ContentsContentsCelebrating 75 years on campus

X marks the spot

Easy victory

The Good Samaritan

NewsNews

ArtsArts

SportsSports

FeatureFeature

p. 5p. 5

p. 13p. 13

p. 21p. 21

p. 16p. 16

The U of O’s School of Nursing has come a long way, as Amanda Shendruk explains. p. 5

Kenny Dodd checks out last weekend’s Home-coming celebrations. p. 5

Anna Coutts takes a snapshot of Festival X. p. 13

Danielle Blab shows you the NAC’s Happy Days. p. 13

Men’s football team brushes aside the Waterloo Warriors. p. 21

Men’s baseball team suffers another winless weekend in a winless season. p. 23

How to help those that need it. p. 16

Di comments on deforestation of the crotch. p. 30

Women-only is not equality

Re: It’s not your penis (Letters, Sept. 18)AS A FULL paid-up U of O student who both uses the school’s fi tness facilities and happens to be male, I think that if women are to be ac-corded female-only fi tness hours, then all male students should have a reduction of their incidental fees (or, conversely, all female students should be charged higher incidental fees). In what demented “equal” sys-tem should I pay the same amount of money for fewer services? If I am not welcome or permitted to attend the fi tness facilities for the same length of time as anyone else, why on earth should I be expected to pay the same as everyone else? Th e creation of “women-only” fi tness hours leaves innocent male students paying for time and services they cannot ac-cess.

Th is doesn’t even begin to address the fact that, while women may (and I in no way seek to deny this) face diff erent challenges when it comes to public fi tness facilities, providing a sexist, separatist solution does not alleviate these problems. It does not lead to a more inclusive environment.

All it does is send the message to more men and women like me that all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. I want no part of a university that believes that the only way to deal with the prob-lem of inequality is to create further inequality.

By all means, raise awareness of the issues women in general (and women of certain religions) face when it comes to the use of fi tness facilities. By all means fundraise to provide separate workout facilities for these students, but do not use my money or the facilities that I pay for and then deliberately exclude me from them. Th is solves nothing, and leaves a poor taste in everyone’s mouth.

Faris Lehn’s response has already made me regret my vote for his lead-ership of the Political, International and Development Studies Student Association. Nearly half of the stu-dent body now faces discrimination and his only reply seems to be “we had it coming”. Well I did not, and I am willing to bet that neither did most students now facing unfair re-strictions on the use of facilities they have helped to fi nance.

Gregory MillsFourth-year political science student

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Sandy Hill appreciation

Re: Drawing the line in Sandy Hill (Editorial, Sept. 18)AS A FORMER Sandy Hill resident I think the Fulcrum nailed it right on the mark with a very reasoned edi-torial referring to the zero-tolerance campaign by Ottawa Police Services (OPS) in Sandy Hill, the ByWard Market, and Vanier, which ran Sept. 11–13. I’ve had my share of broken bottles thrown on my front porch and drunken students destroying my fl ower beds, but these were rare oc-casions. Th e majority of students fi t nicely into the neighbourhood and give Sandy Hill its bohemian char-acter. As an owner of a nightclub in the ByWard Market, I welcome these blitzes by the OPS because they make our streets safer, punish illegal behav-iour, and enhance our quality of life. It’s commendable to see the student newspaper at U of O taking a lead-ing role in helping students and resi-dents understand each other to build a pleasant community.

Eugene HaslamOwner, Zaphod Beeblebrox

Supporting student senators

Re: Supporting academic amnesty (Letters, Sept. 18)ARROGANT. THAT IS the only way I can describe last week’s letter by Mike Fancie criticizing the decision of Allison Enright and Joseph Wesley Richards II to vote against the day of academic amnesty at the most recent Senate meeting.

I object strongly to Mr. Fancie’s decisions to equate a vote against the day of academic amnesty with a misrepresentation of the needs of the student body and imply that Joseph and Allison do not support accessible education.

If our university’s Senate were to tell us that this day of action to lower tuition fees is more important than our education, wouldn’t that be rather ironic? Well, by encouraging us to skip classes, labs, tests, etc. without fear of repercussions, they are doing just that. Th e student body is here to be educated. Despite the apparently exorbitant tuition fees, every student at this university, and at others across Canada, votes with his or her wallet each year that the education is worth

the tuition. It would appear to me that a vote against an administration-sponsored skip day represents the student body quite well.

I particularly resent Fancie’s com-ment: “I am ashamed and baffl ed by their decision; any other student who believes in the right to accessible edu-cation should feel the same way.” I for one support accessible education for all, but am fi rmly opposed to the Canadian Federation of Students/Student Federation of the University of Ottawa campaign to lower tuition. Th inking that his way is the best way is entirely understandable, but think-ing that his way is the only way is ar-rogant and short-sighted.

Th ese two student senators voted as they felt was right, and I fully sup-port them in their decision.

Luc LendrumSecond-year electrical

engineering student

Poking holes in the penis debate

Re: No penises allowed (Editorial, Sept. 11)I CAME AWAY from your editorial wondering whether you took issue with Sports Services for an inadequate process and lack of consultation, the pilot project itself, or both.

I agree that the implementation of female-only gym/swim hours is sexist, but for diff erent reasons; I think male-only hours should exist as well. You mentioned the body-image issues that both men and women face, as well as religious reasons for same-gender pri-vate time. I don’t see why female-only gym/swim time would be a problem if the male equivalent existed as well.

You made the point that some peo-ple see the gym as a place to pick up, much like other places around cam-pus. You also mentioned that both men and women are self-conscious. I don’t know about you, but I feel par-ticularly vulnerable when I’m work-ing out and sweaty, or in a swim-suit. I avoid gyms for this reason. While sensitivity training for gym staff would be great, how practical is it to off er this as an alternative to same-gender gym/swim time? What are the criteria for staff intervention? Would this training stop people from staring at each other? If I look at someone the wrong way, am I going to get a lecture? What is acceptable and not acceptable

when people’s levels of comfort and discomfort in diff erent circumstances are so varied?

As important as campaigns like Take Back the Night and Step It Up! are in sensitizing people to sexism and tackling subconscious patriarchy, no amount of outreach can replace the security felt when in the company of one’s own gender—regardless of sexual orientation. While the Student Federation of the University of Ot-tawa is a proponent of gender equal-ity, it also advocates positive space where everyone should feel secure and free from discrimination. I think that same-gender gym/swim time, if off ered to both genders, is a good complement to regular co-ed gym/swim time.

As far as process goes, put to a vote, do you think the student body at large would agree with this pilot project? If a few female students stand up and say, “I don’t feel this service is nec-essary”, do they speak for all women on campus? If a majority of students polled voted against the same-gender time, does this negate the popula-tion that do feel the need for that safe space? In political thought, this is termed “tyranny of the majority”.

I encourage any male students in favour of having their own swim/gym time to form a group, perhaps through the “Tough Guise” men’s group at the Women’s Resource Cen-tre, get a petition together and submit it to Sports Services. Everyone’s needs deserve to be respected, without step-ping on each other’s toes.

So there are three fewer hours men can swim [and work out] every week. Th ey still have the remaining however many more hours. Is it really such a huge sacrifi ce if it brings comfort and safe space to people who feel they need it?

Celeste CôtéFormer SFUO

campaigns coordinator

Addressing inequality

Re: No penises allowed (Editorial, Sept. 11)THE REASONS FOR implementing women-only gym and swim hours are much more complex than portrayed in “No penises allowed”.

LETTERS continued on p. 3

Got something to say?

Send your letters to editor@thefulcrum.ca

Letters deadline: Sunday, 1 p.m.Letters must be under 400 words unless

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Drop off letters at 631 King Edward Ave. or e-mail

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Letters must include your name, telephone number, year, and program of study. Pseud-onyms may be used after consultation with the editor-in-chief. We correct spelling and grammar to some extent. The Fulcrum will exercise discretion in printing letters that are

deemed racist, homophobic, or sexist.

We will not even consider hate literature or libel-lous material. The editor-in-chief reserves the

authority on everything printed herein.www.thefulcrum.ca

Sept. 25–Oct. 1, 2008Letters Frank Appleyard

Editor-in-Chiefeditor@thefulcrum.ca 2

LETTERS continued from p. 2

Women-only hours are about build-ing and creating a space that works for women, both as members of the campus community and as paying patrons of the gym and pool. Setting aside these hours enables women to work out in an environment that is less intimidating, one in which the primary focus is fi tness. While some people may go to the gym to fi nd a potential partner or hookup, not all do. Others may appreciate the oppor-tunity to work out in a space where the focus is instead simply on becom-ing a healthier person.

Th e gym can be intimidating for women because it is a space that has been traditionally male-dominated and unwelcoming for women. It is also a place where an extraordinary amount of emphasis is placed on physical appearance and competition. Given that women are socialized to be constantly critical of their physical ap-pearance, it is easy to understand why some women might want to work out in an environment free of these pres-sures.

As is oft en the case with positions of privilege, the editorial in ques-tion argues that women should adapt themselves to the male “norm”. Th e suggestions it provides ask women to remove themselves from the public gym space they have paid for.

Ultimately, the advent of women-only gym and swim hours is an ac-knowledgement that there is an issue of inequality on campus and in soci-ety that has to change. It is a promis-ing step in the right direction that is welcomed by many women.

Sarah McKinnon, Katie Verhoeven, Jordan Leichnitz

SFUO Women’s Resource Centre

I’m not saying the Fulcrum is sexist, but…

Re: “No penises allowed” (Editorial, Sept. 11)“DON’T LET THIS sort of sexism start here” are the fi nal words of the editorial “No penises allowed”. I would hope that this sort of sexism would have evaded writer Ben My-

LETTERSSept. 25, 2008 3www.thefulcrum.ca

Have Your Say

Will you attend the SFUO’s “Wake up and Vote” event on Sept. 26?

YesNoWhat’s that?

Go to www.thefulcrum.ca to cast your vote!

ers, but apparently my hopes are too high.

Th e irony of the article is laughable, as every point presented by Myers was later contradicted in his own words. Th e assumptions are ill founded and unwarranted. Ever heard of the say-ing, when you “assume” you make an “ass” out of “u” and “me”?

Th e author’s fi rst hypothesis as to why women-only gym hours have been instated in the smaller of the U of O’s two gyms, the Montpetit facil-ity, was that the changes must be a knee-jerk reaction to some sort of sexual harassment committed by the male student population, some sort of incident that Sport Services are trying to cover up as they won’t openly ad-mit to it. Maybe they won’t admit to it because no such event occurred? Continuing on his ridiculous idea that the changes to the gym hours are re-actionary, the author then goes on to say that not all men should be painted by the same brush. A bit of a paradox considering his sexist hypothesis.

Th e author then goes on to state that there was no public discussion before these changes took place. As a student who personally signed the petition for women-only gym hours to take place, I strongly object to his pontifi cating. Th e Women’s Resource Centre worked tirelessly last year to obtain this minimal change in gym hours. And the change is minimal. Th e women-only hours add up to three hours per week. Th at is three measly hours where women are in a safe, secure, and accepting environ-ment away from individuals who agree with the stance taken by the au-thor of this editorial that women-only gym hours are sexist, a waste, and other foul ideas. Why not use these three hours to embrace the feminist movement, or to use the newer, more spacious gym located in the Sports Complex, or to become more chau-vinist. Just stay away from the Mont-petit gym please.

Th e only other article mention-ing the new women-only gym hours, while less biased, had a highly de-rogatory title. Women still don’t earn equal pay for equal work in Canada, and the Fulcrum’s biggest issue is that men have one less place to be sexist on campus, for three hours a week. Please Fulcrum staff , don’t let this sort of sexism start here.

Jessica ShewbridgeTh ird-year psychology and women’s

studies student

Not about the Bloc

Re: Keeping the “Canada” in Canada’s University (Letters, Sept. 11)YOU MAY HAVE read the letter in the Sept. 11 edition of the Fulcrum, which was cleverly entitled “Keeping the ‘Canada’ in Canada’s University”. In this letter, a fellow second-year student professed his disgust with the T-shirt that I wore to the Sept. 6 Gee-Gees football game. For those of you who missed it, the “horrible t-shirt” was emblazoned with the text “I am a separatist. On Oct. 14 vote Bloc Qué-bécois”. Th is statement apparently

off ended letter-writer Michael Read because he claimed it “contradicts the message of our proud university”. He perceived this shirt as a “slap in the face” and urged me (along with oth-ers who support this message) to re-evaluate the values of our school.

I took Read’s advice, and I did re-evaluate. In doing so, I actually be-came more pleased with the fact that I had worn that shirt. Universities are meant to be a forum where we are free to express whichever views we choose to—whether or not they are the dom-inant ideology. Th e fact that Read linked a T-shirt supporting an offi cial federal political party to unfi t dissent is not only ludicrously unfounded, it in itself is completely contradictory of the democratic values circumscribed in the constitutions of Canada and the U of O. In actuality, I may not even intend on voting for the Bloc next month—I wore this shirt (which was gift ed to me from a friend) in or-der to raise awareness of the upcom-ing election. Th e party that I choose to vote for is irrelevant. I wonder if as much off ence would have been taken if I chose to sport a Conservative, Lib-eral, NDP, or Green Party shirt?

I am aware that his letter was not a personal attack, but rather an attempt to voice both a social frustration and political opinion. I hope my response will be read with similar consider-ation. I have zero intention of being off ensive, but I could not allow his letter to go without an educated re-sponse.

And while we are on the topic of educated responses, I hope all of you (whether you share the same senti-ments as myself, Read, or otherwise) will use the immense power we have as individuals and vote on Oct. 14.

Amalia SavvaSecond-year public

administration student

Th e U of O’s administration has hijacked our institution

ON SEPT. 11, at approximately 1:15 p.m., the Executive of the Univer-sity of Ottawa’s Board of Governors (EBOG), aft er holding a one-and-a-half-hour meeting behind closed doors, barred from the public by force of several Protection offi cers, ruled on the temporary suspension of physics professor Denis Rancourt. While the EBOG met in secrecy, Rancourt, and approximately 15 students, professors, and community members, stood out-side of the glass wall at the entrance to the university’s main governance facility in Tabaret Hall. Rancourt was prevented from attending and speak-ing at his own disciplinary meeting. Students, professors, and community members were prevented from ob-serving the deliberation. Th e ruling has yet to be divulged.

Since Aug. 20, 2007, the U of O has been pursuing Rancourt for openly criticizing university activities and for publicly exposing unethical uni-versity governance with his blog uo-fowatch.blogspot.com. Th e U of O fi rst attempted to coerce Rancourt into removing content from his blog

with a private lawsuit threat issued by U of O VP Resources Victor Simon, then with a threat of “discipline up to and including termination of employ-ment” issued by the Dean of the Fac-ulty of Science, André Lalonde. Th e U of O’s offi cial position is that Ran-court is violating a policy which states that, “Images found on the University of Ottawa website are the sole prop-erty of the University of Ottawa. Th ey may be used by faculty, staff , students and the news media solely for posi-tive promotion of activities related to the University of Ottawa” and “Th e images posted on the U of O watch blog site have not been used for posi-tive promotion of activities related to the University of Ottawa.” Rancourt explained on record that “criticism is positive, healthy, and necessary to produce change. Congratulatory niceties only support the status quo. Not exposing known problems en-courages their continuation. Criti-cism is vital work that needs to be encouraged rather than censored and attacked.”

On Sept. 11, at 12:10 p.m., while the EBOG begins their deliberation, a press conference is held in the court yard outside of Morisset Library, where Rancourt voices himself to the crowd:

“Th is blog is part of my work as a university professor. And the abso-lute legal proof of the fact that it is part of my work is the following: they couldn’t discipline me if it wasn’t part of my work. Now when a professor does his or her work in this way, the University has a legal responsibility to support that work, and to support academic freedom in performing that work. And instead of doing that, they’re trying to frustrate, they’re try-ing to censor, and they’re even going so far as to discipline. My own dean threatens to dismiss me outright.”

