Concordia University Magazine - Winter 2007/08 (Volume 30, Number 4)

2007·7 MB·English

by  Office of University Advancement and Alumni Relations

Linda Rutenberg captures
The Garden at Night
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winter 2007/08 volume 30 number 4 magazine.concordia.ca
Alumni Profile:
Night Vision
Through her striking nighttime
photographs, Linda Rutenberg,
S BA 74, MFA 86, reveals
hidden botanical wonders
Cover: Parrot Orchid
inThe Garden at Night.
(Angulor Rucken),
by Rhonda Mullins by photographer
Linda Rutenberg,
from her book The
Garden at Night.
Think Global, Credit: Linda
Teach Local Rutenberg
7
Concordia’s Loyola
International College, one
of five colleges in the
Faculty of Arts and
Science, offers its
students a distinctive
humanities and social
science education with an
international slant.
by Julie Gedeon
12
Onscreen
Activism
Concordia’s popular Cinema
Politica film series attracts
riveting and controversial
16 political documentary films
This publication is printed on 100% to the campus.
recycled paper, including 20% post
consumer waste. For each ton of by Howard Bokser
recycled paper that displaces
a ton of virgin paper, it reduces
total energy consumption by 27%,
greenhouse gas emissions by 47%, 3 THE EDITOR’S VOICE
particulate emissions by 28%,
wastewater by 33%, solid waste by 4 CONCORDIA NEWS
54% and wood use by 100%.
18 ASSOCIATION NEWS
21 HOMECOMING 2007
26 CLASS ACTS
34 WORDS & MUSIC
36 END PIECE
Editor’sVoice
Becoming unreasonable
On its October 22 cover, Maclean’s This sentiment stems from the steady
magazine asked, “Are we rise of an immigrant presence that was
becoming a nation of bigots?” bound to frighten a formerly homoge-
This question came on the heels of neous society with a love of its heritage
several recent national surveys that but a shrinking birth rate. The “code
revealed Canadians’ surprisingly low of life” written by the town elders of
tolerance for newcomers’ cultural and Hérouxville and the proposal from Parti
religious practices and, more overtly, January, Mario Dumont, BA 93, leader of Québécois leader Pauline Marois to ex-
the racist sentiments voiced by a long the Action démocratique du Québec, the tend full political rights for a Quebec
line of speakers this fall at Quebec’s province’s official opposition party, citizenship (in a newly established na-
Consultation Commission on promised to protect Quebecers’ “common tion) only to those who can speak French
Accommodation Practices Related values and assert our collective personal- are just two examples of how Québécois
to Cultural Differences (a.k.a. the ity.” Not to be outdone, Premier Jean have tried to mark their cultural territory.
Bouchard-Taylor Commission). Charest established the Bouchard-Taylor Quebecers’ impulses to protect the
You might have heard of it. During Commission soon afterwards in response, French culture is understandable. If new
its 17-stop tour across the province according to its mandate, “to public dis- arrivals and their offspring don’t embrace
from September to November, it content over reasonable accommodation.” our ethos, Western-style liberal democ-
seemed Quebec English and French “Reasonable accommodation” has be- racy, separation of religion and state and
media reported on nothing else. come the hottest two-word button in this the preservation of Quebec’s customs
Many of those who spoke in public or province since “sovereignty association.” could be threatened in the long run.
focus groups to the Commission and its Its very phrasing implies that Quebec While Gérard Bouchard warned against
co-chairs, sociologist Gérard Bouchard minorities’ demands have become such alarmist thinking at a Commission
and philosopher Charles Taylor, pleaded unreasonable to a fed-up majority. hearing in October, he added, “[W]e have
for an open and inclusive society. a duty to make sure all immigrants
But a disturbing number spewed become as integrated as possible
anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic in our society, that they share our
rhetoric, singling out the Hasidic fundamental values.”
