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Frosh guide to cheap food and drinks

Dalhousie Gazette Staff
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By Erica Eades, Assistant Arts Editor

 

You’re in your first year of university. You (or your parents) are about to dish out some serious cash for tuition, residence, textbooks and everything else you might need for life on your own. But keeping a steady social life during your freshman year is just as important as keeping up with your school work. The solution? Knowing where to get cheap food and drinks, of course.

If it’s beer you’re after, Split Crow’s Molson Power Hour is not to be missed. The pub on Granville St. offers $2.50 draughts from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays and from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Be sure to show up early, because tables always go quickly!

Another option is The Propeller Brewery on Gottingen Street, which offers tours every day for groups of 10 or more. The cost is $15 per person and that gets you a tour of the brewery and two hours of all-you-can-drink Propeller beer. Just remember to call ahead, because booking is required.

The Maxwell’s Plum on Grafton Street is a prime English pub. With 60 beers on tap and over 100 brands in bottles and cans, there is truly something for everyone. Their infamous Brewtenders are great for splitting between a few friends. This massive beer monolith holds 80 oz and costs a mere $19.95. Brewtenders offer a different brand of beer for each day of the week, including Heineken on Mondays and Stella on Saturdays.

Maxwell’s is another cornerstone when it comes to food. Up for a Saturday morning football game? You can catch the Premier League games at Maxwell’s along with their amazing $2.00 breakfast deal. Hang out with the boys of Chelsea and Arsenal while enjoying a cheap and delicious English breakfast.

If you’re spending the evening at Maxwell’s, be sure to stay until 11 p.m. when everything on their “fun food” menu is half off for an hour. Choose from a variety of pub food such as nachos, mozza sticks and combination plates, all for under $5.

Looking for a step up from a $2 meal but still don’t want to spend a fortune? The Greek Village on Quinpool Road offers an incredible breakfast menu. For $5.29, you can enjoy a full spread of eggs, toast, home fries and your choice of either breakfast meat or fresh tomatoes. The full breakfast menu is available everyday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but if you arrive during their scheduled breakfast hours, you also receive complimentary coffee or tea.

Learning to live on a budget isn’t easy, but it is possible. With our help, you’ll be happily eating and drinking your way through your first year – without going broke!

Gazette pick: Brunch

Dalhousie Gazette Staff
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Rebecca Spence, Arts Editor 

 

Mounds of fruit and pancakes cannot compare to the fresh and innovative fare of jane’s on the common (2394 Robie St.).

jane’s is a local, neighbourhood restaurant that makes its meals from scratch, sourcing many ingredients from local suppliers. Their prices are a bit more than you would pay at a greasy spoon on Quinpool Road, but certainly competitive. Furthermore, their menu is way more creative and original than most other breakfast menus in the city. For instance, the $12 Maritime Breakfast includes two eggs any style, fresh line-caught haddock fillet, breaded and topped with an apple and cranberry chutney, sour dough toast, roasted potatoes and organic greens. Their eggs Benedict are served on a sweet potato biscuit with house-made hollandaise. The menu includes vegan options such as the  Caribbean French Toast, made with coconut milk and banana. They also serve some gluten-free options

This is definitely a special restaurant. A trip to Jane’s On The Common should be saved for those who can appreciate a good meal. Hung-over hooligans craving a heap of bacon and eggs should set their sights on Quinpool Road.

Resources for the low-income student

Dalhousie Gazette Staff
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Bethany Horne, Online Editor

 

If you take living expenses and textbook prices into account, going to school at Dalhousie can cost more than $15,000 a year. After four years of studies with that price tag, many of us will graduate poor, or in debt.

Last year, more than $2 million in university bursaries was given out to students who proved financial need. If you are suffering from financial burdens, you are not alone.

Here we’ve compiled some serious money-saving strategies for low-income students.

 

SHELTER:

Co-ops

A co-operative is a housing model where tenants are members of a decision-making body and pay housing fees into the communal pot. The co-op does not profit off the fees of its members and uses the money toward improvements and repair as needed, and as directed by the membership. Because co-op housing is not a for-profit model, it is usually cheaper than paying rent.

Several established co-ops in the city have vacancies. Metro Student Living, an initiative to make co-ops open to students, forged a partnership with Pathways Housing a few years ago to help student get into their units, which are sometimes eligible for government subsidies.

For a full list of Pathways vacancies go to  www.pathwayshousing.ca/vacancies.php, or contact them at 444-7277.

The other big co-op management company in the city is Concord: 468-4140.

Affordable rent from government

The Department of Community Services funds a “limited number of affordable rental housing units for low-income single parents attending university.” On top of those requirements, the applicant must be a full-time student working toward a first degree, the lone custodial parent of the child or children, approved for a Nova Scotia student loan, and eligible for public housing.

