The McGill Tribune Vol. 31 Issue 11

r i b u n e

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Published by the Tribune Publication Society Volume No. 31 Issue No. 11

M cGill Four QPIRG, CRUT results Editorials A-Side M cGill protest history T h e R u s s ia n P la y

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RIOT POLICE, PA G E io-n

McGill community gathers to reflect on events of Nov.

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Photos from M onday’s com m unity response to Nov. io . (Sam Reynolds / M cG ill Tribune)

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By Anand Bery and Carolina M iilàn Ronchetti News Editors

Over 1,000 people gathered yesterday in James Square to discuss the riot police presence of'Nov. 10 and its impact on the community. In an open-mic session, students, facul­ ty, and community members offered their own experiences with the riot police and made suggestions on how to move forward and learn from the incident.

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The event began at noon, when over a hundred students gathered at the Roddick Gates and peace­ fully protested the police violence witnessed Thursday evening. Half an hour later, the group marched to James Square and gathered in the area. At 12:45 p.m., the assembly commenced with an opening speech by U2 arts student Taylor- Lawson, recounting the events of Nov. 10. “The intention of this afternoon is to create time and space for people to express and articulate what they

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experienced, because this is a com­ munity issue and we need to work through it as a whole,” he said. Present at the forum were stu­ dents, faculty, and senior adminis­ trators Deputy Provost of Student Life and Learning Morton Mendel­ son and Principal Heather MunroeBlum. Following Lawson's speech, organizers played a recording of the sounds of police on campus, re­ calling the violence and subsequent student confusion that night. The

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audio clips were taken from videos on TVM and YouTube, and from a broadcast by CKUT radio. There was a minute of silence at the end of the recording, allowing the crowd to reflect and “collectively move on,” as described by TVM's Molly Bower. The assembly organizers then proposed to change the name of James Square to “Community Square,” in order to reclaim the area of the disturbances. Those gathered voted in favour of the new name.

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Students and faculty expressed their experiences and suggestions for the future in an open-mic style forum. Although some of the rheto­ ric was heated, most speakers en­ couraged communication with the administration and called for dia­ logue between on-campus groups to foster community engagement. “An academic community is an environment in which there is a diversity of views, whether it be about tuition increases, MUNACA’s See “R EFLEC TS ” on page

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McGill Four on politics A lu m s

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By Erica Friesen__________________

Contributor

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ize that we are competent and w e’re working as hard as we can,” she said. When not defending their own capabilities, the MPs are working hard to emphasize that there many political issues beyond just tuition fees and unemployment that are per­ tinent to young Canadians. “Usually people say ‘Pensions? That’s not a youth issue,”’ Borg said. “But it is, because they’re slowly cutting [young voters] out of collec­ tive agreements and they’re slowly cutting them out of benefit packages for jobs, so for the first time w e’ve heard people stand up and say, ‘No, my generation needs to hang on to these things.’” While the MPs each discussed their recent experiences in Parlia­ ment, Dubé also drew attention to McGill’s role in their collective po­ litical experience. “It’s really fun for us to get to come back to where we came from. It has a lot to do with what’s shaped us as parliamentarians,” he said. Student engagement was a major theme at the event. The eve­ ning was intended to directly con nect youth to political events in Ottawa, NDP McGill Co-President Samuel Harris, said. “They’re regular people, they’re not just some far-off distant group,” Harris said. “They’re our age, they’re former McGill students, they had to work through university, they had all sorts of the same experi ences we have [had].” Other students in the audience appreciated the insight the group of­ fered. “It was nice to get the perspec­ tive [of] people who are just like me,” Sauran Shah, U0 arts and sci­ ence, said. “Politics often seems like it’s limited to older, experienced people.” All four MPs are hoping to change this image of parliament, and emphasized increasing youth involvement in Canadian politics as an important goal. “Young"people aren’t just lead­ ers of tomorrow,” said Liu. “They’re also leaders of today.”

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Last Thursday, Nov. 10, NDP McGill presented “What’s Up on the Hill?”, an evening with the four Mc­ Gill undergraduates elected to par­ liament during the May 2011 fed­ eral election. Held at Concordia, the event featured NDP MPs Charmaine Borg, Matthew Dubé, Mylène Free­ man, and Laurin Liu, who spoke about their recent transition from student life to Parliament Hill. “You can’t be afraid of look­ ing for help,” Dubé said. “The day where you feel you have all the an­ swers is the day you don’t deserve to do this job anymore, because no one ever knows all the answers.” The four expressed disappoint­ ment with the different treatment they have received because of their youth. The three female MPs also described challenges related to gen­ der in the male-dominated parlia­ ment. “Sometimes I do encounter a lot of sexism, and that really frustrates me,” Freeman said. “It’s funny, but at the same time it’s really awful.” Nevertheless, Freeman was enthusiastic about the increase m female representatives elected this year. “It’s really exciting for me to have so many women in our caucus. In the NDP caucus, w e’re 40 per cent women,” Freeman said. “But [that portion is] only 25 per cent in the House.” Despite large changes to Can­ ada’s political landscape—reflected in parliament—the four said that they largely feel supported by their colleagues. “Most—I say most—people understand that w e’re all there to do the same job, regardless of colour, political colour, or age,” Dubé said. However, media portrayal of the four new MPs has focused large­ ly on their youth, something the four find disappointing. Freeman specifi­ cally commented on the media’s ten­ dency to question the group’s French communication skills despite the fluency of all four candidates. “It was really frustrating, and we have been working to combat that stuff. I hope that people real­

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Tuesday, November 15, 2011

LOCAL

Thousands of students protest provincial tuition increases T h e e v e n ts

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By Kyla Mandel M anaging Editor

Over 20.000 students from all over Quebec gathered on Thursday, Nov. 10 at Place Émile-Gamelin near UQAM to demonstrate against the provincial government’s pro­ posed tuition increases. The Que­ bec government announced that it would be increasing university tuition for local students by $ 1,625 over five years. McGill students gathered at the Roddick Gates before moving down McGill College to join those demonstrating from Concordia. In an opening statement to the demon­ strators at McGill, Joël Pedneault, SSMU’s VP External Affairs, ex­ plained that demonstrators were there to protest the tuition increase not only on behalf of current stu­ dents, but for an entire generation of future ones as well. “We’re also here for the people who can’t be here,’’ Pedneault said. “We’re here for a public education system, one that’s accessible to ev­ erybody regardless of their means ... w e’re here for the future of every­ one who’s young, who’s old, who’s about to be born in this province.” Joëlle Shaw, a McGill art his­ tory student and local Montrealer, explained that she was protesting because this was the first year she was almost unable to pay her tuition fees. “I asked for money from the government to help me out and I got

Students rally against tuition increases. (Elisha Lerner / M cG ill Tribune)

something absolutely ridiculous be­ cause they considered that, even if I haven’t been living with my parents for two years, I’m still a dependent student.” “I’m really happy to see Mc­ Gill participating because this tends to be considered like a francophone university movement, and it’s not, and [we] need to all be in this to­ gether because it affects everyone,” Shaw said. Picket signs reading “Angry Anglos en grève,” testified to the strong presence of anglophone students from McGill, Concordia,

Dawson, and Vanier College. Stu­ dents from UQAM, University of Laval, University of Sherbrooke, and CEGEP Sainte Félicien near Lac St. Jean demonstrated too. The protest included students from Rimouski, Saguenay Lac St. Jean in Chicoutimi, and Salaberry-de-Val­ ley field. Not only were there uni­ versities present, but Quebec Solid­ aire, the Quebec University Student Federation (FEUQ), and MUNACA were part of the crowd. Also attending were seven students from the University of Ot­ tawa.

“We’re here because we want to show solidarity with the students of Quebec. Also, because Quebec is kind of like a model for us. On­ tario has the highest tuition fees in all of Canada, so if Quebec tuition fees start going up (it’s a bad sign],” Sarah Eastwood, an international development student from the Uni­ versity of Ottawa, said. Speaking to the effects this tu­ ition increase would have on Que­ bec students, Martine Desjardins, president of FEUQ, said it would limit many students’ ability to re­ ceive financial aid from the govern­

ment and that the increase would effectively render 7,000 students unable to attend university. “For us, it says, is it really the quality and the competency of stu­ dents that counts or is it their wal­ lets? The answer is the quality of students,” Desjardins asserted. Simon Gosselin, a representa­ tive for La Table de concertation étudiante du Québec (TaCEQ), a group of students from the Uni­ versity of Laval, the University of Sherbrooke, and McGill, echoed Desjardins' statement. “The government is fishing in the pockets of students instead of taking real responsibility without a real guarantee for Quebec’s future,” Gosselin said. The protestors moved from UQAM toward McGill College, where the demonstration ended in front of the Roddick Gates. Mon­ treal police confirmed that four ar­ rests were made in response to the demonstration. These consisted of two arrests for assaults on a police officer, one for obstructing a police officer, and another for municipal violence. “In general I would say ev­ erything went really, really well and smooth,” Officer Jean-Pierre Brabant said. “There was a little bit of mischief [in front of] the [Pre­ mier’s] office [building], but except that, nothing more.”

Modified Hours for Student Services During Labour Dispute

McGill reflects on Nov. continued from cover demands, the nature of limitations on speech in various parts of the university, [or] about student tactics in bringing about change in univer­ sity,” Arash Abizadeh, professor of political science, said. “But it is important that those diverse views find ways to be able to express themsèlves.” Matthew Crawford, undergrad­ uate representative to the McGill Senate and one of the 14 demonstra­ tors who occupied the fifth floor of the James Administration Building, also addressed the crowd. “The occupation of James Admin is thought to be as contro­ versial as the presence of police on campus—a point of view I find dis­

appointing and shocking in a univer­ sity,” he said. Many used the forum to pro­ mote free post-secondary education for all. Another recurring theme among the speakers was increased student representation in the admin­ istration’s decision-making process. “While the students are rep­ resented in the university’s frame­ work, our presence is insufficient to allow a serious treatment of student concerns,” Crawford said. “Forms of discussion are only open only for the student voice to be subsumed to the ready-made decisions of the administration. What we have is the ghost of a discourse ... designed to placate rather than to include.” Joël Pedneault. SSMU VP Ex­

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ternal, tied the events of Nov. 10 to broader social struggles. “I feel like it’s important for us to not forget that Thursday’s protests were not only something that is his­ toric for campus and for McGill, but also something that’s part of a global movement,” he said. “They’re part of a broader movement that has been growing for decades.” Brian Cowan, an associate pro­ fessor in the department of history, called the gathering a “moment of learning” and discussed the impor­ tance of student and faculty pres­ ence with the Tribune. “This is an experiment in watching a revolution happen right here and now,” Cowan said.

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Each of the individual Services within Student Services is operating under reduced hours. The following list reflects the current operating hours, but be sure to check the Student Services website for updates or changes (www.mcgill.ca/studentservices). • Office of the Executive Director: Daily lOhOO - 12h00 and 14h00 - 16h00. • Career Planning Service: Daily 9h00 - 17h00. • Chaplaincy: Open daily, but hours are severely reduced: Monday 11:30 am - 1:30 pm / Tuesday 12:30 pm -2:30 pm/Wednesday 11:30 am -1:30 pm / Thursday 11:30 am - 1:30 pm / Friday 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. • Counselling: Open to accept new students daily between lOhOO and 12h00; Urgent walk-in appointments are accepted daily from 9h00 - 12h00 and 14h00 - 16h00; Regular appointments can be made in person at any time during these hours. • First Peoples’ House: Daily 8h30-16h30. • First-Year Office: Daily lOhOO - 12h00 and 14h00 - 16h00. • Student Health Service: The clinic is open on Mondays from 8h00 - 16h30 and Tuesday - Friday from 8h00 - 14h00. • International Student Services: Daily lOhOO - 12h00 and 14h00 - 16h00 • Macdonald Campus Student Services: Open Monday - Thursday from lOhOO-12h00 and 14h00-16h00: closed Friday • Mental Health: Daily 9h00 - 15h30. • Office for Students with Disabilities: Daily 12h00- 15h00. • Scholarships and Student Aid: Daily lOhOO - 12h00 and 14h00 - 16h00. • Tutorial Service: Closed for the duration of the labour dispute. (Note: “Daily” refers to Monday - Friday.) For more information call: 514-398-8238 or visit: www.mcgill.ca/studentservices

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LO C AL

Third annual TEDxMcCill held on ‘Redefining Reality’ E vent b o a sts

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By Anand Berç News Editor

The third annual TEDxMcGill Conference took place on Sun­ day Nov. 13, and included talks from 15 inspiring speakers includ­ ing world-renowned neuroscien­ tist Brenda Milner, Olympic figure skater-tumed-McGill MBA student Craig Buntin, and Alain Tascan, co-founder of Ubisoft Montreal. Themed “Redefining Reality,” and broken into three sequential “acts” of five talks each, the event aimed to enlighten viewers by taking them through the process of generating new, influential ideas and bringing them into reality. The event was independently organized, but operates under the TED brand like hundreds of other TEDx events. Though run almost entirely by McGill students, TedxMcGill is open to the greater com­ munity and has been one of the most influential TEDx events in Canada in recent years. TED, an acronym for “Technology, Education and De­ sign,” is a non-profit organization that hosts global conferences and is committed to spreading world­ changing ideas. Some of the world’s biggest figures in politics, science, and business have appeared on the main global TED stage, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates, for­ mer U.S. President Bill Clinton, and conservationist Jane Goodall. The speakers at Sunday’s event, though unified by a desire to reshape the world around them, came from a diverse range of fields and back­ grounds. Roughly half were McGill

Brenda M ilner speaks at T E D x M cC ill last weekend. (Alex Tran / alextranphotography.com)

students with varied experiences in philanthropy, entrepreneurship, and social justice. Alex Pritz, U2 environment, talked about a project he started that connects high school students from Montreal to those in the Philippines to discuss pressing environmental issues in their local communities. He travelled to the Philippines, where he taught students video-journalism to help them tell stories and draw at­ tention to issues that matter to them. Alain Tascan, who founded the Montreal divisions of both Elec­ tronic Arts and Ubisoft, recounted

his experience from the world of game design and noted that society’s increasing desire for casual social games reflects a changing attitude towards shared social entertain­ ment. He drew parallels between the recent explosion of simple mobile games and the rise of television in the 1950s. Brenda Milner, one of McGill's most prominent neuroscientists, dis­ cussed the importance of bilingual­ ism to cognition. “I really believe in languages as a builder , of bridges, and as a great joy to oneself,” Milner said.

“But what do great scientists have to say about [bilingualism]? They say it’s very good for the brain to do this kind of switching. Multilin­ gualism is not going to protect you from Alzheimer’s, but if you have a multilingual brain ... your inevitable decline with Alzheimer’s will be slowed.” Audience input and interaction are a big part of the TEDx experi­ ence. Panel discussions welcome questions from the crowd, and TEDx attendees were encouraged to min­ gle with each other during breaks and change seats between acts.

