The Tribune Vol. 43 Issue 14

The Tribune TUESDAY, JANUARY 16 2024 | VOL. 43 | ISSUE 14

Published by the SPT, a student society of McGill University

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EDITORIAL

FEATURE

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Reconceptualizing free speech on an unequal campus

Why do we refuse to protect our athletes?

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PG. 8-9

Cherry-picking in biostatistics research reveals a deeper-rooted problem PG. 14

(Mason Bramadat / The Tribune)

Post-secondary education is a right that must be asserted

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SSMU revokes permission for SPHR to use McGill’s name McGill claims SPHR’s use of university name violates SSMU-McGill MoA Eliza Lee News Editor

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n Dec. 18 the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) announced that it has revoked Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) McGill’s right to use the McGill name. The decision comes after the Office of the Deputy Provost, Fabrice Labeau, delivered a notice to SSMU on Nov. 6 which stated that SPHR’s use of the university name violates

SSMU’s Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with McGill University. As per section 12.2 of the MoA, a 30-day working period took place between Nov. 17 and Dec. 17, during which SSMU and SPHR met but were unable to resolve the alleged violation. Although they have been instructed to remove the university name, SPHR remains affiliated with SSMU. The first claim of an MoA violation due to SPHR’s use of the McGill name came in an Oct. 10 communication from Provost and Vice-Principal Christopher Manfredi condemning SPHR’s since-

removed social media post following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. In an email to The Tribune, McGill media relations officer Frédérique Mazerolle explained that in accordance with section 7.6 of the MoA, SPHR was able to use the university name in their official club name, McGill Students for Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights. Mazerolle wrote that McGill believes SPHR’s use of the McGill name on social media and websites violates this agreement, also highlighting that the content of the group’s social media post opposed McGill’s values.

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Quebec needs to rethink its French tuition agreement

Where do I begin? Corridos Tumbados

Monique Kasonga Contributor

Corridos Tumbados blends traditional Mexican music with hip-hop influences

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ince 2018, an agreement between the governments of France, Belgium, and Quebec has exempted francophone students from France and Belgium from the skyrocketing international tuition fee supplement. Under this collaborative initiative allowing Quebec to

maintain the Francophonie, these undergraduate students are subject to the Canadian rate of tuition, while graduate students follow the Quebec rate of tuition. McGill’s French and Belgian student body constitutes a noteworthy 18.6 per cent of the university’s international student population.

This arrangement exclusively benefits students hold-

ing citizenship from these two countries, despite French being acknowledged as an official language in 28 nations worldwide, most of which are on the African continent. To genuinely advance the Quebec government’s supposed mission of increasing francophones in the province, including students from non-European French-speaking countries is a necessity.

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Kai Samuel-Szablowski Contributor

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orridos Tumbados, a form of regional Mexican music, exploded in popularity in 2023.

At the forefront of this phenomenon was Peso Pluma, who rose to global fame

after his feature on Eslabon Armado’s “Ella Baila Sola,” which topped the Billboard Global 200 and was Rolling Stone’s song of the year. The global success of the song—as well as of hits such as “AMG” and “PRC”—propelled Peso Pluma to worldwide star-

dom, making him the most streamed artist on YouTube and the fifth-most streamed artist on Spotify in 2023.

Peso Pluma, however, is just one part of a movement in Mexican music which has brought traditional sounds to millions of new ears.

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NEWS

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McGill appeals reinstatement of archaeological panel overseeing work on New Vic site Indigenous cultural monitor speaks out against McGill

Jasjot Grewal News Editor

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rovost and Executive Vice-President (Academic) Christopher Manfredi emailed all students and staff on Dec. 20, providing an update on McGill’s New Vic Project and a “clarification of salient facts.” This came as the Kanien’kehá:ka Kahnistensera’s (Mohawk Mothers) ongoing investigation into the New Vic Project site, where they fear that there may be unmarked graves, continues. The Mothers returned to court on Oct. 27 to refute McGill and the SQI’s decision to disband the court-appointed archaeological panel, and Justice Gregory Moore ruled to reinstate the archaeological panel on Nov. 20.

McGill and the SQI have appealed this decision, claiming Justice Moore misinterpreted the settlement agreement, with a planned appeal hearing on Jan. 16.

Manfredi’s email disputed several perceived misconceptions, including the disbandment of the archaeological panel, Historic Human Remains Detection Dogs (HHRDD) detecting human remains on the site, the mishandling of evidence, and the use of student fees to fund McGill’s legal proceedings.

In a written statement to The Tribune, court-appointed Indigenous cultural monitor Karonhia’nó:ron explained that his role on the site includes reminding the defendants—including McGill, the Société québécoise des infrastructures (SQI), the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH), the City of Montreal, and the Attorney General of Canada—that the investigation should be Indigenous-led, that proper Indigenous protocol must

be followed, and that the archaeologists must abide by the settlement agreement and the recommendations of the expert panel. Karonhia’nó:ron expressed that he found Manfredi’s email to be “disgusting and infuriating.”

“The statement that no evidence of human remains has been discovered since the investigation began in June 2023 is despicable and wholeheartedly untrue.” Karonhia’nó:ron wrote.

“HHRDD have flagged two separate locations as potentially containing human remains, groundpenetrating radar surveys have detected dozens of anomalies, [and] hundreds of [animal and human] bone fragments have been found on-site.”

Karonhia’nó:ron also addressed McGill’s claim that it did not fire the expert archaeological panel, explaining that after the panel submitted its initial recommendations of July 17, 2023, as mandated by articles 11 and 13 of the settlement agreement, one of the panel members resigned.

Shortly after, on Aug. 3, McGill and the SQI disbanded the panel.

McGill media relations officer Frédérique Mazerolle explained in a written statement to The Tribune that McGill and the SQI dissolved the panel because they believed that the panel’s mandate had been completed.

“Its mandate was ‘to assess and identify the appropriate archaeological techniques to be used on different areas of the site to detect whether there are unmarked graves,’” Mazerolle wrote.

“Its mandate having been completed, it dissolved, with the understanding that should some unexpected discovery take place on the site, the panel would be consulted.”

Mazerolle additionally expanded on Mc-

Gill’s decision to appeal Justice Moore’s Nov. 20 decision to reinstate the archaeological panel.

“That ruling addressed the circumstances under which archaeological work on the site of the RVH is to be carried out,” Mazerolle wrote.

“Our decision to appeal was not taken lightly and is based on our view that the judgment made legal and palpable errors. Specifically, we believe the Settlement Agreement was misinterpreted in the judgment.”

Karonhia’nó:ron found the appeal to be “repulsive,” expressing that he believes taking the case back to court would be a waste of time and resources.

Manfredi’s email additionally stated that the

agreement does not stipulate that the investigation should be Indigenous-led. Phillippe Blouin—an anthropologist and associate of the Mothers—responded to this claim in an interview with The Tribune, expressing that he found it to be improper to pursue an investigation of this sort without Indigenous leadership.

“The government and university really want to take that position that the searches for missing Indigenous and murdered Indigenous children should not be led by the Indigenous community?”

Blouin asked. “They want the potential perpetrators of atrocities [...] to lead the research. It just doesn’t seem very consistent with international law.”

Road closures are expected on Pine Avenue from Jan. 15 to Feb. 9 due to construction at the site. (James Knechtel / The Tribune)

Montrealers pay tribute to the over 100 journalists killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza Hundreds of mourners gathered to condemn Canadian news coverage of the violence in Gaza Chloé Kichenane Opinion Editor

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n Jan. 11, about two hundred people gathered in the streets of Old Port to pay tribute to journalists who died in Gaza in a vigil organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) Montreal. According to Al Jazeera on Dec. 23, authorities in Gaza have stated that at least 100 journalists have been killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza since Oct. 7.

The vigil started at 6:30 p.m. with a speech from Haya, a representative from PYM. Haya welcomed the crowd with a few words recognizing the importance of journalists reporting in Gaza, while simultaneously condemning several major Canadian media outlets for their coverage of the conflict.

“Palestinian journalists offer a window into a world that is otherwise isolated from us, both metaphorically and literally [….] While Palestinian journalists have been risking their lives every single day to showcase [to] the world the brutality of Israel’s genocidal campaign, Canadian news networks have been shamefully complicit,” Haya said. “The language that Canadian media uses grossly minimizes the war crimes committed by Israel, which in the end, further dehumanizes Palestinians.”

She finished her speech by encouraging the crowd to continue fighting for Palestine, and to take inspiration from the killed journalists to “continue to carry the torch in their honour.”

Ellen Gabriel, a Mohawk activist from the Kanien:keha’ka nation, then took the floor to express support of Indigenous communities in Canada for the Palestinian cause.

“I think of the parallels of what has been done to Indigenous peoples in Canada and the lies that have been said about us [….] I say to Justin Trudeau and to Mark Miller […], Canada has a long history of genocide against Indigenous peoples. It’s time for Canada to stop being complicit in genocide, and actually be on the right side, and actually stop a genocide,” Gabriel said.

Gabriel’s speech was followed by a moment of silence to honour the journalists killed in Gaza, while their names, stories, and pictures scrolled on the projection.

“This is the only time we should be silent when it comes to Gaza,” Gabriel concluded.

A representative from PYM then encouraged the crowd to repeat the names of journalists who were killed in Gaza, such as Hamza Dahdouh, son of Al Jazeera’s journalist Wael Dahdouh.

Among the speakers, Inès Pahaut, a journalism student at Université de Montréal,

shared her concerns about the media coverage As the vigil reached its end after around of the Palestinian cause with The Tribune . two hours, PYM offered warm drinks to “I’ve been extremely disappointed by participants who braved the cold and invited my classes, my classmates, my teachers attendees to leave a prayer or a message on because the way they were covering what’s poster boards. The organizers concluded with happening in Gaza was far away from what I some final words encouraging everyone to was actually imagining in journalism,” Pahaut keep mobilizing. said to The Tribune. “For weeks, I kept having “As we prepare to mark the 100th day of arguments with my teachers, because I was the relentless aggression on Gaza on Sunday like, why aren’t you talking about it? Or why [Jan. 14], let us carry this moment with us. We are you using this narrative? Why are you will mourn and we will shed tears for people, even encouraging this choice of vocabulary? but to honour them is to rise and to keep Because they don’t see their biases. And I fighting for them,” Sarah Shamy, an organizer tried to explain it, so many times. And it was with PYM, said. super frustrating.” *Alex’s name has been changed to In a conversation with The Tribune, preserve their confidentiality.

Alex*, a McGill student, drew a parallel between media coverage and McGill’s communications with the student body.

“Both as just regular people, but especially as students at McGill, the rhetoric that has been pumped out in the [administration’s] emails that are sent out to the campus, there’s been a real recklessness with how the emails are written,” Alex The vigil’s organizers projected an animated tribute to the journalsaid. ists on a screen across the street. (Abby Zhu / The Tribune)

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NEWS

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McGill divests direct holdings from Carbon Underground 200 fossil fuel firms Divestment comes after 12 years of student mobilization Jasjot Grewal News Editor

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Over the break

n Dec. 14, the McGill Board of Governors (BoG) voted to divest from all direct holdings in Carbon Underground (CU) 200 fossil fuel companies, which currently constitute 0.5 per cent of total McGill Investment Pool (MIP) holdings as of December 2022. CU 200 companies include the world’s top 200 coal, oil, and gas reserve owners, ranked by the carbon emissions content of their reported reserves. Divestment will be implemented in 2024, and completed in 2025. This comes after 12 years of student and faculty mobilization, primarily through Divest McGill.

Zahur Ashrafuzzaman, BA ’23, who is a former member of Divest McGill, explained the work that the student group has done in the past decade to advocate for divestment in an interview with The Tribune.

They shared that since its founding in 2012, the group has organized highly publicized events at the university, submitted extensively researched briefs to the BoG, and circulated petitions.

“It’s been a long time coming [....] It further validates the importance of all the work everyone has been doing over the past decade. It’s beautiful to see,” Ashrafuzzaman said. “It is a community effort from everyone involved, for so many years, so many graduation cycles.”

Another member of Divest McGill, Lola Milder, U3 Science, shared that the divestment came after the group’s September

2023 presentation to the BoG, where BoG members committed to voting on divestment by December 2023. While Milder shared that she was excited by the decision, she expressed a sense of ambivalence surrounding whether McGill would follow through on this commitment.

“I think we’ve seen so many other universities across Canada commit to divestment, but then fall short of their commitments, like Concordia, which had to renew their commitment last year because they were basically sitting idle on their commitment to divest,” Milder said.

Divestment was one of eight commitments approved by the BoG, with another initiative consisting of allocating ten per cent of the MIP to sustainable investment strategies as per United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. McGill media relations officer Frédérique Mazerolle described this action as the most important out of all of McGill’s commitments.

“We are moving from investing five per cent of our portfolio in sustainable investments to 10 per cent. These are investments that advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which address not only climate change, but such goals as alleviating poverty and advancing sustainability—we are furthering our steps in tackling global challenges,” Mazerolle wrote.

