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The Tribune’s 2010 winter referendum endorsements

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Eight referenda and a plebiscite question appear on the Students’ Society winter electoral ballot. After careful deliberation, the Tribune editorial board has endorsed a position on each of the questions. Our candidate endorsements appear on pages 10 & 11. Even if you choose to ignore our reccommendations, make sure you vote between now and Thursday at ovs.ssmu.mcgill.ca.

Tribune Independence

Nebulous Elections’ McGill bylaws prevent the Tribune from endorsing its own referendum question, but you can read letters from former editors on pages 8 & 15. A “yes” vote on this question would establish the Tribune as an independent newspaper, while a “no” vote jeopardizes the future of the newspaper you’re holding.

Policies on matters external to the Society: YES

This is the third consecutive year in which GA reform has been on the referendum ballot. This year’s question seeks to make it harder to consider motions external to SSMU’s normal activities, requiring a 500-person quorum and a two-thirds majority vote before an external issue can be debated at a GA. This is clearly aimed at preventing motions similar to the “Israel motions” introduced at the last two winter GAs.The Tribune feels that this motion is a step in the right direction. GAs are most useful when they set internal policy, rather than when they attempt to pass symbolic motions on divisive external issues. If we’re going to keep the GA, let’s use it for setting achievable policy directives. The Tribune is also in favour of the 500-person quorum, which would help prevent fringe groups from passing motions unrepresentative of the general student body.

Bodily Sovereignty in the SSMU Constitution: NO

While the Tribune is pro-human dignity and bodily sovereignty, we question the need for this change to the preamble. Our reasons for opposing this question are strictly in regards to concerns over vagueness and misinterpretation in the future. While changing the preamble of the Constitution in the short term might seem like a good idea, we are concerned that a ‘yes’ vote could restrict pro-life groups from exercising their right to respectful free speech. Is advocating a pro-life position fundamentally incompatible with bodily sovereignty? If so, then this change would stifle a legitimate viewpoint. SSMU proved that the current model for dealing with pro-life groups works, giving Choose Life the right to form, and then correctly taking away their club status when they acted inappropriately – so why try to fix something that isn’t broken?

Environment Fee Renewal: YES

This question seeks to renew the $1.25 per semester (opt-outable) SSMU Environment Fee, which expires at the end of this year. The Tribune strongly endorses a “yes” vote for renewal, as the funds from this fee go towards a number of student-run green services, including the Plate Club, Gorilla Composting, and a number of sustainability conferences and events. It’s also important to note that the new Sustainability Projects Fund – into which students pay $7.50 per semester – doesn’t make the Environment Fee redundant. The SSMU Green Fund can prioritize student projects that try to make day-to-day SSMU operations more environmentally friendly, while the SPF focusses on large-scale, campus-wide initiatives.

TVMcGill Funding: YES

TVMcGil’s opt-outable 50-cent fee would allow them to continue to provide resources and training for students interested in media and audio-visual production, acquire more much-needed equipment, and to produce additional content. The Tribune would like to see them continue to make strides in their programming quality and scope. We therefore endorse this fee.

QPIRG Bylaw Changes: YES

No matter how you feel about the Quebec Public Interest Research Group’s policies and politics, a “yes” vote is the only sensible choice on this referendum question. QPIRG is asking that they be able to change their bylaws at Annual General Meetings, rather than through campus-wide referendum. This is standard practice for not-for-profit organizations, and eliminates the unfair current system where students who opt-out of QPIRG’s fee can still have a say in the group’s bylaws.

WUSC Scholarship Fund: YES

The World University Service Committee receives 50-cents per semester from undergraduates to provide financial aid to refugees attending McGill. This referendum, if passed, would allow WUSC to provide financial support to students from developing countries if there are no eligible refugee students. While in an ideal world there would be more eligible refugees attending McGill, it makes no sense for this money to sit unused while there are deserving recipients who could use the assistance.

Plebiscite question: Funding the TaCEQ: YESThe Table de Concertation Étudiant du Québec is a lobby group co-founded by SSMU in 2009. While still in its infancy, TaCEQ seems to be preferable to bloated organizations like La Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec (FEUQ), of which SSMU used to be a member. The Tribune encourages a “yes” vote so that TaCEQ can lobby to receive the provincial funding it deserves, instead of levying a student fee to finance its operations.

Constitution Section III: Yes

Students’ Society President Ivan Neilson has made restructuring SSMU committees a personal focus throughout the academic year. In keeping with this practice, this referendum would transfer Section III of the SSMU constitution – which describes the role of the Constitutional Review Committee, the Financial Ethics Research Committee, and the Nominating Committee – into the bylaws. Since all the duties of all other committees of council are found in the bylaws – which are easier to alter than the constitution – it is unclear why these committees were included in the constitution. The Tribune, therefore, unanimously urges you to vote yes on this initiative. Student Life: Yes Currently, unspent money from student fees intended for clubs and services, or unspent surpluses from those clubs or services, is automatically placed in a capital expenditures fund – which can only be used to acquire or upgrade physical assets, such as the Shatner building, furniture, or equipment. Should it pass, this referendum would reallocate money earmarked for clubs and services into a fund that can be accessed in future years to finance student projects. There is no reason that these surpluses should not go toward worthy causes including McGill First Aid Service, Drivesafe, the Sexual Assault Centre of McGill Students’ Society, the Green Fund, and other valued services. The Tribune unanimously supports this referendum.

