Volume 44, Issue 6

Volume 44, Issue 6 • November 14, 2023 • thelinknewspaper.ca

"Cuntsy-Cuntsa" Since 1980

CONCORDIA’S INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION SINCE 1980

NEWS

Student engagement at the CSU remains low Turnout for the CSU by-election was at 14 per cent and all five fee levy proposals were rejected amid a pending tuition doubling for out-of-province students Miguel Fowke-Quintas

@fowkequintas

he 2023 Concordia Student duced the live CUTV YouTube people have more responsibilities. would increase individual tuition the council despite the mounting T Union (CSU) fall by-election was broadcast of the by-election debate Normally the count (total number by cents based on the amount of workload. Studying part-time this called in response to 22 out of the 30 as well as in-person polling stations of council seats to be filled) is 30 credits one is taking. If passed, a semester, now has 12 committee seats on the Council of Representatives being empty. The lack of student engagement has caused eight councilors to do the work of 30.

The CSU has additionally undergone a steady uphill battle to create engagement with student politics amidst a pending tuition hike which could existentially threaten Concordia University.

The upcoming tuition hike was the subject of the hour at the CSU’s public debate for the 2023 fall by-election.

Ryan Assaker ran for the arts and sciences seat—one of the eight allotted seats in the CSU council. To him, the goal was to create a common front with student unions at the francophone universities in Montreal.

“This tuition hike sets a precedent that can be used against other students in the future. We raised the prices for out-of-province students. Why not raise it for Quebec residents?” Assaker said.

He was not elected.

Ikjot Singh, chief electoral officer at the CSU since 2022, said he wanted to “make student politics more accessible.” The CSU council has had to fight for student participation and engagement.

In an attempt to raise student engagement, Singh said he reintro-

— previously interrupted due to quarantine measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Singh said these policies have made the elections process more accessible, and there is an upward trend of candidates running, meaning every seat is likely to be filled.

Despite these efforts, only four out of 22 candidates showed up to the by-election public debate, which was the sole opportunity for the student body to meet the candidates before voting. The audience was composed of student journalists and a handful of the candidates’ friends. Passersby and students working at their computers in the seventh floor lounge hardly put down their belongings to listen to the debate.

Singh explained how student involvement in student politics severely decreased during the pandemic, saying “It broke off the culture that gets passed down from one year to the next.” He added that before the pandemic older students would “show younger students the ropes.” Tabling events with merch giveaways—a key to getting the word out to students about the CSU—also ended.

Low student engagement can be a vicious cycle. “There are fewer people running, so fewer

CSU drop-in daycare has officially opened its doors New service seeks to offer more flexible childcare options to students at Concordia Geneviève Sylvestre PHOTO DOROTHY MOMBRUN thelinknewspaper.ca

@gen_sylvestre

people, and if there are only ten, and you are one of those ten, it grinds you down. So, you leave [the council] as well,” Singh said.

The Council of Representatives is the key representative body for student interests at Concordia. The council oversees and directs a multi-million-dollar budget which provides funding for student services such as the health and dental plan, a housing and job resource centre (HOJO), and affordable or free food through The Hive Free Lunch program.

As student engagement is needed now more than ever, participation in student politics is low.

The 2023 fall by-election garnered a voter turnout of 4,579 students, 14 per cent of the undergraduate student body. Although it is triple what it was last year, the number remains low. In previous years, since quarantine measures were lifted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, voter turnout in the CSU by-elections fell from 21.1 per cent in 2021 to 5.7 per cent in 2022.

During the fall by-election, undergraduate students were urged to vote ‘yes', ‘no’ or ‘abstain’ for prospective student councillors and on five fee levies—which

fee-levy grants more funding to independent Concordia organizations and associations.

For the first time since 2019, all five fee-levies were rejected; they were the CSU Clubs Department, HOJO, Sustainable Concordia, Concordia Global Affairs Association and The Link Newspaper.

Adam Mills is one of the few councillors who has stuck it out at

assignments, an informal record, when normally a councillor might have three or four.

For Mills, student engagement is a key battle that, “determines the legitimacy of the CSU in the university administration’s eyes.

If everybody does their little part then [I don’t] have to be on 12 committees,” he said.

GRAPHIC PANOS MICHALAKOPOULOS

n Nov. 6, the Concordia Stu- “We’re trying to really insure that on Saturday and Sunday from 9 O dent Union’s (CSU) drop-in they can have that family, life, a.m. to 1 p.m. at the beginning of daycare opened after prolonged school balance and this is a ser- December to better accommodate delays. The new service offers a flexible childcare alternative for Concordia staff and students' parents who don’t want to enroll their child in a traditional daily daycare, but can still sometimes use an extra hand. The CSU received $150,000 from the Quebec government in 2022 to fund this pilot project.

The drop-in daycare was originally scheduled to open in winter 2023 semester, however because of delays in finding a suitable location and to ensure more people were aware of the service, it was pushed back.

Director of the CSU daycare, nursery and drop-in centre Angela Meo said that the new service is to help parents find stability.

vice that tries and consolidates that for them,” Meo said.

The centre, located at 1800 de Maisonneuve Blvd, offers childcare in blocks of four hours, with each block costing $15. According to Meo, parents can receive a tax refund of 20 to 75 per cent depending on their income.

The drop-in daycare is currently open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but Meo wants to expand the schedule to best fit the community's needs.

“We’re very flexible. This is a new project and we really want to be able to cater to the needs of the students at Concordia with this service,” Meo said.

The organizers are working to add an additional time block

the demands of their community.

Meo wants to provide a center with high-quality service to student parents. “We’re trying to offer high-quality childcare. Even though it’s only for a few hours a day, we still want to emphasize that high quality that we emphasize currently at the CSU daycare,” Meo said. “It’s really important to us.”

Parents who are interested in enrolling their children in the service can contact the drop-in daycare at info@csu.dropindaycare. com or call (514) 564-5437.

NOVEMBER 14, 2023 • NEWS 3

NEWS

Hall building altercation: Students share their perspectives Concerns increase over student safety and rise of antisemitis Islamophobia Maria Cholakova, Iness Rifay and Abby Cole Content warning: this article mentions rape, homophobia and violence. n Nov. 9, The Link published O an article on the escalation between two student groups in

the Hall building. The Link has talked to several sources since then and is expanding on the events in this piece.

On Nov. 8, two student groups, Concordia’s Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) and Israeli student club StartUp Nation, set up individual tabling events at the same time.

Tensions began to rise around 11 a.m. at the mezzanine of the Hall building where both student groups had reserved a table with the Concordia Student Union (CSU) for the same day. Neither group was aware of the other’s booking.

SPHR had set up a keffiyeh sale to fundraise for humanitarian relief to Gaza, which was announced on their Instagram on Nov. 6.

StartUp Nation had booked the table for 12 p.m., but set up early by taping up posters of the 240 hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7 in Israel. The posters were taped on a wall in front of SPHR’s table.

Pro-Palestine supporters started removing posters of the hostages.

An organizer with SPHR insisted that they were not from their or-

@_maria_cholakova_ , @inessdagoat

ganization and denounced the act.

Concordia campus safety and prevention services as well as Dean of Students Andrew Woodall arrived soon after a few people removed the posters of the kidnapped. StartUp Nation students were then told that the posters had to be removed because they did not follow Concordia’s postering and flyer guidelines.

“Honestly, they’re a club and we’re a club too. So I don’t condone removing anything,” said the SPHR organizer, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons. “There was a student who got provoked (by the sight of the posters) but we instantly stopped him. I was literally right in front [of the students from StartUp Nation] when I told him to stop,” they added, according to a Link reporter in a previous article published on Nov. 9.

According to The Link reporters on site, an organizer with StartUp Nation said they had no intention of causing turmoil with anyone involved.

“We put up our posters before [SPHR] set up their table. We didn’t know that they would be here,” said the president of StartUp Nation. “There was one student wearing a keffiyeh sitting here, but she did not say anything. I cannot read minds.” The Link has kept

them anonymous for their safety.

By noon, StartUp Nation had set up two tables away from SPHR’s fundraiser. Organizers explained that it was an “artistic representation” of a Sabbath dinner with chairs, plates, and cups purposely left empty to “represent what a family would look like, but no one is here,” according to a StartUp Nation organizer.

“We have full families taken as hostages, who we don’t know if they’re alive,” they added.

At the same time, a line of at least 100 students wrapped around the mezzanine for the keffiyeh fundraiser.

Escalation Shortly after noon on Nov. 8, an unaffiliated Palestinian Concordia student accused StartUp Nation’s event of insensitivity and provocation. The student’s name is kept anonymous for their safety.

Both the student and the Vice President External of StartUp Nation began arguing loudly. Campus safety staff and students from both clubs repeatedly attempted to de-escalate the situation. A separate student bystander then started chanting, “Free, free, Palestine.” The crowd in the mezzanine echoed the chant in a re-

@abbycyyt

sounding manner.

Chants continued, and more heated shouting was exchanged between students from both sides.

When chanting began, pro-Israeli students had pre-made signs reading “false claims of genocide are hate crimes,” “Israel is my only home,” “bring them home” and “peace and prosperity for all.”

Kaia, a first-year Concordia student, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons, planned to attend the keffiyeh sale to show her solidarity with Palestine. However, once she reached the Hall building, she felt the tension in the air. “The first thing I saw were so many posters [...] of horrible statements like ‘calling it a genocide is a hate crime,’” she said. “ To see all those [signs] as someone who is hurt by what's happening to the Palestinians was just like a slap to the face,” she added.

