Volume 71, Issue 22March 10–16, 2011

INSIDE: Mayor Jim Watson talks U-Pass p. 6Women’s Resource Centre: In need of a revamp? p. 19

p. 12 & p. 17Fencing and feminism

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Amanda Shendruk | editor@thefulcrum.ca | (613) 562 5261 3

LETTERS

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contents

Students hold sit-inin protest

Students upset over BOA’s denial of Dénommée’s appeal

Electric Six tours Canada

Band member Dick Valentine off ers his unique perspective on fame

Gee-Gees eliminated

Both Garnet and Grey basketball teams suff er season-ending defeats

Unpaid coaching common in sports

Jaehoon Kim interviews Gee-Gee sporting assis-tants who aren’t fi nancially compensated for their dedication

Face of feminism

Jessica Beddaoui makes her case for feminism in our contemporary society

Th e return of the editor-obsessed

Th e saga continues in Dear Di this week

Appalled and ashamedRe: Stop whining about deserved labels (Letters, March 3, 2011)

AS A SEX worker and a student on this campus, I’m quite appalled at the Ful-crum’s willingness to publish letters such as the one “Stop whining about deserved labels”. Th is letter is clearly written by an individual who felt entitled to submit their women-hating commentary to the campus newspaper to declare their ap-proval of ‘slut shaming’—a process by which (usually) women are shamed for expressing their sexualities (even though most of the time this label is applied to things unrelated to sexuality, such as ap-pearance or behaviour).

I would like to point out that it is no one’s business what other people are do-ing in their sexual lives and how many partners they have had or for what rea-sons they exchange sex. Having sex with multiple people does not refl ect one’s morality. Even if this person is your part-

ner, you do not have ownership over their body and thus it is not your place to judge whether or not he or she is a slut. Th e la-bel of “slut” used in this way serves one purpose: To control women’s bodies and actions in a manner that forces them to assimilate to pre-assigned notions of ap-propriate gender norms.

It should also be noted that safe sex for pleasure should not be stigmatized under socially constructed labels. Lastly, I should say that I also support people self-identifying as sluts as a way to re-claim this label in a positive manner and thus do not condemn this label when it is used in this way. All this to say that I’m ashamed that the Fulcrum would publish a letter that has no merit to it and is based solely on oppressive views.

Anonymous

Th e SFUO and BOA have lost touch

I HAVE LOST all faith in the SFUO!I am writing today to express my

Th e election dates and platform deadlines are:

For more information contact Amanda Shendruk at editor@thefulcrum.ca

Eligible staff : Charlotte Bailey, Jessica Beddaoui, Brennan Bova, Tegan Bridge, Sean Campbell, Dan Cress, Katherine DeClerq, Dani-Elle Dubé, Simon Oliver-Dussault, Chelsea Edgell, Michelle Ferguson, Kristyn Filip, Ivan Frisken, Samantha Graitson, Sofi a Hashi, Andrew Hawley, Jaehoon Kim, Corin Latimer, Jaclyn Lytle, Jane Lytvynenko, Alex Martin, Abria Mattina, Mico Mazza, Kevin McCormick, Mathias MacPhee, Mercedes Mueller, Kiera Obbard, Chase Patterson, Joshua Pride, Alexandra Schwabe, Amanda Shendruk, Tyler Shendruk, Alex Smyth, Natalie Tremblay, Keeton Wilcock, Jessie Willms

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Platform due:

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extreme displeasure with our elected Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) executive and Board of Administration (BOA) representatives. Th ey have lost touch with us and no lon-ger represent the students of our campus. Sunday’s special BOA meeting about election appeals further proves how distant they are from the student body. All appeals in favour of Tristan Dénom-mée, disqualifi ed vp fi nance candidate, were shot down to the great outrage of the vast majority who were viewing the meeting in the Senate room of Tabaret. I don’t recall seeing a single tweet all night supporting the way our elected represen-tatives voted on the appeals. Th e March 7 protest outside and inside the SFUO offi ce also shows the great discontent of many of the student leaders on campus.

Th e displeasure I share with many has been culminating all year and began last summer during the planning of 101 Week. Th e inability to run their com-munication and fi nance round tables, or even just reply to emails was incredible. Th e planning of the week would have been a disaster if not for the 101 Week Crew under our vp social Alex Chaput. Later in the semester more frustration was felt by the federated bodies when they were overcharged for bulk order items and 101 Week events, when many of them are in debt due the levy funds that were slashed in half two years ago.

SFUO executives’ inability to respond to emails continued for the rest of the year. On top of wasting $5,000 when they cancelled the Jason Mewes event and withholding federated body student lists which they are mandated to give out, the BOA decisions all year have been highly criticized by student leaders and even by a few of the SFUO executives. Th eir lat-est elections have been called corrupted and disingenuous where three SFUO members whose work has been called into question all year were re-elected. It doesn’t hurt that the SFUO runs its own elections with a CEO and committee they hire instead of hiring a third party to do it.

It has gotten to the point that feder-ated bodies such as the Engineering Stu-dent Society and PIDSSA want to leave the SFUO (“de-federate”) and represent their students themselves and control their own fi nances. Will the SFUO wake up one of these days and realise they are alienating their members? Well, once a few referendums make way for federated bodies to leave the SFUO, maybe, just maybe, they will see the many many er-

rors of their ways!Anthony Burvill

Th ird-year engineering student and Director of Communications of the

Engineering Student Society

BOA logic goes to the wind

ALTHOUGH MY SUNDAY evening this week was fi lled with much homework and the crunch of a few assignments, I felt compelled to follow the SFUO’s BOA proceedings regarding the disqualifi ca-tion of Tristan Dénommée. I have not been a fan of the SFUO as I have oft en thought in recent years that it follows the model of an old boy’s club. While this is quite the accusation to make, Sunday night confi rmed this suspicion.

I saw any form of democracy and re-spect for the SFUO disintegrate, and logic go to the wind. It was apparent that some individuals had clearly made up their mind before even listening to de-bates, and chose to elect someone into offi ce that we did not vote for.

It has become clear that the SFUO’s BOA does not care for what the campus wants. Th e voting clearly had shown that the incumbent vp fi nance was not want-ed back into offi ce. So, surprise surprise when current SFUO members who had worked with her this year voted against the motion of a by-election to at least bring a democratic process back into the mix. Th e SFUO has had, from what I have seen, the least productive year since I have been attending the University of Ottawa. From arguing about T-shirts for months to spending student money on a trip to the G20, the SFUO has tarnished its image more and more.

Since I have attended this university, I have seen an SFUO president arrested, spending scandals, and clear disregard for student views and opinion. However, this was the breaking point. Th e SFUO has lost all their credibility and any re-spect it had. Democracy lost, the old boy’s club won. It is unfortunate I will leave the University of Ottawa this year with this view of the administration and student government. Part of me is glad I will not see the train wreck that is the SFUO continue. I call upon the individu-als who voted against democracy to ex-plain themselves to the campus. Th is is the least they owe us.

Michael ReadFourth-year human kinetics student

Due to space constraints in this issue, please visit thefulcrum.ca for more letters

On stands next week.

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Theatre

Now–March 13: VERSeFest runs at Arts Court (2 Daly Ave.)

March 13: The High Commission of India’s presentation of Shakun-thalam at the National Arts Centre (53 Elgin St.), 7:30 p.m.

March 15–April 2: Frank McGuin-ness and the Tara Players pres-ent Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme at the Ottawa Little Theatre (400 King Edward Ave.)

March 16–April 2: Saint Carmen of The Main at the National Arts Cen-tre (53 Elgin St.), 7:30 p.m.

March 18: CJCA and Les Produc-tions Akwaaba present Tiken Jah Fakoly at Harold Shenkman Hall (245 Centrum Blvd.), 8 p.m.

March 24–April 2: The Ottawa Theatre School presents Under Milkwood at the Richcraft Theatre (2 Daly Ave.), 7:30 p.m.

March 27: Rag and Bone and OYP Theatre School present The Night-ingale at the Shenkman Arts Centre (245 Centrum Blvd.), 1:30 p.m.

March 30–April 2: La Liste at the National Arts Centre (53 Elgin St.), 8 p.m.

April 7–9: Broadway’s Leading Men at the National Arts Centre (53 Elgin St.), 8 p.m.

April 9: Beijing Dance with Ma Bo, Li Han-zhong, Sang Jijia, Liu Bin, and Song Tingting at the National Arts Centre (53 Elgin St.), 7:30 p.m.

Music

March 10: Down With Webster and Sweet Thing play the Bronson Cen-tre (211 Bronson Ave.), 7 p.m.

March 10: Necronomicon, Dark-ness Rites, and Immersed play Zaphod Beeblebrox (27 York St.), 8 p.m.

March 11: Rah Rah, Grand Motel, Fire and Neon, and Oceans play Cafe Dekcuf (221 Rideau St.), 8 p.m.

March 12: The Rebel Spell, Ma-chine Gun Dolly, Wooka Tribe, and RawRawRiot play Cafe Dekcuf (221 Rideau St.), 7:30 p.m.

March 12: Young Galaxy, Bravesta-tion, and Loon Choir play Mavericks (221 Rideau St.), 8 p.m.

March 14: Lymbyc Systym, We Fled Cairo, and I Spell It Nature play Cafe Dekcuf (221 Rideau St.), 8 p.m.

March 15: Kalmah, Warcall, Insur-rection, and Accursed Spawn play The Rainbow (76 Murray St.), 7 p.m.

March 16: Kid Liberty, I Call Fives, Rust Belt Lights, Sharks, and Red

Rocket play Mavericks (221 Rideau St.), 6 p.m.

March 17: The Gatineau Steamers, The Chapeau Irish Fiddler Band, and Quin Gibson play The Rainbow (76 Murray St.), 2 p.m.

March 24: Protest The Hero, May-lene and the Sons of Disaster, and TesseracT play Capital Music Hall (128 York St.), 7 p.m.

March 25: Basia Bulat and The Wilderness Of Manitoba play the First Baptist Church (140 Laurier Ave. W.), 7 p.m.

March 26: Jeff Martin 777, Flower-child, and Gabriel Lee play Capital Music Hall (128 York St.), 8 p.m.

March 30: Born Ruffi ans and First Rate People play Ritual nightclub (174 Rideau St.), 8 p.m.

April 1: Comeback Kid, Title Fight, The Carrier, Counterparts, and Constraints play Mavericks (221 Rideau St.), 6:30 p.m.

April 1: Subsistance, Machine Gun Dolly, The Rotten, Hellbats, The Scally Cap Brats play Cafe Dekcuf (221 Rideau St.), 7 p.m.

April 2: August Burns Red, Set Your Goals, Born Of Osiris, and Texas In July play Capital Music Hall (128 York St.), 6:30 p.m.

April 3: The Dirty Heads, New Poli-tics, and Daniel Wesley play Ritual nightclub (174 Rideau St.), 8 p.m.

April 6: Memphis, included mem-bers of Stars, play Ritual nightclub (174 Rideau St.), 8 p.m.

April 6: PS I Love You plays Maver-icks (221 Rideau St.), 8 p.m.

April 8: Mike Watt and The Miss-ingmen, Steve Adamyk Band, and Porcelain Forehead play Mavericks (221 Rideau St.), 9 p.m.

April 8: Tokyo Police Club, Said The Whale, and Dinosaur Bones play Capital Music Hall (128 York St.), 8 p.m.

April 9: Timber Timbre, and Tasseo-mancy play the First Baptist Church (140 Laurier Ave. W.), 7 p.m.

Film

March 11: Battle: Los Angeles, with Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Pena, and Bridget Moyna-han, released to theatres

March 11: Mars Needs Moms, with Seth Green and Joan Cusack, released to theatres

March 11: Red Riding Hood, with Amanda Seyfried and Shiloh Fer-nandez, released to theatres

March 11: Jane Eyre, with Mia Wa-sikowska, Michael Fassbender, and Judi Dench, released to theatres

March 18: Limitless, with Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, and Abbie Cornish, released to theatres

March 18: The Lincoln Lawyer, with Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Phillipe, Marisa Tomei, Josh Lucas, and William H. Macy, released to theatres

March 18: Paul, with Simon Pegg, Seth Rogen, Bill Hader, Jason Bate-man, Sigourney Weaver, and Jane Lynch, released to theatres

March 18: Win Win, with Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan, released to theatres

March 25: Sucker Punch released to theatres

March 25: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules released to theatres

April 1: Duncan Jones’ Source Code released to theatres

April 1: Hop, with Russell Brand, Kaley Cuoco, Hank Azaria, David Hasselhoff, Chelsea Handler, and Hugh Laurie, released to theatres

April 1: Insidious, with Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne, released to theatres

April 8: Arthur, with Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, and Jennifer Garner, released to theatres

April 8: Born To Be Wild, with Mor-gan Freeman, released to theatres

April 8: Your Highness, with James Franco, Natalie Portman, and Zooey Deschanel, released to theatres

April 8: Soul Surfer, with Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, and Carrie Un-derwood, released to theatres

Visual Art

Now–April 3: Marian Scott Ab-stracted Notions runs at the Ottawa Art Gallery Contemporary Gallery (2 Daly Ave.)

Now–April 10: Exhibition of the works of Susan Feindel at the Ottawa Art Gallery Contemporary Gallery (2 Daly Ave.)

Now–April 10: Barbara Gamble Development Series runs at the Ottawa Art Gallery Contemporary Gallery (2 Daly Ave.)

Now–April 17: Che Bella Linea: Italian Master Prints, 1500–1650 exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada (380 Sussex Dr.)

Now–April 24: It Is What It Is. Re-cent Acquisitions of New Canadian Art exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada (380 Sussex Dr.)

Now–April 29: Alex Colville: The Formative Years, 1938-1942 ex-hibition at the National Gallery of Canada (380 Sussex Dr.)

Miscellaneous Happenings

March 10: The 31st Annual Genie Awards at the National Arts Centre (53 Elgin St.), 7 p.m.

March 13: The Humane Society Benefi t featuring Tanya Janca, Courtney Thorman, Lauren Cauchy, and Annelise Petlock at Mercury Lounge (56 Byward Market), 7 p.m.

March 26: The Ottawa Theatre Challenge in honour of World Theatre Day featuring Company of Fools Theatre at the National Arts Centre (53 Elgin St.), 7:30 p.m.

