“We had a great delegation, with every team member dedicated to winning, that led to our victory for the first time in our history,” said Steven Hartley, president of the Concordia Engineering Games.
Hartley, along with thirty-nine other engineers, competed in sports and academics against nine other schools. These included McGill, Sherbrooke,
The words of 27-year-old Brian Crane sound ominous as he sits casually in a Concordia University student lounge preparing to tell what he affectionately refers to as “The Bear Story.”
It’s a long story – made especially so by his fondness for spiraling digression – which involves aromatic cream cheese, a charging bear, four terrified hikers and a life-saving squirrel, all fatefully brought together in Alaska’s mountainous and remote Denali Park.
Crane becomes visibly excited while telling the story’s climactic conclusion, in which he is standing stoically, armed only with his hiking backpack, while being charged by a hungry grizzly.
“The bear got close enough where I saw the hair on its back bristling,” he says, never sparing a single detail. “It was not 50 yards away and still tearing straight at us.
“Honest to goodness this is what happens – I see right then, this ground squirrel pop up out of its hole not even two feet in front of the bear.
It’s Groundhog Day for this little squirrel who has to decide if he’s going to leave his hole or not…and he chose right for me. It panicked and ran out of its hole exactly perpendicular to the path between the bear and me.
We saw turf shoot up as the bear dug its claws into the ground and changed directions to chase the ground squirrel over the top of a hill….The squirrel saved our lives.”
Crane is an animated story-teller who sometimes makes me wonder if this slight grad student with the dark-rimmed glasses spinning tales of the arctic wild is for real. I can only conclude that Brian Crane certainly is.
Born in Florida and raised in Baton Rouge, La., Crane was driven north by the same thing that has driven countless men and women there before him – a thirst for adventure.
Upon graduation from high school, and despite having been accepted with scholarships to several other esteemed universities, Crane chose the University of Alaska Fairbanks because he longed for something different.
He originally planned to study there for only a year, just enough to get a taste of Arctic adventure, before transferring elsewhere.
But Alaska affected him in a way he hadn’t imagined. He was captivated by the northern state’s friendly inhabitants and stunning natural beauty.
It even turned him into a “radical environmentalist” vegan for a while.
“You kind of do that when you get to Alaska because the environment is all around you,” he explains. “You just get there and suddenly you’re out hiking and things are different. You experience things differently.”
Between intermittent sips of root beer, Crane draws from his Alaskan experiences to spin an array of colourful tales, from being chased by a curious moose to chipping away with a shovel at the outhouse “stalagshites” that formed during the frigid winter.
Another of his favourite stories is the time he ended up bruised and bloody after throwing himself down a steep rocky slope. After hiking to the top of Alaska’s Mt. Marathon, he discovered that the only way down – or perhaps the only interesting way down – would be to ‘surf’ along a path of small flakes of rock that had chipped off the rock face.
The danger apparently arose when he started having too much fun.
“I have this sort of irresponsible relationship with speed, so I started going insanely fast, because you can start pushing yourself off (to gain speed),” he says.
Crane goes on to describe how the path of rocks he had been ‘surfing’ veered to the right while he continued straight down over solid rock. As he tells the story he jumps out of his seat and demonstrates as best he can how he ended up running down the mountain at breakneck speed with his legs churning trying to keep up with his body’s momentum.
“At this moment,” he says, “I remember it so clearly, I said to myself, almost as if I were another person, ‘I am going to die.’ At this point there was nothing between me and the tree line except rocks, drop-offs and boulders. I was like, ‘I’m going to bounce and scrape and drop until I snap my back around some tree.'”
Out of desperation he decided to throw himself spread-eagle against the rocks to try to break his momentum, which he eventually did. He finishes his story by showing me the scars from where he used a pocket knife to dig slivers of rock out of his hand.
Between his forays into the wilderness, Crane completed a history degree, then turned down a spot at an Oregon law school to stay in Alaska and pursue a master’s degree in English.
After finishing his master’s, he eventually bid farewell to the state that had become his adopted home for the past seven years.
He is currently pursuing a second master’s degree in film studies at Concordia and is stockpiling another assortment of tales from his adventures in the urban wilderness of Montreal.
Model United Nations conferences simulate world crises, with participants taking on the role of different countries and international organizations.
Among Concordia’s representatives, Philip Ou, a first-year undergraduate, produced an Honorable Mention. Two Verbal Mentions were awarded to Luis Diaz, another freshman, and John Gazo, one of the more experienced delegates on the Model United Nations (MUN) circuit.
