Fulcrum October 30 08

Letters In defence of activism Re: “Grading student lobbying” (Letters, Oct. 23) LAST WEEK’S LETTER concerning student activism represents a troubling vein of thought: that student activism is pointless because the people in charge won’t listen. The letter-writer’s argument is that since “we don’t vote” our interests will not be looked after, and governments will choose to support issues important to seniors, who do vote. First of all, let’s examine that “we”. If the writer means that young people don’t vote, there’s no arguing with that. But not all young people are students; in fact, right below his letter, there was a poll showing that 79 per cent of respondents had voted in the federal election. As students, we are a separate voting bloc from “young people” at large, and the more vocal we are, the more effective our message. The timing of the Nov. 5 demonstrations is important as well. The petition-drop last week and the proposed rallies next week should hopefully make clear to the Liberal Party of Ontario that dropping student fees and relieving student debt is a major concern of a significant voting bloc. The more attention we draw to ourselves and our concerns now, the more effective our voices will be. This rally is not confined to Ottawa either; this is a chance for every University of Ottawa student to join with other voices across the globe in favour of

hand smoke causes sore eyes and throat, nasal irritation, headaches, coughing and wheezing, nausea and dizziness. Second-hand smoke can also trigger asthma attacks and increase your chances of getting bronchitis and pneumonia”, and “if you have been exposed to second-hand smoke for a long time, you are more likely to develop and die from heart problems, breathing problems, and lung cancer”. A person’s right to blow this poison into the air stops where my nose begins. Maybe the aspiring doctor should read up on the dangers of second-hand smoke before further considering a medical career and promoting such ludicrous positions outlined in her letter. Shawn Smith Fourth-year English student

A medical response

On the invisibility of a revolution

Re: “For a smoke-free-campaign-free campus” (Letters, Oct. 23) IN RESPONSE TO second-year medical student Lise Legault I would like to say that as a U of O student and a non-smoker I believe that the notion of a campus-wide smoking ban is an excellent idea. Allowing smoke to continually blow in my face while I walk through university is an affront to my rights to a clean and healthy environment. The Canadian Cancer Society has these interesting statements on its website: “No amount of second-hand smoke is safe”, “second-

AS AN EX-STAFFER of the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa’s (SFUO) Centre for Students with Disabilities (CSD), I recall being asked every September by student media about the status of accessibility on campus. I’ve been asked to identify which disability has it the hardest, what can be improved, and how we plan to do it. The resulting articles amounted to a few hundred words and glossed over the nuances about the insidious ways in which ableism discriminates. I suppose that this is the politics of word allocation. While the Fulcrum’s arts and culture section re-hashes reviews of Hollywood’s blockbusters (as if we can’t find this in an issue of the Metro), it has neglected disability culture and the politics of disability representation (think of the protests against Tropic Thunder for its depiction of people with learning disabilities; a film reviewed by the Fulcrum). Same thing with sports. When the Fulcrum’s sports section declared the end of the Olympics, it downplayed the status of the Beijing Paralympics. The Paralympics are interesting because they can indicate the status of disabilities internationally as far as funding and support goes for Paralympic athletes. How about kicking off a debate about the levy that students with disabilities pay into the Gee-Gees fund? When most of the sports teams and resources are inaccessible, should they pay into a fund they cannot en-

Students face-off with administration SFUO supports students’ struggles. p. 4

p. 4

Allan Rock answers students face-to-face. p. 5

Arts spooktacular

Arts

Jaclyn Lytle checks out the Inside Out film festival. p. 9

p. 9

Tina Hassannia reviews Zadie’s Shoes and Look Back In Anger. p. 12

Getting ready for the Final Four

Sports

Women’s soccer wins their quarterfinal match and will host the OUA Final Four. p. 16

p. 16 Feature

The Fulcrum pays a visit to the Ottawa Curling Club, and manages to avoid serious injury. p. 18

Who won the skeleton beauty contest? No body! Rebecca Rich unearths Halloween’s haunted past. p. 12–13

p. 12

Oct. 30–Nov. 5, 2008

our collective well-being and that of our society. The province needs to remember that we students are the middle class of tomorrow, which is the backbone of the Canadian tax system. If they wish to provide security to aging boomers, they need to give us the chance to acquire the skills that will allow us to make the money to fund a social support network. If more and more young people can’t afford to become well-educated, their future incomes will be less and less, and the society we’ve built on the strength of the middle class will be in danger. So add your voice to the crowd on Nov. 5: you’ll be supporting yourself and your society, your present, and the future of yourselves and your parents. Jim Rae Second-year biomedical science student

Contents News

Frank Appleyard Editor-in-Chief [email protected]

Di is desperate and needs your help. p. 22

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-for-profit 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) 562-5261.

joy the same benefits of? Doesn’t this logic extend to the SFUO if they are not making their activities and events accessible? Why are people taking the money of students with disabilities and not trying to include them? When someone raises accessibility as an issue, why is it treated as a nuisance? Disability, in a nutshell, is an angle on any story. The failure to acknowledge this leads to the perpetuation of the idea that only able-bodied people and able-bodied issues are newsworthy. Let’s take the recent women-only gym times debate. Students with disabilities pay into the gym and facilities just the same as non-disabled students. The designs of the gyms are hardly accessible. So when it comes to the politics of allocation, the debate talked over the fact that this was an able-bodied debate about access. I understand that the Fulcrum has looked into making their space accessible, but has reduced their own accessibility problems to a zero sum game; either the Fulcrum publishes in an inaccessible space, or it doesn’t have a home. It doesn’t have to be this way. What’s wrong with meeting in an accessible space at least once a month? Reducing it to all or nothing does nothing to include all. Students with disabilities pay into your operating levy, too. Don’t take their money and shrug them off. The greatest thing I imagined for the CSD was that one day it would not have to exist. Help them fight ableism. Write about disability. Agitate. Hold money-takers accountable. Chelsea Flook U of O alumna Discrimination in blood donation I WAS PROUD to submit an article for the Fulcrum’s Oct. 16 issue urging students to donate blood to Canadian Blood Services (CBS). Unfortunately, I did not adequately convey a crucial element that I felt and feel is important: CBS continues its ban on blood donations from men who have had sex with other men. Though at first glance the reasoning seems sound, it speaks from a position of unjustified fear. And though this policy was revisited last year, CBS has yet to speak to reasonable safeguards and options like waiting periods as adopted in Australia and Japan. CBS needs to address the issue with a view to logic and inclusivity. Until then I urge students 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

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to give blood to help save lives—and to speak out against discrimination in all its forms. Ted Horton Third-year political science student An open letter to Allan Rock DEAR MR. ROCK, The Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO), the collective voice for all University of Ottawa undergraduate students, is writing to inform the University of Ottawa of two cases denoting serious injustices against students. The SFUO demands that you intervene immediately to remedy these troubling situations. The SFUO stands strongly behind all of its students and their appeals, in particular the most recent deliberate abuses shown in the TingTing Wang and Marc Kelly cases. Further, the SFUO condemns the actions taken by the U of O to undermine SFUO nomination rights... [Ed: Please visit thefulcrum.ca/letters to read this letter in its entirety.] Dean Haldenby SFUO president

Due to space constraints, we were unable to print all letters received. Please visit thefulcrum.ca/letters to read more about the smoke-free campus campaign, issues in the Faculty of Science, and whether or not education is truly a right.

thefulcrum.ca poll Which winter-season Gee-Gees team will have the best regular season record? men’s basketball: women’s basketball: men’s hockey: women’s hockey:

women’s volleyball: Go to thefulcrum.ca to vote!

Last week’s results Will you benefit from the SFUO’s U-Pass?

Yes: No:

44% 56% 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.

Emma Godmere News Editor [email protected]

News

Oct. 30–Nov. 5, 2008

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Students face off with administration Many claim academic appeals were ignored by Megan O’Meara Fulcrum Staff OVER 70 U of O students have filed academic appeals with the university’s administration through the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa’s (SFUO) Student Appeal Centre (SAC). The SAC’s cases often focus on accusations of academic fraud, faculty or program withdrawals, and administrative reimbursements, among other issues. Two U of O students in particular have claimed to encounter serious difficulty in resolving issues surrounding academic appeals with the university administration. The first, Marc Kelly, a sixth-year physics student, has encountered trouble with the administration for months. His attempts to have his research project accepted by the physics department have been rejected, and as a result he has filed an appeal with the university. He claims to have been met with exclusion from closed-door meetings regarding his project, direct refusal of contact, and most recently, deregistration from the course. “To my knowledge, this is the first time the administration has deregistered a student against their will,” Kelly said. “This is not something that is done in the university.” Kelly has not only had problems with his faculty, but also with the Senate Appeals Committee. The Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) nominated Kelly for the position of student representative on the Committee, but according to the SFUO, his nomination was unfairly declined. The SFUO has decided to take action on the issue. In a letter to U of O President Allan Rock, SFUO President Dean Haldenby wrote, “[VP Academic] Robert Major informed the SFUO that the nomination was rejected.”

The SFUO claims that Kelly’s rejection was discriminatory, stating in the letter, “Mr. Major expressed his belief to an SFUO representative that Marc Kelly is mentally unstable, and that this belief supported the rejection.” While Major was not immediately available for comment, Rock attempted to respond to Kelly’s concerns in his speech to students on Oct. 24. “[The administration has] some concerns based upon some of the procedures Mr. Kelly himself [is] ... a party participant to some of the [appeal] proceedings that are pending, so we’re not sure that [accepting him on the committee] is the wise thing to do,” he said. While Kelly found the opportunity to ask Rock about his appeal directly on Oct. 24, many students often receive no response to their appeals, explained Mireille Gervais, coordinator of the Student Appeal Centre. “[Often the administration] won’t even acknowledge that they’ve received my appeal, they won’t respond to my appeal, [or] it takes months before my appeal is responded to,” she said. Another case presented to Rock in Haldenby’s letter is that of international student TingTing Wang, who sought guidance from her academic advisor as she decided which two courses to take as electives to complete her degree. Her advisor recommended she take MAT3343, for which Wang did not have the prerequisites. As Haldenby explained in his letter to Rock, “had Ms. Wang attempted to register for this course by herself using the online registration system, this situation would never have happened.” Wang failed the course, and as a result was forced to return in the summer to complete her degree. She was shocked to learn that she had been misguided, and frustrated when her appeal was not granted. “I am an international student,” explained Wang, “and that one course cost me almost $2,000 alone.” Wang has made two appeals to the university: one requesting a reimbursement for the money she lost, and the other asking for the failing

Marc Kelly speaks during Allan Rock’s question period on Oct. 24. grade to be removed from her transcript. If the failing mark is not removed, Wang is worried about the effect it will have on her job search. “If a potential employer sees my transcript, it will give the message … that I don’t work hard and I’m not responsible,” she said. According to Haldenby, many students have had the same experience as Wang. “There are a lot of issues with academic advisors,” he said.“[The] Wang case is not an isolated incident. Rock explained in his Oct. 24 speech to students that he plans to attend to the issue of ap-

photo by Ian Flett

peals. “Over the summer, I had the chance to meet with Mireille Gervais and Seamus Wolfe. We talked about the student appeal committee of the Senate, [identified] issues that are there to be dealt with, and I undertook then, as I do now, to face those issues squarely,” he said. Haldenby reiterated the administration’s need to take responsibility for its actions. “The presidency of our university needs to be held accountable for these types of actions and make sure that they do the right thing, which is … protect[ing] the student population against these sorts of injustices,” he said.

Students petition McGuinty to drop fees Thousands of signatures delivered to premier’s local office by Laura Clementson Fulcrum Contributor

photo by Laura Clementson

Students are met by cameras at Dalton McGuinty’s office on Oct. 22.

UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA students brought their message loud and clear to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty’s Ottawa office on Oct. 22, protesting what they argue is unaffordable tuition. As part of the Drop Fees campaign organized by the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), student activists built momentum for the Nov. 5 day of action by handing in a petition with thousands of signatures to the premier’s local constituency office. Despite the frigid temperatures on the morning of Oct. 22, approximately 30 students met in front of Thompson Hall to attend the rally. Protesters

initially ran into problems when their bus didn’t arrive; however, Carleton students also participating in the demonstration swung by the campus to pick them up. “We’re all fighting for a common goal,” explained Brittany Smyth, president of the Carleton University Student Association. A throng of reporters met demonstrators once they got off the bus at the Ottawa-South office. “We have the media on our side,” said Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) VP Communications Julie Séguin. “I’m really happy they showed up because that’s going to help visibility for Nov. 5.” The demonstration was just one of many as student unions across the province handed in their Drop Fees petitions all on the same day. According to Séguin, there were approximately 100,000 signatures from Ontario

post-secondary students altogether, with about 10,000 coming from U of O students. Nov. 5 marks only the beginning of the Drop Fees campaign, explained Séguin. A follow-up demonstration is expected to take place three weeks after the Nov. 5 rally, at Ottawa-Vanier MPP Madeleine Meilleur’s constituency office in an effort to solicit a response from the McGuinty government. Séguin is also expecting that the campaign will continue into second semester. SFUO VP University Affairs Seamus Wolfe felt the demonstration was successful and remained optimistic about the SFUO’s upcoming efforts on Nov. 5. “Right now we’re seeing more and more people [coming] out to our meetings and more and more petitions signed,” he said. PETITION continued on p. 5

Allan Rock: unscripted U of O president fields student questions at public event by Amanda Shendruk Fulcrum Staff UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA President Allan Rock hosted a question-and-answer period with students Oct. 24 in the Unicentre, a gesture that many saw as a significant step towards improving the relationship between the administration and students. “Obviously I think it’s a good thing that Allan Rock is presenting to students his plans and his vision … It is a shift from what we’ve experienced in the past,” said Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) President Dean Haldenby. Tansy Etro-Beko, student life commissioner for the Graduate Students Association (GSAÉD), was also pleased. “A public forum larger than 20 students at a time [is something] we have not seen in the past eight years from the president; therefore, that was a really big and important step,” she said. Before fielding questions, Rock delivered a 15-minute address in both French and English photo by Ian Flett that outlined his vision for the university and, Allan Rock responded to several questions from students after his speech on Oct. 24. specifically, his goals for the coming two years. “I believe we should continue to work on the project that we’ve focused on in recent years, to improve the quality of the student experience,” FA C U LT Y O F I N F O R M AT I O N / U N I V E R S I T Y O F T O R O N T O he said. “I would like to make sure that these will be for you, as you look back, some of the happiest years of your lives.” Rock proposed a number of ways he hopes to enhance the student experience at the U of O, including improving the relationship between the administration and students, creating an ombudsperson post, simplifying administrative procedures, and addressing the ever-decreasing amount of student space on campus. “I think we should manage the rate of our growth in the coming years, to make sure that we can focus our attention on the students that are already here,” he said. Rock also expressed his interest in strengthening research opportunities at the U of O, noting Thinking about applying to graduate school? Think iSchool. that the university is currently rated fifth in research intensity among 50 Canadian universities. Explore the Masters and Doctoral degree programs available at Finally, Rock proposed an initiative he called the Faculty of Information. Discover the wide range of disciplines “Canada’s university in the service of the world”. that will make you a leader in the information field: Archives

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He hopes to increase the number of community service-oriented programs available to students and to create such opportunities both in Canada and the rest of the world. “Today’s graduates, as we all know, must not only be educated individuals, they must also be prepared to be global citizens,” he declared. Following the address, students were given the opportunity to ask the president questions. Marc Kelly, the SFUO’s student nominee to the Senate Appeals Committee, took the opportunity to criticize the U of O administration for appeal proceedings in which he is currently implicated. Rock responded to the outburst with a partial explanation of the situation involving the nominee, but when it became clear that Kelly would not relent in his interruptions, he moved the question period forward. “Let’s let others ask questions, Mr. Kelly,” he said. “This is not just about you.” In addition to listening to a number of students concerned with the situation surrounding Kelly and the Senate Appeals Committee, Rock responded to questions about the aesthetics of the campus, the high cost of international exchanges, discrimination in university policies, and the declining French population on campus. Some questioners were visibly upset and angry at the administration for one reason or another, while others thanked Rock for his efforts and welcomed him to the university. Coordinator of the Student Appeal Centre Mireille Gervais shared her concerns about systemic injustice at the U of O. She explained that over 70 per cent of students that visit the centre are visible minorities. In response, Rock said that the number was “deeply troubling”. During the question period, Rock was invited to march with students on the Nov. 5 day of action against tuition fees. In reply, he outlined steps he has taken towards assisting students in their pursuit of lower tuition and expressed his support for the event. “I’m with you in spirit,” he said. “I agree that governments should contribute more to [post-secondary education] and if I’m not there to march on the fifth of November, I’ll be working in my own way toward the same objective.” In an interview after the event, Rock shared his thoughts on the experience. “I hope that I got my messages across: my love for the university, my ambitions for its future … Apart from that, I thought the exchange was good. It was lively. There were people raising questions that were provocative, and that’s good,” he said. “I plan to do this again.”

PETITION continued from p. 4 Just hours after the petitions were dropped off, Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan revealed the $500-million deficit the province is facing. Duncan warned Ontarians to expect lower funding for universities when the new fiscal year begins in April. While the Drop Fees campaign has been active for several years, students continue to witness the rise of tuition fees in many provinces across the country. According to Statistics Canada, not only have tuition fees increased, but so have additional mandatory fees. VP Finance Roxanne Dubois explained that the SFUO has allocated $30,000 towards the Drop Fees campaign.

Oct. 30, 2008

Staff meetings. We have them. Thursdays at 4 p.m. 631 King Edward Ave. The Fulcrum.

NEWS

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Morisset Library’s renovated sixth floor re-opens

photo by Martha Pearce

Renovated spaces feature new couches and a fireplace on the sixth floor of Morisset.

features a fireplace surrounded by couches. The floor now also houses the Graduate Student Resource and Mentoring Centre and a research assistance desk staffed by students. In addition to 30 computer stations, a number of rooms outfitted with multimedia equipment, which students can reserve for presentations or group work, are also available to grad students. Additionally, the floor holds 154 carrels that by Amanda Shendruk will each be assigned to two students, effecFulcrum Staff tively providing 308 new graduate study spaces. As of the week of Oct. 20, 270 requests had THE NEWLY RENOVATED sixth floor of been received for the desks. Applications for Morisset Library officially opened on Oct. 27 the carrels can be found online at the Morriset after weeks of renovations. The move to reno- Library website and will be accepted until the vate several areas on the top floor was made in first week of November. response to the chronic shortage of graduate The renovation of the sixth floor of Morisset student office space. is part of an ongoing “This is a remarkable process that began in “It’s certainly a step place and I’m sure it 2006 with the renovawill be extremely popution of the fifth floor. forward in the right lar among the students,” “This is just one step direction.” said Dean of Graduof many,” said chief liSerge Dupuis brarian Leslie Weir. ate Studies Gary Slater, university affairs commissioner The fourth floor was who spoke at the event honouring the floor’s GSAÉD renovated in 2007 and completion. the university plans to The floor now inrenovate the third floor cludes nearly 500 study carrels for both gradu- next summer. Morisset Library receives over ates and undergraduates; however, a special two-million visits every year, and in 2007 the emphasis was placed on creating areas exclu- library saw over a quarter million students in sively for grad students. November alone. “It’s certainly a step forward in the right di“We are [even] looking at possibilities for rection,” said Serge Dupuis, university affairs actually expanding this building,” said Weir. commissioner at the Graduate Student’s As- She explained that the law, health sciences, sociation (GSAÉD). “It’s going to be very well and music libraries are also under review, and received.” interest has been expressed in renovating them Students can now take advantage of the as well. floor’s new, grads-only study room. The room can comfortably seat about 80 people, is acces- For more information about the new study spacsible only by punching in a numeric code, and es, check out biblio.uottawa.ca.

Official opening highlights extensive graduate space

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NEWS

Oct. 30, 2008

News in brief

photo by Frank Appleyard

SFUO and GSAÉD pressure university to lower tuition fees IN A PRESENTATION made to the university’s Board of Governors (BOG) on Oct. 27, the campus’s largest undergraduate and graduate student associations explained why the University of Ottawa should be a national leader in lowering tuition fees. Citing increased drop-out rates and a reduced competitive academic standing nationally as consequences of rising tuition fees, Federico Carvajal, external commissioner for the Graduate Students’ Association (GSAÉD) and Seamus Wolfe, vp university affairs for the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO), asserted that the university must act immediately to help ease students’ financial burdens. They ex-

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plained that because tuition fees are going up at nearly three times the rate of inflation and student debt is rapidly increasing, the U of O should maintain the current tuition fee levels for the 2009–10 year for all students, while cutting post-residency fees for graduate students in half. Both U of O President Allan Rock and BOG Chair Marc Jolicoeur expressed that both student associations will have an opportunity to respond to the administration’s own presentation in November, while the final decision on next year’s tuition fees will be made in January. —Emma Godmere BOA by-election yields low voter turnout THE RECENT STUDENT Fed-

eration of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) Board of Administration (BOA) by-election saw two candidates elected despite extremely poor voter turnout. The by-elections saw only one candidate vying for each vacant position in the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Engineering. Students unanimously elected Myriam Bérubé as the Faculty of Education’s sole BOA director with 47 ‘yes’ votes out of 47 ballots cast. Rob Arntfield won the position for the Faculty of Engineering with 28 ‘yes’ votes out of a mere 34 ballots cast, joining Jonathan Weber as one of two directors for the faculty. The BOA is in charge of managing all aspects of the SFUO, and consists of members of the SFUO executive as well as elected members from all

faculties on campus. The board meets monthly to make decisions on issues including policy, budgetary allocations, and disciplinary action. —Kenny Dodd Memorial University bans beer sponsorship ST. JOHN’S (CUP) – MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY HAS made the decision to end dependency on sponsorship and donations from breweries in St. John’s, N.L. Christine Burke, director of housing, food, and conference services at the university, said the decision came after a review found that no other Canadian university allowed endorsements by alcohol companies. Due to changes in residence eligibility requirements, 64 per cent of students

Oct. 30, 2008

living on campus were underage as of September. Noting that sponsors offered money or other monetary mechanisms for house events or charity fundraisers, Burke suggested that Housing’s contribution to on-campus life should cover all residence needs. She said that the alcohol companies didn’t like the idea, but that they understood Housing’s reasoning that many students are now underage. —Kenny Sharpe, The Muse

NEWS

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U of O gets ghostly Variety of Halloween events to take place on campus by Katie DeClerq Fulcrum Contributor THIS HALLOWEEN, UNIVERSITY of Ottawa students will be treated to a variety of Halloween-themed activities taking place on all corners of the campus. Numerous events have been planned for the weekend of Oct. 31–Nov. 2 to satisfy the needs of the community and provide entertainment for students. The Pumpkin Olympics, normally an annual Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) event, have been cancelled this year. After receiving criticism for wasting pumpkins and due to a desire to keep their events fresh, the SFUO has decided to go in another direction. “Many other members in the SFUO were planning Halloween events quite early in the month, and there was already a lot of emphasis on that,” said

SFUO VP Social Joel Larose. “This year, we are revamping our social programs and our goal was to spread our events throughout the year.” Bon Appétit, the SFUO-run food bank, is promoting Trick or Eat, a costumed food drive on Oct. 31, 5 p.m.–8 p.m. Teams of students participating in the event go door to door wearing costumes and asking for non-perishable food donations. These items will be donated to the non-profit organization Meal Exchanges, a national studentfounded charity that addresses local hunger and poverty. The U of O is one of many schools across Canada participating in Trick or Eat. Last year, U of O students raised approximately $5,000 worth of food, and Bon Appétit has raised the bar, setting a goal of $7,500 this year. To register, either as a team or an individual, visit trickoreat.ca or visit the Agora in the Unicentre at 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 31 to register in person. “It will be a great time,” said Samantha Warford, assistant coordinator for Bon Appétit. “It’s an amazing cause, it’s a lot of fun, and it doesn’t take a lot of time to do.” For those wishing to experience a

more frightful Halloween, the Student Association of the Faculty of Arts (SAFA) is hosting their third-annual haunted house, 7 p.m.–10 p.m. on Oct. 30 and 31. Volunteers have been at work throughout the month of October, brainstorming and building sets and structures to prepare for the event. Due to the recent renovations at Café Alternatif in Simard Hall, the event will take place in the old games room in the basement of the Unicentre. Admission is $2 and at the end of the night, funds collected will be donated to a charitable organization. Antonio Carito, SAFA’s coordinator for the haunted house, wanted to warn U of O students. “[Students] should know that we do not do small types of scares that are common in family-oriented haunted houses … we have made people cryy with fright and we are proud of it.” For more information about Trick or Eat, check out sfuo.ca/services/bonappetit/english/events.htm, and to find out more about SAFA’s haunted house, go to artsuottawa.ca/eng/events.html.

illustration by Devin A. Beauregard

La Rotonde continues to weather the storm French-language student newspaper navigates first year of autonomy by Emma Godmere Fulcrum Staff

photo by Alex Smyth

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NEWS

Oct. 30, 2008

AFTER ACHIEVING INDEPENDENCE from the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) in May, La Rotonde’s staff have spent the last several months working out constitutional and contractual changes and now also face the challenge of filling four editorial board and staff positions, including the recently vacated position of editor-in-chief. François-Olivier Dorais cited personal reasons for his resignation from the position in mid-October. “It’s very challenging to be at La Rotonde right now,” said Céline Basto, interim editor-in-chief and current news editor. “[We’re] a really small team, we’re missing four people, and it’s a lot of work for every member. Every member is taking on a lot right now.” Caroline Bouchard, La Rotonde’s general manager, also highlighted the current workload the newspaper faces and indicated there is still a lot that remains to be worked on.