If you can check off all those boxes, read more about it at www.gov.ns.ca/coms/housing/rental/LoneParentStudent.html, or contact the Metro Regional housing authority toll free at 1-800-565-8859.

Peter Green Hall Student Family Housing Co-op

Married students who decided to take affordable housing into their own hands built Peter Green Hall in the 1960s.

To be a member of this apartment complex co-op, applicants must be a married or cohabitating couple, a single parent or a couple with children, comprised of at least one full-time university student.

One-bedroom units cost $697 a month and two-bedrooms go for $870, utilities included.

Residents are also expected to contribute at least a couple of hours of volunteer work each month to the society.

For more information, go to: petergreenhall.dal.ca.

Herizons for single mothers

Nova Scotia has the highest proportion of single-parent families in Canada, according the YWCA’s brochure about their housing program for single moms in Halifax.

Herizons has space to house up to five women-led families.

“Recent statistics show that there were 228 single parents attending university who applied for student assistance in HRM, of which one can estimate that there are 189 are single mothers attending university in Halifax,” their website says.

Education is one of the keys to reducing the risk of homelessness, but Halifax has some of the highest tuition rates in the country, and rent for a two-bedroom averages $899 a month. Education is not always an option for those who most would benefit from it.

Women at Herizons have access to more than just an apartment: they have on-site after-hours childcare, emergency staff, access to referrals and advocacy services, and are surrounded by a supportive community.

Phone 423-6162 extension 222 or fill out the form at http://www.ywcahalifax.com/main.php?page=survey_herizons to apply. 

 

FOOD:

Dalhousie Student Union Food Bank

The Student Union runs a food bank out of the basement of the Student Union building. With only the flash of your Dal card, you can walk away with an armful of canned goods and other non-perishables, for free, right here on campus, to help during those tight grocery weeks.

The hours of operation will depend on the number of volunteers, but the VP-Internal can let you in, if you’re in a pinch. For more info contact Kayla Kurin at 494-1276 or e-mail dsuvpi@dal.ca.

Parker Street food bank

Clients of the Parker Street Food Bank begin lining up at the Maynard Street location half an hour before the doors open at 8:30 a.m.

Parker Street Food bank is different from most because it fills orders more frequently – every three weeks – and lets folks choose which foods they want to take home instead of giving you mystery grab bags. The food bank also stocks fresh fruit and vegetables and a variety of donated bread.

Bring some of your own bags as well as a Nova Scotia Health card or proof of residence to 2415 Maynard Street on Monday, Wednesday or Friday mornings. For more information call 425-2125.

Free meals

There are several places in the city that serve free meals on different days of the week.

On Sunday, Saint Matthew’s United Church serves breakfast between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. (1279 Barrington Street).

For lunch, try the free vegetarian meals shared by the activists of Food Not Bombs. At 1 p.m. the group meets on the front steps of the North Branch Library at 2285 Gottingen Street.

Get your Sunday supper in the gymnasium of St. Andrews United Church (6036 Coburg Road) between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

On Monday, bring your re-usable mug to the Student Union Building to get free coffee or tea at SustainDal’s Muggy Mondays stand. They will be there every week of the school year to raise awareness about our habits of waste, and to fight back with piping hot caffeine rewards.

On Tuesday, with a re-useable container and your own cutlery in hand you can get vegetarian food by donation from the Tuppy Tuesdays table in the McCain lobby, another SustainDal initiative. Tuppy Tuesdays is a big hit, so get there early.

On Wednesday, the Food Not Bombs activists re-appear at the Spring Garden Road Memorial Library (5381 Spring Garden Road) at 5 p.m. to serve their vegetarian fare. This meal is targeted at university students.

Last year, the students of Campus Action on Food (CAF) did some free servings in the SUB to show how hard it is to get affordable, healthy, vegetarian food on campus. If you’re interested, you can find out more about them on their Facebook page, their Wiki ( HYPERLINK “http://campusactiononfood.wikispaces.com/”http://campusactiononfood.wikispaces.com/), or by e-mailing campusactiononfood@gmail.com.

 

EXTRAS:

Parker Street furniture bank

The people at Parker Street run a furniture bank along with the food bank. They accept donations and redistribute used furniture to families with proven needs, though sometimes a delivery fee applies. If you have a Nova Scotia health card, drop by during office hours to fill out an application for that bed, dresser, table or couch that you need. Even if they don’t have an item you are looking for, they can add your name to a waiting list and let you know when new donations come in. Call 453-4886 to schedule a pick-up or drop-off.

Dalhousie Student Union online book exchange

This textbook exchange website allows students to sell their old course books for any price. Users of the site can search the directory by title, author, subject or ISBN, and can contact the seller directly by e-mail.

