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ContentsContentsSexual harassment at the U of O

All scrooged up

Handing out the (metaphorical) hardware

Food and ethics

NewsNews

ArtsArts

SportsSports

FeatureFeature

p. 5p. 5

p. 10p. 10

p. 16p. 16

p. 12p. 12

Inari Vaissi Nagy sheds light on how campus resources are handling the issue. p. 8

U of O rings in Human Rights Day, launches online forum to draft declaration of student rights. p. 6

Peter Henderson interviews Canadian actor John Huston. p.10

Jaclyn Lytle fi nds some cheap holiday gifts you wouldn’t want to re-gift. p. 11

The Fulcrum awards the U of O’s standout athletes with the Cavalry Awards. p. 16

Go out and play in the snow! Jaclyn Lytle tells you where to go. p. 17

Jessica Carter explains how the two are not mutually exclusive. p. 12–13

Di answers more than two questions! p. 22

University education is not a right… Th ink again!

Re: “University education is not a right” (Letters, Nov. 21)

YOU PRESENTED, IN your letter, some pretty convincing arguments in support of your claims. But allow me to tell you that your point of view is a little bit out of focus. I understand your feeling that the less people who earn a degree equivalent to yours, the more valuable your degree will be-come. When we want to talk about education, we should take into con-sideration what is best for Canada and Canadians rather than the desires of the few who want their university degree to be a ticket to an elite club. It will be much more benefi cial for Can-ada and its economy to have 1,000 degree holders with an average of 60 per cent then having only 100 of them with an average of 90 per cent.

Th e second thing that you may have overlooked is the fact that high university grades do not determine whether or not you will be success-ful later on in your career. A GPA of 9.0 may help you get hired faster than others. But, when it comes to actually working in your fi eld, it will be only your charisma, perseverance, dedi-cation, and innovation that will help you get a promotion or a raise. All of these skills are neither marked on ex-ams nor calculated in your GPA.

In engineering, for example, many professionals will say that 90 per cent of the knowledge that they use in their

everyday work was learned aft er their graduation; and don’t expect a stu-dent who got an A+ in an entrepre-neurship course to become the next Bill Gates. So why shouldn’t we make education available to all regardless of their fi nancial status or ability to obtain scholarships? Th e Germans, French, and other Europeans have realized the importance of education, yet Canada is falling behind and the Canadian government is too short-sighted to realize it.

I personally prefer to renounce the bragging rights that come with my engineering degree and become part of a productive nation that has the largest possible percentage of highly educated citizens who are capable of sustaining its economy rather than being in a country where 80 per cent of its people are unable or unwilling to get a university education, while there are thousands of opportunities with no one qualifi ed enough to take advantage of them.

Antoine Maalouf Th ird-year electrical engineering

student

An open letter to SFUO President Dean Haldenby

DEAR MR. HALDENBY,Th is letter is not a complaint about

the result of the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) referendum. Rather, I am writing to voice my concern over the direction of our student body.

Since the end of the referendum, I

have been bombarded by calls to fall in line with the decision and to set aside diff erences so that we can move forward in unity. My diff erences are not petty or personal, so it will be very diffi cult for me to just set them aside. Secondly, and more importantly, how can you ask a student population that has shown itself to be deeply divided over real issues, to move forward as one? Th is ridiculous notion that “we are only as divided as we choose to be” is nothing more than self-con-gratulatory condescension.

I have spent the last few months watching my elected student repre-sentatives advance a personal agenda without concern for the state of our student body. What happened to the responsibilities of the Student Federation of the University of Ot-tawa (SFUO)? Th is campus used to have wonderful community-oriented events that benefi ted many people. Th ose are all gone now, forgotten and pushed to the sidelines while you bring the CFS to our campus.

I was told that the SFUO would take no offi cial position on this is-sue and yet elected members of my supposedly neutral student federa-tion gave presentations advocating for the Yes side in my class and wore Yes campaign T-shirts as they walked around. I sat in a waiting room in In-foService and listened to one elected member of the SFUO spend 15 min-utes convincing a girl that if she voted yes our tuition fees would go down and that students would have a louder voice in this country. I read a quote in the Fulcrum by you, Mr. Haldenby, suggesting that our previous refer-endum to leave the CFS was noth-ing more than a personal squabble between two people who didn’t like each other, shamelessly belittling the votes of thousands of politically aware students who decided to leave CFS in the fi rst place. I watched these same people bring ballot boxes to the SFUO offi ce at the end of a long day, despite the clear fact that they were partisan members who could access this offi ce whenever they chose. I heard of how yet another one of these supposedly neutral parties gave away SFUO Vol-unteer Bash tickets to others who ad-vocated for the Yes campaign. What did our elected representatives spend their time doing when they weren’t working on the referendum? What work could not be done while you all worked tirelessly to get the word out for the Yes side?

Individuals are allowed to have opinions, but who represents me if my student government has no desire to represent both sides of the student population? How can you claim to be able to lead us forward together in unity if you have taken sides and managed to divide us? How can you bring us forward when you have ut-terly failed to bring any leadership to your position? When there is no lead-ership, there is no direction.

I sincerely hope that we can come together as a student population and continue to achieve great things and to bring respect to our campus. If we do this, however, it won’t be through your work or that of the rest of the SFUO. If this student population comes together it will entirely be of their doing. Should you or any of your co-workers seriously be contemplat-ing re-election, or election to a new position, I encourage you all to refl ect not on whether you will be success-ful, but whether or not you are what this campus needs. In my opinion, not a single one of you knows what it means to represent the student body with integrity.

Meaghan JonesFift h-year political science and

criminology student

Haldenby responds

DEAR MEAGHAN,I want to thank you for voicing

your concerns on the direction of the student body or student movement, rather than harbouring these con-cerns.

Unity is imperative to the success of our SFUO. I do not want to di-minish your feelings of being asked to “fall in line” or move “forward as one”, but rather explain a possible rea-son for this. Students, through their student representatives, asked for a referendum. One of the major mis-conceptions students had during this referendum is that the CFS is not rep-resentative of everyone and it is not an organization that accepts change easily. I would argue that asking us to move forward as one and asking us to put aside our diff erences are attempts at encouraging an inclusive SFUO, furthering an inclusive CFS.

Th e SFUO did not take an offi cial stance on the CFS. Th is was impor-tant to student leaders because we felt that students needed to make up their own minds. Our elected members are students as well, it would be hardly Got something to say?

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Dec. 4, 2008–Jan. 7, 2009Letters Frank Appleyard

Editor-in-Chiefeditor@thefulcrum.ca 3

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Which companion of the Order of Canada has had the greatest impact on the country?

Terry Fox:Margaret AtwoodTommy Douglas:Pierre Elliot Trudeau:David Suzuki:

thefulcrum.ca pollLast week’s results

15%0%

39%40%6%

fair to keep certain students from campaigning for or against on an is-sue such as this because they were actively involved in our organization. Both sides of the question had a mix of elected offi cials registered for their campaign, from throughout our fed-eration.

It is obvious that the choice to leave in 1995 was more than a political squabble. It was a fully run referen-dum, just like the one we witnessed a couple weeks ago. Th e question from the reporter was “what initiated that referendum?” and I apologize if I nuanced anything else—I was mis-informed of both sides of a story and for that I apologize. In fact, since then I have had many conversations with former SFUO president Alain Gau-thier regarding the referendum and it is apparent that there was more to it than I had understood.

During the recent referendum, bal-lot boxes were kept in a secure loca-tion away from the SFUO offi ces. All were sealed and scrutinized before our counting began. Our pollsters consisted of one choice from the CFS Referendum Oversight Committee representatives and one choice from the SFUO. No campaign representa-tives or volunteers had access to any referendum-sensitive areas. Neither did any misappropriations of Volun-teer Bash tickets take place.

LETTERS continued on p. 4

CorrectionAn article in the Nov. 27 issue of the Fulcrum incorrectly identifi ed an in-cident involving Denis Rancourt as occuring on Nov. 22. Th e incident actually occurred on Nov. 21. Th e Fulcrum regrets the error.

LETTERS continued from p. 3Every member of our executive

works tirelessly to ensure that we are accomplishing our goals together and that student rights are being defended. During the referendum period, I kept 80-hour weeks, sometimes not getting any sleep for a couple days to ensure a well-run referendum and SFUO at the same time. My executive was no less hard-working. Th is is passion and responsibility for our students.

Th e SFUO is not just six execu-tives. We have hundreds of volunteers and employees, and dozens of board members and federated body execu-tives with hundreds of diff erent views on the issues we feel are important to students. Th e key to leadership is bringing that all together and mak-ing decisions in the best interest of students. Whether you like it or not I will always work my hardest to ensure that our organization is off ering the best possible service to our students, I will always take student opinion into account, and I will always work to have a more progressive and inclusive SFUO. Th is is the direction we are moving in and I am going to continue to lead that direction.

Whether or not you agree with the direction the SFUO is moving in, please know that your voice and sug-gestions are always welcome at the table.

Please let me know if you have any further suggestions, questions, or concerns.

Dean HaldenbySFUO president

An appeal for kindness and remorse

IT IS WITH grave sadness and diffi -culty that I inform U of O students of the following tragedy.

On Nov. 23, the Communication Student Association held an (epic) dodgeball tournament, open to the students of our prestigious learning establishment. Much fun was had by all and it was the grandest of af-fairs. We laughed, we cried, we sweat, dipped, dodged, and dived. (Shout-out to the Fulcrum team who played valiantly through to the semi-fi nals, only to lose to the eventual champi-ons.) Spirits were high and excitement permeated the air as we approached the championship match-up. Unfor-tunately, however, a piece of every one of us died inside when an unforgive-able crime took place at an innocent social event.

To the criminals (let us refer to them as the Pink Team): I am ever so disappointed by your cruel decision to steal an entire cardboard box full of Pop-Tarts intended for the winning team of the tournament. Each of you showed very poor sportsmanship and consequently broke the hearts of six young men who I personally had to inform, would not receive the hun-dreds of Pop-Tarts they played so hard for.

For your heinous act, I implore you to reason and to repent. An apology is due.

Greggory ClarkCSA student representative

Rising above division

LIKE MANY OF my peers who gradu-ated from U of O in the last few years, I found myself drawn into the drama unfolding on campus over the CFS ref-erendum. Th e results show that the stu-dent community has made a decision, albeit narrowly, and that is something that everyone must accept, no matter how bitter a pill it may be to swallow.

However, in looking at the out-come, the victors must realize that on this issue, perhaps more than any oth-er the SFUO has confronted in recent years, there is tremendous division. Th e SFUO has a long tradition of strong leadership and getting results from outside of the ‘movement’. It has made tremendous eff orts to fi nd self-made solutions to real problems, and has been wildly successful at doing so. Th e new CFS affi liation can never be allowed to take away the SFUO’s abil-ity to take care of its own problems its own way. Th e SFUO represents a stu-dent body that is as diverse politically as it is ethnically or linguistically. U of O students do not comprise a single political entity, but a collection of ideas and beliefs that sometimes come into confl ict. It has always been our strength to be able to rise above po-litical bickering and make decisions that more oft en than not improve the state of the community.

Aft er such a divisive campaign, it is now incumbent upon the victors to work in good faith with their rivals to chart the course forward. Although they have lost the vote, their voice is

still important. Among the fi rst steps that must be

taken is to submit for public scrutiny the fi nances for the Yes campaign. We know that the No side spent ap-proximately 86 cents for every vote they earned. How much did a Yes vote cost? Every penny spent by the Yes side was paid for out of student pockets. In every democratic exercise Canadians participate in, fi nancial transparency is paramount to ensur-ing a fair process was undertaken. Th is referendum is no diff erent, and the electors have a right to know.

In closing, I would like to congratu-late Ryan Kennery, Michèle Lamarche, and their team for their hard work and well-fought campaign. Th ey did an admirable job in creating a grassroots campaign that went toe-to-toe with the largest student organization in the country and damn near came out on top. Whether you agree with their position or not, they accomplished a great deal, and this should be enough to earn the admiration of all.

Charles FisherU of O alumnus

CFS refl ection

THIS IS MERELY some sharing of thought refl ecting on the ‘democratic’ and ‘unbiased’ campaign that took place on both sides of the CFS refer-endum.

Th rowing me for a loop were the tactics and strategy used on the Yes campaign. Th ey outspent the No cam-paign nearly 4:1; entirely within the

rules, so hats off to them. However, the need to produce immediate fi nancial assets for campaign purposes was eas-ier for an organization already hoard-ing millions of dollars it has collected from students across the country. Th is left all the top No campaigners paying out of their own pockets for hundreds of dollars worth of promotion material to be visible on campus.

It doesn’t end there. Referendum Oversight Committee rules permit up to 30 non-SFUO members per day to actively campaign. Isn’t it interest-ing that the CFS fl ew in 30 of its own fi nest campaign staff specifi cally for the purpose of this referendum? Th e best part of fl ying in campaign staff is their being paid for by the CFS. Th at money comes from current members of the CFS—students.

No one has ever suggested we should allow lobbyists who aren’t students to campaign on behalf of a multi-million dollar corporation. Th ese CFS ponies never should have set foot on this campus; they have no business interfering in a referendum of this magnitude. Students are per-fectly capable of running their own Yes and No campaigns; and are also perfectly capable of making up their minds without being lobbied by peo-ple who aren’t students themselves.[continued at thefulcrum.ca/letters]

Paul TaillonSecond-year management student

Due to space constraints, we were un-able to publish all letters received this week. Visit thefulcrum.ca to read more.

LETTERS Dec. 4, 20084 www.thefulcrum.ca

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by Emma GodmereFulcrum Staff

AT APPROXIMATELY 4 p.m. on Dec. 1, deregistered physics student Marc Kelly was removed from Uni-versity of Ottawa premises in the back of an Ottawa Police cruiser.

Kelly, who has been in confl ict with the U of O for months surrounding his deregistration from the physics program, being barred from his re-search lab, and being denied a seat on the Senate Appeals Committee, was escorted out of Tabaret Hall for caus-ing a disturbance aft er attempting to fi lm the 3 p.m. Senate meeting occur-ring inside—a meeting normally con-sidered open to the public.