Aypa Boumechka, a non-Concordia student who had gone to the fundraiser to buy herself a keffiyeh had heard some people on the pro-Israel side call the pro-Palestine students “terrorists and Hamas sympathizers.”

Around 12:30 p.m., students from both communities began encouraging each other to call non-students to come onto campus.

At the same time, seven of

The Link’s student reporters who were on the scene witnessed and captured videos of dozens of students and non-students taunting, threatening, invasively filming, as well as verbally and physically assaulting each other.

As tensions escalated, Layal, a Concordia student present on-site, was hit by a poster from someone on the pro-Israel side.

They have been kept anonymous for their safety.

“Security came in, but barely did anything,” said Layal. “I was a little disappointed. You could tell from his (the assailant) body language that he was getting very angry and aggressive, but he wasn’t asked to leave once.”

Kaia also shared similar concerns over Concoria’s campus safety and prevention services.

“The security guards were only looking at us. As if the pro-Israel students are the only ones that need protection. As if pro-Palestinians are [...] crazy,” she said.

Michael Eshayek, the Vice President of External of StartUp Nation disagreed with that portrayal. “In the beginning, [security] created a line, separated between the pro-Palestinians and the pro-Israelis. After 30 [or] 40 minutes, it wasn't a line anymore, the Palestinians surrounded us,” he said.

Aziz, a student present during the

PHOTO ADAM GIBBARD 4 NEWS • NOVEMBER 14, 2023

thelinknewspaper.ca

NEWS altercations, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons, affirmed that the presence of non-students on campus only escalated the tension between the two groups.

While standing on the pro-Palestine side, a middle-aged non-student on the pro-Israel side was “taunting and jeering” at Aziz and his friends, trying to provoke them. The woman proceeded to ask Aziz if he was Canadian several times and that “They (the Arabs) would kill you in the Middle East,” as he identifies as a part of the LGBTQIA2S+ community.

The same woman was caught on video verbally assaulting another student with homophobic statements in an attempt to provoke them.

The video shows the non-student asking the student, “Are you gay?” to which the student—who is a member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community— replies, “What does that matter?”

The student told The Link that the non-student then said, “You know, they’d fucking rape you up the ass.”

The student said they responded by saying, “You know what, that’s pinkwashing, and you’re a fucking cunt,” according to a Link reporter in an article published on Nov. 9.

A video of the interaction became viral on X, formerly known as Twitter, after it was uploaded by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA). On the same day, a right-wing commentator accused the student of using an antisemitic k-slur, instead of the word “cunt,” which the student alleges they used in defence. In an interview with The Link, the student denied using any antisemitic slur during the altercations. The student said it was the first time they had ever heard of this antisemitic k-slur.

CIJA called out the student for “verbally assaulting, shoving and

harassing Jewish people.”

The Link reporters witnessed pro-Palestine protesters attempting to alert campus safety that members of StartUp Nation were “trying to instigate.” An altercation then took place between a pro-Palestine student who had entered the pro-Israel crowd. She was pulled out of the crowd by campus safety and members of SPHR attempted to de-escalate.

The Link witnessed a second physical altercation occur when one pro-Palestine individual reached across the security line to grab an Israeli flag, spurring a physical altercation between both sides and security to retrieve the flag. A pro-israel individual attempted to kick pro-Palestine demonstraters in the face. The security team pulled him back and no arrests were made to the assailant.

Police presence Police were called at around 1:30 p.m. and upon arrival, demanded that the crowd leave the mezzanine. Pro-Palestinian chants continued outside the Hall building and a dozen police officers blocked the main entrance.

One pro-Palestine student was arrested. They have since been released and are expected to appear in court for a hearing.

Upon their arrival on campus, police officers were filmed

by The Link reporters in their interactions with pro-Palestine students. One officer grabbed a student by the throat and shoved them to the side while saying “I am going to push you if I want.” While entering the Hall building, police officers forcefully pushed pro-Palestine demonstrator out of the en-

trance and one officer was seen brandishing his baton.

According to an SPVM spokesperson, “Officers were trying to separate some people that were maybe more aggressive than others to try to calm down the situation.”

The SPVM spokesperson added that police officers were there to try to calm down every person that was involved, and to try to get control of the situation and prevent any further injuries.

Concordia's downtown campus has seen other instances of violent police altercations in its history. During the 1969 Sir George Williams affair, protesters were beaten with clubs and forced down on broken glass.

Eighteen-year-old demonstrator Coralee Hutchinson was struck on the head. She suffered a brain aneurysm shortly after, and her parents believe it was due to the trauma she’d received. In September 2002, pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech that was meant to take place.

Riot police were deployed in response. The protesters were pepper-sprayed and the building was tear-gassed.

Aftermath According to Kaia, Concordia should have done more to prevent non-students from harassing students on campus.

“Why did [Concordia] allow [non-students] to talk to these Concordia students? Why did they allow them to rile these Concordia students up? Why weren't they escorted out of this building the second the uprising started?” she said.

When The Link asked Con-

cordia to comment on the university’s responsibility to keep students safe from non-students on campus, Concordia’s spokesperson didn't to answer the question.

Just before midnight on Nov. 8, Concordia President Graham Carr sent out a mass email with a statement on the day’s events as well as a mention of other instances of “violence or incitement.”

The correspondence also detailed the discovery of swastikas in one of the university’s buildings. The Link inquired about the location of the swastikas. Concordia’s spokesperson did not reveal that information. The Link is continuing to investigate the matter.

In an interview with The Link, Eshayek said the CSU could have done a better job at ensuring students felt safe and that the two tables weren’t booked on the same day.

According to Harley Martin, the general coordinator of the CSU, “Given the unacceptable way in which events ended on Nov. 8, the CSU regrets not taking more preventative measures.”

Martin also detailed how table booking works at the CSU: “The CSU reception team, which consists of five people at SGW, receives booking requests for the tables on the CSU mezzanine and either approves or denies them.

There is no one person who receives requests and these separate bookings were approved by different receptionists carrying out their administrative duties as per their job descriptions and training with no input from the executive team,” Martin said.

Due to the events in the Hall building, the CSU is in the process of updating their table booking policy for the CSU Clubs in question.

Since Nov. 8, the CSU has also been in the process of scheduling meetings with Hillel Concordia, StartUp Nation, Chabad Concordia and SPHR on “what the CSU is doing, and will do, to prevent any such incident from occurring again, and to gather input simultaneously,” and has been in contact with Campus Safety and Prevention, the Dean of Students Office and other university departments “to ensure students can express themselves without compromising the safety of other students.”

Safety on and off campus

PHOTO DOROTHY MOMBRUN thelinknewspaper.ca

Both pro-Israel and pro-Palestine students have expressed that they do not feel safe on campus.

Eshayek said that he cannot comprehend going back to his classes after the altercation in the Hall building. “We cannot go back to classes and learn about math or learn about history [...] when we can't even respect each other and we can't even table in a civilized

way,” he said. “I think the administration should wake up and should do something about the rise of antisemitism on campus.”

For Layal, the concerns over safety on campus are valid, but more nuanced than they seem.

“I find it frustrating since I know some Jewish students are too scared to go to school. I get it, but at the same time it plays into the whole factor that we’re scary people to be around.”

Layal also believes that the university’s neutrality on the situation in Gaza is feeding into the tension on campus. “If only we had an outlet where we could discuss it properly. This is what the university is for. We’re supposed to be able to talk about hard topics.”

“We like to talk about human rights in classes and pretend like it matters,” they added, “but when human rights are violated in actuality, suddenly it’s not as clear.”

Aziz said that since Nov. 8, the university has not felt the same. “I have tried, for the past few days, to distance myself from the university because I definitely do not feel safe anymore,” he said.

Antisemitism has been on the rise since Oct. 7 in Montreal. A total of 38 hate crimes against the Jewish community were reported in the Oct. 7-25 time period, compared to the 50 hate crimes related to religion that were reported in 2022 as a whole. On Nov. 9 and 12, a total of three Montreal Jewish schools had shots fired at them. A synagogue was also hit by a Molotov cocktail in Dollarddes-Ormeaux on Nov. 6.

Islamophobia has seen a sharp rise since Oct. 7 in Canada, but has been an especially challenging systemic issue since Quebec’s introduction of Bill 21 four years ago. The SPVM reported a total of 14 hate crimes targeting the Arab-Muslim community in the Oct. 7-25 time period.

Following the events, SPHR and StartUp Nation both released official statements on their respective Instagram accounts.

StartUp Nation “urges Concordia to take a clear stance against the heinous antisemitism infesting the university.” SPHR reminded everyone that the event will not deter them from “their continued advocacy for the freedom of the Palestinian people.”

According to a spokesperson for Concordia, “Our priority is the safety of our community and campus.”

With files from Diane Yeung and Julia Israel.

NOVEMBER 14, 2023 • NEWS 5

NEWS

Transit cuts raise concerns among Montrealers STM is considering service reductions due to financial shortcomings Claudia Beaudoin

PHOTO DOROTHY MOMBRUN

@claudiaclx

onica Jackiewicz wraps up Jackiewicz’s commute. She men- would not be affected, yet most Justice Montreal member and STM's sustainable development M her 12-hour night shift at the tioned that this would leave her of her exams have been on week- active participant in transit cam- plan 2025, highlighting that the hospital, exiting around 7:30 a.m., with insufficient time between her ends. Although the bus might paigns, shared a similar senti- STM contributes to averting 2.3 thoroughly drained. The metro has been her reliable mode of commuting home, but she’s now learning that on weekends, it might be off-limits for her until 9 a.m.

