Weekly The Cord The tie that binds since 1925 ENTRANCING JAM MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE Africa and its Diaspora brings soulful Find out what to expect this year in the vibe and AIDS ... awareness PAGE 6 world of entertainment ... PAGE 12-13 k M Volume 47 Issue 18 WEDNESDAY JANUARY 17,2007 www.cordweekly.com Acclaimed to fame With only 12 nominations for 15 director spots, there'll be no election for next year's BOD MIKE BROWN person BOD and 12 of them are NEWS EDITOR set to be acclaimed. Asif Bacchus, current chair of the Constitu- The WTUSU election season of- tional and Operational Develop- ficially got underway with the ment committee, which inscribes closing of nomination packages WLUSU policy, was unlucky num- last Wednesday and it seems that ber 13. student politics atLaurier has lost Owing to confusion at the Reg- its allure. istrar's office over his three differ- After last year's election saw 27 ent WLU student numbers, said candidates vying for the 15 Board Bacchus, he submitted his nomi- ofDirectors (BOD) spots - a num- nation package minutes after ber unparalleled in recent memo- Wednesday's noon deadline and ry - this year's election has swung his appeal to the Elections and to the other side of the spectrum, Referenda Committee (ERC) was resulting in the first acclaimed turned down,killing his quest for - and shorthanded - board in re-election in its infancy. about a decade. The situation is certainly less But all is not doom and gloom than ideal, says Bacchus, but he on the election front, as the doesn't intend to take his ap- Union's two highest-profile posi- peal direcdy to the board, citing tions, vice-president: university that the ERC handled the issue affairs and president & CEO, will appropriately. both see races barring an unlikely And that's not the only situation turn of events, though nothing is described as less thanideal as the official until candidates accept election gets off the ground. Last their nominations by attending Thursday, the current board as- the All Candidates Meeting at sembled on the third floor of the 5:30 today in BAIII. FNCC for a late-night meeting The presidential race pits cur- that included a half-hour discus- rent VP: Marketing Dan Hocking, sion on the impending acclama- a member ofthe Sigma Chi frater- tion of the board. The only con- nity whose WLUSU resume also sensus to be gleaned from that includes vice-chair of last year's nuanced debate was that the lack board, against Dan Allison, a Pike of interest in the board positions with one year of board experience was unfortunate. under his belt. In the end, directors voted 8-3 After JD Muir was acclaimed as in favour of indefinitely ending VP:UA last year, the position has discussions on the re-opening of become more sought-after, with nominations. But it was not an three current board members easy decision. Mike Tsuchiya and - two-time director Yusuf Faqiri, Jon Champagne, two of the three Laurier gets current director and senator Co- dissenting voices, were outspoken lin Lefevre and current vice-chair about their desire to see nomina- Lauren McNiven - battling it out tionsre-opened. to be the school's resident lobby- "I don't believe that everyone ing authority. who wanted to run was aware of Only 13 people submitted bad Hedley nomination packages for the 15- - SEE BOD, PAGE 3 Manic BC group opens the Winter Carnival with their bland emo offerings JOE TURCOTTE And, once inside, it was appar- stage. A&E EDITOR ent that the gender lines had been Judging by the high-pitched drawn. The ladies who had braved shrieks elicited at every mention of If there has ever been a concert at the snow day weather were dolled the headlining act's name, the stu- Laurier that has clearly demon- up in their best concert-going out- dents making up the crowd were strated the school's heavily one- fits, many completing their en- clearly fans of the BC-based pop- sidedfemale-to-male student ratio, sembles with a pair of Ugg-style punk rockers. This fact was cement- Monday night's performance by boots. Meanwhile, the gentlemen ed when the guys from Hedley took Hedley mustbe it.Walking up to the who made the trek out to witness to the stage, as a wall of MuchOn- Turret, one couldn't help butnotice the concert launch of the annual Demand-like screams accompa- that the females in attendance out- Winter Carnival coiffed their fa- nied lead singer Jacob Hoggard as weighed theirmale counterparts by vourite emo-inspired faux hawks a heavy margin. and moved towards the front of the - SEE HEDLEY, PAGE 16 Number of WLUSU board of director candidates, 2003-07 2 ■ WEDNESDAY JANUARY 17, 2007 ■ THE CORD WEEKLY News The Cord Weekly ~The lie that binds since 1926- phone: (519) 884-1970 ext. 3564 BOD labour motion fax:(519)883-0873 passes email: [email