Issue 23

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Issue 23

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March 29, 2011

Photo by Holly Norris

Volume 45

Queerlines Check out the TQC’s annual supplement, p. 7-‐14.

ARTHUR VOLUME 46 ELECTIONS This year, three different slates of editors want to woo you with their visions for the incumbent volume of our fine little student and community press.

You can turn to pages 4 and 5 for some inspiring editorial platforms. You can also stop by Sadleir House this Wednesday, March 30 at 6 p.m. to hear these Editor-inChief hopefuls deliver speeches, ask some questions, and vote for your candidate(s) of choice (if you’re on the Staff Collective).

CONTEMPT!

By Chris Chang-Yen Phillips Prime Minister Stephen Harper went to the Governor-General David Johnston’s official residence at Rideau Hall on March 26, asking him to officially send Canadians into a May 2 federal election. The election’s kickoff follows the Conservatives’ loss of a no-confidence vote the day before that found the minority government in contempt of Parliament.

Federal opposition leaders had been ramping up election rhetoric for weeks in anticipation of the 2011-2012 budget’s release on March 22. Only the specific issue and timing were in question after House of Commons Speaker Peter Milliken’s recent ruling that “on the face of it” there was enough evidence to suggest contempt of Parliament over the government’s failure to produce key budget documents and Minister Bev Oda’s likely attempts to mislead fellow MPs. All three opposition parties had earlier said they would not support the proposed budget, and Conservatives made clear they were not willing to change it. The budget seemed largely designed as a package of election proposals, including $2 billion in new spending in areas like

loan forgiveness for rural doctors and a onetime reintroduction of the ecoEnergy retrofit program. NDP leader Jack Layton said the $300 top-up to the Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors and other measures targeted at his party’s demands did not go nearly far enough.

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff put forward the no-confidence resolution, citing the report produced by the House of Commons committee on procedure and house affairs that found the government had unjustly withheld vital documents on the cost of maintaining Canada’s current CF-18 warplanes, purchasing a fleet of new F-35s, and projecting the costs of corporate tax cuts. The opposition-dominated committee’s report found the government had not provided any reasonable excuse for withholding the documents, and that the failure was preventing the House from performing its duties.

“We are the people’s representatives,” Ignatieff said before the vote. “When the government spends money, the people have a right to know what it is to be spent on. This Parliament does not write blank cheques.”

Continued on 16

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in the paper this week:

Co-Editors Distribution

The Waters that Breached the Dyke Pages 7 to 14

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Copy Editor (THUKH 4PSSLY

Associate Editors

Queerlines Supplement

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Production Assistant

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arthur election plaforms (4-5) CUPE, TIP face cuts (6) your letters (15)

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Submission guidelines A r t i c l e s Articles should be submitted via email to editors@trentarthur.ca, in the body of the message, or as an *.rtf, *.doc, or *.txt attachment. The body should be approximately 800 words. Listings, announcements, or briefs should not exceed 100 words. Feature pieces can be up to 1500, but must be arranged in advance with the editors.

I m a g e s Hard copies (photographs, original artwork, L[J ZOV\SK IL IYV\NO[ PU[V [OL VMĂ„JL George Street, Suite 104) to be scanned. If Z\ITP[[PUN Ă„SLZ LSLJ[YVUPJHSS` WSLHZL ZH]L as *.tif, with a dpi of no less than 300 pixels.

L e t t e r s Limit letters to the editors to 250 words.

Letters longer than 250 words may be published but Arthur reserves the right to edit for length and clarity (but not content).

Conributers are encouraged to attend the Story Meeting on Friday at 5pm, or to contact the editors if considering submitting to an upcoming issue.

US army kill squads (17) impacts of prisoner support (18) listings! (back cover)

EVENTs Wed.  March  30

FRI.  April  1

Beer Making Workshop. 4-7pm, Seasoned Spoon, $5/PWYC

All Downtown Bars CLOSED - City Mandated... AF’s!

OPIRG AGM and Guest Speakers. 6pm Sadleir House

Bob Wiseman. 9pm, The Cannery, $10

Thurs.  March  31

SAT.  April  2

Poetry Slam & Beats 4 Justice. 8pm, The Red Dog, $5 Sadleir House Anniversary Party. 9pm, $5

Timber Timbre, Slim Twig, Baby Eagle. Murray Street Baptist Church, 175 Murray Street, 7pm, $15. New music series. Must see.

Arthur Editor Elections will take place on March 30 at 6pm at Sadlier House Staff Collective

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2

Amanda Lickers Amanda Miller Ben Laurie Brea Hutchinson Brett Throop Caileigh Morrison Caitlin Currie Chris Chang-Yen Phillips Chris Chapman Colleen Baggaley Elisha May Rubacha Elizabeth Thipphawong Emily Blondin-Doan Esther Vincent Evan Brockest Hanah McFarlane

Volume 45 | Issue 23 | March 29, 2011

Heather MacDonald Holly Norris Iris Hodgson James Kerr James Onusko James Smith Jes Sachse Joel Young John Rose Jonathan Alphonsus Julia Fenn Kama Maureemootoo Karolyn Givogue Kate MacNeill Kevin Elson Ki Alleyne

Mary Dirmeitis Mason McColl Matt Rappolt Meaghan Kelly Michael Duguay Miranda Rigby Natalie Guttormson Nick Ferrio Philip Benmore Sam Alexander Sara Ostrowska Scott Wannan Tyler Prozeniuk Tyson Shennet Victoria Dickson Zach Ruiter

* if you are missing from this list and have contributed to three or more issues please contact: editors@trentarthur.ca

Every March Arthur’s Staff Collective (includes anyone who has contributed to three or more issues this volume) gathers to elect the Editor(s)-in-Chief for the next academic year.

Please join Arthur as we sum up Volume 45.

Elections will also be held for Board of Directors positions, as decided by Arthur’s membership.

If you’d like more info about becoming a board member, email editors@trentarthur. ca.

As a small gesture of appreciation for our staff, volunteers, and readers, veganfriendly refreshments will be served. Everyone is welcome, regardless of eligibility to vote.

editorial 8\LLYPUN [OL [PTLZ X\LLYPUN [OL SPULZ By jes sachse I guess I’ve been out for about six years now. A lot has changed in such a seemingly short period of time. Wearing out my awkward attempt at the spiked ‘hit-the-wall’ hair and L Word androgyny, I rest my cap somewhere between genderqueer femmecrip and general badass.

If you’re not familiar with those terms (including badass) you should look them up. The editorial prefacing this year’s Queerlines supplement (found on page 7), written by Trent Queer Collective organizer Hazel Wheeler, lists many more wonderful identities and queer vocabulary.

But I suppose, more accurately I came out more than once. Because the embrace of L-G-B-T didn’t include the words I now find home in. And maybe this is your experience too. For me it had a hell of a lot to do with representation.

No, it wasn’t until researching in my second year postcolonial theory class at Trent that the internet sent Eli Clare’s key note speech from the 2002 Queer Disability Conference to my hyperlinking fingertips. Poet, activist, and queertrans guy I’ve been lucky to befriend, had this to say to a crowd meeting at the intersections of bodies a little more complicated and invisible than ‘gay’: “Not man, not woman: I don’t have one word answers for my gendered body, just stories. Learning to knot a tie and look in the mirror at age 32. Being cruised by bears on the Castro, feeling my skin flush warm. Finding pleasure and trouble as my boyfriend and I hold hands on the subway, harassed as fags, even though later that night I’ll be called ma’am at the restaurant. Using the men’s room often enough to know the etiquette, often choosing to brave a full bladder, rather than risk the women’s room. I can only tell my gender in stories. My body, not perverse, but familiar.

Stories about our bodies tangle sexuality, race, gender, class, and disability together. Some theorists and activists seem to like the notion of double (or triple or quadruple) identity, suggesting that our marginalized identities stack up in some quantifiable way. As if I could peel off my queerness, leaving my CP, or peel off the disability, leaving my whiteness, or peel off my white skin privilege, leaving my rural, working-class roots. Or they talk about double oppression, often creating a hierarchy among different kinds of discrimination. As if any of us can tell what the gawkers are gawking at. Are they trying to figure out whether I’m a woman or a man, dyke or fag, why I walk with a shake, talk with a slur, or are they just admiring my polished boots and denim jacket? I’ll never know.”

“

Wheeler talks about Peterborough as something of a queer Mecca, and as much as there is always continued work to be done, criticism to be found, this city can’t be denied as one that has cared for its queers.”

In 2002, I was 16 and listening to ska. I lived in a rural southern Ontario town, and gay meant our gym teacher, for whom hand-holding sightings at the grocery store were a pastime. But in the last decade, though I may have missed out on this conference, I have seen a lot of pretty cool shit go down. And also, experienced a lot of pretty traumatizing stuff too.

Wheeler talks about Peterborough as something of a queer Mecca, and as much as there is always continued work to be done, criticism to be found, this city can’t be denied as one that has cared for its queers. Gender neutral washroom campaigns, increased presence in the annual pride parade, even the showcasing of contemporary queer art (from Allyson Mitchell, to Kent Monkman, to Daryl Vocat). Spending time in the office this weekend, leafing through old copies of Lilith (Arthur’s annual women’s self representation publication, from 1983-2000), the language has changed, and so has public policy.

This year saw the tabling of Bill C389 by Bill Siksay, NDP MP of Burnaby-Douglas BC. The act seeks to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code to include gender identity and gender expression. After passing its third reading in the House of Commons on February 9, 2011 by a slim 143 to 135, the Tories (nearly unanimously in opposition) are expected to block the private members bill in Senate, as Prime Minister Stephen Harper does not support the trans rights legislation.

This same Prime Minister found in contempt of parliament (see cover story by Chris Chang-Yen Phillips), has announced that he will be running for re-election. And at the approach of the May 2 elections, in the face of the conservative government’s forthcoming defeat, a number of new bills and projects have recently surfaced, including, quite curiously, the Rainbow Refugee Committee, a partnership initiated by one Jason Kenney and Canada’s queer community, announced last Thursday, March 24.

The pilot project has been instated to aid refugees fleeing persecution from nations for their sexual orientation, of which there are 77 countries continuing to criminalize homosexuality (with five prescribing the death penalty).

The department will provide $100,000 in assistance to cover three months of income support, while the Rainbow committee will offer support services, accommodation and other basic needs.

Although I’m definitely excited by this initiative (and its necessary future growth and development), I am wary.

After all Jason Kenney is the same Immigration Minister who, not two weeks more than a year ago, blocked any reference to gay rights in a study guide for immigrants applying for Canadian citizenship. When questioned, Kenney was reported as stating, “We can’t mention every legal decision, every policy of the government of Canada.”

But if you look at the pages of Queerlines this year and those passed, for some it serves in part as a guide. Not on who to be, but of struggles in finding space in the canon of citizenship and representation, in our communities, both municipal, and nation-bound.

“Our bodies as ordinary and familiar: this idea flies in the face of the gawkers and bashers who try to shape us as inspirational and heroic, tragic and pitiful, perverse and unnatural. We don’t get to simply be ordinary and familiar very often. And when it does happen, it is such a relief, so rare and wonderful. Don’t mistake me: I don’t mean that we need to find normal and make it our own. Normal— that center against which everyone of us is judged and compared: in truth I want us to smash it to smitherines.

And in its place, celebrate our irrevocably different bodies, our queerness, our crip lives, telling stories and creating for ourselves an abiding sense of the ordinary and familiar.”

I return to Clare’s keynote often, for sentimental reasons, but also as a document I can see fragments of myself represented in, as a gender-transgressing, disability toting, loud and glittery queer. In the pages of Volume 45 of Arthur, there has been heart-breaking coverage of hate crimes, in our own city of Peterborough, to nations like Uganda. Bashing and homophobia isn’t new news of course (even as incidents continue to occur), rather a reality still enshrined in law.

Without Bill C-389, trans and gender variant people can still be persecuted for basic rights like needing to take piss, or presenting their gender in their workplace. Tonight at the Cannery Arts Centre (March 29), you’re invited to attend Right On! A show of support of Trans Rights in Canada! an evening of performances and policy talk.

Like in the pages of Arthur, soon electing its 46th Editor(s)-in-Chief, spaces for self-representation are about human rights, not ‘partisan bills.’

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By Brea Hutchinson Coastal Hydropower has proposed the construction of two more hydro-electric generating facilities, north of Trent University, at Lock 24 and 25. The proposed site stands between Trent University and the village of Lakefield.

The proposal is similar to the construction of the Robert G. Lake hydro-generating facility, constructed in 2009 on Trent University lands, despite strong community and student opposition.

In 2008, Trent University entered into an agreement with Trent Rapids Power Corporation to develop a generating facility on leased lands from Trent. Since Trent Rapids is partially owned by the Peterborough Utilities Corporation, a public company, it was able to avoid numerous community and environmental regulations, such as those outlined in the Canadian Environmental Assessment and Species at Risk Acts. As a result, the facility was built with bitter community opposition.

In addition, the lease agreement was never made public to the Trent community. In 2009, Arthur interviewed the Vice-President Administration Don O’Leary, and asked for details about the content of the agreement, with the specific aim of finding out whether the community should be concerned. O’Leary replied by stating: “No, I know what’s in it.”

Before the project can begin construction, the proposal first has to be approved by Parks Canada, which is the body that governs Lock 24 and 25 and the surrounding space.

The application submitted to Parks Canada states that Coastal Hydropower, the Calgary-based company which is planning on constructing and operating the facility, intends to begin construction during the summer of 2012, and begin to produce power for the electrical grid by October 2013. The two facilities would produce approximately four mega-watts each, enough electricity for about 1000 homes.

The design for the two generators is a ‘run-of-the-river’ facility, which features slow moving turbines and a chute flanking the body of the river. Run-of-the-river facilities do not store, or remove water from the river. Thus, the production of power is limited to the seasonal strength of the river, with lows in both winter and summer and a high during spring. This type of generator is often used across Ontario, as it is argued the design has a limited impact upon fish populations and requires less intrusive construction.