June Lam, the event’s curator and director of the speakers team, spoke about the challenges of find­ ing the right speakers, balancing the program between students and other community speakers, and finding a unifying theme to match the talks. “It was never [about] going for the big names. We never said yes to anybody initially, [not] even the big speakers,” Lam said. “We always just said we wanted to develop a talk ... and we would work with them to see what their passions were, what ideas they had, and where we could go. If there was a really great speaker, we weren’t going to say no to them just because they were, or weren’t, a student.” “Once we had ideas of what speakers were interested, we started creating a story, which is ... act one, inspire new ideas; act two, connect­ ing them; and act three, turning those ideas into action,” he explained. Lam also discussed the addi­ tion of spoken word and a short im­ provised performance in two of the talks. TED talks are typically trad tional, evocative speeches. “As of recent times they’ve had more spoken word—they’ve had more performances,” he said. “It's become more a culture, and I really embrace that, because I think there’s so much power in performance, and there’s a depth to the words and the performance that and you don’t ne essarily get from just a talk.”

CAM PUS

QPIRG and CKUT survive, voter turnout up . per cent 9

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By Carolina M illân Ronchetti News Editor

The fall semester’s referendum questions passed with an overwhelm­ ing majority, announced Elections McGill last Thursday. Two of these questions were to determine wheth­ er QPIRG McGill and CKUT Radio should continue to receive student funding and if these fees should be opt-outable in person rather than online via Minerva. QPIRG’s exis­ tence was approved by a vote of 65.6 per cent of voters for, 28.5 per cent against (with 5.8 per cent absten­ tious), while CKUT’s existence was extended by 72.3 per cent of voters for, 20.6 per cent against, and 7.1 per cent abstentious. Despite concerns from some

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students that quorum would be dif­ ficult to achieve, voting turnout was 24.7 per cent of the undergraduate student body, notably higher than the required 15 per cent. SSMU Presi­ dent Maggie Knight noted that this referendum showed an increase in student participation as compared to previous years. “I’m really happy that we saw voter turnout increase a lot. [Turnout on the fall referendum] last year was 15.2 per cent, so this is 9.5 per cent up from last year,” Knight said. “It’s good to see more students involved in a democratic way. Obviously, I think this was spurred by the issue— I know Elections McGill put a lot of effort into promotion this year but the CKUT and QPIRG ‘Yes’ com­ mittees were on the ground every

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day and pressed really hard.” Following the vote, the at­ mosphere was festive, with large numbers of supporters of QPIRG and CKUT celebrating the referenda results. Danji BuckMoore, a U3 arts student who cam­ paigned for QPIRG, shared his ex­ citement with the Tribune. “I think it’s a relief to a lot of people who worked really hard on this. It shows that the mandate exists for these organizations to actually be here and work for stu­ dents,” he said. “Students support student life. At least temporar­ ily, hopefully this will silence the claims that [QPIRG and CKUT] are fringe groups, because they clearly are not.” Niko Block, co-chair of

the CKUT ‘Yes’ committee and board member of CKUT, also noted his happiness with the results. “It’s wonderful to see such overwhelming student support for the organizations,” Block said. “My hope is that the university will recognize this vote and that nego­ tiations go more smoothly than they have gone with MUNACA and other issues.” Block was not surprised that quorum was achieved, as his cam­ paign was informed by Elections McGill that quorum had been met on Tuesday morning. “[Quorum is] really what we wanted. For my part I felt like, ‘You know what, if we get quorum and we lose, then so be it, at least we got quorum, at least it was a good vote,”’

he said. “We were a little nervous but mostly excited and we obviously exploded with joy when we found the vote was ‘yes.’ It was awesome " For students who did not agree with the phrasing of the question, there is much anticipation about how offline opt-outs will affect them. “I would like QPIRG and CKUT to clearly indicate their optout process and explain how they’re going to do this,” Stephen David, U3 mining engineering, said. “Once all the people who remember that fees are opt-outable have graduated, are QPIRG and CKUT still going to mention that these fees are optoutable? Or are they going to forget about it?”

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AUS CA endorses Nov. A rts

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By Elisa Muyl News Editor

Last Tuesday, the Arts Under­ graduate Society (AUS) held its first General Assembly in recent memo­ ry. In a crowded Shatner cafeteria, over 200 arts students gathered to debate and vote on motions, includ­ ing two separate endorsements— one of QPRIG/CKUT and one of MUNACA—and a faculty-wide stu­ dent strike in protest of tuition hikes. All three motions passed with an overwhelming majority, though not without lively discussion and some confusion regarding the rules of de­ bate regulating the Assembly. The Assembly began with a motion by Arts Representative Mat­ thew Crawford to install a portrait of Karl Marx in the Arts Lounge, and another motion by SSMU Council­ lor Micha Stettin to rearrange the agenda, placing the motion to strike after the QPRIG/CKUT and MU­ NACA endorsements. This action was well-planned, as a mass departure of arts students followed the strike motion’s success. AUS President Jade Calver con­ firmed the GA was student-initiated, and that the strike motion was likely the Assembly’s draw. “I can’t confirm that [the initia­ tion of the GA] was the strike mo­ tion, however, I think if we look at what occurred at the GA, we can definitely see the motion as one of the driving forces behind [it],” she wrote in an email to the Tribune. The two other motions were discussed prior to the strike mo­ tion and fostered lively debate. The motion regarding) QPRIG/CKUT endorsement in the fall referenda brought forth concerns about merg­

Students debate motions put forth to the Assem bly. (Ryan Reisert / M cG ill Tribune)

ing the organizations’ existence and a change in opt-out procedure into a single vote (see “Referendum," Nov. 8, cover). The movers and supporters of the motion defended the organizations’ decision to move opt-outs from online as a move to re­ gain control over their own funding. They saw the movement of opt-outs online as imposed by the adminis­ tration. This motion would allow the organizations to regain control of their own funding processes. Some opposition to the motion regarded the change as a step back­ wards technologically. Others were more concerned with the lack of anonymity and the marginalization of moderate opposition to QPIRG. “There are some people who

are not vehemently opposed to QPIRG, but just don’t feel like they want to support them,” said Joe McGrade, U2 arts. “[GJetting rid of the online opt-out system, which is very convenient, will limit these people’s ability to opt out.” Niko Block, co-chair of the CKUT ‘Yes’ committee and board member of CKUT, assured the Assembly that opt-outs have never been anonymous—the organi­ zations have record of the students who have opted out, which is how they know who can partake in their decision-making bodies and who cannot. Furthermore, he maintained that students had never had an issue with in-person opt-outs before they were moved online.

More debate surrounded the motion to endorse MUNACA in its current negotiations with the ad­ ministration. After the motion was introduced, Calver questioned if the mover was aware that a simi­ lar motion was defeated in AUS Council earlier this semester. The AUS executives found that the issue was largely divisive for students, and were hesitant to support some­ thing of which the student body was poorly informed. Sheehan Moore, the motion’s author, questioned the representativeness of this method of decision-making. “It’s a matter of how you think the democratic process should [pro­ ceed]; whether or not you think [the AUS executive] should be represent­

ing us or whether by, selecting you, we endorse everything you say.” The AUS executive had a different view of the GA’s representativeness. “The GA is meant to be a forum for student consultation and discus­ sion. I think what we saw at the last GA was a very issue-based event, that attracted students that may not have been representative of the overall arts student body,” Calver wrote in an email to the Tribune. “I think the main issue, however, was the fact that minimal debate ... took place during the GA, and attendees were quick to move to call the ques­ tion without having any extensive form of debate.” The strike motion passed with an overwhelming majority and with much less contention. The motion called for the AUS to support stu­ dents in a one-day strike against classes and any McGill-related ac­ tivities in solidarity with the Nov. 10 province-wide demonstration against tuition hikes. The motion’s success joined McGill arts students with the tens of thousands of other students across Quebec who also de­ clared the Nov. 10 a one-day strike. “The AUS will defend your de­ cision to strike,” Calver said in re­ sponse to a question from a student regarding the strike’s implications on a midterm he had on Thursday. Following the success of the strike motion, the Shatner cafeteria emptied and became a consultative forum. Motions regarding coffee procedures at SNAX and frustration with the Deputy Provost of Student Life and Lëaming’s reappointment were discussed, but as quorum was no longer met, could not mandate Council to make decisions.

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On-campus unions rally for accessible education A G S E M , A M U S E

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By Bianca Van Bavel Contributor

On Thursday, Nov. 10, the Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM), and other on-campus unions voiced concerns about educational acces­ sibility. Despite the dreary weather, over 60 graduate and undergraduate students gathered and prepared to march together to the province-wide student protest against proposed tu­ ition hikes. “The number of teaching as­ sistants who turned out today shows that we continue to oppose the gov­ ernment’s apparent policy to make education inaccessible,” Sheldon

Brandt, AGSEM’s VP External, said. The rally was organized in conjunction with the Association of McGill Undergraduate Student Em­ ployees (AMUSE), the Post-Grad­ uate Student Society (PGSS), and Student’s Society of McGill Univer­ sity in an effort to display solidarity with the different groups currently in negotiations with the McGill ad­ ministration, such as MUNACA and AGSEM. “It’s very scary once we begin to put a limit on education,” Adri­ enne Hurley, a professor of East Asian studies and member of the Mc­ Gill Faculty Labour Action Group (MFLAG), said. “This shouldn’t be

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the direction we are heading in.” At the TA General Assembly this October, the union decided that tuition fees should not be increased without a subsequent increase in monetary wages, and voted in fa­ vour of the authorization of pressure tactics, including a public demon­ stration. For this reason, AGSEM’s rally was timed a few hours before the national protest against tuition hikes. “It is important that the Mc­ Gill administration and the Quebec government know that students are not the only ones who oppose these tuition increases,” Brandt said. “[Public actions] like-these let us reach out to other groups on cam­

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pus and push for the collective sup­ port that our position needs,” Jona­ than Mooney, bargaining committee representative for AGSEM, said. As the largest labour union at McGill, AGSEM represents 3,000 members including teaching as­ sistants, course lecturers, exam in­ vigilators, and instructors. AGSEM is currently engaged in negotiations with the administration. Primary concerns include wage increases, standardized paid academic training, and a commitment from the univer­ sity to invest in more TA hours and positions. Both Brandt and Mooney said that this rally was an effort by AGSEM to bring the union’s posi­ tion to students’ attention.

“Despite the progress we are making through discussions, the concerns being addressed are still very preliminary and missing a lot of the core issues at hand,” Mooney explained. Last Wednesday, Nov. 9, AGSEM returned to the negotiation room to further discuss the possi­ bilities of developing a contract that satisfies both parties. Since negotia­ tions began in May, there has been little agreement between the two groups. AGSEM is organizing another rally this Wednesday, Nov. 16, at noon at the Roddick Gates.

O p in io n

university looks like It’s always been unclear to me on what grounds those T-shirts la­ beling Harvard “America’s McGill” seek to compare the two universi­ ties. Clearly, they’re a response to people labeling McGill “Canada’s Harvard,” but that doesn’t answer my question. The implication is that the two universities are com­ parable in things such as quality of education, reputation, and promi­ nence in each respective country’s moneyed and political elite. Only recently, however, did I realize that Harvard is similar to its north­ ern counterpart in another way.

Going barefoot After graduating from an elite Indian university in 1972, a man named Sanjit Bunker Roy shocked his parents by founding a unique rural school called the Barefoot College. Students were of all ages, were not required to have previous education, and didn’t receive a de­ gree. In time, the college created a self-sufficient community, using traditional expertise in trades and handicrafts to solve local problems, like water management and energy saving. Roy not only addressed dire

Words that have no meaning Last week, a group of activ­ ist students delivered a petition to the offices of McGill VP Finance Michael Di Grappa. “‘We’ demand an end to this administration’s un­ democratic and opportunistic use of the McGill listservs for the dis­ semination of propaganda,” it read. At 677 signatures, chances are this ridiculous petition does not repre­

Earlier this month, 70 Harvard students walked out of an introduc­ tory economics course in protest of what they considered the professor’s conservative bias. In a sprawling de­ fence of the walk-out published in the Harvard Crimson, two freshmen tried out a few possible justifica­ tions for their protest, such as, that their professor, N. Gregory Mankiw, worked in the Bush administration and thus “played a key role in cre­ ating the policies which have exac­ erbated economic inequality and led to financial instability and collapse.” Left implicit is the suggestion that universities should discriminate ac­ cording to political affiliation. Ap­ parently, all that money their parents spent on tutors to prepare for the AP World History exam wasn’t enough to disabuse them of that classically totalitarian idea. Just two months into their aca­ demic careers, these students have the audacity to appoint themselves at once members of the tenure re­

view board, peer reviewers of Pro­ fessor Mankiw’s textbook, and re­ spected dispensers of economic and political analysis in their own right. It’s almost impressive. “Our professor believes that progressive taxation sacrifices eco­ nomic efficiency (total wealth) for the benefit of more economic equality,” they complain in the Crimson piece. “However, mount­ ing evidence suggests that ‘the trade-off between efficiency and equality may not exist’ and that excessive inequality leads to nega­ tive consequences in the economy over the long run in terms of eco­ nomic efficiency.” Hang the man! This is entitlement run amok. It escapes me how those students can be so confident in their own opinions only five months out of high school. Why would someone even go to university, much less America’s Mc­ Gill, if they can’t stand to listen to an opposing view for a single semester? In a superb twist of irony, Mankiw

lectured on income inequality the day of the walk-out. The writers claim that Mankiw’s expression of conserva­ tive opinions “inhibits students’ in­ tellectual growth.” I can’t think of a better way to inhibit intellectual growth than to announce that you've got it all figured out before the end of your first semester—thanks but no thanks, Harvard. Many of the problems with the Harvard walk-out don’t apply to last week’s Quebec-wide students’ strike. The protesters from McGill and elsewhere were criticising the decision of a democratically-elected government, not academic freedom, and didn’t resort to the drastic mea­ sure of skipping class until more moderate tactics—protests on Satur­ days—had already failed. Yet there are some basic paral­ lels that can’t be missed. Campus last Thursday—after the striking stu­ dents left and before their noisy re­ turn—was somehow more pleasant,

more collegiate than usual. There was a palpable focus and unity of purpose in the students’ strides, as if those who didn’t strike were in some way a purer distillation of the larger group usually in attendance. I imagine the students who stayed in Mankiw’s course felt the same way. That doesn’t mean that the 600 students who didn’t walk out of the Harvard course necessarily support conservative economic views, or the professor’s allegedly biased presen­ tation of them. Nor does it mean the remaining students at McGill last Thursday necessarily support higher tuition or applaud an administra­ tion that welcomes riot squads on campus. It just means that we didn’t come to McGill to go to war with it. In the spirit of such a commit­ ment, I was proud to sit in solidarity with my fellow students in class that day.

