do suggest this: book ahead. I failed to do this and ironically had to sleep on the rocky beach where sixty years earlier Canadians had fallen in their assault on the town as, funny enough, it was the last night of the festival celebrating the town's libera- tion. Oh well, it made me proud to see the Canadian flags lining the streets, despite my hypothermia. My journey had one last des- tination. We have all in some way been exposed to the history of D- Day and understand that it was the single greatest military exercise in the history of man. June 6, 1944 was the turning point of the war, the day the brave men facing dramatically unfavorable odds buckled down and stormed the beaches. DO NOT miss the chance to visit Normandy and be prepared to have your eyes opened. In a little town called Bayeux, students can find quaint country hostels that gladly open their doors for as little as 15 bucks a night - breakfast and all. To see the beaches, visitors have two options. Either pay through the nose for a bus tour or rent a vehicle. There will always be travelers ready to chip in on a rental, and rent a peppy French built Peugot. With two Canadians, one American and an Australian in tow, we headed out to Juno beach - the site of the Canadian landings. This desolate stretch of beach is still pot-marked by broken concrete

bunkers, pill boxes and it only takes a moment to realize the magnitude of the operation and the fear our troops must have felt. Passing through the British sectors and on to the American beaches the coast is lined with German heavy guns and major portions of the Atlantic Wall.

Down a windy road we drove until a beach emerged, white and sandy - very much like the sand from our North Shore. We walked to a large concrete bunker on the sand and then turned to face what laid behind us. This was Omaha beach, bloody Omaha - and at that moment we all understood why the Americans who landed here never had a chance in hell. The rising cliffs were lined with bunkers and gun placements, all facing this open stretch of beach - of which no cover was available: As we walked up the cliffs, the true magnitude of D-Day struck us as we entered the Omaha cemetery. 10,943 soldiers are buried here in white rows of crosses so per- fect in alignment that thw visual effect itself commands respect. Hundreds of people walked the rows in almost utter silence.

Every Canadian should visit here, because until we do, Normandy and the struggle it saw is only a distant place, someone else's fight. I will always remember those beaches.

The view of Omaha from a German bunker - no chance in hell

McGill SU to build genderless washroom

(CUP) -- McGi

University's student society is building the campus' first gender- neutral, wheel-chair-accessible, single-unit washroom.

The washroom, which will be on the main floor of the student society's Shatner Building, is designed to allow gender-variant students and students with disabili- ties to "utilize the washrooms with ease and dignity," according to a SSMU press release.

Brianna Hersey, a spokesperson for the society, said the executive chose to increase accessibility beyond the current McGill University definition to better meet the needs of its margin- alized students.

"Access for able-bodied and gender-normative folks usually means what the gender normative think the gender variant need. It usually means what is perceived to be accessible," said Hersey.

"Unfortunately, to many, access is narrowly defined as a wheel-chair ramp and a wheel- chair-accessible toilet within a gen- der-segregated washroom. This definition of access simply doesn't reflect the reality for many stu- dents on this campus," she said.

Hersey also said this meas- ure reflects SSMU's awareness of socially sidelined students.

"The Shatner Building is the physical representation of the Students' Society and we take issues of accessibility seriously," she said.

Michelle Marsman, an administrator for Queer McGill, said her organization is impressed

with the proposed washroom, and is happy for the Trans-Gendered Alliance and McGill's trans-gen- dered community.

"This is a really progressive move. Its nice to know these types of things are being taken into account by our Students’ Society," she said.

The Office of Students with Disabilities was also excited at the announcement of a new wheel- chair-accessible washroom.

Director Joan Wolforth said the current washrooms are not acceptable, and believes the upcoming renovations are much needed.

"The announcement is very much in line with the interest in equity issues. The previous wash- rooms that were there were. not really suitable. The current ones were sort of renovations of renova- tions, and they are not particularly up to McGill standards."

The executive does not know yet where the funds will come from.

"The financing for these washrooms is a little bit unclear right now," said Rod De Castro, VP Operations of the students" society.

"This wasn't initially part of the referendum project, but SSMU is committed to the realization of the washrooms, and we will find the money."

According to De Castro, all renovations on the main floor, including the gender-neutral, wheel-chair-accessible, single-unit washroom, will not be completed until the new year.

-:page [11] October 29, 2003:.