3

Frank Appleyard

LettersShifting the Fulcrum Kelly was told by a police officer that

Re: “Pack it up and leave”
(News, March 6)
EMMA GODMERE’S MOST recent
column regarding protests at Univer-
sity of Ottawa Senate meetings did a
poor job representing the students
who participated in the protests as
well as Godmere’s capacity as an in-
vestigative journalist. Surely an ex-
perienced news editor would hold an
opinion that reflects careful consid-
eration of fact. However, the column
did not present to students the true
series of events, did not accurately re-
flect the opinion of those who partici-
pated in the protests, and took a bitter
anti-student stance.
The column stated that the U of O
President Allan Rock collaborated with
Student Federation of the University of
Ottawa (SFUO) VP University Affairs
Seamus Wolfe to draft a recording pol-
icy and presented it to the public for
feedback immediately following the
cancelled meeting of Jan. 12. However,
the discussion was only opened to the
public on Feb. 3, and it was opened
through a discussion board on Face-
book. This is a glaring chronological
mistake that unfortunately evaded the
rigorous verification of facts exercised
by the Fulcrum.
The column also professed that the
students desired that the Senate “estab-
lish a clear policy on allowing record-
ing devices.” This was never the main
objective of the group. Following the
arrest of Marc Kelly on Dec. 1, stu-
dents began to worry about the role
of the Ottawa police on their campus.
he would be arrested before he shouted
the statement of “Vision 2010”. More
importantly, the police were called to
negotiate with Kelly while the mem-
bers of the Senate could have been pre-
sented with Kelly’s case and voted as to
whether or not he would be allowed to
film the public Senate meeting. At that
point, there was no policy preventing
Kelly from recording.
The students who attended the
Jan. 12 Senate meeting protested the
unjustified arrest that occurred the
previous month. On that day, Rock
cancelled the meeting a few minutes
into the session despite clear objec-
tions by three student senators. The
Senate members were not allowed to
vote to adjourn the meeting. This sce-
nario repeated itself on Feb. 2 when
U of O VP Academic Robert Major
cancelled the Senate meeting before
it began. He was not forced to cancel
the meeting; the decision was deliber-
ate. On March 2, seeing that the Sen-
ate meetings had been cancelled, the
protestors attempted to ensure that it
took place, initiating the Senate meet-
ing on their own. This was rejected
and Rock once again decided to uni-
laterally cancel the Senate meeting.
The column took a disturbingly an-
ti-student stance by assigning blame
to the members of the U of O com-
munity concerned about the actions
of the U of O administration. What
have not been examined here are
the actions taken by the administra-
tion: the calling of the police to eject
a student asking for a discussion, the
deliberate cancellation of important
March 12–18, 2009
Senate meetings without consulting
the members of the Senate, and the
hijacking of the democratic Senate by
Rock and Major.
Due to the misleading statements
and blatant disregard for fact in the
last news column, I believe it is time
to shift the Fulcrum and transfer le-
verage to the students: www.fulcrum-
shift.blogspot.com
Liam Kennedy-Slaney
First-year biochemistry student
Moving forward
FRUSTRATION. DISAPPOINT-
MENT. MELANCHOLY.
These are three words to display
the emotions that I felt on March 6
as I was sitting in attendance at the
SFUO Student Arbitration Commit-
tee (SAC) hearing. What I witnessed
as our leader, as your president, and
as a person were students fighting,
disrespecting, and belligerently ac-
costing students. “Students fighting
students”, when our raison d’être is
“students helping students.”
What I witnessed was our student
federation, which holds values of dignity,
equity, human rights, and positive space
become besmirched by the inappropri-
ate and unacceptable actions of some
of its members. As tensions escalated I
made it clear to the persons leading the
arbitration that this would not be able to
continue. On behalf of the federation, it
is regrettable that we could not ensure
that positive space. The SFUO will take
proactive steps for future proceedings
of this level of contention, to avoid this
from occurring again.
What I witnessed were students
Editor-in-Chief
editor@thefulcrum.ca
nothing is accomplished by a contin-
uous consumption of contempt. With
this in mind, my sentiments have
translated into hope. Hope that we
can disagree without being disagree-
able; hope that we can defend every
person’s rights to a positive space and
hope that we can come together as a
student federation once more.
“The face of the enemy frightens
me only when I see how much it re-
sembles me.”
Dean Haldenby
SFUO president
An unfair process
IT IS WITH great reluctance that we
had to refuse to submit ourselves to
the process of the Student Arbitration
Committee on March 6.
Following our victory in the SFUO
elections, a group of unsuccessful can-
didates decided to contest the elec-
tions by claiming that we had worked
as a team, which is not allowed as per
the SFUO constitution.
We wish to assure the student pop-
ulation that although we are friends,
each one of us led her/his own cam-
paign in proper fashion. We are out-
lining the fact that we are friends for
the sake of transparency. Furthermore,
three of us (Roxanne, Julie, and Sea-
mus) were a part of the executive this
year; therefore, it is perfectly natural
that we share many of the same views.
When we learned that the election
was being contested, we immediately
began preparing our defence. In doing
so, we truly wanted to share our side of
the story while accepting any decision
that would be rendered by the SAC.
confidential. However, this did not
end up being the case.
The list of irregularities goes on, but
we simply wanted to outline a few of
them. Because many of the by-laws
contained in the SFUO constitution
were not followed, we could not agree
to appear in front of the SAC, and
therefore could not agree to abide to its
ruling. Although the SFUO constitu-
tion gives us the right not to appear in
front of the SAC, this was by no means
the choice that we wanted to make.
We believe that being elected by
over 8,000 students is legitimate; more-
over, we also believe that being tried by
three arbitrators that do not follow the
SFUO constitution is not. Our goal is
not to blame the arbitrators because
we fully realize that they are students
who are volunteering their time. Nev-
ertheless, we had to outline the proce-
dural errors that took place.
We have nothing to hide and would
clearly have preferred appearing in
front of the SAC rather than refusing
to do so. Although we are not appear-
ing in front of the committee, we wish
to assure you our defence to the alle-
gations has been prepared and shared
with the media as well as with the stu-
dent population. For these reasons, we
will defer the decision to the highest
decision making body of the federa-
tion: the Board of Administration.
Please know that we are committed
to fulfill the mandate that you have
entrusted us with.
Seamus Wolfe, SFUO president-elect
Roxanne Dubois,
SFUO vp-elect, finance
Jean Guillaume,
SFUO vp-elect, social

Contents exercising their right in our constitu-

tion to contest the elections. Similarly,
other students exercised their right to
However, many irregularities ap-
peared over the course of the process.
For example, the SFUO constitution
Julie Séguin, SFUO
vp-elect, communications

News Appalling appeal challenge the judicial processes for

March 6 Student Arbitration Committee hear-
ing descends into chaos. p. 4
which that contest was being exam-
ined and concluded upon. Unequiv-
ocally, these are valid disputes that
outlines that once a case is to be pre-
sented to the SAC, each party has the
Due to space constraints we were
unable to print all letters received.
right to select an arbitrator. After which, Visit thefulcrum.ca/letters for more.
these arbitrators select the remaining

Find out who’s running in the GSAÉD

must and will be concluded upon.
In reconciliation of the events that
elections. p. 5–6
p. 4 took place on March 6, I call on all
parties involved to lead and discour-
age any behaviours that dishonour
Arts Who watches the our federation, that dishonour our
Watchmen? cause. As we move forward, past the
events we unfortunately experienced,
Zack Snyder directed it, and Jaclyn Lytle I call on all students to use common
talks with him. p. 9 sense before acting on emotion to en-
sure that respect and dignity are guar-
Hisham Kelati and Kalin Smith, appar-
p. 9 ently. p. 14
anteed under our SFUO.
Today, I have come to the conclu-
On their way
sion that amidst all that our student
Sports federation is facing and the years we
have taken to build our federation,
Men’s basketball prepares to head to the CIS
championships. p. 16 Business Department
members of the committee. Unfortu- thefulcrum.ca poll
nately, we did not have the opportunity
Last week’s results
of selecting one of these arbitrators.
Moreover, it was only on the eve of the
What do you think of the
hearing that we learned that documents
that had been rendered inadmissible U of O’s decision to ban
would now be considered to be admis-
sible. It was impossible to go over all of
the Israeli Apartheid Week
these documents in a single evening. poster?
What’s more, the SAC even recog-
nized that it had committed serious Great move: 48%
procedural mistakes. For example,
they had assured us that a confiden-
Terrible decision: 44%
Unsure: 7%
tial email that we had sent to the chief
arbitrator in regards to intimidation
Got something to say?
from the other party would remain
Send your letters to
Advertising Department editor@thefulcrum.ca

How much are you paying for food? The Heart The Fulcrum, the University of Ottawa’s inde- Deidre Butters, Advertising Representative Letters deadline: Sunday, 1 p.m.
pendent English-language student newpaper, phone: (613) 880-6494 Letters must be under 400 words unless

p. 16 and Stroke Foundation has an idea. p. 18 is published by the Fulcrum Publishing Society
(FPS) Inc., a not-for-profit corporation whose
fax: (613) 562-5259
e-mail: ads@thefulcrum.ca
discussed with the editor-in-chief.

Drop off letters at 631 King Edward Ave. or

members consist of all University of Ottawa
students. The Board of Directors (BOD) of the Check out our rate card online. email editor@thefulcrum.ca.

Feature Censored! FPS governs all administrative and business

actions of the Fulcrum and consists of the fol-
lowing individuals: Ross Prusakowski (Presi-
Sarah Gibbons investigates the banning of dent), Andrea Khanjin (Vice-President), Tyler
books. p. 12–13 Meredith (Chair), Peter Raaymakers, Nick Tay-
lor-Vaisey, Toby Climie, Scott Bedard, Andrew
Wing, and William Stephenson.
Di gets violent. p. 20
To contact the Fulcrum’s BOD,
contact Ross Prusakowski at (613) 562-5261.
Go to www.thefulcrum.ca and
follow the link for “Advertisers”.
Multi-market advertisers:
Campus Plus: (800)265-5372
Campus Plus offers one-stop shopping for over
90 Canadian student
newspapers.
The Fulcrum is a proud member of
Canadian University Press:
Letters must include your name, telephone
number, year, and program of study. Pseud-
onyms may be used after consultation with the
editor-in-chief. We correct spelling and gram-
mar to some extent. The Fulcrum will exercise
discretion in printing letters that are deemed
racist, homophobic, or sexist.
We will not even consider hate literature or

p. 12 www.cup.ca libellous material. The editor-in-chief reserves

the authority on everything printed herein.

