Concordia Mourns a Great Canadian Author
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rt Vol. 15 No. 11 November 15, 1990 The death of Hugh Maclennan Concordia mourns a great Canadian author Laura Groening, who teaches Canadian an office on the second floor of the Nor Literature at Concordia, told CTR this ris Building. week. "It was an honour and a privilege for Like Paul Tallard, the hero of Two the Faculty of Arts and Science and Solitudes, Maclennan felt he had to Concordia to be able to welcome him as build the stage and props for his play, one of ours,"Bertrand said. "It was an and then write the play itself. honour to have a great Canadian and a Since its publication 45 years ago, the great Quebecois as part of our Univer novel has become a metaphor for sity, even if it was for only a few short French-English tensions rather than the years." Canadian nationalism he longed for. In the small office, amid his papers "He wanted to give voice to the idea and his books, Maclennan wrote, read of a distinct Canadian identity, especial and met with students. ly in a way that would be relevant to One of those students, Roma Glblun relations in Quebec be.tween the French Bross, said, "one theme that preoc and the English," said Groening, who cupied him was Brian Mulroney, whom includes Two Solitudes in her survey he couldn't stand. He called him Mul course. dummy. He said he gave Canada away to the United States." From McGill to Concordia Politics wasn't all that was on his mind, said Bross, a graduate of the Maclennan was born in English Creative Writing programme and PHOTO: Charles Belanger Canada, in Glace Bav, Nova Scotia. He author of To Samarkand and Back. "We Hugh Maclennan settled in Montreal after moving here in chatted about literature, food, his state 1935 to teach classics at Lower Canada of health. We shared anecdotes. Some Maclennan, 83, "scholar-in College. He kept a country home in times we talked about nothing of great residence" at Concordia since 1985 and North Hatley, in the Eastern Townships. consequence. We just sat there and by Ray Beauchemin a five-time winner of the Govemor In 1951, Maclennan joined the chatted like two kids. Sometimes I General'sAward, wastheauthorofTwo English Department at McGill Univer would leave him little notes, sometimes Solitudes and six other novels, all set in sity, becoming a full professor in 1966 answered, sometimes not." Canada. and professor emeritus in 1979. Characteristic of his encouragement he death of author Hugh Mac "MacLennan was a deeply important A dispute over office space in 1985 left to writing students, Maclennan Lennan last week left Canada to writer to Canadian literature. Whether Maclennan, no longer actively teach responded promptly and willingly T mourn one of the most prolific or not he was a fine novelist, he was the ing, unhappy with McGill. Concordia's when Bross applied for a Canada Coun and vocal supporters of its national first to write in a way that articulated a Dean of Arts and Science, Charles cil grant, writing long and detailed identity. Canadian identity," English Professor Bertrand, promptly offered Mac Lennan continued on page 14 INSIDE U de M colloquium University participants Needed: scientists page 2 identify women's issues Universite de Montreal on Oct. 25 and Thehave derulhlong-term of high-1""1effects on '°"'""" Canada. Computerscontisls al1dScience '"''""" Chair Tienmay I .. ff_a·· -n Bui says Concordia has the capacity to produce more and better L-1~ 26. scientists. The colloquium had been designed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of women's suffrage in Quebec and to Post-Meech Quebec pages 6 and 7 Concordia is ahead of other univer trace the progress of women since they sities in promoting feminist studies, began entering university about a cen Claudie Solar, Advisor to the Rector on tury ago. Faculty C,wo,s has subn;llod a p,elmOa~ brief to fue "''""'"· Campeau Commission with a more _detailed one to follow next I~I the Status of Women, said at a collo Solar chaired a workshop called month. quium last month which addressed is "Feminist Knowledge: Creation, Trans sues affecting women in universities. mission, Availability," which con "Concordia is the only university in cluded that feminist studies should be Quebec with an Office on the Status of made available at all universities and Scholarships pages 8-11 Women, a Women's Centre, and a that the validity of research on women's feminist institute, the Simone de issues be universally accepted. Nine new awards and more than 200 scholarship presentations Beauvoir Institute," she said. "But there Sheinin took part in a workshop titled mean hundreds of students get a head start on their education. is still a way to