Fulcrum November 21st 08

Consultation process on uOttawa tuition fees October 27:

Student leaders make presentation to Board of Governors

November 5:

Senate agrees to a moratorium on exams to enable students to lobby provincial government on tuition fees

November 17:

uOttawa administration makes presentation to Board of Governors

November 24:

Board of Governors will hear the SFUO and GSAED response to administration’s presentation Only then will the Board proceed to a debate and a vote on the issue.

www.uOttawa.ca

Letters University education is not a right Re: “Why university education is a right” (Opinion, Nov. 13) I RECENTLY READ an article titled “Why university education is a right” in the Fulcrum. The author stated that post-secondary education should be a right based on two arguments. First, that any student who can complete a degree has the right to education, and second, that a university degree is “a ticket to employment” and therefore a requirement in a fair society. There is definitely something wrong with these arguments. Essentially, by saying that any student who can finish his or her degree has the right to an education, we are equalizing students who achieve 60s and students who achieve 90s. How is that fair? In fact, this equalization penalizes high achievers because they put in more work and get the same degree as someone who just passes. It’s not as if financial aid is not there to help those who want to achieve. There are entrance and merit scholarships available for those who earn them. This isn’t to say that people who don’t get high marks cannot get degrees. They will have to work hard in a different way to get through

school, but if they want to get a degree badly enough, they will persevere. What about the fact that a university degree is the key to employment? Should we be seeking to make universities, the places from which some of humanity’s greatest progress has come, just one more step on the path to the accumulation of wealth? By admitting anyone who can pass their courses for free, which is what the idea of the right to education is fundamentally proposing, degrees are devalued. I do not mean devaluation in the sense that the quality of university education within the institution is reduced. Despite what the author of “Why university education is a right” posits, that is not the devaluation argument. Rather, the argument is that the university degree is devalued in society because it becomes mandatory. No longer is it a representation of a strong desire for knowledge and furthering society. By allowing university to become a rung in the career ladder, we have made it into something to take for granted. Carmen Grillo Second-year economics and political science student

Contents Undergrads cast their votes

News

Consequences and controversies of the CFS referendum. p. 4

p. 4

Is the U-Pass in danger? p. 5

Fashion forward

Arts

Laurel Hogan tries on Ottawa Fashion Week. p. 10

p. 10

Jaclyn Lytle embraces Arms of the Girl. p. 11

Basketball’s back

Sports

Men’s and women’s teams combine to go 4-0 on the weekend. p. 16

p. 16 Feature

Want to explore the great outdoors? Then give the Outdoors Club a try. p. 17

The AIDS epidemic The increasing momentum of HIV/AIDS criminalization is explored. p. 12–13 Di deals with some funky spunk. p. 22

p. 12 Opinion p. 20

Pushy fundraising Katie DeClerq offers advice on how to avoid donating to charities. p. 21 Strandherd? More like stranded. Jaclyn Lytle describes the Barrhaven busing experience. p.20

Frank Appleyard Editor-in-Chief [email protected] Nov. 21–26, 2008 An open letter to Julie Séguin Re: “Enough isolation already” (Letters, Nov. 13) DEAR JULIE, I am not taking a side on the referendum on Student Federation of the University of Ottawa membership in the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), and I’m sure that you know the old adage about opinions. However, I feel that it is unfair of you, especially as an elected representative of the undergraduate students of the University of Ottawa, to label the arguments of the No campaign as “wrong-headed”, “crazy”, and “angry”. I am unsure of how I will be voting and I am not a member of either campaign, but I feel that your letter to the Fulcrum belittled those who, for legitimate reasons, oppose membership in the CFS. I for one have not heard any arguments which I would describe as you have, from either side. Let’s try and keep this campaign clean, because in the end, we’re all in it together. Spencer McKay Second-year political science and religious studies student

An open letter to Marc Kelly DEAR MARC KELLY, In response to your letter of complaint against the president of U of O, I would also like to ask why it was deemed necessary to forward your email to every student. I have read the email and the background information, and I do not feel much sympathy for you. While I agree that President Allan Rock’s dismissal of you from his office was not necessarily polite, I do not see how it was unwarranted. It is evident from your recording that you summarily ignored his assistant—who mentioned the necessity of making an appointment to you—and have done so in the past as well. The president presumably has things to do other than listening to you whine, and therefore insisting on an immediate response is rude as well as ambitious. I have no physics knowledge past high school, and can therefore make no comment on your research. I fail to understand your difficulty in accepting your faculty committee’s rejection of your proposal on the basis that it did not

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actually contain physics. The purpose of having said faculty members is to ensure that research is done with established guidelines that conform to the scientific process. Also, I very much doubt the Faculty of Physics de-registers a student from a class without a justifiable basis. If there is no basis, why is there no communication with the dean? There is a reason a hierarchy exists, and the president at the U of O is not responsible for an undergraduate student handing something in that does not conform to criteria. As there is no mention of anybody else in the class having the same problems, it is safe to assume that said criteria were available. In any case, I fail to understand how an individual telling another individual to “get out” of his private space is in any way violent. Security was not summoned to drag you outside and break your toes. In addition, I do not appreciate receiving your bile against the administration in my inbox. Kate Goddard Second-year conflict studies and human rights student

thefulcrum.ca poll Do you think the Maclean’s rankings of Canadian universities accurately portray the country’s schools? Yes No

Last week’s results

How do you plan to vote in the CFS referendum?

Yes

No

49%

51%

Go to thefulcrum.ca to vote! Business Department The Fulcrum, the University of Ottawa’s independent English-language student newpaper, is published by the Fulcrum Publishing Society (FPS) Inc., a not-forprofit corporation whose members consist of all Univeristy of Ottawa students. The Board of Directors (BOD) of the FPS governs all administrative and business actions of the Fulcrum and consists of the following individuals: Ross Prusakowski (President), Andrea Khanjin (Vice-President), Tyler Meredith (Chair), Peter Raaymakers, Nick Taylor-Vaisey, Toby Climie, Scott Bedard, and Andrew Wing. To contact the Fulcrum’s BOD, contact Ross Prusakowski at (613) 5625261.

Advertising Department Deidre Butters, Advertising Representative phone: (613) 880-6494 fax: (613) 562-5259 e-mail: [email protected] Check out our rate card online. Go to www.thefulcrum.ca and follow the link for “Advertisers”. Multi-market advertisers: Campus Plus: (800)265-5372 Campus Plus offers one-stop shopping for over 90 Canadian student newspapers. The Fulcrum is a proud member of Canadian University Press: www.cup.ca

Got something to say? Send your letters to [email protected] Letters deadline: Sunday, 1 p.m. Letters must be under 400 words unless discussed with the editor-in-chief. Drop off letters at 631 King Edward Ave. or e-mail [email protected]. Letters must include your name, telephone number, year, and program of study. Pseudonyms may be used after consultation with the editor-in-chief. We correct spelling and grammar to some extent. The Fulcrum will exercise discretion in printing letters that are deemed racist, homophobic, or sexist. We will not even consider hate literature or libellous material. The editor-in-chief reserves the authority on everything printed herein.

News 4 Controversy at CFS polls Emma Godmere News Editor [email protected]

Nov. 21–26, 2008

Students encounter campaigning, identified ballots at polling stations by Amanda Shendruk Fulcrum Staff REFERENDUM POLLS CLOSED Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. after three days of voting by University of Ottawa undergraduate students to decide whether or not the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) should accept full membership in the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), a national lobbying organization that represents approximately 500,000 students across Canada. Federico Carvajal, a member of the Yes committee and the external commissioner for the Graduate Students’ Association (GSAÉD)—a CFS member union for just under a decade— indicated his satisfaction at the amount of students that showed up at the polls. “I think the voter turnout has been great … It is really high in comparison to [the SFUO] elections last year,” he said, noting that approximately 2,500 students had voted on the first day. In the 2008 SFUO elections, fewer than 4,000 undergraduate students cast a ballot. Despite the notable turnout for this referendum, many students were concerned and confused by the voting procedure. At polling stations, students were asked to seal their ballot in an unmarked envelope, which was then placed in a separate envelope tagged with their name and student number. According to the Referendum Oversight Committee’s (ROC) rules, “each member of the student federation shall be allowed to cast one (1) secret, non-transferable ballot.” Students began to question the secrecy of their vote not long after polls opened on Nov. 18, but some uncertainty subsided when explanations of the process were placed at voting stations the following day. SFUO President Dean Haldenby, who sits on the ROC, clarified the situation. “People don’t think it’s secret, but it is still secret,” he said. “The reason why [we did it this way] is so that we can track down the ballot if someone voted twice.” During the 2008 SFUO elections, student numbers were entered into a computer database to determine voter eligibility. “We didn’t want to risk it with technology,” said Haldenby, referring to the CFS referendum. “It’s not just the SFUO making this decision. For

Voters line up to cast their ballots at one of the Unicentre polling stations on Nov. 18. such an important vote … we wanted to ensure that we took all the safety precautions.” Ryan Kennery, chairperson of the No committee, indicated that he had never witnessed this voting procedure before. “I’ve experienced online voting in college, I’ve experienced elections here with [scanning student cards], I’ve experienced elections here with just a ballot, but never [had] an experience with students being asked to write their name and student number on there,” he said. “It was concerning, but I guess we’ll see. I’m hoping that it’s legitimate. “I have no choice but to trust the process,” Kennery continued. “I think students should be skeptical when a new process is there.” Yes campaign volunteer Amy Kishek expressed complete faith in both the voting and counting processes. “At some point, we need to recognize and respect that this is the best system that [the ROC] could come up with … and then have faith in whoever we set to scrutinize the counting,” she said. “I have no question in my mind that ... it’s

going to be [a] pretty smooth [process].” Haldenby explained that scrutineers from both the Yes and No committees would supervise the ballot counting process. He also indicated that the voting method chosen for the referendum was not uncommon; it is a system that has been used in previous CFS referendums. Haldenby noted that as chair of the elections committee he will be reviewing the process following the referendum. Complaints regarding violation of ROC campaigning limits were also heard over the threeday voting period. One complaint alleged that poll clerks, who are expected to be impartial, were wearing CFS Yes buttons at certain voting stations. On Nov. 20, Haldenby said he had yet to see any proof of the situation. “I’ve never seen it. If I see it, they’ll be probably relieved on the spot. We don’t accept that,” he said. “Neutrality at the polling stations is of the utmost importance.” During the referendum, there also appeared to be confusion about the appropriate distance

photo by Martha Pearce

between campaigners and voting booths. The ROC rules state, “there shall be no campaigning within 15 feet of the polling station on voting days. There shall be no campaigning within sight or sound of the polling stations.” Campaigners from both sides were frequently seen distributing election materials in SITE. They were behind the 15 meters taped line, but were clearly within sight of the voting station. Kishek, one of the many campaigners present, said that both committees had mutually agreed that their distance was appropriate. “We’re not in front of the polling stations … We, as individuals, are not out of sight, but our materials are out of sight,” she said. “We are definitely within the referendum rules.” However, when informed of the situation, the ROC was not of the same opinion. “That’s unacceptable, and we’ll look into it,” Haldenby said. Results from the CFS referendum will be released by the afternoon of Nov. 21. —with files from Emma Godmere

Visit thefulcrum.ca for referendum results on Friday, Nov. 21.

U-Pass hanging on by a thread

U of O prof accused in 1980 Paris bombing France alleges prof’s involvement in decades-old synagogue attack by Amanda Shendruk Fulcrum Staff

photo by Lihang Nong

Councillors reconsidering U of O pilot project after original proposal defeated by Emma Godmere Fulcrum Staff THE PLAN TO implement a universal bus pass pilot project for University of Ottawa full-time undergraduate students in September 2009 nearly arrived at the end of the line after city councillors voted on the U-Pass at the Nov. 12 City Council meeting. Councillors were originally tied 12-12 in their vote to pass the Transit Committee’s motion to launch the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa’s (SFUO) U-Pass at the price of $125 per semester, a motion which acknowledged the need to find approximately $2 million in the city’s budget to balance OC Transpo’s potential loss of revenue on the pass. Mayor Larry O’Brien broke the tie to defeat the U-Pass motion after first defeating an amendment presented by Knoxdale–Merivale Councillor Gord Hunter that sought a ‘revenueneutral’ price point instead of the $125-per-semester proposal in an effort to ensure the city would not lose money on the project. “The universal bus pass lost at council on a tie vote, but it’s coming before council for reconsideration at the next meeting,” said Lindsay Valente, press secretary for Mayor O’Brien. “The mayor is hoping for more information on the cost to [become] available at that time.”

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Kanata North Councillor Marianne Wilkinson presented the motion to reconsider the U-Pass, believing it would encourage transit use among youth. “I’m doing it to help the students out. I think it’s a good idea,” she said. “I think if we can encourage students to use transit when they’re at school they’ll be more likely to use it later on, especially if we can give them good service.” However, Wilkinson realizes the financial barrier that U of O students in support of the U-Pass currently face. “The timing of this is dreadful. We just got the budget, and it shows cutting ice rinks and all kinds of other

“We’re not dead yet.”