“La Rotonde fought a lot for its independence and it was done quickly,” said Bouchard. “I think that maybe [some] things at the beginning were missing, but that’s why I’ve been hired, and that’s why I’ve been working in close collaboration with the SFUO to make sure that these little details are solved as quickly as possible in order for the newspaper to be able to start the year on solid ground in general. “[From] an administrative perspective, for sure there’s work to do, like any other starting business … whenever you’re starting to be incorporated there’s adjustments to be made,” she continued. “The great thing right now is that we have a very, very strong administration board. They have a pretty good idea of what it takes to be independent and to be on solid ground.” The SFUO holds two non-voting positions on La Rotonde’s administration board. SFUO President Dean Haldenby explained that their role is mainly an advisory one. “We do sit on their board as exofficio [members] … and that’s for reasons just like this,” he said. “This is their first year of independence, they’ve only been independent for six months now, so in order to help facilitate that and help them work on advice … to support them and give them ideas from a larger student or-

ganization perspective, we’re there to help them with that. “We’re also there to make sure that the contract that we had signed with them is being adhered to, because we need to make sure that the money is being properly spent on what it’s supposed to be spent on and that they are getting issues out,” he continued. According to Bouchard, most of the paper’s budgetary concerns have now been addressed. “We’re probably going to be able to go back to 20 pages,” she said, after the paper printed 16-page issues in recent weeks. “We haven’t really met with the administration board to talk about money, so that’s going to have to pass through them, but pretty much the issues have been solved when it comes to budgeting.” Dorais noted that financial issues are commonplace for newly independent organizations. “When you [go] autonomous, you have to appropriate yourself everything. You have to do your own budget, you have to do your own contracts, your own constitution and all this stuff still has to be reworked,” he said. “We still have some work to do on this.” Bouchard expects a new editor-inchief to be chosen through a hiring process by mid-November.

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Arts & Culture

Peter Henderson Arts & Culture Editor [email protected]

Oct. 30–Nov. 5, 2008

Alternative film festival turns Ottawa Inside Out

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photo courtesy Inside Out

Toronto festival returns to Ottawa for the second time by Jaclyn Lytle Fulcrum Staff THE TORONTO-BASED INSIDE Out film festival is coming to three venues in the capital Oct. 30–Nov. 2. Inside Out, which has put on festivals in Toronto for almost 20 years, came to Ottawa for the first time last fall. The festival screens films relevant to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) communities with the mandate “To challenge attitudes. To change lives.” “Ottawa was our first major expansion project [out of Toronto],” says festival programmer Jason St. Laurent. “Last year was a pilot initiative to gauge the community interest in this kind of festival. “[The response] was overwhelming,” St.

Laurent continues. “More than 1,500 people showed up for a first time weekend initiative. The community really came out and drove. [Last year’s festival] was put on at the time with a very bare-boned budget. It was done on a small scale.” Support from the Ottawa GLBT community has allowed this year’s festival to grow and expand. Events will take place at three venues: Empire 7 Cinemas (111 Albert St.), the National Gallery of Canada (380 Sussex Dr.), and SAW Gallery (67 Nicholas St.). “This year the festival has made all kinds of changes and improvements,” explains St. Laurent. “We’ve increased capacity by about 25 per cent [by changing the central screening location] to the National Gallery. This time we can do more. We’ve gotten government funding, and hired an Ottawa-based festival coordinator to help get a finger on the pulse of the city.” This year Inside Out, in partnership with SAW Gallery, is offering the newly created Video Virgin Award. “[The prize is designed] to help encourage local queer filmmakers,” says St. Laurent. “We’re trying to create support to encourage

this work to be made in Ottawa.” Another exciting addition to this year’s programming will be the opening night party, Drag-O-Rama, taking place at SAW Gallery on Oct. 30 following the screening of Darren Ashton’s film Razzle Dazzle at the Empire 7 Cinemas. “Everyone that comes out is welcome to come party with us afterwards. It brings everyone together,” says St. Laurent. “[The party will be] a celebration of all things queer.” St. Laurent feels that the festival is relevant to youth issues. “There are lots of programming choices that young adults would respond to. Many of the films are actually featuring youth, or have cinematic run-throughs that would be of interest to any young adult,” he claims. “XXY, The Secrets, and [some of the] shorts [that] are scattered throughout, like Pariah, would all be obvious examples of relevant programming”. XXY is a Spanish film about a young intersex person named Alex. It deals with universal problems like identity, the sometimes rocky relationship between children and their parents, and the enormous emotional challenge of ado-

lescence. The Secrets is a French film about the budding relationship between two young Jewish girls, dealing with issues of family, religion, and carnal desire. Both films will be presented with English subtitles. St. Laurent thinks that bringing the Inside Out festival to Ottawa is important for the local GLBT community. “A city as vibrant as Ottawa has to have events [of this kind],” concludes St. Laurent. “Pride has established itself as a major cultural event [in the city]. In essence our role is … not only to promote independent work and cinema, but also [create] a means for the community to see complex images of themselves on-screen. Our hope is to become a highlight of the fall cultural calendar. [We want] to radiate more than we did last year. We want to see more people.” The Inside Out Ottawa-Gatineau GLBT Film and Video Festival runs Oct 30–Nov. 2. Singlescreening tickets are available online and at Venus Envy (320 Lisgar St.). Tickets are $10 for students. More information and a full schedule are available at insideout.ca/ottawa.

The original angry young man Look Back in Anger challenges contemporary apathy by Tina Hassannia Fulcrum Contributor IN THE 52 years since John Osbourne wrote Look Back in Anger—the first British play about the working class—countless playwrights have addressed the underlying social issues of their times. Instead of plays merely entertaining audiences, authors have broached subjects like poverty, AIDS, cancer, and homosexuality in order to create controversy and discussion. Look Back In Anger completely revolutionized British theatre when it first premiered in 1952. It was the first time an ironing board— or the squalid and cramped quarters of a lowclass apartment—appeared on a British theatre stage. These settings would scarcely raise eyebrows today the way they did in the fifties. So why would anyone want to produce a seemingly outdated story about the repressive British social-class system? For Third Wall Theatre, the current issues may be different—the economic nosedive, the environment, human rights violations—but they’re still rooted in apathy and inequality. Through the main character, Jimmy Porter, an angry young man who projects his frustrations about the world onto his wife, the audience concludes that while the issues may have changed, humanity’s visceral reaction to them has not. Porter is played by Stewart Matthews, a short

but fierce actor who never breaks character or even seems to blink. His delivery of certain lines is spot on, but others are yelled too fast for the audience to catch. Porter’s wife Alison is played by Kristina Watt, a well-established Ottawa actress who has enough stage presence to display her contempt and despair through furrowed brows and small frowns alone. Richard Gelinas plays Jimmy’s old friend and the couple’s mediator, Cliff. Gelinas is quietly brilliant at conveying the subtle, amiable humour provided by his character. Alison’s friend, Helena, is played by Amanda Kellock, who plays her two-faced role perfectly. The set is designed “in the round”, which means audience members sit all the way around the stage. The cramped quarters of the couple’s apartment, along with the shabby furniture, symbolize both Jimmy’s perceived oppression and the couple’s relationship woes. Performing on a circular stage is problematic, because some sections of the audience occasionally can’t see the actor’s faces or gestures. At times, the cast lacked a cohesive chemistry essential for this play, and the physical movement of Jimmy and Helena’s characters before their forbidden kiss was awkward at best. Regardless of these issues, Third Wall’s production of this incredibly difficult play is admirable and worth seeing if only to make the viewer think about how much—or little—we’ve progressed in 50 years. Look Back in Anger runs until Nov. 1. Tickets are $20 for students, with special rush pricing available. For more information, visit thirdwall.com.

photo by Richard Ellis

Walk a mile in a gambler’s shoes Zadie’s Shoes brings dysfunction to the stage by Tina Hassannia Fulcrum Contributor

photo courtesy Paul Toogood Photography

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GAMBLING ADDICTION, RELIGIOUS faith, terminal illness, and dysfunctional families. Whew! With such heady topics, the fodder is as ripe as glistening fruit. Few writers would be so bold as to incorporate them all into one play, but then there’s Adam Pettle. He’s the playwright behind the new Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC) production Zadie’s Shoes, who ambitiously explores all four subjects in his witty yet powerful play about a gambling addict named Benjamin (Aaron Willis), and his cancer-stricken girlfriend, Ruth (Sarah McVie). Zadie’s Shoes revolves around money; specifically, money Benjamin gambles away that Ruth had planned to use for a trip to an alternative medical-treatment centre in Mexico. Despite sage advice from a wise old man named Eli (Peter Froehlich) about the importance of love, Ben is concerned only with somehow winning the money back, instead of being honest with his girlfriend about his relapse into addiction. Meanwhile, Ruth struggles to tell her two selfish, attention-seeking sisters about her decision to stop chemotherapy. The comedic relief in Zadie’s Shoes comes mostly from Ben’s interactions with Bear (Dylan Roberts), a recovering substance-abuser who can barely keep it together long enough to help Ben execute a crazy scheme to win the money back. Ben is a flat and unchanging character, and

Willis unfortunately plays him straighter than a rake—he doesn’t stand out. McVie’s depiction of the responsible, down-to-earth Ruth is just as boring. Amy Rutherford plays Ruth’s straightlaced sister Beth, a competitive curler, with little fanfare, while the flakiness of Ruth’s hippie sister, Lily, is baked to perfection by Anthousa Harris. Beth’s husband, Sean, is completely unnecessary for the plot development, but Kris Joseph’s portrayal shines through, despite his few lines. Finally, we have Froehlich’s Eli, the lovable old Jewish man who gives Ben and the audience nuggets of truth that are indispensable in any situation. Froehlich ignites the stage every time he appears, which is a relief considering the sparse spontaneity from the rest of the cast. The only exception is Dylan Roberts, who seems to revel in his role as Bear. Both are eminently watchable, and the audience can’t help but share in their exuberance. The play’s set design is barely worth mentioning except for the inclusion of a rectangular screen in the top left corner that informs the audience of the gambling results and curling scores during the play’s most tense scene. It’s completely unnecessary. Director Lise Ann Johnson and set designer Brian Smith went so far to justify the existence of the screen as to have it read “Café” and “Diner” during scenes located in a café and diner. Zadie’s Shoes is more fun than it should be, particularly due to its witty, humorous dialogue, but despite its weighty subject matter it doesn’t really teach any lessons in the end. Unless, of course, you’re a gambling addict. Zadie’s Shoes runs until Nov. 9. Tickets are $30 for students, and available from the GCTC box office at 613-236-5192.

