If Facebook fan pages were a popularity contest for Calgary’s mayoral race, Mount Royal University associate professor Naheed Nenshi would be winning with 710 fans supporting his run at press time.

The problem is, Nenshi isn’t running for office. At least not yet.

“I’m still thinking about it,” is Nenshi’s official answer at the moment.

Nenshi didn’t start the “Draft Naheed Nenshi for Mayor” Facebook fan page, nor does he officially sanction it beyond saying he is flattered and humbled by the support.

Richard Einarson, a friend of Nenshi’s, created the page after a discussion with friends about the upcoming civic election. Einarson suggested the page to friends – some of whom know Nenshi personally and others who don’t – and watched it grow in a matter of weeks.

“I’m not surprised that a lot of people think that he’d make a great mayor, because obviously I do as well, but I am a little surprised at how quickly it has grown,” Einarson said.

As it grows, Einarson actively encourages fans to invite their friends and spread the word. The fan page has garnered local media interest and Einarson shares those links on the Facebook page, as well as links to columns Nenshi has written in the past.

Aaron Ellard, a former Mount Royal University student and a local business owner, joined the group to support his former instructor.

“I thought he was a great instructor,” Ellard said. “I also read a couple of articles he had written in the Calgary Herald and I just think that he is an interesting person to run for mayor.”

Although he is taking a break from writing his Calgary Herald column, Nenshi recognizes that his ideas have been able to get out through his media commentary and the work he does with civic advocacy groups the Better Calgary Campaign and Civic Camp. As he considers a potential campaign, Nenshi is also trying to determine if there are better candidates out there.

“I’m busy talking to people, gauging if there’s any support there,” Nenshi said. “And also what’s important to me is I need to figure out if there is a great candidate out there that I can support. Depending on the results of those conversations, I will have an announcement to make.”

Currently, there are two official candidates in the mayoral race: Paul Hughes, chair of the Calgary Food Policy Council and Alnoor Kassam, who finished a distant second to Dave Bronconnier in the 2007 election. Other names have been mentioned but none have made any announcements beyond taking it into consideration. There is also a “Draft Ric McIver for Mayor” page with 312 fans.

Einarson he said hopes that the support of the Facebook fan page will translate into actual votes, as low voter turnout is an issue in municipal politics.

“My hope is that a lot of the people who it does help to get engaged are younger people who perhaps haven’t voted in municipal elections,” Einarson said. “Having good, solid, leaders come to the table will help and hopefully this race will have a few candidates that will present different viewpoints. It gives people something to get engaged in.”

Low voter turnout is also an important issue for Nenshi and he wants to figure out why people feel disengaged from their communities.

“I think talking to people, really understanding how they see their own communities, how they see their own power and influence within that community…How we can help them feel empowered and how we can help them understand their vote, actually makes a difference in their lives,” he said.

Photo by Josh Naud. Officer Tory Manywounds is ready for action no matter what crime might be thrown his way.

As some students amble into the school around 8:10 a.m. for an 8 o’clock class, whining about just how early they have to arrive, the 12-hour day shift of the security personnel started over two hours ago. With around 28 staff employed at Mount Royal security, there is always someone on campus to help.

“The officers are scheduled by their supervisors to perform various patrol tasks,” William Spring, the manager of security at MRU explains. “Officers normally patrol; one officer by day and two by night.”

Most students are aware that security’s primary duty is to protect people on campus.

“I think that security walks around campus and ensures that there is nothing suspicious going on and that everybody is safe, and if they find anything wrong or suspicious then they take the corrective actions to fix it,” explains first-year business student Lisa Vienneau. She says that she that other than that, she is unsure of the other services that security offers.

According to Spring, security is assigned to do dispatch duties, which see them dealing with any emergency calls or alarms, and patrolling the campus in a variety of forms, such as foot, bike, and car, keeping their eyes peeled for potential thefts or other suspicious behaviours.