Coastal Hydropower argues this type of generator is well suited for the Otonabee River, as it will not harm fish populations or significantly alter the physical structure of the river. Neither will the productivity of the Robert G Lake facility, located down river from the proposed site, be altered.

The proposal has failed to address the concerns of some community members: “Hydro-dams can influence the flow of a water body, which can increase the temperature leading to reduced biodiversity and other ecological services” explained Sara Juravinski, a second-year Environmental Resource student at Trent. “Low-head or not, they will be

adding some 80 metres of concrete to the bottom of the river at each of the existing locks in order to create a channel to increase the flow rate, exclusively for the purpose of more power. The concrete will further artificially heat the water as well as reduce bio-productivity” she continued.

“Hydro [power] is sold in an artificial light that makes it look green. Often the effects are hidden not in the form of carbon or other emissions, but rather degraded rivers and water bodies. Peterborough’s power consumption is not growing because of the recession and other factors, and there is no reason to build more facilities when more energy awareness would just as effectively help us reduce our demand as our current facilities age” Sara finished.

Unlike the development of the Robert G. Lake hydrofacility project, Parks Canada is seeking submissions about community concerns regarding the proposal.

Coastal Hydropower has also planned two community consultations during the months of July and August.

If these two generators were to be constructed, they would add to a long list of renewable energy projects that have been started in the Peterborough area, all of which have been received major community opposition.

Amongst these are the Lily Lake Solar Farm and the proposed Whispering Woods Wind Far, both of which have been approved to sell ten mega-watts.

A copy of the report submitted to Parks Canada can be found on the Parks Canada homepage and the Peterborough Examiner website.

Volume 45 | Issue 23 | March 29, 2011

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arthur elections

We’d like to introduce you to your candidates:

Iris Hodgson & Miranda Rigby

Kama Maureemootoo

Arthur is Trent University's paper of record, and a valuable source of news in the Peterborough community. Though we cover issues that are underrepresented in mainstream media, we are not an alternative publication. Instead, we model a level of critical discourse, self-representation, and political discussion by students and staff that ought to be imitated by other news sources.

Arthur excels at covering the arts community, queer communities, and student dissent at Trent. However, the loss of our recent levy campaign indicates that we need to bring this perspective to a broader demographic of undergraduate student activities, since the content of our publication would be improved with their increased participation, and because these students remain major stakeholders in Arthur's current funding model. As well, we recognize that Trent Alumni, graduate students, and community members, all of whom are engaged Arthur readers, do not currently contribute financially to the paper, and are often excluded from being on staff. We desperately need ways to compensate these contributors for their work, and ways to ensure Arthur's existence without relying so heavily on financial support from undergrads.

Arthur has established strong relationships with many student and community organizations. As Co-Editors, our aim would be to extend the same welcome to other individuals and groups who have not been so involved. We will promote the practice of recruiting volunteers to help in areas where they already excel, such as event-planning, fundraising, web development, proofreading, research, tabling, and others. We will do more to ensure that everyone understands the multiplicity of ways they can contribute to the paper, and feels comfortable doing so.

We will also prioritize and promote the knowledge of Trent students and faculty members as we generate Arthur's content. Trent's administration is asking departments to demonstrate their success in financial terms. We consider academic achievements to be newsworthy in themselves and relevant to our readership.

We understand this choice to be politically significant, considering the discourse surrounding the Integrated Plan.

As Co-Editors for Volume 46, we have developed two distinct portfolios which incorporate a broad skill set and extensive past experience, as follows:

Born on an island but got that itch in your feet? Bad combination! If that’s where you’re at, you’ll by all means find creative ways to cross the oceans to explore larger continents.

This is exactly what Kama did: born and brought up in Mauritius (yes, that’s the island of the Dodo), he gave in to his wanderlust when he was eighteen. Having bagged a full scholarship, he headed to India where he completed first his B.A. in English (yes, he’s a lit kid), and then his M.A., this time specializing in aesthetic and critical theory.

A few years later, wanting to further his skills for interdisciplinary research and dig deeper into colonial history and political theory, he joined the Theory, Culture and Politics graduate program at Trent.

His relationship with the Peterborough community, though tenuous at first, has now remarkably grown in strength: his commitment to anti-racist activism, sexual and gender politics, labour rights and student issues furthered his involvement with various student and non-student groups. Kama presently sits on the Steering Collective for the Centre for Gender and Social Justice, and he is also the Vice-President of CUPE 3908 (Unit 2).

His relationship with Arthur dates back to when he first picked up the rag, amongst the plethora of pamphlets and documentation that he had to sort through during his (dis) orientation. This twice award-nominated blogger (Canada Blog Awards: “Best Written,” “Literature/Culture,” and “LBGTQ” categories) was quickly taken by the power of the printed word (3000 copies circulated, after all!) and he became a regular writer for Arthur.

By now, Kama has spent numerous weekends in the Arthur office, absorbing all he could about the editorial and production process, dipping his fingers (and his mind) in every step that goes into making the paper. He confesses, however, that his favorite pasttime is to spend long afternoons, covering up his hands in small white gloves, and digging into the archives of the newspaper. For him, Arthur does not only represent a space for dissent and dissemination of information; it also represents an archive, a collected history of critical voices and information about Trent and the Peterborough community that nobody wants you to know about.

It is with this intimate knowledge of the Arthur’s history and legacy that he runs to be the next editor-in-chief. He sees Arthur as a middle space: the meeting point between student press and community press, aesthetics and politics, north-end and downtown, the future being propelled from a living past.

For Kama, Arthur represents what he (quite idiosyncratically) calls “a collection of institutionalized critical voices.” It is the space to engage in healthy dialogues and respectfully disagree with each other. And yet, Arthur is also more: it is a source of information for the student body, for the unions, the faculty, and the Trent administration too—of course, how would the administration know what the students (are not supposed to) know without Arthur?

As the dregs of Volume 45 go to print over the next couple of weeks, Kama projects to maintain the integrity of Arthur in the year to come, but also proposes that the paper undergoes a few changes.

Having spent numerous hours campaigning for the levy increase, Kama has diligently listened to anyone who willingly gave him a few minutes of their time (and if you’re one of them: thank you!) He strongly believes that the success of Volume 46 lies in reaching out and furthering personal connections with the student body.

He proposes active outreach to different community groups through a significant callout for columns and columnists at the beginning of the next academic year, a considerable amount of time and energy spent to explain the role (demystify the myth?) of Arthur to the student body during the introductory weeks, and he intends to maximize personal relationships with the community by having regular volunteer appreciation events and writing workshops throughout the academic year.

Kama also wants Arthur to engage in a dialogue with various groups who may be in need of visibility (culturally and politically) and he proposes to increase the number of Special Issues for Volume 46.

While he plans to work on reconstructing the website over the summer, particularly with the aim of rendering it more user-friendly (develop more comprehensive search tools, provide RSS feeds), he wants the Arthur website to also act as the space for members of the community to showcase their photography.

If you don’t want to write about the issues, but want to talk about them, Kama will be reviving the Arthur hour at Trent Radio next year.

Finally, Kama proposes to restructure the running of the Staff Collective for Volume 46.

Still working on a non-hierarchical and consensus-based model, he will alter the current staff models to give way to more participation and more recognition to volunteer writers.

A strong advocator of the tenet that thoughtful critique provokes and shakes the foundations of the status quo, Kama wants to reiterate that Arthur is shaped by those who contribute to it. You think this paper belongs to an elitist few? You want to see this “gay hippie rag” move in different directions? Then Kama invites you to please come along and start steering!

You may start by coming to question him at the election speeches at Sadleir House at 6 pm on Wednesday, March 30. Kama is an active listener, and he would love to hear your ideas!

Iris A. Hodgson: Co-Editor, Staff and Volunteer Development I’ve worked at Arthur since 2006, on staff and as a Board member. Currently, I am Chair of the Board of Directors. This year, alongside the most dedicated Board I've encountered to date, I participated in the hiring of our new business manager, the development of a commission-based advertising policy, the recruitment of Arthur's first high school co-op student, and the levy campaign, among other endeavours. It is my intention to preserve this institutional memory within the paper itself, and also within our organization, by heavily investing my energies into staff development, volunteer recruitment, and transition planning.

As a student press, we have a high turnover rate by default, and we can improve by reducing the stress that this causes. This summer and next year, I will help to document our current organizational practices in training materials, an operations manual, detailed job descriptions, and in an updated set of bylaws.

Miranda Rigby: Co-Editor, Fundraising and Production Manager I have been involved in Arthur's production through the past two years, and loved it! I am currently in my fourth year at Trent studying English Literature.

Prior to Arthur I worked in design and advertising at Shield Newspapers (servicing eight different communities), worked at the Economic Development Corporation in Peterborough, and received an honours diploma in Advertising. I plan to be responsible for the majority of layout and design, and to work hard with local companies to gain long-term advertising contracts.

My organizational, writing, and advertising skills are what I bring to Arthur, and I look forward to using these skills to lure Trent students toward participating in journalism. I am excited to work with Iris in the future because I know that together we can make the paper more accessible to all students and contributors. I plan to spend a lot of time working alongside the various Arthur committees and with Board members to upgrade the website, upgrade our staff model, and simply put, to make the paper sparkle.

Achieving financial security and volunteer support for Volume 46 will be possible, in collaboration with a dedicated collective of staff, a talented Board of Directors, and enthusiastic volunteers. We plan to facilitate this by strengthening our physical presence on Symons campus; creating a permanent Volunteer Collective and creating a Volunteer Coordinator position; inviting regular contributions from clubs and groups, and organizations based in Peterborough; updating our website to become more powerful and accessible; and revisioning our staffing model, based on input from the Staff Collective. We look forward to discussing these ideas with you concretely and in detail at the Spring Elections on March 30th. For more on this and other stories, please visit irisandmiranda.blogspot.com.

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Volume 45 | Issue 23 | March 29, 2011

Three campaigns for the 2011-2012 volume of Arthur Join the staff collective this Wednesday, March 30 at 6pm to be a part of our spring elections (refreshments will be provided) Evan Brockest & Ki Alleyne (No photo upon request) It’s time to build on Arthur’s past achievements in preparation for its 46th volume. We want to push the boundaries of what news looks like. Drawing on our combined experiences of living, working, and organizing at Trent and in Peterborough, we have developed a commitment towards promoting meaningful community engagement, social justice, and— in a word— Arthur. If elected, we intend to expand the paper’s long-term financial, social, and philosophical capacity to match the new media environment.

Arthur serves as the alternative memory and voice of the Peterborough and Trent communities. Its roles, broadly stated, are to be a theorist, a critic, an educator, and a forum for the purpose of building strong community capacity. It uses independent media as a platform to advance a multi-vocal debate on educational, social, economic, environmental and political issues. As co-editors of the paper, we will work hard to uphold and extend Arthur’s mission and long-standing tradition as an active and critical participant in local, national, and international events. We will achieve this by promoting an entertaining, explicitly critical, multimedia, multi-perspective, and multipurpose source for information serving both students and the non-student community.

To actualize our goals we will engage in extensive outreach to invite meaningful inclusion. Ki and Evan have a strong background in community networking and have developed strong ties with various local organizations and groups. Ki currently sits on the Arthur Board of Directors and served as proofreader for Volume 42. Ki has past and ongoing involvement with multiple organizations and will be facilitating an upcoming Global Youth Day workshop on media literacy and zine making. Evan’s involvement with Arthur began as a news reporter in 2007, followed by a two-year tenure as the local news editor.

More recently, Evan has worked as a co-facilitator and communications director on The Seasoned Spoon executive and has led community workshops on social media production. He has extensive experience using Adobe Creative Suite software and related technologies. These experiences and skills create opportunities to cast a wide net within the Peterborough and Trent community to encourage a holistic dialogue on affairs affecting these spaces.

We intend to revamp Arthur’s online and community presence by creating multiple points of access, allowing more individuals and groups not traditionally associated with Arthur to become an integral participant within its operations. This will be informed by providing accessible training for staff and volunteers, and coordinating community workshops covering social media production. We are confident that this will allow various

communities to hold a crucial stake in the paper’s development, while also increasing readership and enhancing Arthur’s position within the community.

In particular, Arthur must strive to encourage the involvement of individuals and groups not usually represented within the Arthur’s pages. This must extend beyond the production of a few ‘supplements’ highlighting the underrepresentation of specific groups, and, alternatively, ensure these voices form the content and editorial vision throughout the year. This would create valuable learning opportunities, knowledge and skill sharing between the community and Arthur. The paper must also be deeply self-aware and selfcritical so that it is accountable to its readership.

We are acutely aware of the immediate financial pressures that surround the organization as a whole. Arthur is facing significant financial challenges in the upcoming year.

Despite the hard work and efforts of the current editors, board and business manger to cut costs, Arthur is projecting a $13,696 deficit. Printing costs absorb $22,500 of Arthur’s budget. Cost reductions, improvements to quality, and expansions in accessibility can be made by reducing the number of prints from 25 weeklies to 8 comprehensive monthly issues that are supplemented by weekly content published in a digital, web-based format.

Additional issues could be printed if advertising revenue permits. This would amount to savings over $14,900— allowing for the elimination of the deficit, the reduction of total printing costs to just over $7,000, leaving an additional $1200 for reinvestment. Many other student papers have moved to this publication format, and evidence suggests that online readership has outpaced print.

To improve Arthur’s online presence, we would invest heavily in its website by creating a platform that provides access to various forms of media, including radio and video content. This can generate substantial increases in ad revenues by offering more extensive opportunities for local and national advertisers, thereby decreasing the likelihood that Arthur will have to deploy its savings to cover production costs.

Trent students and Peterborough community members are incredibly fortunate to have a resource such as Arthur, particularly given the lack of accessible, critical and anti-oppressive media available. However, we need to engage in meaningful outreach and dialogue that invites participation from a diverse set of voices. This will enrich the quality of Arthur and ensure its long-term viability as a source for community-centred news coverage.

Trent International Program faces budget woes

By Kama Maureemootoo Like every other departmental unit at Trent, the Trent International Program (TIP) is presently in the process of reviewing and re-adjusting its budget lines. As a result, the recruitment of international students, in quality and in quantity, may be affected.

