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Anti-prorogation rally draws hundreds

Dalhousie Gazette Staff
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By Laura Conrad, Staff Contributor

Bundled in scarves and coats, hundreds of protestors faced the bitter cold to protest Stephen Harper’s decision to prorogue Parliament. The event at Province House was one of many across Canada that took place Jan. 23.
Brenden Sommerhalder, a graduate student at Saint Mary’s University, organized the rally.
“Clearly, this means one thing,” he said, about the turnout. “People are really angry about this. They are willing to come out on a cold January afternoon, on a Saturday, just to show Stephen Harper that this is not OK.”
Last month, Harper announced his decision to prorogue Parliament until March. That means the House of Commons won’t meet until then. It’s the second time Harper has stalled session in about a year. Since the announcement, thousands of Canadians have joined Facebook groups and more than 100 university professors have signed petitions denouncing the prorogation. Thousands of protesters across Canada made their voices heard last weekend.
“Canadians feel insulted by the Prime Minister, and frightened by what seems to be the muzzling of Parliament,” he said.
Sommerhalder also said he was pleased with the turnout of the rally, which he estimated over 500 people attended.
“I was hoping for this much support, but I wasn’t expecting it,” he said.
Sommerhalder created a Facebook page for supporters of the protest, which currently has over 1,000 members.
Sommerhalder said the event was formed through grassroots efforts.
“We just put the word out there, and a lot of people were interested,” he said. “We threw a planning meeting (and) a lot of people came out, a very diverse group of people.”
Liberal MP Geoff Regan was one of the first speakers at the event. He told the crowd to remember the legacy of Joseph Howe.
“If you listen carefully, you can hear what Joe Howe is saying,” he said. “He’s saying, ‘Stephen Harper, report to Parliament!’ The government is responsible to the people who are elected by (Canadians). It’s not the other way around.”
Angela Giles, regional organizer for the Council of Canadians, also gave a speech at the rally.
“We’re here to say that this is about much more than the proroguing of Parliament,” she said. “This is about reclaiming democracy in our daily lives. Our country, on the international stage, is increasingly seen as a human-rights-denying eco-outlaw, against the wishes of the majority of Canadians. Enough is enough. It is time for electoral reform and proportional representation in Canada.”
Apart from Regan and Giles, there were several other speakers at the rally. They included Liberal MP Mike Savage, Kyle Buott from the Halifax-Dartmouth District Labour Council, and Gregor Ash and Robert Chisolm on behalf of MP’s Megan Leslie and Peter Stoffer. The Halifax Raging Grannies got the crowd laughing and singing along when they performed two songs. Local comedian Scott Vrooman also performed a short sketch about the prorogation.
Sommerhalder says he plans to continue pushing the issue.
“Clearly, activism works,” he said. “Get involved. Remember this, and get involved. We’ve already organized a public meeting for next month for people who want to stay involved. Remember this. Remember what Stephen Harper has done, and take it to the polls.”
The follow-up meeting to the rally will be held on Feb.11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Bloomfield Centre.

Psst, I have something to tell you

Dalhousie Gazette Staff
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By Katrina Pyne, Staff Contributor

Telling other people’s secrets usually gets you into trouble, but Frank Warren spilled the beans on life, death and god at Dalhousie on Jan. 20.
He greeted over a thousand people in the sold-out auditorium in his usual way.
“My name is Frank, and I collect secrets,” he said.
Warren is the creator of the PostSecret Project. In 2004, he sent out 3,000 self-addressed postcards. On each one, he gave instructions to write down a well-kept secret and mail it back.
The first wave of postcards returned.
“It wasn’t long before the whole thing went viral,” Warren said. Now, PostSecret receives postcards from many continents in many languages.
He travels across North America speaking about his bizarre collection and posting them online at www.postsecret.com.
“The bruises on my knees are from masturbating all weekend,” one person wrote.
Another came with a pound of coffee and says, “Where I work, they don’t take inventory, enjoy!”
The most popular postcard Warren receives is, “I pee in the shower.”
Known as the “most trusted stranger in America,” Warren has had half a million anonymous postcards come through his mailbox in Germantown, Maryland.
“I feel like a kid at a candy store when I get the mail,” he said. “Kathy, my mail distributor, has been a really good sport about all this.”
But not all the secrets are humourous. One postcard he picked up had a picture of a battered door on it. As Warren held it tightly in his hands he read, “The holes are from when my mother tried to kick down the door so she could continue beating me.”
“I used to have one of those doors too,” he said. “I was haunted by my past. Talking about my secrets lightened my load.”
Warren said the act of sending a postcard can be cathartic and transformative.
“I think we all have secrets, some tragic and some unbearable,” he said. “You can either bury them inside, or you can bring them into the light and begin to heal.”
In a phone interview, Warren said he was the first to admit PostSecret was a crazy idea. Even his parents were skeptical of the endeavour. His mom called it “diabolical.” Now, Warren says he sees meaning in his project – PostSecret provides a forum for people to come together and let their voices be heard.
All the proceeds from Wednesday’s event went to the Adsum House, a shelter that provides long-term housing and other services for over 300 women every year.
“The children most broken by the world become the adults most likely to change it,” Warren said of the organization.
Warren’s latest book, “Confessions about Life, Death and God,” topped the New York Times’ bestseller list last fall. He has published three books about his postcards since he started in 2004.
Warren says he puts one of his own secrets in each book.
“When you send in a postcard you realize your dirty little secret isn’t that big of a deal,” he said. “We are all connected.”
At the conclusion of Wednesday’s event, Warren invited the audience to share their secrets in front of the auditorium.
About a dozen people jumped to the microphones.
More than one person spoke about dealing with depression, and one girl confessed to a habit of pulling out her hair. Each person sat down with a look of relief after sharing their story. One girl even made her postcard into a paper crane and explained that she had ADHD, which makes it difficult to learn origami.
Later that evening, Warren had the crane next to him as he signed books out in the lobby.
After the event, Kari Beiswanger, 15, from Halifax West High School said she would think about sending in a postcard secret.
“It will have to be a good one though,” she says, “not just any secret will do.”
For Warren, it’s simple.
“Free your secrets and become who you are.”