local issues—he sidestepped the ed­ ucational pitfalls that anyone could suffer by graduating from a premier university. Barefoot College represents a flow of knowledge rather than a repository of information. It’s amor­ phous—Roy’s organization has now spread across Asia and Africa and focuses on combining local inven­ tiveness with creative education. For example, Roy taught groups of grandmothers in Africa and the Himalayas how to assemble micro solar generators; once a group be­ came proficient, it would teach the next entourage of grandmothers, and so on. Roy would exit stage left. The significance of this program goes beyond its obvious impact of social activism. By this model, education is not terminal, as it tends to be when confined by classrooms and timed

lessons. It’s akin to what earth scien­ tists call an open system, when both matter and energy flow freely in and out; we can simply substitute local knowledge and creativity for matter and energy. A pedagogic model like Bare­ foot College is not new, but it’s vast­ ly underrepresented. Leo Tolstoy, the 19th century Russian writer, devoted decades of his life to the study, application, and perfection of progressive education. According to scholar Adir Cohen, Tolstoy’s ideal classroom was a “library, a museum, a theater, a workshop.” He created his own school for peasant children, where no curriculum existed, since material was based on the children’s level of interest. Attendance was not mandatory, yet students would arrive day after day with excited eagerness. The unbridled interest

of the students confirmed Tolstoy’s educational philosophy of a mutual, experiential pursuit of knowledge. Tolstoy also realized what Bunker Roy was to realize: that trade skills are as indispensable as a high-brow education or degree. Tol­ stoy often worked in the hay fields alongside the poorest farmers, and even learned to cobble from a peas­ ant shoemaker. He was experienc­ ing what Hubert Dreyfus and Sean Dorrance Kelly call poiesis in their book All Things Shining: finding “meaningful distinctions” in the ob­ ject of craftsmanship. Despite being one of the most revered intellectu­ als of the time, his “love toward the simple people,” as his daughter Al­ exandra described it, expanded his education remarkably. To him, there was no line between the grit of the tradesman and the prose of the en­

lightened. We no longer face the rigid ed­ ucational establishment which even­ tually criticized Tolstoy for rejecting its basic tenets. But still, education to us is compartmentalized; it occurs within four walls and between desk rows. The flow of information is largely one-way—a closed system. Furthermore, the trap is laid to as­ sume that a McGill education is su­ perior to the experiential education you might find amongst those you meet after graduation. It isn’t. You don’t have to be a profound social activist like Roy or an enlightened Russian genius like Tolstoy to real­ ize the benefits of experiential edu­ cation. Just remember that education doesn’t end as you walk away from McGill, barefoot or otherwise.

sent any sort of widespread student will or opinion, and probably won’t lead to any action. However, it does shine a light on a problem grow­ ing in our society—our willingness to throw certain words around so much in argument that these words lose their meaning. There are far too many of these sorts of words to talk about in this single column, but let’s start with ‘undemocratic’ and ‘pro­ paganda.’ Propaganda, according to Merriam Webster, is defined as “ideas, facts, or allegations spread delib­ erately to further one’s cause or to damage an opposing cause.” All this really means is what could be called “persuasive content.” Tech­ nically speaking, everything from political speeches to this very col­

umn could be considered “propa­ ganda,” and depending on your point of view, you might call it that. Of course, “propaganda” has come to have a pejorative meaning in the English language, something full of pernicious lies, slant, and exaggera­ tion. In theory, this generally agreed upon use would mean that the term “propaganda” would be reserved to describe media or content that truly distorts reality as opposed to simply giving a point of view—state tele­ vision in a repressive dictatorship, for example. However, it has be­ come another term by which to tar those with whom one disagrees, as shown by this petition. Is the Mc­ Gill administration giving their side of the strike in emails truly “propa­ ganda”? By the letter of the word’s

definition, sure, as is any MUNACA flyer or sign. But when we begin to use words that are intended to have gravity and seriousness to describe mere political opponents, the lan­ guage is ultimately cheapened. Undemocratic. What is “dem­ ocratic,” anyway? Its dictionary definition, “of, relating to, or favor­ ing democracy” is not really help­ ful here. As it is generally seen, a “democracy” is the kind of society where there is a free choice of lead­ ership and a free flow of ideas. See­ ing as “we the students” don’t quite elect those who run the university, this can be looked at more as an issue of the free flow of ideas—an open “marketplace of ideas” if you will. On that front, again the admin­ istration’s actions don’t approach

any sort of brightline for being un­ democratic. The idea that sending emails reflecting one point of view stifles another point of view misur derstands the nature of free expres­ sion. Actively trying to stifle the other side’s views is undemocratic, and in this sense there is a more legitimate argument to be made in light of the injunction against pick­ eting.

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A dark day for the administration and SPVM Last Thursday, more than 20,000 students marched in oppo­ sition to the Quebec government’s proposals to raise student tuition fees by $1,625 over the next five years. Later that day, 14 protes­ tors attempted to stage an ‘Occupy McGill’ initiative inside Principal Munroe-Blum’s office. The result was the presence of riot police on campus for the first time since 1969 and the indiscriminate use of tear gas and pepper spray on those gath­ ered outside the James Administra­ tion Building and the Milton Gates. The Tribune is concerned about both the nature of the police inter­ vention, and about how any admin­ istration that had student safety at the top of its agenda could possibly allow such heavy-handed police tactics to occur on this campus. The police intervention was executed with a distinct lack of sensitivity, to say the least. According to video footage available on YouTube, the police arrived on the scene with bi­ cycles (ironically breaking campus law by doing so) and attempted to disperse the crowd of students with their bikes rather than going straight inside to evict the 14 students from the principal’s office. This was reck­ less policing at its worst: the only effect this tactic had was to anger the gathering of students, and to put themselves in the firing line of retal­

C o m m e n ta ry Keane Yarish-Ferland

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If we have learned nothing else in the past week, it seems clear that the only socially acceptable stance on tuition is to be ardently against any increase. For many, however, this is not the case. Tuition increases in Quebec are not only necessary and long overdue, but do not go far enough. The province of Quebec, in its most recent budget, announced that it would be raising tuition to try to offset some of the debts that tertiary education in the province has ac­ cumulated to the tune of $500 mil­ lion. These debts have continued to accumulate despite near complete inertia in the rise in tuition rates. In fact, since 1968, tuition in Quebec has severely lagged behind infla­ tion, barring two periods of increas­ es from 1991 to 1994, and 2003 to

iatory flying objects from the crowd. The police then went from under-re­ acting to over-reacting. Their charge (footage of which can also be found on YouTube) involved the use of tear gas, pepper spray, batons, and other tactics more at home in authoritar­ ian regimes than on Canadian soil. Nevertheless, the SPVM are not the only group who need to be scrutinised. Where did the admin­ istration stand on these matters? So far it is unclear who—if any­ one—from the administration au­ thorised such draconian measures. A statement from Deputy Provost Morton Mendelson points to the rights of the security forces to call the police at their own discretion. And in an interview with campus media, Munroe-Blum attempted to wash the administration’s hands of any reponsibility saying, “Once we call the community police, we have no control over the policing mea­ sures that are used.” But that does not explain why the security forces felt the need to call in the police in the first place. And despite the ad­ ministration’s claims on Monday that there will be an investigation into the events, such a delayed and unapologetic reaction of senior ad­ ministration members and security services is hardly reassuring. In ad­ dition to this, the administration’s track record this semester has been

far from sterling: they have placed injunctions on MUNACA’s freedom of speech and proposed an MoA that denied student societies the right to use the McGill name. Going for­ ward, this trend needs to change. The administration should realign its priorities to focus more on ensur­ ing student safety. The tuition march itself can be held up as an exemplar for future student movements. It had a clear and coherent message, it was peace­ ful, and supporters turned out in large numbers to add popular weight to the movement’s cause. However, the antics of the 14 occupiers inside the James Administration Building shortly afterwards provides a dif­ ferent example. It is a classic case of how the irresponsible actions of a few can undermine the mature actions of many. Instead of being content with effective peaceful protest, the occupiers took it upon themselves to trespass. Whether this group managed to break into the.principal’s office peacefully or by force is neither clear nor criti­ cally relevant. The fact is that by so doing, they put themselves at risk of prosecution, and gave police a casus belli to deploy on campus. The actions of these 14 pro­ testors have inadvertently shifted media attention from the issue of tuition hikes—which the peaceful

2007. What the government is now proposing is not a deceitful plan to bankrupt students, but simply to allow the costs to rise, on average, by the same amount as everything else in the economy, salaries includ­ ed. Tuition, in real terms, is not, in fact, increasing. But let’s pretend for now that these tuition increases are indeed a cleverly designed ploy to load stu­ dents with unbearable debts. What do the economics say? According to a Statistics Can­ ada study, albeit a slightly dated one, in 2000, a university graduate could expect their salary to be about $23,000 higher than their non-uni­ versity counterpart, on what would be an investment of $11,379 (after the increase). We can even add three years of lost wages, so let’s (gen­ erously) add $75,000 that a high school graduate could earn in three years for a total of $86,379 of in­ vestment. (Full disclosure: my num­ bers are back of the napkin, averages and ignoring inflation and interest.) Going on these average figures,

a recent university grad would earn $48,000 working out of University. So after one year, the university graduate could completely have paid back the full amount of the higher tuition and still had more money left over than their non-university counterpart. And this, of course, is assuming that the student had to borrow every dollar of tuition. This means then that in just a little over three years of work after universi­ ty, the graduate has already earned more in their lifetime than those who skipped university and have worked an extra three years. Even at these “draconianly high” (nominal) tuition levels. If anyone knows of an investment opportunity in the econ­ omy that is even nearly as lucrative as this, please make yourself heard because the economy could really use a win right now. Finally, let’s not forget that all universities are not created equal. My discussions so far have all been based on average data. As McGill students, we are by no means av­ erage. We share halls with future

majority of protestors were trying to highlight—to a focus on the police clampdown that the 14 James Ad­ ministration occupiers played a large part in provoking. It could be argued that these 14 protestors were acting on a precedent; in 1997, similar ac­ tions resulted in a meeting with the principal and ended in a productive discussion of key student issues. But that would be a misleading defence of their actions. The principal was not in the office when they arrived; anyone desiring a discussion should have left and then returned when she was present, instead of continuing to occupy—forcefully or peacefully— a private office. As students, we all have rights to the facilities that this university provides, but that does not imply that we have rights to walk in and out of private offices as we please. A sit-in on lower field, in classrooms, or in the library would be acceptable, sometimes even ad­ mirable. But occupying the princi­ pal’s office could fall under another category: that of breaking and enter­ ing. While the Tribune is shocked by the actions of police and ad­ ministration alike, students must remember to approach protest with the right attitude.

leaders and world class professors. We’re getting the Rolls Royce of educations at a price Wal-Mart could not even turn a profit on. The modal McGill student will make above average returns on our educa­ tion and the prestige of our degree will follow us far beyond our years on campus. McGill has been able to achieve the impossible in the past few years in improving itself as a university and gaining worldwide reputation for quality but it has not come without a cost. Our buildings are racing the Decarie to ruins, our athletics funding has become a joke, and w e’re being asked to print out our own handouts for class. And still McGill is finding itself becoming more indebted. Current and future students alike have a shared interest in making sure McGill can be the best that it can be. Don’t squander that interest and tear down a world class university by making our in­ vestment more absurdly lucrative. If we do, we may save a few dollars in the short run, but ultimately, we will all lose.

IN T ER ES T ED IN C O N T R IB U T IN G T O T H E T R IB U N E? EM AIL E D IT O R @ M C G ILLT R IB U N E .C O M FO R M O RE IN FO R M A TIO N

8

Curiosity Delivers, www.mcgilltribune.com

After hearing the full story of the events that occurred last Thurs­ day I am shocked and dismayed at what happened. What I find espe­ cially disturbing is that students thought that it was appropriate to storm the Administration Building in masks and menacingly refuse to let administrative officials leave. No matter where you stand on the issues surrounding the protests,

C o m m e n ta ry Ian Sandler

We are all McGill I am a McGill student who witnessed the violent protesting of a minority in an otherwise peaceful group. On Nov. 10, I saw how the actions of some ruined the goals of the rest. A protest culture has emerged from the ashes of the Arab Spring. All around the world, youth have stood up to their authoritarian gov­ ernments, realizing their own voice. Troubled by the atrocities of war, rebellion seems an understandable

C o m m e n ta ry Cathal Rooney-Céspedes

So, what now SSM U ? I wrote this commentary pre#OccupyJamesAdmin, and as tempting and appropriate as it may have been to make major edits, I can’t help but feel that the protests were, more or less, an epic culmi­ nation of a student movement gone wrong. As disappointed, saddened, and irate as we may be, are we gen­ uinely surprised to have arrived at this point? It’s clear that the student poli­ tics environment is beating to a different drum this year—louder drums, more drums, and drums of which you’ve probably never heard. From a journalistic standpoint, this school year has seen the most per­ fect marriage of elected represen­

at no point is it acceptable to use force or intimidation. Given that the legality of what they were doing was questionable, I’m not sure why they were surprised when the police were called. Furthermore, 1 ques­ tion those who claim that the protest going on outside the Administration Building was “peaceful,” given that their intent was to block police entry into the building. I can say from walking through the university at the time that I found the group of protestors standing outside intimi­ dating. Lastly, I am saddened to hear that so many innocent bystanders were injured in the process of this protest. I write this letter as a very proud McGill student and hope that

in the future we can stop these kinds of events from occurring in the fu­ ture, as the collateral damage is far too great.

