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THE BULL & BEAR
GENERATION YOU Talking ‘Bout Our Generation with Suzanne Fortier Breathe Deep and Be Awesome The Unemployable Generation January 2014 Issue 005 Vol. 11 bullandbearmcgill.com
The Unemployement Myth A publication of the
Editor’s Note Tarun Koshy
executive editor
T NEWS 4 ECOLE to Integrate Sustainable Living into McGill Residences 6 Trailblazing Donaldas
LIFESTYLE 8 Ain’t Nobody Got Time For Fat 10 My Week as a GOOPie 11 Start Fresh
FEATURE
12 Les Visages de Montreal 14 The Employability Myth 16 The Unemployable Generation 18 Breathe Deep and Be Awesome 20 Talking ‘Bout our Generation
BUSINESS 23 Introduction to Cases at Bronfman High 24 A $5.2 Billion Slapshot 26 Get a Seat
raveling back on the train, successfully fattened up by glorious home-cooked food, I find myself surrounded by students of all ages and backgrounds, all of whom are traveling back for one more heave at school. It’s only the second week, and, although I’m nowhere near a Carnival team, I already find myself sleep-deprived and worn out. The mad rush to buy books, keep up with readings, and catch up with friends is certain to squeeze almost all my fellow McGillians into a uniform regimen of coffee-drinking, studying, and stressing. Rinse and repeat. However, our generation is far more complex and diverse than weeklong raucous drinking games and a steady stream of stress-inducing coursework. More often than not, it is just as important to take a step back and really look at the people around us. On that note, I am proud to introduce our January issue, Generation YOU. Inside, we feature an interview with McGill Principal Suzanne Fortier that explores her thoughts on the new generation of McGill students. We also explore the changing employment landscape for new graduates, the contemporary value of a McGill undergraduate degree, and an interview with Julien Smith - a young and successful entrepreneur with some interesting startup ideas. Finally, we take this opportunity to launch our new media project, Les visages de Montreal. Visages is the brainchild of photographer Stella Lee and is a Humans of New York-style media feature of the unique faces and stories we encounter on a daily basis around Montreal. We hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as we enjoyed putting it together. For those of you interested in being a part of our team, I encourage you learn more and apply online during our Winter recruitment period at: http://bullandbearmcgill.com/join/ Best,
OPINION 28 The Media’s Worrisome Crack Addiction 30 (Not So) Random Acts of Kindness Tarun Koshy, Executive Editor tarun@bullandbearmcgill.com
Cover Photo by Stella Lee
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The Bull & Bear is published by the Management Undergraduate Society. The content of this publication is the responsibility of the Management Undergraduate Society and does not necessarily represent the views of McGill University.
Briefs
BRIEFS
Your guide to events around campus Management Carnival January 12th -18th Yay, It’s Carnival!
Igloofest January 16th - February 8th Enjoy Montreal’s largest electronic music festival until you freeze or faint.
Tarun Koshy Executive Editor
April Wu Lead Lifestyle Editor
Max Feinsot Managing Editor
Marisa Samek Lifestyle Editor
Doron Lurie Editor-at-Large
Laura Thistle Lead Opinion Editor
Matthew Hunter Chief Layout Editor
Alex Petralia Opinion Editor
Alain Kasparian Nat Carson Media Editors
Flora Bertin Anthony Heinrich Hayley Lim Michelle Paspe Will Werblow Sisi Ye Layout Editors
Dafe Oputu Lead News Editor Shannon Epstein Tess Wrobleski News Editors
McGill Model United Nations January 23rd-26th
Jonathan Craske Lead Business Editor
When you think about it, Model UN is sort of like a more socially acceptable Dungeons and Dragons
Andrew Marcovitch Business Editor
The Bull & Bear - January 2014
Henry Fuz-Keeve Lead Web Editor
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NEWS
ECOLE to Integrate SUSTAINABLE LIVING into McGill Residence Coordinators hope to launch pilot in September 2014 Tess Wrobleski News Editor
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he student-run initiative “ECOLE” (Educational COmmunity Living Environment) is working to transform a MORE house into a space for sustainable living to open in September 2014. Head coordinators Courtney Ayukawa (U3, Sustainability, Science, and Society) and former McGill student Lily Schwarzbaum, along with a student working group, have been working closely with Student Housing and Hospitality Services, SSMU, and McGill Office of Sustainability to develop planning and funding for the project. 8-10 students, referred to as “facilitators,” will live in the house as part of an “experiment with sustainable living strategies,” Ayukawa stated. ECOLE developed from an Alternative University Project (AltU) known as the
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Greenhaus classroom. In the Fall of 2011, students at McGill and Concordia University developed AltU as a means of coping with what they saw as barriers to University education in Quebec, including increasing tuition costs and the inaccessibility of professors and academic staff. The AltU Manifesto outlines the aims of the original project, which includes: “establishing a place of learning, both inclusive and accountable to the community around it, that strives to support creative exploration, excellence in learning, and community involvement.” Similarly, The ECOLE project is guided by the principles of living, learning, and community building. ECOLE embraces a broad definition of sustainability, encompassing environmental,
social, and financially sustainable practices. Environmentally-sustainable practices such as composting and vegan diets, as well as socially-sustainable practices such as collective living and anti-oppressive practices, are examples of lifestyles that will be encouraged in the ECOLE house. The project focuses on student-led handson learning, keeping with the values of the Alternative University Project. ECOLE facilitators will conduct an independent study based on their experience living in the sustainable housing, and will receive academic credit for their work. Facilitators will also receive a subsidy for their rent in exchange for their participation in the program. According to the project description on the ECOLE website, the residence will fill an apparent lack
NEWS of interaction among students, and between students and professors by providing “a space for applied research, an informal space for students, staff, and professors to get together to discuss sustainability issues, and a center for applied student research initiatives.” “ECOLE can fill a lack of casual meeting spaces on campus,” Ayukawa commented. “The physical spaces of ECOLE can be used for film screenings, workshops, and club meetings.” According to Ayukawa, “a recurring issue on campus is that two people could be working on very similar projects, but they have no awareness of the other project. We’ve already started bringing some of those projects together, and we will hope that actually establishing the ECOLE house will help to facilitate this process even farther.” In this way, the project will “increase casual networks on campus, and decrease the segregation between departments and faculties. ECOLE will increase the connectivity of these networks, and develop a sustainability community on campus.” ECOLE housing will be a space for sustainability communities based not only at McGill but in the Montreal community as well. The project hopes to strengthen the relationship between the McGill community and Milton-Parc residents. Communal-based living practices such as collective purchasing and meal preparation are integral to living sustainably, according to the ECOLE coordinators. For example, communal meal preparation can decrease energy expenditure, and the purchasing of bulk products can decrease waste and shipping costs. The exact practices and methods of sustainable living to be implemented in the ECOLE house are not yet strictly defined, because facilitators for the project have not been hired. The facilitators will be involved in developing the practices that will be implemented in the house, and the practices may evolve over the course of the year. “Obtaining funding for ECOLE has been fairly daunting, because of the massive scope of the project,” Ayukawa explained. ECOLE hopes to fund the pilot year of the project, to
be launched in September 2014, with funds from SSMU’s Sustainability Projects Fund (SPF). The ECOLE application to the SPF is still being negotiated, but the coordinators hope to have their application approved by February. Once the project is approved for funding, applications for facilitators will be made available. ECOLE facilitators should demonstrate a passion for sustainability, demonstrated through previous projects in the field. Facilitators should possess a holistic and well-rounded view of sustainability, moving beyond the traditional practices of sustainability such as recycling to incorporate social practices of sustainability. “We do not want a house of Environment students,” Ayukawa added. “We look to hire a diverse group of students– including academic diversity.” The independent
ECOLE housing will be a space for sustainability communities based not only at McGill but in the Montreal community as well research projects of facilitators will reflect the academic interests of the students, and demonstrate that sustainability has a place in all academic disciplines and lifestyles. Lastly, facilitators must be “daring enough to take on a project like ECOLE,” Ayukawa warned. Facilitators should be enthusiastic about adopting a new lifestyle, and willing to undertake the challenge of communal living with a group of strangers. The facilitators will also be encouraged to explore alternative means of sustainable living, and advance the reach of the ECOLE project. The project is presented as an experiment in sustainable living practices, with the hopes
that the project will provide a model for future sustainable housing. Ayukawa hopes ECOLE will serve to model for the McGill community that living sustainably does not have to be expensive or difficult, and deconstruct fears or reservations about living sustainably. “ECOLE will demonstrate to both the facilitators and the community at large how important it is to be interdependent with others, and how interdependent each of us is on the world, not only for purposes of environmental sustainability but also for the well-being of individuals,” Ayukawa explained. The project is reflective of growing movements and concerns on McGill campus. The project reflects the increase in organizations centered around environmentally-conscious practices and a need to facilitate coordination among these organizations, as well as socially-conscious movements such as Rez Project and the emphasis on social inclusiveness. The ECOLE project is also indicative of changes in pedagogy and teaching styles, a topic which has been widely discussed on the McGill campus of late. The project, which will allow facilitators to receive academic credit for their work, is draws from the practice of inverted classrooms as well as a focus on applied research. The project is an opportunity for students to improve or enhance their McGill experience through hands-on learning and collaboration with other students, opportunities that are not readily available in the majority of McGill classrooms. Ultimately, the ECOLE coordinators would like the project to evolve into a sustainability research institute at McGill. Granted proper funding, the project has the potential to advance many values important to McGill students and the community at large: environmental and socially- conscious practices, and opportunities for applied research and innovative pedagogy. Meetings of the ECOLE Student Working Group are open to all. Anyone is welcome to attend and learn about the project. For questions or comments, ECOLE coordinators and staff may be reached at: mcgillecole@ gmail.com.