An epic 24 hours

Dalhousie Gazette Staff
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By Rebecca Spence, Staff Contributor

Twenty-four books. Twenty-four teams. Twenty-four hours. Odyssey Live was definitely a mythical marathon for the mind.
Halifax Humanities 101 set sail on this literary voyage last Friday at 7 p.m. at the King’s College Alumni Hall, and finally came to a standstill at 7 p.m. the next evening. The organization’s creative fundraiser featured local media personalities, politicians, university professors, students and other community members all taking turns to read aloud the 24 books that make up

Homer’s Odyssey. The event also featured an “Odyssey-inspired” silent auction of Grecian-style pottery, jewelry, and other donated goodies.
“It’s taken me about two months to organize,” says Mary Lu Redden, the director of Halifax Humanities 101. “It has absorbed my life completely.”
Redden spearheaded the operation by recruiting teams from all around the HRM as well as obtaining a wide-range of sponsors and donations.
Admission to this innovative event was a donation at the door. All proceeds will be going to Halifax Humanities 101, a non-profit outreach initiative that gives low-income adults the opportunity to experience a university-level liberal arts education. The program was established in October 2005 as an eight-month pilot project inspired by Earl Shorris, a writer and educator who began teaching a Humanities course 15 years ago to disadvantaged students on the lower east side of Manhattan. Shorris believed that a liberal arts education was the best way to encourage underprivileged people to become active in community and political life.
Former Halifax Humanities student Jennifer Conroy, 35, says that the program gave her a sense of passion, emotion and desire, which she never thought was possible. She asserts that Halifax Humanities 101 brought her out of her former passive outlook on life and helped to balance her priorities out.
“People walk through that door and they’re transformed,” says Conroy, who is now enrolled in the Arts & Social Sciences program at St. Mary’s University. “They come close to finding out who they are, where they’ve come from, why the world is the way it is.”
Angus Johnston is a former director for the King’s Foundation Year Programme and also serves as Vice-Chair for Halifax Humanities 101. He argues how important it is to stimulate a joy for learning among these low-income groups.
“When we think of education for the poor, we generally think about literacy, computer skills and other ways of educating that can perhaps lead to employment,” says Johnston. “But there is also a hunger for knowledge for knowledge’s sake.”
Conroy fully supports this philosophy.
“It’s not about training your mind,” she says. “It’s about broadening your mind.”
Halifax Humanities 101 provides all of its course texts for free, bus tickets to attend classes and events, childcare for those who require it to attend class, and cultural outings to musical performances and art galleries. The classes are all taught by highly qualified university professors, and extra classes are offered to help develop students’ writing skills.
Redden says that anybody of low-income can apply, provided they have a good reading ability, are willing to attend classes regularly and do the assigned readings. Other than that, there are no other preconditions. Applicants don’t even require a high school diploma to enroll.
Since 2005, 40 students have successfully completed the program. According to the organization’s website, there have been three graduation ceremonies, at which students and their friends and families, teachers, volunteers, and board members have “celebrated a year of study, intellectual engagement, friendships and tremendous growth in confidence and self-esteem.”
The program is a spiritual journey in the fullest sense of the term. It was only appropriate then that the fundraiser showcased the reading of The Odyssey – an epic adventure story featuring a hero who achieves success by way of his cunning and his wits.
Halifax Humanities 101 raised about $19,000 for the program. Redden acknowledges that she could not have done it without the community’s full commitment and participation. From the Dalhousie law students who read overnight during the graveyard shift, to the volunteers who are working on three hours of sleep, Odyssey Live was the sum of a team effort.
“By donating your time and money to this you’re helping people who are willing and wanting to learn,” says Conroy. “Every single person who I have met who has taken this course has a very strong will to learn something new.”

