McGill Tribune Vol. 35, Issue 18

The McGill Tribune TUesday, FEBRUARY 9, 2016 curiosity delivers

Volume No. 35 Issue No. 18

Editorial: When Austerity Strikes, M c Gill Turns to Crowdfunding pg. 05

feature: The streets of Milton-parc

m c gilltribune.com @m c gilltribune

pg. 08 - 09

exercise for mood works out with mental health Nicole Spadotto Staff Writer

A modern take on an ancient classic. (Emma Hameau / McGill Tribune)

exploring other worlds with Hekabe

PG. 07

Proposing the future of the Royal Victoria Hospital site Potential acquisition may be used to establish an Indigenous Leadership Academy Calvin Trottier-Chi Contributor This past week, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) passed a motion supporting the use of the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) site for the establishment of an Indigenous Leadership Academy.

Of McGill’s undergraduate

population of approximately 23,000 students, 170 identify as indigenous, with even fewer indigenous faculty and staff members. A 2014 study conducted at McGill reported that Indigenous students regularly face racial microagressions, cited as often the unintentional result of ignorance. Improved indigenous representation was recently celebrated with the new Indigenous Studies

minor in Winter 2015. Now, the indigenous community may become further involved through one of many new proposals for the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) site.

The motion states that it’s goal is to increase the accessibility and inclusiveness of McGill, and outlines the broad scope of the project.

“The Indigenous Leadership Academy would serve as a hub for

Indigenous students and their advancement at McGill,” the motion reads. “SSMU is confident that the mission, vision and values of the Indigenous Leadership Academy not only align perfectly with those of our University, but also that we would be creating something truly innovative and forward-thinking.”

make that effort to go and see them, it might be the difference between you getting a couple more questions right on the final, or you really understanding a concept. It takes 20 minutes. If you’re stuck on something, don’t just blow by it.”

Chetner’s advice is especially important for third and fourth-year students who are considering graduate school in the future. Academic reference letters for graduate school,

and some job as well, are an important part of the application process.

Developing genuine relationships with professors is pertinent to ensuring that the letters are personalized and serve as a strong element of the application.

While some professors may seem intimidating in class, it is worth overcoming the anxiety to go and talk to them. They are usually happy to help and appreciate students’ interest in their research.

PG. 04

McGill in Hindsight

Thoughts from soon to be graduates Rachel Summers Contributor While it is important to remember that hindsight is 20/20 and people who don’t dwell on the past are happier overall, fourth-year students’ reflections of their undergraduate experiences highlight some valuable information for current students.

Overwhelmingly, students in their last semester stressed the

importance of taking advantage of the resources available at McGill.

They highlighted how their approach over the past four years has changed in terms of meeting with professors, seeking peer help, and attending advising.

“What I never took advantage of was going to see [the professors],” Daniel Chetner, U3 Economics, said.

“I think there’s a lot to be said [for that], especially in a larger class. If you

PG. 11

It’s no secret that exercise releases endorphins and that endorphins make us happy—this has been known to be true since 1974, when hormones were scientifically discovered. Exercise for Mood, however—a program in its fifth semester at McGill—is built on an often disregarded concept: The human element of exercise. Created by two McGill faculty members, Nurse Louise Lockhart, and Medical Faculty Wellness Consultant Stella Miller, Exercise for Mood originated as a study about the ways in which exercise can ease depression, sleep deprivation, and anxiety. It has since evolved into a program integral to the McGill Mental Health Services.

“McGill is a great place to do [a program like] this,” Lockhart said.

“We’ve got the space, we’ve got the professionals, so it’s easier to pull something off like this.”

The main goal of Exercise for Mood is to encourage students to integrate regular exercise into their lives on a long-term basis. The program encourages participants to focus on the immediate benefits of exercise, including just feeling good, as opposed to future goals, such as losing weight, which can seem far off and unattainable, and thus discouraging.

Exercise for Mood isn’t solely about getting stronger, faster, or even happier; it rather aims to use exercise as a frame for goal-setting and communitybuilding in order to combat mental illness.

“The program is good because it gives people a space to actually talk about self-care,” Lockhart said. “We exercise together, but we also talk about nutrition, and sleep, and goal setting, and positive self-talk. We get together every week and we work on it.”

The program isn’t just about releasing those endorphins either.

There are many health benefits to exercising that aren’t just limited to the instant gratification that hormones give participants.

PG. 16

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NEWS

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

A new direction for daycare at SSMU

Zineb Mouhtam takes over as SSMU Daycare director Zoé Rochat Contributor Following several months of searching, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) has hired a new Daycare director. Zineb Mouhtam has been selected to fill the position, which has been vacant since May 2015, following the resignation of the previous director, Aline Karagioules.

The responsibilities of Daycare director have been allocated to SSMU executives, namely to President Kareem Ibrahim, posing certain difficulties.

“It’s not easy, there has been a lot of stuff that has built up, we’ve been getting penalties for various regulations that we haven’t been adhering to because no one is in the role to fulfill those responsibilities,” Ibrahim said.

“But we are confident that we are in a better place than we have been.”

According to Ibrahim, finding the right candidate to take over the role of director was a challenging process.

“We spent all summer interviewing quite urgently because without [a] person in the role [of director], it was pretty bad news for the Daycare,” Ibrahim said. “We were pretty unsuccessful for a while because the position profile had changed. Previously all of the accounting for the Daycare was done by the SSMU, so our controller did it and the previous Daycare Director Aline, who was in the role for about a year, thought that it would be better to absorb

those responsibilities and do it herself. Those responsibilities were never transferred back to SSMU so the role became much more difficult to attract candidates for.”

Despite these additions to the director’s profile, Mouhtam expressed her enthusiasm for taking over the role.

“The nature of my job is diverse, [including] overall coordination and administration of the two child care licenses, management of financial and material resources: budget planning, financial statement analysis with the auditor, [and] human resources management,” Mouhtam wrote in an email to the Tribune. “With a certificate in Management of Care, and experience of over 18 years, I can tell you that early childhood represents for me a true vocation.”

Mouhtam outlined her plans for the future of the Daycare in the coming months.

“My plans [are to] establish a quality educational program in a friendly and stimulating environment that enables children to acquire skills that will position them for success in school, working with my team to ensure quality of services for children at all levels, [and to] involve parents in the nursery,” she wrote.

Alexina Hicks, a student-parent and user of the SSMU Daycare service, commended the steps that Mouhtam has already taken to give greater recognition to the needs of the Parent Committee.

Zineb Mouhtam has been hired as the new director of the SSMU Daycare. ( Jack Neal / McGill Tribune) “She has made the effort to personally meet the Parent Committee and she has voiced her concern regarding the lack of parent meetings in the past due to no direction,” Hicks wrote in an email to the Tribune. “She’s open to integrating a cloth diaper service to the nursery and respects the educators’ various approaches. Ideally, when things settle down she aims to have a weekly newsletter emailed to all, to keep us in touch with happenings.”

Vice-President (VP) of the Parent Committee Manuel Balàn explained that this academic year in particular has posed more problems for the Daycare than is typical.

“The Daycare has a structure like no other daycare I have seen, in the sense that it is run by the SSMU, which changes president every year,” Balàn wrote in an email to the Tribune. “In normal times—when there is a person in SSMU in charge of the daycare and, most importantly, when there is a Daycare director in place—this doesn’t affect the normal running of the Daycare. Unfortunately this has not been the case the last year.

The SSMU Daycare has seen high turnover in the position of director over the past year. Karagioules left in May, 2015, with an interim director filling the role since then, until

Ibrahim’s recent takeover of the director’s responsibilities. Balàn noted that this has caused concern for some parents.

“In the unstable context of the last year [...] many parents have taken their kids out of the Daycare or are seriously considering doing so.”

According to Hicks, the future of the Daycare is likely to change as a result of Mouhram’s organized and progressive methodology.

“She does not seem to have a conservative approach to the way things can be run in the Daycare, but is also focused on the priorities established by the government—security, up-to-date paperwork,” Hicks wrote.

Discussing the effects of child marriage

Alissa Koski presents the circumstances that give rise to the practice

Alissa Koski discusses the reasons behind child marriage. ( Naralie Vineberg / McGill Tribune)

William Pang Contributor

with 39,000 child marriages happening every day.

On Feb. 4, the Comparative Healthcare Systems Program (CHSP) invited Alissa Koski, a Doctoral Fellow at the Institute for Health and Social Policy and a PhD Candidate in the Department of Epidemiology at McGill, to present an hour-long talk on the issue of child marriage worldwide. An estimated one in three girls are married before eighteen in the developing world,

In her speech, Koski highlighted the commonality of the practice.

Despite it being classified according to several international agreements as a violation of human rights, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, child marriages are common in developing countries around the world.

“The highest rates come from

Root causes

Niger and Mali,” Korski said. “In Sub-Saharan Africa, [child marriage] rates go up to eighty-percent of girls.”

She added that child marriage does not only take place in developing countries; children can be married under eighteen with parental consent in Canada and the United States. Reasons why this practice occurs lie both in economics—countries with the highest rates of child marriage are often among the poorest—and collective social values.

“The reasons for marrying girls off are quite diverse,” Korski said.

“The one theme that ties them altogether is gender inequality.”

Bride price, a practice where the groom’s family transfer material possessions, usually in the form of money or livestock to the bride’s family, is a commonly used tactic to trap girls into marriage by taking advantage of their family’s economic condition.

“Frequently, when marriages fail, grooms can demand a return of the bride price in a lot of Sub-Sharan Africa,” Korski explained. “Many girls feel trapped, and they know that their family won’t be able to re-

turn items or cash that was given at the time of marriage.”

Effects

Studies point out that child marriage leads to high lifetime fertility, multiple unwanted pregnancies and sexual violence—girls married as children often perceive their first sexual contact as unwanted. Children of early marriages are also likely to suffer from low birth weight and cervical cancer, most likely from contracting the HPV virus.

Nevertheless, Korski cautioned that we should not immediately draw conclusions between child marriage and the problems associated with it.

“It is unclear whether these risks are higher because the girls got married under the age of 18, or because they are poor,” she said. “Is it child marriage that causes these poor outcomes or is it a fact that all those girls who get married as children are from poor households?”

Solving the problem Efforts have been made to curb the practice of child marriage.

Korski cited a program known as “Apni Beti Apna Dahn,” an effort led by the government of Haryana in

India to improve women’s status and delay child marriage. When a girl is born, the family is given 500 rupees, or approximately $10 CAD. If the girl is eighteen and unmarried, an additional 25,000 rupees, approximately $500 CAD, will be given to the family. The payout increases if educational attainment goals were met.

A study conducted by the International Center for Research on Women found that this program had no effect on the probability of girls getting married before eighteen, but resulted in a significant increase in the number of girls married at exactly the age of eighteen. Although girls were 12 per cent more likely to complete eighth-grade, they were no more likely to complete twelfthgrade.

“This is why it’s very important to evaluate these programs,” Korski warned. “Things that we think intuitively should work very well can in fact have unintended consequences [....] Improving educational and economic opportunities for girls are likely to be more effective at reducing child marriage than existing laws.”

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NEWS

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Shedding light on Africa in the 22nd century Professor Mukoma Wa Ngugi explains lasting effects of colonialism James Ward Contributor On Feb. 6, Cornell University novelist, poet and English Professor Mukoma Wa Ngugi delivered the keynote address as part of a three-day African Development Convention hosted by the McGill African Students Society (MASS). In his hourlong address, Ngugi touched on a range of topics including economic inequality, terrorism, and the importance of African languages. MASS Vice-President (VP) Education, Marilyn Verghis, gave the opening remarks for the event.

“In choosing our theme, Africa Interrupted: Switching the Channels of Development Discourse, we are challenging [development discourse] to assert that Africa is not, in fact, underdeveloped,” Verghis said.