PHOTO BY ANA MALJKOVIC
The Bull & Bear - January 2014
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NEWS
Trailblazing Donaldas The continuously changing face of women on campus Ana Maljkovic
News Writer
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alking across campus, it would be hard to believe that just a little over a century ago, half of the faces walking by you would be gone–or, to be more specific–replaced by men. Yet it’s a harsh truth that as a product of its times, McGill did not accept female students. The university did not admit women until 1884, when benefactor Donald A. Smith donated a generous $120,000 to the school on the condition that it be used to provide equal opportunities to women. The women who benefited from his actions were aptly nicknamed “Donaldas” for decades onwards, and would become the first of hundreds of thousands of women to pass through the university in the many years to come. Despite this, it would still be over two decades before McGill honoured its first female PhD, thirty-five years before women broke into intercollegiate sports, and another half century before Maude Abbott would become the first female accepted into the Faculty Club. Fortunately, the picture is much different today. Leadership and empowerment organizations have sprung up in almost every faculty to provide
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women with the opportunity to voice their interests, develop their skills, and network with professionals in their chosen field. McGill women looking for empowerment need not look further than the SSMUrun McGill Women in Leadership, which facilitates speaker presentations to educate interested students on work-life balance, maintains an active social media presence by sharing articles pertaining to feminism and women around the world, and posts a regular “Wonderful Woman of the Week” to bolster positive female role models in the public eye. Similarly, students in engineering have ample leadership and networking opportunities through POWE (Promoting Opportunities for Women in Engineering), while those in management can find their interests represented within Desautels Women in Business. In the more artistic fields, male and female feminists alike can turn to The F Word, a recently instated publication seeking to answer the question “what does feminism mean to you?” through submissions of all mediums by McGill’s very own artists, poets, and writers. Similarly, the faculty of Women’s Studies publishes an annual interdisciplinary journal known
as Intersections which seeks to educate and foster discussion between students on difference, oppression and identity. Those seeking a more visual and physical approach, meanwhile, can find their niche with Booby Trap, McGill’s allfemale comedy sketch troupe. In the Faculty of Arts, female students interested in political science and the Canadian government can obtain the unique experience of shadowing female MPs and senators through the McGill Women in House program. Carly Walter, VP External of the Political Science Student Association, shared this experience with 37 other female students this past year. “It was an incredible trip. We really got to see behind the scenes of what it was like to be an MP or senator, and ask them questions specific to what it was like being a woman in politics,” Walter explained. While the club, which has been running for over a decade, finds its main mandate in facilitating the trip - which is largely funded through SSMU, AUS and other committee subsidizations - it is also responsible for on-campus events pertaining to women in politics, such as the Yes She Can academic panel put on in partnership with the PSSA to facilitate
NEWS discussion on the role of women in Canadian government. For Walter and many others, it is seen as an opportunity to seek allies in the fight to increase the presence of women in the House of Commons. “The representation [of women in the House] right now is 24.6%, which is obviously not representative of the 51% of women in Canada. I think the good thing about having events on campus is that they can include men. It’s important to have men - and people who won’t be selected to go on the trip - in the dialogue on women’s participation.” It’s a sentiment that Claire Reierson, VP Communications of POWE shares. While the organization has experienced success in expanding it’s doors to a greater number of female members, getting their male counterparts on board has been slightly more difficult. “I think a lot of people are skeptical at first about our club because they don’t really know what we do, so as far as support from the students goes, I’m not sure how much we get,” she notes. “Feminism sometimes has a bad connotation to it, and I think that’s what people see us as sometimes, so this semester we’re really
The Bull & Bear - January 2014
trying to change that. We’re trying to get a more diverse group of people coming to our meetings. We’d like to have more guys; that’s one of our bigger difficulties.” It’s ironic given the typical gender breakdown of engineering classes, where male students almost always seem to be in the majority (McGill’s Fall 2013 Enrolment report listed an official 24.9% to 75.1% female-to-male divide, the lowest of any faculty at the university). This very gender gap is what influenced the creation of POWE and many of its programs, particularly Conference, where grade 10, 11 and CEGEP students are presented with the idea of engineering as a potential career field. “A lot of girls don’t know what engineering is about,” explained Reierson, “and they’ve never had people telling them they should go into engineering.” McGill’s various clubs still have work to do in expanding their profile and increasing women’s representation in their respective fields. Yet we are far from the bleak image of McGill over a century ago, when women were placed in separate classrooms - and even earlier, when they were banned from attending the university altogether.
Nowadays, organizations like McGill Women in Leadership boast a healthy 712 likes on Facebook, while Desautels Women in Business enjoys interaction with over 250 interested club members. Publications like Intersections and The F Word exist to give feminists, both male and female, the opportunity to discuss pertinent issues relating to life at McGill and around the world. Booby Trap comediennes on campus work actively to dispel the myth that women “just aren’t funny.” And organizations like the McGill MBA Women’s Association and the McGill Women’s Alumnae Association ensure that networking and career-building opportunities are present well past a student’s graduation. For Reierson, it’s a remedy to the age old problem that has led many girls to struggle between a work-life balance. “The image that women think they need to meet is one of the biggest challenges we have. I think that women think they need to please society, and so they don’t do enough for themselves. Instead, they should focus more on making themselves the best they can be intellectually.”
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LIFESTYLE
Ain’t NOBODY Got Time For FAT Workouts to help you shake off the new year’s pounds Majd Steitieh
Lifestyle WRITER
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re you in shape for the new year? “Round” doesn’t count. We’re not saying that you need to look like Katy Perry draped in cotton cloud or a shirtless Channing Tatum, but if you’re not as fit as you’d like to be, The Bull & Bear has got you covered! I spoke to Kim Tanyag, a trainer at the MAA Gym in downtown Montreal, and she’s given us the low-down on how you can get rid of that belly fat, get that six pack you’ve always wanted (or your girlfriend always wished you had), and how to stay in better shape in general.
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Belly Fat Who? Ever since the beginning of winter break, my belly has been bearing the weight, or at least that’s my excuse. The first thing I wanted to know was how I could get rid of it! According to Kim, “Number one is always nutrition. As cliché as “abs are made in the kitchen” sounds, it’s the truth.” There are various ways to target the abs or core in the gym. Compound movements such as squats and deadlifts, are both excellent ways to target the midsection. Abdominal work, such as
the standard “crunch” or leg lowering exercises will work the abdominal wall, but trainees beware. Only a combination of clean eating and a solid training routine will reveal that 6-pack of your dreams. While that sounds great in theory, it seems like a lot of work, so I wondered if there was some magical machine I could use to have a flat belly. As for Kim’s response, “Most gyms will have at least one or two machines simply labeled: “Ab machine” or “crunch machine.” I’m not entirely sure if that was a sarcastic comment or not, but I’ll take it!