To donate or to learn more about Halifax Humanities 101, visit www.halifaxhumanities101.com, or e-mail learn@halifaxhumanities101.ca.

Letters to the Editor

Dalhousie Gazette Staff
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Polanski raped a child

To the Editor,
In Anna DeMello’s review of “Polanski: Wanted and Desired”, she described Roman Polanski’s rape of a 13-year-old girl as “having sex with her,” and later described his actions as “controversial”.
Drugging a 13-year-old girl and then “having sex with her” while she says no and stop over and over is called rape.
Polanski was charged with rape. He was convicted of rape. That is commonly referred to as “rape”, not as “having sex with” a 13-year-old girl.
As Kate Harding wrote in Salon:
“Let’s take a moment to recall that according to the victim’s grand jury testimony, Roman Polanski instructed her to get into a jacuzzi naked, refused to take her home when she begged to go, began kissing her even though she said no and asked him to stop; performed cunnilingus on her as she said no and asked him to stop; put his penis in her vagina as she said no and asked him to stop; asked if he could penetrate her anally, to which she replied, ‘No,’ then went ahead and did it anyway, until he had an orgasm.”
As well, the prosecutor admitted he lied in the documentary film:
“The former prosecutor who said in a documentary film that he advised a judge to send Roman Polanski to prison now says he lied in the movie. Former Los Angeles prosecutor David Wells said he lied to the makers of the 2008 documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired about his role in the sentencing of Polanski on charges of having sex with a minor. The statement became part of the basis for a move by Polanski’s attorneys to dismiss the case because of prosecutorial misconduct.”
I think it’s possible to both review this movie and talk about the case without minimizing that Roman Polanski raped a child.

— Anna Pearce

Division over diversity

To the Editor,
I was sorry to read the prominent headline in The Gazette’s diversity issue (Nov. 20 to Nov. 26) disparaging King’s Foundation Year Programme as a “Whitewashed Foundation” whose “curriculum is low on diversity.”
Certainly, FYP does not try to survey all the world’s traditions, only the Western. Yet it conceives of that tradition as essentially diverse, deeply informed by interactions with other cultures and by contributions from many and often conflicting sources.
The program begins with ancient Egypt in its first section and brings out the recurring indebtedness to Egyptian wisdom by later thinkers.
The former co-ordinator of the second section, Dr. Wayne Hankey, has been especially committed to presenting the ethnic and religious diversity of the Middle Ages. In an e-mail concerning this article, he writes, “Plotinus was from Egypt, Augustine, also from North Africa, had a black mother, Iamblichus was a Syrian (as probably was Dionysius). How can they, al-Farabi, Avicenna, Averroes, al-Ghazali and Maimonides count as white?”
The Foundation Year Programme also does not shy away from exploring the problematic relation between Europe and its Others; this year in the third section, for example, we are reading a number of Renaissance plays that represent its struggles with strangers both from without and within.
The troubling legacy of racism as it emerged later in the West has been the particular focus of the work of a number in FYP’s faculty, one of whom organized a series of symposia on the question last year; others have been involved in developing an upcoming lecture series/course at King’s on the concept of race.
While over the last two decades there has been a substantial increase in ethnic and religious diversity in the FYP student body, we have had more limited success in increasing its racial diversity.
We cannot deny that students belonging to visible minorities can feel self-conscious when part of the foundation year class, and that we still need to find more adequate ways to address this.
To speak to the incident referred to in the article, I was the person teaching Monica Mutale’s tutorial. Although I remember what happened rather differently than what was reported by Sanjay Mathurla, it is true that Monica felt put on the spot by a question I asked her. I realized and regretted this immediately, and apologized to her after the class. That the moment still rankles speaks to my own failure as a teacher, and I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to her again.
To summarize, the Foundation Year Programme has increasingly reflected upon the hybridity of the Western tradition, in accordance with the findings of recent scholarship.  The issue of diversity has received sustained attention from many at King’s Collage.
FYP’s focus on the Western tradition means that, like any programme of its kind, it is particularly called to account regarding the ambiguous legacies of that tradition: a challenge we take very seriously.