At present, no precise details about the nature of these “re-adjustments” have been circulated. Provost and Vice-President Academic Gary Boire informed Arthur that he “[had] recommended some minor adjustments to the overall TIP budget,” but Boire stated that more concrete figures will be available after March 29, when the President and VP Committee meeting takes place, and the budget is consolidated. Then the budget will need to go to the Board of Governors for approval.

Michael Allcott, director of TIP, told Arthur that TIP has drafted a few budgetary scenarios that include a 0%, a 2.5%, a 5% and a 10% cut. As with every other departmental unit at Trent, though these readjustments have to be approved by the administration, it will be up to the program itself to decide how it wants to implement these changes at a departmental level.

Allcott is adamant that there won’t be any staff cuts or cuts to student services at TIP. He also reiterated that there will not be any reduction or cancellation of scholarships for continuing international students who have been granted a scholarship for the full duration of their studies.

What might be affected, however, is the

number and/or value of funding offered to incoming students at Trent. Allcott said that “Trent’s budget for international scholarships is generous compared to our peer and competitor universities . . . [but] the challenge for the university is to make budgetary decisions that will best meet the university’s priorities.”

With so much emphasis being laid on developing a business plan and sustaining Trent’s financial environment, the amount of international scholarships offered by the university may be significantly altered should they prove to be incoherent and not beneficial (enough) to the university’s priorities.

Allcott reiterated that “TIP Staff believe that the scholarship program should remain a high priority for the university.”

However, if the budget cuts to TIP are too high, what might suffer is the TIP Job Subsidy Program. For many students, the TIP subsidy program is crucial in allowing them to have a job on campus, and permitting them to earn some money throughout the academic year. If international students do not have such subsidies, they might have to go and look for employment offcampus, employment which can be hard to find in Peterborough, particularly on a part-time basis.

Allcott argues that Trent has a commitment to engaging students and that “[s]tudies have shown a direct correlation between students working on-campus jobs and engagement with mentors that leads to retention and graduation.” Therefore, Allcott as-

sures that the TIP Office will fight hard to keep the subsidization of on-campus jobs, particularly the jobs that put students in a relationship to faculty mentors.

Allcott also said that, depending on how the budget is readjusted, TIP may have to implement cuts in funding for recruitment travel. According to Allcott, this may potentially thwart TIP’s ability to recruit a highly diverse population of students from around the world.

In his capacity as TIP director, Allcott emphasized that he will do all he can to accomplish as much according to the means available to TIP, however limited these may be. “It’s my job to work with TIP Staff to determine how best we can accomplish our missions with the funds made available to us,” he said.

Allcott highlighted how dedicated, hardworking and resourceful TIP staff are: “we’re very values-oriented: we prioritize delivering culturally sensitive and supportive service to every member of the TIP community; we recognize that bringing excellent students from a diversity of countries around the world is a great benefit to everyone in our campus community. …

It is my job to advocate for international students and internationalizing students to the upper administration . . . I try to demonstrate the reasons for the university to maintain a priority on the mission TIP fulfills for all students at Trent.”

The March 2010 Ontario Provincial Budget communicated that “[p]ostsecondary education remains a top government

priority.” While the government’s goal is to increase Ontario’s postsecondary attainment rate by 70%, the government also wants to raise the international students’ enrollment by 50%. The administration at Trent University has already expressed, at several occasions, the desire to significantly tap into this potential increase in international students’ enrollment.

Indeed, the second draft of the Integrated Plan for the university, “Towards a Sustainable Future,” lays out the need for a review to be carried out by the International Advisory Council (led by the TIP Director and the Provost and Vice-President Academic) to assess the successes and limitations of the current international recruitment models adopted by Trent. These recruitment models will be compared to other external international recruitment services with a proven track record. The review is due to be completed by September 2014.

While the administration has mentioned that Trent will be looking into recruiting more students from the UK, for example, where tuition fees have recently increased threefold. Last week, Theresa May, homesecretary of the UK, announced that the present government is planning to introduce visa curbs that are likely to cut down the number of international students coming to the UK by 25 percent, which equals 80-90,000 students per year. Whether this change in UK education policies will ultimately affect the TIP budget in the long run is yet to be determined.

Volume 45 | Issue 23 | March 29, 2011

5

local

Trent community calls on Board of Governors to reverse proposed academic cuts

By Evan Brockest

Armed with a petition containing over 600 signatures, a small delegation of students traveled to Trent’s Oshawa campus last Friday to convince the university’s Board of Governors to abandon plans to slash $2.9 million from the instructional budget.

Circulating almost entirely over the Internet, the petition immediately drew the attention of concerned individuals from across the country after reports of impending funding cuts surfaced two weeks ago.

Quoting at length from student, alumni, and faculty testimonies, the delegation says that Trent will face “devastating� impacts to its reputation and educational quality if the cuts proceed as planned. “Are we still known as the small, progressive liberal arts and science university?� questioned Molly MacDonald, a fourth year International Development Studies major. “Or are we known as ‘last chance Trent,’ which, unfortunate as it is, is the new moniker that is being associated with the university.�

Referring to the extensive cuts IDS and many other departments have experienced in previous years, MacDonald contends that she has had to switch her minor simply to balance credits in order to graduate within the program. “You look at this course calendar that is loaded with wonderful-sounding credits, but when you try to sign up for them you realize that only a fraction are actually being offered. That is incredibly misleading to current and prospective students.�

While all academic departments at Trent stand to incur dramatic declines in their funding allocations, the contents of a recently leaked 2010-2011 staffing plan show that the distribution and severity of cuts affect some more deeply than others.

If cuts to IDS proceed, the department will face significant reductions to its course roster, and stands to lose its sole full-time, limited term faculty member.

Limited term appointments are represented by TUFA, the full-time faculty union, and generally receive better pay than CUPE faculty and are entitled to enhanced benefit programs. In the proposal, most departments at Trent

“

Limited  term  appointments  are  represented  by  TUFA,  the  full-­ time  faculty  union,  and  generally  receive  better  pay  than  CUPE  IDFXOW\ DQG DUH HQWLWOHG WR HQKDQFHG EHQHĘ?W SURJUDPV ,Q WKH proposal,  most  departments  at  Trent  are  set  to  lose  some,  if  QRW DOO RI WKHLU OLPLWHG WHUP SRVLWLRQV ČŽ

are set to lose some, if not all, of their limited-term positions.

For CUPE 3908, Trent’s contract faculty and academic support workers, the provisional staffing cuts deliver a severe blow to their workforce. If approved, the public employees union would see its total labour pool reduced by 3.8%.

Although the petition specifically identifies the concerns of the IDS program, MacDonald and Natalie Guttormsson—a fourth year IDS and Spanish major—insisted during the meeting that they are opposed to cuts occurring across all departments.

Guttormsson states that all departments will suffer in lieu of the board’s efforts to reduce spending, and remarked that no department should have to pay for the “the misspending and mismanagement practices of Trent’s budget by the Board of Governors.� “We understand that the university is running a deficit,�

Guttormsson said. “But if it is in such a compromised position that the administration has taken to undermining the very purpose of this institution, it just doesn’t seem to make sense.�

The expansive proposed cuts to Trent’s budget represent the Board of Governors’ most recent effort to trim the university’s long-standing financial deficit—which is currently pegged at $4.2 million.

Declining funding for post-secondary education from both the provincial and federal governments, and ongoing difficulties related to the enrollment and retention of new students, have intensified the financial and institutional crisis at Trent.

According to an update delivered during the meeting, enrollment targets continue to lag behind the provincial

average and applications have also decreased from the previous year’s higher-than-usual statistics. “We do appreciate the input that we’ve been given. But we also have a fiduciary responsibility to ensure that the university doesn’t go bankrupt,� said board chair David Morton.

One board member suggested that no one at the university is in favour of the cuts, and asked MacDonald and Guttormsson to clarify if other areas of wasted spending could be identified at Trent.

MacDonald quickly pointed out that Trent recently engaged in intensive marketing and advertising efforts that, while assuming a large share of the budget, have delivered negligible benefits with respect to attracting new students.

She also addressed the rumored creation of two new high-level academic dean positions within the administration, questioning how these could be created when, given the cuts to the university’s academic commitments, “there is significantly less to administer.�

A decision regarding the proposed funding cuts has been scheduled for an April 28 meeting of the board. However, the provisional staffing plan will be vetted April 1.

In related news, President Steven Franklin delivered a brief update on developments related to the Draft Integrated Plan.

He said that a second draft of the controversial business plan has been released that places greater emphasis on promoting Trent’s commitment to academic excellence.

Initial criticisms surrounding the plan addressed its failure to balance financial and academic priorities within the university. It remains to be seen how Trent will reach its goals of academic excellence in lieu of proposed cuts.

Active Minds wants to start campus farmers market

By Brett Throop Imagine this: after class on a Tuesday afternoon you stop by Biko (Bata) Podium to... buy carrots, listen to live music, and maybe pick up some eggs and a butter tart. That is the vision of Trent Active Minds, which is hoping to set up a farmers market at Symons campus as early as this summer.

The levy group says it already has the approval of the university administration and just needs to hear from students, staff and faculty to make sure there is enough demand for the project. Active Minds President Mehran Monsef said the group will be issuing a survey

Peterborough District Farmer’s Market

6

Volume 45 | Issue 23 | March 29, 2011

to the entire Trent community to get its feedback before the end of term. The group also still needs to meet with Aramark, whose contract restricts the sale of pre-made foods on campus.

Monsef said Biko (Bata) Podium is the ideal location for the market, but other sites are being considered as well. It would run weekly year-round on Tuesdays; indoor sites for the winter being considered are the Great Hall in Champlain College and the Red Light District in Gzowski College.

Monsef sees the market serving more than just the Trent community, most of whom are not around at the height of market season anyway. She hopes community members from nearby Lakefield and Peterborough’s North End would shop there as well. She said it just needs to be sorted out how to deal with the extra traffic those visitors would generate.

Monsef said access to fresh foods is an important part of Active Mind’s mandate of promoting wellness. “We’ve looked at mental health, we’ve looked at spirituality, we’ve looked at physical activity [and] academic success,� she said. “This year we’ve added nutrition, which is a very important part, because that’s fuel for your body and you need to have a proper diet in order to do well in studies and to keep you going throughout.�

She also thinks a farmers market would help build community. “Food just has a way of uniting people; whether you’re a student, faculty [member], or staff [person]; regardless of your culture, ethnic background, or what your mission is here at Trent. We all eat; its a basic physiological need!� she stated.

Monsef stated her goal is to keep the market “as local as possible.� The question of local is an important debate among farmers markets. Some only allow vendors to sell what they themselves have grown or produced whereas others are more lax, allowing vendors to re-sell produce or goods that may not be local. According to Monsef, Active Minds will be looking at the policies of other markets and waiting for community feedback before finalizing its policy.

Trent would be following a number of other post-secondary institutions in Ontario in bringing farmers markets to their campuses, including Fleming College’s Lindsay campus.

Active Minds’ other nutrition-related initiative is the “JustFood Program.� Run by the Peterborough YWCA and administered by Active Minds at Trent, JustFood provides affordable, healthy food (local when possible) to those who need it, including students. For more information, contact: activeminds@trentu.ca.

Queerlines It is an amazing thing to feel that you belong to a community.

I came to Peterborough this past September for grad school, moving from a fairly rural area of southwestern Ontario where the jobs were great, but the culture was sorely lacking for a single queer woman in her late-20s. My town was one of about 1000 people, mostly retired, heavily religious, where the annual Legion muskrat dinner was one of the big draws. It amused me to sometimes imagine what a pride parade would look like in this area: me wearing macramé ZOVY[Z HYT` IVV[Z ^YHWWLK PU H YHPUIV^ ÅHN ^HSRPUN \W HUK KV^U [OL 300m length of the main street yelling, “I’m here! I’m queer! Get used to me!”

It probably would’ve been entertaining to onlookers, but not in the way it was intended.

Needless to say I was excited at the prospect of coming to Peterborough; this town has a reputation for being something of a queer Mecca, after all. I’ll admit, OV^L]LY [OH[ T` ÄYZ[ PTWYLZZPVU SLM[ TL ZVTL^OH[ KPZHWWVPU[LK 0 JHU YLTLTber being here for at least a month, travelling the neighbourhoods, questing really, and wondering where all the queer folks were. Then everything changed; I remember it clearly: I was walking down Hunter St holding the hand of a woman I was dating at the time. We walked past another woman who was wearing functional shoes and short-cropped hair, she gave us a lovely and knowPUN ZTPSL HUK MYVT [OH[ TVTLU[ VU P[ ^HZ SPRL ZVTL IPN NH` ÅVVKNH[LZ VWLULK The waters had breached the dyke (forgive me), and it was magic. ( NSPTWZL VM [OH[ THNPJ PZ ^OH[ `V\»SS ÄUK PU [OL WHNLZ VM [OPZ `LHY»Z LKP[PVU VM Queerlines: a community coming together to celebrate their experiences, be they joyful, painful, humourous, erotic, or a heady mix of all of the above. Trent is a pretty easy place to be queer, and Arthur VăLYZ H MHU[HZ[PJ TLKP\T [OYV\NO which to comfortably express ourselves in all of our diversity, which is extensive.