Student Life

Fashion Week Montreal

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The 18th annual Montreal Fashion Week kicked off in style at the Marché Bonsecours last week. The festival was full of innovative fashion shows, glamorous parties, and the fifth edition of Le Showroom, in which leading designers play host to buyers from around the world. MFW also continued its campaign to encourage the use of appropriately aged, healthy models in support of the Quebec Charter for a Healthy and Diverse Body Image, launched in 2009. Meanwhile, the unspoken rules of fashion shows did not seem to apply here; the all-black rule was broken with aplomb by stylish young fashionistas in a variety of berry-coloured tights. In Canada’s unofficial fashion capital, the atmosphere was celebratory, and the breathless enthusiasm of many of the young designers was enough to warm the hearts of even the most jaded industry insider.

So’a & Kyo

After the high-art style of the TÉLIO competition, and the glitz and glamour of Barilà, the So’a & Kyo show presented an elegant practicality with its men’s and women’s outerwear collection. Since its debut in 2004, the brand has risen among the ranks of the fashion outerwear industry, and this collection was no exception. Highlights included down coats with asymmetrically structured collars, belted pea coats in a variety of jewel tones, and black wool motorcycle jackets with oversized buttons. Ever mindful of his clientele, designer Ilan Elfassy provided polished ways to combat the Montreal cold. One standout piece was a playful blue plaid mid-length coat with a high-buttoned collar. Despite the warmth of the room, the bundled-up models bounded down the runway in distressed boyfriend jeans topped with large bow headbands or soft knit berets. The models were also doing something not often seen at fashion shows: smiling. Continuing with the playful atmosphere, attendees at the show were given gift bags containing heart-shaped keychains, So’a & Kyo bike bells, and a shiny mint-green mouse pad.

The Future of Canadian Fashion: Concours TÉLIO 2010

For the second time at Montreal Fashion Week, the TÉLIO Design Competition recognized some of Canada’s best and brightest fashion students in a runway show of their own. The 25 finalists were selected from 20 participating fashion-design schools across Canada. Each finalist showcased one design on the runway in the hope of receiving one of five scholarships totalling $10,000. Sponsored by TÉLIO, one of North America’s leading textile import/export and distribution companies, the Concours TÉLIO offers aspiring Canadian fashion designers a platform to help jumpstart their careers and prepare them for the commercial realities of the fashion industry.

For the 2010 competition, students were asked to design “a uniquely modern, timeless, and authentic creation that would identify their garment as art-à-porter; the new must-have for women at a high-end retail company.” The finalists showcased their creations to the raucous applause of the audience.

In the end, the first prize of a $3,500 scholarship was awarded to Andy Hoan Nguyen of College Lasalle in Montreal. His artfully tailored, broad-shouldered black jacket evoked a Mildred Pierce-meets-Lady Gaga aesthetic. Andre Télio, President of TÉLIO, was impressed by this year’s contenders. “[They] surpassed expectations,” he said.

Dimitri Chris

The Dimitri Chris Fall/Winter 2011 collection, aptly titled “Master of the Foxhounds,” calls itself “the perfect symbiosis between the art of hunting and the art of tailoring.” The collection exuded patrician sophistication with an undeniably modern flair; herringbone hunting caps were paired with sumptuous leather gloves and chunky knit scarves, pointing the Dimitri Chris aesthetic firmly towards the future. The richly varied texture present in the collection continued with tailored wool jackets juxtaposed against knit capes and crisp white shirts worn with patent leather equestrian boots. Bow ties, sixties-inspired sunglasses, and slick, side-parted hair were reminiscent of Tom Ford’s A Single Man. It was the attention to detail that made “Master of the Foxhounds” truly special – hidden buttons, integrated scarves, reversible coats, and an abundance of knitwear married polished old-world elegance with young, urban sophistication in a collection that was truly a feast for the senses.

Denis Gagnon

Fashion Week concluded in a cascade of fringe on Thursday night as Denis Gagnon showcased his highly anticipated new collection. The show opened with a clip from the new documentary film about the designer, Je M’Appelle Denis Gagnon. Gagnon’s brilliance was woven through every piece as crochet, mesh, leather, fur, and fringe came together in his thoughtful and artistic designs. There was a Princess Leia/tribal feel to his collection, joining blacks, browns, slate, and midnight blue in his designs.

In an act of appreciation to his devoted following in this city, Gagnon ran his show twice back-to-back; his second show was the only one open to the public during Montreal Fashion Week. As line-ups of ticket-holders formed outside Marché Bonsecours, the first show concluded with a standing ovation (a rarity at Montreal Fashion Week). Yes, the dresses were at times revealing, but that’s quite alright on the catwalk – especially if your name is Denis Gagnon.