Traffic control is another duty assigned to security, which works with the Calgary Parking Authority to guide parking or deal with any traffic collisions that may occur within the road confines of Mount Royal. And of course, as most of us are aware, they also take care of the lost items on campus.

Having to patrol these hallowed halls regularly makes security personnel some of the best people to ask questions regarding directions and the locations of any other departments.

“Here you never know where your day is going to take you,” Spring explains about the unpredictability of their seemingly routine days. “[Incidents may range] from calls for medical assistance to responding

to a call for a crime in progress. Security works with all external agencies: fire, police, and EMS as required.”

The security officers are also highly trained in first aid. Spring mentions that, “security officers are in-house security MRU employees. The prerequisites for employment are a justice studies diploma, degree, or related experience in law enforcement or a security industry-related field.”

The figures found on the MRU security website are proof that all their efforts have been effective. “Based on stats over the last five years, MRU is generally a safe place to work and study,” Spring adds.

Students and staff have helped in this accomplishment and can still aid security in maintaining safety. Spring encourages everyone to report any suspicious person or activity immediately to Security Services, which is accessible 24/7 by phone or in person. Campus security also provides a 24/7 Safewalk service in cooperation with the SAMRU. Student volunteers and campus security will escort those individuals who do not wish to walk to remote Mount Royal locations unaccompanied.

When she was new to the city, Vienneau had taken advantage of the Safewalk program. “I felt like an idiot asking [security] to walk me home, but it made me feel safe,” she explains. “He was really nice about it though.” For Safewalk, stop by campus security at the West Gate or use any of the phones around campus to call for a walk.

Illustration by Kelsey Hipkin

If you’re looking for a fun alternative to the crowded food courts and overpriced sandwich stands during your lunch hour, all you have to do is pack a snack and head downtown for a short fix of theatre.

Lunchbox Theatre, the venerable one-act play company, has been delighting audiences and providing welcome noon-hour respites from the daily grind for 35 years. Now known as the longest-running one-act theatre organization in the world, Lunchbox has seen the launch of several professional artistic careers over the past three-and-a-half decades, and has become a safe haven for nubile playwrights to showcase original work – much of which has gone on to national and even international success.

Considering that these days it takes a lot of hard work and patience to make a mark in the theatre community with a new company, it’s surprising to hear Bartley Bard, the founding artistic director for Lunchbox, recall how it was a hit from the beginning.

“At our very first performance on Sept. 15, 1975, every single seat was filled,” says Bard, on the phone from his current home in Los Angeles that he shares with his wife and Lunchbox co-founder, Margaret. “I had gotten 100 of those folding chairs and set them up in Bow Valley Square, and just through word of mouth and putting ads in the paper, we sold out our first show. And we sold out pretty much every show since then.”

Granted, Lunchbox had some strokes of luck and special circumstances during their beginning that modern upstart companies would have a hard time finding: for instance, their space at Bow Valley Square was held rent-free (and would continue to be until 2008, when Lunchbox was forced to move to their current location at the base of the Calgary Tower). The company also debuted at a time when only Theatre Calgary and Alberta Theatre Projects made up the city’s theatre community.

Despite sounding like an easy environment in which to debut a new theatrical voice, what made Lunchbox survive all these years has been its commitment to fostering new talent, as well as committing itself to a diverse cross-section of productions.

“We wanted to come across as professional – that was our main goal,” recalls Bard. “We featured comedies, dramas, classics, and then once our status was sealed, we were able to attract new, original works by up-and-coming playwrights, which was what we had hoped to achieve from the beginning.

“Calgary’s a fast-paced town,” he continues, “and the people there want to see more: more theatre, more originality, more of something special. And it’s a really special town, so we fit right in, I think. When we started, there were only two skyscrapers surrounding our space…and then there were four, and then five, and…well, look at it today. It’s always growing, and we were able to watch that growth.”

