Category: Opinions

As part of a society driven by time management, many people choose the most convenient mode of transportation, regardless of the environmental consequences.

But with gas prices soaring in the wake of hurricane Katrina, we are faced with a choice between saving money or saving time – taking the metro or taking the car. But we also have the option of thinking environmentally while taking the more economical option.

The current economic situation and the price of gas put us in the perfect spot to think about whether we really need to drive rather than walk, bike or use public transportation. It’s a good time to form new habits that benefit not only ourselves but also the world we live in.

Not all students can afford to own a car. But for those who do, taking the bus or riding a bicycle once in a while is a great way to cut down on greenhouse gases, which lead to global warming and climate change.

Unfortunately, metro fares keep going up. But while they have risen consistently over the last few years, Montrealers don’t have it so bad compared to residents of Canada’s other major cities.

In Vancouver students pay the regular adult fare of $69 per month. There are three bus “zones” and it costs extra to move between them, but students don’t pay the extra zone fees. University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University students can get a “U-pass” which costs only $22 to $24.50 monthly, but it is a mandatory school fee paid with their tuition.

Ottawa doesn’t have a metro system but an adult bus pass is $65 or $80 and a student pass will run you $53.25 to $61.75, depending on whether or not you take the rush hour buses.

In Toronto, the cost of an adult-fare monthly pass is $98.75. Students pay $83.25 per month, unless they choose the discounted annual plan at $76.25 per month.

But the cost of a full adult-fare monthly pass in Montreal is only $61, and students up to the age of 25 pay about half that price.

Even if you dislike the STM there are alternatives. Carpooling is a good option, and if you’re traveling between campuses the shuttle bus leaves every 10 to 15 minutes during the day. And you can’t beat the price – it’s free! If you’re close enough, biking and walking are also healthy options.

Natural disasters can provide an incentive for people to start paying attention to the effects our actions have on the environment. Although scientists cannot directly link this particular hurricane with climate change or global warming, because hurricanes happen all the time, people are becoming more aware of climate change and its potential to cause catastrophes like Katrina.

Taking the metro instead of the car won’t stop environmental disasters from happening, but it does contribute positively to the larger social, economic and environmental picture. So put down the car keys and explore new ways of getting around town.

If it’s your first year at Concordia, you’ve probably been warned about the dreaded “freshman 15”. But while long hours in class, late nights at the library and even later nights on the social scene can lead to speedy and significant weight-gain, it needn’t be your fate.

Fending off first-year fat boils down to a simple science: calories in versus calories out. If you take in more than you burn off, you’re going to gain weight. And while it may seem impossible to focus on diet and exercise while juggling a full course load, part-time job and some semblance of a social life, I’m here to assure you it is possible. Follow these tips to fight the “freshman 15” and remain healthy throughout your college years:

Maintain a balanced diet. Mom may not be around to make you eat your veggies, but that doesn’t mean you should give ’em up completely. In fact, you should aim to eat 5-10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. They’re rich in vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, which help decrease risks of cancer and cardiovascular disease, and full of fiber, which will help fill you up without filling you out. Complex carbs should be another mainstay, with an emphasis on whole grains, pastas and cereals.

Lean meats and low-fat dairy products are key sources of protein, but if their cost proves prohibitive, consider alternative sources, such as eggs, nuts and legumes. Limit your intake of fats, sweets and heavily processed fare, as it’s usually more expensive and void of nutritional value.

A balanced, healthy diet can actually help stave off cravings by promoting variety and preventing boredom from eating the same foods every day. It also provides a wider range of nutrients beneficial to your body.

Brown-bag it. The frenzied pace of University life means eating on the run– and thus eating out— a lot! But by relying on restaurants or the school cafeteria to furnish your meals, you’re not doing your waistline or your wallet any favours. Commercially prepared foods are costly, and often laden with extra salt, fat and sugar to compensate for shoddy ingredients.

Instead of becoming diner-dependent, opt to tote your own healthy meals to school. Keep an assortment of fresh fruits and chopped veggies on hand, as well as nuts, trail mix, low-fat cheeses and whole-grain crackers for easy grab-and-go snacks. Also, when preparing evening meals, consider cooking extra and packing leftovers for lunch the next day.

