1. education
2. graduate school
3. college

INTERCAMP
www.macewan.ca/intercamp
THE GRANT MACEWAN COLLEGE STUDENT NEWSPAPER
Golden boys
Griffin men capture ACAC basketball
championship, spot at national tournament
BY RYAN FRANKSON
SPORTS EDITOR
You could literally feel the electricity
and intensity circulating through the
muggy air inside the MacEwan gymnasium March 5 as the Alberta
Colleges Athletic Conference's top
two teams squared off in the most epic
battle of the season.
The stakes were higher than they'd
ever been for the two league titans
from MacEwan and Lakeland, who
had beaten Concordia and NAIT
respectively the previous night to earn
the right to play for gold. The winners
would take home the ACAC championship banner, provincial bragging
rights, and a berth in nationals. But
the losers would leave with the silver
medal, an end to their season, and a
recurring desire to know what could
have been. This championship match
was a classic from the opening tip-off
to the final buzzer.
The Griffs had swept the Rustlers in
two games Jan. 28-29 so Lakeland
was starving for revenge on the
league's grandest stage. The stands
at the MacEwan Centre for Sport and
Wellness were jam-packed, although
the ratio between Griffins' and
Rustlers' fans tilted just slightly in the
home team's favour.
Defence reigned supreme in the first
half of championship action and neither team was able to capture a significant lead, as the score read 26-26
when the teams headed to their locker
rooms.
When the Griffs and Rustlers returned
to the court they seemed to have left
their jitters and nerves behind them,
because the second half showcased
much more scoring. With MacEwan
up slightly 39-38, Griffin wing
Brendon Bjarnson cashed a momentous three-pointer to give the home
squad a four-point lead with 12 minutes left.
The Griffs were able to maintain this
slim lead for seven minutes before
Cam Smith dropped a clutch basket
from beyond the arc to give the Griffs
a 56-48 lead with just over five min-
utes remaining. It appeared MacEwan
would be able to coast to victory with
this lead until Rustlers' wing Jeff
Lander was fouled on a three-point
shot with 57 seconds left. The threepointer fell and so did the ensuing freethrow, which narrowed the Griffin lead
to 65-60.
MacEwan headed back down the floor
determined to hold off Lakeland's late
charge. They wore down the clock
brilliantly by swinging the ball around
the perimeter until Griffin post Robbie
Valpreda flared to the corner, caught a
pass from his teammate, and drained a
triumphant three-pointer. Lakeland's
Mike Page immediately bolted back
down the floor and matched
Valpreda's three with a three of his
own to make the score 68-63. Instead
of fouling, Lakeland allowed MacEwan
to score a quick and easy basket under
the hoop, completed by post Anthony
Lange.
The Rustlers then called a timeout,
down 70-63.
see GOLD page 16
March 10, 2005
U-Pass discussed at
Edmonton transit conference
“More options” available with pass: ETS
BY TYLER MORENCY
STAFF WRITER
Edmonton Transit Service, as well as
members of the community, continued
debating the controversial U-pass at
ETS's annual community conference
March 5.
The U-pass concept allows students
unlimited use of public transits for a set
fee that is lower than regular transit
passes. It remains a controversial issue
at the University of Alberta and
MacEwan college because the cost
would be mandatory whether students
use the service or not.
“(The U-pass) gives students more
options,” said Ken Koropeski, director
of service development at the
Edmonton Transit System.
“There are issues of students who are,
for whatever reason, not going to use
the transit system [and do] not want to
pay a fee. That has to be worked out in
the student body,” Koropeski said. The
current discussions are the result of
recommendations made by a U of A
commissioned transportation and
management study.
“A couple of initiatives rose to the top.
Those being the implementation of a Upass where all students pay fees for
unlimited use of the transit system,”
Koropeski said. Another initiative from
the study recommended the control of
who is able to purchase a parking pass
for on-campus parking stalls in order to
reduce traffic problems around campuses.
“A U-pass, I think, is necessary for the
future of post-secondary education in
Canada...many schools already have
them,” said Alison Lennie, the director
of the Environmental Coordination
Office of students at the University of
Alberta. “Considering the tight budgets
of students...A U-pass is a very economical way to access school and
access the rest of the amenities of a
city.”
“If it costs some people and they don't
use it, I think it's meant to tax them. If
you're going to drive to school, you're
going to subsidize people who are
going to school responsibly,” said Alex
Hindle, a student at the UofA.
Other Canadian universities, like those
in Victoria and London that have implemented a U-pass have seen increased
ridership, said Koropeski. So much so
that it has strained the infrastructure.
“To make it work, we've got a role to
play and make sure we've got enough
service out there.”
ETS also discussed its future plans to
extend the LRT service as well as the
development of a rapid transit system
to increase transit efficiency to all parts
of the city.
U of L first in Alberta
to renew cola contract
Scholarships, programs tied to
funding from exclusivity deals
BY COSANNA PRESTON
CUP - ALBERTA AND NORTHERN BUREAU CHIEF
RYAN FRANKSON / INTERCAMP
Griffins’ captains (from left) Jordan Fownes, Robbie Valpreda, and Mike Gardiner show off their
championship banner and trophy after defeating the Lakeland Rustlers 72-63 March 5.
EDMONTON – The University of
Lethbridge joined the growing ranks of
renewing cola-contract schools this
year when its student union hesitantly
re-signed an exclusivity deal with
Coca-Cola that promises the union
exceptional amounts of funding.
Exclusive cola deals are coming up for
renewal across the country and
Alberta is no exception. While the
renewal dates for the University of
Alberta and University of Calgary are
three years away, others like the
University of Lethbridge have taken
the lead in entering the second round
of cola contracts.
The exclusive contracts first came to
Canada in 1995 when the University of
British Columbia signed the initial deal.
Since then, numerous schools have followed, including all three major
see COLA page 5
THIS WEEK:
NEWS
• Letters, page 2
• Election Information, page 4
• MacEwan Bell found, page 5
ARTS
• Blatent Hypocrite, page 8
• CD Reviews, page 13
• Horoscopes, page 15
SPORTS
• Basketball Finals, page 16
• Mascot Showdown, page 17
• Men’s Hockey, page 17
news/letters
INTERCAMP Residence offers students job opportunities
2
March 10, 2005
BY RACHEL HOHN
Box 1796
Edmonton, Alberta
T5J 2P2
Phone: (780) 497-4429
Fax: (780) 497-4517
Email: intercamp@macewan.ca
www.macewan.ca/intercamp
Staff Listing
Publisher
Marc Britten
brittenm@macewan.ca
(780) 497-4738
Managing Editor
Murray Donaldson
donaldsonm@macewan.ca
(780) 497-5412
News Editor
Rachel Hohn
news4rachel@gmail.com
(780) 497-4429
Arts Editor
Carolyn Nikodym
intercamp_arts@yahoo.ca
(780) 497-4429
Sports Editor
Ryan Frankson
ryanfrankson@hotmail.com
(780) 497-4429
Advertising/Design/
Production Editor
Murray Donaldson
donaldsonm@macewan.ca
(780) 497-5412
Multi-Market Advertising
Campus Plus
www.campusplus.com
1-800-265-5372
Distribution
Kristie Simons
(780) 497-5467
Contributors
Dave Clark, Tyler Morency, Jared
Majeski, Janelle Aker, Nicole
Quintel, Bernard Jentner, Blake
Betteridge, Michael Duncan
CANADIAN UNIVERSITY PRESS
Intercamp is a weekly newspaper
published by the Students’
Association of Grant MacEwan
College. Intercamp has editorial
autonomy. Materials expressed in
Intercamp do not neccesarily reflect
those of the college or the SA. All
material is herein copyrighted to the
SA, Intercamp and/or its contibutors.
NEWS EDITOR
Twenty-five Residence Assistant jobs
will be available to students at
MacEwan with the opening of the student residence in September, and
more job opportunities may be coming
soon.
According to the job posting, the RA
would act as an “onsite student leader
by promoting a residence community
that is: safe and secure; conducive to
academic pursuits; and conducive to
personal growth and learning.”
Since international students can only
work on campus, the added jobs available at the new residence will be highly sought after, according to Kathy
Higgins, coordinator for the
International Education Centre with
MacEwan.
“[International students] have a limited
number of opportunities on campus,”
she said. They can work in the book
store, the cafeteria, or any other facility under MacEwan's name, but she
said they are also up against Canadian
students for each position at the college. Higgins added that since “people
can hire anyone they want”
International students get limited
career options.
“They're just like Canadian students.
They need money. They need jobs,”
she said.
“[International] students are always
needing opportunities to work on
campus,” said international student
advisor Celia Smyth. “The students
need the jobs because they pay such
high tuition and they're limited to
school jobs. The competition is quite
fierce.”
“We did send out a notice to the international students to let them know,”
she said. She added that she'd like to
see more jobs made available for international students in other areas at the
residence like reception and administrative support.
Bob Pritchett, residence manager, said
that “there should be other positions
available as well. That has yet to be
worked through Human resources.”
“The RA position is one that plays an
important role in the life of students
and leadership abilities are very important,” Pritchett said. He added that
applicants should have a “passion for
MacEwan and its students.”
The RA's, according to Pritchett,
would “typically be returning stu-
Letters
Dear Intercamp,
(RE: Vote for the party party, Feb. 17)
Hey there,
My name is Crystal and I am the Vice
President Student Life for your
Students’ Association. Our events programmer, Amanda Puchalsky, and I
just wanted to clear the record on the
Kummoniwannalaya bash that we
throw every year, as a recent article
gave out some misinformation about
the cost of this event to the SA - and
therefore its cost to you. The information given to the writer was incorrect as
the article stated that this party comes
with a $40,000 dollar price tag, and
I’m here to tell you with a programmer
as talented as Amanda Puchalsky is, a
price tag like that would show. The
Kummoniwannalya party has a budget
of about $24,850, with about half that
made up in ticket sales, leaving the cost
to the SA at $12,500. Which isn't
quite $40,000. The event was actually
so well executed this year that we had
almost a $5000 savings, thanks entirely to the hard work of Amanda. Our
End of the year bash recently had some
extra funds allocated to it by Students
Council, so that we can begin to make it
as much of a legend as
Kummoniwannalaya- but its budget still
falls almost $10,000 short of the
$40,000 line.
I hope that this information will assure
you of two things - 1) The SA does not
spend $40,000 on any of its (wicked)
parties. 2) If we did ever spend
$40,000 the party would blow your
mind. (Look at what we can do with
just over $20,000!)
I hope that this will set the record
straight for everyone! See you at the
Toga Party!
Thanks,
Crystal Brown
INTERCAMP
Streeter
Compiled and Photographed by: Janelle Aker
and Rachel Hohn
The SA elections are
next week, what do you
think is the biggest
issue for students that
candidates should
discuss?
Randor Lin
Music
"I think a big issue with everyone is
tuition."
Marcus Fung
Music
"More free money. (laughs). No. I guess
just telling us why it's important to even
discern between candidates A or B."
Intercamp welcomes letters from readers. We get lonely
sometimes. If you’re unhappy about something, let us
know. We want to hear your feedback. Send your letters to
intercamp@macewan.ca. Letters should be around 150200 words long, but we won’t hold you to that.
Dear Intercamp:
The other day when I popped into the
Artery Bookstore, I was a little puzzled
as to why all the Grant MacEwan merchandise was 50 per cent off. I didn’t
think too much about it at the time, that
is, until I read the March 3 issue of the
Intercamp. It made me a little annoyed,
quite frankly.
According to polls, people got oh so put
off because they just couldn’t find
GMCC on google. I mean who wants to
type the full name? No, that would take
too much thought and effort. As stated
in Dave Clark’s article, it s not to attract
new students (since Beharry bluntly
stated that there wasn’t room for them
anyway) but it’s intended for “strengthening our current brand.”
Huh? This makes Grant MacEwan and
its staff and students sound like a retail
chain. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t feel
particularly amused that an unspecified
amount of money went towards an
unnecessary logo revamping that looks
oddly similar to someone tweaking
around with word fonts to produce
something supposedly “contemporary”
and representative of “the traditional
academic history of the school.”