Barilà

Barilà‘s Fall/Winter 2010 collection reworked the recent pleather leggings trend in a variety of ways, including ruching, lacing, and ribbing. It appears that the legging is here to stay, albeit with more attention to design. A standout was a black, busty pleather catsuit which elicited hoots and hollers from a normally quiet audience. In addition to the pleather leggings was a curious faux-leather quilted short that embodied Barilà‘s glam-rock aesthetic.

The rock star vibe continued throughout the collection in the form of fitted blazers, cowl necks, and jumpsuits, returning trends from last year’s collections. As designer Sabrina Barilà explained, the philosophy of this collection came from staying “true to Barilà‘s essence, which encourages us to play with our wardrobe.”

Barilà‘s inspiration for the fun-loving spirit of the collection was drawn mainly from indie rock groups and the video game Rock Band. Models strutted haughtily down the runway to The Hives; one or two carried a set of drumsticks or had a flying-V guitar slung casually across her back. The show concluded in an explosion of silver confetti and lively applause as the clearly elated Barilà sisters took the runway.

News

Changes to Frosh may eliminate daytime drinking by leaders

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After several months of discussion between the Students’ Society, faculty associations, and members of the administration, major changes may be in store for Frosh this coming year.

“The university is looking for basic, systematic changes, but those changes are very big ideologically,” Students’ Society Vice-President Internal Alex Brown said. “As it stands right now, the people who have the best time at Frosh are the Frosh leaders, which is not really the point of Frosh. So, [the administration is] looking to make it more focussed on the first-year students.”

Brown indicated that the changes would affect how Frosh is approached by coordinators, Frosh leaders, and first-year participants.

“The idea is that the primary activity should never be drinking,” she said. “You can drink while you’re doing something, but the activity shouldn’t be ‘Drinking While Playing Frisbee.’ It should be a Frisbee tournament while the bar is open. A lot of it is trying to make leaders more focussed on the activity, rather than the drinking.”

Most of the upcoming changes will focus on Frosh leaders and their role in the event. During this year’s Science Frosh, McGill Security felt that Frosh leaders were too rowdy even closing the beer tent for one of the afternoons during the three-day event.

“This year, out of all of the problems that we had, a large majority of them were with Frosh leaders,” Brown said.

Among the most noticeable changes to Frosh could be the way Frosh leaders are selected, as well as the decision to forbid Frosh leaders from drinking alcohol during the daytime activities.

“The university would like to see Frosh leaders sober during the day, so that they’re really focussing on meeting their students and leading their students.” Brown said.

Some of the calls for change have come from the students themselves. Anurag Dhir, the director of Molson Hall residence, was recently brought on by the Student Services Office to evaluate the transition experience of first-year students into university.

“I organized focus groups of students in residence to ask them questions like, ‘What did you like about orientation and Frosh? What didn’t you like? How would you like it to be different?'” Dhir said. “I wasn’t sure about the kind of response I would get from people, but it was actually very enlightening in terms of the diversity of responses.”

Some students described Frosh as “a realistic introduction to college life” at which the “beach party was fun, especially because it was an all-faculty event.” Other students claimed that “non-drinkers feel out of place,” however, and that “Frosh leaders were sometimes aggressive with students regarding drinking games.”

“In the past ten years, Frosh hasn’t changed all that much, but the make-up of the student body at McGill has,” Dhir said. “There are a lot more international students for whom the North American culture is unique. They want to meet other people, and how else can you meet other people outside of the usual pub crawls?”

Jana Luker, executive director of Student Services, insisted that the university has only played a small role in these discussions. The administration is not looking to be “a wet blanket,” but only to help the faculties optimize the Frosh experience.

“We are just trying to help facilitate the conversations, because it should be student-run for the students,” Luker said.

“The whole purpose is that it’s a student led thing and the dynamism and creativity happens from the students,” said Dhir. “But we can offer resources and tools like facilitating conversations or access to training if they need it.”

Brown emphasized, however, that the university is not looking to eliminate Frosh.

“[The administration] is very reasonable about it,” she said. “Nobody is trying to spoil the fun or anything like that, but they really do want to see a lot more accountability and responsibility in the Frosh leaders.”

Correction: The original headline of this article stated that changes to Frosh would eliminate daytime drinking for Frosh leaders. In fact, the changes to Frosh may eliminate daytime drinking for Frosh leaders.