Darin Barney, a professor in the Department of Art History and Communication Studies, was a member of the BoG from 2017-2019 and resigned from his po-

sition as governor in 2019 in protest of the from students, faculty, and staff—cries out BoG’s handling of Divest McGill’s petition for a democratic overhaul of that board,” to the Board to divest from its endowment Mikkelson said in a written statement to in fossil-fuel companies. While Barney The Tribune. celebrated the BoG’s decision to divest, he Ashrafuzzaman also expressed hope highlighted the need for McGill to divest that the fossil-fuel divestment will inspire from the remaining 0.4 per cent of indirect McGill to divest from other socially unjust holdings in fossil fuel companies. endowments, including companies that “Beyond that, McGill should continue support the Israeli state. and intensify its efforts to decarbonize the “What comes to mind is investments operations of the University in all it dimen- in companies that support the Israeli occusions, including by providing enhanced pation and apartheid in Palestine. McGill is material support and recognition for low- invested heavily into companies like Lockcarbon scholarly practices in research, heed Martin [...] and various other compapublication, teaching and administration,” nies that are heavily implicated in the ongoBarney wrote in an email to The Tribune. ing genocide,” Ashrafuzzaman said.

Greg Mikkelson, an ex-professor at McGill who resigned over the university’s Divest McGill plans to bring together lack of divestment in 2020, called for Mc- students, staff, and alumni to celebrate the Gill to lobby their peers at other universities divestment. A date has not yet been decided. to likewise cut their ties with oil and gas companies. He also asserted that the university needs a stronger democratic representation of students and staff on its BoG. “The fact that McGill’s corporate-dominated board took so long to go along with divestment—despite o v e r w h e l m i n g In 2013, 2016, and 2020, the BoG refused to divest its direct holdsupport on campus ings in unsustainable companies. (Julien Crête Nadeau / The Tribune)

SSMU revokes permission for SPHR to use McGill’s name

McGill claims SPHR’s use of university name violates SSMU-McGill MoA

Eliza Lee News Editor Continued from page 1.

“In contrast with the official, authorized name of the club, [the name] ‘SPHR McGill’ [on social media] wrongly implies a direct affiliation with the University,” Mazerolle wrote. “This implied affiliation is troubling, especially given the social media post, which has since been deleted, that described the Hamas attack of October 7 and hostagetaking as ‘heroic.’”

In an interview with The Tribune, a representative from SPHR who wished to remain anonymous explained that SSMU’s decision to revoke their permission to use the university name did not come as a surprise. They also claimed the removal of the name was a distraction from the university’s complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

“We were unfazed,” the representative said. “Students who speak up for Palestine will receive repression [....] Our administration has taken a very clear stance, [...] they refuse to condemn the ongoing genocide as we demanded.

We also consider this as a way for them to represent the student body and show the representative said. “The student body to evade accountability, because the solidarity for Palestine. The representative has clearly spoken [as] 79 per cent voted student body is now very aware of just also criticized SSMU for delaying the in favour of the policy [Against Genocide how complicit our university is in the ratification of the Policy against Genocide in Palestine], and thousands of students occupation of Palestine and the ongoing in Palestine. are still showing up to our rallies and to genocide on Gaza.”

“We just see this trend of them our events [...] in mass mobilization. So In an email to The Tribune, SSMU resorting to these bureaucratic regulations it’s just another way to distract [and] to president Alexandre Ashkir emphasized and procedures as a way to repress us,” try and undermine this collective will.” that the demand for the university name to be removed originated from McGill administration rather than SSMU, and reaffirmed SSMU’s commitment to reinstating SPHR’s use of the name. “[The removal of the McGill name] has no bearing on SSMUʼs commitment to supporting our Palestinian members or the student groups that represent Palestinian people,” Ashkir wrote. “It is disappointing that SPHR is no longer able to use the McGill name as we recognize the importance of student groups being able to place themselves and their representation on this campus, however, we will continue to advocate for the reestablishment of SPHRʼs use of the name with the university.”

According to the SPHR representative, SSMU’s decision constitutes a larger pattern of actions As a registered club, SPHR is affiliated with SSMU, but the group does not receive funding in which the students’ union has failed from the organization (Mason Bramadat / The Tribune)

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SSMU BoD ratifies motion to support UBC Trans Coalition Letter to StudentCare Board also nominates candidate to be International Student Representative Liliana Mason* Opinion Editor

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he Students’ Society of McGill University’s (SSMU) Board of Directors (BoD) met on Jan. 11 to discuss the Executive Committee Report and Nominating Committee Report—tasked with evaluating candidates for the International Student Representative position—as well as a confidential session.

Chair Jonathan Dong conducted the meeting, bringing attendants through the agenda points, beginning with the Executive Committee Report.

SSMU President Alexandre Ashkir introduced the report, explaining that the committee last met on Jan. 9 and approved motions both by email and in-person. Ashkir singled out two motions from the report as being particularly notable, the motion to change the committee’s meeting time to Tuesdays during the day and the motion to add SSMU’s signature to the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Trans Coalition’s letter to StudentCare. This letter requests better services for trans people covered by StudentCare’s insurance services.

The other approved motions include the hiring of a food counter attendant, a Gerts barista, three coat check attendants for Gerts, a front desk receptionist, two menstrual hygiene product coordinators, and the contract extensions of the services finance coordinator and the funding commissioner.

After the board ratified the Executive Committee Report, Dong moved the meeting into a confidential session for a period.

Following the confidential session, the meeting turned to the Nominating Committee Report, which was introduced by Dong and read through by Parliamentarian Lisa Pennel.

She began by going over the purpose of the Nominating Committee Report, which is tasked with the selection of members appointed to both the BoD and the Judicial Board. This process includes receiving applications, conducting interviews, and presenting recommendations, but the committee does not have final hiring power, which lies with the board.

The committee report looked at the last application cycle, which was focused on hiring an International Student Representative to the BoD—a non-voting position that is responsible for representing the interests of the international student body to the board. The committee received three applications to the position, all of which were reviewed remotely to come to a recommendation. Pennel recounted a mistake in the application process in which an applicant was initially interviewed for a board member at-large position for which they were ineligible. On Jan. 8, the committee voted on a recommendation through majority preference, although all members came to consensus upon discussion.

The committee recommended candidate two and suggested that candidate four be interviewed for a judicial board position.

Following the run-through of the report, Council Representative Jacob Shannon enquired into the Nominating Committee’s plan for keeping both the BoD and the judicial board staffed.

Shannon expressed his hesitancy “to send someone to [the judicial board] when [he feels] like [the BoD] really is integral to the function of the SSMU. Whereas, for example, the Policy Against Genocide in Palestine is not even passing by the [judicial board] because they have the appeal.”

In response, Pennel emphasized that the committee remains focused on hiring for the

board.

Pennel affirmed that “we also really want to see people [on the BoD],” and that they “are still prioritizing the board member at-large position.”

General Manager Maya Marcus-Sells also spoke to the importance of the International Student Representative role before asking a follow-up question about the consideration of candidate four for the This was the BoD’s first meeting of the semester, having last convened judicial board. on Dec. 14, 2023. (Nell Tov / The Tribune) “Before I get to my question, I would like to respond to Director matters for public discussion, the meeting then Shannon, as well, which is to say that while the entered into a confidential session.

International Student Representative position is *Liliana Mason is an employee of SSMU, of course an important one, for them to have a but this did not affect her reporting and she is position as an officer of the board and to look over not involved with any of the SSMU activities the board.” Marcus-Sells said. “It is a non-voting discussed in this article. position as only Canadian citizens or permanent residents are eligible to vote on the board of directors.”

Moment of the meeting: The BoD then ratified the report The meeting ran through both committee reports, and approved its three motions. effectively ratifying their findings as well as approving Candidate two was nominated to the recommended motions. This will facilitate the hirthe SSMU BoD as International ing of several positions as well as allow the committees Student Representative, effective to move forward in their mandates. immediately, until Nov. 14, 2024; Soundbite: candidate four was rejected for the “The Nominating Committee is a committee position and instead recommended tasked with the selection of members to the board of dito be considered for judicial board rectors and Judicial Board whenever it’s necessary. So member; and candidates one and we get applications. From this membership, we interthree were rejected. view and present recommendations for each position.”

Given that there were no more

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Editor-in-Chief Matthew Molinaro editor@thetribune.ca

Reconceptualizing free speech on an unequal campus

Creative Director Mika Drygas mdrygas@thetribune.ca

The Tribune Editorial Board

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Managing Editors Lily Cason lcason@thetribune.ca Arian Kamel akamel@thetribune.ca Tillie Burlock tburlock@thetribune.ca News Editors Eliza Lee, Jasjot Grewal, & Caroline Sun news@thetribune.ca Opinion Editors Chloé Kichenane, Liliana Mason, & Isaiah Albert-Stein opinion@thetribune.ca Science & Technology Editors Ella Paulin & Athina Sitou scitech@thetribune.ca Student Life Editors Abby McCormick & Dante Ventulieri studentlife@thetribune.ca Features Editor Fanta Ly features@thetribune.ca Arts & Entertainment Editors Dana Prather & Suzanna Graham arts@thetribune.ca Sports Editors Sara Escallon & Julie Ferreyra sports@thetribune.ca Design Editors Drea Garcia & Zoe Dubin design@thetribune.ca Photo Editor Mason Bramadat photo@thetribune.ca Multimedia Editor Anna Chudakov & Alyssa Razavi Mastali multimedia@thetribune.ca Web Developer Eleni Lyberopoulos webdev@thetribune.ca Copy Editor Theodore Shouse copy@thetribune.ca Social Media Editor Sainka Walia socialmedia@thetribune.ca Business Manager Sophie Smith business@thetribune.ca

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he debate over free speech in higher education has attracted significant attention in recent months. Elite universities, such as Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), have received international attention as raging conservative movements take down administrations while these same administrators stumble over institutional oppression. Recent rightwing backlash against Harvard’s former President, Claudine Gay, highlights the parallel limitations of free speech at McGill. On campus, speaking out against conservative antiintellectualism is necessary to ensure that campus activism and a better institutional future can exist.

On Jan. 2, Gay resigned from her position following a campaign against her which manifested widespread racist and sexist harassment.

Billionaire Harvard alumnus Bill Ackman and conservative activist Christopher Rufo levied accusations of plagiarism against Gay as part of their harmful fight against DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) at Harvard. Their public attacks built on national criticism of her response to on-campus antisemitism, which reached a high point in early December when Republican Representative Elise Stefanik challenged Gay and

OFF THE BOARD Abby McCormick Student Life Editor

Ghazal Azizi, Ella Gomes, Shani Laskin, Eliza Lee, Amalia Mairet, Matthew Molinaro, Jacob Northfield, Ella Paulin & Sophie Smith

STAFF Yusur Al-Sharqi, Roberto Concepcion, Kellie Elrick, Maria Gheorghiu, Ellie Griffiths-Barnhart, Charlotte Hayes, Madigan McMahon, Atticus O’Rourke Rusin, Jayda Smith, Eliza Wang, Katherine Weaver, Marco Zeppelli, Abby Zhu

CONTRIBUTORS Charlotte Bawol, Sylvie Bourque, Isobel Bray, Gabrielle Cole, Lily Dodson, Claire Dominici, Kiran Gill, Mia Helfrich, Jasmine Jing, Monique Kasonga, James Knechtel, Yejin Lee, Maïa Salhofer, Kai Samuel-Szablowski, Nell Tov, K. Coco Zhang, Anna Zhou

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W

hen I was three years old, my parents signed me up for my first non-parented swim class at my local recreation centre. They would drag me out of bed, dress me in a pink frilly swimsuit, and sit on the water’s edge watching my class for what felt like hours.

Soon enough, my Saturday mornings became synonymous with swimming lessons, and I absolutely hated it.

Some of my earliest memories are in the pool where I completely

the presidents of University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) and MIT in Congress. Accusations of plagiarism against Gay and her questionable response to activism against the ongoing genocide in Palestine deserve legitimate consideration and scrutiny, but her right-wing critics’ actions betray their dangerous motivations: Weaponizing conversations around antisemitism and academic integrity against free speech.

As a Black woman and a child of Haitian immigrants, Gay has consistently been held to unattainable standards and directly targeted with slurs and other racist, xenophobic threats. Criticisms of Gay’s DEI measures have explicitly racist undertones and emerge from farright rhetoric which similarly deploys “woke” as a hateful stand-in for “Black.” With conservatives claiming Gay’s resignation as a “culture war” victory, the former president suffered unconscionable mistreatment with her identity making her the perfect figurehead for white supremacist attacks on academia.

Examining the claims against Gay raises broader questions about the state of academic freedom at universities.

Gay’s fellow academics, including one alleged victim of her plagiarism, have defended her qualifications against uneven understandings of plagiarism’s harms. What is the effect of unveiling plagiarism among groundbreaking

scholars with significant contributions to their fields? Who has the power to control conversations and include or exclude certain voices? And how do we determine what is ‘political’ amid institutional systems founded upon and sustained by colonial ideals?

Discussions of academic freedom require recognition of how definitions of freedom of speech can be politically motivated. The asymmetrical repression of free speech depends on students’ positionalities and politics. Just as President Gay was at higher risk against conservative attacks, Harvard students experienced the same vulnerability under her administration when the university met pro-Palestine demonstrations with increased surveillance and policing, most directly affecting Black, Indigenous, and Arab students and students of colour.