LIFESTYLE
Thigh Deep in Fat I’m not going to lie, my diet could be a little better, and if you’re like me, junk food is an important, if not vital, food group. The only problem is all that junk food translates into fat packed onto the most dreaded area on any girl’s body: the thighs. Kim calmed me down by telling me that the way to get rid of that unwanted fat is by doing squats, deadlifts, and lunges. Don’t be afraid to lift weights, ladies. The more lean muscle mass you create, the more fat you burn. Bring out the Guns “Would you like tickets to the gun show?” Whether you’ve tried this line before or if you’ve always wanted to, having sculpted muscles looks good on any guy. So how do you get those “guns?” Kim says, “It’s all about compound movements such as pull ups and bench press.” She does warn that most guys get so worked up with building their upper body that they forget that they have muscles in other places. Don’t forget to work your legs too, gentlemen! Because honestly, Joe Manganiello arms with chicken legs is not a complete package. Six pack come back I refer to my belly fat as my “one pack”, but how can you go from a “one pack” to a two or even six? Sadly, there’s no easy formula because it comes back to nutrition! You won’t be able to see those abs, unless you clean up that diet. Try to eat whole foods, get adequate amounts of protein in your diet, and DON’T FORGET TO EAT YOUR VEGGIES! So we now know that it’s all down to what you eat, but are there
The Bull & Bear - January 2014
things that you can do at the gym to help get you that two pack? Kim reassures that yes, you could try exercises that challenge the core to maximize results. Compound lifts, balancing exercises, mixed in with some high intensity interval training will get you there, but you need to stick with it. “Consistency is key,” she emphasizes. On a sad note, though machines will isolate the abs they will not burn off the fat. No pain no gain right? Break the fat without breaking the bank A lot of us might not have the time or the spare change, and by spare change we mean lots and lots of bills, to afford to go to the gym regularly, so I wanted to know what we could do at home to help us achieve the goals mentioned above. According to Kim, “Body weight exercises are a very common way to workout, both in the gym, outdoors or at home. Exercises include, squats, lunges, push ups and any abdominal/core work, such as hip raises and crunches.” I took it a step further and asked about how you could be more innovative with using ordinary household equipment to complete your workout. Kim didn’t disappoint and came up with some really great ideas that ranged from really simple things like “doing push ups against the wall or doing dips off your dining room chair” to exceptionally inspired ideas like using a broom stick and two four litre water bottles to make yourself a makeshift barbell. Even if you’re not short on money, you may be short on time, but Kim’s
got that covered too. Even if you only have 15 minutes a day to spare, you can still maintain that impressive physique with HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training. In plain English HIIT is, a set of exercises or cardio that raises and lowers your heart rate. In theory, this method could burn more calories than an average workout! The great thing Kim says is that there are several forms of HIIT, which can go from 4-30 minutes per session, so it’s a very customizable program. The downside of HIIT? You might feel like you want to puke, so go easy on yourself. You’re not on The Biggest Loser, and Jillian isn’t watching! Bench press to impress While we all “say” that we go to the gym to work out, we all know at least one person who goes to the gym with a hidden agenda: to pick up guys or girls. We’ve got your back! When I asked Kim what girls and guys could do at the gym to make sure all eyes are on them, Kim shared, “Personally, any guy that doesn’t skip leg day is “cool” and as for girls… any girl that lifts weights heavier than her purse gets my cool vote.” What else can girls do to make sure they look their best? It’s actually one of Kim’s favorite exercises: “Deadlift. It’s the best way I can think of to work that posterior chain, including the butt. Overall strength increases and your backside looks good at the same time. Can’t go wrong with that.” Bingo, two birds with one stone (or chunk of metal). I guess sometimes there are shortcuts. Club Sportif MAA: 2070 Peel St, Montreal, QC H3A 1W6
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LIFESTYLE
My Week as a GOOPie 7 days on Gwyneth Paltrow’s vegan and gluten-free diet Kate Nishida
Lifestyle WRITER
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don’t know anyone who likes Gwyneth Paltrow. She once broke a young Brad Pitt’s heart, continues to insist that she’s of British descent, once proclaimed that she’d “rather smoke crack than eat cheese from a tin”, and, let’s not forget, named her firstborn after a piece of fruit. Regardless, her online lifestyle publication, GOOP, is thriving thanks to an ever-growing obsession with celebrity culture. Consisting of various wellness tips, GOOP is positioned as a self-help resource centre meant to inspire its readers into adopting a healthier lifestyle, in particular, advocating a strictly gluten-free and vegan diet regime. Feeling fairly sluggish from the final stretch of exams and assignments, I decided both my physical and mental health could benefit from a food cleanse. Thus began my seven day GOOP-inspired diet, following the gluten-free and vegan recipes featured on her website and cookbook, It’s All Good. I was well on my way towards becoming an official GOOPie. After some research, I became surprisingly excited about this new challenge, finding dishes I couldn’t wait to try out. I was visiting Toronto at the time, and I immediately made a trip to Whole Foods Market to find the necessary, though outlandish, products (Montreal grocers Eden and even Provigo’s health section also supply these items). I stocked up on gluten-free quinoa, nori sheets, organic kale and the like, costing me well over $100 - a hefty price to pay for not even a week’s worth of groceries. Day 1: I supplemented my typical breakfast
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of greek yogurt with some almonds and unsweetened dried mango, and satisfied my daily caffeine fix by substituting soy milk in my latte. Aside from the terrible soy milk after taste, the GOOP diet seemed pretty easy to me! Then, lunch came around. Famished, I blundered through campus in an attempt to find anything that met Gwyneth’s ridiculous requirements. I settled on a seaweed salad over a bed of lettuce (no dressing) from Sinfully Asian. Needless to say I was hungry five minutes later. Day 2 & 3: Carrying an emergency container of carrots and hummus with me, I felt much more prepared. I became increasingly aware of everything that entered my mouth with the diet forcing me to examine food labels, restricting me from partaking in my usual mindless snacking. Day 4, 5 & 6: I discovered that it is exceptionally difficult to find a restaurant in Montreal that accommodates a vegan-friendly lifestyle (aside from Aux Vivres). Struggling to distinguish which alcohol brands were gluten-free, I refrained from going out to avoid any temptations. I have concluded that Gwyneth Paltrow must be a complete loner, though I now understand the reason behind her flawless complexion. Day 7: I was now broke, hungry, and exhausted from having to plan all of my meals down to the last leaf of kale. On the other hand, my stomach was flatter and I was practically glowing! I craved neither chocolate nor cheese, but instead hankered for healthy (but non-vegan) alternatives
like smoked salmon. I have decided that I have a love-hate relationship with GOOP. In general, if you are not willing to spend $11 on organic sundried tomatoes then the GOOP diet probably isn’t for you. If you ever want to try out a gluten-free and vegan cleanse, I also suggest adopting a hermit lifestyle. Nobody wants to have dinner with someone who orders a house salad. I also advise organizing your meals ahead of time, or risk the hunger-induced insanity that is likely to occur mid-lecture. To give Gwyneth credit, I am now exceedingly conscious of what I put into my mouth. I even feel a twinge of selfrighteousness when opting for a granola bar over a Toblerone. With my new moral superiority, Gwyneth and I could practically be best friends! Though I advocate trying the GOOP diet, I caution you to do so at your own risk, as your wallet and social life will certainly feel its repercussions.
List of Dinners found on GOOP: Day 1: Raw Kale & Seaweed Salad Day 2: Avocado Temaki HandRoll (Substitute quinoa for rice) Day 3: Quinoa Pasta Salad Day 4: Miso Broccoli Sweet Potato Bowl Day 5: Sweet Potato, Black Bean & Kale Skillet Day 6: Cold Soba Noodle Salad Day 7: Veggie BLAT http://www.goop.com/recipes
LIFESTYLE
Start Fresh
Tony Ren
Lifestyle WRITER
7 tips for surviving second semester
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t’s that time of year again when we resolve to procrastinate less, eat healthier, and work out more. Unfortunately, when the high tide of second semester rolls around, these resolutions typically end up on the backburner. Unlike your impossible-to-keep New Year’s resolutions, there are surefire ways to make your second semester survivable, tolerable, and maybe even enjoyable. Here are seven tips to ensure second semester success!
Prepare for class What makes college different from high school is that here, second semester offers a new start. For example, don’t wait until that first assignment is due to realize that you still haven’t bought the textbook. The earlier you begin hunting, the better deals you’ll be able to snag. Search online or ask your friends but get on it fast! When the workload starts to get heavy, you don’t want to be worrying about these petty issues.
Find a schedule that works
With the Montreal winter, lugging to and from class across campus several times a day just isn’t practical. Try different combinations of course sections and try to get classes close together and in close proximity to one another. Don’t forget to accommodate for longer travel times with the snow! The longer you wait, the harder it will be to add/ drop courses. Keep in mind that although a 15-minute walk seems close, the prospect of treading through kneedeep snow will keep you in bed rather than making that 8:30 elective that you thought would be really interesting.
Start planning for the summer Whether you want to pursue an internship, go on vacation, or just sit at home and indulge in some quality couch hours, plan early. Having concrete plans will leave you worry-free as finals roll around and the semester draws to a close. In addition, having a tropical destination or an exciting job opportunity awaiting you after the semester can serve as great motivation to plow through work.
Don't waste reading week As much as we all feel we deserve some time off, Reading Week can be a great way for you to catch up on work or get ahead of the pack. Sure, spend some time with family and friends but don’t get too comfortable or forget about school. After all, it’s called Reading Week for a reason.
Form positive habits The New Year is all about out with the old and in with the new. Flush out those crummy old habits and start forming healthy new ones. Get up early instead of loafing around until the sun almost sets. Set aside an hour of each day to hit the gym. Start thinking of deadlines as last resorts and start assignments the day you get them. And who knows, maybe readings are actually meant to be read?
get involved Now that first semester is over and you’re back in the school rhythm, it’s time to get involved on campus (and we’re hiring!). Many clubs and groups offer recruitment and applications all-year round. Join winter intramurals, do some volunteer work, or even look for a job. There’s no better feeling than being part of the school community and contributing to the McGill ecosystem.
And lastly, have fun. College doesn’t happen twice, enjoy yourself while you can. Don’t get too caught up in chasing the perfect GPA or the girl/guy who won’t return your calls. Explore the city, meet some people, and get out there! The Bull & Bear - January 2014
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Les Visages de Montreal Stella Lee Photographer
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alking through the bustling city of Montreal, it is easy to see the people around you as merely faces in crowd. Even at a selective and prestigious institution such as McGill University, it is easy to both forget others and be forgotten amongst the crowd of 40,000 students. With this in mind, U1 student Stella Lee started Visages as a Tumblr-based project with The Bull & Bear. Inspired by the efforts of Humans of New York, the project represents an attempt to counter the dehumanization of Montreal’s residents and the rich culture existing within the metropolitan boundaries of the city. Each photo taken by Stella aims to dissect the crowds and capture the stories behind each face. Ultimately, the
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project is built upon the belief that each person has a story to share, a lesson learned, or a unique perspective. Visages is the effort of one student attempting to bring this belief to life through a camera lens and to inspire others to see more than just a face in passing. It would be remiss to suggest that Visages is the first of its kind, neither in Montreal (Humans of Montreal started by Albert Zablit) nor even at McGill (McGillography started by a team of students). Instead, this project exists merely to support the endeavours of making what most consider the ordinary, extraordinary. As with all new initiatives, Visages is a work in progress. Readers of The Bull & Bear can be guaranteed that we will always
search for the best way to present our content. The objective of Visages is to delve deeper into what each person has to offer and expand upon the foundations established by other similar platforms. As part of this objective, Visages will be working with The Bull & Bear videography team to create a documentary. This project will showcase the stories of individuals, as well as behind the scenes footage of the creative process. However, the message and core vision of Visages, to share the meaningful stories of the people around us, will never change as long as the project is running. Follow Stella’s work at http://visagesMTL.tumblr.com or via The Bull & Bear’s Facebook page.