Somehow despite the fact that Beharry
assures us that “old” budget funds and
not new budget funds were used, I
remain one skeptical consumer.
SJ
dents,” but since the residence is
brand new, the jobs are available to
everyone.
Pritchett compared the RA job to the
work that the Students' Association
peer education and support groups
do. He said that the responsibilities
could range from just showing a student how to get to a class to the
extreme of helping students through a
life crisis.
“I myself was a RA at school. It was an
amazing experience. You get involved
in the school and the community,” he
said. “This is a fantastic opportunity.
The job can help you outside of the
classroom and give you the skills
employers are looking for.”
Some of the skills Pritchett emphasized were organization, time management and leadership.
“The leadership skills you learn are
amazing,” he said.
The rate of pay or remuneration for
the job hasn't been settled, but
Pritchett said they'd let the applicants
know during the interview process.
Requirements and responsibilities for
the position and online applications
are available on MacEwan's website.
The closing date for applications is
Wednesday, Mar.16 at 4:30 p.m.
March 10, 2005
Lisa Quilley
Dear Intercamp,
(RE: Letters, March 3)
In response to Jackie Ostashek's letter,
I want to clarify that I support municipalities that take the initiative to institute asmoking ban in their bylaws
before lobbying the government for
aprovincial ban. I agree with Ms.
Ostashek that "might doesn't mean
right." However, calling those who
oppose the ban "uninformed" is rather
harsh.
Just because smoking is a health issue
and health issues are dealt by the
province doesn't mean that Albertans
shouldn't be asked what their opinions
are, however diverse or unfavorable
their opinions may be. The province
has lacked communication and consultation with citizens on this issue.
Municipalities help gather the voice of
the people: if most of Alberta's municipalities establish a smoking ban, that
gives the province something legitimate
to work with. If abortion (another
health issue) was made illegal, I’m sure
many Albertans would want their opinions heard before the province hands
down legislation.
I don’t smoke, I just believe that the
province should contact their constituents instead of acting unilaterally. I
support consultation before taking
action and representation when taking
action. That’s what democracy is
about. And I’m not going to give up on
it.
B. Arts
"I think tuition, definitely. Also, more parties. I liked Kumoniwannalaya."
Kristy Stollery
Arts
"Tuition, other than that, I don't know.
What else is there really?"
Janelle Lavigne
B. Science
"Tuition fees and parking. At [Centre for
the Arts] more parking made available. At
City Centre, cheaper parking."
Vivian Giang
Second Year Student
Professional Writing Program
Kevin Skarban
Nursing
“Tuition.”
INTERCAMP
advertisement
March 10, 2003
3
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
The positions of editors listed below are for the 2005/2006 school year. Interested applicants should submit resumes, indicating which position you are applying
for, to Murray Donaldson by 4 p.m. March 18 to room 6-211B City Centre or by email to donaldsonm@macewan.ca. For more information call 497 5412.
Features Editor
Section Editor (3)
- new position
Graphics Editor
- new position
- News, Arts & Sports
Interested candidates should possess:
- Strong writing and editing skills
- The ability to prioritize and meet
deadlines
- Good interpersonal skills
- Knowledge of CP style is an asset
Interested candidates should possess:
- Strong writing and editing skills
- The ability to prioritize and meet
deadlines
- Good interpersonal skills
- Knowledge of CP style is an asset
Job requirements include:
- Generating story ideas
- Editing stories
- Ensuring timely delivery of copy
- Writing a minimum of one story per
issue for your own section.
Job requirements include:
- Generating weekly feature story idea
- Editing story
- Ensuring timely delivery of copy
- Coordinating appropriate artwork
- Arranging streeters, profiles and comics
Job requirements include:
- Photo editing
- Preparing pics and ads for layout
- Ensuring quality of images for press
- Some page layout
Pay is $85 per issue.
Pay is $70 per issue.
Pay is $70 per issue.
(May be subject to change.)
(May be subject to change.)
Interested candidates should possess:
- Photo editing skills
- The ability to prioritize and meet
deadlines
- Good interpersonal skills
- Knowledge of pre-press design using
Adobe software and Quark Xpress
SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED FOR AN INTERVIEW
Hiring is done by an interview panel consisting of full-time SA staff and one student executive.
(May be subject to change.)
NEWS
MACEWAN STUDENTS STRUT THEIR
ETHICAL STUFF
OPINIONS
page 7
INTERCAMP
Editor: Rachel Hohn, news4rachel@gmail.com
page 6
March 10, 2005
Elect...elect...elect...elect...elect...elect...elect...
T
elect...elect...
he Students’ Association executive elections are nearing
and we at Intercamp asked a few questions of all the
candidates in order to help YOU make a more informed decision
Question one: In your opinion, what will be the biggest issue facing MacEwan
students in the next year and what would you encourage the SA to do about it?
Question two: How does the position you are running for impact the average
MacEwan student?
In one word, describe yourself:
Paul W Zits
Running for President
Vivian Giang
Running for President
Adam Guiney
Running for President
Mark Glass
Running for VP Academic
Adam Filiatreault
Running for VP Academic
1. In terms of the government's commitment to a tuition freeze, will students enrolling in September 2006 face
a double-hit as a result of this commitment? What will the new tuition policy
mean to students at MacEwan? The SA
must lobby for increased funding and a
real assurance to maintaining affordability.
1. The provincial government temporarily froze tuition next year. What will
happen in 2006/07? I encourage the SA
to lobby the province for more base
funding to keep costs low for students
to attend school. I also suggest the SA
look at establishing more scholarships
to help students in need.
1. Universal Bus Pass˜I would encourage
the SA to take advantage of the opportunity to implement it. ETS listed it as
their #1 priority. Trying to meet Kyoto
targets, demand for better transportation and limited parking space for students are all catalysts, transforming this
issue into one of precedence.
1. Cost of tuition isn't necessarily an evil
thing. I'm against it, but I understand
the economic conditions that lead into
increases. Our student-workers in
Alberta are paid a pittance. Tuition rates
wouldn't be as much a factor if we didn't have to reconcile rising tuition and
increasing cost of living.
1. The biggest issue facing MacEwan
students will be the quality of the
degrees we will potentially be granting.
I would encourage the SA to work with
the College Administration to make sure
these degrees are of the highest caliber
and that they allow students to compete fairly for graduate studies.
2. Working closely with the college, the
President will seek at all times to represent the interests of the entire student
body. When the President represents the
SA to any external group, whether it's
the college, general public or the government, they represent the concerns,
needs, and welfare of each student.
2. The President consults with the people who handle issues that affect students (eg. tuition, universal bus pass,
etc.). On top of getting students the
information they need, the President
also represents what the students want
and communicates their will to these
committees. The President is the voice
for students.
2. I intend to use my position to
strengthen our communication and
cooperation between NAITSA and U of
A to generate a unified front on
multiple issues. The U-Pass is just one
example of this, others include recycling
initiatives, community involvement and
student services. which are too often
neglected.
2. MacEwan is finding its most appropriate role in a province where institute
specialization is an increasingly vogue
concept. I can help facilitate this as a
resource to students while navigating
their best post-secondary options. An
educational generation (regardless of
age) will benefit any economy receiving
the caliber of Albertan students.
2. VP Academic is the executive position
that students see least. This position
impacts the students by making sure
their voice is heard at every level of
Academic decision-making at the
College. This position also acts as the
unofficial liaison between the students
and the Administration.
Responsive
Viva-licious ;)
Driven
Dedicated
Gabrielle Kristjanson
Running for VP Operations and Finance
Jimmy Kuruvilla
Running for VP Operations and Finance
Daniel Eggert
Running for VP Operations and Finance
Crystal Brown
Running for VP Student Life
Ryan Osterberg
Running for VP Student Life
1. With degree granting and residence,
it is essential the school remain student-minded. I would encourage the SA
to maximize communication between
the college and its students. The SA can
add SPACs to its portfolio and build
policies that create frequent and effective ways for students to express their
views.
1. The ongoing struggle to lower student fees, unavailability of resources for
students wishing to pursue post secondary and the imbalance between amount
paid and value received would be major
issues. I would encourage the SA by
keeping these broad issues in mind
while implementing ideas/trying to
resolve issues.
1. Hands down, the biggest issue facing
students next year will be the Universal
Bus Pass. Allowing equal access to all
students will be a priority and it is up to
the SA to take the lead in working with
the UofA and Nait to make it happen.
1. The biggest issue facing students is
the financial, physical and emotional
cost of going to school. The SA should
be a resource to give students the help
they need to be successful in their educations - or in other words provide
things that students need ˆ stress relief,
financial help, whatever.
1. The biggest issue facing students I see
in the next year, is the prospect of a
double tuition. The SA must start immediately to lobby the school to forgo a
tuition hike this year, and then pressure
both the provincial and federal goverment to address the 5-7 % increase a
year necessary from the goverments to
prevent tuition hikes being passed to
students.
2. This position is responsible for efficient and effective operation of the SA
as a non-profit organization. Prudent
management of student fees gives the
SA the ability to maximise financial
resources and to provide current students with the services that they need
while working towards lowering fees for
future students.
2. The position of VP operations and
finance entails overseeing the SA budget and to advise the council on the
internal affairs of the association
among various duties. This directly
affects every Macewan student in that;
tangible services/ideas of benefit can
only be implemented after consultation
and internal assessment.
Enthusiastic
Focused
Dedicated
2. If elected, I would be the student representative on the Board of Governors,
the highest ruling body at Grant
Macewan. I am one vote on this body
and it would be up to me to make the
decisions that are in the best interests
of students and the college.
Dynamic
2. The VP student life position impacts if
and how student concerns are vocalized
and acted upon, and has a part in forming the budget and policy of the SA.
This means that it affects how the college views you, and how your money is
spent. So the impact is huge
2. This porfolio can arrange for student
activities such as Kawanmanlaya, and
the Toga party. This portfolio also gets to
oversee areas such as services and programs. I believe that students are
charged enough as it is and I would use
the powers of this office to pursue a free
printing center for students.
Dedicated
ALL-CANDIDATE FORUMS WILL TAKE PLACE AT NOON IN THE CAFETERIA: MARCH 14 @ CFA, MARCH 15 @ SC AND MARCH 16 @ CC
INTERCAMP
news
March 10, 2005
College almost gets no-bell prize
BY RACHEL HOHN
NEWS EDITOR
MacEwan’s commemorative brass bell
is back at home at the City Centre campus after being reported stolen on Mar.
5, and no one knows the name of the
man to whom we owe congratulations
for finding it.
The bell was given to MacEwan in
1996 by CN after the purchase of the
City Centre campus property. CN gave
MacEwan the commemorative bell in
addition to the handrail car and a monetary gift of $100,000.
The brass bell is worth around
$5,000 to $10,000, but according to
David Beharry, media relations officer
for MacEwan, it's not about monetary
worth.
“It's worth so much more in sentimental value,” he said. “You can't put
a dollar value on that.”
Early Saturday morning the theft was
discovered by MacEwan campus secu-
rity. The CN bell was ripped out of its
cast iron casing in front of Building 6.
The security officers called Edmonton
Police and filed a report.
“It's 95 pounds of solid brass, and the
casing is 110 pounds of cast iron,” said
Beharry. He's still not sure how the
bell was stolen but he said it looks like
the cast iron was hit in a strategic spot
that broke it into two pieces. “The bell
is going to get buffed up, there were
some scratches. The bell did more
damage to the concrete.”
According to Beharry, both he and
Director of Communications and
External Relations Troy Underhill were
contacted by security fifteen minutes
after they contacted the police, around
11:15, and they promptly called all the
local media outlets to get the word out.
While Underhill gathered history and
photographs of the bell, Global television and the Edmonton Sun showed
up to take photos of what was left of
the broken casing where the bell formerly stood.
On Sunday morning, the story hit the
front doorsteps of Edmontonians
across the city, and one reader happened to find the bell shortly after as
he went for a walk around his home.
He found the bell underneath a tree
just around 105 Street and 103
Avenue.
The man then approached the campus
security and told them he might have
found what they were looking for.
Jerry, one of the campus security
guards, then walked down with the
man to retrieve the bell. He lugged the
hundred pound bell all the way back to
the college.