At McGill, the administration has routinely condemned pro-Palestine activism and remained silent on violent threats toward Palestinian students while claiming to remain apolitical. McGill repeatedly uses the excuse of political neutrality when confronted with activism against their white supremacy and settler colonialism. Consider the institution’s denial of unmarked graves in response to the Mohawk Mothers’ tireless fight and the administration’s refusal to take responsibility for platforming a transphobic speaker. Still, situations

OPINION

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such as the administration’s vocal support for Ukraine demonstrate that our institutional leaders determine what is political based on what best serves their interests.

McGill, too, is an elite institution with significant international influence, and many current McGill students will go on to be the next generation of foreign policymakers, global affairs advisors, and “Middle East Affairs” experts. Currently, three of Montreal’s Liberal Members of Parliament, Anthony Housefather, Anna Gainey, and David Lametti––all with ties to McGill––have sent a letter to Canadian universities attempting to carry out the same right-wing campaign which Rep. Stefanik levied against President Gay in the name of “opposing antisemitism.” Restricting freedom to criticize the institution will continue to produce McGill graduates who maintain the university’s historical, colonial power.

The McGill community must not participate in these active threats against academic freedom.

Where higher education is supposed to teach students to think critically and speak truth to power, McGill is denying students these rights by challenging forms of research and campus activism that question the institution. Repressive academic environments are ultimately antithetical to the very possibility of free speech.

Finding myself underwater refused to do pretty much anything the instructor asked. In Preschool A, I would not put my face in the water. In Preschool B, I would not float on my back. And in Preschool C, I refused to even get in the pool because my instructor kept calling me Abigail instead of Abby.

When I finally made it to the “swimmer” levels, things did not get any better. My poor instructor Clifton spent nearly two years trying to get me to jump into the shallow end to little avail. I remember standing over the edge of the pool and looking down, absolutely terrified. I couldn’t swim, I thought, so why did he want me to jump in when I would inevitably sink?

Was this some sort of plot to kill me?

A few years later as my swimming skills improved, the water became more inviting. On a family vacation when my dad wanted to go snorkelling, I agreed to go along. Once we got to the coral reef, I realized I had made a grave mistake. For some reason, it hadn’t occurred to me that there would be huge fish in the coral reef. So, I did what any terrified 10-year-old would do: I fled.

Afraid of the “shark-fish” that haunted the waters, my newfound swimming skills propelled me

through the water and onto land.

By the time my dad noticed that I was gone, I was halfway back to the beach, and he couldn’t catch up with me. Recognizing my knack for underwater speed, when we got home from our trip, he signed me up for precompetitive swimming.

At my first pre-competitive practice, I felt like I was in over my head. Most of the kids were younger than me, faster than me, and all knew how to do flip turns, which I had never even seen before. But I stuck to my guns, tried my best, and, with time, I began looking forward to swim practices.

When I turned 12, I made it onto the competitive team—something that I never could have imagined just two years earlier. Sure, I was pretty much the slowest kid on the team in my first year, but I didn’t let it bother me; I just kept showing up to every practice (even the ones at 5:30 a.m.), tried my best, and had fun.

My competitive swimming career lasted four years and was filled with ups and downs. The early morning practices were rough and some of the coaches were tough, but I became more resilient and made friends in the process.

Perhaps most important, swimming served as a key bonding force for me and my brothers as we entered our teenage years. Both of my younger brothers became competitive swimmers, joining the same team I did two and five years later, respectively.

Now, one of my brothers is a varsity swimmer at Brock University and the other remains on the same swim team I started at 10 years ago.

As if this wasn’t enough of a full circle, after I quit my swim team, I finished up my lifeguarding qualifications and became a lifeguard and swim instructor at the same recreation centre where I learned to swim.

Now, at the end of every school year, I look forward to going back to my teaching job in Ottawa. I get to see the smiles on kids’ faces as they master new skills and develop unique relationships with them and their families. Being a former terrified-ofthe-water kid helps me to understand that kids who don’t want to try new things aren’t trying to be annoying— they’re just scared. But sometimes when I get a really, really difficult kid in my class, I wish I could meet Clifton again and apologize for being such a pain in the ass all those years ago.

6

OPINION

COMMENTARY

Quebec needs to rethink its French tuition agreement

Monique Kasonga Contributor Continued from page 1.

In 2022, the Canadian government denied study permits to students from Algeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Togo, Senegal and Cameroon at a rate of 80 per cent, while applications from France boasted a nearly automatic acceptance rate with 93 per cent of students being successful. Quebec, the sole province in Canada where French is the primary language, is the region with the most limited prospects for obtaining permits for these students. During the 2022-23 year, the McGill International Student Body only had a combined 14 students from the DRC, Madagascar, and Cameroon, meanwhile these three countries have some of the highest French-speaking populations in the African continent. The DRC itself is the second most French-speaking country in the world, with an estimated 37 million people, followed by dozens of other African countries who struggled and resisted under French and Belgian colonialism.

The disparity in approval rates between European and African French-speaking applicants undermines the fairness and inclusivity of the permit application process. In doing so, it hinders the diversity and richness that international students

COMMENTARY

from various linguistic and cultural backgrounds bring to Quebec’s academic landscape.

This lack of action toward welcoming French-speaking students from nonEuropean nations is unsurprising given the Quebec government’s oppositional stance toward multiculturalism. Premier François Legault has stated that there is only one culture, calling for a focus on “interculturalism” where newcomers are expected to integrate into the Quebec culture. This idea does not hold up as culture blends different influences, and Quebec’s culture cannot stand alone. Preserving one’s culture should not deny the integration of others, as this only deepens divisions and increases marginalization. By expanding programs that facilitate the entry of French speakers from non-European countries, Quebec society and culture has the opportunity to evolve and flourish, and for the language to thrive.

The Quebec government consistently claims that the province is not racist and that it is welcoming to immigrants. But the ongoing mistreatment of immigrants, particularly those from African nations, disproves that. The failure to extend reduced tuition benefits to these students perpetuates a neocolonial system, as it fails to acknowledge the historical context and the impact of colonialism on language acquisition. Francophone African students’ lan-

Disparities in tuition benefits for French-speaking students in Quebec prompt calls for a more equitable educational approach. (Mason Bramadat / The Tribune) guage proficiency is a result of a shared, colonial history. Denying them the same privilege as French and Belgian students perpetuates an inequitable system. Ensuring that all French-speaking students, regardless of their geography and ethnicity, receive equal treatment is fair and inclusive and promotes a more just immigration and educational environment for all.

Quebec’s universities should be advocating for the government to expand the agreement to offer the same educational opportunities to students coming from non-European nations and they should advocate for better treatment of these stu-

dents upon their arrival. This will both help the Quebec government in increasing French in the province––a goal embodied by the recent tuition hikes at anglophone universities––and it will help diversify universities’ student bodies. The current discrepancy underscores the need for a more inclusive and equitable approach in educational policies to address systemic racism. Recognizing and rectifying such disparities is essential to foster a truly inclusive educational environment that values and respects the diverse linguistic and cultural identities present within the student body.

Post-secondary education is a right that must be asserted

Kiran Gill Contributor

I

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16 2024

opinion@thetribune.ca

s McGill already not expensive enough? For many, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ)’s announcement of a tuition hike and the requirement of French language proficiency is a definitive sign of the increasing precarity of higher education. Potential out-of-province students will simply be priced out of attending university in Quebec. This policy change spurs an important discussion of whether students’ educational rights are properly protected. Canadian leaders must put mechanisms in place to prevent further barriers to higher education, including an expansion of positive rights in the Charter to ensure the protection of educational rights.

Canada has two types of rights preserved in its laws—both provincially and federally—negative and positive rights.

Negative rights limit what other people or entities can do to an individual. Freedom of speech, for instance, is a negative right. In Canada, most rights fall under this category. Conversely, positive rights are those that provide entitlements to a good, service, or treatment. For Canadians, the most prominent positive right is the public provision of healthcare. Generally, positive rights compel governments to provide for their citizens and, accordingly, the state disregards them as being too onerous. The Canadian Charter does not include any positive rights, meaning it unfortunately omits education, leaving a glaring omission in the most important and protected piece of Canadian law.

Post-secondary education is one of the most determining factors of social mobility, and requires greater action for its constitutional protection. The inclusion of positive rights in the charter would drastically improve access to education. Currently, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that higher education should be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. Despite Canada being a signatory to several international instruments affirming the right to education and thereby agreeing to uphold this right, equal access is not a reality. Instead, the dawn of the neoliberal age in Canada—beginning with the interest rate shock of the 1980s and spurred on

by Brian Mulroney’s emphasis on the importance of free-trade—has led to slashed funding for all types of education. Further, because education is a matter of provincial jurisdiction, there are varying and significant differences in tuition costs and access to financial aid across the country.

The recent CAQ proposal is a targeted attempt to reallocate funding from English universities to French universities. These measures shift the burden instead of adequately funding the entire public university system. As a result, funding tertiary education has become the responsibility of students and their families. Therefore, whether one can access a university education is determined by access to money. Creating economic barriers to higher education inherently stratifies opportunity, making education a pervasive symbol of increasing class inequality.

Ideally making post-secondary education a positive right in the charter would

Post-secondary attainment is 20 per cent lower for low-income Canadians. (Mason Bramadat / The Tribune) be easy, however, the practicality of doing so is slightly more complex as the government would have to ensure that a university education is available to every capable citizen. Effectively, this would mean that the burden of tuition costs would be shifted away from students and onto the provincial government. Hypothetically, the law could even be further interpreted to provide that living expenses would be covered by the government as well.

The positive right to higher education would allow for both universities and their students to reach their full potential.

Through the removal of financial barriers, there would be a greater emphasis placed on merit, as opposed to self-selection, in university admissions. Positive recogni-

tion of educational rights would also free secondary institutions from restraints imposed on them in their current state as profit-seekers. With monetary constraints no longer posing a barrier, student diversity would drastically increase. Furthermore, expanding positive rights in education would also open the door for the implementation of other federal rights. This would have broader effects which could even help ameliorate the housing crisis as governments would have an obligation to build non-market housing, instead of leaving housing to the behest of market forces.

In the age of neoliberalism, students need to have greater protection of their rights and the best way to do that is with a little positivity.

studentlife@thetribune.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16 2024

STUDENT LIFE

7

Befriending the light at the end of the tunnel Dealing with senioritis in your last semester Maria Gheorghiu Staff Writer

L

ast semester, I found myself entering my final year at McGill with a very foreign feeling. Many of my friends in my program had graduated the previous spring, and the unfamiliarity of the new faces around campus felt confusing and slightly distressing.

Returning to school only to feel like a stranger can be a desolate sentiment.

Senioritis is a silent affliction that creeps up on you when you least expect it. You might confuse it for early-semester jitters, maybe because you’re taking upper-level classes, starting a thesis, or applying to grad school, and all of this is new to you. Here is some friendly advice on how to say no to the final-year blehs.

The strangers around campus are your friends I used to love studying in the Geography Information Centre (GIC).

With its carpeted floors and laid-back atmosphere, I could always walk in and find at least a handful of my friends. But times changed, people left, new students arrived.

It’s strange to walk into a previously familiar space only to feel like an outsider.

But you were once a first year too, and you might remember befriending people who were about to graduate. It can feel

odd being in their shoes now.

Joining clubs is a great two-for-one in your final year. It’s an opportunity to meet new people and make friends, but can also fill some of your spare time, especially if you’re a part-time student completing your few remaining credits before graduation.

This is why I joined The Tribune. Trying out different activities can also be a way to find a new purpose to your degree.

After three years, you might find school to be bleak, and academic burnout is a real thing. Finding joy in your spare time, even if it’s just once a week for a few hours, can brighten the mental spaces that senioritis shades over.

semester, why not make the most of it?

You don’t have to apply to grad school This is especially necessary to hear if you have friends who finished their degrees and immediately went on to pursue the graduate programs of their dreams. Comparing yourself to them, even unconsciously, might make you feel like you’re behind—I know that I felt this way.

Applying to grad school well in advance might be a good idea if you know exactly what you want with conviction in your heart, but putting together applications can be stressful enough without the

additional weight of the future’s uncertainty. Grad schools aren’t going anywhere, and the program you’ve been considering with vague interest out of a need to fill the void of an academically free life will still be there in a year.

Gap years are a refreshing opportunity to figure yourself out. Maybe you want to flesh out your interests, or maybe you just want to take a much-deserved break from academia. Both options are valid! This is your year; do whatever your heart desires. Find a job in your field of study, or try out something entirely different.

Travel. The world is your oyster, and it’s time to break it open and find your pearl.

Take the courses you want This is your last year at McGill, and by now half of it has gone by. At this point, feeling apathetic toward your studies can take the pleasure out of school. If you have a flexible program with a broad list of complementary courses, or if you just have a lot of electives left, now is the time to make the most of it. The beauty of school lies in its ability to allow you explore your deepest interests, or perhaps even discover new ones.

Take that class on your niche interest, or the one you’ve been eyeing since your first year. Enjoy learning for the sake of learning, instead of simply For seniors, the last semester before graduation can bring feelings of burnout, isolation, and unfulfilling your credit requirement and completing your degree. It’s your last certainty. (Tim Foster / Unsplash.com)

You’ll never walk alone again, again?