Although professors frequently update their requirements to the newest edition, this is not always the case, nor does it always mean the content of the old edition is not the same.

Do some research and search for books you need at www.tigerbooks.ca.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for, don’t forget that many students also post their books for sale on the dal.ca message boards, and at http://halifax.kijiji.ca.

Dal Women’s Centre child care

This little house on South Street is packed with support for low-income students, but the specifics of what goes on in the space change yearly. The centre tries to be completely responsive to the women that use it. This year, it kicks off the school year with a review process that you can read more about in The Dalhousie Gazette next week.

In the past, volunteers have organized childcare to help single-parent students. A clothing bank, toy bank and community kitchen also share the space. Film series, support groups and social events are always going on in the DWC’s lounge.

Drop by 6286 South Street, or go to www.dalwomenscentre.ca for more information.

City Mail

If you’re in the North End, you can now send letters for free. A mysterious mail-aficionado (or team of them?) offers a service called City Mail: “an initiative dedicated
to the delivery of inner-city
postables, in Halifax.”

All your package or envelope needs is an address: no postage required. Schedule a pick-up by e-mailing  HYPERLINK “mailto:citymail.halifax@gmail.com” citymail.halifax@gmail.com, or by trusting your precious correspondence to the boxes at Gottingen Street and Cunard Street, Fuller Terrace and North Street, Windsor Street and Lawrence Street, or on Brunswick Street, near Steve-O-Reno’s. The mailboxes will be emptied “on a minimum-weekly basis,” and delivered to their destination.

 

HARD CASH

Dal bursaries

Although this cash source is not meant to fund your whole education, it does a nice job at filling in the gaps. Students who have financial need and applied for a student loan can apply for fall bursaries beginning in October. The amount you are awarded can depend on your estimated need, the funds the university has available, and the number of applicants, but it usually ranges between $200 and $600 a term.

Keep checking www.moneymatters.dal.ca/02_bursaries.html to find out when applications for the fall term will be available.

Dal Women’s Centre bursaries

The centre offers the only financial support on campus specifically for students with children. Students can apply for bursaries throughout the school year and can find more information on the centre’s website, listed above.

Temporary loans

Dal offers interest-free emergency loans of up to $1,000 to help students pay for living expenses until other funding arrives.

These loans are available for 30 days, but could cover a period of up to 90 days. Applicants need to prove they can pay the money back.

Applications are processed every week, due on Wednesdays. To read the fine print or to print out an application form, go to  http://www.moneymatters.dal.ca/04_temploans.html.

Sex Without Sue?

Dalhousie Gazette Staff
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Katie Toth, Sex columnist

For about 10 years Sue Johanson has been coming to Dalhousie to talk sex.

However, on Monday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m., Dalhousie’s tradition will experience a surprising twist.

Members of the Halifax and Dalhousie communities are collaborating on a queer-inclusive sex talk, which they hope will be an alternative to Johanson’s annual sex education lecture.

Hayley Gray, who is a board member for the Dalhousie Women’s Centre, sits on the Steering Committee of the Dalhousie Allies and was concerned about what she and her colleagues heard at last year’s Sex With Sue talk. “We felt that the talk was hetero-normative and refused, essentially, to talk about gay sex in any form.”

When asked to comment, Johanson is anything but evasive: “You are absolutely right, and this is not the first time I have heard that,” she responds to the request to comment about perceived hetero-normativity in her Dal show.

“The only problem is that there is so much information that kids need to know about themselves as sexual human beings, and for me to devote any great amount of time on same-sex relationships would be not fair.

“There’s so much information that young people really need to know about homosexuality, it’s a whole 2 hour presentation on its own that I do for lesbian, gay, bi and trans kids.”

Johanson says she’s “well aware” that the use of heterosexual and gendered pronouns when talking about sex can be exclusive, but “it just makes it so much easier.”

“I would love to find a way to be more gender inclusive,” she says; “For me it’s important for young people to be comfortable with themselves as sexual human beings.”

Michael Gillis, on behalf of the Dalhousie Allies and an amalgamation of concerned sexual health groups in Halifax, wrote Johanson a letter stating the group’s concerns.

Dalhousie Student Union VP of Student Life Hannah Dahn followed up on the letter, and encouraged Johanson not to use terms such as “fudge packing” or to evade discussion of same-sex relationships. Dahn says that she got a response from Johanson’s agent.

Chris Saulnier, president of the DSU, also noted what he called the “proactive” steps to get in touch with Sue.

“We contacted her, we outlined the concerns that there were with the show last year, and asked her to take those into consideration.”

When asked to comment on her response to that feedback, Johanson was surprised. “I did not get that letter. I don’t know where they sent it,” she responded. She did, however, encourage this journalist to “ask them to give me a call” as soon as possible, saying that feedback from the Dalhousie community would be “wonderful.”