Dean Haldenby SFUO president

things,” she said. “This says it’s going to cost us $2 million, and that $2 million is not in the budget right now, so we’ve got to find another $2 million in savings.” Hunter agreed that budgetary concerns are currently the priority. “While I think the universal pass is an attractive idea—and it might be attractive across the whole city—it didn’t make sense to be adding a two or three tenths of a per cent increase to our budget in 2009 when people are asking us to do the opposite,” he said. “If it came up tomorrow with a revenue neutral [price], I would support it.” U of O sustainable development coordinator Jonathan Rausseo, who has worked with the U-Pass project on campus for several years and recently helped to present the plan to

the Transit Committee, felt that many councillors are too caught up in budgetary concerns and are missing out on the potential benefits of the pilot project. “We want to consult with [councillors], to make sure that they have the right information, but then we also want to consult to give them the lowdown on what happens if they say no, because there are a lot of implications for the city if they end up saying no on this,” he said. Rausseo cited better air quality, less traffic congestion, fewer young drivers at higher risk of collisions on Ottawa roads, and more sustainable funding for transit services—with approximately 30,000 U of O student potentially locked in to purchase the $125 U-Pass in September 2009—as reasons councillors should support the pilot project. SFUO President Dean Haldenby, who has led the project along with Rausseo, indicated that they have several steps to take to get the U-Pass back into the city’s budget consultations. “Now we’re at the point where we need students’ help,” he said. “We need those who voted for this [and] those who support this pass to make that clear to council.” “We’re going [with] a kind of threepronged approach: number one, we’re going to be lobbying the councillors with [U of O President] Allan Rock within the next week; number two, we’re going to be doing an email and fax campaign; and number three, we’re going to be encouraging students to get out on [Nov. 26] to council to show them that we’re serious and that we’re ready to go,” Haldenby said. “We’re not dead yet.”

UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA sociology professor Hassan Diab was arrested in Gatineau on Nov. 13 amid allegations of involvement in the bombing of a Paris synagogue in 1980. The RCMP arrested Diab at the request of French authorities who are asking for his extradition to France, where he is wanted for multiple counts of murder, attempted murder, and willful destruction of property. On Oct. 3, 1980, a blast outside the Copernic Street synagogue in Paris killed four people and injured many others. The explosion came from a bomb hidden inside the saddlebags of a motorcycle parked outside the synagogue. A Palestinian extremist group, The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Special Operations, was blamed for the event, which quickly sparked the imposition of tight security measures at synagogues around the world. According to Agence-France Presse, the 56-year old is accused of constructing the explosive device. However, Ontario Superior Court Justice Michel Charbonneau has imposed a publication ban on proceedings, meaning the public will not be told the particulars of the French government’s case, or what evidence was presented during Diab’s Nov. 20 bail hearing. Rene Duval, Diab’s lawyer, has said he will fight to keep Diab in

Canada. “We will oppose his extradition because this is a case of mistaken identity,” he told the Ottawa Citizen. “It will be difficult for the prosecution to make its case because all this happened 20 years ago.” Quoting unnamed sources, France’s Le Figaro newspaper alleged in October 2007 that Diab led the commando team responsible for the attack, and that French authorities had requested assistance from Canada in inquiries at the time. In September 2007, a French magistrate reopened the investigation into the case when German authorities discovered Diab’s name on a list of former members of the group blamed for the attack. Diab, who is also a professor at Carleton University, was teaching three sociology courses at the U of O when he was arrested last week. In an official statement released Nov. 14, the university said that these classes would not be interrupted by the incident. While the U of O Department of Sociology and Anthropology has refused to comment, Matt Babcock, president of the undergraduate Sociology and Anthropology Students Association, was willing to briefly discuss the situation with the Fulcrum. “He has the right to remain innocent until proven guilty,” he said. “It will be a long process.” Babcock was a student of Diab’s last year, and had kind words for the professor. “He was very kind and helped students wherever he could,” he said. The U of O released an official statement last week confirming Diab as an employee of the university, but refused to comment further.

Im in ur website, steelin’ ur newz.

www.thefulcrum.ca

Nov. 21, 2008

NEWS

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Students face ‘unfair practices, systemic racism’ at the U of O

photo by Ian Flett

Mireille Gervais is the coordinator of the Student Appeal Centre. “I observe a lot of contempt for students,” said Gervais. “I can tell in a minute or two of the hearReport alleges ing if the student will win or lose, by judging the injustice in university [Senate] members’ attitude toward the student.” The report indicated that many students lose appeals process determination to pursue their appeals due to the amount of problems that permeate the whole by Len Smirnov process. Some students abandon their appeals Fulcrum Contributor after being subjected to long delays or allegedly “MISTREATMENT OF STUDENTS, Unfair experiencing a condescending attitude from the Practices and Systemic Racism at the University administration. Sixty-two out of 388 students of Ottawa” was the title of the Nov. 12 report re- abandoned their appeals over the past academic leased by the Student Federation of the Univer- year. “Some students don’t trust the system at all,” sity of Ottawa’s (SFUO) Student Appeal Centre (SAC). The report is the latest development in the said Gervais. “Students realize that there are no ongoing struggle between the student body and policies to protect their rights and are completethe U of O administration regarding academic ly disillusioned with the system.” The SAC report also suggests that professors appeals at the U of O, outlining numerous obstructions that students face and criticizing the and the Senate Appeals Committee wilfully discriminate against visible minorities. Seventyadministration’s role in the appeals process. According to the report, students encoun- one per cent of academic fraud cases recorded ter long delays in the resolution of their cases between Nov. 1, 2007 and Oct. 31, 2008, inprimarily due to a lack of deadlines for the U volved students of visible minority status. The of O adminstration to respond to students’ ap- SAC alleges that these statistics are not coincipeal requests. The Senate Appeals Committee, dental but indicative of systemic racism within the highest level of appeal for individual cases, the university administration. Director of the U of O’s Office of Communiis also accused of not resolving the cases it receives in fewer than six months. In the mean- cations Andrée Dumulon questioned the accutime, students encounter little guidance as to racy of the report’s statistics and the existence of where to direct their claims or seek professional problems within the appeals process. “We have to evaluate the information that is support. “Students are uninformed [about] where to in the report, but that takes time and at the moaddress their appeals. They have little informa- ment it is premature to say anything,” she said in tion and have to do the follow-ups themselves,” response to the report’s accusations. The SAC pressured the university to make said Mireille Gervais, SAC coordinator. Unwritten rules create additional complica- several changes to the appeals process in Februtions for students entering the appeals process, ary 2008, including revoking Senate members’ according to the SAC. Gervais estimated that anonymity, adding an undergraduate seat to the approximately 80 per cent of her work is based Senate Appeals Committee, and forcing faculon unwritten practices, where the administra- ties to send in submissions concerning student tion may not strictly adhere to standard proce- appeals in no more than 21 business days. The dures. Students unfamiliar with these practices new process has already experienced setbacks, lack important knowledge on how to file their however: average delays for Senate hearings inclaims and conduct themselves during case creased to 82 days from 78 days, and the candidacy of recently de-registered sixth-year physics hearings. Many students testify that they were mis- student Marc Kelly as the undergraduate student treated during their Senate Appeals Committee member on the Senate was rejected, namely due hearings. The SAC report claims that students are to the fact that Kelly is currently pursuing aptreated as guilty before they present their cases peals of his own. and that the students’ intentions have little value APPEALS continued on p. 8 in comparison to the professors’ statements.

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NEWS

Nov. 21, 2008

Endowment woes at the U of O Global economic crisis takes a toll on Canadian universities by Amanda Shendruk Fulcrum Staff WITH THE VALUE of university endowment funds decreasing across Canada, students at post-secondary institutions may soon experience cuts to scholarships, student aid, and program funding. The Globe and Mail reported on Nov. 3 that Canadian universities have already lost hundreds of millions of dollars from their endowment funds as stock markets around the world continue their downward trend. Endowment funds are created entirely by donor contributions. The capital from these charitable donations is invested and the income is distributed annually, providing longterm and relatively stable funding for universities. Donors allocate funds to the areas they are most interested in financing, such as a university’s general mission or scholarships and bursaries. Canadian universities currently

have an estimated $11 billion in endowment funds. On average, Canadian schools invest over half of their endowment and pension funds in world markets, which have dropped more than 30 per cent in 2008, falling 17 per cent in October alone. According to the Globe article, some universities have already taken measures to brace themselves for projected further negative economic impacts. Hiring freezes have been put in place at several institutions, while others have begun to cut their distributions from endowment funds. At the U of O’s Nov. 17 Board of Governors meeting, university treasurer Barbara Miazga presented an overview of the impact of the financial crisis on the U of O. It stated that the total market value of the school’s endowment fund assets on March 31 was $139 million. By September, however, the market value of the endowment fund had dropped to $133 million. These losses come at a difficult time for educational funding. Across the country, government cash and tuition-fee increases have failed to keep up with operating expenses, reported the Globe, and Canadian universities have already begun to cut costs. Although dealing with the current

photo illustration by Martha Pearce

economic situation will be a challenge for the U of O, it is not projected to have serious lasting impacts. “Over the long term, we expect that at some point the economy is going to turn around and markets are going to recover,” said Miazga, in an interview with the Fulcrum. “So that’s not where the risk is. The risk is in the

Maclean’s rankings hammer U of O U of O places last in student-faculty relations for second straight year by Jolene Hansell Fulcrum Staff MACLEAN’S MAGAZINE HAS once again placed the University of Ottawa at the lowest end of the majority of their academic and student life standings in their annual university rankings issue published on Nov. 13. Since last year’s issue, the U of O fell two places to come in 10th— tied with the University of Western Ontario—in an overall ranking of the undergraduate experience at Canada’s 15 medical doctoral universities (universities who provide a wide range of PhD and medical programs). When compared to 46 other universities across Canada, the U of O was awarded 24th place for quality of education, 21st for its innovation, and 24th for its likelihood of producing the “leaders of tomorrow”. While the majority of the rankings included both undergraduate and graduate programs, the numbers are quite different when the two levels of post-secondary education are examined separately. The U of O received top marks in graduate studies as research grants given to the university totalled over $178,000 last year, whereas grants and research dollars

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received for U of O’s undergraduate programs did not even make it into the Maclean’s list. One of the lowest rankings the U of O received was in student-faculty interactions, where the university placed last for the second straight year. This statistic gauges the role that professors play as mentors and examines how often students either meet with faculty to discuss career plans or how often students work with professors on research projects outside of class. Maclean’s annual university rankings issue examines and rates over 40 Canadian universities on such aspects as academics and campus life every year, as prospective university students prepare to decide which postsecondary institutions to attend. At the U of O’s Nov. 17 Board of Governors meeting, Rock recognized the student experience issues that were raised in the Maclean’s rankings and several other publications and indicated his intentions to address them. “There’s a message for us to receive, and I think it’s important that we be frank about it, that we be direct and not defensive, that we be eager to learn why we’re getting these numbers, and that we tackle the problem,” he said. “Our objective in life is not to get higher rankings in Maclean’s magazine, don’t get me wrong, but I see that from all of these sources and studies [there is] a consistent message. There’s something here for us to look closely at, and I, for one, intend

to look closely at it in the course of the coming months.” University spokesperson Andrée Dumulon also explained that the U of O has boycotted the Maclean’s rankings for several years. “The university does not provide data to Maclean’s,” she said. “There are 20 universities that do not provide information to Maclean’s because they question [the magazine’s] methods.” Other universities who began a boycott of providing information to Maclean’s in 2006 include Western, the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia, Carleton, Queen’s, Concordia, and York. Maclean’s normally gathers information on these universities through statistics provided by both the federal and provincial levels of government. U of O Research Chair in Education Joel Westheimer indicated that surveys such as the one featured in Maclean’s too often rely on reputation for rankings. “What you get is a self-perpetuating system where the elite universities stay elite, like the University of Toronto or UBC, because they have a perception of being elite,” he said. “From a prospective student perspective, the main thing that people can do is take it as one data point among many in ways to evaluate what school is right for them. It’s one piece of information … but it’s by no means the final word on which universities are better than others.” —with files from Emma Godmere

short term.” In the short term, students could be significantly affected. “It could mean in the short term that we will have to reduce the amount that is paid for scholarships and bursaries,” she said. Relative to other Canadian universities, the U of O has a small endow-

ment fund. At the end of last year, the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia (UBC) held the top spots for size of endowment fund—Toronto at $2.1 billion and UBC at just over $1 billion. The U of O does not rank in the top 20 universities with the largest endowment funds in Canada.