Beharry is glad to have it back. He did
mention that since the bell hangs two
metres above the ground that the damage could have been much worse that
just the few scratches and the broken
concrete. He said whoever stole it
could have been seriously hurt by the
weighty bell.
“They're just lucky it didn't fall on
them,” he said.
MURRAY DONALDSON / INTERCAMP
MacEwan Media Relations Advisor David Beharry, shows off the bell. Inset, the site of the crime.
COLA from page 1
universities in Alberta, though Calgary
chose Pepsi over Coke after the initial
bidding process.
The rules are relatively simple, the university or student union – or both –
sign a contract binding the campus to
only selling one type of cola. In
exchange, the university receives funding which typically goes toward scholarships, awards and special programs.
Initially some students, concerned with
the corporatization of their campus
and the lack of choice available, contested the contracts.
Loralee Edwards, president of the
Lethbridge student union, said this saturation was a major topic of discussion
when reviewing the contract.
"There was a concern about exclusivity on campus. . . . Personally -- just
thinking of how we see sales everywhere and thinking of Naomi Klein's
book No Logo, and hating to have to be
a part of that -- politically, I found (it) to
be a tough decision for me to have to
make."
But she acknowledged the "significant" amount of funding, which cannot be disclosed as dictated by the
contract, eventually convinced the student council to vote in favour of renewal.
Alvin Law, vice-president of the
University of Alberta student union,
seemed less concerned with criticism
of the contract, explaining the Coke
deal, at least at his school, offers benefits to students above and beyond the
funding, which amounts to $500,000
in scholarships and an additional
$50,000 fund specifically for special
program use.
"Some of the things that have been
very beneficial to students include
vending prices; they haven't changed
in six years. Some of the vending
machines still have $1 cans. The bottles are probably the most competitively priced . . . basically across the city."
As their contract is not up for renewal
until 2008, Law didn't want to predict the student union's actions so far
in advance. However, he did say the
current executive was happy with the
contract and he could not see a reason
to discontinue if a fair renewal offer
was presented.
Mike McAdam, vice-president of the
University of Calgary, expressed a similar sentiment, noting the lack of a contract would be significantly more damaging than the advertising concerns
that accompany its existence, as it
would include a loss of scholarships
and possibly cuts in programming.
Additionally, McAdam said he feels the
exclusivity aspect was inconsequential
as he felt the product did not have a
substantial impact on student life.
"This is probably why so many universities have gone with this," he said.
"It's a modestly invasive way of getting some revenue for the university
that doesn't directly impact the
undergraduate or graduate student
experience, and of course that's the
most important thing."
Nevertheless, McAdam and Law both
said they would carefully monitor the
newly renewed contracts to examine
their value for the future.
5
6
news
March 10, 2005
INTERCAMP
Fashion for the conscientious consumer
Ethical catwalk show struts local options for looking good
BY JANELLE AKER
STAFF WRITER
The ethical fashion show March 4 was
an elaborate collection of fun, flirtatious fashions to chic, elegant designs.
This unconventional fashion soiree,
hosted by the SA’s Social Wellness
Awareness Team (SWAT), displayed
clothing designs for the ethical consumer.
Earth's General Store,
Maggie Walt Designs, Nokomis and
the Bissell Center Thrift Shop all participated in the event.
Jayme Tauber, SWAT coordinator, has
been working on this ethics and fashion awareness event since September
and even had some of her own
designs showcased. The purpose of
this evening was to show students,
and guests, that there are fashionable
alternatives to sweatshop produced
items.
Showcasing the designs were the really, really ridiculously good-looking
MacEwan student volunteer models.
They strutted down the catwalk to the
tunes provided by DJ Jacie Jase.
A majority of the models were from
the dance program, and they incorporated dance moves - from Kung Foo
fighting to swing dancing - that
enhanced each item of clothing they
were wearing.
“They were fun,” said Amadew Walt,
Maggie Walt's daughter. “We really
liked the dancers.”
A highlight of this evening was watching Kevin Fox strut down the boxingring-inspired catwalk. Many of you
may recognize this gentleman who
was dressed like Santa Clause while
sitting next to Paul Zits last month,
getting his head and beard shaved off
at the annual Chrome Your Dome
event. He is a popular downtown
vendor of the Our Voice magazine.
In addition to the designers that contributed to the event, Chrome Salon
and Spa volunteered hair and makeup
art. The team from Chrome had fun
with the event and even gave the mod-
JANELLE AKER / INTERCAMP
The dapper Tyler Morency.
JANELLE AKER / INTERCAMP
SAVP Student Life Crystal Brown took to the catwalk March 4.
els' looks names like “wood nymph.”
Simplistic details decorated the campus's cafeteria from sewing patterns
used as tablecloths, to floating candles and mannequins in the corners of
the room.
Advertisements for
American Apparel clouted tables.
This new sweatshop-free company
just opened their first store in
Edmonton on Whyte Avenue.
Local group, Eshod Ibn Wyza ended
the show.
Andre “HypolyteA”
Johnstone,
Louis
Crowbox
“Onestring ”
Williams,
Maigan
“Soulare Warrior” von der Giessen
and Karan “Corvid Lorax” Singh set
the stage along with DJ Jacie Jase.
“Thank you for coming out and supporting the ethical fashion show!” said
von der Giessen, as they had audience
members off their seats and dancing
to their poetic beats.
JANELLE AKER / INTERCAMP
A model wears clothing supplied by Earth’s General Store.
INTERCAMP
opinion
March 10, 2005
Is now a good time to boycott the bud?
DAVE CLARK
OPINION
When you buy marijuana you do a lot
more that just harm your body with
cancer causing chemicals. Sure smoking a joint before you go to bed seems
pretty harmless, but one must think of
the bigger implications. The guy you
buy drugs from may be a buddy of
yours. You probably help pay his rent.
But the profits made off your use,
entertainment, addiction - whatever
you want to call it - support other people too. People that are often some of
the lowest forms of life.
Four RCMP officers lost their lives and
families because of the financial support of even the lightest drug users. No,
I am not making up crazy, hairedbrained conspiracy theories. The people who grow marijuana don't do it as
a public service; they do it for money. If
there was no money to be made growing weed these operations would not
exist, and four innocent people would
still be alive today.
People boycott Wal-Mart and Nike for
their mistreatment of workers. I would
have trouble believing either of those
companies ever shot and killed anyone,
especially not officers of the law.
Boycott those companies, but don't
give your money to drug traders either.
It's common knowledge that college
students smoke marijuana. The
Canada Addiction Survey found that
marijuana use is positively correlated
with education. Fifty-two per cent of
people with a post-secondary education use marijuana compared to only
35 per cent of high school dropouts.
These are the people supporting the
drug trade. Now, there is no denying
that the supporting the drug trade in
Alberta will end with violent and dead-
ly results.
If you want to smoke weed, or do any
drug, and live with whatever it does to
your body go for it. It's your own
body, and brain for you to destroy at
your own will. But chances are most
drug users around here aren't growing
or manufacturing their own drugs. Next
time you take money out of your rent
fund to buy a couple grams, look at the
faces of the four officers killed, and
remember what the drug trade did to
them, and their families.
It's probably true that not all pot growers are violent murderers. But they
aren't the only bad seeds in the world
of illegal substances. In the U.S. studies
found that 32 per cent of federal
inmates charged with burglary admitted they committed the crime they
were jailed for to obtain money for
drugs. Seventeen per cent of all state
prisoners admitted they committed
their crimes for the same reason.
So what's the alternative? Don't
smoke weed. Don't buy drugs at all.
The world, Canada, Alberta, and
Edmonton would all be much safer
places.
Tombola! The SA hands out thousands
TYLER MORENCY
OPINION
Money. Makes the world go around they
say. So what is better than easy money?
Well, tombolas actually. But we'll get to
that later.
After advertising for several months on
the back of Intercamp, the Students’
Association gave away a thousand
dollars to four enterprising MacEwan
students who entered a photo scavenger
hunt contest. The photo scavenger hunt
contestants were given a list of fun and
zany photos to take and the team with
the most pictures won. Unfortunately it
wasn't much of a contest. They were
the only team of four to submit their
pictures.
“Honestly, I'm completely baffled as to
why it wasn't successful,” said SA
events programmer Amanda Puchalsky
of the contest. “People were like, 'oh,
that's awesome, we are totally going to
register. And a thousand dollars, wow!'
and then the turn out...I couldn't
believe it.”
I don't know about you folks, but a
thousand dollars is a lot of money to a
gentleman of modest tastes like myself. I
didn't enter the contests either. I was
busy...and full of excuses. Still though ...
in hindsight it seems like a simple and fun
way to make good cash.
“There used to be an event on campus
called the crazy contest,” said Puchalsky.
“I've heard stories of people pouring
honey all over themselves and rolling in
feathers. But not everybody has the balls
to do something like that. So I thought
that having a contest like this instead of a
crazy contest would involve more stu-
dents.”
Apparently it doesn't matter if the
contest's crazy or not to MacEwan students. Just as long as it is easy,
because...
Feb. 10 saw the SA dole out yet another
thousand dollars at the SAM centre
grand opening on MacEwan day. Except
this time the contest wasn't so involved,
just a simple entry ballot put a student in
the running for the cool grand.
“It was huge. We rented a big barrel in
order to spin them (the raffle tickets)...we could hardly stuff the ballots in
there. It was good,” said SA General
Manager Al Morrison.
Rotating barrels that hold raffle tickets
are called tombolas.
I’m not sure why they are called that but
it's true. Tombolas must be the key to a
killer contest. The photo scavenger hunt
contest would have been more successful if they included a tombola somehow.
People would have entered...even if the
prize was a chance to be covered in
honey and then rolled in a pile of
feathers.
So I finally saw that movie ...
BERNARD JENTNER
OPINION
I've got a friend who irritates me. You
do too. I told my friend about the movie
Ray, you know, Ray Charles’ life story,
and I caught my friend giving me one of
those incredibly irritating: “Ah… that
movie, really? You liked it?” This part
irritates me even more, it goes like this:
“I heard… blah, blah, blah!”
Do you follow me? My friend didn't
see the movie, so my friend starts to
come across as one of those, quickdraw idea-killing machines, also known
as a cynic.
Of course it's not only this movie my
friend has a problem with. It's all the
movies, even ones my friend is fond of,
but I don't want to get into it. For now,
I think Ray is an ideal tool for dissecting
cynics. Let’s begin.
Now if my friend had seen this film, my
friend would know that it’s about a
black, blind man who gets famous.
Now what in the hell is wrong with that;
especially coming from the south, and
in those times. Is it because he invented
his own form of music? Blending
gospel and R&B? Maybe it's the
soundtrack my friend finds so repulsive. Who enjoys hearing anyone sing
from the… hmph… soul? That's just
garbage, the soul is a temple built over
a sewer. It must be the whole capitalist
thing. My friend probably heard that
Ray Charles, despite being blind and
blasted on heroine, and supporting two
families, all while handling a bunch of
underlings: keeps everything running
smooth. That bothers cynics – people
who can handle their business. When
the underlings conspire against him,
even when they are Ray Charles'
closest friends, he sacks them like a
conquered principality. This probably
bothers my friend the cynic too. That
movie makes Ray look like a cold hearted son of a bitch. Personally, I think he’s
great. What if one of his buddies was
running the show? …some Fat Head
type. Everybody stealing money, everyone arriving late, nobody doing no
work, after awhile: there'd be no
money left to steal. See, Ray's too
smart for that junk, and this is an important capitalist concept: those who are
good with money and can handle their
shit, deserve a hell of a lot more money
than anyone else. Now that's a tough
7
INTERCAMP
Step into the light.
Meetings: Thursdays, 3 p.m., 6-217, City centre
intercamp@macewan.ca
Will the real individuals
please stand up?
I remember back when I was young,
having a Starter jacket was the coolest
thing in the world. You weren't taken
seriously if you didn't have an L.A.
Raiders or Georgetown Hoya's jacket
wrapped around your body. The same
thing with Guess Jeans. I remember
when I got my first, and only, pair of
Guess Jeans. I felt so cool, and I made
sure that everyone saw the tiny triangle on my ass. Remember the triangle? It was like an authenticator
stamp. If you had the triangle, you
were in.