Gray insists that a “supportive” environment is imperative for offering new students who want to talk about sex a space where they feel secure. “When we have all these first-years and other members of the community coming to Dalhousie and hoping to get a sex education that maybe their parents weren’t up for, having a talk that’s open to all types of sex is really important.”

Johanson says that she would “prefer if the gay, lesbian, bi, trans […community] would have their own information sessions. That way they can focus on homosexuality as such, and make it open for heterosexuals and bisexuals or just people who are curious”.

Gray, however, does not want to describe her alternative talk as “homosexual” or “queer-focused”.

“I’d call it inclusive,” she says. Gray hopes the event will be “an event that will be incorporating all types of sexuality, all types of people for whom sexual interests may vary”.

This year’s alternative sex talk will be hosted by Shannon Pringle, the educational co-ordinator for Venus Envy. After the talk, there will be an open forum where Pringle will answer written or oral questions from the floor.

Pringle was unavailable for comment at time of press.

Hayley Gray is Katie Toth’s roommate. They directed the 2010 Vagina Monologues together.

Sex With Sue: Monday September 6th: Dalhousie Student Union Building.

Sex Without Sue: Monday, September 13th: Location TBA.

Point/Counterpoint

Dalhousie Gazette Staff
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Keith Lehwald and Lance Chua, Opinions contributors

POINT(Keith): Turning 19 is a cause for celebration in Canada – and often a cause for getting drunk. The legal drinking age is something that tends to be taken for granted in North America.

However, many European countries don’t actually have laws regulating the consumption of alcohol by minors. With this in mind, I will be arguing that the legal drinking age be completely abolished in Canada, while maintaining a minimum purchasing age.

Firstly, this would work to eliminate some of the mystique of alcohol. Currently, drinking is seen as a privilege afforded only to adults. This increases its desirability among people who are underage and can actually have the effect of increasing underage drinking if the law is not very strongly enforced. In abolishing the law, alcohol loses most of its status as a symbol of “maturity”, and with it much of its desirability to minors.

COUNTERPOINT (Lance): Laws regulating the consumption of substances are not there simply for arbitrary reasons; there are sound principles behind these restrictions that stem from the mandate that a government receives from its people.

Government, regardless of whether you are on the political left, right, or a centrist, has the duty to protect its people’s rights and to hold people who disrupt the exercise of other people’s rights accountable for their actions. Society also recognizes that there are significant harms associated with the consumption, especially the excess consumption, of alcohol. These harms put not only the person drinking at risk but also places other people and their property at risk as well.

By employing a restriction on the consumption of alcohol access to alcohol is restricted to a much smaller set of individuals thereby reducing the number of people exposed to the risks of alcohol.

Disregarding the minimum drinking age is similar to handing out car keys to any individual, regardless of age or ability. It doesn’t make the lure of driving any less significant, furthermore it significantly increases the risks of being on the road for the driver and other motorists.

Keith:Furthermore, when underage drinking does occur, it mostly happens clandestinely, hidden from adults and others who would otherwise be supervising the behaviour. People often tend to binge and take part in activities like pre-drinking in an attempt to get the most out of the occasions when they are able to get away with drinking, creating bad habits even before one is legally able to drink.

Even where this does not occur, the drinking age can still have harmful effects. People who actually do fully or mostly abstain before their nineteenth birthday still have a tendency to abuse their newfound right when they legally can, something certainly not helped by friends taking advantage of the ability to buy them a drink for the first time.

Lance: Clandestine drinking events and the creation of bad habits are not going to end with the removal of the legal drinking age.

Because an adult can supply any minor with liquor without consequence supervision of drinking will not be done by adults with a vested interest in the safety of the youth that they are with, if they are with any adults to begin with. The habits that proponents of this motion so fear will not be stopped by removing the legal drinking age.

Most people who drink do so in the company of friends, most of whom would be considered their peers. Those habits therefore are built not in the company of parents but instead with people of the same age and similar mindsets. Among children and teenagers the mindset would generally be the same as it is now: doing what is cool and appealing, and doing it better than everyone else. These people will therefore still drink and will still abuse their ability to drink.

K: By removing the laws against it, underage drinking would lose much of its stigma. People would become more open to drinking publicly and in the presence of adults, and adults would become more open to seeing minors drinking.

Through early and supervised introduction to alcohol through older friends and family, responsible drinking habits could be formed that would serve people well once they became old enough to buy alcohol themselves. The “nineteenth birthday binge” would effectively be eliminated, since many people would have already started drinking openly by then, and those that had not would have made more of a conscious choice to refrain from it rather than having their hand forced by a law.