Th e press conference, and the events that ensued, including the en-counter with the protection offi cer-fortifi ed glass wall, are reported at length on uofovoice.blogspot.com. A documentary video portrays the insanity. La Rotonde was there to wit-ness it all. Th e Fulcrum chose to not publish this story.

Marc KellySixth-year physics and

mathematics student

It’s all about ethics

THE UPCOMING CANADIAN fed-eral election will serve as a statement for many issues. Th e Conservatives want the election to be about cer-tainty vs. risk. Th e Liberals and the Greens want the environment to be the central issue. Th e NDP want to make poverty the focal point.

I think the upcoming election needs to be about ethics. In 2006, when Stephen Harper was on the campaign trail, he made over 126 promises, one of them being to clean up government.

It has now been a little over a year and half and what has Stevo done for us lately? Well I’ll tell you.

He started off by breaking 120 out

of 126 promises, including reduc-ing wait times at hospitals, reducing student debt, and making education more accessible and getting tough on the environment.

Next, he ignored all of Justice John Gomery’s recommendations for im-proving accountability in Ottawa and even went as far as to create loopholes in his own legislation that could be exploited by his own party.

Aft erwards, there was the Cadman Aff air, Mulroneygate, various anti-gay and misogynist comments both in Parliament and in the media, al-legations of election corruption, and most recently breaking his own fi xed election date law.

Furthermore, Harper has dragged many a politician’s name through the mud with cheap personal attacks and radio/TV/street-corner propaganda that would have gotten any other Ca-nadian sued senseless long ago.

So much for accountability and in-tegrity, eh Mr. Harper?

If that wasn’t bad enough, just this month, while the economy goes down the toilet and hundreds of thousands of jobs are lost, Harper “found” $8.8 billion of our tax dollars to give away. Included in that reckless spending was $350,000 for an ice cream company in Prince Edward Island and $297,000 for a ski club in Newfoundland!

If that $8.8 billion had been given to the National Student Loan Ser-vice or to our universities, maybe students would have an easier time paying their bills and we wouldn’t be bombarded by corporate logos on every corner of our university cam-pus!

When you go to the polls on Oct. 14, send a message to Stevo. Tell him it’s not okay to be a hypocrite. Tell him it’s not okay to sewer our econ-omy and sell our environment to the Alberta oil companies. Most impor-tantly, tell him it’s not okay to be a corrupt politician!

Dave D’IntinoU of O alumnus and master’s

student in legal studies at Carleton University

Sept. 25–Oct. 1, 2008News Emma Godmere

News Editornews@thefulcrum.ca 5

by Kenny DoddFulcrum Contributor

STUDENTS PAST AND present came together this weekend to celebrate the University of Ottawa’s Homecoming 2008.

A university-wide celebration that saw many alumni come back to relive their glory days at the U of O, Home-coming—which was inaugurated in 2005—was created to bring together the many informal reunions that oc-cur each year on campus into a single, large offi cial occasion.

“We had the elements of a reunion within the [reunions of] faculties and groups of graduates, and we brought them together,” explained Danielle Bennett of the Alumni Relations Of-fi ce, which takes a leading role in the organization of the weekend. “It was just a matter of gathering it up and making a concerted eff ort: having

everything on the same weekend at the same time and with concentrated numbers of people.”

Homecoming has grown in size since its inaugural year, resulting in 3,000 registered participants for this year’s edition. Th e exact number of people who attend is diffi cult to pin down since many of the scheduled events do not require participants to register.

“A lot of the events are casual, and you can just drop in,” said Bennett.

Th is year’s festivities began on the night of Sept. 19 with a Homecom-ing Casino held on Tabaret lawn and a Wings and Beer night at 1848. Sept. 20 kicked off bright and early with a pancake breakfast held by Alumni Re-lations, and the highlights of the day included a fajita bar and a live per-formance by the Ottawa Stilt Union at lunch, the men’s football game between the Gee-Gees and the Uni-versity of Waterloo Warriors at Frank Clair Stadium in the aft ernoon, and a movie marathon on Tabaret lawn that ran 9 p.m.–4 a.m. Th e weekend wound down on Sept. 21 with high

tea and a family music fair held by the Department of Music and the Ottawa Chamber Music Society. Th e three days were also fi lled with a variety of faculty- and class-specifi c events.

Th e involvement of the U of O’s current undergrads in the festivities was crucial to the success of the week-end. While Homecoming is geared towards alumni, events such as the Gee-Gees football game and Wings and Beer night at 1848 catered to the younger crowd, and current students assisted with much of the organiza-tion of the weekend.

“Quite a number of our volunteers are students, and we employ students on an ongoing basis in our offi ce,” said Bennett. “We also plan events that are particularly created for the younger crowd.”

Despite the emphasis on the in-volvement of current students in Homecoming weekend, the Student Federation of the University of Ot-tawa (SFUO) did not formally par-ticipate in the event.

HOMECOMING continued on p. 6

Homecoming hits U of OAlumni take over

campus in the event’s fourth year

Students engage in some unhealthy competition at the Wings and Beer event.photo by Martha Pearce

by Amanda ShendrukFulcrum Staff

OVER 450 ALUMNI and guests at-tended the University of Ottawa’s School of Nursing Gala on Sept. 19 to celebrate the school’s 75th anniver-sary.

Presiding over the event as honor-ary chair was University of Ottawa Chancellor and U of O nursing alum-na (class of 1960) Huguette Labelle. Th e gala, which was held at the Hamp-ton Inn conference centre, included speeches from Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences Denis Prud’Homme, Director and Associate Dean of Nurs-ing Kirsten Woodend, and Labelle.

Marion Dewar, the admired former Ottawa mayor who passed away on Sept. 15, was scheduled to attend the gala. She was one of the school’s best-known alumni, graduating in 1968. In memory of Dewar, a memorial book was on display for signing by guests, and will be given to Dewar’s family.

Th roughout the night, alumni min-gled with patrons, faculty members, and current students. Th e oldest alum-na in attendance graduated in 1949, only 16 years aft er the school joined the university.

Th e school, which was established in 1896 by the Grey Nuns of the Cross,

Nursing nostalgia

U of O’s oldest faculty celebrates its diamond anniversary

was initially called d’Youville School of Nursing and was located at Ottawa General Hospital. In 1933, authority over the school was transferred to the U of O, becoming the sixth nursing school , and the fi rst bilingual one, in Canada.

When the school fi rst opened the faculty off ered two basic programs—a three-year diploma and a fi ve-year bachelor of science of nursing—whereas the school now off ers fi ve undergraduate and two graduate pro-grams. In October, the faculty’s fi rst PhD in nursing, Amélie Perron, will walk across the stage.

In 1933, the Faculty of Nursing was the fi rst professional school at the U

of O, and even today it holds a promi-nent place in the institution. With over 1,700 undergraduate and graduate students, the School of Nursing is the largest school on campus. Attendance has grown phenomenally since the school’s inception. In 1939, the school produced six graduates, whereas in 2008 over 300 nursing students re-ceived their degrees.

While many at the gala were refl ect-ing on the history of the school, Woo-dend took a moment to contemplate its future.

“I would see us getting to be one of the top schools of nursing for research in Canada,” she said. “I think that’s where we’re aiming, and there’s a good

chance that we can be.”She expected that the future of the

school will focus mainly on the growth and expansion of the nursing doctoral program and the continued develop-ment of research initiatives.

Woodend pointed out that since 2003 the school has experienced a 200 per cent jump in research grants.

Prud’Homme praised the school and agreed that the School of Nursing has a strong future in research.

“We have among our faculty mem-bers many international leaders and emerging leaders in nursing research,” he said in an e-mail. “I could tell you that our school of nursing is the best school of nursing in Canada.”

Student nurses march at the U of O in 1947.photo courtesy Kirsten Woodend

tawa’s Women’s Resource Centre, the march is a political statement aimed to raise awareness that vio-lence is still prevalent.

“We [women] should not be afraid,” she said, “nor should we

be made to feel as if we should be afraid.”

This year, the march will end at the University of Ottawa. An infor-mation fair will be held in the Agora near the Pivik on the main floor of

the Unicentre, which will feature various women’s organizations along with counselling, entertainment, and refreshments. The information fair begins at 8 p.m. and everyone is welcome to attend.

NEWS Sept. 25, 20086 www.thefulcrum.ca

HOMECOMING continued from p. 5

SFUO President Dean Haldenby pointed out that the SFUO does not actively plan events since Alumni Re-lations has specifi cally undertaken the organization of the weekend.

“It’s not that we wouldn’t like to par-ticipate, but the activities have been taken on by the university,” he said.

Haldenby added that he would be open to seeing the SFUO participate in future Homecomings, especially since it already contributes to the weekend through initiatives such as permitting the use of its bar, 1848.

“[Our participation] is defi nitely an option,” he said.

Bennett hopes that the success of this year’s version will allow for bigger and more diverse initiatives, and even greater participation.

“Homecoming is for everyone and we really want to keep building on it,” she said. “We really hope it’s an experience that our alumni wish to repeat.”

by Jolene HansellFulcrum Contributor

ON SEPT. 25, women and men will march downtown together as Take Back the Night returns to raise awareness and help to end violence against women. The annual march, celebrating its 30th anniversary in Ottawa, begins at 6:30 p.m. at Minto Park on the corner of Elgin and Gilmour Streets and will open with a vigil and speeches taking place at the women’s monument. With pots, pans, whistles, drums, horns, and tambourines in hand—which par-ticipants are encouraged to bring along—women will lead the march downtown to promote awareness of violence against women and to take action towards ending it. The rally is a symbolic reclamation of the city’s streets, a public space that the march aims to ensure is always safe for women.

According to Sarah McKinnon, advocacy officer for the Student Federation of the University of Ot-

Marching to end violence against womenTake Back the Night

celebrates 30 years in Ottawa

500$$to be won!

For details, keep an eye on your uOttawa e-mail account on September 23, 2008 Questions or comments? Contact Hélène Lacroix at 613-562-5954.

If so, complete our survey about your program of studies and we will enter you in a draw for one prize of $500.

Are you a third- or fourth- year student in one of the following programs?

Help us improveyour program

General

University of Ottawa

Sarah McKinnon (far right), advocacy offi cer at the Women’s Resource Centre and other staff members will be out in full force on Sept. 25.

photo by Martha Pearce

volunteer@thefulcrum.cavolunteer@thefulcrum.ca

NEWSSept. 25, 2008 7www.thefulcrum.ca

by Aaron KozakFulcrum Contributor

THE VOTE TALLY in the Sept. 17–19 referendum almost tripled the number of votes garnered in last spring’s Students’ Association of the Faculty of Arts (SAFA) executive elections.

Arts students were presented with the option of adding to their student levy a one-time $3 fee and a $1.50 subsequent yearly fee to sup-port Café Alternatif ’s future reno-vations and upkeep.

With the fi nal numbers total-ling 245 in favour and 26 against, the 271 total votes demonstrated a major increase in participation from students, compared to the 100

votes cast in the executive elections in March.

Michèle Lamarche, who co-founded a group dedicated to raising awareness about the café’s much-needed renovations called Project Alternatif, believes this is a sign that students are starting to show more responsibility and inter-est for their space.

“We broke down the apathy a lit-tle bit more,” said Lamarche follow-ing the fi nal tally of the results.

Th e referendum still needs to be approved by the Faculty of Arts be-fore the levy can be enacted for the 2009–10 academic year. Th e money received from the levy will go into an account set aside for the café’s upkeep and any add-ons that may be requested in the future, such as an improved sound system, more furniture, or other accessories that will make the café more appealing for students.

Despite Project Alternatif ’s suc-

cess and higher voter turnout for the referendum, Referendum Con-venor Caroline Frappier still be-lieves that many students display voter apathy.

“It’s kind of surprising that peo-ple aren’t aware of [the café] … It’s frustrating that a lot of students still don’t care when it concerns them,” said Frappier.

SAFA President Liz Doneathy has been waiting for the café’s reno-vations since their fi rst mention last fall. Although she applauded Lama-rche and the rest of the students in-volved in Project Alternatif, she too agreed that many students are para-lyzed by a state of indiff erence.

“It’s sad to say, but a lot of peo-ple don’t care about anything other than coming to school and leaving,” she said. “Student apathy is unfortu-nately a harsh reality.”

Th e Café, located in the basement of Simard Hall, is slated to formally open in the second week of October.

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SAFA votes ‘yes’ for Café Alt levy

Voter turnout higher than

March elections

photo by Ian Flett

by Amanda ShendrukFulcrum Staff

“IF YOU WERE American, how many of you would vote for Obama?”

Arms immediately fi lled what little space was left in the crowded room.

“McCain?”Two lonely but defi ant hands fl ew up.

A laugh rippled throughout the group.It was a landside victory for Obama

that night. But most Americans aren’t U of O students, and when the U.S. goes to the polls on Nov. 4, the out-come likely won’t be as straightfor-ward.

On Sept. 22, about 75 University of Ottawa students and community members packed into a classroom in Desmarais Hall to hear what three ex-perts on American politics had to say about the U.S. election and its impact on Canadians.

During the panel discussion, which was organized by the Centre for International Policy Studies and

the Graduate School of Public and International Aff airs, Peter Harder, former deputy minister at Foreign Af-fairs and International Trade Canada; Michael Kergin, former Canadian Ambassador to the U.S.; and Jeff rey Simpson, a national aff airs columnist with the Globe and Mail, discussed a campaign that, Harder claimed, will be ingrained in history.

Kergin kicked off the dialogue by describing the main characteristics of Obama. He portrayed him as the “consummate outsider”, and Amer-ica’s fi rst “post-racial” candidate. He also highlighted Obama’s “intellectual fi repower and eloquence”, and his “ex-traordinary ambition and confi dence”. Kergin closed with a crisp summation of his thoughts on the election.

“It’s Obama’s to lose,” he said.Simpson followed Kergin’s com-

ments with a brief description of McCa-in’s campaign. Simpson attended both the recent Democratic and Republican conventions and witnessed fi rst hand

the spark of life that Sarah Palin’s vice-president nomination brought back to McCain’s campaign. He described Pa-lin’s nomination as a “brilliant tactic”, and said it was one of the strategies that recently narrowed the gap between Obama and McCain.

Finally, Harder, who is also a mem-ber of the U of O’s Board of Gover-nors, discussed the campaigns from a broader perspective, refl ecting on the phases of the presidential race and speculating about what surprises or gaff es the fi nal stage may hold. Hard-er concluded by stating that neither candidate has yet clinched the race.

“We’re fi ve weeks away, anything could happen,” he concluded.

During the question period that followed, the panelists had many op-portunities to expand on possible impacts of the American election on Canadian politics.

ELECTION PANEL continued on p. 10

Proclaiming Obama and explaining McCain

photo by Jack Wang

Panelists Michael Kergin and Jeffrey Simpson answered questions regarding the U.S. election on Sept. 22.

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LAST APRIL’S BOARD of Governors (BOG) meeting undoubtedly ended the 2007–08 academic year on a sour note. Students were barred from en-tering the Senate chambers in Tabaret Hall fi rst upon claims that the meet-ing was private and the guest list only included some student media and administrators, and subsequently be-cause there was fear of violating build-

ing fi re codes. Demonstrators resorted to banging on outside windows and doors and eventually police interven-tion forced a side meeting between a Protection offi cer and two of the demonstrating students to try to settle the dispute.

Th is was in stark contrast to Sept. 22’s meeting that opened with a reception fea-turing a string quartet and fi nger foods.

Th e fi rst BOG meeting of the 2008–09 academic year wasn’t even in the Senate chambers. It was in the cha-pel—the much larger hall in the north end of Tabaret Hall that is home to the annual student-cards-and-loans extravaganza in early September.

It’s the type of room that can cer-tainly hold a lot of people, but apart from a handful of administrators and a few student journalists, the multiple

rows of chairs set up were left com-pletely empty.

Both University of Ottawa Presi-dent Allan Rock and Chair of the BOG

Marc Jolicoeur expressed, at the start of the evening, their intent to bring the public meeting to a larger space in order to accommodate anybody who wished to witness the goings-on of the university administration.