community in the Laurentians and One solution to this dilemma
hijab-, niqab- and burka-wearing would be to generate further op-
Muslim women, among others, as portunities for integration. The
examples of residents who appear more meaningful interaction we
unwilling to assimilate into our sec- have with others, the less we feel
ular society. Some of their anxiety threatened. Concordia has long
was almost comical. For example, been a crucible for this type of
many feel threatened by the pres- mixture. While it hasn’t always
ence of kosher or halal products in led to harmony (the Benjamin
their stores. Will organic and vegan Netanyahu incident in 2002
foods be next on the hit list? springs to mind), a vital part of
The Commission’s creation flowed our students’ education is the
from a stronger political current in university’s diverse cultural mi-
Quebec. From kirpans in the class- lieu. Rather than crafting—and
room to glazed windows at a YMCA to passing—laws of exclusion,
a young female soccer player who was Quebec should look for more ef-
ejected for wearing a hijab, patience fective ways to bring our cultural
for religious expression (other than and religious solitudes together,
that of Christianity) has been dwind- à la Concordia, lest we become,
ling. In an open letter released in indeed, a nation of bigots.
concordia university magazine winter 2007/08 | 3
ConcordiaNews
Michael Di Grappa named Acting President
Michael Di Grappa, BA 84, strategic units into an effective
Concordia Vice-President, business operation. He served
Services, has been appointed as the Concordia University
by the Board of Governors to fill the post Alumni Association’s president
of University President until an interim from 1996 to 1998 and was hon-
president is named. Board Chair Peter oured with the Alumni
Kruyt, BComm 78, made the announce- Association’s Distinguished
ment October 18, and Di Grappa officially Service Award in 2000.
assumed the role of Acting Presidenton When asked how he felt about
November 1, after the departure of Claude his appointment, Di Grappa
Lajeunesse. replied, “I am honoured to be
“Having been an active member of the given the opportunity. I look
Concordia community for close to three forward to working closely
decades, Michael has the depth of under- with Dr. [Louise] Dandurand
stota pnrdoivnigd,e e txhpee lreiaednecres ahnipd wtrea cnke eredc aotr tdh is ELISSALDE aPsr eInsitdeernimt, PRreosveoarsct han adn dVice-
time,” Kruyt said. “We thank him for MARION Graduate Studies, our colleagues
agreeing to take on this assignment, and and the other members of the
Acting President Michael Di Grappa is a former
for his commitment to the University.” senior administrative team, to
Concordia University Alumni Association
A 1984 graduate of the School of president. ensure that the University keeps
Community and Public Affairs, Di Grappa moving forward. The successful
earned a Master’s of Public Policy and Administration conclusion of outstanding labour negotiations remains a
degree from Columbia University in New York. He began personal priority.”
his Concordia career in 1986. He has been Vice-President, The search for an interim president will be conducted
Services, since March 2000, leading the University’s ambi- by a working group that includes the executive committee
tious $400-million construction project and bringing 10 of the Board, Dandurand and Di Grappa.
President Claude Lajeunesse leaves Concordia
On October 31, Claude continued to make In a statement to the commu-
Lajeunesse stepped down as progress on all fronts, nity, President Lajeunesse said,
President of Concordia attracting a growing “I am very proud and honoured
University. Since August 1, 2005, he number of talented stu- to have led this institution for
had served as the University’s fifth dents and faculty from the past two years. We have de-
President and Vice-Chancellor. around the world by of- veloped a talented, dedicated
In an announcement issued in fering innovative and FLEURY and professional leadership
SCeopntceomrdbiear’,s PBeotaerrd K orfu Gyto, vCehraniorr osf, said, taonpd q rueaseliatryc phr.o Tghraems CHRISTIAN gforrocuep C thonatc horads iwa oornk emda tnoy rein-
“I wish to thank Claude and publicly Concordia community fronts. I leave a university that
Claude Lajeunesse
recognize his achievements, leader- is also benefiting from is in very capable hands and is
ship and commitment over the past significant investments poised to take the next great
two years. Under his direction, we have in the upgrading of our facilities.” step in its development.”