Aside from the Guess Jeans, I was
never really into the whole, “the
clothes you wear will make or break
your social life” crowd. Who I was
really interested in were the people
that dressed the opposite of cool.
They were the individuals; the people
who didn't care what people thought
of them, and laughed at people who
judged them. They had no Starter
Jackets or Guess Jeans! They weren't
afraid to wear plaid with stripes, or
flannel with jeans. If it weren't for
individuals, the world would look all
the same.
Fast-forward 10 years to college. A
time in a person's life to make new
friends, learn new life lessons, and
experiment with illicit drugs. It is pretty tough not to make at least one friend
in college or university. Most of the
people attending college or university
have some form of drive or motivation,
so you know that they can't all be bad.
My experience with college has been
great so far. I have met a lot of interesting people and have not had to deal
with a lot of judgment or teasing, a
practice many of us have gone
through.
I'm not sure whether it is the college
atmosphere, or the illicit drugs, but
students today are looking more and
more the same. Almost every student
belongs to a predetermined faction or
entity. Almost every student is associated with at least one peg on the
proverbial social ladder. You've got
your nerds, your cool kids, your jocks,
your out-casts, your intellectuals, your
loud-mouths, your party animals, your
“emo” kids your religious kids, your
nice-guys and your run of the mill
everyday weirdo.
As I read the “Three Lines Free,”
where either a gentleman or lady
reminded me of a certain pot-kettle
metaphor to rebut my statement about
“a fashionable piercing,” I really began
to look at the state of fashion and individuality. Not many people know that
I had my lip pierced years ago. But at
this point, it doesn't really matter.
Everyone has their lipped pierced, no
matter how old they are or what kind
of music they like. Everyone has one
of those Louis Vuitton purses or a tiny
rat-sized dog. Everyone has the latest
throw-back jersey or latest style of
Chuck Taylor. In a world dominated by
media and money, it is tough to be an
individual. It's not that were programmed to want the latest fashions, is
it?
Who here likes vintage t-shifts? Or
blazers? Or funny hats? A lot of people do. The employees and owners of
Value Village's all across our fine land
are thanking their lucky stars that these
items are in style. I remember when
wearing an old t-shirt resurrected from
the 70s or 80s was different. There
was a time when the more money you
spent on an item of clothing, the better
it was supposed to be. Then there
were these people that decided they
didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars on a mini-skirt or pin-stripe shirt,
so they went to their local double-V
and dropped two dollars on a vintage
t-shirt. One thing leads to another, and
now Justin Timberlake wears vintage tshirts. Soon, stores all over North
America began selling “vintage tshirts.” People all over were wearing
newly fabricated t-shirts with old
school designs. It seems today that
everyone has a t-shirt for “Jim's
Shrimp Shack” or “Ted's Surf Shop.”
cookie for my friend to swallow. But
think about it, if anyone of those lazy
bastards had a say, if Ray Charles was
an idiot and listened to his stupid jealous friends, would he have all that extra
cash to donate to charity? Would his
stage show have kept creating more
and more work for professional musicians? No. It would have got pissed
away. The record companies understood this, that's why they gave him
the biggest contract in history, they
trusted each other. People who work
very hard start to value trust more than
anything. Cynics don't understand
trust. They are suspicious of success.
That's the problem. That’s my problem anyway.
JARED MAJESKI
OPINION
ARTS
Editor: Carolyn Nikodym, intercamp_arts@yahoo.ca
TALK ABOUT PENIS ENVY
- A SEVEN FOOT PENIS SPEAKS
page 9
LOCAL POET LAUNCHES NEW BOOK OF BUZZ
page 10
INTERCAMP
March 10, 2005
Month of music hits MacEwan
Annual marathon of sound events showcases college talent
BY NICOLE QUINTAL
STAFF WRITER
Month of Music
Mar. 13, 19, 20, 26
John L. Haar
$5 - $7
MacEwan is holding its annual Month
of Music at the at Centre for the Arts
Campus and will feature five different
concerts over the month of March
complementing the talent of Grant
MacEwan music students.
The event will give MacEwan music
students a chance to show Edmonton
their immense talent, ranging in different genres from smooth and sultry
jazz music to hard-hitting rock and
pop tunes proving why MacEwan has
created some of the most talented
Canadian musicians over the last 25
years.
“All the concerts are really good,” said
Visual
Communication
and
Performing Arts marketer James
Schutz, “I really enjoyed the
Songwriters' Concert last year.”
The highly-anticipated Month of
Music event kicked off with the Jazz
Choir and Jazz Combo presentation on
Mar. 6, which was directed of Berklee
College vocal jazz graduate Chandelle
Rimmer.
The next scheduled show is the guitar
concert on Mar. 13 which will showcase the extraordinary talents of jazz
guitar great Bobby Cairns who will
lead the rich-sounding concert. The
concert will feature eight guitars and a
rhythm section, and the band will
highlight original songs by Cairns as
well as numerous works from other
guitar legends making this concert one
you won't want to miss.
The MacEwan student-produced
Songwriters' Concert will occur on
Mar. 19 and is a favoured production
of the Month of Music. The concert
will include an assortment of uniquely
created works of pop and rock music
accentuating the flavourful range of
sounds making the MacEwan music
program one of a kind in western
Canada.
The widely renowned Percussion
Concert will take place on Mar. 20 and
is known to be one of the most popular shows at the Month of Music event.
“I think it's a great opportunity for
MacEwan music students,” Brad
Grieve said. The music student will be
performing in the show and he says
the event is a way for MacEwan music
students to show off their talent to the
rest of the Edmonton music scene and
for the city to experience the quality
sounds of MacEwan musicians.
The Percussion show incorporates
sounds from a variety of rhythm
instruments, from marimba to drum
kit, and will be directed by percussionist/drummer Brian Thurgood, who is
an accomplished 23-year MacEwan
music program instructor.
The Composition Concert on Mar. 26
will wrap up the Month of Music and
will give new and talented writers a
chance to show the city what they've
learned from composition chair, Allan
Gilliland, whose original music has
been played by the renowned Boston
Symphony and the New York Pops.
Not a Blatent Hypocrite
BY JARED MAJESKI
STAFF WRITER
Colin Priestner
Slammin' Jack
Mar. 16
Sidetrack Café
$7.00
Twenty-one-year-old Colin Priestner
has been very busy in the last year and a
half. Last year, he attended Eastern
Illinois University, where he was on a
tennis scholarship and majored in journalism. During that time, he learned how
to play the guitar and wrote a boatload of
songs; around 50, he recalls. He recorded an EP, and has played a number of
shows in the Edmonton area. And I'm
sure that he has, on more than one occasion, played his tennis racquet like a guitar. There is a lot of buzz in the
Edmonton area about this guy, Colin
Priestner. His CD release party is happening on Mar. 16, at the Sidetrack Cafe.
Priestner is originally from London, Ont.
but migrated west to Winnipeg and finally to Edmonton. He attributes his love for
music to his parents.
“I was really lucky that my parents had a
wicked taste in music,” says Priestner. “I
grew up on Bob Dylan and Warren
Zevon.” Priestner's parents even
helped him with a portion of the $2000
plus studio bill.
Priestner's said that he would classify
himself as a folk songwriter. He does,
however, draw influence from a number
of different bands, such as Bad Religion
and Propagandhi.
“They were pretty influential in terms of
my political interests and social
SUPPLIED / INTERCAMP
Colin Priestner will hock his CD at the Sidetrack March 16.
interests,” says Priestner. “I think I got a
lot smarter because of those bands.”
Priestner recalls time when he was
younger listening to Bad Religion. He
said that he used to have a dictionary by
his bed so he could look up words from
the songs he didn't know.
It's quite the sight to see Priestner up
on stage, considering that he has only
been playing the guitar for around a year
and a half.
“I took my guitar and bought one of
those posters with all the chords on it
and learned how to play,” says Priestner.
Since then, Priestner has written a number of songs, and is writing more and
more.
The self-proclaimed John McEnroe of
university tennis, Priestner says that
there are certainly parallels between a
tennis match and performing his songs.
“Tennis is an individual sport,” says
Priestner, “and I'm up there [on stage]
on my own too.”
Currently attending the University of
Alberta, Priestner is still pursuing his
love of tennis. He is a member of the U
of A tennis team, and also helps teach
tennis.
Colin's new CD Blatant Hypocrite is
currently being heard on local radio stations and has been received very well.
His albums are selling off the shelf as
well. Priestner said that almost every
copy from the Megatunes in Calgary has
been sold. The album, which contains
six tracks, covers everything from relationships to born-again virgins to witty
and wry social commentary. Priestner
says that it is the lyrical content that
drives the songs.
“I always think of myself first and foremost as a songwriter,” says Priestner.
“Being a musician just kind of compliments the songwriting.”
Local talent on the rise, Priestner hopes
to spread his smart and topical brand of
folksy-rock as far as possible.
SUPPLIED / INTERCAMP
Sarah Slean’s latest release, Day One.
Counting down to Day One
RACHEL HOHN
NEWS EDITOR
Sarah Slean, Jorane, Jeremy Fisher
Myer Horowitz Theatre
Mar. 10
$15
Many people claim to be artists but
very few of them could fill that title's
shoes the way Sarah Slean does. This
Juno-nominated performer sings,
writes and publishes her own music,
paints, designs her own art for her
CDs, and has already published her
own book of poetry and art titled
Ravens.
Her latest album, Day One, was written after her home in Toronto burned
to the ground. Looking for some
catharsis, Slean holed up in a remote
cabin outside of Ottawa and let the
creative juices flow. In total isolation,
Slean wrote music and drew, and she
emerged over four months later with
renewed desire. She needed to give
birth to everything that had gestated
in that period. The album was co-produced by Slean, Pete Prilesnik (Sarah
Harmer) and Dan Kurtz (The New
Deal).
Slean will be performing with guests
Jorane and Jeremy Fisher.
All three artists have a mellow sound
but they all carry strong emotion and
powerful lyrics - the type of music frequently played as funky background
music at coffee shops and teahouses
alike.
Fisher will be opening the show and
performing from his most recent
album, Let It Shine. Recognized for
his most recent hit, “High school”,
Fisher talks about smoking drugs, figuring out sexual orientations, and trying to remember people from his high
school. Fisher also attracted attention
when he pedalled from Seattle to
Halifax with a guitar strapped to his
back on his bicycle on a tour he
labelled “One Less Tour Bus Tour.”
Performing alongside Slean is Jorane,
another Juno-nominated musician.
This singer and cellist from Quebec
toured Europe, and has a very large
French following. Jorane has also performed music to accompany the
Montreal performance of the Cirque
du Soleil.
Slean wasn't widely known until
more recently, and her fan base has
been spreading since she started to
get some real MuchMusic video airtime last year with the release of
“Sweet One” on her last album, Night
Bugs.
She will be performing songs from her
most recent album, Day One, with the
hits “Lucky Me,” which features Billy
Talent guitarist Ian D'Sa, and the
Juno-nominated Day One.
Intercamp arts:
Trying our bestest to give you street cred.
INTERCAMP
arts
March 10, 2005
Making a stiff point
JARED MAJESKI
STAFF WRITER
Lessons From a 7 ft. Penis
Mar. 16
Noon
Multi-purpose Room (CCC)
Free
Do you ever wonder how big a
woman's clitoris actually is? Or
maybe you are wondering what an
inverted anus is? If these are some of
the questions you have been losing
sleep over, then fear no more. The
man with the answers is Norman
Nawrocki, and his show is called
Lessons From a 7 ft. Penis.
Half comedy, half education, Nawrocki
will be speaking everything and anything “sex” with anyone at MacEwan.
Nawrocki has been traveling the countryside for the past 10 years or so,
speaking to people about everyone's
favourite 3-letter word. His very comfortable and relatable shows tackle
issues such as date rape, sexual
misconceptions, gays and lesbians,
homophobia and a plethora of other
topics. His current show, Lessons
From a 7 ft. Penis, will be a more
intimate and close-knit performance
than his other scripted shows.
“It gives me more flexibility to work
with the audience,” said Nawrocki. “I
can play with the audience.”