Tuition hikes proposed for 2009–10 by Emma Godmere Fulcrum Staff UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA students are facing a 4.2 per cent average increase in tuition fees for 2009–10, according to a document from the office of U of O VP Resources Victor Simon that was presented at the Nov. 17 Board of Governors (BOG) meeting. The document, entitled “Tuition Fees for the 2009–10 Academic Year”, proposed a 4.5 per cent fee hike for firstyear undergraduate students, and a four per cent rise for returning graduate and undergraduate students alike. Notably, first-year students entering certain graduate programs can expect to be hit harder than any other student at the university. Several programs, including common law, civil law, and the MBA program could see an eight per cent increase in tuition fees, while first-year medical school students could expect a potential increase of five per cent. The document also proposed raising

part-time and international students’ tuition at the same rates as regular fulltime students, and indicated that the revenue collected from the increase “will be invested exclusively to enhance the student experience, and primarily in financial aid and scholarships”. The document also detailed that the recommendations are reasonable, “given what all other universities in Ontario are doing, and given all other costs going up”. According to the document, if the proposals are accepted, most U of O students will pay an average of $200 more in tuition next year. At the Nov. 17 meeting, U of O President Allan Rock reiterated that the potential increases were still only proposals, and that the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa and the Graduate Students’ Association have been given the opportunity to officially respond to the proposals at another BOG meeting on Nov. 24 at 5 p.m. in room 4101 of Desmarais Hall. The BOG will finalize and vote on next year’s tuition fees at this time.

www.thefulcrum.ca Nov. 21, 2008

NEWS

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APPEALS continued from p. 6

News in brief

photo by Braeden Urbanek (CUP)

York strike leaves students in the cold TORONTO (CUP) – CLASSES AT YORK University were cancelled as the union representing faculty, teaching, and graduate assistants walked off the job on Nov. 6. Graham Potts, negotiator for CUPE 3903—the union representing the part-time York staff— said they are willing to go back to the negotiating table, but only when the university comes back with a fair deal. Potts indicated that it was not wages that were the biggest concern of the union, but rather protection against the cost of living. He detailed that staff want their wages linked to the consumer price index, so that if the index rises, workers “do not continue to fall behind”.

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NEWS

York Dean of Arts Robert Drummond indicated that the university will be willing to “make moves” once they can ensure the union is in favour of reaching a settlement. The York Federation of Students (YFS) is backing CUPE 3903 and YFS executives were all seen picketing alongside union members. Drummond indicated that the strike could last for several weeks. —Scott McLean and David Ros, The Excalibur Canada’s most vital graduates drawn to U.S. EDMONTON (CUP) – A NEW STUDY shows that Canada is losing fewer graduates to the United States than anticipated, but it’s the smarter students who are leaving.

Nov. 21, 2008

A study by University of Guelph professor David Walters indicated that those who are leaving generally tend to be in the fields that are considered vital to the emerging knowledge-based economy. Engineers, computer-science graduates, and especially those in help-related fields are at the top of the list. The amount of nurses heading south actually outnumbers the total doctors leaving the country. Walters believes his study could aid the country’s graduate retention by influencing the government into providing tax incentives for graduates, or making additional efforts to keep them in Canada. Businesses may also want to consider competitive wage rates to keep the more qualified graduates in the country. —Kirsten Goruk, Alberta and Northern Bureau Chief

The SAC met with U of O President Allan Rock in September and sent an advance copy of their annual report for his review. “We thanked the Student Appeal Centre for the advance copy and saw it as a sign of goodwill,” said Dumulon. “We want to work closely with the students. We are hopeful that we can come to some collaborative agreement.” At the Nov. 17 Board of Governors meeting, Rock indicated that the university has taken the report quite seriously. “I know enough about the work that’s been done to date to tell you that we’re going to disagree very strongly that there’s any evidence to support the allegations that have been made,” he said. “We’ve just about completed our analysis of the report … and we’re going to be tabling a response to the report in the coming days,” Rock added. The SAC is less optimistic about swift resolutions to the issues raised in the report. “The university holds 100 per cent of the power,” said Gervais. “Until we have a powerful student body, the problem will not be resolved.”

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SAFA to examine relations with SFUO Ad hoc committee created to study relations between student associations by Emma Godmere Fulcrum Staff

graphic by Ben Myers

Nov. 24 & 25 University Centre Outside Auditorium 9-6 9-5

THE STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION of the Faculty of Arts’ (SAFA) Board of Directors (BOD) has struck an ad hoc committee to “examine relations between SAFA and the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO)”, according to a press release. In the statement dated Nov. 13, SAFA outlined the intentions of this ad hoc committee, which include investigating “the possibility of seeking independence; the possibility of optional membership within the SFUO; the possibility of bringing in outside mediation; the possibility of sending open letters, legal letters or petitions to the SFUO; or the possibility of seeking no action”. While SAFA is incorporated and does collect money from its own levies, the association still receives funding from the SFUO and, as a federated body, is represented at various roundtables and is expected to follow SFUO policies. “There have been lots of instances that have been building up within the last couple of months within our mandate, in terms of relations with the SFUO, and they have not been positive,” said SAFA President Elizabeth Doneathy. “We’ve tried meetings and one-on-ones, and solutions have not been coming out of it.” Doneathy indicated that the recent decision by the Referendum Oversight Committee (ROC)—which has

regulated the campaign for SFUO membership in the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS)—was one of the more recent and most pressing issues. The ROC penalized the No committee upon receiving complaints that a SAFA survey sent to undergraduate students regarding the CFS was too slanted toward the No side. “In light of the complete alienation on behalf of the [ROC] to SAFA in regard to the survey, as far as I was concerned, that was kind of a boiling point and I needed to let the Board of Directors know what was going on and all of the things I’ve been dealing with,” said Doneathy. SFUO President Dean Haldenby indicated that the SFUO had met with SAFA, but not directly before the federated body created the ad hoc committee. “They’re more than welcome to look into these options, [although] it’s unfortunate that the executive of [SAFA] didn’t make an effort to contact me before they took this step of a measure to look into that,” he said. “Our relations, in my view, are okay,” he continued. “There are issues from time to time, and we deal with them usually on a case-by-case basis. The problem is, I was totally unaware of this happening. I had met only once with the president of [SAFA] regarding these relations and ... I thought that we had dealt with quite a bit of it at that point.” “We don’t want to put our personal grudges or whatever out on the forefront,” explained Doneathy. “We want to make sure that we’re making the decision that is best for all arts students.” The eight-member ad hoc committee, which includes Doneathy and other SAFA members, will present their findings during SAFA’s Feb. 8 BOD meeting.

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Nov. 21, 2008

NEWS

9

Arts & Culture Nov. 21–26, 2008

Peter Henderson Arts & Culture Editor [email protected]

10

Ottawa moves fashion forward Ottawa Fashion Week puts the capital on the fashion map by Laurel Hogan Fulcrum Staff OTTAWA HAS LONG had a reputation for being one of the most culturally apathetic and stylistically challenged cities in Canada. It’s often said to pale in comparison to other major Canadian cities, especially its famously culturally vibrant neighbours Montreal and Toronto, cities that hold internationally renowned fashion weeks. Ottawa Fashion Week, held Nov. 13–15 at the National Arts Centre (NAC), boldly set out to make its own mark and prove the critics wrong. The event debuted in May for the 2008–09 fall/winter season. This time, it showcased the spring/summer 2009 collections of jewelry, swimwear, couture, and sportswear from 13 designers and retailers, most of whom live, work, or deal in the Ottawa area. And don’t think any of these fashion gurus are bothered by Ottawa’s apparent lack of high-class fashion events. Kamar Hargadon, one of the three designers behind golf-inspired menswear line Triple Bogey Apparel, explains that Ottawa’s dearth of highclass fashion might not be such a bad thing. “Ottawa’s a great place to sort of test your product out … because it’s not going to get out of Ottawa,” he says. “You can get some good feedback.” He and his design partners don’t have much to worry about after selling their edgy, board-wear inspired line of golf polos to both Milk (234 Dalhousie St.) and Shoreline (325 Richmond Rd.), as well as other Canadian retailers. Although Hargadon likes Ottawa as a market for trial runs

of his label’s clothing, he doesn’t think it’s a sustainable market. “We’ll never be successful if we’re only in Ottawa,” he explains. Nicole Colbourne, owner of Gals Royale, a mobile personal-shopper boutique, also understands the difficulty in getting Ottawa consumers to sit up and take notice. According to her, success doesn’t come easily in this city. “If you can make it in Ottawa, you can make it anywhere,” Colbourne says, welcoming the challenge. “Ottawa needs fashion, period.” And fashion is just what Colbourne brings to the city, importing her pieces from perennial fashion hotspots Los Angeles and New York. She jets back and forth to personally select pieces for her boutique, which she brings to her clients’ homes, where they ‘shop’ Colbourne’s carefully selected products and even enjoy spa treatments courtesy of Gals Royale. “We treat them like royalty,” she explains. Other designers, like Stacey BafiYeboa of Kania Couture, work on a national scale. Hush (1440 Wellington St. W) and Workshop Studio & Boutique (242.5 Dalhousie St.) are just two of 23 stores across Canada that carry the Kania line of “luxury street style clothing”. Bafi-Yeboa has nothing but praise for Ottawa’s fashion world, putting a positive spin on the city’s apparent passivity. “I love being here. There’s a real balance of fashion and … the laidback life as well,” she says. “I find in other cities you get people who are a bit competitive … whereas here everybody’s really supportive.” That support was evident throughout the three-day event, where Ottawa’s booming fashionista populace (armed with Louis Vuitton handbags) was out in full force. Runway show attendees formed a line stretching from the NAC’s Panorama Room all

the way down the grand red staircase to the lobby below. Many lined up 45 minutes in advance, hoping to snag a front-row seat for the next show. The efforts of those who managed to do so were not in vain. Torontobased Melissa Clemente Designs’ awe-inspiring parade on Saturday night of one-of-a-kind, mixed-media necklaces drew nods and audible exclamations of approval from the audience of fashion industry professionals, amateur fashionistas, and even supportive moms who were there only to see their model daughters walk the runway. The long, chunky jewellery— made of fabric, pearls, semi-precious stones, wooden beads, and vintage charms on brass, gold, silver, iron, and surgical steel chains—were easily the freshest and most eclectic designs of the night. The most impressive piece was a simple yet painstakingly crafted mass of small, turquoise nuggets attached to lengths of silver chain. Another standout designer was Ashley Zaba, who sent pin-up inspired puff sleeves and high-waisted swimwear—including a cute, striped take on the itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny yellow polka-dot bikini—down the runway. Her best pieces were those that stayed true to her retro inspirations, oozing glamorous sex appeal without giving everything away. A curvehugging, lipstick-red pencil skirt was a great example of this cheeky—not cheap—sexuality, and exemplified Zaba’s ability to make 1950s glamour look right at home in 2009. It may not have been anywhere near the scale of Paris Fashion Week, and technical difficulties may have abounded (the Nov. 13 opening show was nearly two hours behind schedule), but, thanks to Hargadon, Colbourne, Bafi-Yeboa, Clemente, Zaba, and other talented local designers, the fall/winter edition of Ottawa Fashion Week was a resounding success. Ottawa fashionistas proved they know what’s in, and as for apathy—that’s so five years ago.

photos by Martha Pearce

Cock’d Gunns aim for success, fail hilariously McGill grads make a rock n’ roll mockumentary by Lindsey Rivait The Lance WINDSOR (CUP) – Rock star diva wannabes Cock’d Gunns want it all: fame, fortune, and status as the biggest rock band in the world. Unfortunately for them, they’re lazy, lack musical talent, and have no fans. Cock’d Gunns, a mockumentary series airing on Showcase, documents the exploits of the three members of a fictional rock band of the same name on their half-assed rise to mediocrity. The band features singer/songwriter Reggie Van Gunn (Morgan Waters), his brother, bassist Dick Van Gunn (Andy King), drummer Barry Ciccarelli (Brooks Gray), and their manager Keith Horvak (Leo Scherman). While Reggie and Dick bicker about everything under the sun, Barry tries his best to keep the band together— all the while dealing with Keith and his multitude of problems. Only in its first season, the series has already been nominated for three Gemini Awards this year—Best Writ-

ing in a Comedy or Variety Series, Best Comedy Series, and Best Ensemble Cast for a Comedy or Variety Series. The onscreen chemistry between the bandmates and their manager stems from their long friendships off screen. King, Gray, and Scherman went to McGill University together, where they became friends. After graduating, they moved to Toronto where they dabbled in online comedy. Meanwhile, Waters had his own after-school kids’ show on the CBC, The Morgan Waters Show, and the trio ended up being recruited as writers and producers for the show. The early concept of Cock’d Gunns was born while the four were still working on Waters’ show. “I talked to [King and Waters] about playing brothers in something because I thought they looked similar,” says Scherman. “That’s where we first came up with the idea of playing musicians and it would be a comedy show in the spirit of Spinal Tap.” King, Scherman, and Waters pitched the idea of Cock’d Gunns to Canadian production company Tricon before they recruited Gray. The Independent Film Channel (IFC) picked up the show, and ordered 13 episodes. The first episode aired on IFC in December 2007, and Showcase also bought the broadcast rights

photo courtesy Showcase

for the first season. Unfortunately, Showcase announced it would be ending the show’s run with the Nov. 8 episode, but the show will return to IFC. There is no word yet on a second season. The group writes the show, improvising heavily along the way. They also produce the episodes, and are involved in the editing process.