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The Bull & Bear - January 2014
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FEATURES
The Employability Myth Why a STEM degree isn’t your guaranteed ticket to success Sam Robinson
opinion writer
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here’s one dead horse that McGill students need to quit beating. I’m tired of people criticizing other students’ degree choices because of their employability. We all want a job, but arguments about the relative advantages of one faculty over another are dubious at best. Despite what students may say, even the school’s most “in demand” fields – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – the so-called STEM subjects, aren’t the magic bullets for employers they seem. The perceived advantages of STEM degrees should be familiar to McGill students by now. Comics on the Spotted: McGill Library page praise the “employment potential” of engineers. The Bull & Bear’s own Wyatt Hnatiw writes that since he is not in the Faculty of Management, Engineering or Science, he’s necessarily jobless and helpless. Florida and other states have attempted to incentivize STEM over liberal arts in public universities and the New York Times recently cited employability concerns as
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a factor in declining humanities enrolments across American colleges. But students may find their optimism over STEM fields doesn’t match reality. They could be just as jobless as the rest of us. Students have been led to think that with the increased prominence of technology, engineering and health sciences in everyday life, businesses need more STEM specialists. However, this supposed pent-up economic demand for STEM graduates is fictitious. In a summer issue of their Spectrum publication, The Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) challenged this widespread belief. Pulling from a couple of significant studies, the magazine showed the STEM job market was anaemic. In the United States, there were about 70,000 fewer bachelors’ engineering positions than graduates in 2009 and almost 400,000 science and engineering jobs were lost in 2011 alone. Of those with jobs, engineers saw lower wage increases over the last decade than their non-STEM peers. The publication
leveled similar criticisms against the Canadian government’s estimate of a supposed 100,000 STEM worker shortage by 2016. Given this, it might not be surprising that over half of STEM graduates surveyed ended up working in other fields a decade after graduation. Despite the myth, a STEM education isn’t a predictor of either a good job or job security. It’s not just that STEM grads are finding difficulty on the job market; there are also emerging alternatives to the classic university education for those fields. Websites like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard’s edX platform and Khan Academy make it easier than ever to pick up knowledge in science, math, or programming. And those with arts or humanities degrees are employing them to boost their STEM skills. But there have always been other ways into STEM specialties, as evidenced by the success of some notable computer scientists. Both Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg famously ditched Harvard to
FEATURES program on their own, and the previous CEO of Yahoo!, Scott Thompson, rose through the tech industry despite a fictitious computer science diploma. It’s been estimated less than half of computer science workers actually have a university education in programming. Success in science and technology isn’t restricted to college grads. A STEM degree is not the only way into those professions, although it’s a good aid. If anything, some say STEM graduates lack critical skills that are developed by their counterparts in the arts and humanities. From literacy to history to ethics, there are clear deficiencies in the current STEM curriculum. Many could benefit from more training in the social skills necessary for a corporate environment. University officials, including the president of Arizona State University and the president emeritus of the University of Michigan, have acknowledged those deficiencies and sought to create
more well-rounded undergraduates in the disciplines of science and engineering by including traditionally “arts” subjects like English into the curriculum. They’re needed now. According to Norman Augustine, former CEO of aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, traits such as critical thinking and clear writing distinguished successful engineers from the rest. Engineers that are intelligible to laypeople shouldn’t be in short supply. The 20th century ideas pervading STEM education are due for a reset. STEM isn’t as promising as media, politicians, and fellow students make it out to be. No field is. University is a huge investment and to gamble purely on some macroeconomic preconception isn’t only risky, it’s reckless. No one can tell what the job market in a decade’s time may yield, but finding a field that’s interesting enough to work hard at is never a bad bet. Be more competent, more passionate than others, and it’ll be easier to find a
job. You’ve probably heard it before. Whatever course one studies, there are always benefits to having an understanding of other disciplines. General science literacy in non-STEM fields is just as poor as arts literacy is within STEM, if not worse. Knowing a range of subjects doesn’t just make it easier to change careers, it makes one a well-rounded asset to any employer. University is preparation for a job, but more a foundation than the complete structure. For those of us just starting their degrees, now is not the time to be overly preoccupied with the job market. Then again, for those graduating, my prayers are with you.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Bull & Bear.
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The Bull & Bear - January 2014
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FEATURE
THE
Unemployable Generation Understanding Youth Unemployability, and What it Means for New Graduates Jonathan Craske
LEAD BUSINESS EDITOR
T
here’s little to dispute the fact that the job market is a concern shared by most students at McGill. Unless you are among the few benefiting from early recruitment or internship contract extensions, or hiding from reality by pursuing more school, students leave McGill faced with the difficult question of what to do next. It seems that the outside world is becoming an increasingly harsh environment for new graduates: as Canada continues to rise in the global rankings of higher education (roughly 1 in 4 members of the labour force have a University degree), the competition for degree-requiring entry level jobs is increasing dramatically. There is little comfort to be found in the figures. Although Canada has seen relatively steady job creation over the last several quarters, reports suggest that less than 1.0 percent of these jobs are suited to the masses of students exiting university in the coming decade. Moreover, the impact of the 2008 financial crisis is still felt by way of an aging labour force. Many older workers whose pensions and retirement funds were drastically reduced during the collapse have been forced to reenter the job market and ‘steal’ jobs that otherwise would have gone to youth (that is to say entry level pay with minimal benefits, which sounds wonderfully appealing! ). Understanding Youth Unemployment Youth unemployment is measured from the demographic of labour force participants aged 15-24. In North America, this demographic is dwarfed by the aging baby-boom generation, many of whom are working well past the age of expected retirement. According to the latest reports from Statistics Canada, Youth Unemployment Rate (YUR) in this country sits at roughly 14.3 percent, compared to a rate of 6.0 percent for workers between the ages of 25 and 54. Historically, youth unemployment is roughly 1.3 to 1.5 times greater than total unemployment for a developed economy. In Canada, however, YUR is typically anywhere from 1.5 to more than 2 times the national unemployment rate. It is also substantially more volatile. Globally, YUR sits at 12.6 percent, which constitutes roughly 1 in every 8 young people in the labour force. It too has been increasing over the last few years. Martina Gmur, Senior Director at the World Economic Forum, points to two fundamental drivers of this trend. In developing economies, it is a simple matter of insufficient demand for labour. Increases in jobs in growing markets have not kept up with the massive inflow of skilled workforce. In developed economies, however, Gmur points to
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a fundamental divergence between the level of skill demanded and the highly educated nature of the emerging workforce. More specifically, students transitioning from post-secondary education programs into the job market are finding it difficult to find positions that match their qualifications. For 2013, YUR in Canada is estimated to be 14.5 percent. In Ontario, however, that number is roughly 17 percent, the worst in the country. Although Toronto is by no means the worst city for YUR, at 18 percent, it is among the worst of major cities across the country, and the lowest ranking region in Ontario. Quebec, on the other hand, has YUR sitting at roughly 13.7 percent, with many reports attributing it to demand for highly qualified university graduates in thriving technology and skilled manufacturing sectors (we’re looking at you, engineers). In Montreal, specifically, there is a notable disparity between Anglophone and Francophone graduates. The city’s young English-speaking population can expect to have much more difficulty finding work in the city than their French-speaking peers, according to recent report from Youth Employment Services. Who’s to Blame? Many are pointing to educational reform as the most obvious solution. Many EU nations, including Denmark and Germany, have invested more heavily in apprenticeship programs to supply young people with the skills demanded by the shift toward sustainable and environmentally conscious industry practices. In Canada, while that same green movement exists, it is largely dwarfed by the booming natural resources sector in the West, to which many students in Alberta and Saskatchewan find themselves looking after graduation, despite being massively overqualified. It also comes down to location. According to a recent report from McKinsey, 2020 will see an excess demand of post-secondary skilled positions of roughly 45 million in certain regions of Europe and Asia alone. In Sweden, several towns have issued grants for unemployed youth to move to regions of Norway, where the demand for university-educated entry-level labour is higher. In Canada, the demand for university educated positions simply isn’t growing fast enough. Gmur is quick to place blame on postsecondary institutions for failing to recognize this, and being unwilling to adopt their programs to the shifts in the job market. Others, however, blame the employers themselves. Ian Bird, president and CEO of the Community Foundations of Canada, believes that, in Canada, the problem goes beyond a growing disparity between the level of skill demanded in the
FEATURE
labour market, and the highly educated pool of graduates entering that market. “It used to be, ‘how do you find the most talented?’ Give them a job, here’s a desk, here’s work to do, compensated them well and off they go” says Bird. “Now, it’s more, ‘what’s the environment we create? What are the social health supports they’re going to need? What other burdens are they carrying?” To him, it seems that companies are simply not as willing to invest in young professionals as they once were. While McGill is frequently praised for ranking among the top schools in Canada for its reputation among employers, it doesn’t stop hiring managers for turning down students for a lack of “real work experience,” which, of course, cannot be attained without some prior form of “real work experience.” And so begins the cyclical headache many students have encountered looking for even a summer position, let alone in starting a career. While internships and co-op placements are, a viable alternative, they come with their fair share of problems. France, too, has looked to employers as part of the problem. The country has seen reasonable success with a program that reimburses companies up to 75 percent of wages paid to employees between the age of 16 and 24 to stimulate the hiring of young people. However, the costs of this program are rapidly rising, and reimbursements are rumoured to be scaled back dramatically in the coming years. In Spain, the YUR is understandably significantly higher, roughly 50 percent. While this is primarily due to a highly stagnant economy, it has been a problem for the country for well over a decade, and continues to be a point of debate among poliThe Bull & Bear - January 2014
cymakers in developing an action plan for the troubled economy. The UK is also looking to implement social programs to combat a YUR approaching 20 percent in some regions. Where Do We Go From Here? It’s all well and good to get a better understanding of the numbers that are thrown around regarding our job prospects as we march towards the dreaded entry into the working world. The true value, however, comes from what we can take away from these various reports and statistics. It’s certainly no secret that the job market for University graduates is very different from it was even a decade ago, and there is no shortage of horror stories of students devoting years studying a given field, and ending up spending their first few months stuck in unrelated part-time jobs. But perhaps that isn’t such a bad thing. “As the pool of graduates continues to grow in Canada, companies are, at least, revising their hiring practices,” says a career councilor at the University of British Columbia. “More and more, hiring managers are emphasizing a more candid, less standardized method of bringing in new candidates. This will certainly play to the enthusiasm and drive of students who have spent 4 years or more developing themselves as individuals.” A recent report shows that, in Canada, the “unemployability” of bachelor degrees is on the decline. While new positions may not be growing as quickly as we’d like, companies are slowly restructuring to accommodate higher qualified candidates for entry level positions. “There’s no doubt that it’s going to be difficult for a long time, but don’t for a second think that all hope is lost.”