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The Fashist

Costumes are the true horror of Halloween

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these daring displays of décolletage are aiming for sultry and seductive but end up looking merely trashy and tasteless. My time in Amsterdam has prepared me for various displays of bulging flesh, but there’s a limit to my tolerance—and the stretching capacity of nylon. Giorgio, my tailor, would cry if he saw the nefarious ends to which fabric is being used. Avoid these simplistic and overused costumes. A more unisex solution for Halloween is the pop-culture costume. Many people can’t come up with their own unique idea, and feel content to plagiarize those of the style-bankrupt scribes in Hollywood. Captain Jack Sparrow and Lara Croft are both mainstays of the lazy Halloween carouser. Of course, this always ends in terrible fashion crimes—store-bought costumes fit terribly no matter who wears them, and finding matching clothes at a thrift store is a near impossibility. If it’s easy, someone else will have the same idea, and if it’s hard, you probably won’t pull it off. This year’s popular costume will most definitely be Heath Ledger’s incarnation of the Joker. Stay far away from this costume, and not just because of the terribly outré purple suit. Most Hollywood or television costumes are passé, unless you have the budget for custom-made couture by Givenchy or Jean Paul Gaultier. Wearing a wife-beater and covering yourself in blood doesn’t make you look like Bruce Willis in Die Hard, it just makes you look like an ignoble plebeian. If you’re overdrawn at the First Bank of

Imagination and a Hollywood costume is a necessity, go with something older and a bit more obscure, but still recognizable. A fellow student regaled me of the time he went as the principal from some show called Saved by the Yell or some such, and how he ended up lonelier than King Lear. Remember, there is an inverse relationship between the obscurity of your costume and the likelihood that you’ll end the night with another reveller. If you have to explain your costume for more than 10 seconds, it’s definitely a dud. Avoid anything that’s not either instantly recognizable or easily explained. No one cares about obscure video-game characters or television personalities, and even literary characters—my own personal preference—need to be pretty mainstream. Anna Karenina is a great costume, but only if you’re going to a party full of literature professors. Though fashion rules are relaxed on Halloween, they’re not suspended. Trashy clothes are still trashy; yellow and purple still don’t mix; and god forbid you should wear stripes with checks. For the best costume, try something original and unique—don’t imitate, but rather emulate other ideas with your own personal twist. This city may be lacking in style, but your costume could start a renaissance—just try to avoid being too sexy.

sudoku answers from p. 22

EACH YEAR, I dread the end of October. It’s not the fall weather that weighs heavily on my heart. Rather, the return of my dashing pea coat to my regular wardrobe actually fills me with pleasure. No, it is the terrible curse of that festive occasion you Canadians call Halloween that causes the bile to rise in my gullet. At no other time and nowhere else on Earth are there ever as many fashion crimes as there are on Oct. 31 in Canada. Now, most Europeans celebrate All Saints’ Day as a religious holiday, not as a crass celebration of death like it’s become around here. It’s mostly a Catholic occasion, and it’s a far cry from the hedonism and vulgarity that characterizes the North American Halloween. Unfortunately, your commercialized holiday is making inroads in Europe, and with me being in Canada they might not have enough taste to resist. Last year’s Halloween was a ghoulish parade of fashion failures—I’ve seen more style in a morgue. Store-bought Elvis wigs perch precariously above over-the-top costumes, as Ottawa’s university students declare all-out war on the concepts of good taste and fashion. This year will be no better, though the prospect of a white Halloween means that, with many people staying inside, my nightly constitutional may not be quite the assault on the eyes it was last Oct. 31. Let’s start the roll-call of shame with the old standby of women’s Halloween wardrobes: the “sexy [blank]” costume. Sexy nurse, sexy biker, sexy taxidermist—these ideas could n’t be more outmoded. The women who parade around in

Got a question for the fashist? Email [email protected]

Oct. 30, 2008

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Halloween in Ottawa What: A historic narrative walk through Ottawa haunts Where: The Haunted Walks of Ottawa, 73 Clarence St. When: Oct. 30 and 31. Departure times vary daily from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. Cost: $12.50–$14.50 depending on the tour chosen More info: hauntedwalk.com or 613-232-0344 What: Big Jeezus Truck Halloween Bash Where: Rainbow Bistro, 76 Murray St. When: Oct. 31, 9:30 p.m. Cost: free. 19+

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What: Haunting season: hayrides, labyrinths, pumpkin farm Where: Saunder’s Farm, 7893 Bleeks Rd. When: Oct. 30 and 31 Cost: Tickets range from $19.99 to 24.99 and can be purchased online More info: saundersfarm.com or 613-838-5440 What: Rocky Horror Picture Show Where: Café Alternatif When: Oct. 31, 6:30 p.m. Cost: $2

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What: Wagon rides, haunted barn, and theatre Where: Proulx Sugarbush and Berry Farm, 1865 O’Toole Rd. When: Oct. 30 and 31 More info: proulxberryfarm.com or 613-833-2417 What: Witches’ Gathering/Costume party Where: Barrymore’s Music Hall, 323 Bank St. When: Oct. 31, 7:30 p.m. Cost: $15 19+

illustration by Amlake T-Digaf

he night of the living dead by Rebecca Rich Fulcrum Contributor EVERY YEAR, AS the leaves begin to change colour and T-shirts are traded in for sweaters, the excitement of Halloween begins to build in children and adults alike. By midOctober, a typical conversation will touch on costume ideas and party plans for the big event. Whether it means carving a pumpkin, planning a unique costume, or going on a hayride, Halloween brings out the creative side in everyone. Although Oct. 31 is a widely celebrated holiday, most Canadians are unaware of the history of this festivity. Why do people dress up in costumes and go trick-or-treating? Why is Oct. 31 associated with ghosts, goblins, and things that go bump in the night? Halloween is an occasion of blended cultural tradition, religious superstitions, and rich history, with just a dash of myth, childish fun, and imagination thrown in for good measure. Origins of Halloween Contrary to the beliefs of holiday cynics who blame candy companies for inventing this sugar-rich holiday for profit, the origins of Halloween can be traced back to Celtic civilizations in the fifth century. Shelley Rabinovitch, professor in the Department of Classics and Religious Studies at the U of O, is best known for teaching SRS1110 (Witchcraft, Magic, and Occult Phenomena). Some of her research focuses on religion and popular culture. “We know that it was an old Celtic holy day,” she said. “It [was] considered the time of year when the space of living and [the space of] the spirits of the dead [were] close to each other.” Halloween was known as “Samhain” in the Celtic language. It was later named “All Hallow’s Eve” in 837 by Pope Gregory IV when the tradition was taken up by the Christian world. Halloween was meant as a holiday to honour the season after the last harvest occurred and subsequently, the agricultural bounty of the land started to die. As people often made their living off the land, this was a time of strife and economic uncertainty. Dark thoughts emerged during those pessimistic times and were eventually translated to the frightening images we see in the present incarnation of Halloween. “[Halloween] is after the last harvest, when things start[ed] to die,” Rabinovitch said. “We see seasons slip into the dead part of the year. To the northern world, it [was] about death, about the time when the earth goes to sleep.”

The origins of trick-or-treating Modern Halloween traditions are not new inventions, but rather practices that have evolved over time into the familiar rituals celebrated today. The origins of many traditions have been lost over generations, but there are a few that still exist today. Rabinovitch explained that it was once believed that spirits could roam freely among the living and, because of this, certain superstitions developed. People began to travel from house to house, dressed in costume in order to distract or frighten the impish spirits away. As this service was considered a tremendous help to the homeowner, residents would often give small gifts to the group. This ‘treat’ often consisted of food and has developed more recently—to many parents’ chagrin—into candy. Over the years, in many rural areas, if the homeowner did not provide a treat of some sort to the group, people would often respond by tipping the home’s outhouse, thus inserting the “trick” into the tradition of trick-or-treating. According to the History Channel film The Real Story of Halloween, outside of Celtic custom, trick-or-treating was also related to the English tradition of giving soul cakes on All Souls’ Day in return for a promise to pray for a dead family member. Soul cakes were round cakes left at tombstones for the dead with the belief it would free a soul from purgatory. This practice was altered by the Catholic church as children were encouraged to “go a-souling”, or travel from house to house gathering food, alcohol, or money for their families instead of leaving the gathered goods for the dead. According to Nicholas Rogers, a York University history professor and author of the book Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night, Halloween and trick-or-treating first appeared in North America in the early 19th century when Scottish, Irish, and English immigration was high. Immigrants brought along their culture and traditions but as religion played less and less of a role in their lives, so too did the religious aspects of Halloween. Trick-or-treating became exclusively a children’s event in the early 1900s and has been ever-present to this day. Carving out the jack-o’-lantern’s history One of the most creative staples of Halloween in Canada and the United States is the jack-o’-lantern that lights up countless doorways in late October. Halloween would not be the same without this important tra-

ditional object. According to Halloween, a 2004 book written by Joyce Kessel and Nancy Carlson, the jack-o’-lantern originated in Ireland. While many versions of the jack-o’-lantern myth exist, the most consistent account claims that a mischievous boy named Jack was sent to hell, where even the Devil grew tired of his tricks. Jack was cast out of hell by the Devil and given a burning ember so he could see during his eternity of wandering in limbo. Jack placed this ember in a carved turnip. Following this myth, it was believed that a candlelit pumpkin or similar vegetable placed on a windowsill or front porch would discourage Jack’s soul from creating mischief in that house on Halloween night. According to The Real Story of Halloween, large beets or turnips were originally used in place of pumpkins, but as immigrants moved to North America they found that pumpkins were more readily available than turnips and used them in place of other vegetables as jack-o’-lanterns. People began to carve holes in the front of the pumpkins in order to see the candle flickering inside, creating the familiar jack-o’-lantern of today. Evidence of the jack-o’-lantern’s introduction in Canadian society can be found as early as 1866. The Kingston Daily News printed an article that year describing the revelries of Halloween. An excerpt read: “There was a great sacrifice of pumpkins from which to make transparent heads and face, lighted up by the unfailing two inches of tallow candle.” Halloween celebrated worldwide Despite the North American inclination to view Halloween as a fun-filled night of partying and binge candy-eating, Halloween is considered a very spiritual holiday in other cultures. “In North America it has become a holiday for children, but it never used to be,” explained Rabinovitch. “It was very much about adults; it was a family thing.” It’s easy to think of Halloween as a North American phenomenon, but the occasion can be found in distinctive forms across several different cultures. Rabinovitch explains that in Mexico, the equivalent of the North American Halloween is known as the “Day of the Dead”. Mexican celebrations retain many religious elements and include such customs as building altars of flowers and spending the night at a loved one’s gravesite. “These visits to family graves are often accompanied by food as the loved ones are considered to still be present in spirit,” she

Oct. 30, 2008

said. Rabinovitch also described an ever-present Scottish custom of “first fotting” that exists alongside the similar traditions of trickor-treating and costume parties. According to this practice, the first person to cross your threshold on Halloween brings luck with them. Most often, it was a tall, dark-haired male who brought luck to the household he entered. It is not only children, parents and enthusiastic young adults that celebrate a variation on Halloween, but religious groups as well. The religion of Wicca is one such group. Members are known as Wiccans, or modern-day witches. For Wiccans, Halloween is considered a time to celebrate and to honour the dead. Halloween retains its original name of Samhain and is celebrated as the first day of the Wiccan new year. A ritual feast is held both for the living and for the dead. According to Rabinovitch, offerings are often left for the dead. “It’s understood that [the dead] eat on a psychic level,” she said. “[The living] often want to make contact with their beloved ones.” An article written in the China Daily in 2006 described how Halloween is celebrated in China. Similar to Celtic belief, Chinese belief warns that Halloween is the one night when the gates of hell are opened and spirits are able to join the living. On this day the living place food or water on their doorsteps or near pictures of loved ones so that they are able to eat after a year of starvation in hell. Halloween in Sweden is a different story altogether. While cynics in North America believe some holidays exist because of retailers, in Sweden, this is actually true. In the mid-1990s, retail business organizers introduced the practice of Halloween to make more profit. Retailers used its popularity in the United States to legitimize it to the population. Although some Swedish Christian organizations protest, Halloween has been embraced by the nation’s youth. While the celebrations of different cultures might vary slightly, they remain similar in the belief that Halloween is a time to connect with the dead. However, in North America, Oct. 31 has become a time of fun for adults and children alike, an occasion where dressing up and eating entire kilograms of candy is not only allowed but is actually encouraged. Evidenced by the Jokers, mummies, and sexy nurses prowling the streets on Oct. 31, Halloween allows our creative side to reign free and offers children a chance to bring their fantasies to life.