L:As I’ve already mentioned most of these habits aren’t formed in the company of parents but instead in the company of their peers. Added to this however is the fact that young people below the age of 19 don’t need to be exposed to alcohol to develop these “responsible drinking habits” that proponents claim can be developed. People don’t need to have sex to recognize the benefits of practicing safe sex and other beneficial habits and the same logic applies to alcohol.

Furthermore I don’t think it’s a good idea for the government to in any way reduce the stigma associated with a substance known to have significant risks to the population’s health and well-being. Science has proven the dangers that alcohol poses to people, especially young people. The stigma is necessary to reduce the number of people who engage in this action. And it falls to the parents or guardians of a child to develop the proper habits and attitude towards alcohol.

K: But perhaps most importantly, it encourages greater responsibility in teens and young adults. The legal drinking age is a largely arbitrary point in time in which the government decides a person is ready to make choices about alcohol. By abolishing this age, the government would recognize that people under the age of 19 are able to take responsibility for their own actions and make their own choices. Rather than drinking as a way to rebel against the system, young people would drink simply because they wanted to drink, an attitude less likely to lead to excess. By transferring the responsibility to control drinking from the government to the individual, the individual will also have a greater incentive to take that responsibility and develop good habits.

L: It’s foolish to think that a legal drinking age is an arbitrary number selected by the government. Risky behaviour due to the consumption of alcohol happens whether or not you practice “good habits.”

People drink and drive, over-consume, and accidents do happen. For our society to function smoothly, some people need to take responsibility for these actions. However, as a society we recognize that certain people can’t be held responsible for their actions because we realize that they don’t fully comprehend and are unable to make the necessary calculus about the consequences of their actions. It’s for this reason that we don’t allow seven year-olds into business contracts, 10 year-olds behind the wheel of a car, 12 year-olds to marry, or even 15 year-olds to vote. We recognize that certain abilities and privileges come with age. Consuming alcohol is one of those.

 

Keith Lehwald and Lance Chua are members of Sodales, the Dalhousie debate society. Debaters are at times forced to argue for things that they do not necessarily believe in. Therefore the opinions expressed in Point/Counterpoint are not necessarily held by the debaters, Sodales, or the Gazette.

If you are interested (or simply curious) about debating, want an avenue to express and share your opinions and beliefs check out Sodales. The first General Assembly will be on the Sept. 15 in Rowe 1007. Subsequent meetings will happen every Wednesday at LSC 220.

‘Peas’-ful Protest

Dalhousie Gazette Staff
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Rachel Deloughery, Emma Kiley, Sustainability columnists 

You’re sitting in your mid-morning lecture when your stomach starts growling. If the first thought that pops into your head is “Some beet greens would totally hit the spot right now”, the people at Campus Action on Food (CAF) are trying to make your lunch dreams come true. A working group of the Nova Scotia Public Interest Research Group (NSPIRG), CAF is focused on changing the landscape of food on campus.

The container garden tucked behind the Student Union building on a rectangle of grassy ground is the pilot project for CAF’s Edible Campus initiative. The containers, built largely from recycled and reclaimed materials, make it possible to grow food on concrete, part of the group’s intention for the project. “There are so many unused concrete spaces on campus,” points out Kayleigh MacGregor-Bales, a member of CAF and participant in the Edible Campus project.“We thought it would be great to have things growing there instead.”

The initiative has its roots in the Edible Schoolyard project developed in the mid-90’s by chef Alice Waters at a middle school in Berkley, California. The idea behind the movement was growing organic produce as a way to introduce healthy food choices, educate students, and enhance communities. In 2007 an academic research group at McGill’s School of Architecture teamed up with NGOs to launch an award-winning Edible Campus project in Montreal. The partnership has garnered extensive media coverage, and its success has inspired the creation of similar projects elsewhere in Canada, including the one here at Dalhousie.

As we sit on the grass with several members of CAF, they talk about some of the environmental, social, and aesthetic benefits of the project. They explain that container gardens are sinks for greenhouse gases; locally grown veggies also mean no packaging, and food travels fewer miles to reach your plate. The project’s organizers are enthusiastic about getting the community involved. They view the garden as a tool for teaching others about self-sufficiency, as well as how food production ties into broader environmental and social systems.

When we paid a visit to the garden Sonia Grant, another CAF member and
participant in the project, showed us the kale, beets, squash, tomatoes, chard, beans, and herbs that are currently thriving in the planters. However, it required more than a green thumb to get this project up and running. “It was five or six months from the time we first submitted our proposal to the Dal administration and Facilities Management before we finally got permission” says Grant, “There were a lot of obstacles put in our way.”

The University’s main concerns, as described by CAF, were about the location of the project, and its insurance coverage. They were told that the $2 million liability insurance held by NSPIRG was insufficient. At least $5 million in coverage would be required to protect against liability associated with eating any of the food that would be produced.

