A&E “From the viewpoint: An evening at the World Press Photo Exhibit” pg. 12
FEATURE “Foundations of reconciliation: Exploring indigenous initiatives at McGill” pg. 08-09
The McGill Tribune
EDITORIAL: J-BOARD DECISION ON BDS REQUIRES FURTHER CLARITY IN ITS ENFORCEMENT pg. 05 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2016
VOL. 36 ISSUE 2 PUBLISHED BY THE SPT, A STUDENT SOCIETY OF MCGILL UNIVERSITY
McGILLTRIBUNE.COM
The history of oap: the backstory of “the best place on earth” The origins of OAP as told by John “the Dungeon Master” Boisvert Liz Willcock Contributor
McGill Redmen Rugby handily defeated crosstown rival Concordia in season opener on Sunday, Sept. 12, pg. 16. (Noah Sutton / McGill Tribune)
McGill University releases Draft Policy against Sexual Violence
Associate Provost credits student working group with bringing issue to light on campus
Gabrielle Dutra & Sara Cullen Contributor McGill University released a draft of its Policy against Sexual Violence on Monday, Sept. 12. The document comes after a consultation period that started in April, during which the university sought feedback from various campus groups, including the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) and the
Sexual Assault Centre of McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS). Since Fall 2013, the Sexual Assault Policy Proposal group (SAPP) has been fighting for the implementation of a sexual assault policy drafted by students. SAPP was formed in response to a 2013 incident in which several McGill football players faced accusations of sexual assault from a Concordia student, highlighting the university’s
lack of a sexual assault policy. The policy created by SAPP was never brought to the Senate. In an open letter published on April 7, SAPP conveyed their displeasure towards the administration for not considering the sexual assault policy. “We are tired of empty words and hollow actions,” the letter stated. “We are tired of an administration that does not prioritize supporting survivors of sexual assault.”
“The university does present a certain lack of support towards students, but this is something the administration is working on,” Erin Sobat, SSMU Vice-President (VP) University Affairs said. “An example is that the upper administration and the Senate made a commitment that the new policy will pass. Now the question is to ensure that the policy will remain as substantial as possible.” PG. 04
The Tribune Publications Society’s
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
is looking for undergraduate & graduate student representatives. If interested, please submit a letter of intent (300 words) to editor@mcgilltribune.com by Wednesday, September 21, 2016.
For nine days in Sept. and two days in April, a new energy visibly courses through McGill’s campus. Any passerby on Rue Sherbrooke is likely to hear the faint echo of students laughing, the thrumming bass of the year’s resident student band playing jazz or top 40 covers, and the smell of barbecue wafting through the air. However, no McGill student is a stranger to the event that so dramatically alters this little campus. Some call it Open Air Pub (OAP), most call it “The Best Place on Earth,” but, once-upon-a-time, a group of engineering students just called it a barbecue with some friends. Ashkaan Mohtashami, U4 Engineering and OAP manager, recalls one day three years ago, when he serendipitously met the founders of OAP. “It was a Thursday around 8 p.m., and these two guys, around fifty years old, come by wearing dress shirts and looking very proper, and they asked us what was going on. We told them it was Open Air Pub and they were like ‘Oh…Oh we started that,” Mohtashami recalled.
PG. 07
2
NEWS
SSMU
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
MEET THE EXECS
2016
What have you done this summer?
What have you done this summer?
Lots Activities Night-focused things [....] and lots of getting used to what this portfolio is going to entail for me [....] It’s been a lot of liaising with the other executives [....] over the summer while we’re adjusting to the new structure all together.
What upcoming projects have you been working on?
[The] Peer Support Centre is one of my favourite things to talk about because it’s getting a new space in our building [....] on the fourth floor, where most of our services are now located [....It’s] going to be starting their first year as a SSMU service. We’ve decided to have Mental Health Awareness Week in the Winter semester, and [we will] hopefully to get our mental health committees—the outreach committee and the advocacy committee—solidified [....] by early October [....] One reason we decided to have Mental Health Awareness Week in the winter is so that we can really [utilize] student help from the mental health committees in planning that event. Another thing that I’ve been working with [SSMU President Ben Ger] and the mental health commissioners on, since the mental health commissioners fall under my portfolio, is implementing Mental Health 101 training for all incoming faculty and staff. [We’ve been] figuring out how to keep moving forward with family care initiatives. We are planning [with the Social Equity and Diversity Education office (SEDE)] [....] to implement Study Saturdays or Sundays, [which is] a [....] weekend daycare for [student-parents] while [they] are studying. I’ve also been working on club workshops, like the equitable and sustainable event planning training, and making [....] club events more inclusive of everybody.
What challenges do you foresee this year?
[None] that I see right now [....but] with the construction happening, we’re in for a tough year because people don’t necessarily know how to get to SSMU, or don’t feel like walking through all this construction to get to our building. [VP Operations Sacha Madger] has a plan for that. […] but we’ve had cuts to our resources, so we’ve had to make cuts to student-staff hours and things like that that are pretty essential [.…] And also, as always with this portfolio, just addressing how slow-moving the university is. I would have liked to have started on the Fall Reading Week advocacy in June […] and [now] it might happen in October.
What have you done this summer?
I’ve been working on a few things [….] I was working on this project called a crash pad pilot for frosh. I had about 100 kids sleeping in the [Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU)] ballroom instead of going home […and we] kept some kids from driving home drunk […. I’ve been] looking at the Student-Run Cafeteria (SRC) inside and out [with VP Finance Niall Carolan] and we have dissected some of the expenses, the losses, and set up a plan of attack on how to push this forward. [The executives] are going to be a lot more hands-on [with the operation…] literally making it all student run [….] Minicourses is moving smoothly, we’ve had long conversations on how to make [it] more efficient [….] I’m going to be doing a lot more feedback surveys as well, looking at what we can do and what’s been successful in the past.
What upcoming projects have you been working on?
I’ve been looking at a project to get connections with the indigenous community and display indigenous artwork in our building. We have a policy on indigenous solidarity and one way to uphold this is to offer the opportunity for indigenous artists to display their work [….] I’ve reached out to the on-campus community and I’m looking to have indigenous students form a selection community [….] One of [my other] biggest focuses is going to be handling some of the construction issues.
What challenges do you foresee this year?
A building as old as this one often has a lot of surprises […. I’m] certain that there will be building issues in my time in office. [It’s] frustrating because [I] have to drop other projects just to keep the status quo, essentially. [The executive structure] is better than before because we now have someone who can drop everything and respond quickly when we need crisis management.
[During my campaign] I spoke about [Wellness Recovery Action Programs (WRAP)] spaces in the SSMU building and making sure the clinic had enough space to run WRAP, which are group therapy sessions. We’ve been working with them and [...] hopefully their program will be expanding a little bit because of that [....] When it comes to Mental Health 101 training for faculty and professors, [...] all new faculty will be getting Mental Health 101 training [during incoming faculty orientation] and that’s happened already this year [....] [We’ve been looking] into equitable alternative governance and the different structures that are present at other universities. For SSMU, [we’re looking at how we] can be more equitable and have more voices around the table. [There are] a lot of barriers [when it comes to] council accessibility. The second piece of the research is more specific to McGill [and] how can their Board of Governors be more accessible, take more student input, and be more equitable in makeup.
What upcoming projects have you been working on?
My office has been working on an executive shadowing program [called A Day in the Life]. In October, we will [offer students the chance to] spend a day or half a day with a [SSMU] executive. We want people to have more understanding of what we do here and to [allow] people who might want to run for a position to see what it’s actually like. We will be expanding to the administration as well so hopefully this month the Principal and some other people from the Board [of Governors of McGill (BoG)] will come in to shadow me for a day to help build understanding between [us and] the administration [....] Some members of the administration have asked why we don’t take a full course-load as students, there is clearly a very big misunderstanding of just how much work there is and the extent to which [our jobs] are like real jobs, not just a student position. I’ve been working with members of the BoG to build up use of the BoG as an advocacy piece. Typically the BoG has been a pretty big barrier when it comes to presidential advocacy because of how small the student perspective is there.
What challenges do you foresee this year?
I see that there is strain on my office because when things affect the president’s portfolio it’s not just me–it’s the whole team. We’re short of resources here. So, when we still want to run our projects, at or past capacity, we’re going to reach those areas where there are [more resources] required than are available. However, for now I’m feeling good and excited!
PGSS MEET THE EXECS CAN BE FOUND ONLINE AT WWW.MCGILLTRIBUNE.COM
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
3
NEWS
What have you done this summer?
So, obviously a big thing is the McGill Sexual Violence Policy [….The] student-drafted policy was rejected by the administration in April 2016, what happened then was in May the university circulated their own draft and so we spent quite a bit of the summer going back and forth with them on what that draft was, what potential there might be to make changes, and what the community consultation was going to look like [.…] We [also] hired a researcher to develop an unpaid internships policy. Specifically, we have a researcher looking at external regulatory frameworks of McGill in terms of internships that it is promoting and providing [.…But] also some kind of further advocacy within McGill and also at the provincial level for remunerated opportunities, and for better, stronger regulations around unpaid internships and the inequities associated with those.
What upcoming projects have you been working on?
So, there are some things I haven’t had as much of a chance to address over the summer, either intended or just because people haven’t been around — Fall Reading Week, for example. That’s something that we will probably revisit this month because the momentum on that kind of stalled in the late spring, and the summer didn’t seem to be a very good time to revisit it or get in touch with enrolment services. There’s [also] the Library Improvement Fund. So, as always we’re going to be trying to consult students actively on proposal ideas. [The fund is] a lot of money, so it’s really important that student priorities and student initiative ideas be reflected in those allocations. We’ll have a kind of a consultation period probably in October to start developing initiatives and start working with libraries. In terms of student communication, I’m hoping to push a lot of information out, but also bring a lot of information in. And so I’m going to be having some conversations with our senators and also our counsellors on how we can [improve student communication].
What challenges do you foresee this year?
What upcoming projects have you been working on?
Firstly, implementation of a socially responsible investment fund, in which I have been working closely with Desautels [Faculty of Management] members to implement a fund that has a much stronger emphasis on the social impact of where our money is going. [...] Secondly, balancing the operating budget. Myself, the VP internal [Daniel Lawrie], and VP operations [Sacha Madger] have been working on relationships with clubs and faculty associations in order to increase their presence in the SSMU building and generate revenue that way [...]. Thirdly, providing simple and accessible financial information on all of our departments and accounts through charts and infographics that present the information in a way that is more relatable to students [...]. Finally, streamlining the funding application process for student groups through the creation of a standardized excel template [...]. [SSMU VP External David Aird] and I have been planning specific budgets for campaigns. [SSMU VP Student Life Elaine Patterson], and I have been coordinating sponsorship for events like Activities Night. [SSMU President Ben Ger] and I share human resources responsibilities [...]. This is a new addition to the VP Finance portfolio, as a lot of human resources issues are due directly to budget cuts. [SSMU VP Internal Daniel Lawrie] and I have been budgeting events like Grad Frosh and B-week at Gert’s. Basically, any event that an executive throws I’ll be involved with one way or another.
What challenges do you foresee this year?
We are faced with restricted resources and so have had to do cuts across most departments. It’s a human issue and someone’s livelihood, which I don’t take lightly.
Time and resources. We have very ambitious plans and I’ve seen some good progress on a lot of things […] but we’ve had cuts to our resources, so we’ve had to make cuts to student-staff hours and things like that that are pretty essential [.…] And also, as always with this portfolio, just addressing how slow-moving the university is. I would have liked to have started on the Fall Reading Week advocacy in June […] and [now] it might happen in October.
What have you done this summer?
What have you done this summer?
The internal portfolio took a much smaller role in Frosh this year, which was great. We were able to focus solely on community relations and the administrative aspects of Frosh [...] I met with the police, [Milton-Parc Citizens Committee Vice-President] Hélène Brisson [and] did all the community relations stuff. Recently, under my portfolio is First-Year Council (FYC) [....] I’m completely restructuring it and combining aspects of the First-Year Undergraduate Network and the FYC together into one thing. Another thing I did over the summer was Grad Frosh [....] The event went super smoothly; I had some pretty good feedback, which is great.
