— nature.

The museum's exhibition is an enlightening look into Van Dongen's artistic inspirations, influences, and abilities. The informative subscripts posted beside each paintingas well astheconcise biographical excerpts throughout each gallery serve to inform the viewer ofthe significant events that artistically influenced Van Don­ gen, and give the viewer a recognition and appreciation for the resulting change in his painting style.The exhibi­ tion is well presented and will be educational and enjoy­ able for the casual fan as well as the ardent art-lover. ■ Van Dongen: Painting the Town Fauve is on display at the Montreal Museum o f Fine arts (1380 Sherbrooke St. West) until April igth. Admission is $15 per person.

M U S IC

A lm o s t f a m o u s A m o s The musical evolution of Amos the

T r a n s p a r e n t

A rielle F rank An unassuming band that can only be categorized as indie rock at its purest, Amos the Transparent has evolved significantly in the past two years. The band has seen its membership fluctuate between two and ten members, but lead singer and songwriter Jonathan Chandler has seen the band throughout its transforma­ tion.

Unfulfilled with his artistic endeavors in various bands, Chandler and high school friend Chris Wilson left their respective bands in 2 0 0 7 to form Amos the Trans­ parent. The group's debut album, Everything I've Forgot­ ten to Forget, garnered critical acclaim and was praised on various Canadian music blogs. Although officially Chandler and Wilson released Everything I've Forgotten to Forget as a duo, their album features an ever-chang­ ing number of band mates.

"On paper, it was the two of us for like a year, but in actual fact it was for about three days. Before you knew it, there were other musicians coming in and playing, and other musicians playing live shows with us," says Chandler.

This revolving door of musicians lasted for about a year, which led to difficulties when Amos the Transpar­ ent attempted to translate their record into a live show.

Mark Hyne, the group's jack-of-all-trades, describes the problem. "It was pretty ridiculous at one point. It was honestly like show by show ... I'd be playing different parts for each show just because one person can be there but the other person can't be there. The songs that Jon wrote on the first record weren't really written to be performed live—there's lots of layers on there.

When it came to actually trying to play these songs live, it was pretty difficult," says Hyne.

Chandler describes this transition period for the

band as unique and chaotic. Once Amos the Transpar­ ent was finally pared down to its current five-member configuration, Chandler claims, "we arrived at the pot of gold." This newfound stability allowed the band to explore their sound further. In just three weeks, they re­ corded their follow-up EP, My What Big Teeth You Flave, in the basements of various friends and band members.

Chandler, the composer and lyricist for almost all the band's material, puts the EP in context. "I hope to release a series of EPs that kind of follow a theme, but as for right now, there's no theme or anything like that."

Chandler takes an organic approach to composing and producing in general. Music seems to come natu­ rally to him, and the result is a very genuine sound. "As far as writing, ( don't really aspire to be like anybody,” says Chandler. Although he cites The Beatles and Ra­ diohead as his favorite bands, they have little bearing on his artistic undertakings. "Personally, I don't think there's any point in making music that someone else has made," says Chandler.

Amos the Transparent clearly reflects this attitude in their music. Chandler's voice possesses a clear, reso­ nating sound comparable to Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie. Yet the band's sound as a whole is unique and almost impossible to dislike. The songs are upbeat and contagious without being trite, and the lush instrumen­ tals blend together in an almost dreamlike way. While My What Big Teeth You Flave marks a milestone in the de­ velopment of Amos the Transparent, the 2 0 -minute EP will not be enough to satisfy the insatiable appetites of both new and old fans as they wait for Chandler's next slice of musical mastery. ■ Amos the Transparent plays at Jupiter Room (3874 Sf. Laurent) on March 17.

- C o m m e n c in g A u g u s t 2 0 0 9 R ick R oss

C o n ta c t B a r b a r a B ro w n

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PORTS 10CKEY— R ED M EN 2, U Q T R 1

e d m e n c a p tu r e im p ro b a b le OUA E ast title 'orion, Doucet, and Desfossés propel Redmen to CIS championship M a tt C hesser When the McGill Redmen lost five straight games to open Ihe regular season, qualifying for the playoffs seemed like a ■all order and a second consecutive trip to the CIS National Championship Tournament was a pipe dream. But on Friday night, in front of 1,0 79 fans at McConnell Arena, the Redmen lompleted one of the most improbable turnarounds in the program's 13 2 -year history, capturing the OUA Eastern Confer­ ence Championship with a 2 -1 win over the fifth-ranked UQTR patriotes to sweep the series 2 -0 .