Mar. 29: An Evening with David Sedaris at the National Arts Centre (53 Elgin St.), 8 p.m.

thethethryllabus want your event listed on the thryllabus? Email events@thefulcrum.ca

march 10–april 10Events on campus

4 thefulcrum.ca | March 10–16, 2011

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NEWS EDITOR Katherine DeClerq | news@thefulcrum.ca | (613) 562 5260 5

Th e Fulcrum: We are almost at the end of the pilot year for the U-Pass. How do you think this fi rst year went?

Jim Watson: I’ve been very pleased with the results. I think a couple of things have happened. One, we’ve seen a tre-mendous increase in the usage of bus service with students, which is good for the economy, good for the environment, [and] good for safety. I think it has been a very good and fair deal for students, and I think the investment of $3 million from the city to act as that subsidy was a good use of tax dollars because one of the things we’re trying to do is to create the next generation of transit users in a positive fashion.

Recently, the city and OC Transpo de-cided to extend the U-Pass at its current price for a year. What prompted this decision?

I think a couple of things. One, we were looking at increasing it by 2.5 per cent to make up a shortfall of about $185,000 we needed for the U-Pass, and there was also some confusion as to [if] a second refer-

endum [was] needed if the price went up by infl ation—which was 2.5 per cent—or if it wasn’t needed. And we discovered in working with the universities and the students that there was in fact a projected enrolment that would, in essence, cover the $185,000 that we needed, so it ended up being a wash. We would, in essence, implement it as if it were continuing on from last year, but that we would require a new referendum to make the program permanent. [At] that stage, the cost would have to be the full-cost recovery. In other words, we would eliminate the $3-million subsidy. So the price would go up.

So, the referendum needs to happen next year?

It has to happen before March 31, 2012, so that we’re very clear and the students are very clear that this is the rate. Th ere will be an infl ationary escalating clause so we don’t have to have a referendum every year.

I know that we have one of the more ex-pensive U-Passes in the country, and I

think that a lot of students would like to know if there would ever be the op-portunity for a cheaper pass?

Th e [cities] of Calgary, Edmonton, To-ronto, Montreal, and Vancouver all fi t within Ottawa. And we still have room left over. Our city is so big—we have 2,758 square kilometres—versus all of these other cities ... and so our costs tend to go up ... So, our challenge is geogra-phy and length of the routes. Th e more gas you use, the more wear and tear on the buses, and the more labour you need to staff all those routes and the costs go up.

What do you see for the future of the U-Pass?

Well, a couple of things. First of all, I’m optimistic that we have the votes to get it through at council next week, so I’m very confi dent we’ll have quite an overwhelm-ing majority of people who will say the pilot project has worked well ... Secondly, my hope is that the student leadership goes out and sells the pass in the next ref-erendum even though the price is going

to be higher.

Is the U-Pass important to you? Is it something that you want to push for, or does it matter to you if it continues?

It is, because it goes back to over 10 years ago when I fi rst tried to get the fi rst U-Pass and I was not successful. So it’s nice to be in a position now as mayor that we can actually implement a U-Pass that has been well received by students.

I don’t sugar coat it. Th ere are some students obviously that do not support it and there are some that are taking the student [federation] to court. And you have students who either live in the rural areas that don’t have easy access to transit or they live in Sandy Hill and they walk everywhere and they argue they don’t need a pass. I argue they may want to go to St. Laurent Shopping Centre, and you may want to go down to the Glebe, and you may want to travel around the city—and it’s a lot cheaper to take the bus than it is to take a taxi ... At the end of the day, if the students decide in the referendum aft er next year that they don’t want it, that’s their decision. f

‘A good and fair deal for students’

MAPPING OUT THE U-PASSMayor Jim Watson explains why the U-Pass is so expensive in Ottawa

photo by Alex Martin

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson discusses the U-Pass and its recent renewalAmanda Shendruk | Fulcrum Staff

ON FEB. 24, OC Transpo and the City of Ottawa announced they would keep the U-Pass at $145 per full-time student per semester for another year. Th e decision came as a surprise to some, as the city ini-tially recommended cutting the U-Pass subsidy. Th e cut would have increased the pass’s price to $175 per semester, eff ec-tively ending the program. Following the city’s change of heart, Mayor Jim Wat-son sat down with the Fulcrum to talk about the success of the program, why he thinks the U-Pass is great for students, and why it is one of the most expensive in the country.

6 | news thefulcrum.ca | March 10–16, 2011

What’s she building in there?

f

Tyler Shendruk | Fulcrum Staff

Th e problemRECENT IMPROVEMENTS IN tech-nology have allowed scientists to ac-celerate electrons in ways that create high-energy, extremely bright, and short laser pulses. Before the invention of these lasers, scientists could not study how high-intensity ultraviolet and X-ray light interacts with matter. Now that such lasers exist, everybody’s dying to know what happens when you blast stuff with short, high-intensity, high-energy laser beams.

Th e obvious answer is that you blow shit up, and that’s cool and all, but the potential applications of these beams are much greater than that. High-intensity ultraviolet and X-ray lasers might be able to image materials that are currently challenging to study. But before scientists can use these lasers, they have to under-stand this completely unexplored area of light-matter interaction.

Th e researcherLora Ramunno studies computational

photonics at the University of Ottawa. Using her parallel supercomputer (equiv-alent to about 600 desktops), Ramunno studies nonlinear optical imaging and the interaction between matter and in-tense laser beams.

Th e projectRamunno decided to look at how tiny clusters of matter interact with a high-intensity laser pulse by simulating each and every one of the atoms. When atoms are hit by a photon of light there is some probability that they will absorb the pho-ton and eject one of their electrons. Th is leaves the atom as a positively charged ion. At every step of her simulation, Ra-munno’s computer program must stop and evaluate the quantum probabilities that give these rates before it can move on to the next step.

Th e keyBefore the laser blows up the cluster of atoms, electrons escape from their atomic orbitals and the cluster becomes a plasma. Th e fi rst few electrons that are ejected simply fl y away and leave behind

a charged cluster of ions. However, the electrons emitted later fi nd themselves in this charged environment that they can’t escape from.

Th ese electrons are free to zip around, but can’t leave the cluster, and from time to time they collide with unionized at-oms. Th ey usually don’t have enough energy to free an orbiting electron from the atom they collided with, but they can excite one of the atom’s electrons up to higher energy. Ramunno found that if a second free electron collides with the same atom that had been energized by an earlier collision, it has a better chance of releasing the orbiting electron. When pairs of free electrons work together like this the cluster charges more quickly than if the laser didn’t have any help and so the cluster explodes in a shorter period of time. Ramunno calls this process Aug-mented Collision Ionization.

Are you doing interesting science? Or do you have a professor who can’t stop talking about their research? Let us know at research@thefulcrum.ca

Blowing shit up, science style

Wilfred Laurier professor runs for offi ce

WATERLOO (CUP)—AS AN INDIVIDUAL with an extensive background in the fi eld of political science, the decision to run for provincial government was not as obvious for Rob Leone as one might assume. Yet on April 16, Leone, a pro-fessor at Wilfrid Laurier University, is hoping to win the vote that would secure his nomination as the Conservative party representative for Cambridge, On-tario, in the upcoming provincial election. Leone will be up against two former Cambridge mayoral candidates.

—Olivia Nightingale, the Cord

Students break world record

VANCOUVER (CUP)—FOUR UBC STUDENTS are hoping their soccer stami-na on the small screen will earn them a place in the record books. Rene Rinfret, Jamie Tang, Gerome Louie, and Anesu Mutangadura spent 36 hours shooting, sliding, and scoring on FIFA Soccer 2011 in an attempt to break the world re-cord for longest session spent playing the Electronic Arts game. On Feb. 19, they played 63 video games starting at 8 a.m. and fi nishing at 4:30 p.m. the follow-ing day. Rinfet is currently compiling the group’s offi cial package for Guinness World Records. Th e previous record was almost six hours shorter than the ses-sion played by the UBC students.

—Arshy Mann, the Ubyssey

Pro-life club sues Carleton

OTTAWA (CUP)—THE PRO-LIFE CLUB at Carleton University has launched a lawsuit against the university aft er fi ve students were arrested at a demonstration last fall. On Oct. 4 of last year, the students were arrested and charged with tres-passing when they attempted to erect a controversial display on campus called the Genocide Awareness Project. Th e lawsuit will cost approximately $250,000.

—Alanna Wallace, CUP Ontario Bureau Chief

Carleton students caught in free laundry scam

OTTAWA—A COMPUTER GLITCH let Carleton University students do their laundry in residence for free. Th e glitch allowed them to swipe their student cards and enter the number of a particular washing machine and their card would not be billed. Th e university discovered the glitch and is demanding that students pay. Th e total cost to the university was $28,000.

—Katherine DeClerq

Strike deadline set for Brock

ST. CATHARINES (CUP)—THE LABOUR UNION representing teaching as-sistants and instructors at Brock University have rejected the students’ union’s off er to enter into binding arbitration with the university. A strike deadline has been set for March 14 at 12:01 a.m. Th e employees represented by the union have been without a contract since their three-year agreement expired in June. Both sides have been unable to agree on several major issues including wages, job se-curity, workload, and proposals that directly aff ect students, such as capping class sizes and protecting the seminar-lab system.

—Bryan Medland, the Brock Press

Katrina Medwenitsch | Fulcrum Staff “Th is is supposed to be the fi rst-ever network that has been hosted by the University of Ottawa. Ever,” said Azze-dine Boukerche, a full-time professor at the School of Information Technology and Engineering, and the lead research-er from the university on the project.

“It’s very competitive and presti-gious,” he added. “It’s going to put all the researcher networks in the area of vehicular networks at Ottawa—it’s go-ing to put Ottawa on the top.”

Th e project, entitled the Developing Next Generation Intelligent Vehicular Networks and Applications (DIVA) net-work, is comprised of several universi-ties, government organizations, and private-sector companies. By hosting the network, the U of O will have the best and brightest minds on site, devel-oping the technology for future vehicle improvements.

DIVA will design network protocols and applications that allow for high-speed and hands-free communication among vehicles.

“Basically [the purpose is] to design the next future vehicle, the dream vehicle that will have all the design and the next generation of the car that is supposed to be safe, secure, and entertaining for the

passenger,” explained Boukerche. However, Boukerche is concerned

that accomplishing this may be more diffi cult than it seems.

“[Th e goal is to] create this technol-ogy that doesn’t exist yet and make it show that it can be integrated within the car,” he added.

Some of the applications will increase comfort while travelling long distances by introducing location-aware services, multimedia streaming, local news, so-cial networking, and tourist informa-tion. Th e technology is also meant to re-duce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as security threats.

Despite the challenges of creating new technology, Boukerche believes that Canadians will soon start to reap the benefi ts of this research.

“We are limited in funds of technol-ogy so we are hoping that in the next fi ve years we should be able to have a platform that can be used within those future cars,” he says.

Th e funding and research project itself is part of the NSERC’s Strategic Network Grants program, which endea-vours to improve and enhance the Cana-dian economy, society, and environment through research and training.

newsbriefs

U of O-led research network granted $8 million to change the way Canadians drive

f

Smart research for smart cars

A UNIVERSITY OF Ottawa-

led research network has been

awarded a $5-million grant

from the Natural Sciences and

Engineering Research Coun-

cil of Canada (NSERC) to

put toward a large research

program that aims to change

the way Canadians drive and

commute. With the $3 million

that the research network was

granted from industry part-

ners, this project will become

an $8-million collaborative

eff ort led by the university.

puzzles on p. 22

Profi les in science research at the U of O

news | 7thefulcrum.ca | March 10–16, 2011

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Jane Lytvynenko | Fulcrum Staff

PROTESTERS WERE USING kegs as drum kits, and chanting to the sounds of a siren in an attempt to make their opinions regarding Tristan Dénommée’s disqualifi cation heard. Students crowded into the offi ce of the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) at ap-proximately 11:30 a.m. on March 7 for a sit-in demonstration.

“Th ey just told us they were sitting down and going to chill at the offi ce … and the next thing I know they’ve taken my couch out of my offi ce and were using it to barricade [the door],” said Alex Cha-put, the current vp social of the SFUO. “It’s a shame it has to come to this. … In my opinion, they’re defending what’s right versus what’s wrong.”

Th e protest was organized by Alexis Goudreau, Dénommée’s former cam-paign manager, in response to the deci-sions of an emergency Board of Admin-istrators (BOA) meeting the day before. Th e BOA rejected Dénommée’s appeals and fi nalized his disqualifi cation from the position of vp fi nance, putting his op-ponent, Sarah Jayne King, into offi ce for the 2011–12 academic year.

“We went to the BOA yesterday, we

saw what happened, and we’re pissed off ,” said Goudreau aft er allowing the Ful-crum into the barricaded space. “[What] we are hoping to accomplish [is] that stu-dents wake up a bit and see what [is hap-pening] with the federation.”

Goudreau explained that the students hoped to stay in the offi ce until Dénom-mée was reinstated as the offi cial vp fi nance and that the BOA members in-volved in the disqualifi cation resigned from offi ce.

Dénommée came to the scene aft er the fact and stayed outside the offi ce. Although he didn’t organize the protest, Dénommée fully encouraged it.

“I didn’t know we were actually in-side—I love it! Th is is fucking amazing!” he said. “Aft er everything that’s hap-pened, this is the only thing we can do to express our opinion to the SFUO.”

Th ere were other supporters watch-ing outside the offi ce, as well as some students who were frustrated with the protest itself.

“Th is occupation is penalizing stu-dents … It’s penalizing services that can’t get to the photocopiers. Th ere are em-ployees inside, those who are working in uncomfortable circumstances,” said Jesse Root, a BOA member for social sciences.

Although the protestors were not forc-ibly keeping any SFUO employees inside the offi ce, Paige Gallette, vp communica-tions of the SFUO, maintained that she was concerned about those working in the offi ces.

“We are trying our best to ensure the safety of our employees,” she said in an offi cial statement to the Fulcrum.

Students frustrated with the protest began to hold up posters of their own, reading, “Tristan cheated, SJK didn’t. Pe-nalize Tristan, not SJK.”

Amy Hammett, vp student aff airs of

the SFUO, believes that democracy was upheld in the BOA ruling, and that the decision won’t be changed through pro-testing.