News
SAC hearing descends into chaos
Re-elected SFUO VP Finance Roxanne Dubois expresses her dissent with the SAC’s arbitration process.
“Rather than actually face the consequences of
their actions, they’d rather cower away.”
by Emma Godmere
Fulcrum Staff
A TENSE AND tumultuous atmosphere en-
veloped a Fauteux Hall classroom as students
erupted in shouts, chants, and chaotic behaviour
at the Student Arbitration Committee (SAC)
election appeal hearing on March 6.
The SAC was to hear Student Federation of
the University of Ottawa (SFUO) 2009–10 elec-
tion candidates Renaud-Philipe Garner and
Maureen Hasinoff present their allegations and
evidence that current SFUO VP University Af-
fairs and President-elect Seamus Wolfe, VP Fi-
nance Roxanne Dubois, VP Communications
Julie Séguin, and VP Social-elect Jean Guillaume
formed a slate in the February elections—an ac-
tion that violates the SFUO’s constitution.
SAC chief arbitrator Caroline Poisson began
the hearing with the routine explanation of the
arbitrary procedure, seeking consent to con-
tinue with the arbitration from both sides. After
the appellants agreed to proceed, each of the de-
fendants rose and expressed their objection to
the process—a right that any party can exercise
at the beginning of a hearing.
“Throughout the arbitration process, the ap-
pellants did not have to follow several of the rules
that I, as a defendant, was held to,” Wolfe read
from his official statement. “The students of this
campus voted me as their next president. I will
not disrespect them and the democratic process
by abiding to follow a corrupt and unjust process.
The intention behind these allegations is nothing
more than to rob the students of their votes.”
After claiming that the SAC accepted evidence
March 12–18, 2009
Renaud-Philipe Garner
appellant
from the appellants after the prescribed dead-
line, did not allow an individual to retract his
testimony that was reportedly obtained through
blackmail, and prohibited the defendants from
choosing an arbitrator to be involved in the ap-
peal—a right given to all parties involved in an
appeal—all four defendants stood up and exited
the room amid loud cheers and shouting from
the over 70 audience members present.
Possion, along with fellow student arbitrators
Brendan Clancy and Samantha Green, tempo-
rarily suspended the proceedings and left the
room to decide on their course of action, re-
turning several minutes later to announce that
the hearing would continue, regardless of the
absence of the defendants.
“If there have been allegations of fraud ...
there should be a hearing to determine whether
or not there was, in fact, fraud,” Clancy said to
the audience once the arbitrators returned to the
room. “This is a decision of the Student Arbi-
tration Committee, it is appealable by the Board
of Administration, but [it] is our ruling that the
arbitration will continue.”
Shouts of opposition and support forced the
atmosphere in the classroom to intensify: audi-
ence members supporting the appellants and de-
fendants continued to wave posters saying, “Face
it, you lost” and “Slates are cheating”; balls of pa-
per were thrown between heckling students; peo-
ple supporting the defendants broke into chants
of “kangaroo court” and “shut it down”; and the
defendants’ student representative, Board of Ad-
ministraion (BOA) Civil Law director Jason Ben-
ovoy, who had remained in the room once the
defendants left, had to be escorted out by Poisson
Emma Godmere
News Editor
news@thefulcrum.ca
“The intention behind these
allegations is nothing more
than to rob the students of
their votes.”
Over 70 students packed the Fauteux Hall classroom on March 6.
for disrupting the proceedings.
Garner expressed his dissatisfaction with the
defendants’ behaviour shortly after the SAC
administered their decision and adjourned the
proceedings.
“Rather than actually face the consequences
of their actions, they’d rather cower away,” he
said. “This is nothing more than a tactic by the
SFUO, and it’s illustrated just who they [have]
become: corrupt, self-centered, negligent, and
totally opposed to any sort of institutional fair
process or judicial inquiry. It’s become nothing
more than a rabble-rousing institution.”
In an interview with the Fulcrum two days
later, Séguin clarified that the defendants had
every intention to continue with an appeals
process—albeit not one by the SAC.
“I’m not ready to put the election that we
rightfully won and the results of 27.2 per cent of
the students into the hands of three people and
a process that has been very much irregular and
unfair as I’ve seen so far,” she said. “It’s a human
right to have a fair trial and this was absolutely
unfair. Just the fact that they considered going
on without us just confirmed everything that we
had mentioned before. It was unacceptable.”
On March 6, the SAC released a 13-page re-
port detailing its official stance to continue the
arbitration. Poisson, Clancy, and Green refuted
each of the defendants’ claims that led them to
believe the hearing was unfair, and came to the
conclusion that, as the report stated, “an arbi-
tration into disputed election results can occur
when any member of the SFUO asserts that there
was fraud or irregularities during the election
campaign, regardless of whether the respondent
4
Seamus Wolfe
SFUO president-elect
photos by Martha Pearce
candidates consent to the arbitration.”
“Obviously, we’re happy with [the SAC report],”
said Hasinoff. “We want our witnesses to be able
to say what they have to say and we have the right
to bring forward our appeal. It’s unfortunate what
happened, but of course the SAC’s ruling is the
highest authority ... I respect the fact that they did
assert their authority and said, ‘yes, we can still
continue if they refuse to be here’.”
When asked if the defendants will act upon
the SAC’s decision, Wolfe was uncertain.
“I’m not exactly sure, mostly because I’m not
sure that they’ve made a decision,” he said. “I
think they’ve made an argument—again I’m not
sure if they’ve made a decision as per what a de-
cision would be for the SAC, because I haven’t
had time to comb through that document.”
The SAC’s March 6 report was labelled a de-
cision, and all SAC decisions are able to be ap-
pealed at the BOA. Two days after the report’s
release, 11 BOA directors submitted a request
to hold a special meeting as soon as possible to
BOA chair Federico Carvajal. However, Wolfe
maintained that he does not plan to bring an ap-
peal to the BOA at the special meeting planned
for March 13.
“I don’t have any plans. What I’m hoping for
is that the highest decision-making body of the
SFUO, the Board of Administration, will come
up with a process that will be fair and just for
any students wishing to appeal the election,” he
said. “The current process is unjust and unfair,
so hopefully on [March 13], we’ll be able to
come up with one that will be reasonable.”
The special BOA meeting will be held at 5
p.m. in the Tabaret Hall Senate chambers.
Celebrating 90 years of
women at the U of O
Women’s Studies Student
Association bring
entertainment to 1848
by Katie DeClerq
Fulcrum Staff
MARCH 9 MARKED the kickoff of Interna-
tional Women’s Week on campus, as well as
the 90th anniversary of women attending the
University of Ottawa.
When the U of O was founded in 1848, only
males were permitted to attend the majority
of North America’s post-secondary institu-
tions. In 1918, Canadian women above the
age of 21 were given the right to vote, and in
1919 women won the right to hold seats in the
House of Commons. It was only in 1919 that
women won the right to attend the U of O.
Over the past few months, the SFUO has
been working with the Women’s Studies Stu-
dent Association (WSSA) to coordinate the
90th anniversary event to celebrate the steps
the U of O has taken towards gender equal-
ity.
Dani Alarie, vp social for the WSSA, em-
phasized the importance of the anniversary.
“I think it is important to acknowledge how
far women have come in education. To be able
to go from not being able to attend the uni-
versity 100 years ago, to being the majority
of the [undergraduate] population [is] a huge
accomplishment and the entire U of O com-
munity should be proud of it.”
The March 9 event, coordinated by WSSA
Director of Social Affairs Bethany Schock and
SFUO VP Social Joël Larose, was held at 1848
and featured series of activities and perfor-
mances. The event began as a wine and cheese
with U of O women’s studies professors and
was followed by a series of performances by
Canadian female musical acts Dala, Caracol,
and Robyn Dell’Unto. The event was free, but
attendees were invited to make a donation at
the door. Funds collected will be given to the
Miss G Project, an organization that promotes
women’s studies in secondary schools.
“Tonight we want to make a strong mes-
sage,” Larose said at the event. “Even with the
oppression [women] have faced, we can still
have positive attitudes towards the future. We
can celebrate the steps we have taken in order
to balance the campus out in terms of gender
and equality.”
Alarie was pleased with the success of the
March 9 event, noting the dozens of people
who filled the bar.
“Being in a really small faculty, it is some-
times a little hard getting a big turnout for
your events,” she said. “So I am really happy
that a lot of students who are in women stud-
ies and [community members] came out to- photo by Martha Pearce
night to celebrate.” The Canadian pop/folk duo Dala performed at the March 9 celebrations at 1848.
www.thefulcrum.ca // 03.12.09 // NEWS // 5
GSAÉD elections
Your 2009–10 candidates
by Amanda Shendruk
Fulcrum Staff

N
EARLY 5,000 UNIVERSITY of Ottawa gradu-
ate students will have the opportunity March
17–19 to elect their 2009–10 Graduate Stu-
dents’ Association (GSAÉD) executive and
their representatives on the U of O’s Board of Governors
(BOG) and Senate.
In order to encourage student participation in the elec-
tions, the elections committee has created an incentive:
the graduate department with the largest voter turnout
will win a free night of food at Café Nostalgica, worth
up to $200.
“We have really, really low voting attendance,” ex-
plained Désirée Lamoureux, the chief returning officer
for the elections. “Our quorum is five per cent and we
just reached it last year … so we’re really hoping that
we do reach it, but that’s why there is an incentive.”
For your voting convenience—and to help you win
that Nostalgica bash—the Fulcrum has summarized the
responsibilities of each GSAÉD position and the vision photo courtesy Gaétan-Philippe Beaulière
of each candidate below. GSAÉD executive candidates, clockwise from top: Gaétan-Philippe Beaulière, Breanna Roycroft,
Myriam Hebabi, Tansy Etro-Beko, and Gerardo Barajas Garrido.

External commissioner
The external commissioner deals with the
GSAÉD’s provincial and national representation,
campaign promotion, and media relations.
Gaétan-Philippe Beaulière, master’s student
in French, wants to:
• Work towards greater graduate representa-
tion on university committees where their
presence is required;
• Work with the U of O administration and
the Student Federation of the University
of Ottawa (SFUO) to develop a charter of
students’ rights;
• Continue the campaign to expand gradu-
ate-specific student space;
• Work towards establishing policies that
regulate private partnerships with the uni-
versity.
Quote: “I really believe in the work that the
GSAÉD does ... Many graduate students know
that the GSAÉD exists but they don’t necessar-
ily know what it does for them, and that’s some-
thing that will change if I get elected.”
Finance commissioner
The finance commissioner is responsible for or-
ganizing the association’s health plan and bud-
get, and also oversees issues regarding Academ-
ic Project Fund (APF) applications, inter-library
loans, and student compensation.
Gerardo Barajas Garrido (incumbent), PhD
student in Spanish, wants to:
• Ensure continued effectiveness of the
GSAÉD health plan;
• Encourage student engagement in more
GSAÉD committees, including the finance
committee;
• Lobby for more funding for graduate stu-
dents.
Continue the transparent management of the
association’s budget.
Quote: “I am re-running for my position be-
cause, first of all, I am writing my thesis and I’ll
be here for another year. I also liked working
in GSAÉD and being able to give something to
the students of this university by supporting the
other execs and the GSAÉD finances.”
University affairs commissioner
The university affairs commissioner is respon-
sible for issues that involve graduate students’
research material, academic and working condi-
tions, scholarships, theses and theses defences,
and student space. He/she also organizes the in-
terdisciplinary conference, a yearly U of O con-
ference in which graduate students can share
their research with peers.
Myriam Hebabi, master’s student in public
and international affairs, wants to:
• Work with the U of O administration and
the SFUO to develop a charter of students’
rights;
• Develop a communication forum dedi-
cated to academic initiatives occurring in
different departments;
• Continue the creation of graduate student
space;
• Make sure that bilingualism remains a pri-
ority on campus.
Quote: “I believe in the sharing of knowl-
edge ... The interdisciplinary conference, which
comes under my position, follows in the idea of
sharing knowledge between different programs
and departments. Knowledge and communica-
tion is the basis of working together. I believe in
contributing to the greater community of grad
students above and beyond my program.”
Internal commissioner
The internal commissioner is primarily responsi-
ble for the internal functioning of GSAÉD, includ-
ing the correct filing of records and managing the
numerous departmental student associations.
Breanna Roycroft, master’s student in public
and international affairs, wants to:
• Increase student participation in GSAÉD
general meetings;
• Encourage and support the formation of
departmental associations;
• Work with the U of O administration to-
wards mutually beneficial initiatives;
• Help establish a student charter of rights.
“Since my arrival at [the U of O] in 2005, a
great number of changes, structurally, adminis-
tratively, and otherwise, have taken the univer-
sity in a new and exciting direction. As I enter
my last year with the school, I am looking for-
ward to the opportunity to play a role in ensur-
ing that this new path best represents the goals
and values of the student body.”
Student life commissioner
The student life commissioner is in charge of
GSAÉD property, non-academic student activi-
ties, and overseeing the graduate-owned Café
Nostalgica.
Tansy Etro-Beko (incumbent), master’s stu-
dent in political science, wants to:
• Work on building a team of graduate vol-
unteers to help diversify and multiply non-
academic graduate activities;
• Continue to work closely with the U of O
administration and the SFUO;
• Advocate for more graduate student space
on campus;
• Continue investing in and working on Café
Nostalgica and its policies.
Quote: unable to be reached for comment.
Graduate representatives
on the Senate
The Senate is responsible for academic gover-
nance on campus. It determines the U of O’s
educational policies and creates or abolishes
departments, faculties, programs of study, and
degree requirements. Every year two graduate
student representatives are chosen to sit on the
senate, one in sciences and one in humanities.
Sciences – 1 seat available
Joseph Hickey, master’s student in physics,
wants to:
• Ensure transparency and democratic prin-
ciples in Senate governance;
• Ensure democratic control of police pres-
ence on campus and an investigation into
guidelines for police presence at the Sen-
ate;
• Work towards a democratically controlled
syllabus;
• Have Senate support for the reinstatement
of suspended professor Denis Rancourt.
Quote: “I know that the Senate is a very pow-
erful committee and I think that [it has] the
ability to uphold the principles of academic
freedom and tenure that are at desperate risk
this year with the firing of a tenured professor
over the way that he graded ... I want to ensure
that the Senate is acting to improve the reputa-
tion of the university rather than tarnish it.”
Matthew Mount (incumbent), PhD student
in neuroscience, wants to:
• Raise awareness of science students’ issues
on the GSAÉD Board and Council, includ-
ing representing those not on the main
campus (U of O Heart Institute, the Ottawa
Hospital, and Roger-Guindon Hall);
• Continue to be involved in the discus-
sions and approval of academic decisions
brought to Senate from students, commit-
tees, departments, and faculties.
Quote: “I think a lot of students, and espe-
cially grad students, want a clear and a balanced
voice coming out [of] the Senate. There’s a lot
of great work that I see happening [in] the Sen-
ate and unfortunately not a lot of students really

6 \\ NEWS \\ 03.12.09 \\ www.thefulcrum.ca

GSAÉD elections Opening dialogue on
discrimination
know what the Senate’s role is at the sions and implements policies and pro-
university … A lot of things that [the cedures for the entire campus. Every
other candidate] running against me other year a graduate student is elected
[is] looking at are things that aren’t to take up one of two student seats.
really within the jurisdiction of the
Senate.” Marie Galophe, PhD student in that 70 per cent of the students who was hearing everything at the town
philosophy and lettres françaises SFUO assembles file appeals regarding academic fraud hall meeting there were so many
Humanities – (see platform given for Senate) are from visible minorities. The SAC things I didn’t think about or even
1 seat available Task Force on presented its own report detailing sys- consider,” he said.
“I am running as [a] political temic racism in the appeals process to Cheevers hopes that the Task Force
Marie Galophe, PhD student in phi- student who wants to make other
Campus Racism the university administration in No- on Campus Racism will provide con-
losophy and lettres françaises, wants students realize that their political by Len Smirnov vember, which the U of O countered crete recommendations for addressing
to: engagement in the affairs of the uni- Fulcrum Staff with its own report weeks later. the issues raised during the town hall
• Ensure transparency and demo- versity are needed and valued ... I “We have denounced it as being meetings. According to him, this will
cratic principles in Senate gover- want them to take charge and power ON MARCH 4, nearly 50 students systemic racism,” Gervais said. “We allow the SFUO campaigns committee
nance; of their rights.” and several university staff attended had students state that they felt it was to incorporate the recommendations
• Ensure democratic control of the first town hall meeting in the for racist reasons that they have been into plans for future campaigns.
police presence on campus and Julia Morris (incumbent), PhD stu- Alumni Auditorium organized by the accused of academic fraud.” “Racism is a very big problem be-
an investigation into guidelines dent in French, wants to: Student Federation of the University The issues raised about racism cause one instance of discrimination
for police presence at the Sen- • Work to ensure that the board of Ottawa’s (SFUO) Task Force on on campus were surprising to some is a huge issue,” said Gashoka. “Any-
ate; respects the collective agreement Campus Racism, a new initiative that students who attended the town hall thing that affects one student affects
• Work towards a democratically and the intellectual freedoms of will investigate incidents of discrimi- meeting. Michael Cheevers, SFUO the whole student body.”
controlled syllabus; professors nation on the U of O campus. campaigns organizer, expressed his
• Have Senate support for the re- • Help increase transparency of The Canadian Federation of Students astonishment at hearing student tes- The SFUO’s Task Force on Campus
instatement of suspended pro- the board; Ontario (CFS-O) originally launched a timonies during the meeting. Racism will hold its second town hall
fessor Denis Rancourt. • Be a voice of concern about tu- province-wide Task Force on Campus “I do have some knowledge about meeting on March 18 in the Unicentre
ition increases; Racism in August 2008. As part of the what’s going on in terms of racism on Terminus at 6 p.m. For more informa-
Quote: “I would [like] to run in or- • Sit on various selection commit- campaign’s mandate, nine CFS-O rep- campus, but at the same time when I tion, visit notoracism.sfuo.ca.
der to defend the rights of the gradu- tees in order to better represent resentatives will be travelling across
ate students at the university, the main graduate student needs. Ontario campuses to collect informa-
goal being the [acquisition] of justice tion on university students’ experience
in this academic system that seems “I feel that my approach is a little with racism. The CFS-O task force
to be willing to oppress the student more open minded [than my com- plans to issue a report with its findings
voice. I am seeking to empower the petitor’s] in the sense that I’m out to and recommendations by this fall.
graduate students, which means to work in collaboration with the mem- Several student unions in Ontario,
defend [them] when they have con- bers of the Board of Governors and including the SFUO, have adopted the
flicts with the administration [and] not in opposition to the structures CFS-O initiative. The SFUO recruited
their supervisors.” [and individuals] that currently exist its own task force of approximately 20
there ... I’m hoping that I can repre- students, who have organized town
Graduate representative sent all the students, in the sciences hall meetings to identify problems of
on the Board of Gover- and in the humanities, all across racism at the U of O. Following the
nors (BOG) – 1 available campus.” meetings, the task force will compile
its findings and recommendations
The U of O’s BOG is responsible for To see candidates’ platforms in their into a report, which it will present to
the management and governance of entirety, visit the GSAÉD elections the university administration.
the university. It makes financial deci- website at elections.gsaed.ca. “We are looking to [attack] dis-
crimination on campus, whatever
form it takes,” explained third-year
psychology and biology student Ha-
zel Gashoka, a member of the SFUO
Referendum question task force. “Something that you may
not interpret as racist, somebody else
may interpret as racist, and we have to
Alongside electing their executive, as well as Senate and acknowledge that and that there are
BOG representatives on the ballot, graduate students people who are feeling this way.” The teacher
will be presented with a referendum question that asks:
“Would you agree to pay an additional fee of $9 for full-
The first town hall meeting was a
venue for students to share their ex-
education program
time students or $4.50 for part-time students to support periences and concerns about dis- you choose really does
the following services: International House, Student Ap- crimination on the U of O campus. make a difference
Various forms of discrimination
peal Centre, Bon Appétit Food Bank, Centre of Equity and
were addressed during the meeting,
Human Rights, Bilingualism Centre, Foot Patrol, Women’s including racism, anti-Semitism, Is-
For over 150 years, Niagara University
OPEN HOUSE
Resource Centre, Centre for Students with Disabilities, and lamophobia, and sexism.
has offered outstanding educational
April 4, 2009
opportunities to students from Canada
the Pride Centre?” Students also recounted experienc- Niagara University
and the United States. Today you can find
Currently, these services are controlled by the SFUO es with verbal racial attacks. Gashoka bachelor’s or master’s degree programs
Campus
Lewiston, NY
and are funded by undergraduate students. Lamoureux indicated that she has witnessed rac- at our Canadian or New York locations. Academic Complex
explained why the referendum question has been put for- ist verbal exchanges in classes where
Bachelor of Teacher Education 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
ward. professors have not recognized the
• Programs in Primary/Junior and
“Since the SFUO does permit the graduate students to use discriminatory nature of the remarks. Intermediate/Senior
“A lot of the time, the racism is not
[their services], the Graduate Students’ Association thinks • Accredited by the Ontario College of Teachers
overt,” said SFUO VP University Af- • Convenient on-site classes in the Greater Toronto Area
[graduate students] should start contributing to [them],” fairs Seamus Wolfe, who is leading
she said. “The SFUO doesn’t say no to graduate students the new initiative. “The majority of it
Master of Teacher Education
even though right now we’re not contributing to the funds is much more systemic racism, such
• Programs in Primary/Junior and Intermediate/Senior
• NCATE-accredited
at all.” as racism in the classroom.” • Convenient U.S. location across the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge
A “no” campaign has not been established. One of the major issues identified
during the meeting was the discrimi- Check it out! Call 1.800.462.2111 or visit niagara.edu/advance today.
nation students experience during
College of Education
academic appeal processes. Mireille Academic Complex
Gervais, coordinator of the SFUO’s Niagara University, NY 14109
Student Appeal Centre (SAC), claimed Education That Makes a Difference
1-800-778-3450