I always had faith that better things were still to come for [is, but we were just worried about making the playoffs [after (he first five games]," said McGill Head Coach Martin Raymond, wasn't thinking past that, because that would have been a listake.... To win this for a second straight year is pretty spe­ cial, though."

The unranked Redmen won game two on the strength of Ihird period goals from defenceman Marc-Andre Dorion and forward Guillaume Doucet, and 29 saves from rookie netmindI r Kevin Desfossés. The win came on the heels of a 3 -1 victory |n Trois-Rivières on Wednesday, in which three different Red­ den— Francis Verreault-Paul, Marko Kovacevic, and Leonard i/errilli— scored unanswered goals to build a three-goal lead lor McGill that was only narrowed with three minutes left in fhe third period.

With Friday's victory the Redmen have won 2 2 of their last 28 games— including five straight in the playoffs. As OUA Eastern Conference Champions, the Redmen automatically re­ ceive a berth in the CIS National ChampionshipTournament in Thunder Bay, Ontario from March 2 6 -2 9 .

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"We're playing really good hockey right now. We've got momentum," said Desfossés. "I've never been on a team that works together and plays as hard as this group of guys. I'm just trying not to let them down."

On the comeback trail Friday's game was a physical affair, played in front of a raucous standing-room only crowd at McConnell Arena. After over 30 minutes of scoreless, yet entertaining, hockey, Patri­ otes forward Francis Charland redirected a slapshot from Andre Joanisse on the power-play to give UQTR a 1 -0 lead.

Dorion tied the game three minutes into the third period, notching his third goal of the playoffs just after a five-on-three McGill advantage expired. The rookie defender snuck in from the blueline, received a pass in the slot from Alexandre PicardHooper, and wired a wrist shot past UQTR netminder Michael Dupont's glove.

Seven minutes later, Doucet notched the game-winner for the Redmen, one-timing a pretty pass from Kovacevic past Dupont from the high slot.

"I thought that the key was our play in the third period," said Raymond. "We were awful in the first two periods tonight, we didn't play with poise, we were forcing plays and we were taking uncharacteristic penalties. We got back to our game in the third period though, and you saw there that we didn't worry about the crowd and we didn't worry about the score.

We just settled down, re-focussed, and found a way to win."

Special teams were key for the Redmen in the series, as McGill held the Patriotes' league-leading power-play to only one goal in 10 opportunities, while the Redmen converted on four of their 14 power-plays—the Redmen scored all three of their goals on Wednesday night with a man-advantage. The penalty killing was particularly inspired on Friday, as the Red­ men used an extremely aggressive defensive scheme and their superlative team speed to pressure UQTR into making bad decisions with the puck.

Fresh faces

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ADAMSCOTTI

jDoucet's third goal of the playoffs sent the Redmen to Thunder Bay for their second-straight CIS tournament.

While this is the third time in the last four years that the Redmen qualified for Nationals, this year's incarnation looks remarkably different from those in the past. McGill has 14 firstyear players on their roster this season, including eight rookies that dressed for Friday night's game.

"We have 14 new guys in the lineup," said McGill co-cap­ tain Ken Morin."Fourteen guys who had to adjust to Montreal, to playing in the CIS, and to taking school in English— because a lot of our players are francophone. So we knew there was going to be an adjustment period at the start of the year."

According to both Morin and Raymond, the end of the adjustment period seemed to coincide with back-to-back loss­ es to UQTR in late October and early November. After those

ADAMSCOTTI

Dorion celebrates his equalizer in the third period. losses, the Redmen have lost back-to-back games only once.