“A candidate was disqualifi ed for not following the election rules ... and now it came to the last desperate attempt of the candidate,” said Hammett.

It didn’t take long for the protesting to spill into the centre of the UCU, with parties from both sides screaming about democracy, by-elections, cheating, and accountability. Campus security sepa-rated the two groups before the argument

could escalate further. Th e sit-in ended at about 4:20 p.m. de-

spite rumors of protesters preparing to spend the night. Aft er negotiating with supporters outside the room, the protest-ers decided to leave aft er city media had written about their cause, stating that they had achieved their goal of inform-ing the students.

“Th is is only the beginning,” said Goudreau.

He claimed that the student body should brace itself for more demonstra-tions.

Dénommée’s supporters organize sit-in to protest BOA’s disqualifi cation of election winner

Students barricade SFUO offi ce

WELL, MY FELLOW readers, I don’t even know what to say. I have been shocked silent. Should I write about how the Board of Administration (BOA) outright disqualifi ed Tristan Dénommée; should I write about the sit-in students organized in protest; or should I write about the people protest-ing the sit-in? Should I write about the gossip being spread by student federa-tion executives and board members, or should I talk about Protection Service’s involvement in this entire aff air?

Aft er reviewing my options, I have de-cided to write about the fact that the Stu-dent Federation of the University of Ot-tawa (SFUO), and the BOA respectively, think that the media create unsafe space.

I guess my reputation for being in-

timidating has spread across campus. And if any of you know me, you can probably picture me saying that with a smile. Well, not this time.

During the March 6 BOA meeting, the media was allowed into the room aft er two hours of debating, and only under certain conditions. We were told by Federico Carvajal, Chair of the BOA, that only three members from each paper could enter the room. We were told that we could not speak (not that we usually do as objective observers). We were told that if we did speak, we would have to leave quietly or security would take us out forcibly. Finally, we were told we had to respect the room as a “safe space.”

At this point, I think I speak for the

entire Fulcrum when I say we did not feel “safe” entering that room.

Since when has the media become an instigator of unsafe activity? Th e me-dia’s role is to inform the public in an objective manner. I’m sorry if our pens make too much noise as we write down notes, but does that mean that you feel unsafe in our presence? Th e Fulcrum has never spoken out during a BOA meeting and only works toward writing the truth—and that is exactly what the BOA feels creates an unsafe space.

I can tell you what they were afraid of. Th ey were afraid that we would be able to hear them better than we could from the live-feed. Th ey were afraid that we would be able to actually quote them rather than paraphrase. Th ey were wor-

ried that we would write a story outlin-ing their faults as a democratic institu-tion.

I don’t have a grudge against the SFUO or the BOA. All I wanted was for my reporters to be able to do their job and inform the public as to what hap-pened inside that closed-door meeting. I told them all to be fi erce, to try their best to get into the room because the chances of technical diffi culties were pretty high.

Yes, I said this with a smile.But apparently, smiles and the truth

are what frighten this student federa-tion.

news@thefulcrum(613) 562 5260

Th e truth and smiles create an unsafe space?

DEMOCRACY BARRICADED Disqualifi ed vp fi nance candidate, Tristin Dénommée, watches protest done in his name

Katherine DeClerqNews Editor

between the lines

photos (from left) by Kate Waddingham and

Katherine DeClerq

8 | news thefulcrum.ca | March 10–16, 2011

Briana Hill | Fulcrum Staff

A CONTROVERSIAL DECISION to dis-qualify Student Federation of the Univer-sity of Ottawa (SFUO) former vp fi nance-elect Tristan Dénommée was upheld at a Board of Administration (BOA) meeting March 6.

Initially scheduled to be held in the Tabaret Senate room, the meeting was changed at the last minute to a location in Lamoureux. When students arrived to view the proceedings, they were met by Protection Services and a locked door.

“What I’m for is having ... a secure space where the members of the board can do their work without people yelling every two seconds,” explained Amalia Savva, president-elect for the year 2011–12, regarding the barring of students from the usually public proceedings.

Frustrated students were left to watch

a live feed of the meeting on their lap-tops in the hallway or in a room across campus. Th e broadcast upset many pas-sionate students wanting to attend the meeting, and spectators were unable to gain entry to the room at any point. Even the media was asked to wait outside and watch the video stream.

Sunday, Feb. 28, BOA members voted to conduct the public SFUO election appeals process behind closed doors. Th e meeting, which begin just aft er 5 p.m., lasted until two in the morning. Th e eight and a half hour meeting was plagued with technical diffi culties as the sound for the video feed dropped in and out, and the connection was altogether lost at times.

Less than half an hour into the meet-ing, Brandon Clim, a fourth-year politi-cal science student involved in one of the appeals, walked out and called the pro-cess a “ridiculous kangaroo court.”

“[Tyler Steeves, president of the SFUO,] raised a point of order, and he said that he was receiving messages from the media saying that they couldn’t un-derstand [the video feed], and then Fed-erico, [chairperson of the BOA], threw that back in his face,” explained Clim.

Th e board eventually allowed six members of the student media to enter the room under the condition that they would not speak and they would respect

the meeting room as a “safe space.” Th e BOA heard six appeals in total—

the fi rst regarding Savva’s collaboration with a BOA member on her campaign, and the second concerned with clubs emails sent in support of current VP Student Aff airs Amy Hammett in her re-election campaign. Both Savva and Hammett’s actions were upheld as in ac-cordance with election rules.

It was appeals three through six, how-ever, that drew the most attention from student observers. Th e appeals addressed alleged infractions within the campaign of vp fi nance candidate Tristan Dénom-mée, which ultimately led to his disquali-fi cation.

A week ago, Dénommée was disquali-fi ed aft er having offi cially won the race of vp fi nance in the SFUO elections by 114 votes. Th e disqualifi cation was based on accusations of publishing false state-ments in relation to the personal char-acter or conduct of a candidate; posting in unauthorized locations; and failure to comply with minor and major penalties.

Th e fi rst of Dénommée’s three appeals concerned his alleged dissemination of false information and misrepresentation of his opponent and current vp fi nance of the SFUO, Sarah Jayne King.

Dénommée’s second appeal dealt with his major penalty during the elections campaign: the removal of 75 posters and

two large banners. Reem Zaia, Dénommée’s representa-

tive at the meeting, proposed that the decision to impose this sanction came before he had a chance to complete the punitive measures imposed upon him. Th is was based on the date of a letter he received from the CEO of the elections offi ce, Jason Benovoy, regarding his in-fractions. Because the letter was dated the day he was supposed to comply with earlier measures, Dénommée concluded that Benovoy had preemptively assumed he would not comply and imposed a ma-jor penalty. To this, Benovoy responded he was merely reusing an old letter.

Dénommée’s third and fi nal appeal was of the decision to disqualify him al-together.

“Th ere are no grounds in the constitu-tion that actually justify the removal of a candidate-elect,” argued Zaia.

In her defense, King used strong lan-guage about Dénommée’s conduct dur-ing the campaign.

“Th e systematic disregard for electoral processes exhibited by Mr. Dénommée are a disgrace to the integrity of our elec-tions system,” argued King. “It is incred-ibly unfortunate that my opponent chose to run a campaign based on lies, a lack of integrity, and a failure to comply with regulations.”

All three of Dénommée’s appeals

failed.Upon confi rmation of his disqualifi ca-

tion, Dénommée mouthed to King “see you in court” from across the room.

Th ough disappointed with the out-come of the BOA, he seemed optimistic about his plans to pursue legal action.

“I’m not surprised at all of what just happened, it’s [the] SFUO, it’s always like that,” he said.

A fi nal appeal for a vp fi nance by-election was rejected, meaning that King will now assume the position for a second mandate.

Tyler Steeves, president of the SFUO, expressed his disappointment with the results.

“[I am] disappointed with the deci-sion of the BOA tonight. I was hoping for some sort of acknowledgement that elected candidates are elected and it’s not fair to unelect them,” he said.

King is aware of the anger that has resulted from the decision to disqualify Dénommée, and she fi nds the victory bit-tersweet.

“We have seen some backlash ... I hope that we’ll be able to communicate to stu-dents exactly what did happen because I think [that’s] the reason that we have seen a bit of backlash. I certainly wish I didn’t have to go through that process, but the board has made the fi nal ruling on this and I think it’s the right one.”

BOA decisions result in controversy

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DEBATING INTO THE EARLY MORNING(Left , top right) BOA discusses election appeals in a closed-door meeting in Lamoureux, (bottom right) Federico Carvajal and security block Dénommée’s access to the meeting

photos by Kate Waddingham

Decision to disqualify former vp fi nance candidate is upheld

ARTS & CULTURE Charlotte Bailey | arts@thefulcrum.ca | (613) 562 5931 9

ARTS&CULTURE

Charlotte Bailey | Fulcrum Staff

TALKING TO DICK Valentine is an un-usual experience. As front man for the band Electric Six, this singer-songwriter says his motivations for continuing to produce music are simple.

“Money. Fame. Exposure,” he states, completely seriously. As a band that has been around for 15 years, these answers maybe shouldn’t have been such a sur-prise to me: surely success can alter a band’s priorities?

“We’re money-hungry. We look at this

as a pyramid scheme,” he says. I laugh. He doesn’t.

Surely there must be more to making music for a decade and a half than mo-tivation through money? I asked him about this.

“Th ere is some love of the music, yes,” he says. “We enjoy the way the music makes us feel.” Electric Six’s sound has been called alternative rock, dance-punk, and new wave. Responsible for hits like “Danger! High Voltage”, “Gay Bar”, and “Dance Commander”, they have produced an album annually since 2005. Touring fi ve months of the year, Electric Six writes songs while on the road, re-cording and producing during the rest of the year. Valentine says that things they experience on tour inspire them musi-cally.

“We’re inspired by things that we see on the road—for instance, there’s an A&W in Red Deer, Alberta, and I found that was a great place to write songs.”

“Really?” I ask. “What inspired you there?”

“Th e root beer,” he says. I laugh. He doesn’t. Again.

Electric Six has been touring in Can-ada for a number of years, and will play at the bar Mavericks on March 11. Th eir concert dates match up almost perfectly to the dates that they’ve played in Cana-da previous years. When I mentioned to Valentine that I became an Electric Six fan when I saw them live in 2010, it was the fi rst time during the interview that he actually sounded excited.

“Th at’s fantastic—we had such a great time,” he says. “We love your city so much.” “We” is the operative word here—synthesizer player Tait Nucleus is never present at the Electric Six shows in Canada for reasons that Valentine stated he couldn’t share. As an annual touring spot, only having fi ve electric members certainly poses a problem for a band touring almost half of each year.

“He’s tried desperately to get in,” says Valentine. “Your government won’t allow it.” At the shows, Valentine says that their

years of making music has allowed them a lot of selection when it comes their con-cert playlists.

“We try to play the new favourites, as well as some of the old stuff ,” he explains. “From there, we pick and choose—it’s la-dies choice.”

“You pick requests?” I ask, having not remembered this from last year.

“We pick ladies,” he says. I’ve given up on laughing at this point.

Having a very tight schedule of writ-ing, touring, and recording, Electric Six hasn’t let their infl uence in the music scene fade. Th eir constant work seems to be taking a toll on Valentine, although he states that he won’t be taking a break any time soon.

“No,” he responds. “No, no, no—this is how it will be, and eventually I’m going to hit the wall.”

“So that’s the plan?” I ask. “To work as hard as you can—”

“—until my organs shut down, yeah,” he responds. Fearing that I might be

beating a dead horse, I asked him once again if the only thing motivating him is money. I have a hard time believing that it’s just about the funds, if his plan is to keep doing it until he dies.

“How old are you, love?” he asks me. I reply, I’m 21.

“Well, let’s trade lives,” he says. “I’ll live your life for a month, and you’ll live mine, and then we’ll get back to each other. I wish I could explain it to you, but that’s the best way. Also, I’d want to be a 21-year-old woman. It would be a whole new perspective—a fresh start, if you will.” Th is, again, surprises me. I won-der if Valentine has any regrets about his time with the band.

“No,” he says. “Touring with Electric Six has been fantastic. I’ve been to Can-ada 14 times, I’ve been to Estonia, I’ve been to Japan,” he says. “I have a wonder-ful bank account.”

For more information on their upcoming concerts, visit electricsix.com

Electric after 15 yearsFrontman Dick Valentine motivated by money and fame

DANGER! HIGH VOLTAGEDick Valentine (under the fi sh, with the hat) and the rest of Electric Six revisit Ottawa

photo courtesy electricsix.com

f

Just Go With ItAFTER HAVING HIS heart broken, Danny (Adam Sandler) leaves his wife at the altar and heads to a bar. Danny soon realizes that women in bars are drawn to men with wedding rings (are they?). Ten years later, we see he is still using the same trick to score women, but when he meets Palmer (Brooklyn Decker), he discovers he must change his approach for a woman he is genuinely interested in. When she discovers his ring, the fi lm’s plot takes off , as he must convince her that he is not the cheater she believes him to be. Th e remainder of the

fi lm takes place in Hawaii, where single mom Katherine (Jennifer Aniston), Danny’s assistant, is drawn into the predictable web of lies and expectedly agrees to play along as Danny’s soon-to-be ex-wife. Th e fi lm very much follows the mold of any romantic comedy. From the outset, the viewers speculate as to whether Danny will end up with Palmer or Katherine.

Like Sandler’s other fi lms, you can expect another great soundtrack compiled of classic 70s and 80s rock, this one being heavy on Sting and Th e Police. Also, the never-ending cameos from the familiar cast of wacky characters that Happy Madi-son Production fi lms are known for does not disappoint. Although Decker’s acting is mediocre and the annoying use of a child’s fake British accent gets tiresome, the fi lms all-star cast does not disappoint.

