UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY VOLUME 48 | ISSUE NO. 8 | JULY 26 | 2007 “The Greatest Show on Earth” entertainment, page 6 Illustration: Paul Baker/the Gauntlet editorial and letters July 26 2007 Editor-in-Chief: Chris Tait 220-7752 [email protected] Emergency Medical Services are essential, silly! News Editor: Katy Anderson 220-4318 [email protected] ity paramedics went on up striking and knowingly put lives Entertainment: Ryan Pike 220-4376 and off strike this week as at risk over a pay agreement. [email protected] Ca result of frustrated nego- Th ere is plenty of room in the Sports: Amanda Hu 220-4376 tiations with city hall, prompting circle of blame, though, and the [email protected] an emergency plan that might union isn’t necessarily in the cen- Opinions: Ændrew Rininsland 220-4376 have made the ambulances less ter of it. [email protected] than legal. While many emergency work- Features: Jon Roe 220-4376 While both parties came to ers are classified under essential [email protected] an agreement on most points, services by the Public Service Photography: Geoff MacIntosh 220-4376 a rift remains on the issue of Labour Relations Act, paramed- [email protected] salary increases. The Canadian ics are not. Because of constant Production: Christian Louden 220-4376 Union of Public Employees Local demand, essential services are not [email protected] argues paramedics should permitted to strike outright. Imagine Illustrations: Paul Baker 220-4376 receive comparative wages and what would happen if the Calgary [email protected] wage increases with other city ser- Police Service could suddenly decide News Assistant: Sara Hanson 220-4318 vices, while the city doesn’t want to to go on strike for a week. [email protected] increase taxes. Th ere is no excuse for EMS not to Business Manager: Evelyn Cone 220-7380 In this time skyrocketing costs of be considered an essential service. [email protected] living, unions are stirring themselves Th e legislation to raise our medical Advertising Manager: John Harbidge 220-7751 [email protected] into action and, for the most part, emergency workers to the same level Illustration by Gina Freeman they’re in the right. At the same time, of responsibility police and border Graphic Artist: Ken Clarke 220-7755 though, stressing the system in an security professionals should have have EMTs continue work, it’s hard vices agreements are paid fairly well [email protected] unnecessarily dangerous—possi- been implemented years ago. Many to believe the replacement workers (certainly better than paramedics are Network Manager: Ben Li bly even deadly—way is absolutely other health care professionals are would be able to cover the demand. now, as the CUPE is quick to point Contributors unacceptable. classified as essential as well, so Th is leaves the rest of the work up out) and off er job security. Th e city Daniel Pagan • Medha Subramani • Gina Freeman It’s really quite simple: with fewer it seems a stretch the people who to the other “essential” emergency would no longer have to scramble to Dale Miller • Stephanie Mamayson • John McDonald Golden Spatula vehicles available to safely transport provide them with patients should services, namely police (who already set up illegal ambulances, either. Stephanie Mamayson, for a mad-awesome review. casualties to medical centres, there be left out. Th ey are an important deal with most calls) and fi re. Both sides in this dispute are very Honorable mention to John McDonald for ordering pizza before everyone was starving and Dale Miller’s zombie. is a higher likelihood of complica- part of the system and their absence Th e essential services, therefore, are much to blame for the current and Furor Arma Ministrat tions arising in a patient’s condition is illogical. already taking on the workload, ugly state of affairs. Hopefully Room 319, MacEwan Students’ Centre University of Calgary as a result of improper and delayed According to the CUPE website, making the paramedics’ exclusion when everything’s sorted, though, 2500 University Drive, NW care. EMS responds to roughly per from this classifi cation even more neither party will have to deal with Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 General inquires: 220-7750 CUPE president Bruce Robb cent of all emergency calls. With absurd. the blame of a death resulting from http://gauntlet.ucalgary.ca commented this week that in order over paramedics off the job, Th e move to make EMS essential, negatively aff ected emergency medi- The Gauntlet is the official student newspaper of the University of Calgary, published most Thursdays throughout the year by the Gauntlet Publications Society, an autonomous, incorporated