BEAUTY OR BLIGHT? - Concordia University

S P R I N G 2 0 1 3BEAUTY OR BLIGHT?Concordia experts analyzegraffiti and street artU N I V E R S I T Y M A G A Z I N ECELTIC CANADIANS > EDUCATING EDUCATORS > CONSIDERING QUEER FILM

Discover why over 375,000 graduatesenjoy greater savingsJoin the growing number of graduates who enjoy greatersavings from TD Insurance on home and auto coverage.Most insurance companies offer discounts for combining home and auto policies,or your good driving record. What you may not know is that we offer these savings too,plus we offer preferred rates to graduates and students of Concordia University.You’ll also receive our highly personalized service and great protection that suitsyour needs. Find out how much you could save.Request a quote today1-888-589-5656Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.Saturday: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.melochemonnex.com/concordiaInsurance program sponsored by theThe TD Insurance Meloche Monnex home and auto insurance program is underwritten by SECURITY NATIONAL INSURANCE COMPANY. The program is distributed by Meloche Monnex Insurance and Financial Services Inc. in Quebec andby Meloche Monnex Financial Services Inc. in the rest of Canada.Due to provincial legislation, our auto insurance program is not offered in British Columbia, Manitoba or Saskatchewan.*No purchase required. Contest organized jointly with Primmum Insurance Company and open to members, employees and other eligible persons belonging to employer, professional and alumni groups which have an agreement with andare entitled to group rates from the organizers. Contest ends on October 31, 2013. Draw on November 22, 2013. One (1) prize to be won. The winner may choose between a Lexus ES 300h hybrid (approximate MSRP of $58,902which includes freight, pre-delivery inspection, fees and applicable taxes) or $60,000 in Canadian funds. Skill-testing question required. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Complete contest rules available atmelochemonnex.com/contest.®/The TD logo and other trade-marks are the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank or a wholly-owned subsidiary, in Canada and/or other countries.

u n i v e r s i t y m a g a z i n eCELTIC, CANADIANAND CONCORDIANAIMING TOSUCCEEDConcordia graduatestudents get a head starton their after-schoolcareer paths thanks toGradProSkills.By Lucas WisenthalWith a newly launchedmajor, Concordia’s Schoolof Canadian Irish Studiesoffers students a sprawlingrange of courses onthe Emerald Isle and its22Canadian diaspora.By Barbara Black10 MAKING16STREET ART ORPUBLIC NUISANCE?Graffiti can be urbanblight or vivid street art.Concordia expertsenter the debate.By Patricia MaunderTHINGSPERFECTLY QUEERThe multi-volume QueerFilm Classics series,edited by Concordia’sThomas Waugh andMatthew Hays, examinesa diverse catalogueof gay- and lesbianthemedmovies.26By David KingDESIGNED TOBE DIFFERENTFrom the classroom toonline forums, Concordia’sDepartment of Educationbrings its own slant toteaching teachers.By Jake Brennan3036FACULTY SPOTLIGHT:FINE ARTSThe faculty celebrates themany recent accoladesof its studio arts faculty,students and alumni.By Liz Cromptonspring 2013 volume 37 number 1magazine.concordia.caCover: A graffiti-covered Montreal building —increasingly common and controversialCredit: Linda RutenbergThis publication is printed on 100% recycled paper,including 20% post-consumer waste. Each ton of recycledpaper that displaces a ton of virgin paper reduces totalenergy consumption by 27%, greenhouse gas emissions by47%, particulate emissions by 28%, wastewater by 33%,solid waste by 54% and wood use by 100%.3 EDITOR’S VOICE4 LETTERS5 CONCORDIA NEWS38 ALUMNI NEWS40 CLASS ACTS46 WORDS & MUSIC48 ENOUGH SAID

accentalumni-newsletterPut an Accent on news.Accent delivers Concordia news convenientlyto your inbox. Sign up for our monthlye-newsletter at concordia.ca/alumni/accent.SETTING ANEXAMPLE:Producingchampions“I run a thriving Montreal business called Truck ’N Roll, whichspecializes in transportation for the performing arts. As someonewho played high-level hockey, I recognize how my sports experience— along with my Concordia education — contributed to my success.I greatly appreciate the dedication it takes to be a student-athlete.That’s why I believe it’s important to give back and to supportvarsity athletics.Five years ago I attended a Concordia benefit where I met Stingersfootball coach Gerry McGrath. We talked about student-athletesand I asked what could be done to make our team the best. That’swhen the idea of the Champions Club unfolded.The main goal of the club is to raise money for student-athletescholarships and bursaries. In the last four years, through theannual Champions Club Dinner we’ve raised $250,000 — whichis outstanding.However, it’s not just about the money. I greatly enjoy gettingto know the students. These young people will go on to betremendous ambassadors for Concordia. Many former Stingershave performed at the highest level of national and internationalcompetition — and many more have achieved great success inother fields. They proudly carry the Concordia legacy.I think our role as alumni includes helping these studentathletesshine in their sport as well as in the classroom and inlife. That means attending games, volunteering our time and,importantly, providing financial support.The Champions Club started with the football team andnow we’d like to create a similar program to encompass allConcordia’s varsity sports. I’m trying to bring passion to theuniversity, and I’m proudly doing it through athletics.”Ghislain Arsenault, BComm 85Join Ghislain Arsenault in supporting Concordia student-athletes.Info: concordia.ca/alumni-giving | 54-848-2424, ext. 338 | -888-777-3330, ext. 338 | caroline.apollon@concordia.caSetting an Example ad.indd 107/09/2012 10:07:53 AM2 | spring 2013 concordia university magazine

EDITOR’S VOICECross-multi-disciplinarySince his arrival last summer,Concordia President Alan Shepardhas often spoken of the distinctupper hand enjoyed by the university dueto the frequent collaboration betweenits professors and researchers across allfields. As he said in the fall issue of thismagazine: “This is the time for urbanuniversities like ours. It’s a time for workthat crosses disciplines. That’s a realstrength at Concordia.”Universities are by definition —as the root of their name implies —universal, or multidisciplinary, that is,relating to or making use of severaldisciplines at once. However, areasthat bridge fields — cross-disciplinary —are newer phenomena.It’s easy to spot these crossingdisciplines in any Concordia UniversityMagazine or Accent e-newsletter. Thewinter 2012-13 magazine issue featuredfood experts from Concordia’s Centrefor Interdisciplinary Studies in Societyand Culture (see “Thought for food” onpage 25), and highlighted professors ofdesign and computation arts, religion,marketing, and engineering and computerscience.This issue profiles Concordia’sGradProSkills program, which recognizesthe need for all graduate students— from aerospace to theologicalstudies and everything in between —to learn after-graduation skills suchas management and leadership(see “Honing their skills” on page 10).We also spotlight the School of CanadianIrish Studies (see “Celtic, Canadian andConcordian” on page 22), the only programof its kind in Canada. The school,which now offers a major, presentscourses in academic areas as variedas literature, geography and theology.In all, quite a mix.Most areas of academic study remainbased in their own discipline, of course— math students still have to focus onmath, chemistry students on chemistry,and so on. Yet increasingly, academicswho are able to work closely withcolleagues from other departments,or even their own, gain many benefits.This issue profiles the Department ofEducation (see “Designed to be different”on page 30) and four of its facultymembers, whose research interestsrange from teaching early childhoodeducators to investigating how metalmusic fans interact online. Their cooperationexpands their own knowledgebase. They in turn pass that along tomake better informed and roundedstudents, or apply it to research thatwill have wider societal relevance.Alumni magazines are suited totaking advantage of universities’multi- and cross-disciplinary nature.By covering Concordia’s many streamsrather than focusing on one topic, likea trade magazine, this publication canoffer something for everyone — or try to.A recent alumni magazine readershipsurvey by the Council for Advancementand Support of Education confirmedthat alumni magazines serve as graduates’main link to their alma maters andare their primary information sourceabout the institutions. That means thatthis magazine’s role is to communicateand reflect Concordia’s assets: dynamicresearch, standout faculty and students,high-achieving alumni and importantcommunity outreach, along with itscross-disciplinarity. Finding suchexamples will never be a problem.Concordia University Magazine welcomesreaders’ comments. Letters should includethe writer’s full name, address, school(s),degree(s) and year(s) of graduation foralumni. Letters may be edited for length andclarity. No letter will be published without thefull name of the correspondent.Concordia University Magazine is publishedfour times a year for alumni and friends ofConcordia University. Opinions expressedherein do not necessarily reflect the views ofthe alumni associations or of the university.Please address editorial correspondence to:The Editor, Howard BokserConcordia University Magazine1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.FB 520, Montreal, QC H3G 1M8Phone: 514-848-2424, ext. 3826email: Howard.Bokser@concordia.caFor advertising information, call514-848-2424, ext. 3819.Editorial contributor: Scott McCullochStudent intern: Shaimaa El-GhazalyDesign: University Communications ServicesT13-12333concordia university magazine spring 2013 | 3

LETTERSNOTICESGENETICALLYCall MODIFIED for chapter DANGERRegarding volunteers“Epicureanadventure or environmentalWe’re seeking volunteers to helpoutrage” (winter 2012/13,organize events in California andpage 29): It is an outrageWashington State. It’s a meaningful way tothat we in North Americanetwork and give back to your alma mater.are unable to determineFor more information, please contactwhether the grocery items weLina Uberti, alumni officer,buy are genetically modified.Geographic Chapters,In Europe, customers haveat lina.uberti@concordia.ca.this right and may chooseto buy genetically modifiedfood or not.Concordia University Magazine The public may be unawareNOTICEwelcomes your letters. Wethat genetically modifiedreserve the right to choose the organisms (GMOs) are problematicof Fame in more ways thanlettersConcordiawe print and toSportsedit forHalllength Call and for style. NominationsWrite to us at: one. 1) Although the industryConcordia The University deadline Magazine for nominations to has be considered been saying for that the GMOs 2013Editorinduction ceremony isare good for us, independent1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W., FB 520 studies disagree. Of course,January 31, 2013Montreal, QC H3G 1M8these studies are immediatelyby attacked as much by supporting powerfulOr: Howard.Bokser@concordia.caNominations should be accompanieddocumentation as possible, because it is the documentationinterests as being unreliable.— not the number of times a name is put forward or2) The unmistakable effectendorsed — that is considered at the time of selection.IRANIANNominations do not expire if they of are growing not selected GMO food is theDIFFERENCESin the year in which they are made. proliferation of huge weeds,The section titled “True to its necessitating the ever greateruse ext. of pesticides. 3852, 3) TheVisit athletics.concordia.ca/nomination.html for aMuslim nomination roots” form in the or article call 514-848-2424,“Deck for the more malls” information. (winter harmful tyranny of corporate2012/13, page 16) refers to interests pertaining to thisthe pre-Islamic GO STINGERS! No Ruz, the issue is manifesting itself inIranian New Year. In fact, other ways as well. Should anfor Iranians, its celebration independent farmer’s fieldsactually represents thehappen to be in the path ofantithesis of being “true to wind, they may become infectedby foreign GMOs.Muslim CALL roots.” FOR CLASS REUNIONMoreover, CHAMPIONS despite the FOR HOMECOMING For example, Saskatchewan 2013article’s prominent referenceto Iranian culture,unsuccessfully sued neigh-farmer Percy Schmeiserno mention Graduates is from made the that classes of 1963 bouring and earlier, agricultural 1968, giantConcordia 1973, 1978, is home 1983, to 1988, a 1993, 1998 Monsanto and 2003 after will he reunite discoveredCentre to celebrate for Iranian their Studies anniversary years genetically at Homecoming modified 2013. plants(iranianstudies.concordia.ca),If you would like to volunteer as blown a Class onto Champion his property.the for only your one reunion in Canada. class, please contact Apparently Erin Mullins, our judicialassociate alumni officer, Homecoming system and is not Reunions, as independentRichard at erin.mullins@concordia.ca Foltzor as 514-848-2424, it is believed to ext. be. 3881.W I N T E R 2 0 1 2 / 1 3U N I V E R S I T Y M A G A Z I N ERETAILING RELIGIONThe commercialization ofthe holy daysAPOCALYPSE WHEN > RETHINKING FOOD > STRIKING OUT FEARProfessor and Director,Concordia Help us Centre bring together for your former Kazimiera classmates J. Cottam, to BA 64Iranian celebrate Studies this meaningful event. Nepean, Ont.LEARNING TO FLYS U M M E R 2 0 1 2Reach 90,000 Quebecers!Advertise inConcordia University MagazineThe quarterly provides advertisers withan excellent and cost-effective wayto reach our affluent and highlyeducated readers.For information about advertising ratesand publication deadlines, contact:Yanick DahanCoordinator, Alumni Services &MarketingPhone: 514-848-2424, ext. 3819Fax: 514-848-4510Email: Yanick.Dahan@concordia.caU N I V E R S I T Y M ANON-TRAD LAWYERS > CONCORDIA’$ CON4 | spring 2013 concordia university magazineconcordia university magazine winter 2012/13 | 39