News, SSMU

SSMU Candidate Interviews

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STEFAN LINK

STEFAN LINK

How will your past experience influence your approach to the presidential portfolio? I have always been looking at the basic student services that affect the majority of people. So in the Physics Society, I knew that the math department had a really functional help desk that lots of students use and I didn’t understand why physics didn’t have a similar service, so I just wanted to start something similar for the physics people, and I did. The next thing I did was organizing a career fair. Just the basic services that I would expect to see. That was a great experience where I learned a lot about leadership, motivating people, how to deal with administration and bureaucracy. What do you plan to do about the GA?I think that it is extremely important that [students] are discussing things like Israel and Palestine and I think it is important that they have a forum for discussion. However, I do not think that McGill University as a whole should be taking a stance on issues like these, and if that is what it comes down to it should not be with three per cent of the population. I really don’t think that it has a place in the GA. I would like to have [the GA] in the gym and I would increase attendance by physically going and speaking with the departments to tell them ‘Hey there is a general assembly coming up in a month.’ What issues would you seek to advance on BoG and how would you work with other board members to accomplish them? I would like to see a big increase in approaching other private and industrial sectors to give bursaries and scholarships to the students because they have a lot of money … there are private sectors and industries that are interested in this because if they are going to succeed they are going to need the best people working for them. I would also like to push for transparency. What has SSMU done right this year and what would you do differently? They realized that they had to shut down Haven Books, which was extremely good. I think that it’s good that they did the energy audits. They did do a really good job with Gert’s compared to previous years but I still think that it can be improved a lot. I also think that one of the main things they have not done is address basic student services that you would expect to find at a University. It also only costs pennies per semester to have a 24-hour library service. We are at one of the top universities in the world, many other universities already have this service. It is very successful and so why we don’t have it is an extremely good question, especially because it costs virtually nothing. They have not addressed basic things that affect everybody everyday. If you were a type of cocktail, what would you be? Wow, that’s a tough one…sex on the beach?

TRIP YANG

TRIP YANG

How will your past experience influence your approach to the presidential portfolio?Well, one of the things I try to market about myself is that I have a diverse set of experiences. I’ve worked for the Tribune for four years. Writing news stories requires that you have an objective, impartial point of view when you’re trying to cover something. As a SSMU President it’s really important to stimulate debate, to open up discussion, and to try and encourage others to have flexible mindsets. I’m also the president of the McGill Computer Taskforce – it’s a large student-run organization within the [Science Undergraduate Society.]

What would you do to change the General Assembly?I really want to change the GA. I’ve read the editorials by the Tribune and by the Daily, and there seems to be a consensus that the current GA model doesn’t work. I want to reform the GA so that instead of holding a GA once per semester, I want to only hold it when student debate and consultation is required. I want the GA to be televised – hopefully by TVMcGill, if their referendum question passes, and they gain access to more equipment – and made into a two-part process. First, students would debate and amend motions at a GA, then after the GA has been televised and students have had a chance to watch it, the entire student body would be able to vote on the motions online.

What would be your main concerns and areas of focus during the Memorandum of Agreement negotiations with the administration?Outside of securing an acceptable, student-friendly lease for the Shatner Building, I really want to look at the potentially restrictive language surrounding student-run initiatives. Haven Books is a perfect example – $200,000 of debt in three years – and that was largely the result of not being able to advertise on campus or on SSMU Listservs.

How much of a voice do you think the president can have on the Board of Governors, and what are your plans to advance student concerns there?For undergraduates, the president is the only student representative on the BoG, so it’s imperative that the president fights for his or her constituency’s interests. At the same time, there’s a possibility of being intimidated during his or her first time at the BoG, because there are a number of high-profile administrators and businessmen that sit on the BoG. And in order for a president in his or her twenties to be taken seriously, she needs to speak professionally and convey student interests without antagonizing the rest of the members of the BoG.

What cocktail would you be?A martini, because James Bond drinks those bad boys.

ZACH NEWBURGH

ZACH NEWBURGH

How will your past experience influence your approach to the presidential portfolio?I have served as the speaker of Council both for SSMU and for EUS, so I have a great knowledge of the various faculty associations that exist on campus. I am also currently the president of Hillel Montreal, and I was the president of one of the largest North American youth movements and then the chair of an international youth movement that held conferences focussing on leadership development and social justice all across the world.

How would you address the issues surrounding the General Assembly?It’s silly for us to pretend that the GA is a democratic forum if you cannot fit five per cent of your student society in the room. There was a great idea to provide an opportunity to debate questions, and to release video and sound clips from that particular debate online. And to have the vote online so students can hear about both the pros and cons of a particular resolution as well as the opportunity to engage in direct democracy.

What would be the main things you push for in the MoA renegotiations?Some very important things should be fought for in the MoA agreement, such as the right to use the McGill logo and the name. [Also important are the] continued use of phone lines, emails, and website domains, as well as ensuring that the Students’ Society is able to operate independently and successfully.

What do you think you could practically accomplish on the Board of Governors, and how would you work with other members of the board to advance student concerns?It’s extremely important that we represent the interests of our students and as president I will certainly represent interests that are important to our students. I’ve indicated in my platform that something I’m interested in doing is increasing accessibility – providing an opportunity for students to be represented fairly and adequately.

What has SSMU done right this year and what would you look to do differently?I think that SSMU has done a great job at revitalizing Gert’s, making it a student bar that is held in high regard by many of our students which is something that has not been in recent history. As president I would be implementing a vision, helping our team be successful. My vision is that we build community together, and we can do so by empowering student
athletes. Athletics is something apolitical everyone can rally around and celebrate the McGill name. Let’s create a student society that we are proud of and this is one of the opportunities in which we could bring people together.