The best podcasts to keep you company on your snowy walk to campus Charlotte Bawol Contributor

T

he day we have all dreaded finally arrived this week: The slippery layer of snow that will cover the ground until April is here. While I will miss seeing grass for the next three months, the innumerable podcasts in my library are sure to make walks to campus more bearable. Following last year’s guide, here are my updated podcast recommendations for your walk to campus that will make sure you get to your class more informed, or at least more entertained.

Binchtopia As a subscriber to its Patreon, I am biased in recommending this show and cannot say that I am upholding the highest standard of journalistic integrity, but my God is this one of the best podcasts I’ve ever stumbled upon! Hosts Eliza McLamb and Julia Hava describe their show as what would happen “if Plato and Aristotle had internet addictions and knew what ‘gaslighting’ was.” McLamb and Hava’s strength lies in unpacking current cultural topics through an academic lens while staying both highly informative and entertaining.

Some episode recommendations to get you started include “Napoleon’s Complex Situationship,” which unpacks the history of the love letter going from James Joyce’s fart fetish letter to his wife to the modern-day sext. Another personal favourite is “Honey I Monetized the Kids Again” which explores the phenomenon of mommy bloggers and child labour, going from Victorian-era chimney sweeps to the children of Ruby Franke.

Michael Hobbes Cinematic Universe Podcasts The three podcasts in this subcategory all have the same common denominator: They are hosted by Huffington Post reporter Michael Hobbes. Each podcast has a different co-host and a specific topic.

They all help debunk commonly held beliefs.

You’re Wrong About The podcast is hosted by Hobbes and his co-host Sarah Marshall, a writer for various publications such as The Believer and The New Republic. They focus on looking back at events that, as you might have guessed, you are wrong about.

Some of my favourite episodes include “The Stonewall Uprising,”

“The Stanford Prison Experiment,” “Gangs,” and the “Y2K Bug.” Maintenance Phase Focusing more on wellness culture and the many scams that occupy the space, Maintenance Phase is co-hosted by Aubrey Gordon a—writer and author of the book You Just Need to Lose Weight and 19 Other Myths about Fat People.

Together, Hobbes and Gordon go through topics ranging from pilates to poop transplants, debunking commonly held assumptions.

The most interesting episodes so far have been the ones on “Snake Oil,” “The Body Mass Index,” and “The Keto Diet.”

If Books Could Kill The latest addition to the Mike Hobbes Cinematic Universe, my personal Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), is a podcast which takes aim at so-called airport books that “captured our hearts and ruined our minds.” Co-hosted by lawyer Peter Shamshiri, they take a second look at (and usually absolutely obliterate) books that have had a profound impact on our culture. Some of my favourite episodes to get you started include “The Nudge,” “Atomic Habits,” and “The Subtle

There are nearly 2.5 million podcasts to choose from on Apple Podcasts.(Mia Helfrich / The Tribune)

Art of Not Giving a F*ck.”

Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried Similar in style to The Dropout, which I recommended last time around, this limited series tells the story of the rise and fall of FTX crypto-entrepreneur and famed Bahamas resident, Sam BankmanFried. The main series has six episodes that retrace his story from the start. Some new episodes have been released as the trials related to FTX take place and the verdicts are delivered.

Rehash In this podcast, hosts Hannah Raine and Maia (Broey Deschanel)

rehash the pop culture phenomenon that struck a nerve in our society but was quickly forgotten. With episodes on pop culture topics such as #FreeBritney, the trial of Depp vs.

Heard, and Kim Kardashian Breaks the Internet, they take a deeper look at moments that influenced the recent cultural past and make you question what you think you knew about them. They also have some more lighthearted episodes on topics including Gymcels, Himbos, Karens, and Pick Mes. past and make you question what you think you knew about them.

They also have some more lighthearted episodes on topics including Gymcels, Himbos, Karens, and Pick Mes.

I

magine you are a rookie varsity athlete. You arrive at the field to begin pre-season training at a brand-new university. Your hands tremble as you lace up your cleats for the first time as a McGill athlete.

Suddenly, your hands stop shaking as you jog onto the field: You’ve made it. You’ve earned a coveted place on a university team, and it’s bigger than you: You’ve made your family and friends proud, and you’re determined to continue doing so. After all, how else could you justify the years of sacrifice? The countless hours of work, the late nights in the gym, the expensive club fees, the time spent driving you to training, the missed social events? Ever since you were in middle school, and you were told that the beginning and end of your elite sporting career was to play at the university level. Yet, nothing could have truly prepared you for what would come next.

This was my exact experience.

Despite starting soccer at five, I only began to play at an elite level when I was 13. All I ever wanted was to play the sport that I love at the highest level for as long as possible. Everyone assumed throughout my youth soccer career that I would play in university.

When I began exploring different schools and their programs, I was eager to find a place where I could thrive academically and athletically, leading me to McGill. I gave it my all, jumped in head first, and put my faith in the institution, expecting support and protection should anything turn sideways. It never occurred to me to ask questions about coaching philosophy or team culture—I just wanted to play.

Preseason started as planned in August 2021, and I made my debut as a varsity soccer player. Despite always playing at a competitive level, I had never been in an environment outside of youth soccer. I did not know what to expect.

More importantly, I didn’t know how the coach-player relationship evolved with age. In our initial team meeting, the coaches gave a presentation about the upcoming season. The first thing they said to us was: “We don’t owe you anything.” Over time, my experiences showed me just how deeply they meant those words.

I entered the season aiming to

keep my head down and earn my playing time as a rookie. Almost instantly, this proved to be impossible. Yelling was a central feature of our coaches’ philosophy, and I soon found myself a common target, to the point where teammates would regularly ask if I was okay at the end of practices. Putting on my shin pads during a team talk or losing focus at any point during a 40-minute video session resulted in public castigation as if I were a child having my knuckles rapped by a strict school teacher. These circumstances made me anxious about the team, but I loved my teammates and I loved playing. Besides, I was a strong, tough varsity athlete, not a quitter. Also, despite being a rookie, I was playing a lot.

It never occurred to me to leave.

Gradually, I began to obsess and feel anxious about making mistakes out of fear of getting yelled at. The constant berating made me lose confidence. My teammates and I spent hours discussing the team and our experiences, but these conversations were all overshadowed by what I now recognize as a general state of malaise.

This anxiety transferred over to the field. Practices were marred with uncertainty and unease. Receiving the ball would often result in yelling, no matter what decision I made. I began to accumulate painful muscle injuries, requiring extensive physiotherapy. I no longer felt the same unbridled joy on the field. I blamed myself. The public yelling and humiliation was justified because I was making mistakes. I believed that if I worked hard I could earn more play time, respect, and would enjoy playing again.

After a difficult winter filled with injuries, I was excited to compete at the start of my third year. Unaware I was at risk of being cut, I was led to believe I was competing for a starting spot on the field, not on the roster. In late August, a few days before the start of the season, I had my start-of-season meeting.

Immediately upon entering, I was told my career as a varsity athlete at McGill was over. I was completely stunned. Never in a million years would I have expected this to happen to me.

Why do we refuse to

The systematically abusive As sports in previous

meetings, they took Written by Sara Escallonevery player who could potenterm, studies abuse in Canadian tially play in my position, went through the list, and asked me if sport. He describes instances of I thought that I was better than abuse within sporting organizathem: A coaching tactic all too fa- tions not as outlier cases, but as miliar to those who followed Mike characteristic of the Canadian Babcock’s stint with the Toronto sport system.

“The culture of coaching and Maple Leafs. Many of my teamvarsity sports plays into this, the mates were my good friends—I am ashamed to say I let them get culture of coaching from youth to me and said I was better than to professional, gives coaches so a number of them. Their reaction much power over athletes,” Silwas to tell me, then just 20 years va said in an interview with The Tribune. “There’s very little if any old, that I was “delusional.”

Panicking as the opportunity accountability structures, structo play varsity soccer was suddenly turally speaking, there are very few taken away from me, I asked about [independent] boards that you can where else I could play soccer in go to be like ‘this happened to me, Quebec that fall. I was told there and therefore that person needs to were no other playing options for be investigated.’”

Silva outlines the role of status me except McGill. They suggestcoercion in ensuring compliance. ed they could assist with a school transfer, yet the new semester was Coaches have control over playing just a few days away, and I was time and membership within the not even eligible for a transfer. team, as well as having the potenThey suggested that I could train tial to harm future opportunities with the team in winter and try to through their network of contacts. join as a walk-on. Their advice to Punishment and coercion are nor“treat this like a long-term injury,” malized to ensure that athletes was out of touch and insensitive at comply, but also ingrains the bebest, and at worst callous and cru- lief that they deserve abusive treatment. el.

Steph Yang, writing for The There was no offer to help me collect my gear from the change- Athletic in 2021 about abuse in room, nor any display of genuine the National Women’s Soccer sympathy. Only an offer to get in League, emphasises how major touch with the team’s mental per- sporting tenets such as accepting formance coach for a single ses- authority and prioritizing winning sion. My world was rocked, and I over all else socializes athletes have not seen the coaching staff into accepting exploitative and since. While I am happy to say I re- abusive behaviour. Many athletes, covered quickly in both my sport- subjected to this behaviour since ing career and personal life, it took childhood, come to believe that me a long time to understand what it is justified. Yet, when placed in had happened to me: I was in a any other academic or professiontoxic environment that caused me al setting, this accepted sports behaviour becomes unimaginable. significant harm.

This fosters a paternalistic culture where coaches keep athletes in a Abuse in sports My experience was not an iso- “perpetual state of adolescence.” lated incident but rather reflective In this environment, they justify of what many varsity athletes ex- punishment and coercion as necperience. Derek Silva, an associate essary for the pursuit of victory. professor of sociology at Western Normalizing such behaviours, esUniversity and the Eakin Visiting pecially from a young age, can seriFellow at McGill for the Fall 2023 ously impact how players perceive

ing any issues to do with coaching make this profound lack of accountability abundantly clear.

The hazing scandal in 2005 resulted in McGill’s 2007 Policy on Hazing and Appropriate Initiation Practices. This failed to prevent another hazing incident in 2017. Since then, student athletes undergo mandatory anti-hazing training each season and are encouraged to report any behaviour that violates any league, regional association, or university rules and/or breaches of the Varsity Guide to their head coach, the Director of Sport Programs who oversees all varsity teams at the University, or Executive Director, Athletics and Recreation. According to McGill’s media relations officer Frédérique Mazerolle, if a player’s allegation(s) relate to hazing or the use of banned substances, it is then immediately brought to the attention of the Deputy Provost, Student Life and Learning.

The Varsity Guide outlines conduct for players and details potential repercussions related to athlete behaviour. However, it lacks detail for coach conduct around players, and it does not provide information on avenues of redress if a player takes issue with their coaches’ conduct. While under USPORTS and the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), the governing bodies of McGill sports, behaviours deemed unacceptable by coaches are more explicitly stated, there are not enough mechanisms for athletes to recognize harmful situations and apply these policies.

While a local wellness advisor was hired full-time in 2023 to “act as a resource for student athletes who need some extra support,” the current structures for addressing athletes who have issues with their coaches remain insufficient.

The question still stands: What does a McGill athlete do if they have an issue with their coach? If at a team dinner the coach comments on their weight? If their coach yells at them, humiliating them in front of the entire team,

o protect our athletes?

e environment of Canadian culture

and brings them to tears?

What next?

McGill Athletics is failing its athletes by not ensuring a safe, secure environment for performance.

It is necessary that McGill not only improve its accountability structures to protect athletes but also engage in capacity-building programs. This will empower athletes to create sporting environments where they can thrive and feel they can turn to both their coaches and McGill for support.

After all, who is actually on the field playing? Who is sacrificing their time and energy and putting their bodies on the line to represent their school? Coaches are protected by unions, contracts, and networks of support throughout their institutions. Athletes don’t have those luxuries.

People perform best and are at their most creative when they are happy, safe, and secure. Success in sport is not ensured through physical prowess: It is achieved through creativity and environments of mutual support where teammates stand up for each other.

McGill must do better by its athletes in creating a sporting culture we can be proud of as representatives of this institution.

Current policies and structures are unacceptable and insufficient.

There is an opportunity to be innovative and at the forefront of an athlete-centric, collaborative model that does not yet exist in Canadian varsity sports. Otherwise, McGill will continue a legacy of harm and shame where athletes continue to be put last.

other, and make -Sotomayor, Sports Editor us feel insecure in our team, their future relationships with peoand in our relationships and ple in power in the workplace, and friendships with the people who in their personal lives. are on our team.”