Move your body. You’ve learned how to limit the calories coming in, but you’ve still gotta make an effort to burn some of them off. No fancy gym membership is required, you just have to stay focused on how much energy you’re expending each day. Aim for 30 minutes of cumulative cardio (an early-morning jog, a brisk walk between classes, opting to take the stairs instead of the elevator) seven days a week, throw in 20-30 minutes of strength training (good ‘ol pushups, sit-ups, dips, squats and lunges can be done at home with zero equipment) 2-3 days a week and you’ll have no trouble maintaining a fit physique.

Practice party control. Contrary to popular belief, beer is NOT a food group! In fact, each brown bottle contains a whopping 150 empty calories which, if you’re studying all day and partying all night, will probably settle somewhere around your midsection. And while you’re certainly not expected to abstain from alcohol, imbibing in moderation is key. A few drinks with your buddies on the weekend does not a massive beer-belly make, but party daily and your diet is doomed.

Oh, and one last thing-: Head straight home from the bar. Ninety-nine cent pizza at 3 a.m. never did anyone’s thighs any favours.

Keeping the “freshman 15” off your frame shouldn’t take focus away from your studies this fall. Eat right, exercise and keep your inner party-animal under control, and you’re sure to be one of the fittest freshman on campus.

Many students are well accustomed to temporary or part-time jobs that offer no security and, in many cases, meager minimum wage pay. But as new generations of students graduate and look for nine-to-five jobs with benefits and stability, they may find such positions to be in short supply.

It seems that the majority of companies feel the new wave of youthful employees just want variety and are liable to change careers often. While this may be true of some, there are still many who one day hope to escape the insecurity of ever-changing job positions. These graduates are working towards permanent positions with paid leave and benefits.

These permanent jobs may be getting fewer and further between. Even one of Canada’s oldest institutions is opting for more contractual workers. They seem to want talent that will fill the short-term needs of the organization but will not necessitate paying benefits.

About three weeks ago the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and the Canadian Media Guild (CMG) entered into a lockout that has changed the face of the CBC, the national broadcaster that is a mainstay of news and programming for people across the country. Countless Canadians look to the CBC for their nightly news on The National, but since Aug 15 this evening slot has either been left empty or filled with the four-minute CBC News Now followed by the BBC’s world newscast, which often covers the same stories.

The CBC, in a statement posted on its website, said that business pressures and Canada’s difficult market realities are guiding their negotiations. They claim that with a diminishing budget, they want to free up resources without reducing the number of their employees.

They also explain that a contractual employee is not the same as a temporary employee, because while temporary employees are hired on a short-term basis, “contractual” employees are often rehired year after year. The CBC also asserts that current permanent positions will not be affected by the new conditions.

The CMG, on the other hand, says it is impossible for the current employees not to be affected by the proposed changes. They say it will create a two-tiered system in which some employees will have a superior pension plan and benefits, and that these employees would also be more likely to be laid off because it would benefit the company to cancel the employees’ benefits.

The CMG says on their website that they want employees to have the financial stability necessary to start a family, and adequate training to perform their jobs at the highest level. These assets, they say, are only made available in permanent positions.

The lockout has resulted in clashes between the two sides. Across Canada, save for Quebec and Moncton, NB, members of the CMG are picketing outside CBC buildings.

Contract negotiations have been ongoing for over a year.

On the CBCunplugged.com website, there is a podcast of Shelagh Rogers celebrating her 25th anniversary at CBC last Saturday in Vancouver. She is taking a “pod-tour” of the CBC’s picket lines. Rogers said that she never expected to celebrate her 25th year with the CBC this way.

It is sad that it takes a “labour disruption” (as the CBC calls it) to settle their differences.

The quality of the CBC’s broadcasts is just not the same without the majority of its staff. But although the CBC’s programming is missed by many, it is admirable that the CMG is fighting for the rights of its long-time employees and for the career opportunities of its future employees.

The CBC employs many innovative thinkers, and their ideas are not formed overnight. By cutting back on the number of permanent employees they hire, they are also cutting back on the dedication and commitment of these workers. The capacity of short-term employees to understand and move forward with knowledge from the past can in no way be compared to people that have been with the CBC for 15 years, through the good and bad.