If you were a mixed drink, what would you be?I would be a Jäger Bomb: something that is both tasty and delicious and gets you drunk real fast.

SARAH WOOLF

SARAH WOOLF

How will your past experience with SSMU influence your approach to the presidential portfolio?One of the things that the president needs to do is to always have a really strong institutional memory. That doesn’t mean you necessarily have to have been previously directly involved in order to president, but I think you have to have strong sense of SSMU, its history and how it functions, as well as McGill and how it functions. My experience has been firmly planted in all aspects of both SSMU and McGill. I think the relationships I’ve built with the administration, with other councillors, and with people on campus will help me to pursue the best interests of students.

What do you intend to do about General Assemblies?I think it’s an incredibly important institution, and I’m not ready to give up on it yet. I also recognize that, as the president, I’m not the only person with the answers about what GA reform would look like. There are so many options for what we could do to make the GA a better system.

What would be your main priorities in the Memorandum of Agreement negotiations with McGill?One of the biggest things is that the MoA and the lease are tied together. I’d like to see them separate. However, I don’t know if that will be possible. I haven’t been in our previous discussions about the MoA with the administration. What I’d like to see is more security from the administration [with respect to the Shatner Building], whether that’s a longer lease or taking over the utilities. I think the administration needs to give up more security so that we feel comfortable putting more money into it so that the building is best functioning for students.

As the only undergraduate voice on the Board of Governors, how would you work with other members to advance student concerns?I think my experience on Senate has given me a lot of [experience working with administrators]. I have no problem standing strong on student concerns. But I also know how important it is to be collaborative, to be respectful, to recognize that fundamentally we both want student life on McGill’s campus to be as strong as possible. Sometimes we just have different ideas about what that means.

What has SSMU done right this year, and what would you do differently?This year, the executive has been exceptionally strong. I’m impressed with them on a constant basis. I think Council has been weak this year. I’m still thinking about how I would try to stimulate more discussion and make it more accessible to non-councillors. I really think it’s been a strong year for SSMU and I’m looking forward to building off of it.

If you were a mixed drink, what type would you be?I think I would probably be a brown cow, because milk’s really good for you. You really could probably have it any time of day and be just fine.

Correction: Zach Newburgh was originally quoted as saying he was the AUS speaker of council. In fact, he is the EUS speaker of council.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

CD REVIEWS: Zeus: Say Us

by Ryan Taylor on

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Zeus’ debut album Say Us may want to make you skip spring altogether: it’s got summer written all over it.

Getting their start as Jason Collett’s backing band, the men of Zeus have crafted an album of hooks, harmonies, and good ol’ fashioned rock. And I mean ol’ fashioned when I say it; almost everything from the guitar tones to the aforementioned harmonies have a strong retro vibe that recall the best of the sixties.

The songs range from heavy head-bangers (“You Gotta’ Teller”) to laid-back simmerers (“I Know”) and everything in between. It’s this variety that keeps the album feeling as fresh as possible, given its classic bend. If one thing is certain, it’s how good these songs will sound blasted from your car stereo on your roadtrip mixtape.

People will no doubt complain that Zeus are living too much in the past, simply reheating a meal better served by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, but to do so would be missing the point. This Toronto band does classic rock and they do it well, and as much as these songs may reference rock of old, they aren’t imitations.

What’s most impressive is how the Zeus fingerprint remains indelible amongst the familiar retro-isms, taking the best sounds of the past and giving them Zeus’ original flavour. Besides, as a rock band, is there any better time to be revisiting than the sixties and seventies?

Opinion

SSMU Election Endorsement: President Sarah Woolf

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After careful consideration, the McGill Tribune Editorial Board proudly presents our fifth annual SSMU election candidate endorsements. While this year’s ballot includes two acclamations, we still provide our analysis of each candidate’s potential, along with our thoughts on the referendum questions (page 9). We’d like you to keep our endorsements in mind while voting, but ultimately, it’s your decision. Do some research by reading our candidate interviews in the news section, and cast your ballot online at ovs.ssmu.mcgill.ca by Thursday at 4 p.m.

The Tribune’s choice for Students’ Society president is current Arts Senator Sarah Woolf. Woolf is an articulate and experienced student politician who has been active on SSMU Council for the past two years. She has a firm grasp of the major issues facing SSMU, as well as practical and detailed plans for how she would tackle those issues.

Woolf understands the presidential portfolio and should be able to work effectively with the rest of the SSMU executives. She was impressive in the candidates’ debate, and has run a strong campaign centred on fighting tuition hikes, renegotiating SSMU’s Memorandum of Agreement with McGill, and improving student services. The Tribune is confident that she will be a forceful and rational voice for student concerns both within the Society and to the administration.