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Breathe Deep and be Awesome Multi-talented Julien Smith talks about his projects Breather and The Flinch and how to harness our biological protection mechanisms to achieve anything Marisa Samek
Lifestyle EDITOR
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ulien Smith is the CEO of Breather, an app that allows mobile phone users to access beautiful office spaces for shortterm rentals from their phones. He is also a New York Times bestselling author of three books: Trust Agents, The Impact Equation (written with Chris Brogan) and The Flinch. Julien has been a consultant and speaker at some of the largest corporations in
the world, including Google, Microsoft, American Express, Heineken International, and more. His blog “In over your head” (inoveryourhead.net) regularly receives a half a million unique visitors each month. His blog features hard-hitting content such as “The Complete Guide to not Giving a F*ck,” which gives real life advice about how to dispel social pressure and push
your boundaries to “create something that is epic and awesome.” MS: Blogger, writer, consultant, speaker, entrepreneur—you are a dynamic and accomplished person. Tell me how you got started. Where you always driven and ambitious? Or was there single event that inspired you to push your limits? JS: No, I was not always ambitious.
FEATURE dropped out of college and worked a bunch of bad jobs. Then, out of the blue, I heard about podcasts and since I had the equipment to make my own podcasts, I started some of the first podcasts in Canada. This opportunity took me out of my usual circumstances where I was comparing myself to all the people around me, and I went broke for a year making a living from my own work rather than from a job with a steady income. What drove me to push myself was a mixture of getting breaks by being in the right place at the right time—using some new technologies before anybody else— and, realizing that no one ever said “no” to me. I never felt like “I can’t do this.” I just kept doing it. That’s how I was given a book deal, that’s how I started a company, and that’s how I accomplished everything I did...just because it seemed achievable. MS: What do you mean by “no one ever said no to you?” JS: That idea is behind the premise in my book The Flinch. Self-defense and security experts understand flinching as a totally natural, biological concept. But, they teach you to flinch forward instead of backward. I think our tendency to flinch away from our fears is a fundamental problem in our lives. We know what we have to do to get a job, get a girlfriend, lose weight etc. We have access to all the right information, we are just held back by our biological protection mechanisms. The more we learn to recognize that internal flinching and use it as means to take action, the more you’re going to be able to push your limits and create something even if people say “no” to you. MS: Let’s talk about Breather. Can you give a brief description of what Breather is and how it works? JS: Breather is a network of space that you can unlock with your phone. It works here and we’re launching in New York two weeks from now and then we’ll launch in San Francisco. MS: What is innovative about Breather? JS: You’re living in a world that is more and more mobile. We only really have two home-bases in our lives: the work-space and the home-space. People buy a cup of coffee, not because they want coffee, but because they want to recharge their phone, or they’ll sit on the floor at the airport because they need The Bull & Bear - January 2014
to be close to a plug. This mobile world unnecessarily constrains your lifestyle because you can’t, so to speak, ever take your shoes off. Up until a year ago, it wasn’t technologically feasible to give you access to a thousand different spaces. But now, you can. Breather gives you access to a workspace in any city you’re in. It’s powerful to have access to a space wherever you go. MS: How did you approach investors to fund your project? JS: The biggest mistake people make is approaching a potential investor alone. You shouldn’t have a large number of people with you but you need to show that you have a solid team and a fast network. Essentially, you need to show that your idea is worth investing in. One of the most important components of this is having a great team. Another important thing is getting a job early that teaches you how to sell. Learning to sell yourself and your work is one of the most important skills you’ll ever learn. MS: What are the qualities of a successful start-up? JS: The best start-ups are founded on an idea so simple it seems dumb. You need to reduce ideas to their simplest components. The other part of a successful start-up is finding a great team. You can successfully rely on your own capabilities up until a certain point. Once you reach that point, you need to rely on other people who have different capabilities than you so that everyone can focus on their own strengths. By relying on other people you can create something far better and impactful than anything you could’ve created on your own. MS: How do you find those other people? JS: The formula to building a great team is called “The Trust Equation.” The Trust Equation is made up of these four components: intimacy, credibility, reliability and low self-interest. You need to have people who deliver results, people who you can rely in any situation, and then members of the team need to get along well enough to be able to accept criticism and discuss feedback in a productive way. All these components are divided by “low self-interest” which means that your team members have an acute sense of humility and don’t think of themselves as more important than any other member in the team.
[Trust Equation formula: (C x R x I) / Self-interest] Many entrepreneurs talk about the difficulty of achieving work-life balance. How do you manage that? Do you ever turn off ? I am thinking about the business all the time, but you definitely need times to disconnect. Disconnecting for me means scheduling blocks of time where I turn off my phone. Another thing that helps me manage work and life is that I am really good at forming habits. I use this app called “Lift”—I use an app for everything—where I schedule everything I need to do and allot manageable blocks of time to each task. Other people wouldn’t consider me lazy but I really am the laziest person. I’m not a machine. It helps to think of yourself as an animal that needs to be trained. You’re the only person who is going to train yourself. I definitely take it easy sometimes but I also know that I need to develop a system to be productive. MS: What is an idea you are preoccupied with right now? JS: Besides Breather, I’m preoccupied with the difference between talking and acting. It’s easy to talk about the things that you do. That’s what a writer does. Right now I’m focused on being an entrepreneur, an operator, someone who acts. MS: How do you measure success? JS: Success is always being in over your head. I try to exist between the path of boredom and anxiety. In this zone, you are working just above your comfort zone and abilities. If you work too far below or above this zone you become inactive due to apathy or anxiety. MS: You have a blog (inoveryourhead. net) and three books of life advice but if you were to leave McGill undergrads with one essential takeaway, what would you say? JS: At any given time, fifty percent of what people think is wrong. Fifty percent of what I think is wrong, fifty percent of what you think is wrong. Everybody always thinks they’re right. Recognize your incorrect assumptions, correct them using empirical evidence, and move forward from there.
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FEATURE
Talking ‘Bout Our Generation Suzanne Fortier speaks on her time as a student, McGill today, and her first semester as principal Dafe Oputu
Lead News editor
D
r. Suzanne Fortier has been principal for over four months. Fortier is a McGill alumnus having earned both her PhD and BSc here. In an exclusive interview with the Bull & Bear, the Principal discussed what has and has not changed about McGill and its students. Dafe Oputu: Could you tell us a bit about your introduction to McGill? What drew you to the university? Suzanne Fortier: I came here from a small Quebec village, and I chose McGill because I thought this was one of the great universities of Canada - the best in Canada. I also really wanted to learn about another culture. I lived all my life totally immersed in the French culture, which I loved, but the idea of discovering the English culture was very appealing to me. Then I met a professor from McGill at a science fair who looked at my exhibit and said “if you like this you’ll be interested in my work,” so he invited me to McGill I looked at his lab, I thought it was absolutely fascinating so I decided I would enrol in that program. So that was my start with McGill, as a young person and not speaking much English. Coming here and discovering a new world was very exciting. DO: Has your experience as a stu-
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dent here influenced how you see your role as principal? SF: Yes in different ways. First of all, I have McGill in my blood so I got a head start there in being totally passionate about McGill because I was a student. Also, and I think this is important, I know what a good education can do for you. I had that privilege, I had an incredibly good education at McGill. I did not know that I would be taught by some of the most important people in their disciplines in the world. It opens doors: as a young person I got to meet several Nobel Prize winners in my discipline. But it also sets your sights a lot higher, it inspires you. It helps you to have greater ambitions and goals for yourself. it gives you a sense of “maybe if I work really hard I can do that too.” You’re meeting people who are as far as you can see normal people but they’re the best in the world! They’ve made discoveries that have completely changed our understanding of the world. And when you meet them you realize they’re just normal people and I should have the ambition to reach them. Today I think it is equally important for students to have this quality of education, if not even more important. DO: What is your favourite memory
from your time as a student? SF: Certainly my first experience as an undergraduate student in research was fantastic. There’s a feeling you have when you can say “I’ve just learned something that no one else in the world knows!” No matter how small, I got a sense of exhilaration from it. Of course,
You will have opportunities to work anywhere in the world which is very exciting. Also, because of some of the advances we’ve made in all sorts of fields, you have the opportunity to really transform the environment. none of my friends would want to hear anything about it. They would think “so you found something about some miner-
FEATURE al, who cares?” But to me it was exciting. DO: Do you think the reasons that attracted you to McGill are still attracting students today? SF: I think so. I think first the quality of institution, of the professors and the other students you’ll be studying with are all still there. But there is also this environment that opens you to all sorts of cultures. When I came to McGill I knew I would be discovering the English culture.