It is hard to imagine the CBC’s image withstanding this lockout, but it is also likely that more Canadian corporations will be inclined to follow suit. Canadians should stand up for their right to work in a long-term stable position if they so choose. Although mid-life career changes may be common in today’s society, it should not be forced on employees without their consent.

Hello and welcome to Think Globally, The Concordian’s new weekly look at current affairs. The goal of this column is to look at world events and issues, local, national and global, in ways you might not see in the mainstream press. I’ll also try to highlight some stories that fly under the radar of the news industry and explain why they’re significant. Feedback and suggestions for topics are welcome and an effort will be made to address substantive criticism. Together we’ll circle the world and the weeks’ top stories.

Without question, the story that’s received the most attention from the press this week was the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina and it’s aftermath. As of Monday the mayor of New Orleans was predicting as many as 10,000 deaths in that city alone, to say nothing of the rest of Louisiana and Mississippi. Entire communities have been destroyed by the Category 4 hurricane and the loss of roads and bridges are preventing rescue workers from providing relief a week after the storm’s passage.

While these kinds of natural disasters are by no means rare, they almost always occur “over there”, in a place far from the first world. The tsunami that devastated the coasts of Indonesia and Thailand last December received an enormous amount of coverage here, and the aid from North America, Europe and Australia was swift and generous. But the overwhelming poverty of the victims and the lack of infrastructure in the countries worst hit by the wave made it easy for those in the developed West to view the disaster as another Third World issue. Like the recurring famines on the African continent, it was possible to feel pity for the suffering and even to try to help by raising awareness and funds for the relief effort, without really identifying with the victims’ situation.

Hurricane Katrina may have changed the way we see natural disasters and especially our degree of empathy for their victims. The storm struck a major urban area in our part of the world, killed people who live in houses just like ours, worked at the same jobs and attended universities like this one and who look like us and speak our language. Katrina has swept away some of our most cherished misconceptions about the world.

For those living in the developed world, it’s easy to feel that our technological advancement creates a buffer against the forces of nature. Our old bridges still span our waterways, our buildings remain standing decade after decade and our cities grow outwards around their old quarters. We live in a bubble of well-built and carefully maintained infrastructure that seems indestructible because we’ve never seen it fail.

Also, while earthquakes, mudslides and hurricanes get their share of attention from the major news outlets while they rage, the aftermaths of these disasters are ignored. These stories tend to fall off the front page quickly, leaving us with a snapshot view of the devastation and no sense of the ongoing crises, such as the lack of housing, fresh water, food and medicine, and the epidemics that sweep through the displaced populations in the weeks and months that follow. It’s easy to forget that after the storm abates, the real humanitarian disasters are only beginning.

Finally, these disasters in faraway places don’t shake our sense of the permanence of our own societies and civilization. This is especially true of North Americans, who did not have to watch our cities pounded to rubble in the Second World War the way Europeans did. We were spared the collapse of our governments and the loss of civil law that came with it. We even made it through the half-century Cold War without an attack on our soil, and emerging victorious and reinforcing our belief in the stability of our system. Not since the American Revolution have North Americans experienced the breakdown of our civil order or the collapse of our own society.

Seeing a major city like our own ravaged by forces beyond our control challenges the belief that our technology raises us above nature’s reach. Watching the richest and most advanced society in history stand helpless to rescue, treat, shelter and feed its own citizens a week after the storm’s passage teaches us that there are no quick fixes to disasters of this scale, no matter where they happen.

But watching an American city descend into lawlessness and anarchy in the wake of this disaster is as traumatic as seeing the devastation itself, because it shakes our sense of the permanence of our civilization. The stories coming out of New Orleans are almost beyond belief: armed looters robbing hospitals at gunpoint, attacking rescue workers and thugs committing rapes and murders in the very shelters where the masses of refugees are trapped, with the police and military powerless to stop them. The total breakdown of civil society forces us to wonder how far from barbarity we are and how fragile the barriers are that keep us from giving in to our worst instincts.

Even after New Orleans has been rebuilt and normal life has resumed the most troubling aspect may be what we’ve learned about ourselves.