On Oct. 30, the Société de Transport de Montréal's (STM) director general Marie-Claude Léonard confirmed a contingency plan in light of budgetary challenges. This plan entails substantial service cutbacks which include the metro closing at 11 p.m. every day and resuming operations at 9 a.m. on weekends in addition to reducing the frequency of bus services.

Léonard further clarified that these are merely proposals, and they do not intend to implement such measures unless deemed necessary.

Jackiewicz expressed concern that these cutbacks would force her to resign from her job, given her current work schedule, which includes day shifts starting at 6:30 a.m. and night shifts that typically finish around 7:30 a.m.

According to Jackiewicz, there was a lack of consideration for the broader societal benefits that the metro provides.“If it's keeping hospitals open, isn't that a benefit worth considering?”

With fewer services available, additional time will be added to

shifts, making it unsustainable.

As budget deadlines approach, Quebec Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault has decided to allocate $265 million out of the requested $424 million by the Autorité Régionale de Transport Métropolitain in additional funding for 2024. This remains a notable advancement in light of their initial commitment to cover only 20 per cent of the budget.

Guilbault said she believes that budget adjustments can still be made without resorting to significant service reductions.

While the STM’s contingency plan is still under consideration, the disclosure has prompted inquiries and concerns within the affected communities as they contemplate the potential repercussions of such a change.

“I already thought 12:30 a.m. was early compared to the Toronto metro,” said Dalena Nguyen, a student from Ontario attending Concordia University. The metro serves as her sole means of transportation during her studies. She described the 11 p.m. metro closure as feeling like a curfew. In contrast, The Toronto Transit Commission closes approximately at 2 a.m. daily.

Nguyen’s weekly schedule

Best Buddies Concordia: Building special bonds Club aims to foster friendships between volunteers and students with disabilities Shyam Ragavan

@shyamun1

6 NEWS • NOVEMBER 14, 2023

be an additional option, her 15-minute commute would grow closer to an hour. “I don’t really like buses because I find them not very accurate to the time. I’m always worried I’ll be late for the bus,” Nguyen said.

In a recent press conference, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante emphasized the cultural, economic, and environmental significance of the STM, stating, “The government needs to continue to show their enthusiasm to support public transit.”

While Montrealers advocate for transit as an essential service, market fluctuations and such alterations make it challenging to rely on. Earlier this year, STM users also experienced fare hikes–an increase of approximately 3 per cent.

STM Chairman Éric Alan Caldwell highlighted the direct relationship between service cutbacks and ridership at a talk organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal on Oct. 30. He demonstrated that from 2011 to 2018, when the STM experienced service reductions, ridership declined. Whereas, when service levels improved, ridership tended to increase.

Christian Favreau, a Climate

ment. In addition to his personal disappointment, he emphasized the broader consequences of these decisions.

“Public transit is a climate solution in a way that electric vehicles are not,” said Favreau. He discussed the overall emissions generated during the production of these cars, along with their accessibility to the public.

In its new five-year climate action plan, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) announced that transportation was the cause of 42.8 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in Quebec in 2020.

A budget of $3.8 billion has been designated to support Quebec's transportation sector, with a strong focus on promoting electric vehicles.

“What we are seeing is that the bulk of the CAQ’s five-year climate action Budget is going towards electrical vehicle subsidies,” said Favreau. “But [to do that] we need to get cars off the road.”

He emphasized the pressing need to alleviate urban congestion and minimize the extent of paved surfaces to address the looming threat of heat waves.

The significance of the transit system as a contributor to climate action is acknowledged in the

million tonnes of annual greenhouse gas emissions.

“The transit system isn’t being viewed as a public good or public service because every time it's in the news we are talking about a deficit. We need to be revolutionizing the way we see our buses and metros.”

— Christian Favreau, Climate Justice Montreal member

est Buddies Concordia is a ter of Best Buddies Canada, a na- bonded over pizza, cupcakes and B club which pairs up student tionally registered charity which cold drinks while creating chervolunteers with individuals who has chapters in various high ishable memories. have intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDDs).

Unbeknownst to many, it is a relatively small Concordia Student Union (CSU) club which aims to build meaningful relationships and provide undergraduate students an opportunity to get involved in the community.

Lisa Potter, who has an intellectual disability, is one of many such individuals who are part of Best Buddies. “I learnt how to communicate and get along with friends,” she recalled.

Founded in 2000, Best Buddies Concordia is a chap-

schools and universities, including McGill University and Bishop’s University.

The ‘buddies’ come from West Montréal Readaptation Centre, a provincially funded organization headquartered in Lachine that encourages, promotes and stimulates the participation of community members.

The not-for-profit club gets funding from the CSU’s clubs budget, which it uses to organize outings, get-togethers, parties and other activities. In September, Best Buddies had a volunteer meet and greet at Westmount Conservatory, where members

Students who want to volunteer first have to fill out a form detailing their interests. They are then invited to a one-on-one meeting, where the club gets to know them, if they are willing to commit and if they have any difficulty interacting with people with IDDs. The club currently has ten buddy pairs and are looking for more volunteers as they have five buddies on the waitlist.

The group tries to be as inclusive as possible, welcoming anyone who does not fit under the neurotypical standards. This inContinues on p. 7 thelinknewspaper.ca

NEWS Continued from p. 6 cludes anyone with autism, nonverbal learning disabilities and developmental disabilities.

According to chapter president Evleen Kaur, prior experience working with IDDs is not a prerequisite for aspiring volunteers. “You just have to want to volunteer. We do screenings before anyone volunteers, we do criminal background checks. You have to be willing to commit and engage,” Kaur said.

Jennifer Lee volunteered with Best Buddies Concordia from 2018 to 2022. “I found out about it in 2018 when I went to the club fair in my first year of university." she said. “I had never worked with people with disabilities before and I thought it would be a learning experience.”

The group tries to build a community around their work. “Even if you get paired with one buddy, you still get to meet [everyone] in the group because you have monthly meetups,” Lee said.

Lee’s buddy was Potter, with whom she built a significant connection which continues to this day. “I learnt how to communicate and get along with friends,” Potter recalled.

“Although we're not officially best buddies anymore, I still text her from time to time,” Lee said.

“It's amazing to see how much more confident she is now. She looks so much more confident and social than when I first met her.”

Potter’s favourite Best Buddies activity was a trip to a Montreal Canadiens’ hockey game. “I loved it. My favourite part was the Canadiens scoring in overtime and winning, but I loved the whole game,” she recalled. “They should do it more often.”

As volunteers are asked to meet with their buddies every two weeks, it was too big a commitment for some. “It did [get in the way of my studies] at times. I had to admit that at the beginning I was worried about the commitment but the people at Best Buddies are very understanding

because they were students themselves,” Lee said.

“They won't kick you out if you don’t do it every two weeks. Sometimes I would have to postpone something. I would try to give my buddy a phone call instead and she was very understanding. I would try to make some time for that but also be gentle with my academics,” she added.

The program tries to accommodate all interests and ensure that people feel as comfortable as possible.

There is room for improvement in the club , according to Kaur. “We do not have an efficient social media presence. And I think that's really necessary to actually reach people. So this year, [...] we have a bigger executive team, we have somebody specifically for social media,” she said.

Students interested in volunteering can fill out the form in the club’s Instagram bio or send an email to bestbuddies.concordia@gmail.com.

GRAPHIC PANOS MICHALAKOPOULOS

Concordia Student’s Nightline hopes to adapt and expand The reinstatement of the late-night helpline is a necessity, students say Casey Kiss

@cm18141

he Concordia Student’s NightT line re-opened on Sept. 8. While student engagement remains rela-

tively low, there is a chance you’ve seen their stickers posted around both campuses, from bathroom stalls to poster boards.

According to the Nightline’s president Brooks Reid-Constantine, a second-year linguistics student, the Nightline’s role is to be “completely confidential and completely anonymous. We’re there to validate how you’re feeling without giving you advice or problem-solving unless you specifically ask,” she said.

Reid-Constantine explained why she believes Nightline is such an important service to students.

“Right now, there’s a very large lack of spaces where you can just be heard,” she said.

An issue the Nightline’s volunteers are trained on is the handling of sexual violence, Reid-Constantine said. A 2016 study found that 36.9 per cent of students in Quebec universities had witnessed or experienced sexual violence on campus. Additionally, a 2022 report by the SPVM revealed that since 2017, sexual assaults had increased 12 per cent in Montreal. Reid-Constantine emphasized how seriously the thelinknewspaper.ca

GRAPHIC SEMIRA KOSCIUK Nightline takes this problem.

The Concordia Student’s Nightline is run by volunteers.

The team is comprised of about 30 to 40 Concordia students and alumni, with two volunteers working the lines at any given time.

To volunteer, community members must sign up during one of their two recruitment periods of the year then pass both a phone and Zoom interview. Subsequent to the interview stage, volunteers go through a 35-hour in-person training where they are taught how to handle sensitive topics such as

self-harm, suicide, sexual assault and mental health calls.

According to Anthony Diprimio, a third-year mechanical engineering student, the existence of the Nightline is important because “it adds an extra sense of security to students on campus.”

Unfortunately, he believes that most students aren’t aware of the Nightline’s existence.

Kim Maurer agreed with this sentiment.

Maurer, a third-year English literature student has been turned away from Concordia’s counselling servi-

ces on several occasions. “It definitely made me lose faith in Concordia's services and hesitant to reach out to them again,” she said. Despite being unaware of the Nightline’s presence on campus, she thought the idea was interesting. “I would consider calling if I felt like I needed to get something off my chest but had no one to go to,” she said.