Indeed, Lunchbox has become an integral part of Calgary, both artistically and culturally. Its importance to the city was sealed when Petro Canada partnered with the company to create the Stage One Festival, which gives fresh-minded playwrights the chance to bring their debut creations to life, culminating in one play being chosen to close out the season.

Bard left Lunchbox and Calgary in 1999, moving to Los Angeles with his wife to pursue other artistic avenues, including screenwriting. The company then went through a few successors that led to Pamela Halstead joining on one year ago. Halstead is committed to not only maintaining Lunchbox’s well-deserved reputation, but also ensuring that the next 35 years are just as prosperous as the previous 35.

“Some of the things that the company went through recently – especially the move to our new space, which is costing us more money now since it’s no longer rent-free – are things that have the potential to sink most companies of our size,” says Halstead. “I think what’s kept us going has been our long history of demonstrating that we care about the community and what we stand for, as well as our large audience that has stuck with us and kept coming back for so many years. We’ve definitely created a following, so it’s great to see that they still care about us.”

Halstead says that Lunchbox will survive in the ever-changing and always unpredictable artistic community of Calgary by staying true to its mission of developing new work and keeping its doors open to emerging artists from all walks of life – whether they be actors, directors, or playwrights. She also mentions the company’s Emerging Directors program, which allows up-and-coming directors the chance to work with established professionals of the craft and eventually direct a showcase of their own.

This year will prove to be a big one for Lunchbox Theatre, as the company plans to celebrate their milestone in as many ways as possible. Halstead mentions a “community celebration” that will happen in June, and although details are still being finalized, she promises it will be “a giant party with people throughout Lunchbox’s history joining in on the fun.” This May will also see the return of Lunchbox’s most beloved character, Ivanka, return to the company’s stage for a “greatest hits” collection from her past six performances.

As for whether Bard will attend the celebration in June, which wouldn’t have even happened without him and his wife: “We’ll see. I definitely would like to attend, although our son is celebrating his tenth birthday that month, so we can’t miss that. There are just too many milestones to celebrate at once!”

For more information on Lunchbox Theatre, including ticket prices (only $15 for students), visit www.lunchboxtheatre.com

Eight years removed from their inaugural season in 2002, the Calgary Roughnecks lacrosse team has established themselves as an important player in the Calgary sports scene.

Photo by Brian Melynk. Roughnecks player looks to pass the ball to another player during a recent game.

Key to understanding the growth of the franchise is having an idea how the Roughnecks have developed and marketed lacrosse as something unique in this crowded market.

An important part of the experience, as expressed by many fans, is the rough nature of the sport. While this plays out as expected in fights and other body contact, it may be most evident during the faceoff.

Like a hockey faceoff, lacrosse begins with a two-player scrum over the ball at centre field. What tends to make things interesting is that alternating players from each team rush towards centre field at the blow of the whistle. The team that wins possession then begins the first rush of the game.

When interviewed about his reasons for loving the sport, long time fan Logan Kryski noted that he attends because the sport takes the “best of hockey and basketball.”

While the National Lacrosse League is split up into quarters, much like professional basketball, it is the usage of a shot clock that may be most responsible for speeding up the game.

Once a team takes possession of the ball, they are given 30 seconds to register a shot on the opposing goaltender. Should they fail to get a shot, the other team is given the ball. This increases the pace of the game, keeping the fans engaged.

In addition to the quick pace, a lot of effort goes into creating an exciting environment for the fans. High-energy music is pumped out over the Saddledome speaker system the entire time the ball is in play. The volume decreases when the road team has the ball, and increases when the Roughnecks hold the ball.

The arena announcer, Dennis Deis, plays a significant role in getting the fans involved. Deis encourages the fans to play along with such chants as “What’s he got?” to which the fans together answer “nothing!” when referencing a failed scoring attempt by the opposing team.

A former referee, Deis understands the pressures of being on the field, and his chants are usually tongue-in-cheek, with an obvious respect for the family environment of the game.

Long time season-ticket holder Eric Rayner said that one of the reasons behind his passion for the Roughnecks stems from the family friendly atmosphere focused on by the team.