Neglected Story of the Week: With all eyes on Iraq and its draft constitution, two events with huge implications for the future of the region have taken place almost unnoticed. First, the foreign ministers of Pakistan and Israel met for the first time and began to discuss the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two states. While the government of Pakistan insists that a normal relationship is impossible until a Palestinian state has been created, the timing of the meeting clearly suggests that Pakistan views Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza as a big step in the right direction.

The second story, which is related to the first, is the official state visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Afghanistan, and the announcement that the governments of New Delhi and Kabul see themselves as partners in the region. That an Islamic state is calling India an ally will not go unnoticed in the region’s capitals. This is especially true for Pakistan, which has a hostile though improving relationship with India, and which was the chief sponsor of the deposed Taliban regime that the Karzai government replaced.

While it’s still too early to tell whether these regional realignments are laying the groundwork for a lasting peace or a new round of conflict, there’s no doubt that the region is changing, and these changes are creating diplomatic opportunities that would have been unthinkable four short years ago.

“Laziness is the mother of all invention”
-Garfield [Jim Davis]

The school year is once again upon us and if you’re anything like me, you’ll try to procrastinate your way through it while doing as little work as possible. And luckily for people like us the internet has various resources besides Google, to help us che…errr…I mean, learn more effectively…yeah, that’s the ticket.

sparknotes.com

Okay, I mean who hasn’t heard of sparknotes.com…wait…you mean you’ve actually been reading the tripe they’ve assigned you? What? You actually came to university to enrich your mind? Well, for the rest of us, sparknotes.com has summaries and analyses of a lot of the books you’ll encounter at university. Besides that, it has study guides and cheat sheets for nearly all topics.

wikimediafoundation.org

Wikimedia deserves an entire column devoted to it. Wikimedia maintains and develops various ‘free-content’ websites with articles that can be modified by anyone. The foremost of these projects is Wikipedia, an encyclopaedia with over 1 million entries, many of which are far more detailed than what is offered by other free encyclopaedias. Some of Wikimedia’s other projects useful to students include:

Wiktionary: a dictionary and thesaurus.

Wikibooks: free textbooks and manuals.

Wikiquote: a collection of quotes.

Wikimedia Commons: a repository for free images, music, sound and video clips used in any other Wikimedia project.

ratemyprofessors.ca

While ratemyprofessors.ca won’t help you with your work, it does serve at least three useful purposes. First, it allows you to gain valuable insight into the personality and teaching style of professors through ratings and brief reviews written by other students. In other words, you can find out which teachers are easy markers. Second, it lets you get some passive-aggressive revenge on any teacher that doesn’t give you the mark you expected. Finally, the most important and noble feature of the website is that it allows you to know beforehand if your fellow students would describe a professor as ‘hot’. At this time there are 1542 Concordia professors reviewed.

library.concordia.ca

Concordia Libraries Database Finder allows you to access 368 separate databases, so chances are there’s at least one dealing with whatever your latest term paper is about. Since a lot of the material was originally in hardcopy form you can cite it without worry of a professor accusing you of using too many online sources…it’ll be our little secret…and that of anyone else who happens to read this column.

scholar.google.com

According to the Google Scholar website: “Google Scholar enables you to search specifically for scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports from all broad areas of research.”
Yeah…they lost me somewhere around ‘enables’. All I know is that when I type a topic in the search bar I get bunch of crap that I can cite on the next page. Beware of abstracts to articles from pay websites.
There you have it, all the resources you need to work less. Now get to work…later…maybe in about 12 weeks.
Link O’ the Week:
Home Star Runner

homestarrunner.com

Home to some of the best flash movies on the internet including the famous Strong Bad Email.

Webcomic O’ the Week: Scary Go Round by John Allison

scarygoround.com

Plotlines include zombies, sexy super spies, a time travelling teapot and Man-O-War jellyfish with plans for world domination.

Free Application O’ the Week: Nmap

insecure.org/nmap/

Perhaps the best port scanner in existence. For any nerds who have watched Takedown or Anti-Trust a few too many times.

Something struck me as I watched the Stingers beat the McGill Redmen at Molson Stadium Thursday night. I’d say out of the announced attendance of a little under 3000, less than 150 were Concordia students. Understandably the majority were McGill fans, but I think everyone was surprised at how big the difference was.