In preparing Queerlines this year, the members of the Trent Queer Collective (TQC) looked back through some old issues stretching back into the 80s, when TQC was still the Trent Gay and Lesbian Club. Since that time, ideas, labels, and levels of social acceptance have all changed. As that happened, it became

clear that “gay” and “lesbian” didn’t cut it, and were in fact quite limiting for the diversity of genders, sexualities, and relationship permutations that exist. Sure, some of us are gay and some of us are lesbians, but we’re also transgendered, transsexual, pansexual, fags, poly folks, genderqueer, dykes, two-spirited, asexuHS PU[LYZL_LK WVZ[ TVKLYU OVTVZ X\LZ[PVUPUN IPZL_\HS OL[LYV VY OVTV ÅL_Pble, just downright curious, and beyond. So now here we are: a throng of queers of all stripes, but bound by the fact that we fall outside the traditional “Adam HUK ,]L¹ VM [OPUNZ 0YVUPJHSS` P[»Z V\Y KP]LYZP[` [OH[ \UPÄLZ \Z We are privileged to live in a place like Peterborough, nestled comfortably in our university bubble where being queer is more normalized now than ever before, but we mustn’t forget about the larger world out there. The queer movement has some serious momentum, and it is our responsibility to keep the ball rolling. This doesn’t have to mean holding a single-person pride parade where strong queer communities don’t exist (though I would gladly team up with anyVUL [V THRL P[ H K\V " H KPăLYLUJL JHU IL THKL ZPTWSL I` WYV\KS` ILPUN `V\YZLSM wherever you go: holding your partner’s hand as you walk down the street, not being bound by pronouns in conversations, being a voice of education in cases where language might be unintentionally exclusive. Does it have to be a big deal? I don’t think so; at least not like it has been in the past. But we’ve still got voices, so let’s use them. We’re here. We’re queer. Get used to how amazing we are. ;V HSS [OL X\LLY MVSRZ HUK HSSPLZ V\[ [OLYL ^OL[OLY `V\Y WYPKL ÅHTLZ SV\KS` VY smolders with a quiet warmth, these pages are for you.

3L[ `V\Y MYLHR ÅHNZ Å`

By Hazel Wheeler, on hehalf of the Trent Queer Collective

Many thanks go to Holly Norris for taking every fantastic picture presented herein, and to Sadleir House for supplying the physical space in which said pictures were taken. Also, thanks to the Arthur editors for their gentle guidance in the creation of this supplement.

Queerlines -‐ 8

Volume 45 | Issue 23 | March 29, 2011

Relationships that know what they are:

My non-restrictive theory of what makes a healthy relationship

By Daniel Siksay I’ve recently been working on a theory of close relationships that is disinterested in who is involved in them.

4` [OLVY` PUZ[LHK SVVRZ H[ [OL MVYJLZ [OH[ TV]L HUK HăLJ[ a relationship, and tries to make space for thinking about “desire” as a fundamentally creative and productive act, YH[OLY [OHU H KYP]L [V ÄSS PU ZVTL[OPUN [OH[ PZ SHJRPUN 4` [OLVY` PZ KPZPU[LYLZ[LK PU [OL LNV HUK ZWLJPÄJ PKLU[P[PLZ because there is an extent to which every close relationship can skip those considerations and can instead be thought of in terms of a relatedness between two concepts: intimacy and romance. We don’t often draw much distinction between these two terms in our daily lives, but if we take some time here, we’ll see that maintaining a distinction is useful.

-PYZ[ ZVTL WYLSPTPUHY` KLÄUP[PVUZ )` PU[PTHJ` 0 mean the feeling that there are no boundaries between you and your partner(s). It’s that feeling of unity with others that brings comfort and a sense of stability to a relationship, that assures you that there is no need to worry about the desires of your partner(s) because your desires are the same. It’s “when two [or more] become one.” On the other hand, by romance I mean the necessary “gap” between you and your partner(s) that keeps a relationship

alive and exciting. Romance is that feeling that energizes a relationship and keeps it growing, that reminds one that there is always more to learn about your partner(s).

You and your partner(s) are still, to some extent, mysteries to one another, and this means your relationship is alive with romance!

Intimacy is the unique element in both friendship and sexual relationships because, well, there is more to learn about everyone you know, and hence there is a romance IL[^LLU `V\ HUK L]LY`VUL `V\ TLL[ )\[ [OL YVTHUJL of a friendship or a sexual relationship announces itself as a priority, because in such relationships, romance ÄUKZ P[ZLSM YLSH[LK [V PU[PTHJ` 9VTHUJL VUS` ILJVTLZ interesting when it is related to intimacy. Romance reminds us that there is more to learn. It makes apparent that our partner(s) are still “other” to us in many ways, and intimacy wants to consume that otherness. In the WYVJLZZ YVTHUJL ILJVTLZ HTWSPÄLK ,]LY` MYPLUKZOPW and sexual relationship, then, is created and maintained on the basis of a certain relatedness between intimacy and YVTHUJL 4VZ[ YLSH[PVUZOPWZ PM 0 TH` N\LZZ Z[HY[ Vă PU H OLHS[O` ^H` )\[ PM [OLZL [^V JVUJLW[Z ILJVTL VWWVZLK to one another, then a relationship becomes unhealthy and is threatened with death or stagnation. On the other OHUK PM [OLZL [^V JVUJLW[Z JHU HĄYT LHJO V[OLY HUK HSZV maintain themselves, then a relationship can give itself a future.

Say a partner of yours approaches you with something they are very excited about (a new interest, perhaps).

They are looking to share their excitement with you, but `V\ ÄUK `V\YZLSM VKKS` W\[ Vă I` `V\Y WHY[ULY»Z KPZWSH` You almost feel threatened by this new addition to the fabric of your relationship with this person, though you can’t quite say why. Your partner is disappointed because you did not share in their excitement, and resentment builds. This is a an example of intimacy opposing itself to romance, and thus causing a relationship to become unhealthy. The appearance of an element alien to the already-established boundaries and parameters of a relationship is seen as a threat to intimacy, rather than ZVTL[OPUN [V IL HĄYTLK VY JLSLIYH[LK 0U VWWVZPUN itself to romance, intimacy wants to close the walls of a relationship such that nothing new can enter. It wants to maintain its feeling of comfort and unity at all costs, which means that the new must be denied entry in favour of the already-established.

On the other hand, what happens when intimacy makes space for romance within itself? Instead of playing the role of jealous gatekeeper, opposing itself to every-

Ginsberg

By S. Gallagher

You are my ghost companion, Ginsberg Lonely wanderer of the psychedelic Paradise of America, America, America!

Wherefore art thou, Ginsberg’s America?

My lonely companion’s America?

You Ginsberg. Gay boy before AIDS, /VTVZL_\HS @PKKPZO MYLHR ^HSRPUN [OL ILH[ VM `V\Y )LH[ )YV[OLYZ Ginsberg, my lonely wanderer companion, The ghost to my shadow, my darkness, my Id. You took me by the hand and lead me backwards through time ;V >OP[THU»Z (TLYPJH )SHRL»Z 3VUKVU :PKKOHY[OH»Z 0UKPH A mindtrip across Ginsberg’s America is a journey through the poetic ages, Linked together by the wanderer’s endless search for Freedom in a broken land with a broken Superego.

Ginsberg, through the rooms of druggies, bikers, and pimps, freakheads, and straight-jackets, your blood coagulated and pumped those poetic hormones to your mind, out your mouth, to the streets, to the ears of the lost youth and the lonely orphan caged in the suburban prison of the post-war post-modern America. ,JOVPUN [OYV\NO [OL SHUKZJHWLZ H /V^S SV\K LUV\NO [V ZOHRL [OL MV\UKH[PVU VM [OL Z[YVUNLZ[ :LUH[L YPJOLZ[ )HUR TVZ[ YPNO[LV\Z *O\YJO TVZ[ 0]PLK :JOVVS HUK ^OVSLZVTLZ[ /VTL Sweet, your words, that electrify the darkness at the edge of each town, opening up the barren desert surrounding them, reminding all people of this land that there is a darkness undiscovered on the outskirts.

4`Z[PJHS KHYRULZZ (YL `V\ [OL ,HZ[& 9\ZZPHUZ& ;OL 7HZ[& ;OL -\[\YL& Are you Lust? Are you Fear? Are you Me? Ginsberg, my ghost companion, is this darkness Me? Is it you? Is it all of us? Should we venture forth again into our darkness, wearing only ragged clothes and eating tuna and peanut butter? Drinking wine HUK ^H[LY& )SVVK& :OV\SK ^L KPN VY WYH`& :OV\SK ^L ^YP[L VY ZWLHR& (YL ^L .VK& (YL ^L .VK VUS` if we make ourselves her/him, like you did? Are we all ghosts, like you? Ghosts carried through a barren landscape into the supermarkets and back home?

Sweet, your words. Fierce, your words. Words.

In my home I read your words, Ginsberg. I question God. I question my country. I question my sexuality. I question myself and the Self. I question it all. Ghost companion, I question and Know this is all there is.

[OPUN [OH[ PZ V\[ZPKL VM H Ä_LK UV[PVU VM H YLSH[PVUZOPW intimacy becomes the proving ground of a relationship upon which romance can enter and prove what it can do.

0U [OPZ ZJLUHYPV PU[PTHJ` HĄYTZ YVTHUJL HZ H NLU\PULS` productive drive that opens the possibility of a relationship having a future. A relationship cannot survive simply on the basis of trying to constantly repeat a past or present “ideal” state; it must maintain an openness to the to-come that makes space for new interests, events and trajectories. Instead of opposing itself to the new, PU[PTHJ` YLKLÄULZ P[ZLSM HZ H ÄLSK ^P[OPU ^OPJO YVTHUJL can play. Intimacy becomes plastic, and holds romance within itself without destroying or perverting its function.

A relationship that knows what it is, relegates its own present content to the status of “afterthought.” This is ILJH\ZL P[ UV SVUNLY MLLSZ JVTWLSSLK [V ÄSS PU ^OH[ PZ SHJRPUN MYVT H ZWLJPÄJ PTHNL VM ^OH[ [OH[ YLSH[PVUZOPW V\NO[ to be. Instead, because it has its eyes to the new, it has its eyes to the future. Its desire becomes creative because one can never say for sure what it will yield. The healthy YLSH[PVUZOPW ILJVTLZ PU [OPZ PTHNL H ZWHJL MVY KPăLYLUJL to assert itself without fear of rejection or resentment.

Volume 45 | Issue 23 | March 29, 2011

Queerlines -โ 9

The Finding Way

By Alison Kemp

0 YLTLTILY IHJR [V [OL ร YZ[ KH` 0 TL[ `V\" ^LSSยฏ0 KPKUยป[ L]LU YLHSS` TLL[ `V\ @V\ ^LYL VU [OL V[OLY ZPKL VM [OL YVVT VU [OL JV\JO ^P[O `V\Y OPNO ZJOVVS MYPLUKZ 0 KPKUยป[ MHSS MVY `V\ [OLU 0 KPKUยป[ L]LU [OPUR 0 ^V\SK IL NL[[PUN [V RUV^ `V\ @V\ ^LYL Q\Z[ยฏHUV[OLY WLYZVU )\[ 0 KLJPKLK [OH[ ^LLR [V Z[LW \W HUK IL [OH[ MYPLUKS` ร YZ[ WLYZVU [OH[ PU]P[LZ WLVWSL PU[V [OL JPYJSL 0 W\[ T` HYT HYV\UK `V\Y ZOV\SKLY VUL UPNO[ \UKLY [OL Z[HYZ HUK [V T` Z\YWYPZL `V\ W\[ `V\Y HYT HYV\UK TL [VV (Z KH`Z WHZZLK ^L MV\UK V\YZLS]LZ ULHY LHJO V[OLY HNHPU HUK V]LY [PTL 0 MV\UK T`ZLSM ILJVTPUN TVYL KYH^U [V `V\ ;OLU VUL KH` 0 YLHSPaLK [OH[ UVUL VM [OPZ ^HZ PUZPNUPร JHU[ 0[ ^HZ H IYLHR IL[^LLU WYLZLU[H[PVUZ 0 Z[VVK PU [OL OHSS :OL JHTL PU[V [OL OHSS HUK ^HSRLK [V^HYK TL ยธ0 NL[ P[ ยน ยธ.L[ ^OH[&ยน ยธ@V\ยปYL X\LLY ยน :OP[ ยธ>O` ^V\SK `V\ ZH` [OH[&& >OH[ THRLZ `V\ [OPUR [OH[ ยน :OP[ ZOP[ ZOP[ :OL ^HSRLK Vฤ 0 ^LU[ IHJR PU [OL YVVT HUK MV\UK T` ^H` [V [OL JOLLZL [YH` ;OLU 0 MLS[ OLY OHUK NLU[S` VU T` HYT ยธ(YL `V\ VR&ยน ยธ@LHOยน 4` MVV[ RLW[ [HWWPUN [OL ร VVY ยธ0ยปSS [HRL [OL X\PJOL [OHURZยน ( JV\WSL ZH[ KV^U H[ [OL [HISL ILZPKL \Z -\JR ยธ+V `V\ ^HU[ [V NV MVY H ^HSR HM[LY&ยน 0 HZRLK T` H\U[

ยธ@LZ [OH[ ^V\SK IL UPJL ยน .VVK (M[LY S\UJO ^L ^HSRLK KV^U [V^HYK [OL JHUHS ยธ0 RPUK VM ^HU[LK [V [HSR ^P[O `V\ HIV\[ ZVTL[OPUN ยน 0 ZHPK ULY]V\ZS` ยธ(SYPNO[ ยน ยธ0ยฏ0 KVUยป[ [OPUR 0ยปT Z[YHPNO[ยฏPM `V\ RUV^ ^OH[ 0 TLHUยน 4` LTV[PVUZ Z\KKLUS` V]LY^OLSTLK TL MYVT KLLW PUZPKL 0 HSTVZ[ JVSSHWZLK 0 Z[PSS ZLL `V\ NPYS 0 Z[PSS MLLS `V\ (M[LY HSS [OLZL `LHYZ HM[LY [Y`PUN [V MVYNL[ `V\ `V\ Z[PSS JVTL HUK ]PZP[ TL PU T` KYLHTZ ZVTL[PTLZ -PYZ[ [OLYLยปZ HU HYN\TLU[ >L UL]LY HNYLLK VU HU`[OPUN )\[ L]LU[\HSS` [OH[ MHSSZ H^H` HUK ^LยปYL [VNL[OLY VUJL HNHPU PU LHJO V[OLYZยป HYTZ ยธ@V\ RUV^ ^OH[& 0 [OPUR 0ยปT NVPUN [V ZSLLW VU [OL JV\JOยน ยธ@LHO VRยน 0 JSPTILK Vฤ [OL ILK HUK JSVZLK OPZ YVVT KVVY ยธ:V 0 RPUK VM ^HU[ P[ ZOVY[ I\[ RPUK VM SPRL [OPZยน ;OL OHPYKYLZZLY SVVRLK H[ TL W\aaSLK ยธ+V `V\ OH]L H WPJ[\YL&ยน ยธ<OOO UV ยน (M[LY HU OV\Y 0 Z[LWWLK V\[ PU[V [OL MYLZO Z\UZOPUL HUK NSHUJLK H[ T` YLร LJ[PVU PU [OL Z[VYL ^PUKV^Z HZ 0 Z[YVSSLK KV^U [OL Z[YLL[ ( ZTPSL JYLW[ HJYVZZ T` MHJL >V^ 4` ZP_ `LHY VSK ZLSM ^V\SK OH]L ILLU WYV\K 0 SVVR V]LY [OL OLHKZ VM [OL JYV^K [V H ^VTHU Z[HUKPUN H[ [OL [VW VM [OL Z[LWZ :OL ZLLZ TL >L L_JOHUNL UVKZ VM YLJVNUP[PVU