—Jessica Beddaoui

10 | arts&culture thefulcrum.ca | March 10–16, 2011

featured reviewmovie reviews

WHO KNEW THE famous Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet could be told in an animated 3-D fi lm fi lled with plastic garden gnomes that come to life? Gnomeo and Juliet is about two feuding garden gnomes, the blue (Montague) and red (Capulet) families, who are in a heated dispute. Th e story unfolds as

Gnomeo (the voice of James McAvoy) and Juliet (the voice of Emily Blunt) meet over an orchid fl ower and fi nd themselves in a doomed love aft er they come to realize they are rivals. Th e only good part of this fi lm is its attempt to educate youngsters about the world of Shakespeare, hoping the plot will fascinate kids. Th e bad part of this fi lm is its eff ort to rewrite the play, and not appeal to a wider audience. However, it’s not as awfully boring as one might assume; the occasional happy song and dance (sung by Elton John) might keep you awake.

—Tamara Tarchichi

Gnomeo and Juliet Beastly The Adjustment Bureau

AMBITIOUS POLITICIAN DAVID Nor-ris (Matt Damon) is unexpectedly given a glimpse into his future and discovers he is predetermined for political greatness. Th e catch? He must abandon the only woman he has ever loved, the artsy ballet dancer, Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt). Unwilling to do

so, and yearning to change the path set out for him, Norris chal-lenges the mediators of fate as he takes on Th e Adjustment Bureau. Th e fi lm raises questions surrounding free will, and whether or not a higher being has a predetermined path set out for us. First-time director George Nolfi is unsuccessful in attempting to incor-porate several genres within this fi lm. Th e science-fi ction concept is compelling, yet seems very far-fetched. Th e action scenes are only mildly interesting, but toward the end of the fi lm, the ro-mance picks up and Norris’ vulnerability and emotion melts your heart. Prepare to have your emotions pulled in several diff erent directions, and not in a good way. Overall, this fi lm is a semi-suc-cessful romance story with sci-fi underpinnings.

—Jessica Beddaoui

A MODERN DAY fairytale, Beastly tells the story of Kyle (Alex Pettyfer), an arro-gant pretty boy, who is transformed into a hideous monster in order to fi nd true love. Sound familiar? Beastly is a contem-porary version of Beauty and the Beast. Yet by drawing upon parallels (my personal

favourite being the tattoo used to mark the changing seasons) instead of simply copying the original, director Daniel Barnz suc-ceeds in staying true to the story’s roots while still creating an original piece of fi ction.

Although the dialogue can be cheesy and superfi cial (especially at the beginning), the acting was pleasantly surprising. Continu-ing her comeback to the big screen, Mary-Kate Olsen delivers a decent performance as witch Kendra. However, it is Vanessa Hudgens, (who plays Lindy—the girl who falls for Kyle) and Alex Pettyfer who really breathe life into the text. Th e stolen glances, quiet contemplation, and other subtleties of a budding romance are what make this movie truly magical. I’d recommended it to all those who love a happy ending.

—Michelle Ferguson

arts&culture | 11thefulcrum.ca | March 10–16, 2011

A COUPLE OF weeks ago, a conversation came up in the Fulcrum offi ces. One of our editors was really sick of the stereotype that men love bitches.

Screw that, I thought. I love bitches.In saying the word “bitch,” I don’t con-

done its traditional use. But some women have decided to take the title and make it a positive thing. I’ve recently been looking into biographies of women I admire—two of which are Tabatha Coff ey and Kelly Cutrone. Coff ey is the host of Tabatha’s Salon Takeover, a reality show where she comes into hair salons and whips the staff into shape to save their business. Cutrone has started an international public rela-tions company, and has starred in her own show, Kell On Earth.

Th ese women kick ass—and not just because they’re on TV. Th ey run their own businesses with iron fi sts, forgo the nice-ties, and never fear their employees’ reac-tions. Beyond this, they take the time to teach young professionals their trade, and genuinely care about the fi eld that they’re in. Th ey make their passions their lives, and they don’t let anyone stand in their way. And they get called “bitch” at least fi ve times a season.

So, what does this tell you (other than I’ve completely fallen off the wagon with my no-TV resolution)? Strong women scare people. People look at strong, pow-erful women who don’t give a rat’s ass what anyone thinks, and this gives them an undeserved, derogatory label. But these women are everything I think modern women are: fearless, intuitive, and ballsy. We assume that tough businessmen are supposed to be respected for their harsh nature. Why isn’t the same assumed for women?

I love the fact that Coff ey and Cutrone don’t shy away from the word “bitch.” Cu-trone has labelled herself a BITCH: Being In Total Control of Herself. Coff ey has made up her own acronym: Brave, Intel-ligent, Tenacious, Creative, and Honest. Th ey do what would seem impossible: they both reject the label that’s forced onto them, as well as embrace it, by changing the perceptions of themselves.

So, maybe I’m a bitch myself, because I see nothing wrong with being in total con-trol. Th ese women don’t bother with what other people think over their own needs, and are the best example of strong role models for women: unafraid, strong, and in total control. If that’s what being a bitch is, sign me up!

arts@thefulcrum.ca(613) 562 5931

‘Bitch’ gets a makeover

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Charlotte BaileyArts & Culture Editor

SnapshotONLINE EXCLUSIVESLet’s play baseball! ... Or maybe we’ll talk about sex instead

Hackers: A force for good and illWhy did Chris Russo take out online dating site Plenty of Fish?

Up, up, and awayFolded Dreams paper airplane contest hits the U of O

12 | features

Chelsea Edgell | Fulcrum Staff

BEFORE CANADIAN WOMEN were granted the right to vote in 1917, debates raged about whether allowing suffrage for women was a good choice for the country and for women themselves. In fact, many women campaigned against it, wholeheartedly believing that it was in the best interest of the female popula-tion not to vote. Both those in favour of suffrage and those against it considered themselves women’s rights activists; they used the same label but they certainly did not agree.

Fast forward to 2011, and little has changed. Feminism is a word that is both embraced and scorned, and understood to mean very different things by different people.

“Women’s issues are often seen as old-fashioned, boorish,” explains Pamela Walker, the Womens Studies Joint Re-search Chair at the U of O. “But every-thing is not fine and these questions are still relevant.”

The reality of the situation is that, just as the ideologies of one student group cannot be understood to represent the sentiments of all, neither can feminism be interpreted as a single perspective or philosophy. No single individual’s opin-ions should be taken to reflect the ideals of all those to whom the feminist label is ascribed.

If Sarah Palin can call herself a feminist while advocating for political changes that many consider detrimen-tal to women’s health, it should become immediately evident that the concept of feminism as a monolithic movement is—and always has been—colossally divisive.

“I believe in gender equality, but us-ing the feminist label is too complicated,” says Laura Schafer, a third-year commu-nications student at the U of O. “I mean, if you call yourself a feminist you con-stantly have to clarify what that means. No one knows the difference between second-wave, third-wave, womanism, and all that crap.”

Schafer isn’t alone in her rejection of the label. Because feminism bears plenty of negative connotations and misconcep-tions, many men and women hesitate to

use the term, even if they ascribe to the philosophy.

“There are so many idiots out there who call themselves feminists,” says Schafer, remarking that she’ll likely be criticized for expressing such a senti-ment. “Some chicks who call themselves feminists are so closed-minded and an-gry, and they don’t hold themselves to the same standards they expect from others. I don’t want to associate myself with that. I guess I am a feminist, but I’m also po-litically moderate—and that doesn’t sit well with a lot of feminists I know.”

So what’s feminism all about, anyway?

Feminism, simply put, is about practical equality for all individuals irrespective of gender identity. While theoretical gender equality has been achieved in some situ-ations—in theory, we may all have the same rights and privileges—in practice, gender equality has yet to be realized in most cases.

“Speak to an aboriginal woman and ask her if [she thinks] equality has been achieved,” says Walker. “Simply because women are enrolling in medical school doesn’t mean that they aren’t isolated to a certain number of specializations. Wom-en are still under-represented in the sci-ences in general, especially in positions of authority and leadership.”

Inequality cannot be understood to be a matter of boys versus girls. Questions of gender are only one source of social disparity; we exist within a kyriarchy. Coined by theologian Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza, kyriarchy is a neologism de-rived from the Greek word kyrios (mean-ing lord or master), and understood to refer to a complex system of intersecting social structures characterized by pat-terns of superordination and subordina-tion. It means that there are many ways in which different groups are oppressed, and that these systems of discrimination and privilege are not unidirectional.

“I am a white, cisgendered, able-bod-ied Anglophone of average height and weight,” explains Brianne Martin, a U of O alumna. “This can give me certain advantages over those who may not share these traits.

“This is not to say that because my first language is English I am immune to linguistic discrimination, or that my life has been easier than someone whose first language happens to be French or Farsi,” Martin says. “My life could suck. What it means is that there are difficulties that I am less likely to encounter and advan-tages that I do not even notice I have.”

Privilege is invisible, and it is not something that is characterized by its presence so much as it is distinguished by its absence in others. Speaking up on behalf of a marginalized group is an at-tempt to compensate for the imbalance of this privilege, to add weight to an off-kilter set of scales.

The privileges of gender are complex. There are situations of benevolent sex-ism (sometimes called female privilege) in which being female may appear to be a distinct advantage. Martin works as a bartender, and mentions that she often receives better tips than her male coun-terparts. But she does not interpret this as evidence that women hold all the pow-er in the service industry.

“Sexism is still a problem when it can be exploited to benefit women,” she says. “I might get better tips, but in order to do so I am expected to flirt with patrons or show some cleavage. The guys I work with are valued for their skills. I am val-ued for my tits, but I make more. So it sucks for all of us.”

If it’s about equality, why is it called feminism?

There are many people who believe very strongly in gender equality that prefer to call themselves humanists or equalists, in an effort to acknowledge the inter-secting systems of oppression that exist within the kyriarchy. But it’s important to understand that when it comes to the complexities of personal philosophies and beliefs, this is not a matter of check-ing only one box.

“Thinking about gender, being aware of gender issues, makes you a clearer thinker and a better thinker,” says Walk-er. “It doesn’t matter if you’re studying poetry or public health.”

Feminism means choosing to look at

inequality from the per-spective of gender issues and women’s rights. This does not mean that a feminist is not also an advocate for ac-cessibility or racial equality or religious tolerance; it means that the use of that label implies a certain focus at the time of its use.

“There are too many problems for generic equalism to make a difference,” says Martin. “We need to specialize. Be a feminist, be an anti-racist, be a queer rights activist, advocate for men’s is-sues—whatever your personal experi-ence lends itself to. We’re all on the same side, but you need to pick a battlefront. Being an equalist is kind of a cop-out, in my opinion, even if your heart is in the right place.”

At the same time, Martin remarks, the different movements should attempt to work together more closely, because all forms of inequality overlap and intersect.

The feminazi stigma

Calling yourself a feminist does not mean that your opinions and perspectives rep-resent those of all people who use the same label. The fact of the matter is—as Schafer pointed out—that there are peo-ple who identify as feminists who should more accurately be called misandrists;

just as there are men’s rights activists whose ideals are blatantly misogynistic. The result is more impor-tant than the intent, and identifying with a certain movement does not mean that your actions and words necessarily have a positive impact on the movement you claim to support and represent. There are mean, irrational, or morally weak people who call themselves feminists. But femi-nism is not a mean, irrational, or morally weak ideology. Just as there are misguid-ed feminists, there are other agents who may inadvertantly damage the feminist cause.

“When publications such as the Globe & Mail run front page opinion pieces such as today’s by Margaret Wente claim-ing that women have achieved pay equity and parity in the professional world, they are making a variety of assertions that do not reflect the reality I know, and they are not substantiating their claims with suf-ficient evidence,” explains Walker.

Gender essentialism—the belief that places masculine and feminine traits in mutually exclusive and oppositional po-sitions—is a problem because it results in the negative treatment of men and

A very brief look at the unifying principles, contentious issues, and diverse philosophies that come together under the umbrella of the feminist movement

Dropping the F bomb

thefulcrum.ca | March 10–16, 2011 features | 13

women who transgress the boundaries of these normative roles. But the fact re-mains that men and women do have dif-ferent experiences.

Todd Lyons, a local public servant, discussed his experiences enrolling in a women’s studies course as a mature student, as part of his master’s degree. Despite having studied feminist theory for over 16 years prior to enrolling in the course, he was wary about the reception he would receive from his instructors and fellow students.

“When I have been present at gath-erings of feminists, I have always per-ceived my status as somewhere between an invited guest and tolerated observer, depending on the group,” he says. “My

questions and opinions are invariably in-terpreted more negatively than neutrally because of my gender, and not strictly by the merit of the ideas themselves.

“This is never more clear than when I witness a female peer question an aspect of feminism I have questioned, or dis-agree with something I have disagreed with, and receive positive support when my own reaction from others was nega-tive and dismissive. Since nearly the be-ginning of my university career over 20 years ago, I have witnessed female peers following the same paths of thought that I and others have followed, but not re-ceive the backlash.”

Lyons remarks that it is important for men to understand that they operate

from a position of gendered privilege, but still laments that it can be difficult for men to find their place in the feminist movement—even if they wish to combat sexism.

“My experiences have not made me question the truth of feminist thought, nor the legitimacy of feminist goals. They do not make me second-guess my desire to try to remain cognizant of feminist theory in the way that I write and think,” he says. “I am a feminist—but one that is experi-enced enough to understand that I can’t always self-identify as such, or critique central concepts in all environments.”

But he asserts that it is essential for men to involve themselves in the fight for gender equality, whether they want to

call themselves feminists or not. “While shared philosophical beliefs

may bind together unlike people, it is physical and biological similarities that are still most initially salient. While this prevents men from offering any as-sistance to women in counselling female victims of male violence, it makes them essential collaborators in revising the male species from within. If patriarchy is to be overthrown, it must be done with men and women with arms linked, not at arm’s length.”

Where do we go from here?

Questions of gender equality have spawned an entire field of study, com-

plete with debate and controversy too extensive and complex to be discussed in one article or even one textbook. But complexity should not dissuade discus-sion; rather, it should allow discussion to flourish. We all stand to learn a lot from each other—men and women, queer and straight, transgendered and cisgendered. Feminism is not a unified movement, but a historically, geographically, and so-cially situated movement that manifests itself in ways as diverse as the individu-als who choose to use the word. It’s not a gender and it’s not a sexual orientation. The reality is that gender inequality ex-ists and it hurts us all—feminism is sim-ply a way of looking at and attacking one of the world’s many problems. f

illustration by Alex Martin

14 | arts&culture thefulcrum.ca | March 10–16, 2011

When it comes

to higher education,

make an informed choice.