“We’ve been really lucky finding a great production company and a great broadcaster that helps us make a show,” says Gray. “There’s very little interference.” Cock’d Gunns is inspired by a lot of over-the-top rock divas, and the cast has a lot of fun mocking their rock idols. “I think Axl Rose is a good influ-

ence for Reggie’s character,” explains Gray. “He is a diva. He pretends to be artistic, but at the same time he’s an idiot. That’s one thing we want to skewer with the show—just the levels of pretension in music in general and how misplaced it is.

out in April, into Ottawa stores. “The song we all agreed is best is ‘Ten Thousand Days’,” says Côté. “It’s our baby. It would be our big single if we were huge. We had a good CD release in April, and we’re trying to get [the album] out there and get it into stores. It’s hard for a local band to make [an album]. It’s expensive too.” Regardless, the band intends to release a second album featuring their newer material. “Everyone is in school right now,

everyone has jobs,” Côté explains. “It’s funny, originally we didn’t know each other at all and I’m amazed we’ve lasted this long and we’ve come to be so close. We do it because we love it, not because we want to be superstars. It’s not easy, it can be pretty crazy, [but] we’re like a family.”

COCK’D GUNNS continued on p.14

Local band has the right recipe for living U of O band balances school and folk music by Jaclyn Lytle Fulcrum Staff ASPIRING LOCAL FOURSOME Arms of the Girl understands the hectic student lifestyle. Between class, assignments, studying, and work, most students barely have time to breathe. As all members of the folk-rock band are full-time students, two at the U of O, Arms of the Girl is often left panting. Guitarist and lead vocalist Carolyn Côté explains what it’s like to add the stresses and responsibility of being in a band to the long list of demands on a student’s time. “It’s absolutely crazy,” says Côté. “The only time we really have [for the band to work together] is practice once a week. It’s just so hard coordinating all these schedules. [Some of us] are impossible to [get together], with all the different schedules. It’s especially hard to get in any extra practice before shows, or to get everyone organized for a photo shoot or shows.”

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Getting the band together for shows seems to be the biggest problem for the band, due to its members’ unnaturally hectic schedules. Both Côté and bassist Afton Penny are currently studying at U of O, in education and engineering respectively. The other two musicians, drummer Chris Zimmerman and lead guitarist Sammy Jo Elderbroom, are also students. “It’s unbelievable,” says Côté. “For our show on Dec. 5, I’ll be up at 6 a.m. I’ll be teaching for a full day before the show. One time, Sammy even ran an entire marathon for something with school before a show.” Booking the shows themselves has also proved to be a challenge for the band, which Côté admits is a difficult process. “It’s been a weird learning experience,” she explains. “I’d never been in a band before, so I came in knowing nothing. But we had friends, and we had a mentor to give us pointers. There was a lot of basically going in and begging for them to let us play. Some people have been responsive, but others have been complete assholes.” Arms of the Girl has been together for almost three years, excluding the recent addition of Zimmerman.

This summer they played both Club Saw and Ottawa’s SuperEx. Originally, they went by the name Afton’s Angels, a nod to bass player Afton Penny. “We decided it wasn’t a very cool name,” Côté states. “I mentioned the play, [George Bernard Shaw’s Arms and the Man], and we thought we’d make it Arms and the Girl, because there were three girls in the band at the time. Eventually it just sort of became Arms of the Girl.” The group met through a program at an Ottawa music school that focuses on uniting musicians and providing mentorship for fledgling bands. In the case of Arms of the Girl, each member brings their own unique taste in music, which Côté says has helped them to develop a sound that she calls “acoustic folk-rock”. “We do have a lot of different influences,” she says. “We always fight over this because there’s a definite country influence that comes from me, and all the other members are into different heavier stuff. We always fight about what kind of music we really make; it’s hard to define.” Earlier this year the band released their seven-song debut album, Recipe for Living. The band has been focusing on getting the disc, which came

photo courtesy Tammy Raybould

Nov. 21, 2008

Arms of the Girl play The New Bayou at 1077 Bank St. on Dec. 5. at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the door for $10. All ages.

ARTS

11

Innocent until

proven

The global trend toward HIV/AIDS criminalization

positive

Last March, The New York Times reported that HIV-positive homeless man Willie Campbell, while resisting arrest for drunk-and-disorderly conduct, spat in the face of the arresting officers. Campbell was charged with assault with a deadly weapon. That weapon was his infected saliva.

by Nadja Popovich The McGill Daily MONTREAL – “WHAT I WANT to do is to ask you this morning to come on a journey with me,” invited Edwin Cameron, justice of the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa, in his closing plenary speech at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City in August. The journey he proposed was to examine the criminalization of HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS issues have been a point of discussion around the globe for the past two decades. HIV directly attacks the human immune system, weakening the body’s defences against illnesses, and causes the development of the fatal disease known as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). According to the World Health Organization, 2.1 million people died of AIDS worldwide in 2007.

page 12 | the fulcrum

HIV/AIDS as a crime The criminalization of HIV/AIDS, one of the major topics at the AIDS conference, has garnered scant media attention in comparison to other ofthe-moment HIV/AIDS issues, such as the race to find a cure and the efforts to educate the African population on the syndrome. Yet a wave of new legislation attempting to control the spread of HIV/AIDS through criminal prosecution has been gaining momentum around the world. According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the purpose behind such legislation is to “punish harmful conduct by imposing criminal penalties, and prevent

HIV transmissions by deterring or changing risk behaviours.” As defined in “The Case Against Criminalization of HIV Transmission,” an article by Scott Burris, published in the August volume of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the criminalization of HIV/AIDS “takes the form of HIV-specific criminal statutes and the application of general criminal law (such as assault) to exposure or transmission of HIV.” Attempts to criminalize HIV/AIDS have cropped up internationally, but this type of legislation has seen opposition from some of the highest international authorities on the disease. Some of the most prominent opposition is found with UNAIDS and non-governmental organizations including the Medical Foundation for AIDS and Sexual Health in Great Britain. “Criminalization is driven by an AIDS phobia and an exaggerated view of the risks of HIV transmission,” said Richard Elliott, executive director of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network. “It comes down to the fact that we’ve seen the kinds of cases where people are being charged for spitting or scratching.” A case in Texas from earlier this year is an oft-cited example of such legislation stretched to an extreme. Last March, The New York Times reported that HIV-positive homeless man Willie Campbell, while resisting arrest for drunk-anddisorderly conduct, spat in the face of the arresting officers. Campbell was charged with assault with a deadly weapon. That weapon was his infected saliva. Although neither of the police officers involved

in the arrest tested positive for HIV, the jury upheld the assault charge. Campbell was convicted under a habitual-offender statute for similar offences of disorderly conduct in the past and sentenced to 35 years in prison—at least half of which must be served before he is eligible for parole. The characterization of saliva as a deadly weapon exemplifies one major problem behind criminalizing HIV/AIDS: such cases often ignore scientific evidence. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s website, “contact with saliva, tears, or sweat has never been shown to result in transmission of HIV.” In developing countries, where the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is often much higher than in the western world, there is a more immediate need to mitigate the spread of the disease. Criminalization laws can seem more appealing in these countries. “As the epidemic has exploded in the developing world, there has been a simultaneous push to legislate against the disease. Often it comes in the form of omnibus laws, which address many issues and usually throw in criminalization,” said Elliott. While the adoption of criminalization laws can provide a concrete way to fight the spread of HIV, the legal systems in many developing countries tend to be ill-equipped to deal with the complexities of such laws and their social consequences. Furthermore, according to an UNAIDS policy brief on the criminalization of HIV/AIDS; “There is no evidence that criminal laws specific to HIV transmission will make any significant impact on the spread of HIV or on halting the epidemic.”

A model law—a law encompassing multiple issues around the subject—adopted in many West African countries has been the basis of the criminalization push. The African Model Law on HIV in Africa, under Article 36, applies to “any person guilty of wilful transmission”. However, “wilful transmission” is defined as “[the] transmission of HIV virus through any means by a person with full knowledge of his/her HIV/AIDS status to another person.” This law came out of a largely U.S.-funded 2004 project on HIV/AIDS in West Africa, AWAREHIV/AIDS, and has been written into legislation in a number of countries since its inception. This model has led many countries, including Sierra Leone, to criminalize mother-to-child transmission. Such laws stipulate that a woman can be criminally charged for not taking the steps necessary to prevent HIV transmission to her fetus, such as taking anti-retroviral medications during pregnancy. It is hard to imagine a mother wanting to spread HIV to her child. However, as the stigma surrounding the disease is combined with limited knowledge about medications, many mothers do not know how to prevent the transmission. The ambiguity of such laws, especially in developing areas, is exactly what Elliott finds troubling. While in developed states these types of laws are often born from precedents set by prosecution, in the developing world they are written directly into legislation. As a result, they tend to be loosely defined and risk spiralling into an extension of criminal law beyond reasonable bounds.

illustration by Alex Martin

Legislation to stigmatize

Criminalization hits home Though Canada does not have any formal laws regarding the criminalization of HIV-AIDS, it is no exception to the trend of finding ways of using current laws to criminalize the syndrome. Many cases involving HIV transmission as a criminal act have been tried. “Normally what we see [in Canada] are lawsuits that are based on aggravated assault, or sexual assault, turned to HIV/AIDS cases,” said Vézina, recounting a case in Montreal—ruled on in July—that saw a woman charged with aggravated assault for exposing her ex-boyfriend to risk of HIV infection. According to a July 9 CBC report, a woman and a man—identified only by their initials— were involved in a long-term relationship, which

ended with the woman, D.C., filing an assault charge over claims of domestic abuse against the man, J.L.P. This move was countered by a charge of aggravated assault against D.C. for failure to disclose her HIV-positive status to J.L.P for the first three months of their five-year relationship. D.C. testified that the couple had used protection over the initial three-month period. Although J.L.P. tested negative for HIV/AIDS, the court found that the couple had engaged in unprotected sex at least once. D.C. was found guilty of aggravated assault for not immediately making her HIV status known, thereby invalidating her then-boyfriend’s consent to engage in sexual relations. The judge ruled that anyone with HIV has a legal duty to inform their partner and that not doing so was irresponsible. This case is not the first of its kind in Canada. A number of cases involving undisclosed HIV status have been tried as sexual or aggravated assault. The reasoning that without full knowledge of a person’s HIV status, one cannot be in a position to legitimately consent to sexual relations may be well intended, but it can lead down a slippery slope from accountability to blame. As Vézina said, too many value judgments are already placed on those with HIV-AIDS and it would be hard to believe that such biases could be kept from the courtroom. “It is hard to keep a presumption of innocence for the defendant when the party has HIV,” said Vézina, adding that this played a large role in D.C.’s conviction in the Quebec case.

Worldwide dissent Whether dealing with unintentional exposure to risk, or mother-to-child transmission, concerns over the implications of criminalization and the extent to which these laws can be stretched are voiced around the globe. UNAIDS has urged “governments to limit criminalization to cases of intentional transmission, i.e., where a person knows his or her HIV positive status, acts with the intention to transmit HIV, and does in fact transmit it.” The UNAIDS policy brief emphasized the limitation of criminalization, stressing that governments should be expanding those “evidence-informed” strategies already proven to reduce HIV transmission, such as education to combat stigmatization and discrimination, testing and counselling, and access to medication and care facilities. In Cameron’s closing speech at the AIDS conference, he accused the criminal approach to addressing HIV prevention as being “punitive and angry,” adding there is now, more than ever, a need for a human-rights based, “positive vision of HIV prevention”. “Criminalization assumes the worst about people with HIV, and in doing so, it punishes their vulnerability,” Cameron said. His call to action encouraged people around the world to come out explicitly against the use of the unchecked criminalization of HIV/AIDS. As Cameron, the only HIV-positive member of the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa, asserts: “It’s a virus, not a crime.”

the fulcrum | page 13

The negative repercussions that may arise from HIV-specific legislation in the public health and human rights arenas are central to the problem. The 2007 issue paper for the UNAIDS Reference Group on HIV and Human Rights raised concerns over the use of criminal law specific to HIV transmission as a “return to ‘blaming’ people with HIV,” and resulting in a possible increase in stigma against people living with HIV, and a possible decrease in people taking individual responsibility for protecting themselves”. Christine Vézina, lawyer and head of the Rights and HIV Program at the Coalition of Québécois communities fight against AIDS (COCQ-SIDA), agreed. She argued that the idea of criminalizing HIV transmission contradicts the last two decades of public health strategies for combating the disease. “The major point regarding public health strategies is focusing on shared responsibility. This means that everyone is responsible for their own sexual life,” Vézina said. “The criminal laws are hurting this idea. What they suggest is that even if you don’t protect yourself, [you shouldn’t] stress too much, because it is the responsibility of those who have HIV to do the protecting, and the law will make sure of this. People are looking for a security net, and shared responsibility is less able to provide this. It’s not comfortable for them.” A rights-based concern with HIV-criminalization is the risk of disproportionate effects on marginalized populations. Already-stigmatized

groups such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, and drug users are seen as prime targets of such criminal legislation. Elliott cautioned that these groups are among the most vulnerable, often already working outside the protection of the law. The uneven application of HIV-specific criminal laws is reiterated in the UNAIDS policy brief, which adds that criminalization risks reinforcing stigma, “driving [people living with HIV] further away from HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support services”. According to Richard Pearshouse, the director of Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, “There is no good evidence that the criminal law is effective at preventing HIV transmission.”