What upcoming projects have you been working on?
Besides the FYC structure update, just some more general communications initiatives. [On Sept. 6] we had a meeting with the Dean of Libraries [Colleen Cook] to talk about some new initiatives. All those library [TV] screens would be a really useful medium for us to present some information, such as ways to get involved on campus [....] Something that we were thinking of doing [on the screens] was SSMU facts [...] as a way to disseminate super useful information to students.
What challenges do you foresee this year?
The challenge that I foresee for this coming year is definitely going to be, as I said before, getting everyone on the same page that SSMU is there for them. So hopefully by all the initiatives that we have coming into this year, people will be able to see SSMU in a better light, I feel like that’s going to be a challenge: Changing the general opinion of SSMU. [...] I feel like if you are able to get everyone on the same page [...] that will really help us be successful in our events.
There are four major parts of the portfolio [...] External Affairs, which involves interacting with basically anybody outside McGill. This is mostly limited to Quebec student federations, like the Association for the Voice of Education in Quebec (AVEQ), where I still sit as an observer at meetings. Then, there is Political Affairs, which includes supporting the three political campaigns on campus that we are mandated to support — Divest McGill, Demilitarize McGill, and McGill Against Austerity — and also includes mobilization aid for students with independent campaigns [...]. Then, there is Community Affairs, where we’ve been working on the Community Action and Relations Endeavour (CARE) agreement, signed by the last VP External [Emily Boytinck], the Milton-Parc Citizens Committee Vice-President Hélène Brisson, and the Dean of Students [Andre Costopoulos]. It’s an agreement that highlights our relationship with the Milton-Parc community, [...] a relationship that is unique in all of Canada in that we’re very close to the Milton-Parc community and we have to maintain very close ties. [...] Finally, there is Francophone Affairs which I will be combining with Community Affairs into one committee headed by the Community Affairs Coordinator and Community Engagement Commissioner.
What challenges do you foresee this year?
In the past, it has been difficult to find a common voice when pronouncing ourselves on political issues. We have a very diverse student body, many of whom are from other parts of the world. We should have a common voice — a voice that represents all. [When approaching divisive political issues], the main objective should be to do so responsibly. If people want to come forth with a motion, it’s not anyone’s place to tone police or to tell them what to say [...] but we will collaborate as much as possible. We’re working on helping students to draft motions outside GA [...] which is inaccessible to many students. That way we can put forward something that has been collaborated on by multiple parties, instead of coming into the [General Assembly (GA)] with irreconcilable differences.
4
NEWS
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Au revoir, clickers! Traditional clickers replaced by online cloud system in Fall 2016
McGill University releases Draft Policy against Sexual Violence Associate Provost credits student working group with bringing issue to light on campus
Domenic Casciato
Gabrielle Dutra & Sara Cullen Contributor & News Editor
As of Fall 2016, courses at McGill University will no longer use clickers for in-class surveys. Instead, Teaching and Learning Services (TLS) has introduced TurningPoint Cloud, a new webbased polling technology. Unlike clickers, TurningPoint Cloud is free for students, allowing them to mark their attendance and participate in quizzes and surveys using their laptops, cell phones, and tablets. The software also features new polling formats, such as open-ended questions and spontaneously created surveys as well as word clouds of student responses and and demographic analysis of student responses. According to Adam Finkelstein, an Academic Associate at TLS, the software even allows for a Jeopardy-style competition. “There’s all sorts of interesting engagement strategies,” Finkelstein said. “We’ve moved from a device where you can only press a button to now [where] you can type out a whole answer.” TLS has been working with TurningPoint Cloud since May 2016 to implement the new technology, which was first piloted in classrooms during Summer 2016. The first true test of this new technology at McGill began this semester. “With the first few days it’s sort of been, like, crazy. The fact that we haven’t had a huge number of tickets to IT is a good sign.” Finkelstein said. A major concern, however, is how the web-based survey technology will handle the online traffic of large lectures. “Leacock 132 is probably the biggest challenge. What [will happen] when 600 people use it at once?” Finkelstein said. In order to address these concerns, both TLS and the McGill IT Department are offering support for instructors using TurningPoint Cloud. Dr. Laura Pavelka, a faculty lecturer from the Department of Chemistry, has experienced success using the survey technology with over 700 students at once in both her CHEM 110 and CHEM 212 lectures. “I was, and still am, quite excited for the change to TurningPoint Cloud,” Pavelka said. “It is definitely a challenge to have hundreds of students connecting to the same Turning Point Cloud [session] at the same time. Once that is solved, this system is golden.” For Pavelka, one of the primary benefits of TurningPoint Cloud is the accessibility to instructors as well as students. Pavelka says she has yet to try the new features, but is interested in incorporating open-ended survey questions into her lecture. “I find the open-ended polling questions intriguing though and will probably start using them in the coming weeks”, Pavelka said. Instructors who use polling will no longer have to carry a receiver to class, and students won’t have to purchase or bring a physical clicker to lectures anymore. So far, the departure from clickers has received mixed responses. Anurag Kalra, U2 Computer Science, voiced his displeasure with the discontinuation of clickers. “I bought it for $30 and only used it once,” Kalra said. “I feel ripped off.” Kalra says his lecture used it to take attendance, something he feels could have been done without spending any money. Although the switch to TurningPoint Cloud will financially benefit new students, it has also made reselling clickers impossible for returning students. There is, despite drawbacks, a small consolation, Finkelstein explained. “If a student brings their clicker to the Brown building. they’ll basically get a coffee card that they’ll use for free coffee,” Finkelstein said. According to Finkelstein, this is part of an environmentallyfriendly initiative to recycle the clickers. Rather than allow students to dispose of clickers in the trash, TLS will send the clickers back to the company that sold them for repurposing. “It’s not just ‘you get a free coffee,’ it’s [that] you’re doing your due diligence to make sure these things don’t end up in the garbage,” Finkelstein said.
Continued from page 1.
Contributor
In May, Angela Campbell, Associate Provost (Policies, Procedures, and Equity) circulated the draft of a policy written by the McGill Administration. Campbell asked certain groups—such as SSMU—for feedback, and intended to seek Senate approval in Fall 2016. Campbell wrote in an email to the McGill Tribune that the newly drafted policy will ensure that any individual who self-identifies as a survivor of sexual violence feels safe and respected on campus. “The draft policy...puts support for survivors at its centre,” Campbell wrote. “This policy establishes a range of measures that seek to ensure a respectful, dignified, confidential, and compassionate response to any member of the McGill community who discloses an incident of sexual violence, regardless of whether such incident occurred in a McGill context or not.” Christopher Buddle, Dean of Students, wrote on the importance of the new policy in an email to the McGill Tribune. “The policy development is not only a question of a ‘good’ move, but an ‘essential’ and ‘important’ move,” Buddle wrote. “The development of this policy is allowing us to assess many of the other policies that exist within the institution, to ensure they work within the framework of the proposed policy. The sexual violence policy is not an endpoint, but rather one essential part of a longer process.” Campbell acknowledged that the SAPP policy, while not concise enough to present to Senate, was a source of inspiration for the Draft Policy against Sexual Violence. “[One of the key things for me is] also to express appreciation and recognition for the students who worked on this before I came to the project,” Campbell said. “Students worked on a policy for the university [for] over two years; they developed a draft that really is at the heart of this draft that the Provost [Christopher Manfredi] circulated today.” “So [the SAPP working group] are really to be credited for helping McGill get to where it’s at on this issue which is so important for the campus,” Campbell said. “They really awakened the campus to the importance of this issue.” According to Sobat, there are a
few differences between the sexual assault policy proposed by SAPP and the administration-drafted policy that will be presented in Senate. “The student-led proposal has a stronger anti-oppressive approach to addressing sexual violence on campus,” Sobat said. “It recognizes that different marginalized groups are disproportionately affected by sexual violence.” Sobat also explained that the university policy makes fewer con-
“
We have to remember that this is really about developing a campus that is safe and compassionate. Even though it’s big, and even though it can be daunting, it has to be a place where people can [feel that] they’re protected from sexual violence [...]
”
crete commitments than the studentdrafted policy. “The university-drafted policy tries to address all of the student body and is, in essence, more procedural,” Sobat said. “[The policy] suggests that through education, awareness building, and training, such problems will cease. Additionally, the student-drafted policy had stronger commitments on the investment of resources, such as creating a centralized office for these issues, while the university drafted policy has no such commitments.” Silence is Violence is a survivor-led group that aims to address rape culture on university campuses. The McGill chapter of Silence is Violence launched on Aug. 26, 2016. Paniz Khosroshahy, founder of the group’s McGill chapter, and Ariane Litalien, organizer of the chapter, commented on the policy
draft in a message to the McGill Tribune. “At the technical level, the policy is incredibly vague and lacks clear language on a number of key issues,” Litalien and Khosroshahy wrote. “[...In] keeping the language of the policy vague, McGill officials are simultaneously asking survivors of sexual violence to take a giant leap of faith and assume that the university will do the right thing for them when they report [an assault], and [are] protecting their own institution in case it falls short of a reasonable response.” The university is asking the McGill community for input on the policy draft and has created a feedback form on their website. Submissions will be accepted until Sept. 30. “What we would like to do is have the policy go to Senate for information in October,” said Campbell. “[...Once] we hear back from the community after that Senate meeting, by then we’ll have had a chance to canvass the community at large through this consultation process [....] We’ll then work more on the policy after that Senate meeting and bring it back for an adoption later in the fall, either in November or December.” Buddle also stressed the need for community collaboration as the policy is further developed. “I know the policy being brought forward under the guidance of the Associate Provost Angela Campbell builds upon the excellent work done by the workgroup over the past years,” Buddle wrote. “I think the workgroup, and the broader community, can certainly help us further refine and improve the policy being brought forward, but we’ll also need to work collaboratively as we implement the policy.” The goal for the implementation of the policy, according to Campbell is to accommodate the McGill community and provide support. “[We] need to hear everybody, but students in particular,” said Campbell. “We have to remember that this is really about developing a campus that is safe and compassionate. Even though it’s big, and even though it can be daunting, it has to be a place where people can [feel that] they’re protected from sexual violence and if there’s an incident that happens they can seek out the services that they need without any sense that their own security is compromised in the process of getting support, because that’s counterproductive to the goal of support.”