— Peggy Heller, director of the Foundation Year Programme at the University of King’s College

To the Editor,
As it often happens, when excerpts from interviews are quoted, the meaning of our words comes across not entirely in the way it was intended. First of all, I understood the purpose of the news article “Whitewashed foundation” (The Gazette’s diversity issue, Nov. 20 to Nov. 26) to be an assessment of diversity at the University of King’s College in general, especially in relation to overall structures and policies (such as the office of the racial equity liaison), rather than an attack on the Foundation Year Programme.
I made my comments in my capacity as the director and faculty member of the Contemporary Studies Programme, as well as the former King’s racial equity liaison. As such, I do not feel I am in the position to comment specifically on the matters pertaining to the Foundation Year Programme and thus was not quoted accurately in the story. Further, the proposed 2010/2011 lecture series and an upper-level course on the conceptions of race in philosophy, literature and art, mentioned in the piece, is a joint initiative between Contemporary Studies, Early Modern Studies, and History of Science and Technology programmes, with the help of some of our colleagues at Dalhousie. It must be emphasized that this initiative was inspired by a series of symposia on the issues of race and racism organized last year by the members of the Foundation Year teaching staff, as well as by a lecture called “Race in Philosophy” by a prominent scholar of race,
Robert Bernasconi, who came to King’s on the joint invitation by the FYP and CSP. There is a continuity and dialogue between the programs at King’s, and we work together toward improvement, including in the area of diversity.
Secondly, I feel that my words about King’s students coming from “private schools in Toronto” were cited out of context. I would have never wanted to perpetuate this unhelpful stereotype, and on numerous occasions, including during the interview, I have acknowledged the efforts on the part of the registrar’s office, especially in the area of recruitment, to overcome this inaccurate perception of King’s.
Finally, I would not have liked my words to appear under the title that was given to the article. It is divisive and hurtful, while I believe that the only way toward further improvement is constructive dialogue. I would like to apologize to my colleagues and students who may have been hurt or offended by my words as they have been quoted.

— Dorota Glowacka, professor of contemporary studies at the University of King’s College

The Gazette apologizes for any quotes attributed to Dorota Glowacka that may have been taken out of context. Our ethics code states that sources should be treated with respect and portrayed fairly. In the future we will be more diligent in encouraging our writers to follow these guidelines.

Proroguey baloney

To the Editor,
In his piece about the prorogation of parliament, Ben Wedge resorts to two arguments that must be mainstays in the Conservative playbook. The first is to distract attention from the issue with meaningless tabloid-esque nonsense about where the party leaders spent their Christmas break. The second is to somehow pin the issue on Jean Chrétien. Wedge appears to assume that anybody opposed to Harper’s prorogue must have been a supporter of past Liberal governments.
I respectfully remind him that there are more than two major parties in this country.
I had little interest in politics during the Chrétien years, so when he prorogued parliament I had little to say on the issue. As things stand today, I can assure Mr. Wedge that I would stand in opposition to a parliamentary prorogue initiated by any Canadian prime minister.
Of course, the Chrétien government was not twice awarded the “Fossil of the Year” award for obstructing progress on climate change at the international level, nor was anybody tortured under Chrétien’s leadership. So perhaps my outrage is somewhat amplified in the case of Harper’s latest prorogue.
The fundamental issue here is that no politician should be able to shut down the body that holds him or her accountable for reasons of political expediency. It is unfortunate that respect for Canadian democracy has become a crucial swing factor in the national polls, rather than a basic prerequisite for involvement in Canadian federal politics.
Nevertheless, if a viable candidate for prime minister satisfies that requirement, I will support them regardless of where they spent their Christmas.

— Cameron Roberts, fifth-year history of science and philosophy student at the University of King’s College

Brain drain

Dalhousie Gazette Staff
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By Tim Pain Van Der Kooi, Staff Contributor

