McGill Tribune Vol 32 Issue 18

Volume No. 32 Issue No. 18

TRIBUNE THE mcgill

Published by the Tribune Publication Society

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Tuesday, February 5, 2013

McGill releases new documents on how to deal with protests Operating Procedures to bypass Senate, Board of Governors; administration continues to collect feedback

McGill will host two Consultation Fairs to discuss the new Statement of Values and Operating Procedures. (Simon Poitrimolt / McGill Tribune) Andra Cernavskis & Erica Friesen News Editors McGill released the latest set of documents regarding protests and demonstrations on campus on Monday. Originally a draft protocol on demonstrations, these documents consist of a Statement of Values and Principles on freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, and a set of Operating Procedures regarding demonstrations, protests, and occupations on McGill University campuses.

Vice-Principal (Administration and Finance) Michael Di Grappa and Provost Anthony Masi first announced that the administration would take this course on Jan. 16, following consultation for the draft protocol in December and January.

The documents are meant to eventually replace a provisional protocol that has been in effect since Feb. 12, 2012, since the five-day student occupation of the 6th floor of the James Administration building.

According to the second document, the Operating Procedures will serve as guidelines for determining “when attention or intervention may or may not prove necessary in the case of demonstrations, protests, occupations, and actions that contravene internal policies or the law.”

“In general, tolerance is expected for the expression of dissent, and for a certain degree of inconvenience arising from the means by which dissenting opinions may be expressed,” the document reads. “At all times, decisions will be sensitive to context and will reflect the exer-

cise of sound judgment by those in charge.”

The document then outlines in what contexts demonstrations, assemblies, and protests are considered to be peaceful, which include the consideration of “intensity, intentionality, duration, and location.”

While both the Senate and the Board of Governors (BoG) were originally intended to vote on the draft protocol, the Operating Procedures will not face a vote in either body. Di Grappa has said that this is common procedure for university administration, because the Operating Procedures are an “administrative document,” rather than a matter of academic or fiscal policy.

Both the Senate and the BoG will vote on the Statement of Values and Principles on Mar. 20, and Apr.

26, respectively.

“The Statement of Values will be an over-arching statement that will influence how McGill responds to events on campus, including the implementation of the Operating Procedures,” Di Grappa said.

The email that announced the release of the documents on Monday notes that the administration created the Statement of Values to closely resemble the preamble to the draft protocol.

“Based on consultation on the draft of a revised protocol circulated to the community before the Holiday break, we concluded that the preamble of the proposed protocol was generally well received,” the email reads.

Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) President Josh

INSIDE: Editorial on Statement and Procedures (P6) Redel said he felt the new documents were “a step in the right direction” for McGill, although he questioned the administration’s decision to forego discussing the Operating Procedures at Senate or the BoG. “Does it belong at Senate?

Does it belong at Board?” he said. “I can see some Board members saying that ‘this is management and we usually deal with governance’ … but that doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t go there at least for discussion.”

Although Post Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) SecretarySee “New documents” on p. 2

NEWS campus

Students share ideas for newly open space in SSMU building

Voyage Campus will not renew its lease; Strategic Summit participants support realization of student-run café Emma Windfeld Contributor Last Friday, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) held a strategic summit on student space to assess students’ priorities for the SSMU Building. The summit kicked off SSMU’s month-long campaign to determine how the building’s space will be used after Voyages Campus’s sublease ends in May. Possibilities presented at the summit included new student space food service options, such as a cheap, sustainable, student-run café.

“SSMU in the past has done a lot of strategic summits, but this one is really exciting because it’s really real,” Allison Cooper, SSMU’s vicepresident of clubs and services and one of the SSMU Building’s managers, said. “We have a lot of changing space going on.”

Twenty participants, including students, Student Services coordinators, and SSMU executives, attended the event to engage in dialogue about students’ aspirations for the building.

SSMU President Josh Redel invited attendees to draw their ideas for student space onto five blank floor plans—one for each level of the SSMU Building.

“It could be as simple as a vegan restaurant, or you could literally draw offices in—it could be as much or as little as you want,” Redel said. “You’ll be seeing these [floorplans] around campus for the next

Students draw their ideas for new student space on SSMU building floor plans. (Remi Lu / McGill Tirbune) month and a half as well, urging students to get involved.”

Daphne Ben David, a U3 environment student and Organic Campus volunteer, asked SSMU to avoid leasing out space to large businesses.

“Something really important to us is local and organic initiatives,” Ben David said. “I don’t personally see the value in another big franchise. If we started an organic co-op, students would be able to support themselves.”

One of the main discussion topics was the possibility of introducing a student-run café to the building.

Plans for such a café have been in the works for over a year, but stalled last September due to concerns about the project’s financial feasibility.

Participants at the summit raised concerns about costs, health, student management, sustainable choices, dietary restrictions, and hiring student staff. Overall, however, students were enthusiastic about the idea of such a project, and optimistic about overcoming potential difficulties.

“It’s a good way to provide students from different faculties with different skills,” Anna Cybulsky, U2

engineering, said. “For management students, even if they’re not making a lot of money for the work they do, it’s just a good project for them to get good experience. So I don’t think it should be a problem to make [a student-run café] profitable.”

Students agreed that the SSMU building needs a comfortable, lounge-like location where students can eat, socialize, and study without feeling rushed, and suggested that this kind of a setting does not currently exist on campus.

Amanda Unruh, Health Promotion coordinator at McGill, ex-

pressed concern over the nutritional value of food options currently available on campus and those that might be available in the future. She also pointed to the internship program at Macdonald campus as a potential way to get students involved in the building.

“I work quite a bit with the dietetics program at [Macdonald Campus], and they’re always looking for placements for students,” she said. “That’s something to look into, in terms of a sustainable internship program.”

Sustainability and pricing were also focuses of the summit. Cooper suggested that reusable dishware would better aid waste management in the building, while equitable pricing would attract more students.

“Pricing is important to students,” she said. “[We should have] social equity in the menu—being able to have a three dollar dahl option, then also the more expensive butter chicken—to have it accessible to all.”

Throughout the summit, SSMU executives stressed the importance of student input regarding changes to space use in the SSMU Building.

“We have the funds to do it,” Vice-President Finance and Operation Jean Paul Briggs said. “I’m very interested in getting feedback.... We want a dialogue—it’s about engaging with students.”

New documents released by admin Continued from cover General Jonathan Mooney expressed that he saw improvement in the language of the latest draft of the Operating Procedures, he also shared Redel’s view of the administration’s decision.

“It is clearly stated that [the Operating Procedures] ‘do not replace policies such as the Charter of Student Rights, [nor] the Code of Student Conduct,’” Mooney said.

“We think it is critical that no administrative document supersede any of the policy documents [that] are approved through the Board and Senate, which include student input.”

“Still, since these Operating Procedures clearly touch on matters related to the Student Code and the Charter of Student Rights, [PGSS thinks] it’s critical that these [Operating Procedures] come before democratic mechanisms in place—the [Board] and Senate—both of which

include students’ voices and the ability for people to suggest changes [and] debate,” he continued.

Critics of the draft protocol, including students, campus unions, and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), described the document as being vague and open to interpretation. U3 arts student Eli Freedman filed a grievance with the university against the draft protocol in December 2012, asking that both the draft protocol and the provisional protocol be nullified. According to Freedman, the new documents “repackage the exact same document” into two. “[The administration] certainly haven’t changed any of the sections that have been criticized [by the CCLA], so it seems like the McGill administration believes it can bully students, unions, and civil rights watchdogs,” he said. “The same types of concerns have been brought forth by so many parties

at this point, that it seems like [the administration is] ... ignoring any criticisms and pushing through the type of document that they wanted all along.”

Freedman said his grievance has been delayed by the administration’s decision to split the document, but that he should hear back from the Senate Committee on Student Grievances by mid-February.

Although the documents are separate from one another, they will receive feedback together at two Consultation Fairs in February— one at the Macdonald Campus and one at the downtown campus.

“Experience tells us [attendance] won’t be huge, [but] I think people will have ample opportunity to make their views known,” Doug Sweet, McGill’s director of internal communications, said.

The administration also created a comments section, where members of the McGill community

may post comments and view other participants’ comments. According to Sweet, those interested in submitting a comment should do so by the beginning of the second week of March for the administration to consider their remarks.

According to Di Grappa, the provisional protocol will likely remain in effect until Apr. 26, when the BoG is expected to vote on the Statement of Values. Redel said he intends to encourage the administration to create an opportunity for Senate to discuss both documents.

“I hope people do get out and provide feedback,” he said. “Hopefully the university is truly willing to … consider splitting [the documents] again, combining [them], or reforming [them] significantly if the consultation feedback they get in the next phase is drastic enough to warrant another change.”

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Curiosity delivers. |

NEWS

| Tuesday, February 5, 2013

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campus

McGill still recovering from flood

Several buildings remain closed; administration unsure of costs Erica Friesen News Editor The cleanup of McGill’s downtown campus continues this week after severe flooding occurred on Jan. 28. Several buildings remain inaccessible to students and staff, and several hundred people have been relocated until building repairs are completed.

The flood occurred when a 48inch water main at the McTavish Reservoir broke, releasing 40,000 cubic meters (just over 10.5 million gallons) of water. Last Thursday, the city of Montreal announced that the incident concluded that the burst may have been caused by construction workers shifting earth around the pipe. Financial responsibility for the incident has not yet been assigned.

According to McGill VicePrincipal (Administration and Finance) Michael Di Grappa, the flood caused the cancellation of 80 classes and the relocation of 12 laboratories on Monday. He said approximately 12 buildings were affected, including Service Point, the James Administration Building, and the Wong Building.

While most buildings have been reopened, the Wong Building remains closed, as well as basement spaces in Birks Building, Wilson Hall, and 3534 University—the building that houses the School of Environment. People in these spaces have been relocated to places like the Ferrier Building and the Stewart Biology building while repairs are conducted, which are predicted to take two to three months.

“The damage has been flooding in foundations, there’s a risk of mold, there’s damage to furniture, [and] damage to equipment,” Di Grappa said. “We don’t know what the dollar amount is, but believe it will be hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

Some of the most extensive damage has been to the James An-

Student pricing Joel Suriano from the Grounds Department. (Simon Poitrimolt / McGill Tribune)

nex—a small building by the James Administration building that houses McGill’s graphic design team– where water smashed a window and flooded the building. According to Director of Internal Communications for the Media Relations Office Doug Sweet, staff members who work in the Annex and the second floor of James Administration will not be able to return to their offices until repairs are complete, which could take several months. This further delays damage assessment.

“We don’t have a precise estimate of the costs, and in fact, some of them haven’t been incurred yet— for example, whatever it will cost us to relocate people from James Annex and from the second floor of the James Admin Building,” Sweet said. “[We] will be filing a claim with our insurers.”

A clean-up effort on campus has been underway for over a week to remove debris, before freezing temperatures complicate the process.

“There’s a very fine silt of mud that is very hard to remove when it freezes,” Angelo Tambasco, supervisor of McGill’s Grounds and Vehicle Services, said. “If all this mud freezes up, we’re going to have to wait for the next window of opportunity to be able to clear it up.”

Tambasco said his crew focused on freeing emergency exits, since a building must remain closed

the flood in numbers 40,000 cubic meters of water 12 buildings affected 12 laboratories relocated on monday Jan., 28

80 classes cancelled monday Jan., 28

if its emergency exit is blocked.

Tambasco also said that the flood may have caused more serious problems in places like McTavish Street, where entire areas were washed away by water, and cracks in the road have appeared.

“Right now, a lot of the earth underneath is still frozen, so you could have some voids underneath your roadways,” he said. “A lot of this is going to have to be looked at come spring, [because] at this particular point in time, we can’t really tell [if it’s dangerous].”

A student-run garden located behind McGill’s School of Environment on University Street was also severely damaged when floodwater washed soil away, dumped bricks and rocks in the area, and may have carried pieces of a nearby invasive plant into the garden. The garden is run by Campus Crops, a student-run collective that promotes urban agriculture.

“A lot of time, energy, and money has been lost for us, especially since the little good quality topsoil we managed to have accumulated so far seems to have been washed away,” Campus Crops Coordinator Carl Dion Laplante said.

“We’ll have no choice but to remove as many rocks as possible and see what we can do with the soil that is left.… We might not be able to use it to grow vegetables next summer.”

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Tuesday, February 5, 2013 |

NEWS

| Curiosity delivers.

campus

Students vote to keep The McGill Daily and Le Délit alive The Daily Publications Society will continue to receive student fees for five more years ‘Yes’ committee for the campaign, said the DPS is happy with the result and the high voter turnout.

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over a hundred people sign up for our ‘Yes’ committee and they were extremely enthusiastic and helpful in helping us get out the vote,” he said. “I think attitudes towards voting on campus have also changed …. I think it marks a feel-

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The Daily Publications Society (DPS) will continue to collect student fees for the next five years, after 18.8 per cent of graduates and undergraduates voted in favour of renewing the DPS’s Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with McGill University. The referendum passed with 76.17 per cent of voters in favour of the DPS’s continued existence.

The results were announced last Thursday.

An MoA is a contract between a student group and the university that specifies the details of their relationship, including fee collection, lease space, and distribution rights for the DPS’s two newspapers—The McGill Daily and Le Délit. McGill requires that independent student groups run a referendum every five years to ensure that students continue to support the organization’s existence.

DPS Chair Sheehan Moore, who was also the chair of the official

ing of students wanting to get more involved in campus life.”

According to Elections DPS Chief Electoral Officer Faraz Alidina, this year’s election team worked to address challenges such as meeting quorum and involving graduate students in the election.

“The Elections DPS team worked very hard to create this electoral agency as one that was impartial and apolitical, and that the McGill student body would accept [it as such],” Alidina said. “The students could easily have not voted, we would have lost quorum, and this process would have been a complete disaster. In reality, the exact opposite happened—we raised the level of debate on campus and achieved a good turnout rate.”

According to Alidina, quorum was met within a few hours of the first day of polling. She also noted that the operations of both The Mc-

om fr

Jessica Fu Contributor

Gill Daily and Le Délit continued as normal throughout the campaign period.

“We wanted to ensure that the regular operations of The McGill Daily [and] Le Délit were not consumed by the needs of the ‘Yes’ campaign,” Alidina said. “Both papers continued to publish and operate in their usual fashion, despite the pressures and stress of their existence being up for question.”

While 23.83 per cent of participants voted against the referendum, an official ‘No’ committee was never formed. Some students, however, were surprised by the results.

“I honestly didn’t expect The Daily to get de-funded, but I did expect [the results] to be closer, not 70 per cent [in favour], but in the fifties or even the sixties,” Graham Pinchin, U3 engineering, said.

“I would have preferred that, just because I think it would have possibly made The Daily re-evaluate how they’re publishing. With [such a majority], I think that’s unlikely to happen.”

Despite their successful voter

turnout, which exceeded the five per cent quorum, Moore said students and the administration should now start thinking about alternatives to existence referenda.