The Short Journey [A Sonnet]

By Kama Maureemootoo 3PWZ[PJR Z[HPUZ VU [OL YPT VM H T\N" +V^U [V [OL KLW[OZ YLK OLY SVUN SLNZ :OVLK PU [OL KHYRULZZ VM JVฤ LL KYLNZ 7SHU[ H RPZZ VU [OL IYPT ^P[O H ZOY\N 0 ZTLSS `V\ ^P[O T` [VUN\L SPRL H KY\N" ( ^OPฤ ZTPYRZ PU SV]L H IYLH[O ILNZ -VY [OL SVJR VM H RPZZ [OH[ WLNZ @V\Y ILPUN VU[V TPUL! V\Y [VUN\LZ ZU\N @V\ YLTLTILY [OL [PW VM H ISHKL VM NYHZZ >OLYL ^L MV\UK H WLHYS THKL VM NSHZZ" ;OL Z\U OHK M\YSLK P[ZLSM H[ K\ZR *V]LYLK V\Y SV]L PU P[Z O\ZR& 6U [OL YPT VM [OH[ T\N [OL [PW VM [OH[ ISHKL >HZ H [VV ZOVY[ QV\YUL`! V\Y SV]L MYH`LK

Queerlines -‐ 11

Volume 45 | Issue 23 | March 29, 2011

Untitled

H QDLDLADQ SGD gQRS SHLD

By Rebecca D

By Kama Maureemootoo

You act like you've never seen it before, Two people sharing a loving embrace, As you stare, Disgust upon your face.

Well I'm disgusted at you, The way I act is immoral? Ungodly?

Have you seen the way YOU act?

No, really, have you?

Your prejudice Your proclamations Of Wrong?

How is it Wrong to be me?

To be who I am?

I said nothing to you, Did nothing to you, Yet still you complain.

Why can’t you just; Let me be.

P YLTLTILY [OL ÄYZ[ [PTL it was exactly two years ago a colonizing moment is what i called it P[ ^HZ [OL ÄYZ[ [PTL P»K SL[ `V\ or anyone for that matter fuck me enter me penetrate me colonize me colonize my body colonize my soul (colonize my love?) you entered me with a lack of might your lack of conviction pinned me down with the softness of your arms the strength of your skin you swayed on top of me like a cherry shaking in fear scared shaky shaky scared VM ZSPKPUN Vă [OPZ TV\U[ VM TLS[PUN JYLHT i wanted to scream scream at you and beg beg you to hurt me to plant your seed deeper in me

Happy Now

By Jess M. Ballsy.

That’s what you are.

To call me up after seven months of nothing.

To call me up after everything you did.

To me.

To “us”.

You say that I’m yours.

NO WAY. I’m not your property.

You say that you “love” me.

Ha! You show it so well.

I don’t believe your words.

You ask me if I ever loved you.

I never made it that far. I never felt that for you.

You didn’t give me the chance.

That’s okay though.

I would have been wasting my time on you.

On “us”.

Trying to make something work.

I know now it wouldn’t have worked.

I tell you that I’ve moved on.

I’ve met someone new.

Someone way better.

Someone too good for me.

I’m lucky.

You cry.

I laugh.

Your tears, The fakeness, You’ve tried this before.

It won’t work on me.

You should know this.

If you really knew me, you would.

You ask about her.

I don’t tell you anything.

She’s too special to me.

I won’t let you wreck what I have now.

I won’t let you destroy my happiness.

I’m happy.

So very happy.

I say goodbye to you.

But you won’t let me go.

You won’t hang up.

You try to make me hold on.

The problem is, I let go a long time ago.

I tell you that I’m happy now.

She makes me happy now.

I say goodbye to you again.

I mean it this time.

It’s FINAL. It’s OVER. I’m DONE with YOU. I’m happy now.

SHE MAKES ME SO HAPPY NOW!!

i often think of power dynamics but not in an academic foucaultian way i think of the thin line between love and hate the thin line between pleasure and pain on that day I saw myself in your eyes in fragments detached and yet attached deeply rooted in a disturbed mirror i think of your heat inside me i think of it as a loving moment i think of it as a colonizing moment i think of it as an orgasm an orgasm an orgasm an orgasm that never came i know it’s been two years and yet i go from ghost town to ghost town i travel and i yearn like a corpse that didn’t get buried i think of your hair between my teeth (you remember your hair between my teeth?) i think of the mess we created the havoc of cum and lube we smudged between our bodies i think of the violence with which i clamped your nipples the loving ways in which you bit my ears i think of power dynamics not just in an academic foucaultian way P YLTLTILY [OL ÄYZ[ [PTL we made love it was exactly two years ago i had wrapped myself in your skin i yearn for the love wetness warmth i yearn for the love fear harm but above all i yearn for the white cock that colonized my black body

Love

By Andrea Lanfranco

Love A four-letter word.

L followed by an O followed by a V and ending in an E. But what does it mean?

It seems to be one of those words that have multiple meaning and multiple ways of being used.

It can renew the joy within a relationship when said at the right time.

But it can also destroy a relationship when said to early.

Some people say it to often.

Others don't say it enough or at all.

Some say it with out realizing it, or without meaning it.

Others only say it only when they mean it.

But what does love actually mean.

What is love?

What's love got to do with it?

Volume 45 | Issue 23 | March 29, 2011

Homoscopes Aries (March 21- April 19) You’re pushy, you’re bossy and you expect the world to stop for you and your every ULLK I\[ [OH[»Z ^OH[ THRLZ `V\ ZV KHYULK LUKLHYPUN @V\ UL]LY ZLLT ZH[PZÄLK ^P[O anything lately, but that will soon pass, and you won’t want anything to do at all.

Taurus (April 20- May 21 Bitch, bitch, bitch!!! We all know you are living beyond your means but let’s give you credit, you spend the money you don’t have very well. Listen up! Look both ways before you cross the street, always chew your food and don’t be so moody!

Gemini (May 22- June 21) You seem to be overwhelmed with emotions. Relax take a breather. It’s time for you to collect your thoughts and to put your mind and emotions in sync.

Cancer (June 22- July 23) You are especially sensitive now and not just your nipples. Just because people look at you doesn’t mean they are up to something. Your usually larger-than-life-personality has taken a back seat to your feelings. Don’t fret though you will be back to your typical self in no time.

Leo (July 24- August 23) Sarcasm seems to get you everywhere. Take compliments graciously. It seems like nothing stands in your way, except for one small thing… love. When you least expect it, that special someone saunters in, and leaves you speechless and shaking your head. Take it in stride and it will all fall into place.

Virgo (August 24- September 23) Your tidy ways are turning neurotic. If the dishes pile up and the living room looks as though a hurricane struck, relax. You don’t need to be as perfect as you envision `V\YZLSM ,UQV` [OL ÄULY [OPUNZ PU SPML [V ZUHW `V\YZLSM V\[ VM [OL IS\LZ Libra (September 24- October 23) Don’t whine so much, and don’t take things so literally. Need we remind you not to butt into other people’s business?! Take responsibility when needed and remember… you can’t always get your way.

Scorpio (October 24- November 22) Stand up, be proud, yell and scream if you’ve got to, and stop taking crap from other people. Don’t worry so much about people’s opinions and don’t be so scared to be friendly. People will like you if you give them a chance.

Sagittarius (November 23- December 22) 7SHJL `V\Y IL[Z JHYLM\SS` `V\Y S\JR TH` UV[ IL VU `V\Y ZPKL )\ZPULZZ PKLHZ [HRL Vă in a big way. You may not make much money, but your friends will appreciate your LăVY[Z Capricorn (December 23- January 20) Has anyone ever told you that you are far too serious? Do something else other than brood. Things will be looking up for you, even if you don’t smile. You need to get ZVTL [OPUNZ Vă `V\Y JOLZ[¯ `V\»]L NV[ H TV\[O \ZL P[ 1\Z[ KVU»[ V]LY KV P[ Aquarius (January 21- February 19) .LLa `V\»YL ÅPNO[` 7\[ `V\Y MLL[ VU NVVK ºVS TV[OLY LHY[O I\[ RLLW YLHJOPUN MVY [OL Z[HYZ 0M `V\ ^V\SK ZL[[SL KV^U MVY H IP[ `V\ JV\SK ÄUPZO H SV[ ;HRL H KLLW IYLH[O drink your milk and take it easy for a while.

Pieces (February 20- March 20) Your fun lovin’ and bar hoppin’ ways keep you on top of the social scene. Don’t forget to do those crunches and get to class. Take everything with a grain of salt after all, everyone really loves you!

Queerlines -‐ 12

Queerlines -‐ 13

Volume 45 | Issue 23 | March 29, 2011

Untitled

By Not a Nice Girl

my cunt stings from too much fucking. a scene with my [VW HUK H OV[ K`RL SLM[ TL [LUKLY P ÄUK T`ZLSM YPUZPUN T` cunt with my piss--a costa rican healer taught me urine cures everything. as i sit on the toilet with my hand between my thighs, i realize how much i like this ritual. not only does it help the sting of my labia... but i love the way the hot piss runs V]LY T` OHUK T` ÄUNLY [PWZ HNHPUZ[ T` ^L[ J\U[ \UKLY the stream of piss. my excitement sometimes stops the stream and i have to breathe before i can continue.

P ÄUK T`ZLSM PU [OL IH[OYVVT ^P[O T` [VW IV[O [PYLK MYVT a long night. to pee i have to strip out of my bodysuit. i ÄUK T`ZLSM UHRLK VU [OL [VPSL[ SVVRPUN PU[V OPZ L`LZ HZ OL sits on the tub, patiently waiting his turn. i slip my hand between my thighs, and ask him if he knows what i am about to do. i tell him “i am going to rub my piss against my cunt, right where it burns from M\JRPUN ¹ OPZ L`LZ [HRL VU H KPăLYLU[ LULYN`" P JHU ZLL OPZ interest spiking and perversion stirring. i tell him “i never realized how much i like this. i do it often, and never realized how much it turns me on. i am going to piss all over my hand.” staring directly into eachothers eyes, i have to breathe. slowly i manage a trickle to start. the way my cunt tightens, and the pressure as i try to piss, carry an agonizing eroticism. he tells me to get into the bathtub where he can watch. sitting back against the cold iron of the clawfoot tub, my breath quickens. without the familiar toilet seat against T` HZZ P ÄUK P[ OHYK [V SL[ NV P [Y` [V ZX\H[ I\[ OL ^VU[ SL[ me. he wants to watch the piss squirt from my cunt.

P ÄUK T`ZLSM V]LY^OLSTLK [OL L_JP[LTLU[ [OL WYLZZ\YL is too great. my cunt is so wet with my piss already and i cant stop running my hands over it. i tell him “i can’t”, and as he watches my hand he reminds me that touching myself certainly wont help. he knows i’m too turned on to piss for him. he stands UHRLK V]LY TL OPZ MLL[ ÄYTS` WSHU[LK VU [OL ÅVVY OPZ half-hard cock right at eye level. he says to me “now, i am going to piss all over you.” i watch his cock. his right hand slides down to draw back his foreskin. his head is wet with pre-cum. as the pre-cum drips slowly a stream of piss starts to fall into the bathtub PU MYVU[ VM TL P YLHJO V\[ T` ÄUNLYZ [V MLLS [OL ^L[ OLH[ slide through them.

he starts to piss a little quicker, the stream hitting my belly. he guides it up to my tits, and my hands slide with the stream, spreading the warmth over my cold skin. slowly he draws the stream up my neck, and i turn away PU KPZN\Z[ OL WPZZLZ V]LY T` JOLJR HUK P JHU ÄSS P[ ÅV^ over my closed lips.

“

he tells me to get into the bathtub where he can watch”

as i rub my tits, i start to revel in the stream and my lips open to moan. he draws the stream carefully across my cheek and this time the piss passes over my open mouth. the smell and the heat turn me on.