“We are decentring the dominant economic and political lenses through which development is […] understood, in favour of a people centred development.”

Ngugi opened his address discussing by giving his interpretation of interruption in the context of African development.

Ngugi argued for a productive understanding of interruption, which acknowledges historical reality while looking towards the future.

“We can see [interruption] through a […] historical per-

spective, where African nations with their own sets of contradictions were interrupted by slavery, colonialism, neocolonialism, and now, unequal globalization,” Ngugi said. “But we can also take interruption as a space to rethink what we want from the world, what we demand, what to struggle for.”

Ngugi spent most of his address discussing the issues facing what he called a people-powered, democratic Africa. He argued that the economic inequality resulting from colonialism remains a problem for development.

“Colonialism really hasn’t gone anywhere,” Ngugi said. “The Kenyatta family—which two of Kenya’s four presidents have belonged to— owns […] 500,000 acres of land in a country where land is an issue. [If] the president of your country and his family owns half a million acres of land, then what kind of democracy can you build on that? What country can we build on that vast historical inequality?”

Discussing terrorism in Africa, Ngugi emphasized the historical context. He used the Somali-based terrorist organization Al-Shabaab, most known

MASS VP Education Marilyn Verghis gave the opening remarks for Ngugi’s talk. (Margaux Delalex / McGill Tribune) for its 2013 attack on a Nairobi mall, as an example, arguing that the organization’s rise was a result of an US-backed Ethiopian intervention in 2006.

“After years of violent anarchy in Somalia, finally there was this loose coalition called the Islamic Courts Union, that […] managed to restore civil order […] and had support from a Somali majority,” Ngugi said. “The US didn’t like that, and neither did Ethiopia. And so, with the blessing of the US, Ethiopia invaded Somalia and got rid of the Islamic Courts Union [.…] The

direct intervention of Ethiopia and the US led to the creation of Al-Shabaab.”

Ngugi also spoke about the importance of African languages to identity. He explained that in countries like Kenya, which boasts more than 40 languages, the privileged status of European languages marginalizes African culture and harms those who do not speak the dominant language.

“We can think of language as […] a carrier of culture, language as carrying history,” Ngugi said. “Then there are also

the more life-and-death questions of language. If you’re locked out of your political system, your judicial system, your economic system because of language, then you cannot progress in that society.”

Ngugi closed his address with a call for attendees to imagine the world they would like to see, even if it seems far-fetched.

“The enemy of people-centred politics is the idea that we must be pragmatic,” Ngugi said.

“Pragmatism kills dreams. We have to dare to invent the future.

We have to dare to dream.”

i-Week celebrates campus cultural diversity Event series showcases over 30 student clubs and associations Emily Huang Contributor From Feb. 3 to 7, McGill’s International Student Leadership Program’s (ISLP) annual i-Week celebrated cultural diversity and pluralism.

According to the International Student Development and Communication Manager of the International Student Society (ISS) and ISLP Coordinator, Caroline Guay, the design of the project was designed to provide an opportunity for students to explore diverse forms of cultural expression on campus and to broaden their intercultural awareness and understanding.

“The ‘i’ [in i-Week] is for intercultural, international, identity, initiative,” Guay said. “It is a chance for all the groups to express their cultural identity, [...] and [it] highlights the contributions of the intercultural [population on campus].”

The events took place in

the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Building last Wednesday, Feb. 3. On the second floor of the SSMU Building, Muslim Students’ Association presented “The World of Islam.”

This featured a corner for prayer, a table for Henna tattoos and calligraphy, a majlis, or place of sitting, for people to relax and enjoy traditional tea and refreshments. The student association also showcased Islamic art, literature, tradition, and history.

One door down, the McGill Brazilian Students’ Association was preparing for its own “Brazilian Atelier,” featuring dance tutorials, live performances, and a feast of cakes and chocolates.

Representatives from the General Consulate of Brazil to Montreal were present.

“There are lots of misconceptions about Brazil,” said Guilherme Franzmann, a PhD student and founding member of the Brazilian Students’ Association. “This way,

It breeds more interest, willingness to engage and appreciate when you understand where your classmates are coming from, what motivates them, [and] how the way they are is informed by their cultural background.

you [...] highlight cultural features of Brazil, and people will be more knowledgeable about Brazilian culture, music, food, and dance.”

As well as being a celebration of cultural representation on campus, i-Week served a broader educational purpose.

“There are still stereotypes and misperceptions that exist,” Guay said. “McGill is known as an academically rigorous university. We have the highest percentage of international students of any of the large research-intensive universities in Canada [....] The reason why we thought this [event] was important was so students [have a] chance to step outside of the academic realm and invite people into their more personal, sociocultural realm.”

Stefan Kammerlander, a member of ISLP and a coordinator for i-Week, explained that the aim of the event series was to provide a platform for

students to share their cultural backgrounds with the entire university.

“There are 18 [International Student Leaders (ISLs)] who were divided into different committees to help clubs with the process of organizing the event,” Kammerlander said. “They show what they want to show.”

With 30 clubs and associations represented, i-Week showcased the diversity of McGill’s student population. According to Guay, the series underscored how students with international backgrounds have shaped the community.

“There is a larger sense of understanding someone’s context more,” Guay said. “It breeds more interest, willingness to engage and appreciate when you understand where your classmates are coming from, what motivates them, [and] how the way they are is informed by their cultural background.”

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Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Proposing the future of the Royal Victoria Hospital site Potential acquisition may be used to establish an Indigenous Leadership Academy Calvin Trottier-Chi Contributor Continued from page 1.

Promising to ensure communication between students and McGill, as well as to provide human capital, the motion states that SSMU will work with several other organizations are to develop this proposal.

“In brief, it is a collaboration between the Office of the Dean of Students, SSMU, First Peoples’ House and Student Life and Learning,” SSMU President Kareem Ibrahim said. “The hope is for it to be a great space for increased support for and recruitment of Indigenous students, in addition to providing experiential learning opportunities for Indigenous students.”

Aboriginal Outreach Administrator of First Peoples’ House Kakwiranó:ron Cook acknowledged the collaborative efforts of the Student Life and Learning (SLL) unit in drafting proposals, and outlined his perspective as a representative of McGill’s Indigenous community.

“The Indigenous Affairs

Work Group discussed this, which also includes members who are not within the SLL unit,” Cook said. “The academy is just one aspect of the proposal. The overall goal is to position an Office of Indigenous Affairs there and build out our presence on campus.”

The various SLL proposals were due on Jan. 29 to Deputy Provost Ollivier Dyens, who in turn will submit a single proposal representing the collective interests by Feb. 12. Director of McGill Communications and External Relations Doug Sweet emphasized the large quantity of proposals to be considered.

“We are a long way from any decision on if or how the RVH might be used,” Sweet said. “At the moment, there are a number of studies under way to see if it would be feasible for the University to even take on the RVH. While the idea of an Indigenous leadership academy is an interesting one, according to Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) Ollivier Dyens, it is still far too early to talk about the proposal in detail or what the implications might be.”

Indigenous Leadership Academy proposal for the RVH site has been submitted. ( Jack Neal / McGill Tribune) In a statement to McGill’s Media Relations Office, Robert Poëti, Minister of Transport and Minister responsible for Montreal, attested to the importance for general improvements to be

made to the RVH site.

“This is good news for Montrealers, especially in light of the value of this landmark building in terms of heritage, architecture and identity in the

heart of the city,” Poëti said.

This proposal intends to foster the inclusion of a strong Indigenous presence, for both McGill and the wider Montreal community.

Race education workshop added to Rez Project New program a response to student demand Sara Cullen Staff Writer In January 2016, a new workshop for students in McGill Residences was held for the first time, titled Rez Project: Race and Colonialism. Referred to as Race Project, the workshop was the second part of the Rez Project series, including a segment on gender, sexuality, and consent.

Interim Resident Life Coordinator Emily Yee Clare was instrumental in the creation of the new race-based component to Rez Project.

“Although, [Rez Project] has evolved significantly since its creation 10 years ago, it was limited in scope,” Clare said. “Thus, I approached Ria Rombough in 2013 with the general idea of increasing antioppression programming in the Residences. After multiple conversations, the position was created through community needs assessment, proposal drafting, and by securing over $90,000 in funding from various grant sources, most notably the McGill Office of Sustainability and the Sustainability Projects

Fund.”

Rez Project Coordinator Kelly Schieder, stated that the motivation behind Race Project was to start a conversation about issues surrounding race and to provide students with a vocabulary to continue this conversation.

“I think that the ultimate goals of Race Project are primarily to set a norm for open conversations around race and colonialism in [residences] at McGill, and in people’s daily lives,” Schieder said. “[Also] to provide some basic vocabulary and groundwork for taking an anti-racist approach to these issues [...] to validate what indigenous students and students of colour may have experienced since arriving at McGill, and to offer some vocabulary with which to talk about their experiences; as well as to promote changes in attitudes and/or behaviour—both on an individual level, and more generally within the culture of McGill residences.”

Race Project was developed following popular demand by students and was tested in selected residences last year before being introduced to all residences in Winter 2016. Ac-

cording to Schieder, it expands upon some of the lessons from the initial Rez Project.

“We continue to expand the discussion of what the One Rule of Respect entails, and how to provide residents with the tools to foster a respectful living environment for each other,” Schieder said. “We hope that these conversations will continue beyond the workshop space.”

According to Bradley Miller, U3 Cognitive Science student and a floor fellow, Race Project provided an important opportunity for first year students to adjust to a city that may be more diverse than their previous home.

“Coming out of high schools with relatively homogeneous populations into an international urban centre like Montreal, it is crucial that first years take some time to reflect on the implicit assumptions made by their communities at home,” Miller said.

“This is a momentous opportunity for students to form honest opinions and think critically about issues that their parents might not mention at the dinner table.”

Miller expressed that al-

though the curriculum of Race Project is useful for first-year students, it is harder to set definite boundaries when talking about race and colonialism, making the execution of the workshop somewhat difficult.

“For Race and Colonialism, there are fewer instances of definite rule breaking that are addressed by the workshop,” Miller said. “Culturally appropriative costumes come to mind as a phenomenon we try to avoid in Rez, but there is a spectrum of offensiveness [....] This subtlety may have gotten a bit lost in the workshop when complex issues were boiled down to ‘racist’ or ‘not racist’ verdicts in the interest of time. I think my students may have been a bit put off by this.”

Despite this, Miller stated that the workshop was received well by the students on his floor.

“Students who identify as people of colour had a definite sparkle in their eye as they were able to speak honestly about their experience navigating public space,” Miller said. “Whiteidentifying students who were listening were able to open their eyes a bit, if they didn’t shy

away from the discomfort of talking about it.”

For Schieder, Race Project was seen as a success and that the workshop will continue to be implemented in residences in the coming years.

“As is the case with Rez Project: Gender, Sexuality & Consent, these workshops were received in varying ways, often related to students’ personal relationships to the topics,” she said. “Overall, we were delighted with how well the workshops were received, with many students expressing gratitude that these under-discussed but highly relevant issues were being prioritized in residences [....]

We have high hopes for how this workshop will continue to evolve in years to come.”

Clare echoed Schieder’s sentiments.

“Race Project is really an evolving workshop that should and will be adapted from year to year in response to community needs,” Clare said, “Ultimately, we wanted to create a space for students to develop a common language on how to navigate complicated conversations relating to race and colonialism.