People at the game will know that there was a sea of yellow behind the Stingers bench. People at the game should also know that they were a group of “Froshies” at the game as part of their package. And as the game was coming to an end, they drowned out the McGill faithful, chanting “Who’s Your Daddy?”

My question is how many of these students will attend another Stingers game of any kind while they’re at Concordia? Out of the Concordia students at the game, I would venture to guess less than thirty. Where were all the other students? Granted, McGill classes had started and Concordia’s had not, but it must have been disappointing and a little embarrassing for the coaches and players to see so few Stinger faithful at a game in downtown Montreal.

Concordia attracts all different kinds of people, and I don’t expect everyone to be a sports fan. Everyone has their own interests, but there are sport fans at Concordia. Walking around campus, I see Canadiens fans and Maple Leafs fans, I see fans of the Calgary Stampeders and the Ottawa Renegades and countless NFL teams. A lot of us have allegiances to rival teams and share a passion for sports. My question to the students of Concordia is why don’t we show more support for the student-athletes who put so much time and effort to represent our school. Why don’t all students, not just the sport fans, rally around the athletes and show some school spirit?

This isn’t a one game thing, either. This is something that has bothered me since I started going to games as a Concordia student. At most games, I was one of the only students there. There were fans, don’t get me wrong, but shouldn’t we as students show school spirit? Shouldn’t students make up the majority of the attendance and Stinger games instead of players’ families and friends?

It is embarrassing that my initial thought whenever I see someone wearing something Stinger-related is that they play for one of the teams. Why are we so ashamed to show Stinger Pride? Does it even exist? Obviously there are people who show up and support the teams, but it is a very small minority.

I challenge every member of Concordia’s student body to attend one sports game this year. Soccer, baseball and rugby games are free and football, basketball and hockey games will get you top value for your dollar. Even if you don’t know a blue line from a bottom line, a first down from a down jacket, bring your friends and scream at the top of your lungs. The athletes on the field will thrive on the added support and hey, you might actually enjoy yourself.

Watch TEEN girlz enlarg3 your mortg4ge by 100% GUARANTEED ALL-NA7URAL!!!11one

It is estimated unsolicited bulk email – more commonly know as spam -will account for anywhere from 40-90 per cent of the 13 trillion email messages sent this year.

Why do the bastards do it?

For the past three years, this space has been reserved for outgoing editor-in-chief Justin Way. When I became one of the sports editors at the beginning at this semester, Justin eased the transition to ensure that the sports section of The Concordian would remain as solid as it had been throughout the three years he has been with the paper. As his time at Concordia is coming to an end, I owe him a huge amount of gratitude and will put in print that the sports section will remain as solid as it was over his tenure.

But, to quote Mark McGwire, I’m not here to talk about the past.

This has only been my first year at Concordia, but I am already a Stingers fan through and through. I am not only at the games as a reporter, but cheering on whichever Concordia team is playing on that given day.

I will keep this sport section securely on top as Concordia’s sports authority, without any allegations of steroid use.

There is always a sporting event going down at Concordia, whether it is a hockey tournament, basketball all-star game, soccer or rugby. I will let Concordia know when it is happening and what happened. The Concordian’s sport section has been awesome for the last four to five years, and next year will be no different. The section is like the New York Yankees, without George Steinbrenner and the budget- but always near the top of the standings when the playoffs come around. The section is in good hands, unlike the Washington Nationals under Jim Bowden – although we are looking for some five-tool outfielders.

In all seriousness, I am willing to answer any concerns about the section during my time as sports editor, so if you have any questions, do not hesitate.

The 2005 baseball season has officially begun. What happens this first week will likely have little effect on the final outcome of the season (just ask Johan Santana), so now is the ideal time to make a set of annual predictions. If you’ve been clamouring for season predictions, it’s probably because most baseball writers dislike rocking the boat. Every prediction this year seemingly has the Braves-Yankees in the World Series. Pure laziness I say; they are merely rehashing the same prediction they’ve been making the last decade.

Want a real prediction? How about a Phillies-Angels World Series? Read on.