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Bone-chilling Halloween films Movies to fill your night when you’re too old to trick or treat THERE COMES A time in your life when you have to face up to a terrible truth: you’re too old to trickor-treat. No more pillowcases full of candy, no more bartering of Tootsie Rolls for candy bars, and no more toothbrushes from the old lady down the street—it’s a tragedy for all teenagers. Halloween night doesn’t have to be boring, though—pop in one of these films and enjoy the sheer thrill of terror. The Blair Witch Project (1999) THE DIRECTORS OF The Blair Witch Project, Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick, realize that the scariest thing in the world isn’t a deranged killer but rather the combination of darkness and our own imagination. In film, what may be off-screen is often more terrifying than what’s actually shown, as our mind fills in the terrible details. The Blair Witch Project tells the story of three wannabe filmmakers venturing into the Maryland woods in order to document the legend of the Blair Witch. The camerawork is done by the actors themselves, and much of the dialogue is improvised—it feels like a completely believable home movie. The subsequent shaky-camera horror is not so much about immediate danger as it is about moments that defy logic and evoke unknown terrors. There are two sequences of transcendent horror in the film. The first is a hike through the dark woods with bizarre, ghostly children’s voices just at the edge of hearing, and the other is a trek through an abandoned, dilapidated house. Both moments are triumphs of the horror genre. Part guerilla film experiment and part classic ghost story, The Blair Witch Project is proof that special effects and visual wizardry are no match for pure terror. —Danyal Khoral The Exorcist (1973) LOOKING TO GET scared this Halloween night? The Exorcist is the horror movie to watch. First released in 1973, it was the first film that brought the paranormal into daily life—this movie chills your blood because it could happen to you. The film tells the story of Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), a Hollywood actress and single mother of a beautiful and intelligent daughter, Regan (Linda Blair). After an encounter with a Ouija board, Regan starts acting bizarrely—she becomes catatonic at points, urinates in front of her mother’s party guests, and begins to injure herself. After medical experiments—which are scary enough in their own right—the doctors come to believe that Regan might benefit from an exorcism. What follows is incredibly frightening, as Regan becomes a true instrument of the Devil and spiritually battles two priests. The splatters of green vomit, the 360-degree head spin, and the sickening voices emanating from a cute little girl are some of the scariest aspects of this movie. The Exorcist is extraordinary in every way and will not disappoint anyone looking for a Halloween thrill. —Camila Juarez Halloween (1978) HALLOWEEN IS THE prototypical teen slasher movie. It’s a masterpiece from director John Carpenter, who has been hugely influential in the horror genre thanks to this film and other classics like The Thing and Assault

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on Precinct 13. On Halloween night, 1963, Michael Myers murders his older sister in one of the most intense single-take shots in the history of cinema. Carpenter films the murder through the eyes of the murderer, creating an intensity and immediacy that is still terrifying today. After 15 years of incarceration, Myers escapes and returns to his old stomping grounds to kill again, with his psychiatrist Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) only a few steps behind. Neighbourhood girl Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) must fight off the seemingly invincible Myers and keep her friends safe. Halloween has some truly shocking murders, and the film’s dark lighting and eerie music create a frightening and uncomfortable atmosphere. Myers’s apparent ability to teleport around the neighbourhood and move far more quickly when he’s off-screen gives his rampage an edge of the paranormal, and the cliffhanger ending sets the horror standard for other movies to follow. Check this film out to see teen horror done right. —Camila Juarez photo by Elizabeth Chiang

The Shining (1980) THE ICONIC IMAGES of the blood in the elevator shaft, the ghost twins in the hallway, and the famed Jack Nicholson line “Here’s Johnny!” are just the beginning of the terror in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Unlike recent torture-porn flicks like the Saw series, The Shining has a truly frightening plot. It’s not scary just because it’s gory or makes us jump—though it does that as well— it’s the psychological aspects of the film that evoke our deepest fears. It depicts the psychological unraveling of Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), and the eerie emptiness of the colossal Overlook Hotel serves only to heighten the tension—madness and isolation permeate the film. The Shining is executed so well that the only thing you can do is hold on tight and watch. The horror is not just superficial, but comes from the deep, suspense-filled atmosphere, and you will cringe as Torrance descends into madness. The movie is scary because it evokes more than a tangible fear. Rather, it creates a feeling that transcends conscious human fear and sinks deep into your subconscious. —Alessandro Nahon Dawn of the Dead (2004) THE 2004 VERSION of Dawn of the Dead stands as one of the most terrifying horror movies ever. It has the ability to scare the crap out of you, even if you’re watching it in broad daylight. The movie details the zombie takeover of an unnamed American city, and it follows a ragtag team of survivors who take refuge in the local shopping mall. The movie gets your adrenaline pumping because of anticipation—anyone, at almost any time, could be changed into a member of the walking dead. This takes its physical and emotional toll on both the survivors and the audience, as endless scenes of death and destruction begin to make us feel the same hopelessness as those onscreen. The zombies in Dawn of the Dead are fast, violent, and savage, unlike those in any zombie films in the past. Their attacks on the human population are best described as a massacre, and the brutality in the film is unbelievably realistic. The social breakdown that would be the result of a zombie takeover is explored through television broadcasts the survivors watch. It’s deeply upsetting to see humans destroying each other in wanton fashion. Dawn of the Dead also has one of the most bone-chilling lines ever uttered in any film, and it sums up the movie perfectly: “When there is no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth.” —Hisham Kelati

Oct. 30, 2008

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Good Film

Rachel Getting Married

A-

RACHEL GETTING MARRIED depicts one cane. of the most dysfunctional families ever to be The movie is filmed in a documentary style, shown on screen. Through the eyes of an emo- with shots done by hand-held camera that have tionally damaged daughter, we see a group of a tendency to blur and shake. The camera conpeople trying to put aside their differences and tinually moves in, out, and around to capture come together as a family. characters’ reactions, especially those of the Anne Hathaway plays Kym, the dark and brooding Kym. The film also boasts several brooding black sheep of the family who has an moments of background comedy during more unfortunate predilection for drugs and alco- dramatic scenes, making for an absurd juxtahol. The film’s plot finds Kym, fresh out of re- position. A good example is the climactic emohab, coming back home tional confrontation into the loving—albeit between Kym and the Hathaway gives her best judgmental—arms of soon-to-be married Raperformance to date as the her family, who are a chel, in which an extra self-centered Kym, who few days away from celwalks on-screen during ebrating the wedding their tense argument consistently utters cringeof Kym’s older sister, and does a double-take, inducing one-liners. Rachel. Hathaway gives before proceeding to her best performance to slowly and deliberately date as the self-centred Kym, who consistently exit off-screen. utters cringe-inducing one-liners. Kym has a Rachel Getting Married is sad and hearttough-time differentiating between what should wrenching for almost the entire duration, but be said and what thoughts should be kept inside this heavy atmosphere is offset by moments of her head—a challenge for any actor, but one that levity and eventual emotional closure. Director Hathaway meets head-on. Jonathan Demme creates immediacy with his Other than the dark, twisted one-liners, the innovative camera work, and the subtle perforscript and other dialogue are extremely simple. mances make these flawed characters seem very It’s mostly exasperated yelling, interjected with real. This is a fine film for anyone who has ever the occasional grunt or holler, as the characters been interested in family dynamics. try to deal with the family’s emotional hurri—Hisham Kelati

Bad Saw V

Film

d

THE JIGSAW KILLER is back in David Hackl’s series of challenges that they must pass to stay Saw V. Yes, he died for good after years of alive, but they usually involve some measure of moralistic terror in Saw IV, but that didn’t pain for all the participants, even the successful stop the producers from returning to the ones. Jigsaw preys on human instinct, and his long-dry well. The movie picks up where the games are premeditated according to people’s last film left off, and shows flashback scenes behaviour—characters have to break away from for viewers who avoided the last instalment of their own nature to succeed. An interesting idea, this torturous franchise. Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) but it was already fully explored in the first Saw. and his apprentice Amanda Young (Shawnee Here, it’s an excuse for disgusting viscera and Smith) are both dead, but another of Jigsaw’s disembowelling. If you love gory death scenes, followers has taken up this movie won’t disapthe killer’s mantle. This point. loyal apprentice was For everyone else, recruited after Jigsaw the problem is that helped avenge the death If you love gory death scenes, Saw V just isn’t scary. of a family member. this movie won’t disappoint. Scenes that used to get There are three surviviewers jumpy have vors from Saw IV who been recreated over return here: a little girl and over throughout who has about three the series, completely minutes of screen time, Detective Hoffman erasing any surprise for anyone who has seen (Costas Mandylor) and Detective Strahm any of the other films. The acting is terrible, (Scott Patterson). One of the detectives, how- but it’s hard to be convincing when your only ever, isn’t quite what he seems. job in a film is to be ripped apart in original The story of Saw V should be nothing new to and bizarre ways. Ultimately, Saw V is a waste anyone familiar with the series—it’s almost iden- of time—just one more chance to cash in on tical, plot-wise, to the previous movies. Victims the Saw brandname before people realize every get captured, they wake up in an empty ware- movie in the franchise—except the first one— house in various torture devices, and disgusting sucks. and scary gore ensues. The victims go through a —Camila Juarez images courtesy Lionsgate Films and Sony Pictures Classics

www.thefulcrum.ca—the bleeding edge of web 0.9

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Oct. 30, 2008

ARTS

15

David McClelland Sports Editor [email protected]

Sports

Oct. 30–Nov. 5, 2008

16

And then there were four Women’s soccer team wins OUA quarter-final by Anna Rocoski Fulcrum Staff THE UNIVERSITY OF Ottawa women’s soccer team took on the Queen’s Golden Gaels in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) quarter-finals on Oct 26. Ottawa emerged with a 1-0 victory, meaning they qualified to host the OUA Final Four tournament. The teams were originally scheduled to play on Oct. 25, but wet field conditions required officials to postpone the game until the following afternoon. “It was tough because we prepared for that game and we got ourselves all psyched up,” said Gee-Gees midfielder Rachael Swetnam. “We were ready to play and then it got postponed, so [we] had to do that whole routine all over again.” The game was a hard-fought battle that took place mostly in the midfield, and only a single goal was needed to decide the victor. Ottawa maintained possession in the first half, allowing the Gaels few scoring opportunities. Swetnam scored the lone goal for the GeeGees just 14 minutes into the first half. The first half ended on a low note however, when Queen’s Summer Rybicki received a nasty-looking head injury and had to be taken off the field. Rybicki did not return to the game. In the second half, the Gees were less cautious defensively, allowing the Gaels a handful of dangerous shots on net. But after 10 nervous minutes, Ottawa again took control of the game,

Ottawa midfielder Brittany Harrison tackles the ball away from Queen’s Mary Kampman. creating a fantastic scoring chance from striker Courtney Luscombe. Queen’s had dangerous-looking incursions into Ottawa territory late in the second half, but most were wasted—the Gaels registered only two shots on target in the game. “I thought it was going to be a very tight battle,” said Ottawa head coach Steve Johnson. “Both teams [had] very good defensive records during the year and I figured one or two goals would win it. It wouldn’t be

much more than that because both teams wouldn’t give away [many] more chances than that.” Swetnam, whose goal came off a corner kick, felt that the Gees played a solid game. “It feels pretty good, we practised [the play] a lot,” Swetnam said of her goal. “At practice that week, we did a lot of repetitions of exactly that [goal] so it was nice. It was like another repetition: it was all pretty easy but I guess it turned out it was important

just because it was the only one.” The team is now gearing up for a run at an OUA crown. Since the firstand second-seeded teams in the OUA playoffs were both defeated in their quarter-final games, hosting duties for the OUA Final Four tournament falls to the third-seeded Gee-Gees. “The team has played some very high-pressure games to finish off the season and this playoff game I think was great for us to get in,” said Johnson. “The team has had a great week

photo by Matt Johnny

of training and will continue that for next week [and] hopefully make the final.” Ottawa will play a semifinal game on Nov. 1 at 11 a.m. at Matt Anthony Field against the Brock Badgers. The winner will go on to play for an OUA gold medal the following day at 12 p.m. against the winner of the other semifinal match between the Carleton Ravens and the Laurier Golden Hawks. Day passes are $6 for students.

Mason runs away with it Football team comes up with win in playoff nail-biter by David McClelland Fulcrum Staff

photo by Jamie MacDonald

Ottawa running back Davie Mason rushed for a record-setting 327 yards.

LED BY RUNNING back Davie Mason’s record-setting performance, the Gee-Gees pulled off a 42-37 victory in a tumultuous game, as they visited the Guelph Gryphons for an Ontario University Athletics (OUA) quarter-final on Oct. 25. The Gee-Gees were up 18-3 early in the second quarter, but soon ran into trouble and watched as their lead crumbled to just five points by halftime. The second half featured some early problems for the Gee-Gees, and with Guelph leading

34-25 midway through the third quarter, Ottawa’s season looked like it might be at an end. Mason proved to be the saving grace for the Gee-Gees. With 327 yards of rushing on 31 attempts— a Canadian Interuniversity Sport playoff record for rushing yards in a game—Mason kept the Gee-Gees in the game in the second half, muscling out first downs and scoring three touchdowns, including a key touchdown early in the fourth quarter that restored Ottawa’s lead. The previous playoff rushing record of 317 yards was set on Nov. 7, 1981, by Greg Marshall of the Western Mustangs, who is now their head coach. “Guelph did a great job, they took out our [long] passing game, which resulted in opening up the run,” said Ottawa quarterback Josh Sacobie, who went 19-29 with two inter-

ceptions and 271 passing yards. “I think our running game once again saved us … any day your starting running back runs for 327 yards, it’s pretty amazing.” The final score doesn’t tell the whole story, either. While the GeeGees soundly beat the Gryphons in offensive output, with 605 yards in net offence against Guelph’s 382, the Gryphons were much better at taking advantage of the situation handed to them. Guelph capitalized on Gee-Gee turnovers and mistakes several times throughout the game and were able to keep the score close despite the offensive disparity. Mason, who accounted for more than half of those yards, was quick to credit his teammates and coaches as part of the reason for his success. MASON continued on p. 18