What impresses me now is that there is a lot of action. I’m not sure, I might be being harsh on my generation but I don’t think we were as much of a walk-the-walk generation as this one. I had no idea I would discover so many other cultures, because I didn’t know how international the student body and the faculty and staff were. I think students come here because on the McGill campus they’ll live in a very global environment. It’s probably the kind of environment they’ll live and work in later. DO: Do you think that compared to when you graduated there are any new opportunities or challenges that make that quality of education more necessary for students today? SF: Definitely. I think there are opportunities that we did not see then. There is the fact that we live in a very open, mobile world. You will have opportunities to work anywhere in the world which is very exciting. Also, because of some of the advances we’ve made in all sorts of fields, you have the opportunity to really transform the environment. We did not see that as clearly as students today are going to see them. Our horizons were about incremental changes. Today you can see people completely changing the way we live in the span of five or ten years. Students today know
The Bull & Bear - January 2014
they have the chance to make these kinds of contributions that are completely transformative. I don’t think I had the feeling when I was a student that my world could change almost overnight because of something one of my classmates was doing. DO: You have been very active in your first semester, attending a lot of events and meeting with people. What have you taken away from your travels across campus and is there anywhere you’d still like to see? SF: I’ve done a lot of interesting things, my days have been packed. One priority for me was to really be a part of the community. To be able to see McGill from the eyes of people who are part of this community. So I spent quite a bit of time shadowing students. I’ve been to classes, I’ve been to field trips, and that has given me a chance to see what life on campus looks like not only to students, but also to the professors. That was a great eye-opener for me because I saw very exciting ways for people in the classroom to redefine how we learn today. A lot of the classes I went to were very interactive and very exciting. I see my role as crystallizing - I’m a crystallographer so I’ll use the word crystallizing - the goals, the dreams, the ambitions of this community. And seeing what we should aspire to as a community and doing all I can to support that. Whatever McGill is going to do will come from the community and their own aspirations, so I’ve got to learn about it. DO: So from being around students and speaking with them, what types of things do you think McGill students of this generation are most interested in and care most about? SF: I think students today are more aware of the world they live in. You really do live in a global environment. What happens around the world has an influence everywhere. You only have to think of climate change, the financial crisis of 2008, or even our health for examples. I think this generation has a keener sense of awareness, whether it comes to issues of the environment, sustainability, population, health, peace, or the economy. I think this generation better understands that you have to think of the planet. Many people of your generation will know that we need to see all nations and all continents making advancements. Many gen-
erations ago I don’t think people thought of it as much. I may be idealistic about your generation, but I’m optimistic that you have the capacity to see the world in a very different way. DO: Are there any examples of that at play on campus? SF: Yes. I went to both the graduate and SSMU activities nights. I expected to see the majority of clubs focus on some personal interest of people. But I was totally wrong because the majority are focusing on interests that are not personal, but societal. There were a lot of clubs on sustainability, on food for example. It’s fantastic. Many of the clubs are looking at how they can contribute here in Canada
I’ve said to Heather [Munroe-Blum], that leadership is a bit like a relay race. It’s good that you pass the baton, because the field will be different at different parts of the race and different strengths will be needed. or internationally. And there was a lot of leadership. I grew up in two years where there were a lot of student movements, a lot of grandiose things and of course the big revolution on campuses. Not all of it, but some of it, was talk with no action. What impresses me now is that there is a lot of action. I’m not sure, I might be being harsh on my generation but I don’t think we were as much of a walk-the-walk generation as this one. DO: Student-administration relations were a big deal under the previous administration, whether over the tuition issue, the Leacock restructuring, the occupation and a lot of different issues. Do you think there are lessons to be learned from those events? SF: One thing I’ve learned is that the
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FEATURE
most important thing to remember is that you work with people and whatever you accomplish is because the people you’re working with see it as their goal. You always have to be able to see the world from their perspective. That’s why I’ve done the things I’ve done, going around to classes and talking with students. I’ve always thought, and I’ve said to Heather [Munroe-Blum], that leadership is a bit like a relay race. It’s good that you pass the baton, because the field will be different at different parts of the race and different strengths will be needed. You need different approaches coming in at different parts. I’ve always thought that was important. And I must say that I’ve always been lucky because I’ve always followed a great leader. DO: Let’s talk about the proposed Charter of Values and your response to it last semester. Why did you feel it was important to make a statement about it? What has the reaction been like so far? SF: I think it was very important for us to participate as early as we could in the debate regarding the Charter. It was
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a period of consultation, and it is important to express your views during such a period. That was easy for me to do here at McGill because we have a very strong foundation in terms of our principles and policies. All the consultation was done in the past and we have a very strong policy on promoting diversity and inclusion. So given that solid base I could speak on behalf of the community. The reaction? I think some people were actually impressed that McGill could express itself so early on and saw it as a strength of our community. At a meeting we had with some members of government, they were surprised to see there was pretty much unanimous view coming out of our campus on this topic. As a university we’re a community of debaters and confronting ideas. It is very rare in a community like that that you get such unanimity of views. I have not heard of a single person who was not in agreement with the resolutions that were passed at our senate and board. DO: Some people have argued that should the Charter become law, McGill
should not exempt itself but should oppose it more actively. How do you feel about that? SF: This is one of those situations where we have to cross that bridge when we get there, because there’s a long time before this becomes a law. Some good advice I got in Ottawa was, “This is only the second inning of a very long game.” It’s important to get ready, but we shouldn’t get ourselves over-excited or declare that the game has been lost before it has been played. I think overreacting too early is not a good idea. There are a lot of the things in the Charter that we absolutely support, but there was one clause that we did not support and we were very clear about that. We want to be involved in consultation process, and it’s still in progress. DO: One last question, what kind of music do you usually listen to? SF: I listen to a lot of different types. A lot of opera, classical and jazz. I also listen to some newer artists especially Amy Winehouse and Adele. One artist that I haven’t gotten into is Miley Cyrus, but I’m not sure if I’m missing much.
BUSINESS
Introduction to Cases at
‘Bronfman High’
The first for a three-part segment on Case Studies at McGill Alan Liu
T
BUSINESS writer
here’s a nervousness inherent in taking a crack at case work for the first time. Walk into a job interview today and, more often than not, you will be asked to solve a case. Case studies are multidisciplinary business-themed problems that require students to integrate knowledge from areas ranging from marketing to finance to human resources in conducting an analysis of, and providing solutions to, business problems. A tool that was once reserved for consulting and project management positions is now being employed across several industries. Other business schools in Canada have spent the last several years developing comprehensive and extensive case learning programs for students to rival the success of Western University’s Ivey School of Business, an institution at the forefront of business case work. The purpose of this three-segment feature is to introduce the increasingly prominent role of case work at the Desautels Faculty of Management, and to show how McGill students can involve themselves and sharpen their skills in this rapidly growing teaching and assessment methodology. The MUS founded the MUS Case League in the winter semester of 2012 as a way of creating opportunities for younger undergraduate students to gain case-solving exposure and increase their business acumen. Even though its inception was a scant two years ago, Case League has rapidly grown from a pool of roughly 30 participants in 2012 to 80 this academic year. With a record number of applicants, the Case League executive team ultimately decided to split the participants between the fall and winter semesters, extending the duration of the program. This means a batch of 40 individuals will be members for the fall semester, subsequently followed by another 40 in the winter. “The rationale behind the split is to create an opportunity to provide more management students an earlier introduction to the world of cases,” explains VP Internal Tony Liu. “This is also an incredible experience for them to apply the knowledge they have acquired to the practice of management.” Usually, students are randomly assembled into teams of three or four and given a time frame of three hours to come up with an innovative solution to a real business problem and be able to fluidly articulate their suggestion. Following their allotted preparation time, teams must give a 10-15 minute presentation to judges comprised of former case class students, working professionals, and faculty alike. During the solving period, students apply a variety of approaches ranging from strategy, to finance, to information systems, and so on. In addition to bolstering their technical skills, members hone their public speaking ability and learn to articulate points in a short, concise manner. “Since its inception, Case Leaguers have gone and placed ranks at internal and external case competitions in addition to holding executive positions at various clubs,” Liu added. “It is also a powerful tool for networking within the student body.” Another major event for first year students is Desautels
The Bull & Bear - January 2014
Management Leadership Seminar (DMLS), which is open to all first year students in Desautels. Taking place over the course of a single weekend, students have the opportunity to network with high-profile industry leaders, and solve a case on their own. While it is only once a year, DMLS is frequently the first taste of case work for many students. Whether Case League or DMLS, early exposure to case work will undoubtedly prove beneficial to students, regardless of their major or intended profession. It provides practical and relevant applications of the concepts that are introduced in management classes. It trains you to think analytically and present clearly in future case tournaments or job interviews. Lastly, it allows you to meet some of the most interesting and dynamic individuals in the faculty. The next article in the series will elaborate on the national levels of involvement in case competitions with Desautels Case Competition and the four major competitions under the banner of Desautels Management Competitions Committee (DMCC): Jeux du Commerce (JDC), Jeux du Commerce Central (JDCC), Financial Open (FO), and Happen Marketing (HM). The final segment will illustrate the extent of the possibilities that case experience can offer students, such as McGill Management International Case Competition (MMICC), Case Class (BUSA 499), and the international competitions that McGill students attend throughout the world.