Nobody seemed to take advantage

of this opportunity. Dates, times, and agendas of BOG meetings are always posted on the U of O’s website and the room change was advertised both

there and on posters in Taba-ret Hall.

Granted, there were more controversial items on the agenda last April—the uni-versity had used a commer-cial title in naming a terrace at Tabaret Hall, and students wanted to shed light on the fact that it was against univer-sity policy to do so—but it was still unfortunate to see no one take advantage of the trans-parency this new administra-

tion seems to be so willing to off er. According to Federico Carvajal,

who was vp services for the Graduate Students’ Association (GSAÉD) at the time, it was former U of O president Gilles Patry who denied students’ en-try into the public meeting last April.

Th is time, we’re seeing the current president welcome observers practi-cally with open arms, and no one is even waiting at the door.

Th e code of conduct, originally formed under Patry’s former admin-istration, and having faced resistance from students last April, has been quashed. A students’ bill of rights is currently being draft ed under a part-nership between the university and the two student unions on campus. It’s only September, and the administra-tion has already made a great eff ort to express their openness on campus.

Students have gotten so accustomed to trying to make their voices heard when the university refuses to listen. At this point, all eyes and ears are on the students: now that the opportunity has been won, it’s time to take advan-tage of what was fought for.

news@thefulcrum.ca613-562-5260

Green leader kicks off green campaign

VANCOUVER (CUP) – GREEN PARTY LEADER Elizabeth May kicked off her coast-to-coast cam-paign at a rally in Vancouver, B.C. on Sept. 21. May will be travelling from the West Coast to Truro, N.S., via train, and will make 90 stops in towns and cities along the way to publicize the Green Party platform. While all of the other national par-ties have chartered jets to fly their leaders across the country, May’s choice of transportation reflects the Green Party’s commitment to run-ning a carbon-neutral campaign.

During her send-off at the Van-couver train terminal, May re-marked that she was optimistic that her appearance in the forthcoming nationally televised leaders’ de-bates would increase support for the Greens among the electorate. Recent polls by Angus Reid sug-gest that even in environmentally friendly British Columbia, the Greens place a distant fourth with

only 14 per cent of voters support-ing the party.

—Sam VanSchie, Western Bureau Chief

CFS, David Suzuki kick off Canada-wide university tour

ST. JOHN’S (CUP) – THE CANA-DIAN FEDERATION of Students (CFS) is promoting the importance of student funding, a sustainable environment, and the power of vot-ing in this year’s federal election—messages they hope will sway voters and candidates alike—by launching a tour across Canada.

In collaboration with sustain-ability organizations like the Sier-ra Youth Coalition and the David Suzuki Foundation, the CFS has developed a nation-wide Students for Sustainability Campus Tour, in which they will send delegates to various post-secondary institu-tions to spread the word about the importance of encouraging stu-dents to get involved in national issues and how this applies to the

environment.At the same time, the Canadian

Youth Climate Coalition branch of CFS will present their Power to Vote campaign, which encourages young people to vote and partici-pate with issues like environmental sustainability.

The tour will travel to 21 uni-versities in 30 days, starting in St. John’s, N.L. on Sept. 30, and will include a stop at the University of Ottawa on Oct. 9.

—Ian MacDonald, The Muse

Jack Layton speaks to students in N.L.

ST. JOHN’S (CUP) – NEW DEMO-CRATIC PARTY leader Jack Layton addressed students during a cam-paign stop at Memorial University in St. John’s, N.L. on Sept. 12. In a speech geared towards post-secondary stu-dents and young voters, Layton pledged that if elected to power, the NDP would table post-secondary ed-ucation legislation that would ensure regular federal transfer payments to

provinces to fund university and col-lege education.

Layton also took the opportunity at Memorial to reaffi rm his party’s positions on a number of other is-sues. With respect to the rising price of gas, Layton vowed to take on oil corporations, whom he accused of gouging consumers, and restated the NDP’s intention to immediately pull Canadian troops out of Afghanistan if elected.

—Ian MacDonald, Th e Muse

Ryerson’s First Nations students at risk of losing funding

TORONTO (CUP) – ABOUT 150 STUDENTS could lose their educa-tional facilities and funding if the pro-vincial and federal governments can’t decide who should fund the First Na-tions Technical Institute’s (FTNI) joint program with Ryerson University in Toronto.

Th e FNTI has had a close partner-ship with Ryerson University for al-most a decade. Last spring, the federal government, one of the school’s biggest

fi nancial contributors, cut $1.5 million of funding, arguing that education should be under Ontario’s jurisdiction. Th e province, however, claims that FNTI’s head offi ce in Tyendinaga Mo-hawk Territory is on a native reserve, which is not their responsibility.

Th e school was about to close down last April when the provincial govern-ment issued $1.5 million to make up for the cut, but maintained the fund was only a one-time investment and called upon the federal government to take more responsibility.

Ryerson and FNTI off er programs in administration and public governance as well as social work in Ontario. First Nations students can graduate with a Ryerson University certifi cate, ad-vanced certifi cate, or degree depend-ing on the length of schooling.

A strategic consultant report—sug-gested and paid for by the federal gov-ernment—will review the institute’s operations and give recommendations on its sustainability, and will be tenta-tively available to the public by the end of the year.

—Joyce Yip, Th e Eyeopener

News in briefNews in brief

Vote of confi dence

Emma GodmereNews Editor

MIA at the BOG

No one really takes advantage of the transparency this new administration seems to be

so willing to offer.

NEWSSept. 25, 2008 9www.thefulcrum.ca

photo by Oker Chen (CUP)

NEWS Sept. 25, 200810 www.thefulcrum.ca

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Tories aim to toughen laws for young criminals

THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY of Canada would extend lifelong prison sentences to young off enders 14 and older and would allow their names to be released publicly in cases of murder, manslaughter, or aggravated assault, if the party is re-elected.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is

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ELECTION PANEL continued from p. 7

Canadian support for Barack Obama is strong, Harder noted, and it cuts across all demographics. In the case of a Democratic win, U.S.-friendly Stephen Harper may have less diffi culty selling cooperation with the Americans to a population that favours the president, Harder sug-gested.

“It would be a godsend for Harper if Obama wins,” he said.

Th e outcome of the American elec-tion will certainly aff ect Canadian politics. Th e issues most infl uenced, the panelists suggested, will be those surrounding free trade and the North American Free Trade Agreement, border control, arctic sovereignty and policy, and dialogue about the envi-ronment.

“Americans may save us from our-selves,” Simpson said in response to a question about the impact of U.S. en-vironmental policies on Canada. If a cap-and-trade policy is implemented in the U.S., he explained, Canadian businesses might follow suit on emis-sion reductions in order to be more appealing cross-border trade partners.

When questioned about the impor-tance of the American election to Ca-nadian students, Simpson was quick to point out that the future of both countries belongs to today’s youth.

“So much of what we do, and so much of what we think, and so much of how we behave in this country is in response to what happens in the United States … [Students] should try to understand [the U.S.] because what they do has a considerable infl uence, direct or indirect, on how we comport ourselves in Canada,” he said.

Nearing the end of the panel, the speculative nature of the discussion prompted Harder to joke about the dif-fi culty in predicting election outcomes.

“I’ll give you the right answer on Nov. 5,” he said.

Before the audience exhausted its questions, moderator Roland Paris, director of the Centre for Interna-tional Policy Studies, closed the dis-cussion.

Aft er suggesting that the three re-turn for a follow-up election dialogue, he thanked the panelists.

“If the quality of television [politi-cal] analysis were this good I would renew my cable subscription!” he joked.

betting that the proposal, announced Sept. 22 in Ottawa, will reiterate that the Conservatives are tough on crime.

Currently, the Youth Criminal Jus-tice Act (YCJA) provides a maximum 10-year sentence for fi rst-degree mur-der for young off enders if tried as chil-dren. Six of those years are served in jail and four on conditional sentence. Th e act also prohibits the identifi cation of young off enders if they are under 18. Harper said he would allow a province-by-province reassessment, providing for the possibility that individual prov-inces could choose their own publica-tion ban age.

In a Globe and Mail article published on Sept. 22, Queen’s University youth-justice expert Nick Bala cast doubt on the plan, explaining that there is a pos-sibility the proposal could not pass a

constitutional challenge given the Su-preme Court’s earlier rulings on young off enders.

Liberal leader Stéphane Dion, Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe, and NDP leader Jack Layton were all quick to dismiss the plan.

According to the Toronto Star, Dion said it would “repeat the mistakes of the right-wing United States” and con-trasted it with his own party’s stance on the YCJA, which states that “the system needs improvement, but not a radical overhaul.”

Duceppe, according to the Globe and Mail, called it “more weapons and prisons.” Layton also told the Globe he has “yet to meet anyone” who believes measures such as the Tory policy would work in lowering crime rates.

—Carl Meyer

Panelists discuss the American election on Sept. 22.photo by Jacob Hall

NEWSSept. 25, 2008 11www.thefulcrum.ca

by Joe HowellOntario Bureau Chief

LONDON (CUP) – IF THEY HAD known what the Liberals were about to promise, perhaps students would have had a warmer welcome for Stéphane Dion as he arrived at the University of Western Ontario in London to unveil his party’s post-secondary platform.

But the Grits had been so tight-lipped, UWO stu-dents couldn’t have known Dion’s bus was practically stuff ed full of cash for them. Otherwise, there probably would have been more than a small knot of people there to greet the bus when it pulled into campus Sept. 17.

Maybe the hundreds of millions of dollars Dion promised universities for research wasn’t exciting by itself. But it was coupled with guarantees of educational tax breaks; $5,000 federal loans available to every post-secondary student, re-gardless of their parental income; and a bonus $250 cheque for every stu-dent who holds a job.

Th e crowd was thicker and more boisterous in the windowless labora-tory Dion and his entourage quickly moved to aft er shaking a few hands. Th ere, a throng of students clad in Western-purple and Liberal-red shirts formed a strategic backdrop for the TV cameras, along with the many

microscopes cluttering the cramped lab.

Liberal Member of Parliament Bob Rae opened for Dion, setting the tone by interspersing snipes at Prime Minister Stephen Harper with quips. Referring to the engine trouble that forced the Liberal plane to land unexpectedly in Montreal, Rae said he’d been “up for most of the night drinking beer and yakking with friends—can anyone here re-late to that?”

Shortly aft er, Rae said that Harper “runs a one-man band”.

“We have a team—I think orches-tras do well—and we’re going to do

well in this election,” said Rae.Th e party leader tried to keep the

laughs going. “Nothing was going to stop me

from being here in London this morning. I would have jogged here,” said Dion. “Colleges and universities are critical to Canada’s success.”

Dion said that due to Canada’s small population and the mounting pressure from larger G-8 countries, the Liberals intend to build a “knowl-edge economy” based on “innovation and creativity”.

“Th e future productivity and eco-nomic success of Canada depends on the investments we make in research and development today,” said Dion, before promising to increase the amount of “indirect research fund-ing that universities will receive by 50 per cent, reaching an annual level of $500 million per year within our mandate.”

He also expressed a desire for a Canada where not only “the rich are able to broaden their minds with a di-ploma or degree”. To that end, Dion said he would improve tax credits, loans, and grants.

To reform the fi rst, a Liberal gov-ernment would scrap the existing student tax credits and instead institute a grant that would be payable to every student every three months, and would total about $1,000 when com-bined with the average stu-dent GST rebate.

“Students with a job will also get an additional $250 cash,” added Dion once the applause had died down, although he did not elabo-rate on how much or when students had to work to

qualify.It was probably the Liberal loan re-

forms that best heralded the shift in policy.

“Th e Liberal government will make all students eligible for guaranteed student loans of $5,000 regardless of parental income,” promised Dion.

Will it be enough to win over the post-secondary demographic and their parents?

One thing is certain—the Liberals are defi nitely strong in their attempts to court students.

Dion pledges to open federal wallet for studentsLiberals promise loans for all, regardless of

family income

Liberal party leader Stéphane Dion announces his party’s education plat-form at the University of Western Ontario on Sept. 17.

photo by Joe Howell (CUP)

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missioned by the RCMP to destroy 400 guns that had been confi scated,” explains Berube. “Th e mystery of them—and what I think makes them magical—is that we don’t know what these guns were used for, if it was for protection or some horrible scene.”

Berube urges people to check out as many Festival X galleries as they can, noting that there are “a number of hidden gems” that people may miss if they only visit one or two exhibits. In particular, he urges people to check out the IPO Gallery (110 O’Connor St.)

“It’s an investment fi rm, but they use their walls to show,” says Berube. “Not a lot of people will think to go there, because it’s not a traditional gallery, but it’s probably the most amazing stuff in the city.”

Th e IPO Gallery is showcasing Th e Uchronie Fragments, an exhibit by Os-heen Haruthoonyan.

“Th ey are manipulated photo-graphs, manipulated negatives, which are based on the loss of memory,” says Berube. “It’s very strong stuff .”

Gurd also recommends a num-ber of intriguing exhibits, including artist Geneviève Th auvette’s self-portraits, which are on display at the Dale Smith Gallery (137 Beechwood Ave.), and the Watershed exhibit at Redwall Gallery (168 Dalhousie St.), which has reinterpreted the festival’s theme.

Berube hopes that people will come to Festival X and leave “inspired”, “blown away”, and having “something to talk about”.

For gallery locations, a list of exhibi-tions, ticket prices, and more informa-tion, visit festivalx.ca.

Sept. 25–Oct. 1, 2008Arts & Culture Peter Henderson

Arts & Culture Editorarts@thefulcrum.ca 13

by Anna CouttsFulcrum Contributor

PHOTOGRAPHY TAKES CENTRE stage this month in Ottawa’s arts com-munity. Running Sept. 18–28, the sec-ond annual Festival X will showcase the talents of over 100 photographers in nearly 30 galleries throughout Ot-tawa and Gatineau. Since its incep-tion last year, the festival has nearly doubled in both the number of galler-ies and artists participating.

“[Festival X] is becoming quickly important [in the world of photog-raphy],” says Guy Berube, one of the festival’s founders and owner of La Petite Mort Gallery (306 Cumberland St). “I can tell that excitement is in the air.”

According to Geoff rey Gurd, Fes-tival X’s media representative, one of the reasons for starting the festival was to “raise the profi le of photogra-phy as an art form in Ottawa.”

Th is year, Festival X’s theme is “Th e Decisive Moment”, a term that is com-monly associated with the work of re-nowned photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. Cartier-Bresson is known for his exploration and innovation in photojournalism, yet his innovations in spur-of-the-moment photography defi ned a new style for both artists and professionals alike. His attempts to capture the decisive moment led to the creation of the street photogra-phy style, a spontaneous and impul-sive way of taking photographs that was the very antithesis of the staged photography of his contemporaries. As this year is the 100th anniversary of Cartier-Bresson’s birth, the execu-tive committee of Festival X decided it would be fi tting to pay homage to

Festival X offers a snapshot of Ottawa’s photographic talent

by Danielle BlabFulcrum Staff

IMAGINE BEING STUCK in a waist-deep mound of earth, unable to move, with the bright sun constantly glaring down on you, and every time you try to close your eyes and get some rest, a buzzer rings. Th is is the situation in which we fi nd Winnie, the protagonist of Irish playwright Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days, currently playing at the National Arts Centre (NAC). Beckett sur-prises and delights the audience with this un-expected setting that goes against all traditions and theatre-goers’ expectations. Winnie never moves from her landlocked position during the play, kept company only by a bag of assorted items and a rarely seen husband, Willie, who apparently resides in a hole on the other side of the mound.

Although one might expect Happy Days to lack dynamism due to the main character’s im-mobility, this production is consistently engag-ing and entertaining, largely due to actress Tanja Jacobs’s larger-than-life portrayal of Winnie and her grandiose facial expressions which project to the very back of the theatre.

Winnie shows her insecurity by being seem-ingly unable to stop talking and through her need to confi rm that Willie can hear her, even though he rarely responds. It would seem that Beckett’s portrayal of Winnie’s unusual incar-ceration of sorts is a metaphor for the plight of women in society. Beckett is credited with hav-ing said that only a woman could “cope with that and go down singing”, which is exactly what Winnie does.