CONCORDIA NEWS© Concordia UniversityLEFT TO RIGHT: JIM PFAUS, ANDRÉ PICARD AND NAOMI WOLF ONSTAGE FEBRUARY 7 AT CONCORDIA’S D.B. CLARKE THEATRE.NAOMI WOLF AND JIM PFAUS TALK SEXUAL DESIREApacked house of 350 enjoyed a lively, often humorous exchange between author Naomi Wolf and Concordia psychologyprofessor Jim Pfaus at Concordia’s D.B. Clarke Theatre on February 7. The talk, called “Sexual desire and the effectof neurochemicals on behaviour,” was the first of the four-part Concordia University-Globe and Mail NationalConversation Series on Aging Well.The Globe and Mail’s André Picard moderated the frank conversation between Naomi Wolf, author of The Beauty Myth (2002)and Vagina: A New Biography (2012), and Pfaus, a member of Concordia’s Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology.The series continues on April 18 with a talk about mental health and the workplace; and wraps up on May 1 with a discussionon how embracing a healthy lifestyle through your later years can help you stay physically and mentally sharp. To watch videos ofpast talks and find out more about upcoming events, visit concordia.ca/talks.IMPROVING YOUR HEALTH BY COMING OUTnew study headed by a ConcordiaA graduate dispels an old notionabout lesbians, gays and bisexuals(LGBs) who come out. Rather thanadding anxiety, as many believe, thestudy found that LGBs who reveal theirsexual identities are healthier mentallyand physically than those who hidetheir orientation. However, comingout might only be advantageous whentolerant social policies are in place.The study’s main authors wereRobert-Paul Juster, BA (pysch.) 06, adoctoral candidate in neuroscience atMcGill University, and Sonia Lupien,director of the Centre for Studies onHuman Stress at Montreal’s Louis H.Lafontaine Hospital. They examined 20biological markers to assess mental andphysical health of the subjects. Justerconcentrated on the cortisol hormone,which is released in response to stress.In excess, however, it can result innegative physiological changes.Published in January in PsychosomaticMedicine, the study discovered that gayand bisexual men experience fewerdepressive symptoms than heterosexualmen. LGBs who are open about theirsexual orientation also demonstratedROBERT-PAUL JUSTERlower levels of psychiatric symptomsthan those who kept it a secret.Juster’s findings conclude that socialpolicy plays a key role: “Societies mustendeavour to facilitate self-acceptanceamong LGBs by promoting tolerance,progressing policy and dispelling stigma.This may no longer be a matter ofpopular debate but of public health.”concordia university magazine spring 2013 | 5

CONCORDIA NEWSGROWING UP BILINGUALLanguage mixing — using elements fromtwo languages in the same sentence — isfrequent among bilingual parents and couldpose a challenge for vocabulary acquisition byone- and two-year-old children, according toa new study by Concordia assistant professorof psychology Krista Byers-Heinlein. Thoseresults are likely temporary, however, andare often counterbalanced by cognitiveadvantages afforded to children raised in abilingual environment.Until recently, little has been known abouthow often parents switch between languageswhen interacting with their toddlers, andhow that influences vocabulary size.Byers-Heinlein, who is also director of the Concordia Infant Research Laboratory anda member of the Centre for Research in Human Development, and Janet Werker’s InfantStudies Centre in Vancouver, worked on the study. It found that 90 per cent of parentsreported mixing languages in interactions with their children for such reasons as whenthere was no adequate translation or they were not sure of a word.It also revealed that exposure to parental language mixing predicted significantly fewerwords understood in the younger children, and marginally fewer words spoken in theolder children. “High rates of language mixing make it harder for children to categorizewords they hear,” Byers-Heinlein explains. “That could lead to slower word learning andsmaller vocabularies.” However, she adds, “Studies comparing monolingual and bilingualinfants have shown that bilinguals are more adept at switching between strategies and aremore able to learn two rules at the same time.”– Cléa DesjardinsCONCORDIA MOURNSPASSING OF LEONARD ELLENRESEARCH BY CONCORDIA ASSISTANT PROFESSOROF PSYCHOLOGY KRISTA BYERS-HEINLEIN INDICATESTHAT GROWING UP IN A BILINGUAL HOUSEHOLD HASLONG-TERM BENEFITS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN.Leonard Ellen, LLD 03, one of ConcordiaUniversity’s most cherished supporters, diedon March 13 in Florida at age 87. Ellen is survivedby his wife of nearly seven decades, Bina, as well astheir three daughters and large extended family. “Theloss of Leonard Ellen will be felt deeply throughoutConcordia and Montreal,” says Concordia PresidentAlan Shepard. “He was a true gentleman who waspassionate about our university and his city.”Ellen made his mark as a businessperson, philanthropistand volunteer. He joined Concordia’s Board of Governors in 1986. Hesoon became a member of its capital campaign committee and, in 1992, one of theConcordia University Foundation’s first directors. “Leonard championed Concordiain its formative years,” says Norman Hébert Jr., BComm 77, chair of the Board.Ellen contributed to a long list of Concordia campaigns, scholarships and bursaries,among other areas of support. Avid art collectors, the Ellens were inspired to make aninstrumental donation to support Concordia’s art gallery when it relocated to the J.W.McConnell Building in 1992. In honour of their role, it was renamed the Leonard &Bina Ellen Art Gallery.– Howard BokserDavid WardThe John Molson ExecutiveCentre and Institute forGovernance (IGOPP)are pleased to present aColloquium on CorporateOwnership and Control inQuebec and Canada:What are the roles ofthe private and publicsectors in dealing withforeign acquisition oflocal businesses?FRIDAY MAY 31 ST , 2013REGISTER TODAYusing the CODE: JMECParticipation Fee:$140 regular$49 for studentsSpecial rate:$499 for a group of 5For more information visit:johnmolson.concordia.ca/igoppevent6 | spring 2013 concordia university magazine

IMMIGRANTS: HIGHLY EDUCATED, UNDERPAIDhe cab driver who was an engineer in his homeT country, the gas station attendant who used to teachphysics, the cashier who trained as a pediatrician. Newimmigrants repeatedly find themselves in jobs for whichtheir level of education outstrips the requirements,meaning a major loss for the Canadian economy.In a paper recently published in the peer-reviewedopen-access journal ISRN Economics, Mesbah Sharaf,an assistant professor in Concordia’s Department ofEconomics, found that two thirds of recent immigrants toCanada possess more education than their jobs require.Using data from the most recent LongitudinalSurvey of Immigrants to Canada, Sharaf measured jobeducationmismatch for new Canadians. He found thatsix months after their arrival, 76.3 per cent of men and71.8 per cent of women have more education than theirjobs require. Sharaf explains that “new immigrants face barriers like lack of workCONCORDIA ASSISTANT PROFESSOROF ECONOMICS MESBAH SHARAF.experience and having few contacts in the Canadian labour market. They often don’tpossess the necessary language skills and lack the social networks that could help infinding better jobs.” Other reasons include lack of recognition for foreign experienceand credentials, costly accreditation and licensing requirements by professionalassociations and poor source-country schooling quality.Yet there is reason for hope. Sharaf’s research proves that the incidence andintensity of over-education decrease with the length of an immigrant’s stay in Canada.Because over-educated workers suffer from high job dissatisfaction, increasedabsenteeism, low productivity, poor health, job instability and low wages, the problemcosts the economy up to $5 billion a year, according to the Conference Board ofCanada. “It could really help the economy if the government directed resourcestoward closing the job-education gap for recent immigrants,” says Sharaf.— Cléa DesjardinsEARN A CREDITCERTIFICATE IN• MARKETING• HUMAN RESOURCES• BUSINESS PRACTICES• ENTREPRENEURSHIP• I want the business career ofmy dreams.• I want flexibility to take coursesonline or at night.• I want skills I can use immediately.• I want state-of-the-art businessskills so I can earn that promotion.• I want to start and manage my ownbusiness successfully.ALUMNI TAKE HOME FILM AWARDSRebelle (War Witch), written anddirected by Kim Nguyen, BFA97 (right), and produced byPierre Even, GrDip (comm. studies)90, collected 10 Canadian ScreenAwards, including best motionpicture, in Toronto on March 3.Nguyen earned best director andoriginal screenplay awards, whileNicolas Bolduc, attendee 94, won forachievement in cinematography.The poignant drama, now available on DVD in Quebec, received a prestigiousAcademy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film in January. The film tellsthe story of 12 year-old Komona, played by exceptional newcomer Rachel Mwanza.Komona, who can see ghosts that warn her of approaching enemies, is kidnapped byAfrican rebels and forced at gunpoint to kill her parents and fight as a child soldier.Rebelle is the fourth feature film for Nguyen, a graduate of the Mel HoppenheimSchool of Cinema.Concordia University’s School ofExtended Learning makes universitypossible. Join people like you seekinga more successful, fulfilling career andupgrading those essential skills. Thesecredit courses are taught by experiencedprofessors with relevant industrycredentials, in class and online.universityispossible.caFor more information: 54-848-8600 orextendedlearning@concordia.caWe make university possible.concordia university magazine spring 2013 | 7

CONCORDIA NEWSCONCORDIA GRADUATE DISCOVERSUNPUBLISHED NOVELIt wasn’t so much an “aha!” moment as guarded optimism when Concordia alumnusJean-Christophe Cloutier, BA 05, picked up a 1941 manuscript whose provenancewas eventually traced to Harlem Renaissance writer Claude McKay. McKay is regardedby literary experts as one of the foremost left-leaning black intellectuals of his age.Cloutier made his discovery while working as an intern at Columbia University’sRare Book and Manuscript Library. As a Columbia graduate student in English andcomparative literature, he had been sorting through a collection of the papers ofAmerican publisher Samuel Roth.That was in 2009. Since then, Cloutier and Brent Edwards, his dissertation advisorand Columbia University English professor, have established that the novel is authentic.The discovery even garnered the researchers a headline in the New York Times.The manuscript, titled Amiable With Big Teeth: A Novel of the Love Affair Between theCommunists and the Poor Black Sheep of Harlem, offers a snapshot of Harlem in 1936,the year in which the satire is set.The authentication process took Cloutier and Edwards to multiple libraries and fiveU.S. universities over a two-year period. “Between teaching and our other obligations,we scoured archives with McKay-related materials around the country,” Edwards said.Independent experts who sought to verify the manuscript’s provenance have calledthe discovery major.Cloutier, a graduate of Concordia’s Liberal Arts College, described his odyssey andfind as a “guide to history.” Edwards believes the discovery will deepen scholars’ understandingof McKay’s later career and raise questions about other hidden gems.“Part of the lesson of this find is the degree to which archives are the tip of the iceberg.There is a lot we don’t know,” he said.—Scott McCullochWHY I HIRESTUDENTS“Co-op is a smart way to fill staffshortages and preview potentialemployees. I know because I did myfirst co-op work term at MediscaPharmaceutique Inc. in 2001. Now I hireskilled, up-to-date science, business andengineering co-op students to help duringpeak workloads and support specialprojects. Co-op really works for Medisca.Let co-op work for you.”— Jennifer Pinsky, BComm 04,Concordia University, Institute forCo-operative EducationHuman Resources Manager,Medisca Pharmaceutique Inc.co-op.concordia.caINSTITUTE FORCO-OPERATIVE EDUCATIONCreating enriched educationalexperiences since 1980514-848-2424, ext. 3950coopinstitute@concordia.caBRENT EDWARDS AND CONCORDIA GRADUATE JEAN-CHRISTOPHE CLOUTIER, RIGHT. CLOUTIER UNEARTHED A 1941MANUSCRIPT BY IMPORTANT HARLEM RENAISSANCE WRITER CLAUDE MCKAY.8 | spring 2013 concordia university magazine

YOU’RE A MEMBERENJOY THE PRIVILEGESThe Concordia University Alumni Association lets you:• Connect with fellow alumni• Enjoy exciting programs and activities• Take advantage of special benefits and savingsFind out more: concordia.ca/alumni

Concordia’s GradProSkills program helpsgraduate students hone their career skillsBy Lucas WisenthalPhotos by Joseph DresdnerGiven his experience as a history professor and,more recently, Concordia’s vice-president ofResearch and Graduate Studies, Graham Carr iskeenly aware that the transition from the classroom to theworkplace can prove difficult for many graduate students.“As a graduate or doctoral student, you tend tobe very focused on your research,” Carr says. “And,frankly, the people you’re working with — the facultymembers and the researchers — are encouraging you tothink in those terms as well.”That could leave many with advanced degrees not fullyready for the world outside the classroom. “For severalyears, people in the graduate studies community havebeen talking about the need, with rapid changes in theworkforce, technologies, the nature of work and theglobalization of work opportunities, for students ingraduate programs to gain additional skills that will helpprepare them for the workplace and the adaptations thatare coming their way,” Carr says.According to the Canadian Association of GraduateSchools, proficiencies needed by graduate studentsinclude “life skills, communication skills, interviewskills, project management skills and leadershipskills,” Carr explains. “These are often referred to,misleadingly, as soft skills. They’re not. They’reessential skills. So the question is, what can we add thatwill provide students with a broader, more roundedcapability to prepare themselves for the future?”The university’s answer was GradProSkills,an expansive suite of workshops and seminarsled by on-campus and external providers anddesigned to give students the tools to excel insidethe academy and out. The initiative has so fardrawn more than 10,000 registrations by 2,900individual students for nearly 600 workshops oneverything from time management to languagetraining to career building.Despite its breadth and size, the program wasconceived and launched in under a year. In January2011, a student-driven working committee ofgraduate students — MAs, PhDs and a postdoctoralfellow — representing each of the four faculties, metto discuss an initiative to meet graduate-studentneeds. “We were given literally a two-sentencemandate,” says Laurie Lamoureux-Scholes,director of GradProSkills. “Build a suite of trainingworkshops. And can you have it ready by May 1?”The steering committee at the root ofGradProSkills, formed in fall 2010, consisted ofCarr, former associate vice-president of Strategy andOperations Carole Brabant, vice-provost of Teachingand Learning Ollivier Dyens, BFA 86, and associatevice-president of Student and Enrolment ServicesBrad Tucker. At the time, Concordia already had aplan aimed at fewer students. “The groundwork hadbeen laid,” Lamoureux-Scholes says. “The idea wasunderstood. There was enough interest in meetingthe need that it prompted the steering committee tosay, ‘Let’s try this, but let’s try to do it where it actuallyreaches the full student body.’ ”AT RIGHT: PAULA WOOD-ADAMS (LEFT), INTERIM DEAN OF GRADUATE STUDIES, AND LAURIELAMOUREUX-SCHOLES, DIRECTOR OF GRADPROSKILLS, AT THE PROGRAM’S BISHOP ST.HEADQUARTERS. DEMAND FOR THE YEAR-OLD PROGRAM HAS PROVEN OVERWHELMING.10 | spring 2013 concordia university magazine