www.thefulcrum.ca // 03.12.09 // NEWS // 7

 A GROUP OF University of Ottawa
students are encouraging colleagues
to opt out of the semesterly fee col-
lected to support the Ontario Public
Interest Research Group (OPIRG) at
OPIRG controversy
the U of O months after the student
levy-funded OPIRG-Ottawa denied
funding to Jewish student group Hil-
lel Ottawa because of its support of the
sparks levy opt-out
state of Israel.
Hillel Ottawa, a local chapter of a
larger international Jewish student
group, asked OPIRG and several other
campus groups for help in promot-
ing a lecture it hosted on Nov. 20. The
event featured a community leader
by Megan O’Meara from Uganda who spoke on sustain-
Fulcrum Staff able development and a multi-staged
money back
fast
walk in with your taxes, walk out with your money
and you could win $5,000 towards a road trip. visit refundroadtrip.ca
come in today or call
1-800-HRBLOCK (472-5625)
To qualify for student pricing, student must present either (i) a T2202a documenting 4 or more months of full-time attendance at a college or university during 2008 or (ii) a valid high school
identification card. Expires July 31, 2009. Must also qualify for Instant Cash Back and Cash Back products. See office for details. Valid only at participating H&R Block locations in Canada. SPC Card
offers valid from 08/01/08 to 07/31/09 at participating locations in Canada only. For Cardholder only. Offers may vary, restrictions may apply. Usage may be restricted when used in conjunction with
any other offer or retailer loyalty card discounts. Cannot be used towards the purchase of gift cards or certificates.
8 \\ NEWS \\ 03.12.09 \\ www.thefulcrum.ca
Islamic, Jewish, and Christian school
in the African country.
Joel Tietolman, member of Hillel
Ottawa and creator of the Facebook
group titled “Student Against the
Public Funding of OPIRG (University
of Ottawa)”, explained that OPIRG’s
refusal to promote the event came af-
ter the event had been held, and that
Hillel felt the issue was generally not
handled well.
“It was done in a very distasteful
way; [OPIRG] could have said nothing
and that would have been it, but in-
stead they wanted to make their point,
and frankly it wasn’t the time or the
place,” said Tietolman. “It wasn’t like
Hillel invited them to a political event;
the event had nothing to do with the
state of Israel, period.”
Tietolman explained that while Hil-
lel does indeed work with an Israeli
group on campus, Hillel itself has no
unified political view.
“[OPIRG is] basically generalizing the
political ideology of members of a non-
political group,” said Tietolman. “Hillel is
a Jewish group, not an Israel group.”
In response to OPIRG’s refusal to
promote the event, Tietolman is en-
couraging students to opt out of the
OPIRG winter semester fee of $3.38.
“I don’t think a group that receives
public funding should be able to be
that discriminatory,” said Tietolman.
“A lot of their programming is very
good … but when it comes to politics,
they seem to only support a very small
section of our campus.”
Despite the reasons behind many
students’ recent decisions to opt out—
over 25 have so far—OPIRG’s campus
relations coordinator Pierre Blais says
the group is pleased that students are
aware of this option.
“It’s good that people know that they
can opt out,” said Blais. “It exists so that
people who don’t agree with the politi-
cal positions we take are not forced to
support anything that we do.”
Blais further explained that while
many of the students opting out are
unsatisfied with the Hillel situation,
OPIRG has the chance to change
their minds.
“A lot of the people who have been
opting out are people who are opting
out because they have affiliations with
Hillel or are unhappy with the way we
dealt with that situation,” said Blais.
“Then once actually in the office talk-
ing to us about what OPIRG is, some
end up choosing not to opt out, so it’s
working out, and … it is giving us vis-
ibility, which is always a good thing.”
While Blais encourages those who
feel strongly to opt out, he encourages
students to consider all of OPIRG’s
contributions.
“Dealing with Hillel is not the only
thing we do,” he said. “We offer tons of
other services, we play an important part
in 101 Week, we do a lot of awesome
programming in support of a lot differ-
ent groups … That being said, the opt-
out is not something we regret offering.”
Students who wish to opt out can
visit the OPIRG offices at 631 King Ed-
ward Ave. until March 16 at 5 p.m.
 9
Peter Henderson

Arts & Culture March 12–18, 2009

Arts & Culture Editor
arts@thefulcrum.ca

Filming the
unfilmable Director Zack Snyder explains how
by Jaclyn Lytle
Fulcrum Staff
Watchmen made it to the screen
ZACK SNYDER WASN’T excited when he first
got the assignment to direct Watchmen.
“I felt like there was no way that I could do
[it], that I’d be unable to figure it out,” he says.
“But [in the end,] I did.”
Watchmen, the DC Comics sensation created
by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons,
first hit stands as a collected work in 1985. Since
its release, the graphic novel has developed an
enormous fan base and is the only graphic novel
named on Time magazine’s 2005 “Top 100 Nov-
els of All Time” list. While plans for a film ad-
aptation were quick to follow the book’s release,
none came to fruition until 2006 when Warner
Bros. approached Snyder with the project as he
was finishing up another comic adaptation, 300.
Some people, including 12 Monkeys director
Terry Gilliam, called the book unfilmable, but
Snyder thought he would take a crack at it.
“I was in post-[production] on 300 and I got
a call from the studio,” explains 42-year old Sny-
der, who also directed the 2004 remake of Dawn
of the Dead. “They said they had a script for a
comic book called Watchmen. I don’t think they
knew much about it, but they thought ‘Oh, Zack
loves comic books; he’ll love this!’ It was strange
because I don’t think they realized how crazy it
was.”
The graphic novel, set in the United States
in 1985, explores the diverging storylines of a
group of former caped crusaders. Following the
mysterious death of one of their own, the every- photo courtesy Warner Bros.
day vigilantes emerge from semi-retirement to
fight both a killer gunning for masked avengers
and nuclear holocaust. Watchmen is a philo-
sophically complex narrative filled with dense “When I came on to the project, the first thing cations, whether in regards to character script- superheroes, when they run in with bad guys,
symbolism, and turns the conventions of the I asked was when [I would be able] to go talk to ing, soundtrack choice, or plot alteration, have it’s easy and pain-free. I wanted to [eliminate]
comic-book genre on its head. Alan Moore,” he recalls. “I was met with the re- caused considerable controversy amongst fans that concept.”
Although a fan of the original graphic novel, ply that [I wouldn’t]. Alan Moore has famously of the original work. A major consideration when dealing with a
Snyder was apprehensive about undertaking the divorced himself from our motion-picture proj- “There were big, thematic things that I want- multi-layered work like Watchmen is the phi-
project. Watchmen’s reputation as an unfilmable ect, and I didn’t get to talk to him. That bummed ed to get at, tried to get at,” he explains. “A lot of losophy behind the plotline. The book deals
film and the immense pressure to adhere to fans’ me out a fair amount, because that seemed like changes went to pulling up the story, to kind of with themes of revenge, nihilism, and human-
interpretations only fed his anxieties, but Snyder the easy way to figure out exactly how to do lace the [themes] together, stitch them back to- ity’s brutal nature, while at the same time de-
explains that he considered his knowledge of and the movie. I just tried to make the movie based gether. I didn’t want to spend that time and end constructing the traditional myths of the super-
reverence for the source material to be important. on the experiences I had when I first read the up confusing concepts with one as confusing as hero. Conveying this underlying philosophical
“I was very aware [that as] a motion picture graphic novel back in ’88. I’m a huge fan of the one I already had.” significance in a manner that would allow it to
[Watchmen was a] considerable headache,” he [Moore’s, but] he’s asked that I not try to make Snyder also attributes some changes he made be taken seriously was a significant concern for
says. “But, after reading the script that the studio any assumptions about what he thinks and that’s to a responsibility on his part to depict graphic Snyder, and—he feels—the deciding factor in
had, I felt that if I didn’t do it they were going to what I’ve tried to do.” material in an artistic yet realistic fashion. the role of superhero films in popular culture.
do it without me, and the way they [wanted] to Moore has publicly stated that he is unaffili- “The violence in Watchmen is very specific, “It’s all about this culture accepting that [com-
do it. Basically, the directive was a sequel-able, ated with any films based on his work, after his and designed to provoke thought,” he says. “I ic books are] our mythology,” he says. “To me,
PG-13 movie; instead of 1985, set against the bad experiences with From Hell in 2001 and The wanted the idea of a superhero movie to be bro- that’s the biggest turn that culture has to make.
War on Terror, [Dr.] Manhattan … goes to Iraq League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in 2003. Be- ken down at every level, not just psychologically. It’s difficult to accept [as a culture] that the way
instead of Vietnam, and the ending [unfolding] ing forced to interpret the original work solely As an audience, we’re so [accustomed] to PG-13, our stories are told [is] by comics. I don’t think
exactly how you would imagine in a superhe- from a fan’s perspective, Snyder explains that homogenized violence that’s then put in a clean that there’s anything non-intellectual about su-
ro movie. That was just something that I felt I he had a significant impact on the way the film wrapper. [That], in my opinion, is irresponsible perheroes; it’s what you make it. What people
couldn’t let happen.” version was developed. His interpretation, he violence, especially in the sense that it’s target- perceive as a danger is that we’re dumbing our-
Unfortunately for Snyder, the process of explained, involved changes in plot, particularly ed towards kids. The idea with Watchmen is to selves down [by] making superheroes our [rep-
adapting Watchmen for the big screen was not a grand divergence from the graphic novel’s smash that concept as hard as I could, [the idea] resentation]. I think that superheroes have the
what he expected. catastrophic climax. Snyder’s creative modifi- that violence has no consequences and that [for] ability to be intellectually stimulating.”
 Comedy showdown
The U of O’s English and
French improv teams
do battle
by Andrew Champagne
Fulcrum Contributor

FANS OF PROFESSIONAL comedy

have been well-served by Ottawa’s
two comedy clubs, Yuk Yuk’s and Ab-
solute Comedy, but students looking
to get started in the funny business—
or those just looking for a slightly less
expensive laugh—will be interested to
know that the University of Ottawa is
nurturing its own amateur comedians
on campus.
There are two improv teams at the
U of O; the English-language Room
for Improvment and the French-
language La Ligue d’Improvisation
Étudiante Universitaire (L.I.E.U.).
Improv, short for improvisational
comedy, is a form of comedy with no
set script that relies on ad-libbing and
spontaneous creativity on the part of
the participants. There are games and
frameworks, such as props and set sit-
uations, from which the participants
work, but the end result is always dif-
ferent. Every Tuesday night at 8:30
p.m., Room for Improvment, meets
in room 026 of the Unicentre.
“We do an open practice every
Tuesday so anyone can come out and photo courtesy Samantha Bayard
everyone can participate,” says Room The U of O’s English-language improv comedy team, Room for Improvment, loves comedy, beer, and making funny faces in pictures.
for Improvment president Drew Mc-
Fadyen. “We work on basics and play because it makes you quick on your McFadyen. “We’re definitely going to each team must come up with chal- “There’s nothing really on the
improv games and do scenes.” feet, and sometimes in life you have get a run for our money because they lenges and situations for the other to line here other than bragging rights,
Room for Improvment, which has to be quick on your feet. It’s a great are a well established troupe. I’ve seen act out. which are still very important in the
been a U of O club since 2006, per- outlet to help you get rid of some of them perform in English and they’re “It might be something as simple world of comedy,” explains McFady-
formed at the McGill Improv Summit the random ideas and thoughts that extremely funny in [both] languages, as ‘this scene must use two members en. “All improvisers get along, with or
on Feb. 14 in their first inter-provin- are buzzing around in your head, which is an accomplishment in it- from the audience’ or something without the language barrier.”
cial tournament. They also performed [by acting] them out in a group that’s self.” more complicated like ‘in this scene Regardless of the friendly nature of
a charity show at Carleton University easygoing.” The showdown will incorporate the one of you must be on the shoulders the show, McFadyen expects his club
in Oct. 2008, squaring off against On March 13, Room for Improv- Coliseum style of improv, in which of someone else at all times’,” explains to perform to its fullest.
La L.I.E.U. and teams from the host ment will be facing off against La both teams are given limitations that McFadyen. “We just give them zany “We can’t just be a carpet for them,”
school and McGill University. L.I.E.U. at the redesigned Café Alter- they have to work around for each gimmicks to incorporate into their laughs McFadyen. “We need to show
McFadyen thinks that improv is a natif in the basement of Simard Hall. scene and, much like hockey, penal- scene.” them that [Room for Improvment]
great stress reliever for students, and The members of La L.I.E.U. played ties can be assessed for breaking pre- The contest will be unscientifically has some teeth.”
he wants as many people as possible a key role in developing the English set rules or being unnecessarily mean judged on audience laughter, and the
to share the benefits. team by providing guidance during to the other side. The competition only thing that may get wounded in Room for Improvment challenges La
“Of course, [improv] is not for ev- their creation and early development. will also incorporate elements of the this competition is the contestants’ L.I.E.U. at Café Alternatif on March
eryone,” he says. “But it’s really good “I’m looking forward to it,” says challenge style of improv, in which pride. 13 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $2.

st
utan
1 tan free www. utan.ca
no appointments / no hassle
20 Tans for $99+tax
Exp. Aprl 3rd, 09. Non-shareable
Cannot be combined with other promotions.
4 FREE Tans with purchase of Oakley Sunglasses
utan
nd
Buy 1 Lotion & get 2
50% OFF.
Discount applies to lotion of equal or lesser
value
233-2tan rd
Exp. April 3 , 09. Shareable
nd
2 floor, U of O Sports Complex Cannot be combined with other promotions.