HAPPY DAYS continued on p. 14

Happy Days in the capital

Tanja Jacobs stars as Winnie, the partially entombed protagonist of Happy Days.image courtesy National Arts Centre

his infl uential work. Although Festival X has an over-

arching theme, this doesn’t limit the types of pieces being displayed. Rath-er, the festival committee has made the utmost eff ort to ensure that the festival showcases a variety of styles from a number of emerging and sea-soned photographers.

“Th ere’s a fairly broad range of dif-ferent types of photographs showing in the galleries,” says Gurd. “Some are mostly landscapes, for example. Some lend more toward photojournalism. Some are portraits of famous people.”

Both Gurd and Berube agree that the main goal of Festival X is to in-crease discussion about the art of photography and its impact on soci-ety in both the past and the future.

“We want to increase dialogue about [photography],” says Gurd. “We want [to] increase people’s ability to talk intelligently about it, about why they like something or why they don’t like something.”

“To me, what successful photog-raphy is, is something that is meant to be reactionary,” says Berube. “So I would hope that people come in here

and have something to discuss to-wards what they saw, because I think that’s what it’s all about. If there is no reaction, then perhaps you failed.”

Berube says he’s particularly inter-ested in seeing how people react to Gun Control, one of the exhibits on display at La Petite Mort Gallery for the duration of the festival. Put to-gether by Toronto-based artist Steven James Brown, Gun Control features photographs of numerous guns that have been hammered to smithereens.

“[Brown] found these [guns] at a blacksmith’s, who had been com-

image courtesy Barbara Bolton

cial that we change the stuff we do; be brave and not just stuck with some old things we’ve done.”

When interviewed, the band was in Finland to rest, practice, and “keep girlfriends happy”, before launching the North American leg of their tour, which started on Sept. 21.

Although the concept behind Apocalyptica appears to be more Mo-zart than Metallica, the crash of the cymbals, the sinister tone of the cel-los, and the legitimate metal-inspired cello solos in their music can make even the most dedicated metal fans raise the devil horns.

“I think it’s a combination of the tenderness, those really fragile [ele-ments] that those classical instru-ments bring and that combined with the high energy, [and] the power [of metal],” he says. “You can fi nd those

in other bands. But the combination of those two in one band, I think that’s something special that’s [not] easy to fi nd.”

Th e three cellists, Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, Perttu Kivilaakso, and Sirén, the drummer, have gained some credibility and fame in both Europe and North America, and are now collaborating with some notable metal musicians. Th ey have Corey Taylor, lead singer of multi-platinum metal group Slipknot, singing lead vocals on their latest single. Th at’s one more thing that’s helping the evolu-tion of the band.

“I really look up to him. He is one of the most musical guys I have ever met,” Sirén says. “When you get to work with somebody who is really, really good at what he is doing, you sort of absorb things, even subcon-

sciously.”Sirén cited recording tracks with

Dave Lombardo of Slayer as another great opportunity. Before he joined the band, however, Sirén wouldn’t have cared much about being in the studio with a heavy metal demigod.

“I haven’t ever considered myself to be a metal drummer, because before [joining] the band I [rarely] listened too carefully [to] metal music,” he says. “I didn’t own any metal albums at that time. For the fi rst three years, the cello players were more metal than me.”

Learning about heavy metal and its fan base has been enlightening for Sirén.

“It always makes me feel bad be-cause people have so many prejudices against metal music and about the au-dience. Th ey think it’s really negative,

but in real life it’s really supportive, really caring.”

Defying expectation is something that Sirén has come to enjoy. Per-forming on the main stage at some of Europe’s largest metal festivals, including the Wacken Open Air and the Graspop Metal Meeting, Apoca-lyptica gets a range of reactions from unsuspecting metalheads.

“People really don’t believe their eyes or ears. ‘Where’s the guitar player? When is he going to come on stage? Or is he behind a curtain?’”

By the end of the concert, most fans have learned to just kick back and rock out to a truly unique band—one that can use those elegant cellos to shove metal up your ass.

Apocalyptica performs Sept. 24 at Capital Music Hall. Tickets are $20.

ARTS Sept. 25, 200814 www.thefulcrum.ca

HAPPY DAYS continued from p. 13

Despite all the hardships she faces, including the neglectful treatment she has received from her husband since he proposed to her—his only romantic gesture—Winnie doesn’t let herself get depressed. Although she sometimes displays shades of resentment and loneliness, she is de-termined to put on a brave face and deems that no matter what her tiny victory for the day, re-gardless of how negligible it may be, “it will have been a happy day aft er all, another happy day.”

Humour is the glue that holds this one-woman show together. Th e play is full of liter-ary references of all kinds, including allusions to Milton’s Paradise Lost and various works of Shakespeare. However, Winnie has not memo-rized the lines properly and quotes the half-remembered passages with varying levels of dramatic fl air, oft en with a sense of irony or for humourous eff ect. As an aid to audiences, the NAC provides a list of these passages in the

program, including both Winnie’s interpreta-tion of them and the original passage in full. Director Leah Cherniak’s note in the program states that it is the “tragic/comic nature” of Beckett’s plays that makes them so compel-ling.

Th e audience is oft en drawn in to empathize with Winnie and to wonder what exactly she means by many of the things she says. Toward the very end of the play, many elements are left open to interpretation, with myriad possibilities and signifi cations to be considered. Th is open-ness to interpretation is what makes Happy Dayssuch a fascinating play, and illustrates why Sam-uel Beckett’s works continue to be performed: they’re still relevant today.

Happy Days runs until Oct. 4 at the NAC (33 El-gin St.). Students who sign up for the Live Rush program can get same-day tickets, or tickets pur-chased the day before the show, for $11 (subject to availability). nac-cna.ca.

by Ben MyersFulcrum Staff

IT CAN’T BE blamed on the transla-tion. Mikko Sirén, drummer for the Finnish cello-metal band Apocalyp-tica, uses the terms “they” and “us” in particular ways to describe the trans-formation his band has undergone in the past decade. When talking about Apocalyptica, the cover band that played Metallica, Pantera, and Sep-ultura covers for its fi rst two albums in 1996 and 1998, he uses the term “they”. Th is could refer to the band in the years before Sirén joined, but it’s more about the transition to the band’s current form.

“It just came to the point that if they wanted to continue, if they want-ed to be fresh, to be excited [about] the band, they really needed to fi nd something new to do,” Sirén says.

Th en he makes the switch. “And to make our own songs, that’s

a way you can express yourself.”He switches back to “they” when

speaking in the past tense.“Th at was a thing that they aimed

for and I really have to be proud of the guys that they did it because it was a brave thing to do,” he adds.

Th e band switched to releasing albums that consisted primarily of original material in 2000, a move that some fans found unsettling. Sirén fi rst joined the band on stage in 2003, and became a full-fl edged member of the group in 2005—another step away from the cover band that translated Master of Puppets to chamber music.

“Of course, we know that some fans might be upset about it and that it’s the wrong thing to do,” Sirén says considerately. “But I also agree that the only way a band survives is to keep our minds fresh. It’s really cru-

Mozart and Metallica, together at lastFinnish

cello-metal band creates its own

genre

Apocalyptica do their cello-metal thing on stage at Germany’s Wacken Open Air festival in 2005.photo courtesy Apocalyptica

ARTSSept. 25, 2008 15www.thefulcrum.ca

Good Good MediocreMediocreFilm FilmLakeview Terrace Ghost TownA- C

ON THE SURFACE, Lakeview Terrace looks like just another thriller about a sociopath terrorizing a helpless couple.

Th e movie tells the story of interracial 30-some-thing newlyweds, played by Kerry Washington and Patrick Wilson, who have moved into their fi rst home in safe, upscale Beverly Hills as a Cali-fornia wildfi re begins to rage. On one of their fi rst nights in the new house, the couple make love in their new pool. Th eir neighbour—Samuel L. Jackson portraying a racist Los Angeles po-lice offi cer with some rage issues—witnesses the synchronized swim-ming and decides the couple is not suitable for his neighbourhood.

Th e escapade in the pool, coupled with Jack-son’s racist feelings towards his neighbours’ mari-tal decision, fuels his decision to make the couple’s lives miserable. Jackson destroys their air-condi-tioning unit, points his fl ood lights into their bed-room window, and slashes their tires. But Wilson’s character isn’t a saint either. He is disrespectful and naïve, and his alpha-male need to fi x every situa-tion on his own only causes more confl ict within his own family, and with his neighbour. Director Neil LaBute shoots their respective houses against a California horizon in fl ames. As the wildfi res

move closer, the action on screen grows more in-tense. By the end of the fi lm the entire neighbour-hood is under a cloud of thick smoke, which adds a sense of foreboding and creates tension in every scene.

Lakeview Terrace is a character study masquer-ading as a psychological thriller. It preys on basic human fears by asking the question: what hap-pens when you are being terrorized by the per-

son sworn to protect you? Jackson’s character is a so-ciopath. His scenes are so eff ective that it doesn’t take much for us to understand his motivations. Unfor-tunately, the pace lags in the middle, oft en showing three scenes when the act-ing, directing, and writing are good enough to get the message across in one.

Th is fi lm isn’t just about angry neigh-bours, but rather it touches on some deep-seated racial issues. Th e fi lm’s message is less about how to deal with disruptive neighbours and more about how racism still aff ects daily life in America. Lakeview Terrace is a perfect showcase of Jackson’s ability as an actor to play a complete sociopath and still be a joy to watch. Lakeview Terrace succeeds in simultaneously tackling tough issues and enter-taining the audience.

—Daniel Harris

GHOST TOWN IS not a horrendous movie; it’s just not very good. It gives us a few laughs but when it reaches for melodrama it falls fl at on its face.

Th e fi lm stars the great British comedian Ricky Gervais in his fi rst role as a leading man. Gervais plays Bertram Pincus, a man who is described by his co-worker as a “miserable fucking prick”. While un-dergoing a routine operation he is declared clinically dead for a short time and, upon his revival, discov-ers he can interact with ghosts. One of them, Greg Kinnear, promises he can make the ghosts disappear if Gervais helps break up the re-cent engagement of his widow, played by Téa Leoni. We soon realize however, that the fi ancé is a good guy, and Kinnear is just an asshole who doesn’t want his wife to be happy.

Th e fi lm does have its funny moments, mostly as a result of Gervais, whose shtick is simple—he is brilliant at playing a jerk-off . However, his

politically incorrect and grating persona, which grew from his characters on the BBC’s Th e Offi ce and Extras, is starting to grow tiresome. As the fi lm progresses, it becomes clear that Gervais and Kinnear are so cynical and mean that they cease to be funny and come across as miserable human beings, taking the audience down with them.

Th e fi lm also takes an unwise detour into melodrama when Gervais must help the ghosts that haunt him with their unfi nished business. What results is a four-minute mon-tage that is meant to make us cry but in-stead comes across as a poorly edited music video.

Writer/director David Koepp must have written the fi lm with Gervais in

mind. Th e dialogue is perfectly suited for Ger-vais’ acting style, but when it comes to Kinnear and Leoni they simply coast through on charm. Gervais is great and the fi lm has a few laughs, but you won’t be missing much if you decide to stay home and rent Th e Offi ce on DVD.

—Daniel Harris

Jackson’s character is a sociopath. His scenes are so effective that it doesn’t take

much for us to understand his motivations.

As the fi lm progresses, it becomes clear that Gervais and Kinnear are so cynical and mean that they cease to be funny and come across as miser-

able human beings.

images courtesy Lionsgate, Paramount Vantage, Dreamworks, Screen Gems

UNLIKE THE PAINFUL fl op Good Luck Chuck, My Best Friend’s Girl doesn’t try to turn sardonic comedian Dane Cook into some cutesy roman-tic lead. It lets him be the smart-alecky ass-hole his fans all know and love. Cook plays Tank, a cocky bastard who is so good at being a bad date he makes a living off it. Trouble arises when his roommate Dustin, played by Jason Biggs, begs him to use his jackass skills to help him win back his girl-

friend Alexis, portrayed by Kate Hudson. While most of the storyline is cookie-cutter romantic comedy, every time Tank takes a girl out on a

date from hell the movie be-comes worth watching. As usual, Hudson does an okay job playing a cutesy sweet-heart and Biggs works well in the role of the bumbling nerd. Th row in a vulgar Alec

Baldwin as Tank’s father and you have a surpris-ingly decent romantic comedy.

—Anna Coutts

ONE OF THE most politically influential fig-ures of the 18th century and the fashion icon of her time is brought to life by director Saul Dibb in The Duchess. Keira Knightley plays Georgiana Spencer-Cavendish, the Duch-ess of Devonshire, in a compelling film filled with intrigue, love, and emotion. In a time when men and women followed two differ-ent sets of rules, Spencer-Cavendish navigates her way through a difficult arranged marriage and sets out on a quest for true happiness and fulfillment. Knightley inhabits the role like a second skin; she seems to have been born to

play an aristocrat. Dibb provides the viewer with a faithful rec-

reation of 18th-century England. Beautiful cos-tumes add to the historical authenticity of the movie and serve as a valuable artistic component to the fi lm. Th ere are marvellous performances by Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling, Domi-nic Cooper, and Hayley Atwell that give their characters depth and complexity. Th e Duchess is an excellent fi lm that lets the viewer take part in the unfolding of one of the most dramatic sto-ries in British history.

—Maria Habanikova

This fi lm lets Dane Cook be the smart-alecky asshole his

fans all know and love.

My Best Friend’s GirlThe Duchess AA-

by Brianna ReidFulcrum Contributor

THERE IS A point in the school year when classes become mundane and work days begin to drag on. It is at this point when students look for something else to do with their time; some-thing meaningful. Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give.” Th e selfl ess act of volunteer-ing can provide those in need with much-needed support and care, while off ering a rich experience to someone looking to lend their time to deserv-ing causes. Ottawa has diverse volunteering op-portunities open to students and the Fulcrum has compiled a comprehensive list of the best places to start.

Volunteering at the University of Ottawa

Th e wide range of student services at the U of O makes for a great place to get introduced to vol-unteering. Students can volunteer between classes or on days off and are directly helping the people that surround them every day. Th e Student Fed-eration of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) is the best place to start, as the majority of student ser-vices fall under its umbrella. Th e Terminus on the second fl oor of the Unicentre serves as the hub of these services.

Th e Peer Help Centre off ers academic, social, and personal support through services like a help line, tutor referral service, and language work-shops, amongst other things. Th e centre looks for

three types of volunteers: peer mentors, peer lis-teners, and peer helpers. Peer mentors are paired up with high-school students to give them a per-son with whom they can talk about anything. Peer listeners off er an objective ear on the Peer Support Phone Line, a confi dential help line that is open to students who need advice or just want someone to talk to. Peer helpers are involved with the day-to-day administration of the centre and are available for active listening with students who drop in to chat. Farrah Issa, the service co-ordinator, explained the process for becoming a volunteer.

“You do have to be a U of O student and it’s not a complete in-and-out volunteer system,” she said. “We do ask that you apply and go through an interview process because we do look for cer-tain things in our volunteers. We want them to be both empathic and compassionate. Th e centre does expect a time commitment of at least three hours a week.”

Th e Pride Centre is the next stop in the Ter-minus and, as stated on its website, “off ers a safe place to celebrate sexual diversity—whether that means sexual orientation, identity, preferences, practices, or philosophies.” Th ere are various vol-unteer positions open to students who are inter-ested in helping out in this open environment.

“We have volunteers come in for social activi-ties, workshops, special events, and we’re this year starting up working groups,” said Patrick Hoban, the volunteer supervisor at the centre.

Th e working groups discuss topics covering sexuality in society and volunteers help lead the session and provide guidance to visitors. If this seems too hands-on, the Pride Centre is always looking for volunteers to hang around the offi ce and make sure no visitors feel shy or frightened when entering the centre.

“We do have mandatory volunteer training of-fered at least once a month,” said Hoban. “Th is provides an orientation of the service, going over the policies, and what people are expected to do as volunteers.”