“You don’t know if it’s a public meet-ing or not unless you go there and you ask the question, ‘Is this a public meeting?’” said Kelly. “You want to know how public is the meeting … so you go and you try and videotape, [and] you fi nd out the answer.”

Kelly admitted that once it was clear he was not allowed to record the proceedings, he began to shout, quoting the University of Ottawa’s perspective on transparency.

“I was shouting the mission state-ment of the university. I said, ‘Accord-ing to [the] University of Ottawa’s Vi-sion 2010, transparency is one of the principles that [govern] our institu-tion,’” he said.

Present at the Senate meeting was U of O communications director Andrée Dumulon, who said she “very kindly” asked Kelly to stop videotaping the proceedings. She indicated that VP

Academic Robert Major—who was overseeing the meeting in place of U of O President Allan Rock—decided to call Protection Services aft er Kelly started shouting.

“A decision was made to call Pro-tection Services, Protection Services came, and ... they are not allowed to escort someone outside, so then a de-cision was made [by Protection Ser-vices] to call the Ottawa Police,” she explained.

Mireille Gervais, coordinator of the Student Appeal Centre—where Kelly has previously lodged academic complaints against the university re-garding his deregistration—said that no one provided Kelly with a clear rule stating that he couldn’t fi lm the meeting.

“He was informed by Protection

Services that he either had to take the camera out or they were calling the police,” said Gervais. “He asked under which policy he’s not allowed to fi lm, and they couldn’t provide [him] with a policy.”

Dumulon indicated no such policy currently exists. However, the Senate has passed a motion to prohibit vid-eotaping meetings.

“Th e bottom line is that there is a rule, there’s a decision that was taken by the Senate—I’m not sure exactly when—prohibiting the recording of the proceedings of the Senate,” she ex-plained. “Th ere’s no policy, but Major, yesterday at the meeting, did say that we will develop a policy.”

Gervais and several executives and employees from the Student Fed-eration of the University of Ottawa

(SFUO) followed Kelly as he was es-corted out of Tabaret Hall by police offi cers.

“I fi lmed the police offi cer put-ting the handcuff s on him and then the police offi cer immediately asked the Protection offi cer to remove the camera from my hands and the cam-era was seized,” said Gervais. “Th en [they] brought Marc outside, we were following, and they kept on telling us that we were [obstructing] justice.”

Several recording devices were confi scated from Kelly, Gervais, and SFUO VP Communications Julie Sé-guin. SFUO President Dean Haldenby indicated they were present to “show solidarity” for their students, and he was not pleased with the actions of the university.

“Th e fact that one of our students

was arrested shows that I don’t think we’re dealing with a university any-more,” he said. “We’re dealing with University of Ottawa Incorporated, which is even more troubling.”

Kelly was released approximately an hour aft er his arrest. At the same time, all of the recording devices were returned and placed in his posses-sion. While he claimed that he was ar-rested for trespassing as well, Ottawa Police Constable Jean-Paul Vincelette confi rmed that as of press time, Kelly was charged only with causing a dis-turbance.

“Cause of disturbance is under the criminal code, so it appears like that’s the only [charge] at this time,” Vince-lette said. “Th e report is not com-pletely fi nished yet; the investigator is still working on it.”

Kelly explained that, upon being released from custody, he signed a document indicating that he is barred from entering U of O property. If he is seen on campus, he can be detained and sent to jail.

“But I told them that I was an em-ployee; I had to be on campus,” said Kelly, who maintained that he still holds a research contract with the U of O. “[Th e police offi cer] said that when he called in, Protection Ser-vices informed him that I wasn’t an employee.”

Kelly felt these actions by the U of O, who declined to comment on his status as either a student or an em-ployee at the university, were unjus-tifi able.

“What you see is that they are ar-resting a student for shouting the mission statement of the university. You have to realize that makes abso-lutely no sense. So then there must be another reason why they’re arresting me, and that’s a politically motivated reason.”

Deregistered student arrested after fi lming Senate meetingMarc Kelly charged with

causing a disturbance after “shouting” during

proceedings

A police car carrying deregistered student Marc Kelly leaves Tabaret Hall on Dec. 1.photo by Emma Godmere

by Emma GodmereFulcrum Staff

AN EMERGENCY MOTION de-nouncing the Conservative govern-ment’s Nov. 27 economic update was passed at the end of closing plenary at the Canadian Federation of Students’ (CFS) National General Meeting (NGM) on Nov. 29 in Ottawa.

Th e motion, which was proposed by CFS member local 94, the U of O Graduate Students’ Association (GSAÉD), and seconded by CFS member local 41, the Student Fed-eration of the University of Ottawa (SFUO), cited the lack of investment in public infrastructure outlined and

the need for investing in post-second-ary education as an economic stimu-lus as the primary reasons that the economic update should be “strongly opposed”. Th e motion also called for federal opposition parties to “work together to oppose the economic up-date and to develop a plan to increase funding for public infrastructure, in-cluding a dedicated provincial trans-fer for post-secondary education that promotes national standards in qual-ity and aff ordability.”

Gaétan Beaulière, chair of GSAÉD Council and one of two local 94 dele-gates at the Nov. 26–29 NGM, draft ed the motion in an attempt to reaffi rm the CFS’s position that post-second-ary education should be a foremost government issue.

“Th e reason we wanted to pass that motion was that, fi rst of all, there’s nothing in that economic update that serves the student interest,” he said.

“Th e motion basically re-states what has been [the] CFS position for a long time now, and it … asks the opposi-tion parties to collaborate on devel-oping a plan that would better suit the student interest.”

Federico Carvajal, external com-missioner for GSAÉD and the other local 94 delegate at the NGM, indicat-ed that the government overlooked the importance of education in its economic update.

“I think that we recognized … [within the CFS] that there is a direct connection between the economy and, obviously, education, and at a time of economic strife, when un-employment rates are going to con-tinue to rise, and when the economy in Ontario specifi cally is under so much pressure and the manufactur-ing sector is collapsing, then that’s going to have a direct impact on universities as people look to be re-

trained and change careers because of the loss of jobs,” he said. “It was obvious that the Harper government was not interested in governing for people, but rather for their own cor-porate interests.”

Beaulière reiterated, however, that the motion was not intended to spe-cifi cally denounce or support any particular party or group of parties.

“It was not partisan at all. Th e point was not to condemn the Conservative government, but more to clearly state that we disagree with the economic update and what it’s trying to do,” he said. “I believe that CFS has always been ready to work with whoever is the governing party, and whatever happens, we’ll be, I think, more than willing to work with them.”

Carvajal emphasized the eff ective-ness of the SFUO’s presence at the NGM, beyond solely their support for the emergency motion.

“It defi nitely changed the dynam-ics by having the SFUO there as full members, having the representatives from the [executive] and the execu-tive coordinator there,” he explained. “Th e University of Ottawa [was pres-ent] in many more committees and constituency groups.”

SFUO VP University Aff airs Sea-mus Wolfe, who helped draft the SFUO-supported motion, noted U of O students’ concerns regarding rep-resentation in the CFS and explained that the SFUO’s participation, par-ticularly in passing the motion at the NGM, solidifi ed their presence in the national organization.

“Th e way that we were able to get [the motion] across, by having GSAÉD put it forward, and us second it, really showed that the University of Ottawa is at the table and will have a large voice [in] the Canadian Federa-tion of Students.”

CFS passes GSAÉD/SFUO motion to oppose federal economic update

Dec. 4, 2008–Jan. 7, 2009News Emma Godmere

News Editornews@thefulcrum.ca 5

Motion ‘strongly opposes’ Conservative move and

calls for opposition cooperation

NEWS Dec. 4, 20086

by Amanda ShendrukFulcrum Staff

ON DEC. 10, the City of Ottawa will offi cially recognize International Human Rights Day for the fi rst time. Th e date marks the 60th anniver-sary of the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption and proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Th e Student Federation of the University of Ottawa’s (SFUO) Centre for Equity and Hu-man Rights (CEHR) was instrumental in mak-ing the celebration of this day a reality in Ot-tawa. Th e organization presented a proposal to the city encouraging Ottawa to join cities across the world in formally acknowledging the day.

“Human rights are really fundamental to the way that we organize our society and so funda-mental to the way we live our day-to-day lives,” said Caroline Lester, campaigns and communi-cations coordinator at the CEHR.

Th e United Nations offi cially adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on Dec. 10, 1948, in the wake of the Second World War, identifying the protected rights of all hu-man beings. It holds the world record for being the most translated document—it can be read in over 360 languages.

In recognition of this day, the City of Ottawa has developed an offi cial proclamation of hu-man rights, which will be read in the Unicentre Agora on Dec. 10 at noon. SFUO executives

will speak at the event, as will Ottawa Centre member of Parliament Paul Dewar. As part of the celebration, the CEHR will host a free tast-ing of teas from around the world and present a juried art exhibit on the theme of commonality and diversity.

As the U of O is one of the only Canadian universities to not have an anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policy, Lester said the day holds special signifi cance for the school.

“Having Human Rights Day being recog-nized is just one step further in recognizing the importance of human rights on campus,” she said.

Since the end of the controversial student code of conduct that was proposed in April, several groups at the U of O have been work-ing towards the development of a declaration of students’ rights. Th e SFUO and the Graduate Students’ Association (GSAÉD), in conjunc-tion with the U of O’s offi ce of the secretary and U of O President Allan Rock, are launching an online forum at noon with an open event in the Agora on Dec. 5 to kickoff the development of such a document.

“What we’re hoping to accomplish is to en-gage the university community, but especially students, around the issue of students’ rights,” said GSAÉD University Aff airs Commissioner Serge Dupuis. “We came to the conclusion that it was probably a good idea to take this process outside the closed offi ces of the university ad-ministration and actually start talking about it in the community.”

Th e online forum will allow students and staff the opportunity to actively participate in determining the make-up of the declaration. Following two months of online discussion, the SFUO and GSAÉD hope to prepare a docu-ment and present a declaration of rights for the university community to the U of O Senate in March.

City of Ottawa, U of O mark International Human Rights Day

University to kick off online forum to develop student rights document

Happy holidays!

Love,Th e Fulcrum

NEWSDec. 4, 2008 7www.thefulcrum.ca

by Amanda ShendrukFulcrum Staff

ON NOV. 25 the University of Ottawa released an evaluation of the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa’s (SFUO) Student Appeals Centre (SAC) 2008 annual report, which stated that the report is methodologically unsound and that the centre’s allegations of systemic racism in the U of O student appeals process is “unsub-stantiated, inconclusive, and infl ammatory”.

Th e SAC report was released on Nov. 12 and detailed the barriers that students allegedly face when fi ling and following academic appeals in the university administration. Th e report claimed that the university’s appeals process ex-emplifi es “systemic racism” and “mistreatment of students”.

Th e SAC report evaluation—which was con-ducted by U of O professor Joanne St. Lewis, who is the current director of the U of O’s Human Rights Research and Education Centre, and for-mer co-chair of the Canadian Bar Association Working Group on Racial Equality—highlights methodological errors within the SAC docu-ment, provides an extensive explanation of the appeals process, and off ers recommendations for both the university administration and the SAC.

“I found the report to be very unprofessional in tone,” St. Lewis stated in the evaluation. “It is the methodological failures and the lack of sub-stantiation which makes the report most trou-bling. Th e matters raised within the report of possible systemic racism and procedural unfair-ness are signifi cant issues and cannot be given short shrift by the University.”

“Never did we pretend to be publishing a sci-entifi c or academic report,” said SAC coordina-tor Mireille Gervais, in response to the evalua-tion. “Our job is to denounce injustice, to speak

on behalf of students, and our report is a testi-monial based on our experience over the past year.”

Th e evaluation suggested that the SAC has a poor understanding of the student appeal pro-cess, which may have led to their allegations of racism.

“I certainly [do] not want people to take my criticism of the report as a lack of confi dence or indeed support for student-based peer support initiatives on such an important issue,” St. Lewis told the Fulcrum, via email. “It is because I think that the SAC can play such a central role that I want their reports to have the foundation they require to be taken seriously and impact univer-sity policy when necessary.”

Th e evaluation off ers an extensive description of the current academic fraud process, stating explicitly that both the SFUO and the SAC’s fondness for appealing directly to U of O Presi-dent Allan Rock in attempts to infl uence student appeal proceedings is inappropriate.

“It is very disappointing that the SAC, who are charged with providing students with advice on university processes, would seek to circum-vent those processes by directly writing to either the [vp] academic and provost or the president,” wrote St. Lewis in the report. “[Th e provost and president] have no institutional capacity to af-fect the Senate Appeals [Committee] decision.”

In the evaluation, St. Lewis off ered recom-mendations to both SAC and university admin-istration for ensuring that the appeals process is eff ective and free of racism. Her primary recom-mendation was a timely independent assessment of the academic fraud cases fi led by the SAC.

In regards to the allegations of systemic rac-ism, St. Lewis admitted in the evaluation that she could not conclude either way.

“Th e short answer for this evaluator on whether there is systemic racism in the admin-

istration of the academic fraud process at the University of Ottawa is: I don’t know,” she wrote in her report. “What I do know is that this re-port does not establish this in any measurable or analytically plausible fashion.”

St. Lewis explained in her email to the Ful-crum that many of the methodological errors committed in the SAC report could have been avoided if the centre had fi rst reviewed the On-tario Human Rights Code public information page on racism and racial discrimination, which outlines the proper ways to assess systemically

discriminatory behavior.Although Gervais questioned the indepen-

dence of the evaluation, as St. Lewis is an em-ployee of the U of O, and said that St. Lewis’ evaluation and the SAC annual report were writ-ten from opposing perspectives, she stressed the importance of moving past the assessment.

“Th e issues are still there, regardless of what you think of the report,” she said. “I think the gist of the evaluation is that Ms. St. Lewis and I agree that at least the university needs to look into this issue more.”