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OPINION

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

e d ito r i a l Editor-in-Chief Mayaz Alam editor@mcgilltribune.com Creative Director Hayley Lim hlim@mcgilltribune.com Managing Editors Shrinkhala Dawadi sdawadi@mcgilltribune.com Morgan Alexander malexander@mcgilltribune.com Julie Vanderperre jvanderperre@mcgilltribune.com News Editors Jenna Stanwood, Laura Hanrahan, Aislinn Kalob news@mcgilltribune.com Opinion Editor Julia Dick opinion@mcgilltribune.com Science & Technology Editor Chloe Nevitt scitech@mcgilltribune.com Student Living Editor Hailey MacKinnon studentliving@mcgilltribune.com Features Editor Natalie Wong features@mcgilltribune.com Arts & Entertainment Editors Christopher Lutes and April Barrett arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editors Nicholas Jasinski and Zikomo Smith sports@mcgilltribune.com Design Editor Domitille Biehlmann design@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editors Natalie Vineberg and Noah Sutton photo@mcgilltribune.com Web Developers William Burgess webdev@mcgilltribune.com Matt Smith online@mcgilltribune.com

When austerity strikes, McGill turns to crowdfunding The renovation of the Moyse Hall stage is the most recent in a series of initiatives to crowdfund for university spaces and services. Last year, the Arts Internship Office (AIO) was also crowdfunded following provincial budget cuts. Although many of these campaigns involve reaching out to alumni and philanthropists, in many of these cases students and faculty membersspearheaded the fundraising efforts.

McGill is doing what it can within a context of provincial austerity measures; there is, unfortunately, not a bottomless pot of funds. Crowdfunding is therefore a necessary innovation. But in considering the merits of crowdfunding, one must recall that McGill passing the buck to students and alumni is an unsustainable necessity borne of provincial economic conditions.

The university does extensive amounts of fundraising through the Alumni Online Community (AOC) and the Development and Alumni Relations (DAR); however, some donors do not necessarily see where their money has gone. By contrast, 100 per cent of the funds raised on Seeds of Change go directly to the cause at hand. Ambassadors of a crowdfunding campaign represent themselves rather than the overall McGill image, donors know what their money is paying for, and the overall process is expedited by avoiding the bureaucratic loopholes that exist at

Publisher Chad Ronalds

TPS Board of Directors

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funding initiative performs. Perhaps then the black box of McGill’s budget will become more transparent.

As long as students are unwilling to pay more for their education, crowdfunding will remain a reality.

In light of the recent failure of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) base fee increase referendum, this sentiment feels pertinent—students are averse to paying more for institutions with which they are disenchanted. Students already invest in their university through their tuition fee; asking students to pay again for specific projects seems like a double-payment. Dependency on crowdfunding would therefore be a dangerous habit to fall into. For dinosaurs and water fountains, crowdfunding is commendable; for long-term issues, different versions of funding are necessary. Quebec must realize that education in the province has sustained enough blows in recent years and needs relief because the ones bearing the ultimate costs are the students, not the university as an entity. The university will continue to look at big picture issues in its strategies to mitigate short-term budget constraints. Until either students or the provincial government blinks, the community of students, staff, and faculty will continue to suffer.

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know that by cutting funds to universities and specific programs, such as the AIO, it is forcing students into an untenable situation. Despite these merits, students should not be the ones scrambling for the funds to provide for themselves.

Given the economic climate in Quebec, crowdfunding is unfortunately a necessary alternative resource for addressing specific needs. In its most recent budget, McGill took on millions of dollars in debt in order to complete necessary deferred maintenance projects; it simply does not have the funds for niche projects. McGill’s restricted budget is a product of a provincial policy by the Quebec Liberals that has steadily slashed spending on education. Certainly part of the issue is that McGill must maintain its reputation—it cannot come out and say how dire its budget situation is. The problem that arises here, however, is that it is hard as members of the greater McGill community to know what the university can and cannot account for within the greater context of Quebec austerity.

Donors to crowdfunding campaigns are usually alumni and students who hold a personal stake in the project; it is therefore also a useful indication of how much members of a community value a service or a space. In the future, the administration may be able to gauge how to allocate funds to services in the long-term based on how well a crowd-

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Copy Editor Adrien Hu copy@mcgilltribune.com

Lauren Benson-Armer, Audrey Carleton, Cordelia Cho, Daniel Galef Margaux Delalex, Zachary Carson, Luka Ciklovan, Sara Cullen, Evelyn Goessling, Emma Hameau, Clare Lyle, Eric-Noble Marks, Albert Park, Elli Slavitch, Nicole Spadotto, Elizabeth Willcock, Alissa Zilberchteine

McGill. The results have been clear so far: The Moyse Hall Theatre Project has already met half its goal within a week.

Crowdfunding has the potential to be a more transparent and direct source of financial assistance. By providing organizational and technical support, Seeds of Change enables student ambassadors and faculty members to reach their goals. Within the context of continued economic hardship, the popularity and success of crowdfunding is a welcome relief from continuing rounds of budget cuts.

Through crowdfunding, students to receive services that would otherwise not be provided by the administration.

Frequently, there are issues of which the university is not made aware, but often the issue lies not in McGill’s unwillingness but its inability to provide funding.

Moyse Hall has been helped in the past by the Arts Improvement Fund, but in this case the crowdfunding campaign was dependent on the interests of donor.

For instance, the smart water bottle fountains dotted around campus were crowdfunded, and there is a recent project to crowdfund for a plesiosaur fossil cast for Redpath Museum. Varsity and club teams, such as figure skating, Martlet’s soccer and hockey, and sailing, have also crowdfunded for their equipment and to help pay for competitions.

While this may seem like empowerment, the Quebec government must

Jenna Stanwood News Editor “This is a rigged economy, designed by the wealthiest people in this country at the expense of everyone else.” A picture of US Senator Bernie Sanders with these words emblazoned above his head currently has over 14,000 shares on Facebook. The continual stream of such photos from Sanders’ official page are accompanied by thousands of similar images and memes created and spread by the candidate’s supporters. These viral images are a symptom of the problems of the changing face of US presidential elections. Today, social media provides more space for voters to become influenced by potentially unreliable and biased information. An educated electorate, the foundation of a democratic society is, more than ever, at risk of being misled.

Voters, especially first-time voters who have been immersed in online culture for much of their lives, need to learn to sift through the muck of viral opinion to find substantive policy information. Presidential candidates craft their images in order to show themselves as the most competent leaders.

While personality is certainly a factor in voter evaluations of candidates, social media often proliferates incorrect or fluffy information to the detriment of hard policy positions. In 2008, President Barack Obama successfully ran the first ‘Facebook campaign’ by using social media to build record support among youth voters. Capitalizing on the nature of social media communication, Obama’s campaign staff used his “Yes we can” and “Change you can believe in” slogans to build momentum and mobilize vast numbers through meme-worthy one-liners. Unfortunately, most significant policies cannot be reduced to three word catchphrases or 25 second canned responses. Moreover, attempting to do so gives constituents the wrong impression.

Social media is not entirely detrimental to elections. A study released in 2012 found that social media peer pressure played a critical role in voting behaviour during the 2010 Congressional elections. When Facebook users were given the opportunity to check in at

their polling places and broadcast an “I Voted Today” message to their friends, their followers were more likely to vote as well. Although social media is getting more people to the ballot box, conversations regarding policy are too easily distorted in an online climate. A 2015 poll conducted in the UK showed that 34 per cent of voters aged 18-34 believed that something they read on social media would impact their election decision. Misinformation spreads and reaches voters easily online. For example, in a segment from Jimmy Kimmel Live, Americans spoke ill of Obamacare but praised the Affordable Care Act. The differing reaction to the same bill under different names clearly shows that voters are not basing their opinions on substantive policy, but on their perception of policies.

Rather than taking place over a dinner table, political conversations easily escalate and then disseminate across the internet. The result is a downward spiral that further divorces opinion from reality, replacing fact with fiction. As such, Americans must make a conscious effort to be self-reflective in their online activity during elections to ensure they do not perpetuate a disrespectful election culture. In response to the Sanders campaign, online discourse has become dangerously hostile and disrespectful. Sanders supporters

recently received negative media attention for aggressive campaigning on dating apps, like Tinder. Sanders himself criticized some of his followers for inappropriate sexism through memes towards Hillary Clinton. This issue is compounded by stratification in age groups, with many young voters gravitating toward certain candidates and labeling those of their peers who don’t as being against young Americans and therefore open to hostility and ridicule.

This aggressive behaviour is common in online interactions, such as on forums like Reddit, but new to presidential campaigns. Ultimately, elections should be respectful competitions between candidates and parties, but informal social media campaigning intensifies the discourse. Thus, the line between candidate and anonymous commentator becomes blurred in the mind of the voter.

Choosing a presidential candidate is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly by voters, but is currently coming down to peer pressure from sites such as Facebook. It is important to do independent research into election issues you care about to determine which candidate might represent you best, rather than allowing yourself to be swayed by catchy information on the internet.

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Opinion C o m m e nt a r y

Albert Park Columnist Between the congregation of smokers found in front of Leacock and the countless cigarette butts littered near Roddick Gates, it is not difficult to spot nicotine use at McGill. In a way, smoking is accepted as a regular part of campus life.

The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), however, recently released a motion concerning the pursuit of a smoke-free campus at McGill, with a question set to be posed in the March referendum period regarding the student body’s support for the idea. Currently, the proposal includes providing cessation resources, developing outdoor smoking shelters, and other changes to achieve the ultimate goal of transitioning the university into a smoke-free campus in the next three to five years. There are 12 other smoke-free institutions in Canada.

C o m m e nt a r y

Emma Avery Contributor There are a lot of ongoing complaints at McGill: Construction, winter, nights at McLennan, and the SNAX sandwich saga.

McGill students might remember November 2014, when the administration prohibited SNAX from selling sandwiches because the service was not technically included in the Memorandum of Agreement SNAX was operating under. At last, the great battle of our times is over. As of Jan. 27, a temporary agreement was reached between McGill and the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) for the return of the sandwiches until December 2016, at which point the situation will be

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Lighting up the path to a smoke-free campus Stepping out of McLennan for my hourly cigarette break, I mulled over SSMU’s proposal.

It’s my personal choice to be a smoker, and despite the constant bombardment of health warnings and cessation ads, I am more or less ok with my habit. Yet, reading over the preliminary survey results, I realized that in the context of smoking on campus, my choice is not entirely personal; it has an impact on the entire McGill community—the majority of which are non-smokers. Despite my own addiction, I believe SSMU must do all it can to ensure that a smoke-free campus becomes a reality in a way that benefits smokers and nonsmokers alike.

Despite the results of a preliminary survey, which showed that many students favour a smoke-free campus and felt that secondhand smoke was a problem on campus, the motion was not met with a favourable response from everyone, with some students pointing out the unfeasible and unfair nature of the suggestions.

The university has a responsibility to protect their students from the harmful health effects of smoking. Just because smokers willingly choose to subject themselves to harm, it should not stop non-smokers, particularly those with health concerns such as asthma, from being protected from

McGill might be smoke-free within the next 3-5 years. (Cordelia Cho / McGill Tribune) secondhand smoke on campus.

Furthermore, the influence of smoking goes beyond the physical effect of secondhand smoke.

High rates of nicotine use on campus facilitate a culture in which smoking is deemed acceptable, which can ultimately lead nonsmokers to pick up the habit as well. This issue is underlined by the concept of ‘social smoking,’ which for many is the stepping stone to becoming a full-time smoker. Obviously, the social effects of cigarette use depend on the individual; however, the school should curb its presence on campus for those that may be

influenced by it. In fact, Canada as a whole has made great strides in the 2000s by limiting the rate of nicotine users in the country by introducing various bans on smoking in public areas, such as in restaurants and bars.

Through Rez Project, server training, Mental Health Awareness week, and various other programs, McGill has given me many opportunities to evaluate my own life choices regarding my wellbeing and to think critically about how it affects the people around me. If the university, with the student body’s support, wishes to extend that influence to make

an impact on my smoking habits while also making the campus experience better for everyone, I welcome the changes.

With SSMU’s current proposal, no one would be forced to quit—these programs would simply exist to aid those who are looking to do so. This is fair, as the vast majority of smokers are attempting to quit, which is no easy task. With new resources, as well as the change in the culture on campus, many smokers wishing to quit will have the means and the community support necessary to pursue the goal more effectively. On top of making the campus smokefree, individual smokers would have the opportunity to make a change in their own lives as well.