The Roughnecks offer relatively inexpensive tickets (anywhere from $25 to $67 dollars), allowing families to afford to make a lacrosse game a weekend outing.

The team also makes players available at the end of every home game by inviting the fans onto the field to get signatures or simply to meet the players.

Fans tend to return the respect shown by the team, often even sticking around after a loss to applaud and show their respect.

While the Roughnecks have brought with them a fast-paced product that has seemingly been embraced by a growing fan base, the team has also brought with them something even more tangible: success.

The Roughnecks won the National Lacrosse League Champions Cup in 2004 and again last season. A result of dedication from the owners, the front office and the players themselves, this success has helped the team leverage itself as a viable alternative to the other major sports in the city.

The Roughnecks hit the road for a game against the Orlando Titans on March 20 and return to the Saddledome on March 26, with a special breast cancer awareness night versus the Minnesota Swarm.

Photo by Brian Melynk. The Cougars team is the last cat standing to gain a medal for MRU this year. The seven game series against the Ooks was at 1-1 at the time of press.

As I sit writing this, only one Cougar team out of a possible six has the chance to medal for the remainder of the season. This comes of course with the exception of the Cougars’ soccer

teams that wrapped up last semester. Our men’s team took gold over the SAIT Trojans and the women just missed out on silver against the Concordia Thunder.

With the strength of Cougar Athletics at the onset of the season, it looked like we’d have a dump truck full of ACAC Championships with the potential

to have another dump truck full of national championships come this month.

But alas, for whatever reason, it was not meant to be.

MRU has long been known for the success of its Cougar Athletics program. That success

makes us a great place for potential student athletes to be. Athletes love to win and the Cougars do it very well, we have a plethora of talented athletes and an all-star cast of coaches who work their asses off every season. That being said, sometimes

post-secondary athletic teams can just have an off year, much like professional sports teams.

The Cougars were still very successful, with all of them finishing

first or second in their divisions. Women’s basketball is the one exception with a third place finish in the south division.

Starting with basketball, fresh off an ACAC Championship last season the men’s team finished first in the ACAC south division with a record of 16 and 4 with 32 points. Going into the playoffs, it looked like the team would for sure come away with a medal.

Taking two straight against Lakeland College Feb. 25-26, the team looked really good going into the final-four held on the Cougars’ home court. On March 5, the team lost to MacEwan University, dropping them into the bronze medal game against SAIT. The boys in blue and white lost that game as well place them into fourth.

Unfortunately, the women’s basketball team didn’t even make it past quarter-finals, losing

their two matches against King’s University College. The last time they won an ACAC championship was 2006. The team however looks like it has a great core of players, and I foresee

a definite medal next season.

Fourth place is a bit of a trend this season for Cougar Athletics as both the men and women’s volleyball teams ended up in fourth spot as well.

It was mentioned in the last issue of The Reflector that in the last 25 years (with the exception

of three other teams) either MRU or Red Deer have taken ACAC gold. This season, not so much, as the boys took their first final-eight match 3-0 but lost the next two for a fourth place finish as well.

The women’s volleyball team, who wrapped up their season in second place in the provincial

season of the ACAC with a record of 7-3, won their first final-eight game against Keyano but lost their next two games to MacEwan. MacEwan finished third in the regular season behind

the lady Cougars and went on to take silver overall.

The men’s hockey team had a great season, finishing second in ACAC play with a record of 21-5-0-2. The boys had a tough go in the semi-finals, losing three straight in the best-of-five tournament; this coming against a Concordia Thunder team that the Cougars won three of four against in the regular season.

The women’s team, as mentioned above, is the only team left in the mix, and in their final-seven series against NAIT they are guaranteed a medal; I’m guessing that medal is going to be gold. The ladies breezed through the semi-finals, taking three straight in a best of five series against SAIT. They are 1-1 in finals at this point with their next two games coming Feb. 19 and 20.