THIS DECEMBER, SEVERAL open forums organized by the University of Ottawa, the Student Federa-tion of the University of Ottawa (SFUO), and the Graduate Students’ Association (GSAÉD) will be held to gather input from all U of O students on a variety of topics. The Fulcrum has composed a list of several of the upcoming ones and encourages all students to have your voice heard.

SFUO forum: Imagine: Your Student Centre. 2 p.m. Unicentre couch lounge. Free.

Undergraduate students are in-vited to bring forth any ideas for a student-run, student-owned centre the SFUO is looking to construct in the near future. Any ideas can be submitted prior to the meeting at centre@sfuo.ca, and more informa-tion can be found at the “Imagine : Your Student Centre / Votre Centre étudiant” Facebook group.

SFUO, GSAÉD, U of O forum: Forum for a declaration on students’ rights. Noon. Unicentre Agora. Free.

The University of Ottawa, in part-nership with the SFUO and GSAÉD, is launching an online forum for students to offer their input as the university begins drafting a decla-ration of students’ rights. For more information, check out president.uottawa.ca/event-details_142.html.

SFUO roundtable: SFUO electoral reform. 2 p.m. SFUO Boardroom, UCU 07. Free.

The SFUO elections committee is proposing a change to the existing plurality voting system for electing SFUO executives. Thoughts on the proposed new process—posted in detail at sfuo.ca/pdf/11-02 - elec-toral reform.pdf—can be forward to boa.kennery@sfuo.ca. For more information, visit sfuo.ca/english/index.htm.

University responds to SAC’s ‘infl ammatory’ allegations

Stay involved, stay informed

Thursday, Dec. 4

Friday, Dec. 5

Professor Joanne St. Lewis’ examination of the SAC report was released Nov. 25.photo by Martha Pearce

NEWSDec. 4, 2008 8www.thefulcrum.ca

by Inari Vaissi NagyFulcrum Staff

THE UNIVERSITY OF Ottawa’s Sexual Harass-ment Offi ce (SHO) is one service on campus that students hope to never need—but it exists because sexual harassment does occur on cam-puses across the country, and the U of O is no exception.

Th e hub of a network of services providing support for those aff ected by sexual harass-ment, the SHO works in collaboration with Protection Services, Student Academic Success Service (SASS) counselling, Health Services, the Pride Centre, the Centre for Equity and Hu-man Rights (CEHR), and the Women’s Resource Centre (WRC) to prevent sexual harassment and discrimination. and help those aff ected by it. at the University of Ottawa.

Th e Sexual Harassment Offi ce

Th e SHO provides confi dential service to anyone in the university community aff ected by sexual harassment, which is defi ned in university poli-cies as “a sexually oriented remark or behaviour which may reasonably be perceived to create a negative psychological and emotional environ-ment for work or study”. A large portion of the SHO’s work involves investigating allegations of harassment, a process that involves many hours of intervention with multiple parties.

Th e SHO offi cially presented its annual report for the 2007–08 academic year at the Board of Governors’ Oct. 27 meeting. Between May 2007 and April 2008, 79 reports were made to the SHO, slightly more than the annual average of 73 complaints over the last fi ve years. Eighty per cent of the reports cited incidents in which fe-males were harassed by males. Only one formal complaint that involved investigation by univer-sity offi cials was made in 2007–08.

“My feeling is that there was quite a lot of work done last year in terms of increasing awareness

of the issue of harassment, of sexual harassment, and the services available to deal with it,” said Lisa Stone, who took over the position of ha-rassment and discrimination prevention offi cer at the SHO in October. “I don’t think that it’s an increase in incidents, I think it’s an increase in people understanding that what happened to them may constitute sexual harassment and isn’t okay.”

Other resources available on campus

People who have experienced sexual harass-ment on campus can also fi nd support at SASS, the main resource on campus for those seek-ing professional coun-selling.

“We handle over 1,000 requests each year from students needing personal counselling. I would estimate that about 10 per cent of these requests involve sex-ual issues including sexual harassment,” said Donald Martin, manager of the SASS counselling service. “There was an increase of about 10 per cent in the overall number of requests for service [in 2007–08], but not a significant increase in cases involving sexual harassment.”

The SHO is seeking to broaden its mandate to include diverse forms of harassment and discrimination on campus. Pride Centre ser-vice coordinator Evan Hazenberg explained that issues of sexual harassment and discrimi-nation are even more complex in communi-ties where multiple identity categories come into play, such as sex, gender, and sexual ori-entation.

“In the queer community, the distinction between what’s sexual harassment and what is other harassment is very diffi cult to defi ne sometimes,” he said. “I think it’s important to make it easier to report that, and not to lump sexual harassment in with everything else, but to make it easier to say, ‘I was harassed because of my sexual orientation and I consider that sexual harassment, so I want it treated as sexual harassment’.”

Prevention at the U of O

A network of services and groups on campus, including the Pride Centre, have come together to form the Harassment Resource Committee (HRC) with the goal of preventing harassment and discrimination in the university community.

Nathalie Jacob, coordinator of prevention programs and student liaison with Protection Services, outlined this initiative in an email to the Fulcrum.

“Th rough the [HRC], a working group is cur-rently developing an awareness campaign about the prevention of harassment and other human

rights issues as well as sexual violence,” she said. “Upon approval of other committees, this campaign should take place [in] early March 2009.”

Th e HRC campaign is based on a social norms change strat-egy employed in other North American uni-versities. It will target all levels of the U of O

community with specifi c messages delivered by campus champions—fi gures like student athletes, politicians, and faculty members who will encour-age positive daily action by everyone in the com-munity to help prevent discrimination on the basis of sex, gender, race, religion, or ability.

A challenge for these preventative eff orts is the university’s lack of an established blanket policy on discrimination, according to Francine Page, student advocate and director of the CEHR.

“We expect our students to live unhindered by any discriminatory practices, [and] I expect to work in an environment where I’m going to be respected,” she said. “Th ere [are] employment laws and you have to have anti-discriminatory and anti-harassment policies in your workplace.

“Th e Ontario Human Rights Commission already has policies hammered out. So there’s a really good starting ground, and you just need to modify them for what [it means] to live in a university [community] and what are the proce-dures that can be implemented,” she continued. “Whether or not the policies have been devel-oped, it is really a duty for managers to address discrimination and harassment when it hap-

pens. But it’s much easier to be proactive [with a policy in place].”

Holly Johnson, senior research associate and part-time professor with the Department of Criminology, cited a need for specifi c research into sexual harassment on the U of O campus.

“We have not conducted a victimization survey on this campus, at least not one that covered [sex-ual harassment and violence],” she said. “I would think that what we need to do here is some more research about the prevalence and the [ways] in which people are aff ected by these types of things on this campus, and be honest about it.

“But there’s a resistance among the senior ad-ministrators to portray any campus as having problems of violence,” she continued. “It’s under-standable, but on the other hand … [we need to] come clean with the fact that young people are at the highest risk of any kind of violence anywhere.”

Johnson also mentioned the potential eff ects of sexual harassment on an individual, particu-larly if the incident goes unreported.

“Th e impacts emotionally and socially are combined: increased levels of fear, curtailment of activities, limiting one’s options in engage-ment in public life, diminution of what that ac-tually means socially—if everyone’s telling you to just suck it up, that’s nothing,” she said.

Where to go for help

Stone stressed the importance of acknowledging and reporting incidents of sexual harassment to university offi cials.

“Th e problem is that very few students tell anyone when something happens, and if they do they oft en don’t tell someone that can do some-thing about it—they might tell a friend, but they won’t go to a university offi cial that can actually do something. I would really like to encourage students to not hesitate to use the online report-ing, to email, to call, and to assure them that it is confi dential,” she said, gesturing to her pad-locked fi ling cabinet. “I would like to encourage people to come see me if they have any concerns or questions at any time.”

Stone can be reached at lstone@uottawa.ca and incidents can be reported anonymously online at web5.uottawa.ca/sex-har/eng/report-it.php. Students can also contact Protection Services at protection@uottawa.ca or by telephone at 613-562-5411 in the case of an emergency.

The Fulcrum explores the resources fi ghting sexual harassment at

the U of O

More than ‘no means no’

“There’s a resistance among the senior administrators to

portray any campus as having problems of violence.”

Holly Johnson, Department of Criminology

senior research associate

photo by Frank Appleyard

York Federation of Students under fi re for campaigning in Ottawa

TORONTO (CUP) – WHILE STU-DENTS AT Toronto’s York University campaigned for the end of a labour strike that has shut down classes, members of the York Federation of Students (YFS) executive spent time in Ottawa campaigning for a diff erent cause.

YFS President Hamid Osman con-fi rmed that he and members of the executive were in Ottawa for one week during the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa’s (SFUO) refer-endum on membership with the Ca-nadian Federation of Students (CFS), campaigning on behalf of the CFS.

Osman said he has been doing ev-erything he can to put an end to the strike at York; however, he did not attend a scheduled meeting between YFS and the York administration. Another meeting has been scheduled which Osman said he plans to attend. Many York students were unaware that the YFS executives were spend-ing time in Ottawa until the informa-tion was leaked on Facebook.

One member of the YFS executive was said to have campaigned along-side volunteers for the No campaign at the U of O. YFS executves allegedly didn’t identify themselves as York students until asked. Members of the No campaign were aware of the strike at York and were reportedly shocked and angered at seeing the YFS execu-tives in Ottawa.

—Scott McLean, Th e Excalibur

CUSA embroiled in Shinerama drama

TORONTO (CUP) – Th e Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) recently pulled its support for the cystic fi brosis fundraiser Shin-erama, claming that the disease “only aff ect[s] white people”.

Th is announcement created a na-tional media frenzy and CUSA has been trying to backpedal ever since.

CUSA passed a motion nearly unanimously on Nov. 24 which read, in part: “Whereas cystic fi brosis has been recently revealed to only aff ect white people, and primarily men … be it resolved that: CUSA discontinue its support of this campaign.” Only two CUSA council members cast dis-senting votes.

Many people took off ense, as the angry Facebook groups that have popped up suggest. CUSA held an emergency meeting on Dec. 1, in which the original motion was over-turned, an offi cial apology was made, and Carleton’s involvement with Shinerama was reinstated.

Cathleen Morrison, CEO of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, said that there’s a silver lining to the debacle: the chance to tell people what cystic fi brosis really is. She explained that cystic fi brosis is the “most com-mon fatal genetic disease in Canada,” and aff ects men and women equally. Most Canadians with cystic fi brosis do not live past their 30s.

Morrison admits that it does “aff ect the Caucasian population primarily,”

but stresses that this does not mean it only aff ects the white-skinned. She says that a “rainbow of people” from India, Pakistan, North Africa, South America, and other regions can be af-fl icted.

—Joe Howell, Ontario Bureau Chief

NEWSDec. 4, 2008 9www.thefulcrum.ca

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Opposition parties form coalition, set sights on toppling Tories

CANADA COULD POTENTIALLY have a new government and new prime minister by Dec. 8.

Barely two months after the Oct. 14 federal election handed the Con-servative government 143 seats in the House of Commons, re-electing them to a minority government, the Liberal Party and the New Demo-cratic Party signed an agreement on Dec. 1 that the two parties would seek to form a coalition, with sup-port from the Bloc Québécois, if the current government is defeated on a Dec. 8 non-confidence vote.

Th ere are unconfi rmed reports, however, suggesting that Prime Min-ister Stephen Harper may prorogue parliament and thus stave off a confi -dence vote over the Nov. 27 economic update.

If the House is deemed to have lost confi dence in the government, there are only two courses of action to follow, according to Canadian con-stitutional scholar Peter Hogg in his seminal textbook, Constitutional Law

in Canada. Either the government must re-

sign, or the House must be dissolved to make way for an election.

As Hogg explains, this decision is ultimately made by the governor gen-eral of Canada, currently Michaëlle Jean. As part of his mandate, Prime Minister Harper is empowered to of-fer advice to Jean on which decision to make. Th e governor general normally recommends an election, as it would grant the constitutional right for the next prime minister to govern.

Th e governor general has only de-clined to dissolve parliament once in history. In the King-Byng Aff air of 1926, Governor General Lord Byng declined Prime Minister Mackenzie King’s request to dissolve and instead handed the government to the oppo-sition.

Th is created what scholars describe as a “constitutional crisis”, since many Canadians feel they should be gov-erned by the party that wins a plu-rality of seats in the House. A way around this, therefore, is to create a coalition that does represent a plural-ity of seats.

Ottawatch

News in brief

www.thefulcrum.ca

A Liberal-NDP coalition cabi-net would be composed of primar-ily Liberal MPs, however NDP MPs would fi ll 25 per cent of the positions. Stéphane Dion—who the Liberals have chosen to keep as leader—indi-cated on Dec. 1 that he has advised the governor general that he has the confi dence of the House to create a coalition government, should the current one fall.

—Carl Meyer

Dec. 4, 2008–Jan. 7, 2009Arts & Culture Peter Henderson

Arts & Culture Editorarts@thefulcrum.ca 10

by Peter HendersonFulcrum Staff

“IF I COULD work my will, every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.”

Th is delightful Christmas sentiment comes from the mouth of Ebenezer Scrooge, the pro-tagonist of Charles Dickens’ timeless classic A Christmas Carol. John D. Huston is a Cana-dian actor who knows Scrooge’s character very well—he’s played him almost 400 times since he began his one-man version of A Christmas Carol in 1992.

“I’m obsessed with this show,” Huston says. “I love doing it.”

Born in Winnipeg, Huston has worked in Canada, the U.S., and Britain, performing solo shows—he has appeared in 13 diff erent one-man productions—and as a member of larger casts. He became interested in theatre while he attended high school and decided to pursue a degree in the fi eld aft er he graduated.

“I had absolutely no idea what else I could do with my life,” he explains. “I still don’t.”

He received his Master’s in theatre history with a specialization in 19th-century perfor-mance style from the University of Toronto in 1989. He worked various jobs in theatre and as an amateur actor, but his fi rst one-man show confi rmed his true calling.

“I’d heard about fringe festivals, and I knew I wanted to try something out,” says Huston. “I had read a book called Th ree Men in a Boatmany years before, and I thought, ‘You know, that’s a really funny book, and it’s all told in the fi rst person. How hard could it possibly be to make an hour out of that?’”