action. But we are not in Libya, or Tunisia, or Egypt. We are McGill, a community whose government provides more than any resident of Syria will ever enjoy. These notions of revolution are too commonly ap­ plied, and adopted by those who do not realise their good fortunes. The average post-secondary student from Quebec pays $2, 200 a year, and the new tuition increases will mean an additional $325 per year for the next five years. The Quebec government pays for a large portion of locals’ education, but a $325 increase set the revolution in motion. This situation deserves an appropriate forum for discussion, protest and discourse, but it does not warrant the events of Nov. 10. The 14 occupiers of “Her Maj­ esty Blum” are not the victims. They

are the instigators. Like masked heroes they write of their vigilance and resistance, their daring occupa­ tion of that which is not theirs. They say they were not violent, but oc­ cupation of private property is not peaceful. After entering the James Administration building, they write that they “knocked on the door and announced that this was a non-vio­ lent occupation. Using our feet and chests to stop the slamming door, we moved ourselves in.” Physical force is never peaceful, and in response to their rejection, they “occupied” anyway. The office of Heather Munroe-Blum is not Zuccoti Park. The peaceful occupation of a legal public space is not the same as the force­ ful invasion of our principal’s pri­ vate space. When police showed up

on bicycles to handle the situation, students began throwing objects at them, pelting them with signs and bottles. Maybe my definition is lax, but it doesn’t take gunfire to signify violence. Those responsible were only a small group, but they provoked the need for a larger police presence. The 14 write that “the [riot] police were not necessary,” but who pro­ tects the police from angry and un­ compromising crowds? Although their force may have been excessive, the riot police and their tactics were a valid response to the actions of a few. The riot police were there to do their job because of the actions of these heroic crusaders and those that attacked the policemen on bikes. The need to belong is a strong factor in this protest culture. But

those who join without a knowledge of the events, and act independently of the group, distract from the aims of the group at large. On Nov. 10, vi­ olence was used to occupy a private space, prompting a police presence called for by the government that subsidizes your education. As I read the comments on the McGill Daily article, “Letter from the fifth floor occupiers,” I see I am not alone. It is true, we are all Mc­ Gill. But I am not the McGill that provokes a police presence. I am not the McGill that takes its school for granted. My name is out there, my stance open to critique. I invite the 14 occupiers to do the same.

tatives and topical issues. Strikes, rallies, another strike, another rally. Passive occupation, aggres­ sive occupation, intrusive occupa­ tion. Stances taken, letters written, voices demanding to be heard. The ones who can’t take it anymore re­ ally can’t take it anymore, and really like making signs and wearing pins. Student power, student-run cafés, student strategic-consultation-GAreform-summit. The beat of this drum is loud and idealistic and is calling upon all the other students who are loud and idealistic. Or at least enough students to hit quorum. Student politicians and this year’s “issues that matter” are fitting like two peas in a pod, much like Ra­ chel McAdams’ and Ryan Gosling’s characters in The Notebook. As much as Allie would tell Noah that he was arrogant, and Noah would tell Allie when she was being a pain, and the passion of their arguments would conveniently transition to passionate sex. Of course, because it’s Hollywood, Allie is supposed to

leave her fiancé for the man she re­ ally loves, and all while it’s raining outside. Strangely enough, this is not dissimilar from the narrative of the student movement: it may take time and energy and a lot of shout­ ing and the growth of epic beards, but w e’ll get there. We’re supposed to get there. Things are supposed to get worse before they get better, but they will get better. For all the news that it’s made, all the noise from the megaphone, and all the an­ tagonism that’s taken place towards Heather Munroe-Blum, McGill se­ curity guards, riot police, Quebec politicians, the one per cent. Bren­ dan Steven, and all those who reject its uncompromising entrenchment in ideology, when and where is the SSMU’s happy ending? When will student consultation turn into executable representation? Where is the progress in making education more accessible for those who can’t afford it? Where is the GA reform or the revision of the Conflict

of Interest Policy? What happened to the student-run Homecoming? Why am I hearing that SSMU Council and GA’s are no longer safe spaces for points of view that diverge from the loud majority, who, in a very Tea Party’ish way constitute a minority among the 23,000 undergrads. Why couldn’t the SSMU actively survey and consult its student body before taking or re-affirming its stances on MUNACA, or QPIRG, or all the other demonstratively divisive is­ sues? But most importantly, where is the progress? SSMU, this isn’t The Notebook; and on top of that, this isn’t the civil rights movement, this isn’t the anti-Vietnam movement, and these aren’t anti-oppression, pro-democratic movements in the Middle East. Issues such as tuition increases, workers’ rights, and gen­ eral co-habitation with non-likeminded (democratically-appointed) characters require greater nuance, greater thought, greater compas­ sion, and greater patience. Moving

past the idealism and into the realm of possible politics requires trade­ offs and feeling the reward of small victories. Words can turn into posi­ tive action, and action can turn into positive progress. But as of now, it remains to be seen if this year’s Stu­ dents’ Society can sacrifice its hardlined stances and truly become an agent for change. The SSMU, a multi-million dollar corporation, has laid out its views, endorsed its referendum questions, and told anybody and ev­ erybody about these stances. There have even been some super-cool consultation mechanisms along the way, and I give them credit for finally agreeing to sign that MoA with McGill. And yet I’m genuinely curious to know what will happen next. For an organization that sees an annual turnover in its leadership, in what world is figurative bridgeburning an effective strategy?

T H E T R IB U N E IS C U R R EN T LY LO O K IN G FO R A NEW S A N D ARTS & EN TER TA IN M EN T ED ITO R STARTIN G N EXT SEM EST ER .

Sincerely, Alexandra Middleton, U3 Management (Full Disclosure: Alex Middleton sits on the TPS Board of Direc­ tors)

IF IN TER EST ED , EM AIL ED ITO R @ M C G ILLTR IB U N E.C O M

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A-Side: the greatest loss of our university experience M o n d a y

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sin c e

By Colleen M cNam ara

Contributor McGill is a serious place, with serious students, who, I am very certain, have focus and determina­ tion unmatched by any neighbour­ ing post-secondary institution. The nature of our student body ensures, however, that our school is also a place where taking yourself seri­ ously is the must-have accessory for every season. Having a haven for no frills, no regrets, and no (signifi­ cant) repercussions seems to be the missing ingredient needed to trans­ form the stress swarmed walls of the McLennan-Redpath complex into a warmer and more welcoming envi­ ronment for studies. We used to have it, but it slipped away. No one knows how, and no one knows why. If you are currently in your third or last year, you know what I am talking about. Unfortunately, if you’re a fresh­ man or sophomore (or a local), your knowledge of “Lodge Mondays,” “A-Side,” or simply ‘“90s night” is limited to a legend, causing consid­ erable awe and envy. The multiple points of reference to this unique es­ tablishment is a beacon of its ability to hold resonance with students of all backgrounds, interests, programs, and so on. Whether one’s preference for social interaction was a house party, casual bar, or crowded club, A-Side offered a joining of all three worlds—an eclectic and unparal­ leled venue of fun for everyone. Whether you were a gung-ho A-Sider dressing in your Value Vil­ lage ‘90s apparel every Monday, or

Pinq Taco Tequila Bar on St. Laurent. (Simon Poitrimolt / M cG ill Tribune)

a last minute recruit finally convinc­ ing yourself that going out was in­ deed the right decision, you knew as soon as you entered the room and recognized friendly faces as far back as the rear platform, or as close up as the impromptu dance floor near the entrance that you had made the right choice. Old episodes of Saved By The Bell flickered in the back­ ground while the bartender with an uncanny and fitting resemblance to

A.C. Slater (Mario Lopez) served you a pitcher for the excellent price of $8; this bundle of beer served with straws for you to conveniently share with both your bestest of pals and people you barely knew. It was the exact same situation every week. You knew what to expect, and you liked it. Nick Charleton, a recent gradu­ ate of McGill, came to visit last weekend. When asked why he wan’t

staying for the duration of the week­ end, Charelton said that he would stay, i f ‘90s night still existed. He explained the irreplaceable nature of A-Side and how he loved that it was “gross, disgusting, but most impor­ tantly I loved to go watch old epi­ sodes of my favourite show.” Alan Dick, U3 engineering, agreed and added that he particularly loved the “classic bangers and sweaty people.” What was once a venue for

civilized people to throw away the pretense of presenting oneself in an appropriate manner no longer exists. Now a much less popular establish­ ment named “Pinq Taco” has taken A-Side’s place, and the glory of A-Side’s Mondays has diminished to honourable attempts at revival from neighbouring bars, memories, and a few antique Facebook albums (which are now probably hidden). At its most basic level, A-Side offered a one-way ticket to fun on the most unlikely of evenings, al­ lowing the week to feel more like an extended weekend with a couple days devoted to work in between. But on a deeper level, within the wooden walls of A-Side lay rem­ nants of our identity, camouflaged in corny yet excellent music, unstylish yet vivid clothing, and inexpensive yet worthy beverages, all of which provide Us with a path to remem­ ber the carefree kids we once were; something so easily forgotten amidst the all-consuming pressures of being an undergrad at McGill. With the obvious correlation between heightened stress levels and the lack of A-Side in our lives, the question must be considered: does going insane for a concentrated couple of hours help preserve sanity throughout the week? That swarm­ ing anxiety that accompanies our awareness that, with each and every click of the clock, w e’re one step closer to nervously gripping that ex­ pensive piece of paper in our hand, could perhaps rest lighter on our conscience if A-Side Mondays still existed.

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

Thailand floods may cause a major technological shift H ard

d riv e

p rices

sp in n in g

By lain Macdonald

Production Manager In the computer industry, major paradigm shifts occur when new technology appears which outper­ forms old technology at a similar cost. One of these technology shifts may take place very soon, as the flooding in Thailand has caused the price of rotational hard disk drives to skyrocket in the past few weeks, as such drives are manufactured there. This price increase may be enough to push many PC manufacturers to adopt solid state drives more widely in their computers. Since the 1960s, computer hard drive manufacturers have doubled the capacities of manufactured hard drives approximately every year and

o u t o f con trol

a half. Rotational hard drives work by revolving several disks, each coated in a magnetic material, rapid­ ly around a spindle. An electromag­ netic tip mounted on a reciprocating arm passes over top of these disks, and reads and writes magnetic fields on the surface of the platters, which stores data to, and reads data from, the disk. By making the size of an individual bit on the surface of the disk smaller and smaller, hard drive manufacturers have been able to in­ crease the storage capacity of these disks. In September, a two terabyte hard drive cost approximately $100—about five cents per giga­ byte. Today, these drives cost well over $200 at most online retail out­ lets. And due to the Thailand floods,

these prices are only going to keep rising in the coming months. When flooding closed the plants, the steady stream of the devices to the market was interrupted, and while there is no actual shortage yet, it’s coming. This market turmoil could have a serious impact on the parts used in retail computers. For the past 50 years, rotational hard disk drives have been the primary mass stor­ age device used in computers. Re­ cently, however, a new technology called flash memory has emerged for creating hard drives and is used to produce solid state drives. These de­ vices function much like your USB memory key; they both use NAND flash memory to store data. NAND is effectively just a group of tran­ sistors forming a circuit which can

store data in the absence o f voltage. Because there are no moving parts, the drives are known as “solid state.” Solid state drives are much faster than their rotational counter­ parts, and don’t suffer the same set of problems. The disk on a rotation­ al hard drive is in constant rotation. Thus, every time the data in question recently passes the read-write head, the device must wait an entire rota­ tion for the chance to see it again, taking several milliseconds—a long time by computer standards. In flash memory, however, any bit of data is immediately accessible. Additional­ ly, flash memory drives need not be defragmented. However, they have slightly higher failure rates, and cost more than rotational drives. These concerns are abating as manufactur­

ing technology improves. In the computer industry, the driving forces are cost and perfor­ mance. When the cost of a new, bet­ ter technology drops to be on par with the old technology, the industry shifts. That shift may very well be taking place for mass storage de­ vices, as the price gap between the two types of hard drives diminishes. While the two technologies still are not close in price, the increase in price of the rotational drives may be enough to push many manufactur­ ers to move to the new technology. While the change in technology is inevitable, the current market short­ age could catalyze it.

R io t P o lic e For the first time in 42 years, riot police set foot on campus. Panic, tear gas, and pepper spray filled the air. By A na n d B ery, Kyla M a n d e l , Elisa Muyl, a n d C arolin a Millân R on ch etti P h o to s b y Elisha L erner

Following the end of the province-wide demonstration against tuition hikes, 14 students occupied the fifth floor of the James Administration Building wearing hoods and masks. According to Fariddudin Attar Rifai, president of the Association of McGill Undergraduate Student Employees, this occupation allegedly occurred around 4:00 p.m. Soon after, students outside the James Administration Building learned through social media messages that acts of aggression were occurring inside. “We heard at that point that the people inside were being brutalized, being dragged on the floor, kicked, kneed in the stomach, that kind of stuff,” Joël Pedneault, SSMU’s Vicepresident External Affairs, explained. “We stress that the only aggression that occurred on the fifth floor of the James Administration Building was by security personnel and directed at us,” the occupiers said in a letter written to the M cG ill D aily. “In fact, one of us was scratched down his face and strongly hit in the stomach after being thrown and dragged. Others were forcibly expelled. We caused no ruckus, but only acted to protect,” the occupiers’ letter went on to read. Principal Heather Munroe-

Blum addresed this issue in an open email to the public. “Security personnel were called to deal with the situation. Over the course of a few minutes, they ushered most of the protesters back to the reception area, but a few refused to leave my office. These individuals were carried out to the reception area under protest, where they were then left undisturbed.” When asked on Friday morning about this event, Officer Jean-Pierre Brabant of the Montreal Police denied having any knowledge of it. “I don't have any information on the McGill campus. I know that officers were around McGill campus to protect the building itself, but if there was any altercation between officers and rioters ... we don’t have anything on [it],” Brabant said. He explained that those police who were on site gave a report after the protest which only contained information on the four people who were arrested during the afternoon demonstration.

Activity outside According to Deputy Provost of Student Life and Learning Morton Mendelson, the police were not called by someone from the fifth floor. Munroe-Blum later confirmed that security personnel called the police.