“The most turnout any [group] gets is 18 to 20 per cent of the student body,” he said. “We celebrate that, but it’s still fairly disheartening …. The motives behind [existence referenda] are extremely well-intentioned, but if you look at the student groups that [the administration] requires to have existence referenda, they all have their own internal structure of … checks and balances to make sure they are accountable to students.”

Moore said next year will provide a good opportunity to start working with the administration on this topic, since there will be a new incoming Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning).

“This would be a good time for students to be more proactive in trying to work with the administration to think of different ways ... we can ensure that student groups are accountable,” he said.

campus

Petitions call for divestment from fossil fuels, Plan Nord Divest McGill presents petitions to administration; committee on social responsibility will review requests Bea Britneff News Editor On Friday afternoon, Divest McGill delivered two petitions to the university’s Secretary-General, Stephen Strople, calling for McGill to divest from the Plan Nord, the oil sands, and fossil fuel industries.

According to administrative practice, the petitions will be passed on to the Committee to Advise on Matters of Social Responsibility (CAMSR)—an advisory body responsible to the Board of Governors (BoG)—where they will eventually be reviewed.

Launched in October 2012, Divest McGill is a student-led campaign concerned with environmental issues such as climate change and McGill’s investments in companies whose projects negatively affect the environment. It circulated the two petitions over the past three months, and garnered a total of 750 signatures from students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

The first petition calls for McGill’s Investment Committee to “dispose, in an orderly and responsible fashion in no longer than three years, of the University’s holdings in corporations which produce, refine, transport, or sell fossil fuels,” and to also divest from financial institu-

tions that support fossil fuel companies within three years.

The second petition requests that the university divest from corporations linked to the Quebec government’s Plan Nord—a development project to extract natural resources in the north of the province.

This petition also calls for McGill to cease its relationship with “corporations that do business on native land against the wishes of the native peoples of that land.”

“Tar sands and fossil fuels are already … buzzword[s] in Canada …. This is an issue that affects all of us personally in a variety of ways,” Lily Schwarzbaum, U3 arts, said.

“At the same time that we independently … decided to make our own campaign, there were actually campaigns going on all over North America, organized by 350.org in the States, and the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition in Canada, to divest from the fossil fuel industry.”

“McGill University, as a top academic institution in Canada, has a major social role to play in ... challenging the way that the fossil fuel industry has engrained itself in Canadian society,” Schwarzbaum continued.

Schwarzbaum and U3 arts student Christopher Bangs, who are both spokespersons for Divest Mc-

Gill, expressed satisfaction with the amount of support that the campaign has received since its initiation.

“We’ve had endorsements from SSMU, endorsements from the AUS, and we’re bringing it forward to other student associations, labour unions, and faculty associations,” Bangs said. “It seems like everyone we talk to [and] everyone we try to collect signatures from is really, really into it.”

About 20 students gathered in front of the James Administration Building on Friday to watch Divest McGill members deliver the two petitions to Strople. The event included several chants, as well as speeches to the crowd.

“Climate change is one of the greatest threats of our generation,” Bronwen Tucker, U2 environment, said. “It is our obligation as a university and as a community to act and ensure a sustainable … future for our planet.”

“McGill is one of the only universities in North America to have a formal process for [expressing] concerns about the impact of university investments,” Tucker continued.

“We commend McGill for this open channel. We believe it demonstrates a concrete commitment to ethics and the free exchange of ideas.”

Strople will be handing over

Divest McGill members chant in James Square. (Luke Orlando / McGill Tribune) the two petitions to CAMSR. “We will proceed under the Terms of Reference of CAMSR [as outlined in the BoG Handbook] to review it and … move forward,” Strople said.

Bangs said he is optimistic about CAMSR’s review process, which includes analyzing the substance of—and concerns raised in— the two petitions.

“Secretary-General Strople informed us that we can probably expect a … response [within] two weeks,” he said.

Following its review, if CAMSR confirms whether “social injury”—as defined in Section 5 of CAMSR’s Terms of Reference—has occurred, the Committee will recommend to the BoG whether action is necessary, and what form such ac-

tion should take, a process which is expected to take several months.

“We’re sort of expecting a decision by October,” Bangs said.

Bangs and Schwarzbaum were also pleased with the energy exhibited by participants during Friday’s presentation, and expressed enthusiasm for the expansion of the Divest McGill campaign.

“I see a lot of potential for the community at McGill to get involved because there [are] so many ways of looking at it—from an environmental standpoint, from an economic standpoint, from a community-building, academic mission standpoint,” Schwarzbaum said.

“We’re very excited to be able ... to use the resources that we have to work for our future.”

Curiosity delivers. |

Meet members of the McGill community recently elected to the

By Andra cernavskis

Edith Zorychta

Edith Zorychta was elected in November as a Senate Representative to the Board of Governors (BoG). Zorychta is an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and currently sits on the McGill Senate.

She decided to run for the position following her colleagues’ encouragement at McGill, especially those who sit with her on Senate. In the past, Zorychta served as president of the McGill Association of University Teachers (MAUT), and sat on committees dealing with equity issues, staff benefits, university governance, and academic regulations. Currently, she serves as Graduate Program Director for her department.

Zorychta pointed to her experience with both undergraduate and graduate students, and with her advocacy for Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as assets that will assist her throughout her time on the BoG. UDL is an educational tool that helps create flexible learning environments, and that considers individual learning differences.

Zorychta said she thinks McGill’s harsh financial reality is the BoG’s greatest concern right now.

“McGill is always having to do more with less, but there is a limit to our capacity, and difficult decisions may have to be made regarding priorities,” she said.

Zorychta also believes that restricted space on campus is another significant issue, yet she questions the feasibility of the McGill campus expanding into the Royal Victoria

MUHC links to Kuwait questioned The Montreal Gazette has raised questions about the transparency and resource management of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), after unearthing details about its role in a five-year agreement between Montreal Medical International Inc. (MMI) and the government of Kuwait. The agreement, which was signed in 2010 and is in effect for two more years, was designed to improve cardiovascular services in Kuwait through post-doctoral training provided by McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).

Prominent members of the MUHC and MMI, including MMI President Michael Churchill-Smith and former MUHC Executive Director Arthur Porter, signed the contract. However, Quebec Health Minister Réjean Hébert said he was unaware of the agreement. According to The Gazette, the MUHC, supposedly receives payment for the use of its staff in Kuwait, never detailed receipt of these funds on any public document.

The contract also states that no Kuwaiti citizens will be admitted or treated at the MUHC. However, La Presse reported last week that a Kuwaiti heart patient underwent an operation at the Royal Victoria Hospital on Dec. 16, 2011. While MUHC spokesman Ian Popple emphasized that the patient was treated on “compassionate grounds,” this event has been criticized because many Quebec heart patients wait for several months to receive cardiac surgery.

senate reform act Goes to the supreme court The federal government has asked the Supreme Court to clarify whether the Senate Reform Act is constitutional, according to a statement last Friday by Tim Uppal, the Minister of State for Democratic Reform.

The Conservative government introduced the act to the legislative agenda in 2011. If passed, the legislation would allow provinces to elect senators and also limit senators’ terms to nine years. Senators are currently appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister, and may serve until they reach the age of 75. However, the legislation has not been debated in parliament for almost a year, and faces certain challenges, including how to determine the number of senators who should come from each province.

Opposition has criticized the decision to send the legislation to the Supreme Court, saying that it could take as long as two years to release a decision. However, the Conservatives claim they are attempting to speed up the legislation. NDP House Leader Nathan Cullen has alleged that the Conservatives are trying to delay the legislation in order to continue appointing as many senators who support their party as possible before the Act passes.

B OG

Hospital area—a tentative opportunity that was discussed at the Jan. 23 Senate meeting.

“We … have ongoing problems with space constraints,” she said. “There are relatively few large classrooms, which can restrict student enrollment in some courses and create problems in scheduling examinations .… McGill could possibly obtain much needed space in the [Royal Victoria Hospital], but could we finance the renovations necessary to create research laboratories, offices, classrooms, [and] residence rooms?”

Zorychta hopes to promote openness and communication within McGill during her time on the BoG. “McGill rests on transparency and trust,” she said.

NEWS

| Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Bryan Haynes Bryan Haynes has also been elected to the BoG for a five-year term, which began Jan. 1, 2013. He serves as one of three Alumni Association Representatives. Haynes graduated from McGill with a BA in 1990 and a law degree in 1993.

“McGill is an institution that I care deeply about,” he said. “It is where I earned two degrees ... and the tools of my trade. It is where I became an independent person. I have very fond memories as a student at McGill. I will forever feel indebted to McGill for what it has provided to me, and allowed me to become.”

He is now a partner at Bennett Jones, an international law firm.

He is based in Calgary, where he is co-head of the firm’s corporate practice group. He deals more specifically with private mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, and corporate reorganizations. Lexpert—a magazine that focuses on the business of law—named Haynes one of Canada’s top 40 lawyers under 40

What happened last week in CoMPILED BY bea Britneff, Andra Cernavskis, and Erica Friesen

UBC fills pay gap The University of British Columbia (UBC) announced last week that it will give its tenure-track female faculty members a two per cent pay raise by the end of February. The pay raise, which will affect 880 female professors, is also retroactive to July 1, 2010.

The decision, which will cost UBC about $2 million this year alone, was made after the university’s Equity Office held a series of internal equity studies. These studies discovered that female professors were paid approximately two per cent less than their male counterparts, which averages to about $3,000 per year.

According to The Globe and Mail, McGill and Western University have been filling gender pay gaps for the past two decades, but UBC’s approach is different than the route taken by most other Canadian schools. While most other universities focus on raising the pay of female faculty members deemed to be under-paid, UBC plans to raise the salaries of women at all ends of the pay scale.

UBC has said that it wants to implement the changes immediately, so as to avoid potential human rights complaints that could follow the Equity Office’s findings.

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in 2008.

“I have lived most of my life in Western Canada,” Haynes said.

“This will allow me to offer another perspective on things—an ‘outside’ view of sorts.”

Haynes decided to run for the BoG after being nomiated by the McGill Alumni Assocation last spring.

“Being asked to stand for election to the Board of Governors is, in my view, the highest calling,” Haynes said. “It is an honour and a privilege bestowed on few and represents the ultimate opportunity to give back to one’s alma mater.

He said keeping McGill as one of the world’s top 20 universities is of great importance to the BoG. “Maintaining and advancing McGill’s position and role as Canada’s top university and one of the world’s top 20 universities is a persistent challenge that must constantly be overcome,” he said.

Canada?

Landslide in l’Épiphanie leaves two workers dead

ikea monkey won’t return home yet

A landslide last Tuesday left two truck drivers dead in a quarry in L’Épiphanie, a city just northeast of Montreal. The two drivers were operating heavy machinery in the quarry when sliding gravel caused their vehicles to fall approximately 100 metres into the pit and become trapped under mounds of gravel and mud.

Rescue crews recovered their bodies on Saturday after a four-day search, which was put on hold several times due to poor weather conditions and fears of another landslide.

Another worker, whose backhoe was similarly trapped in the quarry, was rescued on Tuesday. He was airlifted out of the quarry and taken to the hospital in Terrebonne, where he is recovering from the shock of the incident.

One geologist has speculated that the landslide may have been caused by a several factors, including the way the site was being excavated, and the composition of the pit, which has a layer of clay soil between layers of excavated gravel.

Authorities are currently conducting an investigation to determine the cause.

Yasmin Nakhuda—owner of Darwin, the Ikea monkey—lost a third bid to have her monkey returned to her after an Oshawa court decision on Friday.

Toronto Animal Services took Darwin to the Story Brook Farm Primate Sanctuary in Sunderland, Ontario, after he was found wandering around an Ikea parking lot wearing a shearling coat. He remains at the sanctuary today, and will stay there at least until a trial is held this spring.

Nakhuda filed a civil action against the sanctuary after claiming that by-law officers from animal services tricked her into giving up Darwin. She filed a motion with the provincial courts to allow her to take Darwin back until the trial begins, but this request was denied. A judge reminded those in attendance on Friday that this was not a custody battle, but rather a matter over personal property. The sanctuary maintains that they believe Nakhuda is an unfit caregiver for Darwin—claiming that she strangled the monkey and neglected to change his diaper for a number of days—and that he is thriving in his new environment.

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opinion editorial

THE Mcgill

TRIBUNE Editor-in-Chief Elisa Muyl editor@mcgilltribune.com Managing Editors Carolina Millán Ronchetti cmillanronchetti@mcgilltribune.com Adam Sadinsky asadinsky@mcgilltribune.com

Plus ça change: New protest documents are more of the same Nearly a year after McGill released its proposed Protocol Regarding Demonstrations, Protests, and Occupations, the administration has drafted its latest incarnation. The new version comes in the form of two concurrent documents: a Statement of Values regarding freedom of expression, and a set of Operating Procedures intended to act as a guideline for disciplinary action in the event of protests and demonstrations. Although these replace the latest protocol on the pretense of the administration reacting to student opposition, the new documents are still open to most of the previouslylevelled criticisms. These include charges of ambiguous language, and of the university overstepping its bounds by infringing on human rights. This latest response from the university leaves us with no sense that these concerns have been taken into account.

As was the case with the previous draft protocol, these two documents are being released with the promise of a consultation process.

This comes in the form of two “Consultation Fairs” (one downtown and one at Macdonald Campus), as well as an online discussion forum on the announcement page. We have numerous concerns about the effectiveness of these strategies. Will the university publicize its efforts in a way that will garner interest? If so, will the fairs be able to accomodate high attendance? More importantly, we have come to feel that the administration’s professed commitment to the consultation process amounts to nothing more than lip service. For over a year, students have been lob-

bied for their input on the protocol, and despite a vocal response from the McGill community and elsewhere—including an open letter of concern from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA)—we have yet to see any major deviation from the initial protocols. Changes have been limited to the removal of a definition of non-peaceful demonstrations, and a more descriptive definition of “disruptive.” After a year of criticisms and concerns being pushed aside, our confidence in any consultation process has been severely shaken.

The university’s claim that its procedures are in line with those of other institutions also leave us unconvinced. The situations of different institutions are rarely perfectly analogous, especially considering Quebec’s unique history of protests.

To assume that another school’s policies can be used as a valid comparison point, or are a fair standard in defining what is appropriate, is a highly misguided notion. We will accomplish nothing by merely adoping another university’s values, especially while disregarding ongoing input from the McGill community.

We also take issue with the approval process as it has been proposed. Splitting the Protocol into two documents means that while the Statement of Values will be put before the Senate and the Board of Governors (BoG) in the spring, the Operating Procedures are being considered an “operational or administrative matter,” and will not be subject to any ratification process. Seeing as how it is this latter document that inherited the controversial and

widely opposed aspects of the protocol, we find the administration’s conduct to be deceptive and underhanded. This further weakens our faith in the consultation process. Additionally, this effectively unilateral declaration on the administration’s behalf will undoubtedly harm the document’s perceived legitimacy; there is no evidence that these Operating Procedures reflect the values of the student body or those of the greater community. While following this course of action is within the administration’s rights, we feel that the mere ability to do so does not mean that they should.