In Billy Hawkins’s article for Bria Labella played for the the Law and Political Economy McGill women’s soccer team as project, he outlines how university a goalkeeper between 2021 and officials and coaches use language 2023. While the coaches gave her romanticizing varsity sport. They largely positive feedback, she felt refer to athletes as “privileged” to they were dishonest with her and detract from the physical labour disrespectful about why she was they participate in for their univer- not given opportunities to persity. Especially in Canada, where form. few students receive scholarships While the coaches constantly or bursaries for sports, the “ama- asked for feedback, both Labella teurism” of sport is emphasized, and Reardon said they would beimplicitly undermining players’ come defensive when any criticism claims to protection. was brought up. Labella said there was no “reciprocity” in the relaAt McGill tionship, input from players was In conversation with several ignored and derided, and much McGill athletes, they all shared like my experience, both players similar experiences, bringing for- blamed themselves. ward allegations of verbal and psychological abuse including gas- (Lack of) Accountability at McGill lighting. These tactics led to playMcGill athletes mentioned ers feeling isolated, insecure, and to The Tribune the inadequacy of disrespected by their coaches. feedback structures at the univerEach athlete I spoke to stressed sity. They did not feel comfortable how much they loved their team- bringing up concerns to coaches mates, and how they found some because they felt they would be of their best friends on their team. ignored, and coaches would be However, they also felt that these defensive rather than receptive to connections were undermined criticism. While athletics distributby a persistent feeling of insecu- ed end-of-season feedback forms, rity perpetuated by actions of the they began by asking how many coaching staff. minutes the player has played.

Sara Reardon played for the Players recounted feeling invaliwomen’s soccer team from 2021- dated if they had grievances, and 23, described the isolation she said there was no follow-up to the felt from the very beginning. She feedback submitted on the form. “walked on” to the team, however, The structure of university her status was unclear to her de- sports is characterized by high spite starting an in-season game. player turnover as athletes typicalAfter asking explicitly if she had ly graduate within four years. This made the final roster, she was told dynamic means that athletes often that the coaching staff would not leave the environment by the time be telling players if they were on they mature and become empowthe team because this may under- ered to make their own decisions. mine their “hunger.”

They are then replaced by a new She also explained how coach- class of rookies. Varsity athletes Designed by es would often tell her their per- are inherently more vulnerable Drea Garcia Avila, sonal opinions of her teammates and have fewer formal protections during one-on-one meetings. She than professionals.

Design Editor described it feeling as though they The lack of accessiwere “trying to pit us against each ble structures for report- lllustration by Drea Garcia; Photo inspiration by The Tribune, 2020

10

STUDENT LIFE

studentlife@thetribune.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16 2024

Some like it hot: Chocolate One woman’s correct opinions on the hot chocolate scene in Montreal Suzanna Graham Arts & Entertainment Editor

W

e’ve reached winter.

It’s cold—we’re all familiar with the wind seeping through our fall-appropriate cargo pants and bunching our fists in the palm of our gloves. We need hot chocolate. If you’re wondering where to find the best cup in the city, I’ve got you. Look no further for an exceptionally informative and professional list of the best drink of the season.

If you like it cheap: Tim Hortons Location: 666 rue Sherbrooke O Rating: 3/10 stars Tim Hortons is almost always a last resort. Naturally, I go there often. On a student’s budget, there’s nothing quite like counting out a toonie and two quarters to exchange for hot chocolate from a machine. Watery, weak, but not hot enough to burn your tongue. They also have a seasonal “marble swirl” option (it tastes the same for 50 cents more). If I’m honest, the hot chocolate will always muscle its way out of the cup and onto my

toasty mittens, but I’m not sure if that’s the fault of my shivering or whoever engineers the Tims lids.

If you want to feel fancy: Marius et Fanny Location: 2006 rue St-Hubert Rating: 9/10 stars The only reason I know about this pâtisserie is because I used to live on rue St-Hubert.

It’s a tiny shop with fondant chocolates and fresh bread. And when you order a hot chocolate, they ask, “What kind would you like?” There are five types of hot chocolate to choose from, and I’ve never had a bad drink. The options range in chocolate percentage—each sourced from different parts of South America and Africa. When I go here, I feel like I’ve stepped out of my academic nightmares into a peaceful little slice of France. It’s good stuff.

If you want options: L’Affaire est Chocolat!

Location: 2350 rue Beaubien E Rating: 7/10 stars I’ll admit: This one is a little bit of a hike, but it’s worth it. I felt like I was entering Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory because there’s a whole hot choco-

late //bar//. I counted 18 (!) options for chocolate, three options for creaminess, and options for “added character.” I was a little hesitant about adding fleur de sel, but this shop might have won me over. Whether you’re a fan of bitter, rich, or spiced chocolate, I’m sure these chocolate gods will concoct the right cure for winter blues. I will be going back—despite the seven dollar hit my wallet took.

If you want it now: Gerts If you don’t know where this is, are you even a McGill student?

Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) basement, 3480 rue McTavish Rating: 5/10 stars I’m almost shocked by the amount of people who don’t know Gerts is a café during school hours. It’s convenient.

The staff are nice. There are student discounts. The hot chocolate isn’t terrible. I’d almost label it “alright.” Between classes, this is a nice little treat to warm up your cold engineer soul. For everyone else, the hot chocolate is a slightly watery way to keep you on a sugar high during your next class or help you brave an icy

Apparently, Second Cup has a vanilla bean hot chocolate—like they need to add more sugar to their garbage beverages. (Anna Zhou / The Tribune)

walk home.

If you like absolute garbage: Second Cup Locations: 2200 McGill College Ave, inside the McGill Metro, etc.

Rating: 1/10 stars This is the kind of place where I don’t even order a drink.

I watched my friend order a hot

chocolate—a white hot chocolate too, even worse. She didn’t finish the cup, and when I said she could offer the rest to a friend when we got to class, she said that would be cruel. It’s a load of sugar masquerading as hot chocolate. It’s bad, and if I didn’t know better, I’d think the hot chocolate here was a joke.

Ask Ainsley: How to maintain your New Year’s resolutions in three

Your guide to staying healthy in the new year

the meaning of the universe, and listening to two minutes of a podcast so I can tell people that I am someone who listens to podcasts.

The Elusive Ainsley

Dear Ainsley,

Going to the gym A common New Year’s resolution is going to the gym. However, the gym isn’t for everyone. My recommendation is to find a sport or activity that truly makes you happy, such as aqua aerobics. Often going to the gym can seem daunting, as you will be stared down by 14-year-olds sporting unusually large biceps. However, no one will judge you in aqua aerobics. And you are sure to make friendships that last a lifetime (at least, last their lifetime)!

It is January 15th and already I have given up on my New Year’s resolution.

I woke up on January 1st with a smile so wide it practically fell off my face, ready to tackle 2024. Goodbye eating cheese puffs for breakfast and watching Drew Monson every Friday night. Goodbye writing fan fiction, hello writing the next War and Peace. Goodbye to standing on the corner of the street and watching people work out through the gym windows, hello to actually going to the gym and watching them from the inside. My future was looking so bright!

Alas, here we are again. I feel like the same person I was on December 31st, watching Anderson Cooper get drunk in Times Square while drinking expired eggnog mix and crying tears of pure sorrow. What should I do?

Please help, Grimy Grace Hello Grimy Grace, We all face the ever-present challenge of not keeping up with our New Year’s resolutions. If you want to be relieved of this gut-wrenchingly guilty feeling, it is vital to remember that time is an arbitrary concept—the new year doesn’t actually change much about you. That being said, on the

Ever struggle to be the perfect version of yourself that you’ve outlined for the new year? Ainsley is here to help!

morning of Jan. 1, my pet parakeet was quite aware of the intricacies of the Gregorian calendar and insisted that I get up and stop being so lazy.

Here are some of my tips for staying motivated and accomplishing your New Year’s resolutions.

Staying unplugged The Metaverse, Facebook Marketplace, Instagram reels of cake disguised as turtles—we are all wired to the internet, the

infamous “World Wide Web” as they like to call it. Avoiding distractions from our machines is difficult as we have to constantly use them for school, work, and looking up our horoscopes. My way of staying off my phone is to take so many selfies of myself that I don’t have enough storage to do anything else. I also supplement time that could be spent doing fun things (playing Fortnite), with other more productive things on my phone, such as watching Ted Talks about

Loving yourself and having other people love you All jokes aside, self-respect and acceptance are important any time of the year.

But how do you get other people to accept a kind of flawed and weird person (no offence, Grace)? Surround yourself with people who make you feel good about yourself. For me, this is my friend Sheela Na Gig. She is there with me through it all. When you feel supported by other people, you are more likely to have confidence in completing your goals.

I hope this advice helps, and remember that just because two weeks have passed since the daunting strike of the clock at midnight does not mean it is too late! Everyone can become the best versions of themselves if they put their mind to it.

arts@thetribune.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16 2024

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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‘The Sweet East’: A tumultuous teenage odyssey One girl’s voyage across the Eastern Seaboard Gabrielle Cole Contributor

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nderscored by chaos and life in flux, Sean Price Williams’ The Sweet East is a picturesque tale of a teenage girl’s voyage across the East Coast of the U.S. amid turbulent political and personal landscapes. Lillian (Talia Ryder) is a South Carolina native, separated from her classmates during a high school senior trip to the nation’s capital. She then travels to various states and eventually back home, encountering a multifarious cast of characters along the way.

Meticulously curated anachronistic costumes and gorgeous cinematography give the film an inviting visual appeal.

The film had its Montreal premiere at Cinéma du Parc on Jan. 12 with writer Nick Pinkerton in attendance, who indulged the packed theatre in a post-screening Q and A. The Sweet East is the directorial and screenwriting debut for both Williams and Pinkerton, who found inspiration for the project in the aftermath of Trump’s victory in 2016.

“After the Trump election, Sean texted me: ‘Let’s make a

Writer Nick Pinkerton never thought The Sweet East would make it to the big screen. (Cheisra / The Tribune ) MAGA movie.’ Not, of course, a pro-MAGA movie […] but something that seemed to be responding to the way things were at the time,” Pinkerton explained in the Q and A. This inspiration shines through in the film, both in explicit and subtle, overarching ways.

In the second part of the movie—after parting ways with a punk activist group based in Baltimore—Lillian finds herself living with Lawrence (Simon Rex), an amateurish English professor with

a penchant for Poe and neo-Nazism.

Lillian’s tolerance, or rather, weathering, of him reflects a national drive to survive in the face of lessthan-desirable circumstances.

Her escape comes in the form of Molly (Ayo Edebiri) and Matthew (Jeremy O. Harris), fast-talking indie filmmakers on the hunt for a lead actress. But ‘escape’ is relative; Lillian, still a long way from home, navigates unfamiliar terrain.

The instability of The Sweet East is tangible, echoed by the changing

seasons, settings, and ever-rotating cast of supporting characters. This instability feels all too relatable to me and to anyone sensitive to the uncertainties of the real world— political or otherwise.

One of the film’s strongest elements is its protagonist. Demure and often inscrutable, Lillian might be considered a “blank slate”—a person not yet changed by beliefs or experience. To hear Pinkerton tell it, Lillian is anything but blank.

“We take oversharing, or the messy spilling out of personality, as being synonymous with there being a lot there. In my mind, [Lillian] is the most full person in the movie, in that she has a sense of privacy [and] boundaries. The people who are constantly disgorging themselves onto her: They’re the empty ones.”

I have to agree. When Lillian returns home at the end of the movie, enlightened from her journey, her cousin informs her that most people believed she’d run off to shoot pornography films. Residents of her hometown can only imagine a narrow scope of the outside world. The viewer grows em-

pathetic to Lillian’s desire for a life beyond the people and places that limit her.

During the Q and A, Pinkerton rebuked reviews of the film that fail to talk about the sound. And so, I would be remiss if I didn’t touch on the film’s sound and music. Williams and Dean Hurley’s original score is unsettling, rendering even the most mundane of Lillian’s interactions into tense, unpredictable scenarios. The film also features an original song, “Evening Mirror,” written by Paul Grimstad and performed by lead actress Talia Ryder.

The soothing, mystical tune plays over the opening credits, as Lillian sings to herself in the mirror. This musical moment, never again replicated, prepares the viewer for an uncanny experience.

Through its technical successes, The Sweet East cements itself as a well-produced package of youthful curiosity and unconventional girlhood on the Eastern Seaboard, and ultimately as strong debuts for both Sean Price Williams and Nick Pinkerton.

The Sweet East is now playing in theatres.

Does Princess Diana’s depiction in ‘The Crown’ contradict her public legacy?

The People’s Princess’ story highlights the royal family’s relationship with the press Sylvie Bourque Contributor

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ollowing the conclusion of Netflix’s The Crown with its sixth and final season in late 2023, I found myself drawn to the series’s portrayal of Lady Diana Spencer’s life and death. Born into British nobility and thrust into the spotlight following her 1981 marriage to now King Charles III, then Prince of Wales, Diana won the public’s attention and admiration through her beauty, charisma, and charm. Twenty-five years after her tragic passing, Diana and her life still continue to garner attention from the public and media alike.

The Crown first introduced Diana (Emma Corrin) in season four. By the end of the season, the turmoils of Royal life had changed the once innocent and naïve Diana. While showcasing the inner lives of the Royals, The Crown also emphasizes the importance of their relationship with the press and their constant concern for public opinion. The public’s perception of the royal family was a carefully constructed display crucial for maintaining their image.

Even in Andrew Morton’s biography of Diana, Diana: Her True Story, which sources most of its information directly from Diana, mediation is still involved. For example, Princess Di selectively omits aspects that might cast her in an unfavourable light, such as infidelity. So even when we are reading her biography, the truth is constructed.

Diana’s life became an overwhelming source of entertainment for the tabloids. Al-

though seen as part of her royal responsibilities, the paparazzi dominated Diana’s relationship with the press, destroying any possibility of a positive dynamic with the media. Despite the illusion of a fairytale life in the palace, her privileges could not protect her from struggles with depression and a failing marriage. Her position in society created unique problems for her, particularly when the press invaded her privacy.