P VWLU T` TV\[O H SP[[SL ^PKLY HUK HZ P MLLS P[ ÄSS P NHN VU the taste. a mouthful of piss and spit runs down my chin and onto my stomach. his stream slows and my eyes join his. our breath moves with the intensity of the moment. i stand \W [V TLL[ OPT" VM L]LU OLPNO[Z VU uneven footing. he slides his arms around me and kisses my piss wet mouth. he runs his hands over my hard, piss covered body, pressing his hands through my hair. hard so quickly he turns me around and bends me over. he rubs his cock over my cunt and ass looking for an angle to push into me. i tip my hips and his cock slides into my cunt, ^L Ä[ [VNL[OLY HZ ^L M\JR T` MLL[ spread to the ends of the bathtub. legs wide apart and bend over my

face presses against the cold porcelain. he draws me over to the toilet where he takes a seat. i take him inside of me while he desperately licks my piss covered tits. as we kiss i pull back and asks him if he knows what my hands HYL JV]LYLK PU& OL YLZWVUKZ ¸WPZZ¹ HUK P ZSPKL T` ÄUNLYZ into his throat until he gags and gags again. he tells me to get on my hands and knees and presses his cock into me. fucking me like a dog he presses my chest against the ÅVVY JOLLR TLL[Z JVSK [PSL ^OPSL T` ^L[ J\U[ NL[Z M\JRLK from behind. my hand rubs quickly against my clit as his cock strokes me harder and harder. i ask him if i can cum and he tells me to “do it right now”. as my orgasm shakes me he holds my hips tighter. his rhythm slows and i feel him go ridged. i lie trembling before him on the bathYVVT ÅVVY i ask him if he wants to watch the cum drip from my cunt and smile knowingly. he sits back on his heels for a better view and holds his hand beneath me. i work to press the cum out from my cunt. intentionally squeezing i can feel T` HZZOVSL [PNO[LU ZH[PZÄLK OL OVSKZ TVZ[ VM P[ PU OPZ palm, i expect him to have me eat it. with one hand tight in my hair, he looks into my eyes and rubs our cum all over my ass and back. his hand runs through it and cover my neck. he works as much of it into my hair as he can. i look at him and tell him “scoop more cum out from my cunt and put it in my mouth.” he does as i say sliding his ÄUNLYZ KLLW PU[V T` [OYVH[ as we draw ourselves into the shower i realize our revelry isn’t over. what follows an orgasm but more piss? we step under the hot running water and i think to myself maybe now i can piss for him. he holds me close and brings one hand between my thighs. so nervous and excited he shows me again how its done. he bends me over into the shower and so quickly a stream of piss is running over my ass. he directs it right onto my asshole and all i want is more. he holds me tenderly allowing the cum to rinse from my hair. overwhelmed and exhausted he steps out of the shower. with him hidden on the other side of the curtain, i can ÄUHSS` YLSH_ P IYPUN T` OHUK IL[^LLU T` [OPNOZ HUK delight in the hot stream of piss.

Volume 45 | Issue 23 | March 29, 2011

Queerlines -â&#x20AC;? 14

Re: When the levy broke After reading the letter from the editor in last week’s Arthur I chuckled – but I wish that I hadn’t. Amidst all of the literary melodrama that made up “When the levy broke,” one phrase rattled around more than the others. Irrationally defending the honour of Trent’s weekly in the wake of mounting disapproval, Ms. Kelly very boldlysuggested that Arthur helps “...alumni stay in touch with the school.”

Yikes.

Banking on Arthur to give me accurate information about the state of Trent would be like relying on Rush Limbaugh broadcasts to accurately illustrate the nuances of American culture in the 21st century. I like Arthur. I always have. However, when it comes to staying in touch with my alma mater, I’ll consult the paper as I would a quaintly precocious ‘tween.’ That said, I think the A could and should be a viable and reliable source of information about the university.

Newspaper editors and their staff can end up sounding painfully ridiculous and sophomoric when they allow emotion to overshadow intellect. I realize this is a difficult and painful moment in the history of Arthur (and Trent for that matter).

But your staff should hold back the tears, and concentrate on the simple mechanics of producing quality journalism. If you and your staff were to concentrate more rigourously on these seemingly mundane tasks, perhaps alumni such as myself could rely on Arthur as a way to “stay in touch with the school.”

McKenzie R. White, B.A.H, Peter Robinson College, 2003

Calling all activists, environmentalists, cotton tops, musicians, young and old at heart, radicals, liberals, communists or even hipster wannabes…

By Hanah McFarlane Looking around the world these days, it seems like an inspiring time to be an activist. The winds of change have been blowing strong across the Middle East and all the way over to Wisconsin. If you have spent any time in and around the activist circle at Trent or in Peterborough, you are likely to have noticed that although it is rather small, it is a somewhat fragmented collection of individuals. Although you probably know most by first name or at least recognize their faces, their reputation undoubtedly precedes them, due the small-town nature of this community.

This piece is written as a critique of activist organizing, not in the hopes of furthering the negative sentiments that exist between individuals or organizations with similar agendas, but rather, to suggest ways of finding common ground in order to build stronger movements in this community - something that is incredibly necessary to create change, as we have been seeing lately across the world.

Let’s start with the pragmatics of even just choosing a date for events. When organizing an event, organizations make various considerations - when are key organizers available, when are exams or breaks at Trent, when are statutory holidays, etc. One very important factor that is easily overlooked is considering whether or not an allied organization is hosting an event during the same time. The Kawartha World Issues Centre (KWIC) and the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) both have community calendars designed to enable community organizations to post their event in the hopes of informing the community of events, but also to avoid double booking. Of course, there is a lot going on in this bustling little city, but considering the size of the activist community, it should be possible to organize our events around each other.

Another problem that has been identified by many of the folks I’ve spoken to over the years is the lack of a united voice due to people’s personal egos. Organizers and organizations are influenced by personal relationships, old grudges, stubborn passion and just plain old gossip. Perhaps you don’t want to hear it, but lateral violence is a problem in this community. Instead of focusing on the problem, we spend too much energy focusing on individuals and creating fixed identities of them that hinder our ability to draw on people’s strengths and work together in a unified way.

The final issue that has been frustrating to watch is the lack of intergenerational experiences, despite our unique situation in Peterborough. Most of the organizing that goes on at Trent is comprised largely of 20-something students. Many organizations in the Peterborough community including political parties lack the participation of younger members of the community, despite their efforts to include them. Unfortunately, instead of valuing this situation we find ourselves in, living in a university town, we organize along different paths, and sometimes even work against each other. Instead of pointing out the ways that the older generation is of a different wave, or disregarding technology as an opportunity to further open up opportunities to get involved, we should be teaching each other, but more importantly, learning from each other.

One of my grandmother and my goals is organize together and learn from each other so that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Older activists can share some of their successes and failures in order to help younger ones avoid making the same mistakes. Younger activists can share some of the ways we have grown due to our privileged access to ‘higher’ education and technology. All can recognize that we have gotten where we are today based on many peoples’ ideas and hard work, but that we have a long way to go. Let’s find a way to draw our inspiration from the people across the world who are working together for something better. So go call your grandmother, volunteer with an organization filled with people from an entirely different generation and keep your eyes peeled for an opportunity for us to come together and share our experiences in doing so.

Letters Dear Fellow Students of Trent University, By now, most of you should have heard, at the very least, whispers about departmental budget cuts, the University administration’s ‘Integrated Plan’, or caught a glimpse of the Nose (a student made zine packed with excellent information, featuring a large nose on the cover). If you haven’t, ask a classmate and then pick up a copy of the Nose (versions 1 and/or 2), read Arthur newspaper (in print and online) or ask your professors.

As a student, these coming events will affect you. It does not matter what you are studying, what college you belong too, if you are an international student, a part-time student, whether you are at the Symons-Peterborough campus or Oshawa. It doesn’t even matter if you like being at Trent or not, if you take classes at Trent you will be screwed by the University’s plans.

It should not be a secret to anyone that Trent is in a large financial deficit. There are many reasons why Trent is in such a bad position, which I will not discuss in this particular letter. What I do want to focus your attention on is the University’s plan to decrease this deficit. Part of their solution is to cut back funding for academic departments which translates to cut backs in faculty and courses offered.

Think about your favourite class or your favourite professor. Are you sure that they or that course will be around next year? There are some great tenured profs at Trent but there are also a lot of amazing professors who are limited term appointments (LTA’s) – not paid as highly but frequently expected to work just as much, if not more, than tenure without the prestige and benefits.

LTA’s are the targets for budget cuts because they make decent salaries but unlike tenured positions, their jobs are not permanent or guaranteed. CUPE professors teach 20% of the courses at Trent and are paid a pittance, by the credit with a limit to how many credits they can teach. In a part-time retail job I earn almost the same salary as a CUPE professor.

For this reason, many have to take up more than one job in order to get by. Some of the most excellent professors at Trent also happen to be CUPE members. The cut in LTA positions and courses give them even less prospect for a better employment contract and units to teach. For some, this arrangement works fine, but for many, the pay is either not worth it or not possible to live off of.

Every department on campus is having their budgets reduced. Every department has to shuffle their faculty positions to accommodate the budgets dictated to them by the Board of Governors. What do we, as students, even know about the Board? What do they know about us? We, the students, are affected directly by their decisions. If the current budget plan is approved at the end of April, the current Trent calendar could probably be reduced to two-thirds or half its size, once all the pages of courses that are no longer offered are removed. What is the purpose of a university if it is not willing to provide money to offer classes or staff the departments? This is not a competition between departments or specialized programs. This is a matter of a group of people making decisions on how to keep Trent afloat, without realizing they are gutting the institution to do so.

This is a warning of what is happening, and what is coming our way. It is now up to you to decide whether you are going to just shrug it off and complain next year when the courses you really want to take are gone, or that really inspirational professor has left for another university that can provide them a better salary. OR you can choose to express your concerns in several ways: a) Talk to the president of the university, Steven Franklin. His office is located on the bottom floor of Bata Library or you can e-mail his assistant: kspearing@trentu.ca; b) Write to the provost, Gary Boire at provost@trentu.ca to complain and ask him to stand up for academics at this institution (it’s his job to do it, not to just pay lip service to students), or to Lon Knox at lonknox@trentu.ca to ask for a place on the next Board of Governors meeting, April 28 (he’s very nice and very helpful); c) Make your opinions known to your Trent Central Student Association; d) Get engaged with Trent Mobilize: students from many departments who are opposed to the University’s plan to cut the education portion of the finances and are actively organizing (trentmobilize@gmail.com).

The Board of Governors votes on the budget for the 2011-2012 academic year on Thursday, April 28. Many of us will have gone home for the summer by that date. If there is any proof of the disconnect between those who control and oversee the university’s finances and those who actually are the university, students and faculty, is the timing of the budget vote and the secretive manner in which those who govern, plan our futures. I know papers are due and exams are coming and the promise of sweet spring freedom is teasing us, but I urge you to invest a little of your time and energy into protecting our academic futures before the time runs out. We are not expected to raise our voices, but to pay our tuition and comply silently without question. For that very reason, that we pay tuition, we are the reason for the University’s existence. It is our right to speak up and to be heard!

Sincerely, Your Classmate.

Submit to Arthur!

You have one week left for this Volume to tell Arthur your thoughts, dreams, and passions.

Ideas for next year, here or elsewhere? editors@trentarthur.ca

Volume 45 | Issue 23 | March 29, 2011

15

National

Harper government found in contempt of Parliament continued from cover Though opposition parties have regularly made their displeasure with the government’s their displeasure with the government’s practices known, the 156-145 vote in favour of the contempt resolution is a first for any country in the Commonwealth. Harper accused the opposition of forcing an election that citizens don’t want, and charged the committee had already made up its mind before hearings began.

The affair demonstrates both the opposition parties’ willingness to use more tools at their disposal since the last election and the Conservatives’ pattern of secrecy and abuses of power in office. Wary of calling an election too soon, opposition MPs have been more active in parliamentary committees than usual, and notably signed a coalition agreement in December 2008. Meanwhile, this is not the first time the Speaker has issued a landmark ruling against the Tories. In April 2010, he ordered the government to hand over uncensored documents to the House relating to allegations of abuse of prisoners handed over by Canadian

troops into Afghan custody, after months of Conservatives’ delays and refusals.

That affair was also at the heart of the Conservatives’ second proroguing of Parliament, in December 2009, after Harper asked then-Governor-General Michaëlle Jean to suspend its work just as a committee inquiry into the detainee scandal was heating up. The first came after the 2008 coalition agreement was signed by the Liberals, NDP and Bloc Québecois in response to another proposed budget.

This time around, the Liberals are backing away from coalition rhetoric and the Conservatives are hoping to capitalize on voters’ fear they will make such a play again.

Ignatieff ’s public statements have ruled out a coalition with the Bloc, but seemed to leave the door open for an NDPLiberal agreement if the Conservatives win another minority. Harper has awkwardly dismissed reminders of his own party’s attempts to topple Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin’s minority government with a coalition as a plan that never came to fruition.

The Conservatives are hoping to win a majority government on their track record managing the economy by boosting their seat count in Quebec and Ontario, especial-

Transformational Learning

ly in the Greater Toronto Area. The Liberals, meanwhile, are running a mostly reactive campaign and hoping to capitalize on the Conservatives’ poor record on ethics and accountability.

Layton’s first stop on the NDP’s campaign trail was Edmonton, where rookie MP Linda Duncan is trying to hold onto the party’s one seat in the otherwise completely Conservative-dominated Alberta. Layton said his party’s platform will include proposals to increase pension benefits and child care and education programs.

A number of bills were signed into law mid-week in anticipation of the government’s defeat, including legislation to modify and increase benefits for veterans, freeze foreign dictators’ assets with less evidence than currently required, and set up stronger rules against those who charge to smuggle people into the country. A number of government and opposition bills died, including one to increase generic drug access for developing countries and one requiring future Supreme Court justices to be bilingual.

So far, Peterborough’s riding will be a contest between sitting Conservative MP Dean del Mastro, occasional Trent professor and Liberal candidate Betsy McGregor, and NDP

local

A Meeting with Lindy Garneau on her Research at Trent

By Mary Dirmeitis Sitting with Trent’s Aboriginal Councillor and Masters student Lindy Garneau in her sun-filled office, I had the opportunity to discuss with her why she has chosen to write her Masters Thesis on transformational learning, and why she chose Trent from which to base her research.

Garneau is completing her Masters of Education in Post-Secondary Studies at Memorial University. As a case study for her research, she is exploring transformational learning in the class INDG – ADMN 3040H, The Meaning of Work in the Contemporary World, taught by Professor Lorne Ellingson.

Although there are many definitions of transformational learning, Ellingson states that in limiting the term to a written definition, it takes the life out of it.

In a recent post, Ellingson has described transformational learning as changing behaviours in order to change our attitudes. It is stepping out of the norm – out of the routine and comfortable ways in which we perceive our lives – in order to move into a new conceptual environment.

If it is hard for you to grasp what transformational learning is, stop reading this article and take a minute to think about a moment in your life when you truly felt transformed. Some people call it ‘yes!’ moments. It can be very deep or very small, such as the overwhelming liberation felt the first time you drove in a car alone.