“[At] 4:37, we got word that the police were called. This is when the senselessness began; because it was totally unnecessary to call them, internal negotiations would have been enough,” Rifai said. In support of those inside, other protestors from the rally encircled the building in an attempt to delay police entry. “People basically started to move to the Administration Building at McGill to do a support action, a small demonstration, very peaceful,” Pedneault said. “People were wrapping their arms around the building trying to [make] a human chain." Students from McGill, Concordia, and Dawson were among those present during this demonstration. “It was a tactic to allow the occupiers inside [to] resolve the issue without police intervention,” Rifai said. “There were things going on that were of concern and could have been of concern to security,” Mendelson said. “Security are mandated, or certainly allowed, to call the police when they feel there is a threat to people or a threat to property. Those are decisions that have to be made quickly ... made on the moment. I don’t know what triggered the decision to do that.” Police on bicycles arrived on the scene. Both the police as well as the students demonstrating

were aggressive towards one another. The police turned away, after a few minutes. Around 5:00 p.m., approximately 100 police in riot gear arrived through the Milton and Roddick Gates. Montreal Police spokesman Ian Lafrenière, who personally witnessed the confrontations, stated that the riot squad was deployed in response to people throwing boat flares shot from a pistol, along with other objects, at the police. The CBC quoted Lafrenière describing those demonstrating as “just a small group of individuals trying to take advantage of the situation to do something stupid.” “Once we call the community police, we have no control over the policing measures that are used. As I understand it, no one called the riot squad, but the police have to use their judgment about their own ability to control a situation to prevent harm from happening," Munroe-Blum explained when she spoke with members of campus media on Monday. The riot police disbanded the line of students around the building and formed a chain that blocked entrance into the building. Students in front of the police line were pepper sprayed. The police then chased students and threatened them with their batons. “I saw a police officer kick a

protester to the ground and kick him repeatedly in the stomach," U3 arts student Hilary Brown said. “As the riot police charged down the large steps, I saw them push photographers and other protesters down the hill.” “I was standing right here filming police helmet numbers and then all of a sudden they started beating us with their shields,” Daniel Seggy, U0 arts student, said. “I got pepper sprayed and then the tear gas came out. They pushed us down those big stairs, which is obviously dangerous. There was repeated trampling and pepper spraying. It was awful.” During this time some students managed to find a way into the first floor of the James Administration Building where they held a sit-in. According to Pedneault, “[they were] saying they weren't going to leave until the people on the fifth floor were released.” Mendelson later questioned the claim that the occupiers were being held, stating, “There were no students being detained in the James Admin. Building by police or by the university. We wanted the students to leave. The students were refusing to leave.” Students involved in the sit-in were forcibly removed by McGill security. “[McGill security] were concerned about the safety of the

situation, and the student [who w a s refusing to le a v e her office] w a s taken out of the office and then left in a p ublic a re a with his

them with no look of se rio u s a g g re ssio n , I m ad e a motion of b reaking up a fight, and out of now here I w a s hit in the fa c e ,” he

w ere d enied entry into the J a m e s A dm inistration B uilding and w ere told by secu rity that they need ed to h ave an appointm ent to enter.

fellow students, w e d o n ’t know if they w ere students. S o m e m a y not h ave been stu d en ts,” M endelso n sa id .

sa id . “M ayb e five or 1 0 s e co n d s later, the tear g a s w ent off right in front of m y face. After that I w as pretty m e sse d u p .” Later that night, M acp h ee

O ffers by a secu rity guard, a s well a s from V P F in a n c e and A dm inistration M ichael Di G ra p p a ’s secretary, to d eliver the letter w ere turned down by

ch arg e d and d isp e rse d the crow d- w hile m ore riot police arrived from the Milton G a te s . Tra p p ed from the north and w est of ca m p u s, students w ere forced into the M cC o n n e ll E n g in e e rin g

had to go to the hospital to get stitch es on h is lip. D u e to the sh o ck of the ex p erien ce, he did not properly 'rinse the tear g a s from h is e y e s and on F rid a y

the group, w ho w ere d em and in g that an adm inistrator p erso n ally s p e a k with the group. A round 4 :3 0 p.m ., the group d ecid e d to acce p t the

night returned to the hospital and

offer to se n d two d e le g a te s up

B uilding. M any ran to w ash tear g a s from their fa c e s. P o lic e then b arricad ed M cC o n n e ll E n g in e e rin g , trapping at least 2 0 students in sid e for se v e ral m inutes.

w a s d iag n o sed with a ch e m ica l burn in the e ye s. Im m ed iately following the com m otion, S S M U P resid en t M agg ie K night tweeted to let

to M u n ro e -B lu m ’s office. T h e d eleg ates, M cG ill student A m b e r G ro s s , U2 p h iloso p hy and history, and P ro fe sso r A d rie n n e H u rle y returned shortly with

students know that they could find support at the S S M U B uilding. O v e r 30 students received support from the student so ciety a s well a s first aid s e rv ic e s from M -S E R T . “O n e girl ca m e in with really bad pepper spray, s h e had to get h e r e y e s w ash ed for [about] an hour and a h alf,” E m ily Y ee C la re , V P U niversity Affairs sa id . “Lots of students ca m e to

a m e s s a g e relayed from the h ead of the U niversity. M unroeB lum e x p re s se d “d istre ss” at the situation, but had “so m e o n e com ing in from out of town” and did not h a v e tim e to m eet with the group. M un roe-B lu m a d d re ss e d the M cG ill com m unity on F rid a y afternoon v ia em ail, a nn o u n cing that an ind ependent investigation will be carried out by D e a n of

Soon

after,

riot

police

T h e police then allow ed students to leave the En g in eerin g B uilding, but acted a g g re s s iv e ly and indiscrim inately, pushing students w ho w ere leaving c la s s e s from M cC o n n e ll E n g in e e rin g , a s well a s those involved in the protest. Ju st before 5 :3 0 p.m ., police in full riot g e a r had blocked en tran ce to M c G ill’s ca m p u s from the Milton G a te s, setting up lin e s along the e a st and w est s id e s of Milton and University. Protestors ch an ted, “It’s our cam pus!" A round

6:00

p.m .,

police

b anged batons a g ain st their sh ie ld s and charge d into the group of onlookers gathered alo ng Milton n e a r the intersection. T h e ch arg e along Milton continued past Lo m e A ve n u e, at w hich point the crowd had m ostly d isp e rse d . T h e police left the M cG ill c a m p u s by 7 :3 0 p.m . at the latest. T h e students o ccu p ying the fifth floor of the building negotiated their re le a se with Pro vo st Anthoni M asi and D eputy Pro vo st M end elso n. It w a s a g reed that no n am e s w ould be taken, no d iscip lin a ry p ro ced u res would be pursued, and no a rrests would be m ade. Som e protestors and b ystan d e rs in the a re a su sta in e d inju ries a s a result of police actio n s. G re g M ikkelso n, an a s so c ia te professo r in M c G ill’s departm ent of p h iloso phy and the sch oo l of environm ent, w as on h is w ay to pick up h is d aug hter from M c G ill’s d a yca re w hen police clubbed him with a baton and pepper sp ray e d him . Ian M acp h ee, U 2 En g lish , and his room m ate w atched two policem en a g g re ssiv e ly push a girl to the ground. M a cp h e e ’s room m ate tried to help the girl stand up, and upon se e in g the policem en clo sin g in on the room m ate to pu sh him too, M acp h ee stood betw een the police and the two students. “I stepped in front of

the office, they sa t there and

Law D an iel Ju tra s. T h e principal

com forted e a ch other.” M ost students rem ain in sh o ck o ve r the force u se d by the riot police. “I g u e s s a lot of people had thought that in a country like C a n a d a this w ould n ever h ap p e n ,” P e d n e a u lt sa id . “In m an y co untries police are ju st not allow ed on u niversity ca m p u s e s b e c a u s e it rem ind s people of a past era of dictatorship and

will rece ive and m ake public the results of the investigation on D ec. 15 .

authoritarian rule, and that’s som ething that w a s definitely in the b ack of p eo p le’s m ind s [T h u rsd a y].” .

Responses O n F rid a y afternoon, over 50 co n ce rn ed faculty and students w aited outside the Ja m e s A dm inistration B uilding from around 1 p.m . to 5 p.m . to d eliver a letter drafted b y M cG ill F a cu lty Lab o u r A ction G ro u p (M F L A G ) and talk to one o f the se n io r adm inistrators. “[The letter] is a sk in g for a full and p ub lic inquiry into the even ts of what h ap p en ed [Thursday] night. It’s a sk in g for the university to put in form al p ro ce d u res and crim inal reporting p ro ced u res for all faculty and students ab u se d by co p s and secu rity,” G retch e n King, P h D ca n d id a te in the departm ent of co m m un ication s, sa id . “W e ’re a lso a skin g for legal re co u rse and resignatio n of all the adm inistration that approved the police p re se n ce on ca m p u s last night.” Follow ing the collection of sig n atu res, M F L A G m em b ers

S S M U ex e cu tiv e s a ls o sent an em ail to students later that even ing , w hich called the police reaction “disproportionate" and detailed a n um b er of re so u rce s for stud ents to get help, including S A C O M S S and M cG ill Nightline. Som e faculty m em b ers question w hether the riot police had the right to be on c a m p u s in the first p lace. “[The reaso n] I’m really profoundly upset is that there w ere p olicem en in sid e the ca m p u s ... T h is is a s p a c e w here you c a n ’t bring the co p s in ,” D av ike n S tu d n ick i-G izb e rt, history professor, said . How ever, S tu d n ic k i-G iz b e rt outlined the situation a s a p o ssib ility for in c re a se d d ialog ue betw een different group s at M cG ill. “W hat s e e m s to be on the table now [with the adm inistration] is this id ea that the u niversity h a s to h ave a co nversatio n with itself, e s p e c ia lly with re g a rd s to w hat h ap p en ed last night,” he sa id . “It h a s to h ave an open co nversatio n with all the different people and gro u p s that constitute the u niversity com m unity. I think that’s an opening and an opportunity that w e sh o u ld n ’t m is s .”

12

Curiosity Delivers, www.mcgilltribune.com

C A M P U S H IS T O R Y

A chronology of campus protests at McGill P ro testin g

M c G illia n s fin d th e ir r o o ts

in t h e

p ast

By Noah Caldwell-Rafferty___

Contributor Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or found yourself trapped in a chemistry lab because the person with the key is a MUNACA worker, by now you’ve caught wind of the protests dominating our campus. If you’re looking for an impassioned defence of the protesters, or even an admonishment of their guilt, read no further. The following is, instead, a sweeping runthrough of the history of McGill campus protests within the last 100 years. Now a time-hon­ oured tradition, civil disobedience has deep-seeded roots within the student body —so if you’re itching to get out there and hoist your fist against The Man, pay attention so you know just what tradition you’re keeping alive. The Student Society of McGill University was brought into exis­ tence by unrest. Students, apparent­ ly grumbling about their unfavour­ able position vis-à-vis the public, demanded representation (or as the first SSMU president John Hackett stated, it was because of their “ap­ parent acquiescence in the charges of vandalism which were periodi­ cally brought against them”). Fol­ lowing suit, SSMU was officially in­ stalled to represent students in 1909. In the 1950s, periodic upswells in student fervour reflected a poor job market for graduates and a lack of public funding for educa­

Students staged a gathering in James Square on Monday. (Sam Reynolds / M cCili Tribune)

tion (sound familiar?). The simi­ larities continue: a mass publicity campaign was undertaken with its eye on the Quebec premier, and in 1958 a one-day boycott of classes was organized—a Ferris Bueller moment much like the one we saw last Thursday. Then followed the sweetness of the 1960s, ripe with the odour of pa­ tchouli and counter-culture. Reasons to march abounded—Vietnam, U.S. nuclear bomb tests, and the general angst which accompanies genera­ tional upheaval and widespread dis­ illusionment with authority. The ad­

ministration, bearing the brunt of the bullying, eventually gave ground, and for the first time a student was allowed to sit on the Board of Gov­ ernors. In 1967, the McGill Daily published a satirical article defam­ ing John F. Kennedy that sparked outrage and libel charges. Amidst these charges and increasing disobe­ dience, the office of principal Rob­ ertson was broken into and trium­ phantly occupied by students until the police expelled them by force. Perhaps these days shouldn’t be glorified. After all, there was

no iconic image of police cars sur­ rounded by students, and no Joan Baez singing to a swaying crowd of leftists, as was the case at Berke­ ley in 1964. Indeed, there was no heroic rhetoric which transcended the movement itself, such as Mario Savio’s plea at the same Berkeley campus: “There’s a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious—makes you so sick at heart—that you can’t take part.” It’s the kind of revolutionary fodder which surely made Lenin smile in his grave. McGill’s ardour was admirable

all the same. And, considering tra­ ditional Canadian passivity, the sitins and occupations of the 1960s were substantial even compared with those to the South. The McGill flavour of protest was marked by a certain creative spice. Just go to Mc­ Gill’s online archives and find the picture of a long-haired student oc­ cupying a chair of the Board of Gov­ ernors, picking his nose, and holding a stick with a middle-fingered glove on the end of it. The fire lit under the student body would linger for decades to come. In April 1997, a first-class sitin occurred at McGill, as a means to rail against student fee increases. Eighteen students occupied princi­ pal Shapiro’s office for three days, capping off a week of creative dis­ obedience. The Arts Building doors were chained shut, and Cheez Wiz was served to drive home the point that with so many fees, “starving art­ ist” would become more than a life­ style euphemism. It seems that the spirit of student unrest still lives strong in our current student body. As I write, it is only 24 hours since riot police confronted James Administration Building oc­ cupiers. The current protests reflect a trend toward anger over monetary rather than social issues, which has existed since the 1960s. And while I possess no foresight of what will come, I can at least say that if you do choose to protest, you now know the forefathers of your cause.

ODDS AND ENDS

A‘

9

A

0

rev iew

s comeback through fashion, film, and music o f current p o p

By Jacqui Galbraith

____ _

Contributor For some years now, pop cul­ ture seems to have looked to the past for inspiration. As anyone who’s ever attended a “tight ‘n’ bright” themed party can attest, we’ve taken some of the best the ‘80s had to offer and brought it with us into the 21st century. Fashion-wise, clothing like leggings, fluorescent colours, and ripped denim have been brought back into circulation, but thank­ fully the shoulder pads remain a thing of the past. Even movies like 13 Going On 30 and Hot Tub Time Machine have reminded us of all the great things that decade had to offer. Recently, however, the focus of pop culture has shifted away from the ‘80s, and into the ‘90s. As gen­ eration Y (or the Echo Boomers, children of the Baby Boomers), has now grown up and flooded the work

cu ltu re

reveals an

force, movies, music, and television are all starting to re-incorporate fads from the ‘90s, leaving us to wonder: are the ‘90s the new ‘80s? Take McGill Frosh this year as an example. Arts frosh was “Harder, Better, Frosher, Stronger” themed, drawing heavily on Daft Punk, while science frosh was “Night at the Froshbury,” a take on the ‘90s movie A Night at the Roxbury. With McGill at the forefront of this newfound ‘90s movement, hopefully it gains momentum to rival the second wind of the ‘80s. So, without further ado, let’s take a little trip down memory lane to figure out what we want back from our first decade on earth, and what would be better left alone. Few television shows like The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live, or The Real World enjoy such longev­ ity, but there were a myriad of gems on the air in the ‘90s that could definitely be re-imagined. Buffy

a ttra ch in g to th e

1990s

the Vampire Slayer and Gilmore Girls, Power Rangers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are all surely missed. Teen dramas like Beverly Hills 90210 and Melrose Place have already been (somewhat controver­ sially) remade in a post Luke Perry world. The almost immediate can­ cellation of Melrose Place serves as a cautionary tale, and suggests that some classics really are meant to be just that. Shows like Friends, Fresh Prince o f Bel Air, or Seinfeld were amazing, but can you really imagine Will Smith still living in his uncle’s house? Even with a new, fresh, young cast, 90210 and Mel­ rose have proven that the old stars will want back in, and it just won’t be the same. Musically speaking, we’ve al­ ready seen the comeback of the boy band (the NKOTBSB reunion tour for example). Although to call them boys at this point is really just too

ridiculous to comment on; I’ll leave the witty one-liners to the rest of you. Their tour did gross over $10 million dollars, and the Spice Girls reunion tour was estimated to have grossed over $70 million, proving that fans didn’t mind having their idols back, even if a little aged. That doesn’t mean that every group from the ‘90s should get back together. I would hazard a guess that most of us prefer Justin Timberlake the solo artist turned actor to the *NSYNC member, and Mark Wahlberg to Marky Mark. As for movies, there’s really not much to say except that the fun­ damental things still apply. Teens will always want a good high school comedy, be it American Pie, Clue­ less, Superbad or Mean Girls. And who doesn’t love a good franchise? Cinematic gold was struck with trilogies like Austin Powers and the Wayne’s World movies were simply

outstanding. Yet revisiting those can be a very tricky business, forcing studios to walk a fine line between milking a cash cow and beating a dead horse. Disney seems to have gotten it right with their re-release of The Lion King in 3D, with talk of The Little Mermaid receiving the same treatment in the future. Also, their return to ‘90s-esque anima­ tion for The Princess and the Frog drew an older audience as well as a younger one. So maybe the ‘90s were a little bit of a mixed bag. It’s a tall order to make sure the good stuff translates into the next generation properly, let alone to even distinguish it from the bad. So as the millennial generation takes more control of the entertain­ ment industry, hopefully we’ll see more of what we loved about the ‘90s. But please, no more Vanilla Ice.