You’ll never eat brunch in this town again

COCK’D GUNNS continued from p. 11

Arts & culture cuts deep

Peter Henderson Arts & Culture Editor IT SEEMS LIKE the Ottawa arts scene just can’t catch a break. Hot on the heels of the decidedly arts-unfriendly Conservative Party’s re-election, the City of Ottawa has proposed massive cuts in local arts funding. These are no ordinary cuts, either. The City’s draft 2009 budget calls for a $4.1 million drop in the city’s arts and culture funding, a 54 per cent cut from 2008. This is bad for you, bad for me, and bad for the City of Ottawa. Let’s hope it’s a one-time exception, not a brave new rule. Even some of the biggest events in Ottawa stand to lose public funding. Bluesfest, one of the largest music festivals in North America, is entirely cut off from

the public trough, saving the city approximately $100,000. Although the massive revenues of Bluesfest don’t necessarily make this a fatal blow to the festival, it says something about our local government’s priorities when they won’t fund a festival that brings in millions of dollars in tourism revenues. Bluesfest is not alone—the proposed 2009 budget calls for the complete withdrawal of public funds from all local festivals. This leaves the Ottawa Folk Festival, the Ottawa Fringe Festival, and even newer events like Festival X and Ladyfest, among others, on uncertain financial ground. Unfortunately, unlike the larger festivals, many of the smaller arts initiatives in this city may not survive without public funding. Without help from the city, SAW Gallery, Propeller Dance, and the Ottawa edition of the Inside Out GLBT Film Festival might never have gotten off the ground. The same goes for the many local theatre companies that are also losing a portion of their municipal funding, including A Company of Fools and the Great Canadian Theatre Company. Even our very own University of Ottawa Choir is losing 100 per cent of its funding from the city. The proposed arts cuts, right now, only

pertain to 2009, but their effects will be felt for years to come. Youth-oriented projects like the Orleans Young Players Theatrical School, the Ottawa Youth Symphony Orchestra Academy, and the Ottawa Children’s Choir will see their funding slashed this year. These programs and schools are important for the development of the artists of tomorrow, and cutting their support means impoverishing our artistic future. Ottawa isn’t the cultural wasteland that some make it out to be, but that prospect is almost inevitable if these proposed cuts are made permanent. The nascent artistic scene in this city is full of people working their asses off to deliver culture both high and low to a seemingly unresponsive populace, and the least the city could do is give something back. I realize that this is crunch time for everyone—the economy is lousy, housing prices and therefore tax revenues are trending downward, and the city can’t afford any supposed luxuries. But these cuts can’t be made permanent, or we’ll lose the beginnings of our longawaited cultural revival. A city without arts and culture is a city without life. [email protected] 613-252-2311

“It’s a pretty fun and flamboyant industry to base something on,” adds Scherman. “I think you have a natural excuse for fairly eccentric characters that take themselves pretty seriously, too. I think that fame and popularity play just as much a role for them, if not more, than the actual music. They aspire to be the most popular people in the world, even if they may not be prepared to work for it or sacrifice like most other people in life.” But, like the fake band Spinal Tap, who were memorably chronicled in the 1984 musical mockumentary This is Spinal Tap, Cock’d Gunns have explored the possibility of expanding to other media outlets. The band already has an album’s worth of music and will be playing their first live gig on Nov. 13 in Toronto at a special fan appreciation event. “People have responded very positively to the music even though it’s not as out there like Flight of the Con-

chords where it’s clearly joke music,” says Gray. “We’re not supposed to be some kind of cooler-than-thou indie band; we’re supposed to want to be some mainstream international rock band, but we’re lazy and stupid, so that prevents us from getting anywhere,” he adds. “That’s kind of the crux of the show. We aspire to be a huge stadium rock band, as big as Guns ‘N Roses, but we can barely play a single gig in a bar without falling apart.” Even though the show has been dropped from Showcase, the boys behind Cock’d Gunns are still planning ahead for future storylines. “Keith is going to unfortunately experience another big problem with a woman, so his cycle will repeat itself. I think the band will get some success, but whether or not it’s the success they’re looking for and if it lasts is very much up for question,” explains Scherman. “Annie and Dick will break up, I could tell you that. I think Keith might get falsely accused of murder.”

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0949WBB08

14

ARTS

Nov. 21, 2008

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Revolution personified photos by Ian Flett

Guy Bérubé’s La Petite Mort challenges convention by Megan O’Meara Fulcrum Staff NEW YORK, SAN Francisco, Paris— these are the cities that come to mind when thinking of thriving artistic communities. Luckily for Ottawa, La Petite Mort Gallery (306 Cumberland St.) owner Guy Bérubé has called each of these cities home and wants to bring his experience in artistic innovation to the nation’s capital. Bérubé was raised in Ottawa and obtained a photography diploma from Algonquin College. He moved to the United States and worked in several galleries, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. In 1989 he settled in New York and spent a decade working and selling art out of his apartment. In 2000 Bérubé crossed the ocean to deal art at Au P’tit Bouchon, an arts venue in Paris, before returning to Ottawa in 2001. His extensive experience in other cities convinced him

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that Ottawa needed a dose of the avant-garde, and in October 2005 he opened his own gallery, La Petite Mort. Bérubé utilized the skills he honed during his years as an art dealer to create a gallery that seeks to impress and disturb viewers in the same moment. The gallery’s name itself—French for “the little death”, and another term for an orgasm—embodies this strange union. La Petite Mort is described on its website as “that gorgeous moment that juxtaposes suspense, tension, and relief just after the release of a really good orgasm”. Bérubé brings 25 years of experience in the art world to La Petite Mort, including his time as both a recognized art curator and accomplished interior designer in several of the world’s most culturally vibrant cities. Bérubé uses his unconventional approach to art—honed through his experiences in the world’s most cosmopolitan cities—to challenge patrons and shift the paradigms of the Ottawa art world. “Ottawa would probably be the last place I would have wanted to open a gallery because it’s a difficult market and a tough sell here,” Bérubé explains. “The reality is sometimes I have to borrow money to pay the rent.

Sometimes I can’t pay my artists because I have to pay my bills first.” Despite the challenge of succeeding in Ottawa’s arts scene, Bérubé has persevered. He’s made a name for himself with his inventive gallery and the strange collection of art housed within. La Petite Mort has played host to hundreds of artists in its short lifetime and has garnered recognition from both the local and national media. Bérubé holds to the philosophy that change is necessary in all aspects of life. This ideal is evident in the diverse and unconventional work in his gallery. “You have to move into the 21st century and realize that some things, even though they’ve been the same forever, have to change. Change is healthy,” he says. “There’s a lot of rules I choose not to follow.” Bérubé has come to realize over the years that while the concept of exclusivity may work for the gallery, artists usually hate it. If they depend entirely on one gallery for all of their sales, they will miss many opportunities to showcase their creativity. “Normally a gallery has exclusivity [with artists], but I don’t believe in that,” he explains. “My artists are encouraged to show elsewhere. Galler-

ies are meant to work by themselves, grab as many artists as they can, hold onto them, [not] share them. That’s bullshit. It’s not fair to hold on.” This laid-back approach to the standard practices of the art world reaches beyond his artists’ freedom to the selection of artists themselves and the way he works on a daily basis. He explained his concept with a comparison to some of the galleries he found when living in Paris. “You walk into these galleries and [it’s] a little tiny bachelor apartment and the guy is cooking his soup on his desk and it’s very personable. That’s what I wanted … I didn’t want it to be pretentious.” One thing Bérubé never shies away from is controversy, but controversy for its own sake is not his goal. He tries to show art that is worthwhile and intelligent, regardless of how accepting people are of its content. His shows frequently deal with erotica as a central theme—part of the reason his collections often have a strong reaction from the art world. “There’s a little bit of controversy because people think [I] just show anything and everything,” he says. “But the stuff I show here, it works. It’s affordable, it’s unique, and the artists have something to say.”

Nov. 21, 2008

Bérubé sees art everywhere, and doesn’t hold to the traditional idea of what should and shouldn’t be shown in a gallery setting. “Somebody wanted to rent the gallery for their four-year-old’s drawings,” he recalls. “I thought that was so cute. I thought, why not? I don’t want my gallery to be exclusive just to artists that are established.” Currently, Bérubé’s gallery has over 100 member artists, and each one is guaranteed at least one individual show. He calls these shows “one-night stands”, and hosts one every Friday night, from 7 to 10 p.m. “I discovered a long time ago that it’s all about the opening night … because if people came once, they won’t come back, they’ve seen it.” As much as Bérubé hates to admit he plans on leaving Ottawa again, he has always felt that it’s healthy for him to keep moving. “What I would like to do [next] is take the business and expand it,” he says hopefully. “I would imagine the possibility of keeping this one here and … I would open one in Toronto or Montreal with the same name and branch it out.” For more information visit lapetitemortgallery.com.

ARTS

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David McClelland Sports Editor [email protected]

Sports

Nov. 21–26, 2008

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Sparks leads team to victory Women’s basketball on a four-game winning streak but still not perfect by David McClelland Fulcrum Staff

photo by Elizabeth Chiang

THE UNIVERSITY OF Ottawa women’s basketball team no longer looks like the team that won only three in the 2007–08 season. With a convincing 59-40 win over the McMaster Marauders on Nov. 14 and a close 61-57 win over the Lakehead Thunderwolves the next day, the Gee-Gees are on a four-game winning streak and have already surpassed last season’s total number of wins. While the roster is almost entirely unchanged from last season, head coach Andy Sparks, who replaced Carlos Brown in July, now leads the Gee-Gees behind the bench. “It’s a different atmosphere in practice. We’re working a lot harder [and] mistakes—we’re just not allowed to make them,” said thirdyear guard Melina Wishart, who had a 14-point game against Lakehead, including four three-point baskets. “I think the [team is] probably buying into a system,” said Sparks of the difference between the two seasons. “They’re understanding how

important defence is [and] I think they’re learning to support each other, learning to trust each other a little bit. And I can’t reiterate enough how important that is that you know, when you’re out on the floor, that you’ve got your teammates behind you and supporting you, and that you’ve got the same thing from the people on the bench.” While Sparks has had only a few

“It’s a different atmosphere in practice. We’re working a lot harder [and] mistakes— we’re just not allowed to make them.”

Melina Wishart

months with the team, his influence can be seen clearly on the court. Ottawa took care of the Marauders with ease, and played with poise against Lakehead, never losing confidence, even after falling seven points behind the Wolves in the first quarter. “That’s our coach,” said Wishart. “He doesn’t let us get on those runs when teams are beating us down the court. He brings us in, he talks to us, [and] he knows what to say.” Wishart also mentioned that she felt much of the team’s improved

play—including their overhauled defensive game—came from Sparks’s fresh approach. She was also quick to praise the team’s two transfers: Allison Forbes, a fourth-year guard from the Brock Badgers, and Kaitlin Long, a fifth-year guard who originally played for the Dalhousie Tigers. While Sparks is proud of his team’s performance to date, he recognizes that there is room for improvement. “We could have been beaten today,” said Sparks after the game against Lakehead. “We went 3-for-11 from the foul line down the stretch, and to our credit we finally got to the foul line and we need to do that. There’s been too many games where we’ve settled for the perimeter.” Sparks emphasized that the Gees need to take a long-term approach in order to build a successful team. “Offensively, we’re not executing as precisely as I would like to see us execute,” he said. “That’s something that takes a lot longer, though. We’ve only been going for two and a half, three months, and that’s really a oneor two- or three-year process. We don’t fix everything [right away].” The Gee-Gees now have a 4-1 record, and are second in the Ontario University Athletics east division. They next play Nov. 21 when they host the Brock Badgers at 6 p.m. at Montpetit Hall. Tickets are $4 for students.

No growing pains here Gees winning weekend displays bigger, more experienced men’s basketball lineup by Ben Myers Fulcrum Staff THE GEE-GEES MEN’S basketball team did a lot of growing up over the summer. Literally. In their home opener on Nov. 14, the Gees suited up their tallest and most physical starting five in recent memory. Along with returning fifthyear centre Dax Dessureault, who at 6’9” can easily hook shots over smaller forwards, the Gee-Gees have bolstered their lineup with recently recruited 6’5” first-year forward Warren Ward. Returning forwards Nemanja Baletic and the currently injured David Labentowicz add to the offensive depth, standing 6’7” and 6’5”, respectively. On the bench, Gee-Gees head coach David DeAveiro has even more

options with rookie centres Louis Gauthier and Matt Michaud, both over 6’8”. “We got lucky this year,” said DeAveiro. “We got a chance to recruit some big [players] and they all decided to come [play for the Gee-Gees]. Other times, we try to recruit some big [players] and we don’t get any ... But they’re young. They’re raw.” Along with their newly acquired big guns, the Gee-Gees can still depend on fourth-year guard Josh Gibson-Bascombe, an Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East first-team allstar last season. Although he struggled during Ottawa’s first two games of this season, collecting an uncharacteristic five and 10 points respectively, Gibson-Bascombe returned to form against the McMaster Marauders in the Gees Nov. 14 home opener, scoring 25 points. Even Josh’s younger brother, second-year point guard Jacob GibsonBascombe, admits to having grown a couple inches since he last played in the 2007–08 season, though his basketball IQ may have grown the most.