Concordia Students’ Nightline is only open between Wednesday to Saturday from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m.

According to Reid-Constantine, the working hours for the organization are due to association

regulations. “They are standard Nightline hours. There is a Nightline association that we’re not directly affiliated with but we do follow a lot of what they’ve set up.”

Diprimio recommended adjusting and adapting to the nightlife, giving the example that Halloween fell on a Monday this year, making it a night important for having access to a Nightline, yet it didn’t fall within their operating schedule.

Being involved in the nightlife scene as a founder of MyCity, an organization which both plans and promotes parties, Diprimio explained that “more and more events are going past 3 a.m., so maybe if they shifted the shift to 4 a.m. it would be interesting.”

The Nightline puts an emphasis on active listening, no matter what it is you’re calling for. “We get a wide range of callers, not just necessarily students, we get calls from all over Montreal,” said Reid-Constantine.

As for making students aware of the Nightline, Reid-Constantine said it’s something they’re working on. “It can be difficult.

There’s so much information at Concordia all the time in your face [...] You can’t actually grasp it all.”

NOVEMBER 14, 2023 • NEWS 7

FRINGE ARTS

Botched Window

Kat Mulligan

We have made an honest attempt to keep the house warm.

The oven’s spit dribbles onto our shoulders, a shroud of paranoia that has claimed decent poets in prior times, and the cat dampens himself in the spillage, in the type of bliss that walks in as suffering slides his business card into the mailbox.

We have made an honest attempt to keep the house warm— that is to say, we have unstitched all ninety-eight degrees of our body and turned them out like a sail.

Plain as pure form, I hover over the drain of the bathtub, undaunted by what once threatened to be a stain on good skin, collecting rare pearls of heat in my palm.

I know by ridges, by my own cold geography, that this is a pale salvation.

And underneath a stack of fleece, the botched window funnels in at the very point where my birthmark tacked itself on.

We have made an honest attempt to keep the house warm.

A water bottle languishes on the hardwood, colder than any intention of electricity, before a thermometer butts its head into its torment— done quietly, smothered by the aria of wind rubbing shoulders with our alleyway.

Out on the town, we remember these five rooms evacuated, these five rooms shaking themselves off in desertion.

GRAPHIC OLIVIA SHAN

On seduction as performance

GRAPHIC OLIVIA SHAN 8 FRINGE ARTS • NOVEMBER 14, 2023

India Das-Brown

@india.db

It’s easy to take pleasure in performing when you’re not weighed down by your identity, or by some need to be yourself, or to be natural.

Poeticize your presence. Attract and be attracted to your own strength and aesthetic sensibility, your own sprawling beautiful words and flexile allure. Let imagination carry past the ends of your sentences. But beware, as too much of anything is fearsome, unnatural, even ugly. Beware of the precipice.

This is the precipice. This is when Adam falls for the virgin body of an exquisite whore, Eve by name and shaped by god himself.

This is when soft words and glances become extreme cataclysmic measures, when we become strange animals drinking stranger juice of the strangest fruits, something spiritual and sublime, inexplicably and inexpressibly seductive.

The true joy and pleasure of the female orgasm comes from the release of her perpetual tension, anxiety, and nervous anticipation. And this is true culmination of the true mental and emotional strain of true seduction of real weight and intensity.

And did you know something. That Honey Darling is the sweetest girl, not of her own golden heart and inner goodness but of her fear to disappoint and that notorious insecurity. And did you know that lying naked on the sidewalk will land you in the mental hospital where they teach you that a person’s belief is a person’s willpower.

Understand: a person’s willpower is directly linked to their libido. And a person’s power is directly linked to attraction. Seduction is the highest form of power.

thelinknewspaper.ca

FRINGE ARTS

“From the River To The Sea” premieres with Militant Cinema Cascade of screenings brings contemporary and historical films into conversation with each other Menel Rehab

@phoenicieuse

PHOTO MENEL REHAB rom Oct. 30 to Dec. 3, various Palestiniens, and Regards SyrSohrabi delves into the studio’s F cultural organizations, includ- iens, both involved in organizing focus extending internationally, ing Regards Palestiniens Collect- annual screening series for Pal- encompassing artists engaged in ive, Feminist Media Studio, Dhakira Collective, Hors Champ, and Cinema Politica, collaborated to present Militant Cinema in solidarity with Palestine. La Lumière Collective, an intimate venue, hosted the premiere on Oct. 30, featuring folding chairs, a compact space and greenery.

“From the River to the Sea” premiered with screenings of Militant cinema. It featured films exploring revolutionary and anticolonial themes. The initiative served as a fundraiser in response to the ongoing situation in Palestine, bringing together artists.

The micro-cinema showcases films in original formats, including 16mm, 35mm, and high definition. The event comprised a screening of three films—Filipa Cesar’s Conakry, Oraib Tukan’s Via Dolorosa, and Mohanad Yaqubi’s Off Frame AKA Revolution Until Victory—exploring revolutionary and anticolonial imaginaries, fostering a nuanced dialogue on cinema's role in political emancipation.

Moderated by Feminist Media Studio members Sanaz Sohrabi and Farah Atoui, an open discussion about the movies shown was pitched, and guests—filmmaker and video artist Muhammad Nour ElKhairy, as well as a PhD candidate in film and moving images, studies Fadi AbuNe’meh— were invited to talk. ElKhairy, AbuNe’meh, collective members, and the audience delved into a discussion on cinema's colonial dimensions, the humanitarian gaze, militarism's imagery, and the broader geopolitical context.

The topics also included image as a tool, post-colonial decorum, mediation, media, and medium.

Farah Atoui, post-doc fellow in the communications studies department at Concordia University, and member of the Feminist Media Studio, is an independent film programmer. She is part of two screening collectives, Regards thelinknewspaper.ca

estinian and Syrian films. Atoui explains that this screening, in particular, is part of a series that Sanaz and she are working on together. Their program was conceived way before Oct. 7, and they have two other screenings happening with Feminist Media Studio, independent of the solidarity fundraiser screening.

“In light of what’s happening in Palestine at the moment, we thought about what this screening means, and how we could reframe it as a response to what’s happening,” says Atoui. “This is how we reframed it as a fundraiser. At the same time, Muhammad was part of the collective that I’m part of, and other members of cultural organizations and art collectives of Montreal wanted to do something, so we decided to come together as a coalition and worked on that program with various screenings, and all of them are directed towards fundraising.”

Sohrabi, a filmmaker, digital artist, and doctoral candidate in interdisciplinary studies in society and culture at Concordia University, as well as a member of the Feminist Media Studio, discusses the film selection centered around the theme "Resisting Displacement, Displacing Resistance." She provides insight into the framework and the perspectives guiding the screening program. Shaped over four to five months, the film screening's foundation lies in Krysta Lynes' Necessary Feminisms project, initiated during the pandemic and backed by a grant.

“Necessary Feminisms was sort of this grand theme that allowed people like me and Farah to take it as a guarding point and then run with it, and make it our own programming,” says Sohrabi.

“As film programmers and filmmakers, our goal is to explore political aesthetics, juxtaposing contemporary and historical films to spark discussions”.

resistance from Canada, the US, Iran, India and beyond.

ElKhairy, a Palestinian filmmaker and video artist, emphasized the crucial role of images in conveying the reality of the situation during the open discussion.

He highlighted the blackout's dual purpose: inflicting suffering on Gazans and obstructing awareness by preventing people from seeing the events. Muhammad noted that, particularly in places like Montreal, many individuals comprehend the situation primarily through images.

“I think the program really does a great job of helping us think through how we experienced these images,” says Elkhairy. “What does it mean to experience these images as an audience now that there's such a big explosion of images? Images are everywhere and images of violence and suffering are accessible.”

Fadi AbuNe’meh, previously a film teacher at Ramallah Friends School, located in Palestine, explores in his speech the impact of media consumption habits on reactions to images, discussing programmed helplessness and questioning our response to media spectacle. AbuNe’meh examines the historical context, emphasizing the convergence of Muslim and indigenous struggles against imperialism. He urges scrutiny of our tendency to prioritize empathy for children's suffering over men's struggles, emphasizing the need to confront this bias.

Two of the audience members, Baya and Maeve, attended the premiere and reflected on their reason for attending the screening. Maeve attended the solidarity fundraiser screening with the initial goal of discovering new filmmakers and historical moments. The event's shift to a solidarity fundraiser resonated with her values.

“The films and the discussion made me think about the amount of revolutionary and anticolonial archival footage that has been lost or purposefully hidden from view,” — Maeve “The speakers noted that it is often with great difficulty that footage is able to be reclaimed from colonial archive centers and worked with by filmmakers and artists.”

Baya, of Algerian descent, drew links between Algeria’s revolution and liberation by mentioning how the idea of the humanitarian gaze spoke to her, as well as the importance of approaching knowledge with diversity. She says that the screening reinforced this bond as the audience witnessed struggles against imperialism, showcasing how those seeking freedom readily support other liberation movements, such as the Palestinian one.

“We often discuss intersectionality in addressing oppression, but its true meaning can be overlooked,” says Baya. “In this case, my people have consistently supported the Palestinian cause, reciprocating the love Palestinians have shown us. The Algerian revolution taught us lessons applicable to other liberation movements, reiterating the connection between oppressed communities.”