The purpose of a post-secondary education is to provide a productive, safe environment for students to apply their knowledge in bettering their lives. Nicotine addiction is a complex issue with various implications on one’s stress and mental health in general. While smoking is already prohibited in most areas on campus, if the university wishes to enforce these rules more uniformly, they will need the student body’s input to avoid any policies that are too oppressive for smokers. To this end, SSMU, in tandem with the student body, should pursue a smoke-free campus.

SNAX Wars Episode VI: Return of the Sandwich re-evaluated.

In March 2015, continued delays to the return of the sandwiches prompted a sit-in from aggrieved McGill students. Tens of students protested the administration’s tyranny against SNAX. Sit-ins and protests— though usually associated with activist groups on campus, such as Divest or Demilitarize McGill—were here used to great effect. The loss of a few sandwiches shouldn’t normally elicit such a strong reaction, but in the face of previous disappointment, it brings hungry students one straw closer to the breaking point. It took approximately one year for order to be restored. The sandwiches will soon return.

The prolonged situation undoubtedly seems ridiculous to an outsider. Said outsider would, however, overlook two fundamental aspects of the McGill experience: Shared resentment towards the price of food on campus, and consequent passion for our beloved, if idiosyncratic, eating habits. The struggle for sandwiches has been one part in a larger war against McGill’s

failure to ensure the availability of affordable, sustainable food operations on campus. That negotiations have taken so long and remain only tentatively resolved demonstrates the difficulties student-run operations face.

While the Great Battle of SNAX has been won (at least for now), students must continue their struggle to provide their own affordable food on campus.

Resentment first sparked following the replacement of the Tim Hortons in the McLennan-Redpath basement with Première Moisson. Student-run food stands—which represent the many fronts of this war— have since become fundamental to the daily routines of McGill students. The samosa culture has exploded such that we now have not one, but two Facebook pages, created solely to help one another locate the nearest samosa sale.

Midnight Kitchen, a free vegan lunch operation in the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Building was founded as a reaction against the corporatization and prices of McGill’s on-campus food services. The

popularity of Midnight Kitchen, SNAX, and samosa sales demonstrate students’ commitment to providing that which McGill Food & Dining Services will not.

Prohibiting SNAX from selling sandwiches had wider implications than McGill might have initially realized—interference led to absolute outrage.

While SSMU has explored ways to make its building a hub for diet-sensitive, student-run initiatives, starting with Organic Campus and the Student-Run Café, the administration has failed to match such initiatives.

Over a year later, the sandwich situation remains subject to speculation. Indeed, the struggle has not simply been to restore sandwiches to their rightful place. It has been against the drawn-out, convoluted, bureaucratic decision-making processes inherent to dealings with McGill. Often, the administration’s rationale is utterly opaque: The latest agreement includes the additional requirement that SNAX is under no circumstances allowed to display a banner—no doubt the sight of such an atroc-

ity would be displeasing to sandwich-deprived, stressed out McGill students navigating their way through Leacock rush hour.

But given the seemingly endless negotiations between McGill and the AUS, the plethora of articles from campus newspapers, and even a segment on CBC about the sit-in last March, there is more at stake than just the fate of a few sandwiches. The war is for the return of food and dining services to the students.

Student representation in administrative decisions is the root of this frustration. The culmination of the removal of SNAX’s sandwiches in a sit-in demonstrates the common bond among McGill students over food: We appreciate the smaller things in life. We will trek to McIntyre Medical in the dead of winter for our samosas; we will endure small talk at SNAX for a onedollar coffee; and we once upon a time waited in a 15-minute line at Tim Hortons for a double-double and cream cheese bagel. These bare necessities are no less important today. The fight for cost-effective, sustainable, diet-sensitive food options on campus continues.

Play revie w

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T h e D i v in g B e l l and t h e B u tterf ly o ffers an immersi v e e x perien c e

Alex Bankier Contributor The Diving Bell and the Butterfly opens with the beeping of life support, and a comatose figure; right away the audience knows that what follows will be as hard-hitting as it is intimate.

Like the novel and film version of the same name, Tuesday Night Café (TNC)’s stage adaptation of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (1997) depicts the real-life story of JeanDominique Bauby (Chris Naccache and Gabe Meacher), a 43-year-old magazine editor-in-chief, who awakes in a hospital bed to discover a stroke paralyzed him from head to toe.

With the help of his good friend Laurence (Ella Storey) and speech therapist Sandrine (Rebecca Bauer), Jean-Dominique weathers revelations both depressing and joyous to write a book chronicling the experience of being “locked-in” his own body, his “Diving Bell.” Somewhat short in length, the play is comprised of interconnected vignettes featuring everything from a hedonistic dream sequence to a wheelchair-bound beach visit, with most of the action taking place within the confines of a cheery hospital room.

Diving Bell’s set thusly consists

of a simplistic hospital room backdrop rendered both convincing and unobtrusive, and augmented with tactfully nuanced stage lighting— the silhouette of a window pane on the back wall is an excellent touch of realism. The overall sum of the technicians’ handiwork allows for an unmitigated focus on the characters, with seamless transitioning from scene to scene, and from interaction to interaction. Therefore, character movement through the stage’s space is made to look natural, and like the overall staging, executed with a sharp eye for detail by Director Rachel Stone.

In an interesting turn, Bauby is portrayed by two people, who share the stage while alternating between the flesh-and-blood human and “the Butterfly”—a personification of Bauby’s consciousness who narrates verbally what he physically cannot.

As such, the interplay between Bauby’s “Diving Bell” and his “Butterfly” often gives the intriguing impression of ventriloquism, though it is sometimes made unclear where the audience is intended to give focus. Nevertheless, the duo is surprisingly adept at packing a plethora of emotional subtext into a literal blink of the eye.

Jean-Dominique slowly blinks out his memoir. (Liana Yepremyan / McGill Tribune) Performances by the rest of the cast are well rounded and, thankfully, avoid overly dramatic flourishes that might cheapen the performance.

Appearances by Jean-Dominique’s brash, uppity father (Nic Turcotte) provide a believable humanity and comic relief to balance out the play’s harsher moments, while Bauer’s presence as Sandrine is noteworthy in its infectiously genuine optimism.

In Bauby’s interactions with these characters, one finds the palpable tension of a yearning towards mutual understanding that is painstakingly

developed letter by letter, word by word, tear by tear. It is unfortunate that the play’s shorter length makes Bauby’s journey feel a bit rushed, and the aforementioned interactions seem to lack the necessary time to develop fully.

There is really nothing quite like a quadriplegia-centric story to make an audience members realize how easy their own lives are in comparison.

Thanks to competent technicians, solid directorship, and a stellar cast, TNC’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly does not quite stop at such compulsory

self-appreciation. Instead, it succeeds in serving as a sort of poignant love letter to the healing grace of human connection. People are social beings; the human mind, as demonstrated in the play, seems to produce its most beautiful machinations when it wants to be heard and, most importantly, understood.

TNC’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly runs from Feb. 3 to Feb. 6 and Feb. 10–13 at 8:00 p.m. in Morris Hall (3485 Rue McTavish).

Tickets are $10 for adults, and $6 for students and seniors.

Exploring other worlds

The McGill Classics department reimagines 2500-year-old play Hekabe April Barrett Arts and Entertainment Editor The Ancient Greek tragedy Hekabe , also known as Hecuba, takes place on the sandy shores of Thrace after the fall of Troy.

The Trojan queen Hekabe has been captured as a slave and kept at a camp, destined for a life of unending despair. Eerie in the most fascinating way, the McGill Classics department’s Hekabe , invites its audience to a warehouse, almost hidden away.

Inside, the enormous space is pitch black, save for the glow of flashlights guiding the way across the floor of sand. There, the audience sits on blankets; when the stage lights go up, masked performers move slowly across the sand barefoot.

This peculiar production design, arranged by Lynn Kozak, serves to heighten the fantasy of Euripides’ play and allows audience members to be mentally transported to the time and place of the play. The location is a simulated beach normally used for indoor beach volleyball, but in the dark, dotted with masked figures, it begins to feel otherworldly. The set is minimal, consisting only of the flaps of a tent from which actors emerge, which leaves the cavernous

Hekabe takes place in the wake of the downfall of Troy. (Emma Hameau / McGill Tribune) space open to the imagination.

In the play, the bent and broken Hekabe (Delphine Khoury) first suffers the loss of Troy. Next, she loses her daughter Polyxena (Charlotte Raoutenfeld) who is killed as a sacrifice to Achilles. Her final loss is her son Polydorus (Alex Martalogu) who is killed and thrown into the sea by the King Polymestor (Charlotte Raoutenfeld), who had promised

to keep him safe. The tone of eternal misery, conveyed by Hekabe and her moaning chorus, at first feels tedious. Hekabe insists over and over that she is weak and wishes for nothing but death. This initial exhaustion of pathos is remedied however, as the play progresses. Hekabe begins to transform from a selfdeprecating, mournful old woman to a ruler with vengeance on her mind. Khoury does a skillful job

of portraying Hekabe’s gradual buildup of bitterness.

The chorus members are dressed in dark, drooping rags (designed by Stephanie Normand) with their faces exaggerated into perpetual frowns from their white masks.

They strike tableaus, echo Hekabe and follow her across the sand like ghosts. These characters’ moans do grow to be tiring, but in special asides they

are given a voice to tell their own stories, elevating the mood of despair to anger to match their queen. Both Raoutenfeld and Martalogu play multiple characters.

Raoutenfeld, in particular, demonstrates deftness in her ability to switch from the passionate, effeminate Polyxena to the devious King Polymestor; however skilled the actors might be in articulating the play’s flowery language and extensive monologues, nevertheless the characters lack movement. The play could have been staged in a more exciting way given the space it had at its disposal. Since it is lacking in this way, it takes some effort to concentrate and fully appreciate to the story.

Impressively, Hekabe was translated and directed by Classics student Courtney Ewan.

In the program, Ewan asserts that the themes of Hekabe — futility, war, grief, and greed— are still very relevant today. The McGill Classics Play, a yearly tradition of the department, exists perhaps for this exact purpose. Hekabe demonstrates the potential that reinterpretation of classics offers. These kinds of productions are important, not only for historic and cultural learning, but as an opportunity to exercise the imagination.

The streets of milton-parc Shrinkhala dawadi The Milton-Parc neighbourhood, colloquially known as the McGill ghetto, is home to many McGill students. It’s an area with a rich history: In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was the east end of the Golden Square Mile, an upscale residential community that was primarily home to Montreal’s anglophone elite. By the end of the Second World War, these houses had stood for almost a century, and families started moving out of the neighbourhood in pursuit of more modern accommodations.

Martin Croteau, manager of le Syndicat de la Copropriété (a union of Montreal building owners), and a resident of the Milton-Parc neighbourhood, spoke to the post-war history of the area.

“In the ’60’s, promoters bought a lot of buildings in the Milton-Parc [area] for Project Concordia, the towers on [Avenue du Parc],” Croteau said. “The citizens mobilized for a fight against this project.”

The most prominent of these property developers was a company known as Concordia Estates Ltd., who sought to rebuild the neighbourhood by constructing several high-rise apartment and commercial buildings. The residents of Milton-Parc— now a lower-middle class neighbourhood consisting

University Street

Lorne Avenue

University Street takes its name from McGill University, which has many buildings on the street. Named and opened in 1842, the street originally spanned from the Royal Victoria Hospital at its northern end and the Bonaventure Expressway at its southern end.

In March 2015, the portion of the street extending from the Bonaventure Expressway to Rue Sherbrooke was re-named after a previous premier of Quebec, to Boulevard Robert Bourassa.