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ONEHUNDREDDOLLARS SONGS OF MAN “One H undred Dollars is th e best m odern country band in Canada.” H E R O H IL L .

------------------------------A&E LITERATURE

A history of (lessening) violence S tev en

P in k er a r g u e s

By Ricky Kreitner

Contributor Growing up in Montreal, Ste­ ven Pinker clung to the idea that human beings are inherently co­ operative and peaceable creatures. Competition and violence were only byproducts of the corrupting influ­ ence of modem civilization and all its trappings, he believed. “At the time, I was affected by the spirit of the sixties and thought anarchism was a great idea,” he ex­ plained in an interview with the Tri­ bune. “I thought that we didn’t really need the police or the government.” During dinner table conversa­ tions, his parents told him that was a naive view of human nature, and if the police were ever to retreat, “all hell would break loose,” Pinker said. “And I scoffed at that.” Pinker had a chance to test his hypothesis when the Montreal police walked off the job on Oct. 7, 1969, protesting for better work conditions and higher pay. Within hours, the city was engulfed by a wave of bank robberies, looting, arson, and shoot­ ings, leaving one provincial police officer dead and today’s equivalent of more than $10 million in dam­ age. Sixteen chaotic hours after the strike began, the National Assembly of Quebec ordered the police back to work, ending what a CBC report at the time called a “night of terror.” “That pretty much abolished any credibility I could give to the theory of anarchism and the theory that without police we would just naturally live peacefully,” Pinker said. It also fueled his growing inter­ est in the scientific study of human behaviour and the history of its ten­ dency towards violence. Last month, Pinker—now an evolutionary psychologist and popu­ lar author—published The Better Angels o f Our Nature, more than 800 pages on the history and psychol­ ogy of violence, and an expansive defence of his youthful revelation

M

M

P i T O

MONTRÉAL

in f a v o u r o f o u r

b etter se lv e s

about human nature. The subtitle, Why Violence Has Declined, ex­ plains the general thrust and thread of his argument, but the book ranges far wider than that. Pinker argues that in all of the relevant categories (war, homicide, discrimination, and petty cmelty to animals) and on several scales (decades, centuries, millennia), the presence of violence in human af­ fairs has drastically diminished. Wars have become xless frequent and less destructive to human life (measuring deaths in proportion to overall population). Petty disputes between human beings are much less likely to devolve into brawls or duels. Forms of domestic violence that once seemed ineradicable (slav­ ery, the flogging of children, spousal abuse) are now unthinkable. Across the board, violence is in decline. None of this is new informa­ tion, and Pinker acknowledges his heavy debts to certain predecessors, like the German sociologist Norbert Elias. The unique service provided by Better Angels is twofold: first, Pinker unite? all the different stories that we know about the decline of vi­ olence and forces us to look at them all at once. We know that the Hebrew Bible is littered with genocides; that great powers haven’t fought a war in almost 70 years; that aggression and temper have become devalued as social currency. Pinker manages to illustrate a common thread running through those fragments. “Too many kinds of violence, I hope to convince you, have moved in the same direc­ tion for it all to be a coincidence,” he writes in the preface. On that score, Pinker is persuasive. His other contribution lies in his dogged attempt to offer coher­ ent explanations for each of the phe­ nomena he documents and for the wider trend as well. As easy as it is to recognize the fact that contempo­ rary aristocrats no longer resort to shoot-outs in reaction to trivial in­ sults, for example, it is more difficult

to explain what caused that change. It hardly helps that the stakes of such an argument are so incredibly high. Ultimately, Pinker offers his book as a defence of modernity, and a criticism of those who glorify the pre-civilized past as a simpler, more peaceful time. Much to the contrary, things like commerce, the printing press, and the “feminization” of so­ ciety have all contributed to a gen­ eral pacification and civilization of homo sapiens, particularly among the male specimens. The parts of our common human nature inclined to­ wards goodness and co-operation— the eponymous “better angels”— have increasingly subdued those parts that occasionally incline us toward selfishness and violence— our “inner demons.” The first step to securing this progress and continu­ ing the decline is recognizing what made it possible. That recognition has definite social, economic, and political implications insofar as it undermines many popular notions about violence and society. Some critics with deeply-held commit­ ments to such notions haven’t failed to take notice. For instance, Elizabeth Kolbert argued in The New Yorker that Pink­ er sets up a false opposition between violence and modernity. “Though Pinker would like to pretend oth­ erwise, fascism and communism are inventions that are every bit as modem as women’s rights and the Eurozone,” she wrote. If that were the case, the civilizing and pacify­ ing forces that Pinker wishes us to applaud are intimately related to the same forces that made the 20th cen­ tury so violent (though not as vio­ lent, looked at proportionally, as pre­ vious ones). “Such is the logic of the dialectic,” she writes, that the “bet­ ter angels” and the “inner demons” are just two sides of the same coin. Pinker doesn’t buy it. His point is not that everything that’s hap­ pened since the Enlightenment has been good. That would be an ab­

C ad en ce W eap on Thursday, Nov. 17, 8 :3 0 p.m. La Sala Rossa Edmonton Poet Laureate Rollie Pemberton, assuming the moniker Cadence Weapon, boasts a diverse set of skills that range from standard party rap to beat poetry inspired by the likes of Kerouac and Ginsberg. His latest mixtape, Tron Legacy, is a wonderfully scatterbrained homage to the sounds of Swizz Beatz, Gucci Mane, and Arcade Fire, just to name a few. Not many artists can switch their style up this frequently or as successfully.

H a lf M o o n R u n Friday, Nov. 1 8 ,1 :0 0 p.m. Café Campus Mile End’s very own Half Moon Run needs only the comfort­ ing simplicity of lead vocals, guitar, and drums to show their gentle and contained sound, although some oc­ casional backing guitar and extra percussion provide depth to their velvety mood. To define these three as merely ‘chill’ wouldn’t do them justice. Their mellow vocal harmo­ nies and subdued indie-folk ballads come out best during their live per­ formances.

Pinker says our “better angels” are beating our “inner demons."

surd argument to defend for anyone with a grade school understanding of world history. Rather, he argues that the values passed down from the Enlightenment—reason, skep­ ticism, literacy, empathy, equality, fairness, liberty, tolerance, and plu­ ralism—have played a strong role in the reduction of violence in many spheres of life. Philosophers like Adam Smith and David Hume, and realist novelists like Victor Hugo and Charles Dickens, helped expand our circles of empathy to include more and more people. “To blame David Hume for the gulag is quite a stretch,” Pinker told the Tribune. The point of Better Angels is

that although violence has declined, it’s still not the time to try Pinker’s anarchist experiment. Ultimately, he believes that the progress that has been made over the years, decades, and millennia probably doesn’t add up to a fundamental change in human nature. The issue is still somewhat tenuous and in need of further understanding. Pinker’s book contributes greatly to that effort, and thus to the security of us all.

D o ld r u m s Friday, Nov. 18, 8:35p.m. Casa del Popolo Montreal via Toronto's Airick Woodhead makes some out-of-thisworld music as Doldrums. Combin­ ing androgynous vocals, tribal per­ cussion, techno, psychedelia, and a slew of other seemingly incom­ patible elements, the former Spiral Beach frontman’s latest project has been dubbed “psy-fi” for a reason. Listening to Doldrums will have your head spinning and put you any­ where but.

K arkw a Saturday, Nov. 19, 8:00p.m. Metropolis Polaris Prize-winning Karkwa have come a long way since their inception in the late ‘90s. Along with being extremely popular among Francophones, they have gained tremendous critical acclaim as well as a wider anglo follow­ ing in the past few years. If you missed them at Osheaga or open­ ing for Arcade Fire’s free show last September, be sure to check them out here. Even if you don’t speak French, it’s hard not to sing along.

Steven Pinker speaks at New Residence Hall on Nov. 17 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $2 fo r students.

15

Tbesday, November 15, 2011

F IL M

M

e

l a

Lars v o n

n

c h

o

l i a

T rier d ir e c ts

is more than a singular emotion an

all-sta r c a s t

in t h i s

b ea u tifu l

an d

b ra in y film

By C h ris Liu

Contributor The apocalypse has never looked so beautiful. Melancholia, the latest from maverick Danish au­ teur Lars von Trier, is magnificent. With a script that joins human intro­ spection with nihilistic celebration, von Trier creates two hours of rich, thought-provoking and breathtak­ ing cinema. Its long journey from Cannes to Canada now complete, Melancholia is assuredly one of the year’s most compelling films. Like Antichrist before it, Mel­ ancholia begins with a devastatingly powerful series of near-stills, this time set to a Wagner score. A bride runs, grey gooey tendrils clinging to her legs. A woman carries a child through a golf course that’s turned into quicksand. Electricity rises from fingertips like ethereal va­ pours. Finally, in a moment of horri­ fying beauty, Earth collides with the mystery planet Melancholia and is destroyed. Obliterated. Gone. The real plot of the movie be­ gins with a wedding party. Newly­ weds Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Michael (Alexander Skarsgârd) arrive late for a dinner, planned by Justine’s sister, Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg). Cracks can almost

Kirsten D unst gives the strongest performance o f her career as Justine, (m agpictures.com)

immediately be seen in the lavish, decadent get-together. Justine and Claire’s father (John Hurt) only flirts and drinks. Their mother (Charlotte Rampling) publicly denounces the institution of marriage in her wed­ ding toast. Justine’s boss, Jack (Stellan Skarsgârd) only sees her as a means to his own profit-seeking end. Claire’s husband, John (Kiefer Sutherland) foots the extravagant bill and refuses to let others forget the fact. Alone within this maelstrom is Justine, who, on what should be

the happiest day of her life, is any­ thing but pleased. As viewers watch, intrigued and horrified, she begins to disassemble her life, peeling away at superfluous layers until all that is left is a cold, calculating core. Although some may approach Dunst with suspicion, rest assured that the Best Actress nomination she picked up at Cannes was welldeserved; Justine is a role that de­ manded formidable dimensions, and Dunst gave what was arguably the best performance of her career to

date. The rest of the cast was com­ mendable too, to von Trier’s credit. From the younger Skarsgârd’s thousand-yard stare to Sutherland’s surprisingly subtle characteriza­ tion, performances across the board were brilliant. They were aided by von Trier’s signature hand-held cinematography, flawless here, and the edits, of the wedding scenes in particular, were impeccable. The Dane also wrote the script, littering it with both provoking dialogue and intellectual subtleties. Is that Salome

bearing the head of John the Baptist? Is this landscape a loose reference to the film Last Year at Marienbad? In the second half, Melancho­ lia ’s ascension in the sky is paral­ leled by Justine’s resurrection as an icy, rationalist angel of death. The thematic crux of the film lies with the role of the naive and fearful passing on to Gainsbourg’s Claire. A wonderful dynamic is developed: the audience knows the eventual fate of the Earth, and the suspense is derived not from the cataclysm itself, but the actions and states of the characters leading up to it. When the moment does come, there are no Roland Emmerich-style CGI craneshots of destruction and devastation. Instead, the scene is exactly as the apocalypse should be: harmonious, blood-pumping, sublime, and fol­ lowed by a silence that stretches to eternity. With Melancholia, von Trier exhibits that rare, glorious marriage of brains and beauty. The result is art that is breathtaking in its splen­ dour and simultaneously troubling and relieving in its implications. Its title may be a singular emotion, but watching Melancholia will yield in­ finitely more.

THEATRE

Short but sweet, T N C

T h ea tre

p u ts

o n

By Alex Knoll

Contributor “Love is like Russia; there are some beautiful pieces and the rest is shit.” Not only is this one of the last lines spoken in TNC Theatre’s latest production, The Russian Play, but it also perfectly captures the essence of its story. The Russian Play is a mere 30 minutes long, but don’t let the brevity fool you; it presents an intricate story which is both heart­ breaking and down-to-earth. Writ­ ten by Canadian playwright Hannah Moscovitch, The Russian Play pres­ ents 16-year-old Sonya (Annabel Raby), a flower-shop girl who leams about the perils of love the hard way. The story takes place in Stalinist

q u ite

T h e

R u s s i a n

P l a y

is a Soviet-style love story

a s h o w

Russia, where the complications of Sonya’s dangerous love triangle are magnified. Sonya acts as both the main character, who is exploited as the object of a hazardous love story, and also the narrator, telling her own story in the third person. Directed by the talented Carling Tedesco, The Russian Play offers an intimate stage presence by show­ casing only three actors, along with violinist Will Darvill, who helps to liven the more sombre moments of the play. Accompanying Raby are Sonya’s competing love interests, Spencer Thompson as Piotr and Jor­ dan Sugarman as Kostya. All the ac­ tors excellently channel their inner Russian character, and are quite convincing with their accents. As an

interesting anecdote, Tedesco sent the actors videos of interviews with Russian figure skaters as a tool to practice the accent. Much of the play’s dark mood is balanced by humour. Early in the show, Sonya turns to the audi­ ence and says, “I know what you are thinking. You are thinking, ‘This is Russian play,”’ after which she downs a glass of what appears to be vodka. Since writer Moscovitch is Canadian, one might find it diffi­ cult to decide if The Russian Play is a tongue-and-cheek play on Russian stereotypes, or if it is intended as a genuine account of the hardships of Soviet Russia. Either way, Mosco­ vitch tells a lovely story about a young girl who wears her heart on

her sleeve, a flaw for which she pays a large price. Using Russia’s oppres­ sive political climate as its backdrop provides an even more daunting ac­ count of this young girl’s love life. In dark irony, Sonya’s life revolves around love and ends because of love. It is disturbing in its impli­ cations, but at its roots is entirely heartfelt. On the surface, it builds on Sonya’s naive manner to create an uplifting mood—at certain times she pauses to comically interject to the audience, “Am I right, ladies?” when discussing her complicated love triangle. When delving deeper into the story, however, one realizes the extreme sadness at the core of it. The metanarrative style of the play is its most distinctive feature,

adding a dimension that allows viewers to remember they are, in fact, watching a play. It helps in following the play’s pattern of dark humour, allowing it to be both sad­ dening and amusing at the same time. Tedesco did a wonderful job in directing her actors to play up both sides of the viewers’ emotions. Raby in particular should be applauded for her feat in balancing both roles as Sonya in first person and in third person, never failing to convince viewers in either role. The Russian Play is a beautiful piece in concep­ tion and was well crafted by all in­ volved. The Russian Play runs from Nov. 16-19 at TNC Theatre. Tickets are $6.