Nawrocki recalls using a group of fairly
intoxicated viewers to help him portray
vulvas and clitorises.
“Here are my vulva’s for the night,”
Nawrocki joked.
The idea to have informative sex shows
sprung up from a conversation he had
with a female roommate. She had a
number of question about why guys
act they way they do, and Nawrocki
said the idea just evolved.
Nawrocki planned to have his first
show inside his apartment, with borrowed chairs. He eventually moved it
to a local campus pub, where the feedback for his show ended up being very
positive.
“People were really appreciative,” said
Nawrocki. “Guys would stop me in the
street months later and say 'Thanks, I
stayed up all night talking to my girlfriend; it really made a difference.'”
Nawrocki has performed his shows for
college's and universities all over
North America. He even performed at
a hockey arena in New Brunswick.
“I had 2000 people doing clit exercis-
es,” said Nawrocki. “A lot of people
were really happy that night.”
Although Nawrocki's shows contain a
fair amount of comedic content, he
does emphasize the educational
aspect. Nawrocki researches his topics
extensively, whether it is through reading a book or speaking with doctors
and professionals. He also maintains
that it is speaking with normal, everyday people that make the shows more
relatable.
“These are everyday common problems,” said Nawrocki. “Experts are not
going to solve any of this stuff.”
There are always problems and misconceptions when it comes to sex.
Nawrocki is just one man who believes
that talking and listening can help to
remedy problems and clear up misconceptions. If the audience was to take
only one thing away from his show,
Nawrocki would want it to be this:
“To be able to listen to their partner,”
said Nawrocki. “That's probably the
single most important thing in terms of
anybody becoming a better lover. I’ll
give people tools and ways of thinking
to help them become a better
lover…Somebody’s desire for affection
doesn’t mean they necessarily want to
screw. It means, 'just give me a hug.’”
Author’s first novel a metaphorical mess
Wild Animus’s scenery breathtaking, but the rest is hard to digest
BY DAN VERVILLE
CANADIAN UNIVERSITY PRESS
Wild Animus
Rich Shapero
Too Far Publishing
$24.99
328 pages
The Uniter - University of Winnipeg
In his first novel, Rich Shapero uses
personal experience to create an elaborate tale of one man's journey to truly
discover and understand his
inner self. It is a journey many
authors have attempted to
describe, but Shapero does
so in a new, exciting way.
Wild Animus tells the story of
Sam, a college student at
Berkeley during the '60s
who needs to get out of the
riot-filled, hippie-living world
in which he exists. Finding
himself becoming something
he doesn't want to be, he
decides that in order to get
closer to himself, he has to be
where his heart wants and
yearns to be -- in the beautiful
wilderness of Alaska. He
heads there with the mysterious Lindy, his girlfriend, and
thus begins his journey to
discover who he really is and
why.
It would be easy to say that
this book has a typical plot,
as it only comprises of the
journey to one's self-knowledge; however, Shapero has
sculpted
beautiful
landscapes and developed
intricate and provocative
ideas. Shapero has a knack for describing the wilderness with such flair that at
some points it seems that instead of
staring at a white page with black letters, the reader is standing in front of the
canvas of a work of art.
You can tell without reading the
author's bio that he has had some sort
of affiliation with the world that he presents. Although this technique stands
out in most of the novel, it gets tiresome
-- and fast. After reading through pages
and pages of beautiful, never-ending
metaphors, it's really hard to find
yourself "in the story," and become
somewhat detached from the main
characters' actions. After their continual use of drugs throughout the entire
novel, it's hard to imagine that perhaps
some of their experiences while on LSD
are simply hallucinations and that, in
fact, they are truly insane and not experiencing some sort of higher power.
The story itself seems to move fast. As
you get into it, wondering what lies
next, you are abruptly hit with a few
pages of self-introspection, wherein lies
many descriptive sentences, metaphors
and such. While this disjointed style
does give the reader some insight into
what's going on inside Sam's
head, it halts the story just long
enough for you to zone out and
get sick of those beautifully long
descriptions. As the story meanders and continues to move, it
becomes deeply religious and
provokes questioning, at times,
of your own faith.
Before attempting to read this
novel, check your schedule and
make sure you have at least two
weeks. It's not that it's
extremely long, but at times it
gets so frustrating to continue
through the sludge of descriptions you have to stop and collect
yourself. Looking at this novel as
the author's first may put perspective on the overuse of
metaphor and the relentless
descriptions. He is obviously trying to find his own niche in the
writing world, attempting a style
that not many others would.
Although I didn't appreciate this
novel as much as I initially
thought I would, those interested in mountaineering or just the
sheer beauty of nature may want
SUPPLIED / INTERCAMP to read this book.
9
reviews
10
March 10, 2005
INTERCAMP
A poetic buzz
BY CAROLYN NIKODYM
ARTS EDITOR
Were the Bees
Andy Weaver
Newest Press
$14.95
118 pages
SUPPLIED / INTERCAMP
Junior Pantherz, seen here at a previous show, rocked the Sidetrack March 4.
Snap, crackle and popped
BY BLAKE BETTERIDGE
STAFF WRITER
Sidetrack Café patrons were treated
to a night of alt-country, pop, and hard
alt-rock night as the 'track welcomed
a strangely booked bill of non-alikes
on Mar. 4.
The night began as Edmonton's Field
and Stream brought their alt-country
sound, as the slowly trickling in audience brought themselves. Visually, F
& S treated the crowd to a laptop
slideshow filled with deer, bears, and
occasionally, fat naked men. The
thoughtful Streamers brought the
visuals because, as according to them,
“they ain't much to look at.”
Sonically, Field and Stream sound like
a half-developed idea. Musically, they
wouldn't be over their heads being
matched against pretty much anyone,
but their intentionally uninspired
singing left this listener wondering if a)
they just couldn't sing very well, or b)
that they're singing badly on purpose
because they're just too cool to sing
well. Field and Stream could be
Edmonton's answer to Royal City or
Wilco, but they won't be because of
their lousy singing (intentional or not).
Columbus followed Field and Stream.
Columbus is a pop band, but they're
not that kind of pop band. Columbus
doesn't sound anything like Christina
Aguilera or Simple Plan, Columbus
plays the type of pop music that it's
okay to like (think Rooney or Weezer).
Columbus ran through 40-ish minutes of their sugary-sweet bop-bopbop pop songs before leaving the
crowd a little too popped up for their
own good. They probably should have
stopped after half-an-hour. They were
tight and all, but as one concert
reviewer's girlfriend stated, “they
could have been playing the same
song over and over again and I wouldn't have noticed.”
Following
Columbus
was
Saskatoon's
Junior
Pantherz.
Arriving at the show early despite van
troubles which found them renting a
van to get here, Junior Pantherz depopped the room with a series of
hard, loud-then-quiet, mid-tempo
rockers which left the audience
stunned and seemingly unable to
move. As the crowd looked disinterested, Junior Pantherz rocked on, as
their hard alt-rock went over the
heads of all but a few listeners.
An added treat for those at the show
was an appearance from Edmonton's
uninhibited interpretive dance girl.
The joy she brings makes every show
worthwhile, and as a result: this show
was more than worthwhile.
In were the bees, a fantastic collection
of poetry, local writer Andy Weaver
finds the magic in word play and in the
tiniest of details.
Although Weaver writes deftly and with
maturity, he manages to keep his voice
fresh and current. His practiced pen
adds new perspective to youthful lust
and flights of fancy. And his range of
style - as he experiments (sucessfully)
with many poetic forms - is enough to
propel the reader on.
Divided into three chapters, Weaver's
subject matter ranges from the scientific to the beatific, from the ivory tower to
the range and includes a good dash of
love and lust.
The first chapter delves into all of those
topics, with seemingly rambling
thoughts. But there are absolute gems
of poetic moments throughout. The
first poem, “Sugar bleeds blue,” finds
that blood rushing feeling of being in the
same room with someone you are
attracted to, and it ends with the longing
lines “and then/ the last/ feathers/ of
her perfume/ leave the room.” In
“Three Ghazals to the constellation
Corvus (The Crow),” Weaver delivers
more wonderful poetic moments. For
example “The woman was my gateway
drug to bad poetry,” or “O Crow, life
ain't about winning,/ just losing as
slowly as you can.”
The second chapter delivers the title
poem in 30 parts. The poem forces the
reader to hunker down and examine the
work, the words and the play. Unlike
the first chapter, which seamlessly
drives from breezy to profound and
back again, this second chapter delves
deeper into history, poetry and the psyche. That isn't to say the poem is too
difficult, or too long, only that Weaver
shines as an intelligent and sly observer,
and you want to be able to drink it all in.
The final chapter plays with the ghazal,
an ancient Persian form, which is basically five to fifteen two line stanzas, with
each two-liner a poem in itself. Again
Weaver finds the magic of imagery and
language. “It's autumn and leaves are
turning/ our footprints into sound.” Or
“paul says for a poet falling in love/ is an
occupational hazard.”
Andy Weaver will be launching his collection of poems at Audrey's Books
Mar. 10. And although his poems are
not difficult to grasp, so much about
poetry is in the sound of the words
INTERCAMP
arts
March 10, 2005
11
SUPPLIED / INTERCAMP
Holy Body Tattoo’s monumental played the John L. Haar Theatre March 4 and 5.
Monumental dancers boxed in
Life in a concrete jungle the subject of modern dance
CAROLYN NIKODYM
ARTS EDITOR
Exploring the challenges of urban living,
with all of its isolation and neuroses,
Holy Body Tattoo's monumental was
long on tension and skimpy on redemption.
The performance began with the nine
dancers, dressed in office uniforms,
standing on individual boxes. Light emitted from inside the boxes eerily lit up the
dancers. As each awoke from a fitful
slumber, each began moving in jerky
ways to depict various disturbing emotions. The movements made references
to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, cutting and suicide. Most of the dance was
performed on these boxes, confining the
dancers to their individual isolation.
Monumental was in the making for
about a decade. Art directors and choreographers of Holy Body Tattoo, Noam
Gagnon and Dana Gingras, had the idea
for the show, but not the resources to
stage the multi-media production. The
CGI Youth Commission for Dance of the
National Arts Centre offered the money
for the Vancouver dance company to
bring the show to life. Aimed at youth,
the production certainly fulfilled its goal
of not talking down to teens. The result
was a very intimate show, with the
audience watching seemingly private and
heart wrenching emotions of insecurity
and loneliness.
Dancing on the boxes worked well to an
extent. Even though there were nine
dancers, the confining aspect of the
boxes forced there to be very little interaction between them. When they
danced in sync with one another, the
sense of isolation was doubly felt. You
could see that each was experiencing
similar difficult emotions, but were not in
a position to share. It also worked well
when it was paralleled with windmills
projected on the back screen.
However, to do most of the dance on
these boxes became uncomfortable to
watch. As each dancer writhed in private
hells, the point of it became redundant.
There had to be more. When the
dancers finally came off the boxes and
interacted with each other, the dance
had more life, albeit equally disturbing.
Relationships between the performers
played out as alternatively loving and
hurtful. The “go-away, come-back” feeling of difficult partnerships was felt to the
core.
While the whole production was compelling, the use of Jenny Holzer's writing
projected on the back screen added an
interesting element. Quotes like “The
heart can stop when you hear something
not meant for your ears. The consolation
is that this might not be the truth,”
brought all of the discomfort home in
another art form. The lines both
belonged to the performance and stood
apart from it.
What the entire performance lacked was
any sort of redemption. There was no
light at the end of it all, no solution was
offered. Each dancer began alone and
each ended alone. And this made the
performance seem like a half developed
idea. That said, it certainly made for
introspection, as the tension felt
throughout stuck uncomfortably in the
mind long after the dance was over. And
if nothing else, the dance might inspire
people to reach out to each other.
5
4
3
2
1 ... And then Intercamp is over for the year.