The original Edible Campus proposal put the containers in the wide paved expanse between the chemistry building and the Killam Library. However, CAF was told that location was “too visible” for the pilot project; the present site was given as an available alternative. According to Grant a compromise was only reached when they announced that, with or without administrative approval, they would go ahead with a launch involving local media and politicians.

“They agreed to increase NSPIRG’s coverage from $2 million to $5 million, if we agreed to use this location,” Grant explains.

The project is one of CAF’s initiatives in support of the food sovereignty they envision for Dal. They define food sovereignty as making sure that accessible, affordable, and diverse food choices are available to Dal’s student body. They want to see a campus where students have opportunities to get involved in their food chain and where cost is not a limiting factor when making lunchtime choices. Aaron Beales, another CAF member, emphasizes that the idea of shifting away from the current model, where food options on campus are monopolized by large corporations, is central to their vision.

With the success of the pilot project, CAF sees the Edible Campus expanding to other sites. In the long term they would love to see a student run food co-operative in the SUB, although they haven’t yet broached the idea with the Dalhousie Student Union.

The members of CAF we spoke to are excited about how this school year is shaping up, in part because of the positive relationship they’ve cultivated with the newly elected DSU council members. At the time of our visit, they were getting their hands dirty planting seeds for a fall harvest, as most of their summer crops have come to fruition. Anyone who wants to try out their green thumb, or otherwise get involved with CAF and the Edible Campus is invited to drop by their space behind the SUB Mondays at 4pm starting September 13th. Or contact them by email:campusactiononfood@gmail.com.

Spend an hour or two playing in the dirt and you could leave with a week’s supply of beets (or whatever happens to be in season)!

Tigers playoff picture

Dalhousie Gazette Staff
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By Dalhousie Gazette Staff

Men’s basketball
Simon Farine will lead the Tigers back into the playoffs hoping to relive last years surprising playoff run, which saw the Tigers win their first AUS Championship since 1996. The competition is stiffer this time round with an undefeated St. FX team and a powerful University of Cape Breton team, both hungry for national championship standing between the Tigers and consecutive AUS title. The Dal team has the talent to go all the way, and is ranked 10th overall in Canada.

Women’s basketball
The women’s team hasn’t clinched a playoff berth yet, but of the two remaining spots, the battle is between the University of New Brunswick and Acadia University. Both trail Dalhousie by six points for the final spot, leaving Dal’s postseason all but assured.
Barring any major upsets, Dal will face St. Francis Xavier in the quarter-finals. The two teams have met three times this season with St. FX winning two reasonably close games and Dal coming away with a 73-58 win in January.
Dal will look to veteran stars Cailin Crosby, April Scott and the Girdwood twins to best the X-Women and 2008-2009 defensive player of the year Ashley Stephen. The Tigers have two road games against The University of Prince Edward Island and Acadia to play before heading to Sydney, Cape Breton for the AUS Championships Feb. 26 to Feb. 28.

Men’s hockey
The hockey team has missed the playoffs by a single point making 2010 the sixth-straight year the Tigers have missed the postseason, but almost certainly the last. Coach Pete Belliveau continues to stock his roster with talented recruits as the he rebuilds the Dal hockey program. Playing in the best varsity hockey league in Canada the ever-improving Tigers are expected to make a big splash in 2010-2011. Students returning next September can look forward to hockey playoffs next spring. Belliveau has taken every team he’s coached to a national championship. Dal’s time is coming.

Women’s hockey
Led by top-scorer Jocelyn LeBlanc, who has 16 goals and 13 assists in 17 games, this season the women’s hockey team is poised to make a solid play-off run in 2010. Team captain Laura Shearer leads all blue-liners in the league with 15 points and goalie Ashley Boutilier holds a respectable .902 save percentage going into the final stretch of the regular season. The women’s final home game of the season will be Sunday, Feb. 21, at 2 p.m.

Men’s volleyball
They’ve won 23 consecutive AUS titles dating back to 1987 and are ranked second in Canada, but the question surrounding the Dal men’s volleyball team is: Can they bring home a National championship? With 23 years of championships in Atlantic Canada, an AUS title in 2010 is not only expected – it’s also not good enough.
Joel Tichinoff
Sports Editor
Women’s volleyball
The women’s team has snuck into the playoffs with six wins and 11 losses, good enough for a .353 win percentage. The Tigers are going to have to find a way to win, and win consistently, if they have any hope for a significant playoff run. Win or lose, the future is bright for this volleyball team with a roster full of promising talent. 2010 will only be the first of many post-season runs for this team. The pressure for a championship will rise as this team matures.

It’s a hockey tournament, eh?