concordia university magazine spring 2013 | 11

UNFOLDING GRADPROSKILLSThe program was designed to unfoldin phases. “Phase One, last year, wasconceived to bring together partnersfrom across the university and fromoutside to create GradProSkills’ coreoffering and test the appetite for it outthere,” Carr says. Partners includeConcordia’s French-language programOui Can Help! (see the sidebar “Yesoui can” on page 14), the Centre forTeaching and Learning Services,University Communication Services andAdvancement and Alumni Relations,and the Montreal Chapter of theInternational Association of BusinessCommunicators, among others.Upon launching, though, the groupbehind GradProSkills discovered thatthe problem wasn’t demand for suchworkshops: it was supply. “We havewaiting lists for most of our workshops,”says Paula Wood-Adams, interim deanof Graduate Studies. Phase Two ofthe program in 2012-2014 will see anincrease in offerings from collaborators.The workshops themselves — ledby learning specialists and usuallyan hour and a half to three hours inlength — are geared as much toward acareer in the Ivory Tower as they are towork in outside sectors. “Leadership istransferable,” Lamoureux-Scholes says.“So are the skills developed throughworkshops in areas like strategiccommunication, information and digitalintelligence and career building.”The dual emphasis was data-driven,she adds. “The statistics for PhDstudents — and this holds for Canada,the United States, the Western world —show about three in 10 will find jobs inthe academy.”Outside of academia, graduates ofmaster’s and doctoral programs mustprove to prospective employers thattheir education is worth the salary itmight command. For those in programslike business and engineering, thatmeans “being as good as you canpossibly be and as marketable as you canpossibly be,” Carr says. “For students indisciplines that are not professionallyoriented, GradProSkills can potentiallyoffer an array of skills that allow them tothink about employment opportunitiesthey may not have considered.”Students who do aspire to careers asinstructors and researchers can takeadvantage of workshops designed torefine their research and teaching skills.“If you don’t have any teaching training,Life skills, communication skills, interviewskills, project management skills andleadership skills are often referred to as softskills. They’re not. They’re essential skills.besides being a teaching assistant, that’snot enough anymore,” Lamoureux-Scholes says.The program also preps studentsfor the rigours of their own studiesbefore they begin. Last August, itlaunched Grad Base Camp, a collectionof workshops designed to preparenewly admitted grad students for theirclassroom experience to come. Thesessions covered all aspects of academiclife, from ethics to what Lamoureux-Scholes calls the thesis game plan,walking the candidates through theseven steps to a successful paper.Raymond Jess, who is pursuing aninterdisciplinary master’s in Englishliterature, history and geography, wasimmediately sold on the workshops.Jess hopes to pursue a career as aprofessor. Thus far, he’s taken about10 seminars, including sessions onoral communication in the classroomand tips for teaching and researchassistants. “I think one of the mainthings when you’re a graduate studentis you pick up a lot of knowledge inclass, but you don’t pick up a lot of toolsto help you use that knowledge,” Jesssays. “It’s helped me with things likegiving class presentations.”GENERATING INTERESTAbout half of Concordia’s graduatestudents come from outside Quebec,and Carr, Lamoureux-Scholes andWood-Adams would like as many aspossible to stay in the province afterthey graduate. Jess, a native of Ireland,recently attended a workshop aboutbuilding a career in French. “I mightalso take a French-language workshop,which is a great opportunity to learnFrench while living in the province,because I might work in Montreal,where the language is a requirement,”he says.“One of the things we love to do isgive our students the sense that Quebecis a place where they can think about afuture career,” Carr says. “We don’t wantto be losing students after they completetheir studies, and offering secondlanguageFrench training is a huge stepin the right direction.”The chief measure of GradProSkills’success thus far, though, is theoverwhelming interest it has generated.As of January, more than 27,000 uniquevisitors had viewed the GradProSkillswebsite 67,000 times; of them, 6,000visits were from out of province andalmost 7,000 from out of country. “Soit’s definitely getting out there, as theword goes,” Lamoureux-Scholes says.And soon, the annual reports thatgraduate students complete will includea self-assessment of the progressthey’ve made in the areas GradProSkillsfocuses on, taking into account thenumber of workshops they’ve attended.Students set to begin their studies willalso complete a questionnaire aboutthose skills upon registration, whilealumni will eventually providesimilar feedback.GradProSkills, meanwhile, continuesto expand. “We would like to createworkshops about entrepreneurship,”Wood-Adams says. Carr echoes hersentiment. “It could really positionstudents well in an innovation economy”in the decades to come. So, too, would12 | spring 2013 concordia university magazine

We love to give ourstudents the sensethat Quebec is aplace where they canthink about a futurecareer. Offeringsecond-languageFrench trainingis a huge step in theright direction.an emphasis on what Carr calls globalskills — the ability to succeed in a globaleconomy and work comfortably inany international centre of industry.Locally, though, the program is alsogiving graduate and PhD students anopportunity that often goes overlooked:the chance to socialize. “Being a gradstudent can be very isolating as you workon your thesis,” Jess says. “One of thegood things about GradProSkills is thatit gets you in touch with other peoplewho are doing similar stuff.”Mohammed Alsubaie, a master’sstudent at the Institute for InformationSystems Engineering, attended anetworking night held in conjunctionwith the Young Chamber of Commerceof Montreal. “It was a really excellentexperience, networking with youngprofessionals and with my friends,”he says. “I met the president of thechamber and we exchanged businesscards. I also met people from a softwarecompany related to my field, and weshared some ideas. You never know —these contacts might lead to a job.”Last fall, another outing saw agroup of students, many of themnew to Montreal, attend a Stingersmen’s hockey game against theMcGill Redmen. Lamoureux-Scholes challenged the students tomaintain conversation with eachother throughout the match. “They’rebuilding a community,” she says.“These are people who wouldn’t havemet otherwise, because they’re inMASTER’S DEGREE CANDIDATE MOHAMMEDALSUBAIE IS AMONG THE MANY GRADUATESTUDENTS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OFGRADPROSKILLS’ SERVICES.completely different disciplines, andnow their paths have crossed. Theserelationships could potentially leadto research collaborations, to lifelongfriends, and it started through aGradProSkills experience. Just like ourtag-line says, you really can connect toyour future with GradProSkills.”For more information, visitgraduatestudies.concordia.ca/gradproskills— Lucas Wisenthal, BA (journ.) 08,is a Montreal freelance writerconcordia university magazine spring 2013 | 13

OLLIVIERDYENSCHANELBOURDONMake adifferencein the livesthat followYes OUI canOllivier Dyens, Concordia’svice-provost of Teaching andLearning, has long believed thatthe university’s students could benefitfrom greater fluency in French. Sowhen Quebec’s Secrétariat à la politiquelinguistique approached him and BradTucker, associate vice-president ofStudent and Enrolment Services, aboutpromoting the language on and aroundthe Sir George Williams Campus, Dyenswas on board. With that objectivein mind, Oui Can Help!, a parallelinitiative to GradProSkills and sustainedby some of the same funding, waslaunched in October 2011.The government, Dyens explains,initially asked Concordia to create moreFrench courses for students. Yet hebelieved that there were already ampleoptions to choose from, both at the universityand elsewhere. “We said that whatwas probably needed is a body to makesense of all of these courses,” he says.With the funding it received, Oui CanHelp! began offering undergraduatestudents from outside of the provincebursaries to put toward French courses.“We got such an amazing responsethat we decided, this year, to investeven more money in it,” Dyens says.Concordia contributed an additional$75,000, giving 150 more students thesame bursaries, and Oui Can Help! alsorecently received funding from theOffice québécois de la langue française.“A very big issue the university dealswith — and it’s no one’s fault — is that,often, when students come to Concordiafrom non-Francophone areas, theyfocus on their studies and don’t take the14 | spring 2013 concordia university magazineopportunity to learn French,” Dyenssays. They then graduate without thetools to find work in the province. “Ifthey want to stay in Quebec, our societywould love to keep them.”With that objective in mind, OuiCan Help! also hosts practical eventsthat promote French, like seminarson building a career in Quebec. Theprogram also has a social aim. “It’sreally to show students that there’sa French culture, and it’s somethingworth learning about, participating inand having fun with.”Chanel Bourdon, BA 03, iscoordinator for Oui Can Help! andof Counselling and Development’sFrancisation program. She organizesvarious activities and connectsstudents to French-language resourceswithin Concordia and throughoutthe city, as well as secures long-termpartnerships with relevant ministriesto increase funding for students.“Since its 2011 launch, Oui Can Help!has experienced exponential growth.Our success means that studentscan take on a fulfilling career in theprovince and consequently remainhere and make a positive contributionto Quebec society.”Dyens is pleased with the project’sprogress and believes it will continueto flourish. “Concordia has always beenvery intimately intertwined with theMontreal community, and I think thisis another step in that direction.”For more information, visitconcordia.ca/services/counselling-and-development/oui-can-helpI contacted Concordia throughPlanned Giving, to establish abursary to help women like mymother who choose to return toschool in later years to betterthemselves and give newopportunities to their families.— Tania ShamyBFA 69, GrDip 72, MA 84View Tania’s story atconcordia.ca/plannedgiving.54-848-2424, ext. 8945 or-888-777-3330, ext. 8945

For some, graffiti is a blight onthe urban landscape perpetratedby juvenile delinquents.For others, it’s a contemporaryexpression that should be tolerated,even celebrated — though perhaps notif it appears on their own property,when it likely becomes invasive,potentially costly vandalism.“Almost every aspect of graffitiwriting culture is fraught with contradictions,which is perhaps whyit instigates so much debate,” saysAnna Waclawek, an affiliate professorand departmental coordinator forConcordia’s Department of Art History.There are times when the debate ismuted, such as in 2008 when a Londonwall featuring a Banksy stencil was reportedlysold by the building’s ownerfor more than $300,000. The work ofBanksy and other prominent streetartists such as Shepard Fairey, madefamous by Barack Obama’s 2008 Hopecampaign posters, now formally appearson gallery walls and fetches high prices.Their kind of eye-catching street cred issomething marketers relish.In other words, while most peopleconsider graffiti criminal, in anotherguise it can become an art form. Where,however, do we draw the line?GRAFFITI VERSUS STREET ARTTo do so, first we must define whatgraffiti is. Has it anything to do with theLascaux cave paintings or Pompeii’swall scrawls? Such associations arecommonly made by its advocates, saysWaclawek. “It is as though making theseancestral connections to the actionof writing or drawing on public wallsConcordia expertsdiscuss the growing,and controversial,graffiti sceneBY PATRICIA MAUNDERPHOTOS BY LINDA RUTENBERG16 | spring 2013 concordia university magazine

STREET ARTOR PUBLICNUISANCE?concordia university magazine spring 2013 | 17

Street art is accessible in every sense ofthe word and thus attractive to peopleinterested in pushing, breaking or questioninga myriad of socio-political constructs.infuses contemporary graffiti with somecredibility, some canonized link to thepast, some ongoing visual narrative. Itdrives me absolutely bonkers!”Waclawek, author of Graffiti and StreetArt (Thames & Hudson, 2011), disputesthe links to these antecedents. “Theyhave very little, if nothing, to do withthe graffiti movement that germinatedin Philadelphia and blew up in NewYork City in the 1970s,” she explains.“The culture of signature graffiti writing— writing one’s nickname, or ‘tag’ in ahighly stylized, mostly illegible manner— is much more connected to moderntraditions of advertising and popularculture than cave painting.”From the United States east coast,graffiti eventually spread to internationalurban centres, including Montreal,particularly through hip hop culture andskateboard culture, especially in filmsand publications. As its practitionerscreated tags in ever more stylized, colourfulways, and figurative elementswere incorporated into their work,people began asking: “Is it art?” Forthe galleries who courted New YorkerJean-Michel Basquiat in the 1980s, forexample, the answer was a resoundingyes. Soon the terms street art and, lesscommon,post-graffiti were coined forthis new form of artistic expression.Although some misunderstandingof their definitions remains, graffiticontinues to be widely understood asprimarily letter-based — indeed, accordingto Waclawek, those within whatthey call the “graff” scene usually considerthemselves writers rather thanANNA WACLAWEK, AN AFFILIATE PROFESSOR AND COORDINATOR FORCONCORDIA’S DEPARTMENT OF ART HISTORY, SAYS MODERN GRAFFITIEMERGED IN AMERICAN EAST-COAST CITIES IN THE 1970S.artists; street art can encompass everythingfrommurals and stencils to stickers, tiles,pasted paper and knitted yarn.The difference between graffitiand street art is arguably their intent.“Graffiti writers are not looking forvalidation within a system of prestigeoutside of their own,” Waclawek says.“Street artists, whether ex-writers, artschoolgraduates or self-taught creators,engage the general public in the experienceof art. Whatever one’s ideals,intention and motivation, the bottomline is that street art is accessible inevery sense of the word and thus attractiveto people interested in pushing,breaking or questioning a myriad ofsocio-political constructs.”CRIME TO SOMEWhatever it’s called, is it art or crime?“To answer that it is both only ignitesfurther questions,” says Waclawek.“How is it that graffiti is recognizedas punishable vandalism in certaininstances, especially when it makesan appearance as a tag or throwie, andyet it’s celebrated through advertisingcampaigns, numerous commercial18 | spring 2013 concordia university magazine