5
Opinion
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
e d i to r i a l Editor-in-Chief Julia Dick editor@mcgilltribune.com Creative Director Natalie Vineberg nvineberg@mcgilltribune.com Managing Editors April Barrett abarrett@mcgilltribune.com Nicholas Jasinski njasinski@mcgilltribune.com News Editors Jenna Stanwood, Sara Cullen, William Pang news@mcgilltribune.com Opinion Editors Emma Avery & David Watson opinion@mcgilltribune.com Science & Technology Editor Lydia Kaprelian scitech@mcgilltribune.com Student Living Editor Audrey Carleton studentliving@mcgilltribune.com Features Editor Albert Park features@mcgilltribune.com Arts & Entertainment Editors Selin Altuntur & Evelyn Goessling arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editors Zikomo Smith & Aaron Rose sports@mcgilltribune.com Design Editors Domitille Biehlmann & Daniel Freed design@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editor L-A Benoit photo@mcgilltribune.com Multimedia Editor Noah Sutton multimedia@mcgilltribune.com Web Developers Clare Lyle webdev@mcgilltribune.com Daniel Lutes online@mcgilltribune.com Copy Editor Areni Nicoghosian copy@mcgilltribune.com Business Manager Mingye Chen business@mcgilltribune.com
J-Board decision on BDS requires further clarity in its enforcement On May 31, the Judicial Board (J-Board) of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) released its ruling on the constitutionality of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Motion that was presented at the Winter 2016 General Assembly (GA). The McGill Tribune supports the J-Board’s decision, as it places SSMU’s commitments to its students above its political mandate. However, the decision creates a few uncertainties, as SSMU has yet to explain how the ruling will be applied, or how future motions will need to be structured in order to maintain their constitutionality. The J-Board ruled that the BDS Motion, and any other motion “that specifically targets one nation and compels SSMU to actively campaign against that country,” is unconstitutional because it would undermine SSMU’s commitment to avoid discrimination based on “irrelevant personal characteristics that include but are not limited to race, national, and ethnic origin.” SSMU’s political mandate is valuable because it allows the Society to lobby on behalf of the interests of students at the local and provincial levels, but it loses its purpose when applied to complex international issues that have little to do with the university. As the J-Board pointed out in its decision, SSMU has a re-
off the board
Advertising Executives Richard Blaser, Alexander Beaumont, Zain Hussain ads@mcgilltribune.com Publisher Chad Ronalds
TPS Board of Directors Mingye Chen, Julia Dick
Contributors Alex Sirois, Andries Feder, Anna St-Clair, Ariella Garmaise, Christopher Li, Daniel Braz, Domenic Casciato, Gabrielle Dutra, Gibran Haque, Josh Goldberg, Liz Willcock, Michelle HahnBaker, Nicole Spadotto, Paul-Enguerrand Fady, Selwynne Hawkins, Sunny Yang, Tanveer Ahmed, Tara Allen-Flanagan
Tribune Office Shatner University Centre Suite 110, 3480 McTavish Montreal, QC H3A 0E7 T: 514.398.6789 The McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Société de Publication de la Tribune, a student society of McGill University. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of The McGill Tribune and the Société de Publication de la Tribune, and does not necessarily represent the views of McGill University. Letters to the editor may be sent to editor@mcgilltribune.com and must include the contributor’s name, program and year and contact information. Letters should be kept under 300 words and submitted only to the Tribune. Submissions judged by the Tribune Publication Society to be libellous, sexist, racist, homophobic or solely promotional in nature will not be published. The Tribune reserves the right to edit all contributions. Editorials are decided upon and written by the editorial board. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the McGill Tribune, its editors or its staff. Please recycle this newspaper.
William Pang News Editor For entering students, university is a drastic change from the good old high school days. Following Frosh leaders and fellow Froshies to the SAQ store is, essentially, an initiation into the adult world. Long gone are the parental wake-up calls and the mandatory school activities. Some will breathe a sigh of relief over not having any more 8:30 a.m. classes. Freedom at last! But to paraphrase Spiderman’s Uncle Ben, “With great [freedom] comes great responsibility.” This almost seems like a no-brainer, but at some point, students will inevitably skip their first class. Whether it’s because
sponsibility to serve and represent all McGill undergraduates, and to avoid discrimination based on national origin. The J-Board was correct in ruling against the constitutionality of motions that overlook SSMU’s commitment to its members in order to take sides in international debates over which the Society has little influence. While SSMU is a democracy, and therefore has a responsibility to reflect the wishes of its constituents, this cannot be used to justify motions that discriminate against a minority of students. One of the fundamental roles of the judiciary in liberal democratic countries such as Canada and the US is to protect vulnerable minorities from potential abuses by the majority. The same principle applies to SSMU. As the SSMU’s equivalent of a Supreme court, the J-Board was justified in delivering its ruling regardless of whether or not it conflicts with the will of the GA. However, the J-Board’s decision leaves several issues related to GA motions unclear. Chiefly, the Board has not explained what will happen if an unconstitutional motion is submitted at a future GA. One solution would be to create a committee to review potential motions for their constitutionality before they are presented at the GA. A similar committee, in the form of a Steering Committee, which would have screened “divisive
or external” motions, was rejected at the Winter 2016 GA. Whether students would accept a new committee that may closely resemble one they just voted against remains to be seen. Thus, it is important that the J-Board elaborate on how it intends its new
“
The J-Board’s decision leaves several issues related to GA motions unclear. Chiefly, the Board has not explained what will happen if an unconstituional motion is presented at a future GA.
”
ruling be applied before the Fall 2016 GA. Another potential solution lies in a new initiative proposed by SSMU President Ben Ger. In the SSMU Executive Goals 2016-2017 document, the President has committed to developing “Policy and Motion-Writing Templates” for student
submissions to GAs and referenda in order to make it easier for students to get involved in the democratic process. Included in these templates should be an explanation of how to write a motion that conforms with the J-Board’s recent ruling on constitutionality. For example, the J-Board’s decision states that a motion would still be acceptable if it were “tailored to deal with the human rights issue in question,” instead of targeting a nation as a whole. Explaining this distinction is not the same as enforcing it, but these templates could facilitate
screening by helping students determine whether or not their motion is constitutional before it reaches the GA. Making the motion-writing process clearer and more accessible is essential in encouraging students to be actively involved in student governance, especially given that lack of interest in SSMU and low voter turnout at the GA have been chronic problems. Any solution that also improves student involvement would be doubly beneficial. The J-Board was within its bounds in ruling that the BDS motion presented at the Winter 2016 GA was unconstitutional, but the J-
Board must clarify how its ruling will be enforced. Both the J-Board and SSMU must ensure that motions now deemed unconstitutional will no longer be presented at future GAs.
Too cool for school? Think again of the existence of lecture recordings, a long night at Gerts, a sleepinducing professor, or some other semi-legitimate reason, there is no point in delaying fate. All students hear talk of how there is no such thing as a free lunch—except for Midnight Kitchen. University requires independent study, motivation, and class attendance, all of which will greatly influence one’s academic career at McGill. Sitting in lectures, be they large or small, is a great way to make friends with whom one shares common interests. Yes, students meet a lot of friends in residences and at orientation, but different schedules and interests will eventually lead many to go separate ways. Attending class is a great way to meet people who fall outside one’s echo chamber, and who can help each other when stuck on things like Webwork. Furthermore, research has shown that there is a strong correlation between class attendance and the grades students receive. Why? Because making oneself attend an 8:30 a.m. class requires discipline. If you skip a MATH 140 class and attend the next one,
“
University requires independent study, motivation, and class attendance, all of which will greatly influence one’s academic career at McGill.
”
you might look at the chalkboard and ask, “what do these greek letters mean?” This feeling of disarray is usually the wake up call for students to get their act together, and salvage what they can before the next midterm or final. University moves at a much faster pace than high school. Even though the number of classes might be less, university courses tend to cover topics in much greater depth. Depending on one’s program, homework may no longer a big component of one’s grade. Regardless, attend-
ing class is still very important for academic success: Lectures serve to keep students up to date and engaged with the material. It’s not surprising that there are a lot of Facebook memes with pie charts comparing the large proportion of ‘stuff studied for’ and the miniscule per cent of ‘stuff actually on the exam.’ Students may expect to be tested solely on homework problems or lecture notes—a habit synonymous with a learning style developed in high school—but professors will not spoon-feed material. At the end of the day, some classes reward hard work; others demand brilliance. But, don’t be discouraged! Most professors will gladly talk to students and meet one-on-one during office hours. It is important to remember that all professional academics were once undergraduates, too. Professors want their students to succeed, even if students disagree at times with their pathway to success. Students will of course continue to file their grievances to Spotted: McGill, but this still isn’t an alternative to going to class.
6
OPINION Commentary
Tara Allen-Flanagan Contributor During the first week of Fall 2016, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) implemented Crash Pad, an initiative that allowed Frosh participants to sleep in the SSMU Building ballroom overnight. Students registered online earlier in the day, and then went to the ballroom with a sleeping bag to ‘crash’ peacefully under the watchful eye of security services. While this was a great initiative—as it provided students with a safe place to stay after a late night of drunken folly—it begs another question: If
Commentary
Daniel Braz Contributor Students in Montreal are aggravated and appalled by the minor annoyances that life here has thrown at them, such as the maze of construction and the grinding traffic. But, those of us who have been living here for a while know exactly what the problem is: Montreal’s municipal government has lately directed its energies towards projects of dubious utility. On the rare occasions that it does deign to act, the City tends to either make an unnecessary issue out of something minor, or mess with something that’s working just fine. Either
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
The future of first-year accommodation at McGill: Crash Pad? Crash Pad is extended throughout the rest of the school year, will it be a viable alternative to McGill’s expensive residences? SSMU has not yet stated whether or not it will implement Crash Pad permanently throughout the year, but it has not ruled out this possibility. Because incoming freshmen have to shell out more money than almost any other student in Canada for access to university-sponsored residences—the average cost of living in residence at McGill in 2015 was $15,000—living at SSMU may just be the most enticing option should Crash Pad become a regular service. In theory, all students would need is a student ID in order to access safe and free shelter. Sure, they would be sleeping on the floor, but when calculating the costs and benefits of living at McGill’s official residences versus SSMU’s Crash Pad, the financial pros just might outweigh the comfort cons. Residences at McGill, with the exception of Solin Hall and MORE Houses, require a mandatory meal plan that costs $5,475 per year. This
hefty amount can only be spent at university sponsored cafeterias and businesses—all of which are located on McGill’s campus. Living at Crash Pad, however, has no initial costs or location restrictions. There is also nowhere to store food, but that is remedied by the availability of sustenance around campus and in SSMU itself. Services such as Midnight Kitchen and the Free Food on Campus and in Montreal Facebook group allow students to eat to their heart’s content with little to no money spent. After discounting the cost of the meal plan from the $15,000 average, the remaining $9,525 of residence fees are put towards accommodation, including heating, running water, and a bed, among other amenities. At Crash Pad, none of this is required. If students invest in a sleeping bag for around $100, they can amplify their body heat and fashion a bed of sorts. As for personal hygiene, all tuitionpaying McGill students get access to showers at the McGill Sports Complex. While Crash Pad dwellers will have to commute in order to bathe,
the walk up the hill and a lap in the pool will do some good for the kinks in their backs that they might get
“
While Crash Pad dwellers will have to commute in order to bathe, the walk up the hill and a lap in the pool will do some good for the kinks in their backs that they might get from sleeping on the floor.
”
from sleeping on the floor. Residences do have washing
machines and dryers, yet students have to pay $2 each time they use one of these machines. This cost is similar to other laundromats in the area. A highlight of residence is the ability to store one’s things in a safe and private space. At Crash Pad, students are given no such luxury. Luckily, a locker in Leacock costs only $35 for the year. Another perk of living at Crash Pad would be its enforced minimalistic lifestyle: If something doesn’t fit in a locker, throw it out. After adding up all the costs, and adjusting for the estimated frequency of use of these services, living in SSMU for an academic school year would cost around $263 if students pay to do their laundry once per week (and only $135 if they wash their clothes in a sink). In solely financial terms, Crash Pad is clearly the most logical accommodation choice for incoming students. Sadly, until Crash Pad becomes a permanent fixture at SSMU, first-year students will have to continue paying for McGill’s costly residences.
Recent municipal monstrosities reveal Montreal’s misplaced priorities way, it’s a given that the municipal government will devote tax dollars to something extraneous, rather than things that residents of Montreal care about. The most recent example of a completely unnecessary issue that the City has taken upon itself to deal with is the shocking scourge of dog owners not picking up their pooch’s…you know. Given that it’s a small issue, one would figure that individual boroughs could handle it on their own—but no! The municipal government, which should be focusing on greater, more pressing issues that affect the entire city, has decided to meddle and devote $950,000 of taxpayer money to an advertising campaign: This includes photos, statues of dog crap on top of bus shelters downtown, and live street art performances. While ton caca de chien, c’est pas de rien (your dog’s doodoo, it’s no small matter) is a pretty funny slogan, it’s highly unlikely that the war on feces campaign is going to be treated
“
Montreal’s municipal government has lately directed its energies towards projects of dubious utility. On the rare occasions that it does deign to act, the City tends to either make an unnecessary issue out of something minor, or mess with something that’s working just fine.