Veteran centre Dax Dessureault uses his height to his advantage against McMaster. “Coming into my first year, I knew it was going to be a learning experience, but I thought it was going to be a learning experience on the court,” Jacob Gibson-Bascombe said following a 12-point performance against McMaster. Jacob suffered a foot injured in January, and spent the remainder of the season in the stands.

“When I got hurt, I had to take a sideline view. I had to look at the game from an outside perspective, and I thought that helped me a lot. I got to look at different aspects of the game.” DeAveiro said Jacob’s growth can be seen on the court. “[He’s got] more maturity on the

photo by Alex Martin

floor, more confidence on the floor,” DeAveiro said. Jacob shared duties with his brother throughout much of Ottawa’s game against McMaster. A dominant first half from Dessureault and the elder Gibson-Bascombe gave the Gees a 14-point lead going into halftime. GROWING continued on p. 19

Splashing into third Swim team sets records at Divisional Championships by Megan O’Meara Fulcrum Staff WITH THE SEASON half over for the GeeGees varsity swim team, the outlook is promising as the team finished third among six teams at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Divisional Championships hosted by the University of Toronto Nov. 15–16. Head coach Iain McDonald was impressed with his team’s performance both this weekend and throughout season. “We had some really strong performances,” he said. “Everyone was basically where I expected them to be in this part of the year. We were really happy with the meet.” Team captain Hans Fracke noted that there were several highlights throughout the meet, as many of the Gee-Gees posted their best times this season. “A lot of people had [personal] best times, so at this point in the season that’s really good,” said Fracke. “I think as a team we did really well.” The team placed first in the men’s 400-metre freestyle relay, beating out top teams from the U of T and Western. As well, the team broke its record for total score at a meet, encapsulating their impressive performance this season.

This record-breaking team included rookie Rob Irvine, who came in first in the men’s 200-metre individual medley. He swam his best time of the season and will compete in the Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS) Championship in Vancouver Feb. 19–21. “He was really the standout for the weekend,” said McDonald. On Nov. 27, Irvine and the rest of the men’s team will travel back to Toronto to compete in the University Challenge Cup. McDonald explained that this meet unites eight of the top 10 CIS teams in competition. “We’ll be racing against the University of British Columbia and the University of Calgary,” he said. “It’s a pretty prestigious event.” After the Nov. 27 meet, half of the men’s team will compete at the Canada Cup—an international meet in Toronto—the next day. The team will participate in several competitions in addition to the championship events, with most taking place in the new year. “After Christmas, we have a few minor competitions before the OUA championship [on Feb. 6] and the CIS championship,” he explained. The team is already working hard to prepare for these meets despite the fact that they are still months away. They are hoping to build on the momentum they aquired from the Divisional Championships. “We were all pretty tired and were still able to perform like that,” said Fracke. “Once we’re rested up and shaved down and tapered I think we’ll be even faster and do reallyy well.”

photo courtesy Meg Fracke

The U of O swim team set a record for their best total score at a meet during the Divisional Championships in Toronto.

There’s more to Canada than just rocks and trees U of O’s Outdoors Club gives students a chance to experience the outdoors around Ottawa by David McClelland Fulcrum Staff

photo courtesy Outdoors Club

The U of O Outdoors Club gives students a chance to experience Canada’s outdoors.

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WHEN YOU GO to school in the downtown core of one of Canada’s biggest cities, it’s easy to forget that the city is surrounded by plenty of natural recreation areas. The University of Ottawa Outdoors Club reminds U of O students that there is a vast world beyond the city, and gives them a chance to enjoy the great outdoors. Karina Lamy, now a fifth-year biology student, created the club in 2006 after she recognized that there was a gap in affordable outdoor recreational activities for students at the U of O. And so the Outdoors Club was formed. “I was part of the Carleton University Outdoors Club in my first year, but [at the U of O] the only thing that was available was Sports Ser-

vices and they were charging ridiculous amounts for trips that should be $60,” said Lamy, who is now one of the club’s three co-presidents along with Ellorie McKnight and Stéphane Wojciechowski. “The Adirondacks trip is $200 ... that’s just too expensive for a student. There just really wasn’t anything available for students to go to [Gatineau Park] or go camping at a reasonable price.” During her second year at the U of O, Lamy brought together some of her friends and formed the Outdoors Club. Despite some initial problems gathering enough members to sustain the club and have it keep official club status, it now boasts a large membership from across campus. The club currently organizes a wide variety of activities, including camping, snowboarding, and paintball trips, and regularly hosts firstaid courses, which teach an essential skill for outdoor safety. Lamy feels that the club is successful because spending time outside of the classroom and meeting new people appeals to many different students.

Nov. 21, 2008

“There’s a lot of interest [in the outdoors] for students, especially exchange students,” she said. Lamy also noted that the club had generated interest among students in programs like Environmental Science and Leisure Studies. With events such as a trip to the Laflèche Aerial Park planned— where students can ride 200 metrelong zip lines and explore suspension bridges high in the forest canopy— as well as less intense activities like orienteering and snowshoeing, the club offers plenty of activities for students. Lamy said that they’re always looking for new things to try. “Everyone likes to be outside, and it’s fun to try sports that are a little more adrenaline-oriented,” Lamy explained. “We haven’t done bungee jumping or anything, but there’s potential to do stuff like that.” Students interested in joining the Outdoors Club can contact them at [email protected] and ask to be put on the club’s mailing list. There is no registration fee to join, however many of the club’s events require a moderate fee to attend.

SPORTS

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Number four, Bobby Orr Searching for Bobby Orr a fascinating look at hockey in the 1960s and 70s Explore the art and influence of the artist behind Mack the Knife

by David McClelland Fulcrum Staff

The National Arts Centre English Theatre presents

Orr played hockey during a time of transition, beginning his NHL career in 1967 and playing until 1979, and this larger historical context forms the book’s third theme. During that period, the NHL tripled in size from six teams in the northeastern corner of North America to 18 spread across the continent, while the NHL’s short-lived rival, the World Hockey Association, sprung up and tried to steal away the NHL’s best players. Hockey changed in a big way over the course of Orr’s career, and Orr played a big part in those changes—a fact that Brunt emphasizes many times in his work. It is this historical backdrop that makes Brunt’s work truly exceptional. From Orr’s roots in conservative 1950s Parry Sound to his transformation into a cosmopolitan Bostonian, Brunt follows Orr’s career and sketches a portrait of an all-star defender, while managing to showcase Canada’s national game during a period of major change. Searching for Bobby Orr is easily one of the best hockey books to come out in recent years and is highly recommended for anyone interested in the career of one of the game’s greatest players.

Around the horn Men’s hockey team loses twice in Kingston WHILE THE GEE-GEES men’s hockey team had chances to win this weekend in Kingston, they were unable to come up with a victory in either game. On Nov. 14, Ottawa lost 2-1 in a shootout to the Queen’s Golden Gaels, and a day later lost 7-6 in overtime to the RMC Paladins. The Nov. 14 affair was a goaltending duel between the Gees’ Riley Whitlock and the Gaels’ Brady Morrison, who surrendered just one goal each in regulation and overtime while facing 35 and 37 shots respectively. Gee-Gees left-winger Matthieu Methot scored the lone Ottawa goal. Morrison denied all eight Ottawa shooters in the shootout before Queen’s forward Brandon Perry finally solved Whitlock.

18

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“It was a back and forth game,” said GeeGees head coach Dave Leger. “We couldn’t bury our chances in the shootout.” The next day, RMC took advantage of Ottawa’s slow start to build a 3-0 lead in the first period, before the Gees narrowed the gap to 3-2 by the end of the frame. After exchanging goals in the second and third periods, the game was tied 6-6 when RMC forward Justin Lacey scored on Gee-Gees goaltender Martin Bricault in overtime. “We were disappointed with the trip,” said Leger. “We left two points back in Kingston.” The Gee-Gees now hold a 5-4-2 record and sit third in the Ontario University Athletics Far East division. They next play Nov. 25, when they visit the McGill Redmen. —Andrew Hawley

Nov. 21, 2008

THE ARK: THE THEATRE OF BERTOLT BRECHT Directed by Peter HINTON With a company of 41 actors, designers, directors, dramaturgs, historians, musicians and playwrights

November 29 | 19:30 Dominion-Chalmers United Church, 355 Cooper Street, Ottawa I^X`Zih'%™HijYZcih&% ($15 for 2008-09 ET subscribers) Available at the NAC or at the church on the evening of the performance Produced by the NAC English Theatre Company in association with the National Theatre School of Canada with assistance from the Goethe-Institut Toronto, the University of Ottawa, and the Friends of NAC English Theatre. Generously supported by The Cyril & Dorothy, Joel & Jill Reitman Family Foundation The National Theatre School’s participation is made possible in part by

Rudolf Schlichter, Portrait of Bertolt Brecht, 1926

THERE ARE FEW hockey fans who aren’t familiar with Bobby Orr. Like any of the other greats who have played the game, from early stars like Maurice Richard to Sidney Crosby today, his name stands out in the annals of hockey history. Orr won the Stanley Cup twice with the Boston Bruins, and was one of the most prolific scoring defenders ever to play the game. Yet many fans know little of the story behind Orr’s career, which is where Canadian sports journalist Stephen Brunt’s 2006 national bestseller, Searching for Bobby Orr, comes in. Brunt’s book, technically speaking, contains nothing new. Since it is an unauthorized account of Orr’s life, there are no new interviews with him or those close to him, but nevertheless, it’s an excellent overview of his hockey career. There are three basic themes running through the book, the first of which is Orr’s genius as a hockey player. Brunt takes readers from Orr’s days as a young child learning to play the game in Parry Sound all the way to his storied NHL career. Orr’s skills are described in intricate detail, including an entire chapter (one that is perhaps the highlight of the book) devoted to a description of Orr’s 100th point in the 1969–70 season. It may sound tedious, but Brunt’s fluid prose keeps things interesting without getting bogged down by superfluities. Of course, fans already understand Orr’s incredible hockey skills, and Brunt’s praise is not what makes the book stand out. Rather, the book’s other two themes make it truly interesting. For one, significant time is devoted to the people who surrounded Orr throughout his playing career and how they influenced him and helped (or hindered) him. Orr’s father is mentioned frequently, as is Orr’s infamous agent, Alan Eagleson, who often used an unwitting Orr to further his own ends. Through these and other interactions, Brunt delivers a more complete portrait of Bobby Orr—who he was as a man, not just as a hockey player. Brunt also exposes the other side of Orr’s career. In addition to the aforementioned Eagleson, passages detail poor coaching or managerial decisions affecting Orr’s career, as well as Orr’s battle with a persistently injured knee and surgeons constantly assuring him and the public that all would soon be well.

National Arts Centre ENGLISH THEATRE PETER HINTON, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

www.nac-cna.ca NAC BOX OFFICE MON.-SAT. 10:00-21:00 GROUPS 10+ 613-947-7000 x384 | [email protected]

613-755-1111

GROWING continued from p.16 Fourth-year McMaster centre Mouctar Daiby had a tough time defending against the lankier Dessureault, and collected only four points in the first half thanks to some strong defence from the Gees. Dessureault, on the other hand, collected easy baskets off fast breaks and ended the first half with 15 points. McMaster managed to whittle Ottawa’s lead to only five points with five minutes remaining, as Ottawa’s shooters went cold in the final two quarters, shooting only 38 per cent after a blistering 67 per cent first half. It took a three-pointer from Josh Gibson-Bascombe with one minute left to break the Marauders’ spirits and seal the game for Ottawa. To round out their weekend homestand, the Gee-Gees faced the Lake-

head Thunderwolves on Nov. 15, and won 80-67 with Ward collecting 19 points and seven rebounds. Fifth-year Lakehead forward Kiraan Posey scored 26 points in the losing effort. Dessureault and Josh Gibson-Bascombe contributed 18 and 22 points, respectively, showcasing what could become a potent offensive triple-threat when Ward is playing up to form. DeAveiro summed up the team’s growth in two categories: recruiting and experience. “We’re a little deeper than we were last year, and we’re a year older—and a year wiser, hopefully.” The Gee-Gees are now 3-1 and tied for first with the Carleton Ravens in the OUA East division. They host the Brock Badgers on Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. at Montpetit Hall. Tickets are $4 for students.