Huston performed his fi rst one-man show, Th ree Men in a Boat, at the Manotick Fringe Festival in 1991.

“It was a big hit,” he recalls. “I thought ‘Wow, I can do this!’ So the next year I did another book, and later that same year I decided I would do A Christmas Carol.”

Dickens’ A Christmas Carol was fi rst pub-lished in 1843. Th e story of Ebenezer Scrooge’s spiritual journey from a scheming money-lender to a generous philanthropist is one of the most popular tales in English literature. Th e book has been adapted for the theatre, fi lm, radio, television, and even opera. Dick-ens himself gave many readings of A Christmas Carol during his lifetime. His readings relied on a special script he devised from the book that was tailored for listeners, not readers, and it is this abridged version that Huston began working with in 1992.

“I knew that Dickens had done it as a solo piece, and I had his script,” explains Huston. “And I had a girlfriend at the time who would always say, ‘Oh, you look so much like Charles Dickens.’ It took me a month to learn it that fi rst year.”

Huston began performing A Christmas Carol with Dickens’ original script, but in the 16 years since that fi rst performance he has modifi ed and changed the script to suit his own needs.

“Every year I re-read the book and I look for something that strikes me,” he explains. “Th e script changed quite radically the fi rst few years. Dickens used to do this as well—he started read-ing the whole book, [and] then gradually pared it down. I started with his fi nal version, and I’ve gradually put more things in.

“I started to put back all the Dickens bits,” he continues. “The narratives, all the jokes, the descriptions of things. A movie can show you Scrooge’s house, but only Dickens can tell you that the house was so out of place in the yard in which it was located that one could scarcely help fancying it must have run there when it was quite a young house playing at hide and seek with other houses and forgotten the way out again. No camera can show you

that. What I give people that no movie or play can give them is these wonderful Dickensian passages.”

Huston is performing in Ottawa three times this month, once at St. Bartholomew’s Angli-can Church on Dec. 9 and twice at the National Arts Centre on Dec. 20 and 21. He is supported by Finest Kind, a local folk-music trio, who perform before the show and between each act.

“I love fi nishing my tour in Ottawa,” says Huston. “I get to hear Finest Kind every night. I heard them on Vinyl Café years ago, and I’ve al-ways wanted to have carollers in my show. When I heard them, I thought, ‘Th at’s the sound, that’s the kind of music I want’. Th at fi rst Christmas, it was just so delightful. I got to hear them sing every night, it was just lovely.”

Th e collaboration between Huston and Fin-est Kind continues to this day, and they even produced an album together, Feasts & Spirits,

in 2004. On the album Finest Kind performs a selection of Christmas carols, interspersed with selected excerpts of Huston’s show.

“Th ey didn’t want to do just another Christ-mas album,” Huston explains. “We did a CD, and it gets played all over the place this time of the year—[National Public Radio] in the States, even some radio station in Australia.”

Huston also wants to produce a video record-ing of the show and upload it to YouTube. He loves performing the “terrifi c, timeless” story of A Christmas Carol, and he hopes to continue for as long as he can.

“I’m going to hit 400 performances on Dec. 11, and I could do 400 more. I love this story, and I love doing it for people.”

Huston’s A Christmas Carol is at St. Bartholom-ew’s Anglican Church (125 Mackay Ave.) on Dec. 9 and the NAC (53 Elgin St.) Dec. 20 and 21. For more information, visit dickensperformer.ca.

Dickens with a twistActor John Huston brings A Christmas

Carol to Ottawa

John Huston uses facial expression, gestures, and vocal changes to bring the characters to life in his solo production of A Christmas Carol.photo courtesy John Huston

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ARTSDec. 4, 2008 11www.thefulcrum.ca

by Jaclyn Lytle and Peter HendersonFulcrum Staff

IT’S FINALLY DECEMBER, and that means Christmas shopping. But what’s a student to do when they’re at a loss for gift s ideas for the family and strapped for cash? Never fear! Th e Fulcrum’s guide to holiday giving on a student’s income is here to rescue you from your empty-wallet woes. People appreciate homemade, personal gift s much more than they appreciate a fancy, expensive gadget, and this guide should help you fi nd the right gift without breaking the bank.

Th e easiest way to approach cheap and unique gift ing is to get craft y. Use your imagination and tap into your artistic side. If you can draw or paint, a portrait of the family (or something more impressionistic) will impress your parents and outshine anything those well-to-do post-grad siblings can come up with. For a younger brother or sister, grab a plain T-shirt or hat, fi nd some iron-on paper at any craft or business supply store, and for under $10 you can contribute a one-of-a-kind piece to his or her ward-robe. Try Giant Tiger (98 George St.)

for plain clothing and Grand & Toy in the Rideau Centre (50 Rideau St.) for iron-on paper.

If you can spare the time, for the price of two knitting needles and a ball of yarn or two, you can help friends or family bundle up when the temperature drops with a toque and matching scarf or gloves. Check out knittingpatterncentral.com for in-structions and all the latest cutting-edge fashions that you can make in your spare time.

Soaps are a well-received holiday gift , but store-bought collections are oft en very expensive. Making a whole basket’s worth of scented soap is a tall order, but you can eas-ily complement a smaller collection of store-bought soaps with your own authentic, homemade bath bombs and soaps. It’s actually easier than it sounds. Teachsoap.com is a good starting point for all things home-made and soap-related.

If you want to give the gift of arts and craft s but are hopeless with anything more complicated than a glue gun, try Ladyfest Ottawa’s “Not Your Grandma’s Craft Sale”, which takes place Dec. 6 at the Jack Pur-cell Community Centre (320 Elgin St.) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Artists from Ottawa and the surrounding area, including Kingston and Mon-treal, will be showing off their wares, and a portion of the $2 admission fee goes towards the Lyallen Hayes Memorial Fund, a local charity that helps women whose lives have been aff ected by violence. Th ere will be custom clothing, handmade jewelry, homemade foodstuff s, and all sorts of unique items.

No craft lovers in your family? Don’t worry, books are a reliable present, and it’s easy to fi nd one on almost every topic at places like All Books (327 Rideau St.) or Argosy Books (209 Dalhousie St.). Octo-pus Books (116 Th ird St.) won Best

Bookstore in the Xpress “Best of Ot-tawa 2008” poll, so it’s sure to have something for almost everyone on your list. Th ese places oft en have new or good-as-new books for sale that are cheaper than they are at the big chains like Chapters or online re-tailers like Amazon. Always remem-ber to jot the date and a little note in the front of whatever books you buy—it’s better if the book comes with a personal inscription.

Finally, a great idea for the socially conscious is donating to a charity in lieu of buying a gift . Oxfam Canada is just one of many charities that al-low you to give money to help under-developed nations in someone else’s name. Check oxfamunwrapped.com for information on how you can buy goats, water, and even medicine for those in need. Any donation is ac-cepted, so don’t think you need to give more than you can aff ord—any and all help is useful.

Christmas shopping on a student budget isn’t easy, but it can be done. Seek out bargains, improvise, and al-ways try to add that personal touch. Giving everyone an expensive gift is great, but it’s important to put time and thought into your choices. Re-member, it’s always the thought that counts.

Gifting on the cheap

Th is is a great recipe for the perfect chocolate holiday treat. Ingredients can include almonds, caramel corn, or even candy canes—it’s up to you!Makes one baking sheet of chocolate, and takes about 30 to 40 minutes.

Ingredients for chocolate bark:1½ cups chocolate (milk, white, or dark)½ cup bulk food items (almonds, dried cranberries, caramel corn, etc.)

What you need:Baking tray, spatula, small pot, small- to medium-sized bowl (large enough to fi t over the pot without falling in)

Directions:Cover the baking tray in parch-1. ment paper.Boil water in a small pot.2. Fill a small- to medium-sized 3. bowl with 1½ cups chocolate.Place bowl with chocolate over 4. the pot of boiling water in order to melt chocolate.Stir chocolate in bowl with spat-5. ula to ensure chocolate does not burn. Remove bowl from heat once chocolate is almost melted. (Th e bowl will be wet on the bot-tom; wipe with a dry towel before continuing.)Continue stirring chocolate until 6. completely melted, taking care that it doesn’t boil.Set a couple tablespoons of choc-7. olate aside to use for decorating.Gently pour chocolate onto 8. parchment-covered baking tray into a roughly oval mound.Place all bulk food items (candy 9. canes, almonds, dried cranber-ries, caramel corn, or whatever else is desired) on the tray and spread the chocolate to the edge of the tray with a spatula. Try to cover most of the ingre-10. dients with chocolate, or at least enough so that everything sticks together.Place tray in the fridge. Wait 11. 10 minutes, then pull it out and decorate the bark by drizzling the

chocolate that was set aside over top of the now chilled bark. Place bark back in fridge for another 10 minutes until it is completely solid. When the chocolate can be easily removed from the parch-ment paper, the treat is done.When the bark is fi nished, it can 12. be broken apart either by hand or with a sharp knife.

Th e bark can be put in bags and given as a gift , placed in a bowl to treat your roommates, or stored in the fridge for whenever you get a chocolate craving.

—Anna Rocoski

Th is is a traditional banana loaf that will provide a snack for eight people. It takes about 10 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to bake.

½ cup of melted butter or margarine1 egg3 tablespoons of milk1 teaspoon of vanilla extract1 cup of sugar1½ cups of fl our1 teaspoon of baking soda1 teaspoon of baking powder¼ teaspoon of salt1½ cups of mashed bananas (about four bananas; try peeling them and microwaving them in a bowl to get them good and mushy)

Directions:Mix all dry ingredients together 1. in a mixing bowl.Pour in wet ingredients, one aft er 2. the other.Add bananas and mix vigorously.3. Once batter is thoroughly mixed 4. (only small chunks), pour it into a greased bread pan and bake for 60 minutes. You’ll know its ready when you can insert and draw a clean toothpick out of the middle.

Th is scrumptious banana loaf is perfect for a holiday snack, and you can make it within the time it takes to watch two holiday specials.

—Jaclyn Lytle

Let’s get baked!Recipes to celebrate the holidays

The Fulcrum returns from the holidays...

Jan. 8, 2009Jan. 8, 2009www.thefulcrum.ca

Banana loaf

Chocolate bark

IN 2007, THE New Oxford American Dictionary’s word of the year was ‘locavore’. If you’ve never heard of it, a lo-cavore is not a newly discovered species of dinosaur, nor is it the latest gamer slang. Actually, a locavore is some-one who chooses to eat food that is grown locally. Th e principle behind this concept is that locally produced food is a healthier choice for both the consumer and the environment.

Joining proponents of causes such as organic food pro-duction, fair-trade food agreements, and vegetarianism, the locavore is the most recently recognized addition to the variety of ways in which our tastebuds play a role in economic, social, and environmental issues. Th ese food movements have collectively been labelled by the pop-ulation as ethical eating, eating with a conscience, and eating well, but regardless of the title, each is respond-ing to a dissatisfaction with the processes involved in the production of food.

What do ethics have to do with food?

FoodTrust is an organization that off ers food education services to the public. FoodTrust CEO Alan Miller said in a 2007 interview with CBC, “[Companies] don’t go out and market sustainable agriculture as a single dimension. It’s one aspect in a broader spectrum of high-quality and innovative produce backed by environmental standards. True sustainability only works when you combine sound environmental practices, economic viability, and social responsibility.”

According to a 2007 study done by Organic Agriculture Center of Canada, sustainable agriculture sales reached over $1 billion in Canada. Dave Smith is the owner and manager of Ashton Glen Farm. Located just west of Ot-tawa in Carleton Place, the farm produces organic, en-vironmentally sustainable Angus beef for local consum-ers. For Smith, this approach to farming off ers an ethical means of participating in the agriculture industry for a range of reasons.

“Firstly, the food produced is benefi cial to the con-sumer. Food should be good for you and nourish your body, not destroy it,” Smith said. “Secondly, you leave the environment in a state that is better than the way you found it, and fi nally, we have an obligation to ensure that each animal’s life is the best it can be.”

Sustainable food encompasses not only the environ-mental aspects of eating, but also the economics behind the food industry and the community involved in it.

Research associate Brian Halweil works for World-watch, an institute that provides analysis of critical

global issues in order to promote solutions. In his 2002 book, Home Grown: Th e Case for

Local Food in a Global Market, Halweil explains that because of the globaliza-

tion of food supply, on average “fruits and vegetables are travelling be-tween 2,500 and 4,000 kilometres from farm to market, an increase of roughly 20 per cent in the last two decades”.

Not only does the travel time reduce the quality of the food, but Halweil argues that the huge quantities of fuel used for trans-portation contribute to global

warming.Th e centrality of food in so many areas of

like daily nutrition and celebrations—is seeof the value of the ethical eating movement.twood, a third year in the Canadian Studies pthe University of Ottawa, has been a vegetariawas 10 years old and prefers to eat locally growfood when possible. Attwood’s decision is nabout mistreatment of animals during the footion process, but also the broader health andbenefi ts of supporting local, sustainably produ

“By making these choices, there are environmefi ts, and the standard and quality of the food ister,” she said. “I would rather enjoy seasonal it’s there, than get something that tastes awful been in a truck for days or weeks before I buy i

It is for reasons such as these that more looking to fi nd out more about the ethical imof what they choose to eat. Smith says that number of people are becoming interested in lduced, organic foods like his beef.

“We have more demand for our product threasonably fi ll,” he said. “Th e people that choocome from all walks of life and include both sstudents.”

Problems with producing ethical foo

Despite the growing popularity of ethicallyfoods among people of all ages, the economicproducers wanting to off er those products canEven with growing demand, Ashton Glen Fanot making profi ts.

“It is more expensive to produce beef thatand grass-fed. Th e biggest issue is the cost of lasaid. “We will eventually fi nd a price for ouwhere we cover our costs. As in any businessumers will decide if there is value at that pric

While it’s true that consumers will decide iuct is worth the price, the higher prices canchoice more diffi cult for some. Attwood has her limited budget can sometimes become sther dietary choices, particularly when choosifood. Organic food is made without pesticidecial fertilizers and is free from food additives.