The same applies when it comes to the actual contents of the Operating Procedures. The statement that was sent out with the documents cites article 9.1 of the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which outlines acceptable limits to the rights of the individual. Again it is clear that the school is not overstepping its legal boundaries, but by no means does this suggest that that its actions are appropriate. Drafting its Operating Procedures without any real regard for the community’s input has allowed the administration to set its own definitions of free expression, and outline its own parameters for legality. When there are such decisions to be made elsewhere in society, they are entrusted to judges, who are expected to be neutral and unbiased. McGill can make no such claim to impartiality.

Regardless, even the parameters that the administration does identify are, as in previous iterations of the protocol, excessively vague, and fail to effectively identify the

Letter to the editor Re: “Cuts and an inconsequential conversation” (Jan 29)

Abraham Moussako’s latest article “Cuts and an inconsequential conversation” is an example of the tired and monotonous intellectual sludge which has come to define his contributions to the McGill Tribune.

In his article, Moussako claims he hoped this year would be free of past turmoil. He then goes on to state that these hopes have not been fulfilled, seemingly ignorant of the fact that this year has been extremely quiet in relation to the 2011-2012 academic term.

Even the Daily Publications Society (DPS) referendum has been nearly unanimous, without an official “No” campaign to even put up a fight. It seems like right-wingers on campus are asleep, so perhaps this is why Moussako has chosen to write the same article about “campus radicals” numerous times this semester.

Yet, Moussako constantly misrepresents the “campus radicals” he seems fascinated by. For example, he attempts to portray strike supporters as naïve pawns of the Parti Québécois (PQ), when in fact many did not support the PQ, and had no illusions as to what they would pursue while in power. Moussako may not trust my observations on the “campus radicals,” but he should, as

he’s thrown me in with this mysterious group in a previous article of his.

Moussako goes on to poke fun at the reaction of the “campus radicals” to the PQ’s cuts to university budgets, though he admits that their protest calling on administration to go on strike was largely “satirical” and “ironic.” He claims that “formal student and campus organizations thankfully responded with more coherent expressions of dismay,” but fails to mention exactly what these expressions were. Due to this, he leaves it up to the reader’s imagination, and I cannot regard joining ModPAC as any sort of example of coherency.

Additionally, Moussako focus-

limits of a peaceful and acceptable protest. As a result, the document leaves far too much arbitrary and retroactive power of interpretation in the hands of the administration.

It defines the four parameters: intensity, intentionality, duration, and location, by which it evaluates a protest, but it fails to quantify them in any meaningful way. Dean of Arts Christopher Manfredi’s Report of the Open Forum on Free Expression and Peaceful Assembly states that “It is only when a protest or demonstration takes a disruptive form previously defined as unacceptable by authorities that it becomes civil disobedience.” A major issue with the new Operating Procedures and the preceding protocol is that it is never clear what is being “defined as unacceptable.” Such ambiguous terms inevitably leave protesters vulnerable to attacks on their freedom of expression.

Throughout this increasingly protracted consultation process, the administration has obliquely refused to make any significant changes in its proposals. Under the guise of a dialogue, the repeated, ineffective consultations have served to do nothing more than frustrate and exhaust opposition to McGill’s restrictive vision of expression on campus. With no official channel beyond an increasingly suspect consultation process for students to express their dissatisfaction with the documents, it is becoming ever more clear that McGill has no respect for those whom its policies impact. We are dismayed to see that so little has changed in a year.

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es on Arts Senator Jimmy Gutman’s response to the news that one hundred arts classes will be cut, portraying it as one which represents the entire group of “campus radicals.”

Moussako would do well to actually speak to these individuals as opposed to assuming Gutman accurately represents them in any way.

Finally, Moussako calls the response of the “campus Left” to the cuts in classes “predictably nonconstructive.” Maybe so, but has there been a response from anyone else?

Is Moussako an art critic who has never painted before?

Davide Mastracci U2 arts

Brown Student Building Suite 1200, 3600 McTavish Montreal, QC H3A 1Y2 T: 514.398.6835 F: 514.398.7490 The McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Société de Publication de la Tribune, a student society of McGill University. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of The McGill Tribune and the Société de Publication de la Tribune, and does not necessarily represent the views of McGill University.

Letters to the editor may be sent to editor@mcgilltribune.com and must include the contributor’s name, program and year and contact information. Letters should be kept under 300 words and submitted only to the Tribune. Submissions judged by the Tribune Publication Society to be libellous, sexist, racist, homophobic or solely promotional in nature will not be published. The Tribune reserves the right to edit all contributions. Editorials are decided upon and written by the editorial board. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the McGill Tribune, its editors or its staff. Please recycle this newspaper.

columnists Security must be prioritized in Dawson expulsion

Yuqing Song

Commentary

Dawson College student Ahmed Al-Khabaz caught nationwide attention last month after his expulsion for hacking into the school’s security system. Al-Khabaz claimed that he did so to check on a security flaw that he had reported weeks earlier, that he had no malicious intent, and had made no attempt to cover his tracks. Debates around Dawson’s decision to issue an expulsion circulated through-

When good is not good enough

Swathi Sadagopan

Commentary

More than a decade after the first suspicions arose and categorical denials began, Lance Armstrong has finally come clean. Armstrong’s televised confession sheds light on more than just a sportsman with a tainted legacy. He claims that the win-at-all-costs attitude that helped him overcome cancer was what turned him into a doping machine.

At first, this sounded like a poor, empty excuse. But similar motivations exist in all spheres and sections. Cutting through a cross-sec-

A defence of the arts

Whitney Pang

Commentary

Last week, the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) held “Work your BA Week” to orient soon-to-be graduates on their prospects after graduation. In contrast with other majors such as education, engineering or nursing which are occupation-based, the notion of being an “arts” student is often overcast with ambiguity, since there is no specific occupation associated with each field of study.

There are many indicators that the arts at McGill are valued less than other academic disciplines. In the admissions process, the faculty of arts has a lower cutoff grade than most. Faculty stereotypes estab-

7

out the media and the 20-year-old almost-graduate became something of an icon. He has since received numerous job offers, including one from the company that designed the Dawson system, in a twist not unlike the story of how notorious jailbreaker Nicolas Allegra was hired

by Apple.

While the media covered his story and explored the fairness of his punishment in great detail, one serious problem was overlooked: If a talented college student could easily navigate in and out of the school’s online security system, can students trust the school with their important information? Despite any breach of policy on his part, Al-Khabaz had reported the fault weeks earlier only to find that the vulnerability was not fixed.

Al-Khabaz is not the real issue here, and expelling him doesn’t make Dawson better at securing information. To solve the problem we must address it at its core. Institutions must prioritize security, and not react to these situations as Dawson did, leaving a faulty program unfixed for weeks and then expelling the student who tried to help.

Substantial delays seem to be a characteristic of bureaucratic structures in Canada and elsewhere, but when it comes to information security, we shouldn’t let habit get the best of us.

The emergence of social media has taught us that there isn’t any real privacy when it comes to the internet. However, that knowledge did not dampen the shock when the world learned of Project Hellfire, a leak of 120,000 records from 100

of the world’s top universities carried out in 2012 by a hacking group called Team Ghostshell. The University of Mumbai’s students were certainly surprised when some had to take re-examinations because the original exam had leaked out. The school must have known that the exam was accessible through the web, and that the web holds no privacy. They took this risk, however, because while privacy may not be a guarantee, security is there to make up the the difference.

The money in a bank account isn’t “private money.” It is money shared between the bank and the account owner, and with whomever else the bank might have interactions. Yet people, fully aware of this, still decide to put money in banks; although the money is not private,

it is secure. Security and privacy are two different entities and should be understood as such. Having no guarantee of privacy should serve as a reason for more security, and not an excuse for less. This applies to a bank, a school, or any other institution where peoples’ personal information is at stake.

Some say that what Al-Khabaz did was wrong and that deserved punishment. After all, ‘rules are rules’ and if they can be broken without consequence, then why have them in the first place? An increased focus on security, not the expulsion of a student, is the only way for Dawson to protect its students’ privacy.

tion of events in the past year alone reveals the alarming rate at which this same trend has been prevalent in academic circles. Over 100 students were caught cheating at Harvard.

Respected journalists such as Fareed Zakaria and Margaret Wente were found plagiarizing. Dongqing Li, a professor at the University of Waterloo, is facing suspension for lifting sections of text from other papers for his own publication. While all of these incidents signal a lack of ethics in the way research is conducted, it also sends out some telling signs about the mindset and attitudes that underpin these actions.

A lesser known, and even lesser documented activit,y among this string of misdeeds is the use of neuro-enhancing drugs to boost academic performance, the subject of the Tribune’s Nov. 26 feature. In the absence of a policing mechanism in academic circles, is it alright to use

drugs such as Ritalin or Provigil when an important exam or a scholarship is at stake? The final choice rests with the user. However, it’s imprudent to ignore the fact that such decisions are also heavily influenced by peer and societal pressure.

The Tribune story included an interesting observation from an athlete who claimed that, in competitive sports, players “are paid to be unnatural.” The Armstrong story makes me wonder whether, if someone is too good to be true, perhaps he or she isn’t true at all in the first place. It also demonstrates our overwhelming need to push human boundaries by any means. At a time when the question of doping was obviously doing rounds, I wonder why the Tour organizers continued running the event year after year with so much aplomb! Just winning a grueling race one time isn’t enough. After all, would we have noticed Lance

Armstrong, cancer survivor and one time wonder? The truth is his story it would lkely not have been the fairytale we all witnessed. But at the same time, it would have never had cause to devolve into a horror show either.

In academia, however, the lines of right and wrong apparently blur.

There is no explicit rule that forbids students from taking these drugs.

Yet, the thought of academic performance becoming contingent on drug use is simply unacceptable.

The mind is the most potent part of a human and developing intellectual

capacity has to be on one’s own effort. Piggybacking on a pill may not be illegal, but it definitely creates an unsustainable atmosphere by artificially raising the stakes. Can anyone performing well on these drugs ever rid themselves of self-doubt or be sure of their own potential?

Competition at some of the most prominent universities is indeed cut-throat. Developing strategies that typically suit one’s natural pattern of learning and recollection are techniques that help. Succumbing to peer pressure and adopting such unhealthy practices can produce great results in the short term, but life extends beyond the realms of academia. The purpose of true education is to act as a scaffold and a guide in the world beyond the walls of the university. It is precisely for this reason that within these walls, we must stick to walking on our own two feet.

lished as early as frosh week stipulate that the management students be nicknamed “cubicles,” engineers “virgins for life,” and arts students “unemployed.”

What is the value of a BA then?

Does a degree that teaches us, as the McGill website claims, how to “think critically, communicate effectively and be able to think and work across cultural and social contexts” actually help our chances in the real world? I would say “Yes,” for a few substantial reasons. A Bachelor of Arts at McGill follows a multi-track system, allowing each student to have considerable room for electives after fulfilling the requirements for their major. This prompts students to explore a wider range of academic disciplines, allowing them to be more well-rounded in multiple areas of social science.

Though some may say the labour market is becoming increasingly specialized, there are many indicators that society—at least in

the North American context—is progressively more “right-brain” oriented. The surge of creative industries requires personnel who can draw links between a variety of academic fields to create products and services that meet the needs of the 21st century consumer. Have a look at the companies that make Fortune’s top lists of anything (top employers, most admired companies) such as Apple, Google, Procter & Gamble, Walt Disney, Nike, etc. All of these companies put an explicit internal emphasis on “thinking outside the box” and seeing connections that other people do not.

The arts approach to education is also notably different from other faculties. The degree does not focus so much on the ‘ends’ of your education, but rather the ‘means’ and the learning process. Students who enter medical school almost unanimously want to be doctors, but people who major in history do not necessarily want to be historians. The idea

is that you start with an academic discipline that suits your passion, and see where your passion can take you. The degree is not another obstacle that stands between you and your desired profession. You pursue a degree in a field because you like it.

Finally, a BA is not as worthless in the labour market as some make it out to be. A report published by the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce in January 2012 entitled Not All College Degrees Are Created Equal revealed statistics on university majors in relation to unemployment rates. According to the report, all recent university graduates (except for those in Education and Health services) hover around seven per cent unemployment, with arts-related majors at 9.4 per cent, science majors at 7.7 per cent and business at 7.4 per cent. Though arts students do lag behind in job placements, the problem of widespread unemployment is nowhere near as

“

Piggybacking on a pill may not be illegal, but it definitely creates an unsustainable atmosphere by artificially raising the stakes.

”

drastic as people make it out to be.

Moreover, across the board, graduate school, work experience, and comprehensive networking are factors in improving career prospects for people in all majors.

As an English Cultural Studies student, I share the common experience of telling a new acquaintance about my major, only to be asked the million-dollar question: “What can you do with that?” As innocent as the question may seem, I find it somewhat humiliating, knowing that someone cannot see the value in my education. I would suggest reframing the question.

Ask these questions instead: “Why did you choose this major?

Where do you hope your interest in this field will take you?” Regardless of your undergraduate major, as long as you have a clear sense of where your passion is and start from there, you cannot go wrong.

Science & technology ASK

By Ilia Blinderman

SCITECH

Chicken noodle soup: fact or fiction?

After the debauchery that is Winter Carnival and the exhausting weekends of Igloofest, many of McGill’s finest have begun to suffer from the effects of the common cold. Although cures like sage extract, licorice tea, and kissing a mule’s muzzle—a bit of creative flare on the part of the Romans— fluctuate in popularity, the most established remedies call for rest, hydration, and chicken soup. While we’ve heard plenty of anecdotal evidence for chicken soup’s efficacy, what does the science behind the

broth have to say?

There are a number of ways chicken soup may alleviate a cold.

Dr. Stephen Rennard of the University of Nebraska, found that his wife’s family recipe for chicken noodle soup—handed down from her Lithuanian grandmother—inhibited the action of neutrophils, the white blood cells of one’s immune system that defend against infection. Neutrophils, when they attack bacteria, cause inflammation. While these white blood cells are necessary to fight infection, too much inflammation can cause many uncomfortable symptoms.

Dr. Renner postulated that by sup-

n for SciTech?

Have a questio tribune.com Email scitech@mcgill Photos: bettermeapp.com, media.npr, fitsby.com

APP REVIEWS

SOme of 2013’s best BY: ABHISHEK GUPTA BETTER ME

For those who have trouble making their 8:30 a.m. classes, ‘BetterMe’ provides a fun and ingenious way to wake up in the morning. The app is based on a simple idea—post a status update on your Facebook profile each time you hit that dreaded snooze button.

Essentially, ‘BetterMe’ is a productivity app which uses public humiliation as a motivator to overcome grogginess in the morning. Available on the iPhone for free, it is a highly effective wake up tool that will publicly shame you into getting up.

zombies, run!