Want to write for A&E? Send an e-mail to arts@mcgilltribune.com for more information.

1 6 ------------------------------

Curiosity Delivers, www.mcgilltribune.com

OPERA

Dvorak’s O p er a

R

u s a l k a

c a p tiv a te s w ith

its

makes a visual splash

im p r e ssiv e

p ro d u c tio n

v a lu e

By Akiva Toren

Contributor Opéra de Montréal calls An­ tonin Dvorak’s Rusalka “the story o f The Little Mermaid, enhanced by Dvorak’s captivating melodies.” Indeed, much o f the story bears that resemblance; it follows a water nymph, Rusalka, who has fallen in love with a human prince. With the reluctant help o f her father and the witch Jezibaba, she is turned into a human on the condition that she is mute to humankind and risks dam­ nation if her lover abandons her. Darker than its Disney counterpart, the opera brings forth tragedies of human passion. Though well known for his symphonies, Rusalka displays Dvorak’s ability to depict musical drama in other forms. In his famous New World Symphony o f 1893, it’s clear that he understood contrast­ ing musical elements, from peaceful pastoral settings to fierce echoes of the frontier, Rusalka bears a resem­ blance to the contrasting textures and harmonies found in this fa­ mous symphony, but with touches o f poignant chromaticism and the emotional tenderness necessary to evince Rusalka’s passion and tragic isolation. Through the direction o f Eric

The story o f The Little Mermaid is brought to life with exceptional effects. (Yves Renaud)

Simonson, Opéra de Montréal brought this Czech opera to the Quebec stage for the first time and did perfect justice to Dvorak’s dra­ matic work. As the curtain opened, we were in awe. One might assume it was because o f the dancers (and Siminson’s use o f ballet choreogra­ phy showed a deep understanding of integrating artistic forms) the sing­ ers, or the harmonies, but the sets were what was truly stunning. The primary mechanism used for the sets, other than a few boul­ ders for the forest and stairs for the prince’s palace, was projection.

Wendall Harrington, often called the “godmother o f projection design,” brought an astonishingly beauti­ ful component to the opera stage. Through the stunning use o f videos, pictures, and 3D animation, the sets were incredibly vibrant. The mysti­ cal lake o f the nymphs rippled, trees swayed in the wind, and clouds drift­ ed across the moon. During Rusal­ ka’s famous “Song to the Moon,” I was fixated not on Kelly Kaduce’s wonderful interpretation o f the solo, but rather on the drifting clouds and stunning moon behind her. Indeed, the sets were so attractive that I was

beginning to feel I was in the opera. It’s worth seeing this production just for Harrington’s wonderful work. While the sets provided the initial “wows,” the production was nearly perfect all the way through. John Keenan, as guest conductor, weaved together a brilliant interpre­ tation o f the music, bringing emo­ tional depth and clarity to Dvorak’s score. The soloists, too, brought the stirring music to life. Robert Pomakov’s Vodnik, though sometimes dry, depicted Rusalka’s father as both a playful and ultimately sincere figure. Liliana Nikiteanu, playing

the witch, excelled as her devious yet comical character. Ewa Biegas vividly portrayed the foreign prin­ cess’ pompousness and arrogance. Most o f all though, Kelly Kaduce’s Rusalka was captivating. Even as a mute character in the second act, Kaduce’s stage presence was as­ tounding. The costume design was ex­ cellent as well. In order to elicit a sharp contrast between the mythi­ cal culture o f nymphs and the lives o f humans, head o f costumes Karin Kopischke designed classic, elegant, yet modest garments for the nymphs while giving modem touches to the humans. Rusalka’s isolation be­ came immediately apparent in her new human world as she, still in her dreadlocks and unable to speak, is surrounded by dancers and aris­ tocrats dressed in lavish suits and dresses from the 1940s. Rusalka’s loneliness was powerfully apparent due to costumes and choreography. The imaginative choreography, brilliant soloists, captivating pro­ jections, and moving music left me speechless. Rusalka runs until Nov. 19 at Place des Arts.

F IL M

I m F ilm

m

o

r t a

b o a sts

l s

looks great but lack characters

b etter a ctio n

By N azim Elnur

Contributor The first thing to note about Im­ mortals is that it’s not 300, at least not entirely. Directed by the remark­ able Tarsem Singh and produced by 300 frontmen Mark Canton and Gi­ anni Nunnari, Immortals brings an eclectic blend of stunning visual and creative elements together fairly suc­ cessfully. Set in the realm o f ancient Greek mythology, the film follows Theseus (Henry Cavill) on his quest to avenge the death o f his mother, who was killed by power-hungry King Hyperion (grimly portrayed by veteran villain, Mickey Rourke). Theseus follows the guidance of the “Virgin Oracle” (Freida Pinto) in an adventure that will engulf all of humanity in the mad King’s ravag­ ing lust for power. It’s a simple and formulaic story. Immortals is not without spar­ kle, but it’s guilty o f many o f the same sins as 300. They both rely on a two-dimensional plot with a flagrant disregard for character development.

s c e n e s

th a n

300

Despite the lack o f narrative depth, Immortals does a good job showcas­ ing the story’s central drama. The plot develops at a steady pace, giv­ ing the story time to resonate and provide ambient sensory pleasures to the audience. Soon enough, how­ ever, doses o f drama give way to the much-anticipated action scenes. It’s in these scenes that Immortals defies comparisons to 300, and that’s not to say that 300 didn’t have great action scenes. Immortals relies on some o f the slow-motion goriness characteristic o f 300, however it integrates this effect with other mainstays o f ac­ tion cinematography. It effectively outclasses most movies in its genre, beating its predecessor at its own game. There is simplicity in the straightforward, heroic plot, but it is an elegant, minimalistic interpreta­ tion o f Greek mythos. In fact, it’s be­ cause of this that the many subtleties of the movie become visible, even amidst the obvious visual symbol­ ism, superb sensory experience, and

NOVEMBER 15-21 Puces Pop LiP Biz Seminar Saturday, Nov. 19, 12:00-5:00 p.m. The Plant (185 Van Horne) This all-day conference fea­ tures seminars discussing issues relevant to independent artists and artisans. Topics include ac­ counting, marketing, the impor­ tance of packaging, graphic de­ sign resources, and more. Perfect for aspiring starving artists hop­ ing not to starve. Free.

Effusion T h is isn ’t Sparta, but it’s close, (straight.com)

genuinely suspenseful moments. This is going to be a polarizing point o f contention and the debate could plausibly come down to whether the movie’s subtleties flew over its crit­ ics’ heads, or whether the hedonis­ tic indulgence in action, gore, and

special effects was just to mask an empty story. I urge you to go and make your own decision about this one. However, I strongly suspect Immortals will foster its own cult in the industry.

Sunday, Nov. 20, 7:00 p m . Le National 1220 St. Catherine East This McGill a cappella group will cover everything from j R&B and soul to pop and alter­ native at its fall concert. Akua opens. $10.

S po r ts SCO REB O A RD

SOCCER — CIS W O M E N ’ S C H A M P I O N S H I P

Homewreckers: McGill’s title run spoiled M a rtlets

b r o u g h t b ack to

earth

after u p s e t w in

o v e r T rin ity W e s t e r n

By Christopher Nardi Contributor

As hosts of the 2011 CIS women’s soccer championship, the Martlets clinched a spot in the championship bracket well before the first kickoff of the season. How­ ever, that didn’t prevent the Martlets from exceeding expectations in their quarter-final matchup by defeating second-ranked Trinity Western 1-0 on penalty kicks. McGill bowed out in their semifinal against top-ranked rival Université de Montréal, los­ ing by a 2-1 margin after extra time. Finally, they succumbed to the Ot­ tawa Gee-Gees in the bronze medal match. The Martlets failed to score a regulation goal during the entire tournament. The quarterfinal match featured a cautious defensive battle between both teams, a strategy that ended up favouring the defence-oriented Martlets. Most of the game was played in the centre of the field, with both teams alternating offen­ sive pressure throughout the 120 minutes played. The Martlets came out strong from the onset with two great scoring chances by captain Al­ exandra Morin-Boucher in the first 10 minutes, but appeared to lose steam as the half progressed. Fortu­ nately for McGill, goalkeeper Victo­ ria Muccilli was sharp and came up with huge saves throughout. As the clock hit the 90th min­ ute, and then the 120th minute, signalling the end of overtime and the beginning of the penalty kicks, the score remained tied at 0 largely due to the efforts of both goalies. The Martlets faced a huge chal­ lenge going into the penalty kick round, as Trinity Western had yet to lose a PK shootout all season, But,

Lack o f regulation goals foiled M cG ill. (Sam Reynolds / M cG ill Tribune)

thanks to hours of carefully studied video of Trinity’s team, the Martlets scored on every shot, while Muccilli stopped two to assure their spot in the semi-finals. “They worked hard, and they fought hard as a team,” Head Coach Marc Mounicot said, beaming. “We had a great first half which gave us confidence as a team, then after that [the team] worked and worked and in the end, they de­ served it.” Mounicot was far from beam­ ing following the Martlets’ lack­ lustre performance against the Uni­ versité de Montréal Carabins in the

semi-finals, though. Despite going up 1-0 on an own-goal by Montreal in the first 10 minutes, Montreal took control of the play after the half-time interval, leading to the tying goal scored in the 80th minute. Then, the Carabins completed the comeback in the 18th minute of overtime with a great top comer goal off a free kick. Despite McGill finally wak­ ing up and applying strong offensive pressure in the last 12 minutes of the extra frame, Carabins goalkeeper Justine Martin shut the door on the Martlets, sending Montreal to battle against Queen’s University for the

CIS championship title. “We stopped playing after 45 minutes and we paid the price against a very good team who is very solid, very good,” Mounicot said, disappointed. “I don’t know if it’s the fatigue or if they couldn’t hold the pressure of the game, but it’s really frustrating, because like I say: ‘lose the game, but play!”’ Referring specifically to his team’s lack of execution after the first half, Mounicot added, “We missed too many chances in the first half and then stopped playing hard in the second half. We have a young team and had that problem a lot during the regular season.” The same problem affected the Martlets on Sunday, when they were matched against the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees for the bronze medal. Despite falling behind 1-0 in the first seven minutes of play, the Martlets fought valiantly in the first 45 minutes, but Ottawa’s de­ fenders effectively shut down any shooting lanes and then added an insurance goal in the 41st minute. McGill failed to muster much of­ fence in the second half, and despite holding a slight advantage in shots attempted throughout the game (lb14, with only two reaching the net), they never really posed an offensive threat. Despite the difficulty the Mc­ Gill squad experienced in their last two matches, Morin-Boucher re­ mains optimistic about her team’s chances next season. Assuredly, the young squad has now acquired invaluable experience going into next season, where they expect nothing less than to bring the CIS championship to Quebec for the first time in the CIS tournament’s 25-year history.

(Scores since Nov. 8) R E D M E N B A S K E T B A LL Lost 80-68 vs. Concordia Won 82-57 vs. Laval M A R TLE T B A S K E T B A LL Lost 75-66 vs. Concordia 74-68 vs. Laval M AR TLE T CROSS C O U N ­ TRY Finished 5th o f 19 (CIS Championship) R E D M E N HOCKEY Lost 3-1 @ UQTR Won 3-2 @ Queen’s M A R TLE T HOCKEY Won 4-1 vs. Carleton REDM EN R U G BY Won 36-0 vs. UNB (Unofficial Eastern Canadian Championship) R E D M E N SOCCER Lost 2-1 vs. Saint Mary’s (CIS Quarterfinal) Won 1-0 vs. Toronto (CIS Consolation) Won 3-1 vs. McMaster (5th Place Game) M AR TLE T SOCCER Won 1-0 vs. Trinity Western (4-1 on PK) (CIS Quarterfinal) Lost 2-1 vs. Montreal (a.e.t) (CIS Semifinal) Lost 2-0 vs. Ottawa (Bronze Medal Game) R E D M E N S W IM M IN G Finished 2nd o f 5 (Quebec Cup III) M A R TLE T S W IM M IN G Finished 2nd o f 5 (Quebec Cup III) M A R TLE T VOLLEYBALL Won 3-1 vs. Sherbrooke (25-13, 18- 25,25- 22,25- 22)

T H IR D M A X IN Pe nn S ta te s c a n d a l b ig g e r th a n fo o tb a ll

Last Wednesday, the Penn State board o f trustees fired football coach Joe Patemo and President Graham Spanier in connection with the re­ cently uncovered child abuse scan­ dal. Shortly after the announcement, a few hundred Penn State students took to the streets in support of their beloved ‘JoePa,’ tipping over cars, knocking down lamp posts, and throwing rocks at police. What these protestors failed to realize is that Penn State was right to fire both Patemo and Spanier, and addressing

such serious issues should always come before sports. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, former Penn State defensive co-ordinator (who unexpectedly re­ tired from football in 1999) Jerry Sandusky ran the Second Mile pro­ gram, a charity for youth in State College, Pennsylvania. During his time at the Second Mile, Sandusky allegedly sexually abused eight dif­ ferent boys. Janitor James Calhoun and Penn State graduate assistant Mike McQueary both reported wit­ nessing instances of Sandusky sexu­ ally abusing a young boy in the Penn State showers. No police reports were filed for either case. When the Penn State board of

trustees fired Patemo and Spanier, they were taking the necessary measures. Some claim that Patemo did everything in his power, or did things by the book. He didn’t. There is no book for what to do when al­ legations surface of sexual abuse of children. Even though there is a “chain of command” in most athletic organizations, there’s absolutely no reason not to contact police in such a situation. When allegations surfaced at McGill in early 2005 of sexual mis­ conduct by members of the football team, McGill wasted no time disci­ plining those involved. While this move by the university affected the football team dramatically, it was

an appropriate and proportionate reaction. While the situation at Penn State is not in any way shape or form like what happened at McGill, the swift reaction isn’t too unfamiliar. Unlike at McGill, it wouldn’t make sense for Penn State to cancel the final home game of the season, as these events were not caused by the members of the team. The riot response by Penn State students is foolish and misguided. Clearly, these students care very much about their school’s football team. In this case, however, Patemo’s firing is not about football. It’s about serious crimes that alleg­ edly took place while Patemo was in charge, and the lack of response

by the leadership at Penn State to investigate these allegations. One more game would have been one too many for Patemo. Students and athletes alike need to realize that some things can happen in the sports world that overshadow the sports themselves. This is one of those situations. Sug­ gestions that Patemo’s removal was unjust are ridiculous and ignorant of the nature of the crimes of which Sandusky is accused. Accusations of rape of young boys are very serious, and Penn State students should treat them as such. The board of trustees certainly does, and they did the right thing. —Iain Macdonald