4 | winter 2007/08 concordia university magazine
S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y N E W S
Concordia’s R4 awarded nearly
$50,000 for its composting project
Concordia takes sustainability Environment category. (Two to become more ecologically, socially
seriously—and it hasn’t gone Concordia students, Kinia and economically conscious. Other
unnoticed. Adamczyk and Jose Gabriel Bran Sustainable Concordia initiatives
In August, EcoAction, a Canadian Lopez, also won in the Personality include Allégo Concordia, Sustainable
government program that supports Awards – Undergraduates category.) Ambassadors, the Campus
environmental ventures, awarded Both the Quebec and Canadian gov- Sustainability Assessment Project,
$45,900 to Concordia’s R4 Compost ernments as well as business groups the Concordia Greenhouse, 1%:
(Loyola) project to build a compost- fund the Forces Avenir Awards, Sustainability Action Fund,
ing facility on the Loyola Campus. which honour students and student- Blueprints for Change: Sustainability
R4 (Rethink, Reduce/Reuse, initiated projects for outstanding Festival and the Sustainable Business
Recycle) promotes the reduction, community service work and raising Conference.
reuse and recycling of the daily waste social consciousness.
the Concordia community generates. R4 is a working group of Sustain- The 2008 Sustainable Business
R4 will allocate the funds toward the able Concordia (sustainable.concordia.ca), Conference, whose theme is Foods for
purchase and set-up of a composting a collaborative effort aimed at creat- Thought, will be held March 14 at
system to process 100 tons of organic ing a culture of sustainability and Concordia’s D.B. Clarke Theatre,
waste—including raw fruits and veg- motivating the University community 1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. West.
etables, meat, dairy and oil
products—from the Campus’s cafés
and cafeterias. The composted waste
will produce 30 to 50 tons of fertile
earth that will replace chemical fertil-
izers spread out on the Loyola
grounds’ flower beds and grass.
Chantal Beaudoin, BComm 05,
R4’s coordinator, highlights the R4
Compost project’s other benefits.
“Engineering and Computer Science
students will use the composting fa-
cility for research as part of their
Capstone Project. We’ll have volun-
teers working on the project and we’ll
attract students from other universi-
ties for internships,” Beaudoin says.
Following the EcoAction grant in
R4’s Chantal Beaudoin, far left, and Louise Henault-Ethier, Alexis Fortin and Jeff Riley
September, R4 received a $4,000 celebrated their award at the 9th annual Forces Avenir Awards ceremony on September
Forces Avenir Award in the 27 at the Granada Theatre in Sherbrooke, Quebec.
Concordia University Magazineis Please address editorial Editorial Board
published four times a year for alumni correspondence to: Howard Bokser, editor and chair.
and friends of Concordia University. The Editor, Howard Bokser, Members: Kathy Assayag, Sami Antaki,
u n i v e r s i t y m a g a z i n e Opinions expressed herein do not Advancement and Alumni Relations, John Aylen, Igal Corcos, Susan Elias,
necessarily reflect the views of the Concordia University, Linda Kay, Lucy Niro, Sandra-Lynn
alumni associations nor of the 1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. West,
Spina, Donna Varrica, Xurxo Vidal.
Concordia University Magazine University. Montreal, QuebecH3G 1M8
welcomes readers’ comments. Letters Telephone: [phone] ext. 4856
Graphic Design
should include the writer’s full name, ISSN 0706-1005 Fax: [phone]
address, school(s), degree(s) and year(s) Email: [email protected] Concordia Marketing Communications
of graduation for alumni. Letters may be Dépôt légal: Bibliothèque nationale Website: magazine.concordia.ca Art Direction Christopher Alleyne
edited for length and clarity. No letter du Québec. ©2007.
will be published without the full name For advertising information, call Canada Post Corporation publication
of the correspondent. Printed in Canada. 514-848-2424 ext. 3819. mail agreement # 40065749
concordia university magazine winter 2007/08 | 5
F U N D R A I S I N G N E W S
BMO and KPMG Invest in Concordia
Concordia University’s Financial Group, Quebec, is a JMSB building’s fifth floor.