Add motivation to your workout by jogging through a zombie apocalypse with ‘Zombies, Run!’ Available on the iPhone, Windows phone, and Android for $7.99, this app turns a boring jog in the park into an exciting game of survival.

Co-created with British awardwinning novelist Naomi Alderman, ‘Zombies, Run!’ acts as an immersive running game and audio adventure that connects 33 different storytelling missions to your workout.

The app delivers constant instructions to your headphones through voice recordings. It tells you to run to different locations in order to collect supplies, such as

medicine, batteries, and ammunition, in a post-apocalyptic world infested with zombies. Upon successful completion of each task, you can assign these resources to your colony and watch it grow. Failure to go for a run and complete your mission will result in the death of your colony from a lack of supplies. ‘Zombies, Run!’ channels the excitement of a zombie game into a fitness app, providing a completely original (and frightening) workout experience.

Fitsby

‘Fitsby,’ a free Android app, makes not going to the gym serious. In order to provide motivation to work o u t , it allows users to earn money for going to the gym, paid for by friends who didn’t make it there. The app works by turning exercise into a game of gym check-ins, in which you compete with your friends for the number of times you “check in” to the gym using GPS. For further motivation, Fitsby allows users to up the stakes by wagering money on their exercise goals. Once the game has started, users must exercise for 30 minutes before the “check-out” option becomes available. By the end of the game, gym goers who have met their goals are rewarded money from their friends who did not do it, based on the wagers set at the beginning of the game.

pressing some activity of these white blood cells, chicken noodle soup may reduce cold symptoms, such as sore throats.

Chicken soup’s palliative properties may also come from the chicken itself. The flavor of chicken meat comes from the amino acid cysteine; and a chemically similar substance, N-acetylcysteine, is frequently used in cold medication to thin out mucus in the bronchial tract. A team of researchers at Miami’s Mount Sinai Hospital investigated the possibility of cysteine possessing similar properties to N-acetylcysteine by measuring the speed of cold patients’ nasal mu-

cous flow (i.e., snot-speed) after drinking cold water, hot water, or chicken soup. Those drinking chicken soup had substantially runnier noses than patients drinking cold water, and slightly runnier noses than those who had hot water.

These results—not particularly impressive in the first place—lasted a whole half hour before nasal drip speed returned to baseline, resuming congestion.

While chicken soup may not cure a cold, it’s likely to help by replenishing the electrolytes we lose while sick. Vegetables, and parsnips in particular, contain the necessary potassium to sodium ratio that cells require; think of it as hot, hearty Gatorade. Additionally, components such as peppercorns and chili peppers contain substances resembling guaifenesin,

frequently present in medication which increases the production of mucous and lubricates the irritated respiratory tract.

The placebo effect is also likely to be involved in the healing properties of chicken soup. Since it’s often touted as an appropriate remedy by both clinicians and the public at large, it’s probable that we hold strong expectations about chicken soup’s benefits. These preconceptions Byhelp us feel better after consuming a hot bowl of soup.

While the above findings may seem somewhat compelling, all of the available evidence is indirect.

To date, no amount of research has conclusively linked chicken soup to shorter colds. But while it may not cure your cold, it certainly beats a mule’s muzzle.

Curiosity delivers. |

science & technology

Event `

| Tuesday, February 5, 2013

SCITECH

9

Up close and personal with the human brain

ASK

McGill neuroscienceByprovides students with opportunity to touch real life human brains Kieran Steer Caity Hui Science & Technology Editor Not many students can say they have touched a human brain, but thanks to the Neuroscience Undergraduates of McGill (NUM), I— along with around 130 other McGill students—can attest to holding not one, but six.

On Jan 30, NUM hosted the first event of its kind at McGill: Touching Human Brains . Held at the Strathcona Anatomy and Dentistry Building Histology Lab, students from all faculties at McGill were invited to see, touch, and learn about bonafide human brains. Entrance to the event was by donation (a recommended five dollars), and all proceeds were donated to AmiQuebec, a non-profit organization focused on helping families manage the effects of mental illness through support groups, education, and counselling.

According to NUM’s VP External, Maria Zamfir, most undergraduate students in the neuroscience program rarely have the opportunity to

handle human brains, despite dedicating most of their time at McGill to understanding the nervous system.

“To be fair, we study the brain, its development, [and] its function and malfunction in disease in such detail, that simply looking at a brain with your own eyes won’t help you learn the underlying molecular mechanism,” says Zamfir. “However, having this opportunity after learning for three years about the central and peripheral nervous system is a really rewarding, beautiful, and quite humbling experience.”

Touching Human Brains was organized to provide students with the opportunity to examine one of the most complex organs in the universe. The room was set up to include several stations, including a pre-brain-touching area, which included slides of brain sections to observe, and computers set up with presentations to provide more information about the six brains featured at the event.

In addition to the incredible opportunity to observe and handle

human brains, students were also able to talk with several professors and TAs who specialize in areas of neuroscience about the brains they were holding and any other questions regarding the nervous system.

These included Dr. Naguib Mechawar, who works at the Douglas Brain Bank and studies depression; Melanie Segado, TA for ANAT 321 (Circuitry of the Human Brain); and Jean-Sebastian Provost, head TA for the laboratory portion of ANAT 321.

All three stayed for the entire event to help students with general brain questions.

Dr. Mechawar, in particular, played a critical role in organizing the event. Through the Douglas Brain Bank, he lent NUM two brains—one from a person who suffered from major depression and committed suicide, and another from someone who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. Students were able to observe, and handle these organs, allowing them to compare the differences between healthy and diseased brains.

I was surprised to discover

that while the Alzheimer’s brain had clear indications of disease—it weighed half the amount of a regular brain—I could not see, nor feel any noticeable differences between the brain of someone with depression and that of someone without.

Dr. Brawer, professor of ANAT 321, was also incredibly supportive of the event. “[Brawer] is aware of the fact that students don’t usually get the opportunity to hold a real human brain,” says Zamfir.

Along with providing the histology lab where Touching Human Brains was held, Brawer organized the donation of four other brains from McGill’s anatomy wet lab. Dr. Keith Murai, associate professor and researcher, donated the gloves worn by students.

Wearing my borrowed lab coat and goggles, I was amazed at the weight of a human brain. It was much heavier than I expected— though the formaldehyde in which brains are preserved adds some additional weight. In addition, the brain was smooth to touch and larger than

I imagined. Other students, many of whom came from neuroscience and psychology, also marvelled at the experience.

Touching Human Brains provided a highly unique and exciting opportunity for students from all facultiesByto learn about the nervous system, talk to experienced professors and TAs from the field of neuroscience, and cross “touch a human brain” off from their bucket lists.

“When you get to hold a brain in your hands—a complex computing machine that functions more efficiently and in a more complicated manner than any computer made by man—that’s something. It’s what defines human life!” Says Zamfir.

As a result of its success— during the three hours of Touching Human Brains, the Neuroscience Undergraduates of McGill raised $570.81—NUM plans to make Touching Human Brains an annual event. Look for it next year, because this opportunity is not one you want to pass up.

Science

Quantum teleportation: science straight from star trek Physicists envision new advances in secure global communication networks and unbreakable encryption Abhishek Gupta Contributor The words “quantum teleportation” bring forth the image of transporting a person from one location to another. Although it is applied very differently than its portrayal in science fiction movies, teleportation is possible, and has been carried out in laboratories around the world. In 2012, a team of scientists in Austria set a new world record distance of 143 km for successful teleportation.

Like something out of Star Trek, quantum teleportation has earned a sensational name because it allows all the information about an object to be scanned and reproduced in a new location. ‘Quantum’ refers to a theory in physics based on the principle that matter and energy have properties of both waves and particles. Also known as ‘entanglement-assisted teleportation,’ quantum teleportation involves the transmission of a qubit—the basic unit of quantum information—from one point to another without visibly moving through the intervening space.

Before 1993, researchers believed that in order to achieve teleportation, the position and momentum of each particle in an object must be measured, and sent to a re-

ceiving end in order to re-build the object. This process can be likened to taking a photograph of an object, and using the image to build a model of the original object.

However, there was a fundamental problem to this approach, known as Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle. In 1927, German physicist Werner Heisenberg determined that the position and momentum of any particle could never be measured at the same time—a necessary requirement for this method of teleportation. If position and momentum could not be measured simultaneously, no photograph of the object could be taken nor used to recreate it in another location; thus, scientists were forced to abandon this classical approach to teleportation.

Fortunately, in 1993, researchers successfully demonstrated that this problem could be overcome, if the original object was destroyed during teleportation, based on a theory known as quantum entanglement. Quantum entanglement is a complicated phenomenon; but what is important about this process is that it allows information to be relayed from one location to another.

Essentially, it makes teleportation possible, because the particles share an inextricable bond—whatever happens to one particle happens to

the other, regardless of how far apart they are. Think of it like a fax, but where the original is destroyed the moment the copy is received.

“Once you disembody the state of the particle, you can then recreate the particle in a remote copy,” said physicist and computer scientist Charles Bennett of IBM, who coauthored the first paper on quantum teleportation in 1993.

As explained by the research page from the IBM website, quantum teleportation follows this process: Two objects B and C are brought into contact and separated.

This process creates an inextricable bond between the two objects.

Object B is taken to the sending station, while object C is taken to the receiving station.

The item to be teleported, object A, is scanned together with B. Since B and C are inextricably linked, the scanned information is sent to the receiving station, and will transform object C into object A, thereby teleporting A from one location to another.

Quantum teleportation, however, is not only a cool scientific experiment—it allows scientists to instantly send information from the sender to the receiver, without the possibility of interception. As a

result, physicists around the world have begun to envision a quantum Internet, which would be based on communications between the Earth and satellites to create an incredibly secure global communications network. Other potential applications of quantum teleportation involve unbreakable encryption, as well as more efficient computers.

While it might be disappointing to science fiction fans that scientists cannot zap humans from work back to home, there is still a

chance in the future that this concept could become a reality. Last November, a group of Chinese scientists succeeding in transporting a macro object—100 million atoms of the chemical element Rubidium—with an accuracy of about 90 percent.

Although more research needs to be conducted before the human body— which has close to 1029 atoms—can be transported with 100 per cent accuracy, there are no theoretical reasons as to why this cannot be done.

Teleported Replica of Object A

Quantum Teleportation Disrupted Original

B

A

C Send Data

Apply Treatment

Scan A B

C

Original Entangled Pair of Objects Quantum teleportation is based on a theory known as entanglement

Black

a celebration of talent, culture, and leadership

History month in MONTREAL

By Sara Espinal Henao igh school textbooks of Canadian history have told, generation after generation, the tale of a settler colony besieged by territorial struggles between French pioneers and British conquerors— with a brief mention in between of the Indigenous peoples who had inhabited the vast territory for millennia before them. Canada’s popular culture has a space reserved for proud leaders of the nation such as Wilfrid Laurier, John A. McDonald, William Lyon Mackenzie King Jr., and Robert Borden, all of whom now grace the Canadian banknotes. Yet, little recognition has been given to the hundreds of thousands of people of African and Caribbean descent who have contributed to the wealth and progress of their country for centuries. This community has seldom been given due credit for their immeasurable contribution to Canada.

However, unlike other urban centres across the country, Montreal’s black community has always been, despite its small size, a visible part of the city’s cultural landscape. For more than 300 years, successive generations of black Quebeckers have enriched Montreal with their savoir-faire and talents in all sectors of society, contributing greatly to its development and vitality, and adding to its multiculturalism. Black-Canadians of varied descent have helped to make Montreal a world-class city—from being the driving force behind its vital transportation system, to making Montreal a worldrenowned jazz centre, to leading the development of crucial social and scientific breakthroughs.

For the past 19 years, Quebec’s Black History Month’s Round Table has organized activities enabling Quebeckers to discover the cultural richness of black communities in the province and honour those who have thrived in different domains. This tradition followed its American counterpart, which began in 1926 in the United States.

Negro History Week was celebrated by the country’s AfricanAmerican community in honour of great slavery abolitionists Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lin-

H

This year’s Black history Month logo was designed by graphic artist Maxime St-Just.

10

coln. The month of February was chosen, as it was these freedom fighters’ birth month. Negro History Week later gave way to Black History Month in 1976, during the United States’ bicentennial festivities.

While official recognition in Canada was slow to come, the National Assembly of Quebec passed a law in 2006 that dedicated February as Black History Month throughout the province, with the aim of recognizing the vital contribution of the black community in Quebec’s growth.

A CHANCE TO LEARN ABOUT MONTREAL’S BLACK COMMUNITY

ture, photography, and painting.

On Feb. 9, SSMU will participate in this month-long celebration with its Black History Month Banquet, an event for students, professors, and other community members to spend an evening of dining with speakers, local performers, and a silent auction. And on Feb. 26, the school of Mapou Ginen invites the public to discover Haitian folkloric dance at the Place-des-Arts station.

For Angelo Cadet, spokesperson for Black History Month, the celebration is an opportunity for Montrealers of all cultural and social back-

IL EST

TEMPS

NOW

Now in its 22nd year, Black History Month maintains a tradition of celebrating the black community’s culture and achievements, through a series of events open to the public that range from workshops and conferences, to art exhibits, plays, storytelling, dance shows, and musical performances. Its program promises to present over 100 events for people of all tastes and interests.

The Espace Georges-EmileLapalme de la Place des Arts will host an emotive display of talent on Feb.6 with its I Have a Dream exhibit. Six artists will revisit and reinterpret Martin Luther King’s famous I Have a Dream speech from the viewpoint of today’s issues, through various means of expression, including acting, sculp-

should reflect our society. If we don’t see each other, [how can we] be a part of this society? ... That’s why I say ‘Thank God that Black History Month exists.’”

Cadet also sees this celebration as an opportunity to build bridges between Montrealers of diverse cultural backgrounds, and bring about a sense of wider community to the city.

“To me it’s like saying ‘Come home, come visit us. Spend some time with me and with my people and you will see.’ ... It’s about getting to know more about each other. ... You’re going to meet great people, and you’re going to learn about things that you don’t normally see.”

The month is also a way for Montreal’s black community to go back to its own origins, learn about them, and be proud.

“I grew up in Ontario in a white community. I went to school with white kids. We were the only black family, so I have not had the opportunity to connect as much with the black community in Quebec,” said Dawn Tyler Watson, also a spokesperson for Black History month. “[Black History Month] gives me the opportunity to reconnect with such a rich and multicultural community and edu-

cate myself about it.”

Cadet agrees. According to him, “the more you know about your history, the more you know about yourself. And so, you can look at your community in a different way. You can look at your mother in a different way. You can look back at the history that they teach us in high school and say, ‘Well, maybe I should learn more.’”

A CHANCE TO honour great people In addition to being an impressive display of talent and cultural richness, Black History Month is also a movement that calls for social change. As Michael P. Farkas, president of the Round Table on Black History Month declared during his speech, “We should take guidance from the ones that have walked through the valley of prejudice and discrimination, and have risen to take the opportunity to grow, and to show the world our better side.”