According to the Head Delegate for UPMUNC and CONMUN president, Benoit Charron, the Conference’s administration “ran with the delegates in mind by keeping close contact with them and paid attention to their needs. This made it comfortable for us to request things with the Secretariat.”
“The debate level was strong,” said Charron. “We sent experienced and well trained delegates and this challenged us to play in an arena where we are still cubs.”
In addition, CONMUN’s Delegation comprised a majority of first-year undergraduate students compared with past MUN conferences, which consisted of mostly juniors and seniors.
“The greatest reward brought from UPMUNC [apart from the mentions] was the camaraderie created by the artificial scenario of having taken twelve-hour bus rides,” Charron said.
Concordia is scheduled to participate at the 2001 McGill Model United Nations Conference from Jan. 25 to 28.
Michael Vincentijevic is vice-president of external affairs for CONMUN. For more information about CONMUN and its related activities, visit its website at www.conmun.org.
Concordia’s Cinema Students’ Association (CSA) will receive a $1,000 special grant from the Concordia Student Union (CSU) to run its annual Year-End Screening.
The CSA was budgeted to receive $2,500 in club funding, half the amount they got last year. However, since they missed the CSU’s deadline to request funding, the CSA was ineligible for that amount. The internal fraud at the CSU made new funding even more difficult.
Fortin was quick to absolve the CSU of blame for the lack of funds. She said that the responsibility lies within her association as well as the department.
“Patrice Blais and Rob Green understand our situation and we will be considered a special project since we missed the deadline,” said Marie-Eve Fortin, president of the CSA.
The CSA is responsible for organizing the Year-End Screening, a film festival held in May where films created by the cinema department are showcased.
“This will be the 28th year Concordia has held the Year-End Screening,” said Fortin. “It gives us the opportunity to present to the public what Concordia’s students produce during the year.”
Fortin estimates the festival will cost the CSA $3,500. Last year’s association came in over budget by $900 – which Fortin now owes the department.
Fortin said she is trying to find money anywhere. “We’ve held a party (to raise funds). I’m also asking the Concordia Council on Student Life, the Rector’s Cabinet, as well as Alumni to donate money.”
The CSA’s costs will be kept at a minimum this year. Funds enable the association to provide cinema students with materiel the school does not offer. It pays the projectionists, and promotes the students and the films.
By hosting such an event that is open to the public, Fortin believes that students and the department are getting their faces (and their films) known in a very competitive industry.
Several other universities in this city hold screenings for one night only. Concordia’s cinema department prides itself on presenting three days of screenings.
“About seventy films will be screened this year,” said Fortin. Students in various years of study produce different types of films. All first year students must create a film, whereas only select students in their second and third year of studies do so. The department then selects the best films within a certain category and these are the ones presented during the Year-End Screening. This festival is an informal gathering and a celebration for students.
“If we had more money, our goal would be to have a special night to project the top films and invite many people from the industry,” said Fortin.
She added that as it stands, the festival is open to the public, but there is no specific formal evening for mingling and making contacts.
Fortin would also add the creation of a cinema journal to her wish list. Since the production students are heavily involved with the film festival, the journal could keep students in film studies busy. In turn, Fortin believes that students in all areas of study in the department could work together.
The Year-End Screening will be held May 10-12.
After demonstrating for four hours in the lobby of the Hall Building on Jan. 10, students got what they wanted, including the lifting of a ban of information tables imposed by vice-rector (services), Michael DiGrappa.
The other demand was to hand the CSU control of table reservations.
Students began gathering in the lobby at 12:30 and set up six information tables. “At one point the lobby was filled with students and the atmosphere was festive,” said Rob Green, president of the Concordia Student Union (CSU).
A phone cable was brought down to the lobby, where students called the Vice Rector’s office to ask him about the ban of information tables.
Posters of Boisvert and DiGrappa went up. They stated: “Wanted: The old Dr. Boisvert. If found, please re-explain to him the importance of student free speech in the lobby” and “Why is this man denying your right to free speech? Call him and ask!”
There were many groups present: Hillel, Muslim Student Association (MSA), Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR), Frigo Vert, The Women’s Centre, and others. The People’s Potato served food to students in the lobby.
The problem started Jan. 8 when the MSA tried to set up their information table that they had reserved in advance. In order to have an information table, student groups need to fill out a form and it needs to be approved by the Dean of Students’ Office.
Keith Pruden, the assistant of the Dean, told the MSA that DiGrappa had imposed a ban on information tables the same day. The MSA members complained to the CSU. Representatives of the CSU went to see Pruden and he allowed the information table for the day.