This change was controversial, as some Montrealers were not happy with the removal of an English street name.

This street was named in 1973 after John Campbell, ninth Duke of Argyll, also known by the title Marquess of Lorne. Campbell was married to Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria, and served as the governor general of Canada from 1878 to 1883.

Lorne and Princess Louise helped found the Royal Society of Canada, the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, and the National Gallery of Canada.

Lorne’s close friendships with men who were known to be gay or bisexual, including Lord Ronald Gower, a scottish politician and writer, as well as Morton Fullerton, an American journalist, led to rumours that Lorne himself was gay, although this was never publicly ascertained.

of students and families—banded together to prevent the destruction of the historic buildings in the area.

Over the next few decades the activism of Milton-Parc Citizen’s committee and Quebec’s political climate—the [PQ] were a part of the provincial fabric—led to the property developers’ withdrawal. “[After] the election of the [PQ] in ’76, the English financers feared the independence of Quebec and wouldn’t put [in the] money for building a big project,” Croteau said.

Today, the streets of Milton-Parc are mostly home to McGill students and working professionals.

In fact, Croteau lives in the neighbourhood with his family.

“It’s a marvelous neighbourhood,” he said.

“My girls go to school at [Fine Arts Core Education School] FACE, on University, and I work on Parc Avenue [....] We can walk every day—we choose [not to] have a car. My wife is a teacher [at a] CEGEP; she takes the metro and the bus. In the neighbourhood, we have the mountain, the Parc Jeanne-Mance, two supermarkets, which both close at midnight each day [...] restaurants, [and] Place des Arts.”

Rue Aylmer This street was named after Matthew Whitworth-Aylmer, fifth Baron Aylmer and governor general of British North America from 1830 to 1835.

During the 1830s, British North America was comprised of several British colonies scattered throughout what is eastern Canada today. The colonies included Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island to the east. The central colonies included Upper Canada, which was home to mostly anglophone Protestants, and Lower Canada, which was home to francophone Catholics. The colonies had separate governments, and Aylmer became lieutenant-

governor of Lower Canada in 1830. He was not an adept military commander or politician—before his appointment as governor, he had never served in a civil capacity.

The most high-ranking members of the National Assembly of Lower Canada were anglophones who didn’t listen to the needs of the francophone assembly members.

Aylmer could not unite the assembly or serve the needs of his constituents. In fact, he favoured his English constituents. In 1834, members of the assembly of Lower Canada passed a resolution that asked for Aylmer’s recall.

The street was named after Aylmer in 1949.

Rue Durocher Historical records indicate that Simon-Hippolyte Durocher (17741853) married Marie-Julie Foretier at Montreal’s Notre Dame church in 1822. After Foretier died in 1827, Durocher remained a widower until his death in 1853, after which the land he owned was ceded to the City of Montreal. Rue Durocher would eventually be built on this land.

Rue Hutchison Named in 1889 after the Hutchison family, who owned the land on which the street was built. It was previously named rue Taylor.

Rue Sherbrooke

Avenue des Pins

Rue Milton

Sir John Coape Sherbrooke (1764-1830) was a British soldier who was appointed lieutenantgovernor of Nova Scotia in 1811, and governor general of British North America in 1816. Sherbrooke was venerated for his defence of Nova Scotia during the War of 1812. He was also an astute politician, skilled at mediating the political disputes between the anglophones and francophones, eventually garnering the trust of prominent Lower-Canada politician Louis-Joseph Papineau.

The street was named after Sherbrooke in 1817.

The street runs along the base of Mont-Royal, and is one of three streets designed by Frederick Olmstead to provide access to the mountain. These three streets were unofficially called Pins, Cedar, and Elm, after trees on the mountain.

The street was officially named in 1961, and is notable for the impressive architecture of the residential homes that line the street.

Although the exact reason behind this street name is not known, according to the government of Montreal, the street is most likely named after John Milton (1608-1674), the British author who wrote Paradise Lost, an epic poem recounting the Christian story of the angel Lucifer’s fall from Heaven. The street was named after Milton some time before 1879.

Many local businesses are located on Rue Milton, including The Word, a secondhand bookstore, as well as Lola Rosa and McGill Pizza, two dining establishments.

Avenue du Parc In 1883, English-speaking residents of Montreal filed a petition with the Montreal city government to officially name the street that provided access to the Parc du Mont Royal, which was colloquially called Park Avenue. In 1961, the French name of the street, Avenue du Parc, was officially recognized.

The Montreal government made two attempts to rename the street. In 1937, the suggestion that the street be renamed Marconi street was met with protests.

In 2006, then-mayor Gérald Tremblay

proposed to rename the entire length of the street Robert Bourassa Avenue, after the former Québec premier. The proposal was dropped after public outcry, and after Bourassa’s family expressed their reservations about the change, as they had preferred that only the name of St. Joseph Boulevard be changed to Robert Bourassa Avenue instead.

Avenue du Parc is a commercial hub for the Milton-Parc neighborhood, featuring grocery stores, cafés, and restaurants.

Rue Prince Arthur Prince Arthur William Patrick Albert, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1874-1942), was the seventh child of Queen Victoria. He was the Governor General of Canada from 1911 to 1916. Prince Arthur

served as an officer in the Montreal detachment of the Rifle Brigade, an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army.

The street was named after the Prince in 1890.

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Religious devotion of another ilk The Coen brothers praise 1950s cinema in latest film, Hail, Caesar!

Julia Dick Opinion Editor It makes sense for directors to pay homage to their industry as a whole.

An entertaining romp through the Hollywood of the 1950s, Hail, Caesar! is the Coen brothers’ latest triumph, an in depth study of a single man, Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin), a studio fixer, who works tirelessly to keep the massive machinery of Capitol Productions in motion.

Though it is clear that Mannix’s life is anything but calm, the plot is truly set in motion when studio star Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) is kidnapped by a group that elusively calls itself ‘The Future.’ The film accompanies Mannix as he attempts to fulfill the requirements of Whitlock’s ransom, determine whether to take an offer at a more lucrative and ordinary job, and quit smoking for the sake of his wife, Mrs. Mannix (Alison Pill).

The film is a testament to the Hollywood of the past, but works quite differently than a film like Hugo (2011). It highlights the artistic aspects of Hollywood, but is based more on the business side of showbiz. Although the 1950s was a period of uncertainty for the film industry, owing to the rise of television, in Hail, Caesar! many of the tropes of glamorous old Hollywood appear to be intact. Gossip columnists

Pop Rhetoric

lie in wait for the newest scandal, and stars push against their public images.

At the beginning of the film, Mr. Mannix assembles various religious men to discuss the script for the filmwithin-a-film Hail, Ceasar!, starring Whitlock, a vice-driven and innocuous Hollywood superstar. In this meeting the Coen brothers display their penchant for awkward humour as men of different faiths debate the importance of Jesus.

This scene lays the essential foundation for the film’s thematic focus on religion.

It also serves to lull the audience into believing that ‘religion’ will be understood in the most traditional sense of the word; however, as the parallel experiences of film weave together, it is clear that the real ‘religion’ is not Mannix’s Catholicism, but the unifying experience of movies themselves.

The conflict between cramped and epic spaces reflects Mannix’s experience of his faith(s). In his rapid, sure-footed movement between the cramped quarters of a confessional, the coziness of a Chinese restaurant, to the grandeur of Capitol studios, he transitions between his own inner conflicts. Rather than being consumed by the largeness of Hollywood, Mannix’s presence expands to fill this space. In contrast to Mannix’s constant race against time, the Coen Brothers are leisurely in their pace. The flow from one location to the next is marked by seamless camera

Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin) struggles to keep it together in the midst of a movie star getting kidnapped. (comingsoon.net) movement from intimate close-ups to wide displays of the inner-workings of the studios themselves. In such a way, the direction takes the time to savour the various aspects of 1950s Hollywood in ways that Mannix rarely pauses to do so himself.

The effect of the almost laborious attention to setting the scene, however, is to diminish the sense of urgency for the fate of Whitlock. The various ambitions of the film—an spoof of/homage to old Hollywood, a comment on one man, his faith, and free will, an ode to the power of cinema—at times feels forced and so reduces the storytelling strength of the film. In the various themes that are

another country (he is above all else English) but from another period.

The audience is reminded of their own role in watching the film.

The multiplicity of screens, from Mr. Mannix’s private viewing room to the debut of major motion pictures, brings the screen itself into focus. The curtains are drawn, the opening credits roll, and the enthrallment begins. Though one is never entirely drawn into the filmswithin-the-film, as the scenes often cut to the reactions of Mr. Mannix and his secretary, Natalie (Heather Goldenhersh), it is clear that the art lies not in the film itself but in the experience it elicits.

M e d ia an d appraisa l : Q u esti o nin g respe c ta b i l it y p o l iti c s in F res h o ff t h e b o at

Weiyu Dang Contributor A year in, Fresh Off the Boat (FOTB) is still much of the same: An occasionally poignant portrayal of the immigrant experience tempered by whitewashed sinophilia. Take last week’s episode for example. Right before Chinese New Year, FOTB aired the first depiction of Mandarin Chinese New Year on American primetime TV. For mainland Mandarin viewers, hearing xin nian kuai le instead of Cantonese (and slightly colonial) gung hey fat choy strikes indelibly sensitive notes—a reminder that Mandarin speakers do exist in the media. Yet for all the sentiment a phrase like this stirs, matriarch Jessica Huang’s (Constance Wu) instructive explanations of Chinese New Year makes it anticlimactic. She says that the Chinese abstain from postNew Year haircuts for fear of “getting rid of any good luck [they] just received.”

The translation of traditional Chinese practices into a feigned Taiwanese accent comes off as parodic and cheap fortune cookie advice. Yet, problems like these contribute to the show’s ultimate importance in the discourse on race: The question of respectability.

There is nothing exceptional about the content of FOTB for a Chinese American. The show instead thrives on factual portrayals of Chinese life.

addressed, the plot is at risk of becoming secondary to the stories within the story.

Perhaps in a gesture to their own role in creating the film, the most interesting characters are the directors.

While DeeAnna Moran (Scarlett Johansson) and Hobie Doyle (Alden Ehrenreich)—two of the stars under Mannix’s charge—are respectively glamourous and humble, they seem more interested in enjoying their time off screen than on it. By contrast, Laurence Laurentz (Ralph Fiennes), an English director, claims that his film, Merrily We Dance, will be the next piece in his great legacy. Garbed in an ascot and three-piece suit, he comes not only from

The Huang family is the first East Asian leading family on TV. (Suzanne Wang / The McGill Tribune) But, factual isn’t necessarily sincere, or earnest. In this distinction, FOTB elicits a contrast between an acknowledged Chinese-ness and unmitigated Chineseness. In the first season’s finale, Eddie (Hudson Yang), the main character, showed a moment of Chinese patriotism

when another student mocked China.

Yet, Eddie never appears on screen trying to better acquaint himself with what it means to be Chinese. Instead, he actively runs away from it, worshipping Shaq or lusting over his neighbour’s mother. And while it’s unfair to expect

an eleven-year old to pore over Zhu Xi or Lu Xun, it is reasonable to ask viewers what Chinese-ness really is.

The show does, however, boast an extensive list of accurate Chinese portrayals to the point where Vulture’s recaps have an “Authenticity Index.”

Several watershed instances stick out: Grandma Huang (Lucille Soong) is the only exclusively-mandarin speaker on American television; Jessica tells a Jin dynasty ghost story; the Huang family eats zongzi (Chinese tamales). Though FOTB explicitly shows that Chinese Americans have a culture distinct from America, it simply lists these disconnected images. These scenes and allusions are itemized. They’re glimpses of Chinese culture, but so drowned out by school dances or Christmas that they feel as if the show has them to remind people that the Huangs are, in fact, Chinese.

Here, FOTB’s shortcomings challenge viewers to reconsider their own creation of identity. Is it okay to expect someone different to be the same?