body. Membership in for the city’s ambulances to qualify one quarter of all emergency calls though it would strip the union of cal service. the society is open to undergraduate students at the U of C, but all members of the university community are encouraged to contribute. Opinions contained herein are those of individual writers, and do not necessarily legally, they would have to be oper- are left for someone else to deal its right to strike, would likely represent the views of the entire Gauntlet staff. Editorials are chosen by a majority of the editorial board. The Gauntlet is a forum open to all U of C students but may refuse any submission judged to be racist, sexist, homophobic, libelous, or containing attacks of a strictly personal nature. We reserve the right to edit for brevity. ated by at least one paramedic. with. In today’s human resources improve workers’ treatment any- Chris Tait Grievances regarding the Gauntlet follow a three-step process which requires written decisions from the Editor, the GPS Board of Directors, and the Ombudsboard. The complete Grievance Policy is online at: http://gauntlet.ucalgary.ca. The Knowing this, the union still wound market, even with the city’s plan to way. Workers under essential ser- Editor-in-Chief Gauntlet is printed on recycled paper and uses last horcrux-based ink. We urge you to recycle/not spoil the Gauntlet. GAUNTLET JUNE 26.07 3 news Editor: Katy Anderson—[email protected] Kids take over campus! Calgary and area gifted kids participate in challenging summer camp Katy Anderson model where kids are separated according News Editor to their ability instead of their age. His ideal curriculum would be diff erentiated enough to he University of Calgary hosted a accomadate a person ºat a grade three math meeting of some of the brightest level and a grade English level. Tminds around Calgary last week. It Th ere is contention about how much intel- wasn’t a professional or research convention, lectual ability can be attributed to genetics it was a summer camp for gift ed kids grades and how much can be attributed to environ- two through nine. ment. Pyryte believes it is about per cent Th e U of C’s Centre for Gift ed Education of each. Two parenting habits he advocated held it’s th annual SUCCESS Summer Camp to develop a child’s “gift edness” were pro- July –. Th e centre is the only one of its kind moting in them a wide range of vocabulary in Canada and has a mandate for research, at an early age and taking children to places professional development, parental support, like museums. community service and instructional programs. Cecile Todesco has two daughters aged Th e camp is meant to challenge its participants and in this year’s SUCCESS program. and promote belonging by bringing bright kids Although unsure if her daughters gift edness into contact with each other. should be attributed to “nature or nurture”she In Alberta gifted kids are identified as said possible factors were she had never done special needs students because of the unique drugs, had always provided them with lots of challenges they face. If their talents are not opportunities and bought mainly educational properly nurtured they risk drop-out rates toys as they were growing up. between – per cent. Once they get turned Todesco’s youngest daughter Hayley is in off of applying themselves they refuse to do the gift ed program at Hillhurst School and things and they don’t develop the skills that Katy Anderson/the Gauntlet SUCCESS is the second summer educational are necessary according to centre director This kid is smarter than you are. Yep. You’re going nowhere. program she’s attended this year, compared Micheal Pyryte. to the fi ve she participated in last year. Hayley Gift ed students are most commonly identi- as gift ed are identifi ed because their parents go against the best interest of children.” said she was attending this camp so she had fi ed by IQ scores because they are the most have had the resources to pay for the psy- A high school teacher who took his mas- something to do. measurable, but Pyryte said that gift edness chological testing which could range from ters in gift ed education was leading a session “I still don’t know what I want to be when I can come in a wide range of talents including ,–,.” for the program. He requested to remain grow up and its really annoying when adults general intellectual ability, creative thinking, Although the U of C’s SUCCESS camp unnamed but, like Pyryte, advocated for the go up to you and they’re like, ‘What do you social skills, or musical, artistic or kinesthetic charges a fee of , fees are subsidized for benefi ts of testing for all students. want to be when you grow up?’ and you don’t ability.