10 \\ ARTS \\ 03.12.09 \\ www.thefulcrum.ca

Knowing
Alex
by Peter Henderson
Fulcrum Staff
THE END OF the world is nigh. At least it is
in Knowing, the first feature film since 2004’s
I, Robot from director Alex Proyas. Proyas
(The Crow, Dark City) doesn’t call it a disaster
movie, but the film depicts cataclysmic events
and deals with a prophecy that foresees the final
destruction of the human race. In these times
of economic meltdowns and devastating climate
changes, Proyas thinks that a film like Knowing
is a reflection of the North American mood.
“When people live in uncertain times, [Arma-
geddon] is something that [they] dwell upon,”
says Proyas. “Movies are a reflection of that,
a way of analyzing the situation in a dramatic
form and perhaps helping us find a solution, or,
at worst, prepare ourselves. I really think it’s a
sign of the times.”
Knowing tells the story of John Koestler (Ni-
colas Cage), a father who decodes a cryptic mes-
sage found in a time capsule opened at his son’s
elementary school. Koestler believes that the
message, written 50 years ago by a young girl,
has correctly predicted every major disaster that
occurred since the capsule was buried. It predicts
not just more disasters, but the imminent end of
the world. With the help of his son (Chandler
Canterbury) and the descendants of the proph-
ecy’s original author, Koestler attempts to keep
the prophecy from coming true.
The film is billed as a science-fiction action
film, but it wasn’t the action set-pieces—a plane
crash, a subway disaster—that drew Proyas to
the project.
“Though it is about these large-scale events,
there’s an aspect of action, and suspense really
drives the movie forward; it really is a very in-
timate story about a father and son,” he says.
“That’s what appealed to me.
“I was aware of the set-piece moments that
were going to happen in the script, and I wanted
to avoid glamorizing [them],” he continues. “I
really wanted to make them as visceral, real, and
unsettling as possible. It was a reaction against
what I see in Hollywood movies that glamorize
or beautify disaster.”
Science fiction is a genre Proyas knows well,
having explored the complicated relationship be-
tween humanity and technology in Dark City, I,
Robot, and The Crow. He’s been an avid sci-fi fan
since he was a child, with the works of American
science fiction writer Philip K. Dick being one
important influence on his development.
“[Science fiction] is really my own personal
comfort zone,” says Proyas. “I grew up on sci-
ence fiction, and it really is a part of my psyche
creatively. I just feel very comfortable working
within the genre. Science fiction is often more
grounded in the rules of the real world, and I
like the confines of that world. It’s what I think I
do best, and I stick with it.”
As with Dark City, Proyas was involved in
the writing of Knowing, and he has contributed
uncredited work to the screenplays of his other
Director Alex Proyas talks sci-fi, disaster movies, and Nic Cage
films. As a filmmaker, he finds it important to
have a say in the story, not just how it is told.
“I like to be involved with the story we’re tell-
ing as much as possible,” he explains. “Partly
why I take so long getting movies going is [be-
cause] I really tinker with the screenplay a great
deal until I’m totally satisfied with it. I like going
into a movie with [a script] that’s as well crafted
as we can make it. That’s often a result of ripping
it apart and putting it back together repeatedly,
because it’s often easier to fix stuff at the script
stage than in the cutting room.”
Proyas believes the rewrites are essential to
making his movies work, and he does most of
the tweaking himself.
“I want [every film I do] to have a unique
voice,” he explains. “It’s got to come from some-
one, so it might as well be me.”
The two lead actors in Knowing, Nicolas Cage
and Rose Byrne, who plays the daughter of the
girl who wrote the original prophecy, are two
people Proyas has wanted to work with for a
long time. The project came together at a time
when the two actors had room in their sched-
ules, and Proyas felt they were perfectly suited
for the story he wanted to tell.
“[Cage] read the script and loved it, and he
was very interested in working with me, so
it was a great marriage in that respect,” says
Proyas. “He came on board at a fairly early stage,
and I was delighted with that—I thought he was
a perfect match for that character.
“Rosie is someone I’ve known for quite a long
time, and we’re quite good friends,” he contin-
ues. “We both come from Sydney in Australia,
so we’ve known each other for a while now.
She’s, again, someone that I’ve wanted to work
with, and the character seemed perfect for her.”
The realistic visual aesthetic of Knowing
couldn’t be further from the fantastical alter-
nate worlds of Proyas’ earlier films. The film was
shot on digital video, which gives the director
immediate feedback on shots and allows more image courtesy Summit Entertainment
flexibility in shot length, camera position, and Alex Proyas (inset) often has a hand in writing the films he directs, including Knowing.
lighting. Knowing is Proyas’ first experience
with digital filmmaking, and he used the tech-
nique in part because the film is meant to be as
believable as possible.
“I specifically made myself move away from
the stylized world that I usually work with,” says
Proyas. “I wanted to put people into a reality. It
was very important to me that the performances
and the way I tell the story visually was natural-
istic and unstructured.”
Although this is the first film Proyas has shot
on digital, he has often experimented with the
form before and he hopes to use it again in the
future.
“I’ve always tested all the latest digital cam-
eras on every project,” he says. “I’ve always gone
back to film. In this instance, I used a camera
that I was really impressed with from an early
stage. [We shot the whole film with it, and] we’re
very pleased with the result.”
Knowing will be released in theatres March 20.
www.thefulcrum.ca // 03.12.09 // ARTS // 11
 Restricted
Content
The censorship of what we rea
page 12 | the fulcrum

by Sarah Gibbo
Fulcrum Contribut
 I
T WAS 1880 when poet Walt Whitman said, “The dirtiest
book of all is the expurgated book.” The censorship of books,
however, is still pervasive in 2009. With an almost limitless
selection of reading material available from libraries, second-
hand bookstores, and even Google Books, students’ reading
choices seem plentiful. Compared to the 1950s, when books
were banned for obscenity and due to content, students today are
living in an era of relative accessibility.
Yet in 2009 people in Canada and the
United States continue to challenge the
placement of certain books on library
shelves and in classrooms. Books are being
challenged for a great variety of reasons: de-
pictions of same-sex parenthood, obscen-
ity, profanity, and unconventional politics.
From February 22 to 28, the Freedom of
Expression Committee of the Book and
Periodical Council (BPC)—a committee
that scrutinizes issues of censorship in Can-
ada—hosted its annual Freedom to Read
Week. The annual event was a celebration
of Canadian citizens’ right to freedom of
speech and expression as guaranteed in the
Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Across the
nation, libraries displayed books that were
banned in the past and organized activi-
ties emphasizing liberal content. The week
facilitated the understanding that a book
deemed objectionable by some can for oth-
ers be eye-opening in its exploration of new
perspectives.
Our freedom to read
In 20th century North America, there was a
notable spike in the censorship of literature.
The U.S. government took part by banning
classic books such as James Joyce’s Ulysses
and Voltaire’s Candide from entering the
country in 1930, citing obscenity and un-
necessary use of vulgar language. In 1948,
the American Library Association (ALA)
adopted the Library Bill of Rights, which
formally outlined the organization’s com-
mitment to protect an individual’s right to
access materials within a library and to pro-
mote free expression. Deborah Caldwell-
Stone, deputy-director of the ALA, ex-
plained that the idea for the bill originated
in librarians’ fears of increased censorship.
“[The Library Bill of Rights] began in the
1930s when members of the library profes-
sion began to note a great deal of censor-
ship—both the U.S. government out and out
forbidding books from entering the coun-
try, to the kind of censorship that involved
suppressing books because of their political
ideas or the social views they expressed.”
The U.S. is not alone in defending books
from censorship. Canada has numerous or-
ganizations that defend their right to read,
such as the BPC’s Freedom of Expression
Committee and the Canadian Library Asso-
ciation (CLA) Advisory Committee on In-
tellectual Freedom—a committee dedicated
ad 1525
William Tyndale’s English
translation of the New Testa-
ment was smuggled into Eng-
photo by Alex Martin
land—and then burned by the
ons English church because it was
not written in Latin.
tor
to encouraging freedom of expression.
Gerald Lynch, a professor in the Depart-
ment of English at the University of Ottawa,
is a firm believer in the freedom to read.
“No one likes the word ‘censorship’. It
smacks of totalitarian tyranny over freedom
of expression (of cold-war communism,
of Orwell’s 1984, etc.). Or like something
Freud dreamed up to keep us from hav-
ing fun,” he said. “Being ‘pro-censorship’
sounds like being in favour of telling people
to shut up. It’s just so rude, so unaccept-
able in a liberal democracy that thrives on
a plurality of opinion, and on old-fashioned
politeness.”
The challengers
and their reasons
Despite such strong words against censor-
ship, there is always the opposing viewpoint.
With challenges continuing to be made, it
begs the question, who is challenging them
and why? Most challenges in Canada come
from parents and school administrators
at the elementary and high school level or
non-profit organizations.
Accuracy in Academia (AIA), a non-
profit research group based in Washington,
D.C., is one of many organizations in the
U.S. that frequently challenge reading ma-
terial. The organization focuses mostly on
books taught at the university level. Eric
Langborgh, conference director of AIA, ad-
dressed students of Georgia Tech in 2000
on the issue of educational bias and AIA’s
reasoning behind challenging material used
in the classroom.
“People often use the academic free-
dom defence against censorship but there
is a world of difference between academic
freedom and academic anarchy,” he said.
“Academic freedom cannot and should not
mean that anything goes, but it does have
everything to do with academic responsi-
bility and the proper use of public funds.”
AIA’s mission statement is to “focus on the
use of classroom and/or university resourc-
es to indoctrinate students, discrimination
against students, faculty or administrators
based on political or academic beliefs, and
campus violations of free speech.”
Frequently, a book is challenged because
of its particularly explicit content. The
predominant belief by challengers is that
children in school are impressionable and
should be protected from literature that
1744
Sorrows of Young Werther—
which ends with a graphic de-
piction of Werther’s suicide—is
condemned by the Lutheran
church after several copycat
suicides. Italy, Denmark, and
Germany also ban the book.
uses profanity or derogatory terms, or por-
trays a particular religious or ethnic group
in a negative light. Every year, novels by
authors such as Toni Morrison and Maya
Angelou—who have both written about
rape and incest—receive challenges when
teachers try to use this material in upper-
level high school classes.
“There is a constituency of people that
believes that even though these are Pulitzer
Prize-winning novels, they have no place in
the high school classroom because they have
profanity in them or they deal with difficult
situations like incest or rape in the course of
telling their stories,” Caldwell-Stone said.
Kenneth D. Gariepy, the chair of the CLA
Advisory committee on intellectual free-
dom, agreed with Caldwell-Stone.
“I think with some parents there’s a con-
cern that if their teenager or their young
adult are exposed to even fictitious works
that depict situations in which characters
are opposing the mainstream, that these
ideas can become embodied in their chil-
dren’s actions, and I think that makes a lot
of parents uneasy.”
Challenged
One of the most famously censored books
is J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, pub-
lished in 1951. The book wasn’t challenged
for its obscenity; instead, its controversy
stemmed from its use of angst, sexuality,
and profanity in the depiction of a young
adult’s brooding thoughts and actions. In
the 1960s, U.S. educational boards fired
teachers who taught the novel in their class-
rooms. Although the novel has been trans-
lated into the majority of the world’s major
languages and its sales exceed $65 million,
more than 50 years later the novel remains
a source of contention between concerned
parents and teachers following American
and Canadian high school curriculums.
Caldwell-Stone noted that it is rare for
The Catcher in the Rye not to receive at least
one or two challenges a year, and added that
novels written for youth audiences often fill
spots on the ALA’s list of top 10 most chal-
lenged books. The Catcher in the Rye has
a place on the CLA February 2009 List of
Challenged Books and Magazines, where
it’s noted that the novel has been consis-
tently challenged by parents and school
administrators in Canada for the last 15
years due to its profane language. Gariepy
acknowledged that it is possible that objec-
tions to the novel are based on more than its
language alone.
“This book, for reasons that we without
further investigation may not be able to ful-
ly understand, has become almost become
a flashpoint,” he said. “It has such a long
history of banning that it’s almost become a
tradition for someone, somewhere, to chal-
lenge it at least on an annual basis.”
Censorship, however, is not limited to
1933 1970
Bonfires in Nazi Germany White Niggers of America—a
burned thousands of books book about Quebec politics—
written by Jews, communists, was confiscated and banned. A
and others. Included were the U.S. edition was published in
works of Albert Einstein, Sig-
mund Freud, Ernest Heming-
English in 1971 and smuggled
into Canada.
way, Helen Keller, Lenin, Jack
London, Karl Marx, and Upton
Sinclair.
the U.S. Margaret Atwood’s book, A Hand-
maid’s Tale, is currently at the centre of a-
much-talked about challenge in Canada
and has just been reviewed by the Toronto
District School Board (TDSB). The novel is
about a totalitarian society in which lower
class women have few rights and are the
child-bearers for the elite. Robert Edwards,
the parent whose Grade 12 son studied the
book in class, filed the complaint.
“This book speaks of women perform-
ing fellatio, prostitution, female subjuga-
tion, adultery, pornography, brothels, rape,
sexual domination and multiple sex part-
ners, a woman’s (vagina) wearing out, and
of course the de rigueur F-word, apparently
a must-have word to win a literary award in
this country,” he wrote in the complaint. “It
is rife with brutality towards and mistreat-
ment of women … I can’t really understand
what it is my son is supposed to be learning
from this fictional drivel.”
The TDSB, in its review, decided that the
book was suitable for the students to read.
“We’re very supportive of maintaining
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
as a learning resource in the TDSB,” said
Melanie Parrack, an executive superinten-
dent with the board.
The final decision—which has yet to be
made—is left to the board’s director of edu-
cation, Gerry Connelly.
Will we see change?
Despite the efforts of the BPC’s Freedom of
Expression Committee and the CLA’s Ad-
visory Committee on Intellectual Freedom
to defend the right to read, it seems that
literary challenges will continue as long as
parents and school administrators persist in
questioning the merit required for a book to
be placed on a library’s shelf and for a novel
to be taught in a classroom.
Caldwell-Stone noted that from year to
year, the ALA sees little change in the quan-
tity of challenges, the books being chal-
lenged, and the type of people who bring
forward the challenges. Both the CLA and
the ALA continue to receive challenges, and
the data that the organizations have collect-
ed from surveys and reported challenges
does not show that they are likely to stop
receiving those challenges in the future.
While Freedom to Read Week celebrated
the right of Canadians to access controver-
sial novels and other publications, part of its
significance is to remind citizens that cen-
sorship attempts are still prevalent in 2009.
Yet even if a book is banned from a school, a
library, or a country, the ideas within it per-
sist. As Franklin D. Roosevelt noted in his
message to the booksellers of America in
1942, “We all know that books burn, yet we
have the greater knowledge that books can-
not be killed by fire. People die, but books
never die. No man and no force can abolish
memory.”
the fulcrum | page 13
 Good Bad
Watchmen Film
WATCHMEN IS EVERY bit the epic master- Snyder never loses the original feel and nihilism
A Watchmen Film
WATCHMEN AUTHOR ALAN Moore and il- to Saw-level gore. Those expecting to see a tra-
D
piece it has been hyped up to be. Adapted from of the graphic novel. The dialogue is simple and lustrator Dave Gibbons had it right the first ditional comic-book movie will be shocked, as
the 1987 graphic novel by Alan Moore and straightforward, not filled with the lame comic- time. The graphic novel is a literary master- Watchmen features sex and violence in spades.
David Gibbons, the film tells the story of an book clichés that doom so many other film ad- piece that combines remarkable storytelling Time, clocks, and watches are meaningful sym-
alternate timeline in which a band of retired aptations. Much of it is lifted directly from the and metaphysical philosophical insight. Unfor- bols in the Watchmen story, and audiences will
vigilante heroes reunite in the face of the Cold book, and it’s a testament to Moore’s strength as tunately director Zack Snyder worked within take note of the tedious two-hour-and-40-min-
War. To add to the trouble, the group finds that an author that it flows naturally out of the actors’ the confines of the graphic novel and created ute show time. For the viewers who didn’t read
someone is picking off their old members, one mouths. an adaptation that ultimately disappoints both the graphic novel, that’s a considerable amount
by one. The acting in Watchmen is superb and sets moviegoers and comic-book fans. of time to be baffled by an incongruous plotline.
Watchmen is directed a new standard for Watchmen is an undeniably dark and violent Even with the extended length, Snyder still had
by Zack Snyder (300, comic book adapta- tale about an alternate universe where vigilante to cut certain scenes out of the film, and there is
Dawn of the Dead), and heroes fought crime until little emotional attachment
the visual aspects of the
Snyder takes the beautifully tions. The actors in the
film are brilliantly cast, forced into retirement in the Simply put, Watchmen is between the audience and
drawn panels of the comic
film are mind-blowing. especially in the case of 1970s; there is only one real an unfilmable piece any of the main characters.
Snyder takes the beauti- book and turns them into a Jackie Earle Hailey as superhero, a super-powered Another problem with
fully drawn panels of the scientist named Dr. Man- of literature. Watchmen is the film’s
comic book and turns
savage, live-action experience. the uncompromising,
fascist Rorschach, and hattan; and Richard Nixon soundtrack. Songs by Bob
them into a savage, live- James Dean Morgan as won the Vietnam war and several presidential Dylan and Simon and Garfunkel are featured in
action experience. The the swaggering, misogy- terms. the film, and “99 Luftballons” by Nena pops up
film’s action sequences are stunning, using the nistic Comedian. Both look and act exactly like The graphic novel Watchmen is essentially at one point. The songs fit the era of the story, but
slow-motion concept Snyder developed in 300 their comic-book counterparts, fully inhabiting used as a storyboard for the film adaptation. their popularity—it sounds like a hit parade—is
and Dawn of the Dead to show simple but brutal their characters and making each movement Moviegoers who have yet to read the graphic distracting, and breaks the suspension of disbe-
violence. Snyder never falls into the trap of oth- and action seem as natural as breathing. novel will be highly confused by the story’s flash- lief because these famous songs are already so
er action films that cut their scenes to shreds— Watchmen is not your average gumdrops and backs, subplots, and constant jumping between filled with meaning for the audience.
each confrontation is shown in medium or wide sunshine comic-book movie. It is dark, brutal, protagonists and characters. Unfortunately, de- Simply put, Watchmen is an unfilmable piece
shots, giving the viewer a perfect perspective on and offensive, with heroes who are morally and voted fans of the book will also be disappointed of literature. Zack Snyder aimed to please both
all the dizzying action. emotionally flawed and prone to making bad by Snyder’s changes to the original, including a comic fans and newcomers, but in the end, he
The film sticks to the look and plot of the decisions. Anyone expecting a Spider-man- new ending and the trimming of many arguably pleased neither. Watchmen was in development
graphic novel as best as it can, though several key esque film for the whole family will be very essential details. hell—Hollywood purgatory—for almost 20
aspects of the comic are changed or removed for surprised. Snyder greatly emphasizes the viciousness years. It should have stayed there.
practical reasons. Not to worry though, because —Hisham Kelati found within the book, but pushes the violence —Kalin Smith
image courtesy Warner Bros.