23
BUSINESS
A $5.2 Billion
SLAPSH T
Rogers Communications scores with NHL’s largest media rights deal:
Arash Nayerahmadi BUSINESS writer
T
uning into CBC Saturday night next year, you may find that your beloved Hockey Night in Canada is simply a proxy for Sportsnet. More frightening is the thought that, in 5 years, the iconic show might not even exist. However, these are just a few of the countless consequences of an unprecedented 12 year deal between the National Hockey League (NHL) and Rogers Communications (Rogers), estimated at an astounding $5.2 billion. In late November this past year, Rogers completed the goliath acquisition of NHL media rights in Canada, outbidding rival Bell (think TSN), and without a doubt raising questions about how Canadian hockey fans, and indeed the league, will be affected. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the broadcasting and radio crown corporation, was dealt the first blow as it lost the exclusive rights to Saturday night Canadian NHL broadcasts, followed by a cloud of uncertainty over the classic Hockey Night in Canada show that has brought together generations of Canadians for the last 61 years. This comes just a few years after the rights to
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the quintessentially Canadian “Hockey Night in Canada” theme song were sold to Bell to be used on TSN. The deal, as it stands, will allow CBC to broadcast its Saturday night show, albeit showing commercials rerouted from Rogers. CBC stands to receive no financial gain from these broadcasts, only the promise of rationed advertisements for CBC shows through Rogers’ networks. This deal follows a series of losses for the CBC, after suffering budget cuts in the past several years. The highly regarded government owned broadcaster has shown cracks in its foundations under pressure from the juggernauts of private media. Canadians will still be able to view the Stanley Cup Final on CBC, though it is apparent that access to other games may depend on how much more they are willing to pay for the programming. From a business perspective, the key questions at the end of the day are whether or not the deal is really worth $5.2 billion, and who will ultimately bear the burden of the deal? To address the latter question, conventional wisdom suggests that cable and satellite
subscribers can expect their bills to climb in the coming years if they continue to opt into sports programming packages. To understand the income potential of the deal for Rogers, we must step back and review the recent broadcasting trends in Canada. Over the past few years, Canadians have been defecting from traditional live broadcasting, opting for ondemand viewing of their favourite shows at later times, often with significantly less advertisement. Advertisers are not oblivious to these changes in viewing behaviour, and will slowly stop paying premiums for “just any air time.” The notable anomaly in this trend, however, is sports broadcasting. It is one of increasingly few genres that consumers still primarily view live, with fans willing to purchase supplementary programming packages to follow their favourite franchises. This results in growth in two crucial revenue streams for Rogers. Advertisers will pay premiums to have their content displayed during prime hours and crucial games. Moreover, Rogers will likely package NHL games in a yearly subscription that will allow
BUSINESS
subscribers to have in depth access to all things NHL available through online stream or traditional cable and satellite. Similar packages are already offered by Rogers with their soccer and rugby programming. While the opportunity for profit in this venture is undeniable, it may not be as immediate as some investors are expecting. Analysts suggest that Rogers’ gains from the deal will be spread out over the next several years, as they learn to package and market their programming most effectively. This is further encouraged by the steady growth of NHL viewership in North America over the last several years (despite the lockout and recent shortened season) that has seen the league surpass the NBA this past calendar year. Rogers’ deal with the NHL follows a series of investments from the media giant, including the acquisition of The Score, and subsequent rebranding to Sportsnet 360 (based off of the company’s existing Sportsnet regional sports channels). In the world of sports, such a high profile deal is The Bull & Bear - January 2014
certainly not unheard of. Such lucrative deals are becoming quite common in European soccer, where a 12 month rights for a single league can approach $750 million. Deals of such nature are not expected to yield immediate profit, instead to act as a strategic holdings for future programming and distribution development. This however, the first deal of it’s kind for professional hockey. The NHL deal will not only guarantee broadcasting rights terms and conditions for several years, it will also revolutionize the game from the financial perspectives of the teams. If what we have seen in soccer is mirrored in the future of the NHL, franchises should expect higher budgets to pay for expansions and promotion. Moreover, with the NHL salary cap set to increase drastically over the next several years, smaller teams will be far more able to adjust to a more expensive market for high profile players. Though the deal appears to be a massive win for the media giant, a side debate may emerge in the future disputing
the deal’s allowance for proper competition in Canadian sports broadcasting. The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has blocked or demanded alterations for deals that it has deemed “anticompetitive” in the past, recently requiring Bell Media to sell a portion of Astral media’s programming upon completion of the acquisition. Whether the CRTC will intervene in the Rogers-NHL deal seems unlikely at the moment. It will be interesting to see how Rogers will utilise the 12 year time frame to redefine what it means to watch hockey in Canada. Hockey fanatics will relish the increased content availability resulting from the deal, while traditionalists will cringe at the thought of change and potential loss of their favourite Saturday night show. If this truly is the final nail in the coffin of Hockey Night in Canada, one thing is certain - replacing the flamboyantly outfitted and outspoken Don Cherry in the coming years will be all but impossible.
25
BUSINESS
Why Stand In Line
When You Can
‘Get a Seat’ A new online tool aimed at reducing frustrations associated with registration Shannon Epstein & Andrew Marcovitch NEWS EDITOR & BUSINESS EDITOR
F
or most McGill students, registration is one of the most stressful parts of starting a new semester. With only a certain number of seats available, it is increasingly rare for students to be able to find space in all of their desired, or even required, courses. Instead of being excited for new classes and a fresh start, it is not uncommon for students to spend the first few weeks of classes endlessly hitting the refresh button on Minerva in hopes of making last minute changes. “The class I hope to get into has negative three seats remaining,” laments one U2 accounting student. “This is very discouraging as four people would need to drop the class in order to register.” Currently, McGill’s registration system is frustrating for many reasons. Daniel Kraminer, a U2 Honours Investment Management student, describes it as “a one size fits all solution to a complex problem, which, more often than not, requires the aid of an advisor, making the process lengthy, stressful and inadequate.” Having encountered many problems with the registration system himself, Noah Lackstein, a U2 Finance and Entrepre-
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neurship student, created his own solution: getaseat.ca. John Doe: ACCT 354, why must you be [full, closed, reserved]? Getaseat.ca: Chill-out John. I can help you with that. First, visit www.getaseat.ca. Then, tell me what course you are trying to get into -- choose the section you want. Getaseat.ca: The instant a spot opens up, I will send you an e-mail or SMS text message, telling you to head over to Minerva and take the spot ASAP. I can’t guarantee that you will be the first to claim the spot, but it’s a hell lot easier than refreshing Minerva every minute! John Doe: Getaseat.ca, I love you [<3] “I was trying to register for a course that was full, but could never remember to keep checking Minerva to see if it had opened up,” Lackstein explained. “So I wrote a quick program that would automatically check for me every few minutes, and text me when I would be able to register.” At first, Lackstein created this program as a simple solution to his individual problem. This quick fix for Lackstein turned out
BUSINESS
to be exactly what many students have been looking for. “When I told my friends what I had done, many of them asked if I could set it up to notify them when the courses they wanted became available. As a Management student, the only logical next step after validating the market was to make it available to everyone at McGill.” Lackstein’s main goal for the website is to make the registration process easier for both students and advisors. “Every morning during the add/drop period, when I walk into the Bronfman building, I’m greeted by an hours long line of students waiting to see an advisor in order to get into a class that’s currently full. It’s not unheard of for students to start lining up at 6 a.m. I think that that is ridiculous. Get a Seat exists to make it easier for students to get the courses that they want to be in.” Additionally, Lackstein hopes to see getaseat.ca reduce the wait time to see an advisor. “There are students that absolutely must see an advisor in order to get the courses they need for graduation, and they’re waiting in the same line as people that want to change sections simply to avoid the dreaded 8:30AM time slot in Stewart Bio,” he noted. “Get a Seat improves the registration process for both groups. Students that must see an advisor will spend less time in line, and students that just want different sections won’t need to line up at all.” Get a Seat comes on the heels of McGill’s recent release of
The Bull & Bear - January 2014
a Visual Schedule Builder tool, that allows students to visually compile potential schedules, and provides them with the appropriate course codes for registration. This feature was in fact inspired by a third party platform similar to Get a Seat. Many students will remember the days of SmartMinerva, developed by Alex Daskalov, the same McGill software engineering student behind the popular course resource sharing site Docuum. In an effort to get McGill IT to back the SmartMinerva platform, access was blocked to the site for several weeks, during which Daskalov urged students to contact McGill IT and request their support of the tool. While McGill opened discussions with Daskalov, they opted for a program developed by a Concordia student, that resulted in the integration of the Visual Schedule Builder. It is therefore not the first time a third party has looked to offer extensions and capabilities to an admittedly dated system. Although Get a Seat will not solve all the problems associated with course registration, it is a fantastically effective tool that addresses a key concern for far too many students this time of year. Lackstein hopes to reduce the stress and frustration induced by registration and help students better navigate the obscurity that is Minerva. For more information about Get a Seat, visit www.getaseat.ca.