The first four episodes of season six bring a closer look into the lives of Mohamed AlFayed (Salim Daw) and his son Dodi (Khalid Abdalla) as the timeline quickly approaches the point of the car crash that killed both Dodi and Diana. The portrayal of the collision emphasizes Mohamed pushing his son into a relationship with Diana (now played by Elizabeth Debicki), in hopes that it would bring him closer to the Royals and help him obtain British citizenship, as the factor that ultimately led to the tabloid car chase. But this places undue and unjust blame on Mohamed when the crash is the fault of the driver’s drinking and speeding—all due to the intense pressure of trying to escape the press.

Despite my discomfort with the car crash’s framing, the story does honour the lives of Dodi and Mohamed. In one scene, an imaginary Dodi tells his grieving father that despite the Western world ignoring his death and only focusing on Diana, the Arab world is mourning him. Mohamed “shouldn’t look up to the West” because they will only disappoint him. Mohamed and Dodi’s story stresses how meaningless it is to put faith and trust in these institutions that do not care about the rest of

the world.

The Crown’s portrayal of Diana, although sympathetic to both Diana and Charles’ perspectives, highlights the stark contrast between their public image and actual lives. While attempting to incorporate multiple perspectives, the show’s selection implies inherent value to those shown and a lack of value to those omitted, shaping the audience’s interpretation.

Nonetheless, as a show about the monarchy, The Crown centres how situations affect the royal family above all else. It can still, however, allow critiques of the monarchy to be discussed beyond the Throughout Diana’s lifetime, she supported many marginalized comshow’s confines. Even munities, such as fighting the stigma against HIV/AIDS, and providing today, despite numerous assistance to those in poverty and experiencing homelessness. (Irina articles favouring the Zhang / The Tribune) Royals, the turmoil during Diana’s lifetime has resurfaced with the Charles as a young Prince, his current role as conflict between Prince Harry and Meghan king represents the entire monarchy, heightMarkle and the royal family. ening the criticism’s gravity and legitimacy.

Diana’s story inherently exposes the Thus, the legacy of the People’s Princess can royal family. While criticisms about the roy- bring about a new wave of critique onto the als’ behaviour were initially directed toward Royals.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

arts@thetribune.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16 2024

Where do I begin? Corridos Tumbados

Corridos Tumbados blends traditional Mexican music with hip-hop influences and Peso Pluma features both artists dealing and preparing drugs, and the title is an acronym referring to cocaine, ecstasy, and methamphetContinued from page 1. amine.

Through rap’s aesthetics, Corridos TumbaCorridos Tumbados is loudly and proudly dos tells stories of the streets, crime, drugs, and Mexican, making use of traditional instruments success shown through flexing money, cars, and such as the Tololoche (bass) and Bajo Sexto name brands. In terms of iconography, the art(12-stringed guitar) as well as various brass in- ists’ clothing styles and music videos are often struments. However, the genre is also heavily indistinguishable from those of American rap. influenced by American hip-hop, especially in Contrasted with traditional sounds of Mexico’s lyrics and iconography. In the music video for rural music, rooted in the centuries-old corrido “Dijeron Que No La Iba Lograr” (“They said I tradition, these modern motifs create soundwouldn’t make it”), Fuerza Regida’s Jesus Ortiz scapes of struggle and adversity. Corridos TumPaz (JOP) and his 16-year-old protégé Chino bados bridges today’s most influential themes Pacas flex chains and shoes to flaunt their suc- and iconography so that traditional Mexican cess. The video for “PRC” by Natanael Cano music canspeak to a new generation of listeners.

A defining feature of Corridos Tumbados is its ability to transcend the U.S.-Mexico border.

Many of the most popular artists of the genre are American, such as Fuerza Regida, Eslabon Armado, and DannyLux. Peso Pluma went to high school in Texas and worked as a construction worker in Los Angeles before his Between Jan. 1 and Aug. 24, 2023, there was a 56 per cent increase fame, and Natanael in streaming of the genre, totaling 14.3 billion streams on all platforms. Cano moved to Los (https_youtube.com_@kcmusica, CC BY 3.0 _https_creativecommons.org_ Angeles at 17 after licenses_by_3.0_, via Wikimedia Commons, stylized by Mason Bramadat) being signed to the

Kai Samuel-Szablowski Contributor

influential label Rancho Humilde. The label’s owner, Mexican-American Jimmy Humilde, deserves significant credit for the emergence of Corridos Tumbados.

In a 2020 interview with Forbes, Humilde described the genre as “the streets of the U.S. and Mexico put together. I’m talking about the grimiest, the ghetto-est, the lowest-income neighborhood that there is.” He emphasized the importance of Mexican-Americans’ exposure to Black culture to the development of the genre.

It was Rancho Humilde’s Natanael Cano who coined the term Corridos Tumbados, after his 2019 album of the same name. The pioneering role of Rancho Humilde and MexicanAmericans as a whole has created a genre that centres Los Angeles rather than Mexico City.

Despite deep American ties, Corridos Tumbados is proudly Mexican; Peso Pluma has taken to displaying Mexican flags and shouting “Viva Mexico!” at concerts to wild adulation.

Corridos Tumbados is a beautiful mess of contradictions: It’s both traditional and modern, proudly Mexican but with significant American influence. It shows how identity can be conveyed through music and how genres and cultures can borrow from each other while conserving their own identities. And, most importantly, it sounds good. In a genre that uses real instruments and vocal talent, the musicians tell everyday stories with everything from songs of love and heartbreak to crime, struggle, and success. The worldwide success of Corridos Tumbados shows that traditional music can survive and thrive in the 21st century as a powerful expression of identity while adapting to modern themes and influences.

HOT TAKE “All I Want for Christmas Is You” should be dethroned Kellie Elrick Staff Writer

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nother holiday season has come and gone, and Mariah Carey is once again retreating into her icy cave, armed with the spoils of desperate romance. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” blooms perennially, earning Carey (approximately) $2.5 million (American!) annually. And so there she sits, year after year, cold and lonely on top of the charts, waiting for a foe to face her drawn-out, auspicious introductory “I”. I propose an adversary: Björk’s “Jólakötturinn”.

Sung entirely in Icelandic, it tells the story of the Jólakötturinn (Yule Cat), an enormous feline with an appetite for human flesh that terrorizes the Icelandic countryside annually.

The premise is simple: If children do not receive new clothes for Christmas, the Jólakötturinn will eat them alive. Top that, Mariah.

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” was—allegedly—written in 15 minutes; “Jólakötturinn” was written through centuries of oral tradition. And with love gone, perhaps we can finally get back to what Christmas is truly about: Paganism and revenge.

What we liked this winter break From classic albums to newly released shows, contributors share their recent favourites Lily Dodson, Mia Helfrich, & Isobel Bray Contributors

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less idealistic lens than in previous albums.

Lana is moving on from painting her world in a way she wishes it would be and instead begins to sing about it in the way it actually is. “Lust for Life” marks Lana’s exit, in her words, “out of the black, [and] into the blue” in her own life, but also in her music career.

“Lust for Life” by Lana Del Rey - Lily As a fan of Lana Del Rey, I have every single one of her songs memorized. But, I usually only listen to the same two albums, NFR! and Ocean Boulevard, due to their similar production style and strong lyricism. This break, I decided to change things up and listen to “Lust for Life”, an album from 2017, which I often describe as my least favourite. The middle chunk of the album, with its cliché lyrics and uninspiring instrumentals, doesn’t necessarily stand out to me.

I noticed on this listen how strong the majority of these songs are—despite a few duds—especially in context of the entire album. Part of why I now enjoy it so much is because this album marked a change in her discography. Lana opens herself up to happiness and she is, as the title suggests, lusting for life. Closing with “Get Free”— arguably one of her best songs—I’ve always interpreted it as her singing about growing up and learning how to see life through a

Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Mia Among the wave of shows released this winter, Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023) stands out as a heartwarming and nostalgic adventure, based on the beloved book series of the same name. In a world filled with the gods, monsters, and mayhem of Greek mythology, 12-year-old Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) must journey across the United States with his questmates Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries) and Grover (Aryan Simhadri) to free his mother (Virginia Kull) from the Underworld and retrieve Zeus’ stolen lightning bolt. The trio faces new monsters and deities from the mythos, aligning Percy with Theseus, Perseus, Bellerophon, Orestes, and many more legendary heroes.

Instead of being stuck in the novels’ mid-aughts past, the series updates iPodTouch and side-swept-hair Percy to flossdancing young Percy, letting him resonate with the show’s Gen Z audience. Percy Jackson, in all its mediums, revives ancient stories for contemporary audiences, reflect-

mid a well-deserved break from classes and assignments, here is what the Arts & Entertainment section was reading, watching, and listening to over winter break.

ing the spirit of evolving storytelling.

Although the pilot was fast-paced, subsequent episodes honed in on the friendship between Percy, Annabeth, and Grover.

Amid all the action, chemistry-laced scenes among these three heroes wove an emotional heartbeat into the story. If you’re looking for an engaging show that brings you back to your childhood, Percy Jackson and the Olympians awaits.

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden - Isobel Katherin Arden’s debut novel, The Bear and the Nightingale, the first book of her Winternight Trilogy, offers a mesmerizing journey set in a fantastical medieval Russia that blends Russian classics, folklore, and mythology. Arden’s lyrical prose creates an enchanting tale perfect for winter.

At the heart of the story is Vasilisa “Vasya” Petrovna, the stubborn and quickwitted protagonist who can communicate with ancient spirits of the land. Through them, she helps maintain harmony between her village and the formidable wilderness.

However, when her father marries a devout noblewoman, which disrupts the balance between modern religion and ancient beliefs, Vasya becomes the family’s sole hope against impending evil spirits.

Arden’s rich description paints a vivid portrait of life in medieval Russia, immersing readers in the atmospheric north-

ern landscapes. She captures the essence of classic Western fairy tales, managing to seamlessly integrate spirits from Russian folklore and to evoke the coldness of the setting as a character in its own right.

Vasya stood out to me because of her gentle strength and determination. Her connection to the landscape immerses the reader into the story. Though the novel progressed gradually, I was still gripping the pages to see what would happen next, and I can’t wait to read the next book.

scitech@thetribune.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16 2024

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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Heavy metal exposure: A hidden cause of heart disease

Unraveling the effect of low-dose exposure to heavy metals on atherosclerosis.

K. Coco Zhang Contributor

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round the world, millions of people come in contact directly or indirectly with heavy metals, particularly cadmium and arsenic, thereby increasing their risk of heart disease.

Past studies have investigated the respective effects of these two metals on heart health at concentrations well beyond the levels that people are typically exposed to.

However, these studies have not characterized their potential consequences when combined at low doses, which more closely mimics the complex real-world environment.

In a recently published paper, Nivetha Subramaniam, PhD candidate in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, and her team filled this research gap by investigating the effects of low-dose arsenic and cadmium on the development of a condition called atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis, the primary cause of heart disease, is characterized by the hardening of arteries due to the gradual buildup of plaque consisting of fats, cholesterol, and other substances inside the walls of

arteries. For Subramaniam, arsenic represented the ideal candidate to further study atherosclerosis since the lab has historically worked with this element.

“We’ve already looked at the effect of moderate doses of arsenic, so in this study, we’d like to look at environmentally relevant concentrations,” Subramaniam said in an interview with The Tribune. “Apart from arsenic, we chose cadmium because cadmium has also been found to have pro-atherosclerotic effects.”

With atherosclerosis, plaque buildup causes the arteries to narrow, reducing blood flow to vital organs, such as the brain, kidneys, and heart. The constriction of coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart, could lead to coronary artery disease, heart attack, or even heart failure. In addition to heavy metal exposure, risk factors for atherosclerosis include elevated blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, diabetes, and a high-fat diet.

Drinking water is one of the most common sources of heavy metal exposure. Other common sources include food, medicine, smoking, and certain occupations like mining and construction work.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a safe threshold concentration of 10 parts per billion (ppb) for arsenic in drinking water and 3 ppb for cadmium. However, higher levels of heavy metals have been reported in numerous countries, including India and the United States.

In Subramaniam’s study, ApoE−/− mice—mice that share a relatively similar genetic profile with humans—were used to study the effect of heavy metal exposure on atherosclerosis development.

This type of genetically modified mouse is currently the most widely used type in preclinical atherosclerosis studies.

“Mice have more good cholesterol than bad cholesterol, whereas humans have more bad cholesterol than good cholesterol. [That is to say that] if you were to provide mice with a high-fat diet every day, then they would still not develop atherosclerosis,” Subramaniam said. “So, we need to genetically manipulate the mice to obtain a genetic profile that is more similar to [that of] humans.”

The findings of the study suggest that arsenic, cadmium, and the combinations of both metals do not

Batteries, solar cells, plastic stabilizers, and pigments often contain the metal cadmium. (Drea Garcia Avila / The Tribune) drastically promote atherosclerosis at low doses in males. On the contrary, low-dose arsenic significantly accelerates atherosclerosis in females.

Another notable finding is that low-dose mixtures of these two metals do not considerably promote atherosclerosis more than either metal individually.