12
SA Survey
March 10, 2005
INTERCAMP
Drop off your survey at SAM Centre or at any SA office and fill out an entry to win $1500 to fly anywhere in the world
INTERCAMP
CD Reviews
March 10, 2005
13
PICK
of the week
Theivery Corporation
The Cosmic Game
ESL Music
✪✪✪✪✪
The Thievery Corporation, otherwise
known as Rob Garza and Eric Hilton,
have returned to their world music
roots in The Cosmic Game. Giving fans
of the duo an armchair travel of sonic
delights, the album features trademark
downtempo beats layered on top of
Asian, Latin and reggae influences.
It's simply dreamy, and a little trippy.
Added to the magic are appearances
by Perry Farrell (Jane's Addiction),
David Byrne and Jamaican singer
Notch. Indian singer Gunjan (whose
name means 'musical echo') appears
several times, lending her ethereal
vocals.
“Amerimacka,” with Notch's smooth
voice, is a chill reggae dub number that
brings you to a steamy beach. And
“Ambicion Eterna,” with Verny Varela,
uses all of the cool, crisp Latin percussion instruments that compel the hips
to move - even just a little bit. David
Byrne's appearance on “The Heart's
a Lonely Hunter” fits right in with a
track that is a quirky hybrid of Latinska-electronica.
However, the tracks with Gujan, the
sitar and tablas really stand out. That is
a huge compliment on an album full of
highlights and devoid of filler. Her voice
is like the best Belgian chocolate. And
one of the reasons this album will stay
in my CD player for a while.
New Releases
Captain Tractor
North of the Yellowhead
Love As Laughter
Laughter’s Fifth
Louie Vega
Dance Ritual
50 Cent
The Massacre
The Kills
No Wow
Ivy
In the Clear
Carolyn Nikodym
Goldfinger
Disconnection Notice
Maverick
Ian Tyson
Songs from the Gravel Road
Vanguard Records
Nas
Street’s Disciple
Sony / Columbia
Jack Johnson
In Between Dreams
Brushfire Records
Low
Thr Great Destroyer
Subpop Records
✪✪✪
✪✪✪✪
✪✪✪✪1/2
✪✪✪✪
✪✪✪
A couple of line-up changes and a
record label switch haven't slowed
down Goldfinger. Wispy-blond John
Feldmann and company push their vegetarian propaganda and their catchy ska
pop-punk sound on their new album
Disconnection Notice.
The album is full of memorable poppunk hooks, obvious but meaningful
lyrics and sound byte's condemning
slaughterhouses. A woman on the
album lets everyone know that, in her
opinion, slaughterhouses smell like “hot
death.”
But behind all of the annoying propaganda, the album is just another reason
why Goldfinger has been successful for
more than a decade. “Wasted” is a sugary pop-punk anthem that will be etched
in your mind immediately after listening
to it. The track “Stalker” shows shades
of what Goldfinger is known for: catchy
hooks and funny lyrics.
Although the album starts a slight
decline after track six, it still holds its
own. Only four of the 13 tracks on the
album are more than three minutes long,
which makes it very easy to listen to.
Goldfinger was unofficially credited for
helping with the ska-punk movement in
L.A. in the early 90s, and they haven't
compromised their sound. If you like old
Goldfinger, you'll like new Goldfinger.
One of Alberta and Canada's most
legendary folk country artists is back
with his first new album release since
1999 called Songs From The Gravel
Road.
Ian Tyson is a nationally renowned icon
with a pure talent for melodic natureembracing lyrics and soothing guitar
play. Both of these qualities are constantly present on his new album,
which provides a perfect escape to the
peace and serenity of living amidst the
foothills of Alberta. Tracks like “Land of
Shining Mountains” and “One Morning
in May” perfectly create this rustic setting.
Tyson has been one of Canada's most
respected singer-songwriters for five
decades now and has made some of
the most highly-successful folk albums
of all time. Songs From The Gravel
Road is just another to add to the list.
Tyson pursued ranching and rodeo in
the 1970s in between periods of musical success. On this album he is able to
combine his musical life with his passionate hobbies to create songs that
embrace traditional Albertan culture
and the mindset of a cowboy in a society that has become so swept up with
technology and advancement.
Putting out a double-album can be a
gamble. Will it fizzle or not? A lot of
double-albums contain a few catchy
tunes, but most of it is filler. Nasir “Nas”
Jones, one of the biggest members of
the east-coast hip-hop scene, has put
out a double-album entitled Street’s
Disciple. There isn't much filler here.
Nas has worked his way up to being
one of the most well known and
respected lyricists and producers.
Along with rap producers Salaam
Remi and Chucky Thompson, Nas and
his seemingly endless line of guest collaborators have churned out 25 tracks
covering almost all sounds and influences that define hip-hop and rap.
From the relaxed yet sharply truthful
“Rest Of My Life” to the more hardcore
and gangsta “The Makings Of A
Perfect Bitch,” Nas proves yet again he
is still a major player. Other major players such as Busta Rhymes, Maxwell
and Luda all lend their talents to
Street’s Disciple.
Despite the literate and conscious messages, there are times when it sounds
as if Nas may be perpetuating the
lifestyle of violence and degrading
women. It doesn't take anything away
from the sick production and ill similes,
but it doesn’t add much either.
Jack Johnson's third album, In Between
Dreams, continues as any fan of
Johnson would hope. His acoustic slapping guitar, kick-ass lyrics and sweet
voice make for a simple, no frills formula
that works. True to Jack Johnson form,
there are no bells and whistles and that
is precisely what makes him a refreshing
artist.
While the individual tracks are not musically distinctive, his knack for penning
rhymes that evoke relatable imagery
make each listen a treat. Even in his saddest songs, there is still a sense of
redemption, a sense that there is not a
lot of self pity flying around - only that
Johnson has found the poetry in the
moments he writes about.
“If I Could,” a short number (most of the
songs clock in at around three minutes),
prefaces the death of a friend with the
joy of a baby's birth, as Johnson finds
the circle of life. In “Good People,” he
comments on all of the dysfunctional
types that populate popular TV, asking
“Where'd all the good people go? I've
been changing channels I don't see
them on the tv shows.”
There’s nothing revolutionary about the
album, just good solid tunes.
Some musicians will go to great effort
to grab the listener's attention. Low
does not make that kind of music. This
band loves to play pretty chords as
they sing softly in the slowest and quietest manner possible.
Vocalists Alan Sparhawk and Mimi
Parker still harmonize together using
their sweetest and most angelic sounding voices while churning out a slow
and dark melodic groove.
During “Death of a Salesmen,”
Sparhawk examines his song writing
process, “So I took my guitar and
threw down some chords and some
words I could sing without shame.”
After the release of six previous
albums, Low attempts to take their
sound in a slightly new direction by
experimenting with sonic layering,
using eerie dissonant samples, even
turning the distortion pedal on occasionally...but at the core, the same old
trademark Low sound hasn't changed
much.
The Great Destroyer is more dreary
and slow moving than most people
would care to listen to, certainly not an
album for the dancers out there.
However as boring as this CD seems, it
is probably the most interesting and
accessible effort that Low has created
to date.
Carolyn Nikodym
Ryan Frankson
Jared Majeski
Jared Majeski
Tyler Morency
CDs KINDLY SUPPLIED BY A&B SOUND
10232 - 106 Street, Edmonton
424 6000
arts
14
March 10, 2005
INTERCAMP
I can see tomorrow in your dance
Interactive video game the solution to all of life's problems
BY MICHELE COSTA
CANADIAN UNIVERSITY PRESS
A campus newspaper version of the it girl.
The Innis Herald – Innis College,
University of Toronto
Sometimes life skills come in handy when
you aren't even expecting them. Tricks
and talents you have picked up along the
way, which sharpen your mind and
enhance your ability, become second
nature -- saving the day, or pumping up
the jam beyond your wildest expectations. This is the story of Dance Dance
Revolution.
So, when I first started driving and was
having a little trouble remembering to
pay attention to signs, lights and pedestrians, people told me that paying attention would soon become natural. Well,
as my passengers and one frightened
middle-aged Eastern European couple
can attest to, this never became natural
for me, often with mildly destructive, but
usually charming and amusing repercussions.
So I don't drive; I walk or take transit.
It's safer, cheaper, and you're less likely
to die or kill others. Of course, in the wintertime, this lifestyle adds a whole slew of
troubling consequences to one's day.
This includes such things as enduring the
cold, buying extra toques and mastering
a graceful, ladylike swagger on icy sidewalks. This attractive strut typically
becomes more of a wild free-style
skate/slide involving clenched muscles
and uncontrollable jazz hands on presalted city streets.
Luckily for me, it seems no one has mastered the art of walking on ice. Unlike
sign-noticing and pedestrian life-sparing,
it doesn't seem to be something that
becomes second-nature after simply
practicing it for a while. The clumsy panicked shuffle seems to continue day to
day without any noticeable improvement. Until, that is, one discovers the artful magic that is DDR.
What is DDR, you ask? Shame on you
for your uneducated ways, for DDR is
the hope and future for an entire generation. DDR is a video game, technically,
played with one's dance moves and
mojo, but it is so much more. Now if you,
like me, grew up in the suburbs, you
probably encountered DDR in a bowling
alley, or at any other large arcade. You
may have seen it over the shoulders of a
large crowd of attentive cola-filled
teenagers, likely with bright eyes all
focused on the one person dominating
the area. Each arcade had a DDR master,
who would spend Saturdays in a realm of
glory, showing off for pre-pubescent and
awe-struck youngsters. Most people
avoided humiliation by pretending to be
disinterested in DDR, preferring instead
to play never-ending games of Bust a
Move, which was conveniently located at
a 45 degree angle to the DDR booth.
Well, my friend, DDR recently reentered my life in a much more positive
way, and I hope that you too can open
your arms and calf muscles to the joy it
can bring. Not only is DDR more fun than
any Pilates class or solitary bedroom
dance-a-thon is going to be, but it can
also be a Canadian pedestrian's saviour
and best friend between the months of
December and February. Confused? Let
me explain.
DDR requires a player to hit arrows with
their feet on a game pad, which sits on
the floor. To a variety of upbeat Asian
pop songs, one attempts to quickly move
one's feet along with the game's guide
arrows, to the encouragement or stinging ridicule of the game's electronic
host. The key to success in DDR is agility, quick thinking and the ability to make
smooth, accurate and lightning-fast
directional changes with little to no
notice.
This is all shockingly familiar to anyone
who has had to walk down any major
street during a snowstorm.
Suddenly the brightly-coloured screen
arrows of DDR become mentally translated into a patch of ice on the ground, or
a large truck making its way to the slush
puddle next to you. Nimble and skilled,
you can now jump past danger, lightfooted and full of grace. I have noticed a
revolutionary improvement in myself
already. I can now forgo treaded and
practical winter boots in favour of much
more fashionable but seemingly dangerous pointed flats whenever I so choose. I
feel secure that as my slick soles come in
contact with slippery cement the spirit of
DDR will keep me upright and absent of
bruising. The second-nature instinct and
logic that was supposed to keep my car
from crashing has come to me in a much
more helpful and environmentally-friendly way, and let me tell you, it makes me
feel like dancing.
I am confident that with a little more
practice I will be able to run full-speed
down an icy sidewalk with no falling or
sliding whatsoever. In fact, I fully expect
that passersby will shout "Awesome,
awesome!" "Surprising moves!" or
"What technique! You've got the
rhythm!" -- essentially proclaiming me
the winter lord of the Dance, Dance
Revolution.
INTERCAMP
stuff
March 10, 2005
Carolyn’s Calendar
THIS WEEK: A poetry bug causes endless harmonyus dancing
wrought with Tensions and forces the outing of a bibliophile
and eventually a hamming cinephile.
Mar. 10
Getting bitten by the poetry bug at Audrey's. Local poet Andy
Weaver launches his new collection were the bees. Free.
Mar. 11
Dancing into the wee hours at harmonyus ruckus - a small party
at Riverdale Hall with funk, crunk, beats and some D 'n B. $10 $14.
Mar. 12
Working through Tensions at the John L. Haar. Two parallel
dance solos by Fortier Danse-Creation investigate the gap
between youth and age. $15.
Mar. 13
Trying on a lazy day and wandering the shelves of the Wee Book
Inn, looking for treasures and connecting with the bibliophile in
me.
Horoscopes
by Kristl Ballonova
Aries
Mar 21-Apr 19
If you want to flip your lid,
Maybe it's time you did.