go." "Women in Research: Integration or Ex Solar, Vice Rector Academic, Rose clusion." Sheinin, and Decision Sciences Profes "The workshop focused on women in sor Danielle Morin took part in research, women's research, and l'Universite 'avec' les femmes, held at the continued on page 14 2 - November \15, 1990 Lack of scientists and engineers may put Cana:da in Third World position early '80s when only two PhDs were less as significant. For example, faculty Recently, Computer Science Professor Canada needs more graduating from all three Computer member Sebius Doedel received a Ching Suen won the largest industrial Science departments in the Montreal $50,000-per-year grant from Electricite contract ever awarded to Cotlcordia to high-level computer area, combined." de France for large-scale computation develop expert computers i systems, Low tum-out in this field may cause to regulate the flow of electricity in such as a computer programme that problems long-term. As it is, not high-power wires. Bui's own work with can diagnose illnesses. Professor Hon scientists and enough Canadian students are continu Johnson & Johnson Research Lee received a grant to work with Bell ing their education in the sciences and Laboratory will help develop decom Northern Research to build distributed Concordia can produce engineering. Bui added that of the 25 posable, non-woven materials by using computers. PhD students now in Computer computer simulations of flows in absor ''This is the future generation of com Science, less than 50 per cent are bant products. puters," Bui said. them, says Bui Canadian, many of whom will return to their own countries to apply their knowledge. Economics' Otchere says: by Bronwyn Chester "In Canada, our attitude is that if you have a smart child, you encourage him or her to go into medicine or law. In Canadians moving towards Japan, bright students choose engineer in& or science," Bui said, adding that a a cashless_society he Canadian Council of Profes national effort is needed to attract stu sional Engineers has put out the dents to science and engineering. T call for more people to enter the Bui is also concerned that the best field of engineering. Within 10 years, engineering and computer science stu by y Beauchemin Canada will be short 30,000 engineers, dents do not list Concordia as their first t Council President John McDougall choice. Yet, Concordia's Computer says, and without them, the country Science Department, with a staff of 29, will be in a Second or Third World posi is among the largest departments of its Canada is becoming increasingly cashless, but that's not to say it's running out tion. kind in the country, he said, and the of money. Economics Professor Dan Otchere said he foresees a time when While Computer Science Chair Tien quality of faculty members is competi cash and cheques will be used in only half of all transactions and the remaining Bui acknowledges that prediction, he is tive with any school of comparable size 50 per cent will be split between credit and debit cards. more concerned about the dearth of in North America. high-level research being done by en As an example of the Department's That time has not arrived yet, but with the current use of credit cards - the gineers and computer scientists. For in track record, Bui cites the international average Canadian has two - and the increasing use of debit cards, there is stance, Bui said, he has been unable to media coverage received when Com already less cash exchanging hands. fill two positions in his department puter Science Professor Clement Lam with Canadians for the past five years. revealed the solution to a two-hundred Debit cards represent electronic money and are similar to the bank cards now "It's not enough just to produce more year old mathematical problem: can a being used in automated banking transactions. Savings or chequing accounts engineers. Someone with a Bachelor of finite projective plane of the order of 10 can be credited or debited by computer, telephone or an electronic terminal , Science or Engineering is not in a posi exist? The New York Times was just one such as the point-of-sale terminals at several retail out1ets, the Provigo super tion to do high-level research and teach of the many media outlets that at market chain and Montreal banks. ing. We need PhD engineers and tempted to explain the equation. computer scientists. The shortage is in ''This was one of the 10 problems the Provigo, the Royal Bank, the National Bank of Canada and several caisse new technological areas, such as world over that scientists have been populaire branches are midway through a five-year test of the debit card robotics. If we don't have senior scien trying to solve. And we did it here, system.