After the encounter with Pruden, Sabine Friesinger VP Internal, sent an urgent e-mail to DiGrappa. “He didn’t respond on Monday or Tuesday and we specified that it was an urgent matter. We needed an explanation for why our free speech was denied. Since we didn’t get one, we decided to demonstrate,” said Green.
“I contacted the Dean [Boisvert] on Tuesday and I asked him to speak to Mr. DiGrappa, but I got no response,” added CSU President Rob Green.
“This is not a freedom of speech issue,” said DiGrappa. “The CSU did not give me a chance to respond and I was extremely busy at the beginning of the week.”
DiGrappa imposed the moratorium on the information tables because he had received complaints and he wanted to analyze the situation. He added that the displays in the lobby disturbed people, the people behind the information tables were vocal, the tables impeded circulation and made entry into the building difficult. He also said they were a safety hazard.
There was another reason why the ban was imposed. “The procedures to book tables was not being respected by student groups. They just took the tables and it’s not fair to other student groups. Freedom of speech comes with responsibilities,” added DiGrappa.
Green’s response to DiGrappa’s reasons for the ban: “Absolute hogwash!”
“Even if we have fifty tables down in the lobby, the circulation would not be blocked. When the University had its 25th anniversary they had many more tables [than we have now] in the lobby,” said Green.
“I can only speculate on the reason why the University imposed the ban. I think they want to limit the contact of student groups with political messages to other students,” said Green.
Now that the information tables are in the hands of the CSU, Green is awaiting a written agreement from the administration. He hopes he will have a simple and fair procedure system up and running in the next few days.
Senate by-laws require that student representatives be registered in an undergraduate or graduate program and that they be of “good standing.” The rules explicitly exclude independent students.
The accreditation act says that accredited student bodies are the only groups that can appoint student representatives to governing boards. It also states Bill 32 superceeds any by-laws of educational institutions.
“It’s about who decides. Now we decide, and they can’t tell us what to do,” said CSU president Rob Green. “[Senate] appointments should be up to the CSU. What I don’t like is them [administration] telling us what to do.”
Any undergraduate student can be appointed, and the school cannot refuse, said Guy Major, a Ministry of Education accreditation agent. “From the outset, the law excludes no one. The only distinctions between students are made between undergraduates and graduates.”
During last semester’s accreditation drive, the CSU’s right to make appointments was one of the key issues for its yes platform. This topic was brought up when Major was in senate to explain the implications of the CSU’s accreditation. Major said that the university’s policy would become illegal after accreditation.
Bram Freedman, Concordia’s assistant secretary general and general counsel, said he wasn’t prepared to comment about the difference in policies, explaining that he needs more time to do more legal research and interpretation.
Freedman also said it wasn’t a pressing issue for him since the senatorial seats are filled for this academic year.
The by-laws were up for review anyway, not having been amended since 1982, Freedman added. The university has no intention of going against the law, he said, but Freedman also didn’t seem to fully accept Green and Major’s interpretation of what will happen.
“He’s [Major] certainly entitled to his opinion as to what the law says, but there are different kinds of requirements to be considered,” said Freedman.
What could be questioned by the univeristy are its right to have eligibility requirements and the definition of “appoint” in Bill 32.
Major said the only way to resolve problems would be through the courts, and it would not be the first time.
After the student union at the University of Quebec became accredited, the university wanted to continue appointing student members to its governing boards. It challenged the ministry in court, but eventually realized it could not win and withdrew the case, he said.
Both Freedman and university rector Dr. Frederick Lowy think the senate’s requirements make sense. “On the face of it, it sounds pretty logical,” said Lowy, who added that he still considers independant students as real students.
“The senate wants to ensure student [senators] have a long-term, tangible connection with the university,” said Freedman.
But Green doesn’t agree. “I really don’t see how a full-time student is better than a part-time [student] as in being involved in student activity.”
This matter of controlling senate appointments became a contentious issue a year ago when Green, an independant student and CFS executive Phil Ilijevski were removed from senate for not being enrolled in classes during the 1999 Fall semester.
Green, who is not looking to rejoin the senate this year, found the senate’s use of the eligibility by-law bogus last year. “They waited until I said something within that meeting that they didn’t want to hear.”
Freedman said that in his 10 years of sitting on senate, he had not seen a student senator removed because of eligibility issues until Green and Ilijevski’s case.
Additional reporting by Ricky Leong
“This contract dates back to 1994 and expires in 2004,” said Claude Breault, communication director for Zoom Media.
These advertising panels are under a different contract signed with the business arm of the Concordia Student Union (CSU), CUSACorp. It runs Reggie’s and the Hive. It also leases space to JavaU.