Bold prediction 1: Phillies reach the World Series. I thought the Phils were one of the best teams last season, and the way people describe them you’d think they were the second coming of 1990s Pittsburgh Pirates. Just about everything went wrong for the Phillies and they still finished 10 games over .500. Larry Bowa, Kevin Millwood, Randy Wolf and Vincente Padilla had bad years. Jim Thome was hurt all season, Lieberthal and Burrell struggled and Billy Wagner got hurt – that series of unforuntate events will not happen again.

What will happen is that Jimmy Rollins will emerge as one of the best leadoff hitters in the game, and Jon Lieber will bring his lunch box every fifth day, giving the team what they need most: are liable starter. The Phillies are this season’s Cards.

Bold prediction 2: Jeremy Bonderman will win the AL Cy Young. The youngest opening day starter since Doc Gooden, the Tigers young phenom will take a big step this year. Anyone who read Moneyball remembers Billy Beane throwing a hissy fit over drafting him as a high schooler, but Bonderman is the type of talent that could make the Tigers a force in the future. He struggled often during the year, but ended the season with a 2.53 ERA and 42/14 K/BB ratio in September and October.

He could start off slowly, but expect him to account for a quarter of Tigers wins, a sub-3.00 ERA and at least 200 K’s.

Bold prediction 3: The Mets will be worse this season than last season. They added the game’s most electric centre fielder, and they added a former Cy Young winner who won 16 games last season. Unfortunately, neither Beltran nor Pedro can protect the lead. Sadly, that task has been delegated to the average Braden Looper and one of the worst bullpens in baseball history. Mike DeJean, Dae Koo, Felix Heredia, Robert Hernandez and, heaven forbid, Manny Aybar could very well eliminate 20 potential wins this season. They don’t have any starters who can consistently pitch seven innings-per-start, so this already horrible bullpen will be taxed immensely. The Mets are a potential 85-win team, minus at least 15 blown leads from the bullpen.

Bold prediction 4: Guillermo Mota will be the best closer in the NL this season. Eric Gagn

During the cold, wet and dark days of winter, the gym is a haven for fitness fanatics. Convenient location and climate control make it the ideal place to exercise. But with winter waning and spring having finally sprung, it’s time to start thinking about taking your routine outdoors.

Just because you’re trading gym time for blue skies doesn’t mean you have to give up trying to be a hard-body. In fact, there are a ton of outdoor activities that mimic gym workouts while producing added benefits. The fresh air and sunshine will revitalize you in ways that track-lighting and wall-to-wall mirrors can’t.

If you’re reluctant to make the move from the gym to the great outdoors, here are few activities that might motivate you:

Power hiking

Far from a tiptoe through the tulips, power hiking is an aggressive trek that gets your heart rate up for an extended period of time. Invest in a pair of hiking poles and head for the hills, but remember that elevation gain is secondary to keeping up a brisk pace.

To step your workout up a notch, sport a stuffed backpack. It’s also wise to wear solid and supportive footwear to avoid injury.

Inline skating

Busting out the blades after the street-cleaning crews have done their thing is a fab way to tone your lower body. It’s also a great low-impact cardio workout.

Chose a hilly course and your workout will practically take care of itself; really give ‘er on the up-slopes and recover on the down.

Trail running

Trails help improve balance and stamina better than roads, with the added bonus of beautiful scenery. The solitude can also be a refreshing change of pace. Many shoe companies now make models designed specifically for trail running; it’s in your best interest to invest in a pair.

Road biking

The ultimate low-impact cardio workout, road biking is great for long, steady aerobic conditioning. Keep conscious of your surroundings though, and always ride with traffic.

Mountain biking

Mountain biking burns far more calories than road biking, because taking to the hills provides a full-body workout. You’re varying your cadence a lot and using your upper body to pull on the handle bars.

Aim to spin the pedals quickly and smoothly, rather than grinding along in high gear: doing so will spare your knees.

Rock climbing

Few activities can match the adrenaline rushes and natural highs that rock climbing provides. Long, moderate routes also promote endurance and fine muscle balance.

It’s best to master the basics (climbing technique, gear usage) at an indoor rock gym, then take it outside – where it belongs.

