Over The Edge Page 4

ORIENTATION

April 7, 1998

Live At The BBQ (IV)

By Kevin Milos

Apparently an over-
whelming success, the
fourth annual Northern
Backyard Barbecue,
produced by the
Northern Undergraduate
Student Society
(NUGSS) had a full
capacity crowd jumping
and surfing. As usual,
the beer gardens were
packed, tickets were
sold out and thanks to
the clear night (there
hasn’t been a rainy bar-
becue yet) the concert
was a full success.

A five band showcase
event, UNBC’s version
of Art's county was a
great deal for students,
offering five bands, not
to mention a full night of
entertainment, for only
fifteen dollars. After
some initial obstacles
trying to secure the
headlining band, the
event organizers were
able to sign Calgary

band Zuckerbaby, with
the Orchid Highway,

Touchtone Gurus,
Smithers’ the Clumsy
Lovers, and
Resurrection Mary,
respectively.

While it was still light
out and the crowd had
yet to filter through the
gates, Orchid Highway
opened up with their Brit.
pop psychedelic era
beat to resurrect the
sound of the Beatles, but
with a taste of the nine-
ty’s jammed in for the
sake of our decades
tastes. Now that people
were starting to show
up, and the grill was
smokin’ for the sake of
all with an appetite for
fun, the Touchtone
Gurus hurdled on to
stage with a passion to
deafen everyone. The
stars were coming out
and the stage lights
were defining them-

selves now. Beer was
flowing freely by this
time (free defined as
four dollars a pint - you
must eat first) and the
crowd really started to
get going to the enraged
electric rock the
Touchtone Gurus had to
offer. Are they really
gurus? No. But if they
were, they would be
playing right alongside
Sonic Youth and crank-
ing out some more tunes
to remember.

Does anyone remem-
ber the Clumsy Lovers?
They played at the

Muckabout last year and ©

brought down the house
then, apparently they
can do it again. A ten
piece band, with more
instruments than there is
time to progressively list
off, their style is one that
is either love it or hate it.
Fortunately, the fun-lov-
ing folk band pleased

NUGSS as a Functional Society?

Greetings,

(That seems to be an
awkward way to begin my
letter, but it seems better
than the normal saluta-
tions of a business letter.)

My wife and | are retired.
We have been participat-
ing in the University by
taking courses and
involving ourselves in the
social life there since the
campus first opened. We
have watched as the
University has become a
valuable part of our com-
munity and an important
contributor to the culture
of the Northern Interior.

When the University
was established, the
founders had the wisdom
to build-in the Northern
Undergraduate Student

Society to act as an advo-
cate of and for the stu-
dents. The NUGSS has
the potential and, | would
say, the obligation, to be
an active participant in
expressing to the
University, our political
representatives and the
community the aspira-
tions, needs and views of
the
undergraduate student
body.

| understand that the
NUGSS is discussing
your role in the University
and to what extent you
are to be a political body.
| will make no bones
about it: | see NUGSS as
a political body. The
description of the Society
in the University Calendar

Over The Edge welcomes all letters to
the editor and attempts to print isis

LO a Eee

submission: a.

_ Over The Edge reserves the right toedit ‘

_ for spelling, gratimar, content, withhold,”
in whole ue ae 2 alte uy the”
Editor. ae ety

‘concerned

(page 230) is profoundly
political. | cannot see-how
the Society could fulfill
the task of “facilitating) an
awareness of the rights
and views of each mem-
ber of the Society and
represent(ing) the con-
cerns from their areas of
study” without being a
political body.

Let me be clear on what
| mean by “political” here.
| do not think that any
body within the University
should become involved

more than their fair
share with an audible
applaud leading to a
timely encore. The
crowd jumped, surfed,
and generated more
heat at its center than
was comfortable, but in
concert terms that
means the audience
was having a blast.
Resurrection Mary. If
you have ever listened
to Noise Therapy, then
you might be inclined to
predict where they will
be in a few years. The
metallic grindings and
frenzied sound of the
Vancouver based band
were a harsh change
from The Clumsy Lovers
but did anyone care?
No way. The line up to
get into the beer garden
was out the door by this
time. If there was any-
one at this concert who
wasn't under the influ-
ence of something, then

with any political party.
Indeed, such involvement
from within a body whose
chief funding comes from
governments would be
suicidal in the long run. |
think that NUGSS should
be political in the sense
that it should not be afraid
to take a stand on issues
whose resolutions are in
the political arena. Taking
a stand on contemporary
issues and seeking to
influence politicians of all
parties is a function which

| had yet to notice. The
drawback to
Resurrection Mary was
the obvious state of their

lead singer. Although
his screaming occasion-
ally drowned out the
screaming of the electric

Ressurection Mary Leads the Crowd into the
Zuckerbaby
-Photo by Dana Schwehr

seems to be well within
your mandate. Students
have strong feelings on
many issues (University
tuition, the Multilateral
Agreement on
Investment, globalization
of the economy, etc.) and
the Society would seem
to be a reasonable vehi-
cle for them to express
these feelings.

If NUGSS denies its role
as a “political” body, it rel-
egates itself as an over-
seer of clubs and renter

Dusty Protest Lands Local Students

Dear Editor:

Two UNBC students
were arrested’ early
Friday morning,
September 11th, on
charges of mischief and
obstruction for allegedly

_ Chalking political graffiti

on the Prince George

. Civic Centre and sur-
. The.

rounding area..
chalk graffiti allegedity
the’ right-
wing organizing at the
Civic Centre set to

occur Friday,
September 11th in the
evening.

We have heard that the
students charged intend
to fight the charges,
claiming a right to free-
dom of speech and a
right to protest.
Chalking has traditional-

ly been used by activists
“im protests and demon-

strations to portray a
message to the public.
In the past year alone

_ like

chalking has been used
at UBC during the APEC
demonstration, at SFU
Harbour Centre for a
Free University protest,
the Vancouver Public
Library for a transgen-
dered rally/march and
even in the Fraser
Valley against issues
salmon habitat
destruction and subur-
ban sprawl.

If indivduals would like
to become involved in

of lockers. | would think
that you would aspire to
more. And _ finally, if
NUGSS denies a political
role, it will be a matter of
time before another body
is created that will be
political and which will not
have the University man-
date to keep it within stu-
dents’ democratic control.

Sincerely yours,
James Loughery

in Trouble

the campaign to see
these charges dropped
please contact the PIRG
office at 960-7474. The
right to protest is a basic
human right and a
necessity in any democ-
racy, we must not let: it
fail in the face of right-
Wing politics.

PGPIRG