While this is encouraging news, there is a caveat to this study: Mice metabolize arsenic considerably faster than humans, so it is likely that exposure to low-dose mixtures of arsenic and cadmium may produce more drastic effects on humans than on mice. One of Subra-

maniam’s goals for future research is to resolve this limitation.

“We will work with human cells to generate humanized mice where we insert the genes that metabolize arsenic in humans into mice, so this would allow us to better [generalize the study results] to humans,” Subramaniam said.

Subramaniam’s study is the first to explore the effects of exposure to low-dose metal mixtures on the progression of atherosclerosis. While this is innovative in itself, the paper also reinforces the need for more advanced technologies to produce genetically modified mice as well as complementary human studies.

Keeping up with new chemicals in our drinking water McGill researchers analyze levels of modern compounds in Montreal treatment plants Ella Paulin Science & Technology Editor

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s McGill students, we rely on access to clean water from the city’s infrastructure, but few of us know where our water is actually coming from, how it is filtered, or where it goes once we are done using it. Every day, the city must clean, store, and distribute water for over two million Montreal residents, each requiring an estimated 367 litres of drinkable water per day.

The filtration process, a crucial step where contaminants are removed from our drinking water, requires constant research to ensure that the treatment technology is keeping water safe to consume.

“The extensive number of [potentially dangerous] compounds makes it impractical to monitor them all,” Viviane Yargeau, a professor in McGill’s Department of Chemical Engineering, wrote in an email to The Tribune. “New compounds continually enter the market, and evolving evidence may necessitate further investigation into initially deemed safe substances.”

Yargeau and a team of researchers at McGill are helping

push this research forward by focusing on several chemicals that have not received much attention in the past.

In a recent paper published in Science of The Total Environment, they performed an analysis of filtration efficiencies for a selection of flame retardants, which help slow the spread of fire in materials like clothing and furniture, and of plasticizers, which make plastics more flexible. These chemicals, while useful and pervasive in modern materials, are harmful if consumed.

While some specific flame retardants and plasticizers have been banned, new chemicals often pop up to replace older ones.

“The replacement compounds aim to substitute those deemed environmentally hazardous or potentially impacting human health, often replacing banned ones or substances of concern,” Yargeau wrote. “Assessing their removal during treatment is crucial, as predicting their ease or difficulty of removal is almost impossible.”

To address this, Yargeau’s research compared the efficiency of these new replacement chemicals with their older counterparts, referred to as “legacy chemicals.”

Overall, they discovered minimal levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE)—legacy flame retardants—across the board.

This could be due to PBDEs’ hydrophobic nature, leading them to be more concentrated in drier materials like sludge and sediment.

On the other hand, their samples often contained organophosphate esters (OPEs), replacement flame retardants. Although the removal of OPEs was generally effective, it varied by chemical—ranging from close to no removal for certain compounds to as high as 90 per cent efficiency for others.

In terms of plasticizers, the team looked at eight different chemicals. Despite achieving a total removal rate of 96 per cent, they observed higher levels of replacement plasticizers in finished drinking water than they did in legacy ones.

For certain chemicals, the team even found negative removal efficiencies, indicating higher chemical levels in the finished drinking water than in the untreated water. While this might suggest contamination introduced during treatment, it could also be attributed to inconsistencies in the sampling process.

Marine phytoplankton, such as algae, are the main producers of organic matter in the marine environment. (Claire Dominici ) Collecting representative through the treatment process.” samples in a water treatment plant To ensure they were collectis no easy task, as water cycles ing reliable data, Yargeau and through different stages of treat- her team took samples every 15 ment throughout the day, and tar- minutes over the course of three get chemicals are generally found days in the summer of 2020. Adin extremely low concentrations. ditionally, the team took samples Grab sampling—the practice of re- from each stage of the water treatlying on just one or two samples— ment process, carefully adjusting is an easy option but can produce the sampling times to account for unreliable data. differences in the individual treat“Briefly put, grab sampling ment units. overlooks concentration variations Yargeau’s research, which is over time and fails to consider the some of the first to target chemitime lag in water flow through cals like PBDEs, OPEs, and plasthe treatment plant,” Yargeau ex- ticizer replacements, demonstrates plained. “Reliable data necessitates the need for careful studies on both collecting samples that capture legacy and replacement versions daily variability and staggering the of these common but dangerous sampling to track the same water compounds.

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

scitech@thetribune.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16 2024

Cherry-picking in biostatistics research reveals a deeper-rooted problem Lecture highlights reproducibility issues and over-optimism in bioinformatics Yejin Lee Contributor

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n Jan. 10, 2024, the Epidemiology Monday Seminar Series kicked off the new year with a presentation by Anne-Laure Boulesteix, professor of biometry at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Her research focuses on metascience and evaluating research methods in the fields of bioinformatics, machine learning, and medicine.

The seminar began with an introduction of Boulesteix’s paper called “An over-optimism in bioinformatics.” The paper criticizes the lack of systematic critical study that implicitly allows researchers to optimize their data sets to produce positive data using their research methods. It eventually leads to the overoptimism of published papers in statistical bioinformatics research and, more broadly, the lack of reproducibility in the field.

“Reproducibility [in this context] means that the same steps of analysis performed on the same dataset consistently produce the same data,” Boulesteix explained in her presentation.

This is a pressing issue across all scientific fields, but Boulesteix focused on reproducibility in bioinformatics, a discipline that applies computational tools and methods to interpret biological data. Without reproducibility, the findings’ validity and reliability remain questionable, and no further study can be built upon them.

The majority of published articles presenting new methods claim that they perform better than the existing ones, but this is not always accurate. To illustrate a common logical error, Boulesteix presented the timeline of three hypothetical research papers: A, B, and C. B is published after A, proving that its method performs better. A has the most recent research, and C introduces a new method and proves a higher efficiency to both A and B.

According to a 2016 article in Nature, more than half of surveyed researchers agreed that there is a severe reproducibility crisis. (Zoe Dubin / The Tribune)

However, a question arises here. Does paper C confirm B’s superior performance to A? According to Boulesteix, it does not, since C assumes a neutral perspective as to the relationship between A and B. This is an example of a tempting logical fallacy in drawing conclusions from a comparison study.

Boulesteix then introduced some possible reasons for the lack of reproducibility, data manipulation or misconduct, publication bias, and selective reporting.

Publication bias refers to the likelihood of a study being

published based on its research outcomes. New methods that perform worse are regarded as failures, so studies using them are less likely to get published. Since researchers have an interest in getting their work published, this has the potential to lead to practices such as cherry-picking.

“It certainly is tempting for researchers to cherry-pick only the cases where the new method works better, but it is a major issue in methodological research.” Boulestiex said. “[In fact,] almost all methods can be made best-performing [by selective reporting.]” “[As a solution,] the cross-design validation of methods can be used, where researchers verify the performance of the methods of two papers that use different methods to study the same research question,” Boulesteix suggested. Forming neutral author teams made up of scientists from different backgrounds and fields would help ensure accurate and reliable judgments for comparative studies.

Boulesteix proposed a long-term, holistic solution: Better acceptance and cooperation for neutral comparison studies by journals, doctoral agencies, committees, and doctoral schools.

This goal may take a lot of effort and cooperation, but it is vital that powerful institutions such as these put more research efforts into methodological ethics. Shifting both mindsets and resources would benefit everyone, as it would allow researchers to do science in a just environment of scholarship, ensuring the output of accurate research.

Out of all the solutions proposed, some seem more challenging and idealized than others because they require a prolonged, collaborative effort across institutions, and because the resources will never be abundant enough to support every idea.

Nevertheless, such attempts will ultimately contribute to promoting a more reliable and trustworthy research environment.

Looking beyond textbooks: Must-go Montreal science events

Take your pick between talks on ocean-based real estate, Antarctica’s frozen lakes, and cannabis

Arian Kamel Managing Editor

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he break is over…. Gone are the sweet days of relentlessly refreshing Minerva’s transcript page and ignoring our families to reread the entire Percy Jackson series in our confined rooms (just me?). McGill students must now return to their beloved campus, faced with bleak early-morning McMed hikes and the endless McGill Communications emails that they will never actually read. But fret not, dear readers, for The Tribune’s Science and Technology section has prepared a list of upcoming events to reinvigorate your passion for learning—or at least quell your boredom.

Ocean-Based Urban Development: Speculation, Sand, and Sustainability Whether through a pineapple under the sea or news of the human-made Palm Islands surrounding Dubai, you may already be familiar with ocean-based urban development.

Sarah Moser, associate professor in McGill’s Department of Geography, will host a talk on this topic for the Indian Ocean World Centre Speaker Series on Jan. 17 at 3 p.m.

The seminar, hosted in Peterson Hall, will focus on the significant surge in ocean-based large-scale projects over the last two decades due to real estate investments and neoliberal policies favouring free markets. At a time when artificial islands can serve as the foundation for

the construction of entire cities, especially in countries like China and the Maldives, urban planners and policymakers have raised a lot of questions about economic and environmental costs. Moser will also shed light on the use of sand in these projects, specifically in the context of global warming and rising ocean levels.

Geotop: Dr André Pellerin - Exploring the Extremes: The Mysteries of Lake Untersee in Antarctica There are not many areas that still hold mystery to humankind, where few can venture back alive: The centre of a volcanic eruption, Snake Island off the coast of Brazil, my apartment the morning after a party, and the deep, frozen lakes of Antarctica. André Pellerin, a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, will discuss his exploration of the latter for the Geotop seminar series on Jan. 30 at 12:30 p.m.

Taking place at Université du Québec à Montréal’s President Kennedy Pavilion, and on Zoom, Pellerin will recount his expedition to Lake Untersee in East Antarctica, one of the largest freshwater lakes. His focus is on better understanding the evolution of life on Earth billions of years ago. Searching the depths of this 160-metre abyss, Pellerin discovered a unique microscopic world—one where microbial prowess triumphs over multicellular inhabitants, revealing a captivating realm reminiscent of

The ice covering Lake Untersee in East Antarctica is suspected to have persisted for over 100,000 years (Diorit at the German-language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons) Earth’s most ancient oceans.

The 3rd Annual Cannabis Scientific Symposium: From Plants to People Okay, so hear me out…. Like every science symposium, the Third Annual Cannabis Scientific Symposium comes with a hefty price tag—starting at $107.83. Nonetheless, for those few aficionados, this symposium may be worth the cost.

Hosted at the McGill University Health Centre Research Institute on June 3 and 4, this event is dedicated to better understand-

ing the chemical and metabolic nature of cannabis, especially as its legalization in Canada approaches the 6-year mark. If you are interested in learning about new research in cannabis agricultural science, post-harvesting processes, medical trials, or new safety policies, you will surely find some answers or gain new questions at this symposium.

So, McGillians, buckle up for a semester that promises more than just textbook cramming and caffeine-fueled study sessions. Here’s to a semester filled with knowledge, curiosity, and a sprinkle of unexpected fun!

sports@thetribune.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16 2024

SPORTS

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Know Your Athlete: Scott Walford The USPORTS all-star and FISU World University Games alumnus delves into his path to McGill Tillie Burlock Managing Editor

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ith a number of stitches adorning his nose from a puck to the face in the Redbird’s 4-3 victory against the Windsor Lancers (10–10–0) in which he scored the overtime winner, Scott Walford sat down with The Tribune to chat about his time at McGill.

Like many McGill athletes, Walford did not start out as a single sport athlete. However, after six years of balancing both lacrosse and hockey, Walford was guided by his father’s love of the sport.

“My dad has always been a big [Vancouver] Canucks fan,” Walford explained. “He loved the game so much, and my brother and I picked up our love after him for the game. Whether it was playing road hockey in the backyard or on rollerblades, video games, going to Canucks games, I just started following after my dad’s love game.”

This passion is in large part what got Walford to where he is today, giving him a leg up on his peers.

“When I was young, I just loved hockey so much, and I was always playing it,” said Walford. “I’d go in the backyard and imagine playing with the Canucks.”

In 2014, Walford was drafted 18th overall to the Victoria Royals of the Western Hockey League, commencing a four-year career with the team. Playing as a 16-year-old in a league largely composed of players closer to 20, Walford was faced with a tough transition, but his time in Victoria was more than positive.

“You grew up a lot in that first year away from home,” Walford said. “It’s a very demanding schedule [....] But I love the city of Victoria. I think it’s the most beautiful city in Canada.”

Three years into his time with the Royals, Walford was drafted 68th overall by the Montréal Canadiens.

“Everything pretty much up until the point that I got drafted, went almost perfect, other than injuries, to the route that you want to take in the [Canadian Hockey League],” Walford explained.

However, Walford elected not to sign with the Canadiens, ultimately leading him to McGill. The scout who was instrumental to the Canadiens drafting Walford was McGill alumni Ken Morin, who later pushed Walford to come play for the Redbirds.

“He said, it’s a great place where you meet a lot of special people,” said Walford. “I got to speak to some of the other hockey alumni like Guy Boucher, who’s currently the assistant coach for the Maple Leafs and seeing the history of the program being all this hockey team ever and being out in a great city in Montreal that I’d never lived in [influenced my decision].”

Like many USPORTS players, the question of whether or not he made the right choice in taking the university route remains in the back of his mind. But Walford explained that with the increasing level of competition and quality of hockey in USPORTS, the chance to pursue a professional hockey career after graduation is by no means out of the question.