In the words of Farkas, “Now is the time ... to rediscover Black

History Month 2013, by celebrating the memory of Martin Luther King and of I Have a Dream. For any who are skeptical about the road we travel today, I can only say: ‘As long as you an I have a dream, our actions will set the scene.’”

That is why the celebration is also a recognition of illustrious members of the black community, who have made a difference.

Among this year’s laureates is McGill alumnus Denburk Reid, who graduated with a major in economics and a minor in management. One of Reid’s most recent contributions has been the foundation of Montreal Community Cares Foundation, a non-profit with the aim of giving back to the community, by mentoring its youth and recognizing all the unsung heroes that must be looked up to by future generations.

Though Reid’s organization was recognized officially as a foundation less than a year ago, his community programs for youth have helped kids for over six years.

His programs help bring together underprivileged children from various schools and communities through sports.

“We introduce basketball to the kids. But it’s not just about

basketball. We teach them interpersonal skills. We teach them about communication. We teach them about accepting difference, accepting someone who’s not from the same culture. We use the basketball, but it’s really more about mentoring,” said Reid.

His foundation is a reflection of his own experiences as a young man, and the support and mentoring that he received from people in his own community.

“My inspiration was the way I was brought up. I grew up in Little Burgundy, and basketball was somewhat of an escape from the madness of my community, my surroundings. It was not a safe place to grow up but it was all that I knew,” he said.

In the face of challenge, he turned to his mentor Trevor Williams. Also from Little Burgundy, Williams founded a community project to help the youth of this inner-city Montreal neighbourhood through basketball. His influence made a decisive impact on Reid’s life. “[He] was someone who saw something in me ... [who] really guided me. Because of him, I was really able to get out of high school, and get out of CEGEP, all though university. If it wasn’t for him, and

an organization, a community-type entity to help me achieve those things, I’d probably end up like the rest of my friends, in jail, or dead, or something like that,” Reid said.

Following William’s steps, Reid worked to give back to his community by helping and empowering its youth.

“Because of what he did, I thought it was a natural thing to continue, seeing that he told me to do it that way, I always thought that I could help someone .... The way Trevor helped me .... It was just a natural progression to go ahead and help in my way.”

It is now left to us as Montrealers to take advantage and experience Black History Month the way it is meant to be experienced.

To discover and celebrate the unsung cultural wealth of Montreal’s black community, and to honour the leaders who have worked hard to help future generations rise above challenge, and create a better Montreal for all of us to live in. As Reid said, Black History Month, “is not ‘a black thing.’ It is not ‘an English thing,’ nor [is it] ‘a French thing.’ It is a community thing ... to bring the [Montreal community] together.”

IS THE TIME grounds to experience the richness and diversity of a community that is seldom recognized.

“So many black people in Montreal have talent in music, dancing, acting. [But] we don’t see them on TV. We don’t hear them on the radio. We don’t see them on stage. This is a way to discover them,” he said. “TV and [media]

1 Spokesperson Dawn Tyler Watson.

2 McGill alumnus and founder of Montreal Community Cares foundation Denburk Reid, 3 spokespersons Angelo Cadet and Didier Lucien.

Photos from moishistoiredesnoirs.com

11

Student living

up close and personal

Student project graduates to the big leagues

Wildcard co-founder Tom Zheng opens up about the trials and tribulations of developing a business Jacqui Galbraith Student Living Editor

McGill Tribune: What exactly is Wildcard?

Tom Zheng: Wildcard is a membership platform [that works as] an app and a card, and with it you are able to receive benefits at our partner clubs, restaurants, and bars. So, for example, you don’t pay cover, you get complementary drinks and appetizers, and you also claim rewards points every time you use it.

MT: How did the idea for Wildcard come about? Who was involved from the beginning, and who has gotten involved over the course of the process?

TZ: Three years ago a good friend of mine named Adam Hirsch—who is now in Malaysia—[came up with the] concept of a card that gets you into clubs. Last summer, my business partner, Randeep Singh—a third year materials engineering student—and I came together [to expand the business]. Nightlife is not just about clubbing, it can involve eating out, it can involve going to bars, even watching movies for that matter. So we wanted to create a platform for nightlife. We don’t want to concentrate on one specific niche. We want to really have something that everybody can use for whatever purpose they [want].

MT: What kind of learning curve have you faced since you first took

over the company?

TZ: People think you tell [developers] what to do, they make it. Boom, done. But it’s a constant form of management that we learned how to do from scratch. Wildcard is different than a student club, we have to run it like a corporation. The process of turning this from a glorified student project into a legitimate corporation was by far, the hardest thing we had to do.

MT: How do you find the dynamic of working with people who have been at it, so much longer than you have?

TZ: I think the important thing is to listen and learn. We can only see so far; we see something with a great potential, but we don’t know how to get there. How do you get more users, how do you set meetings, how do you have a structured way in which you attack a problem? It took us a while to adjust to that, as well as [developing] a very strong sense of self-discipline; because both Randeep and I are still full time students, and I’m VP Academic for the AUS. You have to be focused on what you do—that was the hardest part, and we still have to work on that every day.

MT: I know that you were supposed to launch the app in midOctober, but the official event was held on Friday, January 25th.

How has the timing been over the past year or so, in terms of expan-

The easy-to-use Wildcard app. (Simon Poitrimolt / McGill Tribune) sion?

TZ: With something like this, you always want to reach your deadline, but things constantly come up. This entire product … was pretty much made by two students from Waterloo. You talk to them, and they build something, and that process kept going and going. So it took us a while, because both Randeep and I are perfectionists. It was very, very hard from September to December—the going back and forth. And because we’re a legally registered corporation….we have investors, we have people who we need to be responsible to, so [there] was a lot of pressure.

MT: So did the two Waterloo stu-

dents get it done in the end, or did you end up having to switch to other developers?

TZ: They got it done. That was a relief, because literally an hour before the launch event, we were still working on it. With something like tech, it’s not like you draw a picture and you’re done; you make something, and you test it; something goes wrong; you fix it; something else goes wrong. And with any software, the front end is what you see, and the back end is how it operates...

MT: Do you have any other plans to expand in the future?

TZ: Definitely. At this point we’re still proving the idea in Montreal.

There are some adjustments we

want to make in terms of user interaction. Once we have something set, then we plan to go to every single major city in Canada. We’re already in talks with a company in Portugal who are interested in licensing the idea, and franchising the system.

Because not only are we a front end product, but we have a back end system of analytics that we are able to implement with other companies.

MT: What do you hope to see happening with Wildcard in five years?

TZ: It will be in every major city in North America. The norm [for nightlife]. Because the concept is universal, we want to make it universal.

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13

Tuesday February 5, 2013 |

STUDENT LIVING

| Curiosity delivers.

Pintxos offers tasty tapas with a Basque flair

While not a staple for students, this fine dining experience is worth the splurge Sam Reynolds Production Manager Three weeks after Christmas, I still had not gotten my girlfriend a gift. In a last-ditch effort, I decided to plan her a romantic night out to an expensive restaurant. As a student, my knowledge of Montreal’s fine dining was limited to O. Noir, ‘that crazy blind place’ I’d been told about in first year. Wanting to actually see my girlfriend of three years during dinner, I perused online restaurant reviews for better options.

A trail of Gazette, Urbanspoon, and OpenTable reviews ultimately led me to Pintxos (pronounced ‘peencho’).

Pintxos specializes in pintxos, a Basque take on Spanish tapas. Originally a simple snack, tapas are now known as a menu of small, elaborate plates, on which chefs can display their inventiveness with Spanish and global flavours. The restaurant’s executive chef, Alonso Ortiz, designs food that we, as financial dependents, usually only get to see on

student week of the

with Jacqui Galbraith

Iron Chef.

We went on a Tuesday night after a day of classes, and sat down to a table with a heater and window view. The ambience was dim—romantic, and quiet—not loud enough to mask our vehement sniffling. In a French accent, the waiter recommended to my girlfriend a wine “which the women love.” I, on the other hand, ordered from a disappointing selection of beers.

Pintxos’ menu is an incredible two-page list of dishes with ingredients that you probably have never heard of but that all sound delicious.

Every plate had something I’d never tried before. I ended up going with the chef’s choice, which includes three pintxos tasters, one full pinxtos, and one plato—or entrée—for $38. My girlfriend ordered four pinxtos.

Round one of our food arrived quickly. My first dish was the taster plate. On it were smaller portions of the ‘foie gras torchon with onion confit,’ the ‘yellow beet tartar with smoked salmon and feta cheese,’ CCUC, or does it rotate through different Canadian universities?

A: It rotates, and there’s also an interesting trend. The school that’s hosted [the tournament each year has] won it. It’s been [going] for four years in a row, and we’ve managed to keep that [trend] up.

Q: How big is the chess team?

A: We had three teams this year, and each team consists of four players.

MICHAEL KLEINMAN GENERAL ENGINEERING U0 (ALEXANDRA ALLAIRE / MCGILL TRIBUNE)

This week’s student was nominated for his impressive showing at the Canadian University Chess Championship (CUCC), and his contribution to McGill’s tournament win.

Q: You were nominated for your success on the McGill chess team during the recent CUCC, can you talk about that?

A: A bunch of schools [like] McMaster, University of Toronto, Waterloo, Queen’s, and a [few others] all came together to compete. There are four boards, and they’re ranked, so the first board plays against the first board, second against the second, et cetera.

Whoever ends up with the most points wins, and whoever has the most team match [victories] wins the tournament.

Fortunately, we were able to pull it off [this year].

Q: Does McGill usually host the

Q: Do you have weekly meetings?

How do you practice?

A: There’s a club that meets [and we play each other]. [There’s] a national ranking system, and as you play tournaments, you accumulate points. There [aren’t] really any tryouts or anything.

Q: What are the best and worst parts about chess?

A: [The best part is] meeting so many different people from so many different backgrounds who all come together just to play. You can immediately have something in common with them, and that’s pretty neat. Probably the worst part [is] losing. It’s pretty painful, takes some time to recover from.

Q: If you were a chess piece, which piece would you be and why?

A: I’d probably be the knight. You know, it can hop over other pieces, it can do a lot.

Q: What’s your least favourite sound in the world?

A: Probably the sound of chalk on a chalk board; really makes me cringe.

Q: If you could change one thing about McGill, what would it be and why?

and the ‘avocado soup with Serrano ham.’ It was exciting to try so many new flavours, but I had to restrain myself from finishing the whole plate in less than 10 seconds.

Next, the waiter brought my full pintxos, the ‘stuffed fig with Serrano ham and mahon cheese.’

The fig was so beautifully arranged with the ham and the cheese that I felt bad eating it so quickly. Despite the portion sizes at Pintxos, and the speed at which you could consume each dish, the food really makes you take the time to think about the textures and the combinations of flavours you are experiencing.

Thankfully, the platos was something more substantial: ‘filet mignon with roasted asparagus and goat cheese.’ Again, the plate was aesthetically breathtaking. The steak was served on top of mashed potatoes, asparagus, and basil, and the goat cheese was slightly melted on top of the steak, gravy dripped around the plate. The filet mignon was perfectly rare, and tasted rich and juicy with the cheese and gravy.

A: I’d make the [cafeteria] have longer hours. There are always times, like at ten o’clock, when I’m starving, and I have to go to Provigo or Tims. I never plan ahead to get food from the [cafeteria], which is the logical thing to do.

Q: Your apartment is flooding and you only have time to save three things; what are they?

A: My computer because I basically live on it. My iPad—that’s similar to my computer, I spend 99.9 per cent of my time on it. And probably my radio; whenever I’m in my room or doing anything I always like to have some constant sound going.

Q: Who’s your hero?

A: I guess it’s kind of cliché, but I’d say Terry Fox, just because he was able to accomplish so much with such a big handicap. It’s always inspiring when you see somebody who had so many disadvantages, and was able to do so much. It’s motivating.

Q: What’s your lucky charm?

A: When I play chess, I always [go] with the same pen. If I win a game I keep the same one, and if I lose, I pick a new one.

Q: If you could trade lives with anyone for a day, who would it be, and what would you do?

A: Maybe Kobe Bryant. That seems like a fun lifestyle; and [it would be funny] to see how he would fit in in a McGill environment.

Q: Describe the McTavish flood in three words.

A: What the hell?

The filet mignon with roasted asparagus and goat cheese. (pintxos.ca) By the end of my platos, I was full, but I couldn’t resist dessert.

I ordered clafoutis, a soft, spongy cake with black cherries and powdered sugar. The cake was sweet and creamy, while the cherries provided a sour tinge and thicker texture.

Once the euphoria of dessert was over, I remembered that I was paying for all of this, and the bill was not pretty. The dinner, with drinks and dessert for two people, was well over a hundred dollars.

While certainly expensive, Pintxos was a special occasion, and I recommend it for anyone who has to entertain a date, parents, or classy friends. Order from the wine list and make sure to get a platos, or you might leave hungry. More importantly, eat slowly, and enjoy the food! Otherwise, it’s going to be a quick meal.

arts & entertainment

Theatre

A long and torturous path to justice

Innocence Lost is a vividly poignant portrayal of one of Canada’s most infamous wrongful convictions Chris Liu A&E Editor Minute misfortunes, cringing incompetence, and wanton, inexplicable malevolence—that’s all one needs to hang a boy.

Steven Truscott’s case is a black stain on Canadian history. In response to the violent rape and murder of a child—12-year-old Lynne Harper—our neighbours, our courts, and our society took the life of another. Just 14-years old at the time, Truscott became in 1959 the youngest Canadian sentenced to death.

That this was commuted to life imprisonment, and the executioner’s noose stayed, is hardly comforting.

Truscott would have to wait until 2007—when the errors of the initial case could be brought to light—to be acquitted of the charges.

The Centaur Theatre/National Arts Centre co-production of Innocence Lost: A Play About Steven Truscott, written by Beverley Cooper and directed by Roy Surette, is an accomplished telling of the events surrounding Harper’s murder and Truscott’s trial. Cooper’s script rightly reflects the pain experienced not just by Truscott, but also the Harper family and the small, tightknit community of Clinton, Ontario in which the tragedy took place. This attentiveness, coupled with Surette’s even-handed and empathetic direction, makes for a production that is provoking without moralizing, inquisitive rather than inquisitorial, and very, very much alive.

This care is evident in the meticulous construction of an idyllic community, a space that is pristine, protected, perfect—a space without evil. The same care can be seen in the slow fragmentation of this safety, as Harper’s disappearance becomes a morbid, unimaginable discovery in the bushes, and as the community slowly turns to chew out and digest one of their own. The innocence that is lost is not merely Truscott’s—the story is very much about the suffering of a town and country.

Cooper merits praise for herdexterity in navigating such a horrible event, one in which various parties have incalculable emotional stakes. Many of the lines are narrations, breathlessly relaying facts to keep the audience informed of all relevant detail, but the cast handles

the task, which could easily sink into tediousness, with livid yet restrained passion. The rest of the script dives deep into intersubjective experiences, whether it’s the gossipy neighbour, the traumatized classmate, or the cop that’s out for blood. Here, we see glimpses of what a clinical court document or aseptic news clipping could never reveal. The best moments of the production capture a back and forth of this dualism, a fusion of cool facts and heated humanity.