“Organic food is always much more expenfer to buy it when I can, but the price can holsometimes,” she said.

A 2006 study by independent research bodyReports found that on average, organic foods100 per cent more than comparable non-orga

Another key place in the community involvviding customers with ethical food sources is Berry. Located within walking distance of the206 Main St., the store provides customers witorganic fruits, vegetables, and dairy products.rymple, a manager at Th e Wheat Berry since Jnizes that the prices of organic food can somethe number of people able to make these chotheir food.

Dalrymple blames part of the economicfaced by small-scale producers and suppliersfoods on the ways that globalization has pubusinesses to the margins of the economy.

“Under the Canadian government, it doesn’

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there’s as many rights for small-scale farmers and small-scale businesses,” he said.

Indeed, Dalrymple claims that one of the main chal-lenges faced by Th e Wheat Berry is the business’s small size.

“One of the problems is that as the movement becomes more popular, larger organizations like Loblaws start get-ting involved too, selling organic foods and things like that,” he said. “But that also puts the smaller places like us out of business because we just can’t compete.”

Dalrymple says that the problem with pushing smaller farms and businesses out of the market is that larger agri-cultural systems tend to have a more detrimental impact on the environment and local economy.

“Th e global economy supports large-scale farming, but it’s more sustainable when it’s done at a small, local level,” he explained.

Smith indicated that the current, large-scale approach favoured by the global economy came about in the last 50 years, as agricultural production expanded.

“Th e goals were ... to increase the amount of food produced and at the same time make it cheaper. Th e huge issue is that it substantially altered the product, the environment, and the treatment of animals as units of production. We now have cheap beef and any other fac-tory farmed food that makes you and the planet sick. It is totally absurd.”

Raising awareness about ethical eating choices

Smith believes that as people become more educated about where their food comes from, production process-es and consumer choices will start to change. Attwood also agrees that the issue is about increasing awareness.

“People just don’t know that they’ve got these choices, so they can’t make an informed decision ... Societies’ at-titudes towards food aff ect other people’s livelihoods and this can only change with education,” she said. “I’m not sure how many people even know that there is a decision to be made about the food they’re eating.”

Th e Canadian Organic Growers (COG) is just one of the many organizations attempting to educate the pub-lic on ethical eating. Whether providing information through their website cog.ca or their quarterly publica-tion Th e Canadian Organic Journal, COG is always try-ing to spread the organic word. Lynda Hall, the project coordinator for Growing Up Organic—a pilot project set up by COG in 2007—works in Ottawa, educating both young and old on the benefi ts of ethical eating.

“We have a lot of projects right now for school-aged kids and youth, including things such as farm camp. We also are encouraging as well as helping schools to grow food gardens so that we can use them as teaching tools,” she said. “We also hold public information nights on cer-tain topics in [ethical eating].”

Ignorance may be bliss, but in terms of ethical eating, P.E.I. farmer Barry Cudmore believes we are only hurt-ing ourselves.

“We can no longer eat for today and forget about to-morrow,” he said. “People who take the food purchasing system for granted do so at their own peril. Th ey rely on everyone without knowing them. Th at’s what’s neat about sustainable systems, because it gets people to look at having the relationships with the people that produce them [food products].” the fulcrum

| page 13

The ethical eating movementvement

Places to buy organic foodPlaces to buy organic foodFor a comprehensive guide to eati ng locally in Ott awa,

visit spcott awa.on.ca

The Wheat Berry206 Main St.

Herb and Spice Shop 375 Bank St. and 1310 Wellington Ave.

Market Organics126 York St.

The Sandy Hill People Food Co-op317 Wilbrod St.

Ashton Glen Farmswww.ashtonglenfarms.ca

Ottawa Organic Farmers’ MarketEvery Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

501 Smyth Rd.

During this season of giving we will donate $1 to The Ottawa Food Bank for every Online order

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS!from all of us atMAGPIE JEWELLERY

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ARTS Dec. 4, 200814 www.thefulcrum.ca

THE BEST WAY to get into the holiday mood is with movies that explore the themes of this festive season: love, generosity, and good humour. Here are some of the best fi lms to keep your spirits up aft er long, stressful days dodging other harried holiday shoppers at the mall. Th ey all explore the themes of the holidays in diff erent ways, but each one will fi ll you with Christmas cheer.

Holiday movie guideNational Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy, peace, and harmony that brings family and friends to-gether. In reality, it’s more about dealing with annoying family members, nasty neighbours, and the madness of Christmas shopping. Th e harsh realities of Christmastime are explored in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, which takes a hilarious look at the stressful side of Christmas. Chevy Chase is never better than as the beleaguered head of the Griswold house-hold, and his half-crazed attempts to pull off the perfect Christmas at any cost are a comedic gift that keeps on giving, year aft er year. While other movies try to delude you into thinking that Christmas is a time of endless joy and cel-ebration, Christmas Vacation shows you the real chaos of Christmas.

—Hisham Kelati

Th e Muppet Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is the most popular Christmas story not from the Middle East, and it gets a hilarious and heart-warming update in Th e Muppet Christmas Carol. Michael Caine plays what is perhaps the best version of Ebenezer Scrooge ever put on fi lm, which is all the more impressive considering he plays op-posite a puppet. Although it’s not entirely true to the source material, this fi lm nevertheless captures the spirit of Dickens’ work and conveys the true feelings behind all the pomp and pro-duction of the holidays: generosity and love. Th e supporting cast of Muppets provides a comic counterpoint to the sometimes sombre story—Dickens himself would surely have approved.

—Peter Henderson

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Th eodore “Dr.” Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas has been turned into two holiday movies, a 1966 animated version and the 2000 feature-length live-action version. Both tell the story of the Grinch, a bitter, cave-dwelling creature with a heart “two sizes too small”. He lives above and loathes deeply the town of

Whoville, which is home to the warm-hearted Who people who love to “spread the holiday cheer loud enough for all to hear”. Th ough the Grinch originally schemes to steal Christmas away from the Whos, his eventual redemption makes both fi lms a treat for the whole fam-ily. Th e animated version, narrated by Boris Karloff , is a well-established holiday classic, but the live-action re-make has its moments, mostly due to the funny and touching work of Jim Carrey as the Grinch. Both are great choic-es for Christmas Eve, especially while enjoying a big mug of eggnog.

—Camila Juarez

Die Hard

Die Hard has everything a Christmas movie should have—guns, explosions, humour, and terrorists. Th e movie stars Bruce Willis as New York cop John McClane, who is visiting his kids and estranged wife for Christmas. Terror-ists take over his wife’s Christmas party, and it’s up to McClane to save the day. Die Hard is a perfect break from sappy Christmas movies—it celebrates holiday cheer with violence and wise-cracks, while still fi nding time to have tender moments that evoke the sentimentality of the season. Take a break from the tear-jerk-ers and throw on some bad-ass yuletide cheer.

—Daniel Harris

Love Actually

Th e holiday season is a time for sentimentality and love, and anyone who says diff erent has no heart. Love Actually is a movie that embraces the warm, fuzzy feeling we all get in late December, without a hint of irony or cynicism. Th is roman-tic comedy tells a series of intertwining stories that span the holiday season and come to a head on one magical Christmas Eve. Th e stellar cast includes Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Laura Linney, Bill Nighy, and the incomparable Emma Th ompson. Love Actually is a blend of comedy and romance that works perfectly during the holidays, just like the combination of hot choc-olate and a shot of crème liqueur. Th row away your holiday stress and embrace the schmaltz and emotion of Love, Actually—this movie is pure escapism.

—Peter Henderson

ARTSDec. 4, 2008 15www.thefulcrum.ca

0949WBB08

You’ll never eat brunch in this town again

Some Christmas wishes

Peter HendersonArts & Culture EditorDEAR SANTA,

I know it’s been a while since I wrote to you. My feelings were very hurt when I didn’t get Scarlett Johansson under my tree last year. In retrospect, I have to give you points for trying, and I’ll admit that your ongoing trial for kid-napping is mostly my fault. However, this year I’ve got some wishes, and I fi gured I’d get them in before the Christmas Eve rush you hate so much.

Santa, I don’t know if you can watch televi-sion up at the North Pole, but I defi nitely do, and it’s awful. I’d like you to magically make televi-sion writers stop ruining their shows—no more ghosts on Grey’s Anatomy, no more nonsensical plot twists on Lost, and no more resurrections on Heroes. And please, please make network executives take Scrubs off the air before more terrible new seasons erase my fond memo-ries of the old ones. When 24 returns to the air, I’d like to see it become less like the neo-conservative’s wet dream it became in seasons fi ve and six. Jack Bauer doesn’t need to torture someone every fi ve seconds for the show to be interesting, and it would be nice if the writers recognized that.

Another thing I’d like is for Kanye West to learn some humility. I know he thinks he’s “the voice of this generation, of this decade”, but I think all that

self-fellatio is ruining his music. Th e quality of his albums has been in steady decline since Late Registration in 2005, and I’d love to see him ditch that annoying vocoder sound eff ect he puts on the vocals of every new song and actually return to the rap that he excels at. While we’re talking

music, Santa, I’d love to see the Black Eyed Peas never release an album again, but I don’t know if your Christmas mag-ic is powerful enough to break the pact they made with Satan. If the Devil didn’t write “My Humps”, I don’t know who did.

Only a few more things, Santa, and I’ll be a happy Henderson. Th is year, I want arts funding for festivals, galleries, galas—anything you can think of. Our leaders haven’t been very forth-coming, at neither the municipal nor federal levels, so we defi nitely need some help from a supernatural being like you. I know even you

are confused by the Canadian political machi-nations going on, but surely you can send some elves to lobby members of Parliament regardless of who the Prime Minister is.

Lastly, Santa, I’d like Heath Ledger to win the Oscar for Best Actor. Yes, everybody and their brother are calling for this, but I think it’s im-portant. He was a rare talent, a brilliant method actor who transcended his good looks by con-stantly experimenting and pushing the envelope of what Hollywood acting could be. Lost in all the hubbub about his death and the success of Th e Dark Knight is the true genius of his per-formance—in the decades to come, I honestly believe the Joker will stand as the best villain ever seen on fi lm.

So that’s it Santa, just a few requests this year. I’m still single, but Scarlett got married—I know your powers are great, but even you couldn’t give me the body of Ryan Reynolds. So this year, I’m asking for Natalie Portman.

arts@thefulcrum.ca613-252-2311

No more ghosts on Grey’s Anatomy, no more nonsensical

plot twists on Lost, and no more resurrections on Heroes.

www.thefulcrum.ca

Dec. 4, 2008–Jan. 7, 2009Sports David McClelland

Sports Editorsports@thefulcrum.ca 16

IIT’S THAT TIME of the year again: the semester is over, and the T’S THAT TIME of the year again: the semester is over, and the FulcrumFulcrum is handing out the hardware for the best athletes of the season so far in the is handing out the hardware for the best athletes of the season so far in the semi-annual Cavalry Awards. semi-annual Cavalry Awards.

Top male athlete: Davie Mason, men’s football

Even though he was injured for part of the Gee-Gees men’s football season, missing two regular season games and one playoff game, when he’s healthy, third-year running back Davie Mason is a force to be reckoned with. Despite only appear-ing in six games during the regular season, he still managed to finish with the fourth-highest total rush-ing yards in Canadian Interuniver-sity Sports (CIS) with 896, averaged 149 yards per game and 7.28 yards per carry.

Th ough he only played in two post-season games, Mason notably broke the CIS record for rushing yards in a single playoff game, when he managed 327 yards in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) semi-fi nal on Oct. 25 against the Guelph Gryphons.

Runners up: Dax Dessereault (men’s basketball), Josh Sacobie (men’s foot-ball)

—David McClelland

Top female athlete: Jess Charron, women’s soccer

It’s a rare team that can succeed without a good goalkeeper. A strong keeper can anchor an already strong defence and impart confi dence on the team as a whole. Second-year goalkeeper Jess Charron protected the net for the Gee-Gees women’s soccer team throughout the 2008 season, and had an incredible impact on the eventual OUA silver medal-ists, despite not playing with the team since the 2006 season.

Charron collected eight wins (in-cluding fi ve shutouts) during the regular season, and led the Gee-Gees to three post-season victories. Fin-ishing with just eight goals conceded for a goals-against average of 0.57, Charron was a brick wall in net and played a major part in the Gee-Gees’ successes this year.

Runners up: Emilie Morasse (women’s basketball), Karine Gagnon (women’s volleyball)

—Anna Rocoski

Rookie of the semester: Fannie Desforges, women’s hockey

First-year forward Fannie Desforges has quickly made a name for herself on the ice with the University of Otta-wa women’s hockey team this season. With three goals and two assists in eight games so far in her fi rst year with the Gee-Gees, Desforges has shown amazing potential and has proved herself to be an invaluable recruit for the team. She stands out both on the scoreboard and in her defensive play, showing toughness in blocking shots, while also pulling off a hat trick in her second career university game, leading her team to a 6-2 victory over the Concordia Stingers on Oct. 18. Th ough Desforges’s numbers may not be as spectacular as some other Gee-Gees rookies, her poise and ability to produce points against veteran play-ers makes her truly shine.

Runners up: Warren Ward (men’s basketball), Matthieu Methot (men’s hockey)

—Megan O’Meara

Top varsity team: Men’s basketball

Although the men’s basketball team lost their fi rst game of the semester 73-53 to the Western Mustangs, the squad quickly rebounded and embarked on a seven-game winning streak, leaving them tied for fi rst in the OUA East with the Carleton Ravens—who also hold a 7-1 record—going into the mid-season break. Th e Gee-Gees have been excel-lent on the court so far this season, with veteran centre Dax Dessereault and fourth-year guard Josh Gibson-Bascombe being supported by strong performances from younger players like rookie guard Warren Ward and second-year guard Jacob Gibson-Bas-combe. Th ough the Gee-Gees have yet to face the perennially number-one Ravens, it’s already looking clear that this is one of the strongest men’s bas-ketball teams the U of O has fi elded in the last 10 years.