Dave Donaldson

Dean, School of

Business

algonquincollege.com/marchbreak

For more information, scheduling

and to register, please visit:

Kim Tysick

Executive Dean, Faculty

of Health, Public Safety

& Community Studies

Steve Georgopoulos

Dean, School of

Hospitality & Tourism

Claude Brule

Dean, Faculty of

Technology & Trades

Peter Larock

Chair, Design Studies,

School of Media & Design

Robyn Heaton

Chair, Media Studies,

School of Media & Design

Speak to program leaders and learn about our specialized offerings.

MARCH 14, 16 & 18 – 10 a.m. & 1 p.m.

March Break Tours

MARCH 16 – 5 to 7 p.m.

Attend our Information Evening

Visit our facilities and experience Algonquin College.

Katrina Medwenitsch | Fulcrum Staff

THERE ARE NUMEROUS places that one can fi nd feminist perspectives, both on and off campus. If you’re in need of a sympathetic ear, or a place where you can voice your concerns about women’s rights, look no further—the Fulcrum’sgot you covered for all your feminist needs.

ON CAMPUS

Women’s Resource CentreUCU 220sfuo.ca/services/wrc/en/index.htm

Th e University of Ottawa’s Women’s Resource Centre recognizes the diverse needs of both women and transgendered people on campus, while seeking to elim-inate oppression. Th ey have a feminist library on site, workshops and events, peer listening and referral, and—above all—a safe, comfortable, anti-oppressive drop-in space to just hangout and meet new people.

Women’s Studies Department30 Stewart St.socialsciences.uottawa.ca/womenst/eng/index.asp

Why not take a women’s studies class? And if that doesn’t work into your sched-ule, this department can provide helpful information about the academic study of women. Th ey aim to explore the evolution of sexism and racism, and investigate the social relationships between women and men.

OFF CAMPUS

Canadian Fed-eration of University Women (CFUW): 251 Bank St.cfuw.org

CFUW-Ottawa is an organization of over 500 university women dedicated to promoting equality education, the im-provement of the status of women and girls, and participation by women in public aff airs. It is self-funded and non-profi t. Membership runs at $100 for a full year, but monthly meetings are open to the public.

REAL Women of Canada396 Cooper St.realwomen.ca

REAL stands for realistic, equal, ac-tive for life. Th is group is an initiative of Canada’s New Women’s Movement, with the motto, “women building a bet-ter society.” Th ey work on issues such as equality for women, changes in society, career choices, and tolerance for the views of all women.

Cultural Women’s Groups

Culturally specifi c feminism groups are very active in Ottawa. Celebrate your ethnic and cultural heritage from a wom-en’s perspective! Be sure to check out Th e Native Women’s Association (1292 Wellington St.) or the Inuit Women’s As-sociation (131 Bank St.), among others. Th ese groups support and celebrate mi-

nority diff erences and provide relatable environments for women members of that particular community.

Women’s Action Centre Against Violence211 Bronson Ave., room 205,

Th is organization’s goal is to create safer physical and social environments for women. Th ey investigate women’s in-equality and believe in the importance of ending violence against women.

Equal Voicehttp://www.equalvoice.ca/ottawa.cfm

Interested in politics? Equal Voice is a non-profi t organization of men and women who are “devoted to the still bold idea that more women must be elected to every level of government in Canada.” Th ey further dialogue about equal gender representation within Ca-nadian politics.

Th e F factorWhere to go for feminist perspectives in Ottawa

U of T discovers truth to ‘Oscar curse’

WATERLOO (CUP)—A NEW STUDY from the University of Toronto is bring-ing statistical weight to the idea of the “Oscar curse.”

“Th e fi ndings are that, compared to women who get nominated for Best Ac-tress but do not win, women that win the Oscar have a higher likelihood of divorce following the Oscar win,” explained co-author of the study Tiziana Casciaro, a professor at U of T. By looking at 751 Academy Award nominees in both cate-gories between 1936–2010, Casciaro and

her colleagues discovered that Best Ac-tress winners have a 63 per cent chance of their marriages ending sooner than those of non-winners.

Additionally, men who won had an average marriage duration of 9.5 years, while their female counterpart’s aver-age marriage length was 4.3 years. Also examining the Oscar for Best Actor, the study found only a 0.69 diff erence in marriage length between those who won the category and those who were simply nominated.

—Alanna Wallace, CUP Ontario Bureau Chief

Painting stolen off the wall at Ottawa gallery

CUBE GALLERY CURATOR Don Monet says somebody walked out of the Wellington West gallery Friday with a painting by Almonte artist Katherine McNenly. Th e still-life oil painting of three light bulbs measures six inches by six inches, and would easily fi t into a bag, purse, or the pocket of a winter coat.

Th e $400 painting was plucked off the wall, along with the paper card identify-ing the artist and other information.

“We don’t have a camera or anything, but I think we might get one now,” Monet said Monday. He’s called police in Ot-tawa and is waiting to hear back from an investigator. He also called Montreal police, who have a registry of stolen art-works, and sent a photo. Monet said Cube will compensate McNenly for the loss.

—Peter Simpson, Ottawa Citizen

Th e academics of a ‘Bond girl’

WATERLOO (CUP)—WILFRID LAU-RIER UNIVERSITY fi lm professor Lisa Funnell has the job most fi lm buff s would love: studying the movie culture of James Bond.

While completing her master’s in popular culture at Brock University, Funnell got involved with writing about Bond academically, which grew into what would become a very successful career researching and writing about the fi ctional spy.

Two of Funnell’s soon-to-be-pub-lished academic articles delve deep into the world of the British super-spy. The first, an essay titled “Negotiating Shifts in Feminism: The ‘Bad’ Girls of James Bond,” will be published in Women on Screen: Feminism and Femininity in Visual Culture. The second article, “‘I Know Where You Keep Your Gun’: Daniel Craig as the Bond-Bond Girl Hybrid in Casino Royale,” will be pub-lished in the Journal of Popular Culturein June.

Much of her current research on Bond regards the representations of female characters, specifi cally the “Bond girl” and “Bond villain,” and the way they can be traced throughout the franchise. Funnell says there is simply not enough literature studying 007.

“Th ere are gaps, [and] for me as a scholar, you want to fi nd those gaps and fi ll up the space.”

—Liz Smith, the Cord

arts briefs

f

rganization ofmen dedicated toucation, the im-s of women andn by women infunded and non- at $100 for a fullings are open to illustration manipulation by Alex Martin

SPORTS EDITOR | Jaehoon Kim | sports@thefulcrum.ca | (613) 562 5260

SPORTS 15

f

Jaehoon Kim | Fulcrum Staff

LAST SEASON, THE Gee-Gees wom-en’s basketball team eliminated the Carleton Ravens from the post-season by pulling off an upset road victory in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East fi nals. Th is year, the Ravens re-turned the favour, albeit in a much more roundabout way.

On March 5, the Gees (14-8) travelled to the University of Western Ontario and lost to the nationally fi ft h-ranked Mus-tangs (19-3) 60-44 in the OUA fi ft h-place game. With the loss, Ottawa needed the Ravens to beat the Windsor Lancers to earn a berth into the Canadian Interuni-versity Sport (CIS) Regionals. However, Carleton blew a second-half lead against the Lancers and lost; the Gee-Gees are

now offi cially eliminated from the 2011 CIS playoff s.

Facing a favoured Mustangs squad on the road, the Gee-Gees started the game very slowly—Ottawa turned the ball over at an alarming rate in the fi rst quarter. Fortunately for the Gees, Western played sloppily as well; the Mustangs held a slim 12-11 lead aft er the fi rst 10 minutes of the game.

“We seemed to have a lot of nerves ear-ly, but they did too. We hung around for the fi rst quarter in spite of the fact that we didn’t play very well,” said Gees head coach Andy Sparks.

Th e powerful Western off ence woke up in the second quarter. Th e Mustangs fi nished the fi rst half on a 10-2 run, feed-ing off of Ottawa’s errors. Th e Gees had

15 turnovers at halft ime.“It was terrible. Many of those were

unforced turnovers,” said Sparks. “You have to give Western some credit for what they did but there were a lot [of] times when we just threw the ball out of bounds or to the opposition. It’s a prob-lem we’ve had all year, and it just seems like we never really got over that.”

Aft er the intermission, Ottawa came out refocused and ready to play. Down 35-22 early in the third quarter, the Gees pulled off an 18-8 run thanks to strong play in the paint from fourth-year centre Hannah Sunley-Paisley and the three-point shooting of rookie Tatiana Hanlan. Ottawa trailed 43-40 with eight minutes left in the game.

“Halft ime was certainly productive.

We made the changes that were needed to be made,” explained Sparks.

Th en disaster struck. Sunley-Paisley—who had been struggling with foul trou-ble all game—picked up her fourth foul. With the Gees star centre on the bench, Western ran away with the lead, winning by 16 points at the end of the game. Sun-ley-Paisley still managed to pick up 16 points and four rebounds; Hanlan added 10 points and seven rebounds.

“We seemed to lose our confi dence again. A lot of it was related to the con-fi dence [of] our fi rst-year players,” said Sparks.

Ottawa fi nishes sixth in the OUA with a 2-2 playoff record. Th e only graduating player on the team is fourth-year guard Alex Roy.

Th e end of the road

Katrina Medwenitsch | Fulcrum Staff

THE NERVOUSNESS ON the court was undeniable as the University of Ottawa men’s basketball team (11-11) took to the fl oor against the Lakehead Th under-wolves (17-5) for the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) semifi nals. Both teams seemed cautious during this high stakes battle in Hamilton as the two squads had sluggish off ensive starts with many

missed shots.It was Lakehead who would come

out of their slump fi rst and in a big way. Th eir third-year guard Ben Johnson went three-for-three from beyond the arc in the fi rst quarter, while Ottawa missed three out of their fi rst four foul shots. Lakehead led 22-12 aft er the fi rst quarter.

“I think that it felt like [Lakehead was] hitting everything in that fi rst half and that’s when we went into a little bit of panic mode and we weren’t getting anything easy,” said Gee-Gees head coach James Derouin. “Th ey got a little nervous not because of the magnitude of the game or the television [cameras], but just that these guys aren’t missing [shots] and that’s when we lost our com-posure a bit.”

Lakehead continued to work hard in the second quarter, coming out on top in the number of off ensive rebounds.

Th e Gees could not fi nd a way to sink the ball in the basket and the Th underwolves ran away with it; they were ahead by 12 points at the half.

But while the fi rst half of the game may have belonged to the Th underwolves, the second half saw the Gees determined to mount a comeback.

“I told them they weren’t playing to-gether,” said Derouin. “Th is is a very tight knit group; you know, ‘family’ has been our slogan since the fi rst day and I really felt, especially on defence, they were playing as individuals. [We] weren’t playing team defence and that’s been our strength up until this point.”

While unable to cut the lead dramati-cally in the third, the Gees proved their mettle and outscored Lakehead 24-21. Th eir surge ensured that they were head-ed into the fourth quarter with a man-ageable ten point defi cit.

“We wanted to wear them down,

which we did, and it paid off in the end,” said Derouin.

In the fourth quarter, the Gees’ de-fence denied just about every Lakehead off ensive opportunity. Back-to-back three pointers from fi ft h-year players Louis Gauthier and Nemanja Baletic saw the Gees tie the game at 67. Gauthier even gave the Gees a two-point lead with less than a minute to go, but this was quickly foiled when Lakehead sank two free throws, tying it up again with 19 seconds remaining on the clock.

A heartbreaking Gees turnover short-ly aft er allowed the Th underwolves to drain a shot with 0.9 seconds left , put-ting them up by two points. Baletic’s last-ditch eff ort was blocked, ensuring Lake-head’s 71-69 victory and advancement to the Canadian championships in Halifax.

It was certainly a tough way to go out, but Derouin and the team are holding their heads high with pride and are look-

ing forward to the future. “Being my fi rst season, it’s been pretty

special,” said Derouin. “I’ve got a great group of kids and, for the most part, they’ve done everything and more [than] I’ve asked of them this year. We exceed-ed expectations I think. At Christmas break, most people had written us off . I never did, none of the coaching staff did. Th e guys believed. I’m proud to be their coach.”

Gauthier and Baletic stepped up big for the Gees in what would be their fi nal university game. Gauthier fi nished with 18 points and four rebounds, while Ba-letic captured an admirable 14 points and fi ve rebounds.

“I’m proud of how amazing they played, and I think that with four return-ing starters and so many young guys on the team we’re excited about the future and excited about getting back to work next week,” said Derouin.

Final Four falloutGee-Gees lose OUA semifi nals to Lakehead 71-69 in fi nal second of play

Gees women’s basketball season over after 60-44 loss to fi fth-ranked Western

A PAINFUL DEFEATGees forward Louis Gauthier fi ghts through the Lakehead defence, Feb. 4

f

photo by The Silhouette/ Rick Zazulak

16 | sports thefulcrum.ca | March 10–16, 2011

Tamara Tarchichi | Fulcrum Staff

WE ALL KNOW the drill to losing weight—eating healthier, exercising, and making all the right choices—noth-ing you haven’t heard before. Th ese re-petitive tips are so utterly obvious, and yet they oft en only lead us to mediocre results. How many times have you tried to eat healthier only to give up because

you haven’t noticed results? Th e prob-lem is not dedication, and neither is willpower, so what is it?

Th e problem is something called lack of emotional intelligence—the ability to carefully assess and control your emo-tions, given a certain situation. With these emotional skills, you will be able to attain results in a realistic way, saving yourself the time and money spent on various diets, and the emotional strain that comes with the feeling of failure.

Many psychologists have linked emo-tional intelligence to achieving success-ful results in all aspects of life, especially health. Some individuals strive to reach an ideal weight as soon as possible, and,

in return, splurge on health products, supplements, and weight-loss programs that lead to short-term outcomes. How-ever, willpower and supplements alone do not lead to eff ective results: You need emotional intelligence.

To be emotionally “smarter”, you must learn the ability to be more ra-tional instead of letting your negative emotions take over. For example, opting for a burger at lunch instead of a salad might result in self-bashing. Always be realistic and try your best to eliminate negative feelings from your system as soon as possible.