John Molson School past member of Concordia’s JMSB Dean Sanjay Sharma
of Business (JMSB) Board of Governors and was said this type of patronage
has received two substantial Leadership Division Chair of by BMO and KMPG “reaf-
donations in the past few weeks. the University’s Campaign firms the business commu-
In early December, finan- for a New Millennium from nity’s support and confi-
cial services provider BMO 1996 to 1999. dence in the quality of JMSB
Financial Group announced “In addition to supporting programs and the calibre of
ARCHITECTES a3 0$02-.5s-emati,l slitoante g-iofft- ttohwea-radr ta twhee aBrMe Opr Aoumdp thoi tchoenattrrieb,ute itsT shtued 1e5n-tsst.o”rey JMSB build-
KPMKBUWABARAAYNECENNALUMBERGA/FSARCHITECTSICHTENOIFERMANETSSOCIÉS aonhsiwAsumnaeli autpBsw hptl mpMshb hJtooeehMniO r eateigthn nS erFACeB roaiasao n ufo sbtnlfnarofoiuc enncdntoi hiicl tgrtafdoieydsltai o tiibnJlpaoao MeGagn nrUr . lrdS.toon onBifcniue vatagprhetn eredsdi ty ttibsMaLnhoonuL éa cIdttPbtnnhi a u aawaa ellNsdnsr iiBrodvlonnelMi .v egoss eepsoouxOmsrvopn yenLalcb ornfeeseniricddrrebat, m uafni sail ruc in$uKeteb2ady P Sj5n,aie”Mte0nc,c rs e,dttGi0a,sae i0 xsd0 iaaBtfadTnoannteho c gtpddoueuh,pa llwDbweerte yuvtieecnml ail oal Mllr indrg etdunsridna nno Wei dtssdugsrotoe epauowonsrf fnrati fn c,lsGl d lielo i n teubsuJnor Myevfes s ao extSLStlrnputlEuB ree2dcEe c0erteDtion0etootd9nsf,.
Thanks to generous gifts by L. Jacques Ménard, contribution toward the certified (the Green Building
BMO Financial Group and KPMG
L BComm 67, LLD 06, the KPMG Amphitheatre, a 60- Rating System’s Leadership
LLP, the new JMSB building
chairman of BMO Nesbitt seat, ultra-modern class- in Energy and Environmental
will feature state-of-the-art,
300- and 60-seat amphitheatres. Burns and president of BMO room to be located on the Design).
F O C U S O N R E S E A R C H
Keeping real-time software systems error free
While most of us have experienced or funded by Ericsson and the Natural Sciences
expect some downtime with desktops or and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
servers, we assume that embedded sys- Together with Engineering and Computer
tems that are required to operate 24/7—such as in Science professors Rachida Dssouli and
telephones or cars—will never crash. But those Abdelwahab Hamou-Lhadj, six graduate
systems are stable only after countless hours of students and a team from Ericsson, the
design and testing by researchers and engineers. researchers model and validate high availabil-
The research of Concordia Electrical and ity software configurations and their upgrade
Computer Engineering Professor Ferhat Khendek campaigns, which experience only a few sec-
involves modelling, design and validation of those onds of downtime per year, such as for tele-
types of high quality and dependable software sys- phone switches.
tems. “Software is everywhere today, built into all What’s more, Khendek heads a project on
kinds of systems,” he says. “In technology like Concordia Electrical and Computer service engineering for next-generation net-
Engineering Professor Ferhat Khendek.
aerospace or vehicles, we must make sure the soft- works and is involved with several other
ware never experiences any errors, or at least minimize the research efforts related to software systems design, an ever-
number of possible errors.” changing field. “Civil engineering has been around for thou-
Khendek, who is also the Graduate Program Director for sands of years—the Romans built bridges and roads,” he
Electrical and Computer Engineering, began lecturing at points out. “But our discipline is in its infancy, it’s only about
Concordia in 1994 and became a full professor in 2007. He 40 to 50 years old, so it’s still in the process of being defined.
leads a three-year, $600,000 research project at Concordia Change is to be expected.”
6 | winter 2007/08 concordia university magazine
Night Vision
Montreal photographer Linda Rutenberg, S BA 74, MFA 86, captures a hidden world of
botanical gardens after dark in The Garden at Night: Private Views of Public Edens
by Rhonda Mullins
concordia university magazine winter 2007/08 | 7
The Garden at Night, released by intersection of a long creative journey
Chronicle Books this fall, features lush and happenstance. In 1986, Rutenberg
hen Linda images and haunting landscapes from completed her MFA in photography at
W Rutenberg 20 North American public gardens, Concordia after working as an elementary
discusses her including some of the most visited and school teacher. Post-MFA, she began
new book of largest, such as Vancouver Island’s working in the world of photography,
photography, Butchart Gardens and Phoenix’s Desert running a dark room for hire here,
The Garden at Night: Private Views of Public Botanical Garden. “I thought that it opening a gallery there, all while develop-
Edens(2007), you quickly pick up on would be a challenge to try to show ing her own projects as a photographer,
the fact that she usually says “nighttime” people the gardens that they love in many of them related to nature. Her Mont
instead of “night.” While it’s just an extra a different light,” says Rutenberg. Royal: A World Apart, which received an
syllable, it evokes some of the poetry, Indeed. Her artful eye and the moon- honourable mention for the Roloff Beny
mystery and, at times, downright light’s surprising effects on ambient Photography Book Award in 1999, is an
eeriness of her images. It also conveys and artificial lights obliterate scale enchanting photo collection of Montreal’s
some of the wonder of the artist who and heighten shape and colour. favourite park shot on black and white
shot them. “Somebody told me the They transform plants, flowers and infrared film. And it was in preparation
pictures look like dreams,” Rutenberg garden structures into high drama. for a piece for the American magazine
says. “And they do. It’s like you’re in The idea for The Garden at Night was Landscape Architecture thatthe gardens at
someone’s interior mind.” born, as many brilliant ideas are, at the night project saw the light of, well, night.