Technical elements also complement the respect and restraint which characterizes this production.

James Lavoie’s tiered set design, replete with miniature houses, exhibits the power of subtlety. The same can be said for Luc Prairie’s lighting, though it is appropriately dramatic at select points, such as during Truscott’s appearance at the Supreme Court of Canada. The video projection which accompanies several scenes may easily have slid into uncomfortable sentimentality in less accomplished hands, but George Allister and Patrick Andrew Boivin’s design is compelling and effective without being self-indulgent.

Distinguishing themselves among a versatile and accomplished cast, most of whom play multiple roles, are Fiona Reid and Allan Morgan. Both veteran actors in Canadian theatre, Reid and Morgan’s talent is evinced by the range and depth of nuance in their characterizations.

Each role inhabited is made unique, and even the briefest cameo, in the hands of Morgan, could become the most memorable performance of the night. As the guiding spirit for the audience, Sarah (Jenny Young) is a formidable presence. Young invests the role with both vulnerability and strength, making for an imminently relatable character that helps the audience through the wrenching story.

The tightly-wound and immaculate production nevertheless saw a number of minor line mishaps on opening night—such things are, however, unlikely to mar future performances.

The subtle movement from ‘innocent until proven guilty’ to its terrifying inverse speaks to the injustice of Truscott’s case. Lines like “He’s got to be guilty! There’s too much at stake!” exhibit just why the conviction became one of the most infamous ‘miscarriages of justice’ in

www.mcgilltribune.com

Considerate yet passionate, Innocence Lost questions whether our judicial system prizes efficacy over justice.

(Liam Maclure / McGill Tribune) Canadian history. Yet there’s no condemnation or accusation in this production, no single ‘ah-ha!’ moment that the viewer can point to as the source of all wrong. There’s no target for one to strike with the red-hot poker of vengeance, nothing that can be used to console oneself with the

thought that ‘if we stop that, we can prevent it from happening again.’

Instead, Truscott’s story is one overflowing with sadness, helplessness, and frustration. Though we may not answer this question, the fact that Innocence Lost asks it at all is important: What made us, governors and

participants in our cherished democracy, turn so eagerly to condemn this boy?

Innocence Lost runs until Feb. 24 at the Centaur (453 Saint-François-Xavier). Student admission $26.

Curiosity delivers. |

arts & entertainment

| Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Theatre

15

Humanity on trial in Kafka’s Ape

Franz Kafka’s frightening tale of the human condition takes centre stage in latest Infinithéâtre production

The Redpeters, more man than ape. (Brian Morel / Courtesy of Infinithéâtre) Cecilie Jensen Contributor What makes a human being, human? What makes an ape, an ape? Is it at all possible to draw a conclusive line between these two animal species in order to define one as superior to the other? These are some of the central questions at play in Kafka’s Ape, a performance now playing at Infinithéâtre. The show is

based on Franz Kafka’s short story, A Report to an Academy, and was adapted and directed by Guy Sprung.

In A Report to an Academy, published in the war-ravaged Germany of 1917, an ape is captured in the jungles of Africa by a European hunting expedition. The ape, realizing that only by imitating the bizarre behaviour of his captors can he have any chance of escaping the confinement of his cage, strives to repress

his ape identity, and take on a human one. His captors deem his efforts successful, and the metamorphosed ape is accordingly celebrated as a unique variety act all over Europe.

In Guy Sprung’s adaptation, the ape, named Redpeter, culminates his parallel journey from ape to man as a distinguished member of the private security industry, a euphemism for his engagement as a mercenary with a major privatized military company. Sprung’s contemporization of Kafka’s story posits the world-wide expansion of this industry as the appalling zenith of the human species’ relentless desire for wealth and success. In the Director’s Note addressed to the audience, Sprung warns us that “Redpeter has been assimilated into one of the most heinous occupations the Homo sapiens has embraced on its evolutionary journey, that of privatizing the killing and the subjugating of other human beings—for profit.”

Montreal actors Howard Rosen-

stein and Alexandra Montagnese play the parts of Redpeter and his ape-wife, and have both undergone intensive instruction by movement coaches Anana Rydvald and Zach Fraser, in order to correctly imitate the apes’ natural motions. Thus, just as Redpeter had to repress the ape within himself to become human, the actors have had to undertake a similar obscuring of their instinctive human movements and behaviours. The important difference is, of course, that for Rosenstein and Montagnese their transformation is transient, confined to the limits of the play.

Set and costume designer Ariane Genet de Miomandre, and make-up designer Vladimir Alexandru Cara, make the actors’ transformation from man to ape complete.

The overall effect is not only highly convincing, but unnerving: Redpeter emerges as a character in which the boundaries between ape and man have become alarmingly unstable.

Metamorphosis, a common topic for Kafka, thus operates at many different levels within the play: at one level, as described, a man plays an ape who transforms into a man. But the metamorphosis doesn’t stop there. Not only does the ape have to transform irreversibly from his natural animal self in order to take on a human identity, but subsequently, to be considered a successful member of the species of Homo sapiens, the ape has to distort the very human nature he has attained, and consciously flout fundamental principles of humanity.

The irony of this last transformation is painfully obvious: in documenting the ape’s journey, it is not the superiority of the human race that is revealed, but its immorality, its inhumanity.

Infinithéâtre’s production of Kafka’s Ape runs until Feb. 17 at Bain St. Michel (5300 St-Dominique). Student tickets $20.

Visual Art

Babette Mangolte bends time to her will Artist and filmmaker’s latest exhibition plays with temporality, space, and perception Lauren Wray Contributor “Is he allowed to cross the boundary?” I ask French-American artist and filmmaker, Babette Mangolte. I’m referring to the man with the wayward look in his eye who has snuck over the boundary to get a closer look at her pictures.

“What?!” Mangolte exclaims, as she grabs my arm with a look of shock on her face (as much shock as I can discern from behind her charismatic John Lennon-esque sunglasses). Apparently, the boundary is there for a reason.

Mangolte’s newest exhibition at the VOX gallery features an assortment of installations from the ’70s to the present. In Looking and Touching (2007), the boundary creates a forced distance between the

viewer (who is behind the boundary) and a variety of black-and-white framed photographs that hang on a faraway wall. From a distance, the viewer sees 46 photos of New York City life in the ’70s, from dance and theatre performances to city scenes.

One is not, however, limited to the role of a spectator. On the viewer’s side of the barrier rests an elongated table, strewn with smaller, delicate versions of the wall photos and their negatives. These tiny table photos evince the process of selection in film photography, with the viewer free to touch and inspect the photos as they search for the accompanying framed versions on the wall in front of them. Such a setup encourages both a theatrical and inclusive understanding of photography. The viewer can question the photos from afar while still engag-

ing with them up-close. The boundary is physically there, but the fourth wall seems somewhat broken. This unique interaction demonstrates how distance informs the construction of the image.

Indeed, distance, space, and perception are all major themes in Mangolte’s work. Buildings appear groundless, movement appears static, people appear positionless.

But perhaps more than anything, her pieces document a bygone era while remaining relevant. Videos of New York City in the ’70s play, contextualizing her work: the sights and sounds of the city accompany viewers as they walk around the room. The videos capture a moment, Mangolte remarks, that was less hectic: “people were not rushing around with their smartphones.”

Though those times are notably dif-

ferent from today, portraits of Mangolte’s neighbours, friends, and family manage to connect the viewer with fellow faces, despite the layers of years between the photo and the viewer.

Mangolte’s newest piece, Hommage to the Colour Green (2013), includes digital photos from around the world that portray varying shades of green in the hopes of documenting changes in tones which may result from climate change. Unlike her other works, these images are bright, sharp, and mostly devoid of people. Similarities exist within her work, with an apparent focus on the themes of time and change: “I am fascinated by images of what could vanish,” says Mangolte. Though the wilderness is disappearing, and the Earth is continuously changing (she mentions Montreal’s relatively

temperate past winter), Mangolte’s photos are neither stark nor violent, grandiose nor haunting, but rather purposefully ordinary and plain.

Peaceful hues and gentle countrysides span the walls, whilst still acting as a prescient warning and a taste of foreshadowed nostalgia.

As a whole, Mangolte’s exhibition allows us to look into the past, present, and future. Through her black-and-white photos and green landscapes, Mangolte allows us to embrace art as a form to analyze the world that once was and the world that we are creating.

Babette Mangolte’s exhibition is on display until April 20 at VOX (2 Ste-Catherine St. Ouest). Free admission.

could be good Music Melodi Muzik and Vox Sambou

Film Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen

Theatre Cinderellas

Film Casablanca

Music Yo La Tengo

This Friday, two of Quebec’s mainstays mount an infectiously upbeat performance. Enjoy an eclectic combination of hip hop, reggae, and Haitian music as part of the Fade to Black festival, celebrating Black History Month.

Celebrate Chinese New Year and wushu cinema with Donnie Yen, star of the acclaimed Ip Man series, who returns to China to liberate his city. Directed by Andrew Lau (Infernal Affairs, of which The Departed is a remake).

Does moral equate to good? Cinderellas, a tale of four strippers, grapples with this exact question. Carol, Nina, Sonia, and (of course!) Dreams struggle with their lives on and off stage, all while fending off the next existential crisis.

As a Valentine’s Day treat for cinephiles, Cinema du Parc is playing the quintessential Hollywood romance, Casablanca.

Witness the most frequently misquoted movie in the history of film (the famous line is, in fact, “Play it once, Sam. For old times’ sake.”), this time in 35mm glory.

Perennial indie-rock favourites Yo La Tengo will be gracing Montreal’s audiences with their critically-lauded soft melodies, and deceptively unassuming lyrics.

Friday, Feb. 9, 7:30p.m., Cabaret du MileEnd (5240 Park Ave). Admission $20.

Sunday, Feb. 10, 7:00 p.m., Cinéma J.A. de Sève (1400 Boul. de Maisonneuve West). Student admission $6.

Wednesday, Feb. 6 - 9, Mainline Theatre (3997 Saint-Laurent). Tickets available at www.mainlinetheatre.ca

Friday, Feb. 8 - 14, Cinema du Parc (3575 Avenue du Parc). Admission $8.50-11.50

Monday, Feb. 11, 8:30 p.m., Corona Theatre (2490 Notre-Dame West). Admission $27.

16 Rhythmic ruin:

By Chantelle D’Souza Contributor

rock of the aged

The ups and downs of Ginger Baker

Rock ‘n’ roll’s legendary curmudgeon talks about life, drumming, and offering cocaine to his 15-year-old son “This film is about Ginger Baker, a man who stands for something in life that probably most of you do not. Love and appreciate—no matter how awkward this character may appear to you.”

From the opening scenes of the film, Johnny Rotten, the infamous Sex Pistols lead singer, cautions viewers about the brilliant but self-destructive force of nature they are about to witness. Jay Bulger’s immensely entertaining ‘rockumentary,’ Beware of Mr. Baker, chronicles the prolific life and career of legendary British rock drummer Ginger Baker, most commonly known as a member of the ’60s blues rock supergroups Cream and Blind Faith.

From an early age Baker realized that he had been blessed with the rare gift of natural time. Though he started out as a jazz drummer, Beware of Mr. Baker documents Baker’s career progression from jazz, to rock, to African rhythms, in an endless quest to follow “the groove.”

This rhythmic journey spans over

five decades and takes him across the world, leaving England for Hawaii, Jamaica, Nigeria, Italy, the U.S., and South Africa. Along the way he collaborates with talented and influential people, including Fela Kuti, the revolutionary Nigerian musician and activist.

So, why beware of this Mr. Baker? Baker’s drug abuse, penchant for violence, excessive and compulsive behaviour, terrible attitude, and skewed moral compass garner him a long list of enemies, ruined relationships (including four wives, each younger than the last), deportation from multiple countries, and an equal proportion of highs as lows.

In the film Baker—now 73, and appearing to have mellowed with age—calmly recounts incidents, such as when he pulled a knife out on his fellow band member Jack Bruce during a live performance, or when he offered a line of coke to his then 15 year-old son, Kofi.

Ginger Baker’s life story is riveting, and Beware of Mr. Baker tells

it through the use of various interviews, concert clips, animations, old footage, and an amazing soundtrack intercut with thunderous drum solos that would get any music lover’s heart pumping. Bulger succeeds in providing a convincing portrait of Baker as an unrivalled pioneer of rock music, and the best drummer of all time.

Throughout the movie viewers sense that the director and a majority of the interviewees are closeted Ginger Baker fanboys, all impressive names in their own right: Charlie Watts (Rolling Stones), Eric Clapton, Nick Mason (Pink Floyd), Carlos Santana, Neil Peart (Rush), Lars Ulrich (Metallica), and Stewart Copeland (The Police), amongst others.

They acknowledge Baker’s plethora of faults, but in the end are willing to overlook them in light of his aweinspiring talent and rhythmic genius.

However, one gets the impression that none of the interviewees truly knew the real Ginger Baker, and no genuine attempt was made

to delve further into his psyche.

This is partly perpetuated by Baker himself, who tries to keep the audience at arm’s length. When asked whether he would consider himself a tragic hero, Baker curtly tells the documentarian to “stop trying to be an intellectual dickhead.”

Ultimately, Johnny Rotten says it the best: “How can you question it, when the end results are Ginger Baker, looking as offputting as ever. (sxsw.com) that perfect?”

Beware of Mr. Baker opens Feb. 8 at Cinema du Parc (3575 Avenue du Parc). Under 25 tickets $8.50.

By Max Berger Contributor

A golden-toned eulogy

to a place where history was made

Foo Fighters’ front-man Dave Grohl traces star-studded history of iconic studio in Sound City Waves of progress often sweep away the obsolete from society without a second thought, but Dave Grohl makes Sound City Studios a rare exception. In his first film, the Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters front-man turns his sights to a musical landmark whose greatness few, apart from hardcore rock ‘n’ roll fans, would have understood prior to this project. Sound City chronicles the rich history of the eponymous studio that brought together four decades of musicians on the outskirts of Los Angeles.

Sound City was first conceived

by Grohl in 2011, when the studio decided to call it quits after a 42-year run. Hearing the news, he talked to its manager about buying their custom-made Neve recording console for Studio 606, his personal studio.

The transaction was completed, but salvaging the machinery alone did not satisfy Grohl. He felt that there was a story to be told about the studio and its role in the greater context of rock ‘n’ roll, so he assembled a cast that could help him do it justice.

Enter the heroes of Sound City Studios: Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, John Fogerty, Tom Petty, Rick Springfield, REO Speedwagon, Rage Against the Machine, Queens

The Sound City Studios helped launch the careers of many, including Neil Young and Fleetwood Mac. (www.collider.com) of the Stone Age, Weezer, Nine Inch Nails, renowned producer Rick Rubin (looking like he never left Woodstock), and the studio’s loyal staff. There is a genuine excitement and candid quality in the musicians that talk about their Sound City experience. Many bring up the friendliness of the staff and the family-like atmosphere that developed in the studio. In several cases, the recordings done there were followed by a huge commercial breakthrough for the artists. Had it not been for Sound City, Mick Fleetwood never would

have heard a tape by Buckingham Nicks, the dating duo he recruited to Fleetwood Mac that would help launch them to superstardom.

