Last Week of Classes for Douglas Students Be prepared for the coming semester ahead Nicole Burton, News Editor time fora happy dance The end of classes is here once again. But as students, we ourselves should remember that the race isn’t over until you’ve crossed the finish line. Stay focused, plan ahead, and don’t pass out until you’ve looked over your end-of-semester to-do list! Today, December 7, is the last day of classes at both New West and David Lam Campuses. After this, we all have between four and nine days to study for final exams (smoke’em if ya got’em!), and five days to regis- ter for our next semester of classes in the winter. The deadline for paying tuition fees is December 12, so don’t miss it! If you haven’t got final exams, expect to see your grades posted around December 16. For final examin- ers, you'll see that you may, like your OP News Editor, have to be dragged back to school as late as the 16th in order to fill out one measly exam. Our grades will be due on December 21. And for those without a home this season, you will see that Douglas College does not have residence when the doors close to the public between December 21 and 30. Don’t worry—UBC students have residence, and they’re still getting kicked out for the holidays! As we all celebrate New Years on January 1st (or the “Night of Hugs” as the Cubans call it!), you can begin applying for all of those winter semester scholarships, bursaries, and awards amid the martinis and Havana Club. You have a three-day hangover period in which to clean, organize, and re-wind your biological clock-class- es will begin on January 4, 2006. For those who are late to register, this is your day. For those who feel that they’ve made a mistake in registering for their “Introduction to Independent Comedic Film in Canada” course, they can withdraw. I recommend withdrawing. In order to do so, you should get down to the Registrar’s Office or a local computer before January 11, which will be the last day to receive a 70 percent refund on any course. And finally, January 12 is Graduation Day. For those about to walk, we salute you. For the rest of us, we need to remember to send you a card with some candy. McGill May Face Human Rights Complaint as Muslims Pray in Snow Josh Ginsberg, The McGill Daily (McGill University) MONTREAL (CUP)—After seven months without a place to pray on campus, the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) will take its case against McGill University to the Quebec Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse. The commission upholds the principtc® of the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms in Quebec. The Canadian Council on American-Islami¢ Relations (CAIR-CAN), a national advocacy group, will launch the complaint on behalf of the MSA. The MSA believes that a section of the Quebec Charter of Human Rights, which requires institutions to accommodate people with religious needs, mandates that McGill provide a prayer space. “It’s come to a point where it is clear that the uni- versity is not able to work the issue out,” said Halima Mautbur, human rights coordinator for CAIR-CAN, pointing out that the organization’s request to be part of negotiations between McGill and the MSA was refused by the university. Mautbur would not give details about the content or timing of the complaint, which she said were still being worked out, but MSA president Nafay Choudhury said that it could be filed as early as next week or as late as mid-January. He explained that the potential delay was due to concerns that the federal non-confidence vote would shift media attention away from the complaint, and that the close of the semester would divert student attention as well. Mautbur said that CAIR-CAN has not yet informed McGill of its intentions. “We don’t bandy human rights complaints about as a threat. It’s important to all Canadians,” she said. However, Jennifer Robinson, McGill’s vice-principal (communications), said the complaint does not come as a surprise. Robinson said that the MSA does not speak for all Muslim students on campus, pointing to the Ismaili Muslim students, who have an off-campus prayer space. “[The MSA] wants special treatment; they want spe- cial privileges,” she said. Choudhury said that the administration has with- drawn its previous commitment to aid the MSA with fundraising for an off-campus space, but Robinson denied the charge, saying that McGill has been working with the MSA to find an off-campus solution similar to that of other religious groups. Choudhury insisted that the human rights complaint is a measure of last resort, and is not an attempt to defame McGill. “We have nothing to gain from making the university’s name bad. We’re all students here, too,” he said. Muslim students have been praying outdoors since they were evicted from their space in the basement of Peterson Hall last May. Some continue to brave the cold while others have moved inside since the snowfall. The CAIR-CAN complaint will not be the first such case to be brought before the human rights commis- sion. In March 2003, the Centre Research-Action on Race Relations filed a complaint on behalf of the Muslim Council of Montreal, demanding a prayer space on the campus of !’Ecole de technologie supérieure (ETS). The complaint included a request for about $600,000 in damages. A decision on the ETS case is expected soon, and will undoubtedly set a precedent for the CAIR- CAN and MSA complaint.