” Write for opinion
as any more than a punchline at the City’s expense. One wonders how Mayor Denis Coderre and his administration can endorse this boondoggle with a straight face, especially given that there are several public infrastructure issues in Montreal that deserve urgent attention. These include increasing snow and ice removal operations, paving streets, and making public transportation more affordable and wheelchair accessible. The City’s administration would do well to remember an important saying: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Time after time—to the detriment of Montrealers— the City manages to misplace its priorities, neglecting urgent infrastructure maintenance in favour of expensive beautification stunts. One example of the latter, which is of particular interest to McGill students, is the City’s decision to completely tear up McTavish Street in order to complete a link in the FleuveMontagne project for Montreal’s 375th birthday. The overall cost
Email opinion@mcgilltribune.com for more information Meetings in the Tribune office (SSMU 110), Mondays at 6:00 p.m.
for the project is currently projected to be $55.3 million—a 30 per cent increase from the city’s last estimation, and 75 per cent from the previous projection. Seventy-five per cent is a shift from absurd to outright wasteful. The Fleuve-Montagne path is just another example of the excessive amount of money going to often unnecessary and low-priority programs for residents. Other recent examples include the artificial tree stumps on Mount Royal and the $39.5 million mood lighting on the Jacques-Cartier Bridge. It seems as though Montreal is not in touch with its citizens’ priorities. Efforts should be focused on public infrastructure maintenance—in other words, the things that students and residents need and can benefit from now. Present issues should be resolved before trying to figure out what beautification projects can be afforded in the future. Ultimately, it comes down to priorities. It seems like the City of Montreal has the wrong ones.
Student Living
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
7
The history of OAP: The backstory of the “best place on earth” The origins of OAP as told by John “the Dungeon Master” Boisvert Liz Willcock Contributor Continued from page 1. “I believe it was 1982, the first year they did it. It was nothing like what we have now; it was just a couple of engineers who wanted to have a barbecue, so they brought a propane grill, and a cooler full of beers, and just chilled in the park.” Since its inception in 1982, the idea behind OAP has remained the same: Beers, burgers, friends, good music, and completely ruining a designated patch of grass. Today, however, the event occurs on an almost unrecognizable scale. With upwards of three thousand people coming through OAP on an average day, the event consistently rakes in astronomical profits for the Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS). The profits from OAP in the Fall are more than enough to sustain the event. “Last year we made 72 thousand dollars in profits, and this past OAP lite we made 30 grand,” Mohtashami said. “Five grand goes to OAP for the next year, and everything else goes back to EUS. Then, it’s split between the Clubs Fund and Engineering design teams. In the spring, the profits from OAP lite are donated to the President’s Choice Children’s Charity.” This charitable donation fosters
OAP’s relationship with Provigo, the main retail distributor of President’s Choice brand goods, who, along with Sleeman, are OAP’s regular sponsors. Both brands annually donate the burgers that most students know and love. Burgers aside, OAP’s high profits are in large part due to the mass amounts of alcohol McGill students are capable of consuming. “For OAP lite this past year, we broke 620 cases [of beer],” Mohtashami said, “I think it was a new record of cases sold. That’s almost 20 thousand beers [...] just in one day! Its impressive—and kind of disgusting when you think about it—but mostly impressive to us.” It is no surprise that OAP is able to sell such a large quantity of alcohol when so many students are liable to stay there from opening to dusk. The annual barbecue has garnered such a cult following that students rush to occupy tables, and pride themselves on remaining there all day. For most, however, this commitment slowly dwindles after graduation, and OAP recedes to a distant fond memory. On the other hand, for John “the dungeon master” Boisvert, a technician working for the Engineering Department at McGill, OAP has become a lifelong commitment. Boisvert has been volunteering— for lack of a better word to describe his dedication—with OAP for 26 years. Students have probably seen this whitebearded legend behind a grill, or dutifully
Year
cleaning used cups off tables; however, once upon a time, John was just a technician working in the basement of McConnell Engineering—oblivious to the barbecue that would come to occupy such a large part of his life. “The first time I heard about Open Air Pub was in 1990, when three engineering students came down to the [mechanical] lab and asked if I could get them a sink,” Boisvert recalled. “They said [...] ‘We’re having a little barbecue outside and a health inspector came around and said that if we don’t have a sink by 2 p.m., they will shut us down.’” In those days, OAP volunteers cut their own lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, but they didn’t have a sink to wash the vegetables or their hands. “I said, ‘Oh ok, you’ll have your sink by 1 p.m.,’” Boisvert explained. “By 12:30, I was wheeling it out here, and lo-and-behold this ‘little barbecue’ was like, ‘Holy crap! What the hell is going on here?’” Ever since the fortuitous incident, Boisvert has dedicated himself to helping students run OAP. “A lot of times when I go out to pick up cups, people will see me,” Boisvert said, pointing to his long white beard. “They’re young, they think, ‘Oh! What’s he doing here?’ Some of them will try and give me tips for cleaning off their table and stuff, and they say, ‘Here, go buy
yourself a beer.’ I tell them, ‘I don’t need that, I’m a millionaire!’” What those charitable, albeit misguided, students are unaware of is that John is the veritable backbone of the OAP production, as well as the repository of its entire evolutionary history. He can tell you about the time a homeless man burnt the bar down in 1996, about how OAP staff used to build their own beer shack every year with a different theme, or about the time the Barenaked Ladies played on the stage in the 90s. However, when asked for his favourite OAP memory, he became uncharacteristically mum. “It’s an illegal memory!” Boisvert whispered. With some prompting, he admitted that the memory from before 1996, when he discovered that an OAP manager was selling hard liquor on the side. “He built a little shack between those two trees [in Three Bares Park]. A speakeasy. He had his own little house on campus,” Boisvert said. “No one found out ever, he was living there because in those days we didn’t have this fence or security.” Though Boisvert will be retiring from his position as a technician with McGill this coming year, this is certainly not the end of his time with OAP. When asked if he would be returning next fall, Boisvert replied, “Oh god yes… this is the best place on earth to be.”
“[The 2016 beers sold] would fill about 0.86% of an Olympic sized swimming pool”- Ashkaan Mohtashami
Hours of milking (Infographic by Domitille Biehlmann)
(Images courtesy of Mathew Schilling)
(Wendy Chen / McGill Tribune)
FOUNDATIONS Of RECONCILIATION:
Exploring indigenous initiatives at McGill By Jenna Stanwood On Sept 16, the 15th annual Pow Wow will take place under a tent on Lower Field, setting the stage for McGill’s Indigenous Awareness Week. As part of the event series, there will be a ceremony to unveil the new site of the Hochelaga Rock, currently located across from the statue of James McGill near the Roddick Gates. The monument, which is the only permanent visual reminder on campus that the university is built on the unceded site of an Iroquois village, has finally been moved into the public eye after years of activism from members of the McGill community. Previously, the Rock had been nearly hidden, acting as an unintentionally ironic symbol of the experience of many indigenous peoples at McGill. A sense of invisibility seems to cloud the narratives of indigenous peoples’ time at McGill University. Leslie Anne St. Amour, the 2015-2016 Indigenous Affairs Coordinator for the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) and winter 2016 Arts graduate, recounted the marginalization and racism she experienced on campus. “I would say in my experience at McGill, I faced some [...] issues,” she said. “Some of the first examples that come to mind include being asked things such as ‘You got into McGill because you’re native, right?’ or ‘So you
don’t pay for school right?’ as well as professors teaching inaccuracies and stereotypes in classes and [personally] being asked to speak on behalf of all indigenous peoples.” According to Statistics Canada, indigenous people made up nearly 4.3 per cent of the Canadian population in 2011,; however, indigenous students make up only 0.6 per cent of the McGill population. 33.9 per cent of indigenous adults in Canada had a non-trade-specific post-secondary degree, compared to 52.7 per cent of non-indigenous Canadians. This deficit in educational attainment is partly due to the legacy of the Canadian residential school system. Until 1996, the Canadian government operated a system of residential schools that removed indigenous children from their homes against their will and put them in boarding schools. Whisked from their families, these children were forced to abandon their cultures and first languages, taught to assimilate into white colonialist society, and were often subjected to physical, mental, and sexual abuse. According to Allan Vicaire, Indigenous Education Advisor at the McGill Social Equity and Diversity Education (SEDE) Office, residential schools have left lasting
effects on indigenous communities. “Both the Indian Act and residential schools have created intergenerational effects that we see today in communities that are facing [problems like] alcoholism, obsessive behaviours, [and] high unemployment rates,” said Vicaire. “I think everything can be attributed to the residential schools, [and] also the Indian Act, which was the reason why residential schools began [as an attempt] to assimilate indigenous peoples into Canadian society [....] Some people [...] would say that it was cultural genocide, getting rid of the ‘Indian problem’ at that time.” The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was established on June 2, 2008, after victims of the residential school system sued the Canadian government, as well as the churches that had run the schools in the largest class action lawsuit in the country’s history. The establishment of the TRC was included in the out-of-court settlement of the case. According to Dr. Marie Wilson, one of the three commissioners of the TRC and the 2016 Professor of Practice in Global Governance at the Institute for the Study of International Development (ISID), the TRC was intended to serve a dual role in Canadian society. “[The TRC] was partly [...] seen as a way of creating a public formal record of the children’s voices, [...] while they were still alive,” said Wilson. “But, the other thing is they saw it as a way of creating a forum and a process that could contribute towards educating the country and healing the individuals, and also healing the relationships within our country, inspiring reconciliation.” As a result of its work, the TRC released 94 Calls to Action with their final report on Dec. 15, 2015. These are recommendations for how various sectors of Canadian society, from business owners to medical professionals, can begin to address the legacy of residential schools. The TRC’s Calls to Action propose seven specific recommendations for the education system, which include increasing the enrollment and retention rate of indigenous students, as well as developing culturally appropriate course content. Wilson believes that one of the most important roles that universities can play in reconciliation is in repairing the gaps in education about indigenous matters, in both non-indigenous and indigenous populations. “Universities are supposed to be the repositories of all knowledge [...] in various disciplines, so it’s clear that one of the starting positions is to accept that universities fail [...] when it comes to teaching that part of the history of this continent,” said Wilson. “We also have to look at the universities and consider intergenerational ignorance because we didn’t know it, we weren’t taught it, we didn’t teach it.” Similar sentiments are echoed by Paige Isaac, Coordinator of McGill’s First People’s House, who believes that McGill has the responsibility to take charge in fulfilling the TRC’s recommendations. “We’re a university, we have a huge role in education, [and] I think it also means [we have a] leadership [role] in terms of developing [...] educational content for courses, bringing in the right people, having the resources to bring in indigenous people to offer some education opportunities, to bring in a different perspectives into the classroom,” she said. “The various faculties that were named in the Calls to Action [...] so social work, law, education, medicine, [we have to] make sure that there’s content in the curriculum that students are learning [...] to get to know history and
current realities.” Ashley Dawn Louise Bach, who graduated in winter 2016 with a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Science, served as the President of the Indigenous Students’ Alliance (ISA), and is a member of the Mishkeegogamang Ojibway Nation, believes that without a change in its curriculum, McGill will fail to adequately prepare its students for a life and career in Canada. “I really think universities need to be held accountable to their indigenous students, indigenous communities they work with, and their quality of education,” said Bach. “Racism and inequalities in the curriculum are still prevalent at McGill, but the students taking these courses are going on to be the next generation of leaders. A school as prominent as McGill should not take this lightly.” The role that academic institutions play in shaping the future of society is important
and the Montreal community. The report profiled the key challenges encountered by these peoples, including underrepresentation, tokenism, and a lack of support on campus. It included testimonies about the daily occurrences of discrimination experienced by some indigenous members at McGill, as well as details on the university’s racist reputation amongst indigenous communities. Erin Sobat, Vice-President (VP) University Affairs at SSMU elaborated on how and why the report was created. “It wasn’t necessarily planned to do a report, but following the event series we had a lot of notes from [the] different panel events, and at that time [Leslie-Anne St. Amour, the 2015-2016 Indigenous Affairs Coordinator for SSMU] put them together into a report which we also circulated for feedback and consultation publically,” said Sobat “ [It was a] compilation of experiences or of indigenous voices
“WE wANT YOUNG ADULTS wHO ArE GOING TO BE THE LEADErS Of T O D A Y A N D T O M O rr O w TO NOT JUST BE wELL EQUIPPED TO [PrOVIDE fOr THEIr fAMILIES], wE wANT THEM TO BE wELL EQUIPPED TO BE INfOrMED CITIZENS AND TO BE ACTIVE CITIZENS.”