How can “same” and “different” be reconciled? With trope characterization, FOTB ultimately fails to answer these questions. Eddie is a young ChineseAmerican who objectifies a white girl and listens to gangster rap. His brownnosing brothers kiss up to teachers and parents. His mother is a first generation immigrant who has the bite of a Chinese

matriarch, but lacks insight on the actual issue of culture, resorting to the cryptic “Because I said so” to scare her boys. His father Louis (Randall Park) strives to become a fun-loving American steakhouse owner. They do look different and sound different, but they’re the same archetypes seen on all sitcoms.

No one expects FOTB to provide critical revelations on race and identity.

But hopefully, the show is the first step towards new media representations of East Asians on television. As a family-friendly show aimed at middle America, FOTB does raise questions, intentional or not, regarding the identity and respectability of AsianAmerican identity crafting. The lack of foundation in Chinese culture, the white Chinese-ness of the characters, the willful and giddy assimilation, mix and ask the viewer where exactly nonwhite characters and people fit.

Were FOTB a more complex and well-written show that critically examined and deconstructed the concept of otherness, it would be hollow—it wouldn’t as much start a debate as read like a textbook. As it stands, FOTB’s faults lead to a reappraisal of the culture it intends to portray.

And when viewers question its representation of culture, the show achieves its purpose.

11

Student Living

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

McGill in hindsight Thoughts from soon-to-be graduates

Daniel Chetner, U3 Economics. (Photo courtesy of Jack Neal)

Rachel Summers Contributor Continued from page 1.

Taking advantage of the surrounding network of peers is also important. Josh Schulman, U3 Finance, explained how students should be skeptical of the stereotypes attributed to different faculties.

“Even though there’s a stigma that [in Management] we’re all sharks and really bad people, when you actually break down the facade, most people are a lot nicer than they seem,” Schulman said. “If you can get past the hurdle of asking for help, most people are willing to give it.”

The advantages of asking fellow peers for help and studying in groups are twofold. Discussing course material instead of just reading it makes it easier to determine whether or not one actually knows the material. It is also beneficial in terms of easing exam season blues, as studying with others is less isolating and breaks the monotony of studying by oneself.

For Tori Sung, U3 Economics, picking the right courses was a struggle at the beginning of her university career. She later found, however, that McGill’s academic resources are valuable tools that can ease difficult decisions.

“Go to advising,” Sung said. “When I was in first year I thought I had time and I didn’t see my advisor. I think it would have taken a lot of pressure off of picking courses later and then feeling like I constantly didn’t know if I was doing the right

Tori Sung, U3 Economics. (Photo courtesy of McGill Women in Leadership)

thing. Actually taking the time to do that is super important, and I know the people [who] did had a way easier time [....]

Whether it’s networking or physical resources, you should use [McGill’s services]. I finally gained a respect for that in my last year.”

As students know all too well, going to see an advisor can be quite the hassle, especially if it is during the first couple weeks of each semester; however, being proactive and making the time to see an advisor in person is important. No one wants to have graduation delayed because their degree requirements haven’t been met.

Although university is a time of individual growth and discovery, the students’ note that the highlights of their undergraduate careers have revolved around the experiences they shared with their peers.

Being part of a committee that works hard to put on successful events can be one of the most rewarding experiences at McGill. For Sung, her role as Vice President (VP) communications for McGill Women in Leadership (MWIL) is one of her favourite McGill experiences. “[MWIL] was a relatively new organization when I started working with them, so we were able to put a lot of input in and decide what we wanted to do with it,” Sung said. “For our Trailblazers conference we got all these really cool speakers to talk and it turned into this big event [that] was bigger than we thought it would be. That was really cool because you felt like your input actually mattered.

People respect you from outside

of McGill now that you’re older, so if you reach out to them, you would be [surprised] how many want to get involved.”

Along similar lines, Schulman points to his role as cochair of the Management Frosh planning committee as a standout experience during his McGill career.

“I was really happy with how Frosh went this summer,” Schulman said.

“We broke all the records for attendance and satisfaction rates [....] In fourth year, you may take the initiative to run the entire event [....] I would say, if you have any interest, apply for something, you never know what could happen.”

T h e experiences shared with other McGill students extend beyond specific committee achievements.

More generally, s t u d e n t s highlighted the friendships they’ve made as their favourite aspect of McGill. Jake Kantorwitz, U3 Honours Pharmacology, stressed this when reflecting on what would be most helpful to share with younger students.

Josh Schulman , U3 Finance. ( Photo courtesy of Nat Carson)

“With such a large school in such an enormous city, find a way to make a small community of supportive friends,” Kantorwitz said.

Chetner’s thoughts reflect the same sentiment—he was quick to point to his friends.

“It’s been a short four years, but I can easily say the people that are in my network now, I will be friends with for a very

long time,” Chetner said. “I feel privileged and really lucky.”

Even though there is an overall sentiment of ‘I can’t believe how fast these four years have gone by,’ these students serve as a model for the benefits that younger students may reap if they too take advantage of every resource available to them, and take the time to develop meaningful relationships.

12

Student Living

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Montreal’s first ‘barcade’ North Star opens on Boulevard Saint-Laurent

Pinball bar acts as guiding light for Montrealers mourning Korova Emma Whitehall Contributor A familiar location for many McGill students—the former home to the infamous Korova—is ringing in a new era with the opening of a ‘barcade’ called North Star. Gone are the days (or nights) of artist-themed sets at Korova—a venue where the floor is said to have literally fell through. Ironically, Mondays are now the one night of the week that North Star is not open.

Walking into the restored bar, to the right is a simplistic seating area with five wooden tables and one more intimate booth. The seating area is accentuated with a large disco ball on one side of the room, and a silent projection of scenes from old movies that somehow incorporate pinball on the other side. The place inspire a sense that you have travelled back in time to your neighbourhood arcade, which now happens to serve beer.

To the left of the entrance, the bar occupies one wall and directly across from it is an impressive lineup of vintage pinball machines maintained to have an almost new feel. Playing pinball on such wellmade machines is truly a blast from the past for those who haven’t sought

out places to enjoy the game since they went out of popularity, likely around the rise of home video games.

As everything that was once in fashion has its return to the forefront, pinball is also having its comeback.

This comes at a time when only one company in all of North America, Stern Pinball, still makes new machines. The ones found at North Star are therefore becoming increasingly valuable and hard to come by.

The various pinball games, Jukebox and photo booth all operate on a coin system. Naturally, the coins sell on an enticing model of “the more you buy the more you save.” To experience all North Star had to offer, it is best to go for the big deal—purchasing 25 coins for $20.

Twenty-five coins comes out to exactly enough for two people to play each game once (except for one machine that was being monopolized by someone taking their pinball game very seriously). With coins, patrons can also go home with a printed strip of four photo booth pictures, and engage in the hard-fought decision for a single record request on the jukebox.

Each game requires one North Star coin to begin, and games are

designed with engaging themes apt to given names such as Harlem Globetrotters, Pin-Bot, Dragon, or Black Hole.

Every game allows five chances to save the ball from plummeting into a cavernous black hole of no return.

Following from the venue’s nostalgic feel for the past, the wall behind the bar exhibits an impressive collection of vinyl records that the Get an old-school gaming experience along with your regular night out in Montreal. (nightlife.ca) bartenders can choose songs from when patrons are not each heading, there is one price quieter evening playing host to a occupying the sound system with option for ‘simple mix drinks’ at predominantly male crowd seeming $7. A must for students enjoying a particularly well practiced in the record selections from the jukebox.

As fun as the entertainment is, night out—the pitcher—is evidently sport. The weekend would likely North Star is still a bar, and one that missing. One would assume that such welcome a rowdier, more diverse seems to encourage a sit-down vibe a distinctly themed bar would parallel crowd. It was a refreshing break between your gaming; however, the drink menu with fun, themed mix from the traditional bar experience the drink selection could certainly drinks. Thus far, however, North and certainly worth heading there to be expanded if the owners hope to Star has kept to a plain-and-simple work on your pinball skills or relax encourage longer periods of play and approach to its drink options. any day of the week. drink purchasing from each visitor.

Whether you are a self-identified The lacking drink menu was Although the drink menu truly the only imperfect part of an pinball fanatic, or you are just looking does offer a humourous distinction evening at North Star. At every for a novel break from the traditional between the ‘cheap shit’ and the moment, as at any good arcade, Montreal club scene, North Star ‘expensive shit,’ the content remains interactive elements present promises to provide an experience focused on beer or wine. Apart from themselves. Having visited the you are set to enjoy. But keep in mind; a few options of wine or beer under bar on a Wednesday, it was a pinball is harder than it looks!

L o v e s o n g s c r o ss w o r d Across:

1. Less serious than an exam 5. What gymnasts balance on 9. Covered with 14. High-minded notion 19. Bismarck’s first name 20. Rooney and Kate 21. Modern message 22. Musk’s company 23. Black Eyed Peas (2003) 26. Mexican staple 27. Standards

28. Ex-Russian leadership title 29. Disgusting 32. It borders Thailand 33. Nintendo bestseller 34. Justin Bieber (2015) 38. Mammoth trade deal of the 90’s 42. Grass and soil 43. Baseballer Yogi _____ 44. One who dresses frumpily 48. Every roof has one 51. Half a score

By Christopher Lutes 54. French director of Playtime 55. The Beatles (1967) 59. Baseballer Sabathia 60. American warzone, slangily 62. Dutch cheese 63. High-fidelity frequency band 64. Fortune-telling cards 65. OOO 67. Tractor giant John _____ 68. Bad omen 70. Light switch direction 71. 25 Down’s instrument

Down:

1. It’s bigger than a village 2. Credo 3. Strict 4. The act of aggravating 5. Way to measure health 6. Ex-Communist half of Berlin 7. Popular bachelor’s degree 8. Taj _____ 9. Fresh Prince’s Kingdom, ___ Air 10. Expressive punk rock offshoot 11. Suave

12. Nursery rhyme refrain 13. Twilight co-star’s initials 14. Internet forum abbreviation 16. Mechanical staircase 17. Cold and distant 18. Scottish girl 24. Common Arts assignment 25. Greek Cupid 30. Applied oil to 31. Before, in verse 35. Editions 36. Paradise 37. Jr’s father 39. Flim ___ artists 40. Up to, slangly 41. Unconscious 44. World digital time 45. Corn chip 46. They cross rds.

47. Jekyll and _____ 49. Take an exam later 50. Ruby; garnet; emerald 52. Expensive rez alternative 53. Fish-catcher 56. It paddles a boat 57. Transportation abbreviation 58. Opposite of strict 61. Evidence of a fire 66. World Organization 67. One with an MD 68. Level below CIS 69. For example

13

Science & technology

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Vert Montreal: Creating a greener future for Montreal Startups bring together individuals with a passion for sustainability Clare Lyle Contributor On Jan. 29, 120 developers, designers, entrepreneurs, and experts gathered in downtown Montreal to look for sustainable solutions to address Montreal’s energy problems. The event, Start-Up Weekend: Sustainable Cities, was part of a creative marathon set up by the city of Montreal to tackle the city’s fossil fuel dependency. Sparked by citizen efforts to raise awareness about fossil fuel consumption, the city has pledged to reduce fossil fuel consumption to pre-1990s levels.

Compared to traditional startup competitions and hackathons, the participants came from a wide range of backgrounds, and diversity was encouraged in team formation.

“It’s definitely a different model,” Diana Cheptene, one of the event’s head organizers, said. “The goal is to bring groups that never get together, and see what kind of innovation comes out of it.”

The event’s organisers took the theme of sustainability to heart, hoping to create long-lasting effects. One of the biggest sources of waste at events like startup weekends, explained Monika Petrocki, one of the organizers, comes from disposable plates and other unsustainable catering practices. The event aimed to be zero-waste, a lofty goal considering the quantity of food

and beverages required to sustain 120 people over a weekend.