Th e International House (IHouse) is the place to volunteer for exchange students, new Cana-dian citizens, or anybody looking to experience a taste of diversity. Th e centre off ers a wide range of activities, from movie nights and an annual boat cruise to potlucks, International Week, and the International Gala. Th ere are two types of volun-teers at IHouse: weekly volunteers and event vol-unteers. Weekly volunteers hold three or more of-fi ce hours a week and provide administrative help

in the offi ce while acting as open, outgoing rep-resentatives of IHouse for visitors to the centre. Event volunteers help with IHouse events and can off er any amount of time. Providing help here is a great way to gain some connections for that epic trip to Europe you have planned for the summer and it may even land you a sofa for a night.

Th e Bilingualism Centre caters to the various languages of the university, not exclusively French or English. Volunteers don’t have to be bilingual; the volunteer positions are open to people who are unilingual, bilingual, and multilingual alike.

Pascal Boyer, linguistic advocacy offi cer, ex-plains the diff erent opportunities available.

“We have three diff erent spheres of student life on campus. We have the linguistic advocacy, [so] we need people to help on the diff erent days that we are organizing, like Nov. 17 Bilingualism Day,” he said. “Th ere’s a cultural sphere [which involves] organizing a whole lot of activities like French music nights and Francophonie Week. Finally, we have the information sphere with a resource centre. So we would need volunteers to help with classifi cation, or various discussion groups that we off er.”

Finally, the Centre for Students with Dis-abilities welcomes all prospective volunteers. Th e service exists to promote the independence of students with disabilities. Th ere are several ways to get involved. Aft er a training session, volun-teers can become a member of the Accessibility Dream Team who look into issues of accessibil-ity in the university and help students with dis-abilities get around campus. Students can also volunteer by shoveling snow in the winter to clear the pathways and entrances. Th e centre expects an hour of commitment a week but accepts any interested students.

“We are organizing a disability awareness week for the winter and we’d love to have as many volunteers for that as well,” said Shaughnessy O’Reilly, the centre’s volunteer coordinator. “It’s always a huge help.”

Besides volunteering for the SFUO, the U of O campus off ers several media-related vol-unteer positions. Head to the Morisset Library basement to check out CHUO FM 89.1, the U of O’s campus radio station. Students can sign up for an orientation session to get familiar with the equipment and get a general sense of the station’s atmosphere. Aft er 15 hours of general volunteer work—such as sorting CDs and voicing ads—volunteers can take part in workshops which teach the fi ner details of radio, such as production

Lending

Peer Help Centre Pride Centre International House Bilingualism Centre Centre for Students with Disabilities CHUO

Peer Help Centre Pride Centre International House Bilingualism Centre Centre for Students with Disabilities CHUO

A guide to volunt

FEATURE Sept. 25, 200816 www.thefulcrum.ca

and interview skills. Once completed, volunteers may get a chance to shine on-air or help with the station administration. It may seem like a lot of work, but it can give awesome bragging rights and it looks great on a resumé.

If this doesn’t sound interesting, there is always the two autonomous university papers run by students, for students. Th e English paper, the Fulcrum, (631 King Edward Avenue) holds staff meetings on Th ursdays at 1 p.m. For those who prefer to write in French, La Rotonde (109 Os-goode St.), the French-language paper, hold their weekly meetings on Tuesdays at noon. Frank Ap-pleyard, editor-in-chief of the Fulcrum, explained what the newspaper contains week-to-week.

“Th e Fulcrum exists to provide coverage of the U of O community and issues that are of interest to students in general,” he said. “We try to pro-mote alternative voices and issues that may not necessarily be covered in more mainstream me-dia.”

Ottawa Little Th eatre, 400 King Edward Ave.

For those who love the stage, the Ottawa Little Th eatre (OLT) off ers an amazing opportunity to work behind the scenes at a theatre. Established in 1913 and now in its 96th season, the OLT is a volunteer-run community theatre and—be-cause of its proximity to the university—has a student-friendly atmosphere. With eight plays in the 2008–09 season, the theatre is in constant search for helpers. John Muggleton, OLT’s direc-tor of marketing and communications, believes there’s something for everyone at the theatre.

“If someone is more interested in the technical side, they can help in designing or running the light board during the show,” he said. “Th en there are people who like to get involved backstage with costumes or props, or acting. It’s a great opportu-nity for volunteers to do something diff erent in theatre.”

Experience is not necessary to volunteer. Th ere are various long-time volunteers who hold work-shops before a production so that new volunteers are not lost at sea. Th ey do not expect any par-ticular time commitment either.

“Because it’s volunteers, we are extremely fl ex-ible, if you can only come in for one day a week, that’s fi ne, or be here every night, it’s entirely up to you,” Muggleton said. “We do heavily depend on our volunteers, so we look for people who are committed.”

Th e Ottawa Mission, 35 Waller St.

Most students have passed the Ottawa Mission on more than one occasion on their way to the ByWard Market or the Rideau Centre, but few venture inside. Th e Mission provides shelter, clothing, and food for the impoverished and homeless. Volunteering at the Mission involves serving food, cleaning rooms, and helping with the administration. With an occupancy rate of 97 per cent in the 2007 year and over 200 shelter beds to fi ll, the Mission is a busy place.

Patricia Younger, past president of the Ottawa Mission board of directors, explained the vast amount of help needed.

“We still provide the basics —food, shelter and clothing,” she said. “However, we now provide an incredible variety of programs and services to help individuals get off the streets, overcome addictions, find jobs, and regain a healthy life-style.”

Th e Mission is a staple in the Ottawa commu-nity, but for some the thought of volunteering there can be daunting. However, volunteers are constantly under the watchful eyes of various se-curity guards and cameras. What helpers take out of this experience is not a constant sense of appre-hension but rather a feeling of goodwill and pride for those who make it through rough times.

Th e Ottawa Humane Society, 101 Champagne Ave.

Head over to the Ottawa Humane Society and help animals who are in dire need of tender, lov-ing care. According to their auditor’s report, the expense of running the society was more than 3.5 million dollars for the 2007–08 fi scal year. For a non-profi t organization, this is a tremen-dous amount to make up for in volunteer hours and donations. Not all students can aff ord even a minimal donation, but they can off er their time. If students have the time and space, they can become foster parents to an abandoned dog or cat until a permanent family can be found.

Not everybody has pet-friendly landlords, so there are other ways to get involved. Helpers can take one of the shelter-bound dogs for a much needed walk. Th ere are also animal visits, where a helper accompanies a dog or cat to a long-term care facility or hospital to brighten someone’s day. Last year, the shelter’s volunteers managed to set up 561 such visits. Th e shelter is also always in need of administrative help for the incredible

number of animals that go in and out of its care. Last year alone, the shelter rescued almost 11,000 animals.

Th e Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa, various locations.

Th e Boys and Girls Club is an international or-ganization that off ers a place for youth to go aft er school and relax away from teachers or parents. Th e six locations in Ottawa helped over 4,500 teenagers last year. Th ere are several ways for university students to get involved and volun-teer their time. Students can become clubhouse volunteers, which requires at least two hours a week, a position which includes one-on-one in-teraction with a teenager. Th is can include help-ing with homework or even playing video games.

If volunteers have the time and expertise, they can off er their knowledge of a certain subject as a

presentation. Additionally, helpers can off er their time for special events organized through the various clubhouses. Bill Gibbons, a volunteer at the Britannia clubhouse at 2825 Dumaurier Av-enue, explained the appreciation the teens have for the volunteers.

“Being a volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club gives me a chance to be a positive role model for the kids that attend the club,” the former Carleton student said. “Being able to help them with their decisions, from school work to simple life choices, is very rewarding. I really enjoy helping out the members with sports, computers, and homework projects. It’s a great feeling to see them succeed with their challenges.”

Check out ottawavolunteer.ca to see comprehensive listings of available volunteer opportunities.

g a hand

O FM 89.1 Fulcrum La Rotonde Ottawa Little Theatre Ottawa Mission Ottawa Humane Society Boys and Girls Club

O FM 89.1 Fulcrum La Rotonde Ottawa Little Theatre Ottawa Mission Ottawa Humane Society Boys and Girls Club

teering in Ottawa

FEATURESept. 25, 2008 17www.thefulcrum.ca

photos by Ian Flett

“A DIRTY-MINDED

SATIRICAL-PSYCHOTIC

COMEDY”Owen Gleiberman

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

IN SELECT THEATRES FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH!

www.maplepictures.com

SUBJECT TO CLASSIFICATION

ARTS Sept. 25, 200818 www.thefulcrum.ca

by Camila JuarezFulcrum Contributor

THE NEXT HIGHLY anticipated game in the Star Wars series, Lu-casArts’ Star Wars: Th e Force Un-leashed, is fi nally available for all the fanboys out there. Th e game’s story takes place between Episode III: Re-venge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope, bringing the old and new Star Wars trilogies together. It’s an entertaining but ultimately fl awed experience.

Th e character development and story in Th e Force Unleashed are awesome, and it ranks among the best Star Wars games in terms of plot. Th e player gets to explore many new worlds and interact with new characters, all within the Star Wars universe. Th e main character plays as Darth Vader’s apprentice, born Galen Mark but codenamed the more badass “Starkiller”. Starkiller, the player, is charged with executing Imperial Order 66, which was given by the Emperor in Episode III and calls for the extermination of all the Jedi. Starkiller travels from world to world, seeking out and eliminating all the remaining Jedi with the help of his pilot and eventual love inter-est, Juno Eclipse.

Th e Force Unleashed is a third-person action role-playing game (RPG), and as with other RPGs every person you destroy gives you a handful of experience points that can be spent to upgrade your weapon combos, Force powers, and defensive capabilities. Th ere are also hidden Jedi Holocrons throughout each level that give you extra experi-ence points or extra abilities.

Visually, Th e Force Unleashed is incredible. For the fi rst time in the history of video games, there are three game engines working simul-taneously: Havok, Digital Molecular

Matter (DMM), and Euphoria. DMM and Havok work together to apply real-world properties and physics to in-game objects. Th ere are tons of things to pick up, throw, and smash in this game, and ripping apart the environment never gets old. Eupho-ria infuses the game’s artifi cial intel-ligence (AI) with actual intelligence; enemies will steady themselves on nearby objects, take cover, and use intelligent tactics against the player. Th ese three engines work together to make Th e Force Unleashed an im-

mersive gaming experience. How-ever, sometimes they don’t always work as intended. Th e AI will occa-sionally become artifi cial stupidity, and the huge amounts of debris that the two physics engines create can get in the way of the action.

Th e most entertaining part of the game is the Force powers. Th e title of the game, Th e Force Unleashed, is quite appropriate—the player really does get to unleash the Force. At the beginning of the game, Starkiller al-ready has Force Push and Force Grip, powers that, respectively, allow him to move objects at will and choke his enemies. As the player gains experience points and levels, the powers get stronger and Starkiller’s

off ensive capabilities become even more devastating. At the beginning of the game it takes several swings of the lightsabre to bring an enemy down, but by the end Starkiller is cutting down foes like a chainsaw-wielding lumberjack. Th is is by far the most fun feature in the game, and although it may sound sadistic, destroying waves of enemies with massive displays of force is hugely entertaining. Th is game gets the ex-perience of wielding the awesome power of the Force dead on, and that alone makes Th e Force Unleashed worthwhile.

Though Star Wars: The Force Unleashed gets many things right, it also gets many things wrong. There’s no multiplayer capability, which is inexcusable considering the amazing amounts of mayhem that would surely result from a Force-fuelled deathmatch. The game is short, and without multi-player modes it lacks any real re-play value. The debris and destruc-tion caused by the combination of the player’s Force powers and the two physics engines is frustrat-ing—there’s nothing worse than trying to throw a stormtrooper off a cliff and instead sending the tiny piece of metal beside him fly-ing into oblivion while he pumps lasers into your skull.

All in all, Star Wars: Th e Force Unleashed is an entertaining game that could’ve been so much more. Th e sheer awesomeness of the Force powers and the huge amounts of de-struction you can bring down upon your enemies are fun, but the lack of replay value and occasional bugs in the physics engines keep it from being a must-buy. If it’s destruction you want, look no further, but those in search of a deeper game-play experience will have a bad feeling about this.

Although it may sound sadistic, destroying waves of enemies

with massive displays of force is hugely

entertaining.

Unleashing your inner dark side

image courtesy lasarts.com

Star Wars: The Force UnleashedStar Wars: The Force Unleashed fi nally lets you be the bad guy fi nally lets you be the bad guy

WHAT IS A podcast, and why should you care? A podcast is a syndicated broadcast of audio or video, updated periodically, and downloadable to a personal MP3 player. Th ink of it as a radio or television show that’s avail-able on-demand whenever you need it—it’s like TiVo for your iPod. Pod-casts are commercial-free, the majori-ty are free to download, and cover just about everything you can imagine. If you don’t have time to read the news-paper or keep up with your favourite radio programs, well, now you can listen to them on your own time in-stead. Podcasts are a great way to keep

up with the latest news on hundreds of topics.

Podcasts became popular aft er their integration with Apple’s iTunes music store in June 2005. iTunes allows the user to easily search and subscribe to almost every podcast available on the internet. Podcasts work best with iTunes and an iPod, but there are other programs like Podcatcher and MyPodder that allow you to subscribe to and browse diff erent podcasts on almost any MP3 player. Most can be downloaded in MP3 format from a website, though without a subscrip-tion this requires the user to keep up with updates on their own. For in-formation on using podcasts without iTunes, visit podcastalley.com.

Th ere is a podcast for every topic under the sun, like Harry Potter, tarot reading, the American media, and Ca-nadian politics to name a few. In my aural explorations, I’ve found that the best podcasts are produced by public radio outlets like the American Na-

tional Public Radio (NPR), the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), and the Canadian Broadcasting Corpora-tion (CBC). Aside from the weekly news shows all three produce, there are other, more in-depth programs that provide thorough analysis of many dif-ferent stories and subjects.

Th is American Life is a popular podcast from NPR that delves into personal stories all centered on a theme that changes from week to week. Although the show usually deals with light fare, they won a Pea-body award for their episode about the American prison camp at Gua-natamo Bay. Th is American Life is probably the best podcast out there, because it deals with hundreds of top-ics from all angles. It’s funny, interest-ing, sad, and infuriating—never bor-ing. Th eir episode on the mortgage crisis in America, probably a highly uninteresting topic for most people, was one of the most gripping hours of radio I have ever listened to.

Th e Bugle is a weekly podcast from Th e Daily Show’s John Oliver and his best friend, fellow British comedian Andy Zaltzman. Th ey take a satirical and hilariously inaccurate look at the week’s news, and it’s a must for any fan of Th e Daily Show or political hu-mour. Th ey invented the perfect nick-name for Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez: “Crackers from Caracas”. If that makes you laugh, there’s plenty more where it came from.

CBC Radio off ers almost all of their shows for free online through podcasts. As It Happens, Th e Hour, and Defi nitely Not Th e Opera all have podcasts, and there are many more quality shows that your tax dollars pay for. CBC’s most popular podcast is CBC Radio 3, a weekly podcast of Canadian news, music, and entertain-ment hosted by Grant Lawrence.

Podcasts are great because of their portability—you can listen to them anywhere. I usually listen while I’m doing the weekly apartment cleanup. It makes things go by quickly, and I usually learn a cool new story while I’m making my fl oors shine. Some podcasts are perfect for the gym, be-cause their running time is perfect

for cardio workouts. Jump on a bike, throw on Th e Bugle, and laugh your way to fi tness. It’s great to exercise both your mind and body at the same time, so try something more educa-tional like Th is American Life or NPR’s news show All Th ings Considered. If you’re not into edutainment with your sweat, try NPR’s similarly titled All Songs Considered, which plays new music from bands across the musical spectrum. Replace some of your mu-sic-listening time with podcasts, and I promise you’ll thank me for it.