Garneau has experienced transformational learning as preparing yourself for the life-changing moments that you will never forget. It changes the way you do everything and the way you see the world. It is thinking in terms of pos-

16

sibility instead of a stagnant reality – because reality is always changing.

“A lot of it is belief in yourself. It brings a feeling of responsibility rather than inferiority – a feeling of self-worth times one hundred.”

Looking back, Garneau can recount events in her past that point towards her calling: facilitating the navigation of students through their post-secondary journeys.

All throughout her childhood, Garneau and her sister caught frogs. One summer, she caught 300 frogs and collected them in a kiddie pool in her backyard. And then she watched them.

She was so interested in the metamorphoses of these frogs, watching it over and over again thousands of times.

She never thought of it in a scientific way with a desire to dissect the frog and see how these changes were occurring.

Instead, she remembers an overwhelming feeling of thanks as she saw the transformation as a miracle and the most sacred thing she had ever been involved with.

To Garneau, a frog is transformation embodied. From an egg, it becomes a tadpole, grows legs, arms spring out, it becomes a froglet with a tail and then a full-grown frog.

Throughout this process, the frog becomes able to leave the water, discovering new ways to be and survive. As it grows legs, it even learns how to jump, expanding its territory for exploration into the air. But the frog never loses its ability to survive in any of its previous habitats. It gains new limbs, new skills, and can eventually do it all.

In her work with Trent students as the Aboriginal Councillor, she is watching the same transformation with the same enraptured sense of sacredness as students learn and grow in miraculous ways, and then hop away to accom-

Volume 45 | Issue 23 | March 29, 2011

plish amazing things.

Through her research, Garneau will prove how creating the space for transformational learning to occur in a university can foster this metamorphosis of students, allowing them to self-reflect and prepare for the success ahead of them.

Although Garneau is using the class to support her research on the benefits of transformational learning, that is not what the class is about. INDG-ADMN 3040H is not about transformational learning, it is transformational learning.

Ellingson says, “You can’t study it, you live it, and then you don’t need to study it.”

Classes such as INDG-ADMIN 3040H give students the tools to live it, such as exercises to determine your values, your goals, the ways you perceive work, along with studies of exemplary figures who have accomplished extraordinary feats by thinking in terms of possibility.

Both the class and Garneau’s thesis are crafted in an indigenous perspective, with a focus on people’s stories alongside academic research. To accomplish this, she will be interviewing students in the current INDG-ADMIN course, as well as past participants.

Garneau does not want her thesis to sit on a desk and collect dust. As decision-makers tend to need to see things in writing, she hopes that an outcome of her research will be a clear demonstration on how transformational learning is positive. A recommendation she makes is to have at least one class in every discipline that focuses on transformational learning. She believes that this will allow students to really transform from their university education.

That is after all what we’re here for, isn’t it?

international

U.S. Army ‘Trophy kill’ photographs enrage public

By Jonathan Alphonsus U.S. forces in Afghanistan were reeling from photographs published in Der Spiegel and The Guardian newspapers last week, as the first of five soldiers connected with the case was sentenced to 24 years in prison. Jeremy Morlock, 23, pleaded guilty to charges of killing civilians and using illicit drugs while on duty.

The controversy first emerged just under a year ago, when the soldiers from the 5th Stryker Brigade were arrested. Morlock, in his testimony, said that they first plotted to kill civilians in late 2009, a few weeks before the first murders took place. The soldiers planned to plant weapons at the scene of the crimes to make it appear that they were acting in self defence.

While on leave at home in March last year, Morlock admitted to having “second thoughts” about the murders, but still took part in a killing in May. Some of the soldiers kept the body parts of their victims as souvenirs, including a skull. One of the photographs published depicted Morlock holding a dead civilian by his hair and smiling at the camera.

In addition to these charges, he was also one of six soldiers convicted of smoking hashish at the base where they were stationed. The man who reported the drug abuse was assaulted by Morlock and the other five soldiers. In pleading guilty to the drug charge he stated that he was not inebriated when performing the murders.

Morlock’s family and friends established an online fund to help him employ attorneys to defend his case. The fund was established in August 2010, although there are no posts on the amounts collected so far at its website, jeremymorlockdefense.com.

The court martial sentence for murdering civilians is life imprisonment along with dishonourable discharge from the army. Morlock’s sentence, 24 years with the possibility of parole after seven, was delivered as part of a plea deal he made with prosecutors, which will see him testify against his co-defendants. He has already pointed to his superior,

Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs, as the main instigator of the killings.

The political fallout from the case represents another blow to the battered image the army has made for itself in Afghanistan. Commanding officers personally apologized to the families of the victims. In a press statement, the U.S. army condemned the photos as “repugnant to us as human beings, and contrary to the standards and values of the United States army.”

Army chiefs have been preparing for the potential fallout from the case for weeks, as sentencing drew nearer.

Karl Eikenberry, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, recently admitted to officials that he feared it might trigger anti-American protests, in a manner similar to the fallout from the Abu Ghraib scandal in Iraq which showed soldiers making fun of bound and gagged prisoners as well as torturing them.

Officials from the Afghanistan National Security Council, who are responsible for relations with the U.S. army, have strongly condemned the photographs. The incidents further jeopardize stability and are setbacks to the peace process in the country, with general public opinion slowly but surely turning against both President Hamid Karzai’s government and the coalition forces.

In a separate incident on Friday, the government of Australia apologized for racist remarks made by their soldiers in Afghanistan. Videos released by Australia’s Seven News Network showed soldiers referring to Afghanis as “smelly” and laughing at a man fleeing an explosion as “a scared mufti.” The videos and racist comments from troops were first posted on Facebook.

Australia has 1,550 soldiers stationed in Afghanistan, mostly serving in the southern province of Uruzgan. Stephen Smith, the defence minister, promptly apologized to his Afghan counterpart Abdul Rahim Wardak in a phone call.

Well over 2,400 troops from the U.S., the United Kingdom, Canada and other allied countries have died in the war since it began in 2001. The coalition forces have not

Don’t Stop Believing

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By Matt Rappolt I want to use the beginning of this week’s “Retro Arthur” to write the introduction that should have accompanied my first “Retro” piece more than two months ago. This introduction is one that I have been considering writing for the past few issues, but with the Senate ISW decision and the TCSA elections going on there seemed to always be another topic to write about.

In a nutshell, what I am hoping to achieve through this column is the establishment of a connection between the students of today and those of the past. At Trent especially there is a tendency to idolize our university’s past and view it as a time when its outlook was bright and students were able to enjoy the true “Trent Experience.”

Needless to say, that was not necessarily the case and although things have changed at Trent many of the issues faced by students still remain the same. Today, many students still come to Trent University because they think that it offers a unique educational experience, many students still choose Trent because they want that unique educational experience. In four and a half decades since the university (and Arthur) was founded a lot has changed and yet still a lot has remained the same.

I was reminded of this last Thursday at the Lady Eaton College senior dinner when almost one hundred Lady Eaton students, both on residence and off residence, first year and upper years, gathered together in the dining hall to celebrate the end of the 2010/2011 academic year. The evening ended up turning into what is one of my fondest memories so far at university.

To hear our college principal sing an enthusiastic chorus of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing to Trent’s founding president Tom Symons (whom I got to meet later); to be apart of the emotional experience for graduating students who will be leaving their college and the university in less than a month, and to hear the passion and conviction of our outgoing cabinet ministers reflecting on the experiences of this year was a welcome reminder of the value of college communities in the lives of the students here at Trent.

Undeniably there are students who do not see value in the colleges and undeniably there are students who could

made public their tally on the number of Taliban insurgents killed in that time, although defence analysts place the latest estimates at around 30,000.

Thousands of civilian casualties have also been reported, many of them from misdirected bombs or ‘friendly fire’.

The BBC reported that 2,700 civilians were killed in 2010 alone, 15% more than in 2009.

The Taliban are responsible for around 74% of all deaths that occur in the country with Afghan and Nato forces responsible for approximately 16%.

Coalition soldiers’ apparent disregard for civilian safety, along with the disrespect shown to many locals, has aggravated the public. The Taliban are frequently able to recruit young men from villages, according to a report that appeared on Wikileaks.

Afghanistan looks likely to remain in a troubled state for some time to come. Infrastructure remains in tatters, despite billions of dollars in aid money and financial assistance. Corruption is at an all-time high, with Afghanistan placed in the lowest 10 nations in Transparency International’s Global Corruption Perception Index rankings.

Governing systems at all levels have been plagued by nepotism and power-brokering with warlords.

The opium trade has now become the biggest single contributor to the economy, making up almost half of Gross Domestic Product by 2009. The country supplies 90% of the world’s opium, and NATO has singled this as the most important source of financing for the Taliban. Destroying poppy fields and opium production facilities will marginalize rural villagers, however, who could then switch their allegiance away from the government and further jeopardize the coalition force’s mission.

In all 34 of Afghanistan’s provinces, the war rages on for control of the country, the end of the Taliban uprising and the capture of Osama Bin Laden. The mission, named Operation Enduring Freedom, will endure, but whether it will indeed ensure freedom for the people of Afghanistan remains to be seen.

“

Listening to the cabinet hopefuls speak of their platforms earlier this week in the election speeches made it clear that the Draft Integrated Plan’s terminology of the colleges as only a “recruitment and retention mechanisms” does not take into account what they represent to students.”

not care less. Yet, what is also undeniable is the fact that Trent’s colleges are one of the university’s most defining and unique features.

In the last “Retro Arthur” section I wrote of the influence that students can have in making university life better and the colleges are a shining example of students working with the intent of fostering community for other students. Listening to the cabinet hopefuls speak of their platforms earlier this week in the election speeches made it clear that the Draft Integrated Plan’s terminology of the colleges as only a “recruitment and retention mechanisms” does not take into account what they represent to students.

To students, especially to those who are beginning their Trent careers, the colleges represent friendship and community and loyalty; a place to call home after they have left the shelter of their families.

From living in Lady Eaton these passed seven months, I have had the opportunity to talk with many other first year students about why they are here at Trent and what they want out of their education. The overwhelming sentiment is that their college has succeeded in becoming their own little circle and has contributed greatly to their educational

experience. This speaks to the heart of the issue. While it is true that the majority of students are here with a future career in mind, to get in and get out so to speak, that does not mean that they are not looking for a sense of community and belonging. But there are also many other students who choose to come to Trent because they feel it is the right educational institution for them and are using university as a way to explore their future opportunities.

Regardless of why you are at this university, the bottom line is that strong colleges build strong communities. That is what Trent has stood for in the past and will hopefully continue to stand for in the future.

Volume 45 | Issue 23 | March 29, 2011

17

Politics Research Day Co-Sponsored by the Centre of Knowledge in the Environment

Dr. Robert Paehlke (Professor Emeritus, Environmental and Resource Studies Progam, Trent University) “Why does Canada opt for inaction on climate change?”

Photos by Javin Lau

Jo Hayward-Haines (community activist) "What can we do about climate change now that we know the reality?"

PARN Prison Support Program is Making a Difference

By Dylan DeMarsh Communications and Resource Coordinator, Peterborough AIDS Resource Network Dave Brodrick admits that during his first prison experience more than 25 years ago he would be cruel to fellow prisoners if he knew they had HIV. “I was harsh,” he says, “very harsh. Because I was ignorant. The stigma that surrounded people living with HIV in our communities was amplified inside the prison walls.

“Two and a half decades later, and not a lot has changed.

I guess its a bit better, but you still hear the comments from prisoners and guards,” says Brodrick. The one major difference is that now some of those comments are being directed toward Brodrick, rather than coming from him.

Diagnosed with HIV 20 years ago, Brodrick is now one of thousands of people living with the virus in Canadian prisons. The rate of HIV infection is nearly 4.6% in Canadian prisons, which is 15 times greater than in the community as a whole according to statistics released by the

18

Correctional Service of Canada in 2010.

Since March 2010, Brodrick has been serving a robbery sentence at the Warkworth Institution located 60 km southeast of Peterborough. Warkworth is a medium security facility and, with a population of 580 prisoners, is the largest federal correctional institution in Canada.

Chris Ciceri began working with Brodrick shortly after he arrived at Warkworth. As the Peterborough AIDS Resource Network’s (PARN) Prison Support Worker, Ciceri visits regularly with Brodrick and other prisoners living with HIV/AIDS at Warkworth, as well as prisoners at Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Ontario.

PARN has offered its Prison Support Program since 1992, providing advocacy, health education, counselling and support for the day to day challenges for men and women at the two prisons in PARN’s catchment area.

Ciceri sees first-hand the difficulties that face HIVpositive prisoners. “It’s not cool to have HIV in prison” she says. “There is ostracism and abusive comments from the other prisoners. Many prisoners choose to not disclose

Volume 45 | Issue 23 | March 29, 2011

their status to healthcare staff for these reasons and end up not receiving the medical treatment they need while in prison.”

Warkworth has the highest rate of known HIV positive prisoners in Ontario’s federal prisons, not including the many prisoners who keep their status to themselves. Brodrick is open about his status and receives basic treatment in addition to the support he receives from PARN. However, the care he gets is minimal compared to what people living with HIV have access to in the wider community.

“Pain management is a major concern for our clients in prison,” says Ciceri. “Prisoners don’t have access to the same pain medications as they would in the general community.” People living with HIV/AIDS also have unique nutritional needs and prisoners have to purchase their own vitamins and additional food from the canteen with little or no income.

“It’s a struggle to get anything in here,” says Brodrick, “and the treatment isn’t really adequate. It is better than it was 20 years ago, and there is more access to specialists, but it is still not enough.” For example, Brodrick is usually prescribed Tylenol-3 for pain management, even though he contracted Hepatitis 10 years ago and the acetaminophen in Tylenol-3 causes further damage to his liver.

Brodrick’s sentence ends in June and Ciceri is currently helping him plan for life once he is released from prison. “I do release-planning with anyone who will be living in the 4 Counties once their sentence is completed. I help find housing and put people in touch with the health care services they require, such as the weekly Positive Care Clinic at PARN.” If prisoners are released outside of PARN’s catchment area, Ciceri will help them connect with a local AIDS Service Organization.