products and the general public alikewhen it manifests itself as a largepiece?” (See “A glossary of graffititerms,” below.)Other contrasts exist within the subcultureitself, she says: “It functionsat once as a rebellious form of expressionand an organized, hierarchicalscene; it’s free and accessible to everyonethrough our daily navigation of thecity, and yet the visual communicationthrough illegible letter-forms ensuresthat non-writers are not invited into theconversation. Writing one’s nickname isan act of authorship, but the writer remainsanonymous to the outside world.”Angela Ford-Rosenthal, a lecturer inConcordia’s Department of Sociology andAnthropology, is among the majority ofpeople who feels excluded from signaturegraffiti’s conversation. “I always lookat it to try to figure out what it is, whatthey’re trying to say, if their name can beseen in it,” she reveals. “I must sayI find it quite difficult.”Like many observers, she is also unableto resolve graffiti’s art/crimeconundrum. An expert in the study ofdeviance and juvenile crime and delinquency,Ford-Rosenthal says it’s hardto define graffiti as deviant behaviour.“It depends, as usual in the study of deviancy,on who’s doing the defining.”Most jurisdictions consider graffiti illegal,and therefore deviant. Practitioners,however, consider graffiti legitimateWORD ON THE STREET:A GLOSSARY OFGRAFFITI TERMSTag: small, monochromatic renderingsof graffiti writers’ nicknames in a highlystylized form, executed in seconds.Throw-up, or throwie: larger butstill rapidly executed renderings ofnicknames, created using two or threecolours and including more elaboratedesigns and techniques such as shadowand glow effects.Piece: short for masterpiece, largescaleworks displaying significanttechnique and creativity, and usuallyincorporating figurative elements.Paste-up: paper posters or cut-outdesigns pasted onto surfaces, usuallywith flour- or rice-based paste.Reverse graffiti: designs created bycleaning dirty surfaces, usually with astencil and high-pressure hose.Yarn bombing: knitted or crochetedyarn attached to objects includingpoles and trees, usually incorporatingbold colours and designs.ANGELA FORD-ROSENTHAL IS A LECTURER IN CONCORDIA’SDEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY. SHEQUESTIONS THE WISDOM OF SOME MONTREAL BOROUGHSTHAT FORCE BUILDING OWNERS TO PAY TO REMOVE GRAFFITI.concordia university magazine spring 2013 | 19

STERLING DOWNEY, A VETERAN OFMONTREAL’S GRAFFITI SCENE ANDREGULAR GUEST LECTURER ATANNA WACLAWEK’S ART HISTORYCLASSES, PICTURED IN FRONT OFONE OF HIS OWN IMAGES. DOWNEYCO-FOUNDED MONTREAL’S UNDERPRESSURE FESTIVAL IN 1996.How is it that graffiti is recognized as punishable vandalismin certain instances and yet celebrated through advertisingcampaigns when it manifests itself as a large “piece”?— perhaps especially when undertaken illegally.However, as more visually appealingand inclusive forms appear, communitieshave come to consider at least some of itappropriate, even to the point of officiallytolerating it.“Once it’s condoned by the system, it’sno longer deviant,” says Ford-Rosenthal,pointing to recent governmentsponsoredgraffiti projects in Montreal’sNotre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood;Montrealers can view five-storey-highpieces by A Shop Collective on the cornersof Madison Ave. and Sherbrooke St.and Decarie Blvd. and Sherbrooke. “Youcan organize projects to encourage streetyouth to express their creativity,” shesays. “Only then does it step over intoanother area — almost non-graffiti.”Ford-Rosenthal reports that Britishstudies of graffiti reveal a strong threadof youth revolting against the system.“These are kids who don’t feel theycan be part of the middle class or upperclass, so therefore they reject it, andthat’s an expression of their rejection,”she says. “There aren’t really enoughstudies on graffiti here in Canada, butif I had to put it in a category, I’d put itin terms of youth culture and creativityrather than deviance.”She’s outraged that some Montrealboroughs force buildings owners topay to have graffiti removed. “The kidscan come back the next day and just doit again,” Ford-Rosenthal says. “Whypenalize the victims?” She cites an examplefamiliar to those travelling westout of Montreal: the former MotelRaphael on St. Jacques St. near Highway20, which has long been covered in graffitiwhile redevelopment plans take theircourse. “The city would be imposingfines on the owners for the graffiti butit’s not the owners’ fault.”Brent Pearce, a marketing lecturerat Concordia’s John Molson School ofBusiness, also raises this derelict motel asan example of graffiti’s ugly face. However,he says the spray painters should take onlysome of the responsibility. “I also blamethe owner of the building, who should havehad it torn down. If you tear somethinglike that down there is no surface for themto be spray-painting.”COMMERCIAL CONCERNSAND POSSIBILITIESPearce is nevertheless excited aboutgraffiti’s upside. “We could take thosepeople and put them to really productivework in terms of making bland surfaceslook a lot more attractive,” he says of thegraffiti artists. “I look at a city like Genoa,Italy, on the Mediterranean Sea, andevery building, every house, is painted.It’s one of the most magnificent thingsyou’d ever want to see. In a sense, that’sgraffiti, but it’s art.”20 | spring 2013 concordia university magazineMONTREAL’S CRUMBLING FORMER MOTEL RAPHAEL, RIGHT,IS A TARGET FOR GRAFFITI — AND A VERY PUBLIC EYESORE.

He recognizes the serious businessconcerns. “If your building or storefrontis laden with graffiti — the negative,non-artistic form — that would be a verystrong deterrent for people to go in becausewe really do judge a book by itscover.” However, he adds, “For businessowners who use wall art or streetart in a positive sense, that becomesanother reason for people to visit thatestablishment. It could be one of the bigshopping centres, it could be just a littlestorefront, it doesn’t really matter —because shopping today more and morehas to be an experience.”Pearce feels graffiti as marketing hasenormous potential. “Businesses ingeneral and the advertising and communicationsindustry overall are workingto develop the potential,” he says. Yetlocally, at least, that’s gone untapped.“The City of Montreal is so far behind thetimes because in a number of the boroughsthere are bylaws that absolutelyprohibit any kind of graffiti, and that includeswall art. Go to Toronto — they doit. Go to New York — they do it.” Guerrillamarketing is underdeveloped in the restof Canada. “We lack ingenuity and innovationwhen it comes to that,” he says.Some advertisers, he points out, havecome to recognize that it’s “easier to generatea visceral reaction using these formsof media than it is to try to sell a productor service,” he says. That has led to thecreation of commercial enterprises thatchannel graffiti writers’ skills — usuallyinto legal billboard-style murals. A handfulof these businesses have sprung up inthe U.S., such as New York-based Tats Cru,which calls itself the Mural Kings. Mostare in Europe, “where it’s really an artform,” Pearce says. These include StreetAdvertising Services, Graffiti4hire andGreenGraffiti. Established in Holland in2007, GreenGraffiti has expanded internationally,including into Canada, usingeco-friendly techniques and material suchas milk paint, snow stamping and reversegraffiti, which involves creating words orimages by scraping away dirty surfaces.Turning clients’ urban grime into messages?Love it or hate it, graffiti has comea long way, although even the expertsagree we are still far from defining it.— Patricia Maunder is a Montrealfreelance writer.SPRAY-PAINTING MONTREALFor two decades, Sterling Downey has been at the centre ofMontreal’s graffiti community, in which he is also known by his tag,SEAZ. This articulate 40-year-old marketing professional is nothinglike the juvenile delinquent cliché commonly associated with graffiti.Downey, a regular guest lecturer at Anna Waclawek’s art historyclasses, contends the reverse is true. “Graffiti writers who have themost impact and are extremely prolific are much older than peopleperceive,” he says. “They’re anywhere between 25 and 40.”As well as leaving his mark on the city’s walls, Downey has alsodeveloped Montreal’s graffiti scene by co-founding the UnderPressure festival in 1996, a magazine of the same name three yearslater and, more recently, the Fresh Paint pop-up gallery. UnderPressure is the world’s oldest graffiti festival, and its 18th instalmentwill be held August 10 to 11.“Graffiti is the biggest art movement that’s ever existed,” claimsDowney, who dipped his toe in the water as a 12-year-old when he —rather foolishly, he later realized — sprayed his real name on a fewwalls. He became active during the early 1990s, when, according toDowney, there were only about 25 graffiti writers in Montreal. Halfwere from France, and all around age 20: “There were no teenagersdoing graffiti back in my day,” he says.Around the year 2000, art students began taking their creativityto Montreal’s streets. “They were still trying to do it in a signaturegraffiti format,” Downey recalls. “By 2004 it was more commonto use different media than spray paint because there was a lotof documentation from around the world,” such as Banksy doingstencils and Miss Van using paint brushes. “Now it’s commercialized,”he says. “Everyone and their kids are doing it.”concordia university magazine spring 2013 | 21

Celtic,Canadian andConcordianConcordia’s School of Canadian Irish Studies, the only one of its kind,has been an unlikely triumphBy Barbara BlackMichael Kenneally, principalof Concordia’s School ofCanadian Irish Studies,was on tenterhooks. After a long,labyrinthine process, he was awaitingthe Quebec government’s final approvalfor a 42-credit major in CanadianIrish Studies. The program had madeits way past all the right committees tothe minister’s desk. Finally, in earlyJanuary 2013, word came through:thumbs up. As a result, the universitywill be able to offer a Bachelor of Artsin Canadian Irish Studies, anothermilestone in a Concordia successstory. “It’s wonderful news for us andvalidates what we do,” Kenneally says.“We now can offer a major, minor andcertificate in Canadian Irish Studies, acomplete package.”Behind the school’s steady growthare three elements: enthusiasticLoyola College alumni support, cannyprogramming and brilliant fundraising.The school is the product of a dynamicpartnership between Kenneally, whoconceived the program and steeredit through the academic shoals, andLoyola alumnus Brian O’Neill Gallery,BA 57, who helped build a $7-millionendowment to finance it. Yes, sevenmillion dollars — during a globalrecession and the taming of the CelticTiger abroad.“It shows the power of alumni,”Kenneally says. “Our support comesfrom the Irish community right acrossCanada. It’s an amazing achievementfor what was originally an abstractplan.” Donors to the school’sscholarship fund give for the pleasureof helping a student and honouringthe thousands of nameless, 19thcenturyIrish immigrants who builtthe Victoria Bridge or scrabbled ahard living in the streets of the Pointin Montreal.While a handful of other Canadianand American universities offerIrish studies, Concordia’s is theonly program that closely links theexamination of contemporary Irelandwith its historical importance toMontreal, Quebec and Canada.22 | spring 2013 concordia university magazine

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: ALUMNUS DAVID SCOTT,FORMER FOUNDATION CHAIR BRIAN GALLERY,PRINCIPAL MICHAEL KENNEALLY AND RAY BASSETT,AMBASSADOR OF IRELAND TO CANADA.Ashley FraserThe great waves of Irish immigrationto Canada took place in the mid-1800s and the Irish who once filledGriffintown and Verdun — nowMontreal neighbourhoods — and smalltowns have long since blended intothe multicultural stew of Quebec. YetIrish roots emerge in unlikely places.Kenneally recalls with wonder anincident that occurred when the formerIrish president Mary Robinson spokein the late 1990s at the Canadian Centrefor Architecture in Montreal. A Frenchspeakingsecurity guard was movedby her speech. When asked why, thesecurity guard said, “Why not? She’s mypresident, too.”Maclean’s magazine once expressedsurprise that Montreal would have athriving school of Irish studies because“only a tenth of Canada’s 4.4 millionCanadians of Irish ancestry call Quebechome.” Yet it’s a country with strangelysubversive appeal. As Kenneally pointsout, “Irish history involves culturalnationalism, colonialism, post-imperialidentities, rebellion and independence,partition and decolonization, languagepreservation and literary expression.”These issues resonate in Quebec andaround the world.RESOURCEFULNESSThe breadth of the school’s program isa testament to Kenneally’s ingenuity.Students enjoy courses in literature,history, political science, economics,geography, arts and popular culture,women’s studies and the Irish language.The remaining 15 credits are drawnfrom a broad selection of Irish-themedelectives including courses on JamesJoyce, Irish film, theatre, the Irish inMontreal, the Great Irish Famine, theTroubles in Northern Ireland, Highlightsof Irish Literature and Celtic Christianity.“A degree in Canadian Irish Studieswill allow students to explore the historyand rich culture of Ireland and itsdiaspora and learn about complicatedsubjects related to colonialism,nationalism, war, religion and more,”Kenneally says. “Ireland presents aclassic case study of these contentiousissues. And its multidisciplinary andinterdisciplinary approach preparesstudents for the complexity of ourglobalized world.”He adds that students also benefitfrom studying in a small school, witha hands-on mentoring environment,within a large, urban university.Amanda Leigh Cox, MA (trans.) 09,who is pursuing an interdisciplinaryPhD in humanities, commends the widerange of experts and scholars. “Theymake it a fully rounded experience forstudents and provide a global view ofIrish culture, historically and in thepresent. It’s a very progressive andvibrant environment, and we’re allowedto stretch our wings and follow whatinterests us.”As the program grew, Kenneally drewon professors from across the university,often, but not always, with Irish ancestry.Now, thanks to successful fundraising,the school has six full-time professors.Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin (pronouncedGarode O-allveronn) is an Irishanthropologist and ethnomusicologistand the first holder of the JohnsonResearch Chair in Quebec andCanadian Irish Studies. Gavinconcordia university magazine spring 2013 | 23