Runners up: Women’s soccer, women’s volleyball

—David McClelland

Top competitive club: Women’s fastball

Th e Gee-Gees women’s fastball team had another outstanding season in 2008, improving on their bronze medal fi nish in the Ontario Intercol-legiate Women’s Fastball Association (OIWFA) 2007 championships with a silver medal fi nish this year. Aft er collecting a 14-4 record during the regular season, the Gee-Gees went on to take the playoff s by storm. Ottawa swept past the competition in the round-robin portion of the OIWFA championships, defeating the Lau-rier Golden Hawks, Queen’s Golden Gaels, and Windsor Lancers to fi n-ish fi rst in their pool and advance to the semi-fi nals. Aft er a 6-1 win against the McMaster Marauders in that game, the Gee-Gees fi nally fell in the fi nal, losing 5-1 to the Western Mustangs—an unfortunate cap to an otherwise excellent season.

Runners up: Ultimate team, rowing team

—David McClelland

Top coach: Andy Sparks, women’s basketball

He may not have the most impressive record of all Gee-Gees head coaches, with the women’s bas-ketball team just one game over .500 at the holiday break, but this record represents a dramatic turn-around for the team. Sparks joined the women’s basketball team as head coach aft er the disastrous 3-19 2007–08 season, replacing then-head coach Carlos Brown who was let go by Sports Services. Sparks has done an incredible job turning the team around, instilling the team with confi dence and enforcing sharper play on both off ence and defence. With the Gee-Gees currently holding on to fourth place in the OUA east with a 5-4 record, it’s entirely possible the team may return to the playoff s this year under Sparks’ leadership.

Runners up: Steve Johnson (women’s soccer), Dave DeAveiro (men’s basketball)—David McClelland

Biggest surprise: Sports Services overhauls their website

Regular visitors to geegees.ca might have been surprised on Nov. 30 when they found that Sports Ser-vices’ website had been totally overhauled. Th e old site was replaced by a colourful new version, which is both more intuitively laid out and easier on the eyes. With integrated highlights, player pictures, and a more aesthetically pleasing layout, the new website will certainly improve the image of the Gee-Gees on the national scale. Th e former Sports Services’ site was outdated and clunky-looking, leading the Fulcrum to call for a redesign last year. Th e late-November redesign came out of nowhere but was an extremely pleasant surprise.

Runners up: Men’s football team reaching the Yates Cup, women’s basketball on a four-game winning streak

—David McClelland

The Cavalry AwardsThe Cavalry AwardsThe The FulcrumFulcrum names the best athletes of the semester names the best athletes of the semester

SPORTSDec. 4, 2008 17www.thefulcrum.ca

by Jaclyn LytleFulcrum Staff

AS WE APPROACH the fi rst offi -cial day of winter on Dec. 21, tem-perature and snow alike are falling, leaving Ottawa residents standing in ankle-deep slush. You could scowl at the amassing fl akes until they dis-appear (probably sometime around April), or you can take advantage of the winter weather and give yourself a well-deserved study break on the slopes.

First things fi rst: whether you’re planning on spending your time at one of the several ski hills in the Ot-tawa region, or just hoping to have a sled race or snowball war, you’re go-ing to need to equip yourself. Suiting up for the winter season usually re-

quires begging the parents for some cash, but if they’re not feeling so gen-erous this time around, try checking out some pre-season sales. Th e peak time to hit up sports equipment stores is before the holiday season; they’re stocked full with the latest new and used goods for skiers and snowboard-ers, and they’re usually dirt cheap by Boxing Day. Used equipment stores like Play It Again Sports (1701 Bank St.) are also a great way to go, as this is the time of year people are look-ing to trade in old equipment. Your odds of fi nding used equipment in good condition are much higher just before the holidays.

At the same time, there are plenty of hills for skiing and snowboarding within an hour of Ottawa that off er great deals for students. A weekend day pass costs $28 at Vorlage, $30 at Camp Fortune, $32 at Mont Cas-cades, $37 at Mont Ste. Marie, $43 at Calabogie Peaks, and, for those looking for the best hill in the region, a whopping $67.75 at Mont Trem-

blant. If you can’t seem to fi nd an entire

day to spend on the slopes, all hills off er half-day passes at a lower price. Mont Cascades, Camp Fortune, and Vorlage all have night skiing that runs 4–10 p.m. which costs around $20. For students that don’t have their own transportation, Mont Ste. Marie off ers a shuttle bus service that stops at several locations in Ottawa and Gatineau, with more details available on the hill’s website.

Many of the hills off er their own special deals. In particular, Mont Ste. Marie off ers a shuttle and full-day pass deal for $55, Camp Fortune is currently off ering a booklet of six full-day passes for the price of fi ve, and Calabogie Peaks off ers a $22 deal to college and university students on Fridays, as well as half-price passes on Mondays.

‘Tis the season to be jolly, so drop the books aft er those exams and hit the hills and take advantage of the snow.

Which slopes to hit this winter

The Ottawa snow scene

Racing down icy hills at high speeds can be one of the best parts of winter. photo by Ryan Pilarczyk

by David McClellandFulcrum Staff

IT WAS A triumphant homestand for the Gee-Gees women’s volleyball team as they defeated both the Queen’s Golden Gaels and RMC Pala-dins with ease Nov. 28–29, winning 3-1 and 3-0, respectively.

Th e Gaels entered the game against the Gees with a 5-4 record, sitting in third place in the On-tario University Athletics east division, one game back of Ottawa. However, the Gee-Gees were able to solidify their control of second place with a decisive victory. Fift h-year left side hitter Karine Gagnon played a crucial role in the victory, deliv-ering 10 kills and 12 digs to power the Gees to a 25-19, 25-21, 21-25, 25-21 victory in the match.

Th e next day, the the Garnet and Grey faced the winless Paladins. It was a chance for several of the less-experienced Gees to start a game and develop their skills. Gagnon, along with fellow starter and third-year setter Tess Edwards, did not play against RMC.

“Some younger kids got a chance to play, and that was solid,” said Gee-Gees head coach Lionel Woods. “It was nice to see Sofi a [Sturova], our young setter, get a chance to play a whole match. We just [got] some young kids in a real game instead of a scrimmage—they’ve played a bit in the early season, but this is certainly better for them and it’s starting to show.”

Although the youthful version of the Gee-Gees struggled and occasionally fell behind RMC, in each set the Garnet and Grey were able to pull out a victory. Sturova was a standout for the Gees, registering fi ve kills and six digs in her fi rst full game as a university athlete. Ottawa won the match 25-20, 25-19, 25-23.

Second-year libero Joanna Fabris said that the lack of pressure in the match sometimes lulled the Gees into a false sense of security, and that communication was the key to snapping out of temporary funks.

“I think coming together in the circle aft er ev-ery point [is important],” said Fabris. “Honestly, just talking to each other and challenging each other, that’s been our big [ability].”

With these wins, the Gee-Gees improve their re-cord to 8-3 and remain in second place in the OUA East division.

Gees send ‘em back to Kingston

Women’s volleyball top-ples Queen’s and RMC

Sudoku answers from p. 22

Setter Tess Edwards sets up a spike for middle Joanie Beauregard-Veillette.photo by Alex Martin

with a 4-3 overtime exhibition win against the visiting Syracuse Orange in their last game of 2008. Gee-Gees third-year centre Kayla Hottot re-turned to the line-up after recover-ing from illness and scored twice for Ottawa.

Ottawa heads into the winter break with a 4-3-1 record and is in second place in the Quebec Student Sports Federation, and will resume play on Jan. 10 when they host the Concordia Stingers at 2 p.m. at the Sports Complex. Tickets are $4 for students.

—Andrew Hawley

Men’s basketball still tied with Ra-vens at the break

THE GEE-GEES MEN’S basketball team added two road wins to their record Nov. 28–29, downing the Wa-terloo Warriors and Laurier Golden Hawks to keep pace with the Carle-ton Ravens. Th e race for fi rst place in the Ontario University Athletics east division is red-hot as both the Gee-Gees and Ravens now hold 7-1 re-cords going into the holiday break.

Ottawa dominated Waterloo 81-57 on Nov. 28, led by rookie for-ward Warren Ward with 18 points and fourth-year guard Josh Gibson-Bascombe with 17 points. The Gee-Gees held an 11-point lead at the half and never looked back as they kept the Warriors well at bay.

The next day, the Golden Hawks were able to get a little closer to

the Gees, but ultimately fell to the Ottawa squad 79-71. The Garnet and Grey established a 41-36 lead by halftime, a margin they were able to maintain throughout the second half. Fifth-year centre Dax Dessereault was Ottawa’s top per-former with 27 points, while Gib-son-Bascombe finished with 26 and was a perfect five-for-five from the free-throw line.

The Gee-Gees will resume their season on Jan. 9 at 8 p.m. when they host the Ryerson Rams.

—David McClelland

A split for women’s basketball

AFTER POSTING A win and a loss the weekend of Nov. 28–29, the Gee-Gees women’s basketball team will end the first half of the season with a winning record for the first time since the 2004–05 season.

On Nov. 28, the Gee-Gees hand-ed the Waterloo Warriors a 71-60 defeat in Waterloo. The Gee-Gees dominated the Warriors through-out the game, while second-year post Hannah Sunley-Paisley had a field day to lead both teams with 20 points.

The next day proved to be tough-er for Ottawa when they took on the Laurier Golden Hawks. Despite collecting a 25-20 lead by halftime, Ottawa was unable to hold on in the second half and slipped behind the Hawks, eventually dropping the game 55-41. Second-year Gee-

Gees guard Emilie Morasse led both teams with 14 points in the game.

Ottawa will return to the court on Jan. 9, when they host the Ryerson Rams at 6 p.m. at Montpetit Hall.

—David McClelland

Swimming team snaps records

THE UNIVERSITY OF Ottawa swimming team is having a record-breaking season.

The team competed in the Uni-versity Challenge Cup in Toronto on Nov. 27, and finished with 170.5 points, good for fifth place. The Cup brings together the top eight varsity swim teams in Canada. In the 4x50-metre freestyle relay, an Ottawa team consisting of Adam Tudor, Hans Fracke, Sean Dawson, and Bernard Joosten broke the team record for the event.

A few days later, on Nov. 30, the team broke another Ottawa record as the Gee-Gees qualified five male swimmers to the Canadian Inter-university Sports (CIS) champion-ships, breaking the team’s previous record of three. Joosten qualified for the Feb. 19–21 CIS championships after meeting the national standard in the 50-metre breast stroke event. Chris Reith also managed to qualify in the 1,500-metre freestyle. Fracke, Irvine, and Peter Suen will also be representing the men’s side, while Zoe Kamenz will be the lone female representative for the Gee-Gees.

—David McClelland

SPORTS Dec. 4, 200818 www.thefulcrum.ca

Depleted women’s hockey team falls to McGill

THE BEST TEAM in Canadian uni-versity women’s hockey took advan-tage of an injured Gee-Gees squad on Nov. 29 when the Canadian In-teruniversity Sports number-one-ranked McGill Martlets thumped Ottawa 9-0. Four Gee-Gee veter-ans, including team captain Danika Smith, were not in the lineup due to sickness or injury, and leading scor-er Joelle Charlebois left the game with an injury.

The undefeated McGill team out-shot Ottawa 17-10 in the first period

and converted on their lone power play to build a 3-0 lead. In the sec-ond period, the Martlets outshot the Gees 16-7 and added two more goals to their lead. In the third, McGill added insult to the Gees’ injuries by potting four more goals.

Gee-Gees head coach Shelley Coolidge commended goalten-der Jessika Audet for her 39 saves throughout the game, and did not hold her responsible for the loss.

“McGill beat us to a lot of pucks and just capitalized on their second and third chances,” Coolidge con-ceded.

On Nov. 30, the Gees rebounded

Around the hornAround the horn

by Megan O’MearaFulcrum Staff

ARE EXAMS STRESSING you out? You might want to try yoga.

Yoga originated in India as an an-cient form of meditation and exercise and is now practised in many coun-tries by people of all ethnicities. Th e physical practice of yoga involves holding a variety of poses that stretch the body while simultaneously focus-ing on breathing to calm the mind and spirit.

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to be a contortionist to do yoga—many of the poses are simple or have variations that allow for mini-mal strain on the body while still of-fering the same stress-relieving ben-efi ts.

For those contemplating giving yoga a try, there are a wide variety of weekly yoga classes off ered on cam-pus at little or no cost to students.

Traditional yoga is beginning to be off ered by a few organizations on campus, while Sports Services off ers this form of yoga as well as ‘yoga fi t’ and ‘mindful yoga’.

Traditional yoga—involving hold-ing each pose and stretching—is a light form of exercise used as a method of meditation. While it does strengthen the body, its focus is mostly on fl ex-ibility and calming the mind.

Yoga fi t is a variation on yoga that shift s the focus towards strength training as it involves more move-ment within and between poses, cre-

ating a more intense workout while still relieving stress.

Mindful yoga is almost the oppo-site of yoga fi t, as its goal is to exercise the mind more than traditional yoga classes might. It concentrates on the promotion of self-acceptance and awareness through meditation.

Sports Services has many classes available to students at both the Sports Complex and Montpetit Hall, including some free classes.

Yoga fi t classes are free for all stu-dents and are held about four times a month. Th e schedule is updated monthly and can be found online or at the Sports Services desks in the Sports Complex and Montpetit Hall. Th e downside to these classes is that since they are fi rst-come, fi rst-serve, there are oft en long lines to get in and many who line up don’t make it in. Th ere may be more added in the future due to high demand, accord-ing to Corinne Nehm, who works with the Sports Services group fi tness program, but for now there is another option for those who want to be guar-anteed a weekly spot in the class and aren’t afraid to pay the price.

Sports Services off ers traditional and mindful yoga in one-hour in-structional classes taught over eight weeks. Students have to pay to register for these classes, but once registered, they are guaranteed a spot in each session. Th e cost per eight-week ses-sion is $65 for students, and registra-tion can be done by phone, mail, fax or in person at Montpetit Hall or the

Sports Complex. For more informa-tion on how to register, visit geegees.ca. Th e next section begins Jan. 11, giving students a great opportunity to start out the new year with a new source of stress relief.