“I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t think about it,” Walford said, lamenting his decision not to go pro right away. “With how my career’s gone at McGill, getting an education, finish[ing] with a degree, I’ve been very, very lucky, and being able to come out on the other side of that and hopefully play pro next year.”

But more importantly, with a 14–5–2 record and a steady hold on third place in their division, Walford is looking forward to his final USPORTS playoff run and hopefully, a bout at Nationals.

Walford remarked on his experience at the FISU World University Games in 2023 as one of the best experiences in his entire hockey career. (Matt Garies / McGill Athletics) “To have that coming to an end is a bit bittersweet,” Walford reflected. “There’s a lot of excitement, but at the same time, too, you really want to do everything in your power to push this season as long as you can and hopefully win the national championship because then you’re with your best friends as long as possible.”

The Redbirds will play next on Jan. 19 against the University of Ottawa Gee Gees (14–6–0).

Trib Explains: Shohei Ohtani’s contract, net present value, and MLB’s competitive balance tax

Outstanding student and athlete extraordinaire, Elizabeth Ling sat down with The Tribune.

Marco Zeppilli Staff Writer

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n Dec. 9, the day after a social media frenzy where Toronto Blue Jays fans tracked a Shark Tank investor’s private jet from Anaheim to Toronto, thinking that prized free-agent Shohei Ohtani was on his way to sign with the Jays, the reigning AL MVP announced his signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers through an Instagram post. What a time to be alive. The Dodgers signed the two-way star (Ohtani, not the Shark Tank guy) to a 10-year deal worth $700 million—with the majority being deferred to the end of the contract. Ohtani will be paid $2 million annually for the next 10 years, for a total of $20 million until 2033, and $68 million annually for 10 years starting in 2034, for a total of $680 million until 2043. All told, the Dodgers will pay Ohtani $700 million over the next two decades. What’s particularly interesting about this deal is its implications for the Competitive Balance Tax (CBT).

Unlike some other professional sports leagues, Major League Baseball (MLB) does not have a hard salary cap. Instead, teams are forced to pay a tax, colloquially known as the luxury tax or the “Steve Cohen tax,” named after the billionaire New York Mets owner who paid a record CBT of

$101 million last season only to miss the playoffs. The 2022 Collective Bargaining Agreement outlines payroll thresholds for CBT purposes. For reference, the 2024 threshold is $237 million. It will increase to $241 million in 2025 and $244 million in 2026. Teams whose payrolls exceed CBT thresholds receive a stern look of disapproval from Rob Manfred and are forced to pay a tax bill on all overages.

The proceeds drawn from the luxury tax are then reallocated to fund MLB Player Benefit Plan Agreements, individual player retirement accounts, and the Commissioner’s Discretionary Fund which is reallocated to clubs–– at the commissioner’s discretion. This reallocation is based on factors such as a club’s non-media revenue growth rate, their success in reducing their share of revenue sharing proceeds, and their long and short term efforts to grow their nonmedia local revenue. Essentially, small market teams deemed by the commissioner to have made an honest effort to sell more hot dogs and foam fingers receive a pat on the back, an “attaboy,” and a share of Steve Cohen’s money.

Back to the Ohtani signing: Officially, the deal is for $700 million over 10 years, which results in an average annual value (AAV) of $70 million. However, the Dodgers will be paying Ohtani $20 million

over the next 10 years, meaning the remaining $680 million is deferred money.

The contract’s structure has allowed the Dodgers to sign other big ticket free agents such as pitchers Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. After all, they will be paying one of the game’s best players $2 million for the next 10 years, freeing up some cash on the short-term to make some other moves.

For CBT purposes, MLB employs a “net-present value” calculation for deferred contracts. Shohei will earn $700 million in American legal tender over the course of the contract, but the value of money decreases over time. There is a safe assumption that $68 million today is worth more than $68 million 10 years from now. MLB and the MLB Players Association have agreed to apply a discount rate equivalent to the federal mid-term rate on deferred contracts, essentially “converting” future money to its current value. This means that the $20 million Ohtani will earn until 2033 will not be discounted for CBT purposes. The discount rate for this deal is 4.43 per cent, and it is estimated that the net present value of the contract is $460 million, not $680 million, the former of which falls closer in line with what some industry insiders were predicting to be the value of Ohtani’s contract.

There will be high expectations for the Dodgers this year. With the team failing to win a postseason series in each of the last two seasons, will they have more success this year? Baseball fans are eagerly waiting to find out. Some hope the Dodgers will make a deep postseason run.

Many others hope to see them fail. All are itching to hear those two words, marking the beginning of spring: “Play ball!”

Ling is making the most out of her last season as a varsity athlete, enjoying the community brought by the team while still performing at impressive levels, constantly surpassing herself.

The Los Angeles Dodgers made a big splash this postseason, signing Shohei Ohtani to a $700 million dollar deal. (RDNE Stock project / Pexels.com)

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SPORTS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16 2024

sports@thetribune.ca

New year, new league: Discussing the PWHL inaugural weekend PWHL players celebrated the new year by breaking records Julie Ferreyra Sports Editor

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he announcement of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) back in September generated a great deal of uncertainty among hockey fans. How would the league operate? What cities would get teams? Would the league generate good viewership numbers? What would the on-ice product look like? Despite a number of blips in the league’s preparation, the inaugural PWHL game was played on Jan. 1, 2024, and silenced fans’ anxieties.

With a sold-out crowd on New Year’s day, PWHL Toronto hosted PWHL New York at the Mattamy Arena—the current home of the Toronto Metropolitan University Bold and former Maple Leaf Gardens. First game, first goals, and first regular-game win were all milestones achieved, as New York prevailed with a 4-0 victory against Toronto.

Defender Ella Shelton, who was later on named alternate captain for New York, scored the first-ever PWHL goal. In a stellar performance, New York goaltender Corinne Schroeder earned the PWHL’s first-ever shutout with 29 saves, enshrining New York in the league’s history.

On Jan. 2, PWHL Montreal took the ice against Ottawa at TD Place in front of 8,318 fans, setting the record for most fans at a professional women’s hockey game. Claire Dalton and Laura Stacey scored the opening two goals for the Quebec franchise with

Minnesota forwards Taylor Heise and Grace Zumwinkle are tied for the league lead in goals scored, with four apiece (also tied with Montreal captain Marie-Philip Poulin). (John Mac, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons) McGill alumni Ann-Sophie Bettez netting 3-2-1 point system, regulation wins earn a the overtime winner for a 3-2 Montreal team three points, overtime or shootout wins victory. earn two points, and an overtime or shootout However, playing at the Xcel Energy loss earn one point. (For most hockey Centre—home to the National Hockey leagues, including the National Hockey League’s Minnesota Wild—the PHWL League (NHL), the points system remains Minnesota shattered Ottawa’s attendance two points for any win and one point for an record, drawing 13,361 fans for their overtime or shootout loss). Additionally, inaugural game.

Minnesota’s Grace rather than having minor penalties end only Zumwinkle scored all three goals of the if time expires or when the team on the game, earning the league’s first hat trick, and power-play scores, a shorthanded goal from carried her team to a 3-2 win over PWHL the penalty-killing team will also end the Boston for the first home-ice win of the penalty. The PWHL also decided to part ways season. with traditional rules concerning shootouts For some, the most exciting part of as players are able to shoot multiple times the league are the innovative tweaks to the (typically each player is only eligible to traditional hockey rulebook. Introducing a shoot once). Those changes from traditional

rules showcase the innovative nature of the game, setting its own norms and stakes.

With games being broadcasted by CBC, TSN, Sportsnet in Canada, Bally Sports, MSG Network and NESN in the United States, and each game being live streamed from the PWHL’s Youtube live channel, the viewership for women’s hockey reached new heights. With the inaugural New Year’s Day game garnering more than 2.9 million viewers across Canada, the PWHL had one of the most viewed hockey games in North America, surpassing recent editions of the NHL Winter Classic and many regular season games. The choice to stream the games in high definition and quality on Youtube, a widely accessible, free-to-access source allowed for the games to be seen beyond Canada and the USA. Fans are also able to watch the recorded games for free later on.

These heights are even more significant when considering the limited viewership that the Premier Hockey Federation had achieved the year prior.

This record-setting audience is proof of the excitement and interest in women’s professional hockey, effectively silencing unfairly critical pessimists. After years of turmoil and advocacy for a united women’s professional hockey league, the PWHL’s opening weekend success finally provides a place for young women aspiring to one day be a professional hockey player, in a league that seemingly has the legs to go the distance.

Redbirds’ lacrosse and rugby teams fly past Gaiters and secure wins for their seasons

Both teams continued their respective win streaks against the Bishop’s University Gaiters.

Liliana Mason Opinion Editor

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he Redbirds (1–7) basketball faced off against the Concordia Stingers (6–2) in a disappointing loss on Jan. 13 at McGill’s Love Competition Hall. The game remained largely evenly matched, with the Redbirds and Stingers exchanging shots to keep the point differential within a couple of baskets for much of the game.

Despite an impressive performance from first years Saransh Padhy, who put up 20 points, and Dilane Pele, who had a career-best 12-point game, the Stingers prevailed and finished the game with a 71-61 win.

Although the Stingers won tipoff at the start of the first quarter, McGill had an exciting opening with the first point of the game going to Padhy.

Despite a lively start, with guards Pele and Cameron Elliott both putting up impressive threes, the Stingers held out to end the first quarter up 18-14.

McGill came back with a bang in the second quarter, with point guard Sean Herscovitch putting up the first point of the quarter. Subsequent points from Padhy, Pele, and Joshua Soifer––a recent graduate from the University of Oxford––tied up the game. First-year guard Benjamin Onyenwosa sunk a heavily contested layup followed by a

free throw to give McGill a 27-24 lead.

Spurred on by the lead, the Redbirds began to step up their defence, with both teams having trouble making shots. Pele made two additional free throws to bring McGill’s lead up to 2924. However the Stingers were able to tie it up to end the half 29-29.

Coming into the second half the Redbirds had a rough start, with the Stingers recording the first few shots on the board and sinking a series of threes. Following the first point of the half from Padhy, the Redbirds called a timeout to regroup. Entering the game after the timeout, McGill was reenergized, with Padhy, Pele, and Soifer all putting up impressive shots to bring McGill back in the lead at 4139. The Redbirds’ defence also stepped up, with Herscovitch and first-year guard Rahim Baakoe forcing a series of turnovers from the Stingers.

In a particularly memorable moment, Baakoe lost a shoe in a scuffle under the Stinger’s basket and— without enough time to put it back on–– ran back down the court to play defence in his socks. Both teams appeared to be getting heated by the end of the quarter, which left McGill down 43-47.

The last quarter started with two free throws from the Stingers, who managed to keep their energy up to close out the game. The Redbirds put

up a valiant effort with Herscovitch executing an impressive fake and several players putting up points— including first-year point guard Matt Phaneuf, whose brother Alec Phaneuf is a third-year guard for the Stingers.

Despite their best efforts, the Stingers continued to outscore the Redbirds to end the game up 71-61.

Despite the undesirable outcome of the game, Herscovitch maintained that the Redbirds demonstrated their tenacity and ability to compete. “[We’ve] shown that we can compete with every team in the league,” Hersovitch told The Tribune. “We just need to take it to the next step and grind out a win next time.”

Moving forward, Associate Coach Kris Joseph explained that the Redbirds are aiming to reflect on the progress they have made to this point in the season.

“Just continuing to work hard every day and practice, and keep working on the small details,” Joseph said. “When you win or lose by this margin of points […] it comes down to the small details [….] The details matter in everything that we do.”

The Redbirds will play next against the Bishop’s University Gaiters (4–5) on Jan. 18.

Concordia held a 36-26 rebound advantage and won the turnover battle 19-16. . (John Mac, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/bysa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons) Moment of the Game Onyenwosa drilled a tough layup in the second quarter to an eruption of applause from the crowd, bringing McGill into the lead and spurring a boost in energy from the Redbirds.

Quotable “Our younger guys really stepped up, especially Saransh, and so did our bigs [….] We’re still a new team so we’ve got to play together more to build that chemistry.”

– First-year guard Benjamin Onyenwosa on what went well Stat Corner This disappointing result marks the fourth loss in a row against the Stingers, contributing to McGill’s abysmal 19–30 at-home record against Concordia since 2003.

Jan 5 to 13 Redbirds Hockey Jan. 5: W 5-4 vs Western Mustangs Jan. 6: W 4-3 (OT) vs Windsor Lancers Jan. 12: W 5-1 at University of Toronto Blues Jan. 13: L 5-2 at Toronto Metropolitan University Bold Martlets Hockey Jan. 6: W 3-2 at Ottawa Gee-Gees Jan. 12: W 1-0 (2 OT) at Carleton Ravens Martlets Basketball Jan. 11: W 74-66 at Concordia Stingers Jan. 13: W 68-50 vs Concordia Stingers Redbirds Basketball Jan. 11: L 89-86 at Concordia Singers Jan. 13: L 71-61 vs Concordia Stingers Martlets Volleyball Jan.12: W 3-0 (25-23, 26-24, 2521) at Sherbrooke Vert et Or