protected] Cayenne also said that he will "I still feel completely left in the The Cord Weekly Moves to maintain same number of student jobs be kept in the loop regarding the dark," said Greg Walsh, a fourth- 75 University Avenue West timeline of negotiations, but will year student supervisor at the Waterloo, Ontario STEVE NILES This comes just a month after not be direcdy privy to details of Bookstore. "I could be for N2L 3C5 this, I STAFF WRITER WLUSU President Allan Cayenne any potential negotiations. How- could be against this.I still have no WEDNESDAY JANUARY 17,2007 met with Staff Association officials ever, he said that he has not re- idea." VOLUME 47 ISSUE 18 The WLUSU Board ofDirectors re- and university administration to cendy spoken to either WLUSA "Whoever is trying to make Next Issue: January24 cendy passed a motion designed express his opinion regarding any President Keith Goulet or Assistant [unionization] happen should be to maintain the current student change to the current labour land- Vice President Human Resources the ones to come forward," Walsh QUOTE OF THE WEEK labour situation at the university. scape at the school. The meeting Allison Roberts for updates. says. "If it's their initiative, it's their and 7 get the goodcopy editorsbecause you'reanal The motion, also included from Both WLUSA and the responsibility to come to the stu- 1like anal." passed unanimously representatives university - Blair Forsyth-Stark referring to on January 11, seeks to maintain the Faculty Association and the have expressed a desire to ensure dents. We still haven't heard any- her favourite copy editors status quo regarding student la- GraduateStudents Association. privacy. However both parties pre- thing from the Staff Association or bour and condemns any changes Cayenne was pleased that the viously stressed that student input management or the university." CONTRIBUTORS that may take place. meeting was successful and is op- is still paramount and any signifi- Walsh also expressed frustra- Esther Wheaton Kathryn Flynn Sarah Bradfield The language of the motion timisticfor thefuture. cant developments will be made tion with the motion passed by the Jackie Martinz Vivek Sarma Mallory O'Brien Yusuf Faqiri Mark D Hopkins Laura Carlson speaks of Wilfrid Laurier Staff "Coming out of that meeting, known to students. board. Mary Erskine DJ Demcrs David Shore Steve Niles the the most productive was "I anticipate that at some point "It just seems like the Andrea BaUista Shane Porter Association (WLUSA) and thing board's university "working towards an that WLUSA and university ad- I'll be able to give my feedback on motion is more symbolic than but he said. WLUSP STAFF agreement that will maintain the ministration are sitting down at what they're about," anything," he said. "It's like they're number of jobs traditionally held the table," said Cayenne. "The fact "Until they have something to saying 'Yeah we're against it' but Production Assists[Its Janet Linseman ... closed there's behind Copy Editing Manager Oaitlin Henderson by students on campus." The mo- that they're still meeting is a good come to me with they're no weight it. Copy Editors Ariel Kroon like the Liz Funduk tion continues to say that WLUSU sign." meetings." "I my job way it is. I don't Mallory O'Brien disapproves of "...any changes that "I'm feeling pretty confident Despite the continued activ- see why it should be changed. But Meredith Barrett Tanith Perry-Mills will negatively affect the avail- about things right now in terms ity from all parties involved, many if they can come to mewith a good JillianPancott Heather Olaveson ability of jobs traditionally held by of university administration and student employees thatwill poten- reason why unionization is a ben- Photo Manager Sydney Helland Online Production Manager kathy Mane students and/or services offered to WLUSA working things out," he tially be affected by unionization efit then it's completely different." IT Manager Graham Wyatt students." added. still feel left out. Distribution Manager Lauren Bums Cord Interns David Goldberg Laura Purchase IfLIS! ADMINISTRATION President Frascr McCracken Ice, Ice Laurier: first snow Advertising Angela day VP: Foster VP: Brantfortl Paige Desmond Chair ot the Board Keren Goitfricd Vice Chair Arthur Wong Board of Directors Rafiq Andani Penny Shearer ADVERTISING All advertising inquiries should be directed to VP: Advertising Angela Foster at 884-0710, ext. 3560 [email protected] COLOPHON The Cord Weekly is theofficial student newspaperof the WilfridLaurier Universitycommunity. Started in 1926 as the College Cord, The Cord Weekly is an editorially independent newspaper published by Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications, Waterloo, a corporation without share capital.