Emotional intelligence also means that you need to have the capability to

align your self-image and self-worth. Negative self remarks, comments, or put-downs will not help you achieve your goals faster, but will emotionally discourage you from moving forward. Some people hold misconceptions that the more negative they are toward them-selves, the more self-effi cient they will be. Wrong!

Raising self-esteem is crucial as it helps you apply positive thinking to your self-image. You can do this by outlining the good and bad features of your self-image while discovering your strengths and weaknesses; this will ac-curately help you identify weak areas and avoid self-depricating comments like, “I hate my body.”

Communicating your feelings in a constructive way and never losing sight of your goal at the expense of your emotions will also help you to regulate

moments when you overreact. Losing weight is a stressful and slow process, and some results can leave you devastat-ed in anger and frustration. Self-control is necessary in maintaining moderate feelings and building discipline along the way.

Th is emotional intelligence skill will adjust your self-awareness to a level you are able to control, which will help you concentrate further on winning out-comes. However, you must practice this skill in order to reach your ideal resolu-tion; and the more practical and realis-tic you are with your feelings, the higher the goal you will be able to reach.

All aspects of life revolve around var-ious emotions, which is why it’s smart to adopt these skills. Regulate situations with high intensity levels, don’t get dis-couraged, and think of the long-term eff ects.

Lose weight the smart wayRegulating your emotions is the new weight-loss trick

f

f

Crosby’s situation isn’t completely hopeless. Th ere are many leading experts in the fi eld who are currently working toward creating an improved helmet to better protect athletes—including Blaine Hoshizaki—a professor at the University of Ottawa and the director of Neurotrau-ma Impact Science Laboratory.

“Th e prime motivation is because there were, and there continues to be, head injuries in hockey that I think that can be better managed,” said Hoshizaki of his dedication towards research. “What we do is we reconstruct all types of head injuries, including concussions. We try to control the velocity, location, angle, and the impacting math [from the hit] and from that, we collect three-di-mensional dynamic response data which we feed into our model of the brain.”

Th e re-enactment allows Hoshizaki

and his team of scientists to make a pre-diction about the type of stress that the specifi c hit would cause the brain. Th is method was used to study the Crosby hit and the injury that resulted from the in-cident.

“If they’re wearing a helmet, as was the case with Crosby, it’s very unusual to have a catastrophic type of injury like a skull fracture or an intracranial bleed. However, to receive a concus-sion is not that uncommon,” explained Hoshizaki.

But what exactly constitutes a concus-sion? Despite the increase in head injury awareness in recent years, people still do not know exactly what it means to receive a concussion.

“No one really knows because con-cussions are primarily defi ned by be-havioural changes. People either lose

consciousness or [have] some sort of amnesia, or diff erent types of behav-ioural problems as well as headaches,” said Hoshizaki. “Right now, we think a concussion is being described as a gen-eral sort of injury and we want to better understand that by describing whether or not concussions are, in fact, many diff er-ent types of injuries [that] involve diff er-ent [parts] of the brain.”

Either way, it is becoming increasingly clear that more needs to be done in order to protect athletes from suff ering head injuries.

“Th ere should always be more im-provement and better management of the game-play on the ice. As well, we always could be producing better helmets—it is an opportunity that we have, to mitigate or decrease the risk of concussive inju-ries.”

Always wear protectionU of O researcher studies head injuries, ways to prevent concussions in hockey

Jaehoon Kim | Fulcrum Staff

SIDNEY CROSBY, ARGUABLY the best player in the

National Hockey League (NHL) today, has been held out of

the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup since Jan. 5. Why are the

Penguins attempting to make a Stanley Cup run without

their captain and top performer? It’s simple—Pittsburgh

has no other choice. Crosby has suff ered from concussion-

related symptoms for over two months and it still remains to

be seen if he will be able to return to the NHL this season.

SIDN

Nation

photo by Ivan FriskenCRUSHED INTO THE BOARDSGees forward Simren Sandhu is bodychecked by a Queen’s player, Oct. 8

sports | 17thefulcrum.ca | March 10–16, 2011

Hôpital juif de réadaptation / Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital

UN CHEF DE FILE EN RÉADAPTATION PHYSIQUEA LEADER IN PHYSICAL REHABILITATION

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Plusieurs programmes et services pour la clientèle de réadaptation en milieu hospitalier! Consultez notre nouveau site web pour en savoir plus : www.hjr-jrh.qc.ca/programmes-et-services

Various programs and services for the rehabilitation clientele in a hospital setting! Visit our new website to find out more: www.hjr-jrh.qc.ca/programs-and-services

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Montmorency

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Montmorency

Chris Radojewski | Fulcrum Staff

THERE ARE THREE students currently attending the University of Ottawa who have represented Team Canada, and will continue to represent Canada worldwide, by the way they handle a blade. Th ese two fencers and a pentathlete defi nitely give our nation something to be proud of.

Christophe Lavoie, a second-year history major, has been fencing for the last seven years and has become quite a swordsman thanks to his dedication to the sport. His practice has paid off as he is a member of the Canadian National Fencing Team and will be representing Canada at the World Juniors in Jordan later this month.

He originally started with judo but didn’t like it. His father, a fencer, sug-gested to Lavoie that he should try out his current sport of choice. Th e Hull native has never looked back; he said that the best part of being a fencer is the people you get to meet.

“You get to talk to people between matches—it is very social,” said Lavoie.

Lavoie, an épée fencer, explained that

anything can happen in fencing as it is a very physical but strategic game. “My most memorable moment was in [a] Mil-waukee [tournament] and I was losing 14-6. All he needed was one point, but I came back and won the match,” Lavoie reminisced.

John Wright has had a blade in hand

for the past 11 years. He is a student at the University of Ottawa majoring in history, and is also a member of the Ca-nadian National Fencing Team that will be representing Canada at the World Juniors.

Also an épée fencer, he is part of a team with Lavoie and Pascal Heidecker.

Wright said that he is excited to travel to Jordan to compete.

“I have really enjoyed the travel. It is hard on your wallet, but certainly I have gone to many places that I would never really have got to go to.”

Looking to improve upon past compe-titions at this level, he is hoping for a top

sixteen fi nish at the tournament.Mathea Stevens is not just a fencer, she

is a modern pentathlete for the Canadian national team. Stevens is very dedicated to the sport, practicing around 25 hours a week. She started out as a horseback rider at the age of four. When she was 13, she found out about modern pentathlon, and slowly expanded to the disciplines of fencing, swimming, running, and shoot-ing.

Th is is Stevens’ fourth year on the na-tional team. Th e second-year business student has been studying part-time to accommodate all of her practices.

“Th is is my second year on the World Cup tour. If you remain in the top 36 in all the world cups, then you go to the World Cup fi nals and that is a really ex-clusive event,” said Stevens.

Stevens has made quite a name for herself, especially in North America, for being so talented at a young age. “Being 19 while some other girls are 30, I don’t feel really rushed right now to kill myself to achieve an Olympic level. I still have another two possible Olympics.”

She has had many close calls due to serious injuries while competing in modern pentathlons but enjoys what she is doing. Stevens is the third-highest ranked fencer in Canada.

Th ese three Olympic hopefuls will continue to fi ght for Team Canada using the tip of their swords—and in Stevens’ case, also a gun.

Achieving victory with the tip of a swordThree U of O fencing club members ready to foil their opponents

MASTERS OF THE SWORDJohn Wright (pictured on the left ) has been fencing for over a decade

photo by Graham Pressey

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18 | sports thefulcrum.ca | March 10–16 2011

ON FEB. 4, the Gee-Gees men’s basket-ball team travelled to McMaster Uni-versity to take on the Lakehead Th un-derwolves in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Final Four tournament. I seriously considered making the trip down to Hamilton to cover the game, but alas, a midterm confl icted with my travel plans. And so there I was on a Friday night, parked on the couch, watching Th e Score’s live game coverage.

Aft er an emotionally draining 40 min-utes of basketball for all involved, it was time to wave goodbye to another Gee-Gees season as Ottawa lost 71-69 in the fi nal second of the match. Here are some of the thoughts that went through my mind during the game.

1. Where were the Gee-Gees fans?McMaster’s Burridge Gym was packed for the OUA Final Four match-up be-tween Lakehead and Ottawa, but from what I could see on television, the num-ber of white-shirted, screaming Th un-derwolves supporters greatly outnum-bered the number of Ottawa fans.

In addition, there was an extremely annoying Lakehead supporter who kept blowing a vuvuzela every time the Gees were shooting free throws. How did this happen? Lakehead is in Th under Bay, al-most 1,000 kilometres away from Hamil-ton. Should we have sent busloads of stu-dents down to McMaster, like Western did for the Yates Cup back in November? In an extremely close, hard-fought battle, better fan support could have meant more energy and adrenaline for the Gee-Gees team to feed off of.

2. Gee-Gees heartbreaker part IISpeaking of the Yates Cup, did anyone else realize how reminiscent this game

was of the OUA football championship game? Aft er trailing almost the entire match, both the Gee-Gees basketball and football squads made a valiant comeback eff ort in the fourth quarter, taking a brief and fl eeting lead, late in the game. Yet, the Mustangs and Th underwolves ended up winning in the fi nal seconds of the two matches. What is up with Ottawa and los-ing close games in heartbreaking fashion?

One more thing: I really hope that no one blames third-year guard Jacob Gib-son-Bascombe for the Gees’ loss. Gibson-Bascombe was a key contributor all sea-son; the late turnover against Lakehead shouldn’t tarnish his eff orts on the year. Th at’s sports for you—but it sure seems like bad things happen to the Gees more oft en than to other teams.

3. Bright futureAft er a coaching change, graduations to star players, and a 1-6 start to the season, the Gee-Gees men’s basketball team was 0.9 seconds away from reaching the Ca-nadian Interuniversity Sport Final Eight tournament. Next year, Ottawa will return most of its top players, but with another year of experience under their belts. Th e loss of Louis Gauthier and Nemanja Baletic will hurt (both players had phenomenal games against Lake-head, especially in the fourth quarter) but the Gees still have an extremely tal-ented young core of players.

Key recruits—such as top local pros-pect Vikas Gill—have already signed on for next year. It’s probably too early to tell, but James Derouin’s squad has the potential to become national contenders in 2011–12.

sports@thefulcrum.ca(613) 562 5931

Final thoughts about the Final Four

from the press boxJaehoon KimSports Editor

Jaehoon Kim | Fulcrum Staff

WHEN GEE-GEES MEN’S basketball head coach James Derouin was fi rst hired this past June, he indicated that his new job was a “dream come true” for him. Before being named the head coach of the Gees, Derouin had been a volunteer Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) as-sistant coach for eight years.

In the CIS, full-time coaching gigs, like the one Derouin has, are rare and highly sought aft er. Th e vast majority of coaches are actually of the assistant variety—most of them unpaid—who do not receive the spotlight. Instead, they quietly help to build championship pro-grams. So why do these coaches off er so much of their time if there are no fi nan-cial rewards? We emailed eight assistant coaches and equipment managers across campus to discuss their volunteerism.

Leading a dual life

All of the assistant coaches interviewed have other professions to support them-selves fi nancially. Th is is not always the case in the United States, where some of the top assistants—especially in foot-ball—earn up to seven fi gures a year. At the University of Ottawa, assistant coaches double up as teachers, public ser-vants, sales representatives, and fi tness consultants during the day, just to name a few careers.

“Would I like to be paid? Sure, but it’s not the priority. I have a career already. Coaching is really an escape for me where I can pursue a passion,” said Ling Lee, a veteran assistant of 18 years on the women’s volleyball team.

But of course, there are other assis-

tants similar to Derouin, who may be looking to become a head coach one day.

“For now, I am focusing on my law career. But in the future, it is defi nitely something that I would love to pursue,” said Ryan Steeves of the men’s hockey program—Steeves is a U of O law stu-dent.

Michel Savard, the equipment man-ager for the men’s hockey team, is also keeping an open mind towards applying for a full-time position someday.

“My federal government [job’s] retire-ment is not all that far away. I am not ac-tively pursuing a paid job in the future; however, one never knows where the next bend in the road will lead to.”

More than just a hobby

Most of the volunteers surveyed ex-pressed that the most challenging as-pect of being an assistant coach is that it is hard to juggle all of their commit-ments in life. Many unpaid coaches and equipment managers dedicate 20 hours or more per week towards the Gee-Gees programs.

“Long road trips would be close to 40 hours [of volunteering],” said Kimberly Swenson of the women’s basketball pro-gram.

Simply put, balancing one’s main ca-reer and family life with volunteering in the CIS is no easy feat.

“Th e most diffi cult part of being an equipment manager is the time I’m away from my wife. We have two grown-up daughters who live away from home, so the weekends are a bit lonely for her dur-ing the hockey season which lasts from Labour Day to early March,” explained Bob Bowes of the women’s hockey team.

“It is hard when you know the team or the coach needs help and the time com-mitment to your job does not allow you to be with the team. It is also sometimes hard to justify being away from your family,” said Guy Girouard of the men’s hockey team.

Love of the game

A majority of respondents indicated that they were formerly athletes of the sport they are now coaching—some were even CIS student-athletes at one point. Vol-unteering represents an opportunity for people to remain involved in a sport that they love; it is certainly a major incentive for many Gee-Gees coaches.

“Track and fi eld athletics brings to-gether athletes of all types and back-grounds.   What other sport will bring together athletes who fi nd it easy to run 10 km with athletes who can lift 200 ki-lograms, or with athletes who can jump higher than a door frame?” said Ken Por-ter, a track team assistant.

“I’ve played at the university level, and later, a bit at the professional level,” said Steeves. “Being a student-athlete was the most exciting time in my life, and in some ways, being a coach has allowed me to stay connected to that.”

Coaching also allows former athletes to transfer their knowledge and expertise to aspiring up-and-comers. Guiding the next generation of athletes appears to be another reason for volunteering.

“As a former national team member, I understand what these athletes are work-ing towards,” said James Holder of the track team. “I worked with many coaches throughout my career that were not di-rectly paid to coach me,  but they were dedicated to making me a better ath-lete. If I can keep that legacy alive for fu-ture athletes that I work with, and hope-fully [if] they, in turn, instruct—the sport will keep growing.”