A startup weekend, Petrocki explained, is an opportunity to encourage people to think about sustainability in their daily lives, and not just in the fifty four hours of the competition.

“It’s important because just the context of startup weekend, people come for different reasons but this is an opportunity to change people’s behaviours,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to change people’s behaviour after this event. But we get the chance for the 54 hours to enforce a different way of approaching sustainability.”

Beyond just encouraging participants to lead more sustainable lives after the competition, the event has other long-reaching effects—about 12 per cent of participants usually go on to lead more sustainable lives.

One project, which featured McGill Urban Studies student Jordan Bowden as a team member, focused on helping the visually impaired way find in unfamiliar locations. To do this, the team created tactile maps that allows users to ‘feel’ their way around.

“We’re making use of 3-D printing to produce a map that an individual can feel,” Bowden stated. “We’re also making use of an iPad, which will enable the user to get audio feedback as well as tactile feedback. This is really needed, there’s a lot of research showing

Vert Montreal drew together a variety of people all with a passion for sustainability. (Natalie Vineberg / McGill Tribune) that tactile maps can create really good way of life to be more sustainable,” hackathon to end the month-long Vurpillot explained. outcomes for people.” series of events.

One of the participants, Stephanie The team’s project helps those Where the creative marathon with any kind of vision loss in a number Pataracchia, worked with two other differs from other start-up and McGill alumni to develop a strategy idea-generating events is in both of ways.

“People with visual impairments to incentivize reducing energy its accessibility to those of noncan feel a lot of social isolation,” consumption. The project ended up technical backgrounds, and also Bowden said. “This project really aims winning the first place prize for the its connectedness with the bigto reduce that by enabling people to competition. picture problem of reducing “We’re working on an application fossil-fuel feel more comfortable in the world and dependencies. wayfind through spaces they may not be that integrates with people’s smart Although having a technical meters, and we want to incentivize them background helps, it’s by no familiar with.”

A McGill’s master’s student with as a community to reduce their energy means a prerequisite. ties to Montreal’s startup ecosystem consumption and reward them with “Just do it,” Cheptene said. “I Laura Vurpillot, on the other hand, perks,” Pataracchia said. think startup weekends are the best The ideas that come out of place to start. it’s really beginner worked on developing sustainabilitystartup weekend are just some of friendly. We walk you through the themed education programs. “[Our] project [is] called many in Vert Montreal’s creative process. People are very open, you ecosphere, and it’s basically to marathon. Other events include see people with lots of different encourage people to be more aware of ProtoHack, a walkathon/prototyping, backgrounds, and [it’s] happening sustainable development and adapt their and an ideathon, along with a all over the world”

Bob McDonald’s big ideas at SUS Academia Week Finding success by finding opportunities Lydia Kaprelian Contributor Bob McDonald, host of CBC’s weekly podcast Quirks and Quarks, kicked off the Science Undergraduate Society’s (SUS) Academia week with a special presentation about Canadian spacewalkers.

Growing up at the height of the space age, McDonald’s fascination with space exploration was clearly apparent. He’s chronicled the lives of three Canadian astronauts in his book, Canadian Spacewalkers, and at the presentation, spoke about space with infectious enthusiasm.

“We need flexibility [in space suits] because there’s good skiing on Mars,” McDonald explained. “Both the North and South poles of Mars are covered in snow. It’s dry ice snow, made from carbon dioxide, so when you fall and get covered in it you don’t get wet. It just evaporates away.”

McDonald, a skilled storyteller, makes science relatable and entertaining. He can easily be described as one of the preeminent Canadian science journalists. After all, more than 500,000 listeners tune into Quirks and Quarks, where he has been the host for nearly 25 years. Though he has

experienced great success in his career, McDonald explains that it hasn’t always been a smooth ride.

“I actually failed second year university,” he said. “I worked construction and drove a truck and I thought that was going to be my future.”

McDonald’s bracing authenticity is an important characteristic of his likable persona. More than once, he explained that the key to success is finding and taking advantage of opportunities. As a young adult, working at the Ontario Science Centre, McDonald talked his way into getting a media pass so that he could watch the Mars rover land at Mission Control in California.

“It’s been my exquisite pleasure to be a journalist during the time that we did go up there,” McDonald explained. “I took it upon myself to be [in California] when we went to the planets.”

Upon his return, Canada AM, CTV’s morning television news show asked him to come speak about his experiences watching the Mars landing firsthand in Mission Control.

“That’s the story of my life,” McDonald revealed. “Opportunities have come along and I took advantage of them and that’s why I’m here now.”

Despite McDonald’s unplanned career trajectory, there is considerable planning before every Quirks and Quarks show.

While nearly all of his questions may have been prepared ahead of time, he maintains an organic and conversational tone in his interviews.

“We need good stories and good storytellers,” McDonald said.

“We do a lot of massaging, so there’s work ahead of time in preparation for me to absolutely understand the story before I begin and then afterwards in the editing to make sure that it’s just really clear, [that] all of the information is there and you can understand it when you listen to it.”

McDonald also recruits scientists to Quirks and Quarks with the help of his three producers. As notoriously bad communicators, scientists are first screened and filtered by the team to make sure that they are able to effectively convey their research.

In order to best represent the scientists’ story, McDonald needs to know all of the background information.

“By the time I get to the interview, I actually know all of the answers to the

McDonald presented his new book to McGill students. (Natalie Vineberg / McGill Tribune) questions I’m asking,” he explained.

“So my job is to listen, and make sure that I’m hearing the story that I already know.”

This formula, refined by McDonald and his producers, helps explain the award-winning success of Quirks and Quarks.

Without visual aid from pictures, McDonald is able to conjure clear story arcs thanks to his, and his team’s, thorough preparation.

“There are no sharp corners,” McDonald stated. “You want to make the transition from one idea to the next as smooth as you possiblly can and bring the

audience along with you and that’s what we do.”

Clarity is a concept that comes up often when talking to McDonald. His unlikely, and seemingly, contradictory coupling of enthusiasm and clarity have become his winning trademark.

He offers some advice for future science journalists.

“If you want to host the show, you’ll have to crawl over my dead body,” he stated. “However, having said that, one of the things that I’ve found out in my work is that ideas are everything. Figure it out and get it done, it really works.”

14

Science & technology

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

The Zika virus, explained Mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting dangerous disease Clare Fogarty Contributor News headlines are swarming with concern over outbreaks of the mosquitoborne Zika virus. First discovered in 1947, the Zika virus is part of the flavivirus family and was believed to pose no threat to humans; however, this virus is the recent cause of over 4,000 cases of microcephaly in infants—an illness causing underdevelopment of the brain and an irregularly small head.

Microcephaly can lead to impaired vision and hearing, as well as other neurological abnormalities.

The virus is prevalent in South America, where it has spread to 21 countries through the mosquito carrier Aedes aegypti. This species is known to carry other viruses such as dengue and yellow fever—two other members of the flavivirus family—and are known to have various neurological effects including Parkinson’s-like symptoms and encephalitis.

Zika virus appears to be less severe than dengue or yellow fever; infection ranges from asymptomatic to fairly mild symptoms—aches, inflammation in the eyes, joint pain, rash; however, pregnant women appear to be at high risk of transmitting the infection to their fetuses, causing the increasing rates of microcephaly.

The virus was first discovered in Uganda and was possibly carried to South America during the 2014 World Cup. The upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro pose a threat to the rest of the world population, opening up the possibility of global outbreaks.

In an attempt to prevent this, the Brazilian government just announced it will deploy 220,000 soldiers to bring pamphlets door-to-door, advising people—especially pregnant women— on ways to prevent infection.

Virology professor Selena Sagan, from the McGill Department of Microbiology and Immunology, focuses her research on other flaviviruses, such as hepatits C and dengue. The Zika virus, however, presents new difficulties.

“We don’t know enough about transmission to the fetus,” Sagan said.

“Zika virus is a very new virus being studied.”

Development of a vaccine doesn’t seem to be in the near future—scientists believe it may be 10 years before a vaccine for Zika virus could be developed.

“It is difficult to predict how quickly research and development will take to produce an effective vaccine,” Sagan explained. “We’ve studied dengue virus for much longer and approval for vaccine trials just began last year; however, since Zika is closely

Mothers infected by the Zika virus before birth risk giving birth to a child with microcephaly. (gizmodo.com) related, there may be things we’ve learned in studying viruses like dengue and Chikungunya [a related virus] that can be used in developing a Zika vaccine.”

In the meantime, governments in Colombia, El Salvador, and Ecuador are urging women to avoid pregnancy until the outbreaks end. This raises ethical concerns over women’s reproductive rights, especially in countries with stricter laws surrounding birth control and abortion.

Luckily, humans appear to be a

dead-end host for Zika, so infection control focuses on preventing mosquito populations from spreading. Possible solutions include releasing genetically modified mosquitos that are sterile or resistant to the virus, as was recently proposed to prevent mosquitos from carrying malaria. Pesticides are another option, but similarly to the problems antibiotics face, mosquitos may evolve to become resistant.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus is likely to spread to the United States.

Four million cases of infection are estimated to occur in the Americas within the next year, and this year’s El Niño weather appears to be speeding up the process.

“Since [Canada doesn’t] have the [mosquito carrier], it’s unlikely we’ll have an outbreak [here], but the southern United States [is] at risk,” Sagan explained. “With global warming, these vectors seem to be traveling north, so it’s difficult to say if it will be a problem years from now.”

Taking the next step in developmental biology: Embryonic editing Researchers from the United Kingdom have started genetically altering human embryos Andy Wang Contributor In April of 2015, researchers in China from Sun Yat-sen University published the results of the world’s first experiment on human embryo editing.

The goal of the experiment was to edit a gene containing mutations for a blood disorder called β-thalassemia. The gene is responsible for coding a subunit of the hemoglobin molecule, which carries oxygen through the bloodstream.

The announcement resurfaced past questions regarding the ethics of manipulating human reproduction at the embryonic level. “[That experiment was] the first step in a well mapped-out process leading to GM [Genetically Modified]babies, and a future of consumer eugenics,” David King, director of Human Genetics Alert, a UK-based NGO and human genetics watchdog group, stated in an interview with the BBC. In an attempt to pacify the ethical issues surrounding the use of human embryos, the ones used by the Chinese researchers contained three sets of chromosomes, as opposed to the usual two sets. This was the result of induced errors during the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) process. These embryos can divide into a blastula, or a bundle of 200 to 300 cells, but

cannot develop fully into a fetus.

Out of the 86 embryos used, only 28 were successfully spliced, or genetically modified. After a closer analysis of the genetic makeup of the spliced embryos, the researchers found an alarming number of side mutations on other unintended targets. This is one of the main ethical concerns associated with genetic editing, since the mutations accrued in an embryo would be present in all the cells of the body as it divides.

“I believe this is the first [experiment] applied to human preimplantation embryos and as such the study is a landmark, as well as a cautionary tale,” George Daley a stem cell biologist from Harvard Medical School said in an interview with Nature. “Their study should be a stern warning to any practitioner who thinks the technology is ready for testing to eradicate disease genes.”

In September 2015, only months after this first experiment in April, the UK’s governmental authority on human fertilization and embryology received a proposal from the Francis Crick Institute in London for another experiment involving human embryonic gene editing. On Feb. 4, the experiment was approved.

Dr. Kathy Niakan, the stem cell biologist leading the experiment, and her team plan to begin the study as soon as possible. Niakan hopes to determine

Using CRISPR/Cas9, British scientists hope to introduce changes in the human embryo. (YouTube.com) which genes are involved in cell type and tissue differentiation in the first few days of human development using a gene editing technique called CRISPR/ Cas9, the same technique the Chinese researchers used in their experiment.