Curiosity Delivers, www.mcgilltribune.com

1 8 -------SOCCER —

C IS M E N ’ S C H A M P I O N S H I P

Lonely Island: Redmen one and done in Victoria M cG ill f in is h e s

5t h a t C I S n a t i o n a l c h a m p i o n s h i p s

By Steven Lampert

_____

Sports Editor

The McGill Redmen were looking to build on their RSEQ suc­ cess this past weekend in Victoria, B.C. as they battled for the CIS Na­ tional Championship. The Redmen opened their championship bid in a quarterfinal match against the Saint Mary’s Huskies on Thursday. How­ ever, disappointment filled the play­ ers following the game, as the Red­ men were defeated by a score of 2-1. The Redmen put together a fantastic season, culminating in their second CIS championship ap­ pearance in the past three years. Their last appearance, in 2009, was a major success, as they earned the silver medal in the tournament. While McGill had high expecta­ tions for this year’s run as well, they were outmatched by the Huskies, who built an early two-goal lead and never let up. There were positives, however, and Head Coach David Simon was proud of his team’s effort. “The team played rather well

Saint Mary’s stymied M cG ill in the quarterfinals. (Gordon Lee / CIS)

... Having said that, we gave up two goals on significant defensive mistakes. At that level, you cannot win games with defensive lapses,” Simon said. The Huskies opened the scor­ ing in the 15th minute, as striker Elvir Gigolaj beat Redmen goal­ keeper Charles Kelly to the ball and

headed it into the empty net. The McGill defence tightened from that point on for the rest of the first half. McGill’s own offence had a few chances, most notably in the 40th minute when an offside call wiped away a Redmen goal by Alexander Damianou. The two teams came out with

monton dispatched Calgary in the Battle of Alberta. Next weekend, Hamilton and Winnipeg will lock horns and Edmonton will meet B.C. for the right to play for Canada’s oldest trophy.

SOCCER — The road to Euro 2012 got clearer for three more teams on Friday as Ireland, Croa­ tia, and the Czech Republic dealt swiftly with Estonia, Turkey, and Montenegro respectively to nudge forward in their qualifying playoff ties. Portugal was stymied by Bos­ nia and Herzegovina in the Balkan nation, drawing 0-0, and will need to win in Lisbon to qualify for the June tournament in Poland and Ukraine. Closer to home, Canada also man­ aged a meek 0-0 draw against min­ nows St. Kitts and Nevis, a nation of just 51,300 people, which was enough to secure a ticket to the third round of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

I f clouds o f pepper spray and tear gas obscured your view o f the televi­ sion, here’s what you missed in the world o f sports...

FOOTBALL — The playoffs have begun on the Canadian gridiron and the CFL will officially crown a new champion at the Grey Cup in Vancouver. In a David-meets-Goli-

ath semi-final, the Hamilton TigerCats slayed the two-time defending Grey Cup champion Montreal Allouettes in a back-and-forth 52-44 victory. In the other semi-final, Ed-

BASKETBALL While each passing day begins with a hope that the NBA owners and players are close to a deal, they all end in disappointment, as there is still no professional basketball to watch. Basketball Prospectus has been simulating each prospective game of the season, and the Toronto Raptors have yet to win. With the Leafs still in the playoff hunt in November, are Toronto fans happy that the dinos are taking a break? The NCAA sea­ son finally got underway this week,

more energy and urgency in the sec­ ond half. The Huskies extended their lead to two in the 64th minute when midfielder Derek Gaudet crossed a beautiful ball to Ian Coke, who finished it with a header past Kelly. Gaudet sparkled all game for Saint Mary’s, creating scoring chances and controlling the middle of the field. He would be named player of the match. McGill showed resiliency, cut­ ting the lead back to one just four minutes later, when a Saint Mary’s defender failed to clear a crossing ball in the box, which left forward Sebastian Munroe open in front to strike it right past Huskies goalkeep­ er Adam Miller. The Redmen con­ tinued to press in the last 20 minutes of action, led by substitute forward Alexander King, who was named man of the match for McGill. De­ spite generating a couple of quality scoring chances, it was to no avail. The Huskies’ back end held strong and preserved the victory. It was a tough loss for the Red­ men, and is especially troubling for those mainstays from that final-

ist team, such as fifth-year captain Thomas Lucas. “Guys who had experienced the final two years ago wanted to have another go at it ... They were very disappointed but unlike some of their predecessors, they had a chance to go to nationals [twice]. They will be missed,” Simon said. With the loss, the Redmen were relegated to the consolation bracket. There, they had more suc­ cess, beating both the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, and then the McMaster Marauders in the conso­ lation finals to claim a fifth-place finish. The result clearly proves that the Redmen are just a notch behind Canada’s best. Striker George Banks shone in the consolation final, tally­ ing two goals for McGill. Despite the disappointing finish by the Redmen, it makes the players and coaching staff that much more hungry to improve and build on this championship appearance. Despite a few key departures, the roster expects to feature many returning players, who will all grow with the experience.

and the highlight undoubtedly was the Carrier Classic that saw No. 1 North Carolina tip-off against Mich­ igan State on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean. President Obama was in attendance as college basketball commemorat­ ed Veterans’ Day in one of the most unique settings ever for a game of hoops.

of Hockey Hall of Fame inductees were immortalized on Monday night as Doug Gilmour, Joe Nieuwendyk, Ed Belfour, and Mark Howe joined hockey’s finest in the building hallowed halls. The trip to the Hall in Toronto was a homecoming for Gilmour, Nieuwendyk, and Belfour, since all three spent parts of their careers in the Maple Leafs’ blue and white. Howe and his father Gordie join Bobby and Brett Hull, and Les ter, Lynn, and Craig Patrick in the exclusive group of father-son Hall of Fame pairs.

BASEBALL — There are three basic things that most base­ ball fans know about the Florida Marlins: they’re cheap, they occa­ sionally win the World Series unex­ pectedly, and they wear teal. Times are changing as the Florida Marlins became the Miami Marlins on Fri­ day, in anticipation of their move to a brand new stadium in April. Over­ shadowing the name change and the move from their distinct teal, fishy look to a decidedly more South Beach-esque motif, the Marlins grabbed headlines by making offers to free-agent superstar Albert Pujols as well as shortstop Jose Reyes and starting pitcher Mark Buehrle. Have the Marlins suddenly worked up the courage to ask out the hottest girl in school, or are they just trying to look a little more like their Miami Heat neighbours? In other news, the Philadelphia Phillies decided that they didn’t have nearly enough highpriced pitching, and signed former Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon to a four-year deal. HOCKEY — The newest class

BOXING — Muhammad A 11 once said, “I always bring out the best in men I fight, but Joe Frazier, I’ll tell the world right now, brings out the best in me.” That might as well have been Manny Pacquiao talking about Juan Manuel Marquez. The two have fought three times now, at three different weight classes, interspersed over the course of seven years. The two first fought in 2004, battling to a draw at feath­ erweight. Four years later, the two met again, this time at super feath­ erweight. Once again the fight went the distance but Pacquiao prevailed in a controversial split decision. On Saturday, in what was sup­ posed to be the match where Pac­ quiao finally proved his superiority beyond all dispute, the two fought yet another classic, with Pacquiao eking out a majority decision that left many fans booing.

Tuesday, November IS, 2011

19

S Y N C H R O N IZ E D S W IM M IN G —

M A R T L E T IN V IT A T IO N A L

Precise performance propels Martlets in opening meet M cG ill

sy n ch ro te a m

By Rebecca Babcock Contributor

The McGill Martlets blew the other teams out of the water at the Martlet Synchronized Swimming Invitational at Memorial Pool this past Saturday, placing second or higher in all categories, with some of the most entertaining choreogra­ phy in the pool. The duet category started the competition, and CEGEP John Ab­ bott stole the show. Their introduc­ tion started with an amazing lift, and their leg choreography was precise and synchronized. McGill’s rou­ tine contained many more lifts than other teams, resulting in lost timing for some o f the performance. Their artistic impression and co-ordination with the music wasn’t enough to de­ feat John Abbott. McGill dominated the novice solo category, by default, as McGill alone contributed to the category’s roster of entrants. Meanwhile, McGillians Danielle Ten Vaanholt and Hannah Ungar went head-to-head as they performed their self-coached routines. Ungar’s routine was beau­ tiful and controlled. She also had the longest introduction without a breath, which was particularly

p la ce s

s e c o n d

o r b e t t e r in all d i v i s i o n s

impressive. Ten Vaanholt’s perfor­ mance involved more artistic im­ pression, giving her enough points to beat Ungar by 0.166. The McGill novice team did very well for their first competition of the year, but they couldn't stay in unison during some parts of the rou­ tine. They ended on a strong note, but again, the John Abbott team took first place with their original chore­ ography and precise timing. The final category of the day was the team competition. It was the largest and most competitive category; Queens University had three teams competing, John Abbot had one, and McGill, Ottawa, and Guelph each had two. The McGill “White” team took home the gold as they did a robotic routine to “I am Optimus Prime.” On the pool deck they transformed and then dove into the water. They stayed robotic and in sync throughout their intricate leg movements. They were also the only team that did not smile and had facial expressions that matched their music, which was a nice change of pace. The McGill “Red” team’s rou­ tine had a longer introduction on the deck, and they were the only team to do a two person lift. Unfortunate­ ly, they finished in the middle of the

at M a rtlet

In v ita tio n a l

M cG ill was rewarded for their artistic im pression. (Sam Reynolds / M cG ill Tribune)

pack. “Having the McGill White Team come in first place is some­ thing we strive for each year,” Head Coach Lynn Macrae said. “We have a reputation for being the top team and the top club and we are very happy to have continued with that.” Macrae, Catherine Pollock, Vanessa Foucher, and Co-President of McGill Synchronized Swimming Katherine LePage coached the dif­

ferent McGill teams. Macrae was quite happy with the entire team’s effort and is look­ ing forward to the remainder of the season, which proves to be promis­ ing given the increase in enrolled Canadian teams across the country. “This competition went really well and it was a good start to the season. We were worried about the enroll­ ment in synchronized swimming. This is the first time nationals will be

held out West and that is promising,” Macrae said. “Seeing [as] this is the first competition and we had such a great turnout, it looks like this will just be as good as the other years, and we are really excited for the rest of the season.” Their next competition of the season will be held on.Jan. 12 at the Eastern Canadian Championship meet in Guelph, Ontario.

TEN Q U E S T IO N S W IT H ...

Marie-Eve Martin, the Reggie Miller of Martlet basketball C ool

u n d er

p r e ssu r e , th is

M a rtlet k n o w s

By Sam Hunter M anaging Editor

dia, you play for McGill. Which is the stronger source of rivalry? Sibling? Or school?

The Tribune spoke with Martlet basketball player Marie-Eve Mar­ tin. Last year, the 5 ’7 ” shooting guard led the team in made threepoint FGs, with 50, and three-point percentage, at .403. She co-holds the team record fo r made three-pointers in a game with six.

I would play against Concordia and still go and high-five my brother. I would still cheer for him, [but] I wouldn’t cheer for Concordia.

What’s the day-to-day training schedule for a Martlet basketball player? Usually we have school. Then, once or twice a week we have an individual practice which is pretty much one-on-one with the coach ... And then usually we have practice in the evening, at least every day, and sometimes there’s the individual [practices] and weights, so that adds up.

How long does all that take? It’s roughly three hours a day, or less, depending.

Your brother played for Concor-

What allows you to be so cool under pressure? It comes so naturally that ... I guess it’s the end of the game, you’re focused, you’re in your zone, and you take the ball and you shoot and it’s the technique you’ve been using forever. That’s what it comes down to and if it goes in, it goes in.

Is it a matter of being clutch or just good? I think it’s partly that you prac­ tice and you have a good shot ... and it’s a lot of luck. Like last year I hit a shot with 1.4 seconds left at Laval. Yeah, I practiced, I have a good shot, but the percentage chance that it would go in is very small.

How does it feel that the coaches have such confidence in your abil­

w h e n

to

turn

it o n

ity to score at the end of the game? It feels great to know that [Head Coach Ryan Thorne] has confidence that I will have a shot at the end of the game if it’s a close game and we need a three-pointer. It feels great to know that he has confidence in me, for sure.

Do you play or watch any other sports? When I was younger I used to play soccer and stuff like that but from the age of eight until now all I do is play basketball. Sports-wise I don’t really watch anything else. I’m not a big fan of watching sports. I like doing, more than anything else.

Who would you say is your bas­ ketball role model? I’ve always said it was my brother because he showed me how to play when I was younger. Not that I don’t have—you probably mean NBA players—I don’t really fol­ low and watch much, but they’re all good so I guess they could all be my role models. But, for me, the one who really showed me the direction

to go was my brother.

Do you have a specific pre-game meal? An ideal pre-game meal? Not specific, but I always try to get my protein. I guess—it’s funny because I’m kind of vegetarian but on the fiexitarian side—but I was going to say I’d have a steak, which is very funny. I don’t really eat meat but be­ fore games I tend to have meat more than anything else ... or a protein shake because I need to get my pro­ tein intake.

she gets a point for that day. And at the end of the ... year or at Christ­ mas, they accumulate the points and whoever has the most wins and the other has to buy a gift for the winner.

Does your team play any games like HORSE or 21? And if so, who’s the best? We don’t really, but if I had to take a guess at who would be the best it would be Natalie Larocque on my team for sure. I would put my money on her. But there are two girls on my team who do a little bet every year. They shoot from [halfcourt] at the end of every practice—actually it’s Nat and Frances [Grout-Brown] — they ... take a certain amount of shots and the one that hits it [first],

(Sam Reynolds / M cG ill Tribune)

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