minister Paul Martin, raised the rafterswith“Danny Boy.”Clearly Gallery’s heart was behind theschool. “A man came up to me recentlyand said, ‘I was going to give to thescholarship fund, but now that I’ve heardyou speak, I’m going to give double,’ ”he says. “That was wonderful to hear.”Wonderful, too, was the support heraised from the Irish, Canadian andQuebec governments — including $2million from the province to establish theJohnson Chair, named after three formerpremiers: Daniel Senior, Daniel Juniorand Pierre-Marc Johnson. Other sourcesincluded proceeds from fundraisingevenings, substantial donationsfrom several Canadian corporations,foundations and, appropriately, theSt. Patrick’s Society of Montreal andMontreal St. Patrick’s Foundation.After 16 years, Gallery recentlyretired, replaced as chair byophthalmologist John M. Little, BA 57.“I already miss it, but there’s not muchmore I can do,” Gallery admits.A French-speaking security guard was movedby Mary Robinson’s speech. When asked why,the security guard said, “Why not?She’s my president, too.”Recruiting goes on. Part of the challengeis explaining to prospective students whattypes of careers a degree in Canadian IrishStudies can lead to. “It equips studentsfor a wide range of jobs that require sharpcritical and analytical skills, clarity inoral expression, effectiveness in writtencommunication, and an awareness of thebroad issues shaping contemporary life,”Kenneally explains.The good news is that the pool ofpotential students is substantial.As luck would have it, several majorIrish dancing competitions have beenscheduled for Montreal. The school hada booth in the Queen Elizabeth Hotellast fall at the Eastern Canada RegionalFinals, which had more than 800participants. Now Kenneally has his eyeon the 3,500 to 4,000 dancers who willcome to the North American Nationalsin July 2014 and the 5,000 at the WorldChampionships in 2015.Given a chance to see what theschool has to offer and exposureto the enthusiasm and charm of itspromoters, many of those youngRiverdance aficionados might becomeConcordia students.— Barbara Black is the former editor of theConcordia Journal newspaper.Joseph DresdnerLEFT TO RIGHT: MICHAEL KENNEALLY, PRINCIPAL OF THE SCHOOL OF CANADIAN IRISH STUDIES, ANGELA OLAGUERA, CAMILLE HARRIGAN AND SUSAN CAHILL, ASSISTANT PROFESSOROF IRISH LITERATURE. IN JANUARY, THE SCHOOL PRESENTED COPIES OF THE ATLAS OF THE GREAT IRISH FAMINE TO OLAGUERA AND HARRIGAN, THE FIRST STUDENTS TO ENROL FORCONCORDIA’S MAJOR IN CANADIAN IRISH STUDIES.concordia university magazine spring 2013 | 25

CONCORDIA’S THOMAS WAUGH ANDMATTHEW HAYS REDEFINE CONVENTIONWITH THEIR QUEER FILM CLASSICS SERIESBY DAVID KINGPHOTO BY PIERRE CHARBONNEAUTHE CONCORDIA MEL HOPPENHEIMSCHOOL OF CINEMA’S THOMASWAUGH AND MATTHEW HAYS,PICTURED AT THE SCHOOL, ARECO-EDITORS OF THE QUEER FILMCLASSICS BOOK SERIES.26 | spring 2013 concordia university magazine

M A K I N G T H I N G SPERFECTLYIn his seminal 1981 book The CelluloidCloset, late activist Vito Russoperceptively summarized 80 yearsof the portrayal of homosexuality infilm with a “necrology,” a list of howlesbian and gay film characters met theirdemise. This included some of the mostviolent murders, suicides, castrationsand executions ever portrayed onscreenand was a clear reminder of the LGBTQ(lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,queer) community’s skewedrepresentation by Hollywood.Three decades later, times havecertainly changed — mostly for thebetter — with local cineplexes and TVnetworks regularly featuring gay andlesbian characters and storylines, anduniversity cinema departments offeringcourses on LGBTQ film. Yet the needfor socio-historical context and criticaltheory remains paramount. It’s oneof the reasons why Concordia’s MelHoppenheim School of Cinema professorThomas Waugh and part-time filmstudies instructor Matthew Hays, BFA 91,MA 99, launched the Queer Film Classicsseries in 2009. Nearly two dozen volumesare planned under Arsenal Pulp Press,written by leading scholars and criticsand co-edited by Waugh and Hays.“Each book allows its author to getunder the skin of a film, and to talkabout it in a very eclectic way based onthe reaction of its time, the response ofcritics both straight and queer, and theimpact of the film,” describes Hays.The 10 volumes published so far offera blend of critical theory and biographythat are key selling points in reachingboth academic and non-academic readers.Apart from celebrating queer filmconcordia university magazine spring 2013 | 27

DESIGNED TO BEdifferentConcordia’s Department of Education emphasizes research,educational technology and teaching early childhood educatorsBY JAKE BRENNAN30 | spring 2013 concordia university magazine

MORE THANtechnicalProfessor of Education BobBernard has spent just overhalf his life in Canada. TheNashville, Tenn., native came to workat Concordia at 33 but, like manyanglophones who arrive after childhood,he never fully mastered French. Thathis wife is Franco-Ontarian and doeshis translating means he won’t haveto — convenient, Bernard says, givenSherlock Holmes’s view ofour mental design. He citesHolmes’s explanation toWatson of “the lumber roomof his brain: ‘Every extra factI put in there clutters it andcrowds another fact out.’ ”Acting on this premisehas clearly worked for Bernard.With more than 60 peer-reviewed articlesto his name, his research earnedhim, among many other recognitions,the Review of Educational Research’sOutstanding Reviewer Award twiceand the Association for EducationalCommunications and Technology’sOutstanding Distance Education PaperAward for 2010-2012.Bernard has won these accolades byfilling his own astute lumber room withall matters technological — educationaltechnology, that is. Much broaderthan its name might suggest in the 21stcentury, the field comprises anythingthat helps learners learn or teachersteach beyond the original pedagogicalmethod, oral explanation. That includeseverything from pens, chalk andbooks to computers, which go into whatBernard calls the discipline’s soft side:course planning, instructional designand creating learning environments.Modern educational technology datesback to the Second World War, whensoldiers were shown films to learn whatcombat would be like. Today, ed tech isused in educational institutions as wellas for corporate training. Graduates caneither teach courses themselves or designthem for others.Despite this expertise, educationaltechnology sometimes struggles with itsreputation. “Educational technologistsare still often thought of as enhancedcart pushers — the AV guys,” Bernardsays. “That’s been diminishing as technologyhas become integral to teaching,particularly in higher education.”One field whose evolution has mirroredrevolutions in technology isdistance education, where Bernard hasbeen a research pioneer. In a landmark2004 meta-analysis paper published inthe Review of Educational Research thathas been cited more than 600 times, heand his co-authors demonstrated thatdistance education students performeither as well as or better than theirclassroom peers. One reason is thattechnology can tailor the material to astudent’s preferred learning methods,contrary to popular belief. What’s more,online discussions can be more democraticand include students too shy tospeak up in class.The verdict is still out on onlinelearning (see “Metallic learning” onpage 35). Technology has its pitfalls, too.For instance, many professors post lecturesonline, discouraging note-taking— a valuable step in comprehension. Toencourage active learning, Bernard allowshis statistics students to bring asingle page into exams. “It’s not the useof the cheat sheet that’s important. It’smaking the cheat sheet. It’s choosingwhat to put on it.”Bernard’s mental lumber-room focusclearly looms large in his teaching — andin his life. “I wanted to concentrate onresearch,” he says. “I came to the rightplace: Concordia.”Educational technologists are still often thoughtof as the AV guys. That’s been diminishing astechnology has become integral to higher education.Radu DiaconuBOB BERNARDconcordia university magazine spring 2013 | 33

Children need balance. Fewknow that to be true as wellas Professor of EducationNina Howe. After spending fouryears teaching young children, shesought some balance of her own andin 1982 returned to pursue her PhDin developmental psychology at theUniversity of Waterloo, focusing onsibling relationships. She’s neverlooked back.Today, Howe is a scholar at the topof her field. Since joining Concordia’sEarly Childhood and ElementaryEducation Program in 1986, she haspublished more than 50 journal articlesand won countless research grants.Her own children, now 21 and 20,chose the university they now attend.Clearly, parents should be more involvedin selecting their children’spreschool, yet they should make thatdecision more carefully than most do,Howe contends. Much research demonstratesthat better educated teachersprovide children with better opportunitiesfor learning. Nonetheless, parentsoften prioritize a daycare’s proximityover quality. In a recent study, Howeand her co-authors found that only 40per cent of the parents surveyed knewthe educational level of their children’steachers, and many overestimated it.“No one buys a car without doing somehomework, so why don’t parents doPOSITIVEparentinghomework when selecting child care?”she asks.Howe recommends that parents lookingfor a daycare ask a few key questions:What kinds of activities are offered?What is the balance between activity andquiet time? Do they get enough time forfree play, with a choice of what to playand with whom?This last question is crucial, says Howe,whose current research interests centreon children’s early social relationships asthey develop through play. “Many parentsthink their children will learn nothingunless there is structure or teacher direction.”Letting them play freely — andactively — actually solves a number of issuesplaguing today’s children.Child obesity, for instance, is a growingproblem to some extent becausemany adults fail to realize how activekids need to be. Exercise also alleviateschildren’s stress, which is on the risein part due to parents’ overinvestmentin their children’s lives, says Howe.Tethered parenting — the use of mobiledevices to remain in constant contactwith children — is a clear sign of thatanxiety. Howe says today’s children areover-programmed, over-scheduled andover-monitored. “My father used to sayNINA HOWEthat he engaged in ‘benign neglect’ —he was not in our face all the time. Kidsneed more freedom to do what they feellike doing.”That doesn’t mean children should alwaysget their way. “A permissive parentis as difficult for children as a very authoritarianparent,” she says. “There isa need to set limits. They need guidanceto understand reasonable and developmentallyappropriate expectations.”Howe urges us to trust our childrenmore. “Yes, they will make mistakes,but they will learn from them,” she says,whereas overprotecting children illpreparesthem for coping with failure.While computers provide stimulationand are increasingly necessary, childrenlearn physical, social and decisionmakingskills during free play — awayfrom electronic devices. “They need toengage with the physical world and otherchildren,” she says.Howe’s observations on childrenpoint to a timeless conclusion:in parenting, as in life, everything inmoderation.David WardNo one buys a car without doing somehomework, so why don’t parents dohomework when selecting child care?34 | spring 2013 concordia university magazine

Vivek Venkatesh, MA 03, PhD08, claims he’s a winter person.That’s surprising since theassistant professor of education livedin some hot locales — his native NewDelhi as well as Venezuela and Singapore— before moving to Canada in 2000.Yet he’s clearly comfortable on an icywinter day in his frigid J. W. McConnellBuilding office — kept cold to preserveboth his mental acuity and metal recordcollection. It’s dimly lit and clutteredwall to wall with paraphernalia pickedup at extreme metal concerts — “notheavy metal,” he distinguishes.These surroundings contrastVenkatesh’s warm, animateddisposition. Asking him about metalmusic fans, part of his current research,is like putting a coin in a meter — hisnatural, articulate exuberance spillsforth. “I have the happy problem ofbeing able to research what I actuallylike to do,” he says.Venkatesh, a cognitive scientistand also associate dean of academicprograms and development inConcordia’s School of GraduateStudies, examines online forums forfellow metal lovers to see how they interactand how that might be applied indesigning courses. With more than 50per cent of Canadians and a billion-pluspeople worldwide now on Facebook,Venkatesh is investigating how bestto leverage students’ online interest.“There is a lot of resistance to this,but I contend that how people learnonline is very different fromhow they learn face to face,” hesays. “What I’m seeing in onlineforums is that there is verylittle democracy in the way thatpeople interact.” Instead, it’s atechnocracy: self-styled expertsdominate the discussions. What’s more,the anonymity of online aliases permitsalmost gang-like bullying — not factorsconducive to learning.A recent study Venkatesh co-authoredwith Magda Fusaro of Université deQuébec à Montréal revealed surprisingfindings: many students weren’t all thatinterested in the latest teaching gizmos.Only 58 per cent perceived informationand communications technologies inclass as positively affecting the qualityof the course.Moreover, students seem uninspiredby online learning. Venkatesh says thisdemonstrates that “we need to betterunderstand the benefits and pitfalls ofthese technologies before jumping ona particular bandwagon,” such as themassive open online courses which havebeen gaining attention as thenext wave in education.Venkatesh and Fusaro’sanalysis showed a dividebetween teachers andstudents’ concepts ofa positive classroomlearning experience.Teachers feel that if theyrun more discussions and interactiveactivities, they’ve done a better job— understandable, as they can gaugeengagement. For students, the bestpredictors of class enjoyment werestimulating lectures, irrespective ofwhether technologies were used.“Just because youth are using socialmedia doesn’t mean we have to appropriatethat particular technology for thepurposes of learning,” says Venkatesh.Students recognize that the classroomis their opportunity to hear from theexpert at the front of the class — and arespite from the less informed onlineopining that occupies much of theirtime outside it.Venkatesh hopes the survey willhave broad implications for curriculumdesign, one of several irons he keepsin the fire in his frigid office. Still, headmits, “Right now, I’m most passionateabout going to metal shows.”— Jake Brennan is a Montreal freelance writer.METALLIClearningJust because youth are using social media doesn’tmean we have to appropriate that particulartechnology for the purposes of learning.Radu DiaconuVIVEK VENKATESHconcordia university magazine spring 2013 | 35