With so many health benefi ts, yoga is catching on in a big way. Gear up for exams by attending an open class, register for sessions beginning in Jan-uary to get a jump start on your New Year’s resolution, or just have fun try-ing something new. You don’t have to bend and twist like a pretzel—yoga has something to off er everyone.

SPORTSDec. 4, 2008 19www.thefulcrum.ca

Yoga a cure for exam stress

by Anna RocoskiFulcrum Staff

IT CAN SOMETIMES be tough knowing what presents to buy friends and loved ones for the holidays, especially when you’re a student on a budget. However, fi nding the perfect gift gets a bit easier when shopping for sports fanatics. Th ere are lots of inexpensive gift s you can pick up for that person in your life who wears an unwashed hockey jersey every Saturday night.

For the avid reader, visit a local bookstore on-line or in person and browse the sports section. Look through biographies, team histories, guides to sports arenas, and even take a look at the mag-azine section. Mags and Fags at 254 Elgin St. has a large selection of magazines sure to please any sports fan.

Th ere are tons of books written about sports. Just remember not to mix up the recipient’s fa-

vourite team. A great book for baseball fans is Th e Complete Armchair Book of Baseball by John Th orne, which provides an in-depth look at the sport, including selections written by many for-mer players. For an inspirational sports story, take a look at a true story about a female basket-ball team called In Th ese Girls, Hope is a Muscle by Madeleine Blais. Another book that will nev-er get old for a hockey fan is Th e Hockey Sweater by Rock Carrier; it is a children’s book that any hockey fan can appreciate. One fi nal book to look for is Running for My Life by Ray Zahab, a book about one man’s experience growing up in Ottawa and becoming a top adventure racer. Prices of all these books vary somewhat de-pending on where you look, so shop around for the best deals.

What do you buy the golfer cooped up inside until better weather approaches? Take a look at golft own.com for assorted accessories; a package of 15 golf balls—depending on the brand—can go for $15. A golfer’s most prized items are their clubs so why not purchase some nice golf club protectors to protect the golfer’s pride and joy? Th ey sell for $20 and up at Golf Town.

Of course, hockey is one of the most popular sports in the nation. But Senators tickets can be way too expensive for many people on a budget, so consider the Ottawa 67’s instead. Th e 67’s play in the Ontario Hockey League, and two adult tickets to a game at the Civic Centre cost $30. Also consider the Gatineau Olympiques, who play just across the river at 125 rue de Carillon in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Tickets are the same price as the 67s, and the hockey is just as exciting. Another good idea for hockey fans is a knit hat with the lucky recipi-ents’s favourite team’s logo emblazoned proudly on the front. Th ese are available at Sports Ex-press in the Rideau Centre, and are also avail-able online at shop.nhl.com.

Sometimes even the simplest gift s prevail. Consider buying a football, baseball or basketball to remind the sports fanatic why he or she loves the sport in the fi rst place. Just make sure that you promise to go out and use it with them. Making memories can be as important as the gift itself, so don’t be afraid to think a bit outside of the box.

If you are stumped and really don’t know what to do, another idea is to organize a sports night in, so to speak. Invite some friends around for a big game over the holidays and provide drinks and snacks—Hockey Night in Canada anyone? It may not be something you can wrap up with a bow, but it will certainly be appreciated.

‘Tis the season to barge through those shopping centres and fi nd the perfect gift . Th e thought is what matters most, so make sure you let the sports fan in your life know they’re appreciated.

Scoring the perfect giftWhat to get for your favourite sports fan

photo illustration by Jaclyn Lytle

Dec. 4, 2008–Jan. 7, 2009Opinion Michael Olender

Executive Editorexecutive@thefulcrum.ca 20

Which rock rocks hardest?or Who is ‘The Rock’?

Point/counterpoint:

The pet rock

ON THE FIELD of battle atop the Rock of Gi-braltar, Igneous the pet rock sits perfectly still, showing the patience and resilience of his breed. He is a pet rock, hewn from the fi rst stone to break the ocean and adorned with googly eyes forged in the fi res of Black Mountain. He men-tally prepares for dawn and the battle to come. Against Allan Rock, he shall use his slippery-top stratagem, and the president is at risk because of his fi ne shoes. Th e wrestler will need to be dealt with carefully, by striking him soundly about the head. Connery will fall from a powerful beam shot from the googly eyes of eternal doom. Th e girl, Anna, shall be spared, assuming she can swim back aft er being launched into the sea. Pet rocks are always underestimated. Th ese other rocks consider themselves above rocks like Ig-neous, but little do they know the true power of a pet that can sit and stay better than any other. Today, the pet rock’s time has come.

—Dave Atkinson

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

WITH ONE EYEBROW arched gracefully above his masculine visage, Dwayne “Th e Rock” Johnson will end the hopes and dreams of all who challenge for his title. Th ere can be only one Rock, and it is he. For those other rocks who disagree, Johnson has a four-step solution: they have to take their delusions of grandeur, turn them sideways, grease ‘em up real nice, and shove them up their candy asses. He’s got the People’s Elbow and the Rock Bottom on tap for those who oppose him—Connery, Igneous, even Rocoski won’t be absolved from pain. Th e Rock is saving up a power-bomb off the turn-buckle for Allan Rock that will fi nally bring an end to their infamous feud over the ethics of humanitarian intervention, which began at Wrestlemania XII. Johnson doesn’t even need to use his immense talent as an actor to win this fi ght—it doesn’t matter what your name is, Th e Rock will straight up rock you.

—Peter Henderson

Sean Connery in The Rock

FIRST OFF, SEAN Connery is pretty badass just for being the original James Bond. However, Connery’s role in Th e Rock proved that he is in fact the ultimate human being. In the movie, he escaped from Alcatraz. Yes, that’s right—the prison that was deemed escape-proof. In case that isn’t impressive enough, Connery’s action-hero skills saved 81 hostages and prevented San Francisco from being bombed by radical Marines, all while keeping that glorious beard intact. In case the plot alone doesn’t prove that Connery is beyond human, in the movie he throws a knife through a man’s neck to prove why you should never hesitate. We all know that everyone—even Dwayne Johnson, Allan Rock, and Anna Rocoski—hesitates and that Connery’s jacket is lined with knives. As for his non-human enemies, Connery will surely defeat Gibraltar and Igneous as he conquered the fore-boding cliff s of Alcatraz Island.

—Frank Appleyard

Anna Rocoski

ANNA “THE ROCK” Rocoski has been a Ful-crum volunteer for nearly a year now, and in that time, she’s learned a few things, namely: how to end lives. You can’t be a good Fulcrum volunteer without the ability to sneak up on people. So while Sean Connery is relaxing on an island paid for using the rugged good looks that even the most heterosexual man would describe as “somewhat arousing”, Anna is dis-guised as a humble mango tree studying his every movement. Anna casts off her disguise and lunges towards Connery. Aft er a few swift punches to the beard, Anna has surely won the battle. Pet rock? Anna has a pet dragon. Her writing abilities and powers of deduction make Allan Rock look like Kevin Federline. As for Dwayne Johnson, Anna has something he’ll never have: a diploma in baking. Do you smell what Th e Rock is cooking? It’s your ass, fresh out of the oven.

—Ben Myers

illustration by Amlake Tedla-Digaf

Rock of Gibraltar

WHEN IT COMES to rocks, you’re going to be very hard-pressed to beat the Rock of Gibraltar. Seriously, it’s a 400-metre-tall rock off the southern coast of Spain that juts out of nowhere from the Mediterranean Sea. And not only is it the only rock in this battle to be prominently mentioned in a Jay-Z song (“How could you falter when you the Rock of Gibraltar?”), but according to myth, it was formed when Hercules decided to smash through a mountain. Really, does it get much more badass than that? Actually, the Rock of Gibraltar is traditionally known as an invincible bastion—the phrase “solid as the Rock of Gibraltar” describes a person or situation that never fails, at any cost. Does Allan Rock have a degree in invincibility? He most defi nitely does not, and the only other rock out there that comes close to being invincible is Sean Connery, but only because he played James Bond. Face it, rocks: no matter how awesome you think you are, you just can’t top a giant, invincible rock punched out of a mountain by a mythic hero.

—David McClelland

Allan Rock

SO WHAT IF the other rocks have gravelly exteriors, celebrity status, or baking abilities? It’s intelli-gence and expertise that prevail in every battle, and the U of O’s president is the only one who clearly exemplifi es these qualities. Allan Rock can dodge any attack the other pitiful rocks may launch, aft er spending nearly a decade defl ecting attacks as a cabinet minister. I seriously doubt Dwayne Johnson could endure having his so-called capabilities being put to the test by sly opposition MPs. Everyone knows the powerful wit and stinging retort a politician—even a former one—can possess, and no matter how composed and cool Sean Connery may seem to be, I’m sure he’d break down in tears aft er being challenged on the fl oor of the House of Commons. And don’t forget about Rock’s work with the United Nations. Last I heard, the Queen of England didn’t back any of the other contenders as she did when she appointed Rock to represent Canada on the global stage. I’m positive he could diplomatically negotiate the defeat of all of his opponents.

—Emma Godmere

by Lisa LeFulcrum Contributor

AFTER LIVING IN residence for about three months, you begin to realize that your fl oormates are of all diff erent breeds, and diff er-ent people don’t necessarily live in perfect harmony with one another. Th ink about it this way: it’s like liv-ing with all the people in your class-es and dealing with their extra little quirks and mannerisms, 24/7. Here are some steps you can take to avoid pissing off your fl oormates, because the walls are thin, and as of late, so is your neighbour’s tolerance level.

Step 1: Do not overplay an already overplayed song

There’s a constant stream of music on the radio, in cars, in restaurants, and in malls, and it’s the same song assaulting your ears over and over and over. The endless replay can drive a person up the wall. People come back to their dorms to escape the infuriating songs that haunt them everywhere they go. Every-one on the floor is going to snap if they hear “I Kissed a Girl” through the walls for the millionth time, loud and clear, while they’re trying to decipher their philosophy text-books. So if you’re going to listen to music, use headphones. Please.

Step 2: Do not party at 3 a.m. on a Thursday

What compels a person to be awake

at 3 a.m. unless they’re fi nishing an assignment due early in the morn-ing? Most students have classes on Th ursday, and some even have the misfortune of an 8:30 a.m. class. You might not have early Th ursday classes—lucky you—but it doesn’t mean others don’t. Being woken up by someone belting out their best rendition of “I Kissed a Girl” at 3 a.m. on a weeknight pisses off the entire fl oor.

Step 3: Do not repeatedly use an appliance that will blow the fuse

What happens when two girls each use a hairdryer and a hair straightener at the same time? The fuse blows. What happens the next time they do that? And the next time? Their neighbours’ mental fuses blow. In some resi-dences, the power is connected between two rooms, so that if one fuse goes out, there’s still power in half the room (hopefully the stereo playing “I Kissed a Girl” was on the side that went out). So if one fuse goes out, you can bet your perfectly coiffed hair that your neighbour’s power went out too. If you really have to spend half an hour on your hair, do it in the bathroom.

Follow these three simple steps and your floor will cease being a passive-aggressive war zone. If you choose not to, your floormates will keep silently hating you from down the hall. At least.

HECKLES:

OPINIONDec. 4, 2008 21www.thefulcrum.ca

by James AlbaughTh e McGill Daily

MONTREAL (CUP) – IN 1973, THE American Psychiatric Association (APA) removed homosexuality from its list of diagnostic criteria for mental illnesses. Th is was a major early vic-tory for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-gendered, and queer rights. However, despite these achievements, two par-ticularly troubling diagnoses remain: transvestic fetishism and gender identity disorder.

Th ese diagnoses, which govern how transgender and gender non-con-forming people interact with mental-health providers, refl ect stereotypes rather than actual people—and, with perverse irony, oft en hurt the people they’re supposed to help.

Transvestic fetishism is categorized as a paraphilia—or sexual fetish—just like pedophilia. Th is categorization reinforces stereotypes of cross-dress-ers as sexual predators. In addition, one of the criteria for a diagnosis is “over a period of at least six months, in a heterosexual male, recurrent, intense, sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviours involving cross-dressing”.

Th is feeds into the stereotype of cross-dressers as people who dress that way for sexual pleasure. However, peo-ple cross-dress for much more varied reasons than sexual thrills. Further-more, it’s not really clear why, medi-cally, only heterosexual males can be diagnosed with transvestic fetishism.

Th e rules for diagnosing gender identity disorder focus even more on

these rigid gender stereotypes, espe-cially in children. Criteria in children assigned male at birth include “aver-sion toward rough-and-tumble play” and “rejection of male stereotypical toys, games, and activities”.

Th is ignores the full range of hu-man possibility. It’s entirely possible to be a woman and feel like a woman while enjoying “rough-and-tumble play” or “male stereotypical toys, games, and activities”. In fact, not only would I wager that it’s possible, I’d also wager that you have interacted with such a person today.

Th e APA claims the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM)—the standard guide for identi-fying mental disorders in both the U.S. and Canada—does not say anything about treatment, only diagnosis.

Non-normative gender is not a disease Still, the DSM frames these issues in terms of traditional gender stereo-types.

Th e real irony, though, is that this diagnosis legitimizes stigmas sur-rounding gender-variant behaviour by linking them to the stigmas as-sociated with mental illness, which can only hurt those who truly need mental-health services.

When declassifying homosexuality as a mental illness, the APA acknowl-edged that social factors were oft en responsible for depression, shame, and other issues that led some les-bian, gay, and bisexual people to seek help from mental-health sources. Why then does the APA refuse to ac-knowledge that social factors are of-ten responsible for those same issues of depression and shame in gender non-conforming people?

Perhaps most perversely, these diagnostic criteria allow people who retreat deeply into the closet—which can be very damaging to their men-tal health—to escape a diagnosis and the social stigma of mental illness. At the same time, those who decide

whether or not to transition to an-other gender, and by how much, are happy with who they are, yet they re-main marked with that stigma for the rest of their lives.