Dalhousie Gazette Staff
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By Zack Wilson and Tim Vander Kooi, Staff Contributors

With two games already under their belts, Team Canada’s men’s Olympic team looks poised to make a deep run in the most anticipated hockey tournament in the history of the game. Despite a roster loaded with names such as Crosby, Iginla and Brodeur, Canada is no shoe-in for the gold.
In recent times, a number of countries have risen to the surface of the hockey world.  Twenty years ago a tournament such as this would have been a two-horse race, with Canada and the Soviet Union as the only real contestants. Instead, this year there are seven nations that could hypothetically walk away with gold.
Slovakia, Sweden, Russia, Finland, the Czech Republic or the United States could be crowned Kings of the hockey world and nobody would bat an eye.
Canada will be hard-pressed to find an easy adversary in the tournament from this point on.  Neither of their opponents– Switzerland nor Norway – is considered to be a medal contender. From here on in, the big boys will be rearing their ugly heads and coming to play.
Many have referred to this tournament as a competition that has seven main players: the “Big Seven”. Here is a list of teams Canada will have to go through if they have any hope of bringing back those ever-coveted gold medals.

Slovakia
Slovakia comes into the tournament with high hopes, although the rest of the world may not echo that same sentiment. They will probably be the dark horse of the tournament. This team could surprise a lot of people. They have a big defensive squad led by Zdeno Chara, Milan Jurcina, and Andrie Mezaros. Jaroslav Halak is a streaky goaltender that could get hot throughout the tournament. Marion Gaborik has proven himself for the New York Rangers this season, so he should do some serious damage alongside Marian Hossa. Slovakia must keep the score low in order to win games.

Sweden
Sweden comes into the tournament as the defending champions and they look poised to repeat their winning ways. Henrik Lundqvist has shown shades of Tommy Sodderstrom this season and will surely keep Sweden in any game.  It will be interesting to see if Peter Forsberg will make a difference, or be a flop. He needs to perform to help out the younger players around him.   Nicklas Lidstrom, in the twilight of his career, should log a great number of minutes if Sweden has any chance of reclaiming the gold.
Russia
To many experts, the Russians look to be the most offensively lethal group of the bunch. Their offence can explode on weak teams, so expect some high-scoring games in the round robin.  With the likes of Ovechkin, Semin, Malkin and Datsyuk, this team should have no problem keeping the puck in the opposition’s zone. Defence is a bit of an issue though. Markov and Gonchar are not defensive-minded defensemen. They typically like to jump into the play to make something happen. However, they have strong goaltending with the one-two punch of Nabokov and Varlamov.

Finland
Finland has a fine crop of young players and a group of elder statesmen, but little in between.  Names such as Saku Koivu and Teemu Selane litter their forward roster, and a number of personalities around the game agree that these guys may be too old for the young men’s game.  Finland’s defence is adequate but porous. Little to no offence is expected from the back end.  Their goaltending may be their saving grace with former Toronto Maple Leaf first rounder turned Boston Bruin Tuuka Rask in net. This year, the young goaltender has had scorching numbers in the National Hockey League and has all but forced last year’s Vezna trophy winner Tim Thomas from the net.

The Czech Republic
The Czechs are always a tough team to play. This hockey-crazy nation possesses a number of lethal scoring weapons. North Americans will likely be given their last chance to watch Jaromir Jagr on Canadian soil. Two years after the future Hall of Famer departed from North America for the opportunity to play in Russia’s upstart KHL, the Czech flag bearer returns as team captain. Although still a scorer, Jagr is more likely to be a leader than a sniper.
The team’s defence is anchored by Toronto Maple Leaf defenseman Tomas Kabarle and is expected to handle quite the workload as they have been grouped into a pool that includes the likes of Slovakia and Russia. In net the Czechs have turned to Tomas Vokun. Gone are the days when Dominic Hasek patrolled the Czech crease and Vokun will be heavily relied upon.

The United States
For the first time since the 1992 tournament, the United States will be sending a team that is not made up solely of geezers. Up front, names such as New Jersey Devils forward Zach Parise, Maplle Leaf`s winger Phil Kessel highlight what promises to be an exciting forward contingent.  On the blue line, veteran Brian Rafalski will guide a young defensive corps. In net, Ryan Miller (arguably the best goaltender in the NHL this season) will back-stop this young squad, and for his part, hopefully bring home Olympic glory.

Other teams of note in the tournament include the Belarus and the Norwegian. Both have good young crops of players (Norway has three members of their 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship squad in their line up), although these teams will need a number of years to mature and improve their national programs. Neither pose any real threat to the “Big Seven”.