FACULTY SPOTLIGHTFINE ARTSStudio arts: a hotbed of talentBY LIZ CROMPTON, BA 87Something special is clearly goingon at Concordia’s Faculty of FineArts. Its visual artists, past andpresent, have been reeling in awards incompetitions in Quebec and across thecountry in recent years.From Governor General awards andPulitzer prizes to the Order of Canada, theDepartment of Studio Arts’ students, professorsand alumni are obviously doingsomething right. (See “Awarding work.”)“The energy coming from peers, thesupport provided by faculty and thepresence of so many engaged artistscoming together are creating a kind ofsynergy,” says Janet Werner, chair of thedepartment. One of Werner’s own works,Earthling, was acquired in January byMontreal’s Musée d’art contemporain,a major accomplishment.The first factor she attributes to agood showing from Concordia-affiliatedartists is size. Studio arts is the largestdepartment in the Faculty of Fine Arts,with just over 1,300 undergraduateand graduate students and about 100full- and part-time faculty membersspread across a dozen disciplines, frompainting to cyberarts. “There’s a criticalmass — it’s big, but not too big,” Wernernotes. “Size matters.”And the calibre is top-notch, especiallyat the graduate level. “Thecompetition to get in — to teach as wellas study — makes for strong faculty andstudents,” she notes.In a typical year, for example,Concordia’s Master of Fine Arts inStudio Arts program welcomes justone in six applicants. The program,one of Canada’s first, has maintainedan international reputation for 30 years.MFA student Betino Assa earned anhonourable mention — worth $15,000— in the 2012 RBC National PaintingCompetition, while in January studentPaul Butler was named curator of contemporaryart at the Winnipeg Ar Gallery.Mika GoodfriendMIKA GOODFRIEND, BFA 12, TOOK TOP SPOT AT THE BMO 1ST ART! INVITATIONAL STUDENT ART COMPETITION INAUGUST. PICTURED IS BENOIT ET SUZANNE, REYNALD ET MARYLDA, FROM GOODFRIEND’S SNOWBIRDS SERIES, A VISUALEXPLORATION OF QUÉBÉCOIS IDENTITY AND CULTURE IN A POMPANO BEACH, FLA., RETIREMENT COMMUNITY.AWARDING WORKConcordia studio arts students, faculty and alumni’s recent accolades:Governor General’s Award inVisual and Media Arts2012: Jana Sterbak, BFA 772011: Geneviève Cadieux, faculty2010: Gabor Szilasi, retired facultyOrder of Canada2010: Raymonde April, facultyRBC National Painting Competition2012 honourable mention: Betino Assa,MFA student2012 honourable mention: Katie Lyle, BFA 052012 finalist: Corri-Lynn Tetz, MFA studentHnatyshyn Foundation Award forCuratorial Excellence in ContemporaryArt and Curator of the Year,Contemporary Art Galleries Association2012: Nicole Gingras, BFA 86, facultySuccess attracts success, as well.Keen to help nurture promising talent,donors such as Sean B. Murphy,Nick and Dale Tedeschi, Stephen andClaudine Bronfman and Dick andGretchen Evans provide outstandingsupport that, in turn, helps emergingartists at Concordia focus and flourishin their practice.The city itself can take some creditfor the success of Concordians, too.BMO 1st Art! Invitational StudentArt Competition2012 winner: Mika Goodfriend, BFA 12Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award,Canada Council for the Arts2012: Manon De Pauw, BFA 97, faculty2011: Diane Morin, MFA 03, and OsvaldoRamirez Castillo, MFA 08Sobey Art Award2012 winner: Raphaëlle de Groot,visiting artist2011 finalist: Manon De Pauw, BFA 972011 finalist: Charles Stankievech, MFA 072010 winner: Daniel Barrow, visiting artistPulitzer Prize for Photography2011 and 2006: Barbara Davidson, BFA 90Chock full of art galleries, museumsand exhibitions, Montreal enjoys avibrant and participatory arts scene thatoffers myriad possibilities for studentsto exhibit their artwork. Its history ofartist-run galleries is attractive, too.“People stay here after graduation becausethere’s a lot of opportunity to showtheir work in a meaningful way at all levels,”says Emily Jan, a third-year MFA student.“Montreal is an amazing arts city.”36 | spring 2013 concordia university magazine

ARHphotoJANIS TIMM-BOTTOS, FAR LEFT, AT LA RUCHE D’ART COMMUNITY STUDIO AND SCIENCE SHOP IN MONTREAL’S ST-HENRI DISTRICT.ART HIVES BUZZ WITH ACTIVITYTake one modest storefront on a streetin a working-class neighbourhood;fill it with donations of paints, fabricsand other recyclables; throw open thedoors to the community to come makeart. What do you get? A community arthive. Or, in French, a ruche d’art.Art hives are the research focus ofJanis Timm-Bottos, an art therapy professorwith Concordia’s Department ofCreative Arts Therapies. While open toeveryone, this social-inclusion initiativeespecially welcomes those living onsociety’s margins. There are no instructors;participants learn from and teacheach other and, in the process, shareideas about local social and culturalissues. These studios “provide opportunitiesto share abilities and developleadership skills while giving back to thecommunity,” Timm-Bottos says.They provide other opportunities, too.Timm-Bottos teaches one of her universitycourses at La Ruche d’Art CommunityStudio and Science Shop in Montreal’sSt-Henri district. Several Concordiagraduate students are involved as researchassistants, volunteers and arttherapy interns. “The storefront studioprovides an outlet and access to learningdirectly in the community,” she says.Timm-Bottos is now focused onhelping plant the seeds of a nationalnetwork of neighbourhood arthives. The J.W. McConnell FamilyFoundation has given a $300,000grant to help her spread the wordacross Canada; trips are scheduledfrom Corner Brook, N.L., toVancouver Island.“For these partners — the university,the private funders and the community— to come together to create free spacesfor people to inquire about themselves,about their neighbourhoods, abouteach other, is wonderful,” Timm-Bottos says.SILENCE OF THOUGHT, MUSIC OF SIGHT,BY PAVITRA WICKRAMASINGHE, MFA 10,RECIPIENT OF THE 2011 CLAUDINE ANDSTEPHEN BRONFMAN FELLOWSHIP INCONTEMPORARY ART. WICKRAMASINGHE’SWORK WILL BE ON VIEW AT CONCORDIA’SFOFA GALLERY FROM APRIL 15 TO MAY 24.SPRING SHOWS 2013From March to June 2013, localarts aficionados can discover whattalented fine arts students have tooffer in the visual, performing, design,cinematic and digital arts.All nine of Concordia’s fine arts departments— art education, art history,contemporary dance, creative arts therapies,design and computation arts,music, studio arts, theatre and the MelHoppenheim School of Cinema — will berepresented at more than 40 shows in 20different locations throughout Montreal.For details, visit finearts.concordia.ca/springshows.concordia university magazine spring 2013 | 37

ALUMNI NEWSFor news on the full slate of recent and future Concordia Advancement andAlumni Relations events in Montreal, across Canada and the world over, visitconcordia.ca/alumni-giving.1OttawaCapital effort in OttawaConcordia President Alan Shepardlauded the university’s vigorousgrowth and burnished internationalprofile over dinner with members ofParliament and senior figures in theuniversity’s Ottawa alumni chapter onDecember 10. The gathering, held atthe Rideau Club, marked Shepard’s firstmeeting with alumni chapter executives.Advancement and Alumni Relations(AAR) operates 24 geographic chapters:14 in Canada and the United States and10 internationally. The Ottawa area ishome to 5,400 Concordia alumni. TheOttawa chapter — one of AAR’s strongest— has built up a $17,400 endowment tosupport two annual entrance bursariesfor Concordia undergraduate studentsfrom the Ottawa region. It has a fundraisinggoal of $20,000.Shepard said Concordia has undergonea renaissance and praised alumnifor augmenting the university’s reputationoutside of Quebec. He also drewattention to a raft of initiatives thathave transformed the university. “Youshould be proud of what is happeningat Concordia,” he said. “We continue tohave faculty and students win prizes andnational competitions and our facilitiesare first-rate.”Shepard said $600 million worth ofinvestment projects, bolstered researchRyan Blau/PBL Photographyactivity and pushes in such areas asgenomics and illness-prevention haveenabled Concordia to rethink higher educationas a way to meet societal demands.Pictured at the event are chapterpresident Christopher Wilcox, BA 04,and Marie Claire Morin, vice-presidentof AAR. 1Making news in TorontoStephen Meurice, BA 90, editor-inchiefof the National Post newspaper,provided a brief and candid overviewof his career and the challenges facingthe newspaper business at the AlumniNetworking Night at Toronto’s HiltonGarden Inn on November 15.Meurice, who earned a BA in politicalscience and studied in the university’sgraduate diploma in journalism program,credited his success in part to histime at Concordia. He’s been with theNational Post since it was launched in1998 and was named the editor-in-chief2International Students Holiday Partyin 2010. Despite the paper’s longstandingfinancial struggles — commonfor many print publications today —Meurice decided to remain. “I stayedbecause the Post newsroom was the bestplace I had ever worked, where creativitywas encouraged and rewarded.”The event was hosted by the TorontoChapter of the Concordia UniversityAlumni Association.Kinship away from homeInternational students who couldn’treturn home for the holidays got atasty meal and enjoyed lively dancingunder the sounds of DJ James Karls onDecember 20.For the 13th consecutive year,Concordia’s AAR hosted its InternationalStudents Holiday Party to celebrate thecontribution of out-of-town Concordiansto university life. Some 350 students andguests gathered at Espace Réunion inOutremont, Que. 238 | spring 2013 concordia university magazine

The Concordia University Alumni Association’s22nd ANNUAL ALUMNIRECOGNITION AWARDSBANQUETTuesday, May 2, 203Le Westin Montreal270 St. Antoine St. W.HOMECOMING 203SAVE THE DATE!October 3 to 6Don’t miss an enjoyable weekend of inspiringreunions, fun activities, stimulating lectures andmuch more for alumni.For more information:203 AWARD RECIPIENTSAlumnus of the YearWalter S. Tomenson, BA 68Humberto Santos Award of MeritBrian Edwards, BComm 7Benoit Pelland Distinguished Service AwardThe late Robert Barnes, BA 68Honorary Life MembershipPeter HallAlumni Award for Excellence in TeachingMartin PughOutstanding Faculty/Staff AwardNancy CurranMBA Alumnus of the YearJulien BriseBois, EMBA 07Outstanding Student AwardEric Moses GashirabakeAdvancement and Alumni RelationsEmail: alumni@concordia.caPhone: 514-848-2424, ext. 4379Toll-free: 1-888-777-3330Look for your invitation or further news in theAccent e-newsletter or at concordia.ca/alumni.concordia.ca/homecomingWatch for your invitation soon.Information: alumni@concordia.caor 54-848-2424, ext. 8946Loyola Medal call for nominationsThe Loyola Medal is among the highest honoursbestowed by Concordia.Submit your nominations by August 3, 203,to alumni@concordia.ca or visitconcordia.ca/alumni-giving/alumni/news/awards-honours.concordia university magazine spring 2013 | 39

CLASS ACTSAlumni with more than one degreefrom Concordia, Sir George Williamsand/or Loyola are listed undertheir earliest graduation year.51Gerry (Sam) McGee,BSc, received a QueenElizabeth II Diamond Jubileemedal in February. Gerry washonoured for his lead role inthe Canadian EngineeringAccreditation Board.62Carol Katz, (psych. &soc.), earned an MEd inteaching of reading in 1979 andan MLIS in 1989 from McGillUniversity. Carol recentlypublished her first children’sbook, Zaidie and Ferdele:Memories of My Childhood (DeuxVoiliers Publishing). The titleis Yiddish for “grandfatherand his female horse,” andthe book features short storiesabout growing up in JewishMontreal in the 1940s and’50s. The original, coloured,hand-drawn illustrations areby Shira Katz, BA (comm.studies & theatre) 94, MA(ed. tech.) 04, and SandraLevy, BA 63. carolkatz.ca50TH REUNION63Richard Pound, BA,LLD 10, received aQueen Elizabeth II DiamondJubilee Medal in November.Dick is partner at Montreallaw firm Stikeman Elliottand one-time chancellor ofMcGill University, founderof the World Anti-DopingAgency and former vicepresidentof the InternationalOlympic Committee.67Concordia chancellorL. Jacques Ménard,BComm, LLD 06, received aQueen Elizabeth II DiamondJubilee Medal in November.The next month, he wasnamed a Companion of theOrder of Canada. Jacques ischairman of BMO NesbittBurns and president of BMOFinancial Group in Montreal.12 389 101) Claudine Ascher, BFA 83, MA 05, participated in anexhibition called “The Collector’s Fair” held at the Galeriede la Ville in the Dollard Centre for the Arts in Dollarddes-Ormeaux,Que. from November 22 to December 22.claudineascher.com 1) Medieval2) Susan Pepler, BFA 84, will hold a solo exhibitionat Le Meridien Versailles hotel in Montreal from April 1 toJune 30. The show will feature Susan’s vintage car paintings.susanpepler.com 2) Gems on the Boulevard3) Wayne Millett, BA (graphic design) 85, exhibitedabout 50 of his oil paintings in Jacob’s Treasures gallery inHawkesbury, Ont., Wayne has had a varied career in design,illustration and animation for television and now is a fulltimepainter. waynemillett.blogspot.ca 3) Blue & Gold4) Aydin Matlabi, BFA (photog.) 08, MFA (photog.) 10,held a solo exhibition of his photographs called “Landscape,Revolution, People” at the Graphic Arts Centre of theMontreal Museum of Fine Arts from December 19 to March17. Aydin was a featured artist in the 2011 Scotia Bank PhotoFestival. 4) Revolutionary Face5) Susan Shulman, BFA (studio art) 96, exhibited herholiday art show called “Miniscapes” at Boutik arts dansle coin in Montreal from December 14 to 16. Shulman alsolaunched her new Miniscapes book featuring honey jar labelsand holiday cards. susanshulman.com 5) Music on theMountain6) Linda-Marlena Bucholtz Ross, BFA (photog.)08, held an exhibition of her art called “An UnintendedAesthetic: the Impromptu Stage” at Galerie McClure in theVisual Arts Centre in Westmount, Que., from January 4 to26. In 2011, Linda won the concrete contemporary prizefor photography given by the Robert McLaughlin Gallery inOshawa, Ont. 6) Chateau with Blue Fence7) Roxanne Dyer, BFA (studio art) 98, held a soloexhibition called “Evolo” at the Gallery at Victoria Hallin Westmount, Que., from January 10 to February 2. Theproject consisted of three series called Legend of theCreation, Narrative of Changes and Vision of Arrivals.roxannedyer-atelier.com 7) On répète40 | spring 2013 concordia university magazine

