THE GATEWAY ¢ volume XCVIII number 37

THE PANELLISTS

Vice-president (External) in 2006/07, Dave CouRNOYER was instrumental in get- ting the U-Pass in the hands of U of A stu- dents. He also served as an Arts councillor in 2007/08, but resigned at the end of August. He's currently a prominent Alberta blogger and isn't just some obscure fat frat boy with a sticky-up haircut.

A Science councillor from 2003/04 to 2004/05, and again in 2006/07, JusTIN KEHOE also served as vice-president (Student Life) in 2005/06. The competi- tive nature of the VPSL race this year made him a strong voice for our panel. He cur- rently holds the unofficial title of VPMA: vice-president (Mustache Aficionado).

STEVE KIRKHAM served as Science council- lor from 2003/04 to 2005/06, and made an unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 2006. He has also run several referen- dum and plebiscite campaigns. As well, he invented friggin’ Bear Scat; have you heard of it?

Sam Power had a long tenure on the SU, most notably as vice-president (External) in 2005/06 and President in 2006/07. She's currently the news director at CJSR and a member of the radical cheerleaders, if that carries any clout. (Note: it doesn’t).

FEATURE 4]

election dissection

SU EDITION

aven't made up your mind on who to vote for in the Students’

Union elections? The Gateway sits down with a distinguished

panel of former Students’ Union councillors and executive members to find out who they believe is competent, who isn’t, and what the big deal is about all these “issues” you keep hearing about.

Vote or die—but why?

Perhaps the biggest issue surrounding this year’s election is that there are no real issues. Unlike the U-Pass and Coke questions last year, there are no referenda on this year’s ballot. Steve Kirkham thinks that this may decrease voter turnout by as much as 50 per cent this year.

“When was the last time we didn’t have a plebiscite or referendum on the ballot? Not in my time,” he said.

“T don’t think any of the candidates are giving students a reason to get out and vote,” Cournoyer added.

Power didn’t think that the drop in voter turnout would be as large as Kirkham stated, but said an issue like joining a federal advocacy group such as CASA should definitely go to a referendum.

Overall, the resounding stance of the panel was that turnout would be down.

Surely you jest

As Gateway business manager and resident SU hack Steve Smith said when the final list of candidates was announced, “One joke candidate is the perfect amount.” This year, only

Presidential predictions

While the presidential contention was initially heralded by many as a two-horse race between Janelle Morin and Bobby Samuel, the panel was quick to point out that Dustin Miller should be strongly considered by students.

“Having no background in the Students’ Union, he comes across as quite intelligent, quite strong,” Kehoe said of Miller, while adding that he has yet to deviate from his speeches during the forums.

“He’s the only one who’s really presenting a vision of the Students’ Union that’s anything to get excited about,” Cournoyer noted, adding that the other candidates were primarily “incrementalists.”

Kehoe also said that Miller's presence has upped the debate and level of discourse on issues in the presidential race.

Still, much of the presidential discussion fell to Samuel and Morin.

When discussing the former’s platform, Kirkham asked, “Tf he had all of these great ideas, why didn’t he implement them in his year as Vice-President (Academic)? Why is he now focusing moreso on the academic portfolio when he’s running for president and never got anything done during his year as VPA?”

Kehoe added that he felt much of Samuel’s platform is regressive.

by RYAN HEISE

PHOTOS BY SAM BROOKS, MIKE OTTO, TARA STIEGLITZ, AND KRYSTINA SULATYCKI

the/future is contending the presidency, and has so far rana fairly invisible campaign. The panel had a simple explanation for this: joke candidates of recent memory have sucked. “When I think of Pepsi and Tom Selleck, it’s been kind of lacking for the last couple of years,” Power said. “I think there should be more joke candidates. I think they heighten the tension and the debate and just make elections fun.”

Samuel snafu

A topic all of the panel was eager to discuss was the ques- tion of whether not the current situation surrounding Bobby Samuel should be taken into consideration by stu- dents when heading to the polls. The emphatic response was “yes.”

“Tt does reflect on what kind of president you would be when youre in office and the types of decisions you'd make [and] the reasons why you would make them,” Power said. “He should have the right to run, but I do think students should really take into account what he’s done.”

Kirkham called it a “lack of common sense,” which was echoed by the rest of the panel, but Kehoe added that other candidates shouldn't be dragging it out.

“He’s talking about bringing students-at-large to com- mittees of Students’ Council, to bring back these dedicated seats for different groups, and I just think these are things that the Students’ Union used to do years ago—maybe when somebody’s brother was president, I don’t know— but it seems like he’s talking about going backwards in a few ways.”

Power felt uneasy with aspects of both Morin’s and Samuel’s platforms.

“T feel uncomfortable with any statements that say, ‘I would like to build a strong relationship with the govern- ment or the University, ” she said. “I don’t know what that means; I don’t know what that accomplishes. The University is not on our side; they have a different agenda, and it’s unfortunate when student leaders don’t recognize that difference.”

Cournoyer, Power, and Kirkham all noted that the two platforms have a lot of similarities, but that they are all fail- ing to address PSE issues in any public way.

“When the SU president speaks, people listen. Media love printing stuff from an SU president, and students need to be cognizant about that fact when casting their vote, and candidates also have to be cognizant of that fact when they're coming up with their platform. I’m not sure if the two front-runners have really hit on those points,” Kirkham said.

Cournoyer also raised another important point in that

12 FEATURE

dissection

“| feel uncomfortable with any statements that say, ‘I would like

to build a strong relationship with the government or the University.’ | don’t know what that means; I don't know what that accomplishes. The University is not on our side; they have a different agenda, and it's unfortunate when student leaders don't recognize that difference.”

SAM POWER

no candidate has attempted to really capitalize on yesterday’s provincial election by trying to use what some of the parties are saying about PSE to mobilize students.

But Kirkham summed up Morin and Samuel the best for the panel: “Both of these platforms are designed to appease the greatest number of students and simply get them votes. That’s what it comes down to.”

Kirkham also best captured the sentiments surrounding the fourth candidate, Sheldon Tibbo, when he discussed his responses during the SUB Stage forum.

“He answered a question about accessibility, and it occurred to me that he simply lacks a fundamental understanding of what accessibility is. He’s making the standard con- servative argument that university is only for those that can pay for it. And frankly, [the fact] that that’s an argu- ment coming from a candidate run- ning for Students’ Union president should be deplorable in the eyes of students.”

Kirkham added that Tibbo’s deci- sion to wear a (Conservative MLA can- didate) TJ Kiel button and snowman pajama pants should make students ask, “Are you serious?”

THE VERDICT: Two votes for Miller; two votes for Morin.

Board of Governors Representative

Only one candidate is running this year for BoG rep—current SU President Michael Janz—and the panel was resoundingly in support of him.

“Tm entirely convinced that he’s running because he wants to make things happen,” Kehoe said.

Power added that the knowledge gained from his year as president have made him very ideal for the position.

“Janz understands you need to be a critical advocate to [the Province and the University], and he knows how those relationships work,” she explained.

“He’s gained people’s respect. I appreciate the fact that a current exec- utive officer who has performed quite well this year is willing to come back for another year,” Kehoe added. “Not that he has much to get out of it, but he really wants to give more back and take everything he’s learned and put it into action.”

THE VERDICT: Four votes for Janz.

Vice-President Finance)

(Operations &

The first of three two-candidate races this year, the OpsFi position is being contended by Steven Dollansky and Peter Rychlik.

Some of the panel members found it odd that Dollansky would choose to run for OpsFi after spending a year as Vice-President (External). However, Power said that she sees where Dollansky’s coming from.

“T can understand it. It does appear that he has concrete goals. I can

tuesday, 4 march, 2008 « www.thegatewayonline.ca

understand the feeling of having been in one position and seeing opportuni- ties in another.”

Kehoe added that Dollansky’s plat- form “is really well thought out. In the last three years, this is probably the strongest platform I’ve ever seen [for VPOF].”

However, Cournoyer suggested that Dollansky is perhaps making a mis- take in running

“There’s no doubt he has a solid platform; maybe, halfway through the year, he decided he should have run for VP (Operations & Finance) rather than (External), but the thing that’s getting me is that he made a com- mitment when he ran for VPX, and now he’s taking a break in the middle of a provincial election campaign, in order to run for what could be argued as a lesser position on the executive,” Cournoyer stated.

“He’s done students a disservice by leaving the position when they needed him the most to raise issues of postsec- ondary education. I don’t think it’s fair that one of the guys that’s supposed to lead the movement decided to take time off in the middle of the fight.”

But Kehoe asked if the same criti- cism could be applied Janz taking time off from the presidency, which all of the panellists agreed was fair.

Power drew on her experience as president to bring up a concern about Dollansky’s platform, noting that “a lot of the ideas he has on here are ideas that I’ve seen from staff members of the organization. Not that they're bad ideas, but I would be concerned for his ability to say no to those staff members.”

Peter Rychlik turned out to be another relatively unknown candidate that impressed the panel. Though he’s young, Kehoe said, Rychlik shows a lot of enthusiasm and a genuine inter- est in issues surrounding the position, but warned that “he just suffers from a lack of awareness and knowledge of the distinction between SU operations and University operations.”

“T think the perfect example of that was lobbying for expanded use of UWS. It’s not something that would happen,” Kirkham added.

Still, the panel was unanimous on Rychlik’s potential.

“He seems like the type of candi- date who, if he served for a year on Students’ Council and understands where you draw the line between the SU and University, I think he’d be a fine candidate,” Kehoe said.

“T commend him,’ Cournoyer added. “I think there should be more students who take things to their Students’ Union that they want to improve and say, ‘I might not be a sit- ting VP, I might not be on Students’ Council, [but] these are my ideas, and I want to push for them.’ He may not win this time around, but I hope that after this election, if he doesn’t win, he does try to get more experience with the Students’ Union. | think he’d be great in the next election.”

THE VERDICT: Two votes for Dollansky; two votes for None of the Above.

Vice-President (External)

Another two-candidate race, this time between Matt Trodden and Beverly Eastham, saw the second instance of the panel deciding unanimously.

“Right off the bat, I can’t vote for [Trodden],” Power said as she looked over his campaign materials. “Build a strong relationship with the University because their interests are our interests.” That is not true in any way. If the University’s interests were our interests, we would see smaller classroom sizes, lower tuition, and higher quality of teaching. It’s evi- dence that the University’s interests are not our interests. A failure to recognize that is a failure to recog- nize the type of relationship that the SU is supposed to have with the University.”

Cournoyer says he reached a similar conclusion.

“Tt just seems like he doesn’t have a grasp for what the government is doing for postsecondary educa- tion, what the VP (External) position entails, or what the Students’ Union has advocated for,” he said.

Eastham, on the other hand, gar- nered much more support.

“She recognizes that in order to get the University to do something, you've got to have the University behind you,” Power said.

The panel as a whole was pleased with Eastham’s pragmatic approach to the question of whether or not the SU should join a federal lobby group— specifically Kirkham, who called fed- eral lobby groups “a huge waste of money.”

Tt was perhaps Eastham’s approach to dealing with the provincial gov- ernment that garnered the most attention.

“She hits on all the main issues,” Cournoyer said. “I like that she talks about seeking the University’s support for tuition stability in legislation.”

THE VERDICT: Four votes for Eastham.

Vice-President (Academic)

The final two-candidate race brought upa significant amount of contention amongst the panellists, as it was con- sidered one of the most important in all of the SU.

“These are people who are going to be representing the Students’ Union in a lot of meetings with the University; these are people who are going to be talking with [University Provost] Carl [Amrhein],” Kehoe noted.

“These are things that students care about so much,” added Kirkham of the issues that the position deals with. “It’s why students are here in the first place.”

With the importance of the posi- tion laid out on the table, the panel discussed the possibility of the candi- dates: John Braga and Bryant Lukes.

Kehoe and Cournoyer agreed that Braga had not convinced either of them that he is suitable for the job, but Power differed, stating that he

THE GATEWAY ¢ volume XCVIII number 37

“If [Samuel] had all of these great ideas, why didn't he implement them in his year as Vice-President (Academic)? Why is he now focusing moreso on the academic portfolio when he's running for president and never got anything done during his year as VPA?”

STEVE KIRKHAM

is presenting himself as capable of taking on the job.

“His points are quite good. He’s done his homework,” she said. “He recognizes that the administration is not valuing teaching. That’s fairly

insightful.”

“[Eastham] hits on all the main issues. I like that she talks about seeking the University’s support for tuition stability in legislation.”

DAVE COURNOYER

Kirkham went on to criticize Lukes for what he deems a misguided campaign.

“Let’s be honest, guys: John Braga does not have a picture of him with Stéphane Dion in his pamphlet,” he said, adding that he has no idea why Lukes is running for the position again.

“He doesn’t understand the posi- tion, and, having run for it before, I would have hoped that he would have taken a year to understand and research it, but I don’t see evidence of that in any of his material,” Power continued.

While the panel was clear on Lukes’s fitness for the job, there was still some trepidation in giving the position to Braga.

“Seeing him articulate [his plat- form and ideas] in person, I’m not convinced he’s the type of person who can stand up on these commit- tees and raise the voice of students without being pushed over by the University,’ Cournoyer said

THE VERDICT: Three for Braga; one for None of the Above.

Vice-President (Student Life)

In what has turned out to be the most undecided race of the year, the three candidates vying for VPSL sparked some of the biggest debate: while dismissed by some as a two-horse race between Alena Manera and Kristen Flath, there was some support for third candidate Sean McQuillan as well.

“T really like what McQuillan has to say about petitioning ETS for extended service hours and frequency,” Cournoyer said. “I've heard some people criticize him, saying it doesn’t belong in the SL portfolio, but it totally is. | think it’s something that’s origi- nal, and [...] he’s building on some- thing from last year. That type of thing I'm not seeing from the other two candidates.”

However, as Kehoe pointed out, McQuillan’s two opponents each have a significant amount of student life experience.

Furthermore, Kehoe said, both Flath and Manera have very strong platforms in promoting a green and sustainable campus, while McQuillan’s is missing it completely.

Another large issue that was pointed out that McQuillan lacked was dealing with mandatory fees.

“Alena and Kristen have a really key point: the transparency with manda- tory fees, which is something the VPSL really needs to dedicate a lot of time to,” Power explained. “We've gained significant spaces on key committees where we can make use of viewing transparency in these mandatory fees. I would feel comfortable voting for either of [Alena or Kristen] on that point. That’s the key issue for me in the VPSL portfolio.”

However, Power added that Flath is the only candidate to discuss the physi- cal activity complex (PAC), noting that her platform explicitly states that if it is to move forward, it should do so “Without placing the financial burden on students.”

Kirkham countered this by explain- ing there were issues that Manera

THE PANEL'S 2008/09 PREDICTIONS

brought up that went unaddressed by the others.