In the bleachers of Dalhousie’s Memorial Arena, 50-year-old Henry Rudolph tightens his laces for a noon-time skate. He talks to two women beside him about the arena’s new helmet requirements as they strap on their shiny, black hockey helmets.
They are the only skaters in the arena.
As of Jan. 1, Dalhousie requires all skaters and staff to wear Canadian Standards Association approved hockey helmets during public skating sessions and ice rentals at the arena. The requirement was introduced after a year of observation by Dalhousie professor and neurologist David Clark. Two people have suffered serious head-related injuries due to falls in Memorial Arena. Those injuries, combined with conversations with other colleagues, led Clark to suggest the helmet requirement.
Rudolph, who usually skates at the arena once or twice a week, has noticed fewer skaters are attending Dalhousie’s public skates since the change.
“I’ve seen nearly 100 come out for these public skates, but now the numbers have dropped dramatically,” says Rudolph.
Sarah Wheadon-Hore, senior manager of Dalhousie facilities, cannot confirm declining public skate numbers because Memorial Arena just began monitoring public skate attendance on Jan. 1.  However, Wheadon-Hore says she has received lots of feedback that praises and denounces the new helmet regulations.
“Some people are saying, ‘About time,’” says Wheadon-Hore. “But we knew we would face opposition, you know. ‘We’re adults. We should be able to make our own decisions.’”
Wearing a helmet doesn’t bother Rudolph – his mother strapped one on his head when he was six. He applauds Dalhousie for the new regulation, though he realizes that some skaters will not appreciate the uncomfortable nature of a helmet.
“The people who are complaining are (doing so) just for aesthetic purposes,” says Rudolph.
But Wheadon-Hore says it is more than just looks. She says the greatest opposition to the helmet regulation are figure skaters. While Dalhousie’s figure skating group is exempted from the rule, figure skaters participating in any public skate still need a helmet.
“With public skates you have the full range of abilities. You could be a strong skater and have a weaker skater wipe out behind you, which could take your feet out and then you smack your head on the ice,” says Wheadon-Hore. “You may be a good skater, but it’s the other skater that could take you out.”
Dalhousie’s figure skating club does not have to wear helmets because Wheadon-Hore considered their sessions were in a controlled environment with only 25 skaters. She says a figure skater’s balance and vision could be affected if they wear a helmet. The club is also exempted because of additional waivers and insurance with Skate Canada. But insurance and waivers will not be a loophole for other skaters looking to get on the ice without a helmet.
“It would be an administrative nightmare,” says Wheadon-Hore. “Waivers don’t always hold up in a court of law. They don’t save the facility operator in every situation.”
Amanda Jamieson, a member of the figure skating club, has decided she will not attend Dalhousie’s public skates anymore because of the price of helmets, which can cost $30 to $100.  She has been figure skating for 11 years, which makes her confident that she is not at risk to fall at a public skate.
“I think it’s kind of ridiculous because skating backwards or forwards is like walking to me,” says Jamieson.
Wheadon-Hore hopes that educating the public about CSA-approved helmets will help cease opposing arguments.
Lynn Fennerty, a Dalhousie research co-ordinator for injury prevention programs, and fourth-year nursing students have been hosting safety information sessions during public skates.  Wheadon-Hore says these sessions have already converted one individual who was initially opposed, but returned the next week with a helmet in hand.
“There is a chance we will never see some skaters again,” says Wheadon-Hore. “But once people are informed, once they see the impact, they agree with the helmets.”

Dal student pioneer in e-sports world

Dalhousie Gazette Staff
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By Joel Tichinoff, Sports Editor

How many people do you know who have never played a video game? How many student houses are without some kind of gaming system, be it an ancient N64 for MarioKart and GoldenEye, or the latest Guitar Hero? For every group of students out kicking a soccer ball around on Wickwire field, how many more are at a friend’s place playing Halo?
Gaming has arrived.
From Korea to Finland to Canada, video games have eclipsed athletics as a favourite activity for young adults. As a form of entertainment, video games have graduated from the arcades to overtaking even the biggest Hollywood blockbusters in terms of profit. The wildly popular Twilight Saga movie, the record-holder for opening-day box-office sales, made just under $74 million in the first 24 hours of its release. Halo 3 took in sales of over $170 million in the US alone during its first day on the shelves. There is now also a Halo film in the works.
On top of popularity and profitability, video games represent the vanguard of electronics and computer science technology; Xbox’s controller-free Natal system, slated for release in 2010, promises to revolutionize how humans interact with all categories of technology, not just video games.
With this in mind, third-year management student Evan Oberman founded Varsity Gameco Inc. in 2007, and as a freshman launched the Varsity e-Sports League (VeSL) project based at Dalhousie. As of 2010, the VeSL is comprised of 29 affiliated gaming societies at universities across North America.
“I’d love to see it considered on par with a varsity sport,” Oberman says of inter-university e-Sports and his vision isn’t far from becoming a reality. The Dal e-Sports Society, of which Oberman is President, boasts roughly 50 members, while the DeSS counterpart at the University of Toronto, the UofT e-Sports Club, has 500 to 600 members.
While Oberman works toward developing the e-sport society at the varsity level, competitive gaming has grown enormously in the form of international competition. The 10th World Cyber Games is to be held in Los Angeles next fall. The last WCGs saw 600 participants from 65 countries assemble in Chengdu, China to decide which nation would reign supreme from Counter-Strike to Guitar Hero. (Poland defeated Sweden in the gold medal round of Counter-Strike, while Brazil took home gold in Guitar Hero. Canada is ranked among the global Team-Fortress superpowers.) While still somewhat off the pop-culture radar in the West, professional e-sports have exploded in South Korea where notable games of Starcraft and Warcraft III are broadcast on national television.
“Pro-gamers walking down the street in Seoul are mobbed like rock-stars,” Oberman notes before pointing out the marketing opportunities for Dalhousie in the vast on-line gaming community.
Arguably Dal spends hundreds of thousands of dollars every year supporting athletics teams that, among many other valuable benefits, help spread the Dalhousie name abroad. An e-Sports program would cost a fraction to operate while gaining recognition in a vast tech-savvy community on the cutting-edge of electronics and programming. For a university pushing its reputation for innovation, Oberman’s project does seem to fit nicely with the school’s marketing interests.
On balance, the VeSL project isn’t as far-fetched as it would appear, chances are a Dalhousie e-Sports team is a much more realistic proposition than, say, a Dalhousie football team. E-sports represent just another point at which the boundaries between sports and technology are rapidly disappearing. As for the argument that sports require a level of physical exertion to truly qualify as athletics, anyone who has played with a Wii has experienced the electronics industry’s first timid steps into the realm of fitness and human performance. Wii Fit, which incorporates yoga, strength training and aerobics in game play, stands as the second-highest-selling video game of all time.
For now the Dal e-Sports Society remains an informal student group intended to bring together Dal students with a shared passion for video games. Oberman and the DeSS have collaborated on the highly successful Frag For Cancer gamer fundraising events held annually at Dal to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society. The fourth FFC event, held in 2009 at the Dal Student Union Building, drew 200 people to the MacInnes Room and raised roughly $5,000 for cancer research.
“It’s a community more than anything,” says Oberman of the group. “Whether you’re into casual gaming or hard-core competitive gaming, above all it’s about getting together with friends and having fun.”