35TH REUNION78Darcy Rezac, MBA,was recently namedvice-president of CorporateAffairs at Pacific WesternBrewing Co. in Burnaby, B.C.Darcy is CEO of Ana PacificConsulting and a corporatedirector, author, speaker andadjunct professor of businessat the University of Victoria.81Steven Walsh, BA (history& poli. sci.), writes, “InMay, I married my sweetheart,Sara Dickson. Our home is ona golf course in Columbia, Mo.Professionally, I continue toserve as the press secretary toCongresswoman Vicky Hartzlerof Missouri. Life is good.”84Steven Gaon, BA (hist.),earned a law degree fromthe University of Ottawa in 1987and has practised law in Ottawasince 1989. He received hisAlternative Dispute Resolutioncredentials in 2001 and isnow a mediator, arbitratorand workplace investigator.Steven has been a trustee ofthe County of Carleton LawAssociation since 2009 and isnow its treasurer. “I enjoyedsome of the best years ofmy life at Concordia, whichprepared me for my life ahead.I remember well those crisp falldays, watching the Stingers playfootball at the Loyola field and,of course, enjoying the sociallife on campus afterwards! I wasalso on the Concordia Ski Teamfrom 1981 to 1983, and thoseexperiences proved to be someof the most rewarding and funtimes of my life. I now have twowonderful daughters (12 and 16),both of whom are big skiers —like their dad!” adrottawa.com85Josée Nadeau,BFA, performed a livepainting on stage at the MiamiFontainebleau Hotel onDecember 15 in celebrationof the 50th anniversary ofDionne Warwick’s singingcareer. All proceeds ofNadeau’s artwork went to theUnited Way’s Hurricane SandyFund. joseenadeau.com45 6 711128) Shelley Miller, MFA (studio art) 01, created a publicsculpture that was officially inaugurated at the École desmétiers du tourisme on October 24. Shelley, who has mademany public installations, created the 2.7 m by 33 cmconcrete sculpture by using hundreds of books as a negativemould. shelleymillerstudio.com 8) Circulation9) G. Scott MacLeod, BFA 03, held an exhibition ofhis art and documentaries called “Dans l’Griff” at La maisonde la culture de Notre-Dame-de-Grâce in Montreal fromJanuary 10 to February 24. Scott currently consults, lecturesand gives workshops on his work to promote and developbetter business and creative art practices. macleod9.com9) Thomas O’Connell Plumbing & Heating10) Benjamin Rodger, BFA 04, held an exhibitionof his artwork entitled “Libre circulation” at GalerieMontcalm in Gatineau, Que., from January 17 to March3. Benjamin has shown his work in Canada, Europe andthe Middle East. In 2009, he represented Canada bypainting at the sixth Francophonie Games held in Lebanon.benjaminrodger.com 10) (Silence)11) Mathieu Laca, BFA 05, held an exhibition titled“Mort ou vif (portraits et autres captures)” of 40 of hisportraits and other paintings at Modulum gallery in Montrealfrom October 19 to November 18. mathieulaca.com11) Self-Portrait on Green Ground12) Raymonde Jodoin, BFA 83, is holding a soloexhibition of 50 drawings called “NIELLURES et Suite II” atthe Centre communautaire et culturel de l’Arrondissementde Jacques-Cartier in Sherbrooke, Que., from February 1to March 31. raymondejodoin.com 12) Niellure 65concordia university magazine spring 2013 | 41

KUDOSConcordia chair of theBoard of Governors NormanHébert Jr., BComm 77, washonoured by the CanadianAutomobile Dealers Association(CADA) in January. Normanreceived the 2012 CADA Laureatedealer recognition award in thecategory of Ambassadorship.Norman was one of three recipients selected from more than3,200 dealers across Canada. He is the long-time president andCEO of Montreal-area car dealership Groupe Park Avenue Inc.Lionel Perez, BA (poli. sci.)92, was elected by acclamationas borough mayor of Côtedes-Neiges–Notre-Damede-Grâceon November 22,after previous borough mayorMichael Applebaum becamemayor of Montreal. Lionelwas first elected in 2009 asmunicipal city councillor. Heis currently vice-president of the Commission of Examinationof Contracts, which reviews contracts to ensure compliancewith relevant legal tender rules and legislation. He also sits onthe Transportation and Public Works Permanent Commissionand the CMM Commission on Economic Development.Thomas Königsthal Jr.97Mirko Sablich, BComm(econ.), and BFA (musiccomp.) 09, born in Lima,Peru, earned a Masters inMusic Composition degreefrom Université de Montrealin 2011. “After working in thebusiness sector and studyingmusic for several years, I finallydecided to pursue an artisticcareer in music composition.I am a freelance experimentalcomposer based in Montreal.I also currently researchthe ethics and aesthetics ofmusic composition, whichincludes studies in creativity,imagination, intuition andmusical acoustics and tuningsystems. My music derives fromcreative applications of diversefields such as mathematics,visual arts, literature andpoetry, philosophy, musictheories, natural and urbanphenomena, among others.”mirkosablich.wordpress.com, emsis.ca/publishing01Juozas Cernius,BFA (studio arts), is adocumentary and fine artphotographer in London,Ont. Juozas is co-founder ofForward Factory, a web-basedenterprise. He is currentlyworking on a photographicdocumentary called TheHUMANitarians: The Faces,The Places, The Challenges, whichfocuses on the human side ofvoluntary aid work. cernius.comJoel Alexander Hampson,BEng (bldg. eng.), and DanyTremblay, BEng (bldg. eng.)91, started a professionalstructural-engineering servicesKEEP IN TOUCHNew job? Just moved? Just married? Or just want to let yourformer classmates know what you’ve been up to? Visitalumni.concordia.ca/keepintouchOr mail or email us any information about yourself — don’t be shy —you’d like to appear in Class Acts.Please include: your name (including name at graduation); year(s)of graduation and degree(s) from Concordia, Loyola or Sir George,and other universities; street address, phone number(s) and emailaddress; and any other relevant personal or business info.By email: alumni@concordia.ca Subject: Class ActsBy mail: Class Acts, Advancement and Alumni Relations,Concordia University, 1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W., FB 520,Montreal, QC H3G 1M8Join the the Concordia University Alumni Association LinkedIn groupat alumni.concordia.ca/benefits/olc.Judith Baylin-Stern, BFA 71, presented her painting, Rwanda, asa gift to Senator and Lt. Gen. Roméo Dallaire (ret.) after his lectureat Concordia’s J.A. DeSève Cinema on November 2. Dallaire wasinvited by Concordia’s Department of History and the MontrealInstitute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies to speak aboutCanada’s role in protecting human rights around the world.Judith is a clinical psychologist in Montreal. baylinstern.com42 | spring 2013 concordia university magazine

Allan Ailo, BA (comm. studies) 76, right, was awarded theQueen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contribution toheraldry (the art and science of coats of arms) in Canada. KevinS. MacLeod, left, Usher of the Black Rod of the Senate of Canadaand Canadian Secretary to the Queen, made the presentation at the2012 national conference of the Royal Heraldry Society of Canadain Nanaimo, B.C., in May. Allan is a graphic artist and lives in NewWestminster, B.C. He is a popular lecturer and writer on variousaspects of heraldry and was the first to teach classes in heraldry forVancouver School Board Continuing Education. He serves as vicepresidentof the B.C./Yukon branch of the Royal Heraldry Societyof Canada and is also active at the national level. He is currentlyworking on a project for the Canadian Heraldic Authority.Cyd E. Courchesne, BSc (biophys. ed.) 81, was invested as anOfficer in the Order of Military Merit by Governor General ofCanada David Johnston, Commander-in-Chief of Canada,during an investiture ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa onDecember 12. The Order of Military Merit recognizes distinctivemerit and exceptional service displayed by the men andwomen of the Canadian Forces, both Regular and Reserve.company, Génie Structured’Ayiti (GSA), in Pétion-Ville,Haiti, in September. “GSA nowhas a range of projects: newschool construction for nongovernmentalorganizations,earthquake-damaged buildingrepairs, seismic retrofits,new high-end residentialconstruction and a veryinteresting historic building.Dany hired two local engineersand we are expanding to meetthe needs for our services.Furthermore, we keep theoffice open on weekends forlocal engineers who want todevelop their abilities, and I ammentoring about 20 Haitiansin structural design, whichI learned at Concordia.”07Julien Fréchette,BFA (film prod.), is aMontreal-based filmmaker,writer, director andcameraman. His documentary,Le prix des mots, premiered atMontreal’s Cinéma Excentrisand Quebec City’s CinémaLe Clap in February. Thedocumentary, produced by MC2Communication Média and theNational Film Board of Canada,tackles the legal battle thatresulted from Alain Deneault’scontroversial 2008 book, NoirCanada. The book examinedinternational observers’assertions of alleged abusesby dozens of Canadian miningcompanies. julienfrechette.com10Vladimir Cara, BFA(theatre), was the makeup/effectsdesigner — anintegral part of the show — forthe world-premiere productionof Infinithéâtre’s Kafka’s Ape.The play, adapted by directorGuy Sprung from Franz Kafka’sA Report to an Academy, ranfrom January 28 to February17 at Bain St. Michel inMontreal. The disturbing satirestarred Howard Rosensteinas keynote speaker, theprimate Mr. Redpeter.Laurier Chabot, BComm 05, left, was awarded the QueenElizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal from Lt. Governor ofQuebec Pierre Duschesne in Montreal in November. Laurierwas honoured for his work during his tour of duty in Afghanistanfrom November 2010 to June 2011. He was the only NATOsoldier that was semi-fluent in several dialects of Pashto,using this to connect with local elders and village informants.Laurier is currently studying psychology at Concordia.concordia university magazine spring 2013 | 43

IN MEMORIAMAnna-Maria Carlevaris, MA 92, PhD 04, Dec.23, Saint-Hyacinthe, Que. She was 58. Anna was acuratorial assistant at Concordia’s Leonard and BinaEllen Art Gallery and lecturer in the Faculty of FineArts. In 2008, Anna-Maria was recognized for 20 yearsof employment at Concordia. She also contributed tovarious art publications and art exhibition cataloguesand curated art exhibitions.Margaret “Magee”(Wallace) Bremner, BA 83,Nov. 17. She was 51.Mary Margosian, BA 84,Jan. 12, Montreal. She was 86.Sonia Swain, BA 84, Nov. 10,Pointe-Claire, Que. She was 79.Guy Desjardins, BA 44, Dec.3, Outremont, Que. He was 89.David Jacob Freedman, BA56, BSc 70, Aug. 16, Montreal.He was 84.David McAsey, BA 57, BA 66,Feb. 6, Calgary. He was 77.Marietta (Glezos)Hamelin, BA 58, Nov. 24,Montreal. She was 86.Paul Daniel Berman, BA60, Feb. 5, Montreal. He was 92.Herbert RichardHeczko, BSc 61, BA 66, Dec.25, Montreal. He was 86.John L.H. O’Brien, BA 61,Nov. 20, Montreal. He was 74.Keith Craydon Withnall,BSc 61, Nov. 30, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que. He was 93.John J. Skene, BA 63, Jan.10, Montreal. He was 74.Jean Elizabeth “Betty”Martin, BSc 64, Dec. 18,Cornwall, Ont. She was 77.Monica (Dowers)Franklyn, BSc 65, Nov. 13,Windsor, Ont. She was 77.Joseph Raynold PaulWinstall, BComm 66, Aug. 24,Lévis, Que. He was 78.Jack Presho, BSc 67, July25, Burlington, Ont. He was 80.Susan V. (Bulmer) Walker,BComm 68, Feb. 6, Montreal.She was 68.Nicholas G.Astrakianakis, BA 69, Nov.14, Episkopi, Crete, Greece.Ryszard (Richard) J.Osicki, BA 69, Oct. 29,Winnipeg. He was 66.Bram Aron, BA 70, Nov. 21,Montreal. He was 65.Ian Drysder, BA 70, Feb. 14,Montreal. He was 88.Sonja (Bobinski) Sztuder,BA 70, Dec. 20, Montreal. Shewas 63.David Gillman, BA 71, Jan.25, Toronto. He was 68.Thomas “Tom” Dyce, BA 71,Dec. 29, Montreal. He was 67.David Gillman, BA 71, Jan.25, Toronto. He was 58.Kevan Crawford, BComm72, Nov. 29, Toronto. He was 61.Yvette Girard-Olsen, BFA73, BA 73, BA 78, BFA 81, MA90, Feb. 15, Pierrefonds, Que.She was 99.Peter Savard, BA 74, Jan.30, Wildwood, N.J. He was 62.Barbara L. (Harrison)Emmerson, BA 75, Sept. 6,Victoria. She was 61.Antonio Iafigliola, BA 76,Jan. 8, Montreal. He was 60.Claude Gagnon, BComm 76,Jan. 29, Montreal. He was 58.Guy Gordon, BEng 76, Dec.30, Montreal.Leonard Miedzianowski“Nemo Turner,” BA 77, Feb.8, Montreal. He was 62.Bertha (Pencer) Richler, BA77, Nov. 21, Calgary. She was 86.Georgette Duchaine, MA 79,Apr. 17, Montreal. She was 67.Hy Rolnicki, BA 79, Nov.18, Chicago. He was 58.Dorothy (Hoerner)Gorman, Cert 80, BA 90, Feb.2, Montreal. She was 91.Lucia Panzera, BA 80, Feb. 7,Port St. Lucie, Fla. She was 55.Susan (Adler) Vadnay, BA79, Nov. 23, Montreal. She was 83.Elizabeth Swierczek, BA80, GrDip 99, Nov., Montreal.She was 66.Mark R. Rogers, BA 81, Nov.21, Montreal. He was 55.Marguerite Lee Brennan,BComm 82, MA 94, Jan. 25,Montreal. She was 63.Gary Edward Hawkins, BA82, Nov. 23, Montreal. He was 60.Richard K. Harvor, BFA 85,BEd 88, Jan. 6, Montreal. Hewas 49.Monique “Mo” Macmillan-Brown, BA 85, MBA 88, Nov.26, Ottawa. She was 50.David Rubin, BA86, MA 93,Nov. 18, Montreal. He was 95.Olga (Klem) Lavallee, BFA89, Jan. 15, Montreal. She was92.Catherine (Parsons)Bradley, BA 91, GrDip 95,Nov. 24, Beaconsfield, Que. Shewas 85.Diane Elizabeth Gillies,BComm 91, Jan. 27, Montreal.She was 46.Jennifer Gail (Lamplough)Marchand, GrDip 92, Feb. 16,Montreal. She was 70.Linda Maureen BossyBurke, BA 93, of Las Vegas,Nev., Feb. 1, Palm Desert, Calif.She was 50.Donald Scrimshaw, BA 94,Nov. 16, Montreal. He was 89.CORRECTION:The winter 2012-13 In Memoriamincorrectly included Eva DeGosztonyi, BComm 70. It wasEva’s mother, who had the samename, who passed away.44 | spring 2013 concordia university magazine