No musician felt shy about calling Sound City an absolute dump. It’s located in a dingy row of industrial warehouse spaces, and the interior area is equally unappealing.

Very little had been altered since 1969, including the tasteless brown shag carpet on the wall. The only times the walls saw improvements was when another gold or platinum record was put up.

As Studio Manager Shivaun O’Brien puts it, “Sound City was a place where real men went to make records.”

The essence of Sound City is its appreciation of the lost art of analog recording. It is refreshing to hear Grohl, Young, and many of the other featured artists speak so affectionately of the recording process on the studio’s Neve console. The documentary expertly highlights the fact that while digital recording may provide convenience and opportunities for sound manipulation, it can-

not reproduce the pure cohesiveness and authenticity of its analog counterpart.

Although Sound City is a documentary, Grohl still delivers a strong performance. He is constantly overflowing with zeal for the studio and revels in the scope of its effect on the rock community. Somehow, it’s satisfying to watch him jam out with many of the artists he interviewed (and a surprise guest legend) while recording on the rebuilt Neve console. Those tracks have been released on an album accompanying the documentary called Real to Reel.

Grohl delivers in his first documentary and benefits from its all-star cast. Neil Young famously proclaims in the 1979 song “My My, Hey Hey” that “It’s better to burn out than to fade away.” By creating Sound City, Grohl ensures that one of the more prolific sites in rock ‘n’ roll history will burn out brilliantly.

Sound City is playing until Feb. 7 at Cinema du Parc (3575 Avenue du Parc). Under 25 tickets $8.50

Curiosity delivers. |

arts & entertainment

Album

Exclusive Interview

reviews

Richard Thompson Electric

Tegan and Sara Heartthrob

Portage and Main Never Had The Time

New West Records

Warner Bros.

Independent

The title of Richard Thompson’s new release, Electric, hints at vitality and novelty from one of the British Isles’ best guitarist/songwriters. Forty-five years into his career, Thompson still succeeds in rendering spirited ballads, oscillating from heartfelt to ornery. Whether you are a longtime admirer, or a newcomer to his funky guitar and eclectic songwriting, Thompson’s latest release promises something for everyone.

Following the Grammy nomination of his last release, Dream Attic, Thompson has widened his range in Electric from the rushed and upbeat tempo of the opening track “Stony Ground”—whose very first tones are proof of Thompson’s legendary guitar riffs—to the more calming and relaxed “Salford Sunday.” Thompson’s trademark lyrics—poignant, yet slightly bitter— are catchiest in “Good Things Happen to Bad People.” The album is a testament to Thompson’s versatility and his unique satirical view of the most ordinary emotions.

While he may not have achieved the same level of fame as his contemporaries, Thompson has always avoided being flashy. He recently joked that with this album he may have invented a new ‘folk funk’ genre. This is not difficult to believe.

His folk rock funk has both Celtic and blues undertones, which makes him stand out from the conventional rock ‘n’ roll scene. Electric lives up to this style and is a true Thompson classic, reminiscent of his days as a member of Fairport Convention and the brooding dulcet duets with his ex-wife, Linda Thompson.

After spending a decade in the music industry, and crafting six albums that have cemented the band as a powerful indie-rock duo, Canadian twins Tegan and Sara decided to take the plunge into the world of pop by recruiting producer Greg Kurstin (Ke$ha; Katy Perry).

Replacing guitars with synth-pads, simple refrains with stadium-filling anthems, Tegan and Sara create a new sound that aggressively fuses conventional pop with an indie rock edge. Enter Heartthrob.

This genre departure is a natural evolution for Tegan and Sara, who started exploring new areas last year through collaborations with Morgan Page and Tiesto. Now 32 years old, their maturity is delivered through reflections on passion. For the first time, Tegan and Sara explore erotic themes with “Closer,” an intense number about sex and all its tribulations. Look to “I Was a Fool” for the classic Tegan and Sara love ballad, albeit updated with a pop ambience.

For every moment spent reflecting on regret, there is an equal and opposite moment spent thriving in an electrical, euphoric universe, making Heartthrob Tegan and Sara’s most polished and balanced record. This new sound is undoubtedly more commercial, but it’s also deeper, catchier, and overall better than anything Tegan and Sara have accomplished before. For those new to the band, there has never been a better opportunity to give the duo a chance. This departure for Tegan and Sara will attract even those who remotely enjoy pop—whether they’d like to admit it or not.

Well, it’s February: the Monday of months. The nasty hangover after the wild weekend that is Winter Break. For those that could use some sort of pick-me-up, Portage and Main’s new album Never Had The Time is just what the doctor ordered.

It offers a smooth respite from the grey Canadian winter, going down like hot chocolate with a dab of peppermint. This Vancouver six-piece’s sophomore effort is a ten-song album spearheaded by the vocal harmonies of chief songwriters Harold Donnelly and John Sponarski.

Fans of Wilco, Neil Young, and The Band will enjoy the rootsy sounds of Never Had The Time, which has been well received since its release last week. Portage and Main has performed at North by Northeast, Canadian Music Week, and other renowned Canadian music festivals.

The album is strong as a whole, but the song to be whistling to until the ice thaws is the title track, “Never Had The Time.” The vibrato-heavy pedal steel guitar glides through the background of the mix, and weaves in and out with a huge organ that manages to stay consistent with the volume and dynamics of the vocals. At no point does the listener find himself distracted by a specific instrument. Congratulations are in order for keyboardist Georges Couling, who produced and engineered the album.

This record is simple, but in no way minimalist—there’s a lot going on with the various instruments in each track, but Never Had The Time will never overwhelm the listener.

— Mehlka Mustansir

| Tuesday, February 5, 2013

— Luke Orlando

Sit on our Board of Directors as a student representative!

E-mail editor@mcgilltribune.com

— Vincent Simboli

17

Supernatural creatures are beautiful too

Alice Englert as Lena Duchannes. (www.fanpop.com) Diana Wright Contributor Beautiful Creatures, a soonto-be-released fantasy flick, depicts the turbulent love story of Lena Duchannes (Alice Englert) and Ethan Wate (Alden Ehrenreich), as the teens navigate Lena’s family of witches (or ‘casters’, as they prefer to be called), and the inhabitants of their close-minded Southern town.

According to Emmy Rossum, one of the film’s stars, Beautiful Creatures portrays “females in the Duchannes family as having all the power,” while also hinting at a “girlpower battle” between her character and Lena, the focus of the movie.

Rossum says this is what ultimately sets the film apart from others of its genre. Adapted from a successful trilogy of teen novels, Beautiful Creatures is a re-imagining of the classic star-crossed lovers tale.

Rossum says she “gravitate[s] toward strong female characters,” as she was raised by a single mother.

Having been cast in “good girl roles as a teen,” she became tired of trying to fit the mould. Playing glamourous, supernatural Ridley Duchannes was a chance for Rossum to explore new waters, and a significant departure from her most prominent role to date: the down to earth Fiona Gallagher in Showtime’s gritty dramedy series Shameless.

Alden Ehrenreich, who was scouted at age 14 by Stephen Spielberg at a Bat Mitzvah, tells the Tribune that Beautiful Creatures is a fresh take on the ubiquitous teen fantasy flick.

“You need a device that brings it down to a human level, to a human understanding,” Ehrenreich says.

“To me, the humour keeps the film grounded in a more relatable reality.”

His co-star, newcomer Zoey Deutch, singles out the film for its

unique portrayal of men.

“I don’t know who came up with this idea that it’s not sexy or cool for men to be vulnerable … but Alden plays it so well,” Deutch says.

Recently, comparisons have been made between Beautiful Creatures and Twilight, since both began as successful young adult books, and feature passionate love stories with supernatural elements.

In response to these claims, Ehrenreich says, “It’s the same demographic and the same audience base and the same genre, but I haven’t seen the Twilight movies so I don’t know how similar they actually are.” He adds that he hopes people feel even “a fraction of the enthusiasm” for Beautiful Creatures as that shown for the Twilight franchise.

Alice Englert, daughter of New Zealand director Jane Campion, agrees.

“I understand why the comparisons are being made. It’s very natural, because it’s such a new genre to have such a large audience,” Englert says.

Beautiful Creatures was also a chance for many of its young cast to learn from some of Hollywood’s strongest actors; Emma Thompson, Jeremy Irons, and Viola Davis also star in the film.

“The older actors that we worked with were just so nurturing and open to teaching us everything they knew. It was the greatest acting class watching them work,” says Thomas Mann, star of last year’s Project X. Is there a franchise in the works? Rossum hints that the actors are all “signed for sequels.”

“If people embrace the series and want it to continue, I would love to reprise the role,” Rossum says.

Beautiful Creatures hits theatres Feb. 14

19

SPORTS

Basketball — Concordia 71, martlets 66

Streak snapped: Martlets fall to Concordia

McGill’s furious comeback falls short; packed crowd for Shoot for the Cure Remi Lu Contributor The Martlets entered Love Competition Hall on Friday evening in support of Shoot for the Cure— a fundraiser for breast cancer research—in the annual “Pack the House” game. McGill was looking to extend their seven game winning streak into February against the Concordia Stingers. However, despite a strong showing by point guard Diana Ros and forward Mariam Sylla, the Martlets fell to the Stingers 71-66 for the first time since November.

The first quarter was quite competitive, as both teams appeared evenly matched. Concordia had made tremendous adjustments since the last time the two rivals met, when the Stingers were blown out 75-44. On the other side of the court, McGill played with tenacity on offence, crashing the offensive boards, and running the floor every chance they had. The quarter finished an even 16-16.

While the Martlets focused on pushing the tempo in transition and pounding the ball down low to star rookie Sylla, the Stingers sniped from beyond the arc. Concordia’s shooters recorded an outstanding 61.5 per cent field goal efficiency from three-point range in the first half.

Dianna Ros fought hard to bring the Martlets back in the fourth quarter. (Remi Lu / McGill Tribune) The second frame, however, was all about Ros, as the secondyear point guard put on a clinic. She scored the first five points for the Martlets and scored he remaining 10 points in the second quarter, including an ankle-breaking crossover on a Stinger defender. She teamed up with Sylla to put the team up by seven at the 7:09 mark.

Unfortunately, Ros was the lone bright spot for McGill in the second.

The team proceeded to collapse, allowing Concordia to come roaring back with a barrage of threes. The Stingers entered halftime with a 42-34 lead. “[In the second quarter], we

slowed the pace down [and] started walking,” Martlets Head Coach Ryan Thorne said. “And then, [Concordia] was able to do different things; they ran a good ball screen action, got some open shots. We didn’t play it properly, so they got good looks out of it, and that was it.”

McGill unravelled further in the final half, as Concordia came out of the locker room on fire. The Martlets continued to struggle to defend the three-point shot, and could not convert on offence. McGill’s turnovers added to their troubles, and they trailed 61-45 by the end of the third quarter.

The Martlets huddled up before

the start of the fourth, when Coach Thorne helped his team regroup.

“Coach just [told] us that we had to communicate; that we have to play with more character, and that we are better than what we are doing. Everyone got pumped up and we started to do what we do best,” Sylla said.

This motivation appeared to work its magic, as McGill played with incredible energy in the final quarter and got back to what gives them offensive success—namely, their inside-out passing, transition baskets, and offensive rebounds.

The hard work paid off, as the Martlets made a comeback behind Sylla

and veteran forward Helene Bibeau.

Following an 18-2 run, Sylla put McGill up by one with three minutes remaining in the game. Ultimately, Tamara Pinard-Devos and Kaylah Barrett kept composure down the stretch for Concordia, and helped the Stingers seal the 71-66 victory.

Despite Friday’s loss, the Martlets remain in first place in the RSEQ, with a conference record of 8-3. However, Coach Thorne does not want McGill’s position atop the standings to affect his team’s approach.

“We won the conference last year, so we’ve had a target [on our backs] since the season started,” he said. “We have to take the approach, which is to go out there and play everyone as tough as we can. … We’re going after another championship.”

Ros added that the team will continue to work hard before the playoffs.

“We’ve been working since the beginning of the season [to stay] first,” she said. “We’ve been here before so we just want to stay here and work as hard as we can [to] have home court advantage [in the playoffs].”

The Martlets battle Laval on Feb. 7 in Quebec City, before returning home to play UQAM on Feb. 9.

The RSEQ playoffs begin at the end of February.

January I transfer

window round up

mplemented in 2003, the January transfer window presents an opportunity for soccer clubs around the world to strengthen their squads mid-season. This season, the English Premier League topped worldwide spending with a remarkable £120 million (188 million CAD) outlay—up 50 per cent from last year—but still far from the record setting £225 million (353 million CAD) of 2011. Italy’s Serie A spent the second most, trailed by the French and German leagues. Spain’s lacklustre economy shone through, with La Liga residing among the lower spending leagues. While rash deals are occasionally handed out—like the £40 million (63 million CAD) Fernando Torres transfer two years ago—there are definitely some great bargains to be found in January. For instance, Mark van Bommel was purchased for next to nothing in 2011, and played a pivotal role in Milan’s Scudetto triumph that year. Let’s take a look at some of the winners and losers of this past January transfer window:

winners

losers

A.C. Milan

Arsenal

The Italian giants made one of the biggest splashes, bringing in the enigmatic striker Mario Balotelli. Balotelli is perhaps better known for his antics off the pitch, but there is no questioning his talent. For years, he was lauded as having the potential to become the best player in the world, and to date he has shown flashes of being just that. Look no further than Italy’s dramatic victory in the 2012 Euro Cup semi-final against Germany, when Balotelli chested down a ball and rifled it top corner, past the world class keeper Manuel Neuer. His fee of €20 million (27 million CAD) looks reasonable, and many feel that a return to Italy is best for him, considering Milan was where he first made a name for himself as a youth.

The mythical Arsène Wenger hasn’t looked too great this season. A string of poor results have put Arsenal in a dogfight for a Champions League spot yet again. Allowing stars like Cesc Fàbregas and Robin van Persie leave on the transfer market is embarrassing for a club as large as Arsenal. This January window, the club favoured David Villa, but a deal failed to materialize.

Wenger has been given the funds to strengthen his squad, but instead, he has bought youth products who take years to develop. Once they do mature, however, he cashes in on them, leaving Arsenal without a competitive squad. It’s a vicious trend that doesn’t look like it will end during Wenger’s reign.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)

Manchester City

Finalized in August, PSG’s signing of Lucas Moura from Brazilian club Sao Paulo looks to be a good bet. With a hefty price tag of €45 million, many questioned the move. But does his fee really matter? PSG’s new ownership has shown over the past few summers that money is no issue. Lucas is an exciting, young attacker, who will free up space for Zlatan Ibrahimović up front, and cause problems for defenders throughout France. PSG also purchased David Beckham, but from an on-field perspective, he will provide next to nothing for the club. Beckham’s signing will mostly result in substantial jersey revenue for PSG, and the media attention he will bring to the squad and Ligue 1 will be beneficial for all involved.