Tigers end skid with three goals in third

Dalhousie Gazette Staff
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By Joel Tichinoff, Sports Editor

Winless since Nov. 28, 2009, the women’s hockey team skated onto the ice at Memorial Arena to begin the third period up 1-0. The University of Prince Edward Island led 11-8 in shots, with a two-minute penalty to defenseman Alyssa Hennigar for body-checking. The Tigers killed the penalty easily, even managing a good deal of offence against a UPEI power-play unit that ranks third in the AUS with a PP percentage of .150.
The Panthers have struggled ever since launching their women’s hockey program in 2005. But lately they have enjoyed some modest success, coming into last Friday’s game riding a winning streak of two convincing wins over Saint Mary’s University and Mount Allison University.
On the other side of centre-ice, the Tigers had gone from a seven-game unbeaten streak against Atlantic Canadian rivals in November to three consecutive losses and a string of crippling injuries.
To date the Panthers have played disciplined hockey – they are the least penalized team in the AUS. However, a slew of penalties allowed the Tigers to capitalize on their strong offence and shell UPEI goaltender Bailey Toupin on and off the power-play. Toupin, who has managed a .890 save percentage this season, shakily held off a two-on-one rush by Dal forwards Robin Mullen and Jocelyn LeBlanc early in the third. But she was unable to block a well-aimed slap-shot from Dal captain Laura Shearer less than four minutes into the frame. From just inside the blue-line, Shearer slapped the puck into the top-right corner on a cross-ice feed from fellow defenseman Brooklyn Winch. It was the second goal of the year for Shearer, a fourth-year sociology student from Falmouth, Nova Scotia.
Shortly after her goal, the Dal captain was unable to break up an odd-man rush by Panthers forwards Suzanne Cortilet and Cathleen Loughlin, who beat Tigers goalie Ashley Boutilier (back after a two-game absence).
Boutilier’s spoiled shut-out was avenged by her teammates, who pushed UPEI back to their end for much of the last 10 minutes of the game. Five-foot-four-inches blue-liner Alyssa Hennigar took the lead electrifying the game whenever the puck came within her reach, ripping shot after shot at the UPEI goal. She made clean passes and hustled to beat opponents to every puck.
When UPEI’s Kelsey O’Donnell went off for hooking at the 15-minute mark, Hennigar railed two quick shots from the blue line before a desperate Kristen Nash drew a second UPEI hooking penalty. A dedicated crew of fans cheered from the beer gallery as Shearer and Hennigar took full advantage of the five-on-three to bounce the puck back and forth between themselves high in the slot before Hennigar fired a wrist shot at Toupin’s pads. A mad scramble ensued in front, which allowed third-year science student Robyn Nicholson to tap in her seventh goal of the year for Dal. She was assisted by Robin Mullen and Laura Shearer (who had a three-point game).
With one player still in the box, the UPEI net-minder sprawled in the crease to block a rapid succession of shots but ultimately could not handle the relentless Dal offence. Deep River, Ontario-native Sarah McVey batted in Dal’s third power-play goal of the night with under two minutes left in the game sealing a much-needed win for the Tigers. Friday’s win brought the Tigers’ record to 8-5-0 with ten games remaining in the regular season.