CRISPR/Cas9 is a genetic editing technique used in molecular biology to study the functions of proteins, as well as how they interact with one another. This can be used for both gene editing, as was the case in the Sun Yat-sen University experiment, as well as gene deletion, known as gene knockdown, which is the technique proposed by Niakan.

The mechanisms of the initial stages of human development are not well understood, and the human embryo is notoriously inefficient, with 31 per cent of all pregnancies ending

in miscarriage. Genetic knockdown studies are used to determine the effects of a gene by essentially removing it from the body and then comparing the knockdown to the control, where no genes were removed. Genetic knockdowns are easier to perform than genetic editing because it requires less precision, with the only goal being to ‘break’ the gene in question.

Generally, knockdown screens are used to target a specific problem like what is causing individuals to suffer from β-thalassemia. Genetic editing, however, can be used to evaluate a broad range of situations, such as embryonic development. Niakan and her team aren’t trying to answer a single question, they’re just trying to understand human development by looking at it in a variety

of ways using CRISPR/Cas9.

“The research could lead to improvements in fertility treatment and a better understanding of the first stages of life,” Niakan said at a press briefing in London.

The embryos will come from fertility clinic patients across the UK. Following a course of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment, extra embryos are usually generated. With the informed consent of the patient, Niakan hopes to uses some of these embryos in her research, with the understanding that they will be destroyed after only seven days.

Niakan hopes that her research will pave the way for more successful treatment possibilities for infertility in the future.

swimming

15

Sports

Tuesday, February 9, 2016 martlets

3 rd- 3 rd

Redmen

Youthful Redmen and Martlets teams claim third at RSEQ swimming champs Senior Caldwell finds the podium six times, 17-year-old rookie Wist picks up three medals Nick Jasinski Sports Editor Thirty-eight McGill athletes—20 Redmen and 18 Martlets—competed last weekend at the RSEQ Swimming Championship at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR). The Montreal Carabins went home with the women’s title and finished as runners-up for the men’s trophy and the Laval Rouge et Or filled in the blanks with a first place men’s finish and second place in the women’s division. McGill rounded out the top three on both sides with 23 total medals to Montreal’s 44 and Laval’s 42. McGill’s eight gold medals are an improvement over last year’s three at the same meet, brought about by an injection of new swimmers to the team.

Twenty-one swimmers are in their first year at McGill, either as rookies or transfer students.

“It’s a very young team and we’re only losing three swimmers to graduation this year,” said sixth-year Head Coach Peter

Carpenter. “It’ll be a huge boost to the team that we’ll be able to build off of the experience that we’ll carry through to next year.”

Martlet team captain and 2013 CIS Rookie-of-the-Year Katie Caldwell of White Rock, British Columbia found herself on the podium an astounding six times. She earned individual gold, silver and bronze medals in the 200m medley, 400m medley and 200m backstroke, respectively, with 2:17.06, 4:49.65, and 2:16.75 performances. Caldwell has qualified in all three events for the CIS National Championships at the end of the month. Caldwell also swam in the gold-medal-winning 4x100m freestyle, silver-winning 4x50m freestyle, and bronze-winning 4x200m freestyle. “[Caldwell has] been a part of the team for four years,” Carpenter said. “She’s someone who has been winning medals consistently every year at provincials and at CIS [championships]. We’re going to lose her after this year and it’s

going to leave quite a void. It’s going to be difficult to replace her.”

Junior Simone Cseplo of Toronto, Ontario was another standout performer on the women’s team, earning two individual gold medals with a 29.10 in the 50m backstroke and a 2:00.97 in the 200m freestyle, a relay gold as anchor of the 4x100m freestyle and a silver as third leg on the 4x50m freestyle relay. That Martlet relay finished .09 seconds faster than the previous RSEQ record of 1:45.50, but half a second behind new RSEQ record-holder Laval’s 1:44.49 race.

On the men’s side, 17-yearold freshman Kade Wist of Calgary, Alberta took gold in both the 100m and 200m Butterfly and silver as second leg of the 4x200m Freestyle. Wist made the CIS nationals qualifying standard in the 200m Butterfly with a 2:02.78 ,but missed the 100m time by less than a second at 56.71 seconds.

Other McGill gold medals

came in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay, the men’s 4x50m medley and the 200m backstroke, with 18-year-old rookie Jason Niness swimming a 2:03.73, only a tenth of a second shy of the CIS standard. “[Niness] came to us as someone who I would characterize as needing to build experience and I think that just in the past six months he’s gained so much already and stands to improve a great deal,” Carpenter said.

Sixteen McGill swimmers– eight Redmen and eight Martlets–will be competing at CIS nationals at Laval from Feb. 26-28.

Quotable “I’d say that winning eight gold medals is an improvement over last year when we only won three. I think a big part of that is that we have some individual performers who came on the team, namely [Wist and Niness], who are both rookies and them

coming on the team and winning gold medals in their first year makes a big difference.”

–Carpenter on last weekend’s improved performance over last year.

Stat corner The Redmen and Martlets earned a combined eight gold medals, seven silver medals and eight bronze medals.

Moment of the meet Physiology Junior Rhys Johnson received this year’s RSEQ Leadership and Citizenship award for exemplifying academics and athletics alongside citizenship.

Johnson, a Calgary-native, has been involved at multiple organizations as a volunteer and fundraiser including Camp Kindle, the Rotary Flames House, the Calgary Humane Society, the Cerebral Palsy Association of Alberta, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Alberta.

16

Sports

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Exercise for Mood works out for mental health

McGill program focuses on exercise and teamwork to promote self-care Nicole Spadotto Staff Writer Continued from page 1. “[Exercise] increases blood flow to the brain,” Lockhart explained. “It helps the brain […] rebalance.”

People who exercise are known to feel calmer: Exercise reduces muscle tension, which in turn eliminates signals of stress sent to the brain.

Physical activity also breaks down the growth and development of adrenaline and thyroxine, which then increase oxygen flow to the cells, as well as the use of fatty acids and protein within an individual cell. This process relaxes the body, and a healthy body is a precursor to a healthy mind. Exercise also tends to strengthen posture, which is shown to lead to a more psychologically positive outlook.

“It’s actually so multifaceted,” Lockhart said.

Understanding the science behind the benefits of exercise encourages participants to continue exercise after completing the program.

“We teach [participants] a bit about the science in the sense that it has to be moderate intensity aerobic exercise in order to get the mental health benefits,” Lockhart said.

“We’re wanting a paradigm shift in the way we look at exercise,” Miller added. “We’re focusing on exercise and how it makes you feel in

the moment […] all the physiological factors that flow into our bodies right after actually make us feel better.”

Though initiatives such as #BellLetsTalk have helped mitigate the stigmatization of mental illness, one cannot help but to imagine that participants would enjoy the atmosphere of an exercise class— an activity that is well-regarded in society–in conjunction with weekly, supportive meetings and a teamoriented, unstigmatized setting.

“We’ve noticed with some of the participants [in] our program [that] there’s been a huge shift in their engagement even within the sessions,” Miller said. “They are building community and they’re talking more, so they’re coming out of their shells.

They tell us how much better they feel.”

Exercise also has wider mental health benefits. Lockhart explained that studies from the University of Toronto have demonstrated that exercise can prevent mental illness in certain people. A study by University of Toronto PhD Candidate George Mammen and Professor Guy Faulkner analyzed over 26 years’ worth of research to find that even modest levels of physical activity, such as walking for roughly half an hour per day, has the capacity to limit the likelihood of depression later in life. “[Exercise for mentally healthy people] helps increase concentration,

increase focus,” Miller said. “It has so many physiological and mental benefits that every one of us can benefit from.”

The benefits of these findings are especially pertinent now, at a time when efforts to combat the stigmatization of mental illness in society are taking place. Exercise is a fairly simple and cost-effective way to prime people for better mental health.

The key is for people to make a habit of being physically active. Especially at universities, students don’t want to sacrifice study time for exercise. The time spent exercising, however, has been shown to alleviate stress, increase concentration, and make students more productive.

“This isn’t [only] for people who have mental health issues,” Miller said. “This is for everybody. This is for anyone who lives a high-paced life, who has the regular stresses and anxieties of day-to-day life, who is in a rigorous program at a rigorous school.”

Another reason why mental health professionals are focused on prevention is because it allows for the high medical costs of treatment to shift to other demographics, like the aging baby-boomer generation.

“We need a prevention strategy now more than ever,” Mammen said in an interview with the University of Toronto Media Room. “We need to shift focus and look for ways to fend off depression from the start.”

A healthy body is a precursor to a healthy mind. (Elli Slavitch / McGill Tribune) While Exercise for Mood encourages everyone to exercise to achieve optimal mental health, the program predominantly exists for those suffering from mental health issues. Quantitative results have not yet been analyzed, but qualitatively, the effects on participants have been incredibly beneficial.

“The people who actually feel the greatest improvements [in their] mood from exercise are those who are struggling a bit more,” Lockhart said. “But

exercise is often much harder to attain for those folks. We need to give them a hand.”

Based on the improvements that Miller and Lockhart see in the participants, both within the program and during frequent post-program check-ins, Exercise for Mood extends beyond being a helping hand; for many, it’s also a lifeline.

“People are getting better, they’re getting well in terms of their overall wellness,” Lockhart concluded. “I know we’re doing the right thing.”

The WEEK THAT WAS for M c Gill Athletics By the Numbers

44 81.3 1:41.9

Tribune Athletes of the Week

The number of points Samuel Labrecque has scored thus far this season, the most ever by a McGill defenceman

The McGill Martlet’s free throw percentage against the UQÀM Citadins on Saturday.

The McGill record breaking time posted by the Martlet 4x200 track relay squad at the New York City Meet weekend

Samuel Labrecque

Mariam Sylla

Sophomore defenceman Samuel Labrecque had a record-breaking game to remember, as McGill trounced Concordia 7-3 last Friday. Labrecque scored in the second stanza to break the record for most single-season points and goals by a McGill defenceman. He is also leading all players in the CIS in points scored

Senior co-captain and forward Mariam Sylla returned from injury to record two strong performances against the UQÀM Citadins. In Thursday’s matchup, which McGill won 54-52, Sylla scored 16 points on 8-15 shooting to go along with four rebounds and two steals. In another close match on Saturday, Sylla scored a match high 19 points and hit nine of her 10 free throws.

She was also 5-9 from the floor and pulled down nine boards.

Photos courtesy of McGill Athletics

Martlet Volleyball The Martlets split the weekend with a comfortable 3-1 victory over UQÀM on Friday, followed by a nail biting 2-3 loss to Laval on Saturday. Against UQÀM, the Martlets split the first two sets with the Citadins, before marching towards a 3-1 win. Sophomore power hitter Emille Matte de Grasse and senior captain and setter Yasmeen Dawoodjee both dominated the game. Unfortunately, Mcgill could not carry their momentum into their matchup against Laval. McGill took the first two sets 25-17 and 25-20, before dropping the next three, closely contested sets. Although McGill led the game in most statistical categories, they could not stave off a stunning Laval comeback. McGill is still second in the RSEQ standings and will face UQÀM again next week. If McGill wins, it will clinch home court advantage in the RSEQ playoffs.

Redmen Hockey The No.5 CIS-ranked McGill Redmen defeated the Concordia Stingers 7-3 at McConnell Arena on Friday. McGill overcame six injuries to rout the Stingers—senior centre Mathieu Pompei, rookie wing Christophe Lalonde, and graduate centre Liam Heelis all scored in the first period.

McGill never trailed as graduate wing Jonathan Bonneau scored in the second

and third periods respectively, sophomore defenceman Samuel Labrecque scored in the second, and rookie centre Rock Regimbald scored in the third stanza. In doing so, Labrecque broke the single-season McGill records for most points and goals scored by a blueliner. McGill now lead Concordia 96-95 in head to head games. McGill will play Concordia again next Friday Feb. 12 at Ed Meagher Arena.