But you can let it all out,
Without a crazy bout.
Libra
Taurus
Apr 20-May 20
Clipping along at a pace,
It's really not a race.
Before your brain is toffee,
Cut back on the coffee.
Scorpio Oct 23-Nov 21
The deck is stacked,
But you hold the pack.
Slam that ball across the net,
It'll ace, not let.
Gemini
May 21-June 20
Loose lips sink ships,
Faster than smart quips.
Before you gossip,
Be sure to cost it.
Sagittarius Nov 22-Dec 21
Pulling rhymes out of my ass,
Giving it some lip and sass.
That'll be you this week,
'
Cause you're a little freak.
Cancer
June 21-July 22
There is something in the air,
Giving you a glowing flair.
Live it up to the hilt,
But keep on your kilt.
Capricorn Dec 22-Jan 19
Others may stink,
But you're feeling pink.
Make sure to share it,
Don't be a ferret.
Leo
July 23-Aug 22
The talk was sunshine,
And everything is fine.
Now you can chillax,
This weekend in the sack.
Aquarius Jan 20-Feb 18
Don't go out flipping.
Ice makes for slipping
When you've got bounce,
After a beer or ounce.
Virgo
Aug 23-Sept 22
Looking at yourself,
You see much wealth.
Soon onto the next phase,
Have everything in your gaze.
Pisces
Mar. 14
Kicking back to some beats at the Backroom Vodka Bar with
Local Motive Mondays providing some house and techno.
Mar. 15
Looking for the Ramones at the Victory Lounge. Movie night
brings in End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones. Free.
Mar. 16
Honing the Childstar - the quirky Canadian Don (Rub & Tug)
McKeller's latest film makes a broader release and opens tonight
in e-town.
15
Sept 23-Oct 22
Nothing you can do,
When you're feeling blue.
Except maybe kick in the ass,
Because this too shall pass.
Feb 19-Mar 20
You can taste the end,
All essays penned.
This will keep you going,
While the work is flowing.
SPORTS
Editor: Ryan Frankson, ryanfrankson@hotmail.com
WHY THE GRIFF CAN KICK MASCOT ASS
AT THE MEN’S VBALL NATIONALS
page 17
BASEBALL COMES BACK TO TOWN;
BRINGS STUDENT JOBS WITH IT
INTERCAMP
page 18
March 10, 2005
Premature end to sterling year
Nationals berth a near miss for Lady Griffs, settle for silver season
BY RYAN FRANKSON
SPORTS EDITOR
If it were any other season the Griffins'
women's basketball team would be
heading to the Canadian championships in triumph after a provincial silver-medal finish. But since nationals
are being hosted by SAIT, MacEwan's
season was disappointingly cut short.
Only the host team and the provincial
champion for Alberta were awarded a
spot at nationals and the Griffs fell just
short of a berth when they were defeated by arch-rival Concordia 70-56 in the
Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference
championship match March 5.
MacEwan advanced to the gold-medal
game with a vengeance as they
destroyed the host team from
Lethbridge Community College 84-64
the previous night. The Kodiaks went
into provincials as the defending national champion so the Griffs were very
pleased with the victory.
“It was such a triumph to beat
Lethbridge,” Griffins' post Emma
Rowbotham said.
The Griffs carried on their momentum
and played a solid game against the
Thunder in the final but Concordia was
simply unstoppable and outplayed the
younger Griffin squad at both ends of
the court.
“Everyone on their team played their
absolute best,” Rowbotham said.
“They executed to perfection and we
gradually fell apart.”
MacEwan head coach Erhayat Ozcan
also gave the Thunder a lot of credit for
their gold-medal effort and said the difference in the game was post scoring.
“They were able to get into the heart of
our defence, penetrate, and feed their
posts,” he said. “Hats off to Concordia,
they won the toughest conference in
Canada.”
The silver-medal finish would have felt
much better for the MacEwan women if
it meant they would still get to go to
nationals, so the team was obviously
saddened by the loss.
“There was a definite feeling of emptiness on the bus ride home,” Ozcan
said. “Any loss is disappointing but
especially a loss in playoffs.”
Despite the heartbreaking defeat, the
Griffins still had an extremely successful year. The team finished the regular
season with a stellar 18-6 record,
which was good enough for second
place in the ACAC north division. And
in the first round of the playoffs,
MacEwan made a big statement to the
rest of the country by pummeling the
nationals host SAIT in two-straight
games.
“We had an awesome season and
really proved ourselves,” Rowbotham
said. “I would rather be on this team
and settle for a silver medal than be on
any other team and win the gold.”
“Throughout the year we became a
group of 13 girls who came together
and made friendships that will last a lifetime,” added Janet Hatfield, another
MacEwan post.
Ozcan also said he felt fortunate to
coach such a talented and enjoyable
group of players.
“Coaching this team was more fun than
any other team I've had in my career,”
Ozcan said. “These girls are the nicest
players and best people I've ever been
around on a women's basketball
team.”
MacEwan's provincial silver-medal finish ties the team for the best placing in
the history of the college, making this
season's Griffs the youngest team to
be that successful. The team had to battle through a lot of difficulties to achieve
as much as they did said Ozcan.
“We overcame many trials and
adversities throughout the season,” he
said. “I'm very proud of what we
accomplished. The team learned a lot
about basketball and life in general.”
Now that the 2004-2005 season is
over the team is looking forward to the
future of the program. The Griffs will
definitely be losing Rowbotham,
Hatfield, post Megan Campbell, and
wing Jill Talbot next season, since all
girls will be joining university-level
teams. The departing players will no
doubt have fond memories of their
experience at MacEwan.
“Leaving this team is really bittersweet,”
Rowbotham said. “I'm really looking
forward to next year but I owe everything I've learned to my time here.”
Ozcan said next season's team will be
anchored by ACAC all-conference second-team selection Ashlee Pigford,
who will be competing in her third year
for MacEwan. There will also be a solid
core of high school players mixed with
other returning Griffins, according to
the coach. Next year's team will begin
to take shape at the annual identification camp on April 8-10.
GOLD from page 1
Meanwhile the Griffins' fans, who had
been competing with their opponents'
supporters all game, asserted their
dominance and began roaring “nah nah
nah… nah nah nah… hey hey hey…
goodbye.” The overwhelming chant
seemed to inspire the Griffs for one last
defensive stop as Page began carrying
the ball up the floor. As soon as he
reached half court and crossed over to
dribble with his left hand, Griffin Cam
Smith poked the ball away, pounced on
it in Griffin territory, and called a timeout, clinching MacEwan's fifth ever
ACAC championship.
“Page had been going to his left every
time so I stayed calm, went for the ball,
and just got lucky,” Smith said about
the triumphant steal. “It felt so great.”
The home team scored one more basket before the buzzer sounded and the
Griffs swarmed the court to celebrate
their 72-63 victory. Captains Jordan
Fownes, Mike Gardiner, and Valpreda
were presented with the championship
trophy and banner following the postbuzzer celebrations. MacEwan head
coach Darrell Cleave was filled with
emotion as he watched his players get
RYAN FRANKSON / INTERCAMP
Finals MVP Alex Steele crashes into a pair of Rustlers on his way to the hoop.
presented with their gold medals.
“I'm lost for words right now,” said a
teary-eyed Cleave. “All anyone talked
about at the beginning of the year was
Lakeland but we stuck together until
the end so I'm really happy for our
guys.”
Following the banner, trophy, and
medal presentations, the Griffs
embraced basketball tradition by setting up a ladder underneath their hoop
and allowing each player to cut off a
SUPPLIED / NAOKI NAGAYA, LETHBRIDGE ENDEAVOUR
Griffin Megan Campbell soars over an LCC defender during final four action.
piece of the mesh. Fownes, a third-year
Griff, was the first to snip his piece of
history.
“It's been a long time coming,” he said.
“We deserve this one, no doubt
about it.”
The most valuable player for the ACAC
championship game went to MacEwan
guard Alex Steele, who had 23 points,
five assists, and two rebounds. The
second-year from Edmonton attributed
the gold-medal victory to his team's
unrelenting effort.
“This feels great,” Steele said.
“(Winning the gold) means a lot for us
as a team because it shows that all the
hard work we've been putting in is
paying off.”
MacEwan played in Lakeland's
shadow throughout the first semester
as the Rustlers dominated every opponent they faced and were undefeated at
the Christmas break. The Griffs made a
statement to the rest of the league
when they upset the Rustlers at the holiday tournament in Calgary to start a
remarkable second semester. So far
MacEwan is 16-0 in 2005 after plowing through the tough ACAC competition on their way to the gold medal.
“Any team could have won the gold but
we kept on fighting and got exactly
what we've been wanting all year
long,” Steele said reflecting on the season so far.
“Winning provincials was our goal from
the beginning and everything came
true today,” Fownes added.
MacEwan's historical season is almost
complete, but there is still one goal
remaining - a national championship.
The Griffs will compete against the best
teams in Canada March 17-19 in
Edmonton as NAIT hosts this year's
hoops classic. Both Cleave and Steele
have optimistic opinions about the
team's chances at nationals.
“After winning provincials I think we
have as good of a chance as anyone at
nationals because we're playing with
character and perseverance,” Cleave
said.
“We're going to take it one game at a
time,” Steele said. “We're just going to
go in and keep on fighting with nothing
to lose.”
The Griffs, currently ranked third, will
be joined at nationals by the host NAIT
Ooks, Centennial College and Humber
College from Ontario, Malaspina
College and University College of the
Cariboo from B.C., Vanier College
from Quebec, and King's College from
Nova Scotia.
INTERCAMP
sports
March 10, 2005
17
Griffs and Ooks deadlocked in semis
MacEwan and NAIT trade wins in first two games of series
BY DAVE CLARK
STAFF WRITER
The Griffins' men's hockey team split
the first two games of the provincial
semi-finals against the NAIT Ooks
March 4 - 5.
Game one of the series at NAIT kept all
the fans on their edge of their seats all
the way until the Ooks' game-winning
goal in double overtime.
From the drop of the puck it was clear
that neither team would be getting away
with any penalties in the first match. The
Griffins were the first to succumb to the
penalty kill. Less than nine minutes into
the game the Ooks scored after more
than a minute with a two-man advantage.
Early in the second they got their second
power-play goal of the game. The
Griffins looked to be on the verge of giving up. With almost 60 minutes of
penalties in the first two periods, both
teams were looking tired, but
MacEwan's emotion seemed to be fading quickly.
But then things quickly turned around.
After a MacEwan forward got hauled
down on a breakaway, the Griffs had
two minutes to get back in the game.
Just seconds into the penalty MacEwan
was on the board thanks to Scott
Stewart, who had two goals in the previous game against Concordia. But the
Griffs and their fans were quickly put
back to sleep when NAIT scored 50
seconds later on a beautiful two-on-one.
“We really fell apart in the second,” said
head coach Terry Ewasiuk. “Our defence
was just terrible.”
Ewasiuk said he was surprised since his
team had just opened with one of the
best periods he had ever seen them play.
After a lackluster second period, the
Griffins came out hard in the third. They
scored three goals, each five minutes
apart to take the lead for the first time in
the game. A rocket from the point from
DAVE CLARK / INTERCAMP
MacEwan forward Curtis Ogrodiuk chases down an Ook March 4.
defenceman Geoff Kilburn followed by a
picture-perfect deke by Richard Kelly
put the Griffins up 4-3. MacEwan had
five minutes to kill if they wanted to
escape with the win.
But with less than two minutes to go the
Ooks tried to jam the puck past Griffin
goalie Jon Grimm, which knocked the
net off. The Ooks thought it was in, the
referee didn't, and the goal judge
flicked the light on. After minutes of
review and deliberation the referee and
goal judge disallowed the goal. The
Griffin bench breathed a huge sigh of
relief. But only seconds later, NAIT
popped the puck past Grimm as a wide
shot bounced back in front of the net.
Overtime.
The first ten-minute period went by
smoothly. The penalties had stopped
and both teams were getting ample
scoring chances. With a just over a
minute left MacEwan defenceman
Timothy Yaworski hit a NAIT forward as
he crossed the MacEwan blue line. The
hit cut open the Ook's cheek and the
referee gave Yaworski a five-minute
major and an indefinite suspension. A
minute into the second overtime,
MacEwan still shorthanded, NAIT
scored to end the game 5-4.
