February 25: 1980

The Other Press

page three

 

=

Burnaby [CUP] — The
only course that is consis-
tently full every spring and
fall semester at Simon
Fraser University has been
-| cut back. -

English 010, an essay
writing course, has been
cutback from 18 sections a
semester to 12 starting the
fall of 1980. sil
| The cutback is a result of

the administration discon-
tinuing sessional instruc-
tors in the course who are
specifically hired for their
writing skills.

The move has prompted
the teaching support staff
union (TSSU) to file a suit
against the SFU admini-
stration for unfair labour
practice and intimidation.

“We have consulted with
our lawyer,’’ said Mark
Lushington of TSSU, ‘‘with
the intent of filing an unfair
labour practice with the
labour relations board.’’

Lushington said that the
grounds for the suit may

 

 

_ SFUloses
English 010

include not bargaining in
good faith.

TSSU is currently nego-
tiating their first contract
with SFU, and the admini-

stration move was done,

without consulting the

union.

The intimidation charge
is based on the fact that one
of the union’s negotiators is
a sessional __ instructor.
Alison Hopwood stands to
lose her job because of the
administration’s move.

“The most cariale way to
describe this move is to call
it shortsighted,’’ — said
Lushington.

Assistant chairperson of
the English department,
Andrea Lebowitz, was also
displeased by the action.

“We don’t have that
much spare faculty time,’’
said Lebowitz, ‘‘and we
need competent people.
You have to have special-
ists in the field.’’

“You can’t have
anyone teach 010.’’

just

- Other reviews

by Duane Rockerbie

Strangley enough, Van-
couver being about the
furthest city west of
England, does seem to
promote the best new acts
from England. Perhaps this
is because the Vancouver
audience is the most
appreciative around of this
type of music. This is evi-
denced by the. near
sell-outs of every band that
comes here, thus we have a
good ‘reputation with the

bands as far as support

goes.

Here is a general over-
view of some of the groups
to be coming to Vancouver
in the near future.

 

GARY NUMAN
TUBEWAY ARMY

Unlike other forms of
rock, which are predomi- ,
nantly ruled by the over-30s

musicians, New Wave
offers young groups a
chance and perhaps huge
success. Such is the case
with Gary Numan. Al-
though he is only 21, he has
recorded two smash al-
bums, ‘‘Replicas’’ and the
‘‘Pleasure Principle’, both
on his own label, Beggar’s
Banquet.

 

Numan is the current
wonderchild of British rock,
with a sound much like that
of David Bowie, Ultravox,
and Kraftwerk, only more
polished and up to date.
Churning synthesizer, swe-
eping lyrics, a bubbling
beat, and a hypnotic voice
characterize his albums.

Hits include ‘‘Are Friends
Electric?’’ and the AM
single ‘‘Cars’’, but these

‘tunes don’t really show

Numan in high gear.
Numan has developed a
very exciting stage per-
sona, with a combination of
sex appeal, stunning set
changes, and constant. sur-
prises. His sets are so

elaborate that he had to be
booked into the Queen
Elizabeth Theatre, rather
than the Gardens or the
Commodore. Appearing

March 6. Definitely worth
seeing.

 

MADNESS
' Those the

Specials while they were in
town a few weeks ago
should be interested by
Madness, those who didn’t
should see them anyway.
The two bands are_a good

who saw

 

5

showcase for the latest
sound to come out of
Britain: a fusion of pop
rock, shuffling reggae, and
blues beat known as ska
music. ‘
The band’s first album,
‘One Step Beyond’’, has
just been released in
Canada. Reggae has never
really caught on in North
America, apart from Bob
Marley and __— scattered
Jimmy. Cliff tunes, but in
London it is flourishing. It
took white Englishmen to
make the rock public notice
the blues back in the 60s
and they just might do it
again with reggae-ska.
March 10 at
Commodore.

the

Not much new here. Van
Halen appeared here last
year after the release of
their second album but no
new album to arrive with
this time.

Occasional hits are ‘’Cru-
sin With the Devil’’ and the
old Kinks classic ‘You
Really Got Me’’. Another
band for burnouts relying
on metal and huge speakers
and nothing else.

Appearing April 2 in the
Pacific Coliseum.

SRS

  

VAN HALEN

     

BOOMTOWN RATS

Ex-Georgia Strait writer
Bob Geldof brings the Rats
to town, riding high on the
crest of two successful
albums, ‘‘A Tonic for the
Troops”’ and ‘‘The Fine Art
of Surfacing’’. Recently
voted most popular band in
the pages of the Daily Mail, |.
the Rats are back to infest
the North American music
scene. .

Sure they’re shameless,
trendy lightweights but by
the same token they do
not—unlike some of their
more sophisticated collea-
gues—pretend to be any-
thing more than six clowns}
out to get rich in a hurry.
Their music reflects that,
being full of borrowed bits
of whatever is popular at
the moment, but because
they’re clever and cunning,
quite often produce mar-
velous results.

Everything here is imi-
tative, fashionable, with an
eye on the big buck, yet
somehow it’s great fun and
it works.

Popular hits include the
commercial and calculated
‘“‘| Don’t Like Mondays’’ to
the energetic, saxophone-
riffer ‘‘Rat Traps’.

A group surely destined}
for the success they lust
after. Appearing in the
Gardens, April 8. a