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To the editor: It is unethical for members of our primate species to subject monkeys and other sentient creatures to alcohol, just as it would be to trick humans into drinking alcohol (McGill Reporter, Nov. 4). The proper places for the study of alcoholism among humans, in my opinion, are the various societies and individuals within those particular societies. The article, "Drunken monkeys hold a clue," does not tell us exactly where the vervet monkeys are being studied or whether individuals are killed for genetic material. When we're told that some vervets drink laboratory alcohol, the implication is that it has been offered to them by the experimenters. This would never be done to a human, except for malicious purposes. I believe that for such an article to be balanced some representative members of the McGill community who disagree with non-human animal testing should have been interviewed. We should not assume that just because a researcher/ professor holds strongly to a certain position that it should not be questioned, even in a university administration newspaper. Those within the academic community who question the use of other species can in a certain symbolic sense be seen as invisible commentators on the article. Our own species should reverse course and protect the living world rather than unravel evolution, which we have been doing for many years. Even at this late date we treat other species as though our physical power to dominate them carries with it the right to domination. Shloime Perel McGill alumnus
To the editor: Your article entitled "Life between the borders" (McGill Reporter, Nov. 4) was fine. However, as much as post-doctoral researchers make up part of the "grey zone," I and many others live in what may only be called an administrative "void." We have payroll numbers, but no employee benefits. We have "jobs" but no contracts and no security. We are the casuals. Some of us have been here for as many as 20 years. Some of us have been acting as research assistants and consultants to PhD students, postdocs and professors alike. We are the proposal writers, authors or ghost writers of countless journal articles or book chapters. Staring to sound as if we do a lot of the work professors are paid for? Yup! The problem is, we get paid from so-called soft funds, even though one would hardly call our work soft. Do you think McGill could come up with a scheme to take care of us in our old age? Not yet and probably never. We not only exist in an administrative void at McGill but we are also in an administrative void in the eyes of the Minister of Revenue. We are, for all intents and purposes, "travailleurs autonomes." Some of our work is even done at home, on our personal computers. However, because McGill pays UIC and QPP contributions (as all good employers must), we do not get the benefit of deductions we should be entitled to. We do get a lot of freedom in terms of time, but those of us who have been there at more than full-time hours when the "rushes" were on, do not get any of the benefits that even the campus maintenance crews get as regular employees. Peter Alvo
To the editor: Thanks to the latest McGill policy of hiring celebrities at the top level, our name is becoming better known in Canada and in the rest of the world. For example, at the beginning of last year it was the selection of a questionable star in the IOC scandal as our new chancellor: Richard Pound. Unfortunately he didn't fulfil the hopes of glorifying McGill's name in replacing Juan Antonio Samaranch as President, but the next political card was more carefully played. A new McGill chair of the Board of Governors, Robert Rabinovich, was able to reach the anticipated CBC presidency (May's Reporter and the latest McGill News). Now it is clear that our authorities are master players of political games and we should be very grateful for their network web of politically correct and powerful lobbyists in Canadian politics. Since last month, we are supposed to be more sure about our future because Mr. Rabinovich said he could solve the University's financial problems by recommending "lobbying as a full time occupation" with the accompanying wheeling and dealing. Furthermore and consistent with his winning philosophy, some newspapers report that even Mr. Chretien's name as a nominator was not mentioned because the whole list of those who were lobbying on behalf of "A Wise Man" was more important to implant in the minds of the readers. We see also for the first time Mr. Black's newspapers, united with their rivals in a campaign for Rabinovich's presidency as the only alternative in a population of 30 million. Hooray, because now we have our university man at the top of the Canadian propaganda machine. However, the question is how long will it work and where are we in comparison to other universities? We are not in Asia, Africa or Europe but in a North America trying only to hold our own in the U.S. gang of best universities. So, we must follow their rules for recognizing universities of their top list and forget about the unclear criteria used in ranking universities for the best country in the world, despite being recently considered for dumping from the G7 club. South of the border, universities are also using all means to be recognized to attract potential students and possibly sponsors or research investors. So far, there are known to be only two radical poles in their approach: looking for the best sport performers or doing everything to attract the best scientist who can earn a Nobel prize. In this perspective, our university's latest political developments can be compared to the use of a greyhound genetically crossed with a rabbit in a friendly Monsanto lab for an important dog race. Probably it can generate a good kick at the start, but it is totally unpredictable later because of its tendency to jump from side to side. Slawomir Poplawski
P.S. More facts about McGill's politics can be found in the current McGill News (the administration's loudspeaker), but should be compared with the better balanced Reporter's interviews, and the spontaneous approach of The McGill Tribune (v.19 no.9-10). These articles can be viewed at www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Plaza/7100/
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