Before departing for Thunder Bay, the Redmen will face the sixth-ranked University of Western Ontario Mustangs in London, Ont., in a single-game contest on Saturday to de­ termine the winner of the Queen's Cup-—the trophy given to the top team in the OUA. The RedQ j j | C K H IT S men broke a 6 2 year drought when McGill's leading goal-scorer Sam they captured the Bloom could miss up to two Queen's Cup last games due to an impending sus­ year, and will try to pension that will be announced make it two years later this week. The star forward in a row—as well as was assessed a five minute major secure a high seed and a game misconduct for at Nationals—on bloodying a Patriotes player with Saturday. a crosscheck to the face. Bloom " O b v io u s ly , has already been suspended we're already in twice this season. [for Nationals], but we want to get in SSMU President Kay Turner won by the front door, a shooting contest during inter­ not the back door," mission, when she was the only said Desfossés, one of three contestants to hit who won his 1 2 th an empty net from centre ice game against three (each contestant was allowed losses. "We've got a three attempts). One of the con­ lot of momentum testants to lose to Turner was now, and winning Redmen football and basketball the Queen's Cup star Erik Galas, who likely made game would give his final appearance at a McGill us the chance to sporting event. carry that momen­ tum on to Nation­ als."»

T H IR D M A N IN

T h e N B A : a n a ll- n e w p r im e t im e s o a p very major sport produces a certain amount of Hollywood-worthy storylines each year, and to an extent, this is a good thing. Rumours, rivalries, and the inevi­ table off-the-court issues over the course of a season keep interest and excitement levels high among fans and players alike. However, these storylines also have the capacity to be destructive when they overshadow a sport and take away from the game itself.

Such is the case with the 2 0 0 8 -0 9 NBA season, which has been characterized by egomania, avarice, and (most recently) shameless quitting. Out of the circus that this sea­ son has become, three issues in particular have contributed to the diminishing importance of actual basketball games in the NBA. The first is the attention surrounding the impending free agency of Lebron James. There's a reason the media love Lebron— he is the most dominant player in the game today, continues to improve, and has the best chance of any current player of challenging Michael Jordan's legacy.

Despite his limited vocabulary and questionable humility, he is also undeniably charismatic. Lebron deserves the lav­ ish attention, to be sure, but it should be focussed on his present achievements rather than his choice of where to play when he becomes a free agent in 2 0 1 0 .The media have done away with subtlety in advocating for Lebron to ditch

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the small market Cleveland Cavaliers for the bright lights of New York City in two years.

While the media can take most of the blame for dis­ tracting the entire league and further depressing the state of Ohio, Lebron deserves some of the blame for his coyness and the obvious pleasure he takes from being in front of the camera. But all of this talk of the future has diminished the significance of his performance on the court, where he has averaged 28 points, seven boards, and seven assists per game this season, while likely on his way to his first MVP award. Lebron needs to listen to Charles Barkley and shut the hell up so we can just be witnesses.

The second issue is the amount of whining done by players unhappy with their current team or market. This season has seen only a few big names switch teams, but plenty of moderate-to-good players have donned new uni­ forms. Well, this may be a bit inaccurate, since many of the players traded never put on their new uniforms, instead asking to be bought out of lucrative contracts in order to play for teams in better positions, or for coaches whose sys­ tem fits their style of play. Since when do players who aren't free agents get to decide where they play? Having to listen to immature multi-millionaires complain about their lot in life does little to promote a sense of loyalty to the game or attract new fans.

K ailan L eung

Lastly, tanking season has begun in the NBA, and it's as sickening as ever. Shutting down hobbled veterans near the end of the season is one thing, but Golden State Head Coach Don Nelson keeping his best players on the bench and publicly asking point guard Jamal Crawford to opt out of his contract in the summer is downright shameful. Low­ er-tier teams are making even less of an attempt this sea­ son than in the past to hide the fact that they are gunning for the draft lottery, rather than the playoffs. Losing seasons are disappointing, but they're a chance to improve and in­ tegrate new players and concepts into the system. Does the prospect of adding a top college player— especially from a lacklustre draft class, such as the upcoming one— really justify playing without integrity or purpose?

The NBA prides itself on integrity, history, and a com­ mitment to showcasing the best basketball on the planet.