Mike Danton returns to hockey

Dalhousie Gazette Staff
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By Zack Wilson, Staff Contributor

On Jan. 14, former NHL player Mike Danton attended his first class at St. Mary’s University. The 29-year-old Brampton, Ontario native was recently given clearance by his parole board to make the move to Halifax and attend school on a full-time basis.
In one of the most bizarre cases the sporting world has ever witnessed, Mike Danton pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder in 2004 and was sentenced to seven years and six months in a United States federal prison (FCI Sandstone). At the time, the alleged target was his agent David Frost, who represented him in a managerial sense, and doubled as his mentor.
In a recent interview with Roger’s Sportsnet reporter Nick Kypreos, Danton claimed that the target in his murder-for-hire plot was not Frost, but rather his biological father Steve Jefferson.  Many skeptics around the sport have questioned whether or not Danton should be given the opportunity to play for the Huskies.
Originally born Mike Jefferson, Danton changed his last name while playing in the New Jersey Devils organization, after years of turmoil between he and his family.  A number of reports have surfaced that allege the name change came on the suggestion of Frost, whom Danton is now believed to have been in an intimate relationship with. A taped phone call between the player and representative was aired in a November, 2005 episode of CBC’s The Fifth Estate entitled “Rogue Agent”, in which Frost demanded that the young player tell him he loved him, to which Danton eventually complied.
Much like former Swift Current Broncos Head coach Graham James, who was sentenced to three years and six months in federal prison for sexually abusing young men such as Sheldon Kennedy and Theo Fleury, it has been suggested that Frost had taken liberties with his players. A number of details regarding the relationship between Danton and Frost have recently surfaced including allegations that while playing junior hockey in Ontario, Danton and a number of teammates were made to perform sexual acts with young women in hotel rooms while Frost watched.
On Aug. 22, 2006, David Frost was charged with 12 counts of sexual abuse. The charges stemmed from crimes apparently committed against four boys and three young women between the ages of 14 and 16. Frost was later acquitted of all charges due to what the judge saw as tainted testimony on behalf of certain witnesses.
Frost has since resigned as a NHL Players’ Association agent.
Conditions of Mike Danton’s parole forbid him from having any contact with his biological father and have restricted him from engaging in any face-to-face reunions with David Frost. The former St. Michael’s Majors star admitted recently that while in jail he tore up and sent back letters to his parents, Steve and Sue, whom he has not spoken with since he was 15 years old.
No date has been set for when Danton will make his return to the ice in a Husky uniform.
While in prison, he was given the opportunity to skate from time to time, but the St. Mary’s coaching staff have deemed that this is not sufficient preparation for a league as elite as the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport).
This is not the first time that a former NHL player has made the leap backward to the CIS. During the 2007-08 season, former Los Angeles Kings second rounder Jared Aulin became the first player in 20 years to return to the CIS from the NHL. Although, in Aulin’s case, his time with the University of Calgary was meant to be a conditioning stint – a stepping-stone in his climb back to professional hockey.
Given his criminal record, Mike Danton will most likely never be allowed back into the U.S. and therefore will probably never again be afforded the opportunity to play in the NHL.
While behind bars, the former St. Louis Blue had been enrolled in correspondence courses from Queen’s University and is well on his way to obtaining a university degree. He is currently enrolled in three sociology classes at St. Mary’s.
Many sceptics have questioned whether or not Danton should be allowed to partake in university hockey. His criminal record aside, that Danton will be a 29-year-old man playing against kids as young as 18 has been questioned. Unlike basketball, the CIS governing body has no age restrictions as far as hockey is concerned. Mark McGregor, the CEO of the CIS has looked at the case carefully and believes that Danton is deserving of a shot at playing for the Huskies, who are currently ranked eighth in the country. It will likely be another week before his first game, St. Mary’s athletic director Steve Sarty said in a recent interview.
It is easy for critics and sceptics alike to look at a man such as Mike Danton and say that he is not deserving of a fresh start. It’s effortless for them pass judgement on a troubled individual that they look at as nothing more than a would-be murderer.
Danton has acknowledged his mistakes and is attempting to turn his complicated life around. He should be afforded the same rights as every other citizen of this country. If he wants to come to Halifax in an effort to bring a national championship back to Nova Scotia, I say we let him.

Young talent promises bright future for Dal Volleyball

Dalhousie Gazette Staff
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By Joel Tichinoff, Sports Editor