Th e unsung heroes

photo by Paul ConwayMOTIVATIONAL GURUMen’s hockey coach Ryan Steeves (pictured above) talks to his team during a timeout

Gee-Gees volunteers make a difference behind the scenes

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Special Members PeriodThe Board of Directors of the Fulcrum Publishing Society is announcing

a special period for registration for voting membership in the society.

Members may register in person at the offi ce of the society between 9

a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday to Friday between March 10 and 30.

The offi ce of the Board of Directors for the Fulcrum Publishing Society is

located at 631 King Edward.

Contact board@thefulcrum.ca with inquires.

OPINIONS Mercedes Mueller | executive@thefulcrum.ca | (613) 562 5258

OPINIONS19

Support, advocacy, and just a little Natalie Portman

point/counterpoint

point

FEW REMEMBER THAT the student space we now know as the Women’s Re-source Centre (WRC) was born out of the 1970s “women’s movement,” a period most commonly depicted by romanti-cized images of bra burning and tasselled leather vests. Despite the feminist clichés, this was a time of consciousness-raising where women recognized the pervasive realities of oppression—particularly sexual violence. Th e introduction of the WRC to campus life marked this recog-nition with a space, a library, and a net-work of peers where experiences could be formally supported and legitimized.

Despite the persistent claim that in today’s “equality-driven” society women “have come a long way, baby,” signifi cant barriers to employment equity, access to education, and access to services still ex-ist for many women. Th ese barriers are only growing, not diminishing. Regard-less of Natalie Portman’s Oscar success or the 60 per cent female enrolment at the U of O, the disheartening reality and need for action becomes clear as we trace these statistics further.

Post-undergrad, gender parity in aca-demia quickly dwindles with approxi-mately 18 per cent of tenured professors are women. Numbers for aboriginal pro-fessors and women of colour persistently remain even lower. Ninety per cent of women living with disabilities will expe-rience sexual violence in their lifetime. Putting to rest the myths of “stranger danger,” 80 per cent of sexual assaults on women are perpetrated by a friend, acquaintance, or partner, and these sex-

ual assaults will happen to approximately two-thirds of women in Canada.

Th e need for advocacy becomes even more apparent in light of a recent rul-ing by a Winnipeg court judge who pro-claimed that a young woman, due to her high heels and makeup, was asking to be raped. Given these pervasive attitudes, this year the WRC took a proactive fo-cus on ending sexual violence by add-ing another aspect to the well-known “No means No” campaign with the new “Yes means Yes: Consent is Sexy Week.” Th is campaign encouraged everyone, regardless of gender, to respect our own boundaries and those of our partners. A sex-positive culture recognizes the right to say “yes” to the sex we want, “no” to the sex we don’t want, and that expressing sexuality should never legitimize sexual violence.

Th e WRC believes that constructive

criticism is vital for growth and actively seeks to improve the direction of the cen-tre. For example, a productive discussion is one surrounding the name of the Cen-tre, since the term “women” can be alien-ating to folks who don’t necessarily iden-tify with mainstream gender categories, yet still experience discrimination and sexism in our society (like some trans and/or genderqueer students).

So as we strive to change the under-lying structures that produce such high rates of sexual violence and inequities, the WRC off ers a safer space for discus-sion and action, a slight reprieve from a culture that insists the work has already been done. With all due respect, Ms. Portman, the goals of gender equality hopefully surpass “Best Actress.”

—Nicole MatteSupport Coordinator of

the WRC Collective

counterpoint

Give all women a voice WHEN I WAS in my second year of uni-versity, my friend and I decided that it was high time we became more involved with campus life. As a self-proclaimed feminist, I proposed that we volunteer at the Women’s Resource Centre (WRC). Aft er some research into the Centre’s mission, mandate, and events, we de-cided to enrol in the WRC’s weekend training session and begin to make a dif-ference for women-identifi ed persons on campus.

But my enthusiasm for volunteering at the WRC was short lived. Aft er an ani-mated and inspiring training session, I showed up to my fi rst offi ce hours only to fi nd an atmosphere much less welcoming than I expected. Over time, I felt more and more out of place as I discovered that my views did not necessarily refl ect the views of those running the WRC.

Th e WRC’s mission is to provide support to women and transpeople on campus and to work toward a university and society in which no one experiences oppression or gender-based discrimina-tion. Although admittedly politically oriented, the WRC is supposed to be a safe space for all women-identifi ed per-sons, regardless of their political orienta-tion. However, what I experienced at the WRC is a community in which those who share similar views are eagerly accepted, whereas the less radical are left feeling slightly unwelcome and even excluded. Instead of the safe haven that I expected, the WRC has become a highly politicized feminist space that no longer seems over-ly accepting of diff ering views, and I felt

increasingly uncomfortable and left out.My friend and I both volunteered for

the remainder of the semester, and then never went back. Our experiences were not unique, either—friends and acquain-tances of mine who have also volunteered at the WRC have described their experi-ences in the same way. Is this is just a co-incidence, or is this a sign that the WRC is in serious need of a change?

Although the benefi ts of having a centre dedicated to meeting the diverse needs of all women-identifi ed persons on campus is still quite obvious to me, I think that the WRC has, perhaps inad-vertently, developed an atmosphere of political radicalism and exclusivity that makes many women on campus feel un-comfortable and unwelcome. Th e WRC is a vital aspect of our university life and all women, regardless of their political orientation, should feel that they have a voice in this designated female space. Th e WRC has so much to off er—workshops, yoga classes, resources, referrals, and support—that it’s a shame it has turned from being seen as a predominantly Women’s Resource Centre to a Feminist Centre in which only those who share like-minded radical opinions are given a voice.

Whether or not this portrayal is ac-curate, the WRC should seriously con-sider refocusing itself so that it is more accessible and less alienating to women on campus. Aft er all, it’s a Women’s Re-source Centre—shouldn’t all women feel included?

—Kiera Obbard

Despite the persistent claim that in today’s ‘equality-driven’ society women ‘have come a

long way, baby,’ signifi cant barriers to employment equity, access to education, and access to

services still exist for many women.

Th e U of O’s Women’s Resource Centre

photo by Sean Campbell

A necessary service–or one in need of a revamp?

thefulcrum.ca | March 10–16, 201120 | opinions

f

Jessica Beddaoui | Fulcrum Staff

I’M A FEMINIST.No, I do not hate men. I have male col-

leagues, friends, siblings, cousins, and a father, all of whom I have amicable re-lationships with. No, I am not a lesbian. I like men, quite a bit actually. I’ve had boyfriends—I’ve even enlightened some of them with gender equality issues. And no, I’ve never burned a bra. Why would I burn something expensive that I enjoy wearing?

My name is Jessica, and I am a femi-nist. If this surprises you, then perhaps you are unaware of what being a femi-nist means to me—among many others. Feminism is the pursuit of equality for all minorities who stand at a disadvantaged position based solely on what makes them unique, be it the colour of a man’s skin, a woman’s class status, a disability, or sexual orientation. Feminism is an understanding that these inequalities are common, making it essential for feminist groups to exist.

A common response to feminism is that gender equality has been achieved, and thus feminist pursuits for improved working conditions, equal pay, and safer environments for women are dated and

unnecessary. And sure, women can vote and are free to work in the professions they desire while earning a decent pay, but a closer look at some practices that are entrenched in our society make it ob-vious we haven’t achieved equality—yet.

Feminism believes that women should earn the same wage as men for the same work. If women are earning roughly a quarter less than men for doing the ex-act same job, what does that tell us about how society values half of the popula-tion? Archaic notions of women as moth-ers fi rst and employees second places men above women in the workplace hier-archy. By consistently paying women less than men, women are being told they are more valued for their reproductive capa-bilities than for their contribution to the workforce. In that case, what incentive do women have to work, or even demand equal pay for their work?

Feminism believes that men and wom-en are entitled to equal opportunities in all professions. Th e disproportionate amount of women in jobs that are centred on domestic duties like nurturing others and cleaning is alarmingly high. Th ese gender-specifi c professions aren’t just problematic to women—they confi ne the career choices of men as well. Who hasn’t

heard jokes about male nurses or nannies being gay? Erasing misconceptions that have created prototypes for the ideal man and woman is a key aspect of achieving equality.

Feminism believes that we shouldn’t impose rigid categories of masculinity and femininity onto our children. As-sault against women can be largely at-tributed to the way men are socialized in our society. During their adolescence, teenage boys are trained to believe that “real” men are not sexually attracted to other men, and do not remain virgins af-ter a certain age. Impressionable male ad-olescents are taught to value women for their reproductive organs and to pursue the “normal” heterosexual relationship where they are dominant and in control. Women are taught at a young age that to be ladylike, they must be quiet, docile, and, oft en, chaste until marriage. Wheth-er consciously or not, we perpetuate this cycle of male dominance and female sub-ordination throughout generations.

Feminism believes that an individual of any gender should not be the victim of domestic violence. Domestic violence is partially entrenched in the value that’s placed on the nuclear family, which re-volves around a male patriarch who

provides for his wife and children fi nan-cially—and in doing so, he remains in the ultimate position of power. Women and children are lumped together into one subservient category, leaving them susceptible to various forms of domestic, fi nancial, and emotional abuse. Promot-ing alternative family structures that are rooted in equality is equivalent to pro-moting safe households.

Feminism believes that women should not live in fear simply because they are born female. Picture this: A woman is walking down a quiet street in her neigh-bourhood when she suddenly realizes she has to walk past a group of men. She looks around; there are no other pedes-

trians, so she starts to feel uneasy and walks by them quickly. Now imagine a male in the same scenario walking by a group of women on a dark road. Does the man feel afraid? It is unlikely because violence is gendered and more oft en than not the victim is a female.

Feminism believes victims should not be blamed for the crimes commit-ted against them. Who hasn’t heard both men and women point out that a rape victim was walking in a bad neighbour-hood, overly intoxicated, wearing “in-appropriate” clothing, or simply being a tease when attacked—as though this be-haviour somehow warranted the crimes committed against her. Victim-blaming has become easier than acknowledging something horrible happened to some-one simply because she is a woman.

Gender is not the only area of con-cern for feminists, and with all of this information easily accessible, it is irre-sponsible to say that gender equality is not an issue in our society. So yes, I am a feminist because I don’t believe that there is just cause for any form of inequality based on gender, class, race, sexual ori-entation, and so forth. And if you feel the same way, then maybe—just maybe—you are a feminist, too.

Th is is what a feminist looks likeBreaking down misconceptions of feminist ideology

PRETTY BADASSAmong other things, feminism promotes and encourages strong, successful women. U of O student Mathea Stevens, pictured above and on the cover of this issue, is certainly one of those. Stevens is not just a fencer, she’s a modern pentathlete for the Canadian national team. In fact, she’s the third-highest ranked modern pentathlete in Canada. (Check out p. 17 for a story on her and other members of the U of O fencing club.)

photo by Alex Martin

Feminism is the pursuit of equality for all minorities who

stand at a disadvantaged position based solely on what

makes them unique.

thefulcrum.ca | March 10–16, 2011 opinions | 21

Kristyn Filip | Fulcrum Staff

WE’VE ALL BEEN there before: the class with the entirely inaudible professor; the one who constantly puts students on the spot or speaks in terms incomprehensible without a thesaurus. I know that I have spent many an 80-minute period fanta-sizing about the end of the semester. Not only will I fi nally be free of the course, but I will also have the opportunity to air my grievances in the form of a professor evaluation.

Perhaps you are wondering why I don’t simply email my instructors or approach them during their offi ce hours to discuss my class-related issues. In theory, any mature university student should be able to have an adult conversation with his or her professor. Mature I am, but brave I am not.

In all honesty, I become something of a coward in the presence of a PhD. Regardless of how open to constructive criticism a professor may claim to be, the fact remains: he or she has the pass-

or-fail power. I do not want to piss my professor off . So I sit quietly throughout the duration of the course, waiting for the end of the semester and my chance to vent in capital-letter, Kanye West-style on the evaluation sheet.

But you know what? Even cowards tire of remaining tight-lipped, which is why I am proposing midterm professor evalu-ations.

Midterm prof evaluations would func-tion much in the same way as conven-tional evaluations do; however, instead of suff ering in silence for 14-odd weeks, students would have the opportunity to off er constructive criticism to their in-structors without attaching a name or face to the remarks.

Th e students at the U of O are fortu-nate: We have a plethora of knowledge-able, engaging, and dedicated professors. Th e majority of the problems we have with our instructors can be easily fi xed: use a microphone, slow down your Pow-erPoint presentations, try to let us out of class on time. Th ese minor infractions,

which are mere annoyances at the begin-ning of the semester, grow to become ma-jor irritants as the months pass. Why not nip the problem in the bud?

Besides, if students are subject to writ-ing midterms, why is it that we shouldn’t evaluate our professors halfway through the semester?

All professors claim to be interested in meeting students’ needs, but few are will-ing to put their money where their mouth is. Th ere are some who have realized the benefi ts of mid-semester evaluations and, having begun the practice in their own classrooms, should be commended for their genuine eff orts to make their stu-dents happy.

Regardless of whether midterm pro-fessor evaluations are as informal as tak-ing down students’ comments on scrap pieces of paper or as offi cial as using the U of O’s mandated evaluation sheets, they could not only dramatically improve teaching styles and learning experiences, but also help to bridge the gap between our professors and us.

If we can have midterms evaluations......then our profs can have them too!

Mercedes Mueller | Fulcrum Staff

I’VE NEVER GIVEN a fuck about stu-dent politics.

I didn’t know what the Student Feder-ation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) was until I started working for the Ful-crum two years ago. Since then, I’ve voted in one election (e-voting FTW), hung around for the results to be released on election night twice, and even fi gured out what the hell SFUO execs do that war-rants them getting paid legit salaries. But I’ve done these things as a relatively dis-interested student—election nights are fun times at the Fulcrum, and I can’t edit news articles every week without gain-ing insight into what’s going on with the SFUO.

Enter this year’s election results.Aft er fi ve years of refusing to acknowl-

edge student politics and all its pettiness, I’ve been compelled to understand the institutions I used to brush off . Aft er fi ve years of ignoring discussions amongst my peers regarding the SFUO’s latest initiative, I’ve made an eff ort to engage in conversations revolving around this

year’s elections. Aft er fi ve years of having better shit to do, I spent eight and a half hours of my Sunday night watching the Board of Administration (BOA) meeting unfold.