“Armark is another thing has always been a huge thing on this campus,” he said. “The only person I’ve seen talk about it is Alena; I haven't seen either of the other two candidates bring it up at all.”

He also criticized her plan for an opt- out health care plan for students.

“You'd never have an optional opt out health plan at a university,” he explained. “It defeats the whole pur- pose, and you would never find some- one to underwrite it.”

“Alena’s not quite as prepared or has not thought through as many things as Kristen has, but I see greater potential in that,” Kirkham added.

Power agreed on this point.

“Kristen's platform is comprehen- sive, but it doesn’t seem like she knows where she would place emphasis, and that’s really important when you only have a year to accomplish something,” she said.

“T want to see something different. The last four have been almost the same person. I want to see something different this year, and I think we will,” Kehoe said.

THE VERDICT: Split between Manera and Flath.

“I want to see something different The last four [Vice Presidents (Student Life)] have been almost the same person. | want to see something different this year, and I think we will.”

JUSTIN KEHOE

FEATURE 13

After much deliberation—and even more coffee—our distinguished panel came as close as we could get them to a consensus. Here’s what next year’s SU executive might look like if these four hacks have anything to say about it:

Janelle Morin/ Dustin Miller (2-2 Tie) PRESIDENT

BOG REPRESENTATIVE

Michael Janz Steven Dollansky/

None of the Above (2-2 Tie)

VP (OPSFI)

Beverly Eastham VP (EXTERNAL) VP (ACADEMIC)

Kristen Flath/ Alena Manera (undecided)

VP (STUDENT LIFE)

14 ADVERTISEMENT tuesday, 4 march, 2008 « www.thegatewayonline.ca

THE STUDENTS’ UNION IS YOUR VOICE. The leaders you elect will represent WHERE DOI VOTE, AND WHAT DO I NEED?

your interests to all levels of government, plan campus events, speak for

you in the University community, and manage Students’ Union-owned There will be polling stations across the University of Alberta campus on

Risineieee, Wednesday, Marchs and Thursday, March 6. Most polling stations will be open from 9 AM to 5 PM, but the SUB polling station will have extended

It doesn’t take long to learn more about the candidates and proposed hours and be open until 7:30 PM both days.

health plan. Read through this Gateway supplement, or stop by a can-

didate table—invest just a few minutes to make the right choice. The In order to vote you will need your OneCard. No other form of ID will be ac-

candidates you elect will work all year to make sure you get the most cepted By poll Slerks,

out of your University of Alberta experience, so take the time to make an

For alist of polling stations and other election-related information, please informed decision:

visit the SU Elections website.

whte

www.su.ualberta.ca/vote

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THE GATEWAY ¢ volume XCVIII number 37

ADVERTISEMENT 5

wW)te

www.su.ualberta.ca/vote

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA STUDENTS’ UNION ELECTIONS 2008

MARCH 5TH-6TH

THE STUDENTS’ UNION HAS A PROUD HISTORY OF EVOLVING AND ADAPTING TO MEET THE NEEDS OF ITS MEMBERS

THE SU HAS ALWays been a strong advocate for students, and can point to a long history of accomplishments, such as building SUB and HUB Mall and successfully advocating for increased student representation at the Board of Governors and the General Faculties Council. In recent years, the Students’ Union has created a number of new services such as Safewalk and the Student Financial Aid and Information Centre; established the Legacy, Access Student Involvement Endowment, and Campus Rec Enhancement Funds; opened new businesses (SUBtitles, Cue and the Print Centre); renovated SUB twice; and helped advocate

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

ONE OF CANADA'S strongest student associations, the Students’ Union represents the 30,000 undergraduate students at the University of Al- berta. A nine million dollar organization with hundreds of paid and volunteer staff, the SU is a powerful advocate for students and a major provider of student services. The SU also operates a number of busi- ness units, manages various targeted ‘trust’ funds, hosts a wide vari- ety of entertainment and educational events, and runs the Students’ Union Building.

All University of Alberta undergraduates are members of the Students’ Union.

VISION STATEMENT

THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA Students’ Union seeks to be recognized as a world-class student organization. In pursuing this objective, the Students’ Union will strive to be an effective advocate of student con- cerns in front of all audiences, a provider of valued and value-added services and support to its membership, and a responsible business owner and operator.

In addition, the University of Alberta Students’ Union will be recog- nized for an ethical and values-driven democratic culture, as a respon- sible and accountable steward of its resources, and as an innovator and leader in the governance and pursuit of its mandate.

(successfully!) for increases to the education tax reduction—and that’s just a few of the things the SU has been doing for you!

Past SU Alumni include such persons as Peter Lougheed (SU President 1951-52), Joe Clark (Gateway Editor —in- Chief 1959-60), and a former U of A Dean of Law Tim Christian (President 1970-71).

VALUES STATEMENT

THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA Students’ Union holds the following Val- ues to be paramount in the pursuit of its Vision.

Democracy — Our leadership receives its mandate from democratic institutions and practices; the spirit of democracy is a part of every- thing that we do. We are accountable to our members and electors.

Dignity - Each member, employee, customer, and associate of the Stu- dents’ Union is entitled to be treated with respect and consideration as long as they respect the dignity of others.

Equality — We pledge to treat all without prejudice and preconcep- tion. Each person is due to equal consideration, attention, and op- portunity.

Ethics — In the pursuit of our goals, we are expected to act ethically, with integrity, and with due consideration for the impact of our ac- tions and decisions on others.

Innovation —We endeavor to proactively seek new and better ways to execute the tasks entrusted to us.

Leadership — \We are committed to showing the way, upholding the right, bringing solutions not problems and providing hope.

Security and Safety —The security and safety of our members, employ- ees, associates and customers is a consideration in all our endeavors.

Rule of Law — The Students’ Union recognizes the rule of law in all of our endeavors, relationships and operations.

16 ADVERTISEMENT

PRESIDENT

tuesday, 4 march, 2008 « www.thegatewayonline.ca

THE PRESIDENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR REPRESENTING U OF A STUDENTS IN THE LARGER

COMMUNITY AND FORTHE OVERALL POLICY AND OPERATIONAL DIRECTION OF THE STUDENTS’ UNION.

JANELLE MORIN

DUSTIN MILLER

SHELDON TIBBO

BOBBY SAMUEL

THE/FUTURE

Janelle Morin is the presidential candidate with the extensive experience and vision that will guarantee results. In her 4 years on campus, Janelle has provided leadership on the Lister Hall executive, has supported over 350 student groups as their Director, and has fought the rent increases on students’ behalf. Janelle is the candidate who will demand more for students from our University and our government.

As PRESIDENT, JANELLE WILL PROVIDE: 1. Strategic Advocacy Values: « Quality + Affordability » Effectiveness

Actions: * Reform student loans and increase needs-based scholarships and bursaries * Strengthen the SU through the use of partnerships and allies « Integrate targeted training into the teacher evaluation process

| have been a student at the U of A for 5 years.| am running for President and this is my first venture into student politics.

Like so many of the students around me, | spent my first years at the U of Ain the belief that the Students’ Union provided many great services, but ultimately was unable to effect large scale change.

However, | received a wake up call a year ago January at the ALL OUT DAY OF ACTION. At this protest less than 1% of the student population was in attendance, and after Avi Lewis called upon the students to “get angry and get organized”,

LOOKING IN

After speaking with students, many have wondered why tuition has gone up. Administration, the Students’ Union, and many others have been continually blamed for the increase. Ultimately, the onus falls on students, administration staff, and government officials. In order to be effective, the Students’ Union needs to facilitate the communication between them.

LOOKING BACK

Over time, the purpose of the Students’ Union has become diluted. The current Students’ Union and its executives have insufficiently communicated their purposes, goals, and out- comes to the students. The consensus of students is that there is a lack of understanding and humility between the Students’ Union executives and the students they represent.

Against all odds, | still want to be your next SU President. I’ve certainly made mistakes as VP Academic, but | learned from them.

| learned that for you, it’s about...

Accountability To guarantee the SU is working on your behalf,

| will implement a midyear evaluation of the Executive and Students’ Council to ensure that they are making progress towards their campaign promises.

Affordability

To reduce the impact of a tuition increase, | will work to con- vince the U of A and the provincial government to set aside a portion of any tuition increase for financial needs-based bursaries.

No information submitted.

2. Supportive Community Values: * Space « Funding * Communication

Actions: * Create study and venue space in the Powerplant » Increase University funding for student groups and services + Maximize student outreach through alternative media

3. Responsible SU Values: Environment « Business * Operation

Actions: * Pursue ethical and environmentally sustainable purchasing « Establish a reduced parking rate for car pools + Ensure transparency and accountability of all student fees

For more information, please visit www.votejanelle.com.

For experience and results, vote Janelle Morin for Students’ Union President.

the students in attendance clapped, the protest ended and all momentum was dissolved. Lobbying the government without the support of the students will always be ineffective.

As President | am going to coordinate large scale tuition activism that will both allow our campus to grow together, and justify our claim to be a union. Once we unearth the power of a united student body we will be successful at effecting change in the future. | am here to remind you, apathy is not the answer.

LOOKING FORWARD

Too long we’ve been pushed around by the administration. Things need to change. Apathy is not the answer. Students need to realize that some aspects of University policy are inappropriate, unethical and unkind. The collective student body needs to get involved to enable positive change to occur.

The Students’ Union must communicate more than its purpose, but also the overall reasons for the important decisions made regarding tuition, professor/student ratios, campus housing policies, and others. Finally it is important to apply appropriate actions in order to enable positive change.

Sheldon Tibbo Students’ Union presidential candidate God bless

Community

To properly fund student groups, | will eliminate all restrictions on grants to student groups, and increase the amount and number of these grants.

Consultation

To involve you in the SU’s decisions, | will create new seats on Students’ Council for international students, students living in our residences, and students involved in our varsity teams.

Quality

To create a new culture at the U of A that emphasizes teach- ing, | will work to convince the University to offer financial incentives for all instructors to enrol in “how-to-teach” training seminars.

For more information, check out http://www.votebobby.net.

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THE GATEWAY + volume XCVIII number 37 ADVERTISEMENT 17

BOARD OF GOVERNORS

THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS REPRESENTATIVE SITS ON THE UNIVERSITY BOARD OF GOVERNORS, THE HIGHEST GOVERNING BODY OF THE UNIVERSITY. THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SETTING TUITION, MANAGING UNIVERSITY _NANCES, APPROVING NEW BUILDINGS, AND SETTING THE STRATEGIC DIRECTION OF THE UNIVERSITY.

MICHAEL JANZ This year as your Students’ Union President | have fought to — The yearly turnover for the Students’ Union is one of our protect students from unjustified and unaffordable tuition biggest strengths because we get fresh, energetic leaders and rent increases. Since | took office on May 1st | have been _ but it also serves as one of our biggest weaknesses because fighting for what is best for Undergraduates. | have seen we lose the history, knowledge, and relationships that the University demand more dollars from students without developed over the previous terms. | have one more year as showing why they are needed or how these increases are an undergraduate and | want to continue watching out for going to benefit undergraduate students. This year | have students here at the U of A. By serving on the Board of fought to provide the Board with more details and a more Governors | will be able to continue pushing for greater complete picture of what the undergraduate experience is student input here at the U of A and fight for the highest like on our campus. quality, most affordable education possible!

VICE PRESIDENT STUDENT LIFE

THE VICE PRESIDENT (STUDENT LIFE) IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL NON-ACADEMIC ASPECTS OF STUDENT LIFE, FROM WORKING WITH RESIDENCES TO PLANNING EVENTS LIKE WEEK OF WELCOME.

SEAN MCOUILLAN Hello, my name is Sean McQuillan and | am in my fourth rights of resident students and petitioning transit services : ~ : year at the university as a Drama major and Film Studies for the university to extend their operation hours and = ty minor. In my time here | have been apart of many events increase route frequency. om y Pp y u quency. = on campus ranging from Anti-freeze to the SU Children’s Christmas Party where | have now played Santa for two years. | have been apart of many student groups on campus including Kappa Sigma fraternity and | have noticed the needs of student groups on campus.

Additionally | would like to ensure that everyone has the resources and tools they need to accomplish whatever their non-academic goals are. Through surveying students, pro- viding improved leadership summits for groups, and hosting amazing events that everyone on campus can be proud of. If elected | will pursue a revitalization of the old Powerplant — Ensuring everyone gets a better Student Life.

as a free use student group venue, additionally | would

like to explore options into renovating the current student

group office space. | want to ensure that the needs of both

residence and commuters are met, with protecting the

The Vice President (Student Life) exists to enhance the environmentally-sustainable campus, supporting student non-academic experience of students on campus. In the groups by providing more resources, ensuring student input past, the VPSL has often concentrated on programming and in University residences, and pursuing an optional health campus events, leaving important issues unaddressed. plan through the Students’ Union.

Through my role as Associate Director of Student Group With a focus on advocacy and fighting for the best inter- Services, | have worked with leaders throughout campus ests of students, | would use the position of VPSL to effect and gained an awareness of important student issues. As change, improving the campus community in ways that

an elected representative, | would emphasize the aspect of impact the lives of students year-round.

student advocacy in the portfolio as a means of bringing lasting benefits to students beyond what programming and events can offer. My priorities include: developing a more

Please see my website, www.ualberta.ca/~kflath, or email me at votekristen@gmail.com for more details.

Hi there! I’m a third year genetics student and a dedicated Next, I’d like to implement programming initiatives that give volunteer with the Students’ Union. I’ve sat on the Student ownership of campus events to students, by forming

Life Committees since 2006, which has involved mein Week partnerships between our programming committee and

of Welcome, Antifreeze, and the Kids Christmas Party. student groups. | also want to see policies put into place to

, et ensure that SU programming is ecologically sustainable. It’s the VPSL’s job to ensure that your undergraduate

experience outside of academia is positive and enriched. These programming initiatives, and further support for

My experience in the portfolio allows me to present some student groups will provide students with an array of oppor- tangible and realistic solutions to issues that affect your on- _ tunities to become a part of a greater campus community, campus experience: because | believe that university is something to be

. ; . . . experienced- not attended. First, | will provide a strong voice at the table when dealing

with the implementation, increasing, and usage of manda- VOTE ALENA MANERA FOR VP (STUDENT LIFE)! tory fees. | will also advocate for student input and trans- parency in the upcoming Aramark contract negotiations.

VICE PRESIDENT ACADEMIC

tuesday, 4 march, 2008 « www.thegatewayonline.ca

THE PRESIDENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR REPRESENTING U OF A STUDENTS IN THE LARGER COMMUNITY AND FOR THE OVERALL POLICY AND OPERATIONAL DIRECTION OF THE STUDENTS UNION.

JOHN BRAGA

BRYANT LUKES

lama fourth year Honors Physics student at the University of Alberta who is also the Vice President Academic of the Lister Hall Students’ Association and a Science Councilor on the SU’s Students’ Council.