Whatever you’re into, there’s a pod-cast for you. Keeping up with the latest news is hard when you’re in university, and the last thing anyone wants to do aft er slogging through a dense scholar-ly journal is sit down with a newspaper or magazine. If you’re a dog lover, can-cel your subscription to Dog Fancy and download the weekly podcast from DogExplorer.com. For sports afi ciona-dos with no time to catch up with the latest scores, there is a weekly podcast by TSN. Somewhere out there, there’s a podcast just for you.

arts@thefulcrum.ca613-562-5931

ARTSSept. 25, 2008 19www.thefulcrum.ca

Peter HendersonArts & Culture Editor

Your own personal podcastYou’ll never eat brunch in this town again

Boats!Intercontinental Champion

Elliot BroodMountain Meadows

The Chemical BrothersBrotherhood

Ayla BrookAfter the Morning After

A-A

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nipeg’s Boats! is a surprising collection of kooky, majestic art-pop songs. Guitarist Mat Klachefsky sings in a cartoonish high register while guitars, bass, drums, toy keyboards, xylophone, trumpets, kazoos, carol bells, and handclaps go bonkers with excitement around him. “500%”, the bold album-opener complete with a wonderful choir, trium-phantly introduces the band’s quirky grand ambi-tions—which never cease. Each song is exuberant and eccentric, but “Bear/Fence” and “March of the Sandbaggers” are the most memorable and confi rm Klachefsky as an exceptionally creative songwriter. Intercontinental Champion is packed with whimsical lyrics, buoyant musical ideas, and jubilant singalongs that have been sorely missed from the Canadian independent music scene ever since the Unicorns broke up.

—Michael Olender

MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MARKS the third release from prairie boys Casey Laforet, Ste-phen Pitkin, and Mark Sasso, collectively known as Elliott Brood. The upbeat “Write It All Down For You” pits a well-written and catchy beat against the throaty, gruff voice of Sasso, whereas the calm and somber “31 Years” is softly melodic and well-arranged. This release shows the musical range that Elliot Brood has to offer. It takes a certain amount of bravery to mix both a banjo and ukulele on the same album, but the three-man band pulls it off without a hitch. The simple lyrics and alt-country feel give Mountain Meadows a truly Canadian sound.

—Jaclyn Lytle

THIS DEFINITIVE SINGLES collection by the Chemical Brothers is a record of Europe’s rave scene going nuts for 13 years. Th e late 1990s saw the duo become jet-setting megastars, and al-though they were never the most interesting nor groundbreaking electronica act, they were and still are undeniable hitmakers and trend-setters. Th e big-beat screeching of 1997’s “Block Rockin’ Beats” is an electronica staple and 1999’s “Hey Boy Hey Girl” still sounds fresh off the lacquer press. 2007’s “Saturate” is the most bumpin’ track in the set, de-manding glowstick-waving with its grinding bass, star-bound keyboards, and live drums. Th e second disc collects all the tracks in the duo’s Electronic Battle Weapons series. It’s a mix with longer trance tracks that sees “EBW 2 (Don’t Stop the Rock)” as the standout. Th e tweaked-out two-disc collection isn’t a huge as it is on the fl oor, but Brotherhood is still immensely enjoyable on a laptop.

—Michael Olender

AFTER THE MORNING Aft er is Ayla Brook tell-ing heartfelt stories of patience, friendship, and love. His songs are a stirring reminder of a time be-fore music became all about top-20 charts and lip-synching pop idols. Upbeat, foot-stomping songs like “Wake Up Early” and the title track make you want to hit the open road in a big red pickup truck, windows down, and stereo blasting. Other songs, such as the raw “Leaving Tonight” (with confused lyrics like “She’s calling / I’m stalling / I know I’m not falling / but boys, I’m stumbling back”), give listeners insight into Brook’s thoughtful mind. By the time that you’ve fi nished the nine songs on the album, you feel as if you’ve just spent an evening in his kitchen, sharing a bottle of whiskey and listen-ing to him tell you the best moments of his life.

—Jessica Sukstorf

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Sept. 25–Oct. 1, 2008Sports David McClelland

Sports Editorsports@thefulcrum.ca 21

by Hilary CatonFulcrum Contributor

THE SUN WAS shining in a cloud-less sky on Sept. 20, as the stands of Frank Clair Stadium fi lled with fans that showed up for the University of Ottawa’s Homecoming football game. Th e Gee-Gees took on the Waterloo Warriors, and came away with a 59-0 victory.

Th e Gee-Gees wasted no time putting points up on the board, as quarterback Josh Sacobie threw two touchdown passes to receivers Cyril Adjeity and Ron Kelly early in the fi rst quarter for his 70th and 71st ca-reer touchdown passes.

Waterloo struggled against Ot-tawa’s stellar defence, and they had trouble gaining yards in the fi rst quar-ter and through much of the second. Meanwhile, the Gee-Gees contin-ued to rack up points, with receivers Mathew Bolduc and Kelly pulling in touchdown passes, and running back Davie Mason making an eff ortless 39-yard touchdown rush to give Ot-tawa a 39-0 lead at the half.

It was clear that the Warriors had no fi ght left in them as they struggled against the Gee-Gees’ high-powered off ense. Sacobie shone throughout the game, completing a career-high six touchdown passes by the third

quarter, three of them to Kelly. Defensively, the Gee-Gees were

excellent, racking up three intercep-tions by the end of the game, the most memorable being rookie defensive back Trevor Schroer’s touchdown-stopping pick in the Ottawa end zone during the fourth quarter. Th e War-riors had trouble fi nishing drives, with their troubles including a fumble on Ottawa’s one-yard line and a 17-

yard sack while in fi eld goal range in the fourth quarter.

Backup quarterback Brad Sinop-oli took over for Sacobie in the fi nal quarter, closing out the game. Th e Gees’ 59-0 win over the Warriors was their largest-ever margin of victory over Waterloo.

“It was great. I was having so much fun I didn’t want to leave. But it’s great to see everyone get out on the fi eld and do their thing,” said Sacobie follow-ing the game. “I was glad [Sinopoli] got some playing time in. It just goes to show how we’re not dependent on one person to make plays happen. It’s about working together as a unit.”

Th e Gees have several new faces due to students transferring from other universities, but it’s becoming

apparent that the 2008 Ottawa squad is starting to gel.

“We have a lot of new players that are being put in new situations and I think they’re doing a great job. Th ey’re a great bunch to be around as well,” said Sacobie.

Sacobie, with 75 career touchdown passes, is now just 12 away from matching the Canadian Interuniver-sity Sport (CIS) record, set by former St. Mary’s University quarterback Chris Flynn from 1987 to 1990. Addi-tionally, Sacobie is 936 yards from set-ting the all-time CIS record for pass-ing yardage, which currently stands at 9,974, set by Ben Chapdelaine of McMaster University in 2001.

“We did what we always do. It doesn’t matter who we play, it’s all about discipline and execution,” said head coach Denis Piché regarding the Gees’ dominant performance.

Th e Gee-Gees have suff ered a few injuries in practices and games result-ing in players being forced to miss the game against the Warriors. “We haven’t had our A-team playing yet,” admitted Piché, who added he is still hopeful about the team’s prospects.

“If we get the boys back next week, we can keep building on this,” said Pi-ché. “We reload, we don’t rebuild. We have an aggressive team that’s play-ing more relaxed, and is allowing the athleticism to take over. Th ey know when we play, we play for keeps.”

Th e Gee-Gees are now 3-1 and sit third in the Ontario University Athlet-ics conference. Th ey will next play on Sept. 27, when they visit the Windsor Lancers.

Gee-Gees trample WaterlooSacobie has

career-best six touchdown passes

in 59-0 victory

by Daniel Harris Fulcrum Contributor

FOR A CANADIAN football coach, to be a head coach is the Canadian Football League (CFL) is about as good as it gets. Th e newest coach to step into the spotlight is former Gee-Gees head coach and Ottawa native Marcel Bellefeuille.

Aft er the Sept. 8 fi ring of Hamilton Tiger-Cats head coach Charlie Taff e, then off ensive coordinator Belle-feuille took the helm as the interim head coach of the team.

Bellefeuille certainly has the quali-fi cations for the job. He was the head coach of the Gee-Gees men’s foot-ball team from 1998 to 2000, lead-ing them to a Vanier Cup victory in his fi nal year. He left Ottawa in 2001 to take over as the Saskatchewan Roughriders off ensive line coach. Aft er two years he was promoted to off ensive coordinator, leading the Riders off ence to the league rushing title for three straight years, and a 29-25 record over his tenure with the team. Aft er spending the 2006 sea-

son as the Montreal Alouettes run-ning backs coach, Bellefeuille was promoted to off ensive coordinator for the 2007 campaign. He joined the Tiger-Cats at the beginning of the 2008 season.

“I didn’t see the [head coach] op-portunity coming here,” said Belle-feuille. “I came here with people I knew and was comfortable with, but not thinking that there was [this] op-portunity here, especially not in the fi rst year.”

Hamilton has been a revolving door for coaches recently, going through four coaches in as many years. Among those coaches are for-mer McMaster University head coach Greg Marshall, the last Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) coach to lead the Ti-Cats, who was given the job despite having no coaching ex-perience at the CFL level. Marshall spent the 2004 and 2005 seasons with the Ti-Cats before being fi red early in the 2006 season.

BELLEFEUILLE continued on p. 22

Former Gee-Gees football coach takes over in Steeltown

Marcel Bellefeuille served as head coach of the Gee-Gees from 1998–2000.photo courtesy Hamilton Tiger-Cats

CIS all-time career touchdown passes

1. Chris Flynn (87)2. Josh Sacobie (75)

3. Bill Robinson Sr. (73)

Receiver Alex Fortier-Labonte reels in a pass as the Gee-Gees blew away the Waterloo defence.

photo by Frank Appleyard

SPORTS Sept. 25, 200822 www.thefulcrum.ca

BELLEFEUILLE continued from p. 21

“Coach Marshall was well suited for this job. Th at said, my coming into this chair is signifi cantly diff erent than his,” said Bellefeuille. “He came straight from the CIS whereas I’ve been eight years in [the CFL] as a coordinator and an assis-tant and really learned the CFL way.”

Unlike Marshall, Bellefeuille has put in his time in the CFL and is believed by many CFL pundits to be a legitimate candidate to take over the team on a permanent basis if it is successful in the second half of the season. Th e Ti-Cats currently have the worst record in the CFL, a spot they’ve held outright for the past three seasons. Th e Ti-Cats currently sport a 2-10 record—with two of those losses coming since Belle-feuille’s hiring—and have six games left to play.

Bellefeuille isn’t the only former CIS head coach currently employed in the CFL, though he is the only one hold-ing a head coaching position. Current BC Lions special teams coach Chuck McMann was at the helm of the Uni-versity of Waterloo Warriors from 1988–1991 before a short stint in the CFL, only to return to the CIS in 2001 to lead the McGill University Redmen to a Vanier Cup and earn Coach of

the Year honours. McMann spent six seasons at McGill before taking a posi-tion with the Lions, who also currently employ former Laval Rouge et Or head coach and 1999 Vanier Cup champion Jacques Chapdelaine as their recievers coach.

In spite of it all, Bellefeuille hasn’t for-gotten his time in Ottawa.

“I still draw some knowledge from my time as a head coach in Ottawa,” ex-plained Bellefeuille. “Especially in terms of process and being in that role and un-derstanding the responsibility.

“I miss the college atmosphere. I enjoyed my time at [the U of O],” he continued. “I was a graduate of the University of Ottawa and a head coach. I’m very fond of that time. You miss it a little bit. You miss the relationships with people, but I’m really enjoying where I am. Th is was a goal of mine.”

Bellefeuille doesn’t rule out coming back to Ottawa if the CFL were to re-turn to the city but maintains that his focus is on winning with the Ti-Cats for now.

“Th e most important thing is to get the team in the right direction; we start to turn around and people see the team is improving,” Bellefeuille said. “It’s my responsibility to get it going in the right direction.”

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SPORTSSept. 25, 2008 23www.thefulcrum.ca

by Mike GribbonFulcrum Contributor

THE UNIVERSITY OF Ottawa men’s baseball team had a challenging weekend at Heritage Field in Orleans. Th e Gee-Gees played double-headers both days while hosting the Lafl èche College Dragons from Trois-Rivieres on Sept. 20 and the McGill University Redmen on Sept. 21. Aft er the fi nal out on Sunday, the Gees were a disappointing 0-4 over the weekend.

In the first game versus Laflèche, U of O pitcher Tyler Munro was outstanding. He struck out seven and pitched a complete game. Munro gave up just three hits and walked three over seven innings, but still took the loss after giving up two runs, only one of them earned. Despite Munro’s excellent pitch-ing, the Ottawa offence registered only five hits, including a 2-for-3 effort from catcher Daniel Richardson. Still, the Gee-Gees failed to score and lost 2-0.

In the second game of Saturday’s double-header, the Gees off ense seemed rejuvenated, opening up a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fi rst inning. However, Lafl èche responded with a powerful fi ve-run inning in the top of the sec-ond. Th e Garnet and Grey chipped away at the lead, scoring two runs in the bottom of the in-ning, cutting the lead to 5-4 for the Dragons. Lafl èche reacted with another monstrous inning in the fourth, again scoring fi ve runs. Th e Gee-Gees managed to score two more runs over the fi nal three innings but still lost the contest 10-6. Gee-Gees pitcher Kevin Brunet was outstand-ing at the plate, notching two doubles and three RBIs in the loss.

“It seems like we’re always in the game and then all of a sudden the wheels fall off ,” ex-plained Gee-Gee’s head coach Larry Belanger. “And we don’t have enough depth to come back. Th e eff ort’s been there. It has been there all sea-son.”

Aft er the disheartening results from Sat-urday, the Gee-Gees took to the fi eld Sunday looking for their fi rst win of the season against the McGill Redmen.

Th e fi rst fi ve innings saw only three runs scored, all by McGill. Once again, the Gee-Gees failed to generate anything threatening off en-

Men’s baseball team still winless

sively and frustration mounted. “Is nobody in this game or what?” Gees hit-

ting coach Dave Dunn yelled at the bench at one point during the game.

Th e Redmen pounced in the sixth inning, tallying another fi ve runs. Although down 8-0, the Gees managed to score two runs in the fi nal two innings, with Munro and Ryan Chow add-ing an RBI each. Th e fi nal result was an 8-2 loss for the Gee-Gees.

In the second match of the doubleheader, starter Maxime Caron took the mound and pitched impressively through the fi rst 5 and 2/3 innings, registering eight strikeouts and three

hits, while surrendering two earned runs. Th e Gee-Gees were in the game until the top of the fi ft h inning. Aft er giving up fi ve runs on a couple of walks and four hits, the Ottawa squad was down 7-2. Th ey never recovered, and the game ended with the score unchanged.

Belanger said pitch count was defi nitely a factor in the loss against McGill.

“[Caron] threw 110 pitches,” Belanger said. “I think he pitched well, but he pitched a lot.”

Belanger alluded to the defi ciency in depth and youth the team faces.

“We are a very young team and we are lack-ing in our depth. We have a very small roster …

We have only four players who returned from last year,” he said.

Th e Gee-Gees have a roster of just 15 play-ers including pitchers, making it diffi cult to properly handle fatigue and injuries. Th e Red-men had fi ve more players than the Gee-Gees on Sept. 21.

“We’ve had a tough time recruiting new play-ers,” explained Belanger, “so we defi nitely need to improve our recruiting.”

Th e Gees are now 0-10 on the season and are at the bottom of the Northern Division in the Cana-dian Intercollegiate Baseball Association.

The Gee-Gees had trouble getting baserunners home in a series of doubleheaders against Lafl èche College and McGill University.photo by Martha Pearce

SPORTS Sept. 25, 200824 www.thefulcrum.ca

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See ya later, Bishop’s Gaiters

by Anna RocoskiFulcrum Staff

THE UNIVERSITY OF Ottawa women’s rugby team hosted their third game of the season at Matt Anthony Field on Sept. 21, de-feating the Bishop’s Gaiters 24-0. The win is Ottawa’s first of the season,and marks a dramatic turn around from their first two games.

All of the Gee-Gees’ tries were scored in the first half, as Karen Snell, Katie Mcgraw, and Dana Macdonald all carried the ball past the goal line for Ottawa scores. Tegan Bradshaw booted three drop goals as well, putting Ottawa ahead 21-0 at the half.