to consider when discussing reconciliation. According to Wilson, what is learned in the classroom will go far beyond being applied in the workplace. “We’re talking about young adults and we’re feeding the minds of young adults, who are not only preparing for their work life, but are also preparing for their citizenship roles wherever they come from,” said Wilson. “We want young adults who are going to be the leaders of today and tomorrow to not just be well equipped to [provide for their families]. We want them to be well equipped to be informed citizens and to be active citizens.” On May 24, 2016, SSMU released an Indigeneity and Allyship Report. This report is a compilation of notes and quotes from indigenous students at a series of panels held throughout an event series titled Indigeneity and Allyship 2016. The purpose of this project, which included speaker panels, workshops, and guest speakers, was to examine the experiences of indigenous peoples in McGill
to [....] put in some understandable way [....] issues that some people aren’t aware of, like tokenization. The lack of representation on campus is a pervasive problem. Ashley Bach explains that the feeling of invisibility amongst indigenous students is an issue that permeates into the lecture halls. “There are certainly misconceptions, and they need to be addressed [....]” said Bach. “I actually found professors and course content to be more problematic. For example, in one intro-level environment class, the professor [was clearly] prejudiced against indigenous peoples, indigenous knowledge, and specific indigenous rights [such as land claims]. I was still young and insecure, and [...] I had no other indigenous students in the class to discuss this with, and actually didn’t meet anyone who independently brought up this problem until the end of my final semester [....] As a leader in the McGill community, I often felt frustrated with the lack of support, lack of power, and
overall invisibility of indigenous students.” While it is one thing to foster a sense of understanding and fellowship among indigenous and non-indigenous members of the McGill community, reconciliation is not possible without concrete policy changes from the university’s administration. However, according to St. Amour, some students feel that the administration’s commitment to reconciliation measures is not sincere. “I honestly think the [McGill administration] still views this as an image problem, rather than a lived issue for their students, staff, and faculty,” said St. Amour. “Certain staff members and members of the McGill administration do take efforts for reconciliation seriously, but many others I get the feeling view it as a side note, or [an] extra obligation rather than something that can crucially impact their students.” Regardless, the administration is at the very least taking some rudimentary steps towards reconciliation: A Provost Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Education is set to launch on Sept. 22. The purpose of the Task Force is to propose ideas to help integrate indigenous perspectives into the academic curriculum and increase the retention and recruitment of indigenous students and faculty members. “[Throughout] my education at McGill, I realized that the university itself hasn’t been very progressive on indigenous issues,” said Bach. “The creation of the Task Force is a huge step in the right direction, and I’m hopeful that positive change will be coming to McGill.” According to Professor Angela Campbell, Associate Provost (Policies, Procedures and Equity), Associate Professor of Law, and member of the Task Force, the Provost’s intentions go beyond meeting the TRC’s proposals. “We’re meant [...] to prepare a report for the Provost on ways [McGill can respond] to the Calls for Action under the TRC, but also more broadly than that [...] we’re actually drawing inspiration from the Calls to Action, and trying to make it bigger, so that rather than simply responding we’re trying to think through what work needs to be done to be serious about and embed indigenous initiatives into all aspects of the academic life at McGill,” said Campbell. “That means teaching curriculum, pedagogy, content of courses, research, [and] who we consult with when we make decisions.” Part of the challenge for McGill–and all universities seeking reconciliation–according to Allan Vicaire, is that there is no single solution. “I think now institutions are [realizing they] have to do something, and I think the question is what do we do, because there’s not [a] clear cut answer for each university,” said Vicaire. “That’s why we’re doing a task force to figure out what [...] the community at McGill wants, what can we do, and how are we able to work collectively to move forward.” There is reason to hope that positive change is on its way to McGill. As Vicaire notes, attention to indigenous events on campus has been growing over the past decade, opening up the perfect opportunity for McGill to engage in reconciliation. “The [annual] Pow Wow [and Indigenous Awareness Week have] just been growing and growing,” said Vicaire. “There’s more people, people just want [...] to experience it. I think it’s because people are becoming more aware of indigenous issues, it wasn’t like that 10 years ago. I think it’s [that] everything is happening at the right time for McGill to move on with the task force.”
Student Living
10
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Take an axe to stress at Bad Axe Throwing’s new Montreal location Recreational axe throwing company opens 10th location in Montreal Audrey Carleton Student Living Editor Come the weekend, most people look forward to a relaxing few days spent vegging out on the sofa, spending time with friends, or grabbing drinks at one of Montreal’s many great bars. What most people don’t anticipate doing, however, is picking up an axe and throwing it at a large target, much less of their own free will. Bad Axe Throwing, a Canadian company that teaches lessons on the sport of axe throwing, hopes to change this. Having just opened a location in Montreal in June 2016—their 10th location nationwide—Bad Axe is making its way across Canada to teach the technical skill of axe throwing while providing entertainment and stressrelief. Every axe throwing session begins with an introduction led by experienced instructors, in which groups of attendees are taught the rules of safety and basic throwing techniques. While each member of a group is given the opportunity to practice throwing, instructors give one-on-one coaching to each participant, removing some of the impersonality that comes with being part of a large group. From there, the
Bad Axe Throwing instructors value safety during lessons. (Photo courtesy of Bad Axe Throwing Montreal) instructors lead groups in games and competitions. These typically entail earning points based on accuracy and landing spot on the board, similar to a game of darts. Despite how dangerous axe throwing may sound at first, the number one priority of Bad Axe is safety. The goal of the company is to ensure that the most dangerous part of attending an axe throwing session is the car ride there and back. Tom Bradshaw, chief Axe Thrower at Bad Axe Montreal, keeps safety in mind during every lesson. “We preach safety—that’s the big thing we do when people come in,” Bradshaw said. “We [have a great safety record] across all locations. No
one’s been seriously hurt; the biggest one I’ve heard of is someone needing a bandaid on their arm because the axe had grazed them a little bit.” Regardless of the company’s clean safety record across all locations, many first time axe throwers are understandably nervous. The instructors at Bad Axe are equipped to calm even the most intense nerves, making people feel more confident as they leave their comfort zone, axe in hand. “Whenever [first time axe throwers] are a little bit afraid, I always like to remind them that because they’re throwing an axe forward, and it’s leaving you–you’re not chopping wood right in front–they don’t ever have to
worry about hitting themselves,” Bad Axe Managing Director Jesse Gutzman said. “Because it’s going forward, it’s never going to hit you. Worst case scenario, it hits the floor.” While safety is Bad Axe’s priority, they also emphasize ensuring the uniformity of every location in Canada. Bad Axe’s goal is for each location to accurately represent the national brand and for customers to have the same experience no matter where they are. “You go from this location to another one, the axes are going to be the same, the targets are going to be the same,” Bradshaw said. “The only thing that may change is the games you play.” Nearly two years after their foundation as a company in Burlington, Ontario, Bad Axe is now opening locations at an increasingly rapid pace. It it increasingly important to maintain similarity between all of their locations as the company expands across Canada. “[Bad Axe’s expansion] definitely started slower, and there is an exponential growth happening right now,” Gutzman said. “We just opened [a location in] Surrey [British Columbia] two weeks ago […] and now we’re already in Montreal. When we started, it was about four to five months in between locations.”
As their growth as a franchise accelerates, Bad Axe management looks toward a future with more and more Canadians throwing axes for sport. Though they have a few walkin hours per week, Bad Axe currently operates predominantly through online bookings, catering mainly to large groups who plan and schedule their axe throwing sessions well in advance. “The main thing that we would like to do in the future is to be able to have open hours at any given time so people can just pop in,” Gutzman said. “It’s a lot of fun, and it’s really no difference in price when it comes to bowling or laser tag. Those are both just manufactured activities. Bowling hasn’t been around for more than 40 years. People think it’s just something that’s always been there. Someone created that, made a demand for it, so that’s what we want to do—have people think, ‘Let’s go axe throwing.’”
To find out more about Bad Axe Throwing or to book an axe throwing session, visit their website www.badaxethrowing.com.
Roommates: How to stay mates?
The Legal Information Clinic at McGill’s rundown of roommate rights in precarious living situations Legal Information Clinic at McGill It’s the start of a new school year, and the season for new roommate situations. Though living with friends can be a great way to split costs as a student, anxiety over seeing the same people every day is normal. Unlike an ill-advised road trip, roommates are stuck together in close quarters for indeterminate periods of time. To help ensure peaceful cohabitation this school year, the Legal Information Clinic at McGill (LICM) offers information for dealing with potential roommate issues. Even if roommates haven’t discussed these details with each other, Quebec has laws that are worth understanding so that students’ time sharing an address—and a legallybinding lease—is a happy one. Consider the following common roommate issues, along with ways one can handle each situation:
Pay Up What happens when roommates don’t pay their share of the rent? Can the landlord sue Jenny for everyone’s rent because she was the first person he saw in the apartment lobby that morning? In order for each roommate to be responsible for the entire rent, they have to explicitly indicate their agreement to this on the lease. If Jenny and her roommates indicated on the lease form that they each agree to be responsible for the full rent, they are solidarily liable and a landlord could sue any of them for the entire month’s rent. If they don’t indicate their agreement to be solidarily liable, they are jointly liable, meaning Jenny could therefore only be sued for her share of the rent. However, a landlord could still ask Quebec’s rental board, the Régie du logement, to cancel the entire lease and evict everyone in the unit if the rent isn’t paid in full. Fortunately, whether solidarily or jointly liable, the law entitles Jenny to reimbursement from her roommates if she pays for everyone to prevent the lease from being cancelled.
To ask your own question, contact the Legal Information Clinic at McGill with the directions found at www.licm.mcgill.ca. According to the Act respecting the Barreau du Québec, only lawyers and notaries can provide legal advice or counsel. The LICM therefore only provides legal information. For legal advice, please contact a lawyer.
He Doesn’t Even Live Here! If Carolina is letting Mayaz, her boyfriend, stay over so often that he never leaves the apartment, does Mayaz have to chip in for rent? What if Theo-Carolina’s roommate who isn’t on the lease and just gives cash to Carolina every month--suddenly stops paying for his share? Roommates can form a contract with each other to establish their individual responsibilities. A contract is formed simply when there is offer and acceptance between everyone involved in the contract, and the terms can be almost anything. While acceptance is often explicit, such as with a signature on a piece of paper, it’s also possible for acceptance to be implied, such as acting in a way that suggests they agree to the terms of the contract. Moreover, verbal agreements are recognized by law, except in specific circumstances. Returning to Carolina’s problem, she could form a contract with Theo requiring him to pay his share to her. Theo could then also agree on the condition that he gets back 15 per cent of what he normally has to pay if Mayaz stays over for more than 15 days a month. Moreover, since a contract gives parties enforceable rights, Carolina can ask the courts for help if Theo refuses to honour their agreement.