Palestinian artist and teacher in the communication studies department at Concordia, Razan AlSalah—also the co-director of the Feminist Media Studio—empha-

sizes the need to respond urgently to the current moment while also organizing for the long-term, recognizing the enduring nature of the colonial settler project in Palestine. She highlights the challenge of making people realize the genocidal nature of this project, pointing out that it often takes a high threshold of violence for people to acknowledge it. AlSalah views the current urgency as an opportunity to form a coalition and initiate a collective commitment to understanding Palestine as a long-term liberation project.

“We were thinking that this is as an opportunity to take the urgency of the moment; the urgency that everyone is feeling because unfortunately from the distance of Turtle Island, from the distance of living within the Canadian state, you really need to get to this very high threshold of violence for people to feel something” says Al-Salah. “A lot of people need to die for people to realize that this settler colonial project, that socalled Israel is a genocidal project.

We know this, but this is what it takes for some people to start to understand.”

PHOTO MENEL REHAB

NOVEMBER 14, 2023 • FRINGE ARTS 9

FRINGE ARTS

Café Lucia: From Honduras to Montreal How a family blends their heritage through their coffee Claudia Beaudoin

@claudiaclx

heart of Concordia's bustIoldnlingtheKaren farmers market, 56-yearBarahona diligently

arrives to set up her coffee stand.

Her coffee bags prominently feature the word "Honduras," serving as a heartfelt tribute to her cherished homeland.

Café Lucia, a coffee brand renowned for selling its roasts both online and at farmers markets, stands as an embodiment of the dedication of its creators.

After immigrating to Canada 11 years ago, Barahona yearned for the familiar taste of Honduras’ coffee. It didn't take her long to notice that, despite her home country being among the world's top five coffee producers, it was not accessible at an affordable price nor sold independently, outside of mixed coffee blends.

In 2018, she decided to act upon her wishes, joining forces with a partner to create a coffee brand named Café Enrocca International Inc. that showcases ethically sourced, pure Honduran coffee.

However, the onset of the pandemic, accompanied by increased costs and other unforeseen challenges, led to the dissolution of her partnership.

Despite this sudden stop in production, a wave of emails poured in from dedicated clients and loyal customers, all inquiring about where they could still get their hands on their beloved coffee.

Responding to these demands, she made a pivotal choice to independently rebrand the company as Café Lucia in 2020, a name inspired by her youngest daughter.

“She has had a special life, and for us, she is the light of the house, so we honour her by giving the company her name, ‘Lucia,’” Barahona says.

She points out that the name's familiarity has drawn many people to engage with the brand.

“You can say it in French, English, Spanish, Italian and so many languages,” evoking the broad audience it reaches.

Barahona additionally owns Café Celula, a unique venture named after the first syllables of her three daughters' names: 26-year-old Ceci, 19-year-old Lucia and 31-year-old Laura. Specializing in imported green coffee, beans that have yet to be roasted, they supply coffee roasters in both Quebec and Ontario.

Café Lucia started as a personal passion, a dream Barahona sought to expand on a grand-

KAREN BARAHONA LOADS GREEN COFFEE BEANS INTO A ROASTER. COURTESY CAFE LUCIA er scale. To her, each milestone achieved bore a distinct significance, and every coffee bag sold symbolized a meaningful triumph, deepening her bond with her homeland.

Starting the business alongside her husband, she dedicated long hours to nurture her dream, all while juggling full-time jobs.

Recognizing her commitment, her daughters gradually joined in, contributing to various aspects of the workload, and forming a familyowned enterprise where they utilized their individual talents.

“We are three different generations of people, so this allows us to have different points of view,” says Barahona. “But It’s not easy because we have to put a stop to how often we think about the business as a family.”

Café Lucia maintains a close and fair trade relationship with its coffee producers, ensuring fair compensation and sourcing the freshest coffee. “This is our people and our heritage,” says Barahona.

Regular visits to the farms, in-

10 FRINGE ARTS • NOVEMBER 14, 2023

cluding hands-on participation in the harvesting process, reinforce this commitment.

Honduran coffee's exclusive use of the Arabica bean variety makes it unique. According to Barahona, the finest coffee is cultivated at higher altitudes, and over the last 22 years, Honduras has consistently excelled in various categories of coffee evaluations due to the ideal growing conditions it offers.

“People love to hear us speaking about our high mountains (where the beans are harvested), it feels nostalgic and romantic,” says Juan Pablo Carias, the co-owner of Café Lucia and husband of Barahona.

Barahona explains that the coffee industry can be stressful for a small business. Even though you can personally taste and choose the coffee at its place of origin, which they do with their visits to Honduras, there needs to be established trust between the business and the producers.

The insecurity lies in the fact that producers can decide to change

the beans they actually ship out.

“Trust is very important in the coffee business and we have that with our people,” Barahona says.

As a small business, a persistent challenge they grapple with is the substantial financial commitment tied to shipping the coffee, given that the harvest only happens once a year. This requires pre—selecting the number of containers to ship, all while navigating the uncertainty of whether they'll sell enough coffee to cover these costs.

“Sometimes I wake up at night and I think ‘this is just too crazy’ because it is not easy to run a business and not having a lot of resources to do it,” Barahona says.

Once their coffee is sourced, Café Lucia roasts it here in Montreal, establishing itself as a homegrown, local business.

Their current focus centers on expanding their market, deeply aware of the financial considerations of their clientele. They try to provide competitive pricing, understanding that affordability is crucial in sharing their roasts.

“We go to a lot of Farmers Markets like the Concordia farmers market, and we know that not all students can afford a bag of coffee that is $22,” Barahona says.

What Barahona truly appreciates about Quebec is the large

number of people who love to buy ethical and handcrafted goods. “I put all my hope in this big quantity of people that I know exists here,” she says.

At Café Lucia's roastery, green Honduran coffee beans are transformed. The rhythmic hum of the machine, crackling sounds and aromatic oils fill the air. Over time, the beans evolve from grassy freshness to a peak of nutty richness, culminating in the essence of Café Lucia's signature roasts.

“We didn’t know we were going to be able to love our country in the way we do now that we are far away,” Carias says. “This is about Honduras, about giving back to our community and keeping further generations connected with our land and language.”

They hope to sell their roasts in coffee shops and potentially open their own café, where Barahona envisions sharing more of her heritage with Montreal through a mix of literature and gastronomy.

“What makes me most proud is that we are still here. Even though the pandemic hit us and even though we are so very small [...] I believe in my coffee, in my people, in my producers, and even though it's been a very tough journey, we are still here.”

COURTESY CAFE LUCIA thelinknewspaper.ca

SPORTS

ARIANNE LEBLANC STARES AT THE ACTION ON THE ICE FROM THE BENCH ON NOV. 3. PHOTO ALICE MARTIN ewly-recruited Concordia stu- goalie and I just wanted to do the The idea of learning from two pil- varsity sports and used the ex- Philbert off to play professional N dent and psychology major Ari- same thing,” Leblanc said. lars of women’s hockey was an oppor- periences she’s gained with Team hockey in France, the crease will anne Leblanc is one of the brightest young prospects in all of varsity women’s hockey.

Before even starting her varsity career, Leblanc has already added many feats to her resume.

Earlier this year, she won gold as a member of Team Canada, shutting out Finland at the IIHF World Women’s U18 Championship and she has represented Quebec at the most recent Canada Winter Games. Now, Leblanc has chosen Concordia to be her home for the next five years.

With poise beyond her years between the pipes, the young talent has already accomplished more than what some athletes dream of. All this success, at only 18 years-old.

Born and raised in Repentigny, Que., Leblanc started playing hockey roughly ten years ago, following in the footsteps of her brothers, Cédric and Alexandre.

“I was always going to watch their games,” she said. “One of them was a goalie and my dad was a goalie as well. I never wanted to be a player.”

Even with her familial ties to the position, that wasn’t what ultimately drew her to becoming a goaltender. “The main thing that got me into it was the movie Les Pee-Wee 3D. There was a girl thelinknewspaper.ca

Inspired by Alice Morel-Michaud’s character “Julie" in the iconic Quebec hockey movie, Leblanc forged her own path and quickly cemented herself as one of the best U18 hockey goaltenders in the country. During her high school career at Stanstead College, she amassed an impressive 31-6-1 record as their starting goaltender.

Now that Leblanc is in university, she has to conquer the next step in her hockey career, and that’s where Concordia comes in.

“For me, when it came to Canadian universities, Concordia was the only choice,” said Leblanc, with certainty. “I know that [by] going to Concordia, I would be in really great hands for five years.

The team culture really fits me and my personality.”

Given the leadership and experience of the coaching staff, led by two former Olympians—head coach Julie Chu and assistant coach Caroline Ouellette—the Stingers women’s hockey team has everything they need to succeed.

“Julie’s one of the best coaches in the league,” said the rookie goaltender. “She brings out the best in our team by bringing her positive attitude to the rink everyday. Having a coach like her that’s genuinely so positive makes the team the same.

It leads to a very fun environment.”

tunity Leblanc couldn’t pass up.

“Our coaches are unmatched in the league, Caro and Julie have definitely impacted my decision because I know how amazing they are,” Leblanc added.

For Chu, it was always Leblanc’s work ethic that stood out to her.

“What’s great about Arianne is that she has a great mindset about wanting to get pushed and wanting to work hard,” said Chu. “She’s been great with us this year already and I think she’s only going to grow and get better every week and every game she gets the opportunity to play.”

When asked about the adjustment period to university hockey, Chu was confident that Leblanc was only going to get better.

“She takes feedback really well from our goaltending coach and has been able to make some adjustments from the way that she played in high school to the way she needs to play here to be successful,” Chu said.