The Gaiters started the second half strong and threatened to over-power the Ottawa squad, but the

Gees’ defense pulled together and denied the Gaiters a chance to score. With 23 minutes left in the second half, Tegan Bradshaw rounded off the scoring for the Gee-Gees, mak-ing the final tally 24-0.

The team enjoyed the win af-ter being defeated in their last

two games, losing 48-0 to the La-val Rouge et Or and 22-0 to the Concordia Stingers. Head coach Suzanne Chaulk said that that the win came as a relief after the pair of shutout losses.

“It feels good. It was key. Now I can be honest and say this was a

must win for us, to go forward from here and compete against Concor-dia and McGill,” said Chaulk. “We needed to win this game and I’m glad we did.”

“Defensively, we’re pretty tough. There [are] moments we have our lapses but then we put it together and [stopped Bishop’s] from com-ing in, so that’s good,” explained Chaulk. “Offensively, up until now we’ve been a little weak, we’ve been moving the ball for the sake of moving the ball instead of looking at the field and playing down. To-day I think we were looking hard to get in behind the [goal] line—that was good.”

With the win, the Gee-Gees improve to 1-2 and sit fourth in the Quebec Student Sport Federation confer-ence. Ottawa will play at again on Sept. 28 at 1 p.m., when they host the Concordia Stingers at Matt An-thony Field. Tickets are $4 for stu-dents.

Women’s rugby earns first victory in

shutout win

“I can be honest and say this was a must

win for us.”Suzanne Chaulk

Gee-Gees head coach

Bishop’s was hard-pressed to contain an explosive Gee-Gees offense.photo by Guy Hughes

ON A ROAD trip Sept. 20–21, the University of Ottawa women’s soc-cer team lost in Kingston and won in Peterborough.

Th e Gee-Gees were unable to pro-duce any off ence on Sept. 20 against the Queen’s Golden Gaels and were shut out 2-0. Although Ottawa out-shot Queens 8-7, the squad was un-able to capitalize on any of its oppor-tunities, while Golden Gaels Renee MacLellan and Katie Dalziel were able to best Gees goalkeeper Jess Charron.

On Sept. 21, the Gee-Gees moved on to face the Trent Excalibur in Pe-terborough and won 1-0. Th ough they won by just a single goal, they still managed to set a Gee-Gees pro-gram record for shots in a single game with 42. While only 20 of the shots were on target, it was enough to keep rookie Trent goalkeeper Melissa Waresa busy throughout the game. Th ird-year striker Trinidad Ruiz net-ted the lone goal for the Gee-Gees in the 68th minute off a rebound.

Th e Gee-Gees now hold a 4-2-1 regular season record, good for sec-ond place in the Ontario University Athletics East division behind the

University of Toronto Varsity Blues. Ottawa plays again next weekend, when they host a pair of home games against the Laurentian Lady Vees on Sept. 27 and the Nippissing Lakers on Sept. 28. Both games will be played at 3 p.m. at Matt Anthony Field.

—David McClelland

SPORTSSept. 25, 2008 25www.thefulcrum.ca

ON SEPT. 16, Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk made an announce-ment that was both exciting and stu-pid. He is bidding for a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise for the City of Ottawa and declared that he wants to build the 30,000-seat soccer stadium for the team out in Kanata, near Sco-tiabank Place.

Now, I’d love to see professional soc-cer in Ottawa. Th e popularity of soccer is rising throughout North America and especially in Canada, and the time is right for more MLS franchises in Canada in addition to Toronto FC. Ot-tawa would probably be a great fi t for a team, though the chances of the city getting a team are admittedly slim due to strong competition from Vancou-ver and Montreal. But if Ottawa does win a team, putting the franchise out in Kanata would essentially cripple the team.

Anyone who knows me knows that I think that Scotiabank Place’s Kanata location is one of the worst decisions made in the city’s history. It’s just over 25 km from Parliament Hill, inacces-sible by public transit during non-event times, and tops it all off by sitting in a cold, windswept fi eld surrounded by parking lots and car dealerships. In spite of it all, the Senators have man-aged to become a successful franchise, regularly selling out games, likely driv-en by the intense popularity of hockey in Canada and the signifi cant fan loy-alty cultivated by the team.

I believe that an MLS franchise would not be so lucky. While soccer is growing in Canada, a new team in

Ottawa would have to rely on building community support and fan loyalty—hard things to cultivate when the ma-jority of your fanbase lives a half-hour drive or more to the east. It will likely take more work to build the fanbase for an MLS team than an NHL team, something Melnyk should be mindful of when locating his stadium.

A downtown stadium, on the other hand, might be just what a team needs. It would be much more central to both Ottawa and Gatineau, and could prob-ably be planned to connect well with the light-rail transit proposals for the city. Granted, rail will eventually reach Kanata as well, but the key word is eventually—it probably won’t reach the suburb before 2031, if not later, ac-cording to the plan currently favoured

by Ottawa City Council.Personally, I think that an MLS

stadium would be well placed in LeB-reton Flats, just east of the downtown core. Th e area is still mostly empty, and a well-designed stadium could easily play off the views of Parliament and downtown to make for a truly breath-taking venue. Additionally, the Flats are near two diff erent Transitway sta-tions, and not far from the 417 and two interprovincial bridges.

As well, a LeBreton Flats stadium would be able to host festivals, con-certs, and other events. Bluesfest is already held at LeBreton Flats, and an MLS stadium could easily provide a permanent central venue for the event, further strengthening the integration of such a stadium into the community. For that matter, why not make the sta-dium truly multi-use and combine it with the conditional Canadian Football

League franchise granted to local busi-nessman and Ottawa 67s owner Jeff Hunt tentatively set to debut in 2010? Such a stadium could also be used by the U of O for Gee-Gees games. Yes, it would require negotiating with the MLS to get around their requirement for soccer-specifi c stadiums to be built, but a combined stadium would be a much stronger addition to the Ot-tawa sports community.

Th ankfully, politicians in Ottawa seem to be on board with this idea. Mayor Larry O’Brien was quoted in the Ottawa Citizen as saying that it would be a waste of city resources to build two stadiums. Th e same article also quoted architectural and urban planning experts who agreed that a Kanata stadium would be a mistake, and it should be downtown and tied to public-transit developments.

What it comes down to is that an MLS team will not survive if left to fend for itself in the suburban waste-land that is Kanata. A downtown sta-dium is a must, both for the viability of any teams that may play there and for the strength of the City of Ottawa as a whole.

sports@thefulcrum.ca613- 562-5931

Lighting the lamp

David McClellandSports Editor

Learn from the past, don’t repeat it

A downtown stadium is a must, both for the

viability of any teams that may play there

and for the strength of the City of Ottawa as a

whole.

Women’s soccer team splits road trip

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SPORTS Sept. 25, 200826 www.thefulcrum.ca

Team Record Standing Last game Next game

Football 3-1-0 2nd in OUA 59-0 win vs. Waterloo

Sept. 27 at Windsor

Women’s rugby

1-2-0 4th in QSSF 24-0 win vs. Bishop’s

Sept. 28 vs. Concordia. 1 p.m. at Matt Anthony

Field

Women’s soccer

4-2-1 2nd in OUA East 1-0 win at Trent Sept. 27 vs. Laurentian. 3 p.m. at Matt Anthony

Field

Scoreboard Newspapers are simple. Newspapers are simple.

Relationships are complicated.Relationships are complicated.

volunteer@thefulcrum.cavolunteer@thefulcrum.ca

Sept. 25–Oct. 1, 2008Opinion Michael Olender

Executive Editorexecutive@thefulcrum.ca 27

by Laurel HoganFulcrum Staff

EVEN BEFORE CYCLE 11 of Th e CW’s Ameri-ca’s Next Top Model (ANTM) debuted on Sept. 3, the Internet was abuzz with rumours that one of the lucky 14 contestants was transgendered. Isis King, a 22-year-old receptionist from Maryland, was chosen by Tyra Banks and company aft er a grueling (and ridiculous, in true Tyra style) fu-turistic space-themed selection process, during which Isis’s fellow contestants scrutinized her suspiciously fl at-chested fi gure.

When the truth came out, some girls were sup-portive.

“For Isis to be so brave and so secure with who she is, and being able to not let anything bother her, it’s very commendable,” praised Sheena Sakai, a Kimora Lee Simmons look-alike from Harlem.

But most were more than a little wary. “America’s next top model is not gonna be a

drag queen,” declared Brittney “ShaRaun” Brown, the requisite overconfi dent (and recently ousted) diva. “I’m sorry, it’s not.”

Th e despicable nature of comments like Sha-Raun’s should be obvious. It takes immense cour-age to be open with 13 closed-minded, catty girls

who apparently don’t realize there’s a diff erence between a male who dresses up as a female and a transgendered woman. Th ese girls are in desper-ate need of some sensitivity training—unlike, of course, Tyra. Or is she?

Let’s get a few things straight: Tyra is ANTM’s executive producer, an attention seeker, and the host of a talk show that borders on the Sally Jessy Raphael kind of trashy. Tyra Banks does not give a damn whether or not Isis can actually model. So far, I haven’t seen Isis pose in even one great picture.

What the media maven does give a damn about is ratings, and, as a talk show host, she knows better than anybody that North Americans are suckers for a freak show and a bitch-fi ght. Isis, perceived as the former, is a great catalyst for the latter. Aft er all, the same formula has worked be-fore; each cycle’s token lesbian contestant always serves to create the perfect storm of girl-on-girl kisses and cusses.

Th e saddest part is not that lesbians and trans-gendered women are still considered freaks in 2008, nor is it that cat-fi ghting models regularly rake in more ratings than talented actors and ac-tresses. What’s truly deplorable is that Tyra, a for-mer supermodel and occasional photographer, is fully aware of the modelling potential Isis doesn’t have—transgendered or not—but put her in the top 14 anyway. Isis deserves to be evaluated as a model, not as a titillating plot device.

Banking on

sexualityTransgendered model used for

ratings grab

by Daniel HarrisFulcrum Contributor

WHEN HEROES DEBUTED two years ago it was the hottest NBC premiere in fi ve years. Th e fi rst season, or ‘volume’ as the creators call it, averaged 14.3 million viewers and earned eight Emmy nominations, including Best Dramatic Se-ries. Th e series suff ered a creative slump during the second volume, paling in comparison to the creativity of the fi rst and, in turn, the show lost 15 per cent of its viewership. When the show began it was like nothing else on television, but the sec-ond volume played out like a poor imitation of that great fi rst one.

Th e following contains some spoilers, so if you keep reading you aren’t allowed to bitch about it later.

Th e fi rst volume, titled “Genesis”, had a show-down in its fi nale that saw four characters fatally wounded. Th e second volume, “Generations”, started slowly and it became increasingly clear that the show was losing its backbone. Instead of going for the throat and showing characters grieving, it concocted ways to bring the dead characters back. “Generations” introduced a whole new set of heroes with new problems and terrible powers (fl ying is only cool if we haven’t seen it before). We had to watch these new char-acters follow the same learning curve we saw ev-

eryone go through a year earlier, and it was tiring. Our favourite, established heroes were forced to share screen time with dull characters who could not match the gravitas of the original cast. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the show’s creator Tim Kring admitted that “We [the writ-ers] made a mistake.” He was being modest.

For the upcoming third volume, which pre-miered on Sept. 22, here are some rules that Kring and his cast should abide by if they want to keep the series alive.

Rule one: Characters that die must stay dead

I’m tired of the comebacks. Noah Bennett, one of the major characters, is shot in the head and killed. Th e next scene however, shows him being injected with his daughter Claire’s blood, which revives him. Bullshit! Let them die! In the second volume’s fi nale, two characters—Nathan Petrelli and Niki Sanders—are both killed. According to IMDB, both characters are still listed as cast members for the upcoming volume. If the series hopes to maintain any credibility it must let them rest in peace.

Rule two: pick sides already

Aft er two volumes, it is time to decide which characters will be good and which will be bad. Th ere is a clear villain in Sylar, who kills heroes and learns to use their powers. Th ose who work for the “Company”—an organization that con-

ducts experiments on the heroes—have already chosen their side, but some of the weak-minded characters have shown that they can be eas-ily swayed and are susceptible to evil tendencies. Noah Bennett, Peter Petrelli, and Matt Parkman have all been responsible in one way or another for the death of others, all in the name of the greater good.

Rule three: No more prolonged time travel

Each of the fi rst two volumes featured time-travel episodes that were admittedly among the best-written episodes. What didn’t work were pro-longed journeys into past centuries. Hiro spent way too much time in 16th-century Japan. Please keep time travel to a minimum.

Rule four: Stop adding cast members

Th e principle cast list has 17 actors. In addition to avoiding killing off the current cast members, new characters keep being added. It is impossible for viewers to emotionally invest themselves in that many characters. Th ere are a lot of references to Darwinism in the show, so why Kring doesn’t let the weak characters die off is a mystery to me.

Th e new volume is titled “Villains”, so it is sure to feature destruction and death that will likely surpass what we have seen so far. With the help of these four simple rules, I hope that Heroes will not be a massive disaster, only so I won’t have to save everyone’s asses again.

Ratings for the two-hour premiere of Heroes on Sept. 22 were down 25 per cent from last year’s one-hour opener. Trouble’s a-brewin’.photo courtesy NBC

Rules for the rebound

How to avoid ruining the third volume of Heroes

North Americans are suckers for a freak show

and a bitch-fi ght.

Harper’s “better off” with another slogan

by Anna RocoskiFulcrum Contributor

IT IS TIME for a 180-degree turn when it comes to students’ approach to nutrition. We’re supposed to be informed university students, so why do we allow ourselves to be so con-sumed by our hectic lives, forgoing the nutritional basics?

A swig of milk and a muffi n for breakfast. A chocolate bar and slice of pizza with pop for lunch. A defrosted Hungry Man dish with a tall boy for dinner. Arguably, this is what the stu-dent diet has come to.

It is so frustrating for me to wit-ness students settling for quick, con-venient foods that are unhealthy, mainly because I have a certifi cate in baking from George Brown Col-lege, which taught me the nitty gritty about the simplest forms of food (fl our, sugar, salt, etc.) and their im-portance to the human body. For any meal to work properly, there needs to be a balance of ingredients. You can’t just live on burgers and condiments; there are components of meals, like protein and nutrients from various vegetables, that are integral to health. Students need balance too.

We live in the capital of Canada, home to a tourist attraction called the ByWard Market. During the day, sometimes even starting as early as

4 a.m. and closing usually around 6 p.m., the market hosts an assort-ment of vendors selling everything—produce, cheese, poultry, beef, as-sorted breads, cookies, desserts, tea, maple syrup, and honey, among other items. Not only will you be support-ing the local community (which cuts down on your ecological footprint as produce doesn’t have to be hauled in from across the border) but you will also be making fresher, less expensive purchases compared to what you can fi nd at Loeb or Loblaws.

My main focus is the popular pro-duce like tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, apples, spinach, celery, cucumbers, potatoes, and carrots. Almost all the vendors sell one box of usually fi ve items for $2 or mix three boxes for $5. When it comes to cucumbers, lettuce, spinach, and corn, prices are even lower. You can buy two cukes for $1, a head of lettuce for $1, a large basket of spinach for $1, and six corn cobs for $2! September is a great month to visit the Market because there is an incred-ible array of produce in season—just go and explore to see for yourself.

Loeb and Loblaws sell Ontario produce, but they don’t off er the com-munity feel you get at the Market. At supermarkets, you don’t get to see the family or farm that you are directly supporting.

I visit the Market at least once a week because it is so close to campus that I can go whenever I have time to kill in between classes. If you start go-ing to the market routinely you will likely develop an appetite for simple

food combinations. Some sliced cu-cumbers with a drizzle of vinegar, or sliced apples with peanut butter, or seasoned olive oil on steamed pep-pers will balance out the frozen din-ners and beer.