Brodrick is looking forward to his release and a chance to start over, but he hopes that changes are made inside the prisons once he is out. “I have personally witnessed the same syringe being used for the last nine months by so many different people,” says Brodrick. “They give us condoms and lube, so I don’t see why they can’t have a needle exchange.”

“These prisoners are eventually going to get back into the community,” he adds. “They will be transmitting HIV on the street.”

To learn more about Dave Broderick and his experiences, check out this Fifth Estate documentary: http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/2008-2009/ staying_alive/david_brodrick.html This article was originally published in PARN’s monthly e-newsletter, which you can subscribe to by emailing getinformed@parn.ca .

Column

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Trent Film Society Presents:

The Rules of the Game

On the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

By Karolyn Givogue On March 21, 1960, approximately 300 Black Africans gathered peacefully, chanting “Izwe Lethu” (our land) and “Afrika,” in a rally against the pass laws and the apartheid regime of South Africa. Robert Subukwe, leader of the Pan African Congress (PAC) – a Black African liberation movement – informed the commissioner of police that PAC was embarking on a non-violent campaign. When protestors approached the police station, officers opened fire on the crowd of demonstrators. At least 180 Black Africans were injured and 69 were killed in the township of Sharpeville. Despite investigations, none of the police involved in the killings were convicted.

The Sharpeville Massacre, as this struggle and the brutal response of police is known, prompted international condemnation of the apartheid system in South Africa. It also led to the proclamation of the March 21 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Oftentimes, on this commemorative day, we are reminded that every person has the right to be free from racial discrimination and harassment and that these rights are enshrined under human rights legislation in Canada.

In honour of IDERD this year, the Community and Race Relations Committee of Peterborough (CRRC) took up the complexities of human rights legislation by hosting a public talk at the Benedict Gathering Space in the First People’s house of Learning entitled Beyond “Rights Talk” and Inclusion Campaigns: Grounding equality struggles in Indigenous peoples liberation movements. The talk was given by Trent Alumni Paula Madden, author of African Nova Scotian-Mi’kmaw Relations – the first book written on African/Indigenous relations in Canada. Madden shared words about her current research on Rights Legislation in Canada and the United States from 1945-1985.

While I can’t recreate Madden’s sophisticated argument here, I can say that I get the gist of it: human rights talk ultimately works to pacify social unrest and to divert political energies into controlled arenas where the outcomes are inconsistent and difficult to enforce. Human rights have been used as a means to dispirit people from taking up direct action organizing, by presenting itself as the rightful and infallible avenue for seeking justice. This pathway also leads people to rely on those in power to define, uphold and enforce human rights.

An excellent example of how some of this work was shared by a participant in the circle at the talk: The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) of Ontario, Canada. The SIU emerged in response to the pervasive lack of public confidence in the policing system and the integrity of a process where police officers investigated other police officers when citizens are injured or killed. The public outcry escalated in 1988 when two Black men were shot and killed, one in August and one in December, by Toronto and Peel Region police forces. In response to mass mobilizations in protest of discrimination and lack of accountability, the SIU was formed. The SIU is responsible for investigating injuries, deaths and sexual assaults experienced by citizens at the hands of police. The ineffectiveness of the SIU is widely known, with reports hitting mainstream media detailing bias, complacency and lack of due process. And rather than taking to the streets, people continue to rely on a system of reporting and investigation that is inadequate, with no opportunity for appeal or recourse.

By Tyler Prozeniuk Appearing on nearly every list of the greatest films of all time, banned on its release in France, Jean Renoir’s absolute classic The Rules of the Game promises to be a fitting end to a long year of stimulating and subversive films. After recounting an incident at the film’s 1939 premiere in which, during the film, a man solemnly unfolded a newspaper, took out a matchbox, struck a match and lit the paper, Renoir stated, “In no way was it my intention to make a controversial film. It was not at all my intention to shock the bourgeoisie. I just wanted to make a movie, even a pleasant movie, but a pleasant movie that would at the same time function as a critique of a society I considered rotten to the core, and which I still consider rotten to the core.”

“The rules of the game,” said Renoir, “are those which must be observed in society if one wishes to avoid being crushed.” Renoir shows us that it is the rules that are ultimately crushing. Amos Vogel calls the rules of the game the “deadly social code,” and this plays out literally in the film, which culminates in an honour killing. In outline, the film shows a group of outwardly restrained aristocrats vacationing at a château. Their relations are at first cordial, but these gradually degrade as the vacationers various transgressions are exposed to one another, and the situation eventually becomes entirely chaotic. Renoir critiques the ‘rules’ by showing that they are not only repressive but systemic – the servants are by no means excluded from the drama – and this elevates the film from a mere critique of the bourgeoisie or the aristocracy to an exposition of the failure of the entire system of social mores.

The Rules of the Game screens at the Cannery, 168 Hunter Street W., on Wednesday, April 6 at 8PM. We hope you’ll come out to our final screening of the school year!

“

Ultimately, human rights are enshrined by the state because they protect the state, contribute to the pretence of benevolence, and close down pathways towards mass mobilizations and struggles for decolonization.

And what does that mean when oppressed groups themselves are struggling for equity?”

So what does it mean to address injustices through state sanctioned avenues where those with power continue to call the shots, and through the very institutions that systemically oppress marginalized groups? Ultimately, human rights are enshrined by the state because they protect the state, contribute to the pretence of benevolence, and close down pathways towards mass mobilizations and struggles for decolonization.

And what does that mean when oppressed groups themselves are struggling for equity? Paula made no pretence of having solutions, but the first step is one of grounding struggles in Indigenous liberation movements.

So Paula’s work begs the question, are you engaging in struggles for social justice that are really about upward mobility? On whose back? The Civil Rights movement was one where people of colour, particularly African Americans, sought civic recognition and rights – including land rights. This struggle engaged the state, thereby reproducing the legitimacy of the state’s terms of engagement. The movement then became complicit and engrained in settlerhood because, rather than seeking out negotiations and building solidarity with Indigenous communities, the supremacy of the colonial state was maintained. When one fights for rights and protections that serve and bolster the colonial state, then one becomes complicit as a settler.

So, if IDERD is a reminder to everyone to make active efforts to challenge and eliminate all forms of racial discrimination in our daily lives and in our communities, then we must take responsibility to think critically about human rights and the ways in which they are mobilized while focusing our energies on grounding our struggles in decolonization movements in solidarity with Indigenous peoples.

Volume 45 | Issue 23 | March 29, 2011

19

Listings Stitch and Bitch!

Every Monday at Sadleir House Senior Common Rm (201).

Bring your knitting, crochet, or needlepoint. Beginners welcome! 6:30-9pm.

Academic Skills appointment offers you the opportunity to discuss a paper you are currently working on with an experienced instructor who can provide support at all stages of the writing process - from picking a *H[Ă&#x201E;ZO >PSSPL 7YLZLU[Z ;OL topic to revising your draft - by offering guidance and sugges)\JRSL )\Z[LYZ Every Wednesday 9pm. Hot tions for improvement.

Western Swing and Hillbilly Call 748-1720 to make a 45 Jazz @ Ossia Pub (231 Hunter minute appointment or come St). Debut CD â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cartoon and I` 4VUKH`Z MVY KYVW PU Ă&#x201E;YZ[ JVTL Ă&#x201E;YZ[ ZLY]LK TPU\[L Westernâ&#x20AC;? available. sessions). You can also submit Jazz Duo, pianist Biff Hannon essays or questions online by and vocalist Donna Collison at going to www.trentu.ca/acaCurry Village, 306 George St. demicskills/service_online.php. on Saturday March 26 from 6 ;YHUZP[PVU ;V^U 7L[LYIVYto 9 pm V\NO WYLZLU[Z! The Market/V^ [V 4HZ[LY *OHUNL PU ing of Madness DVD Host and *OHUNPUN ;PTLZ! Thursday Q & A Linda Devine, Founder March 24, 7-8:30pm Sadleir Wellness Expo @ Library AudiHouse. A creative workshop torium on March 24 th 6:30 to discuss various skills to help pm to 8:30 pm. Come to this us face changes in our life and DVD showing. Be prepared to see them as opportunities for be shocked as to how Modern spiritual growth. Change can Psychiatry operates and deIL KPMĂ&#x201E;J\S[ VY LHZ`" I\[ OV^ ^L Ă&#x201E;ULZ UL^ KY\N [YLH[HISL O\THU handle it determines our future. conditions. Learn how new A simple shift of focus can al- drugs are repackaged ...follow us to take control of old low the money! This event is by habits and beliefs. Come learn donation. Refreshments will be and share your understanding. served and Silent Auction items No charge. All welcome. Find will be available. Beats 4 Jusour group at meetup.com (The tice 4 Levi!

Peterborough Spiritual Adven- Thursday, March 31, 2011 tures Group) or email Marc for Red Dog Tavern 8pm more info: nikobilz@gmail.com Peterborough Poetry Slam MASIA ONE to Kick Off KWIC (sign up at 7:30) Youth Spring Conference, Find- 9:30pm ing Your Voice: Art & Activism Alessandra Naccarato (Mon101, April 15th at The Market treal) Hall. Registration in advance White Noise Machine (Toronto) at www.kwic.info or via Face- DJ Who book. Informative and inspir- and Surprise Guests! ing keynote and participatory workshops for youth 14-25 $10 or Pay-As-Much-As-Youyears. More info at Kawartha Can World Issues Centre: 705-7481680.

1)*:( (.4 ,3,*;065: Wednesday, March 30 2011.

12 p.m. - Blackburn Hall, Room 114.2 (MYPJ]PSSL WYVK\J[PVUZ WYLZLU[Z! A Night of Music, Poetry and Dance. April 9. Featuring: - The Resolutionaries Marimba Band, Yardsteppa and Culture Mix Reggae Band, Balam Santos, AK 47 Band, Komi Olamifahan. Advance tickets $10. Tickets available @ Only cafe (216 Hunter St), Benevolent Stranger (212 hunter st) and Have you seen Video (321 Aylmer st). ;OL *Y\UJO PZ VU Feeling a little bit like a paper-writing, one-person assembly line? An

All proceeds to the Justice for Levi campaign for police accountability www.justiceforlevi.org www.peterboroughpoetryslam. blogspot.com @V\ÂťYL 0U]P[LK [V :WYPUN[PTL :LYLUHKL! Peterborough New Horizons Bands present an evening of light hearted tunes to welcome Spring. You will enjoy excerpts from Les Mis, favourite classics and Dave Brubeck jazz performed by our four concert bands. Friday March 25, 7:30 p.m. Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School. ;PJRL[Z! " MVY H[ the door or call 705 874 5311

Cayley 2.women.productions@ gmail.com. 613-256-0353.

HUK T\ZPJ I` )YVJR :[VULĂ&#x201E;ZO www.kwic.info or 748-1680.

,]LU[ H[ [OL :WPSS Tuesday Mar. 22nd: Falling From Airplanes with The Autumn Portrait.

;OL Ă&#x201E;ST ÂşL_WSVYLZ [OL HWWHYLU[ contradictions between Scott, the sensitive and respected poet, the insensitive enforcer of Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most tyrannical Indian policies.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; NFBC Sponsored by Kawartha World Issues Centre, Trent Indigenous Studies and Gzowski College.

-\JR [OL -HJ[Z (from ottawa), Legion DCLXVI (from toronto) and G.O.D. (from peterborough). Pappas Billiards. $6.

April 9.19+

:LJVUK :WYPUN /LHS[O` -HTPSPLZ >VYRZOVW! All about Eating in 4 to 12 Year Olds: Helping your Child Become a Competent Eater with Staff of the PRHC Family and Youth Clinic PU Ă&#x201E;LSKZ VM U\[YP[PVU WZ`JOVSVN` .PHU[ )VVR :HSL with Bake & social work. Thursday, April Sale and CafĂŠ. Saturday, April 7th from 7 to 9 p.m. Peterbor2, 2011,10:00 am - 2:00 pm. ough Public Library, 345 Aylmer St. Andrewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s United Church. St. N. The workshop will be of 441 Rubidge Street at Brock. interest to parents and care Also collectible books, CDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, providers of children ages 4 DVDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and videos. Wheelchair and over. Workshop Free. No Access at Kirk Street Door. registration required. For more information call 705-742-3803 ^W ^VTLU WYVK\J[PVUZ or 1-800-386-6561.

PZ KLSPNO[LK [V HUUV\UJL [OH[ ;OL )VVR VM :WLSSZ ( ;OL RL` [V SHZ[PUN OHWWPULZZ 3V]L :[VY` will be coming ! 4LKP[H[PVU JSHZZ back to Peterborough, Satur- with Buddhist monk Kelsang day April 2nd. Followed by a Donsang celebratory reception with re- Saturday April 2nd 10am to freshments provided by local 2:30pm food and drink specialists The Auditorium Olde Stone Brewing Company, Public Library Hot Belly Mamas and Brio Gus- 345 Aylmer Street to. Venue: St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Anglican Peterborough Church, 99 Brock Street, Peterborough, Ontario Saturday, ;O\YZKH` 4HYJO Z[ April 2nd 2011 $15/ pay what +\UJHU *HTWILSS :JV[[! ;OL you can for students/unwaged. 7VL[ HUK [OL 0UKPHUZ Free Advanced tickets at: Titles Ă&#x201E;ST ZJYLLUPUN ^P[O WYVK\JLY Bookstore, YWCA, KWiC, En- and director, James Cullingvironmental Sciences Building, ham. Begins 7pm in Nozhem East Bank, Trent University, Rm Theatre, Trent University folB101, WEC. Contact: Jennifer lowed by discussion, food

Projekt Events and Marquis Group Present: CONGOROCK at the Junction nightclub, 253 George st. N. Wednesday, March 30th, 2011 Tickets available @ www. wantickets.com/congorockpeterborough, The Benevolent Stranger, The Junction.

Doors open at 10pm 19+ (ID Required) Thanks.

Send event information to listings@ trentarthur.ca For ad rates, emails advertising@ trentu.ca