“It's really unfortunate, that game was
ours,” said Ewasiuk. “We did some stupid things, they got some lucky breaks
and they got the win.”
The second game was much different.
MacEwan come out strong, like they did
against the Ooks during the regular season. But like game one, neither team
could stay out of the penalty box.
Almost thirty minors were called for the
second straight night.
MacEwan got up 2-1 after the first period, hoping to shut the door early on the
Why The Griff can kick the ass of
any other mascot
Victim(s) #5: Mascots at the men’s Vball nationals
RYAN FRANKSON
OPINION
As many of you loyal Griffin followers
may or may not know, the MacEwan
men's volleyball team will be traveling to Fredericton, New Brunswick
this week for nationals March 10-12.
And of course wherever MacEwan
athletes do battle with their opponents, the mighty Griff will be present
to defend the college's honour by
destroying other mascots.
This week The Griff will face a gauntlet of opponents from across our
great nation in hopes of his extending
his reign of supremacy outside
Alberta's borders.
The first unfortunate victim is the
College de Sherbrooke Volontaires,
which I think is some form of hovercraft. What? It's French for volunteers? Oh…okay then. Anyways, the
Volunteer from Sherbrooke is busy
serving soup to homeless Quebeckers
at a shelter when The Griff bursts
through the door, beats the Volunteer
over the head with a soup ladle, and
crumbles him up in the broth like a
cracker.
The Hawk from Humber College
steps up to face The Griff next.
Feeling some severe talon-envy, The
Hawk stares in awe at The Griff's
remarkably stunning half-lion halfeagle features rendering him totally
defenceless. The Griff tackles the
Hawk, tosses him into a nearby deepfryer, pours some hot sauce on the
doomed bird, and has himself a finger-lickin' good time with some juicy
hawk wings.
Next The Griff decides he wants to
commit some regicide and squares off
against the Red Deer College King.
Remembering his favourite scene
from Shakespeare's Hamlet, The
Griff waits until the fat, lazy King
plops down for a nap and deviously
pours poison into his pudgy ear. The
King jolts to his feet but the poison
has already set in and he crumbles to
the ground. Checkmate Griff.
The University of New Brunswick Saint John Seawolves' mascot
named Seamore is the final doomed
soul to challenge The Griff. For this
epic battle, the two foes grab their
samurai swords and begin fighting to
the death. The swordfight rages on
for hours and hours and until their
weapons become tangled and they
are staring at each other face-to-face.
Suddenly, The Griff remembers a
similar moment in Kill Bill 2 and
immediately thrusts one of his claws
at Seamore, ripping out one of his
precious eyes. “I think your new
name should be Sea-No-More,”
chuckles the Griff as his opponent
falls to the ground and dies.
The Griff was definitely successful in
his quest to spread his reign of
supremacy across the nation.
Hopefully MacEwan's volleyball men
will be inspired by their mascot's
domination when they compete at
nationals this weekend.
Next week's victims: Mascots at the
men's basketball nationals March
17-19 at NAIT.
DAVE CLARK / INTERCAMP
A Griff and an Ook collide during semi-final playoff action March 4.
Ooks. They got up to 3-1 then traded
goals until they reached 4-3. The Griffs
popped in two more goals and walked
away with a 6-3 win, and a tied series at
1-1.
After winning nine of their last twelve
games versus NAIT over the last three
years, Ewasiuk said he and his team are
very confident.
“They have nothing that intimidates our
club,” said Ewasiuk. “We've had our
way with them pretty much all along.”
The Griffins have had to face the Ooks in
the playoffs every year, for the past four
seasons. Every year the Griffins have
won.
Game three of the Alberta Colleges
Athletic Conference semi-finals will be
back at the NAIT Arena on March 11 at
7 p.m. And it will be back home for the
Griffins on Saturday for game four at Bill
Hunter Arena likely at 8 p.m. Mount
Royal and SAIT are also tied 1-1 in the
other semi-final series.
sports
18
Students at bat
March 10, 2005
INTERCAMP
FINAL FOUR PHOTOS
Local baseball club looking to hire
MacEwan students for inaugural season
BY MICHAEL DUNCAN
STAFF WRITER
The Edmonton Big River Prospects, the newest
baseball club in Edmonton, is seeking help from
and offering summer employment to Grant
MacEwan students.
The newest team of the Western Major Baseball
League was unveiled on Thursday, February
10, at the Home Plate Lounge at Telus Field.
The team is looking for help in the marketing
department and plans on setting up a web-site
for their inaugural season. The organization is
made up of local baseball people. Mark Randall
will be the general manager of baseball operations and Gord Gerlach will be the on-field manager. Brad Badger will be the assistant general
manager and Bob Cardinal will be the vice president and chief marketing operator
The president of business operations, Dr. Brent
Saik, says he would like to see cooperation from
the post-secondary schools in the area and
plans on hiring local students to fulfill many of
the positions in the front office.
“There are summer jobs and we have some
granting available for that,” said Saik, adding
that he would like to see a permanent relationship with Grant MacEwan and possibly other
post-secondary schools in Edmonton.
The team plans on having a permanent program
set up.
The Prospects are an amateur baseball team
who will be made up of local players that attend
U.S. colleges to play baseball.
Mark Randall, the general manager, is the current Canadian national team pitching coach and
expects the Prospects to make the playoffs after
the 40-game season.
“We know exactly what each player is going to
give us,” said Randall who also added that the
team has about 18 players committed.
The Prospects have been in contact with
Edmonton's other new baseball club, the
Edmonton Cracker-Cats and are planning to
work with the Cats on a developmental level.
Between the two clubs there will be as much
baseball action this summer at Telus Field as last
summer during the Trappers' last season and
the Prospects are working with Royalty
Records to have local musical talent to perform
as well.
It should be an exciting inaugural season with
opportunities for Grant MacEwan students to
provide Edmonton with what the team calls,
“Affordable family fun.”
For more information call 464 BASE (2273) or
email contactus@bigriverprospects.com
RYAN FRANKSON / INTERCAMP
Griffin Cam Smith drives with determination as he is chased by Lakeland’s Mike Page.
VOLLEYBALL NATIONALS COVERAGE COMING MARCH 17
SUPPLIED / NAOKI NAGAYA, LETHBRIDGE ENDEAVOUR
MacEwan guard Sacha Kirkland dekes through the Concordia defence during the ACAC final.
RYAN FRANKSON / FILE PHOTO
The Griffin men celebrate their ACAC championship victory March 5.
INTERCAMP
comics/classifieds
March 10, 2005
Mosh Pit Heroes
19
by: Kilmer and Stein
SEND YOUR COMIC SUBMISSIONS TO intercamp@macewan.ca – THEY SHOULD BE TEN INCHES WIDE BY TWO INCHES HIGH, 200 DPI, HAVE A TITLE AND AN AUTHOR NAME
Classifieds
ready for a fight... so weak, you can
do better
Classifieds ads are 25 cents per
word, $5 minimum charge, GST
included. Grant MacEwan students
get one free ad per issue, after
that regular charges apply.
Please send submissions to intercamp@macewan.ca or call Murray
Donaldson at 497-5412. Payments
can be made at 6-213, cash or
cheque only.
Sara: "Wherever you may go, no
matter where you are, I never will be
far away." -Zak
Three Lines Free
MacEwan students have your say.
We’ll print your three lines, or so, for
free here every week. Just email your
thoughts to intercamp@macewan.ca
Nice new TV at the Registrar's
A stupid sign for a stupid logo
Does anyone actually watch it?
Sheena mgmt studies,
you make me hot...U look so smokin
without your glasses!
I'll be watching U
Hey mascot writter! last week was
weak! the griff can do way better
then chickening out and shooting
the ook. it makes the griff look like
he would be afraid to really take on
the ook when he was awake and
Jobs
Attention Students
Secure summer position NOW
Good pay, flex schedule,
sales/ service, will train,
conditions apply
N. Edmonton 453-9006
S. Edmonton 429-3700
www.workforstudents.com
For Sale
BRAND NEW CASIO DIGITAL CAMERAS AT REDUCED PRICES!!!
EX-S2 (2 megapixels). Credit card size
digital camera, includes a free leather
case and free extra rechargeable battery. $100
EX-Z3 (3.2 megapixels). Digital camera with zoom lens, includes a free
extra rechargeable battery. $150
Call Dina @ 885 4911 after 5 pm or
email me at dina_hirani@yahoo.com.
General
Roommate wanted for 3 bd duplex,
near LRT, all amenities. Clean, nonsmoking. Great location. $425incl. all
utilities. 719-5949
SPIRITUALITY AND HEALING - Join in
a workshop with Susan Cobb,
Christian Science practitioner and
prison chaplain, of San Clemente,
California, who will explain how she
uses the universally available healing
methods set out in Mary Baker Eddy’s
classic book “Science and Health with
Key to the Scriptures.” Admission $15,
including your own copy of “Science
and Health.” (If there’s a need, bursaries are available.) Grant MacEwan
College, City Centre Campus, Room 7138, Sunday March 13, 3-5 p.m. For
more information or to pre-register,
call 422 4754
Help! I'm a "mature" Computing
Science student looking for a tutor to
help me get through my assignments
in Data Structures and Algorithm
Analysis. If this stuff is a no brainer
to you, let me know at
lmrobert@telus.net. Hourly rate
negotiable.
The Grant MacEwan Go Club is hosting their first annual open Go tournament March 19th at the City Centre
Campus. All skill levels are welcome.
Student registration is $5, guests $15,
and includes lunch.
For more info go to
http://senseis.xmp.net/?GrantMacewa
nGoClub, or contact
MorrisJ5@mymail.macewan.ca.
ACTING OPPORTUNITY
King's University College presents the
"Way of the Cross": Christ's passion
through drama, dance, and music.
Mar 25-26
We meet: Mar 12, 19 (9 am-4 pm)
Holy Week Mar 21-25 (5-10 pm)
Mar 26 (2-7 pm)
Contact me even if you are available
only during Holy Week. No experience necessary. Renata e-mail:
wayofthecross_renata@hotmail.com
phone: 438-0516
Richard Frucht Memorial Lecture
Series at the University of Alberta
Event Sponsors: Department of
Anthropology, Association of
Graduate Anthropology Students
(AGAS), Graduate Students'
Association (GSA), Middle Eastern
and African Studies (MEAS),
University of Alberta Anthropology
Undergraduates (UAAU)
March 10
A banquet will be held in honour of
Dr. Richard Lee at the Faculty Club,
University of Alberta with cocktails
beginning at 6:30 p.m. and supper at
7:00 p.m. Tickets are $25 each and
need to be purchased in advance by
contacting Tim Panas at panas@ualberta.ca. Please join us.
March 11
Dr. Richard Lee, Department of
Anthropology, University of Toronto
will give a lecture titled “AIDS in
Africa: Cash, Cars, and Cellphones”
at 3:00 p.m. in the Education Centre,
Room 377 (South Bldg), University
of Alberta. A reception will follow
at 6:00 in the Heritage Lounge
(Room 227), Athabasca Hall. All are
welcome.
Professional Writing students seek a
cartoonist or illustrator for
brochures and posters to advertise a
non-profit organization. This will
provide you with a wonderful portfolio piece, and experience developing a communication strategy.
Contact
tallcommunications@gmail.com for
more information. We'll also consider offering baked goods as payment.
Contact information:
Rianne Stewart
Dawn Doell
Grant MacEwan, Professional Writing
Program
tallcommunications@gmail.com
(780)902-3694
(780)953-8854
Volunteer
Want to meet people on campus?
Volunteer with your Students’
Association. We are always looking
for volunteers to help out at our
events. Volunteers gain great experience, meet lots of cool people, and
great free stuff! Use your volunteer
points to buy things like SA hoodies,
T-shirts, beer glasses, and even Oiler’s
hockey tickets! If you would like to
be added to our volunteer email list
send us a message to
volunteers@macewan.ca
20
advertisement
March 10, 2005
INTERCAMP