The Fulcrum 2009–10 Position Election date Platform due

editorial board elections
The Fulcrum is holding elections for next year’s editorial board. If you have a passion for student journal-
News Editor
Sports Editor
March 12
March 12
-
-
ism, we have the opportunity for you! Arts & Culture Editor March 12 -
Candidates must prepare a platform outlining their vision for the role they would like to play next year. Executive Editor March 19 March 13
Platforms are due at 5 p.m. on the Friday prior to the election date of the position, and should be emailed Features Editor March 19 March 13
to editor@thefulcrum.ca. All elections will take place at the Fulcrum office at 631 King Edward Ave. dur-
ing the weekly staff meeting Thursdays at 2:30 p.m. Art Director March 19 March 13

The election dates and platform deadlines are: For more information or to submit a platform, contact Frank Appleyard at editor@thefulcrum.ca

Rideau Centre 2nd level 613.562.0101 799 Bank St 613.233.2065 www.magpiejewellery.com

14 \\ ARTS \\ 03.12.09 \\ www.thefulcrum.ca

 Ottawa rockers invade Toronto mer Martin Desjardins was replaced
APlotAgainstMe join by Butch Gerard, and the band added
bass player Dan Page to relieve Lavi-
2009 CMW line-up gne of double duty as the bassist and
by Megan O’Meara singer. The newcomers joined origi-
Fulcrum Staff nal guitarist Shawn Bradley and Lavi-
gne to create the ambitious foursome
OTTAWA-BASED HARD ROCKERS that is the band today.
APlotAgainstMe are enjoying an ex- Along with the changes in mem-
plosive start to their year. Their sec- bership, APlotAgainstMe has shifted
ond album, Deuce, was released Feb. its influences since the band first got
13, and the band will soon travel to together.
Toronto to participate in the annual “The first record and the first
Canadian Music Week (CMW) which stuff we were doing was more on
runs March 11–14. CMW is a week- the heavy side … Queens of the
long music festival, conference, and Stone Age influenced [it], that and
exhibition that features 350 bands Nirvana—[it was] really more rock
from across the world performing driven,” says Lavigne. “With the
in 35 downtown Toronto clubs, and new record, it’s more influenced
APlotAgainstMe are hoping to gain by stuff from the 50s, [yet it’s] still
some major exposure from their show some pretty heavy rock.”
on March 12. APlotAgainstMe remains unsigned
Together since 2005, the band re- by a record label, but despite their
leased Who do you work for? Why do lack of label support they managed
you do it? in 2006, and have toured to recruit some big names to lend
extensively across Canada. Lead their expertise to Deuce. Guitarist
singer Sylvain Lavigne explains that Bradley fills the role of producer for
the band only recently found a sound their music, but the band had both
that they felt suited them as a group, Grammy-award-winning producer
moving away from punk and metal to David Bottrill (Tool, Silverchair, Peter
create their own blend of hard rock. Gabriel) and Juno-winning producer
“The sound we have now is more Vic Florencia (Danko Jones, Nelly
textured, more defined, and I guess Furtado) do co-production work on
a bit more us,” he explains. “We’re the new album.
actually defining a bit more of what “[Botrill] is a super cool dude; he
APlotAgainstMe is, instead of just be- did some great mixes on three of our
ing [another] big heavy rock band.” songs off the record,” says Lavigne.
This sonic development could be a “After we did the first songs with him,
result of the lineup changes that the we called Florencia and gave him one
band underwent in mid-2008. Drum- song to mix. It came back super … so
check it out at
niagara.edu/mba
Master of Business Administration
“ Put your career on the fast track!” Check OPEN HOUSE
out Niagara University’s AACSB accredited April 4, 2009
MBA program at niagara.edu/mba. Niagara University
Campus
Experience the quality of a full time MBA Lewiston, NY
with flexibility and convenience of Academic Complex,
Saturday and evening classes. Room 229
1:00 pm
It’s unbeatable – and you can finish your
degree in as little as 16 months. So don’t put your
career on hold, apply now!
Check out our new Health Care Administration classes.
Call 1.800.462.1111 or apply today at niagara.edu/mba.
Email: mba@niagara.edu
Education That Makes a Difference
Niagara University, NY 14109-2011
we started working with him a little bit
more and we decided that he should
define the sound of the record.”
The four also recorded a live single
with Ian Thornley (Big Wreck/Thorn-
ley) called “Swearengen”, which was
engineered by Eric Ratz (Billy Tal-
ent) and mixed by Florencia. The
single was released at the same time
as Deuce.
Since they have been doing well on
their own, Lavigne wants the band to
stay independent until they can find
You’ll never eat brunch in this town again
The curse of the fanboy
Peter Henderson
Arts & Culture Editor
THE RECENT RELEASE of the film
adaptation of Alan Moore’s semi-
nal comic book Watchmen brought
them out of their parents’ basements
in droves. They post extended rants
on the Internet about their favourite
films, movies, or video games, and
they know more obscure trivia than
anyone ever should about their cho-
sen obsession. They’ll sit behind you
at every big superhero film opening,
complaining about how different the
hero’s powers are when compared to
issue number 167. They were immor-
talized by The Simpsons in the charac-
ter of Comic Book Guy as slogan-T-
shirt-wearing, greasy-hot-dog-eating,
socially awkward jerks. I’m speaking,
of course, of the scourge known as
fanboys.
The fanboy can strike anywhere, at
any time. Normal people who spend
more than a cursory amount of time
on the Internet know about Rule One:
whatever you’re into, someone is way
more into it and has devoted his or her
free time to writing a 4,000-word Wiki-
pedia page about the topic. This is no
a recording deal that satisfies their
needs without compromising their
musical direction.
“[We’d] like to sign to a label that
actually gives us artistic freedom,
[and] that’s there to back us and give
us the right publicity,” explains Lavi-
gne. “Really, I don’t mind being in-
dependent forever, so long as we get
distribution deals so that our records
actually hit stores.”
APlotAgainstMe will be perform-
ing at CMW at the Wrong Bar (1279
joke—the Wikipedia page for Knuck-
les, the sidekick from the Sonic The
Hedgehog video-game series, clocks in
at over 3,000 words. That’s 1,600 words
more than the entry for ‘girlfriend’,
which I think is no coincidence.
Fanboys are devoted to their par-
ticular subject with fanatical fervour,
and they will accept no criticism or
dissent. Director George Lucas alien-
ated many of his fanboys with the
three Star Wars prequels, but ask the
next person you see in a Stormtroop-
er costume why the dialogue in Epi-
sode IV: A New Hope is so stilted and
awkward. With wild-eyed passion
and equal amounts of arrogance and
condescension, they’ll defend the
original trilogy as though you were
questioning their very existence. It’s
not just films, either—tell the next
person you see with a Tool T-shirt
that the guitar playing on 10,000
Days, Tool’s latest album, is boring
and unimaginative, and watch the
creepy zeal with which that fan de-
fends his rock gods.
Fanboy dedication goes beyond
simple adoration. It’s an all-out devo-
tion that borders on religious mania,
and it’s usually based on pop culture
subjects that don’t really matter in the
grand scheme of things. Grown men
should not have more than a vague
knowledge of children’s cartoons, but
there are 35-year-olds who know more
about Dragonball Z than your average
fifth grader. Of course, fanboys often
exist in opposition to one another—
Xbox 360 vs. Playstation 3, Star Wars
vs. Star Trek, or Linux vs. Windows.
Spotting fanboys is easy, and it’s their
www.thefulcrum.ca // 03.12.09 //
photo courtesy Sean Sisk
Queen St. W.) on March 12 at the Last
Gang Records/Ideal Friends CMW
showcase. The band is represented by
the Ideal Friends publicity firm.
“All I want to do is make really
good music and have it heard by a
whole lot of people,” says Lavigne.
“Whether a record label is involved or
not, I don’t really mind. We’re just be-
ing ourselves, like we always are.”
For more information and tour dates,
visit www.aplotagainstme.com.
new-found relevance that we should be
worried about.
The worst part about fanboys is their
ability to have an influence. The army
of Internet nerds were up in arms about
Zack Snyder’s film version of Watch-
men when they heard he was making
changes to the plot and structure of the
book, and he’s made it clear that he at
least considered some of their demands
in making the final product. Unfor-
tunately, this incorporation of fanboy
opinion takes away enjoyment from
the rest of us, because Snyder’s faithful
use of the comic’s dialogue—perfect for
the page, but unwieldy and awkward on
the big screen—ends up being the film’s
Achilles heel. Emotions and plot devel-
opment are lamely revealed by the char-
acters, and the suspension of disbelief is
ruined by conversations that are more
awkward than Joaquin Phoenix’s recent
appearance on Late Night with David
Letterman. If Snyder had ignored the
fanboys and made a movie, not a mov-
ing comic book, Watchmen would have
been an epic film.
The fanboy curse started with the
rise of the Internet. Before that time,
fanboys were isolated in their mom’s
basements, ranting silently to the wall
about Mork & Mindy or the origi-
nal Transformers cartoon. Now, they
build online communities dedicated
to topics no one should care about,
like whether the Millennium Falcon
is faster that the starship Enterprise.
Creative types, for the good of us all, I
beg you: ignore the fanboys.
arts@thefulcrum.ca
613-562-5931
ARTS // 15
 16
David McClelland