“I have never heard of the contract until this Monday,” said Tom Keefer, CSU vp communications. He added that no one else in the student union knew about this contract.
“Zoom Media knows that student governments change every year and they should have sent us a letter about this contract,” said Keefer.
The contract, which was obtained by The Concordian, expired in July 1999. The contract states that a renewal letter will be sent when the contract is close to expiry. If there is no reply, the contract automatically renews itself.
According to Keefer, the CSU did not receive a renewal letter, which is usually sent by registered mail. For the moment, Keefer is waiting for proof from Zoom Media that a letter was sent.
Keefer does not know how much revenue CUSACorp has made for the panels in its bathrooms or whether CUSACorp has received any cheques from Zoom Media.
Rick Stom, General Manager for the CSU and the person responsible for CUSACorp, could not be reached for comment.
Zoom strikes back
A new survey paid by Zoom Media and another advertising agency, NewAd, says that 79 per cent of Canadian students are in favour of advertising on campus if a part of the revenue is given back to students. Twelve per cent of students are indifferent to the ads and nine per cent of students oppose the ads. L
CSU councillors and executive publicly stated their displeasure with comments against women and homosexuals. As a result, the council of representatives have asked the ECA to take corrective measures. These include:
– An apology published in both student newspapers.
– An apology to the offended parties.
– Removing the writers and directors of the Frozen Lizard.
– Taking workshops to increase sensitivity to issues pertaining to women and homosexuals.
The CSU council said it would take further action if no reaction was forthcoming.
ECA President Mario Ciaramicoli said he agreed an apology letter should be issued. It is already in the works and should be published within the next week or two, he said.
Ciaramicoli also said the CSU had a right to make a statement. “But we all know the CSU has no jurisdiction [over ECA matters],” he added.
He was particularly upset by the way ECA executives were singled out. “This is just an isolated case. Not all of us [share the opinions of Frozen Lizard material].”
While the Frozen Lizard is produced by engineering students, it is not an official publication of the ECA. It has not been published since November due to the objections over inappropriate comments.
This decision means the CSU oficially has the exclusive rights to represent undergraduate students on university-wide matters.
Accreditation was granted because the student union met the necessary legal requirements. These include the accreditation drive where more than 25 per cent of Concordia undergraduates voted yes.
Patrick Magallanes, an Arts and Science student, said he was not allowed to witness the counting of ballots, according to the CSU’s Chief Electoral Officer Patrice Blais. The candidate also said the polling clerks told people how to vote.
Blais dismissed the complaints, so Magallanes took the matter to the Judicial Board.
At last count, Arts and Science candidates Rick Filippone led with 135 votes, followed by Michelle Chung with 123. Scott Farrell (35) and Magallanes (50) were next.
Fine Arts candidate Julie Fowler was confirmed as a councillor with 241 people voting yes and 2 against, but this result is also affected by the recount.
A final result is expected by around Jan. 10.
Peterson made the donation in October 2000, but the courier service lost the equipment in transit.It was replaced by Peterson’s insurance company.
This is not the Peterson’s first donation of the kind. When the Oscar Peterson Concert Hall was officially inaugurated in the fall of 1999, he donated a digital mixing console.
The recorder and the console will be used by music students to record their concerts.
Wednesday, January 12, 2000
CSU president Rob Green and former executive Phil Ilijevski were kicked off the university senate. Green was taking one course as an independent student, while Ilijevski was not taking any courses due to financial constraints. Green said he was kicked out because he was very vocal about corporations encroaching on the university system.
Meanwhile, the People’s Potato began serving free lunches regularly in the basement of Reggies. The meals are vegan and food is organically grown. The People’s Potato is run by the Concordia Food Collective, a group that wanted to make healthy food accessible to Concordia students.
FIVE YEARS AGO
Wednesday, January 10, 1996
Concordia students were taking more recreational drugs, according to the university’s Counselling and Development department. Decline in drug use had been registered for the past decade.
Also in the headlines, a new pilot project would allow students to loan textbooks beginning in the following fall semester. A new billing system would allow students to loan a textbook purchase until they could pay it off.
TEN YEARS AGO
Wednesday, January 16, 1991
The board of directors of the Concordia University Student Association may try to impeach President Tammy Powell. The board said Powell had refused to respect the impeachment of her former co-president Stuart Letovsky just two months before.
Concordia students were getting used to the idea of paying the GST and PST when buying food on campus. The student-run Mugshots cafE absorbed the added consumer costs through its profit margin. But the Marriott-run cafeterias increased their end prices according to the new sales tax rates.