A work in progress Men’s basketball comes up short in dying seconds of tournament by Hilary Caton Fulcrum Staff THE UNIVERSITY OF Ottawa’s men’s basketball team hosted three teams in the annual pre-season Jack Donohue Tipoff Tournament Oct. 24–26. The Prince Edward Island Panthers, Guelph Gryphons, and McGill Redmen all visited the Montpetit Gym for a trio of games each, with the Redmen being crowned the victors at the end of the weekend. The Gee-Gees earned a comeback win in their first game of the tournament against the P.E.I. Panthers on Oct. 24. Despite struggling throughout the game, they came up with a 71-68 victory. Fourth-year point guard Josh Gibson-Bascombe scored the winning three-point basket with just 24 seconds left in the final quarter. The following evening, the GeeGees took on the Guelph Gryphons. The Gee-Gees did not play their best basketball, and occasionally seemed slow to react to the Gryphons. Ot-

tawa eventually manged to regroup and put pressure on Guelph, coming away with a nailbiting 69-67 win. The victory guaranteed Ottawa a spot in the finals against the McGill Redmen, who also held a 2-0 record in the tournament. The Gee-Gees wasted little time getting started against the Redmen and attacked hard in an explosive first quarter, finding themselves leading 20-8 by the end of the frame. Ottawa looked sharp on both ends of the court, taking advantage of McGill’s poor ball handling and empty shots. But the momentum didn’t last, as McGill quickly closed the gap with several three-point shots. Although Ottawa led 39-36 at the half, McGill kept up the pressure, and a threepoint basket by McGill forward Matthew Thornhill was enough to sink the Gees by a score of 75-74. The 2008-09 Gee-Gees men’s basketball team has a lot of new blood running through its veins, with more than half of the players in only their first two years of Canadian Interuniversity Sports eligibility. As such, the Gees will likely need to deal with occasional lapses caused by lack of experience. “We’ve got a lot of work to do on our team, offensively and defensively,” said fifth-year centre Dax Dessureault, who scored over 30 points during the tournament. “We weren’t

playing that well in all three games.” Gee-Gees head coach Dave DeAveiro concurred that there is still work to be done. “We have a lot of preparing to do for sure,” he said, following the game against McGill. “The players are just getting an idea of the level of basketball they’re expected to play and are playing in.” Despite their undoing in the Oct. 26 final, DeAveiro still believes his team had strong showings against Guelph and P.E.I., and thinks he will be able to mould his team into excellent basketball players. “They still have to learn to pay attention to detail and do a better job of listening and focusing on things that were said during time outs, pregame speeches and things like that, so when they’re on the floor they’re prepared to play,” said DeAveiro. “This tournament gave a sense that we have a long way to go in terms of where we want to be.” The Jack Donohue tournament was one of the Gee-Gees’ last chances to tune up before the regular season opens on Nov. 7, when Ottawa visits the University of Western Ontario Mustangs. The Gees’ final exhibition match will take place on Nov. 1, when they visit the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division One Providence College Friars.

photo by Alex Smyth

Ottawa guard Faysia Ibrahim tries to complete a play despite being knocked off-balance by a UPEI player.

Putting the pieces together by Ben Myers Fulcrum Staff

photo by Alex Smyth

Third-year transfer Tess Edwards (front) and fifth-year Gee-Gee Veronique Yeon will have to work together for Ottawa to have a winning season.

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GEE-GEES WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL head coach Lionel Woods has collected all the right pieces for his volleyball team, now he just has to find a way to fit them all together. With perennial Ontario University Athletics (OUA) all-stars Christine Lamey and Laura Simons no longer the engine of the women’s volleyball program at the University of Ottawa, Woods recruited some new players and has promoted veterans to drive his team forward. In their home-opening weekend Oct. 25–26 at Montpetit Hall against the Western Mustangs and Windsor Lancers, both Woods and the fans in attendance got tastes of the revamped team’s potential and the challenges it will face this season trying to make all the team’s pieces work as one. “We still look like a young team together, even though we’re not young individuals,” Woods said about his team’s 3-0 loss (25-23, 25-17, 2515) to the Mustangs on Oct. 25 and straight-set win over the Lancers on Oct. 26 (25-23, 25-20, 25-23). “We don’t have the rhythm that we should have yet, we don’t have the flow we should have,” he continued. “We’ve got to spend some time on the court together to find it.” Gee-Gees third-year setter Tess

Edwards, joining the team after leaving the University of Kentucky, has been christened the centerpiece of the Gee-Gees offence. After many years of consistent setting by Simons, Ottawa is bound to have a new look with Edwards leading the charge. “We’ve had four years of the same rhythm and the same setting and the same flow … and [now] it’s new,” Woods said about the change at the position.

“We still look like a young team together, even though we’re not young individuals.”

Lionel Woods Gee-Gees head coach “I think we just need to put a little more trust in each other,” Edwards said about improving the connection between players. “Our players have so much potential, it’s just [that] we’re new with each other.” Edwards not only has to integrate into the Gee-Gees offensive system, but she also has to work with players that are brand-new to university-level volleyball as well. Third-year middle Aminata Diallo transferred to Ottawa as a master’s student after starting on a strong Laval Rouge et Or team for two seasons. Diallo entered the game against the Lancers for the first time late in the

Oct. 30, 2008

second set and provided a boost to the Gees’ offense while fifth-year leftside Karine Gagnon rested. Standing 6’2”, Diallo is certainly part of Woods’ philosophy of maintaining an intimidating presence at the net. Pursuing a master’s in social work, the 26-yearold is looking forward to being part of an energetic program with a solid reputation. “At my age … I don’t want to [play] with someone who is kind of a downer. I just want to have fun and enjoy it,” she said. Woods noted his good fortune in being able to add two experienced players to the roster this season. “We don’t have transfers a lot. We don’t bring in 26 year-olds very often—now we have two,” he said referring to Diallo and music theory master’s student Jane Berry, who played sparingly against Windsor. Diallo seemed to be enjoying herself while blasting five kills through the Lancers’ defence in the second and third sets. Gagnon re-entered the game late in the third set to finish off a game in which the Gees proved to be better than the Lancers in both blocking and kills. With a record of 3-1 in OUA matches, the Gee-Gees sit first in the OUA East division. They are in action Nov. 1, when they travel to Thunder Bay to play the Lakehead Thunderwolves.

SPORTS

17

Hurrying hard in Ottawa

photo by Ben Myers

The Ottawa Curling Club’s University and College League attracts students of all skill levels from schools across the city. by David McClelland Fulcrum Staff

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www.athabascau.ca/standout



18

SPORTS

Oct. 30, 2008

IT’S SUNDAY EVENING, a time when most university students are enjoying their last night off before class the next morning. But I found myself doing something different. Flanked by two of my fellow editors at the Fulcrum, editorin-chief Frank Appleyard and production manager Ben Myers, I was sliding down the ice at the Ottawa Curling Club located at 440 O’Connor St., taking in the club’s University and College League. Curling, for the uninitiated, is a medieval Scottish sport that involves sliding granite rocks down a sheet of specially prepared ice towards a circular target. It has almost inexplicably become one of Canada’s most popular and iconic sports, played and watched by thousands from coast to coast. Personally, I’ve been curling since I was young, spurred on by my parents—both curlers for as long as I can remember—though until last Sunday, it had been quite a while since I’d curled. Frank and Ben, on the other hand? Well, let’s just say they were a little green. Thankfully, everyone at the Ottawa Curling Club was extremely welcoming. We weren’t quite sure what to expect going in, but Earl Washburn, a fourth-year political science student at Carleton University and league convenor, was more than happy to include us and gave a quick lesson to our two curling newbies. And with that, we were off, thrown into one of the three games played that night. The league switches the teams every week, with players accumulating points individually throughout the season, which means that new arrivals never feel like they have to awkwardly break into a pre-existing set of teams. Throughout the three games, curling talent of all levels was on display. Experienced curlers didn’t hesitate to help MASON continued from p. 16 “[There] was great blocking, and I was on a roll,” said Mason. “The offensive linemen did a really great job, the coaches kept calling it, so I just ran.” Mason also said that while it felt like he was playing any other game, the close score made for a strange feeling.

out new players; I noticed tips and advice being dispensed on a regular basis in all three games. Of the three teams with Fulcrum members, only mine won, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for my colleagues—it’s traditional in curling for the winning team to buy the losing team’s post-game drinks. This leads into one of curling’s greatest appeals: the social aspect. Everyone I talked to agreed that it was one of the best parts of the game. “Last year, I met all these people that are here today, and I’ve made excellent friends [here],” said Lynn Guy, a fourthyear nursing student at the U of O and a curler for 11 years. “On the ice you get to talk to your team and the other team. It’s a game with a lot of respect: you wish a good game to the other team, and compliment them on their shots.” It’s certainly a distinctive atmosphere. The Ottawa Curling Club, like most curling clubs, has a bar area built-in that quickly fills after the games, as dozens of students sit to chat. That’s exactly the sort of thing that the three-year-old league wants to see. “[The idea of the league is] to get young people involved in the sport, which is really big,” said Washburn. “It’s been fairly successful … last year we had over 40 [participants]. We’re down this year, [but] we have a lot of new people.” Since this week was only the league’s second night of the season, it’s not too late to get involved. Interested students should email Washburn at [email protected] if they want to give curling a try. The student fee to play for a full season, which lasts from October until March, is $170. As for my companions, Ben would like it to be noted that he only fell twice—and only once on the ice—before he even consumed any alcohol. Frank would like it to be noted that after consuming his post-loss beer, curling became his new favourite sport.

“[The game] felt the same, it was just that the game was pretty close,” he said. “Usually when you have 200 yards in the first half, you’re blowing up [the opposition].” Now, the Gee-Gees have to get ready to face a tough opponent in the OUA semifinals, as they will face the undefeated Queen’s Golden Gaels, who had a bye through the quarterfinals. Both Mason and Sacobie were confident

that the Gees can give the Gaels a run for their money, as both noted that many of the Ottawa players who were injured for the team’s last game against Queen’s are now healthy. The Gee-Gees now face the undefeated Queen’s Golden Gaels in Kingston on Nov. 1 in an OUA semi-final match. The winner will go on to play for the Yates Cup on Nov. 8.

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GLENDON

Around the horn

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Gee-Gees compete in Ontario cross-country championships THE UNIVERSITY OF Ottawa’s cross-country team headed out to Kingston the morning of Oct. 26 for the Ontario University Athletics championships. Despite the lessthan-ideal rainy weather for the race, the Gees persevered. The women ran a 5k race and the team placed ninth in the 16-team field. Out of 105 racers, the top three finishers for Ottawa were Kristin Marvin in 34th place (19:44), Carly Teckles in 35th (19:45), and Brenda Pearce in 47th (20:25). The men’s team ran a 10k race and placed 11th in the 15 team field. Out of 98 runners, the U of O’s top three finishers were Mathieu Vierula in 37th place (35:25), Trevor Dielman in 57th (36:24), and Jason Desjardins in 70th (37:08). The men’s and women’s teams did not qualify to compete at the Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS) crosscountry championship. Only the top five teams and top 20 individuals move on to compete in the Nov. 8 CIS championship in Quebec City hosted

by Laval University. —Anna Rocoski Women’s basketball earns two wins in Quebec City THE GEE-GEES WOMEN’S basketball team was in Quebec City Oct. 24–26 for the Rouge et Or pre-season tournament, finishing with a respectable 2-1 record. The Gee-Gees are trying to shake off their dismal 3-19 regular season record in 2007–08. With new head coach Andy Sparks and a now-experienced core of returning players, the future is much brighter for the Ottawa squad. The Garnet and Grey began the tournament on Oct. 24 with a 68-46 loss to the host Laval Rouge et Or, but didn’t let the game affect their play through the rest of the weekend. Ottawa posted a 47-36 win against the Queen’s Golden Gaels on Oct. 25, and ended the tournament with a close 58-56 victory versus the St. Francis Xavier X-Women. The Gee-Gees will play a final pair of exhibition games Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, when they travel to the U.S. to play

the National Collegiate Athletics Association Division Two Cortland Red Dragons and LaMoyne Dolphins. —David McClelland

They play next on Nov. 1 when they visit the Colgate Raiders in Albany, NY for an exhibition game. —Sarah Leavitt

Men’s hockey plays tug-of-war with Concordia

Women’s hockey swats Stingers

IN A HOME-AND-HOME series on Oct. 24 and 26, the Gee-Gees men’s hockey team faced-off against the Concordia Stingers, losing the fixture game while winning in Montreal. On Oct. 24, the Gees played host to the Stingers and lost 3-1. The Gees were outshot 32-30 in a game marked by hard physical battles. Second-year forward Ryne Gove suffered a cut to his face after a second-period collision. On Oct. 26, the Gees travelled to Montreal to play the Stingers and exacted their revenge with a 6-5 win. In their first away game of the season, the Gee-Gees notched 55 shots on goal, while Concordia tallied 28. With three power-play goals and the high shot total, the Gees more than made up for their performance at home. The Gee-Gees currently hold a 3-40 record, sitting third in the Ontario University Athletics Far East division.