Sports March 12–18, 2009

Sports Editor
sports@thefulcrum.ca

Championship-bound Questions surround

Men’s basketball team captures OUA bronze medal
by Anna Rocoski
Fulcrum Staff
IT WAS A sparse crowd in Mont-
petit Hall on March 7, but they still
roared as the University of Ottawa
men’s basketball team defeated the
Windsor Lancers 73-59, winning the
Ontario University Athletics (OUA)
bronze medal and securing a berth
at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport
(CIS) March 13–15 national cham-
pionships. The victory required the
Gee-Gees to come back from an 82-
61 defeat at the hands of the Carleton
Ravens in a March 4 OUA semifinal
game.
“We were always able to bounce
back the next game,” said Gee-Gees
head coach David DeAveiro. “I
thought that we could do that again
today and we did. [We] just forget
about [the loss against Carleton]
and focused on what we had to do
[tonight]. It’s kind of falling into our
plan, our plan is to let [the Ravens]
win the first game and not the last
one.”
While the Gee-Gees opened up an
early 9-2 lead, they couldn’t maintain
it during the first half. The Lancers
slowly clawed away at the Ottawa lead,
trimming it to 34-29 at halftime.
However the Gee-Gees took off in
the third quarter, led by strong per-
formances from point guards Josh
Gibson-Bascombe and Josh Wright,
who combined to score 36 points in
the game. The pair hit a trio of three-
pointers in the frame to catapult the
Gees to a 55-41 lead going into the fi-
nal quarter. A tight defensive game by
the Gee-Gees kept the Lancers from
mounting any serious threat in the
fourth quarter, securing the win.
The game also marked the last home
game for fifth-year centre Dax Dessu-
reault and fifth-year forward David
national seedings
by David McClelland
Fulcrum Staff
UNIVERSITY SPORTING CHAM-
PIONSHIPS bring together teams
from all across the country, but the
Gee-Gees men’s basketball team could
very well end up playing two confer-
ence rivals in the Canadian Interuni-
versity Sport (CIS) March 13–15 na-
tional championships.
The Gees are seeded fifth in the
eight-team tournament (see sidebar),
meaning they will open the cham-
pionship against the fourth-seeded
Western Mustangs, a fellow Ontario
University Athletics (OUA) team,
whom the Gee-Gees have already
faced once this season. The winner of
the game will likely go on to play the
Carleton Ravens, provided the Ra-
vens beat the eighth-ranked St. Fracis
Xavier X-men in their first game.
photo by Joël Côté-Cright “I can’t say I’m [very] pleased
Gee-Gees guard Josh Gibson-Bascombe (3) heads skyward during with [the rankings],” said Gee-Gees
Ottawa’s 73-59 victory over the Windsor Lancers head coach Dave DeAveiro. “I can’t
Labentowicz, who both completed “I think of all the tournaments I’ve figure out why they would have the
their final year of CIS eligibility. been to this is probably the tourna- three Ontario teams on one side of
“When you’ve got two [veteran] ment with the most depth—you’ve got the draw and the western teams on
guys you expect leadership and per- eight great teams in this tournament,”
formance because they don’t want he said. “We’re in tough against West-
the other side of the draw. To me it
doesn’t make sense, but you have to
their season to end, they don’t want ern. They hammered us pretty good … take the draw for what it is and get
their careers to end,” said DeAveiro, the first time we played them … and ready to play.”
“I knew I could count on those two they won the [OUA] West, so we’ve DeAveiro is not the only person
guys and they came through. I am got our hands full. So we’re just prac- to express frustration. Both Carleton
just happy about the other guys who tising a little bit each day and work- head coach Dave Smart and West-
stepped in and contributed to make ing on things that we’re going to do ern head coach Brad Campbell feel
sure that David and Dax could play a against them.” that the tournament seedings weren’t
couple more games.” organized as well as they could have
“It feels good. A little sad though,” The Gee-Gees kick off the CIS champi- been. A committee of basketball
said Labentowicz. “At least my last onships on March 13 against the West- coaches creates the seedings after all
memory on the floor is a good one.” ern Mustangs at Scotiabank Place. Tip- the regional playoffs have ended.
The Gee-Gees are now looking off is at 6 p.m., and tickets—starting “I don’t know how all the Ontario
ahead to the national championships, from $5 for a pair of games and $30 for teams wind up on the same side of
hosted by Carleton at Scotiabank a tournament pass—are available from the draw,” said Campbell in an article
Place. DeAveiro is expecting a tough captialtickets.ca published in the London Free Press.
tournament, and is preparing his —With files from “I’m not sure why it would work that
team accordingly. David McClelland way. I can’t explain it. I know that
we’re going to a national tournament
and can get to the final without play-
ing any team outside of Ontario.”
“Everything was discussed. The
fact that the field was very deep [and]
we didn’t want to seed teams that fit
a certain model so that the seeding
would be skewed,” Mark Katz, head
coach of the Toronto Varsity Blues
and a member of the committee that
decided the seedings, said in an in-
terview with the Fulcrum. “In other
words a team that is arguably third or
fourth seeded to go to seventh [seed]
for some matchup purposes was not
considered.”
Even so, DeAveiro would rather
have seen the seedings organized in
a way that wouldn’t have pitted them
against conference rivals.
“We might have been [seeded]
third or sixth,” said DeAveiro. “I didn’t
think they’d put Carleton and us on
the same side [of the draw], or have
two Ontario [teams] play each other
in the first round. I didn’t think that
was going to happen, but it did.”
Tournament
seeds
1. Carleton Ravens (21-1)
2. Calgary Dinos (17-5)
3. British Columbia
Thunderbirds (21-2)
4. Western Mustangs (19-3)
5. Ottawa Gee-Gees (19-3)
6. Dalhousie Tigers (13-7)
7. Concordia Stingers (12-4)
8. St. Francis Xavier
X-Men (17-3)

Victory eludes Gees at nationals gina in Saskatchewan. On March 6, to be.”

Women’s basketball
team comes up short
in Regina
by David McClelland
Fulcrum Staff
A YEAR AGO, no one thought
the Gee-Gees women’s basketball
team would make the next national
championship. After a 3-19 season
in 2007–08, the Gees came up with a
remarkable turnaround in 2008–09,
advancing to the Canadian Interuni-
versity Sport (CIS) national champi-
onship for the first time since 2004.
Disappointingly, the Gee-Gees lost
both their games at the March 6–8
tournament at the University of Re-
the Simon Fraser Clan crushed the
Garnet and Grey 89-42, and the La-
val Rouge et Or beat the Gees 75-58
the following day.
Ottawa was seeded eighth in the
tournament, and had to open the
tournament against the first-seed-
ed—and eventual champion—Clan,
who made short work of the Gees in
the most lopsided victory at a CIS
women’s basketball championship
since 1982.
“The level of competition was
such that we haven’t seen all year,”
said Gee-Gees head coach Andy
Sparks, who felt that his team put in
a solid effort against the strong Clan
squad. “We probably could have
only lost by 30 if we’d have played it
as hard to finish, but it wasn’t meant
With the loss to the Clan, the Gee-
Gees were relegated to the consola-
tion semifinal, in which they faced
the fifth-seeded Rouge et Or. The
Gees trailed for most of the game,
shooting only 32 per cent from the
floor, en route to a 75-58 defeat.
“[Laval] was an excellent team, I
think we competed with them very
well and were only down six late in
the third quarter. The 17-point loss
was more reflective of the fact they
made 29 out of 34 foul shots and
we only went to the line for 10 foul
shots,” explained Sparks. “There
were a lot of positives in that game
and the girls worked hard to finish
the ball game, and have something photo courtesy B2 Digital Imaging
to build on for the future.” Gee-Gees centre Hannah Sunley Paisley, who led the Gees with 33 points
NATIONALS continued on p. 17 over the weekend, tips-off in the tournament opener.
 Triple-double
Three consecutive double
overtimes in squeaker of a
playoff series
by Andrew Hawley
and David McClelland
Fulcrum Staff
THE QUEBEC STUDENT Sports Federation
(QSSF) best-of-three playoff series was a long,
intense battle between the Ottawa Gee-Gees
and Carleton Ravens March 4–8. All three
matches were 2-1 games decided in double
overtime, the first won by Carleton and the last
two by Ottawa.
Game one of the series on March 4 at the
Sports Complex set the tone for the two games
that would follow, with the Gees and Ravens
playing tough hockey with strong defence and
airtight goaltending. Carleton was the first to
break the stalemate as centre Claudia Bergeron
sent the puck past Gee-Gees fifth-year goal-
tender Jessika Audet with three minutes left in
the second period. The Gee-Gees responded
in the third as second-year defender Michelle
Snowden fired a shot home on the power play to
even the score 1-1, setting up overtime.
Neither team was able to find the net during
the first overtime period, but Carleton forward
Jennifer Gordon finally ended the match when
she scored with three minutes remaining in the
second overtime period.
In game two on March 6 with Carleton on
home ice, the Ravens launched an early bar-
rage on the Gees—but Audet stood tall. Outshot
8-1 in the first five minutes, thanks to to three
straight Carleton power plays, the Gee-Gees
played tough defence to keep the game score-
less.
The deadlock was broken in the second pe-
riod when fourth-year Gees defender Christine
Allen launched a pass to set up third-year for-
ward Kayla Hottot on a breakaway. Hottot faked
a shot on Carleton goaltender Valerie Charbon-
neau, and then slid the puck underneath her to
even the score.
“I wasn’t worried about getting a great pass,”
said Hottot after the game. “I was just worried
about finishing, and thankfully I did. Everyone
just bought in tonight.”
“[Hottot]’s an outstanding player,” praised
NATIONALS continued from p. 16
Although the Gees may not haver returned
to Ottawa with a victory, they came home with
something almost as valuable for future years:
experience.
“This group of girls wasn’t expected to do
very much this year and for them to have ac-
complished what they accomplished is just a
great sign of what they really wanted to do this
year,” said Sparks. “They’re exceptionally keen to
get going next year, and I know they’ll be driv-
en to get back [to the nationals]. I think it just
builds on itself.”
Doing is the new
Gee-Gees head coach Shelley Coolidge after the
game. “She trains hard, does extra work, and it
was nice to see that goal go in for her.”
In the third period, Ottawa broke down de-
fensively and the Ravens capitalized. With a
little over a minute to go, Carleton’s Alexandra
Palm found herself wide open in the slot, and a
well-placed slapshot travelled past three defend-
ers and over Audet’s glove.
While Ottawa sputtered offensively in the
first overtime period, third-year forward Joelle
Charlebois was able to find the net in the second
overtime, potting the game-winning goal off a
rebound.
“I just saw the puck come towards me and I
put it on net and luckily it went in,” noted a smil-
ing Charlebois after the game.
On March 8, with the series knotted at one
game each, the Gees and Ravens faced off in an-
other hotly contested match at the Sports Com-
plex. After a scoreless first period, Ottawa got
on the board in the second period when third-
year forward Ashley Burill scored with under
10 seconds left in the frame. Burill later left the
game in the third period with a possibly season-
ending knee injury.
The Gee-Gees suffered from defensive lapses
in the third period, allowing Carleton forward
Sara Seiler to get in front of the net and put the
puck past Audet to even the score 1-1.
Carleton looked to have the upper hand in
the first overtime period, nearly scoring several photo by Martha Pearce
times, but it was rookie Ottawa forward Brittany Ottawa netminder Jessika Audet was kept busy during the Gees’ series against Carleton, in
Jones who ended the series, lifting the puck over which all three games went to double overtime.
Charbonneau’s shoulder with four minutes of
play left in the second overtime frame.
“[We] had so many chances all game, I was
like ‘one has to go in’,” laughed Jones afterwards.
Having defeated Carleton the Gee-Gees ad-
vanced to face the first-seeded McGill Martlets
in the QSSF finals, which began March 11 in Ot-
tawa. The result was not available at press time.
“We’ve faced McGill all year long … and we
know what they bring,” said Coolidge. “For us,
it’s about really preparing a real solid, disci-
plined forecheck against them, and we need to
capitalize on opportunities … you make a mis-
take against that team and they make [you] pay
the price.”
Game two of the QSSF finals will take place
March 13 in Montreal, and game three (if neces-
sary) will be on March 15, also in Montreal.
Over the next few months, Sparks will work
on assembling his team for the next season,
hoping to build a squad that is much tougher
than the 2008–09 edition.
“Our ability to compete at the highest level
was related to a combination of strength fac-
tors,” said Sparks. “So we’re starting [the team]
in a program right now to build up their
strength and their quickness and hopefully that
will help us make a little bit of a step. But the
reality is players are required, and hopefully we
can bring in three or four players to help us from
an athletic perspective who can match up with
the level of athlete from Canada West.”
learning
volunteer@thefulcrum.ca
www.thefulcrum.ca // 03.12.09 // NEWS // 17
A failing grade for food costs
Eating healthy becoming
more expensive, shows
report card
by Pete Yee
The Gateway
EDMONTON (CUP) – ACCORDING TO THE
Heart and Stroke Foundation’s 2009 Health Re-
port Card, high food costs are proving that eat-
ing healthy is becoming a privilege. The first of its
kind to span the country, the study revealed that
the cost of healthy foods has risen to the point
that affordability has become a pressing issue.
Health researchers across Canada, includ-
ing Kim Raine, director of the Centre of Health
Promotion Studies at the University of Alberta,
found the study interesting.
“The results were not surprising, but perhaps
even more dramatic than I would have expect-
ed. I’ve been doing research in the area of food
prices for six years,” Raine said.
“I was really surprised to see the magnitude
of the [regional] differences,” she added. “This
just goes to show the huge differences that really
affect what people can afford.”
The study was conducted in 66 cities across
Canada. Last October, volunteer participants
were given a list of essential items to purchase in
baskets at major grocers, including lean meats,
fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, and dairy.
“[The baskets] were inspired by the Canadian
Health Food Guide. [They were] an expansion
18 \\ SPORTS \\ 03.12.09 \\ www.thefulcrum.ca
and updated version of what they have done in
the past,” said Natalie St. Denis, external rela-
tions manager with the
Alberta Heart and Stroke
Foundation office. The survey found
Marco Di Buono, the
that in Ottawa most
director of research at
the Heart and Stroke prices were at or
Foundation of Ontario, near the national
also noted that Health
Canada’s “nutritious
average, though a
food basket” was used few items, such as
in addition to the food lean ground beef and
guide to determine some
of the barriers to healthy
whole wheat pasta,
eating. were well above the
“[The basket] would average.
look at the cost of the
overall shopping bill and
track inflation based on how the bill changed
over time,” Di Buono said.
The survey found that most prices in Ottawa
were at or below the national average, though a
few items, such as lean ground beef and whole
wheat pasta, were well above the average—beef, photo illustration by Ben Myers
for instance, costs an average of $13.21 per kilo- Frugal consumers can also find alternatives, prices and why such a large variation in price ex-
gram in Ottawa, compared to $7.18 nationally. such as frozen and canned items, and look for ists. Those interested in engaging in such a dis-
Even with the increased cost, there are still items with the Health Check symbol. cussion may wish to talk to the manager of their
ways to manage a healthy diet by being a smart “[The] Health Check program [includes] local grocery store, or contact their MP.
shopper. Raine suggests finding locations with a variety of foods in the store with the logo. If “The reality is that it’s important for people
the best prices and alternatives, and to share the product in the store has that logo, it passes to engage in a discussion with the people who
bulk items with other students. all the regular standards that are put out by the manage the food supply for their communities,”
“Individuals can do their best to carpool to Government of Canada,” St. Denis said. he said.
a grocery store that offers cheaper prices, doing Di Buono says there are options available for
their best to budget [and] do their best to share,” purchasing cheap and healthy food, but consum- The report card can be found on the Heart and
Raine said. ers also have to start questioning the increase in Stroke Foundation’s website, at heartandstroke.ca.
Locking
down
the net
Netminder Riley
Whitlock has
blossomed into a
Gee-Gees standout
by Anna Rocoski
Fulcrum Staff
IN A YEAR of ups and downs for the
Gee-Gees men’s hockey team, one con-
stant has been the presence of goaltender
Riley Whitlock between the pipes, who
has been an invaluable part of the team’s
success all season.
For now, Whitlock must go back to be-
ing just a student after his second season
with the Gee-Gees ended on Feb. 22 with
a first-round playoff defeat at the hands
of the McGill Redmen. However, as with
most athletes during the off-season, sports
will still be a large part of Whitlock’s life.
“I have to continue on with school,
unfortunately, being a student-athlete,”
said the 21-year-old Whitlock. “So I will
do that for a little while and take a break
from the hockey season and after … [I
will] re-evaluate what I can try and do
better. I think you can always become a
more consistent goaltender. You always
have to look at what you can do next
year and try and talk to coaches to see
what [you] can try to improve over the
summer.”
Born in Calgary, Alberta, Whitlock
came to Ottawa in 2007 to study man-
agement and play hockey with the Gee-
Gees.
“The team itself [made me want to
come to Ottawa],” said Whitlock. “[Gee-
Gees] head coach Dave Leger was very
honest in his recruiting of [me]. The sec-
ond reason was getting into the proper
faculty and just the reputation the school
has itself. [The U of O] is noted as a strong
school across Canada so that [makes] an
impact on the student-athlete. I’d like to
say [being a] student comes first.”
This is Whitlock’s second year play-
ing at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport
(CIS) level. In two years with the Gees
Whitlock has amassed a 23-14 regular
season record and has a .913 save percent-
age. Leger feels that Whitlock has become
an extremely valuable part of the team.
“[Whitlock has] spent two years with
us and he’s done nothing but excel in both
of those years,” said Leger. “I found this
year he has taken on more of a leader-
ship role and he certainly wasn’t afraid
to speak up and challenge his teammates.
Also, I felt he had a vested interest in the
team’s performance and took a lot of re-
sponsibility.”
Before joining the Gee-Gees, Whitlock
spent two seasons as a backup netmind-
er in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey
League (QMJHL) with the Gatineau
Olympiques and St. John Sea Dogs, ap-
pearing in 28 regular season games from
2004 to 2007.
“I think the level at CIS is of higher
quality than the QMJHL. The players are
more mature in the CIS and in general
photo by Joël Côté-Cright
Whitlock
understand the game better,” said Whit-
lock. “I enjoyed my time in the QMJHL
by the numbers
and I am enjoying my time in CIS; I think
both leagues have their positives and both
have their negatives. But both, I think, act
as developmental leagues and are oppor-
tunities for solid hockey players to show-
case their skill.”
Whitlock’s job is not an easy one. Being
2008–09
a goaltender also means being a leader,
even if the game isn’t going well. Still, it’s a
GP 24
role he takes on willingly.
“I think being the goaltender you have GA 69
to show your team that you’re confident
in yourself, especially after you’ve been GAA 2.92
scored on,” said Whitlock. “I think it’s
just a focus that you show your team that
you’re not going to be fazed by it and so
SO 2
you show them that you’re ready for the
next play. Through a lot of experience and Record 12-9-0
a lot of goals being scored on you, you
try and put it away in the back of your
mind because you know the next play is SV% .912
just as important as the one that has just
passed.”
One thing is clear: Leger and the team
as a whole will be looking to Whitlock to
anchor the team’s success in future sea-
sons.
“He is a battler; he is very much a com-
petitive person, even in practice you can
just see that he loves to compete,” said
Leger. “He’s got a lot of confidence in him-
self and he [conveys that] in how he men-
tally prepares and approaches each game.
He very much loves to be challenged and
he very much rises to the competition
whenever the game is on the line.”
www.thefulcrum.ca // 03.12.09 // SPORTS // 19