Empowering Faculty Associations (FAs) must be a priority next year. | will extend the Council of Faculty Association’s fall retreat so that FA executives can strengthen the skills and support networks necessary to advocate and program on behalf of their Faculty’s students.

The end of term evaluations are currently under review; both their structure and content must change to more accurately capture student feedback. This year’s midterm evaluation pilot project needs to be expanded to provide more students with a sense of active involvement in improv- ing teaching quality.

As VP Academic | want there to be more student involvement in the SU. I want all of the political issues that students care about to be raised at SU meetings. | want students to make presentations at Student’s Union meetings. | want students to give their input to SU Councillors.

| want the students to be able to stand up with a loud united voice when it comes to issues that affect all students like increases in rent and tuition. | want to create more opportunities for students to communicate directly to their professors by creating an environment not of fear but of learning.

VICE PRESIDENT EXTERNAL

Cooperation between the Students’ Union and Bookstore have made us a nation leader in providing low cost high quality academic materials to students. At this summer’s Canadian Roundtable on Academic Materials (CRAM) we will be providing national leadership on this issue; | am ready for that level of responsibility.

For more information about my platform and experience please find me at;

votebraga@gmail.com

www.votebraga.blogspot.com

Facebook: SU Elections: Vote Braga for VP Academic

| don’t want to continue the tradition of judging the quality of teaching prematurely. | think that teacher evaluations five, ten to fifteen years in the future would be much more valuable than a week into the future.

| want to continue VP Dollansky’s efforts to investigate how to make the campus greener. | want to follow the model

of Harvard and actually make a serious effort to get solar power on campus.

THE VICE PRESIDENT (ACADEMIC) DEALS WITH CONCERNS AND INITIATIVES THAT,ARE ACADEMIC IN NATURE, INCLUDING THINGS LIKE TEACHING OF QUALITY, UNIVERSITY REGULATIONS, AND TEXTBOOK COSTS.

BEVERLY EASTHAM

MATT TRODDEN

This year | was elected to serve as an Arts Councillor for

the Students’ Union, and in the past | have worked at the Alberta Legislature as both a page and a tour guide. These experiences and my desire to serve the student body at the University of Alberta have motivated me to run for the posi- tion of VP External.

Alberta’s future will be shaped by today’s students. This is something all Albertans, especially our government, must realize. If Alberta wishes to preserve the prosperity to which we have become accustomed, investment in post-secondary education is critical. In order to achieve sustainable solu- tions, a dialogue regarding post-secondary education with the province must be restored.

My name is Matt Trodden, and | am a committed and active member of the university community where | am involved in different student groups and sporting teams.

| look forward to addressing some of the key issues that

are facing the university undergrad population. Specific concerns include an affordable university experience where the quality of education at this institution is not sacrificed. However, | would like to see changes made in the process that the SU executive and the university community handle its advocacy matters — we need to team up with the admin- istration because we are on the same side when it comes to dealing with the government.

As your VP External | will ensure that your concerns are addressed at all levels of government. | will advocate for affordable student housing, lobby for deferred maintenance funding and involve you—the student—in advocacy efforts. lam also committed to fostering cooperation within the executive committee to ensure that all advocacy efforts achieve their full potentials.

Thank you for your support, and remember to vote on March 5th and 6th.

For more information, visit vote-eastham.com or email info@vote-eastham.com.

We must present a united front on these issues and act asa cohesive unit in protest because then and only then will the government truly listen to us. We need to get people fired up to vote, and for starters, excited to vote in the upcoming provincial election. Students need to realise that their vote and their voice is the strongest thing they have, and its time to start using them to affect change. | am ready to fight hard for your concerns, but | need all of you out there ready to stand with me and say that it is time for a change when the time comes.

THE GATEWAY ¢ volume XCVIII number 37

ADVERTISEMENT 19

VICE PRESIDENT OPERATIONS & FINANCE

THE VICE PRESIDENT (OPERATIONS AND FINANCE) IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING THE STUDENTS’ UNION’S MORE THAN $9,100,000 BUDGET.

PETER RYCHLIK

STEVEN DOLLANSKY

I’m Peter Rychlik and I’m running for SU VP Operations and Finance. My platform is based on the foundation of student- friendly work and play environments. This includes things like overhauling the three decades old equipment in RATT, and bringing modern commercial kitchen appliances in to drastically reduce current waiting times. These upgrades will pay for themselves within the year, seeing as RATT grosses more than 32K a year, net.

Included in my focus on student-friendly environments, would be to end Powerplant’s role as a concert venue, seeing as that is a big loss for that facility, and it is ill-suited to handle events such as all-ages shows. However,

expansion of its moderately successful coffee shop and

Steven Dollansky is a fourth year science student and the current Vice-President (External) of the Students’ Union. He is amember of Students’ Council (since 2006), the president of the A-Link Volunteer Enhancement program, a member of the Government of Alberta’s Student Finance Board, the vice-chair of the Council of Alberta University Students, and a member of the University of Alberta Senate.

As your Vice-President (Operations & Finance), Steven will renovate Students’ Union Building’s lower level to create a visible and inviting space for the Students’ Union Services. He will reduce the Students’ Union’s reliance on student fees by limiting increases to inflation and by closing CUE, the

wWote

lounge, Dewey’s would be only a benefit the students and the SU. Reform and restructuring of management and focus will be necessary for the Powerplant to become profitable.

Also, a future investment goal of my campaign would be to see that student run businesses are maximized and the SU budget be increased to $10M, at the least, in order to fund new projects such as new computers in SUB. A vote for Peter Rychlik is a vote for a Rych student body.

lower level’s video arcade and pool hall, in order to expand the capacity of the Print Centre. Steven will secure space for the Campus Food Bank in an enhanced facility that can meet current demand with increased capacity. Additionally, he will increase support for student groups by providing more resources in a streamlined granting system, and by priori- tizing the creation of new student group office space in all renovations. This March 5th and 6th vote Steven Dollansky for Vice-President (Operations & Finance).

For more information visit www.votedollansky.com

www.su.ualberta.ca/vote

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA STUDENTS’ UNION ELECTIONS 2008

MARCH 5TH-6TH

THE GATEWAY

volume XCVIII number 37 ¢ the official student newspaper at the university of alberta « www.thegatewayonline.ca « tuesday, 4 march, 2008

MIKEOTTO

GET YOUR ASS INFORMED For coverage of the annual SU candidates debate see page 3. Still not convinced? Let some former hacks give you their take in this year’s SU Election Dissection on pages 11-13.

Uof A researchers find | Samuel stung by DIE Board again potential HIV treatment

LOGAN BANADYGA

News Writer

Scientists at the University of Alberta have uncovered a human gene that stops the spread of HIV, potentially opening the door to new treatments in the battle against AIDS.

The team of researchers, led by molecular virologist Dr Stephen Barr, a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, first identified the gene—known as TRIM22—as a pos- sible antiviral protein three years ago.

TRIM22 is one of hundreds of genes turned on by interferons, chemicals produced by our immune system to combat viral infections.

“Tr’s been known for along time that interferon treatment of cells can block

HIV infection, but nobody really knew how or what the genes were that were involved,” Barr explained.

“We found that TRIM22 was turned on quite a bit in response to interferons [...], and our later studies showed that [it] actually blocked [HIV] by trapping the virus within cells so it can’t get out to infect other cells.”

According to Barr’s study, published last week in the journal Public Library of Science Pathogens, TRIM22 interacts with the major protein that is required for HIV assembly, and this interaction, Barr said, somehow blocks the assem- bly of the virus.

“These results are very exciting [...] because they show that our bodies have a gene that is capable of stopping the spread of HIV,” he explained.

Inside

News Opinion Feature Sports A&E Comics Classifieds

Although HIV replication can be blocked at earlier stages in the virus’ life-cycle, this is the first time that an antiviral protein has been shown to interfere specifically with the later stage of HIV assembly. The unique activity of TRIM22, Barr explained, identifies a new strategy for treating HIV infection.

DR STEPHEN BARR MOLECULAR VIROLOGIST

“The goal would be to basically harness this antiviral activity,” he said, noting that the ultimate, but long- term, goal of his research is the devel- opment of new drugs and vaccines capable of halting the spread of HIV and the onset of AIDS.

“If we can find ways to slow the release of virus so that it can’t infect other cells, that has the potential of slowing or preventing the onset of AIDS in patients,” he continued.

PLEASE SEE HIV * PAGE5

The hack attack is back

Get the low-down on the SU elections from these weirdos. Steve Kirkham was there, too, but had to leave to save the Internet.

{\) FEATURE, PAGE 11-13

A counter-complaint was shot down, allowing a new complaint against Samuel to go to a hearing last night, with a ruling expected this morning

RYAN HEISE Deputy News Editor

More controversy has arisen for SU presidential hopeful Bobby Samuel as a second complaint against him has been filed to the SU’s Discipline, Interpretation, and Enforcement Board.

The initial complaint, which was brought forward by former SU coun- cillor Brock Richardson in early February, revolved around a pamphlet Samuel produced prior to the election period that was deemed by the DIE Board to be pre-campaigning and a conflict of interest. In its ruling, the DIE Board placed “an injunction on Mr Samuel against using the design of the pamphlet, including the slogan and textual contents, or any portion or derivative thereof, for the purpose of any future political campaign.”

The most recent complaint focused on this point, as Richardson claimed that Samuel’s campaign materials clearly violate this ruling.

“Most of the textual contextual con- tent is spot-on verbatim or a deriva- tive, and for me there’s two problems with this,” Richardson § explained. “The first problem is that Mr Samuel is continuing, through his campaign material, to piggyback off of the press and the help that he got from the University of Alberta Students’ Union design department to put out the first pamphlet. The second reason I bring forth the complaint is because this is yet another example in a pattern of

MIKEOTTO

BIG BROTHER Former SU Prez Chris Samuel argues his brother's case last Thursday.

poor judgement by Mr Samuel, where he’s shown no regard for the rules of the Students’ Union, the bylaws of the Students’ Union, [and] the conven- tions of the Students’ Union.”

Samuel filed a counter-complaint, claiming that Richardson’s complaint

should go through the SU’s chief returning officer rather than DIE Board. The complaint was heard last Thursday, with Samuel’s brother Chris—who was SU president in 2001/02—appearing to argue the case.

PLEASE SEE DIE BOARD * PAGE 2

Bears golden again

The Bears volleyball team proved their mettle in Laval this weekend, beating Winnipeg for CTS gold. SPORTS, PAGE21

SPORTS

Win sends Bears to Canada West final

With their top-scoring defenceman back in their lineup, Alberta comes from behind to beat Manitoba in conference semi-final

ANDREW RENFREE Sports Staff

With his team trailing 3—0 to the Manitoba Bisons only 15 minutes into Saturday night’s Canada West semi-final game, Bears head coach Eric Thurston took a key timeout to rally the troops.

“T thought, “This is going to be a real test of our will’ I called a timeout, and sometimes when you get down, players want to start doing things individually. I said, “We don’t stray; we just keep with the team. Don’t do it individually; keep working at it; keep chipping away.”

Thurston’s speech must have resonated with his players because Alberta clawed their way back to tie the game at 3-3 at the end of regula- tion on goals from Derek Ryan, captain Harlan Anderson, and forward Jesse Gimblett. The first overtime was scoreless, but at 7:55 of the second overtime period, Alberta winger Brian Woolger skated in and fired a shot past Bisons goalie Krister Toews to propel the Bears to a 4-3 comeback win.

The victory, coupled with a 4-2 Alberta win on Friday night, earned the Bears a berth in the national finals and ended the Bisons’ season.

Perhaps the biggest factor in Alberta’s sweep was their excellent special-teams play. Of the eight Bears goals this weekend, five came with the man-advantage. Manitoba, on the other hand, was unable to score on the power play in eleven chances.

“Thank goodness for special teams,’ Thurston said. “We got a couple of big goals on the power play, and our penalty killing on the weekend was 100 per cent. With a perfect penalty kill and if your power play can go over 20 per cent, you should win most games.”

Alberta’s power play was bolstered by the return of Anderson to the lineup on Friday night. The fifth-year defenceman, who had missed six games with a knee injury, made an immediate impact on the scoresheet this weekend, notching a goal and an assist.

“i

sports@gateway.ualberta.ca « tuesday, 4 march, 2008

it <2

LAUREN STIEGLITZ

LOOK WHO'S AHEAD NOW Rookie Bears forward Derek Ryan (dark) chases down the ice on Saturday night. Ryan had a goal and an assist that night.

“Tt was huge to have Anderson back in the lineup. He is great at getting the puck out of the zone by making tape-to-tape passes,” Thurston said. “He’s a great leader for our team who leads by example.”

The trip back to Manitoba for the Bisons meant reflection on a season that was strong enough to

have head coach Don MacGillivray named the Canada West Coach of the Year, but came up short in the run for a CIS finals berth. The upside for them is that they have no players graduating this year and should still be a contender next season. “Tthought we were playing good this weekend, and we had a chance to win both hockey games,

but Alberta’s a good team,” MacGillivray said. “We played as hard as we could, but it’s tough for our program because it’s easier to recruit when we win. For now, we'll look towards next year.”

Alberta will play perennial playoff rival Saskatchewan next weekend for the Canada West final.

Young wrestlers settle for fourth-place spots at nationals

Bronze-medal matches for three rookies—and a top ten-finish for the Pandas—bodes well for the future success of U of A's program

ROBIN COLLUM Sports Editor

CALGARY—For Alberta’s tlers, the teams’ results at nationals

wres-

we should have them for a good long

time. I’m excited about their future.” Of the six U of A wrestlers to

qualify for mnationals—double the

in Calgary this past weekend were emblematic of the way the rest of the year has gone.

Alberta had three athletes make it to the medal rounds—all of them rookies—who, after close matches, settled for fourth place in all of them. Tt was an apt ending to a season that saw the very young Bears and Pandas make progress towards regaining their former glory, but not succeed all the way.

With only one fifth-year athlete and two fourth-years, the Alberta teams consider themselves to be in the pro- cess of rebuilding Head coach Vang Ioannides sees this weekend’s results as an important step.

“We're much stronger than we were last year and much stronger than we were two years ago, which was the worst year after coming off'a long string of medallists and medals for the team even,” he said. “We're dis- appointed that we didn’t come away with medals because I think we were certainly capable of winning medals here, but very excited about the fact that the three people who wrestled for medals today are all rookies, so

number from last year—four were in their first year of CIS competition. In addition to fifth-year Bram Ratay and fourth-year Mike Hulbert, the Bears sent Canada West Rookie of the Year Mike Asselstine and fellow first- year Steven Thacher. Both Pandas that went to Calgary, Marielle TerHart and Katherine Martin, are rookies as well.

Asselstine, TerHart, and Martin each made it to the bronze round in their respective weight classes, and each lost in close matches.