Aside from fresh air and freedom of movement, exercising outdoors is fantastic because it’s FREE! By investing in a few basic pieces of equipment you can maintain your tight physique without the added expense of a gym membership. So take a hiatus from the health club and hit the streets – your body and your bank account will thank you!

For more than a couple of weeks now I’ve been trying to think of a way to write a farewell piece without sounding self-righteous and egotistical. After spending the last four years as a member of this publication, however, I figured I had already crossed that boundary so many times there was little need to worry about doing it on this final occasion.

For awhile I thought the responsible way to go about this was to list off the most significant news stories that have shaped Concordia since I arrived here and how I’ve been affected by them. Then, perhaps, I could use these anecdotes to make some bold predictions about the future of this institution. But therein lies a problem: Although at times I’ve pretended, I’ve never exactly had my finger on the pulse of the political and social climate at Concordia. Acting as though it is any different now would be a foolish way to spend my final words. So I’m going to give you exactly what you’ve come to expect from me. Here I will lend one final shout out to a group of people that have made my time here more enjoyable than I would have predicted it to be back in 2001, as it is them who I will remember most fondly years from now.

Although I’ve probably conducted over 100 post-game and profile interviews while covering Concordia sports, I’ll always remember the first interview.

It was the same day as my 19th birthday and I was covering the women’s soccer team, which was playing the Laval Rouge et Or at Loyola field. After the Stingers lost by a 2-0 score I nervously approached Jerusha Osborne, who at the time was a rookie midfielder, and asked what she thought about the game. Admittedly, I didn’t know much about soccer at that time, but I knew this girl was good. I also knew from that point that I wanted to write as much as possible about Concordia athletics. I got my wish.

Since then I’ve been fortunate enough to have covered virtually every other team at Concordia (although I still to this day don’t understand the rules of rugby) and have spoken with dozens of athletes who have been good enough to show myself and other student writers the same respect we’ve tried to show them.

After all, many of these individuals are responsible for some of my most memorable experiences at Concordia. In my time here I’ve had the chance to meet exceptional players like the soft-spoken but incredibly gifted Gavin Musgrave who played for the men’s basketball team. I saw Dominique Rancour play in her rookie year for the women’s hockey team, when she was on a line with past QSSF stars like Marie Claude Allard and Lisa-Marie Breton. I’ve been here to see Les Lawton, the women’s hockey coach, win his 500th game. Sommer Christie (women’s rugby), Jean-Michel Paquette (football), Brad Collinson (football), Philippe Ozga (men’s hockey), Jennifer Neil (women’s basketball), Ammar Badawieh (men’s soccer), Jamie Boulanger (baseball) and Kathleen Grzybowski (women’s soccer) are just a few of the other names that I will remember after many more seasons have passed.

I could go on for pages about the events I’ve had the chance to witness here. Things like Chris Page’s 25-goal season with the men’s hockey team and this year’s National Championships in Halifax for men’s basketball have been far more dramatic and gripping than any CSU election.

Even more than all that, I’ll remember the times when I came close to feeling like part of the team. Maybe 10 years from now none of these men or women will remember that guy following them around with a tape recorder for four years, that’s fine with me. The clippings I have will serve to remind me of the great people I met here and the impact they’ve had on my growth as a person.

It might be hard for a first-year student reading this to understand how a few varsity teams could mean so much to a student journalist. Simply put, at some point over the last few years it stopped being just about boxscores and standings. Now, as I depart, I couldn’t care who won what championship last. All I hope for these people is the same thing that I hope for myself, and that’s for them to lead happy and successful lives.

Hopefully, quite a few years down the road, I’ll have a family with whom I will be able to share the stories from back when I was just a lowly journalism student at the Concordian. But if and when that opportunity presents itself I won’t be highlighting the CSU’s financial scandals, controversial agendas, Discordia, Ehud Barak, Evolution, the FTAA or Frigo Vert. I’ll probably mention their significance in there somewhere but these events are not representative of what Concordia has meant to me for the past 100 issues or so.

The events that I will hold near and dear to my heart are the ones I know most Concordia students will never get a chance to experience. So, with that, for one last time I’ll say it loud and proud – Go Stingers!

Tired of buggy, poorly designed and expensive software? Well the open-source movement thinks it can solve your woes.

What is open source?