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Lighting the lamp

What a difference a coach makes

David McClelland Sports Editor I HAVE A lot of respect for a good coach. They don’t always get the attention they deserve, as they tend to be relegated to the background while athletes perform their heroics on the floor, ice, or field. But coaches are often the most crucial element of a team, more important than any one player. They’re the glue that holds the team together and provides leadership and strategy. If the coach becomes directionless, the team loses its ability to win games. At the U of O, there’s no better example of coaching making a difference than the Gee-Gees women’s basketball team. Last season, with Carlos Brown at the helm, the team was mired in problems. Several veteran players quit the team after disagreeing with him over the team’s coaching system, and the Gee-Gees went on to post a dismal

3-19 record. Now, I don’t know exactly what went on behind the scenes, but it’s obvious that Brown was not the right fit for the team. That’s not to say he was a terrible coach—after all, men’s basketball head coach Dave DeAveiro decided to take him on as an assistant coach this season—but for whatever reason, Brown wasn’t able to gel with the women’s team. Sports Services asked Brown not to return after the season ended, and hired local Ashbury College head coach and former Carleton Ravens assistant coach Andy Sparks as his replacement. While Sparks was heralded by Sports Services for his coaching abilities, no one thought that the Gees team would be instantly transformed into a winner. But we were wrong. After dropping a 52-50 decision to the Carleton Ravens in their season opener, the Gee-Gees haven’t looked back and are currently enjoying a four-game winning streak. Much of this success can undoubtedly be traced back to Sparks. As he patrols the sidelines, he looks very much at home with the Gee-Gees, his veteran demeanour betraying his still-brief tenure. His influence shows on the court—the team is playing with more confidence and surrendering over 10-fewer points

per game than last season. Sparks has been able to turn the women’s basketball team into a winning squad, tightening up their defence and challenging the unit to play harder. In a recent interview, third-year guard Melina Wishart spoke of the team’s improved work ethic and heightened confidence. I think what’s truly interesting here is how much one person can change a team. I know from my own (admittedly limited) athletic experience that having an excellent coach can motivate you to play harder and improve your performance, while a terrible coach can have the opposite effect and detract from your play. Sparks’ coaching abilities have obviously had a huge effect on the Gee-Gees women’s basketball team, but there is still work to be done. While the team’s results are fantastic so far, they are not without problems: offensively, the Gees can be frustratingly inconsistent, and they need to learn how to defend more carefully and take fewer fouls. Thankfully, Sparks seems to have recognized these issues and is working to fix them. It will be interesting to see the team adapt and change under his guidance over the remainder of the season. [email protected] 613-562-5931

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www.athabascau.ca/standout



www.thefulcrum.ca

Nov. 21, 2008

SPORTS

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Opinion Heckles:

Michael Olender Executive Editor [email protected] Nov. 21–26, 2008

Hey OC Transpo, stop cutting corners and do your job by Jaclyn Lytle Fulcrum Staff THE FORMERLY REMOTE, lacklustre Barrhaven community has developed a reputation as the definitive Ottawa-area suburbia in recent years. The community is located anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour from Ottawa’s downtown core for commuters travelling via bus, and anywhere from 20 minutes to two hours for those travelling by car, depending upon traffic. The bus is largely relied upon by commuters, making Fallowfield station the transportation hub of the Barrhaven community. Unfortunately, the transit stations and routes to, from, and within the ever-burgeoning community are the worst planned in the city. Fallowfield station, Barrhaven’s first parkand-ride facility located at Fallowfield Road and Woodroffe Avenue, initially had only one parking lot when it was built. In designing the station, the rate at which the community was growing was not taken into account. Rather than accommodating the number of commuters that could be expected to make use of the station say, for instance, five to 10 years down the road, Fallowfield was built in accordance with the estimated number of commuters in Barrhaven at the time. It was not long before the number of commuters far exceeded the capacity of the station and, shockingly, the Fallowfield park-and-ride was forced to expand. A proposal was put forth by members of the Barrhaven community that the park-and-ride facility expand upward, creating multi-level parking that would have the potential to grow with the expansion of the community. Naturally, to save precious dollars, the proposal was rejected. Instead, an adjoining field was transformed into a massive paved lot. Considering the lack of planning and the refusal to accommodate the projected number of future commuters, one can only imagine the astonishment that ensued when, lo and behold, some short years later the number of commuters in Barrhaven again far exceeded the capacity of Fallowfield station. In an idiotic attempt to resolve this issue, OC Transpo elected not to address the problems of Fallowfield station at all and instead decided to build yet another park-and-ride facility, which has come to be known as Strandherd. This new station was built in the centre of the community, which unfortunately is the only convenient thing about it. Prior to the construction of Strandherd station, there were two local buses that ran from

one end of Barrhaven to the other, both beginning and ending at Fallowfield station. Once the new station became serviceable, OC Transpo carved up these two routes to create four separate local bus routes in the community. This means that for someone to travel from one end of Barrhaven to another, he or she must take a minimum of two buses. This would not have been too inconvenient if it weren’t for the fact that absolutely none of these local bus routes actually run through Strandherd station. The 95 route offers the most accessibility to this station. However, it only goes as far as Strandherd onethird of the time, which inflates waiting times for passengers so much that it is more worthwhile to forget the whole thing altogether, and leave from Fallowfield instead, which more and more passengers are doing. Strandherd station, although OC Transpo disagrees, simply does not provide the necessary services that passengers in the community require (and has basically become a useless eyesore). Instead of inexplicably carving up a well-designed local transit system, OC Transpo should have had the foresight to heed predictions regarding the massive growth of the Barrhaven community and planned to accommodate the future population size. Until recently, the issue of Strandherd station has been, at best, an annoyance to those members of the Barrhaven community who are obliged to rely on public transit. That was until OC Transpo decided to start actively ticketing cars at Fallowfield station that were not parked within the lines of a designated space. OC Transpo clearly does not understand that passengers using the park-and-ride facility are forced to find whatever space they possibly can, be it on the sides of the lot or on the gravel, as the lot is always full. In addition to ticketing, OC Transpo put up a sardonically friendly sign reminding Fallowfield patrons of the expanded convenience of Strandherd. What I cannot understand is why OC Transpo is punishing passengers for its own mistakes. One parking ticket costs more than a monthly student bus pass. Why should students have to pay parking tickets when the inconvenience of OC Transpo offers them no other choice but to park the best they can and ride the bus? Perhaps one student may offer a suggestion: take the money that is being siphoned from the pockets of those of us who have to rely on public transit and put it toward the smart planning required to create a system that is both convenient and efficient.

20

Lord Jones is dead

A word on impartiality

Frank Appleyard Editor-in-Chief FOR THOSE READERS who may not have seen last week’s Fulcrum, or who may have flipped through the paper quickly, in the middle of the issue was an ad inviting students to attend a debate co-hosted by the Fulcrum and La Rotonde regarding Student Federation of the University of Ottawa membership in the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS). However, a day before the issue hit stands, the Fulcrum pulled out of the debate, leaving La Rotonde to host the debate alone. This move was in response to concerns from our hosting partners that the Fulcrum could not be involved in the debate, following our editorial board’s decision to take a position on CFS membership in last week’s editorial. Essentially, as the Fulcrum had presented its take on membership, it was argued that it would be inappropriate for staff or volunteers to participate in the moderation of the debate. This is a belief that I disagreed with at the time, and still disagree with now. Appearance-wise, it may not have been appropriate for a publication with a distinct opinion to be involved with the debate. But in practice? It comes down to the concept of impartiality. In my experience, journalists are often expected to be beacons of neutrality in every aspect of their lives. I have met people who are amazed when I opine in casual conversation about federal politics or the U of O administration. I have heard,

“Are you allowed to say that? I thought you were impartial.” To me, this expectation of perpetual impartiality is not reality for a journalist. A journalist’s job is not to be impartial on a personal level, but rather to present an unbiased look at events and issues to readers in his or her articles. The job requires the ability to set aside personal feelings and ensure that readers have access to a comprehensive look at issues and an unbiased summary of key events. Every day, writers and editors set aside their own thoughts on Stephen Harper or the War on Terror to provide readers with reporting steeped in fact, with input from all sides of the story. This practice of impartial reporting is a fundamental part of the Fulcrum. While the Fulcrum indeed took a stance on CFS membership in last week’s editorial—a space reserved exclusively to present the editorial board’s opinion on issues— the same edition’s news section contained none of this bias. Instead, the same editors who lent their voices to the editorial strived to ensure that readers had access to the facts, free from any personal or institutional slants. Newspapers contain both information and commentary, and journalists recognize the importance of keeping the two separate, regardless of biases. The student media was not permitted to host the official CFS debates because we aren’t impartial, so we set up our own debate. To me, this debate’s purpose was to prove that the media could present an unbiased, informative debate despite our opinions. No journalist is impartial on a personal level. But every writer and editor with a passion for the craft believes in setting aside personal biases and giving readers the opportunity and information to make their own decisions. I think someone with those beliefs would make a pretty good moderator. I would love to hear what readers think of this situation. Please, let me know. [email protected] 613-562-5261

www.thefulcrum.ca

Redefining ‘charitable’ by Katie DeClerq Fulcrum Staff HEY, WHAT’S $25 A month? It’s like half a cup of coffee a day! Isn’t that easy? Actually, what’s $25 a month? It’s $300 a year! We have all received the dreaded phone calls from charities asking for donations, or even the door-to-door visits from organization representatives, but nothing is as intrusive as the fundraisers who stand on public streets and corner you into a conversation. Their mystifying persuasive talents often sway you into guiltily signing a paper and, before you know it, you have adopted a child or are paying $25 a month to save the trees. Unfortunately for students, fundraisers’ target audience is students. For these charity representatives, university students are a school of fish. They’re swimming around campus everyday and, with the right bait, they can be reeled in. While some students are strong-willed and fight until the very end, most are either hungry to help others or naïve enough to take the bait. Students are more open and optimistic about working for a better future than out-of-school adults, who are focused on their lives and those of their children. Students are interested in broadening their awareness on social justice issues and are willing to stop and have an intelligent conversation with a representative of a charitable organization. Students are also more likely to feel guilty about standing there with a Starbucks coffee in hand while someone is telling them how a dollar a day will save someone’s life. University students already show

support for non-profit charities. Just think of all the events and clubs that have been promoted around the University of Ottawa within the last two months: Green Weeks, Trick or Eat, and Engineers without Borders, End Extreme Poverty, and Students Aiding Village Empowerment. We invite speakers to address students, promote the issues, throw fundraisers, and in addition to this we are the ones asked to donate money! Greenpeace fundraisers will stand on busy street corners by the Second Cup on Rideau Street and the ByTowne Cinema, and Amnesty International representatives stand on campus by the busy walkway near Tabaret Hall to entice students to give to their organization. I feel that students are ordinarily willing to listen, and charities have recognized this. Targeting students—many of whom are in debt— isn’t right, especially on their own campus. Although most students would love to donate to charity, most just don’t have enough money to do so. Students shouldn’t be asked to donate to charities but rather should be encouraged to actively participate in causes and further any interests they may have. What is truly fascinating, however, are the ways in which fundraisers are able to attract people and convince them to donate. The conversations usually begin with a horrifying statistic or a tragic story involving sick children or cute animals. These stories are meant to make you feel sad or guilty about being in a privileged situation while others dream of living like you do. They continue to talk faster and more confidently, telling you that it is possible to donate regardless of your student budget and lifestyle. While they get out their applica-

Targeting students—many of whom are in debt—isn’t right, especially on their own campus.

st

1 tan free

www.

illustration by Amlake Tedla-Digaf

tions, fundraisers’ tones of voice become more commanding. The demanding nature of these representatives on the street sets them apart from the many heartening fundraising events on campus, making it appear as if their only goal is getting your money. And if that isn’t enough, certain organizations such as UNICEF—conveniently placed in the Rideau Centre where many students go during their spare time—have the phone numbers of Ontario banks and will actually call them and allow you to set up the transactions right then and there. It is important to note that these people are trained to persuade you to give money. Certain schools even offer degrees in professional fundraising. For example, Humber College in Toronto offers a program entitled Fundraising and Volunteer Management, in which people learn to organize campaigns and deal with

potential donors. Of course, not all fundraisers are professionals; some representatives are students or adults who just believe in the cause and are so passionate that they may come off a little pushy. If you are stuck in any of the situations above, there are lots of ways to sneak away in a dignified, kindhearted fashion. Ideally, if you are aware of the trap ahead of time, avoid eye contact and ignore the representatives. If you are already stuck in the middle of the conversation and forms start getting stuffed into your hands, calmly explain that you would love to help but you need to double-check your financial situation before you can commit. If this doesn’t work, you can always look at your watch and say you have to run to class, saying you’ll donate online. If you are genuinely interested in donating, doing so online will give you

utan.ca

more time to carefully consider your situation and there will be less pressure for you to decide right away. If you prefer a less passive-aggressive approach, you can always just say sorry and walk away. If you do get sucked in to donating against your will, know that it is always possible to cancel a donation. Give the organization a call and tell them that you misjudged your financial situation, and can’t donate at this time. Remember that a donation is only half a cup of coffee a day. A worthy charity will use that money to successfully help others and your donation could truly make a difference. But you shouldn’t be forced to donate. Just be aware of your financial situation and if you absolutely cannot donate, don’t be afraid to say no. They may be pushy, but no means no, and fundraisers will let you swim away.

utan ANNIVERSARY DAY! TANNING FOR TUMMIES $2 from all services or non-perishable food go to:

no appointments / no hassle

Bon appétit - U of O Food Bank

TANNING FOR TUMMIES Food Drive 233-2tan

Thur. Nov 27th ALL DAY Tanning $2 or Food SunSpritz $7 or (Food +$5)

Everything on sale!