Lalani, Shepherd, Schinkel, Yorke and Sears. Not to mention outside hitter Louise Facca, who had 14 kills and was named player of the game, or libero Lauren Smith, who had 14 digs in last Friday’s 3-1 win over the Memorial University Seahawks. Each player named above is a sophomore or rookie on a Tigers roster that features only two players with one or less years of CIS eligibility left in their AUS careers.
Although Dalhousie hasn’t won an AUS championship since 2003, the current squad of fresh talent has the potential to revive the tradition of dynasty teams in women’s volleyball. Between 1970 and 1990 the Tigers won 10 AUS championships, and a national title in 1982.
With back-to-back wins over the last place Seahawks over the weekend, the young Dal team gained some much needed confidence improving their record to four wins and six losses – good enough to bring them into a tie with Cape Breton for third in the AUS. In a bizarre statistical twist, every women’s volleyball team in the AUS has a losing record, except for St. Mary’s University, which sits in first with a .500 win record.
The Tigers will have a chance to move into first place next week playing host to SMU and Acadia teams currently sitting atop the AUS.
The Tigers opened scoring in the first set on Friday, but a handful of aces served up by Manitoban outside hitter Lauren Schinkel, and middle blocker Kirstie Shepherd throwing up a series of superb blocks, was not enough to contain the Seahawks. They benefited from a number of errors from the Tiger team to win the first set by a score of 25-13.
Dal stormed to a 4-1 lead early in the second set, but the Newfoundlanders were able to find their way through Dal’s blocking while shutting down the Tigers offence with effective play close to the net.
A number of balls sent sailing out of bounds by the Tigers gave the lead to Memorial, despite strong play at the back of the court from Schinkel and rookie outside hitter Raeesa Lalani. Calgary-native Lalani anchored Dalhousie’s scoring, and while serving, managed to put her team up 22-21. Second-year science student Kirstie Shepherd sealed a 25-22 win in the second set.
Having made a game of it, the Tigers built up their confidence in the third and fourth sets, making fewer mistakes and improved co-ordination under the net. Setter Hilary Sears, a first-year engineering student from Bible Hill, Nova Scotia combined with teammates Maggie Morrison and Lousie Facca in wearing down the Seahawks. Six-foot-tall rookie Amy Yorke dominated the left side of the court, hammering several spikes down to Memorial’s hardwood.
The Seahawks kept the score close enough to keep the action exciting, but they were outmatched and surrendered the third and fourth sets by scores of 27-25 and 25-12. The Tigers dominated the Seahawks in the second match on Saturday, winning three straight sets 25-18, 25-13 and 25-18.
The Dalhousie men’s team also played back-to-back matches with Memorial over the weekend, winning both matches 3-0. The Dal men are undefeated against Atlantic teams this season, and are currently third in national rankings. Dalhousie’s men’s volleyball program has claimed 23 consecutive AUS titles, but has yet to produce a national champion.

Capers edge Tigers by two

Dalhousie Gazette Staff
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By Natasha White, Sports Contributor

Things were looking extremely promising for coach Anna Stammberger and the Dal Ladies as the Tigers raced out to a 10-0 lead, holding the first-place ranked Capers scoreless for the opening five minutes. But with the help of a stifling full-court press and some long twos, Cape Breton University (CBU) came back to tie the score at 22 by the half. Second half action was a fierce back and forth battle, with the Tigers and Capers swapping the lead several times.
An upset by seventh-place Dal seemed to be in the making. After an admirable first half free-throw shooting percentage (75 per cent), Dal was unable to get to line in the second, while the Capers went 10 for 15. However, turn-overs would prove to be the Tigers’ Achilles heel. Giving up the ball an unheard of six times in the final 90 seconds, Dal turned over possession 32 times to the Capers’ 12.
Undeniably, it was the Dal ladies’ best game of the year. If they can break the press on a consistent basis, they’re sure to be up there with the top-ranked teams in the AUS. Alas, the Tigers came up just short, in a heartbreaking loss to CBU, 51-53. Keep your eyes on the evolution of fifth-year forward Cailin Crosby, player of the game with 21 points, who continues to develop in confidence and skill throughout the season.
The Tigers men also put on show against division leaders CBU. The first half was highlighted by a beautiful through-the-key baseline feed from guard Andrew Sullivan to forward Sandy Veit for two, and a crowd-pleasing half-time buzzer beater drop-in (from star Simon Farine off a Dal missed three) left the score 44-42 for the Capers after 20. Farine drained 26 points and eight rebounds to the delight of the 300 to 400 fans packed into the Dalplex.
Events took a down turn for Dalhousie in the third with starter Sullivan forced to sit – he committed his fourth foul after five minutes in. Sullivan wouldn’t be alone in his foul trouble. Dal’s Sandy Veit and Will Yengue eventually fouled out.
In a promising start to the fourth, Farine again led scoring with two straight buckets. Unfortunately, CBU’s Jimmy Dorsey shot a game high of five three-pointers, edging out Farine for top point scorer: 27-26. A five-minute drought saw CBU outscore the Tigers 14-8 in the fourth – sealing the Tigers’ fate.
A tighter game than the score would suggest, Dal succumbed to CBU 65-80. A special acknowledgement is due to all the Tiger fans, players and volunteers who raised funds for the Canadian Breast Cancer Association at Dalhousie Athletic events Saturday.

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