“For about 95 per cent of it, I’m really happy with the way I wrestled, but for the five per cent where I let my hips get in the air, I’m not so pleased,” TerHart said after losing in a tie-break- ing round. “I think the biggest thing is that my whole goal this year was to even make it to this tournament, so to make it to a medal round was so much more than I wanted, especially because I’m a first-year.

“T lost in the third round, in the last 30 seconds, and I want to be more upset, but I’m just so happy I was here.”

Asselstine shared her sentiment.

“T feel good because | placed in every single tournament [this year], which was one of my goals,” he said.

DANIELPAGAN (THE GAUNTLET)

THIS IS GOING TO HURT Mike Hulbert, who wrestles in the 90 kg category, faces off against an opponent at nationals.

“Another one was to win one tourna- ment and then qualify for [nationals]. I was able to do both, so I feel good. I could have done better, but this is my first year. I can always improve.”

As a team, the Pandas finished in

tenth place, while the Bears weren’t quite able to break the top ten and walked away in eleventh spot.

“T do think it looks encouraging, and | think our recruiting year so far has gone relatively well, so I do feel

that we'll be more competitive next year, and within two years, I think we can compete with the best teams in the country,” Ioannides said. “I hope to be back on the medal podium with our team.”

THE GATEWAY ¢ volume XCVIII number 37

Bears golden all the way

Mens volleyball team beats Winnipeg in CIS final in reversal of last year’s game

ROBIN COLLUM Sports Editor

Sunday night saw a rematch of last year’s men’s volleyball national final, in which the University of Winnipeg defeated Alberta to claim CIS gold, but the Bears weren't willing to let the same thing happen again. This time, they beat the Wesmen 3-1 and came home with the banner.

“They gave us all that we could handle yesterday, but we managed to play well enough to win,” Alberta head coach Terry Danyluk said. “Tt feels good. [The Bears] got their chance, they played really well, and it was an exciting game.”

The Bears got off on the right foot from the start, winning the first set 25-17. The next two sets were much closer, with Winnipeg grabbing one 25-23 and the Bears winning the next by the same amount. Alberta took the fourth and deciding set by a clear 25-20 margin.

Fourth-year Alberta right side hitter Joel Schmuland had 24 kills in the gold-medal game, while graduating setter Brock Pehar put up 43 assists. Alberta also had twelve team blocks.

The match against Winnipeg was Alberta’s third of the weekend; to get to the final, they had to first pre- vail over Université de Montréal and Thompson Rivers. They beat the Montreal Carabins in straight sets on Friday, 25-15, 25-14, and 25-21, and highlighted just why they were ranked number one in the country all season long.

“Tn the Montreal game, right from the start we played well,” Danyluk said. “We served real well in all three of the sets.”

Their next game was against TRU, a familiar Canada West opponent. The Bears had seen them three times already this year, and the WolfPack had yet to take even a single set from Alberta. And though the ’Pack—who were seeded fifth going into the tour- nament—were right off an upset vic- tory over host Laval, Saturday’s game was more of the same.

“They had beat Laval in the semis in a really close match, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but same as the first three times we played them, we jumped out of the guns really quickly and served hard against them as well and put them in a lot of trouble,”

YAN DOUBLET (SUPPLIED)

WE'LL SEE HOW MUCH YOU LIKE SILVER Alberta left side Tim Gourlay goes in for the kill during Sunday night's gold-medal game against the Wesmen.

Danyluk said. “We had good perfor- mances from pretty much everybody. All the guys that played played pretty much to their full potential, which was great.”

Pehar was named tournament MVP, while teammates Schmuland and fifth-year middle Adam Kaminski were named to the tournament all- star team. Pehar was also named a first-team all-Canadian.

Though Alberta was the favourite to win going into the weekend, the tour- nament did have a few surprises. In addition to Laval’s loss to TRU, seventh- seeded Winnipeg beat second-ranked McMaster in the first round, and the number-three UBC West silver medallists—were taken down by sixth-seeded Dalhousie.

“T think a lot of the first-round

team—Canada

games didn’t go as people expected,” Danyluk said. “I think a lot of people expected [Laval] to win, playing at home, but Thompson Rivers played really well.

“T think McMaster had pretty high hopes going in, too, because they had an undefeated season in Ontario.”

Sunday night’s bronze-medal game was between Thompson Rivers and AUS champions TRU won in five sets, which meant that once again, all three national med- allists hailed from the Canada West conference.

Dalhousie.

“T don’t remember the last time someone from outside our con- ference has won a medal at CIS,” Danyluk said. “I think it’s pretty fair to say that Canada West is [the stron- gest conference].”

WHAT NUMBER IS THAT AGAIN? Alberta’s volleyball players, coaches, and trainers celebrate Sunday's CIS victory.

YAN DOUBLET (SUPPLIED) is iy (a) '

In hockey, away jerseys are dark and home ones are light because in the 1960s, NHL brass figured that it would be easier to keep a dark jersey clean on the road. Before helmets, mouth- guards, and deodorant, this was clearly a major issue. Though today's advances in laundry technology have likely made such concerns unnecessary, the dark and light jerseys remain.

GATEWAY SPORTS

Putting colours in with the whites since 1910

wWWote TOMORROW

STUDENTS UNION ELECTION 2008

MARCH 3!" & 6TH

COUNCIL ELECTIONS MARCH 197 & 207

_WWW.SU.UALBERTA.CA/VOTE

ney A 1)

22 SPORTS

tuesday, 4 march, 2008 « www.thegatewayonline.ca

Playoffheartbreaker | Pandas fail to defend title for basketball Pandas

UofA places fourth in Final Four, misses nationals

CHAD KLASSEN The Peak

BURNABY, BC—For the second year in a row, the Pandas’ basketball team’s final game of the season was a loss to the Simon Fraser Clan. Playing Alberta in the Canada West bronze medal game rather than the national final this time, SFU won 72-55 and earned both the medal and the final Canada West to the CIS championships on Saturday night.

Both teams had lost the night before—the Clan to Regina, and the Pandas 76—66 to UBC.

The Pandas last met SFU in early January at home, and SFU won 75-73 in a come-from-behind over- time win. It was different story this time around, as the Clan showed their resilience, bouncing back to put together an all-around dominant performance for the bronze.

“We had two goals tonight heading into the game: stay out of foul trouble and make certain we didn’t let our mis-

matches hurt us because they are a fast team,” SFU head coach Bruce Langford said. “We did alright at handling the mismatches, but we weren't that good at staying out of foul trouble. It’s nice to be going back to nationals—we han- dled some adversity this weekend, and that was nice to see.”

The contest was a defensive battle in the opening quarter, with a com- bination of tough defense and missed opportunities on both sides—the Clan

AHFMR

C NECTS Career Explorer

turned it over 11 times to the Pandas’ 14 in the first half.

But it was the home team that took charge early and often, going on several runs and never letting go of the lead.

Much of SFU’s dominance came from forward Kate Hole, who had 18 first-half points. Though Hole caused the Pandas problems in the paint all game, they were able to keep her to seven points in the second half.

Shutting Hole down wasn’t enough to let the Pandas to recover, however. SFU blew the game wide open and took no time building on their lead in the second half.

In the fourth, the Pandas just couldn't dig their way out of their own hole, and the Clan won 72-55 to crush Alberta’s hopes for another visit to nationals.

“Our approach was the same as always against SFU, and early in the game, we played at a high tempo but weren't able to make shots and fell behind,” Alberta head coach Scott Edwards said. “In the third quarter, SFU really came out and demon- strated their toughness at home and played hard, and we weren't able to match, and you can’t play basketball in the Canada West if you can’t make shots.”

The UBC Thunderbirds, entered the tournament as a wildcard, captured the Canada West crown to earn their spot in the nationals. They Il join the silver medallist Regina Cougars and bronze medallist SFU in Saskatoon next weekend.

who

Volleyball women lose two close games, settle for fourth at national tourney

ROBIN COLLUM Sports Editor

They climbed from fifth place in Canada West all the way to top seed going into the national champion- ships, but the defending CIS champion Pandas volleyball team was unable to keep their streak alive and came in fourth at the tournament, held in Fredericton, NB on the weekend.

After beating eighth-seeded Saint Mary’s University in straight sets in the first round—a repeat of last year’s first round match-up—the Pandas lined up on Friday against the UBC Thunderbirds, a team that had beaten them twice in the regular season.

Though the Pandas won the first two sets, the T-Birds were able to mount an impressive comeback. After a close 25-23 win in the third set, UBC dom- inated the Pandas 25-11 in the fourth. In the deciding set, the Pandas let go of a 6-1 lead. The T-Birds went on a 14-1 run and beat Alberta 15~7.

“You couldn’t have asked for more from the team right up until the point where things got away from us,” Pandas head coach Laurie Eisler said. “We did exactly what we needed to do though the first two sets and right up to about that point, [which was] about [point] 18 or 20 on the third set.

“T think it was a combination of

factors: BC was desperate to turn it around, and we got away from the things that had gotten us to that point. Once that tide turned, it was really tough for us to stop them and get us back on track.”

The loss against UBC sent Alberta

SUPPLIED

HOT POTATO Daryll Roper (centre) and Sam Wojtkiw (right) try to defend against a lofting ball from Calgary middle hitter Willemina Stikker-breemhaar.

to the bronze-medal game, where they lost another close one. Alberta won the first set 26-24, and the teams alternated wins all the way to the fifth set, when Calgary squeaked by to win 17-15.

“Tt was two good teams, and it came all the way down to the wire,” Eisler said. “Again, either team could have won that.

“Tr’s definitely tough coming back, there’s no doubt about that, but I was really proud of the team’s ability to put things aside and come back and battle.”

The Pandas were a favourite to win going into the tournament, and Eisler

admitted that the fourth-place finish was disappointing.

“Tr’s devastating; after the semifinal, there was a little bit of shock,” she said. “It’s one of those things that kind of hits you in waves. It hits you like a hammer, and it goes away and then hits you again.”

But Eisler is happy with the season that her team had, banner or not.

“The Canada West championship is something that no one can take away from us,” she said. “Those are the things that we have to go back to and make sure that we're not forgetting those accomplishments because those were considerable.”

THE GATEWAY PRESENTS...

The 1* annual Gateway photo contest!

WE'VE SHOWN YOU OURS, NOW SHOW US YOURS!

Have you ever wondered where your research training will lead in terms of a career? There are many ways to explore health research — hear practical advice from a range of successful health researchers each with a different story

to tell.

AHFMR Connects Career Explorer will feature informal presentations and lots of time for questions and networking.

Presented by the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research

Tuesday March 11 11:45 AM - 1:15 PM

2nd Floor Faculty Club, University of Alberta

RSVP to connects@ahfmr.ab.ca

by March 7, 2008 to attend.

All welcome.

s~ AHFEMR

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Want to see your photo printed 11000 times in sweet, sexy soy ink? Then send your entry to photo@gateway.ualberta.ca with the subject line Photo Contest!. There may even be some fun prizes up for grabs—we haven't planned that far ahead yet. Entries are due 21 March at 11:59pm, and Gateway volun- teers are inelegible. Be sure to include your full name and where you can be reached.

THE GATEWAY ¢ volume XCVIII number 37

—eee———————————EE—E———————————————

KATY ANDERSON (THE GAUNTLET)

STALKING HIS PREY Fourth-year Alberta guard Alex Steele moves in on the basket against UBC on Saturday night.

Win over Brandon sends hoops Bears to nationals

ROBIN COLLUM Sports Editor

CALGARY—Midway through the third quarter of the Bears’ must-win game against Brandon on Friday night, when Alberta was down 11 points after letting the Bobcats go on a 18-7 run, more than a few people in the filled-to-capacity Jack Simpson Gym were probably ruling Alberta out. The Bobcats, who finished the regular season with the best record in Canada West (20-2), had been the clear favourite going into the game against Alberta (16-6).

But with a spot at nationals on the line, the Bears—who were responsible for one of those Brandon losses, as well as another in the preseason: ready to quit. After a layup and two successful foul shots back to back from

weren't

fourth-year forward Justin VanLoo, the Bears regained momentum. With creative passing and several Brandon turnovers on their side, they were soon within a point of the Bobcats and fin- ished the quarter down 61-56.

Alberta earned its first lead of the half a little more than two minutes into the fourth and slowly built on it to end the game with an 85-79 win. The upset earned the Bears a spot in the Canada West gold-medal game on Saturday night and—more importantly—a spot at nationals in Ottawa in two weeks.

“We were confident coming in; we just knew that we had to stick together, and everything would go right,” said Alberta guard CG Morrison, who notched 15 points against Brandon.

“We'd beat them twice already, so we knew that we could beat them. Tt wasn’t about that—it was about us coming out and playing intensely.

“The third quarter’s huge for us, and we always come out flat,” he added. “It happened again, and luck- ily, we just stuck together and didn’t fall apart, and we came through.”

“We were confident coming in; we just knew that we had to stick together, and everything would go alright.”

CG MORRISON BEARS GUARD

“That third quarter’s the story of our life, so hopefully we can get over that one,” fifth-year guard Alex Steele agreed. The Canada West MVP had 21 points on Friday. “I don’t know what’s happened with that, but we battled back, and that press really helped us. Everyone chipped in, and no one really had to do too much—and no one tried to do too much. It was a great team win.”

The Bears tried to repeat their comeback success the next night in the Canada West final against UBC— who had beat host Calgary 77-69 on Friday—but to no avail. In another high-scoring matchup on Saturday, the Bears again found themselves behind

by double digits—this time trailing 77-66 early in the fourth. Alberta tried to catch up and managed to get within two points of the T-Birds, but lost 92-90.

Alberta’s main problem was their inability to shut down UBC guard Chris Dyck, who scored 27 points.

“We knew what their game plan was, and we didn’t end up executing our plans on defence,’ VanLoo said. “We know that Chris Dyck likes to curl a lot off the screens and look for the shot right away.

“Our heads weren’t in it, and we werent getting there in time. We paid the price with the two-point loss tonight. Any one of those shots that he hit that we should have been there for could have won us the game.”

“Tm disappointed because I think we could have won that game,” Bears head coach Don Horwood said. “I don’t think we competed as hard as we did last night; I don’t think we had the same sense of urgency. | think the guys wanted to win, but I don’t think the same commitment was there, the same drive, that we had last night.”

That disappointment was tempered by the knowledge that they now have the chance to play for an even bigger prize.

“T was really looking forward to taking home a banner, so I’m a little down about that, but hopefully, at nationals, we can take home a banner then and redeem ourselves,” VanLoo said. “We just have to keep playing tough and see what we're made of for the rest of the year.”

SPORTS 293

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vay t

Common Misconception: Despite sharing several letters with the name, Picasso is not, in fact, related to Pie.

To learn more fascinating facts about famous artists, come to the Gateways Artists meetings, Wednesdays at 4:30pm in 3-04 SUB.

