Campaijne de souscription Capital Campaign de l'Urnversite Concordia Concordia University ~ Volume 7 Number 15 January 12, 1984 Welcome to 1984; reactions from Concordia By Howard Shrier If only he'd called it 2084. slightest disloyalty is turned in from every man, millions of So your SIN is punched in and Friends with tlie Computer'' is Then our grandchildren could by friends, co-workers or their threads in all. If these threads the computer heaves up your of­ the slo·gan at Computerland (600 have suffered all the doom and children. The Party has absolute were to suddenly become visi­ ficial portrait: ''Bank of Montreal stores worldwide). Hewlett­ gloom. control of the past, present and ble, the whole sky would look 0166 balance $56.00, Mastercard Packard computers are ''Setting But no, 1984 was the inverse of future. like a spider's web, and if they credit limit $1,000. Tested for You Free," complete with but­ the year in which he wrote it. It Winston's revolt is brief and materialized as rubber - buses, social disease three times this terfly logo. was !like 1948) the Chinese Year unspectacular, consisting mainly trams and even people would all year. Rents Russ Meyer's "I'm optimistic that there is of the Rat (remember the rats in of illicit sex and reading. He is lose the ability to move." Beneath the Valley of the mtra technology for computer securi­ · the nasty climax in Room 101?). caught, and tortured until he ac­ In Canada, all the data trails Vixens every Saturday night." ty and decentralization," says And it was within the SO-year cepts Big Brother as his saviour. are linked by the Social In­ McCarthy ,would have loved Professor Gary Boyd of Educa­ limit on royalties, so descendants surance Number (SIN) . Though this. · tional Technology. '' I ' m could cash in on the predictable To most readers, 1984 means Lester Pearson promised it The technology for invasion of pessimistic that there are groups record sales (100,000 in Canada Big Brother. Constant sur­ would never be used as such, it privacy is at hand. Computers of people who do not care to- see alone in 1983, triple 1982 sales, veillance. With a telescreen in has become Canada's unofficial and SIN are like crowbars and them used. and going strong). every room, no word or gesture Identity Card. shivs. " Who dominates society? - Whatever the reason, George is private . We have no Few transactions are possible ''It does happen,'' says Charles Money, corporations. Things Orwell called his anti-Stalinist telescreens yet, but we have without it. Banking, credit, job Giguere, associate dean of happen in ways that serve their tract 1984. The future and the computers and more and more of applications, health records, tax Engineering and Computer interests." burden are ours. us are buying them (Enroll your returns, my video club, an Ot­ Science. "Credit ratings, for ex­ Boyd does agree with the per­ Now every politician paying kids now!). Most Canadians tawa diaper service, junior ample, create a lot of informa­ sonal computer people, though, lip service to human rights can (68% says Gallup) fear for their hockey association - stop me tion sharing. But that's not and feels personal computers are and will refer to it in this year's privacy. when it gets ridiculous (which totalitarianism. It's not control of more a safeguard than threat. "It speech. _ Solzhenitsyn writes in The was back when Pearson promis­ what you say or think." Govern­ keeps records where they are Every editorialist and theorist Cancer Ward: '' As every man ed, and someone believed him). mental snooping, he says, is needed, rather than having them in every field, from National goes through life, he fills in a "technologically there but social­ disappear into some vast, cen­ Review to National Lampoon, is number of forms for the record, ly unacceptable.'' tralized system." clinking' his two cents' worth. each containing a Is Robert Kaplan listening? John Daniel, Vice Rector Could The Thursday Report be number of ques­ The companies that Academic, agrees: "It's the exact still? (Even at the risk of succum­ tions . there are sell and service the opposite of the telescreen, which bing to herd journalism?) thus hundreds of computer are trying tied everyone together. The Without further ado or l i t t l e hard not to appear micro-computer and video apology, and with the help of threads the villain in cassette recorder have made us members of the university com­ radiating 1984. much more autonomous." munity - here's our 1984 vs. "Make Anyway, what kind of govern­ Orwell's. ment would snoop so much and try so desperately to control its 1984 is the story of Winston