IT WAS A dominating victory for the University of Ottawa women’s hockey team over the Concordia Stingers on Oct. 24, earning a 3-0 victory in Montreal. Concordia was badly outshot by Ottawa; the Gee-Gees registered 50 shots on net, while the Stingers were only able to hit Ottawa goaltenders Jessika Audet and Marie-Helene Malenfant a combined 16 times in the game. The Garnet and Grey scored all three of their goals in the first period, with third-year forward Joelle Charlebois scoring twice and team captain Danika Smith adding the final marker. Ottawa now holds a 3-0-1 record, putting the team first in the Quebec Student Sports Federation. They play next Nov. 1, when they host the McGill Martlets at 6 p.m. at the Sports Complex. Tickets are $4 for students. —David McClelland

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Oct. 30, 2008

SPORTS

19

Michael Olender Executive Editor [email protected]

Opinion

Oct. 30–Nov. 5, 2008

20

Fearless and committed:

On the campaign trail ‘08 by Hisham Kelati Fulcrum Staff IT IS A time of fear and loathing in Canada and the world at large today and has been for the last seven years. The painful stretch will finally conclude with the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 4. There’s economic turmoil worldwide as America’s capitalist-based market has begun to crumble in on itself, the weight of its own corruption and lack of morality finally consuming itself from within. The Canadian dollar has now begun its slow and heart-breaking descent of value, beginning to lose ground thanks to the American market’s continuing implosion. The corruption on Wall Street is so bad that federal prosecutors are not even going to attempt to pursue those greedy, soulless demons working there for insider trading and bank and securities fraud, because it might further impact financial markets in the U.S.! There was also another hurricane, named Ike, which ravaged the American southern coast, bringing $31 billion in damages and over a hundred lost lives. And there’s still the war in Afghanistan and the occupation of Iraq—you remember what those are, don’t you? They’re those pesky little skirmishes in South Asia and the Middle East, which were loosely based on false pretenses. Calm yourselves! This is no time to be frightened, you’ve got to be fearless and committed in times like these! There’s no point in getting all sweaty and letting those butterflies in your stomach get the best of you. So what if America is finally succumbing to its constant gorging and extreme excess, and we’re all going to die horribly? You’ve got to dig your feet into the ground and stare at total annihilation like a real human being! But there’s hope! A chance for all of this to change! Even as we Canadians, global citizens of the world, look out across our borders in united fear, remember that there may be a revolution coming. On Nov. 4, the average American, citizen of the most powerful nation on the planet, will be going out and electing people of true service into office! For some, this may not seem to be of great importance, but to those with half a brain and a soul that cries for the loss of common human decency, this election is history in the making! Change is finally afoot! It seems that those twisted fiends—the ones who have been gnawing at the very spine of the political system, crippling it so that it represents something akin to a sack of broken innocence and baby tears—are finally going to be on their way out!

And we find fighting for the Big Seat two agents of hope, both of whom are riding a wave of change into a future that—based on present data and statistics—will likely see a larger national deficit for America, the total meltdown of their economy, and the continued dumping of money and resources into wars that are impossible to win (with Canada riding shotgun the entire way). Each party has thrust their best and brightest up into the spotlight. During the homestretch to election day, the lines have been drawn into the sand and the true faces of the Elephant and Donkey parties have emerged. One of these agents of change is a Democratic senator from Chicago, Ill., Barack Hussein Obama. Don’t let his exotic-sounding name fool you! He’s a genuine American hero; a man who is the living embodiment of the American Dream! A white single mother raised a black son who made his way to Harvard School of Law and has since become the very first member of a minority to accept the official presidential nomination of a major political party. He’s been endorsed by Al Gore, Edward Kennedy, and Oprah (to name a few), and has a couple of notches on his political belt, such as being one of a handful of senators to have voted against the 2003 invasion of Iraq. On the other end of the spectrum, we have Republican Senator John McCain, a Vietnam war-veteran, the maverick who is going to shake up Capitol Hill by getting rid of the present corrupt government and putting in place the exact same government. McCain’s bus, the “Straight-Talk Express”, has managed to rack up quite

illustration by Alex Martin

My main quarrel with McCain is the relative ease with which he shifted gears and turned from a maverick into a slimy toad. He once claimed that he was a progressive conservative, but the moment that he finally won that coveted endorsement, he reverted into some conformist mutant, and has now surrounded himself with greedy, beady-eyed, multi-term incumbent senators and lobbyists to help his campaign. But a presidential nominee has got to have an ace in the hole to re-

My main quarrel with McCain is the relative ease with which he shifted gears and turned from a maverick into a slimy toad. a few miles and a shit-load of dents, ever since he picked up the nomination from the worst gang of corporate-tit-sucking elitists the Republicans managed to dredge out of the country club long enough to possibly win the election and dig America into a deeper hole. I don’t know if it’s a little senility creeping in, but has McCain forgotten that the present party in power is his party, and that he, as well as the rest of his party, endorsed and backed Bush throughout both his terms in office? Or is that all just being conveniently ignored until he wins and brings another four years of the same?

ally make sure that he don’t lose the election by a handful of votes, correct? And that ace takes shape in the form of his vice-presidential candidate. Obama brought onto his ticket Delaware Senator Joe Biden, a man who has decades of service and experience. Biden’s a smart pick, having served 35 years in the Senate, and having chaired or sat on dozens of committees surrounding war, foreign policy, and women’s rights. America is in safe hands when it comes to Obama’s vp pick. McCain, on the other hand, decided that he ought to up the ante and inject some life into a dying campaign by picking Alaska Governor

Sarah Palin. She’s the lipstick-wearing pit-bull with no leash, whose extensive political experience consists of being mayor of Wasilla, Alaska for four years and governor of Alaska for less than two years. She’s McCain’s pick to be the next possible president of America if he dies. Seriously. There is no way that the winner of the 1982 Miss Wasilla Pageant should have her hand anywhere near the button. Which brings me to my next point: McCain is 74. He’s literally a skipped heartbeat away from Palin being sworn in as commander-in-chief! He has had cancer four separate times, and he refuses to disclose his medical records to the public. This makes it look as if he’s got something to hide— his faltering health. Palin is a woman who, a month before being picked, claimed to have no idea what the vice president actually does. The Middle-East crisis, the occupation of Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, and the overwhelming fear of global terrorism will be put on the shoulders of a person whose foreign policy experience consists of her believing that she can see Russia from an island off the Alaskan coast! I have concluded that the reason Palin was really chosen to be the vice-presidential nominee was based on a plan to sucker in the cynical soccer moms who were angered beyond belief at the fact that Hillary Clinton had lost the Democratic nomination to Obama. But Palin, with her lack of charm, negligible political experience, and frightening conservatism

has become more of a liability than a godsend. McCain’s campaign is unravelling quickly and with such savage force, that his head is a permanent blur. The change the world desperately needs to fix America and drag her back from oblivion’s gaping maw comes in the guise of Barack Hussein Obama. Canada’s trade with the U.S. is so entangled in a Kama Sutralike web of policies and treaties that we need an American president who will actually force regulation of the not-so-free American market, so that he can help stave off the tsunamis of destruction that will fall upon Canadians long after the old and soulless toads, pigs, and horse’s asses of Capitol Hill who created it all have moved on to playing bridge in Hades, and we’re left toiling at our nine-to-five jobs in the middle of a 60-year recession. America has a chance to attain glory again, but it will come at a high price. America will need to put aside worthless values such as greed, racism, and fear, and shed the sentiments of ignorance, hate, and apathy. Americans will need to think of not themselves, but of and for the greater good. And once they do so, the sought-after change that they need may be blessed upon them. As a Canadian, as well as a global citizen, I think I speak for everyone, be it within the borders of my great nation, as well as everyone else on the face of the planet, when I say I ache for positive change to happen.

HECKLES: Don’t drop fees by Kalin Smith Fulcrum Staff NO MATTER WHERE you walk on campus, you are certain to see “Drop Fees” propaganda. With posters, pins, and T-shirts advertising the Nov. 5 rally, the message is almost impossible to avoid. Advocates have even come to my door, soliciting their cause, offering persuasive statistical analyses, alluring leaflets, and all of the aforementioned apparel. It is all quite glamorous and heavily funded, I assume, but thus far I’ve not been presented any logical grounds— aside from the loathsomeness of forking over hard-earned cash—for why exactly the government of Ontario should lower tuition fees. I am not convinced. First off, the government of Ontario already heavily subsidizes the cost of post-secondary education for Canadian citizens. For example, while a Canadian resident would pay roughly $5,000 for a year of academia, a non-Canadian resident—those studying abroad, perhaps—would pay a fee of roughly $15,000. This reduction in costs is a result of the Canadian philosophy on higher education: university not only benefits the individual, but society as a whole. Though it may seem like gargantuan sums of money students are needlessly forking over, these are mere pennies of the funding these institutions need to function. The reality is that this is the price of a

globally reputable Western education. Advocat- logic, it is quite simple to figure this dilemma ing for lower tuition fees shows the lack of ap- out. Let ‘E’ represent enrolment rates, and let ‘T’ preciation students have for the fine cost of fine represent rising tuition fees. If enrolment rates education. Did your mothers never teach you increase, there is a large demand for an increase that you get what you pay for? Students attend- in both facilities and professors (If ‘E’, then ing Harvard University in Boston or Oxford in ‘T’). To reiterate, enrolment rates are indeed inLondon, institutions with the some of the high- creasing as a result of the booming population est tuition fees, pay superlative amounts for a (‘E’). Therefore, more facilities and professors superlative quality of education. are required to accommodate the increase in While it is impossible to deny the fact that student numbers, and accordingly, tuition fees tuition fees are inare on the rise (‘T’). A creasing, it is equally simple, valid logistiimportant to ask why cal form, Modus Ponthis is happening. The more undergrads that come ens: If ‘E’, then ‘T’, ‘E’, Quite simply, it’s betherefore ‘T’. cause enrollment out of these institutions, the less Above all, it is reputable a degree seems. rates for Canadian most important to reuniversities are risalize that the concept ing drastically. Enrolof university may be ment rates have not lost entirely on conbeen so high since temporary society. the post-World War II baby boom—when University was once a place for budding inteluniversities such as Brock, York, and Carleton lectuals seeking higher education, fascinated had to be established to accommodate a mas- by the world around them, and thirsty for sive influx of students. As the North American knowledge. In fact, the only discipline once population exploded after the Second World taught in higher academia was philosophy, War, what we are now seeing are the children the study of knowledge. Today, universities of these baby boomers. The Echo Boomers, as are home almost entirely to students buffing they are referred to, were born beginning in the their resumes in the hopes of landing that late 1980s, and are now entering into Canadian $32,000-a-year job, to afford their luxurious universities. If you have any knowledge of basic condo on the coast. Lowering tuition fees

would reduce universities’ operational funds and attract an influx of students, consequently worsening the situation of universities. The more undergrads that come out of these institutions, the less reputable a degree seems. If the only ambition of university students is to add three more lines to their resumé, all hope is lost for senior academia. Prove me wrong, please.

Lust for political power turning off voters

by Ben Myers Fulcrum Staff VOTER APATHY HAS reached an all-time high, not only in Canada, but also in our Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) elections. Less than 60 per cent of registered Canadians showed up at the polls for the Oct. 14 federal election. In the February SFUO elections, 12 per cent of eligible students bothered to take mere minutes out of their day to vote. In the March presidential byelection, even fewer students cared about electing the most important position on the SFUO executive: only 3.7 per cent of students voted. The opinion of fewer than 700 people— on a campus of almost 30,000 undergrads—chose the current SFUO

www.thefulcrum.ca

president. What’s wrong with the people who don’t vote? Nothing. What’s wrong with democracy? Nothing. What’s wrong with politics these days? Everything. The objective of democracy is to represent the will of as many people as possible, and yet politicians on both local and national stages have made it their objective to cater only to their base, polarize the issues, and frame the opposition as not the representation of a different philosophy, but stupid and untrustworthy. Both student and federal politics have become a battleground of polarized ideologies. To those pursuing power, elections are meant simply as a means to pursue a predetermined ideology. These ideologies are often diametrically opposed to one another.