THE GATEWAY

More informative than Art History class since 1910

PAUL BLINOV Arts & Entertainment Editor

Cadence Weapon is in a pretty comfortable place right now. He’s gained enough musical momen- tum to have spent most of 2007 tirelessly touring the globe—even as we talk, he’s packing for a brief trip across the pond before joining Born Ruffians for a US tour—yet he’s small enough to remain undetected to those unaware of his career.

The night before our interview, I noticed he was a among the crowd at the Citadel’s produc- tion of Macbeth; even in his hometown, he can enjoy both acclaim and anonymity, although that could all change this year.

All of his current simmering popular- ity stems from just one album—2006’s Polaris-Prize-nominated Breaking Kayfabe, which was in fact a fairly casual process. But today sees the release of his highly anticipated follow-up, Afterparty Babies, which, according to Pemberton, was a much different affair than his acclaimed debut LP.

“[Making] the first album was drawn out over probably three or four years, putting stuff together randomly,” Pemberton explains. “Eventually, it was like, ‘I should put out an album.’ It was not as cohesive as it could’ve been. But this one was more linear. It was more focused and [had] simi- lar themes with all the beats and [tried] to get at a certain vibe.

“T feel really good about it; it has a different feel from the first one, and it’s a cohesive thing,” he adds.

Probably more relaxing, too, given some of the troubles he faced while recording his debut.

“T lost everything at one point. My computer got completely wrecked when I was in college. I had to cobble together out of the beats that other people had [of mine]. I would sample my own beats again and then do new parts for the beats,” he laments. “TIt was] a really convoluted way of doing it.”

Arduous process or not, that album got Pemberton noticed by labels and other artists alike, and he soon found himself doing shows with the likes of Final Fantasy and signing deals

Two Hours Traffic drive on with Joel Plaskett's help

with Epitaph, a renowned punk label. Though he’s toured a-plenty, especially over the past year, few of the acts he’s criss-crossed the continent with would fall into the genre of rap.

“Tlost everything at one point. My computer got completely wrecked when I was in college. had to cobble together out of the beats that other people had [of mine]. would sample my own beats again and then do new parts for the beats.”

CADENCE WEAPON LOCAL RAPPER

“Tm not surprised if people who are purely rap fans don’t feel it,” He explains. “T think of it as an open-ended thing: I’m willing to do any show possible—if I think it can fit and it would be a fun tour and a good experience, I’m gonna do it. I don’t wanna pidgeon-hole myself as a rapper who has to only rap with other rappers. Ir’s just not who Iam, you know?”

Though growing praise and a globe-trotting tour schedule is fine with Pemberton, the guy’s still just 21 and, as such, misses home. The cover of Afterparty Babies features Pemberton sitting a few feet in front of a group of his favourite locals in the currently-under-reconstruction Blackdog Freehouse’s basement. Apparently, you can take Pemberton out of Edmonton and show him the world, but after taking it all in, he’s just as happy to stay in with his friends.

“Tt’s cool going all over the world and check- ing stuff out and playing shows, but ultimately I end up missing my friends the most, my normal habits, and being a regular human.”

Check out Paul’s review of Afterparty Babes on page 26

musicpreview

Two Hours Traffic

With the City Streets Wednesday, 5 March at 8pm Pawn Shop (10551 82 avenue)

RYAN HEISE Deputy News Editor

Let it be known: the new purveyors of pop music in Canada have hit the road in middle-class style—but such glam- our isn’t without its drawbacks.

“Tr’s tough sometimes because we have a pretty tiny soccer-mom Dodge Caravan that we roll around this behe- moth of a country in,” explains Alec O’Hanley, guitarist for Two Hours Traffic. “So it is a condensed ride, for sure.”

But O’Hanley has more important things to discuss than the merits of using suburbanite transportation to get across a nation and back. He and his Charlottetown-based bandmates released their second full-length album, Little Jabs, this past summer; have just kicked off a Canada-wide tour; and are coming off of a big night at this year’s East Coast Music Awards,

winning best pop recording, as well as garnering nominations for best video and best album. It’s this most recent achievement that O’Hanley says the band is most proud of, even if there is an ignorant stigma attached to it.

“[Pop] kind of gets dismissed a little bit because of the ‘pop’ you hear on the radio. It’s just kind of corporate schlock,” he says. “It shouldn't be like that; it’s unfortunate.”

But O’Hanley couldn’t be happier with the award—and the label of “pop” that comes along with it.

“The term ‘pop’ has become diluted over the years, but if you trace it back, it’s the music of the people,” he says. “We certainly shouldn't be ashamed in 2008 to call ourselves pop.”

That sentiment is difficult to dis- agree with after listening to Little Jabs. Almost every song on the bum has a chorus as catchy as rack cocaine, and it will ellicit sing- ongs even during a first listen. If his really is music of the people, he masses are soon going to be hecking out of pop-music rehab nd lining up for Two Hours Traffic hows.

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It doesn’t hurt to have some of your pop. sensibilities instilled in you from the incomparable

entertainment@gateway.ualberta.ca * tuesday, 4 march, 2008

Cadence ready to release his sophomore weapon

The local rapper is set to launch into the musical stratosphere with the release of his second album and extensive touring

wee aaa ge?

Joel Plaskett, who produced Little Jabs, as well as the band’s previ- ous two recordings. As O’Hanley explains, Plaskett didn’t necessarily affect the band’s sound, but helped them learn the nuances of writing smart, addictive music.

“We were coming from a similar tact as he was, and we’re both from the Maritimes and have a very song- based tradition, putting melody first. He kind of instilled upon us at an early stage the efficiencies of pop writing and pop music. That would have been one of his bigger effects on

the band.

“[He also taught us how to] get the fists pumping at the back of the bar,” he adds, laughing.

With such a positive buzz sur- rounding the band, this tour is gear- ing up to be their biggest yet. After playing some of their largest shows ever in Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City to kick off their trek across the country, O’Hanley says they're looking forward to hitting the Prairies.

“We've only been west of Windsor, Ontario once, so it'll be interesting

to see how we do out west, but we’ll keep our chins up.”

And even if it means rolling down the Trans-Canada Highway in a cramped minivan, the east-coasters are determined to rekindle people’s love affair with pop music.

“We wouldn't be doing it if wasn’t a good time,” O’Hanley explains. “Tr’s certainly better than holing up in a cubicle somewhere and spend- ing the rest of your days doing that sort of thing. It’s better than flipping burgers, too. All the alternatives are considerably worse.”

THE GATEWAY ¢ volume XCVIII number 37

filmreview

The Other Boleyn Girl Now Playing

Directed by Justin Chadwick Starring Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, and Eric Bana

ELIZABETH VAIL Arts & Entertainment Staff

King Henry VIII of England—father to Queen Elizabeth, husband to six wives, and founder of the Church of England—is such a larger-than-life character even in his purely histori- cal context that it seems impossible to consider placing him in a secondary role. However, in The Other Boleyn Girl, Henry takes a backseat in favour of the story about the two sisters who eventually provoked him into begin- ning the Reformation in England.

The film opens with the marriage of Mary Boleyn (Scarlett Johansson) to a merchant. The mild jealousy of her older unwed sister Anne (Natalie Portman) is assuaged when her father, who’s received an insider tip regard- ing the crumbling relationship of King Henry VIII (Eric Bana) and his wife Catherine of Aragon, entrusts her with the task of attracting the king’s wandering interest in order to secure benefits for their impoverished family.

However, her awkward seduction results in a hunting accident, and Henry ends up falling for Mary, who tends to him in his convalescence. Her ambitious family obediently hands

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her over, her compensated husband is sent packing, and Anne is thrust into exile when her own desperate attempt to gain power goes awry. Anne leaves a clumsy temptress and returns as a full-fledged snake, determined to win Henry for herself.

The Other Boleyn Girl is very much a fictionalization of history. The film (written by Peter Morgan and based on Phillipa Gregory’s novel) ignores a great deal of the historical context and factionalism of King Henry’s court in favour of the complex, interwo- ven, and deeply ironic love triangle

Xe,

Anne, seething over the perceived betrayal by Mary, manages to win the regard of the King by doing the very thing no one else at court is willing to do: refuse him on the grounds of remaining loyal to her sister. However, she can only string the King along so far before putting her own position in danger.

Probably the most egregious claim of the movie is that Henry banished his wife of 18 years, broke from Rome, and established the Church of England all because someone finally said no to him. Unlike Anne

ARTIS & ENTERTAINMENT 25

Boleyn Girl strips history for a sexy entanglement

Though Bana plays it dull, Natalie Portman shines as one corner of a love triangle involving Scarlet Johansson and King Henry VIII

disappointingly developed and per- formed by Bana with a bland mixture of irritation, horniness, and entitle- ment. Johansson’s Mary plays the doormat for the first half of the film, but is eventually permitted the subtler role of the initial idealist turned help- less observer of the ultimate moral corruption of the English court.

There’s no question, however, that this is Natalie Portman’s show. Her Anne Boleyn is a potent sexual crea- ture with a tenacious hold on both her ambitions and her grudges. At once teasing and controlling, emotional

have turned Anne into the film’s vil-

lain; instead, under Portman’s spell- binding performance, she’s simply an apt pupil of the grasping power-games already holding the English court in a tightening vice.

Historical quibbling aside, The Other Boleyn Girl is seductive mix of politics, intrigue, and (amazingly) female empowerment. In a culture perfectly willing to move their daugh- ters around like inanimate chess pieces to further their own ends, Anne Boleyn, the rejected Boleyn girl, gains control over the game by refusing to

between Anne, Mary, and Henry.

and Mary, Henry’s character

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & PUBLISHER

The Gateway is accepting applications for the position of Editor-in-Chief and Publisher for the 2008/2009 publishing year. The term runs from 1 May 2008 to 30 April 2009 and pays $1950.51/mo*. Applicants must plan to be enrolled at the U of A in at least one class per semester for the 2008/2009 school year; must be available to work varying hours; must have computer and layout skills; and will preferrably have been a Gateway editor, Or possess equivalent leadership and edito- rial experience.** Applicants should submit a covering letter, resumé and a portfolio to Gateway Business Manager Steve Smith (492-6669, biz@gateway.ualberta.ca) by noon on Friday, 7 March 2008. Only short-

listed candidates will be contacted for interviews.

* Pay will be adjusted for CPI over the summer and may increase. ** Complete job descriptions (subject to change) are available at www.thegatewayonline.ca/gsjs

and calculating, a lesser actress could remain on the board.

LINE EDITORS

The Gateway is accepting applications for the following line editor positions** for the 2008/2009 publishing year:

MANAGING EDITOR

SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR

OPINION EDITOR

SPORTS EDITOR

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR PHOTO EDITOR

DESIGN & PRODUCTION EDITOR WEB EDITOR***

All terms run from 1 May 2008 to 30 April 2009. The full-time paid portion of the job runs from mid-August to the end of April. Six issues of the Gateway will be produced over the summer months. All line editors will be expected to train on at least three of the six summer issues (unless granted leave by the hiring committee) for an honorarium of $100/issue. In their full-time capacities, the salaries for each position are as follows: Managing and Senior News will receive $1625.43* per month, Web will receive $1000.00* per month, all other line editors will receive $1281.88* per month. Please note that candidates may apply for no more than two (2) positions, except by special dispensation of the Line Editor Selection Committee. Applicants should submit a covering letter, re- sumé and portfolio to Gateway Business Manager (Steve Smith, 492-6669, biz@gateway.ualberta.ca) by noon on Friday, 14 March 2008. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews.

* Pay will be adjusted for CPI over the summer and may increase.

“« Complete job descriptions (subject to change) are available at www.gateway.ualberta.ca/gsjs

*«* Web Editor position is a proposed new position still subject to approval by the Gateway Board of Directors

26 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

It’s easy to all tangled up in SU and provincial politics this time of year. But don’t forget about the rock stars who make your democracy all the sweeter, regardless of who’s in power. Come up to 3-04 SUB on any given Thursday at 5 talk about the real leaders.

GATEWAY A&E

Thinking outside the political box since 1910

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theatrepreview

The December Man

Runs until 23 March

Written by Colleen Murphy Directed Micheline Chevrier Starring Brian Dooley, Jeff Irving, and Nicola Lipman

Citadel Theatre

BRYAN SAUNDERS Arts & Entertainment Staff

On 6 December, 1989, Marc Lépine walked into l'Fcole Polytechnique in Montreal and shot 28 people. Lépine killed 14 women and injured four men and ten women, before he reportedly exclaimed, “Oh shit,’ and killed himself This was before Columbine, before Virginia Tech, and before Dawson College. Ata time when nothing like this had ever before happened in Canada, the country was in shock and in mourn- ing. Ina now familiar way, news of what some called an “anti-feminist” shooting saturated the media for an entire week and then, just as quickly, disappeared. Nearly 20 years later, playwright Colleen Murphy re-opens this dark chapter in Canadian history with her Governor-General-Award-winning play The December Man. However, instead of focusing on the incident itself} this co- production between Toronto's Canadian Stage Company and Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre intends to shed light where the media didn’t. As director Micheline

Chevrier explains, the play examines

through these eyes

KARINA

tuesday, 4 march, 2008 « www.thegatewayonline.ca

Reopening a dark conversation

December Man remembers the aftermath of Canadas first school schooting

what happened to the survivors of the shooting years after the fact.

“Its about a young man and his par- ents. The young man is a student at Vfcole Polytechnique, in 1989, when the massacre occurred. And it’s about the impact of that event on that family. Not only the son, but the parents as well.”

The young man’s name is Jean, and according to the play, he was one of the men ordered out of a classroom before Lépine shot nine women. His parents, Kathleen and Benoit, are low- income, working-class citizens.

“Tt was the first one ofits kind in Canada. People were confused because it [was] not something that we live with here.”

MICHELINE CHEVRIER THE DECEMBER MAN DIRECTOR

“Sean's their] only son,” Chevrier says. “He's the first one to go to uni- versity. He’s the promise. It’s all going according to plan. And then something happens that is not according to plan and is really outside anybody’s capacity for understanding—especially for this family.”

Because Lépine targeted what he called “feminists” in his attack, the feminist movement at that time claimed the event as belonging to them in many ways, Chevrier notes.

However, that’s not entirely the case.

albumreview

Karina Zorn Through These Eyes . Fritzi Records

MARIA KOTOVYCH Arts & Entertainment Staff

Vegas lounge singers. Smoky bars. Sinatra. In the last few years, singers such as Michael Bublé have revived an interest in the musical style of this time period. Similary, Karina Zorn’s jazzy Through These Eyes tries to recall this time of crooners and jazz.