8 | winter 2007/08 concordia university magazine
AlumniProfile
“I had just moved into digital and nighttime, and since I was thinking about
I wanted to do something completely nighttime, anyway, I thought it would be
different because I was using new fun to photograph the garden at night.”
technology,” she explains. “One of the Locked inside the garden’s grounds
things I was concerned about at the and armed with four flashlights, the
time was that we were losing nighttime couple began exploring. “We duct-taped
in large cities because of over-lighting. flashlights to my tripod and I would see
So I started a nocturnal project here in the flowers, even though it was really
Montreal, photographing all around the dark,” she recalls. “I didn’t really know
periphery of the city in more industrial what I was doing. I was working by instinct.
areas, trying to capture what was left of But when I looked at the results of the
what night used to be, sort of very dark shots I thought, ‘These are really inter-
and mysterious images with a view of esting, and I’d like to do some more.’ ”
downtown.” In fall 2005, Rutenberg went to the
It was around the same time that Montreal Botanical Garden to photo-
Rutenberg visited the Jardins de Métis graph the Chinese garden during the
near Quebec City for theLandscape lantern festival. That trip solidified her
Architecturepiece. The garden’s director idea. “I photographed all kinds of plants,
offered her access to the grounds early especially the lotus, lit by the light of
in the morning to take advantage of the the lanterns. When I saw those images,
day’s best light. In turn, she suggested I said, ‘These are beautiful,’ ” she says.
that she and her husband, Roger Leeon, From there, she sought an agent for
Overleaf (page 7):
camp in the parking lot overnight. the project and peddled the idea to
San Francisco Botanical Gardens
“Roger and I started talking about how publishers, and Chronicle bit. So with
Left and below: Dallas Arboretum we were going to be in the garden at flash-lighting man Roger, a graphic
concordia university magazine winter 2007/08 | 9
designer from Minnesota, a San-Francisco-
based publisher, a printer in Hong Kong,
the appropriately named Vanya Rose
contributing the texts about the garden,
an essay from Christopher Dewdney,
Below, left: Brooklyn Botanical Gardens author of Acquainted with the Night:
Excursions Through the World After Dark
Below, right: Philippine Ground Orchid
(Bloomsbury Publishing PLC 2004),
(Spathoglottis plicata)
and even a foreword by space traveller
Page 11, left: Slender Asian Pitcher Plant (of sorts) William Shatner, the project
(Nepenthes gracilis)
went ahead.
The resulting images are at once hyper-
Page 11, right: Lobster Claw
(Heliconia humilis) real and ethereal. Some create the effect of
being underwater, with inky backgrounds
and jewel-toned flowers. “These are very
long exposures, so whatever hint of colour
there is becomes intensified because it’s
over a long period of time,” Rutenberg
says. Exposures went up to five minutes,
she explains, so even a breath of wind
could ruin a shot. Other images are ghostly
garden structures that offer the perfect
setting for an apparition.
Rutenberg is now booking dates to
return to the gardens she photographed
to talk to their regular visitors and show
some of the limited edition prints sold
to accompany the book. She’s already
begun the next book in the series, The
English Garden at Night,and the project
has spawned other events, including
an exhibition on a year in the life of
the Montreal Botanical Garden, which
will be launched in May.
Clearly, Rutenberg’s original night
vision is resonating with the gardens’
10 | winter 2007/08 concordia university magazine