citizens?' Smith's rebellion against If you live in Quebec, you'll totalitarian Oceania (nee wish you hadn't asked. Orwell England), which represses predicted a "new aristocracy" of citizens with Thought Police and ----­ "bureaucrats, scientists; techni­ electronic surveillance. cians, trade union organizers, Big Brother watches over all. publicity experts, sociologists, Language is perverted and purg- teachers, journalists and profes­ ed of words like freedom. sional politicians." Anyone suspected of the See 1984 page 7. Page 2 THE THURSDAY REPORT January 12, 1984 Profiles Losique questions procedures in choosing new rector Professor Serge Losique asked ding to Le Devoir, only two can­ built from the ashes by Dr. The Thursday Report to print the didates had been proposed by O'Brien in the most difficult following Open Letter to the Board the Search Committee: Mr. times and not a small company of Governors. Patrick Kenniff (8 votes) and (sic) . As Rector of the University, Del King To the Editor: Mrs. Therese Lavoie-Roux (5 Dr. O'Brien deserves our- full I Normally, when a party or a votes)? respect. That is one of the main Head receiver & shipper, Distribution big institution is getting a new Was this intervention conceiv­ reasons why 400 professors "Wrap it up and charge it" leader, there are celebrations. In ed to stop Dr. O'Brien despite wrote an open letter of thanks to may have been your favorite the case of Concordia, there is the fact that the Search Commit­ our leader and Rector Dr. J. W. phrase this past Christmas sadness and disbelief about what tee did not recommend him? Is it O'Brien. season, but for Del King happened to our University. You true that the members of the The Chairman of the Board of wrapping and charging takes read The Link and Le Devoir and Board of Governors did not Governors owes us an explana­ on a different dimension. gradually the real story is coming know the names of the can­ tion. The faith in this University King is the head receiver out. All this mess must be didates prior to their meeting at is undermined and we cannot go and shipper in the Sir George cleared up, and the Board of noon? If ··it is true, it is into history as having permitted Williams campus Distribu­ Governors should appoint an in­ unbelievable that for such an im­ a "small group" (as Le Devoir tion department, and he's one . dependent committee im­ portant job, the members of the said) to act in such a way in the busy man. mediately to see how it Board were not allowed time to name of the "University com­ After the holidays before happened. study in depth the values of the munity". ·without this approach, the semester is to begin, Once the popular name of Dr. proposed candidates. The we are destroying all the values Distribution is the centre of J.W. O'Brien was leaked in The University community should and principles of higher activity in the University: Link, the Search Committee know if . there was a pre­ education. moves, incoming shipments, should have been disbanded and meditated set up. Finally, I insist that I am not in cataloguing of each shipment, if not, all other candidates' If the procedures followed any way criticizing the can­ designating the workload, it names should have been made were fair, why did the Board didates who applied for the Rec­ all happens at once. he's proud of the efficiency of public too, that is simple fairness decide at the same meeting to tor's job because I do not know In his position, King does his department and the to ·all concerned. create a committee to review all them, I am simply questioning more than push papers, he cooperation among his team, Did anyone question the im­ the procedures for future Rector the procedures and morality of coordinates the services in his whom he refers to as "a great partiality of some members of nominations? Why is it so sud­ my University. section, including the man­ bunch of guys". the Search Committee when all denly urgent when a new Rector To brush aside these and other power, eleven workers. Del has been married for 13 these leaks came out? Many is appointed for the next five questions will be detrimental to King started at the Universi­ years and has an eight year other questions must be years? Why did not the Board or Concordia University. ty in Mail Services, and was old daughter to whom he answered. Is it true that a non the Chairman of the Board (who Serge Losique transferred to Distribution in devotes a lot of time. He takes member of the Board of Gover­ was also Chairman of the Search Professor in Cinematographic 1968. her skating and also likes to nors was brought to deliver the Committee) ask Dr.