While Zorn has a lovely voice, her somewhat cheerful tone doesn’t always

match the jazzy, bluesy lyrics she’s singing. Her sweet voice would be appro- priate for singing tunes from The Sound of Music; however, songs suchas “Willow Weep for Me” require a sadder expres- sion than what Zorn provides. Interesting instrumental backgrounds or solos fre- quently contribute to the music, but they don’t really compensate for Zorn’s vocal

—— ee featuredalbum

, Cadence Weapon Afterparty Babies Epitaph

PAUL BLINOV Arts & Entertainment Editor

It all starts with an “mmm-bop.”

The solitary vocal melody becomes two; then, the dual-layered acapella morphs into a full-blown musical landscape as Cadence Weapon (Rollie Pemberton) begins to ponder cur- rent and ex-girlfriends, the touring musician stereotype, and throwing down in the good ol’ days. There are no instruments: everything from the main riff to the drum sounds come from his windpipe.

The song is “Do I Miss My Friends?” the opening track on Afterparty Babies, and it’s the first stroke in Pemberton’s masterful second album. He declares

that this one “goes outtoall the accidents out there / Keep making mistakes.” An album with so few faults shows that he’s learned a lot from his own missteps.

“In Search of Youth Crew” is a pulsing, sample-powered highlight: Pemberton’s stream-of-conscious- ness vocal cartwheels hit a dart- board’s share of declare “The youth crew’s back!” before abruptly halt- ing to finish with an anecdotal story from Pemberton’s youth.

His flow is incredible: there’s no basic template for a Cadence Weapon song—just a waterfall of words,

“T’s much more complicated than that. And part of that is because the event hurt a lot of people beyond the women [that] were killed. And that’s what [the playwright is] exploring.”

In many ways, the Montreal shoot- ings hurt the whole nation by shatter- ing assumptions many Canadians had about their country.

“Tt was the first one of its kind in Canada,” Chevrier says. “There was no template. People were confused because it [was] not something that we live with here. It really came out of the blue. You could see that through people’s responses to it and in how we tried to explain it. You can never imag- ine that something of that nature can happen where you are. It’s just outside our imaginations, our expectations.”

Coming to grips with the unimagi- nable is at the very core of this play, she explains.

“TE]ven though things happen across the border, we keep saying, ‘That doesn’t happen here’. But it did. That’s the conversation.”

And it’s the conversation that’s important, she stresses.

“We [tell people to ‘move on’] all the time,” Chevrier remarks, “But I hope people understand that it’s okay to live with what we've experienced instead of putting it behind you or pretend- ing it never happened. It deepens your understanding of humanity. And that’s my hope for theatre generally, is that it creates awareness and understanding so that compassion can come of that, so that the world is a bit more accept- ing, tolerant, and aware.”

incongruities with the lyrics.

Bublé and Sinatra both offer diversity in their music, offering both slower and quicker songs. In contrast, Zorn’s Through These Eyes doesn’t really pro- vide any variety in tempo. Most of the songs range from very slow to snail’s pace. The first sight of any musical speed doesn’t occur till the sixth track, with the spirited tangos of “I Love Paris.” It’s a fun song, but it’s also too little, too late. “Dindi” shakes things up a bit as well, but not enough to wake up listeners from a deep sleep.

Zorn, while a talented singer, chan- nels some of the musical energy from 1960s jazz singers. Unfortunately, this album is considerably less exciting than what one might expect from a typical visit to Vegas.

cascading over catchy samples and beats as Weapon waxes eclectic about Fleetwood Mac, closing real estate deals, and Megaman 4.

His collects his samples and beats from all over the musical map: Nintendo blips prop up “Limited Edition OJ Slammer,’ while an almost militaristic drum line guides “True Story.” Most of these backdrops wouldn't sound out of'place on a dance floor, but none of them sacrifice lyrical prowess for body-moving beats.

It all ends with a clap—the last sound on “We Move Away,” which closes Afterparty Babies—but that’s not the only applause Cadence Weapon will be getting from this album. If this is what afterparty babies are capable of, we should all start partying a little harder a few more nights a week.

Listen to tracks from Afterparty Babies on the Editor’s Playlist at www. thegatewayonline.ca

THE GATEWAY ¢ volume XCVIII number 37

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28 CLASSIFIEDS

tuesday, 4 march, 2008

www.thegatewayonline.ca

CLASSIFIEDS

To place a classified ad, please go to www.campusclassifieds.ca

FOR RENT

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2 NEWS

THE GATEWAY

tuesday, 4 march, 2008 volume XCVIII number 37

Published since 21 november, 1910 Circulation 11000 ISSN 0845-356X

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tuesday, 4 march, 2008 « www.thegatewayonline.ca

DIE board meeting determines fate of Samuel's campaign The ruling of Monday night's hearing could put Samuel over budget, disqualifying him from the race

DIEBOARD * CONTINUED FROM PAGE1

The elder Samuel argued the seman- tics of SU bylaws during the hearing, noting that he felt the complaint should be governed under SU bylaw 2000, which sets out rules for elections, rather than 1500, which pertains to the enforcement of DIE Board rulings.

“The manner in which [Richardson] initiated the complaint, we felt wasn’t the correct process to use because, as we read the bylaws—and as we still read them today—there are two very distinct processes to bring a complaint to DIE Board,” Chris Samuel explained.

“One process is deal with non-elec- tion-related matters, and those steps are found in bylaw 1500. For all of the issues that are specific to the election, the steps that are followed are found in bylaw 2000. So when we looked at how Brock brought forward his complaint, we saw that he was bring- ing it forward using bylaw 1500. So we simply wanted to know what was the proper steps to follow; what is the bylaw governing whether in fact we had violated a DIE Board ruling”

The DIE Board ultimately ruled against the counter-complaint, stating that they had jurisdiction to deal with Richardson’s second complaint. The ruling also noted that Bobby Samuel’s “application for interpretation was a gratuitous use of the Board’s time as a tactical delay to further political gain for [his] campaign.”

The ruling went on to add multiple times that it was “troubling to note that Mr Samuel’s written submission appears to deliberately mislead the Board.”

ETERS

Compiled and photographed by Steve Smith and Steffi Rosskopf

Cam Breckon Engineering Ill le a - . 7 § a

“| wasn't there. [| was] cramming for a test that | had Reading Week and this weekend to study for, and that | just started studying for today.” [When's the test?] “Today at five.” [Which would explain the empty table in front of you now?] “Yep.” [You're a pretty diligent student] “Very diligent.”

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.. AND JUSTICE FOR ALL Brock Richardson has sought to ensure Bobby Samuel is held to bylaw principles.

Additionally, he was forced to remove all of his campaign materials from campus until the hearing for Richardson’s com- plaint could take place.

Samuel explained that he and his campaign are willing to accept the ruling, but disagree with the notion that it was politically motivated.

“Obviously, we had a difference of interpretation with DIE Board [...] where as they felt it should have been interpreted under 1500,” he explained. “Fair enough—obviously people have difference of opinions. What we take issue with is the almost slanderous comments labelling these things as politically motivated. No they were

not, and I can assure you of that.”

Richardson, on the other hand, agreed with the Board and its harsh words for Samuel.

“T think what’s happened and what they’ve done is, in my opinion, very appropriate.”

The hearing for Richardson’s com- plaint took place late Monday evening; the ruling is expected to be delivered early today.

During the hearing Monday eve- ning, the primary question that DIE Board was faced with was whether or not Samuel’s campaign material did constitute a use of the design, tex- tual content, and slogans used in the

pamphlet he had created and distrib- uted prior to the campaign.

Richardson used a side-by-side com- parison of the materials to argue his case. Chris Samuel once again repre- sented Bobby, and countered that the materials differed greatly in all of the aspects that DIE Board initially set out.

Richardson was seeking a remedy of all of the campaign pamphlets to be destroyed, for Samuel’s campaign to be shut down, as well as a fine of $240, which would put Samuel over budget and disqualify him.

A verdit is expected early this morn- ing. Go to the www.thegatewayonline. ca for an update on the ruling.

As you may be aware, yesterday's 12pm classes were cancelled due to the Students’ Union election

forum in Myer Horowitz Theatre.

Were you there? If not, what were you doing that was so important that you couldn't find time for democracy?

Catherine Appanah Science |

“No | was not there. | was studying for my organic chem mid-term.” [And when is that mid-term?] “Tomorrow.” [You don’t appear to be studying now] “Nope.” [So instead of studying now, when you don't appear to have anything more important to do, you studied while the forum was going on instead of going there?] “Yeah, and honestly, even if | wanted to vote, | don’t know where to go.”

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THE GATEWAY ¢ volume XCVIII number 37

SAM BROOKS A ONE HORSE RACE Would-be Board of Governors undergrad rep Michael Janz is the only candidate running unopposed.

Candidates argue it out a annual Horowitz forum

Classes were cancelled and forbidden lunches snuck into the campus theatre Monday at noon for the annual Students’ Union candidates’ debate

KIRSTEN GORUK News Staff

The fifth and final SU election forum held yesterday in the Myer Horowitz Theatre had all the trademarks of a great student politics debate—tuition, housing, textbook costs and student advocacy were all hot topics, with the environment and religion also coming into play.

As presidential candidate Janelle Morin explained, there’s a lot facing the university student and voter of today.

“The role of student has been degraded, compromised by declin- ing quality of education, debilitat- ing costs, and disengagement from campus community,” she said in her Opening statement.

The promotion of student advocacy and meeting the needs of students were both highly prioritized by all candidates.

“We need to take our heads out of our books,” stated presidential candi- date Dustin Miller, who went on to say that our province stands at the center of a booming economy at an exciting time, and that “[student] apathy is not the answer.”

Bobby Samuel reiterated his belief in the changes he would make to affordability of education.

“As we face 17 years of increasing tuition cost, there are two things I'd like to do, the first being a student loan reform,” he said.

Samuel added that his plan is to not just advocate for tuition reduction, but to ensure that when tuition increase does happen, a percentage of it goes into needs-based bursaries.

In a surprising twist, Sheldon Tibbo shied away from the politi- cal topics and instead focused on his faith and its influence on his decision to run.

“Take some time with God, and listen to what He’s telling you. The end result for me was to run for the Students’ Union. Everything impos- sible with man or woman is made possible by God,” Tibbo stated.

When it came time for the presi- dential candidates to face their fellow competitors and potential voters, the overwhelming message from all can- didates was based around student advocacy and involvement: all but Tibbo favoured an aggressive approach

to engaging students in rallies in pro- tests.

“T’s not action, but paper,’ Tibbo said, that will prove an effective form of communication.

In terms of action to be taken by the vice-president (Academic), Bryant Lukes’ platform highlighted his belief that the SU needs to focus more on students and less on the SU represen- tatives. He also briefly touched on his vision of bringing solar power to the University of Alberta.

His VPA opponent, John Braga, chose to emphasize his goals of strengthening the council of faculty associations to help meet faculty- specific needs, improving teaching quality, and continuing work with the Canadian Roundtable on Academic Materials.

“Take some time with God and listen to what he’s telling you. The end result for me was to run for the Students’ Union. Everything impossible with man or woman is made possible by God.”

SHELDON TIBBO PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

The prominent issue of debate between vice-president (external) candidates Beverly Eastham and Matt Trodden centred around what involvement the position should have regarding the lowering of textbook prices.

“The concerns of students have been ignored for too long,” Eastham stated.

She was adamant about her stance that her first two focuses lie with tuition and housing, and that she would support the VPA on the text- book issue.

Trodden, on the other hand, insisted that cost reduction of textbooks was an attainable goal and an important concern. He said that he would favour housing or tuition problems above textbook costs.

The head-to-head race for vice- president (Operations & Finance)

saw candidates Steven Dollansky and Peter Rychlik fielding questions about budgets, student space, and the Powerplant.

“Td like to take the lessons I’ve learned and move from the external to the internal,” explained Dollansky, who is currently Vice-President (External).

Dollansky outlined his plans for the Powerplant, which included moving the pool tables from Cue into part of the space and creating a trendy and inviting environment that would be affordable for student groups to rent.

Rychlik presented a somewhat dift ferent vision for the space, hoping to expand Dewey’s into the open space to create a student-friendly environment.

The candidates for vice-president (Student Life) also highlighted their plans to engage and involve students in university life.

“T look at the SU and students, and I see a gap,” Sean McQuillan said.

McQuillan’s opening statement centred on his desire to bridge that gap and making sure that students are aware of and have access to SU resources.

Kristen Flath focused on expressing her intention to pursue an optional healthcare plan and sustainability on campus.

In light of the recent Residence Services debate, Flath emphasized the “need for greater advocacy to address student issues.”

Alena Manera, the third VPSL can- didate, explained that the Student Life portfolio should focus less on the now established advocacy portion and instead create the balance of advocate and programmer. If elected, she said she plans to create a stronger part- nership between the SU and student groups.

“University is something to be expe- rienced, not just attended,’ Manera concluded.

Lastly, out going SU presidentMi- chael Janz, the sole contender for the Board of Governors representative, took his opportunity to address stu- dent voters and make his intentions

clear.

“We need to make sure that the vision [the Board] sets forward is a vision that is friendly to undergradu- ate students,” he said.

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tuesday, 4 march, 2008 « www.thegatewayonline.ca

U of A uses new technologies to improve ophthalmology training

EDMON ROTEA News Staff

With one in five Albertans projected to reach senior citizenship by 2031, the U of A is focused on meeting the demands for more ophthalmologists with the recent implementation of the EYESI surgical simulator. Faculty of Medicine ophthalmology residents now have the ability to hone their sur- gical skills and practice cataract sur- gery, the most common type of eye surgery that prevents vision loss.

The purchase of the $160 000 EYESI simulator, funded by the Capital Health Authority and the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation, is a joint initia- tive with the Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Ophthalmology to improve the training of general oph- thalmologists minimizing problems in the operating room.

According to Dr Matt Tennant, an ophthalmologist at the Royal Alexandra Hospital’s Regional Eye Centre who directs residency training for ophthalmology students, “Capital Health has a mandate to produce

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outstanding cataract surgeons for the region. As the region ages, we need to become more and more efficient at training. The other mandate is to make sure that [surgical] complications are minimized as best we can so that the best trained surgeons will have fewer complications.”

Upon completion of'a medical degree, ophthalmology students must undergo five years of residency before becoming a recognized general ophthalmologist in Alberta—a profession that is expected to be in high demand as the population ages. With the EYESI simulator, Tennant hopes the training aide will condense surgical training from one year to six months while improving the compe- tency of future cataract surgeons and allowing for more medical students to specialize in the discipline.

“Through various studies, a mini- mum of 40 ophthalmologists should be graduating each year just to keep up the current number of ophthal- mologists-to-patient ratios,” Tennant said, explaining that available resi- dency training positions, with ten ophthalmology residents currently in

training at the U of A, is dependent on provincial funding.

“We are currently hoping to gain more funding from the province for an additional ophthalmologist per year graduating from the Department of Ophthalmology,” he said.