We are concerned, however, about Woolf’s ability to control her emotions when she becomes passionate about an issue. While approachable and personable in social interactions, Woolf can be brusque and polarizing when she disagrees with fellow student politicians. While we agree that executives should be outspoken, we hope Woolf will employ more diplomacy and tact if she is elected.

The Tribune sees this presidential election as a two-horse race, as a minority of the Tribune editorial board supports Zach Newburgh for president. Newburgh has a wealth of organizational experience as SSMU speaker of council and the president of Hillel Montreal. He displayed a pragmatic knowledge of SSMU politics and procedures in interviews, and would likely work to strengthen the organization without seeking to unrealistically overhaul SSMU.

However, Newburgh leaned heavily on buzzwords during candidate debates and an interview with the Tribune – relying on catchphrases like “building community” instead of substantive policy ideas. His idea for a SSMU café – where executives would sit for an hour per day to meet with students – is unnecessary, and his focus on strengthening Greek Life seemed like a strategy to draw votes from fraternities, rather than a legitimate campaign issue.

While Trip Yang and Stefan Link have good intentions and a few good ideas, neither is qualified to be SSMU president. Both have no experience with the internal workings of SSMU, and we’re at a loss to explain why they aimed for such a lofty position without first acquiring some basic experience in the day-to-day operations of the Society. In the debates, Link was unaware of the existence of the McGill chapter of the Quebec Public Interest Research Group – a sign that he lacks the necessary knowledge to take charge of an organization with a multi-million dollar operating budget.

Although Link’s two main campaign issues – 24-hour library service and a student run food co-op – are interesting, he displayed a poor grasp of the challenges of implementing either of those services. The library budget and staff are already stretched thin, and student-run businesses are notoriously expensive and difficult to manage. While Link seems to have picked up much of the rhetoric and important issues in SSMU politics, he lacks the concrete plans needed to accomplish his goals.

Similarly, Yang is right to insist on GA reform – but we don’t think televising GAs would do much to increase their democratic nature. Yang has no experience participating in student politics, which is reflected in misguided campaign ideas such as a massive dodgeball game and “pre-emptive” fundraisers.

However, it’s heartening to see that the presidential portfolio attracted four candidates this year – a trend towards greater participation that is reflected in contested races for all but two executive positions this year. This year’s executive has done well to encourage potential candidates by making themselves more accessible. We hope next year’s executive will expand upon their efforts.

Sports

Patriotes pulverized as Redmen complete series sweep of rivals

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McGill hockey fans broke out the brooms on Friday night, as the Redmen eliminated a longtime rival – the UQTR Patriotes – by a score of 7-4 to sweep the Ontario University Athletics East Division Final. A standing-room-only crowd was energized from the opening faceoff until the final buzzer, and the celebration continued in the Redmen locker room after the game. The game was the last at McConnell Arena for the home team this season, and the win qualified McGill for the OUA’s Queen’s Cup, as well as the University Cup National Championship later this month in Thunder Bay.

“All along I knew that this team was one of the top teams in the country, and although we ranked behind [UQTR] all year, they were scared of our talent and speed,” said Jim Webster, who led his team to a school record for wins in his first season as head coach. “We were just playing hockey the way it should be played. I told them that the National Championship should be our goal from the first month. I think they’re starting to think that I’m not crazy. They’re starting to believe. If we put our heads to it I believe we can be national champions.”

As usual, the shining stars of the game were McGill’s top line of Francis Verreault-Paul, Alexandre Picard-Hooper, and Andrew Wright, who combined for an impressive 12 points. Verreault-Paul, who led the OUA in scoring this year and has brought his high-flying act into the post-season, notched two goals and three assists, making him McGill’s top scorer on Friday night.

“All year long our line has done a great job,” said Verreault-Paul. “In the playoffs you have to keep it up. We didn’t want to finish here, we want to keep it going to Thunder Bay.”

The key to Friday’s game was discipline – a factor which has decided many of the team’s games this season. With captain Yan Turcotte suspended for the series after a spearing incident against Carleton in the previous round, the Redmen knew that staying out of the penalty box would be necessary in order to take down the physical Patriotes.

“We were ready,” said Verreault-Paul. “We knew that Trois-Rivieres would come in here to win. We did a good job on our power-play tonight and didn’t give them any chances.”

The McGill power-play was especially good in the deciding game, going 4-5 on the man advantage. The Patriotes, on the other hand, were only 1-4 with the extra man.

McGill got on the board early, when Picard-Hooper snuck in front of the net on the power-play to beat Patriotes goaltender Jean-Christophe Blanchard. With the crowd rocking from the early goal, UQTR sought to silence the fans by scoring twice to take their only lead of the game. Unfazed, the Redmen exploded for three goals in the last five minutes of the period, and took a 4-2 lead into the first intermission. Picard-Hooper and Verreault-Paul each had a goal and three assists in the first period alone.

“They took the lead, but we never stopped, we never panicked,” said Verreault-Paul.

The Redmen kept their scoring touch in the second frame, tallying twice to take a 6-2 lead and effectively put the game out of reach. Freshman Sebastien Rioux – who finished with a goal and an assist on the night – scored the series-clinching goal near the nine-minute mark on a slap shot from the point. The power-play goal would ultimately hold up as the game-winner.