And aft er fi ve years of blissful igno-rance, I’ve been forced to give a fuck—and I only wish I would have back in fi rst year.

Student politics is where students from diff erent worlds collide—if not directly, then by the representation of their interests through elected offi cials. Th ese bodies are meant to represent students—and that means all of us. But these institutions have been infi ltrated by people looking for the means to further their own agendas, and these bodies are no longer what they are supposed to be. Th ey aren’t representative. Th ey aren’t democratic. Hell, they aren’t even always elected.

Th e legitimacy of the BOA reached a new low this weekend when the disquali-fi cation of VP Finance-elect Tristian Dénommée was upheld by the board—a body that decided a week earlier to re-move the power of the uninterested, im-

partial Student Arbitration Committee from the election appeals process. Th is, for me, was a turning point in my atti-tude toward student politics.

Perhaps my reasons for getting in-volved are personal, and only a small portion of the student body can relate. One of my majors is political science, and aft er having the principles of de-mocracy drilled into my head since fi rst year, I’m dumbfounded that student politics operates on another set of rules. Or maybe I’m just fed up with the po-liticization of our student government and how it has aff ected my experiences at the university. Somewhere between a Women’s Resource Centre that doesn’t welcome my love of Adam Smith, a handful of services sending buses to a protest I don’t support, my anxiety over walking into the SFUO offi ce to get my U-Pass aft er writing an article criticiz-ing the Education is a Right campaign, and not being able to get a damn bottle of water around here, I’ve been feeling increasingly alienated from a body I paid $455.78 to this year.

Th at said, I know my failure to see the

legitimacy in a governing body elected by 11 per cent of students is not exclusive to my political beliefs. It doesn’t take a poli sci major to fi gure out a severe con-fl ict of interest exists when an executive body is given the authority to sit as a defendant, jury, and judge in an appeals process. And then to let said body of 25 (albeit elected) representatives choose the vp fi nance for next year—one per-son, one vote my ass. Out of the 35,000 undergraduate students at the U of O, I cannot possibly be the only one left wondering why I fi nancially sponsored a 10-month, unproductive deadlock be-tween six SFUO executives, culminating in three of them threatening to resign last week.

For the fi rst time in fi ve years, I’m pissed off —and judging from the events of this past week, I’m confi dent I’m not the fi rst previously apathetic student on this campus to experience a politi-cal awakening of sorts, left wondering, “What do we do now?”

Defederation just isn’t the answer. Amidst all the chaos of this weekend, a wise student noted that while she disliked

Stephen Harper, she would never move to abolish Canada. I tend to agree with her, but understand the sentiment behind the desire to dissolve the body that has disap-pointed so many students this year. Th ese institutions—be it the services or govern-ing bodies—no longer belong to us; they are controlled by a small segment of the student population that are no longer ac-countable or legitimate in the eyes of the majority

So what’s the answer? I honestly don’t know. I feel compelled to give an elo-quent speech on student involvement in the political process, changing the insti-tutions from the inside out, and all that jazz. But the truth of the matter is, the people that run these organizations have their own agenda, and the chances of the average student aff ecting it—or making it to the inside—are slim to none.

What I do know is this: one positive thing came out of the BOA meeting this weekend. Dozens of disinterested stu-dents who once wondered, “Why should I care?” are now saying, “What the fuck?” and fi nally starting to ask themselves, “What can I do now?”

f

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Th e case for giving a fuck about student politics

786

In today’s knowledge

economy, the top jobs

go to people with

graduate degrees.

Find out more!engineering.uwaterloo.ca

why stop now?

We’ll prove it. Come to Fulcrum staff meetings every Thursday

at 1 p.m at our offi ces located at 631 King Edward Ave.

volunteer@thefulcrum

f

FEATURES Jaclyn Lytle | features@thefulcrum.ca | (613) 562 5258

DISTRACTIONS22

Dear Di... Puzzles provided by BestCrosswords.com. Used with permission.

Across 1. CPR experts; 5. Distasteful; 9. Component of organic fertilizer; 14. Bender; 15. Native Cana-dian; 16. Like lungs; 17. Large hairy spider; 19. Juvenescent; 20. Dinner course; 21. General ___ chicken; 23. Ref’s decision; 24. Cuts off; 26. Chuck; 28. Prepares for publication; 30. Cytoki-nin occurring in corn; 34. Hot time in Paris; 37. Type of massage therapy; 39. Large mop; 41. Slangy denial; 42. Reason to cancel school; 43. Living on land; 48. Nav. offi cer; 49. Of special el-egance; 50. Early computer; 52. Melt; 54. Elabo-rately adorned; 57. Bingo!; 60. 1975 Wimbledon winner; 62. Ogle; 64. A jewel; 66. Inordinate; 68. Gross; 69. Edges; 70. Gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans; 71. Swagger; 72. School orgs.; 73. Breather

Down 1. Kitchen addition; 2. Haunted house sounds; 3. Rich cake; 4. Go hungry; 5. Jaundiced; 6. French vineyard; 7. Salmon that has spawned; 8. Brew-er’s need; 9. Hero of the Odyssey; 10. Aussie hopper; 11. Adjoin; 12. Liquid container; 13. As a result; 18. ___ lift?; 22. Exude; 25. Slow growth; 27. Back talk; 29. Surplus; 31. Air; 32. Golf club which can be numbered 1 to 9; 33. Information; 34. Cornerstone abbr.; 35. Affectedly dainty; 36. British nobleman; 38. Thick-skinned charger; 40. Very dry champagne; 44. Fatigue greatly; 45. Mariners can sail on seven of these; 46. Lack-ing oxygen; 47. Back streets; 51. Roman gen-eral; 53. Young of the dog; 55. Rubbish; 56. Roof overhangs; 57. Basics; 58. “Java” trumpeter; 59. Cracked; 61. Egress; 63. Dry run; 65. Columbus sch.; 67. Tax pro

Sexy Sidenote:

A new study by the US National Center for Health

Statistics found that teenagers are more likely

to partake in oral than they are to jump into the sheets

with someone.

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to partake in are to jump in

w

answers on p. 6

Dear Di,I recently started seeing this girl, and we really hit it off on the fi rst date. It was comfortable, calm, and friendly, and I fi gured it didn’t go to third base because she just wanted to take it slow. I was cool with that. However, Di, on the second date, she revealed to me that her taste in men was more toward those of African-Amer-ican guys. I smiled, nodded, and when I got home I was a bit tipsy and ended up colouring my penis black with a sharpie. Little did I realize that it was a permanent marker and now it won’t come off . What should I do about this Di? Should I try to wash it off or run with it for the third date?

—Marked-up Manhood

Dear MM,Listen bud, you’re no Michael Jackson—you can’t just change race whenever you damn well feel like it. While I get why you’d want to adhere as closely as you can to your new lady’s ideals, I don’t really think the reason she’s into African-American cock is because of the colour (Not that I buy into sexual stereotypes, but a 2007 study by the Harvard Research Institute doesn’t lie about which nationality statistically boasts the biggest boner). Consider-ing your drunken overreaction to her comment, I’m surprised you didn’t also attach some weights to the end of your dong and dangle it off the balcony until you sprained something in an ill-advised attempt to lengthen your load—honestly that would be just as absurd a reaction.

Th e thing is, this girl has gone out with you twice already. She’s obvi-ously into you no matter what your race is. Th e only way you could screw it up now would be to let her penchant for African-American men get you so self-conscious that you do something stupid—like assume she’s so shallow that she’s only into them for their pack-age. See where I’m going with this?

Now, I don’t want to make you feel like an idiot, but the fact that you’re even considering keeping your cock coloured for your third date does make me seriously doubt what kind of capacity for logic you’re harbouring in that little noggin of yours. Unless this girl has the world’s most amazing sense of humour,

your markered-up manhood is going to seriously turn her off . Even if she is awe-some enough to laugh at your ridiculous stunt, I highly doubt she’s going to let you put your freshly-drawn-on package anywhere near her nether regions.

According to Wikihow, the most ef-fective methods for removing perma-nent marker from your skin are rubbing alcohol, nail polish remover, or a salt scrub. Your penis will probably thank you if you invest in some pain killers too on your trip to the drug store. I’d expect quite a bit of redness to endure for at least a day so, unless your girl is into Carrot Top too, you might want to reschedule that third date.

Love, Di

Dear Di,Well, I took your advice. I came by the staff meeting on Th ursday at the Fulcrumoffi ce and, lo and behold, there was my lady love. God Di, she’s even more amazing standing up in front of all those people and pitching her stories. I hate to admit, though, I didn’t have the guts to pick one up—or even talk to her. I’m turning into a total loser, not to mention a bit of a stalker. You’ve got to put in a good word for me.

—Still in Love With an Editor

Dear SLWE,You certainly are turning into a little stalker—that or a super-shy secret admirer. I’ve got to say, you’ve got the whole offi ce in uproar about who it is you’re interested in. I’ve got to commend you for actually coming down to the meeting. At least you’re willing to put a little eff ort into your editor wooing.

Like I said last week, I’d love to help you out in any way I can, but I’ll be need a bit more info in order to aid you. Is your hoped-for honey all about news, a little artistic, obviously opinionated, or extremely into online? You’ve got to give me a bit of a clue if you expect me to off er you an in with one of the fabulous Fulcrum ladies.

Love, Di

Dying for more Di? You can email her at deardi@thefulcrum.ca, add her on Facebook, or fol-

low her on Twitter @Dear_Di XKCD

Sex? Yes please!The Fulcrum’s annual sex supplement. On stands next week.

LATE LAST WEDNESDAY in the Ful-crum offi ces, our editorial board met to discuss the upcoming issue, just as we do every week. Among the number of enthralling articles proposed by each section editor, many, it seemed, intended to address the same topic. Forming the common ground between pieces across several sections, feminism soon took over our editorial discussion.

Attempting to come to some agree-ment about our opinions on the topic, one of the board members posed the ques-tion, “When you think about feminism on campus, what comes to mind?” Why, the Women’s Resource Centre (WRC), of course, was the essence of most board members’ responses. “So, if you wanted to get involved in women’s issues, is that where you would go?” Our answer—a resounding “No.” Coming from an edi-torial board composed almost entirely of women, that answer speaks volumes.

Th e role of the WRC on campus has

been an issue much discussed this year. Students, faculty, and members of the campus media alike have commented on whether or not the WRC has a place here. While convincing arguments may have been made on both sides, the reality is that the WRC is an established service that has funds, resources, and power to eff ect signifi cant change on campus—an advantage that is not to be taken lightly. Perhaps the question we ought to be ask-ing, then, is not whether or not the WRC should exist, but whether or not it uses its student-funded advantage on campus as it ought to.

For a service that purports to be an in-clusive, safe place for students, the WRC stands accused of an awful lot of exclu-sivity. Th ey are charged with excluding not only men, but also all students who hold opinions coloured by “racism, co-lonialism, capitalism, heterosexism, queerphobia, transphobia, ableism, clas-sism, anti-Semitism, and other forms of

oppression”; in this the WRC seems to be neglecting valuable opportunities to edu-cate and impact the student population.

Transphobia, for example, is a huge problem that ought to be addressed in ways other than simply refusing to engage those who—consciously or unconscious-ly—hold these views. We do not expose the ugly face of oppression by shutting down discussion; the WRC should con-front it head on. And shouldn’t women with capitalist views feel that the WRC is still a safe place for them to come and talk if they need to?

Th e problem seems to be that the WRC is called upon to fulfi ll two roles that do not necessarily complement each other well: Firstly, it is to be a safe space where female-identifi ed students can drop in; secondly, it is to be a centre for activism in defence of women’s rights. Th e WRC would hardly seem like a safe space if a student walks in on a heated argument about censoring misogyny or racism in

literature, for example, but the centre nonetheless should encourage such dis-cussions to take place. So what’s a stu-dent-funded service to do?

If the WRC is at all interested in abandoning their poor reputation, they need to forget about deciding who deserves to use their services. It is their duty to offer the extent of their resources to any interested student, no matter their gender, sexual orienta-tion, political values, or personal opin-ions or beliefs. It is simply not right for the WRC to exclude students that do not absolutely adhere to the entirety of their opinions. If they wish to continue as a student-funded service on campus, sooner or later the WRC is going to have to give up their exclusionary at-titudes and put themselves to work for students—all students.

editor@thefulcrum.ca(613) 562 5261

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Amanda Shendruk | editor@thefulcrum.ca | (613) 562 5261 23

Volume 71, Issue 22, March 10–16, 2011

Promoting powerful women since 1942.

Phone: (613) 562 5261 | Fax: (613) 562 5259631 King Edward Ave. Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5

Recycle this, or else!

staff

contributors

Amanda ‘hariet tubman’ Shendruk Editor-in-Chief

Jessie ‘jessica valenti’ Willms Production Manager

Mercedes ‘marie wollstonecraft ’ Mueller Executive Editor

Alex ‘margaret atwood’ Martin Art Director

Katherine ‘‘angela davis’ DeClerq News Editor

Charlotte ‘bell hooks’ Bailey Arts & Culture Editor

Jaclyn ‘naomi wolfe’ Lytle Features Editor

Jaehoon ‘robert jensen’ Kim Sports Editor

Chelsea ‘jessica yee’ EdgellOnline Editor

Briana ‘gloria steinem’ Hill Associate News Editor

Katrina ‘ani defranco’ MedwenitschStaff Writer

Kate ‘carol j adams’ WaddinghamStaff Photographer

Kyle ‘virgina woolf ’ WallaceCopy Editor

Ali ‘roberta bondar’ SchwabeProofreader

Will ‘margaret cho’ RobertsonWebmaster

Katarina ‘judith butler’ Lukich Volunteer & Visibility Coordinator

David ‘jean kilbourne’ McClelland General Manager business.manager@thefulcrum.ca

Andrew ‘betty friedan’ WingAdvertising Representativeads@thefulcrum.ca

Jessica BeddaouiSean CampbellPaul ConwayMichelle FergusonCortni FernandezKristyn FilipIvan FriskenCorin LatimerJane LytvynenkoNicole MatteKiera ObbardSimon Oliver-DussaultGraham PresseyChris RadojewskiTamara TarchichiRick Zazulak

Cover photo by Alex Martin

photo by Sean Campbell

Th e WRC door: Open to all?

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