The EYESI simulator is outfitted with a microscope, a small tabletop contain- ing the artificial head of'a virtual cata- ract-surgery patient, and surgical tools similar to the ones used operations, along with a computer and a display screen showing the virtual patient's eye. It can also be upgraded with soft- ware modules to accommodate retina surgical procedures.

“Because we are a residency to produce general ophthalmologists, we only have the cataract surgical module,” Tennant explained.

Like a fighter pilot training on a flight simulator, where fine motor skill coordination and accuracy can determine a mission’s success, the EYESI simulator will allow residents to train with computer-simulated sur- gical procedures that require precision muscle-memory movements—motor

skill coordination that can dictate an operation’s success. The simulator can also replicate problems that might occur in the operating room—prob- lems that would have been more dif- ficult to replicate with training aides that existed prior to the simulator, such as pig eyes and live patients. “Problems can be created, and then the surgeon is forced to overcome

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those problems. That is helpful, but it’s the more junior residents [that] are the ones who should be using it on a monthly basis to ensure that their skills are maintained, as they are not in the operating room as often,” Tennant said. “The big benefit of surgical simulators in terms of surgical competency: you can learn to be competent surgically prior to any risks to the patient.”

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THE GATEWAY ¢ volume XCVIII number 37

MIKEOTTO

HIV BREAKTHROUGH Dy Barr and colleagues have discovered the human gene TRIM22, which stops HIV from spreading.

Discovery helps make significant advances in HIV research—Barr

HIV * CONTINUED FROM PAGE1

Dr James Smiley, a Canada Research Chair in Molecular Virology and a pro- fessor at the U of A who operates the lab in which Barr worked, is enthusi- astic about the impact these findings will have on the HIV field and what they will mean for the University’s reputation.

“These types of discoveries help to solidify and enhance the U of A’s pro- file in the area of infection and immu-

“

nity,’ Smiley said, adding that “the

UofA provides an environment where talented post-doctoral fellows such as Steve Barr can pursue their research in any area that they choose.”

Barr, who began his work in Smiley’s lab over two years ago, will next turn his attention to what he says are the two major outstanding questions from his research: how exactly TRIM22 interferes with HIV assembly and why this gene doesn’t appear to work in people infected with HIV.

With approximately 33 million people worldwide reported to be living with HIV and 2 million deaths caused each year by HIV/AIDS, Barr expects that his research will provide hope to those living with the so-far- incurable disease.

With emerging drug-resistant strains and failed vaccine trials, Barr said, “there’s been a real dark cloud put over HIV research fairly recently.” However, he added that making significant advances.”

«“ we are

Researcher discusses how amphibians can help understand public health issues

VICTOR VARGAS

Online Coordinator

For 48 years the pesticide atrazine has been widely used in crops throughout the world—but recent scientific stud- ies about the product’s adverse effects have caused biologist Dr Tyrone Hayes from the University of California to advocate against its use.

Hayes was on campus last Thursday and Friday to give guest lectures about his research on how atrazine affects frogs in the environment. Since he began his studies, Hayes has become one of the leading experts on atrazine and recently testified in front of a US Senate committee about its effects.

His research has found that the chemical causes a hormonal imbal- ance in frogs by converting testoster- one into estrogen. This causes frogs to take on female characteristics, effec- tively preventing them from repro- ducing. Hayes believes that humans are being affected by atrazine because of how the frogs have the chemical enter their system.

“The bigger concern is that frogs are getting it through the water, which is the same water we are taking in at levels that we know are biologi- cally effective. And what is worse is the people who are most affected are taking it at much higher levels—the agriculture workers and the company factory workers,” Hayes explained.

Since frogs and humans have the same hormonal system, Hayes believes that humans are being affected by the chemical in similar ways. The change in hormones, as Hayes has shown in other research papers, has been known

to cause infertility,and Atrazine also acts as a carcinogen.

“The exact same estrogen that regu- lates female development in these frogs is the same estrogen that regulates the menstrual period of every woman in this room. The hormones are exactly the same,” he said.

“The effects manifest themselves differently. In the case of amphibians and fish, you get a sex reversal. In the case of humans, you have a loss of fer- tility and prostate and breast cancer.”

“In the case of humans, you have a loss of fertility and prostate and breast cancer.’

TYRON HAYES UNIVERISTY OF CALIFORNIA BIOLOGIST

While Hayes’ research shows that the pesticide is harmful, Syngenta Corp, the company that produces the pesticide, along with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), maintains that the chemical is within safety limits.

According to the Syngenta Corp website, “More than 200 of these stud- ies have been completed since 1995, ensuring that atrazine has passed the most up-to-date scientific tests and reviews. Overwhelmingly, the body of research supports the safety of atrazine to humans and the environment.”

However, Hayes stands by his research and insists that the majority of his work, including some of the studies that Syngenta Corp and the

EPA cite, show the consequences of the drug. It’s for this reason that Hayes stresses that the scientific community must strive to educate the public about the issue.

“Scientists, I think, can’t afford to be neutral,” he said.

“Tf we're the ones with the informa- tion, we're the ones that can explain how this chemical works and what the implications are and what the problems will be for wildlife and humans [and] what the problems are. We should be the ones to present that information so that the public and legislators can make informed decisions.”

Linnea Mowat, a second-year mas- ters student in biological sciences, agrees with Hayes’ position that sci- entists should take a more active role in educating the public. Otherwise, she says, people will be unable to understand the complicated science behind certain issues.

“There is so much information, people don’t know what information they should be interested in anymore. And with media sources coming up with certain information and scien- tific communities coming up with certain information, it’s hard to know who to listen to.” Mowat said.

She added that unless scientists go out and speak out on what's being shown by science instead of let- ting industry speak for them, people will be unable to make informed decisions.

“Tf the public community doesn’t know what the true story is, it’s hard to choose which side you're going to believe because [each side] is presented as fact.”

GATEWAY NEWS

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tuesday, 4 march, 2008 « www.thegatewayonline.ca

Windsor police under fire after violent party crackdown

Investigation underway after Windsor Police Service use excessive force to break up predominately black party at campus pub

JAMIE HARKINS The Charlatan (Carleton University)

OTTAWA (CUP)—The University of Windsor is supporting an anti- racism student group in its fight with Windsor Police Service after a pre- dominantly black party at the campus pub was violently shut down by more than 25 officers.

Lori Lewis, a spokesperson for the University, said that U of W President Ross Paul is actively working with Students Against Anti-Black Racism (SAABR) to find out why police responded with force at the “Passa Passa” party held at the Basement Pub on campus.

SAABR was formed immediately following the January party and now boasts more than 100 members. The heavy police presence at the party preceded numerous arrests and harsh confrontations with students.

Lewis said the University hasn’t approached the police, but takes the

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group’s allegations of racism seriously and wants to make sure the matter is dealt with appropriately.

“We want an environment for our students to not feel discriminated against,’ Lewis said. “We have to listen to our students and find out what those things are, how they feel they are dis- criminated against, and to what sugges- tions they have to make those changes.”

Matthew Macdonald, a member of SAABR and second-year law student, said the group decided to ask the Windsor chief of police to bring in the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) for an independent investigation.

“As far as 1 know, we hadn’t heard a response back yet,” Macdonald said about the request.

“We've met with the administra- tion a few times now. They have rec- ognized there is a huge problem, and they’ve endorsed our request for the OPP to do an independent investiga- tion into what occurred.”

Macdonald added the OPP is needed

because it would be impossible for the Windsor police to investigate itself considering the number of the force’s officers involved.

“T certainly hope it does happen. There was such an overreaction to a student event anda student event that was planned, orga- nized, and had mostly African-Canadian students there,’ he said.

“We want an environment for our students to not feel discriminated against.”

LORI LEWIS UNIVERSITY OF WINDSOR SPOKESPERSON

“Whether that was the reason or that exacerbated the overreaction, we need to identify why this happened so it doesn’t happen again. There is a lot of concern about the student body generally about this incident.”

1 |

| | '

The Students’ Union is also support- ing the group in its quest for answers.

According to Zach Cranny, Vice- President of University Affairs for the Students’ Union, the Union would like an investigation to be conducted by the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal.

He said that this is the first inci- dent of this magnitude to occur at the campus pub, and he encouraged students affected to file complaints against police.

“We feel that there needs to be a full public inquiry,” Cranny said. “There was far too much police violence used that night. We're fully behind the group on campus, SAABR, and are doing all we can to help facilitate their future actions.”

Bright Kyereme, a third-year commu- nications and political science student at Windsor, said he is working with the Students’ Union to file a human rights complaint after he was allegedly beaten by several officers when he stepped in to help a friend that night.

“There were four or five of them all at once on me,” Kyereme said, adding that he was kneed in the face. He said that he was still beaten even though he was hot resisting.

Originally, Kyereme was told that he would be charged with assaulting a police officer, then just disturbing the peace. Kyereme didn’t end up being charged with anything, but still spent the night in jail.

Kyereme also alleged that when he asked for a complaint form upon being released, police laughed at him. So he has decided to file a complaint with the human rights tribunal instead.

Nadine Fearon, a first-year drama and communications student who was also at the pub that night, said that no one knows why the police showed up at all considering no fights took place—just a shouting match between two girls, which was handled by the pub’s bouncers.

The Windsor Police Service did not return phone and email messages.

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OPINION

More of the same

DESPITE ALL THE TALK OF CHANGE, ALBERTANS will have woken up to more of the same today—and it shouldn’t come as a surprise to any of us.

Once again, this province has given the nod to the status quo. It took jut 23 minutes after the polls closed for Global Edmonton to predict a PC majority, and, as of press time, Stelmach’s government had gained another ten seats, for an indomitable 72.

Still, 37 years—now going on 40—of Progressive Conservatives belies the true division in this province: typically, one in three Albertans vote for another party, be it the Liberals, NDPs, or the newly formed Wildrose Alliance—and many more stayed home.

Perhaps Albertans will never agree on a single alter- native, but a change in government isn’t just political— it’s social. And social change can only take place where there’s social cohesion—not political consensus, but a cultural togetherness, a mutual interest in the greater good. If that sounds like a distant utopian ideal, you need only look at our neighbours to see that change is not only possible but, in most cases, the norm—even where a wide range of political views are represented.

In “Beautiful British Columbia,” there’s a close con- nection to nature and a strong sense of environmental responsibility, and Canada’s most progressive environ- mental legislation (as toothless as it may be) has just resulted. Saskatchewan’s rural grassroots tradition has seen the rise of medicare and several socialist govern- ments. The Maritime provinces share a strong sense of cultural identity that transcends politics; Quebec’s sense of culture is stronger still—and decidedly politi- cal. Thanks to this strong social cohesion, all of these provinces are able to maintain relatively high govern- mental turnover. Individually, these people have their own political views, but collectively, they’re not afraid to demand change.

In Alberta, we can’t even be bothered to get new license plates. Unlike the ubiquitous Wild Rose, social cohesion is about as common as ocean-front property in this province. Everyone—liberal or con- servative, young or old—is in it for themselves, with individual success widely accepted as the greatest good.

In Alberta, it was the Wild West to begin with— Northwest Territories, Rupert’s Laad—and now, with the tarsands serving as the latest gold rush, Alberta is Canada’s economic promised land as well. Hundreds of thousands have come here in search of their salvation, and if they bother to vote at all, it’s for whoever prom- ises to leave the economy, the environmental debate, and their F-350 alone.

But before we denounce “the voters” as a whole, we must realize that idealistic students like us aren’t any better. Here at the University of Alberta, we're a microcosm of the same effect: we're all here to pursue our individual goals, and we'll be damned if we're going to let a few referenda get in our way.

In each case, it’s individualism, not apathy, that causes us to vote for the status quo—or to not bother to show up at all. Individualism won in a landslide on Monday, and early polls show it as the frontrunner for Wednesday and Thursday as well.

ADAM GAUMONT Editor-in-Chief

Post still backin’ Black

BY NOW, NEWS OF LORD CONRAD BLACK’S JAIL sentence, which started on Monday, is widespread. However, it would seem that the National Post, Black’s former baby, hasn't quite adjusted to its daddy leaving the nest, as evidenced by Monday’s edition.

While the front page displayed a simple typo- graphic quote from Black, the image directed readers to the “story” on page 5, which was graced by an op-ed piece written by Lord Black himself: Titled “Unjustly incarcerated,” the piece is a self-indulgent and unnecessarily verbose work in which he attempts to justify his actions and calls into question the court’s decisions.

While I'd normally have no problems with a man attempting to appeal his prosecution to the public, a move like this by the Post displays a shameful lack of journalistic integrity, and is a sure sign that the chains of Black’s media empire are far from broken.

MIKE KENDRICK Design & Production Editor

I JUST THINK THAT... GOD WANTS ME TO RUIN AND... I’M JUST... HE’S GOT A PLAN FOR TUITION

LETTERS

No conservative voice

was disappointed to note that the panellists who contributed to the 28 February “Election Dissection” piece were all, let's say, from one side of the political spectrum. | did some quick Googling on Sam Power's Public Interest Alberta (PIA), and Professor Urquhart’s Alberta Wilderness Institute, and my suspicions were confirmed.

PIAis asupposedly “non-partisan” organization whose “Program Areas” just happen to all go in one politica direction. Similarly, the AWI is you ypical green group. Of course, these perspectives should be represented in a discussion on election issues, | just seemed that some political ide- ologies were missing—specifically, political views that received ove 50 per cent of the popular vote in Alberta in 2004.

Moreconcerningis why did nobody at the Gateway notice that a panel with a Liberal, an NDPer, an envi- ronmentalist, and a “Public Interest” advocate isn't particularly balanced? Next time, try harder to find at least one Conservative to join in. There are some of us here, | assure you.

ALEX GORDON Engineering IV

Wait, they don’t love you like [love you

I'm in your readership, Kelsey, and I'm writing to prove it because the Internet just doesn’t cut it for genius (re: “Blogging's difficult when you're so easily distracted—ooh, bunnies!” 28 February).

Out there in the scary dank world of YouTube and terrifying fetish porn, no one really cares. Noone gets you— you're just that unique—so they don't listen to you. But with print, especially the Gateway, they're pretending to care about issues. They get sucked in by the Times New Roman and they're halfway through the article before they realize that they, once again, don't get you. So the page turns, and you're brilliant musings on what might have given you food poisoning last night can’t enlighten them.

But you have a duty, Kelsey—they need you, no matter how much they dislike you. That’s why we need totake it to the streets—they need to hear it. | say we take people one by one, and hold them down. We'll scream in their faces about our favourite bands and that bitchy girl in that one class. We'll make them care.

Most likely ironically (but possibly stalkerly),

ion

GRAHAM ROBERTSON

via email

Letters to the editor should be sent to letters@gateway.ualberta.ca (no attachments, please).