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2 floor, U of O Sports Complex

www.thefulcrum.ca

Nov. 21, 2008

OPINION

21

Distractions

Sarah Leavitt Features Editor [email protected]

Nov. 21–26, 2008

Dear Di

22

Thryllabus Friday, Nov. 21 Seminar: Terrorism at the Olympic Games. 2 p.m. Montpetit Hall. Room 221. Register via [email protected]. Free.

If you have a question for Di, e-mail [email protected].

Women’s basketball: Ottawa vs. Brock. 6 p.m. Montpetit Gym. Students $4.

Saturday, Nov. 22 Dear Di, I’m a guy who has absolutely no trouble getting girls interested and back to the bedroom, but every time I do the same problem comes up. I am a young and healthy male, but I have problems lasting all the way to the ninth inning. Many girls enjoy coming home and humping like bunnies all night long, but I have trouble making it last longer than three or four minutes. Nothing is more embarrassing than that post-coital conversation and the disappointed look on the face of girl after girl. Is there anything I can do to avoid the hit and run? —Two-Pump Chump Dear TPC, Listen, your early blast-off isn’t that uncommon, especially for guys aged 18–25. There are a couple of things you can do to keep your cock as equally enthusiastic as your enthusiasm. You could have more frequent sex, but you seem like a one-night-stand, no-talk, all-cock jock. So let’s focus on other things. You can up your stamina by masturbating more often, especially before you hit the town. Once you’ve schmoozed and you’re back on home turf, spend more time on foreplay. Don’t let her pump you off; instead treat her like you would if she were a Playboy bunny, focusing more on her pleasure than your own. Consider going down on her, which will not only distract her but please her as well, giving you more time to recoup if the countdown begins prematurely. Switch positions; different positions make different guys come. If you know you always come during doggy style, leave that until the end. Be vocal during sex; ask her what she likes in between sweet-nothings, which could motivate you to keep going and hint at which positions she loves. Most importantly, vary your thrusting speed and relax. Obviously, the faster you go the more likely you’ll come. Personally, if I can tell a guy is nervous, something I often do is suck the guy off before I fuck him. This saves face for the guy while giving the girl some extra time getting penetrated. Whatever happens, you’re lucky you can have sex while drunk because some guys are complete flops after a couple drinks. Happy humping! Love, Di

Women’s volleyball: Ottawa vs. York. 2:30 p.m. Montpetit Gym. Students $4. Dear Di, My girlfriend gives great head and I love and appreciate her for it, but whenever she’s done she comes back up to make out with me and her kisses taste like come. I don’t want to stop getting head, but I hate the taste of my own come. I don’t know how to approach her about it. Should I tell her to use some mouthwash afterwards? —Salty Kisses Dear SK, You spoiled, spoiled boy. Here is a girl who performs well and—from the sounds of it—with enthusiasm, and you’re bitching about a little salty tonsil hockey? Listen, as you may know, not all girls have a taste (or a talent) for giving head. The fact that you’ve found one with both makes you a very lucky guy. On top of that, you’re just shuddering at the aftertaste. Have you given any thought to what a whole mouthful must taste like? You and your girlfriend could just have very different taste buds, but my guess is she’s not exactly crazy about the taste of your spunk either. So the real question here should be: how can you make your come taste better for her (and, consequently, for you too)? First and foremost, smoking and drinking alcohol are both big no-nos, so if either of those are overly prevalent in your everyday life, they are probably major contributors to bad-tasting blowjobs. Also stay away from dairy, which just makes come taste plain bad. If your girlfriend enjoys sugary treats, try eating acidic fruits like plums and blueberries, which can make semen sweeter. Or if you want to lighten the taste of your load, try kiwi and watermelon. And remember that meat and fish tend to make semen taste stronger and more bitter, so you may want to stay away from those. There are lots of guys out there whose spunk may be more to her taste, but she isn’t complaining. So even if your post-head makeout sessions are still a little weird, give her a big kiss and a big thank-you. If she can suck it up and swallow, then so can you. Love, Di

Men’s basketball: Ottawa vs. Guelph. 8 p.m. Montpetit Gym. Students $4.

Sunday, Nov. 23 sudoku answers on p. 19

Master’s recital: Sara Spigott on the oboe. 8 p.m. Pérez Hall. Freiman Auditorium. Free.

Monday, Nov. 24 Hearsay

by Jordan Moffatt

Seminar: The Rule of Law, a Victim of the War on Terror in Canada and the United States? 10 a.m. Fauteux Hall. Room 232. Free. Christmas Craft Fair. 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Minto Place. 427 Laurier Ave. Free.

Tuesday, Nov. 25 Japanese cinema: Nippon: the Land and its People. 7 p.m. Fauteux Hall. Room 135. Free. Public talk: Botanist Barbara Gamble. 7 p.m. Canadian Museum of Nature. 240 McLeod St. Free.

Wednesday, Nov. 26 Play: The Constant Wife. 8 p.m. Ottawa Little Theatre. 400 King Edward Ave. Students $10.

Itch

by Daniel Kaell

Editorial

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Defeating No Heart with the power of friendship since 1942. Volume 69 - Issue 14 Nov. 21–26, 2008 phone: (613) 562-5261 fax: (613) 562-5259 631 King Edward Ave. Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 [email protected] www.thefulcrum.ca Recycle this paper or Care Bear stare!

Staff Frank ‘champ bear’ Appleyard Editor-in-Chief [email protected] Ben ‘grumpy bear’ Myers Production Manager [email protected] Michael ‘bedtime bear’ Olender Executive Editor [email protected] Martha ‘beastly’ Pearce Art Director [email protected] Emma ‘tenderheart bear’ Godmere News Editor [email protected] Peter ‘wish bear’ Henderson Arts & Culture Editor [email protected] David ‘funshine bear’ McClelland Sports Editor [email protected]

Sarah ‘good luck bear’ Leavitt Features Editor [email protected] Danielle ‘hugs’ Blab Laurel ‘tugs’ Hogan Copy Editors Amanda ‘shine bright bear’ Shendruk Associate News Editor [email protected] James ‘daydream bear’ Edwards Webmaster [email protected] Jessica ‘forest friend bear’ Sukstorf Volunteer & Visibility Coordinator [email protected] Megan ‘proud heart bear’ O’Meara Staff Writer Alex ‘sea friend bear’ Martin Staff Illustrator Inari ‘secret bear’ Vaissi Nagy Jiselle ‘share bear’ Bakker Ombudsgirls [email protected] Travis ‘surprise bear’ Boisvenue Ombudsboy [email protected] Nicole ‘take care bear’ Gall Staff Proofreader Robert ‘true heart bear’ Olender On-campus Distributor Deidre ‘always there bear’ Butters Advertising Representative [email protected] Ross ‘no heart’ Prusakowski Business Manager [email protected]

Frank Appleyard Editor-in-Chief [email protected] Nov. 21–26, 2008

23

Standing up to City Hall THE REFERENDUM ON Student Federation of the University of Ottawa membership in the Canadian Federation of Students has brought student issues on both the national and provincial scale to light at the University of Ottawa. However, while a campaign dealing with lowering tuition and lobbying efforts was slowly taking over campus, U of O students have been faced with the prospect of equally grave issues much closer to home. The issues in the City of Ottawa’s draft 2009 budget have gone virtually unnoticed amid the CFS referendum pandemonium. While the astronomical amount of funding cuts and fee increases in the draft budget affect every Ottawa resident, the proposed implications are an affront to Ottawa students’ needs and interests. City staffers seem to have forgotten that while the city’s 100,000 post-secondary students may not necessarily pay property taxes, they nevertheless deserve access to resources and services to promote a better quality of life. In a testament to the low standing afforded to student issues in planning for the upcoming year, the Transit Committee-approved Universal Bus Pass pilot project for U of O undergraduate students may not even make it into budget discussions at all. During debate on the U-Pass on Nov. 12, Mayor Larry O’Brien broke a 12-12 tie among councillors and put an end to the ambitious project. While a motion for reconsideration earned the U-Pass a second chance at inclusion in budget discussions later this month, the Nov. 12 meeting made it clear that council has little interest in including the pass in the same discussions as recreation funding and road maintenance. As if the potential failure of the U-Pass isn’t enough, a proposal in OC Transpo’s 2009 marketing plan would cap eligibility for its reduced-fare student passes at age 24 starting in September 2009. According to the plan, such a move would force 6,331 U of O students—largely graduate students—to fork over the extra money for an adult pass, despite holding the same status at the school as their younger counterparts. This move would affect 20 per cent of Ottawa’s post-secondary students, while saving OC Transpo $350,000 annually—mere pennies of the city’s total budget. And the proposed budget doesn’t stop there. As submitted, the city will take an axe to local arts funding next year, leaving galleries, festivals, and musicians to essentially fend for themselves. The proposed 100 per cent funding cut to many Ottawa area arts initiatives will likely result in either higher costs passed onto participants or the deaths of the undertakings themselves. Events including Bluesfest, the Ottawa Folk Festival, and the Ottawa Fringe Festival all stand to

illustration by Devin A. Beauregard

lose their municipal funding in the name of saving taxpayers some cash—$215,000 between the three. These festivals are only a handful of the arts events that keep Ottawa vibrant for students throughout summer and fall, and all three are a cherished part of the Ottawa post-secondary experience, like Nuit Blanche is to Toronto and the Osheaga Music and Art Festival is to Montreal. While these events are certainly not a necessary part of students’ post-secondary education, they are treasured additions to the city’s culture that enrich students’ off-campus lives. In looking at each of these points, it is clear that the City of Ottawa has drafted a budget that doesn’t simply under-serve students—it pays no attention to them. The city’s accountants and politicians alike have turned municipal services into a tug of war between reducing the load on taxpayers and maintaining a functional community, with students’ needs lost somewhere in the middle.

While a city needs sound infrastructure to function day-to-day, vibrant communities are greater than the sum of their bridges and traffic lights. City Council needs to be reminded that communities must serve all residents, even those students who may not pay property taxes, but who also cannot afford increased user fees. The city is holding budget consultations across the city Nov. 24–25. If students hope to retain some tangible status within the City of Ottawa’s strategic plans, they need to speak up and tell council that students are Ottawa residents too, and don’t deserve the cruel cuts they’re facing in this budget. After student issues beyond this campus have dominated U of O students’ minds for the last 13 days, it’s time to draw attention back to our own backyard. [email protected]

Public budget consultations Monday, Nov. 24 Assembly Hall, Lansdowne Park, 1015 Bank St., 7–9 p.m. Devin A. ‘grams bear’ Beauregard Elizabeth ‘best friend bear’ Chiang Katie ‘do-your-best bear’ Declerq Kristyn ‘bashful heart bear’ Filip Ian ‘heartsong bear’ Flett Jolene ‘oopsy bear’ Hansell

Tuesday, Nov. 25 Jim Durrell Recreation Centre, 1265 Walkley Rd., 7–9 p.m.

Contributors

Andrew ‘play-a-lot bear’ Hawley Daniel ‘laugh-a-lot bear’ Kaell Danyal ‘birthday bear’ Khoral Jaclyn ‘shine bright bear’ Lytle Nadja ‘smart heart bear’ Popovich Jordan ‘super star bear’ Moffatt

Lihang ‘all my heart bear’ Nong Amlake ‘smart herart bear’ Tedla-Digaf Émilie ‘brave heart lion’ Sartoretto Len ‘me bear’ Smirnov Kristy ‘too loud bear’ Welbourn

Visit the fulcrum.ca, dammit! stay on track! Get your International Student Identity Card (ISIC) from Travel CUTS or select student unions BEFORE going to the train station in order to access VIA Rail’s student fares, as the ISIC is no longer issued at VIA Rail stations. check your expiry! The 2008 ISIC expires when the New Year rings in, so remember to renew your card before heading home for the holidays. 225 Laurier Avenue East 613-238-8222 www.travelcuts.com 1-888-FLY-CUTS

Canada’s Student Travel Experts

Date : 24 - 27 novembre L’heure : 10 h à 14 h Endroit : Centre universitaire Date: Time: Place:

November 24 - 27 10 am - 2 pm University Centre

*Une bourse d’études de 1 500 $ sera remise durant le semestre d’automne 2008 et une bourse d’études de 1 500 $ sera remise durant le semestre d’hiver 2009. Les formulaires de participation doivent être complétés sans fautes. L’admissibilité est limitée aux étudiants du post-secondaire actuellement inscrits aux campus participants. *One $1,500 scholarship awarded during the 2008 fall semester and one $1,500 scholarship awarded during the 2009 winter semester. Entry forms must be accurately completed. Eligibility limited to post-secondary students currently enrolled at participating campuses.