Taking Them to Court What happens if Jenny pays the rent owed by two of her more forgetful roommates, Remi and Brie, and they refuse to reimburse her? What if Theo decides that he doesn’t want to fulfill his promise to Carolina anymore and breaks his contract? Jenny can send a formal notice to Remi and Brie demanding that they pay her back. Likewise, Carolina can write to Theo asking for payment of his share of the rent. If these letters don’t work, both Jenny and Carolina can enforce their rights by suing the people who aren’t honouring their promises. Though the law encourages people to solve their disputes informally, it provides formal procedures for people to enforce their rights, whether these rights come from a contract--like Carolina’s contract with Theo-or another part of the law, such as Jenny’s right to be reimbursed for paying everyone’s share of the rent. A person could therefore ask a judge to issue an order requiring someone to do something, such as to pay a sum of money. Quebec’s court system has different layers, allowing it to deal with disputes, both large and small. To understand
(Daria Kiseleva / McGill Tribune) the various courts and procedures, students can see volunteers at the Legal Information Clinic at McGill who will explain more about one’s rights and how to enforce them. The start of a new university year is busy enough without anxiety over being sued for rent or anger over clashing standards of apartment noise and cleanliness. By taking a moment to learn about the law, roommates can avoid sticky legal situations and rest easier with knowledge of their legal obligations and rights under their belts.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
12 F r o m t h e Vie w p o int
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
A n e v enin g at t h e w o r l d press p h o t o e x h i b it
The World Press Photo exhibit showcases this past year’s most highly-acclaimed images. (Christopher Li / McGill Tribune)
Joshua Goldberg Contributor I have always found September to be a perfect time for reflection. After too many months of unproductive summer bliss, September is a reminder that time is moving forward. We begin a new school year with high hopes and a lingering fear of future responsibilities. If you are caught up in the sublimity of Sept. it may be time to visit the 11th Montreal edition of the World Press Photo exhibit. This collection of the year’s most evocative images is being held at Bonsecours Market in the Old Port of Montreal from Aug. 31 to Oct. 2. The exhibition features 150 award-winning photos from 41 photographers from around the world. Each year, viewers are presented with depictions of the human
P o p R h et o ri c
condition from a series of fascinating perspectives. The subject matter is often challenging, with graphic imagery illustrating some of the unfortunate tragedies that mark our generation. As I walked through the gallery, I was drawn towards the eyes in the photographs— every pair told a story. The photos are linked by their ability to humanize the headlines that saturate Western media outlets. In the age of social media, click-bait photography of war and chaos in developing countries is often a tasteless representation of real human hardships. I approached a photo by Brazilian photographer Mauricio Lima of a member of ISIS in a Kurdish doctor’s office. The fighter’s skin is badly burned and the doctor applies ointment to soothe the victim’s wounds. The photo captures the intimate beauty of man helping man. When photojournalism can
sometimes fetishize the horrors of war and violence, images in the World Press Photo exhibit tastefully convey emotion beyond mere shock value. Near the end of the show, I stopped and faced an image taken by Australian photographer Rohan Kelly. The scene is of a massive storm approaching a sunny beach as a sunbather lies in the sand, staring at her digital device. This thought-provoking shot conveys the existential crisis of the 21st century. It is poignant in its portrayal of ignorance in the presence of imminent catastrophe. The photographer uses dramatic irony to convey a heightened sense of urgency in the viewer: One feels compelled to enter the photo and warn the people of the impending storm. On the second floor of the gallery, there are three complementary exhibitions. One of particular interest is presented by Anaïs
Barbeau-Lavalette in collaboration with photographer Guillaume Simoneau. The collection is called I Do Not Come From Outer Space and documents four recently arrived Syrian refugee families living in Montreal. In opposition to the demonization of refugees in some Western politics and media, this exhibit serves to tell human stories of transition and migration. It was an uplifting conclusion to the gallery experience. After images of deeply disturbing realities, we are reminded that there is hope on the horizon.
The World Press Photo exhibit runs every day from Aug. 31 to Oct. 2 from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays until midnight. It is located in De la Commune Hall at the Bonsecours Market (325 de la Commune Street East).
S tran g er t h in g s an d t h e ameri c ans : t h e c o l d w ar o n t v
Anna St. Clair Contributor With its 1980s pop culture nostalgia, Netflix’s Stranger Things feels comforting and familiar, yet unlike anything else on television. Stranger Things is based on a simple premise: One night after riding his bike home a kid named Will Byers goes missing from Hawkins, Indiana, a small midwestern town. Strongly influenced by Steven Spielberg’s films such as E.T., Stranger Things has as much horror— though not as much gore—as a Stephen King novel. The fact that Stranger Things takes place against the backdrop of the Cold War is crucial to the show’s portrayal of good and evil. The geo-political climate of the time is presented very subtly. It is hypothesized only once or twice by Hopper, the town Sheriff (David Harbour) and his deputies that the experiments at the government-run lab at the outskirts of town, are done in order to “fight commies.” For the people of Hawkins, especially Will’s working-class single mother Joyce (Winona Ryder), the global intelligence war is irrelevant. Yet, the Cold War setting makes all the difference in the motives of the villains. After Will’s disappearance, his friends Mike, Dustin, and Lucas meet Eleven, a 12-year-old girl with a shaved head who has escaped from the secretive Hawkins lab. The boys are left stunned and impressed
when they realize Eleven can move things with her mind. The catch is that every time Eleven uses her telekinetic powers she gets a nosebleed, and if she uses her powers too much, she becomes exhausted and weak. Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine), the man Eleven calls “Papa,” is the inarguable antagonist of the show. It is revealed that he has kept the little girl locked up in a lab, forcing her to exercise her powers to the extent of causing her immense physical and emotional distress. Within the context of the Cold War, Brenner believes he is justified in conducting torturous experiments. on Eleven. Brenner’s goal is to harness Eleven’s psychic powers in order to spy on crucial political actors in the Soviet Union. Brenner views the trials as critical in attaining stability, peace, and scientific advancement. Scientific testing on a child is viewed as necessary for the greater good. Stranger Things subtly confronts us with a horrible truth—war can cause us to lose sight of our human empathy. Stranger Things functions as a companion piece to another big Emmy contender this year, The Americans. Both shows take place in 1980s suburbia— each exposes the darkness operating beneath the town’s idyllic surface. In the early seasons of The Americans, married Russian illegals Philip and Elizabeth Jennings debate whether they should introduce their 14-year-old daughter, Paige (Holly Taylor) to the brutal acts they commit in the name
Eleven’s telekinetic powers are destructive to herself and those around her. (hitfix.com) of espionage. Elizabeth (Keri Russell) in particular views training her daughter as a patriotic, honorable duty. Despite the frequent acts of murder, Elizabeth views her job as a force for peace. Like in Stranger Things, those obsessed with victory, whether Russian or American, do not hesitate to use children as weapons. In both dramas, the Cold War has broken down the moral norms of those committed to the war cause. The 1980s on television can invoke a sense of nostalgia. It was the time of low taxes, John Hughes movies, a booming economy, and a bright future. It was an era of laissez-faire parenting, where kids were
free to ride around on bikes and get into trouble. Both The Americans and Stranger Things capture an unspoken uneasiness lurking beneath the façade of innocence. Both shows take place at the end of the Cold War era—viewers know the long term strategy the characters pursue are is futile. The characters’ entire world order, which is what has motivated their life’s work, will come crashing down. This is an America of keeping secrets. From the government right down to the suburban family, trust is almost impossible. If these television programs remind us of anything, it is that things were rarely were, are, or will be what they seem.
11
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
The Ann Coulter roast with Rob Lowe Ariella Garmaise Contributor American actor Rob Lowe is an unlikely catalyst for a bipartisan debate. Following in the footsteps of a yearlong media cycle fascinated with a farcical U.S. election, Comedy Central’s Roast of Rob Lowe was no exception to politically charged comedy. When the special aired on Labour Day, it was not Lowe, but rather Republican commentator Ann Coulter who attracted the public’s attention. The other comics eviscerated her and the audience booed her; Coulter’s only redeeming moment came when she aptly described the night as, “The Ann Coulter Roast with Rob Lowe.” The event consisted mostly of celebrities who have exited the limelight—including the Karate Kid Ralph Macchio, 90s pop-darling Jewel, and ex-NFL quarterback Peyton Manning. It was ironic that, despite her bigotry and prejudiced propaganda, Ann Coulter was the most currently relevant persona on stage. More than just an instinctive reaction to a polarizing figure, the ruthless Coulter-directed attacks felt like an attempt to plunge the Roast
We Trust, only to be met with boos from the audience. Davidson spat an ironic, “Good one!” at her from right stage. A now-famous shot of the audience shows an agitated Maria Shriver dramatically rolling her eyes. In fairness to the crowd, Coulter’s act truly was terrible. Her delivery was smug as she directed her jabs towards the very “college liberals,” who populated the theatre. Still, the immense anger she incited from those present felt grander than a simple reaction to her routine. It was a frustration not only with the Republican spokesperson, but with a broken political system at large. The roast revealed mainstream America’s frustration with a disastrous election and the hypocrisy inherent to Hollywood’s liberal elite. The comedians skewered Coulter for her history of racist politics, yet there was not a single person of colour on the panel. They admonished her antigay marriage stance and regressive ultra-right wing politics, yet British comedian Jimmy Carr said Coulter was “one of the most repugnant, hateful, hatchet-faced bitches alive,” and Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson called her a “racist c***.” Many of the attacks were almost as childishly
into relevant territory. Whether intentional or not, the effort was a success—Coulter’s humourless reaction and poor performance dominated headlines. Hosted by David Spade, the performances were solid—slightly predictable, but still clever. The comedians primarily chided Lowe for his infamous sex tape with a minor. David Spade had one of the evening’s best lines when he quipped, “Rob was in Austin Powers 16 years ago. Can you believe it, 16? Or as he calls it, 18.” Well-known stand up comics Pete Davidson, Nikki Glaser, Jimmy Carr and Rob Riggle were proficient in mocking Lowe’s inability to translate his Hollywood good looks into an actual movie star career. Yet even without the microphone, Coulter stole the spotlight. The majority of material was directed at her, and most cutbacks were closeups of her dry, irritated profile. Coulter’s horrified facial expressions and abysmal performance satisfied the comics’ entertainment. She giggled a couple, “Obama is biracial” and “Hillary is old” jokes to uncomfortable silence. At one point, she was shameless enough to pull out a copy of her newly-released book, In Trump
Anne Coulter’s comedy routine was met with uncomfortable silence. (NYmag.com) vulgar as the Trump rhetoric they condemned. Still, it is difficult to muster any sympathy for the woman who advocates for racial profiling, believes in the overturn of Roe versus Wade, and who once said, “If we took away women’s right to vote, we’d never have to worry about another democrat president.” As Jewel so eloquently stated, “as a feminist that I can’t support everything that’s been said tonight, but as someone who hates
Ann Coulter, I’m delighted.” If the main character of the roast was Coulter, then the key theme was anger. Ann Coulter is frustrated with America; a country she believes is marred by immigrants and Muslims. And America is resentful towards people like Ann Coulter. This collective exasperation is one that is all-consuming, and oozing out of the unlikeliest of places—even a Rob Lowe Roast.