The Gateway reserves the right to edit letters for length and clar- ity, and to refuse publication of any letter it deems racist, sexist, libellous or otherwise hateful in nature. The Gateway also reserves the right to publish letters online.

Letters to the editor should be no longer than 350 words, and should include the author's name, program, year of study and student [ID number to be considered for publication.

And to clarify, the body text we use is called Joanna, not Times. What's your favourite font? | bet it's Helvetica.

opinion@gateway.ualberta.ca « tuesday, 4 march, 2008

I TALKED TO A GUY WHO TOLD ME HE WAS GOD. I BELIEVED HIM BECAUSE, Y'KNOW, WHY WOLILD

SOMEBODY LIE ABOUT THAT?

LETTERS FRoM THE ARCHIVES

Where are all the ladies?

Here it is, just another wild and crazy Friday night. Just rocking— yay. We are five “reasonably” gorgeous studs who are sitting here drinking beer and_play- ing Trivia pretending not to care hat the phone hasn't rung. all evening.

But what else is new? It hap- pens every weekend! You may wonder why we aren't out cruis- ing the bars on the pick-up. Well, surprise, surprise, we're not all insensitive, shallow, pompous, conceited, sex-minded, alco- holic beasts. We're looking for hat someone special too. In fact, just last week, we met several potential “someone specials’— but none of them phoned. We've all worked double-shift on guard by the phone during he last week. What's wrong with us? Where did we all go wrong? This waiting is killing us—I mean, we're talking “ulcer city.” As our beer bellies mount, so do our insecurities. Where are all you progressive women? Believe it or not, it’s just as hard to phone you as it is for you to phone us. Hurry up; we've memorized all the answers to Trivia, and we're almost out of beer.

Phone! ORGANIZATION FOR VAPID UNSECURE MALES 28 February, 1985

CONALPIERSE

We're right here, boys

Where the hell do you get off saying all these things about the “lack” of progressive women? Here we are, two gorgeous (no “reasonably” about it) chicks lying here, sipping Canada Coolers, playing “Old Maid,” and reading the Gateway—not waiting for the telephone to ring.

Do youknow why? Because we are today’s progressive women! Everybody knows that we don't “do” waiting. Now, you're prob- ably wondering why we don't phone you. What do you look like, who are you, and what the hell are your phone numbers? As well, we're not all nymphomani- acs (surprise!) lusting for your body, car, and money.

About your phoning crisis and your fear of rejection, there's a good psychology department a the U of A, and after you've been there, you can go pick up a studen directory, then perhaps one of us.

Or how about the two of us ge together with the five of you? Ge with it; we're out of Coolers and our “Old Maid” cards are getting sticky.

TWO RFAS 5 March, 1985

Letters fromthe Archives is asemi- regular feature where the Gateway runs historical letters that we feel are of particular importance—or are just really hilarious.

Did these star-crossed lovers ever find one another? Unfortunately, that answer has been lost to the sands of time.

8 — OPINION

tuesday, 4 march, 2008 « www.thegatewayonline.ca

It's your democratic right to drink | SU jokers fight voter apathy

The election process is arduous, so you need something to take the edge off

JONN KMECH

hy nobody has thought of combining democracy and booze in the past, one can

never be certain. After all, some our greatest political leaders, from John A MacDonald to Ralph Klein, had a taste for the sauce, and it boggles the mind how we have ignored the usefulness of copious liquor consumption to loosen ourselves up before we choose a responsible and accountable govern- ment. Herein lies a massive potential to bring plenty of young, barely coherent new voters to the ballot boxes.

Then the solution dawned on me: no one’s ever designed a competent platform for a drinking game based on political campaigning and voting Therefore, in the interest of you, dear reader, I present to you Proportional Inebriation, a joyful romp to the bottom of the electoral bottle.

First of all, you have to get a group of friends who both enjoy getting drunk and keenly follow elections— just mention the booze first, and this shouldn’t be a problem.

You wouldn’t want to cheapen the political process by investing in rotgut scotch and Lucky beer, so instead buy mediocre-grade spirits and Mountain Crest lager to remind you that though democracy is worth your time, if not

your money, it shouldn’t go down smoothly. Wine should cost less than $10, and should simply be labelled red or white. To start off, everyone playing should take a specific candidate’s promotional material. For every unachievable, ide- alistic talking point, take one shot of tequila (no salt, no lemon), to a maxi- mum of five. These should burn as they go down, symbolizing the dis- comfort of the political process.

After finishing this first round, you should be working on a decent buzz—but the true face of democracy

is a staggering Boris Yeltsin, not mild tingling.

Look particularly for words like “leadership,” “engage,” “empower,” or “vision.” Empty promises also fall into this category. Warning: under no circumstances should you ever do shots during this SU election when you see the words “advocacy” or “tuition,” as you would likely require a stomach pumping afterwards.

Chase these shots with whiskey sours for every picture of your candi- date smiling—additional shots must be taken if they are looking majestically into the horizon or awkwardly perus- ing books in the library. After finishing

this first round, you should be working ona decent buzz—but the true face of democracy is a staggering Boris Yeltsin, not mild tingling

Next, shotgun a beer or do a keg stand for every mention of manda- tory fees, the Access Fund, or any other bloated financial aspect of their platform. End off with two glasses of cheap wine, which will guarantee you a headache in the morning—much like what seeing shitty posters and hearing political speeches will do to you.

There are several ways you can win. If you're playing during the campaign, the “first past the post” version of the game is won when someone passes out. If you're drunk enough by the time you have to vote, take a chance. Voting without a shirt on and destroy- ing a cardboard ballot booth are both viable ways of getting your voice heard and receiving a ride home in the back of a squad car.

The “preferential ballot’ game works better as the votes are being counted. During the vote count, when your candidate in one of the races gets dropped off the ballot, take a drink. In this case, the most drunk—and least represented—person takes the glory and gets to hug the toilet.

In the event that you end up vomit- ing due to the sheer quantity of empty hopes and a dearth of actual ideas you've had to drink to, congratulations! You now understand the similarities between democracy and alcohol con- sumption. Drink plenty of water and take a cold shower before your next illicit escapade into the world of bour- bon-soaked representative governance.

PAUL KNOECHEL

about this round of SU elections

even less than usual, it’s alright, for the culprit has been exposed—and it’s not the lack of any important issues like the U-Pass or Coke’s stranglehold over beverage distribution. Nor is it because it’s the same old dog-and- pony show that is student elections, capping with the inevitable win by any candidate who manages to get the Lister bump. No, apathy is in the air because this election lacks that special flavour that only joke candidates lend to the electoral process.

Roll your eyes if you want, but joke candidates have many uses in spicing up the election process. For instance, take the fact that the humour they pro- vide is more productive and appreci- ated than 83 per cent of the “work” the elected bodies to the Students’ Union provide for us over their entire terms in office. Or that it feels much more

[: youve found yourself caring

productive to cast your vote for Chuck Norris than tired old “NOTA.” At least if Chuck wins, there’s a slim chance he'll fill the position (hocking Total Gyms can’t take up that much of his time). But when was the last time that “none of the above” took office and abused the powers that the position provided?

What joke candidates really give us is an increased awareness and interest in the electoral process—and if there was

Imagine a part-time job on campus that:

- works around your classes

- gives you the opportunity to develop valuable skills and experience

- allows you to be part of an energetic team

- pays $12/hour.

ever a type of election that badly, badly, needed increased awareness and inter- est, it’s the Students’ Union elections.

Yes, there are election posters scat- tered around the most-travelled pas- sages of campus, and every once in a while, someone will blather about something youre not paying atten- tion to at the front of the classroom, but be honest, you tune it out. It just doesn’t hold your attention. But if suddenly you see ads for an atomic crab or second-in-command of the Decepticons running for president, you chuckle to yourself, and sud- denly, the election’s much more at the forefront of your mind.

And while I don’t think that there’s any advantage to more random votes being thrown around if a couple people are simply entertained by a giant furry running for VP (Academic), the fact that the elections are more thought of} the more likely it will be that people will become informed and cast a knowledgeable vote. And while the means don’t always justify the ends, more informed votes justify the use of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Yes, it would be nice if people cared enough about something like student elections so that funny gimmicks werent needed to draw more initial intention to them, but they don’t.

Student government is fraught with an overabundance of apathy and dis- interest, and if something as stupid as joke candidates helps the process, so be it. Maybe one day we'll even get to the point where we can leave them totally behind. But until then, bring back the Decepticons and the other weird robot candidates. At the very least, they might

give you a laugh on your way through SUB.

These are just some of the benefits of being a Peer Educator at Career and Placement Services (CaPS).

CaPS is currently hiring U of A students (undergraduate and graduate) to be Peer Educators for the 2008-2009 academic year. Find out how to apply at: http://www.ualberta.ca/caps.

Application deadline: Thursday, March 20, 2008

Questions? Contact Keith Haimila at 492-4219 or e-mail keith. haimila@ualberta.ca

CAPS

Career and Placement Services

THE GATEWAY ¢ volume XCVIII number 37

Even bad candidates have a positive impact on democracy

“Some parties even manage to change Canadian politics by simply existing. Though the Blog Québécois can never mathematically become a majority, the constant threat of separation has scared past governments into funnelling money into Quebec

VICTOR VARGAS

YF?

aon

he great thing about democ- racy is that you don’t have to

win an election to achieve

your goals. Just by running for office, you can influence political policy, make a statement, start a movement, get a book deal, form a cult—even get sympathy sex. Just so long as you can get the token requirements needed to launch a campaign, the journey towards total defeat can be a blessing in itself.

Take our own federal NDP for example. They couldn’ form a major- ity in parliament without the use of a mind control raygun, but they’ve managed to have an exceptional impact on Canadian history. Every year, the NDP reminds Canadians of the existence of homeless people, that spilling oil everywhere is bad for the environment, and that unions are actually important—and sometimes these reminders prove to be popular enough that the Liberals will steal them and incorporate them into their own platform.

Some parties even manage to change Canadian politics by simply existing. Though the Bloc Québécois can never mathematically become a majority, the constant threat of sepa- ration has scared past governments into funnelling money into Quebec for decades. And despite the assured

Wake me up when the elections are over §

JAKE PRINS

again. I say this because my

knowledge of anything politi- cal is basically limited to a C+ in Poli Sci 101 and an old Air Farce sketch I saw when I was a kid that had Don Ferguson pushing some policy that would be “2000 somethings by 2000” and adding, “and that’s not flushes!” followed by the Preston Manning

| m sorry to talk about politics

laugh.

My brother and I used to sit in my room around my first boom box, recording ourselves saying stupid things and then playing them back on the tape, and the “2000 by 2000” bit was one of our favourites. Years

later, my dad tried to take apart and fix my boom box, because the microphone we had wouldn't plug into the slot that said “mic.” It was later returned to me unfixed, and when I told my dad that we used to record stuff on it fine without a mic, we tried it again only to find that it had actually been returned to me not unfixed, but broken. Oh, the time- ess memories that could have been had.

But even though I may not be the most qualified person on the sub- ject of university politics, I feel the

for decades.”

defeat of Alberta’s Wildrose Alliance, you can bet your $400 tax rebate that the Conservatives are going to make sure the farmers are all happy camp- ers for years to come.

But there are other reasons to run outside of actual political gains. Running a doomed candidacy can cement your legacy and provide a shining example for generations to follow. And no man on Earth illus- trates that better than Gary Kasparov.

Kasparov knew that under Russia’s “Sovereign Democracy,” he’d be lucky if Vladimir Putin allowed him to campaign without being either threatened or jailed, but he chose to run anyways. Still, there’s no way that the majority Russians are going to hear his message with the current media embargo, and any real success would almost guarantee his mysteri- ous disappearance, but by continuing to challenge Putin democratically, he’s established himself in history as a man that Russians can be proud of. His actions will be a future ral- lying point that people will look back on and say, “This was a Russian that stood up for the people and who wasn’t a murdering, drunken sociopath.”

But achieving what Kasparov has managed to do is difficult. Plenty of people wish that they could be like

need to speak up. In reading the interviews with the latest batch of University students looking to add to their resumé, I was recently visited by none other than my good friend General Apathy, who asked me why I even bother as the current crop of candidates leaves something to be desired.

I don't really understand what the SU does, and even though there is one candidate who seems aware of that, he also doesn’t think that tuition has gone up recently.

I'm going to be honest with you, presidential candidates: any time that I see the word “advocacy,” I stop reading. I’m a simpleton, and I don’t like buzzwords. Try something more concrete, like “I will find money for Bearscat,” and that would probably get my vote. I don’t really understand what the SU does, and even though there’s one candidate who seems aware of that, he also doesn’t think that tuition has gone up recently.

But candidates have been pitching advocacy as a campaign point for at least the five years I’ve been here, and that hasn't prevented the three staples

him, but most candidates don’t quite know how to go about it. Some poli- ticians seem to think that by going on CNN, losing three consecutive presi- dential bids, and spoiling their legacy of consumer advocacy will somehow make them a martyr. But unfortu- nately for people like Ralph Nader, you can't be a martyr for the people unless you have an oppressive gov- ernment that does more than shove the odd person into Guantanamo Bay. You need a regime with no free elections and a mass gulag in Alaska. It’s a cold reality, but it’s true.

Then there are those people that run to make us appreciate our democratic system—like our very own Bobby Samuel. Having been censured by Students’ Council and reprimanded by DIE board, his odds of winning are so low that I would eat a copy of this article if he won. So thank you for running, Mr Samuel; it’s people like you that keep the apathy monster in check.

No matter what the outcome is, every person that runs in an elec- tion will make an impact. They may win ribbon after participation ribbon, but if they manage to change the life of one person—even if that person is themselves—they only serve to strengthen the democratic process.

of the Gateway publishing year from being the Purity Test, the joke issue, and the headline “Board votes to raise tuition by maximum of 5.9 per cent.”

I think the most telling indication of the current slate of hopefuls can be seen in their recent interviews in this newspaper, which typically poses a theoretically humorous question. But apart from a few Lister “jokes” (“Td give the zombies STDs. Ha ha!”), most of the candidates seem to have the same general idea: rassle up as many people and weapons as possible, hole

up somewhere, and fight for as long 5

as possible.

Now, I’m not a zombie-movie afi- cionado—although I did spend the majority of an afternoon last year playing Stubbs the Zombie instead of preparing for an exam—but when does fighting or confronting zom- bies like that ever work? Anyone who tries to fight zombies gets their

brains eaten, and anyone who bun-

kers down is eventually going to run

out of food and ammo while hordes |

of zombies, for lack of a better term, fuck their shit up.

So basically, as a candidate, you're tell- ing me that your plan for dealing with a zombie invasion is to use the same plan that’s been tried multiple times in the past and hasn’t really worked yet? Why does that sound so familiar?

Maybe General Apathy’s got it right after all. I’ve voted the last three years at this school, but with displays like this, the next time I vote might be five, ten, or 15 years in the future.

OPINON 9

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