Distractions
Thryllabus
Thursday, March 12
Lecture: International Governance
and the Management of Conduct in
the Concert of Europe by Professor
McMillan. 12 p.m. Desmarais Hall.
Room 3102. Free.
Friday, March 13
Play: Doubt. The Gladstone Theatre.
910 Gladstone Ave. $28 for students.
Saturday, March 14
Concert: Hotshot Casino. 9 p.m. The
New Bayou. 1077 Bank St. $10. 19+.
Sunday, March 15
Film: One Week. 6:30 p.m.
ByTowne Cinema. 325 Rideau St.
$9, $6 for members.
Monday, March 16
Roundtable: Canada’s Bilateral Aid
Shift with Engineers Without Bor-
ders. 6 p.m. Café Alternatif. Free.
Tuesday, March 17
Play: Don’t Blame the Bedouins.
8 p.m. Academic Hall. Free.
Wednesday, March 18
Concert: Billy Boulet on the
saxophone with Tony Dunn on
the piano. 12:15 p.m. First Baptist
Church. 140 Laurier Ave. $5.
The Thryllabus needs lots of
events to remain so thrilling.
Email features@thefulcrum.ca
with suggestions.
Dear Di
Dear Di,
I have been dating my boyfriend
for about a year and three months.
He showed much love towards me
and appreciated being with me. Ever
since my stepdad moved in with my
mom and me, my boyfriend and I
haven’t been able to spend much
time alone in my room. A week ago
my stepdad was supposed to pick me
up from work while my mom was
out of town. At the end of my shift,
my stepdad wasn’t there to pick me
up so I decided to walk home and
when I got there I walked in on
my stepdad cheating on my mom
with my boyfriend. I don’t know if
I should tell my mom about this or
break it off with my boyfriend, what
do you suggest? Help ASAP!
—Caught Red-Handed
Dear CRH,
I don’t care what your views are
on cheating but dump your boy-
friend immediately. Then tell your
mother exactly what you saw. If you
are worried about talking to her, con-
fide in someone you both trust and
have that person help you break the
news. What happens after that is up
to your mother, but you shouldn’t
have to keep secrets, and you both
deserve better. I also suggest that you
March 12–18, 2009
and your mother see a doctor and get
checked for STIs, as you don’t know
who else the two cheaters in your lives
have been sleeping with. Finally, since
this is such a tangled affair, if you feel
the situation is weighing on you, don’t
hesitate to speak with a professional
counsellor. The Student Academic
Success Service main office is located
on the fourth floor of 100 Marie-Curie
and counselling appointments can be
made by telephone at 613-562-5101. I
hope everything turns out okay.
Love,
Di
Dear Di,
I have recently been increasingly
interested in BDSM. I have checked
out a number of websites and found
BDSM to be exciting and a real turn
on. However, I don’t know how to
find a girl who shares my kinky in-
terests. I have considered visiting a
professional dominatrix but have
hesitated because I’m not sure if it’s
sketchy or not. How can I satisfy my
newfound interest?
—Wants To Be Spanked
Dear WTBS,
If you’re gunning for the lavish
BDSM experience, a professional
dominatrix is definitely an option,
Sarah Leavitt
Features Editor
features@thefulcrum.ca
If you have a question for Di,
email deardi@thefulcrum.ca.
albeit an expensive one.
Rates vary, but an hour of
flogging and nipple torture
should cost you about $200.
I wouldn’t call a dominatrix
“sketchy”, as these women are
serious, safe professionals that
play by strict rules within
defined boundaries.
There are several
easily Googleable
dominatrixes in the Ottawa area, so
like any potential client, you should
do some research online. Before you
phone up a professional dominatrix, I
want you to know that there are doz-
ens of stunning Ottawa women who
would be eager to fulfill your fan-
tasy and no money needs to change
hands. So many people share similar
kinky interests that finding someone
to join you in your bed sports is easier
than you think. I suggest you sign up
for an online-dating website such as
Lavalife (a personal favorite of mine).
Though largely known for connecting
singles seeking relationships, Lavalife
also boasts an extensive “intimate”
section. Members can post a profile
with as much or as little information
as they like, and browse the other pro-
files, which feature photos and speci-
fications on each person’s interest.
Judging from a quick search, I don’t
sudoku answers on p. 22
20
think you’ll
have trouble find-
ing someone willing to tie you up.
Please remember that if you decide to
meet with someone, plan a prelimi-
nary meeting in a public place to
get to know each other; be yourself,
make your expectations clear, and
make sure to ask about STIs. This
is for both your safety and hers,
and though you may be eager to get
spanked, it’s a necessity when meet-
ing anyone through the Internet.
Really, I think you should forget
about the professional dominatrix
and focus on finding another begin-
ner like yourself interested in ex-
ploring the realm of BDSM. I think
it’s adorable when two amateurs
discover something kinky together,
and I believe that there’s much more
energy and magic in learning along
the way, especially when you com-
pare it to the expensive and likely
rigid hour you would spend with a
dominatrix. Whatever you choose,
I’d love to hear how it goes. Good
luck, bad boy.
Love,
Di
Doing
is the new
learning
volunteer@thefulcrum.ca