Leblanc knows that the road to becoming an elite goaltender in U Sports is a tough task, but it always begins with practice. By putting in countless hours of work with goaltending coach Olivier Gervais and in the gym, she aims to take her game to the next level.

She’s embraced the challenges of

Canada to her advantage.

“As a rookie, you really have to step in and prove yourself. It’s a massive step-up from high school hockey,” said Leblanc. “The plays and executions are a lot quicker, but it helps to have my team to practice with because we have some of the best players in the league.”

Fifth-year player and newlynamed Stingers captain Emmy Fecteau has seen many players come and go from the Stingers organization. However, she instantly knew Leblanc was special.

Fecteau saw her play at a 3v3 tournament this past summer.

“I was really impressed by her, she made a lot of really big saves and she’s always competing for the puck,” said Fecteau. “She brings a lot to the team, she works very hard and she always has a smile on her face. Even though she’s only a first-year, she’s taken her place very quickly and she’s going to be an amazing goaltender.”

Going into the 2023-24 season, the expectations could not be higher for Leblanc and the Stingers. On the backs of another Réseau des sports étudiants du Québec championship, the Stingers are hoping to repeat their success with a slightly different goalie rotation.

With former starting goaltender and veteran all-star Alice

be under new command. Langley, B.C. native Jordyn Verbeek will take the reins as the starter, and the 18-year-old Leblanc will be the back up. Sixth-year veteran Madison Oakes will also fight for time in the crease creating some healthy competition.

“They’ve all come in prepared, they’ve filled in the big shoes Alice has left behind,” Chu said.

“Not that we don’t miss Alice, but now it’s their team.”

So far this season, Leblanc has amassed a perfect 4-0-0 record, a .929 save percentage and a 1.47 goals against average—impressive statistics for anyone, let alone an 18-year-old freshman.

Leblanc is positive about the road ahead and ready to tackle any challenges with a smile. Whether on the ice or in the classroom. Her radiant personality has a warming effect on everyone she’s met.

“Personally, I’m always trying to have fun. I don’t put too much pressure on myself, I’m here to play hockey because I love it,” said Leblanc. “I want to get a little better everyday and at the end, be the best I can be.”

NOVEMBER 14, 2023 • SPORTS 11

SPORTS

fter the Quebec government their landscape is going to change tion. That’s another fee. Food is A announced its tuition hikes a lot,” he said. Jahan is a fourth- another thing. It just piles on,” he for international and out-of-prov- year veteran with the Stingers. said. “If I was looking at schools ince students, varsity directors and coaches at Concordia University, McGill and Bishop’s can see out-of-province recruitment troubles on the horizon. Non-Quebec students make up a considerable proportion of the student-athletes at all three universities.

Hamilton, Ont. native Sami Jahan, one of the foremost members of the Concordia Stingers men’s basketball team, said that his university career would have looked much different if the tuition hikes had happened when he was choosing where to study.

“Looking at the kids who are in my shoes, whether they’re playing sports or even just trying to go to school out-of-province […]

The team’s impressive 2021-22 playoff run would not have been possible without him.

Jahan believes that varsity coaches will shift more of their recruitment focus towards CEGEPs. He feels that recruiting talent from out-of-province will be less beneficial for Quebec’s English universities, since they will be able to get four Quebec kids on a scholarship for the same price as one out-of-province recruit.”

He emphasized that the tuition hike itself is not the only expense out-of-province students must consider.

“When you leave the province, your family has to put you in some type of residence or living situa-

in Canada and I saw Quebec’s tuition hike, my family would be like, ‘That doesn’t make financial sense when you can stay here.’”

The Stingers’ winter sports rosters put them in the best position of the three English universities. Only 20.8 per cent of the hockey and basketball rosters is composed of out-of-province and international students—whose tuition could increase by a minimum of $20,000. Non-Quebec recruits makeup 49.4 per cent of McGill’s hockey and basketball rosters, and 43.1 per cent for Bishop’s.

Deep Saini, principal and vice-chancellor of McGill, estimated that one third of McGill’s

student-athletes hail from another province. Director of Athletics at Bishop’s Matt McBrine told La Tribune that he believes that number to be nearly 50 per cent for his institution. Most notably, 86.7 per cent of the Bishop’s Gaiters women’s soccer team comes from another province or country. Both schools fear that they will need to eliminate some varsity teams due to the hike.

Coaches at Concordia, McGill and Bishop’s had considerable advantages over their francophone counterparts when it came to recruiting out-of-province and international students, but the hike will nullify them completely.

“We’re able to recruit from out west because it’s an English institution […] and the price […] was similar to other universities,” said Marc-André Elément, head coach of the Stingers men’s hockey team.

“But now with the increase, it’s going to be another game, and it’s going to be really hard to recruit from outside Quebec, that’s for sure.”

The Stinger’s men’s hockey team only has two non-Quebec players on the roster. However, the program still faces the same obstacles as others that are more dependent on out-of-province recruitment.

“It’s a bit frustrating because we have such good programs,” said Elément. “A lot of guys from [other parts] of the country […] want to come and study here because it’s a good school and everything and now we’re taking that away.”

Elément and his staff are working to find a new recruitment strategy, but they do not see

a clear solution right now.

The tuition hikes could potentially create a ripple effect on the rest of the province if English varsity programs become less formidable competition or get wiped out entirely.

“It will also have an impact on Quebec sports infrastructure, something that people tend to forget,” McBrine told La Tribune in French. “If you have three universities—McGill, Concordia and Bishop’s—who are in several sports leagues, and can no longer compete, it will have an impact on every sport.”

Women’s hockey and football are set to receive a big punch. The three English schools make up 50 per cent of the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) women’s hockey conference, and Concordia and McGill form two out of five RSEQ football teams. McBrine agreed with this notion, telling La Tribune that he doubts that three francophone university programs would offer high caliber competition.

The English schools additionally form three out of seven RSEQ teams for men’s and women’s rugby. But the situation is most dire for basketball, where the trio comprises three out of five Quebec programs for men’s and women’s hoops.

If Quebec teams are no longer fit to compete against each other, then the remaining teams may need to move to the Ontario University Athletics or Atlantic University Sport conferences to maintain a high enough level of competition for varsity play.

Shut Up and Dribble: It’s time for stars to speak up With great talent, comes great responsibility Sports are political. Since its inception, the entire purpose of this column has been to outline the inextricable link between sports and the pursuit of liberation and equality. While some athletes have achieved immortality by standing for the principles even at the cost of their careers, there are still those who believe the two entities should be separate.

That very belief is rooted in an ignorance that is not only harmful, but actively restricts the growth of sport. That hasn’t stopped athletes from putting their livelihood on the line to show solidarity with oppressed and persecuted people all over the world.

Anwar El Ghazi, a football player for German club FSV Mainz 05, was suspended after making statements on social media in solidarity with the Palestinian people. After

doubling down on his support for a population currently trying to survive a genocide, he saw his contract terminated by the club.

Travis Dermott also risked it all to confront the NHL’s ban on pride tape and other equipment during pride-themed nights, another example of such a risk. He challenged the ban, sporting rainbow-coloured tape on his stick and forcing the league’s hand into lifting the ban.

Dermott is a role player, nothing more; he averages 13 minutes of ice time per game and has just one point this season. He had everything to lose by defying the league’s ban, but stood up for what he believed in and scored a massive win for the sport’s LGBTQIA2S+ community.

El Ghazi and Dermott are part of an unnerving norm where a majority of the top athletes in the

12 SPORTS • NOVEMBER 14, 2023

world have opted to stay removed from political statements or any kind of advocacy.

Formula 1’s Lewis Hamilton and Sebastien Vettel, football player Mohammed Salah, and a number of top basketball players like LeBron James, Giannis Antetokoumpo, and Kevin Durant have been outspoken about their politics. However, for every Hamilton, Salah, James and company, there are ten stars who opt to remain silent for whichever reason.

Salah spoke out in solidarity with the people in Gaza and called for a ceasefire, but nobody at Liverpool FC would even think to let someone like him go and there were no calls for the club to drop him.

During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, OneLove armbands that captains of European clubs would wear every game were banned under threat of an on-field sanc-

Elias Grigoriadis tion, and nobody pushed back.

However, during both Qatar and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, Hamilton donned a pride-themed helmet. As one of the greatest drivers in the sport’s history, there was no kind of institutional backlash.

This is a far cry from the treatment world class athletes were subjected to in the past.

During the 1968 Mexico Summer Olympics, American 200-metre gold and bronze medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised one hand with a black glove while the national anthem played. They were ostracized, abused and received death threats from the very people they represented.

These athletes—all at different stages of their careers—dared to speak out against injustice and cemented themselves as some of the greatest sporting icons the world has ever seen.

@theegrigoriadis

Should more athletes at his level follow suit, players like El Ghazi would never again need to weigh employment against doubling down on their beliefs.

Sports’ top athletes have a duty to leverage their massive talent and financial upside against most teams’ discomfort with outright political activism.

By doing so, the precedent they set will allow all athletes to use their platform to reinforce commitments to liberation or ensure that sport is available to as many people as possible.

GRAPHIC LYNA GHOMARI thelinknewspaper.ca

SPORTS

Stingers football members get RSEQ All-Star status Five players and one coach get recognition within the RSEQ football league Alice Martin

@alcmrtn

THE STINGERS FACE OFF THE CARABINS DURING THEIR SEPT. 1 GAME. PHOTO DOROTHY MOMBRUN

espite the Stingers football knowledge of the game.” the RSEQ. Roy, who is also in his and kicking and he's definite- the RSEQ—16-14. The team went D season getting cut short in Head coach Brad Collinson second year, topped the Stingers ly somebody that we're very on to lose a tight playoff game the Réseau des Sports Étudiant du agreed that Tchembe’s growth was with 2.5 sacks and recorded nine proud of.” in overtime 34-27 to the Laval Québec (RSEQ) semi-finals, a silver lining for the team can be found in the nomination of five of its players and one of its coaches to the RSEQ 2023-24 all-star football team.