NOTICESAVE THE DATEis hereby given that the LoyolaAlumni Association Inc. will hold its107th Annual General MeetingWednesday, June 5, 2013, 4:30 p.m.The meeting is held to share reports and elect the 2013-14board of directors and officers. Alumni of Loyola College,Concordia University and Sir George Williams University areinvited to attend.Loyola Jesuit Hall and Conference Centre7141 Sherbrooke St. W., MontrealRSVP by May 30, 2012Online: alumni.concordia.ca/registerPhone: 514-848-2424, ext. 4397; Toll free: 1-888-777-3330Information: alumni@concordia.caNOTICEis hereby given that the Association of Alumniof Sir George Williams University will hold its76th Annual General MeetingWednesday, May 22, 2013, 6 p.m.Alumni and the general public are welcome to attend theinformation-sharing meeting, where the 2013-14 board ofdirectors and executive will be elected.Hall Building, H-767, 1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W., MontrealRSVP by May 15, 2013Online: alumni.concordia.ca/registerPhone: 514-848-2424, ext. 4397; Toll free: 1-888-777-3330Information: alumni@concordia.caNOTICEGarnet Key Society Annual Alumni BanquetSaturday, May 4, 2013, 6 p.m., MontrealReconnect with former members of the Garnet Key Societyand induct the 56th Key. By invitation only.Information: melanie.gudgeon@concordia.ca or514-848-2424, ext. 5647Graduate Diploma inJournalism 25th AnniversaryReunion CocktailBy invitation only; all journalism alumni are invited*May 31, 2013, 4:30 p.m.Location to be confirmedFOLLOWED BYThe Reader’s DigestAnnual Lecture Serieswith Peter MansbridgeChief correspondent, CBC News, and anchor, The NationalThe lecture is open to allMay 31, 2013, 7 p.m.D.B. Clarke TheatreHenry F. Hall Building, Concordia University1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W., Montreal*Update your contact information atconcordia.ca/alumni-givingIf you’d like to share any photos from your timein journalism at Concordia, please send them toDiploma25years@gmail.comInformation: Erin Mullins, Alumni Officer,Homecoming and Reunions, 514-848-2424, ext. 3881, orerin.mullins@concordia.caconcordia university magazine spring 2013 | 45

WORDS & MUSICGypsies, grief and gophersHistorian and genealogistRichard R. Pyves,BSc 72, tells the story ofhis father, Ron Pyves, inNight Madness (Red DeerPress, $22.95). Throughinterviews, research andthe correspondence of along-distance love affair,the reader is immersed inthe life of a teenager whobig heart, a hideous witchand dangerous pirates. In LaVengeance de Nostromous,Lily discovers that Opheliaand Zingaro are still alive.Ophelia tells Lily about herchildhood and how she wastaken away from her family.In Le secret de Lumina,Arsenault takes us back tohow Ophelia, with the help ofBear Press, $18.95), aimed atteaching children French asa second language. With illustrationsby Renné Benoit,Arsenault reveals stimulatingfacts about Quebec’s history.The book takes readers youngand old on a journey aroundQuebec, from the music at theMontreal International JazzFestival to the sandy beachesmountains near the hospitaland the cemetery where herhusband is buried. A contrastbetween past and future, sheembarks on a journey of loveand self-discovery.A few years after graduation,Sylvie Filiatreault, BFA 98,travelled to Ireland, Englandand Scotland, where she be-fought in Europe in the lastmonths of the Second WorldWar. After 30 distressingmissions flying into the heartof Europe, Ron survived thewar physically but had to facethe emotional battle of posttraumaticstress disorder.Richard Pyves is an historianand genealogist and livesoutside Toronto.Elaine Arsenault, BA 83,has just published thefourth, fifth and sixth volumesin her saga L’or desgitans (Dominique et compagnie,$14.95 each), aboutthe intertwining destinies ofa beautiful gypsy, an abandonedgirl, a horse with aZingaro, flees from her abductorand seeks refuge in acircus. They meet MadameLumina, who has an interestin Ophelia with unknownmotives. In Le courage deTanaga, we discover howthe witch Nostromous keptOphelia captive in a mansionafter causing her to becomeblind. The story unfolds asthe reader finds out howZingaro, Toc and Carrabellesucceeded at freeing her andwhat role Tanaga played.Arsenault has also publisheda bilingual book, F CommeFrançais: un abécédaire duQuébec/ F is for French: AQuebec Alphabet (Sleepingof Les Îles de la Madeleine.Arsenault, a former presidentof the Concordia UniversityAlumni Association, residesin Montreal.Montreal-region poet andwriter Anne Cimon, BA (Eng.lit.) 93, has just releasedA Room on the Mountain(Gemma Books, $12). Thebook tells the story of CarolineSauvé, a Montreal journalisthaunted by the memories ofher husband’s death duringher stay at the MountainsideHospital awaiting a lifesavingoperation. Grief makesCaroline vulnerable as shefalls for her heart surgeon,Dr. Pine, and moves to thecame inspired by the locallegends and folklore. Backin Canada, she began piecingtogether the story thatwould become Four: Foursisters. Four witches. Fourexecutions. Four differentdeaths. (FL Press, $19.95).After 27 rewrites in 10 years,she completed the book yetbecame frustrated by publishers’refusals. Undaunted,she started her own publishingcompany and issuedFour herself. The book takesthe perspective of four sisters/witchesin MedievalEngland. Their village’s newpriest breaks their old agreementwith local clergymenand declares a witch hunt.46 | spring 2013 concordia university magazine

The sisters are captured andsentenced to death. The plot,however, takes some unexpectedturns. Four is the firstpart of a planned trilogy.A Gopher’s ChristmasAdventure (Flower Press,$29.99), by DamianoFerraro, BSc 01, and PierreFiset, is an undergroundChristmas adventure. In thebook’s world, gophers preparelists of presents theyhope Santa Gopher will bringthem for Christmas. Thereader embarks on a journeyfilled with twists and turns asthe gophers try to find SantaGopher. Damiano is a buildingconsultant and lives inLaval, Que.Achilleion: Aeon Tide (LuluPublishing, $21.71), by CostasKomborozos, BA (Eng lit.)06, part of Komborozos’sAchilleion trilogy, tellsthe story of Alexander theGreat and his quest for gloryafter finding the tombof Achilles. Alexander usesAchilles’ golden shield inbattle and finds his way tothe Achilleion palace. As thelegacy of Achilles unfolds, anew warrior is born, a fusionof Achilles and Alexander.He becomes the guardian ofthe palace and faces a deadlyopponent, taking him onestep closer to immortality.Komborozos is a freelancewriter and editor.— Shaimaa El-GhazalyHow are you today?Anxiety, depression and mood disorders are among society’scommon mental health problems. Indeed, one in fiveCanadians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime † .Let’s talk.Bell’s Let’s Talk mental health initiative has madetreatment more accessible. Bell has generouslygiven $500,000 to fund therapy at Concordia’sApplied Psychology Centre and Centre for ClinicalResearch in Health.Concordia thanks Bell for makingour community better.Mental health — now that’s something to talk about.†Canadian Mental Health AssociationBell.ca/LetsTalkconcordia university magazine spring 2013 | 47

ENOUGH SAIDNews timein MontrealCATHERINE SHERRIFFS,BA (JOURN.) 07The lights are bright, shiningfrom every corner of theceiling. All is quiet in the CTVMontreal studio except for the soundof the director’s voice in my ear. I amalerted to every minute that passes until,finally, the 10-second countdown. It’s11:30 p.m., and after hours of preparingthe night’s news stories, it’s finallyshowtime.Becoming a reporter and a news anchordidn’t happen by accident for me.It was the only thing I wanted to do fromthe time I was 13 years old. That yearwas when Montreal’s infamous 1998 icestorm hit. My family’s home was withoutpower for a week. School was cancelled,and my best friendand I decided to havesome fun “covering”the storm. Weput a mini-newscasttogether on herfamily’s video cameraand, just likethat, I caught the bug.I worked hardthroughout highschool and CEGEP in pursuit of gettinginto Concordia’s prestigiousDepartment of Journalism. I can stillclearly remember the day I got my acceptanceletter to the university. Myheart was pounding and I read the word“congratulations” twice before I beganjumping up and down.My experience at Concordia waseverything I had hoped it would be.CATHERINE SHERRIFFS IS NEWS ANCHOR FOR CTV MONTREAL.The opportunity to be taught by professionaljournalists on a wide rangeof subjects is invaluable. The supportand encouragement students receive isphenomenal. And the opportunities fornewsroom internships and actual experiencein the field are numerous. Inmy three years there I learned so much;I networked and I made wonderfulfriends, many of whom are still in mylife today. I graduated in 2007 feelingvery excited and prepared for my careerin broadcast journalism.That’s not tosay that I didn’tMy heart was poundingand I read the word“congratulations”twice before I beganjumping up and down.at times doubtmyself and mycapabilities. Iwas fortunateto be offereda job right outof school atMontreal radiostation CJAD800. Although my career had started tofall into place, the hours — the weekendovernight shift for two years — were, tosay the least, not the best for someone inher early 20s.There was also the element of having todevelop a thicker skin to cope with someof the criticism that comes with beinga broadcaster. It is never easy to hearnegative comments about yourself, yetI learned that it is important to focus onthe positive and remember why you startedon this adventure in the first place.I came to realize that with time I wouldbecome more comfortable and get betterin my role, and I became more driventhan ever to gain experience in the field.I went on to read the news on the morningshow at Montreal’s Virgin Radio96 and did some reporting for GlobalMontreal before I made the jump to CTV.That is where I have been for more thanthree years now, and I am enjoying what Ido immensely. Writing and delivering thenews is what I have long dreamed of. Tobe doing it at a station with such a stellarreputation is an honour.There is also a degree of excitementthat comes with working in a Montrealnewsroom. There is always somethinghappening in this city — from politicsand language to our amazing artsscene and our beloved Habs — and Ioften think we must be the envy of manynewsrooms across the country.I am looking forward to a long andsuccessful career in broadcast journalism.I am excited for the changes thatwill most certainly come because thenews business is evolving at a very fastrate. There are more tools and resourcesat our fingertips than ever before. Mostof all, I look forward to the 10-secondcountdown in my ear every night.48 | spring 2013 concordia university magazine

Restassured.ALUMNIINSURANCE PLANSKnowing you’re protected, especially when you have people who depend onyou, can be very reassuring. Whatever the future brings, you and your familycan count on these Alumni Insurance Plans:Term Life Insurance • Health & Dental Insurance • Major Accident ProtectionIncome Protection Disability Insurance • Critical Illness InsuranceVisit manulife.com/concordiamag to learn more orcall toll free 1-888-913-6333Underwritten byThe Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (Manulife Financial).Manulife, Manulife Financial, the Manulife Financial For Your Future logo and the Block Design are trademarks ofThe Manufacturers Life Insurance Company and are used by it, and by its affiliates under license. Exclusions and limitations apply.

Embark on anadventureof a lifetime!203 Concordia University Alumni Travel ProgramEnjoy an unforgettable trip to one of our spectacular destinations.Carefully selected and designed for inquisitive travellers.Reasonably paced. Supreme comfort.Istanbul, TurkeyApril 7 to 5, 203Sorrento: The Divine Amalfi CoastMay to 9, 203Jewels of Antiquity: Cannes to VeniceMay 28 to June 2, 203Explore Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands)June 6 to 4, 203Changing Tides of History:Cruising the Baltic SeaJune 2 to July 2, 203Canada’s Northwest PassageAugust 27 to September 0, 203Symphony on the Blue Danube:A Classical Music CruiseSeptember 8 to 30, 203Voyage of Ancient Empires:Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, Sicily and MaltaOctober 4 to 2, 203For more information or to be addedto the travel program mailing list:alumni.concordia.ca/travelor contact us at:alumnitravel@concordia.ca54-848-2424, ext. 389