This column welcomes the submissions of all Concordia faculty and staff to promote and encourage individual and group activities in teaching and research, and to encourage work-related achievements.

With the war in Iraq saturating broadcast and print media, Concordia faculty have been in the thick of the debate. Among the professors who have commented on the war from their angle of expertise are Lawrence Kryzanowski (Finance) on the impact of the war on Canada-U.S. trade relations on This Morning Live on CKMI, and Paul Hastings (Psychology) in The Gazette on how to tell children about the war. Graeme Decarie (History), Henry Habib (Political Science) and Daryl Ross (Multifaith Chaplaincy) have also been consulted.

Stephen Scheinberg, who teaches American history, was interviewed by CBC television after hockey fans booed the U.S. national anthem at the Bell Centre. He said that he said he felt it was political expression against the current war, not anti-Americanism.

Executive Director of Communications Dennis Murphy was quoted in Le Devoir of March 8 on the pending campaign against Saddam Hussein. “George Bush is trapped by his own propaganda,” Murphy said. “When I see him on television, I have the impression that he’s a comedian playing president.”

Guy Lachapelle (Political Science) has made the rounds of local and national media, including the Toronto Star and the CBC, with his observations on the war in Iraq and the provincial elections. Daniel Salée commented on the special attention that the provincial leadership candidates are paying to families in a recent Canadian Press article. John Parisella, vice-chair of Concordia’s board of governors, commented on the leaders’ debate live on Radio-Canada on March 31.

Jordan Le Bel (Marketing) was quoted in Les Affaires on March 22. He said that baby boomers seem to be fed up with fast food and trendy “fast casual.” The same issue of Les Affaires mentions last June’s first winner of Quebec’s $10,000 MBA award, student Karim Boulos.

Michel Magnan (Accountancy) was quoted twice in the March 29 issue of Les Affaires. He commented on a survey conducted to gauge views on the Caisse de dépôt, and in another article, discussed the decrease use of stock options and their replacement with restricted stocks. In the March 8 issue of the same publication, Lorne Switzer (Finance) forecasted economic growth in Canada thanks to the decline of the American dollar.

After co-chairing a federal working group on the education among native youth, Corinne Mount Pleasant-Jetté (Engineering and Computer Science, Native Access to Engineering) was quoted in a Canadian Press article titled “More natives getting educated” that ran in Saskatoon’s The Star-Phoenix, among others, in March. Without a qualified, educated labour force, she said, neither the Canadian economy and nor the First Nations economy will be able to grow.

Alumnus Matthew Hays wrote a profile of Chris Hinton (Cinema) in the April edition of Elm Street. In the article, Hinton described how his daughter’s drawing of a cherry tree with a disproportionately large trunk inspired his latest animated film, Flux. “Why can’t I do that as an animator, move shapes around depending on their importance within the film? ...Why are we so uptight and anal about the way we approach filmmaking?” Alumna Mackenzie Stroh photographed Hinton for the piece.

The Gazette’s Bill Brownstein profiled Concordia Sports Medicine Clinics and Dave Campbell (Exercise Science) an athletic therapist and osteopath, who operates several branches of the clinic in Montreal. According to the article, the clinics are responsible for assuaging the aches and pains caused by falls on icy sidewalks of 1,500 Montrealers per week.

Steven Appelbaum (Management) wrote a letter to Les Affaires April 5 about the political parties' promise to keep tuition fees frozen. He said (our translation), "The freeze on tuition may please student voters, but it won't fill the coffers of the universities. How the devil does a future government expect to keep professors of quality?"

Frances Shaver (Sociology and Anthropology) proposed that Canada decriminalize prostitution in a March 5 article in Le Droit about a parliamentary debate on the issue.

Martin Racine (Design Art) talked about the artistic potential of chairs in Ici of February 27, and said that his students make them as environment-friendly as possible. Chairs designed by graduates Varick Drvar and Lisa Iaciofano and student Carmen Cucuzzella were photographed for the article.

Melanie Kau, president of the Mobilia furniture chain and executive MBA alumna, was profiled in The Gazette’s business section of March 24. Kau worked her way up the ranks of her family business for 15 years. Now president, she is expanding Mobilia’s selection of merchandise and focusing on accessories.

Also in The Gazette’s business pages, Martin Martens (Management) was consulted for a profile of another family business. “The important thing about leadership styles is that there no best one,” he said. The type of leadership required depends on the industry, the geographic area the company operates in, and the employees.