Th e best argument against remov-ing or reclassifying gender identity disorder is that a diagnosis can be necessary for some health-insurance claims, which can be essential for one’s transition and gender reassignment surgery, especially given the expense and the number of transgendered people facing job discrimination and lack of family support. Such treatment is medically necessary—without it, a signifi cant number of transgendered people would commit suicide. Some still do, not realizing there is another way. And the need to have a justifi ca-tion for insurance purposes does not force transgendered people to accept a need to defi ne non-normative gen-der as a disease.

Th e APA will not release its next revision to the DSM until 2012; how-ever, a draft is due next year. If the APA continues this injustice, it will fall on transgendered people to act.

Get your fl oormates the best gift of all this Christmas:

not pissing them off

Dear DiIf you have a question for Di, e-mail deardi@thefulcrum.ca.

Dec. 4, 2008–Jan. 7, 2009Distractions Sarah Leavitt

Features Editorfeatures@thefulcrum.ca 22

Th ursday, Dec. 4

Cinéclub francophone: Molière. 7:30 p.m. Fauteux

Hall. Room 137. Free.

Friday, Dec. 5

Panel discussion: “Climate change and health.” 5 p.m.

Roger Guindon Hall. Amphitheatre A. Free.

Saturday, Dec. 6

Concert: Canadian Guitar Quartet. 8 p.m. Tabaret Hall. Room 112. $15 for students.

Sunday, Dec. 7

Th e Secret of the Grain. 3:15 p.m. ByTowne Cin-

ema. 325 Rideau St. $9, $6 for members.

Monday, Dec. 8

Workshop: “Thinking Criti-cally About School Rules

and Civil Liberties.” 10 a.m. Lamoureux Hall. Room 122.

Free.

Tuesday, Dec. 9

Performance: John D. Huston in A Christmas Carol. 8 p.m. St. Bartholomew’s Anglican

Church. 125 Mackay Ave. $25.

Wednesday, Dec. 10

Concert: An Irish Christmas. 7:30 p.m. National Irish-

Canadian Cultural Centre. 314 Patrick St. $20.

Th ursday, Dec. 11

Exhibit: Great Big Smalls. 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Cube Gallery.

7 Hamilton Ave. Free.

Friday, Dec. 12

Concert: Th e Stairwell Carol-lers. 7:30 p.m. St. Paul’s Eastern

United Church. 473 Cumberland St.

$12 for students.

Saturday, Dec. 13

Opera Lyra presents: Cin-derella. 7 p.m. National Arts

Centre. 53 Elgin St. $18.

Sunday, Dec. 14

Patti Smith: Dream of Life. 8:40 p.m. ByTowne Cinema.

325 Rideau St. $9, $6 for members.

Monday, Dec. 15

Lecture: “Th e Colonizer and the Colonized.” 4:30 p.m.

Fauteux Hall. Room 202. Free.

Tuesday, Dec. 16

Photography exhibit: Andrew Burlone. 8:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m.

Alliance Française. 352 MacLaren St.

Free.

Wednesday, Dec. 17

Concert: Jeff Rogers. 7:30 p.m. Tuscon’s. 2440 Bank St. 19+.

Free.

Th ursday, Dec. 18

Comedy show: Jennifer Grant. 8:30 p.m. Yuk Yuk’s.

88 Albert St. 19+. $25. 2-for-1 student tickets.

Friday, Dec. 19

Exhibit: Dirty Laundry by Tarek Al-Zand. 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Cumberland Gallery. 255

Centrum Boul. Free.

Thryllabus

Dear Di,My girlfriend and I are about to have

sex for the fi rst time (fi rst time ever for each of us). Something that’s come up in conversation is that she has never masturbated, does not do so currently, and never will. What this means is she’s never had an orgasm. I’m worried that she won’t come when we have sex. Any suggestions?

—Two Virgins In A Pod

Dear TVIAP,Congratulations on taking this step

with your girlfriend! And double (no, tri-ple!) congratulations for considering, in advance, how you can make sex great for her. Th e fi rst thing to remember is: relax. Th e fi rst time is always nerve-wracking, but please don’t worry any more than is absolutely necessary. Stressing about whether she is enjoying it will only put pressure on the both of you. You want to keep your mind on what’s happening, not on what may or may not happen at the end of your sack session.

Now, there are lots of ways to get your girl to the big O the fi rst time, and all subsequent times. Remember that even though you guys are going all the way, fooling around (before, during, and even aft er) is still a wonderful (and impor-tant!) part of the whole dance. Have lube at the ready, and make sure it’s one you have tested before—some girls are sensi-tive to some kinds of lube. Th e last thing you want is a nasty reaction on your big night.

First things fi rst: I would suggest start-ing off with the missionary position, which tends to be the easiest for both guy and girl. You can prop a pillow or two under

her bum to lift her up and towards you, which will help you penetrate deeper. Don’t be afraid to mix it up once you get more comfortable. Doggy-style is a great way to optimize her pleasure, because you can thrust and stimulate her clitoris at the same time, and many women only come from clitoral stimulation. Th is position may take a bit of balance and coordina-tion at fi rst, but I guarantee that once you fi gure it out, you will fi nd yourself doing it again and again.

My prediction is that you will be sur-prised by how much your girlfriend en-joys sex once you get started. Just remem-ber to pay attention to all her parts—kiss her breasts, neck, stomach, and back (and lower, if you are so inclined), make sure to stimulate her clitoris, and most of all, pay attention to her reactions. Be sure to tell her to let you know what she likes and doesn’t like. As long as you two are open, I am positive you will make your way to O-town in no time.

Last but not least, remember to have protection handy. Nobody wants to wor-ry about getting knocked up. Once that’s settled, jump under the covers and enjoy. Let me know how everything went!

Love, Di

Dear Di,Hey, I was wondering. Is there a right

and wrong area of someone’s ass on which to spank them? Th anks.

—She CriedDear SC,

Yes! Th e fl eshier, the better. Always make sure to ask him or her if it’s okay to spank beforehand, don’t spank too hard,

Hearsay by Jordan Moffatt

sudoku answers on p.17

and try not to smack the kidneys or the tailbone.

Love,Di

Dear Di,Why don’t guys hit on me at Pub

101? I’m fun, witty, and decent-looking but I always fi nd myself talking to the bartender at the end of the night.

—Tequila Sunrise

Dear TS,Because you spend too much time

wondering why guys don’t like you. Get out to the bar, be fun, be witty, and re-member not to drink too much.

Love,Di

Dear Di,I saw your list issue, and I’ve been

wondering: my boyfriend won’t stop wearing mandals (sandals for men), even in the wintertime. Is he gay?

—At Least It’s Not Socks With San-dals

Dear ALINSWS,He’s probably not gay, but he may be a

fan of frostbite. Mandals are for Ameri-can Eagle models only. Th e rest of the world’s male population should stick to chic Lacoste sneaks or classy Kenneth Coles.

Love,Di

The Thryllabus needs lots of events to remain so thrilling.

E-mail features@thefulcrum.ca with suggestions.

Frank ‘rock band’ AppleyardEditor-in-Chief

editor@thefulcrum.ca

Ben ‘rock band 2’ MyersProduction Manager

production@thefulcrum.ca

Michael ‘geodude’ OlenderExecutive Editor

executive@thefulcrum.ca

Martha ‘granite’ PearceArt Director

design@thefulcrum.ca

Emma ‘igneous’ GodmereNews Editor

news@thefulcrum.ca

Peter ‘and roll’ HendersonArts & Culture Editor

arts@thefulcrum.ca

David ‘sedimentary’ McClellandSports Editor

sports@thefulcrum.ca

Sarah ‘ayers’ LeavittFeatures Editor

features@thefulcrum.ca

Danielle ‘blarney stone’ BlabLaurel ‘pumice’ Hogan

Copy Editors

Amanda ‘stonehenge’ ShendrukAssociate News Editor

associatenews@thefulcrum.ca

James ‘rune stone’ EdwardsWebmaster

webmaster@thefulcrum.ca

Jessica ‘block rockin’ beats’ Sukstorf Volunteer & Visibility

Coordinatorvolunteer@thefulcrum.ca

Megan ‘brock badger’ O’MearaStaff Writer

Alex ‘rocky horror picture show’ MartinStaff Illustrator

Inari ‘magma’ Vaissi NagyJiselle ‘lava’ Bakker

Ombudsgirlsombudsgirl@thefulcrum.ca

Travis ‘rock lobster’ BoisvenueOmbudsboy

ombudsboy@thefulcrum.ca

Nicole ‘bob rock’ GallStaff Proofreader

Robert ‘roch voisine’ OlenderOn-campus Distributor

Deidre ‘rock’n robin’ ButtersAdvertising Representative

ads@thefulcrum.ca

Ross ‘rock of ages’ PrusakowskiBusiness Manager

business.manager@thefulcrum.ca

Volume 69 - Issue 16Dec. 4, 2008–Jan. 7, 2009

phone: (613) 562-5261fax: (613) 562-5259

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Staff

Dave ‘mica’ AtkinsonJessica ‘rock talk’ Carter

Kristyn ‘irock’ FilipIan ‘rock the vote’ Flett

Phil ‘rockabilly’ FlickingerDaniel ‘rock steady’ Harris

Andrew ‘rocky’ HawleyCamila ‘rocky II’ Juarez

Hisham ‘rocky III’ KelatiLisa ‘rocky VII: adrian’s revenge’ Le

Jaclyn ‘rocky IV’ LytleCarl ‘rocky V’ Meyer

Jordan ‘shock rock’ MoffattRyan ‘rocky balboa’ Pilarczyk

Anna ‘folk rock’ RocoskiAmlake ‘i am a rock’ Tedla-Digaf

Contributors

cover photo

by Ian Flett

Additional images courtesy www.sxc.hu

fPraying to Giftzilla since 1942.

Dec. 4, 2008–Jan. 7, 2009Editorial Frank Appleyard

Editor-in-Chiefeditor@thefulcrum.ca 23

Name Strengths Weaknesses Next step Verdict Grade

Dean Haldenby SFUO president

Undertook an extremely ambitious • project in planning for a new student centre. Has taken a fi rm stance in support of • equality and student rights when dealing with the administration.Helped push the U-Pass to within one • vote of City acceptance.

CFS referendum occupied too much • of his time, rendering him frequently invisible.The Student Association for the • Faculty of Arts’ (SAFA) decision to examine relations with the SFUO is somewhat troubling, as relations with federated bodies are Haldenby’s responsibility.Some complaints that Haldenby’s • SFUO has not reached out to unin-volved students with enough effort or frequency.

Increased consultation of the student body will help to round out work on his projects and improve rela-tions with both SAFA and undergraduate students in general.

Has presented a grand vision to undergrads while capably overseeing the SFUO’s day-to-day operations.

B+

Joël LaroseSFUO vp social

Led the organization of a virtually fl awless • 101 Week—the position’s most signifi -cant undertaking.Has kept up the frantic pace of social • planning on campus, putting together a concert series, and planning the revived SFUO Winter Games, among other initiatives. Oversaw a rejuvenated Shinerama cam-• paign, with a $30,000 increase over last year’s fundraising efforts.

Raised eyebrows with the unexpect-• ed Wake Up and Vote wakeboarding event, although it showed a willing-ness to think outside the box.

Has set the bar high for the upcoming semester. Must work hard to maintain the frequency and quality of social events.

A very strong semester from the fi rst-term vp. A

Seamus WolfeSFUO vp university affairs

One of the SFUO’s most visible and • passionate executives.Heavily involved in the defeat of the • administration’s proposed code of conduct, and in working toward a student bill of rights. Acts as a bridge between students and • levels of governance; created the SFUO’s collegial governance coordinator; lobbied on students behalves at various levels. Opened the Campaigns Committee to all • students.

Intense focus on Drop Fees led to an • absence of SFUO campaigns.Adamant political views can make • him a divisive fi gure at times.

A revival of SFUO in-house campaigns.

Passion is never in question—though his representation of the student body’s views sometimes is.

B

Danika BrissonSFUO vp student affairs

Has dramatically increased services and • funding available to clubs.Expanded last year’s Green Week into the • much larger Green Weeks.Heavily involved in work on sustainability • within the SFUO.

Works behind the scenes as one of • the more invisible executives.Her portfolio lacks the ongoing major • projects that could truly defi ne her second term as vp student affairs.

Would benefi t from greater interaction with students, and putting a face on the SFUO’s student services

Brisson has brought both stability and continued growth to the portfolio.

B

Julie SéguinSFUO vp communications

Worked heavily on promoting bilingual-• ism and strengthening the francophone community. Placed increased emphasis on Facebook • and other non-traditional media in event promotion.Has pushed for—and received—off-• campus media exposure for the SFUO.

Has not offered the new and • ambitious approach to the portfolio on which she campaigned during elections.Several projects are still incomplete • after eight months of her term (website redesign, campus-wide TV screens, overhauled events calendar).Seems to have gotten too actively • involved in campaigns and initiatives, rather than sticking to the public relations-heavy job description.

Revive the passionate and innovative promoter students voted for in February.

While students have been presented with information about the SFUO’s services, events, and campaigns, Seguin has not been the vp that students were expecting.

C-

Roxanne DuboisSFUO vp fi nance

Soundly managed the SFUO’s fi nances • thus far, as the union’s budget and spend-ing have been non-issues.Oversaw the birth of the new Café Alter-• natif food space and retooling of the Pivik’s space and food services.Worked to institute vegetarian, vegan, • and green focuses in SFUO businesses.

Has been more visible in her role with • the Yes committee in the CFS referen-dum than for any SFUO undertakings.Some murmured complaints from • federated bodies about lack of sup-port from the vp fi nance.Health plan confusion and uncertain-• ty is still rampant among undergradu-ate students.

Holding open forums on fi nancial questions—including how to reinvest SFUO surpluses back in students—would increase both visibility and account-ability.

Has worked mostly behind-the-scenes, but has handled the portfolio capably.

B-

SFUO fi rst-semester report cards

Check out the Fulcrum on Jan. 8 for a wrap up of the Graduate Students’ Association (GSAÉD) executive’s fi rst semester.

© 2008 A l I All i h d L387316A CE

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