Offensive lineman Karim Brissault, defensive lineman Nicolas Roy, running back Franck Tchembe, linebacker Loïk Gagné, and punter Eric Maximuik all received honours for their contribution to the team’s success this year.

This season, the Stingers led the division in rushing offence and Tchembe was the RSEQ leader in rushing, with 529 yards. He also tallied three touchdowns in eight games as a third-year veteran.

“I'm really happy with my progression, but I think I haven't reached my full potential yet,” said Tchembe, who aspires to play professionally. “I'm going to work on my physique to gain more speed and improve my

felt this season on the field. “He took the step this year in the running back position, whereas previous years he was more of a special teams guy. We're very proud of the success he had this year, the future's bright for him,” he said.

Collinson praised both Tchembe and Brissault for their physicality on the field. Brissault, a fellow third-year player, contributed heavily to the Stingers offence this season, where the unit averaged 6.4 yards per carry, for a total of 1207 yards and ten rushing touchdowns.

The Stingers’ defensive line also received recognition within the All-Star team. Gagné leads the team in tackles with 31 solos and 11 assists. The second-year linebacker also recorded two sacks and one forced fumble. His efforts garnered him two wins as a defensive player of the week in

Hoping for the hopeless Why do we cheer for teams that continue to break our hearts?

Kieran Mackay

@kieranmackay

“This is what the greatest thing about sports is: you play to win the game.” hese are the now famous T words of former NFL head coach and player Herm Edwards.

GRAPHIC PANOS MICHALAKOPOULOS thelinknewspaper.ca

The legendary clip of the former bench boss stemmed from a loss to the Cleveland Browns during the 2002 NFL season.

solo tackles and five assists for a total of 11.5 in seven games.

The Stingers’ newly-acquired punter from Regina, Sask., Maximuik, earned the honours by leading the conference with 2084 yards on 47 punts, for a league best average of 44.3 yards per attempt. Maximuik is also ranked third in scoring in the RSEQ, with eight points per game.

“I’m definitely honoured,” said Maximuik.“Coming from a completely different part of Canada and [it being] my first time on the team, it's definitely a pretty cool experience and feeling.”

Maximuik performed in a position the Stingers needed to fill before the season, according to Collinson. “He delivered on all fronts,” the head coach said. “He definitely helped us serve the year with his punting

Adding to the five players, special teams assistant coach Émilie Pfeiffer Badoux was additionally named volunteer assistant coach of the year. She joined the team last year.

“She’s a police officer on the day-to-day, but she puts in a lot of time, just as much as a full-time coach does,” said Collinson. “She brings attention to detail to us and players really respect her for what she does.”

On Nov. 10, Pfeiffer Badoux was named most outstanding assistant coach in the RSEQ for her dedication to the team and her knowledge of the game.

The Stingers’ football team undeniably finished their season in style, showing up the two best teams in the Quebec division. In their last regular season game, the Stingers beat the Carabins— the newly crowned champions of

Rouge et Or, who finished the season ranked fourth in U Sports.

“We're not surprised with our success against those two teams.

Obviously, it's disappointing the way we finished the game, we wanted to have a better result,” said Collinson. “At the end of the day, we put U Sports on notice that we're for real. It's only up from now.”

Collinson also called out to Concordia students to attend home games during the 2024-25 season and watch them build on their momentum.

“Hopefully the school notices what we’re doing here and we can get more support from the student body next year,” he said. “It’s a fun time whenever you come to a home game and something we’re really trying to build is that connection with the student body.”

For professional athletes and coaches, the goal is always “to win the game” and prove that you are the best at your chosen profession. Every person who’s ever played any sport has dreamed of being remembered as one of the greats to play the game.

As fans, we want to root for greatness. As long as it’s our team, that’s great.

In the ranks of sports fandom, so much fanfare is placed on the elite: the Brady-era Patriots, the Jordan-Pippen Bulls, and any of the championship-winning Montreal Canadiens teams from the past.

However, the other side of the spectrum is where true die-hard fandom originates. The teams that I support have been the source of some of my greatest joy and excitement, but it’s also been the source of some of my greatest misery.

Growing up as a kid in North Vancouver, the choices for sports fanaticism were limited. The options were either to cheer for the local teams or be shunned by my friends for cheering on the opposition.

I grew up as a fan of the often-maligned Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Bears. Two teams as far away from the elite contenders as any team can possibly be. Two teams with years—if not decades—of disappointing seasons and busted dreams. My friends use it as ammunition.

They ridiculed me on a constant basis, wondering if I’m a masochist because who in their right mind cheers for a team as hopeless as these?

The question is valid. We love these teams so much. We convince ourselves every campaign that “This is the year,” only to proclaim that “We’re done” a quarter of the way in.

We just want it to be true. We don’t want to admit that the years we’ve spent rooting for these teams have been a wasted endeavour. We want to cheer for good teams, teams that win championships, but we don’t want to leave behind these parts of ourselves that we grew up with.

The most important part is the feeling you get when they finally break through. That feeling of absolute elation you get when it finally happens.

If you were to poll lifelong Chicago Cubs fans, asking them if their World Series win in 2016 was worth the 108 years of mediocrity and pain, an overwhelming majority of them would say yes.

Witnessing your team finally reach the pinnacle is worth all the ridicule that you receive. All the years of being the sad kid in the corner of the party. All the years of reading mock drafts a month into a fresh season. None of it matters the second they lift that championship trophy and show everybody that it was all worth it.

So, until that happens, we keep waiting (and hoping) that this year will be different. Even if in the back of our minds, we know that it probably won’t be.

Because at this point, that’s all we can do.

NOVEMBER 14, 2023 • SPORTS 13

OPINIONS

When intersectional advocacy flies out the window Israeli pinkwashing is a bandaid over a not-so-hypothetical wound Sam Haddad yet to encounter one queer The idea that Israel is a haIwithhave person on social media standing ven to LGBTQIA2S+ people is Palestine who hasn’t received false. The first indicator should be comments like “you wouldn’t last one day there.” These kinds of interactions have become too common in online spaces, where boundaries are non-existent and everyone has something to say.

Whenever a queer person has tried to advocate for the liberation of Palestine—and especially since the events of Oct. 7— we are repeatedly told that we should not be sympathizing with the oppressed because of the idea that queer people don’t belong in the Arab world. The implied meaning behind these statements is that the settler colonial state of Israel is the saviour we have been waiting for; that it is the long-awaited messiah that has arrived to pull the Middle East out of its prehistoric rut and introduce it to the almighty Western lifestyle.

that same-sex marriage isn’t legal there—and it should be obvious, were it not for the hypocrisy that surrounds the treatment of white queer people in contrast with that of queer people of colour. The Israeli government has been indiscriminately killing Palestinians for 75 years now, regardless of the fact that some of them are queer.

Just go read some of their dying wishes on Queering the Map. How can this state call itself the only LGBTQIA2S+ safe space in the region when its government is actively eradicating members of this community? How can it boast a feminist agenda when the very principles it was built on are ethnic cleansing and the exclusion of the other? How can people who are too far-removed from the reality of queer people in the Middle

East tell me what I should and shouldn’t stand for?

One thing has always been true: in times of crisis, Arabs, no matter their personal background, are expected to push a typically Western narrative against their own people.

At some point in our lives, we are forced to choose between uprooting our lives and moving to the “civilized” world, ultimately funding the destruction of our countries through tax dollars, or staying in the Middle East and killing our futures, our hopes and our dreams. As Arabs, we exist in a binary that pits the different aspects of our identities against each other. We are forced to choose which one we value more.

I should not have to pick. We have come so far in our understanding of advocacy and intersectionality that, to me, the mere idea of having to betray a part of myself for another cause is absurd.

There is no Palestinian liberation without queer liberation simply because there are queer Palestinians and vice versa. One cannot pretend to care about a cause if they are going to later use it as an excuse to spread hate and a harmful narrative.

I am tired of the double-standards surrounding the topic of Palestinian freedom. I am tired of the ignorance surrounding queerness in the Arab world. I am tired of constantly having to frame my story in a way the Western world deems acceptable. Our erasure from the narrative only

‘Tis the season to stay in bed!

Seasonal depression, poor Concordia resources, and how to deal with both Scott Guy

@saucyscotttt

GRAPHIC MYRIAM OUAZZANI AND MEIJI GRACE ESTRADA was happily coasting through wave popcorn—I wanted to sleep bed becomes a struggle. I've had to Imonths the semester when, after two for 14 hours. figure out how to handle life while of maintaining healthy Suddenly, it dawned on me; being emotionally incapacitated. habits—like going to bed before midnight and not doing schoolwork on the weekend—I suddenly felt like I’d been hit by a bus.

I no longer felt well-rested after eight hours of sleep. My motivation to do readings vanished. I wanted to hide in the comfort of my bedroom, doom-scrolling and playing addictive mobile games until it was time to eat my daily meal of micro-

the days had become shorter and the weather consistently colder.

It was high time for seasonal depression to rear its ugly head.

Autumn has always been the highlight of my year, with activities like visiting corn mazes, watching scary movies and cooking hearty soups.