It's blessed with a devoted fan base around the globe and over 3 0 0 freak athletic specimens. But the league needs to understand that a sports league is different from a soap opera, and bring the focus back to the basketball court. Fans deserve to see competition that— outwardly, at least— is separated from petty grievances or monetary gain. Fans want to love the game, and in order for that to occur, the NBA, its players, and the writers who cover it must love and value the game as well. ■

18 • Sports • 10.03.09

The McGill Tribune

P R O FILE — STEVEN BIELBY

M c G ill's b r a n d n e w h o p e f o r O l y m p ic g o l d In his first year, Montrealer Bielby takes CIS by storm in Vancouver M a tt C hesser Steven Bielby managed a good-natured laugh when an inevitable, but rather foolish, Michael Phelps parallel was brought up. Rather gently, he pointed out that winning three gold medals in three days at the CIS National Swimming Championships wasn't quite the same as winning eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics.

"I don't know how he does that. It's superhuman to race that many events and win all of them," said Bielby.

But while the parallel to Phelps was rightly discarded as the product of a hyperbolic writer's mind, that shouldn't di­ minish the significance of Bielby's accomplishments. In Febru­ ary, Bielby became the first male swimmer in McGill history to win three individual gold medals at the CIS National Cham­ pionships in Vancouver, shattering three Quebec university records in the process. What's more, the Montreal native is in his first year at McGill.

"I think he's just scratching the surface of his potential, because we thought he could go even faster at [Nationals]," said McGill Swim Coach François Laurin. "I definitely thought he would get three medals, I just didn't know what colour they would be."

Following his gold medal haul in Vancouver, the 19 -yearold electrical engineering freshman was named the CIS Rookie of the Year—an award that capped an impressive year that included honours as Quebec Swimmer of the Year, Quebec Rookie Swimmer of the Year, and CIS All-Canadian.

What a trip Bielby came to Vancouver with high expectations after winning three gold and three silver medals at the QSSF swim­ ming championships, held at McGill's Memorial Pool. The rookie swimmer knew he could improve upon his times at the QSSF meet, since the McGill swim team had sacrificed muchneeded rest in order to continue morning practices and eve­ ning workouts leading up to the QSSF championships so that their conditioning would peak at Nationals. But he was still surprised by the extent of his success.

"It was a little unexpected," said Bielby. "My main focus was on just one of the events, the 15 0 0 -metre freestyle, and I swam the other two events before I got to that one. So it took a lot of pressure off the 15 0 0 —which I would say is my best event— having already won two races prior to it."

The first sign that the weekend could be something spe­ cial came early in Bielby's first swim, when he set a personal best time of four minutes, 18 .8 seconds in the 4 0 0 -metre indi­ vidual medley preliminary race.

"In the morning swim [on the first day] I set a personal best by about a second, and I really hadn't pushed myself that hard," he said. "So I knew that at night I could do a lot better than I did in the morning, especially since I'd noticed that some of the other guys who were entered ahead of me were really pushing hard in the morning race. So that gives you a bit of a mental boost when you're really not working hard, but you still finish in a good spot."

That night, Bielby smashed his previous best time, win­ ning the gold medal in a Quebec record 4 :1 1 .4 2 , nearly a full seven seconds better than the time he had set earlier that day, and four seconds better than UBC's Jordan Hartney, who fin­ ished second. Bielby's success continued the next day, when he captured his second gold medal by winning the 4 0 0 -metre freestyle in 3 :4 9 .73 , eclipsing the previous Quebec university record by just over three seconds.

"He didn't just win those races, he killed the field, which in the 4 0 0 IM is spectacular to watch," said Laurin. "He finished over half a lane of the pool ahead of the second-place swim­ mer. He swam the third-fastest time in CIS Championship his­ tory, and the top two times are held by Brian Johns— one of which was a world record when he set it."

But Bielby's self-proclaimed best event was still to come:

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ADAMSCOTTI As a gold medallist in the 400-metre individual medley at nationals, Bielby has mastered all four strokes. the grueling 15 0 0 -metre freestyle. At 30 lengths of an Olympic­ sized pool, the 15 0 0 -metre freestyle is the longest distance for both CIS and Olympic swimmers, and is a fascinating mixture of endurance and strategy, as swimmers must set the perfect pace.

"My goal was to just go out fast and see how everybody else reacted," said Bielby. "So I went out hard for the first 4 0 0 metres and nobody caught me by the end."