ALBUM REVIEW
Scott’s sound is nothing we haven’t heard before. (genius.com)
Birds in the trap sing mcknight Travis scott Gibran Haque Contributor
-
Houston rapper Travis Scott has followed up his 2015 debut studio album Rodeo, with the highly anticipated sophomore album Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight (BTSM). MC and producer Travis Scott originally burst into the limelight as Kanye West’s wunderkind, earning himself production credits in West’s 2013 album Yeezus. Scott wasted no time in releasing his own music, putting out two mixtapes in the years following. His first album Rodeo’s redeeming qualities were its eerie and spacy trap instrumentals, as well as Scott’s nowfamous autotuned, new-Atlanta sound. Scott’s second effort, BTSM, is star-studded-- the album features production credits from hip-hop big hitters such as Boi-1da, Mike Dean, and WondaGurl as well as features from Andre 3000, Kendrick Lamar, and Young Thug. But, amidst all the creative collaboration, BTSM appears to desperately hold on to the sound Scott established in Rodeo without progressing much from it. Sonically, some of the tracks on the album could be B-sides from Rodeo. The album starts off with the song “The Ends,” in which Scott attempts to deviate from his autotune-heavy vocals. Yet, stripping away Scott’s signature style, his vocal delivery and lyrical content do little to convince listeners of his ability as an MC, often reverting to one—liners reminiscent of 2000s hashtag rap. The following killer Andre 3000 verse doesn’t help
Scott’s case, automatically revealing the weakness of Scott’s own lyricism. The instrumentals are still as good as ever; however, some of the vocals are subpar to the point of almost sounding like the they were passed through a vocoder in order to sound like Future. The song “Coordinate” features a surprisingly awful hook by Scott where his singing sounds like he barely has a pulse. In another feature, on the song “Goosebumps”, Kendrick Lamar offers more pitch shifts in one verse than Scott does in the entire album. Scott attempts the extremely popular moody vocal sound; but it has already been executed better by artists like Future and Young Thug. On one of the best tracks in the album, the summer banger, “Pick Up the Phone,” Young Thug comes through as another standout feature artist. This song features a synth-heavy instrumental and an enjoyably catchy hook. Overall, Scott’s sophomore release is his most sonically consistent. Yet, the novelty of the sound he established in Rodeo wears thin by the first song in BTSM. Travis Scott has always worn his influences on his sleeve. Yet where other artists use their influences to develop and mature their own sound, Scott continues to be the jack of all trades and master of none. At the end of the day, Scott’s music will be at the top of any turn-up song lists but not necessarily any best of the year lists.
STANDOUT TRACK
SOUNDS LIKE
BEST LYRICS
“Pick up the phone”
Young Thug, Migos, Future
Peter, piper, picked a pepper / So I could pick your brain and put your heart together
13
Science & technology
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
F a c t o r f i c t i o n I S F LO S S ING B ENE F ECIAL F OR ORAL HEALTH ?
Dentists’ advice lacks scientific evidence Paul-Enguerrand Fady Contributor Over the summer, the Associated Press (AP) sunk their teeth into a widely-held public health claim: Daily flossing is good for dental hygiene. Their investigative report revealed that there is very little evidence to back up the advice one often hears at the dentist’s office. Growing up in Europe, not a single dentist—whether trained on the Continent or in the United Kingdom—ever suggested that I integrate flossing into my oral care routine. Regular and thorough brushing was encouraged, but never flossing. In fact, the scientific adviser to the British Dental Association (BDA) David Walmsley has said, “[flossing] is not part of the basics” of oral care and hygiene. The British view contrasts directly with the North American opinion: The Canadian Dental Association (CDA) warns that not flossing daily means “missing more than one-third of your tooth surface.” The American
Dental Association (ADA) has also stated that “flossing is an essential part of taking care of your teeth and gums.” The Association Dentaire Française (ADF) represents three quarters of French dentists, and states on its website that brushing can be complemented by the use of dental floss, mirroring the opinions of the BDA and other European dental associations that flossing is nonessential. “There is much we do in medicine and dentistry that is not evidence-based, but that doesn’t mean it does not work,” said Dr. Øyvind Asmyhr, head of the Norwegian Dental Association, in a statement. It seems increasingly likely that news stories which have pit dental associations against one another have simply exploited a minute difference in wording and twisted the ADA’s advice. Moreover, the BDA, the ADF, and most other dental associations recommend that their patients remove plaque with the aid of a physical support–floss—but therein lies the contrast.
Rather than recommending floss explicitly, the ADA guidelines state, “interdental cleaners such as floss are an essential part of taking care of your teeth and gums.” “[I’m] not sure if it was an intentional play on words or an honest misunderstanding by the AP journalist when the article on flossing was written during the summer which [led] to the domino effect of re-publications in almost all famous papers and journals,” McGill Dentistry Professor Omid Kiarash said. “[As so often is the case], tabloid journalism seems to get more publicity than scientific factually correct news.” Despite the reports, Kiarash still recommends flossing to his patients. The objections regarding the quality of the studies highlighted in the original AP investigation are, in his opinion, irrelevant. “The notion that no flossing is somehow better than flossing simply because the strength of the studies are not high quality is ridiculous,” said Kiarash. “Just
Without scientific evidence, is flossing worth the hassel? (Ceci Steyn / McGill Tribune) like we don’t have high quality evidence that jumping out of an
airplane without a parachute is highly likely to be fatal.”
A new hope for those with allergies
McGill University Health Centre finding cures for life-threatening dairy allergies Andries Feder Contributor For children with severe food allergies, mealtime can be the most challenging part of the day. Families with young children who have allergies are especially affected, as parents must constantly worry about what their children are eating. Recent results out of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) offer newfound hope to parents and children alike. A team of pediatric allergists and researchers at the Montreal Children’s Hospital of the MUHC announced this week that they had successfully desensitized over 20 children of their lifethreatening dairy allergies through their immunotherapy research program. “The kids are just so happy to go out to pizza with their friends, to be able to have yogurt, to be able to have cheese, to be able to have chocolate, all the stuff they really have never been able to,” said Duncan Lejtenyi, a McGill alum and Clinical Research Coordinator of the study. Many of the patients suffered from life-threatening anaphylactic reactions to dairy before treatment. Anaphylaxis
is an autoimmune response that causes blood pressure to suddenly drop and airways to narrow. It is one of the most dangerous allergic reactions and can occur after someone is exposed to even small traces of an allergen. If the allergic reaction is caught early, an antihistamine, like Benadryl, can often stop anaphylaxis; however, if Benadryl doesn’t work, an Epipen is the only option. As hospital visits are required after Epipen administration, severe food allergies can mean frequent—and expensive—visits to the emergency room. The research at the MUHC focuses on the immune system’s response to allergens. It is a form of immunotherapy which desensitizes the patient to milk. The study started with children between the ages of six and nineteen being given a food challenge. This test is used to verify that the child has a true allergy. If the test is positive, the patient then begins a five month process in which they consume small amounts of dairy everyday. Each week, the dosage of the allergen is increased. The theory is that the patient’s hyperactive immune system will eventually get used to the allergen and no longer react to it. So far, 22
patients have been completely cured of their dairy allergy by the end of their five month trial. They consumed a 300 millilitre glass of milk to confirm the success of their desensitization. Once the patient builds tolerance, they need to consume a small amount of dairy everyday to stay reaction free. The study monitored the patients for a year after the end of their initial treatment to determine if they remained desensitized. Lejtenyi, a McGill alum, pointed out that because this is a multi-centre study, the data have not been fully aggregated yet. While the results of the study are certainly promising, one of the lead clinicians was quick to point out that further research is necessary. “The sample size is too small to draw conclusions,” Dr. Moshe Ben-Shoshan said during a Facebook Live chat on Sept 9. Furthermore, not every patient was cured. Five children dropped out of the study because their symptoms were only aggravated. As the study expands, the researchers hope that more conclusive results for why the treatment worked in some cases but not others will be
A cold glass of milk may no longer be off limits for many children. (Amanda Fiore / McGill Tribune) answered. Food allergy rates have more than doubled in the last decade. This testing presents potentially life changing results for families dealing with severe allergies. In addition to reducing the burden on emergency room
visits, it lessens the financial and emotional stress of families, as children are able to interact more freely with their peers. “You don’t want to say it’s life changing,” Lejtenyi said, “but it is life changing and it’s been a great study to work on.”
14
Science & technology
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
F RO M THE B RAIN S TE M t h e c a s e f o r s t a n d i n g d e s k s
Standing while working shown to improve cognitive functioning Audrey Carleton Student Living Editor Standing desks are the latest employee wellness innovation to sweep through workplaces. While student life is typically more active than that of the nine to five grind, the majority of McGill students are familiar with the pains—mental and physical—of sitting down to study for hours at a time, seldom standing up, if only to eat or use the bathroom. If successful companies like Google and Facebook offer standing desks to their employees, then perhaps McGill ought to consider sit/stand hybrid study spaces for its students as well. The physiological detriments of sitting down for extended periods of time are numerous. Studies have shown an association between occupational sitting and cancer, while others have shown that sedentary behaviour leads to compromised metabolic health and higher mortality risk. In contrast, sitting/standing hybrid workstations have been found to combat the health consequences of sitting for long periods of time by increasing caloric expenditure. While the physical consequences of an excessive sedentary lifestyle have been well-documented, there has been a more recent shift in focus
to the mental impact of standing on cognitive functioning, memory, and focus, making the case for the introduction of standing desks in schools and workplaces. In an experiment conducted at the University of Leeds, young adults and children showed improvements in task completion time while standing, as opposed to sitting. Children were tested on their ability and speed in conducting motor tasks involving tracking, aiming, and tracing dots on a tablet with a stylus. Sample subjects performed each activity twice: The first while sitting, and the second while standing, which was performed one week after the former. Those tested showed faster completion times of all motor tasks conducted while standing. The results support the theory that the postural demands of standing improve manual control and fine-motor tasks. While there is evidence of a correlation between standing and improved cognitive performance in controlled tests, the use of standing desks in academic settings is not only shown to be feasible, but also beneficial for students. For example, a neurocognitive study on freshman high school students conducted at the Texas A&M School of Public Health found a significant
association between the long-term use of standing desks and advances in executive function—that is, the processes of managing oneself and one’s resources in order to achieve a goal. Improvements were also observed in working memory, which is short-term memory dealing with conscious perception and linguistic processing. Furthermore, researchers saw increases in brain activation during completion of various motor tasks before and after the long-term use of standing desks. Standing while working was found to be equally beneficial in a workplace. When tested in real offices, many employees reported
McGill should consider standing desks as alternative study spaces. (principalcenter.com) improved posture and increased energy and alertness while working. In a study based in Sydney, Australia, trials of randomized employees were given the option to stand while working at sit-stand hybrid workstations. Participants reported that standing helped alleviate the post-lunch energy slump, encouraged face-to-face interaction between colleagues, and reduced feelings of restlessness. Most office workers who were interviewed saw the option to stand while working as an enhancement to their office experience. As the school year progresses,
the McGill student body is gearing up for the work to pile up and the exhausting studying that follows. Many students spend hours at a time in campus libraries, often placing physical and mental health on the backburner. To make matters worse, McGill’s libraries currently lack the space and accommodations for students to experiment with standing while studying. The scientifically proven improvements in memory, efficiency, and executive functioning while standing to study suggest that this option should be seriously considered in any of McGill’s future library improvement efforts.
McGill wins $84 million grant for neuroscience program
Healthy Brains For Healthy Lives program aims to develop brain-disease treatments Zikomo Smith Sports Editor McGill University reaffirmed itself as one of the top neuroscience research centres in the world when it won an $84 million federal grant to fund the innovative Healthy Brains for Healthy Lives (HBFHL) program for the next seven years. Canada First Excellence Research Fund (CFERF) provided the grant as part of a federal science funding package that only awarded money to the top university programs in their field globally. Through evaluation methods such as academic citations, McGill was able to prove that it is in the top one per cent of research institutions in the field of neuroscience. The HBFHL program is another chapter in McGill’s legacy of research and innovation in the field of neuroscience, dating back to Dr. Wilder Penfield and his contribution to the field of brain surgery. Professor Alan Evans, the James McGill Professor of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Biomedical engineering, will lead the HBFHL. The program is an ambitious research and innovationfocused program that aims to
position McGill as the most prominent university for brain research in Canada and the world. It seeks to develop treatments for brain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, as well as to make an impact on public policy and the framework for understanding brain health in Canada. “In the last two decades we have witnessed a dramatic change in the conduct of neuroscience and the study of the brain,” Evans wrote in a press release. “In neuroscience, the information revolution has profoundly changed the way we collect and analyze a vast amount of information [....] We can now use powerful analytics to reveal subtle aspects of the individual brain, its genetics, how the environment shapes those genetics, and how the brain develops through life.” The program will be enacted on a national scale using an interdisciplinary approach that integrates fields such as social science and computational science from the outset. This is important for translating the research and clinical work into the public domain and drafting public policy on brain health. Furthermore, the
Montreal Neurological Institute is a huge collaborative effort itself, bringing together over 1,500 scientists, clinicians, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows to solve problems to develop cutting-edge treatments for brain disorders. McGill is working directly with Western University—which received $66 million in grant money—and teaming up with various hospitals in the McGill network, such as The Douglas Mental Health University Research Institute, as well as other institutions from across Canada. “The HBFHL will strengthen our international presence,” Evans said. “Neuroscience has become a global network and Canada is very much a hub in that network.” Part of the federal funding will go towards graduate and postdoctoral students’ research, salary support, and travel for presentations and collaborations. The grant will also help fund opportunities for students to do summer research and practical training under the supervision of McGill researchers in neuroscience. A major development expected to be a result of the HBFHL’s work is the formation
Mapping the brain is one of the goals of HBFHL. (Eleanor Milman / McGill Tribune) of a computational platform that will compile information about the brain and the design of an algorithm to compute this knowledge, and help map and analyze the brain. Computer scientists will develop this algorithm and search
for creative ways of analyzing information about the brain. The HBFHL will incorporate and add to CBRAIN, a software pioneered at McGill that allows neuroscience researchers to collaborate across the globe.