Roberto Mancini has been granted the resources to spend as much as he desires. However, he spurned that opportunity this summer, buying flops like Jack Rodwell and Javi Garcia. Man City has been exposed this season, competing with a more experienced Manchester United club that is back on top of the table and doesn’t seem likely to falter anytime soon. With purchases in attack and defence, Man City would have the potential to compete with the world’s best; instead, trophies are unlikely to grace the Etihad Stadium—at least not this season.

By Filippo Furlano

Curiosity delivers.

|

sports

|

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Interview

19

10 questions with Vincent Dufort

Redmen star guard comments on his time at McGill, the team’s aspirations, and Vince Carter McGill Tribune (MT): When did you start playing basketball?

Vincent Dufort (VD): I started when I was probably four or five years old.

I’ve been playing my entire life; I played club ball in high school and elementary school—I’ve always played with my older brother too, so that helped a lot. I’ve just always loved it for my whole life.

MT: Why did you want to play basketball at McGill?

VD: Coach DeAveiro recruited me my whole last year. He came to all of my games; he showed me the campus and everything about the school, and I really liked it a lot. I met some of the guys on the team, and he explained to me that it would be the best balance for basketball and school, so I really bought into that. Obviously, basketball is really important, but so is education, and I got into the program that I wanted to here. I got recruited from a lot of schools in the OUA like Carleton, Queens­­—those were my other two main schools, but I was recruited all over the place. I just figured that McGill was the best balance for me [in terms of] basketball and academics.

MT: How do you feel about the team at this point in the

season?

VD: I feel really good about it, actually. I think we’re starting to really gel, and the chemistry is really good. Obviously, we lost our starting point guard, which hurt a lot, but Simon Bibeau is stepping up as our point guard now. We’re really coming together as a unit and playing well, so I feel good about our team now.

obviously and finish first in the league, because we want to improve every single year. We just went through a rough stretch playing the second and third place teams, and now we’ve got the forth and fifth placed teams to play for the rest of the season. We should come up with some wins if we play well together— and that’s what we’re expecting to do.

in Europe if I would have that opportunity. I’m going to keep working hard over the next three years, and hopefully I’ll get that chance. But if not, it’s not the end of the world. I’ll start my career as a teacher, which I’m looking forward to as well, and hopefully get to coach some high school teams or something like that—I really enjoy that stuff too.

MT: Tell me a bit more about the team chemistry and dynamic on and off the court.

VD: Well, there’s definitely a huge connection between the two, because we’re all such a tight group.

On the court, we’re not afraid to maybe tell each other if we screwed up somewhere; we won't take it to heart or anything like that. We’re so close and we’ve played together so much now, that you know where some guy’s gonna cut, you know where he’s going to be; so that helps a lot, and that’s just a huge part of basketball. I think—having good chemistry on and off the court is necessary to be successful.

MT: How does this season compare to last season personally and as a team?

VD: Personally, I’ve learned a ton.

Obviously, experience helps a lot.

Just little stuff, mistakes. Coach really taught me to play hard for 40 minutes, and not take plays off here and there, so that definitely helps me a lot. As a team, we’ve all come up just, like I have. I’ve grown as a player; we’ve grown as a team, with everyone together. The chemistry comes into play again, where we all just know each other that much better now—one year makes a huge difference. Everyone worked really hard this summer, and we’ve taken a really big step forward.

MT: Do you have a specific routine on game days, or are you superstitious at all?

VD: A little bit. As a team, we always go out for a team meal; then, we go back to the gym, hang out, and watch the girls' game. At the start of the year, I always had shin splints; so I always got calf massages before the game and we won 11 straight games. Even though I don’t have shin splints any more, I still get the calf massage; so that’s my superstition.

MT: You guys have five games left in the regular season, what are the goals for the end of the season?

VD: Well we’d like to win all five,

MT: Looking forward past McGill, where do you see your basketball career going?

VD: I would like to play pro

MT: Who is your all-time favourite basketball player?

VD: Well, this might be contradicting to my favorite team, but I’ve gotta go with Vince Carter. I grew up watching the Raptors when he was on them, and I’ve just always loved him. Even though he kind of backstabbed us, I’ve always been a

Dufort at the line. (mcgill.ca) big Vince Carter fan.

MT: Do you play Fantasy Basketball?

MT: I’m actually in two different leagues; I’ll tell you the team that’s doing well. I’ve got Kyrie Irving, Andre Iguodala, Rudy Gay actually—I’ve got Chris Bosh, JaVale McGee, George Hill, Luis Scola. Iguodala is doing a little better now, but he’s been struggling abit. JaVale is frustrating too.

- Compiled by Tom DiNardo

volleyball — Montreal 3, martlets 0 (26-24, 25-19, 25-15) • Laval 3, martlets 0 (25-21, 25-20, 27-25)

Tears flow as season ends for Martlets

McGill eliminated from playoff contention one year after CIS bronze medal triumph Jeff Downey Sports Editor Tears flooded the court at the conclusion of the McGill Martlets’ last volleyball match of the season on Saturday evening. Although the Martlets fell in straight sets, the loss was not the main source of this outpouring of emotion. As with the end of any season, the Martlets had to say goodbye to their graduating seniors—and this year’s crop was a particularly talented and motivated group.

Setter and perennial All-Star Marcela Mansure will certainly be moving on next season, as she has used all of her five years of CIS eligibility. Joining her is Rebecca Canam, and potentially, captain and star power hitter, Geneviève Plante.

Plante is graduating this year from a three-year program, but hopes to continue with the team in upcoming years, during a graduate degree.

Already eliminated from the playoffs, the Martlets still sought to finish the season on a positive note.

First up were the Montreal Carabins

on Thursday night, who rode the explosive talent of Sophie BergeronLeblanc and Marie-Sophie Nadeau, en route to a 26-24, 25-19, 25-15 victory. The Carabins closed out the last half of the season on fire, winning nine of their last 11 games to climb to seventh in the national CIS rankings.

To finish off the season on Saturday, the Laval Rouge-et-Or visited McGill. However, the result was much of the same for the Martlets.

McGill looked a little taken aback by the power and ferocity of their opponent—as they have for much of the season—and had to play catchup from the beginning.

The first two sets finished an uninspired 25-21, 25-20. The lone bright spot arose in the third, when McGill took it to Laval on the backs of Plante and rookies Catherine Amyot, and Ashley Norfleet. It was the first time in the match that the Martlets did not seem intimidated by the size of their opponents. The Martlets built a lead, but a few unforced hitting errors gave the Rougeet-Or enough momentum to tie the

game at 24 and ultimately come out victorious 27-25.

With no chance to replicate last year’s stunning bronze medal at Nationals last year, this season was undoubtedly a rebuilding year for the Martlets. Several starters from last year’s squad were lost to graduation, while 2012 Libero-of-the-Year, and Team Canada member, Daphnée André-Morin was absent the whole season with a knee injury. Morin’s absence left a gaping hole in the Martlet defence—one they failed to fill all year.

To add to this, while McGill was battered and inexperienced, the three other members of the league were really hitting their strides, each ranking in the CIS top 10, and making the RSEQ arguably the most competitive league in the country. The Martlets battled with the weapons they had, and Head Coach Rachèle Béliveau did well in fostering the development of the freshmen, who were adjusting from the slower CEGEP—or high school— game to the more physical and powerful CIS volleyball level.

Marie-Christine Lapointe volleys it up. (Anna Katycheva / McGill Tribune) Development will be crucial next year as André-Morin returns, and the team looks to be competitive once again. The one question mark looming on the horizon is the loss of Mansure, who has been the lone setter for the last four years of Martlet volleyball. Converted right-side hitter Marie-Christine Lapointe has played setter in the past, but never consistently at the CIS level, and listed sophomore setter Yasmeen Dawoodjee has failed to make her

mark in the CIS game. This void will need to be addressed as the team moves forward to next season.

Although the CIS sanctioned competition is over for the year, McGill still has a series of upcoming exhibition tournaments, giving them an even greater opportunity to gel.

Those tournaments compose the illustrious “Coupe du Québec,” which starts in March and runs through April.

19

SPORTS

Inside: Martlet Basketball Shoot for The Cure

basketball — redmen 63, concordia 61

Redmen slam rivals in full-house thriller McGill sneaks by No. 10 Stingers in front of raucous “Pack the House” crowd Josh Zigler Contributor After a difficult loss to Bishop’s on Wednesday, the McGill Redmen were hungry to bounce back. The team battled the No. 10 Concordia Stingers on Friday night at Love Competition Hall. McGill Athletics chose the right contest for its annual “Pack the House” game, and the capacity crowd experienced a thriller.

McGill edged out their opponents 63-61 after Concordia guard Kyle Desmarais missed a last second shot that would have pushed the contest into overtime.

The matchup got off to a fastpaced start, with both teams’ raw athleticism on display. McGill dictated the flow of play early on, clearly inspired—while the Stingers appeared sluggish. The Redmen really took off after McGill third-year guard Simon Bibeau launched the offence with a three pointer. They continued to make most of their shots, while Concordia’s typically dynamic offence struggled to penetrate McGill’s defensive interior.

The crowd propelled the Redmen in the second quarter, as the team built a 13-point lead by the midway point. Concordia picked up their play by the end, but the Redmen held a 34-25 lead heading into the half. Bibeau, Vincent Dufort, and Aleks Mitrovic were all key to McGill’s dominant start.

The final half, however, played out very differently for the Redmen, as the Stingers slowly clawed their way back into the game. Despite McGill’s consistent defensive stands for McGill, the Stingers shots started to fall, and the crowd was taken out of the game for a stretch. Concordia second-year point guard Jerome Blake and fifth-year forward Evens Laroche led the Stingers comeback, which seemed to light a fire under the rest of the team.

The game’s turning point was in part, thanks to Concordia coach John Dore, who implemented a full-court press. As the game grew closer, the animosity between the two sides became apparent, and the contest grew more physical.

Redmen shooting guard Te’Jour Riley—by far the most effective player on the court in the second half—took his game to another level when the Stingers started their run. He was everywhere—diving on loose balls, stymieing Concordia’s offence in the paint, and contributing to the Redmen offence. Without his effort, the Stingers would have sealed the victory. Riley spoke after the game about what inspired his performance.

“It was all the crowd. It really lights a fire under the whole team when the fans get into the game like they did,” Riley said. “Especially because I am an emotional player, I really feed off of that energy.”

THIRD MAN IN My Toronto Raptors fandom was born when Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady first flew through the newly opened Air Canada Centre, leading what was arguably the most exciting young team in the NBA. Admittedly though, my clearest Raptor memories are rooted in the Chris Bosh era, when mediocrity was the norm and yelling ‘onions’ after three pointers was acceptable.

As a result, most avid Raptors fans of my generation have a strong opinion about Bosh— whether we regard him as the leader of the team’s transition from the Carter years, or the backstabber that left the organization out to dry when he departed for South Beach in 2010. In any case, the NBA community—particularly Raptor fans—were shocked by and mocked Bosh’s response to a question about his Hall of Fame

As the game went down to the wire, there was frantic play at both ends of the court, with McGill attempting to hold onto their twopoint lead. On the last possession, Riley got just enough of his hand in Desmarais’ face as he put up the game-tying shot, which clanked off the rim, ensuring a Redmen victory.

Other than a Concordia blowout in January, just five total points in their other three meetings this season have separated the two teams.

Second-year guard Ave Bross, who has been increasingly reliable this year, commented on the great rivalry between the two up-and-coming programs.

“The dynamic of McGill [versus] Concordia games has changed this year. We used to feel like we needed to play above ourselves to win. We still respect them, but now we go in knowing we can, and should, win these games,” Bross said. “I think our team has really grown this year and our play on the court, especially against Concordia, shows it.”

The win puts the Redmen back into uncontested first place in the RSEQ, but they have a lot of work ahead of them, with a busy second half of the season looming. The Redmen will need to put together some similar performances if they hope to win the RSEQ, and make an underdog push at the CIS Championship in March.

Dufort pulled down 10 rebounds. (Luke Orlando / McGill Tribune)

Chris Bosh: the ultimate ‘third-wheel’

chances on Jan. 25: “I [was] a Hall-of-Famer like four years ago; and I say that very seriously, though. I’ve talked about it before with my friends.”

While Bosh seems quite sure of himself—“four years ago” seems a bit extreme—is he out of line in his prediction? Looking at the crude numbers and past trends, he might not be too far off. He is one of only 35 players to amass over 13,000 points, 6,000 rebounds, 700 blocks, and 500 steals. Of this group, 20 are either in the Hall of Fame, or are considered locks to make it once eligible. At just 29 years old, Bosh is the youngest in this group and his numbers will continue to rise, barring any injuries. Bosh also has eight All-Star selections to his name—only one eligible player in NBA history with eight All-Star appearances has yet to make the

Hall (Larry Foust). Bosh, in all likelihood, will be selected to a few more All-Star games before his career is over. Finally, he has a great chance to add a few more championship rings (“not three, not four …”) to his hand, assuming Miami can keep the ‘Big Three’ together.

However, as Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo! Sports noted, basketball— unlike sports like baseball—does not have the type of significant numerical benchmarks that all but guarantee a player’s spot in the Hall. So while Bosh is on pace to reach all of these numbers, do they actually matter? It’s fair, then, to question whether Bosh will leave a legacy in the NBA. Upon discussion with anyone who follows the league, the initial consensus answer is ‘No.’ When he was the leader in Toronto, his teams were never serious contenders. Cur-

rently in Miami, the perception is that Bosh is playing ‘third fiddle’ to LeBron and Wade’s duet.

However, it can be argued that Bosh did, in fact, play an instrumental role in their championship run last season. When he was hurt, the team faltered and looked as if ‘LeBron wasn’t clutch.’ His return sparked the Heat’s dominance (LeBron may have helped, too.) Perhaps Bosh will follow the path of Hall-ofFamer James Worthy—who won three championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in the ‘80s, playing ‘third-wheel’ behind Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar—and cement his legacy as the ‘ultimate third-wheel.’ That probably wouldn’t look so good on his plaque, though.

For those still skeptical, it is possible that Bosh can find his legacy outside of the champion-

ships he wins in Miami. As more teams try to emulate the Heat’s brand of “small-ball,” organizations will seek out centres likes Bosh—athletic big men, who can rebound and run the floor. If the NBA continues in this direction, Bosh may eventually be perceived as the prototype centre for this new era of basketball.

Although Bosh’s legacy with the Raptors isn’t particularly impressive when taking into account the team’s lack of success, Toronto fans should come to terms with the fact that he will likely be inducted to Springfield one day.

He is deserving, after all; even if it kills us that his time in Toronto didn’t play the largest part.

—Steven Lampert