Opinion
Eureka!
by Hisham Kelati
Fulcrum Staff
ALL I WANT is a desk to put my
books on, a chair to sink into, and
quiet atmosphere in which I can learn
something. But no, life isn’t that sim-
ple.
I was in Morisset Library on the
sixth floor sometime around 2 p.m. on
March 3. The entire floor is set aside
for graduate students to do silent re-
search work, so it’s typically deserted
as you’re not allowed to talk, eat, or
generally produce any audible sound.
The perfect place to study. And appar-
ently the perfect place to nap. I made
my way around the entire floor, and
to my surprise, every seat was taken;
either a graduate student or someone
seeking some study time was occu-
pying a cubicle. Ready to give up, I
turned a corner and came upon an
entire section filled with sleeping stu-
dents. Every single cubicle had some-
one sleeping in it. My frustration fi-
nally boiled over, and I bellowed in
anger, “Excuse me, excuse me!” Some
stirred, but others didn’t, so I yelled
louder, “Excuse me!” They all turned
to look at me, and I continued, “If you
don’t mind, some of use would like
to actually study, as it is a library. If
you want to sleep, go home or ride a
bus.” They stared at me through their
crust-filled eyes with contempt and
loathing, but after a few tense seconds
passed, half began to drag their corps-
es from the chairs, while others took
out books from their bags and began
idly flipping through them. I plopped
myself down on a chair, filled with a
mixture of joy and self-righteousness.
Studiers: 1, Sleepers: 0.
Even on a good day, Morisset Li-
brary looks like something out of
Saving Private Ryan—there are bodies
everywhere. Every time I’m on a quest
for a cubicle, I find sleeping, snoring,
snorting, burping, farting, slobbering,
sneezing, shaking, shivering, cough-
ing, moaning, groaning, twitching
people laid everywhere I might be
able study. Even if you do find a desk,
you are likely to find yourself wedged
between desks containing two heavily
snoring behemoths you are unable to
drown out. It’s maddening to try and
do any work when your concentration
is continually broken by the trumpet
blast of the elephant man lying un-
conscious beside you. The worst thing
about this all is that there seems to be
this passive acceptance that it is okay
to sleep in the library. When did a
haven for scholastic studies become a
refuge for hibernating bears?
The University of Ottawa allows
anyone to take over free seats and
zonk out for an hour or so because
there’s no other place to do it. And
there is your fundamental problem.
There’s no designated sleeping area
anywhere on the entire campus.
I pay $5,500 a year to the U of O, so
I feel that I have a say in the direction
this university should go. Listen: erect
a building or clear out a floor in one
already standing where students can
rent a room for a nap! Put aside any
March 12–18, 2009
The
U of O
Motel
illustration by Alex Martin
frivolous issues you may have about
the idea for a moment. Essentially
what I’m proposing is creating the U
of O Motel.
Off the top of my head, here are a
few rules. You only allow access to
those with valid U of O student cards.
You charge per 30 minutes or an hour
session, two hours max. You can phone
ahead for an appointment or walk in
for a chance at a free room. You make
people sign in and out of the building,
and put cameras everywhere. They
leave their backpacks and jackets at
the front, and there is no food allowed.
You make them provide their own pil-
lows, but provide sheets and blankets
that are changed per appointment. You
don’t let more than one person in per
room, and you get Protection to con-
stantly monitor the area.
There you have it, my tuition
money well spent: a functioning area
where people can sleep in a safe and
appropriate environment. After a
year, the U of O will pay off construc-
tion costs and it’ll be rolling in dough
afterwards. So U of O administra-
tion, please consider my idea. I know
you’re looking for ways to put Mor-
isset Library on par with the librar-
ies at the University of Toronto and
McGill University. By building the U
of O Motel not only will you quell the
symphony of snoring and restore the
sanity of some of your more studious
students, you will also cement your
reputation as one of the most progres-
sive and innovative universities in the
country.
Michael Olender
Executive Editor
executive@thefulcrum.ca
HECKLES:
Just… rebuild
the school
by Len Smirnov
Fulcrum Staff
EVERY SEMESTER THE University
of Ottawa assigns me classrooms that
make learning a tad more stressful.
My lectures always seem to be held
in rooms whose design cannot be
explained rationally. Sitting in these
classrooms for four months is an ex-
perience in itself and frankly, one that
makes me wonder if the university
administration has any understand-
ing of the space and comfort students
require to learn properly.
Two types of U of O classrooms
are particularly cruel to students.
First are the rooms with compressed
seating arrangements, such as the
Marion Hall and Lamoureux Hall au-
ditoriums. These rooms forsake ad-
equate desks for tiny wooden boards
that are too small to accommodate
a notebook. This wouldn’t be so ter-
rible if classmates weren’t sitting so
close to one another—the slightest
arm movement shakes the wooden
board next to you, and then your
neighbour fidgets, which shakes the
wooden board next to him or her. It’s
like dominoes.
The tight seating arrangements
also offer students unparalleled
physical challenges. You may need to
apply advanced acrobatic skills just
to negotiate your way out of your
seat without tumbling over a class-
mate or two. This is a problem in any
classroom with row seating, but with
compressed seating arrangements
crossing a row of seated students re-
quires a survival instinct.
Third- and fourth-year students
have fewer classes in auditoriums
and instead are crammed into poorly
designed seminar rooms, such as
LMX 339 and UCU 125. In addition
21
to their lack of technological equip-
ment, these rooms have an excess of
chairs and tables that are not welded
to the floor but instead are constantly
strewn so it looks like the room had
been looted. Looking at these rooms
makes it seem as though one of the
expectations the U of O has of its stu-
dents is building a classroom from
scratch every week. As a fourth-year
student, I’ve accumulated so much
experience in putting together class-
rooms that the U of O should tack
“with a minor in interior design” onto
my degree.
I accept that the university may not
want to devote the resources to put re-
cliner chairs in every classroom, but I
refuse to believe that at any given time
during the week, there is not a single
available room that is more appropri-
ate for my classes. As I walk through
the campus, I always see classrooms
that are spacious, better equipped,
and always completely empty. Among
them are the brand-new rooms in
Desmarais Hall. Granted, the build-
ing is primarily for social science and
business administration students, so
according to university officials these
rooms are a luxury other students do
not deserve.
I feel it’s pretty obvious that good
classrooms are not only beneficial but
essential to learning. I’m inclined to
think that students learn more when
they are sitting in a comfortable chair
and can move their arms enough
to take notes. When this semester’s
course evaluation forms are distribut-
ed later this month, don’t burn through
them like you always do. Carefully
consider the question regarding your
classroom’s impact on learning and
maybe next fall, you won’t find yourself
trapped in a room that leaves you ques-
tioning your value as a student.
What exactly is ‘it’ that ‘starts here’?
by Kalin Smith
Fulcrum Staff
IF YOU CAN recall, it was probably a difficult
choice determining which university was right
for you. In many Canadian students’ lives, the is-
sue of post-secondary education becomes more
immediate as the twilight months of high school
come to an end. Students begin to ask questions:
Will I pursue a degree? Should I attend college
or university? Should I live at home or move
away? These queries, among others (predomi-
nantly, “Where are my friends going?”), require
universities to provide a sense of attraction and
appeal to graduating high school students.
A university is a business, lest we forget, and
marketing is a central concern. It is absolutely
necessary to attract ‘potential buyers’, or the
term you may be more familiar with: ‘prospec-
tive students’. It’s not uncommon for university
recruiting officers to give short presentations at
high schools in order to attract applicants. Dur-
ing a brief 15–30-minute talk, a recruiting of-
ficer will shed as much light as possible on what
the university they represent has to offer stu-
dents and how it stands apart from the others.
Campus location, residence accommodations,
classroom sizes, and food services are all issues
at the forefront of the recruitment officer’s dis-
cussion. It’s alarming to note that the ‘university
One week of
St. Patrick’s Day revelry.
(KHV[ QPGYGGMUQHTGEQXGT[
The official toasting device of
St. Patrick’s Day around the world.
ULLY IRIS
STEF H
TA
Join us for our week-long celebration.
March 10th -17th
life’ is characterized by almost everything but and overall respectability of the university are 15) in Canada in the Medical Doctoral Univer-
academia. The quality of academics is a footnote largely overlooked by recruiting officials, and sity category. These mediocre rankings seem to
in comparison to infrastructure and affluence. consequently by prospective students too. make clear why recruitment media dodge the
Official University of Ottawa material sent But aren’t academics the primary service a issue of academic quality and must attract stu-
out to prospective undergraduates highlights university offers students? I’m not paying such dents by other means.
our university’s prime location, rich architec- heart-attack-inducing sums to play intramurals, I’m not suggesting that university recruitment
ture, prolific history, and honoured tradition, live in a prison-cell residence, or even write for be completely refashioned. But considering that
leaving the calibre of academics as something this newspaper. I’m here in the hope of becom- post-secondary school enrolment rates are
students have to look ing a more cultured, higher than ever, a misleading image of the uni-
up themselves. Im- well-rounded, in- versity produces an inherent expectation within
mediately following formed citizen who the incoming student body as to what university
the submission of an Professors’ credentials, global is educated enough to years ought to be like, which in turn causes some
application through
the Ontario Universi-
ranking in research, reputability, enter the work force.
As I trust most stu-
to become overwhelmed when they realize what
it truly takes to obtain a degree. Graduating, as
ties’ Application Cen- and overall respectability of the dents realize at this all of us at the U of O have come to discover,
tre system, the U of O university are largely overlooked point in the academic requires colossal workloads and a considerable
sends out undergrad- year, education is the amount of devotion and conviction.
uate studies newslet- by recruiting officials, and conse- raison d’être of this The U of O has no reason to hide its academic
ters and prospective quently prospective students too. institution. Neverthe- credentials from prospective students. We are a
student handbooks. less, it’s largely being massive bilingual university offering 300 vary-
The trouble, however, ignored in student ing undergraduate and graduate programs, with
is that it’s difficult recruitment. I feel roughly 5,000 courses offered. We ought not to
to find any information regarding the school’s obliged to reveal what the university is with- underestimate the allure of such numbers. The
academics. Rather, the university is determined holding from prospective students: since 2006 school can also boast being ranked fifth in the
to “enrich your experience on campus”, by pro- the U of O has risen in the Times Higher Edu- country for research intensity, which graduates
viding extensive information about student cation - Quacquarelli Symonds World University and post-graduates should appreciate. Educa-
clubs and associations, varsity sports teams, ex- Rankings from 282th to 222nd (out of 500), and tion is the sole pursuit of the university’s student
change programs, and, of course, being “located in 2008 was ranked 13th among Canadian uni- body, so this above all else should be marketed
in the heart of the nation’s capital”. Professors’ versities. Moreover, in 2008 Maclean’s magazine to prospective students. This is what “starts
credentials, global ranking in research, repute, ranked the U of O tied for 10th (out of the top here”.
www.thefulcrum.ca
SUBJECT TO
CLASSIFICATION
sudoku answers from p. 20
{{Ê-«>ÀŽ ÃÊ-Ì°ÊUÊÎÈäÊœœ`ˆiÊÀ°ÊUÊÓÈäÊ
i˜ÌÀÕ“Ê Û`°ÊUÊÈxxÊ/iÀÀ ÞÊœÝÊÀ°

IN THEATRES EVERYWHERE FRIDAY, MARCH 13!

D’Arcy McGee’s is a registered trade-mark of PRC Trademarks Inc. Used under licence. © Prime Restaurants of Canada Inc.

22 \\ OPINION \\ 03.12.09 \\ www.thefulcrum.ca

 23
Frank Appleyard

Editorial March 12–18, 2009

Editor-in-Chief
editor@thefulcrum.ca

f It’s about respect

Fighting evil while wearing
spandex since 1942.
Volume 69 - Issue 24
March 12–18, 2009
phone: (613) 562-5261
fax: (613) 562-5259
631 King Edward Ave.
Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5
editor@thefulcrum.ca
www.thefulcrum.ca

Recycle this paper or Captain

Planet will be very disappointed.

Staff
Frank ‘captain america’ Appleyard
Editor-in-Chief
editor@thefulcrum.ca

Ben ‘daniel alfredsson’ Myers

Production Manager
production@thefulcrum.ca

Michael ‘batman’ Olender

Executive Editor
executive@thefulcrum.ca

Martha ‘mystique’ Pearce

Art Director
design@thefulcrum.ca

Emma ‘storm’ Godmere
News Editor
news@thefulcrum.ca
Peter ‘gambit’ Henderson
Arts & Culture Editor
arts@thefulcrum.ca
David ‘green lantern’ McClelland
Sports Editor
sports@thefulcrum.ca
Sarah ‘batgirl’ Leavitt
Features Editor
features@thefulcrum.ca
Danielle ‘bart-man’ Blab
Laurel ‘she-hulk’ Hogan
Copy Editors
Amanda ‘scarlet witch’ Shendruk
Associate News Editor
associatenews@thefulcrum.ca
James ‘iron man’ Edwards
Webmaster
webmaster@thefulcrum.ca
Jessica ‘bionic woman’ Sukstorf
Volunteer & Visibility
Coordinator
volunteer@thefulcrum.ca
Megan ‘polaris’ O’Meara
Staff Writer
Alex ‘spawn’ Martin
Staff Illustrator
Inari ‘silk spectre I’ Vaissi Nagy
Jiselle ‘silk spectre II’ Bakker
Ombudsgirls
ombudsgirl@thefulcrum.ca
Travis ‘radioactive man’ Boisvenue
Ombudsboy
ombudsboy@thefulcrum.ca
Nicole ‘wonder woman’ Gall
Staff Proofreader
T
HE MARCH 6 Student Arbitra-
tion Committee (SAC) hearing
was the site of one of the most
disgraceful displays of behaviour
seen at the University of Ottawa in recent
memory. The hearing, dealing with the
appeal of the election of several 2009–10
Student Federation of the University of
Ottawa (SFUO) executive positions, de-
scended into near-madness as the packed
Fauteux Hall classroom erupted with fits of
unveiled partisanship and anger. The end
result was an atmosphere so uncomfortable
and so threatening that students at the U of
O should be embarrassed to be associated
with such behaviour.
The scene was fuelled by political agen-
das, allegiances, overpowering self-righ-
teousness, and above all a complete disre-
gard for decorum. In all of this, amid cries
of “slate”, “losers”, “cheaters”, and “kangaroo
court” one idea upon which the SFUO’s
statement of principles is based was care-
lessly discarded: respect.
Blame the events that transpired on ide-
ology, emotion, or the sheer magnitude of
the decision at hand, but at the core of the
appalling SAC spectacle is a complete lack
of respect.
The SAC itself received one of the most
significant slights from the respondents in
the appeal and the students in attendance.
The respondents, Seamus Wolfe, Roxanne
Dubois, Julie Séguin, and Jean Guillaume,
each made a surprise announcement at the
beginning of the hearing that they would
not participate in arbitration citing irregu-
larities in the arbitration process, and pro-
ceeded to stride boldly from the room to the
cheers of their supporters in attendance.
While the four respondents had the right
to not participate in the voluntary arbitra-
tion process, the timing of their announce-
ment and the bravado that accompanied it
highlighted a brazen indifference to the SAC
and its processes. Their approach ultimately
turned what could have been a simple proce-
dural decision into a spectacle that challenged
the SAC’s authority. The further displays of
insolence from members of the audience
holding signs espousing opinions, interrupt-
ing chief arbitrator Caroline Poisson, and ap-
proaching the hearing without even a hint of
respect was all the more galling.
The SAC is anything but a papier-mâché
tribunal. It is an impartial body holding
the judicial authority of the SFUO to re-
solve disputes over the SFUO’s policies and
constitution that affect every undergradu-
ate student at the U of O. Its rulings are far
from trivial—earlier this year the SAC was
convened to rule on the constitutionality of
electronic voting in the SFUO elections. For
the power that it wields on campus, each
student should afford it and its processes the
highest respect. Nothing could be more dis-
tressing than an institution as vital to campus
democracy as the SAC operating without the
respect of those it is intended to serve. While
disagreeing with the processes of an institu-
tion felt to be unjust is necessary to inspire
change within it, disrespecting and belittling
the SAC and its arbitrators because of this
disagreement accomplishes nothing.
Of course, the lack of respect displayed in
the lecture hall was never clearer than in the
discourse between students on both sides
of the debate, with one side neglecting the
appellants right to appeal an election and
the other neglecting the respondents’ right
to defend themselves fairly. The disrespect-
ful actions were in no way limited to one
group, as members from both sides were at
their vocal, aggressive best. The overzealous
taunting, signs reading “face it… you lost”
and “face it… you cheated” used to intimi-
date those involved in the appeal, verbal
attacks on witnesses and other individu-
als in the room, and the judgements levied
on individuals’ decisions to support or not
support a side in the appeal were closed-
minded and shameful, flying in the face of
the mantras of positive space and anti-op-
pression upheld by the SFUO.
Ultimately, the deplorable actions taken
by students at the SAC hearing have struck
at the very heart of the SFUO’s statement
of principles: “to regroup all undergradu-
ate students of the University of Ottawa in
a democratic and cooperative organization
where we can advance our own interests
and those of our community”. This value is
more important than the ambitions of any
student politicians and far more significant
than this appeal—which will certainly not
disappear despite these events.
Henry Kissinger said while teaching at
Harvard University, “University politics
are vicious precisely because the stakes are
so small.” And if politics are indeed not at
the height of our student experience, we
must remember exactly where the stakes
are highest: in respecting our community
and each of its members, regardless of
their views. We have witnessed the discon-
certing vision of an SFUO without shared
respect among its members. May we never
see it again.
editor@thefulcrum.ca

Robert ‘robin’ Olender

On-campus Distributor
Deidre ‘dazzler’ Butters
Advertising Representative
ads@thefulcrum.ca
Ross ‘captain canuck’ Prusakowski
Business Manager
business.manager@thefulcrum.ca
Contributors
Samantha ‘jubilee’ Bayard Sarah ‘huntress’ Gibbons
Jess ‘boom boom’ Cameron Andrew ‘cannonball’ Hawley
Andrew ‘wolverine’ Champagne Matt ‘superboy’ Johnny
Laura ‘moonstar’ Clementson Hisham ‘mr. fantastic’ Kelati Cover by
Joel ‘ghost rider’ Coté-Cright Jaclyn ‘invisible woman’ Lytle Martha Pearce
Katie ‘cat woman’ DeClerq Anna ‘aquagirl’ Rocoski
Amira ‘elastigirl’ Elmi Len ‘thing’ Smirnov
Phil ‘thor’ Flickinger Kalin ‘vision’ Smith