“You think about it every day and you want to score that goal,” said Rioux, who credited the capacity crowd for helping his team defeat their provincial rivals. “When it happens you’re just so happy [and] you want to live forever on that goal. We all knew that we could beat them as long as we worked hard, but with that kind of crowd you get wings.”

Verreault-Paul would go on to power the puck into an empty UQTR net at the end of the final period to set off the celebration fans and players were waiting for. Redmen goaltender Hubert Morin – whose spot as the starting goalie was up in the air at the start of the season – pumped his fist and pointed to the crowd in gratitude.

“I waited for my chance to step up and take the first spot,” he said. “It was just unreal for us to get that far. The feeling hasn’t sunk in yet. We have a shot in the Queen’s Cup and Nationals, but right now I’m just going to enjoy this game and Monday we’ll get back to work.”

The Redmen will travel to Thunder Bay twice in the next two weeks, first to face the seventh-ranked Lakehead Thunderwolves in the Queen’s Cup on Saturday, and then again for the University Cup National Championship tournament the following weekend.

Behind the Bench, Sports

THIRD MAN IN: Nothing to Cheer About

by Tori Crawford on

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With March Madness upon us, spectators sometimes forget that there will actually be two sports on display throughout the competition: basketball and cheerleading. NCAA cheerleaders, unlike their compatriots in the NFL and the NBA, deserve that name. Professional sports “cheerleading” would in reality be more properly referred to as dancing, since these teams’ performances are more akin to what you might see on a Saturday night at a gentleman’s club than what goes on at cheerleading national championships.

NFL and NBA cheerleading is to the sport of cheerleading what powderpuff football is to the Superbowl: an oversexed, stereotypically feminine voyeuristic spectacle that completely denigrates a legitimate sport. It is impossible for anyone familiar with competitive cheerleading to deny its classification as a sport. It combines gymnastics, dance, endurance, performance, and pure athleticism. It’s as physically and emotionally demanding as other competitive sports. It’s the activity that sends the highest number of high school and college athletes to the hospital every year.

However, for as long as professional sports cheerleaders continue to be known by that moniker, real cheerleading will never reach its full potential. Although the latter’s popularity has exploded, professional sport cheerleaders remain the most visible “cheerleaders” on the continent, and thus inform the majority of society’s perception of what it is that cheerleaders do. If the extent of your cheerleading knowledge is limited to flashes of half-naked women jumping up and down on the sidelines, it’s understandable to be sceptical of its classification as a sport. However, most of these women would not last five minutes at a competitive cheerleading team’s practice, let alone make the team.

That raises another issue. Many of the best cheerleaders, especially at the university and college levels, are male. Professional sport cheerleading teams, however, are composed entirely of women. This further stigmatizes society’s conception of the sport as well as the male athletes who have devoted their lives to it. These men work as hard as the football and basketball players they are there to support, and are in fact often much stronger and more physically fit.

Admittedly, both types of cheerleading share similarities in terms of physical appearance. However, unlike professional sports cheerleading, competitive cheerleading makeup and outfits are not about sex. They’re about visibility and functionality. Just like gymnastics and figure skating, heavy makeup is necessary in order to be seen by judges and large crowds that are often located far from the athletes. In addition, cheerleading is a sport in which flexibility is paramount; any outfit that constricts the athletes’ movement would make feats such as a back handspring full twist or a front tuck basket toss impossible to execute correctly.

With an unprecedented surge in popularity, the codification and standardization of its rules and regulations, and the entrenchment of an entire subculture, competitive cheerleading has come a long way in the past twenty years. But there’s one thing that’s holding it back from being on par with football, basketball, soccer and hockey. It’s time to stop calling the mockery that de-legitimizes both the sport and its athletes what it is not – cheerleading.

Sports

McGill dominates Carabins to win fifth straight Quebec crown

by Shawn Stenhouse on

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The McGill women’s hockey team continued its domination of CIS competition last week, finishing off the Montreal Carabins on the road after winning the series opener at home on Wednesday. With Friday’s series-clincher, the Martlets celebrated their 84th straight win in CIS play, as well as their fifth consecutive conference championship. But while the outcome of Friday’s game was obvious from the opening faceoff, the Martlets were forced to work for their points on Wednesday night, as they played their last home game of the year, winning 5-2 at McConnell Arena.

Senior Rebecca Martindale led the way for McGill, netting two markers and tallying a helper on forward Jordanna Peroff’s goal midway through the first period. Despite McGill’s lofty position as the top-ranked team going into Nationals, Head Coach Amey Doyle stressed the importance of keeping her team levelheaded.

“We have to focus on one game at a time,” she said. “We don’t want to get into any bad habits. We want to make sure we’re rolling and paying attention to detail.”