If voters don’t like their choice of extremes, they have little recourse. No wonder voters can’t find time to make it to the polling booth—we see no trace of ourselves within politicians anymore. By representing themselves as perfect protectors of ideology as opposed to negotiators, and demonizing their opposition, politicians have framed themselves out of the realm of humanity, alienating voters. At the University of Ottawa, the “student movement” has become a defined group calling students to war. Members of the SFUO and the Canadian Federation of Students have framed themselves as protectors of students and student ideology, while failing to ask students whether they have a unified ideology (how could we, as promoting diversity is the objective of so many organizations on campus?) and whether it should be pursued through protest. “All Out” the posters shout at us as we walk by. Meanwhile, the voice of the individual student is silenced—how can we respond? Is there any room in this student movement for a dissenting opinion? Is there any room in the Conservative or Liberal parties of Canada for a person who agrees with the leader only half the time? These people would surely be expunged by the true believers. The ideology must be unified, it must be strong, and it must be loud. In the name of pursuing goals, in the name of unity, in the name of defeating the opponent, the movement must be purified of objectors. And so 40 per cent of voters don’t make it to the polls on election day. And so 88 per cent of students don’t

find time to vote for their SFUO representatives. The alienation and apathy has reached the point that politicians are no longer preaching to the choir. The choir members are the only people voting.

Through his or her inaction, the non-voter is sending a clear message: You are not my kind of politicians and this is not my kind of politics. I don’t care what you do because you don’t care about me.

illustrations by Alex Martin

Oct. 30, 2008

OPINION

21

Sarah Leavitt Features Editor [email protected]

Distractions Dear Di

Oct. 30–Nov. 5, 2008

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

Dear Di, I’ve been toying with the idea of shaving my ass but I don’t know how to go about it. I don’t think it would look very good if I did it on my own and I also don’t really trust myself. If you think shaving is a good idea, how should I raze my hairy ass? —Hair Pants

town core and each informed me that they would wax your tush. There are no “partial ass” or “full ass” fees—the average price quote was $50. So there you go. If you plan on hitting the salon, just remember to ask them to shave your whole ass, not just around your asshole. Love, Di

Dear HP, I can’t think of one benefit that would come from shaving your ass. Not even one. You’re probably not an Olympic diver, so it’s not about fluid dynamics. You might have someone to impress; I guess your ass would look squeaky clean, but I’m all for being relaxed and honest about who you are. So no, I don’t think shaving your ass is a spectacular idea. But if you’re really compelled to shave your badonkadonk, I see two options. You’re right, dealing with four-blade razors or fumbling scalding hot wax alone will just lead to poor aesthetics and pain. Instead, call up a very good friend, someone who will find it amusing to bond over basting your turkey, and get him or her to lather your ass and shave it for you. Keep in mind: Don’t skimp on shaving cream or razors, as cheap stuff equals cuts and nicks, and take a warm shower to let the heat soften your skin and relax the hair follicles, making hair easier to get rid of. Your second option is a beauty salon. As a woman who enjoys her Brazilians, I can tell you that salons are professional and the aestheticians there will shave absolutely anything. Listen, I called three salons in the down-

Dear Di, I’m a bi girl and I’m in two non-monogamous relationships. I’ve got great things going with a girl and a guy, but when they go down on me she uses too much tongue and he nibbles at my clit! How do I tell them that I hate these things that they each do? —Loves Bilingus

Thursday, Oct. 30

Dear LB, First for the girl. Remember that women are sensitive, so if she is going down on you and slobbering everywhere, I want you to make noises to guide her to let her know what you like and what you don’t. Or the less passive-aggressive option is just being honest. Don’t do it while she’s down there because she might get offended or discouraged. Rather, explain to her over tea that she uses too much tongue and be very exact about what you prefer. Reassure her that she’s fantastic, but you think that you’d be more pleasured if she used less tongue. As for the boy, you could tell him that you appreciate the gesture and his being open to doing it, but that you’re afraid he’ll bite your whole clit off. Actually, just tell him bluntly that nibbling doesn’t get you

juicy— anything goes because boys are so desperate to please that they won’t be offended at all. And afterwards, just to smooth everything over, butter them both up with a “Think of how much fun it’s going to be to get down and dirty all the time, but it’ll be even better if we figure out what gets us both off.” That’ll open up the floor to their possible concerns with you. After that talk, flattery should get you everywhere. Enjoy! Love, Di Finally, I’ve been stumped by this next question for days, so I’m opening it up to my dear readers. If anyone has an answer (I would like to see answers to help both men and women, please), write me at [email protected] and I’ll print your advice in the next issue. Thanks! Dear Di, My friend told me he got a blow job behind one of the stacks in the Morriset Library by a girl that seduced him while he was studying. I’m so jealous! Is there any way that I can improve my chances of having random sex with strangers? Or do you just have to be really fucking hot? —Wanting Fifth-Floor Fun

Thryllabus Sunday, Nov. 2

Mexican cinema: Mecánica nacional. 7 p.m. Arts Hall. Room 257. Free. Monty Python and the Holy Grail. 8 p.m. Simard Hall. Café Alternatif. Free.

Master’s recital: Andres Tucci Clark on cello. 8 p.m. Tabaret Hall. Room 112. Free.

Monday, Nov. 3 Rachel Getting Married. 6:45 p.m. ByTowne Cinema. 325 Rideau St. $9, $7 for members.

Friday, Oct. 31 Happy Halloween! Bon Appétit Food Bank presents: Trick or Eat. 4 p.m. Unicentre Agora. Register in person or at www.trickoreat.ca. Lecture: Theocracy and Autonomy in Medieval Islamic and Jewish Philosophy. 3 p.m. Arts Hall. Room 509. Free.

Saturday, Nov. 1

Radical Readers lecture: Fatelessness read by Prof. Libby Adler. 4:30 p.m. Fauteux Hall. Room 202. Free.

Tuesday, Nov. 4 Women’s basketball: Ottawa vs. Carleton. 7 p.m. Montpetit gym. Students $4.

Wednesday, Nov. 5

Women’s hockey: Ottawa vs. McGill. 6 p.m. Sports Complex. Students $4.

Speaker: Olympic swimmer Mark Tewksbury. 8 p.m. Alumni Auditorium. $10.

That’s the Spirit, the Flats. 8 p.m. Zaphod Beeblebrox. 27 York St. $5. 19+

Ottawa Storytellers: Warriors and Patriots. 7:30 p.m. National Arts Centre. 53 Elgin St. Students $12.

The Thryllabus needs lots of events to remain so thrilling. Email [email protected] with information on your upcoming events.

sudoku answers on p. 11 The Fulcrum is looking for students to join its board of directors. If you are looking for experience in business or not-for-profit organizations, email Ross Prusakowski, the Fulcrum’s business manager. [email protected]

Think Things

by Jocelyn Robitaille

Editorial

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Doing the Monster Mash since 1942. Volume 69 - Issue 11 Oct. 30–Nov. 5, 2008 phone: (613) 562-5261 fax: (613) 562-5259 631 King Edward Ave., Ottawa, ON K1N6N5 [email protected] www.thefulcrum.ca Recycle this paper or you’ll get candy corn.

Staff Frank ‘sexy civil servant’ Appleyard Editor-in-Chief [email protected] Ben ‘sexy sandwich artist’ Myers Production Manager [email protected] Michael ‘sexy poet’ Olender Executive Editor [email protected] Martha ‘sexy scientist’ Pearce Art Director [email protected] Emma ‘sexy bus driver’ Godmere News Editor [email protected] Peter ‘sexy taxidermist’ Henderson Arts & Culture Editor [email protected] David ‘sexy principal’ McClelland Sports Editor [email protected]

Sarah ‘sexy safety officer’ Leavitt Features Editor [email protected] Danielle ‘sexy coal miner’ Blab Laurel ‘sexy crossing guard’ Hogan Copy Editors Amanda ‘sexy pilot’ Shendruk Associate News Editor [email protected] James ‘sexy telemarketer’ Edwards Webmaster [email protected] Jessica ‘sexy foley artist’ Sukstorf Volunteer & Visibility Coordinator [email protected] Megan ‘sexy radio host’ O’Meara Staff Writer Alex ‘sexy moderator’ Martin Staff Illustrator Inari ‘sexy janitor’ Vaissi Nagy Jiselle ‘sexy bellhop’ Bakker Ombudsgirls [email protected] Travis ‘sexy landscaper’ Boisvenue Ombudsboy [email protected]

Deidre ‘sexy accountant’ Butters Advertising Representative [email protected] Ross ‘sexy economist’ Prusakowski Business Manager [email protected]

Oct. 30–Nov. 5, 2008

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Support for a sister publication UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA students enjoy a luxury not found at many other campuses in Canada: student media completely free of student union ownership or oversight. This means that while both U of O student newspapers are partially funded by students, the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) has no authority over editorial content or business decisions. The Fulcrum is currently enjoying its fourth year of autonomy, while our French counterpart La Rotonde is nearing its seventh month free from SFUO ownership. However, the road to this journalistic independence is often fraught with perils. Financial stability is incredibly difficult to achieve during the vital first few months of autonomy, and staff work tirelessly to ensure that a product of equal quality continues to make its way to newsstands every week. Balancing financial stability with maintaining the often expensive product of an established newspaper can be a near-impossible equation for a newly independent paper. The staff of the U of O’s French-language student newspaper is currently attempting to strike this balance, and has encountered an understandably tight budget in doing so. It is relatively easy—financially speaking—to remain under the watchful eye and large budget of the SFUO. However, surrendering freedom for this comfort is unacceptable to both journalists and students who expect their media to function as truly objective forums for criticism and debate. La Rotonde’s staff and board members’ determined commitment to upholding the paper’s fledgling independence despite the incredible workload and financial constraints necessary to ensure a stable future is truly laudable. While La Rotonde’s general manager Caroline Bouchard has indicated that the financial crunch seems to have passed, ensuring a newly autonomous paper runs smoothly is typically an ongoing struggle. Times are apparently doubly difficult for the newspaper, given the recent resignation of Editor-in-Chief François-Olivier Dorais. The loss of leadership and vision that accompanies such a departure has the potential to be incredibly distressing for staff. Combined, shoestring finances and uncertainty among the editorial staff cast an imposing shadow over La Rotonde. Yet there is much cause for optimism. Not only has La Rotonde apparently survived a significant budget crunch, but history also indicates that the paper will emerge from this experience unscathed. As a point of comparison, the Fulcrum has encountered both situations that our sister paper is currently in the midst of. From financial crises in this paper’s first year of autonomy to dealing with the mid-year resignation of the editor-in-chief two years ago, the Fulcrum has seen the worst of times and lived to write about it. Raising these success stories from Fulcrum history is merely intended to offer the staff of La Rotonde a light at the end of the dark tunnel they are currently travelling. Rest assured: it is possi-

ble to weather these storms and emerge a stable, autonomous publication. The Fulcrum and La Rotonde don’t always see eye-to-eye when it comes to editorial stances. However, what is always shared between the two institutions is respect for each other’s work and a belief that the ability of the student media to fulfill its role as the fourth estate depends on the autonomy that both currently enjoy. The Fulcrum remains proud of the staff of La Rotonde’s decision to pursue independence, despite knowing the very real struggles they would face, and will likely continue to face in continuing to publish a respected newspaper that has appeared on stands for over 70 years. At the end of the day, an independent press is vital to providing students with fair, balanced

coverage of events and issues on campus. This free student media often does not come without a struggle, and the internal battle to ensure a sustainable, independent press is one worth fighting. The La Rotonde staff ’s fight against their current obstacles in the name of journalistic independence deserves the support of all U of O students. In this vein, the Fulcrum encourages all students to email [email protected] to offer a few kind words to the newspaper’s staff in their ongoing battle with adversity to remain the U of O’s independent French-language student newspaper. Consider the Fulcrum the first to voice its appreciation and support. Bon courage, La Rotonde. [email protected]

Contributors

Nicole ‘sexy caddy’ Gall Staff Proofreader Robert ‘sexy bookkeeper’ Olender On-campus Distributor

Frank Appleyard Editor-in-Chief [email protected]

Devin A. ‘sexy cartoonist’ Beauregard Hilary ‘sexy playwright’ Caton Elizabeth ‘sexy gaffer’ Chiang Laura ‘sexy lunchlady’ Clementson Kenny ‘sexy mascot’ Dodd Katie sexy psychiatrist’ DeClerq Phil ‘sexy set dresser’ Flickinger Ian ‘sexy parole officer’ Flett Sarah ‘sexy timekeeper’ Gibbons

Tina ‘sexy mime’ Hassannia Matt ‘sexy rodeo clown’ Johnny Camila ‘sexy busker’ Juarez Danyal ‘sexy engineer’ Khoral Hisham ‘sexy retiree’ Kelati Jamie ‘sexy CFO’ MacDonald Alessandro ‘sexy pharmacist’ Nahon Lihang ‘sexy barber’ Nong Rebecca ‘sexy beta tester’ Rich

Jocelyn ‘sexy pro gamer’ Robitaille Anna ‘sexy best boy’ Rocoski Kalin ‘sexy publisher’ Smith Alex ‘sexy CEO’ Smyth Amlake ‘sexy politician’ T-Digaf

cover photo by Lihang Nong