27
OPINION
The Media’s Worrisome Crack Addiction Anthony Depatie opinion writer
F
or those who may have spent the last few months hiding from the authorities in a remote cabin north of Whitehorse, or building houses for the disenfranchised in Sub-Saharan Africa (for which I commend you), Toronto has a crack-smoking mayor. Indeed, Rob Ford has ended months of speculation, coming clean regarding the accusations that have hung over his head for the better part of the last year. Though one could have expected that moment to be rock bottom for the embattled mayor, new footage has come out depicting him as a violent drunk, keen on murdering a still unknown person – further embarrassing both Ford and his family. But the drama continues: in his latest interview with Vision TV, Ford expressed his concern regarding reporter Daniel Dale having taken photographs from Ford’s backyard of his house and family… And the media went wild, accusing him of calling Dale a pedophile. While recent events shed a negative light on the mayor, Toronto, and Canada, the Ford-saga also constitutes a new low for Canadian journalism. From the onset, let’s clarify one possible point of contention: Rob Ford should indeed step down as mayor of Toronto. Beyond the fact that his behavior is unbecoming of a mayor, the recent slew of accusations and the media circus accompanying them takes too much of Ford’s time and efforts away from his job at the helm of Can-
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ada’s largest city. By remaining in his position, he also continues to serve as the butt of jokes for comedians all over the world, which inevitably affects the international perception of Toronto. More importantly however, Ford should step down because he is clearly dealing with some issues for which the media has absolutely no sympathy, as they ruthlessly continue their assault on the man. Under the thin veil of righteousness, news outlets around the country have been conducting an onslaught on Rob Ford for the sole purpose of selling copies and achieving their political objectives. There is a clear line between relevant, professional journalism and malicious gossip. As details of Rob Ford’s life away from the office continue to dominate front pages across the nation, it is clear that the Canadian media has crossed that line and lost all forms of integrity. The difference between appropriate and spiteful reporting is so maddeningly clear that it is impossible for outlets to justify their actions. On the one hand, a video depicting the mayor of a major metropolis smoking crack is certainly a story worth reporting. Consuming such substances, despite their effects on health and them being illegal, is in no way an exhibition of the sound decision-making expected from a city’s highest ranking official. Publishing a cellphone video of a man on a drunken rant in a private setting, however, is
quite literally libelous – though in fairness, Charlie Sheen would likely call that free publicity. While crack smoking is indicative of poor decision-making, all that the infamous “killing” video suggests is that the mayor has treacherous and gutless friends. Not something to be proud of, but neither a crime nor something to which we are all immune. Let he or she who has never been deceived by a friend cast the first stone. While it would certainly be preferable for any individual to be sober at all times, that is a standard that very few people follow. Further, there was no evidence whatsoever that Ford had abused an illegal substance prior to this video being recorded, and while he did say some regrettable things in his now infamous stupor, there is little merit to taking those threats at face value. Considering the mayor’s previous embarrassing incidents involving alcohol, a proper response to such a video would have been to show some form of decency and concern for the man’s well being rather than following such a malicious and confrontational route. However, Canadian media have made pimps of themselves by turning private footage into shameless revenue sources. Gone are the days when journalists took pride in their occupation and viewed their jobs as a true profession. Instead, it seems like gratuitous bashing and easy money-grubbing is
OPINION
now the norm for the industry. Word on the street is that Rob Ford is so clumsy, he once was on the receiving end of a nasty paper cut; get ready for the breaking news alert! The fact of the matter is that leftcentric media – virtually all media – have never liked Rob Ford, both for his policies and eccentric personality. Moreover, the mayor never cared to win over journalistic hearts either, which must have struck a nerve in the heart of this pompous community. Take a look at Ford’s depiction through time in news outlets. When the man volunteers his time to coach high school football, he is not praised but scorned for not being at the office around the clock, and mocked for tripping over on a handoff. When he rightfully complains about media members taking pictures of his house and children, no second thought is given to his parental concern – rather, the slanThe Bull & Bear - January 2014
derers that have hounded the mayor for months now want to sue him due to their unverifiable belief that the mayor implied they were pedophiles. When he attempts to lose weight and fails, his effort is turned into further material for mockery and is somehow interpreted as a great hyperbolic metaphor for his alleged shortcomings as a mayor. A fair criticism considering journalists’ reputation for being freakish athletes. Then comes the issue of alcohol abuse and other behavioral problems that media vultures prey on. There is little doubt that Ford’s brashness begets some of the prejudice and dislike towards him. Furthermore, any mayor should be held accountable for smoking crack or being drunk at public functions. With that being said, it is not the media’s job to be the jury and the executioner in such cases. Reporting on issues that are relevant to society and the public
good is one thing, but consistently assailing an individual, each and every time a new embarrassing anecdote is unearthed, is a different story. Consider for an instant if, rather than Ford, a media-darling such as Olivia Chow were to have been caught up in a similar situation. Would the coverage have been as merciless and persistent? The answer is likely no. Months into this controversy, only two things are for certain: that it is in the best interest of both Ford and of Toronto for him to step down, and that the shameless, unethical media are addicted to crack stories. On the upside, who wouldn’t want to see the Toronto Star merge with the National Enquirer?
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Bull & Bear.
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(Not So) Random Acts of Kindness How holiday cheer may be selfish — and why it doesn’t matter Sophia Sunderji opinion writer
T
he other day, a friend of mine passed by Provigo as she hurried home from campus, anxious to escape the bitter wind. An elderly homeless man sat by the doors of the grocery store, shivering, his wide and gentle eyes looking up at her. For a brief moment, their eyes met, but she quickly scurried to the warmth of her home. The next day, she walked into Provigo, bought a sandwich and coffee and placed it in front of the sleeping man. Why? Random acts of kindness are on the rise. These selfless acts exist for the purpose of cheering up someone else, be it friend or stranger. Such acts of beauty, spontaneous or planned, bring humanity together in a celebration of compassion and kindness. The phenomenon works wonders. A mere compliment or free coffee from a benevolent stranger can turn the most miserable day into a wonderful one. This was brought to life on December 3rd when a group of McGill students in Anita Novak’s Social Enterprise & Innovation class hosted an event called ‘McGill Pays it Forward.’ A multitude of activities, including free hugs and compliments, a silent disco party, and a ‘bucket list chalkboard’ brought together McGill students to spread kindness and love. The best part? After being bombarded with these acts of kindness, you couldn’t help but pass it onto your library cubicle neighbour, or an individual walking down the street, or that homeless man outside Provigo.
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Interestingly, the giver often gains more than the receiver. A distinct feeling of joy and pride swells in your chest, knowing that you’re the reason for the smile on someone else’s face. Psychologists like economists, sociologists and biologists, live in the realm of ‘ists’ and are therefore fond of crafting theories. In true ‘ist’ fashion, psychologists have created the theory of psychological egoism. This theory suggests that pure altruism does not exist due to the intrinsic reward we naturally receive by performing any kind act. We help others due to the personal benefits we expect (subconsciously, perhaps) to receive. These acts also fulfill an underlying desire to boost our self-esteem. How much must we give to a homeless man until we feel good about ourselves? In fact, are altruistic acts simply an illusion. Perhaps it’s just selfishness wearing a wig and fake glasses, seeking gratification or internet karma points. Why bother being kind at all? It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there and getting ahead of the competition plays an important role in our day-to-day behaviour. Instead of helping strangers with their groceries or holding the door open from a mile away (as Canadians oft do), rush to your class to get a front row seat. For this will lead to the A, the 4.0 and that top-notch job. If someone hurts you, don’t offer forgiveness, but instead seek revenge. But alas, this is not the answer. Though revenge might be sweet, what
lingers is a bitter aftertaste. Likewise, racing through life is fruitless if we don’t enjoy the journey along the way. And the best way to relish the journey and increase our happiness is through the act of giving. Why is deriving a sense of self-satisfaction bad? In fact, the beauty of giving lies in the fact that it simultaneously increases our own happiness. Giving, sharing and receiving: the epitome of the holiday season. Along with the strings of bright lights that adorn the streets, the jolly holiday tunes blasting in the malls and the deliciousness of Christmas in a cup (read: Starbucks drinks) comes an increase in random acts of kindness. It’s that magical time of the year when love trumps all. We donate our extra change to charity, reach out to family and loved ones, and smile at the little children lined up to see Santa. These soul-enriching acts spread kindness and create an atmosphere of benevolence and compassion. Altruism has the potential to create bottom-up change, and the fact that we benefit from it makes it all the better. It might not be true altruism, but maybe that’s okay. So the next time you’re feeling blue, give a sandwich to a homeless person and see what happens.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Bull & Bear.
FEATURE
The Bull & Bear - November 2012
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