League MVP Cathy Chartrand, who led all Quebec defencemen in points scored, opened the scoring at 12:18 on the power play. Thirty seconds later, Peroff scored to increase the team’s lead to 2-0, thanks to Martindale’s assist. Peroff would return the favour later in the period after a boarding call against the Carabins’ Marie-Andree Leclerc-Auger put the Martlets on the power play. Montreal’s Vicky Denis finally got her team on the board with 17 seconds left in the period.

After being outshot 21-6, the Carabins came out much stronger in the second frame, dominating the Martlets for the first 10 minutes of the period.

“There was a little bit of a lull,” said Doyle. “We lacked a bit of that competitiveness. I thought it was important that we took that competitiveness back.”

The game’s shift back into McGill’s favor was marked by an unassisted goal by freshman forward Chelsey Saunders midway through the period. The goal appeared to re-energize the Martlets while simultaneously taking the wind out of the Carabins’ sails. Despite their impressive start, Montreal failed to register a goal during the period.

The Martlets began to roll in the final period, and played a strong defensive game in order to maintain their lead. Martindale ended any hope of a Montreal miracle at 4:42 in the third, again with the help of Peroff. The only other goal in the game would come from Montreal, when the puck took a funny bounce and flew past Martlet goaltender Taylor Salisbury’s shoulder.

A major part of McGill’s defensive success was their gritty style of play, as players consistently sacrificed their bodies in order to block shots and keep the puck in the offensive zone, something the Carabins weren’t quite as willing to do.

“That’s something that we do really well,” said Doyle. “As long as we get the job done, get the pucks in the net, we’re not looking for the pretty goals. It’s not a huge part of our game, but it is an important one.”

The Martlets rode their airtight defence all the way to a 3-0 shutout to capture the Quebec championship on the road two days later. Again, the Martlets dominated Montreal, registering almost double the amount of shots on goal. Forward Amy Soberano’s goal in the first period held up as the game-winner, and fellow forward Anne-Sophie Betez scored twice in the third to put the game out of reach. Salisbury was perfect in the net, stopping all 21 shots the Carabins threw at her.

Now, Doyle and her team will turn their attention to a much larger goal: a third straight national championship banner. For the third game in a row, McGill will face the Carabins, who find themselves at Nationals in the first year of their existence as a team. Compeition tips off at 4 p.m. on Thursday, and the entire tournament will be webcast live by SSN Canada.

Sports

McGill bounced in QUBL semis

by Kailan Leung on

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If there is one thing the McGill men’s basketball team made clear to spectators and scouts this year, it’s that the Redmen can play with anyone in Quebec. Stacked with young talent, the future of McGill’s men’s basketball program appears to be in good hands, and if Head Coach Craig Norman can figure out a way to get his team to perform with some consistency, the Redmen could be a force to be reckoned with as early as next season. Right now, however, Norman has little else to do but ponder the future, after his Redmen were bounced out of the first round of the QUBL playoffs on Saturday evening, losing 69-60 to the Laval Rouge et Or.

The Redmen outscored their opponents in the first, third, and fourth quarters, but were demolished in the second stanza as Laval turned up the defensive pressure to hold McGill to eight points. The Redmen shot a dismal 1-11 from three-point territory in the first half, and finished the game at less than a 20 per cent clip. McGill’s veterans failed to provide the offensive punch needed to make it to the gold-medal round, as scoring stalwarts Michael White, Matt Thornhill, and Pawel Herra combined to shoot 9-35 from the field.

Stepping up for the Redmen was American Winn Clark, who ended his impressive rookie campaign on a positive note, scoring 13 points and dishing out three assists. With newly announced Quebec Rookie of the Year Olivier Bouchard inactive for Saturday’s game, junior guard Sebastian Gatti manned the point and finished close to a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds. Despite Gatti’s contributions, McGill severely missed Bouchard’s speed, shooting, and all-around court-savvy. A highly touted recruit from College Montmorency, Bouchard’s impact on the team was immediate – he registered six points, four boards, and seven assists in his first university game, against the NCAA’s St. John’s Red Storm – and he figures to play a major part in the success of the program for years to come. Bouchard finished the year scoring a shade under 10 points per game, to go along with 3.7 assists while shooting 35 per cent from three.

The Redmen struggled during the preseason and dropped their first two contests in regular season play before picking up the pace late in the new year. McGill went on a tear to catapult themselves into playoff contention, winning six of seven from mid-January to February. Thornhill capped an illustrious career at McGill by taking home Player of the Year honours last week, after averaging 18.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, while ranking eighth in the CIS in three point field goal percentage.

Joining Thornhill and Bouchard as year-end award recipients was 6-foot-7 freshman Nic Langley, a Golden, B.C. product who spent time with Canada’s National Elite Development Academy and joined Bouchard on the all-rookie team.

With their eight regular season wins, the Redmen posted their best conference finish since the 2001-2002 season. Although McGill once again failed to impress in the postseason, the team’s development over the course of the season gives hope to Redmen fans looking forward. Norman has a plethora of talented athletes to work with next year, but still lacks an inside post presence. Nevertheless, the future is bright for the Redmen, and McGill fans can expect great things next season.

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