"On the turns, while you're underwater you can kind of see how everyone is doing. You pass them on your way back so you can see if you need to speed up a bit, but I just seemed to be pulling aw ay.... By the time I got to that final turn, though, I was just thinking, 'Thank God the end is near and I'm almost done.'"

The race ended with another Quebec record, and a third gold medal in as many days of competition. Bielby was dominant in victory: he bested the second place finisher by seven seconds, the third place finisher by over 12 seconds, and knocked 2 2 seconds off the previous McGill record in the event. He also dismantled Andre Theoret's Quebec university record by just over five seconds, erasing a mark that had stood for almost 15 years.

Effort pays off However, Bielby's success doesn't come without a hefty price tag. In addition to a difficult electrical engineering course load, Bielby has nine two-hour practices per week— four that start at 5:30 a.m. in the morning, and five on weekday evenings— as well as dry-land training sessions everyTuesday and Thursday.

"You've got to take away from your free time, and your studying suffers a little bit," said Bielby. "But you just try to focus and not get distracted by other things like TV shows you want to watch, or going out."

The difficult training sessions are helped somewhat by the company of a familiar face— Bielby's older brother, Chris­ topher. The two siblings are separated in age by a year and a half, and have been training partners ever since the day they learned to swim.

"At my first swim meet in the summer pools in the West Island, I really didn't want to swim and I was scared, so he went and did it first," said Bielby. "And I guess I saw that it wasn't that bad, so I went and did it as well. We got into swimming to­

gether, and ever since then—for the past 10 or 12 years— we've been swimming together. It's always easier to get up for the early morning practices when you have someone to do it with you."

Bielby also admits that the friendly competition between him and his brother adds a little extra incentive in practice ses­ sions.

"There's a little bit of a sibling rivalry," he said. "[Christo­ pher] is a year and a half older than me, so you always want to beat your big brother."

What the future holds Like most swimmers, Bielby's aspirations go beyond com­ petition at the collegiate level. The Montrealer has an Olym­ pic dream, one he hopes to see fulfilled by the 2 0 12 Olympic Games in London, England. At the 20 0 8 Canadian Olympic Qualifying Trials, Bielby placed fifth in the 15 0 0 -metre freestyle and seventh in the 4 0 0 -metre freestyle.

"It's tough because [Canadian Olympian] Ryan Cochrane also swims the 15 0 0 -metre, and he finished third at the Beijing Olympics," said Bielby. "I'd say that my Olympic dream is a lot more realistic now than it was a few years ago, but it's still not necessarily achievable. [The 2 0 12 Olympics] are still three years away, so we'll see how much I've progressed, and how well the rest of the guys in Canada are doing."

At s'7 ", Bielby is shorter than most competitive swimmers.

But in his first year as a Redman, he's never come up short.

And as he sets his sights on London, he hopes to one day be wearing the red and white of his country as well as that of his university. ■ Steven Bielby is one of McGill's most promising young athletes. You can follow his career next year and share his story with the world.

Apply to be the Tribune's Sports Editor. There are two positions available— hand in your CV, a cover letter, and three relevant writing samples in an envelope addressed to Matt Chesser at the Tribune office (Shatner building, room 1 1 0 ) or email your ap­ plication to editor@mcgilltribune.com. The deadline is March 27 at 5 pm . So hurry.

10.03.09-Sports - 19

www.m cgilltribune.com

QUICK HITS

H O C K E Y — M A R TLE TS 4, C O N C O R D IA 1

A b it o f a s c a re Stingers surprise Martlets, but fall in QSSF semifinal

• Predicatably, the 2 0 0 8 -0 9 QSSF individual awards were chock-filled with Martlets. Forward Ann-Sophie Bettez won player of the year, Smith won coach of the year, and Leclerc-Auger and defender Stacie Tardif won rook­ ies of the year. Bettez and Davidson were named to the first all-QSSF team, as well as Chartrand and fellow defender Catherine Ward. Labonté rounded out the first-team as the conference's top goaltender.

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J acob K anter It took eight tries, but the Concordia Stingers finally gave their cross­ town rivals a competitive game. The defending champion Martlets needed a 6 o-minute effort in game two to sweep their QSSF semifinal series, win­ ning 4 -1 at Concordia's Ed Meagher Arena on Friday night after throttling the Stingers 1 1 -2 at home on Wednesday.