Each year, however, my mental health decays and getting out of

14 OPINIONS • NOVEMBER 14, 2023

It’s extremely disappointing that Concordia doesn’t have more resources for students suffering around this time of year (or any time of year, really). Triage for Concordia’s counselling services only accepts ten new students per week, and unless you have a timer set and the fastest fingers in the world, it’s almost impossible to get a spot. Students only get ten sessions,

works to further push an agenda that harms us all. We just want to exist without having to explain what we stand for and why we shouldn’t have to.

The two-facedness of typical Western advocacy is one that is so easy to dismantle with logic and facts, yet so hard to undo because of the amount of propagandic media content the US and Israeli government have been putting out.

In the first two weeks of June, Tel Aviv’s Instagram account turned into a page solely promoting the city’s pride celebrations, conveniently diverting the public’s attention from the war crimes the Israel Defense Forces commit while people party. The dichotomy between the way people in the West advocate for different things is something that bothers me deeply and is a prime example of how internalized bias is some-

thing that every person must actively work towards overcoming.

I am tired of the deafening silence as Arabs and Palestinians die, that is only interrupted by outrage when a queer person calls for ethnic cleansing to end. I am Arab.

I am queer. I do not need some random person on the internet telling me I’m dumb for wanting my community’s pain to end.

Social media has given some people the confidence to think they have acquired an overnight PhD in Middle Eastern studies, therefore qualifying them to share with the world a ridiculous two-sentence, meaningless statement that does more harm than good. Newsflash: Being Arab and queerness are not mutually exclusive. Being queer and saying “free Palestine” should not be controversial.

GRAPHIC MYRIAM OUAZZANI which means you have to pick and choose what trauma you want to unpack and save the rest for later.

Another insufficient resource that Concordia offers is the shortterm absence form. Technically, it allows you to miss up to two days of class or an assignment worth up to 30 per cent of your grade.

Students can claim two shortterm absences per academic year.

If you’re sick, too miserable to get out of bed, or too depressed to submit an assignment on time more than twice during the whole school year, you’re screwed.

I’ve been able to stave off the effects of seasonal depression by getting enough sleep. It’s not revolutionary, but getting enough sleep has been integral to functioning during the day. As the days have gotten shorter, I’ve tried to make sure that my sleep schedule has aligned with circadian rhythms, meaning that I go to bed earlier.

Since autumn marks the beginning of a new school year, everyone becomes more susceptible to burnout from constantly busting their ass. Taking time away from frequent distractors when I can, allows me to spend time with myself. Resting, to me, looks like

taking a bath or a shower, doing a puzzle, or cooking an elaborate meal. Spending quality time with yourself can be an easy way to pull yourself out of a rut.

Getting some fresh air and moving my body has been helpful.

It isn’t a necessity to stroll merrily away from my apartment for kilometres on end, standing outside on my balcony and taking a few deep breaths while I wait for my kettle to boil will suffice. Movement can even be as simple as tidying my living room before I lay on the couch for the rest of the day. You don’t have to be doing the most to impact your mood, and holding yourself to such a high standard can make you crash and burn.

Seasonal depression is brutal to manage when you’re trying to stay afloat. It has ruined entire semesters for me, and my burnout has impacted my work and relationships. While my strategies aren’t perfect solutions that have cured my mental illness, they are usually enough for me to only feel a little resentful that Concordians only receive two formal short-term absences per academic year. thelinknewspaper.ca

EDITORIAL

Mainstream media failed Palestinian students

PHOTO ANDRAE LEWIS n Nov. 8, confrontations est Reporting Canada (HRC) as backgrounds of their sources and about what happened? Better yet, lobbying organization. The Link O broke out at the mezzanine of primary sources. seeking documentation to sup- they could have reached out to believes the use of this source the Hall building between pro-IsCanadian journalists love to port their reliability.

SPHR Concordia on social media is extremely questionable and raeli and pro-Palestinian students. Since the incident, Quebec mainstream media has portrayed Palestinians like animals.

When the confrontation between SPHR and StartUp Nation occurred, rather than send journalists to cover the altercation with on-the-ground reporting, papers like the Montreal Gazette published statements by organizations that weren’t eye-witnesses to the events on campus. While the newspaper updated their original articles since Nov. 8, the damage had already been done.

Despite hundreds of students being on the scene of the incident, the Gazette relied on sources such as the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and far-right Hon-

Volume 44, Issue 6 Tuesday, November 14, 2023 Concordia University Library Building, Room LB-717 1400 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W. Montreal, Quebec H3G 18 Editor: 514-848-2424 x. 7407 Arts: 514-848-2424 x. 5813 News: 514-848-2424 x. 8682 Business: 514-848-7406 Advertising: 514-848-7406

boast themselves as impartial, objective and ethical reporters with the highest standards. Yet, when reporting on an ongoing genocide, legacy papers like the Gazette decided to embed tweets from Zionist organizations in their article. We would like to remind our audience that HRC is the same institution that denies the Israeli Defence Force murdered Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh almost two years ago.

By not adequately giving Concordia students proper voices in their coverage, media outlets excluded an essential element of the story. They failed to adhere to the most basic of reporting principles like verifying the identities and

Additionally, the leading image the Gazette decided to run for the article plays into racist stereotypes of Arabs. They used a single image of a Palestinian activist yelling at Zionist students, playing into the angry, barbaric Arab trope. Running the story with a leading image of an angry pro-Israeli student yelling would have been unthinkable. This is a double standard, and an othering of Arab students on campus.

The Gazette failed to show images of Zionists provoking the other side, the security guards on the scene and the SPVM shoving students around. The entire article was based on second-hand statements and information. Was the Gazette scared to talk to students

or any of the student groups on the scene.

The original voices in the Gazette’s article also used defamatory statements by CIJA when talking about the pro-Palestinian students. Not only that, but most news organizations repudiated the CIJA’s allegation that a pro-Palestine student said an anti-semitic slur. This supposed fact ended up being fact-checked and misconstrued. Based on accounts from The Link, the student in the viral video never used any antisemitic slur during the altercations.

CIJA ended up deleting these statements on X without ever acknowledging their mistake or issuing an apology. CIJA is Canada’s foremost pro-Israel

The Link is published fourteen times during the academic year by The Link Publication Society Inc. Content is independent of the university and student associations (ECA, CASA, ASFA, FASA, CSU). Editorial policy is set by an elected board as provided for in The Link 's constitution. Any student is welcome to work on The Link and become a voting staff member.

Material appearing in The Link may not be reproduced without prior written permision from The Link.

Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters 400 words or less will be printed, space permitting. The letters deadline is Friday at 4:00 p.m. The Link reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and length and refuse those deemed racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, libellous or otherwise contrary to The Link 's statement of principles.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2023-2024: Voting Members: Katy Brady, Caroline Marsh, Jordan Lee Jerome-Pitre | Non-Voting Members: Adam Gibbard, Zachary Fortier TYPESETTING by The Link PRINTING by Hebdo-Litho.

CONTRIBUTORS: Miguel Fowke-Quintas, Geneviève Sylvestre, Abby Cole, Claudia Beaudoin, Shyam Ragavan, Casey Kiss, Semira Kosciuk, Menel Rehab, India Das-Brown, Olivia Shan, Kat Mulligan, Alessandro Commisso, Jared Lackman-Mincoff, Elias Grigoriadis, Lyna Ghomari, Kieran Mackay, Sam Haddad, Scott Guy, Andrae Lewis.

House Ads: Panos Michalakopoulos Cover: Dorothy Mombrun

Corrections for Vol. 44, Issue 5: In the article “The After” p.18, the wrong graphic was used. It was originally a graphic of a girl in a bathtub. The graphic was corrected online. Additionally the name of the contributor was misspelled.

It is Olivia Shan and not Shan Olivia. The Link regrets this error.

frames the entire story in bad faith. CIJA pushes continued support of Israel’s media narrative on Gaza, ignoring the fact the state of Israel has murdered over 10,000 Palestinians which can justifiably be considered a genocide.

Canadian media needs to do better than this apathetic and passive attempt at reporting under the guise of giving both sides an equal voice. The Link is ashamed of papers like the Gazette for their questionable reporting on the events of Nov. 8. This impartiality has no place in our legacy media.

The Gazette is either showing its true colours or is too lazy to simply walk down to Concordia University to do basic journalism.

Editor-in-Chief ZACHARY FORTIER Managing Editor AUTUMN DAREY Coordinating Editor ANTHONY ISSA Creative Director MEIJI GRACE ESTRADA Co-News Editors MARIA CHOLAKOVA INESS RIFAY

Features Editor HANNAH VOGAN Outreach Coordinator PANOS MICHALAKOPOULOS Fringe Arts Editor GABRIELLE LAPERRIÈRE-LEBLANC Sports Editor ALICE MARTIN Opinions Editor OPEN Photo Editor DOROTHY MOMBRUN Video Editor DANA HACHWA Graphics Editor MYRIAM OUAZZANI Copy Editor CONOR TOMALTY Operations Manager ADAM GIBBARD Systems Administrator SHREYA SAVANT Bookkeeper MIKE TALAMANTES Distribution GUY LANDRY

In the article “Faith and Fears” p.18, the wrong graphic was also used. The graphic misattributed for the article “The After” should have been used with this article. The graphic was made by Henry Richa. The Link regrets this error as well In the article “Music fundraiser for the children of Gaza raises over $7,000” p.25, the name of one of our sources in the piece was misspelled. Their name is Ehab Lotayef and not Ihav Lotayif. The Link apologizes for this error. thelinknewspaper.ca

NOVEMBER 14, 2023 • EDITORIAL 15