If you don’t go to the Market be-cause of the distance and inconve-nience, you probably have access to the Internet. Th ere are scores of recipe websites that allow even the worst cooks to read up on how to improve their cooking techniques. I love joyofb aking.com, a website that focuses on baking and dessert recipes. It has many recipes for treats like cookies, tarts, even ice cream, and most of them are simple, use aff ordable ingredients, and always taste great. Because most of us don’t eat sweets for dinner, there is also allrecipes.com. Th e website is quite comprehensive, off ering recipes for everything from small snacks to massive meals. Interestingly, users can review the recipes posted, and this feedback hints at which recipes are the tastiest. Th e “Top 20” best-re-viewed recipes include instructions for banana crumb muffi ns, chicken pot pie, and ham and potato soup.

It is time for students everywhere to get off convenience foods and start exploring the endless combinations that food off ers. Don’t confuse eating healthy with some fad diet; healthy eating is about thinking long-term—it’s a lifestyle. Bad habits you may have now will likely stay with you unless you decide to make a healthy change.

HECKLES

Time for a food revolutionImprove your eating

habits by visiting the ByWard Market

The main ByWard Market building is surrounded by outdoor vendors. photo by David McClelland

OPINIONSept. 25, 2008 29www.thefulcrum.ca

by Frank AppleyardFulcrum Staff

“WE’RE BETTER OFF with Harper.” Th is is the gem that Stephen Harper’s crack team of advisors picked as the slogan for the prime minister’s at-tempt at re-election on Oct. 14.

Really. At fi rst glance, the sentence prob-

ably reads well enough. But step back for a moment and look at what the Conservative Party is really tell-ing you here: “A vote for Harper is a vote for the best of a bad lot.” Well, medically speaking, we’re all probably “better off ” with salmonella than lung cancer, but the folks at Health Canada

aren’t telling us to go ahead and eat raw chicken just so long as we don’t smoke.

Th is Conservative mind-boggler is about as confi dence-inspiring as “Pick this guy. Er, I guess. Please?” It’s not exactly a ringing endorsement of your party’s leader when this is the best you can come up with to propel him back to offi ce. But if this were the top choice, one wonders exactly what didn’t make it onto the Conservative strategists’ shortlist. How about: “Harper: You can do worse” or “Harper: How bad could he be?”

I would love to meet the slick mar-keting pitchman that sold the Con-servatives this pitiful shtick. Unfortu-

nately, he’s probably too busy sitting in his offi ce, smiling proudly at sell-ing the political equivalent of a 1987 Hyundai Pony. And let’s be honest: if this slogan were a car, it would cur-rently be up on blocks and, upon clos-er inspection, need an engine. But, in true salesman fashion, I bet he gave the Cons a great deal.

Comparing Harper’s slogan to U.S. presidential hopeful Barack Obama’s powerful “Change We Can Believe In” campaign shows exactly how anemic Harper’s slogan really is. Th at simple statement is at the fore-front of the galvanization of millions of Americans behind Obama, and the creation of a sensation largely

unseen in politics since the days of John F. Kennedy.

Politically speaking, the slogan “Change We Can Believe In” is in a league of its own. “We’re better off with Harper” is riding the pine.

I suppose the benefi t of having a less-than-impressive motto is that if Harper wins, at least voters won’t be expecting too much from the Con-servatives over the next four years. Aft er all, if you can’t come up with an inspiring motto, voters probably shouldn’t expect an inspiring govern-ment.

Actually, that would probably be a better motto: “Harper now. Medioc-rity later.”

The Flash could totally beat Superman in a footrace around the world.

Disagree?

E-mail executive@thefulcrum.ca with your response.

sudoku answers from p. 30

Sept. 25–Oct. 1, 2008Distractions Sarah Leavitt

Features Editorfeatures@thefulcrum.ca 30

Dear Di,When my boyfriend and I were

having sex last week, the condom slipped off and got lost inside me! I was panicking for a while but I even-tually got it out. Is there anything I should know? What should I do if it ever happens again? —Pussies Are Actually Pretty Deep

Dear PAAPD,Oh my goodness. Listen, a condom

getting lost inside you is rare, but it’s important to understand how it can happen in order to prevent such a thing. If the condom is too loose it can slip off mid-thrust, and if it is too tight it can burst. Vigorous bucking and thrusting on the woman’s part can do it, and it can also happen if the man doesn’t hold on to the base of the condom as he pulls out. To get the rubber out, lie back, relax the muscles at the opening of your vagina, and get your boyfriend to insert two fi n-gers inside and try to pull it out. If he can’t fi nd the condom, it is likely that it is lodged at the top of your vaginal canal near your cervix. To get a good angle, stand up, prop one foot on a chair, and again try to retrieve it with fi ngers. If you still can’t get it out, it’s time for the hospital emergency room (or if the sun’s still up, you could al-ways make a trip to your gynecolo-gist). It’s necessary to get the condom out because leaving it inside of you for more than a few hours can cause bacterial build-up, which can lead to a painful infection. Keep in mind that the condom slipping off can also lead to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or even a baby bump. Even if your boyfriend didn’t come, his pre-come could have leaked inside you. So unless you’re absolutely positive that your boyfriend is STI-free, you should get tested. And unless you’re using a reliable birth-control pill, you should visit your gynecologist so you can be prescribed emergency con-

Dear DiIf you have a question for Di, e-mail deardi@thefulcrum.ca. Th ursday, Sept. 25

Th e fourth annual Institute of the Environment Lecture Series: Th e

Global Carbon Market – New Chal-lenges to International Law by Dr.

Christina Voigt. 4 p.m. Lamoureux Hall, room 477. Free.

Friday, Sept. 26

Recital: Karen Holmes, harpsi-chord. 12 p.m. Freiman Auditorium,

Perez Hall. Voluntary contribution.

Saturday, Sept. 27

Women’s soccer: Ottawa vs. Lau-rentian. 3 p.m. Sports Complex. $4.

Roman Polanski: Wanted And Desired. 7 p.m. ByTowne Cinema.

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

Sunday, Sept. 28

Women’s rugby: Ottawa vs. Con-cordia. 1 p.m. Sports Complex. $4.

Tokyo String Quartet. 2 p.m. National Arts Centre. 53 Elgin St.

$14.50 for students.

traception, which should be taken within 72 hours.

Love,Di

Dear Di,I love going down on my guy, but

he constantly refuses to trim the landscape. It’s just not fun when he doesn’t. I hate it when his pubes get stuck in my throat! I’ve asked him to trim before, but he either forgets or neglects to keep it up.

—Impeach Bush!

Dear IB,Don’t give up on him just yet. Like

with young puppies, if you repeat something enough, a boyfriend will learn (especially when there’s a blow job involved). To send a stern message, I want you to get drastic—even unrea-sonably drastic. Refuse to go down on him until he trims. Th en keep it up for two weeks and check up every day to make sure that he’s listening to you. Your boyfriend needs to under-stand that if you ask for something—especially in regards to sex—his ears should be open. For better results, in-sistently tell him you read somewhere that oral sex feels better for a guy

when there’s l e s s h a i r , a n d

that it m a k e s his stump look bigger when

there is no forest to compete with. Playing on his pleasure and his ego will surely get him to remember. If all that is not getting through his thick skull after two weeks, take matters into your own hands. The next time you go down on him, grab a razor and start trimming his pubic hair for him. If he hasn’t figured things out by then and ne-glects trimming after that, dump him for someone who is mindful and respectful enough to trim their hair in exchange for your wonder-ful oral pleasure. Good luck!

Love,Di

ThryllabusYou Say Party! We Say Die!

7 p.m. Babylon. 317 Bank St. 19+$7, $10 at door.

Monday, Sept. 29

Celebrity Speakers Series: Peter Hinton. 7:30 p.m.

National Arts Centre. 53 Elgin St. Free.

Where the Buff alo Roam. 9:05 p.m. ByTowne Cinema.

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

Tuesday, Sept. 30

Seminar: Questioning the Rationality of Communication

Policymakers during Terrorism. 1 p.m. Simard Hall, room 429.

Free.

Wednesday, Oct. 1

Library Research 101. 10 a.m. Morisset Library, room 144. Free.

Jason Collett w. Rock Plaza Cen-tral and Zeus. 8 p.m. Barrymore’s Music Hall. 323 Bank St. 19+ $15. sudoku answers on p. 29

Think Things by Jocelyn Robitaille

www.thinkthings.ca

The Thryllabus needs lots of great events to remain so thrilling.

E-mail your events and ideas to features@thefulcrum.ca.

Frank ‘Slayer’ AppleyardEditor-in-Chief

editor@thefulcrum.ca

Ben ‘Megadeth’ MyersProduction Manager

production@thefulcrum.ca

Michael ‘Rammstein’ OlenderExecutive Editor

executive@thefulcrum.ca

Martha ‘Spinal Tap’ PearceArt Director

design@thefulcrum.ca

Emma ‘Cradle of Filth’ GodmereNews Editor

news@thefulcrum.ca

Peter ‘Danzig’ HendersonArts & Culture Editor

arts@thefulcrum.ca

David ‘Black Sabbath’ McClellandSports Editor

sports@thefulcrum.ca

Sarah ‘Dødheimsgard’ LeavittFeatures Editor

features@thefulcrum.ca

Danielle ‘Helloween’ BlabLaurel ‘Manowar’ Hogan

Copy Editors

Amanda ‘Stratovarius’ ShendrukAssociate News Editor

associatenews@thefulcrum.ca

James ‘Metal Church’ EdwardsWebmaster

webmaster@thefulcrum.ca

Jessica ‘Dragonland’ Sukstorf Volunteer & Visibility

Coordinatorvolunteer@thefulcrum.ca

Deidre ‘Hammerfall’ ButtersAdvertising Representative

ads@thefulcrum.ca

Ross ‘Edguy’ PrusakowskiBusiness Manager

business.manager@thefulcrum.ca

Volume 69 - Issue 6Sept. 25–Oct. 1, 2008phone: (613) 562-5261

fax: (613) 562-5259631 King Edward Ave., Ottawa, ON K1N6N5editor@thefulcrum.ca www.thefulcrum.ca

Recycle this paper or no solos on the next album.

Staff

Devin A. ‘Mercenary’ BeauregardTravis ‘Wizard’ BoisvenueSarah ‘HolyHell’ Bradfi eldLaura ‘Omen’ Clementson

Anna ‘Eidolon’ CouttsHilary ‘Sixlip’ CatonKenny ‘WarCry’ Dodd

Phil ‘Oratory’ FlickeringMike ‘Majesty’ GribbonJacob ‘Twelvestep’ Hall

Jolene ‘Manilla Road’ Hansell

Daniel ‘Thunderstone’ HarrisRoxanne ‘Audiovision’ HartPatricia ‘Icarus’ Hennigar

Ted ‘Voyager’ HortonGuy ‘Ligeia’ HughesCamila ‘Knut’ Juarez

Hisham ‘Morifade’ KelatiDanyal ‘White Skull’ Khoral

Aaron “Killer” KozakBrennan ‘Brown Brigade’ Loh

Jaclyn ‘Mendeen’ Lytle

Alex ‘Underoath’ MartinCarl ‘Primal Fear’ Meyer

Tim ‘Pyramaze’ MottDave ‘Powerwolf’ PicciniBrianna ‘Sycorax’ Reid

Jocelyn ‘Deep Purple’ RobitailleAnna ‘Demon Hunter’ Rocoski

Steven ‘Rosetta’ RyanÉmilie ‘Avian’ Sartoretto

Holly ‘Ophydian’ SernoskieNick ‘Nightwish’ Taylor-Vaisey

Contributors

cover photo by Frank Appleyard

fRiding the lightning

since 1942.

Homecoming events.Western’s Homecoming features

some ideas worthy of imitation, or at least to use as a source of inspira-tion: a Homecoming parade through the campus community, bar nights at trendy clubs, and a golf tournament at a prestigious course. And all of this is on top of fare similar to the U of O’s off erings. While the U of O seems to have the smaller events (breakfasts, chamber music performances, faculty dinners) down pat, it lacks a slate of showcase, catch-all events that would turn Homecoming into a party that alumni would scramble rather than hesitate to register for.

Of what currently exists at the U of O, the most obvious area for improve-ment is the football game. Homecom-ing games are traditionally the focal point of alumni reunion culture, fea-turing packed stands and a raucous atmosphere. However, the Gee-Gees Homecoming game on Sept. 20 against the Waterloo Warriors was woeful. Only slightly over 1,500 spectators attended—a tremendous disappoint-

ment considering Frank Clair Sta-dium’s capacity is 22,422. Some imagi-nation and an investment of time are needed to transform the game into a showcase event. Th ink barbeques, tail-gate parties, marching bands, halft ime concerts, and appearances by standout former players. It’s ultimately about the spectacle and the full experience—not just the game.

One of the more glaring omissions from the U of O’s Homecoming fes-tivities in comparison to Western and Queen’s University’s attempts was any meaningful presence of current stu-dents. At last check, the vast majority of U of O alumni were also members of the Student Federation of the Univer-sity of Ottawa (SFUO) and Graduate Students Association (GSAÉD) during their time at the school, and would like-ly jump at the chance to attend events held by their former associations and mingle with their younger selves.

In the interest of helping to expand Homecoming, the SFUO and GSAÉD should approach the university to bring current students and alumni together

for some Homecoming events. Such a move would make the now-distinct groups of present students and alumni more interactive, fostering the idea of one overriding U of O community—re-gardless of whether its members gradu-ated 40 years ago or are in their fi rst se-mester at the school. On the other side of the coin, involving current students in a rocking Homecoming will only inspire them to return for the festivities once they graduate.

Th e ideas above obviously come with a price tag; ambition typically does. If the U of O is serious about continuing to hold a Homecoming weekend, it is time to do away with the half-hearted activities and create a memorable experience—not a casual weekend event.

Th e U of O is just a few bright ideas away from having a Homecom-ing weekend to be proud of, and more importantly, one that current students will be proud to one day attend as alumni.

editor@thefulcrum.ca

Wanted: a party worth throwingTHE 2008 INCARNATION of the University of Ottawa’s Homecoming weekend held Sept. 19–21 made one thing clear: this party leaves a lot to be desired.

Th e event, now in its fourth year, may have drawn its largest registered crowd to date and featured over 30 events, but what was most apparent were the shortcomings scattered liber-ally throughout the weekend. Basically, this year’s Homecoming was lame.

In attempting to diagnose the faults behind the fl at celebration, the complaints centre on one overriding theme: a lack of imagination. Th ere is no doubt that the U of O’s Alumni Re-lations Offi ce poured endless amounts of hard work and dedication into plan-ning the weekend. However, the result of their toils could have been far more impressive.

Homecoming exists to entertain the diverse and expansive alumni of the university and maintain the gradu-ates’ links to the school and its culture, while simultaneously encapsulating the enduring spirit of the institution found within its students and faculty. Any hopes of achieving this grand vision require grand imagination—something that the U of O failed to demonstrate with middling events like movie marathons and fajita bars high-lighting the weekend.

Th at being said, there were bright spots to the weekend, including a number of successful events held by individual faculties and groups—in-cluding a reunion held by this newspa-per for former staff from throughout its 69-year history.

However, the weekend had its share of head-scratchers. Th e makeshift casi-no night on Tabaret Lawn, where play-ers gambled with pretend money, was a little juvenile considering the mature crowd in attendance. A more ambitious approach would have seen the U of O hold a real night out at the nearby Lac Leamy Casino—turning the concept of a casino night into a formal night on the town, uniting alumni in a dynamic atmosphere.

Aft er seeing Homecoming stuck in neutral aft er its fourth year, the ques-tion of how the U of O can improve its off erings for future years must be raised. Th e short answer is that the school needs to look to its contem-poraries for ideas. Th e similarly sized University of Western Ontario’s oft en-praised annual alumni celebration is a stark contrast to the U of O’s lacklustre

Th is issue of the Fulcrum was fuelled by Satan.

Sept. 25–Oct. 1, 2008Editorial Frank Appleyard

Editor-in-Chiefeditor@thefulcrum.ca 31

illustration by Devin A. Beauregard

Jack ‘Throwdown’ WangKristy ‘Helstar’ WelbournKristen ‘Torch’ Woodend