Girdwood twins, April Scott honoured in Tigers home

Dalhousie Gazette Staff
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By Natasha White, Staff Contributor

The final home game of the hard-court season was a nitty-gritty battle between the Dalhousie ladies and Halifax rivals St. Mary’s. Fitting, as it was the last showing at the Dalplex for fifth-year forward twins Laurie and Leah Girdwood and guard April Scott. It was also potentially the last home game for hardworking Alex Legge and top rebounder Cailin Crosby – both in their fourth year at Dal. Legge could possibly return to the team next season if all works out with her med-school admittance.
With these losses, Coach Stammberger is facing a huge hole in her starting line-up for next season. The ladies were honoured in a brief ceremony after the game for their fierce competitiveness and substantial contributions to Dal Tigers’ basketball. Let’s hope Coach Stammberger’s doing some serious recruiting for the 2010/2011 season.
Saturday night’s game proved that the Tigers just keep getting better and better. It was a bittersweet pill to swallow, as the ladies succumbed to second-ranked St. Mary’s Huskies by a mere three points: 62-65. Coincidently, threes by Huskies’ Justine Colley and Robbi Daley killed the Tigers’ opportunity for the upset.
St. Mary’s outscored Dal from behind the arch, 27 to three. Forty-seven percent at the free throw line by Dal didn’t help the cause either. Again, Dal managed to consistently break the full court press, which is a vast improvement from the start of the season. However, the disconnect lay in what to do once the press was broken, and the Tigers found themselves with numbers. Too many two-on-ones weren’t taken advantage of, and it’s going to take conversion these easy points’ opportunities to beat the best.
Thanks in part to St. Mary’s proximity, and to both Ladies’ and Men’s proactive crowd recruiting, attendance at the Dalplex on Friday was it’s largest for home games of the season. The ladies treated the crowd to an excellent showing. In the final seconds, retiring guard Scott nearly tied the game. The ball took a 360-degree trip around the rim and cruelly decided to come back out.
Alas, it was not meant to be that night. Leah Girdwood, April Scott, Cailin Crosby, Laurie Girdwood and Alex Legge should be proud of their outstanding careers as Dalhousie Tigers.

Sully’s goodbye

Dalhousie Gazette Staff
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By Natasha White, Staff Contributor

It was electric. It was how it should be.
The final three minutes at the Tigers’ last home game of the season versus the St. Mary’s Huskies was a sports fan’s dream. The intense clash between Halifax rivals came down to the wire and the crowd was roaring. Every possession was critical. Every missed free throw would come back to haunt the losing team. Every turn-over, steal, made or missed three single-handedly made the difference in the outcome of this basketball spectacle. Sadly, it would be Dal’s misses that had them on the losing end of this passionate effort.
The final score was 70-68. While the referees didn’t cause missed threes or free throws, they did do a little missing themselves. In the final minutes of the game, the refs somehow neglected to call a most obvious goal-tending violation by St. Mary’s. This gave the Huskies an undeserved two-point advantage, coincidently reflecting the final margin of victory. However, best not to dwell on what should have been.
What was is a much better story. Tiger guards Simone Farine and Andrew Sullivan each marked the game with major milestones. Farine surpassed the 1,000 career point mark Saturday night, joining a select few in Tiger history. Coach Campbell even flashed a rare sideline smile as he congratulated Simon. Despite an extremely concentrated defensive effort by St. Mary’s to shut Farine down, he scored 26 points, made seven assisted, and was the top rebounder for Dal with 10. The battle of the AUS scoring leaders of Huskie guard Joey Haywood sitting number one (averaging 24 per game) and Tiger Simon Farine sitting two (averaging 22 per game), was won by Dal’s own. Farine, who played the full 40 minutes, put in his usual outstanding effort, earning once again Player of the Game. Tiger fans should be quite thankful that we haven’t seen the last of the six-foot-two-inch co-captain.
Andrew Sullivan however, did play his last home game Saturday night. The fifth-year environmental engineering student epitomized a stellar career with his final effort of the evening. With Dal down by two and 1.6 seconds to go, Sully sacrificed it all as he dove for the ball during St. Mary’s final in-bound. He looked like a linebacker on the non-existent football team, as he took out the cushioned divider that thankfully broke his fall.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to gain possession for Dal. But you have to love Sullivan’s unfailing heart. Dal loses not only a team leader and co-captain, but the number six assist leader in the AUS and a top 15 steal leader. Sullivan’s success extends off the court: he is a five-time academic all-Canadian and Dalhousie nominee for the prestigious Rhodes scholarship.
In a recent interview with Coach Campbell, Sullivan earned high praise for his contributions to the team. Sullivan’s quiet confidence and timely threes will be sorely missed. Without a doubt Sully will be remembered as a pivotal piece in the 2009 AUS Championship team, as well as one of the best-rounded students at Dalhousie to don a Tiger uniform.

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The Dalhousie Gazette is the main student publication at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The paper first began publishing in 1868, making it the oldest continually operating student newspaper in North America followed by The Harvard Crimson and The Columbia Daily Spectator

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