15
Sports
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
POINT COUNTERPOINT Is the World Cup of Hockey a Gimmick? The McGill Tribune goes in-depth on the World Cup of Hockey
World Cup of Hockey players showing off their teams’ uniforms. (huffingtonpost.com)
A Quality competition
A NHL Cash-Grab
The first priority of the NHL should be to entertain fans and to make money. The hockey world awaits the drop of the puck on Thursday afternoon and the beginning of the Their new and improved World Cup of Hockey (WCH) format does just that and alWorld Cup of Hockey (WCH), an international tournament dormant for over a decade since a failed lows for the highest quality of hockey and the best product for fans. 2004 edition. Team USA is set to face off against Team Europe to kick off a tournament that is design to The newly-structured World Cup of Hockey is making an exciting return after one day be a replacement for NHL players’ participation in the Winter Olympics. NHL Commissioner being dormant for a decade. The inclusion of Team Europe, consisting of Gary Bettman hopes this event will allow him to both avoid the millions of dollars lost the best players from the smaller European hockey nations, at the by sending players to the Olympics in the middle of the NHL season and to lower expense of weaker hockey nations such as Latvia and Croathe chances of players getting injured in non-NHL events. But aside from tia—nations that typically have a low number of NHL playthe event being an NHL money-grab, the tournament is set up in a very ers—will allow for a higher quality tournament. Furthergimmicky fashion. Rather than have the top eight national teams face more, the WCH format allows the NHL to maximize off in a typical international hockey tournament, the NHL has opted revenue. Nations like Norway and Latvia do not posto go with the top six teams along with a so-called ‘Team Europe’ sess the players to attract big crowds. Additionally, and equally vague ‘Team North America.’ The World Cup of Hockey those teams always have heavily unbalanced rosTo be clear, this is an NHL-centric product packaged as ters boasting few NHL stars and low-level skatan international event. The tournament will not be played is a gimmick ers from other leagues. A squad consisting of the with International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) rules and best of the remaining European countries creates teams are only allowed to use players who have played in a more competitive team that will attract viewthe NHL. While it’s been advertised as ‘the best against the While there’s no doubt die-hard hockey fans will ership. best,’ it’s hard to imagine the WHC living up to the hype watch every minute of the tournament, the World The WCH also allows players under the age when Russian stars Ilya Kovalchuk and Pavel Datsyuk of 23 to shine on the world stage. The tournament won’t be able to participate due to their KHL teams’ Cup of Hockey has an unorthodox set-up and feels has created an environment where Team North schedules. like an inferior Olympic games. We’ll certainly watch America, a team made up of Canadian and AmeriAs for the team rosters specifically, Team Europe is the highlights, but we won’t feel the same sense of can players under 23-years-old, can compete with made up of players from less well-represented hockey nations national pride. the world’s best and fight to establish themselves as in Europe. Players from these European countries have voiced stars in their own right. The team has already created their displeasure with the tournament’s setup. Swiss defenceman a buzz and garnered support from the online hockey Mark Streit didn’t mince words when asked about the strange community, which only grew stronger with their 4-0 vicformat. tory over Team Europe in the pre-tournament exhibition “It’s supposed to be the top eight [countries],” Streit said. “For matches. Furthermore, the budding superstars of Team North players, you want to play for your [national] team. That’s the whole purpose America have the potential to upset Team USA and Team Canada of it. [...] I don’t like it at all.” and be a great an underdog story. Additionally, it is completely arbitrary to have a squad of under 23-year old North The strengths of the WCH are most illuminated when the tournament is compared Americans playing as Team North America. Although some would argue this is a way to let the NHL’s to NHL All-Star Game, which is held in Jan. in the middle of the NHL season. Fans young stars shine on a national stage, it seems more like a publicity stunt to sell jerseys. have criticized the All-Star game for being uncompetitive; fortunately, the WCH is a With the Olympics every four years, the IIHF World Cup every spring, and the WHC every tournament where spectators will be more invested in the results. It is similar to the second year, not to mention the annual World Juniors tournament, NHL fans will suffer from a case of Olympics, where supporters rally behind their nation, or, in Team Europe’s case, their national-hockey-overload. Aside from the fans, participating in so many tournaments is bad for players region. who have lives to live outside of hockey. Bettman knows hockey fans have an itch they just cannot stop The quality of the on-ice product is paramount to a tournament of this nature. scratching. It’s not without reason that the WHC finals is decided by a best of three series instead of the Without a shadow of a doubt, the WCH will prove to be one of the most meaningful typical single-game elimination format. The gimmicks seem to never end. Frankly, this ‘best against events the NHL has put together in a long time. best’ tournament is starting to look more like a tournament of Lower Field Quidditch than a contest of global hockey prestige.
Editors’ Pick
— Alex Sirois Contributor
— Tanveer Ahmed
Contributor
16
Sports
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
In conversation with McGill Olympian Dori Yeats From Civil Engineering to the Rio games and back Nicole Spadotto Contributor After just missing out on a bronze medal in the women’s 69 kg wrestling at the Rio Olympic Games last month, Canadian wrestler Dori Yeats is back at McGill, proud of her fifth place finish. She’s now eyeing the finish line of her civil engineering degree as well as looking forward to continuing her ascent in the world of wrestling after an extraordinary experience in Rio. “Coming fifth is a huge improvement for me. I know I’m on the right track,” Yeats said. “But on the other hand, I lost my bronze medal match by a point. To know that I was that close to a medal is pretty rough, but I couldn’t have asked much more of myself.” Right now, Yeats is faced with the difficult task of balancing her rigorous competition schedule with the completion of her civil engineering degree. While the two may seem unrelated, Yeats believes that her studies are helping her wrestling career. “A lot of people compare [wrestling] to a chess game on the mats, because […] you have to
strategize and think really quickly on your feet […] a lot of logical thinking is used, in a lot of ways,” Yeats explained. “I almost feel more creative and more able to wrestle […] after I’ve done a class at McGill where I think my brain’s been working really hard to solve physics problems. And then I’ll go on the wrestling mats and I find that my problem solving abilities are much quicker, and that I’ve been using that part of my brain which otherwise I probably wouldn’t have used.” Although McGill lacks a women’s wrestling team, Yeats finds that the university has still contributed to her success. Ultimately, she relies on the understanding and empathy of her professors when competitions come in conflict with school work. Professors have responded in a mixed fashion; since Yeats doesn’t classify as a McGill athlete, some of her teachers have been reluctant to defer assignments or make academic exceptions. “I’ve had a few teachers who were really accommodating,” Yeats said. “[They] told me that if I needed to give an assignment a bit later, they’d give me exemptions. But, in general, [exemptions are]
rare, because […] I don’t represent McGill. I’m just doing my own extracurricular [activities].” Representing Canada at Rio has been the highlight of Yeats’ athletic career. She is quick to counter the negative media perception of the Rio Olympics which focused on Zika virus, corruption, and poor facilities. Though the Olympic Village wasn’t the apex of luxury, it was similar to the low-end accommodations Yeats experienced during competitions in places like Mongolia and China. While athletes were warned that the areas outside the Olympic Village were unsafe, nobody was in any real danger unless they left the designated Olympic area. “There was room for improvement, but I can’t make it seem like it was a big disaster,” Yeats said. “They definitely got the job done [and the] volunteers were super friendly and helpful. I think it was run well. You can’t always believe what the media says.” When reflecting on the best advice her father, five time Canadian Olympic wrestler Doug Yeats, has ever given her, Dori Yeats acknowledges how much she learned from her father about both wrestling
Dori Yeats represeing team Canada at the Rio Games. (Photo courtesy of Dori Yeats) and life outside the sport. “‘Don’t lose your personality or who you are in order to make it in sport,’” Yeats said, paraphrasing her dad. “In the end, it is just a sport […] Sure I could be an Olympic champion, but it won’t mean anything [if I’m unhappy]. So, following school, in the program I wanted to do, while juggling wrestling and enjoying all
of it is sort of what I’ve been focusing on and living by.” While Yeats just missed out on a medal in her first Olympics, she has the potential to join Canadian gold medallist Erica Wiebe as one of the top wrestlers in the world. While the Tokyo Olympics are four years away, a podium finish in 2020 isn’t out of the question.
Redmen Rugby begins bid for a second consecutive RSEQ championship McGill dominates Concordia in season opener conference, but that certainly doesn’t mean this season will be easy for them. “It’ll be competitive,” said Baillie. “We’ve seen a couple of the other sides already in preseason, and it’s going to be a competitive year.” Based on Sunday’s match, the Redmen have an exciting season ahead of them. After backto-back away games against ETS and Montreal, McGill returns home on Oct. 7 for a date with Bishop’s.
Selwynne Hawkins Contributor The expectations are high for McGill Redmen Rugby this year. After last season’s dramatic RSEQ championship victory over the Montreal Carabins, McGill is gunning for another conference title. On Sunday, the McGill Redmen were dominant in their season opener against the Concordia Stingers at McGill’s Percival Molson Stadium. Fourthyear centre Jamie Wilson opened the scoring in the fifth minute with a try from the corner. Concordia quickly responded with their first and only points of the penalty kick that bounced off the left goal post before passing through the uprights. The score was 27-3 at the halfway mark. The Redmen continued to press in the second half, finishing the game with a comfortable 46-3 victory. “The guys came together well,” Head Coach Ian Ballie said. “First game out, we were a bit over-aggressive at the beginning and made some poor decisions, but that straightened itself out a little bit. [...There is] stuff to work on, but [it was] a good start.” Fourth-year front row, Alex
Stat corner McGill’s eight tries were spread out among six different scorers.
Quotable The McGill Redmen dominate the Concordia Stingers. (Noah Sutton / McGill Tribune) Wang, had a positive outlook on the match. “It was a great game,” Wang said. “We had some good forward action, stabilizing the front line, […] and [the backs] just went wide every time and scored.” It was a powerful effort by the home side. The Redmen managed to contain the Stingers within their half for most of the game. A disciplined defensive
effort kept the Stingers from coming too close to the goal line, while a calm, patient attacking approach allowed the Redmen to put up eight tries. With an almost totally remade squad, the Redmen face the challenge of earning their second consecutive RSEQ banner and ninth championship in the past decade. “We graduated out a big
number of guys, [but] we’ve got some young guys coming in,” said Baillie. “Some guys who weren’t part of the varsity group last year are stepping up into those roles too.” While Baillie is optimistic about the upcoming season, he is also quick to give credit to the other teams in the league. Lately, Redmen Rugby has been an undeniable force in the RSEQ
“Eight out of the last nine championships—we’ve gotta get it and make it nine,”- Senior Alex Wang on potentially winning another championship this year.
Moment of the game Concordia defenders tried to hold him up, but outside centre Sayf Al-Omaishi fought to get the ball to ground, scoring his second try of the game in the 32nd minute of play.