The game was the closest contest of the season between the two teams. The Stingers repeatedly got their sticks in passing lanes, breaking up passes that usually would have resulted in fast breaks. And, for much of the first period, the Martlets seemed content to let the Stingers enforce their will.

"Concordia played like they didn't want their season to be over," said McGill Flead Coach Peter Smith. "That was the best effort that they've had against us. But we didn't have any sense of urgency in the first period. Our team has done real well this year, and we've played with a sense of urgency when there hasn't been [a need for] a sense of urgency at a ll.... This was one of the few blips on the radar screen that we've had."

The Martlets broke through seven minutes into the opening period, but it took a five-on-three to get the puck past Stingers netminder Audrey Doyon-Lessard. Forward Vanessa Davidson redirected a whistling slap shot from defender Catherine Ward that passed over Doyon-Lessard's right shoulder.

"We had a rough start," said Davidson, who added two assists to finish with three points in the game and eight in the semifinal. "But in the end we came together and put a lot of shots against [Doyon-Lessard], and she did play very well. But the little things are what count. The extra effort that we had to put in will help us down the road."

Nothing to lose In previous games against Concordia this season, McGill dominated puck possession at even strength, allowing the Stingers few opportunities to test Martlet goaltender Charline Labonté. On Friday night, however, Labonté had little time to relax.

"That's the best that I've seen Concordia play in my three years here," said Labonté, who stopped 18 of the Stingers' 19 shots. "They had absolutely nothing to lose, and they came together and gave us a good game two. I got a little more work than I usually do against them."

Labonté had to stone Stinger forward Catherine Rancourt on a rare one-on-one at the end of the first period, as Concordia found yet another hole in the Martlets' usually impenetrable defence. Labonté allowed three goals in the two playoff games after allowing only one goal in five regular season games against the Stingers. But despite Concordia's newfound abil­ ity to break down McGill's blueliners, Smith remained confident about his team's ability to shut down the opposition.

"I wouldn't say that I'm overly concerned [about the three goals al­ lowed]," he said. "We almost played like we wanted this game to be over a little bit, so I thought our attention to detail wasn't great. But we'll be fine.

We've worked hard over the course of the season to get prepared for the games that are coming up, so we'll be good to go."

Labonté was also able to glean some positives from game two.

"We'd rather win 4 -1 than win 1 1 -2 like the last game," she said. "You can't really get anything out of a game like that. In this game, they made us work because they were on [our heels] the whole time. That's good prepara­ tion for the next few games."

Forward Alessandra Lind-Kenny beat Doyon-Lessard four minutes into the second period to make the score 2 -0 , but Concordia finally con­ verted one of their many opportunities a few minutes later. Forward Donna Ringrose gathered the loose puck in traffic and snuck it under Labonté's glove.

The goal served as a wake-up call for the top-ranked team in Canada, as McGill played out the period with the urgency Smith had been looking for earlier in the game. Defender Cathy Chartrand scored on a power-play at the 1 0 -minute mark, and rookie forward Marie-Andree Leclerc-Auger scored five minutes later on a breakaway during a Stinger line change.

"We were definitely giving it our all," said Davidson. "But Concordia played a great game, and they gave everything they could give. But when it came down to the end, we had that little extra effort and a little extra luck that put the pucks in the net."

The hunt for Ed Enos The Martlets will face the Ottawa Gee Gees in the best-of-three QSSF final for the Ed Enos Cup. The Gee Gees came back from a one-game deficit against the Carleton Ravens in their QSSF semifinal, winning games two and three by identical scores of 2 -1 in double overtime.

Game one, scheduled for Wednesday night, was originally going to be held at McConnell Arena, with game two in Ottawa on Friday and game three (if necessary) back in Montreal on Sunday. But the Gee Gees request­ ed to host game one, as the CIS men's basketball championship will take Ottawa by storm this weekend. Games two and three will therefore be held at McGill. ■ BACKPAGEPHOTOSBY: VALERIAN MAZATAU, ADAMSCOTTI ANDTYLERYE

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