From PTA to GPA: Sharing McGill campus with a parent
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FEATURE
Figuring Yourself Out
OFF THE BOARD PGS. 8-9
Activism must be shaped beyond spectacle
PG. 5
Mohawk Mothers bring legal battle with McGill to Supreme Court of Canada
Kanien’kehá:ka Kahnistensera hope to reinstate panel of archaeo logists in search for unmarked graves
Fabienne de Cartier News Editor
On Oct. 15, the Kanien’kehá:ka Kahnistensera (Mohawk Mothers) filed a motion with the Supreme Court of Canada seeking an independent investigation into possible unmarked graves at the site of McGill’s New
Vic Project at the former Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH).
“We stand in front of the Supreme Court of Canada facing a political violation by the people of Canada that we wish to discuss so that we may get justice,” said Mohawk Mother Kahentinetha at a press conference outside the Court in Ottawa.
McGill’s New Vic Project, a plan to expand the downtown campus, will occupy 15 per cent of the former RVH site, the rest of which is managed by the Société québécoise des
infrastructures (SQI). During the 1950s and 1960s, the RVH’s Allan Memorial Institute was one of many sites across North America on which the CIA conducted MK-ULTRA mind control and chemical interrogation experiments. The Mohawk Mothers believe that the site houses both ancestral burials that predate colonization and unmarked graves from the CIA’s experiments, which they allege disproportionately targeted Indigenous peoples. PG. 3
Tokyo
Police Club says a final “au revoir” to Montreal
EDITORIAL ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
The Canadian band stops at Théâtre Beanfield for their farewell tour
Isobel Bray Contributor
On Jan. 23, Canadian indie rock band Tokyo Police Club (TPC) announced their farewell tour, and on Oct. 12, they played for the last time in Montreal, a city with
strong ties to their beginnings as a band. The news of their breakup was met with overwhelming support from fans.
Hailing from Newmarket, Ontario, high school friends Dave Monks (lead vocals and guitar), Graham Wright (keyboard and guitar), Josh Hook (guitar), and Greg Alsop
The Tribune Editorial Board
I14
(percussion) formed TPC in 2005. Nearly 20 years later, the band has released eight albums and captured the hearts of countless fans. Before TPC could say their goodbyes to Montreal, the Toronto-based indie rock band Born Ruffians opened with an energetic set.
n anticipation of heightened tensions on Oct. 7, the McGill administration preemptively closed campus, silencing student protest and increasing policing. The university moved classes online and required students to show identification at security checkpoints, with some
students reporting that they were denied entry into academic buildings despite valid credentials. Fences restricted access to certain entrances, and vague emails from the administration fueled the confusion. While McGill claimed to be protecting its campus, its disproportionate response to student democracy by using armed officers and tear gas, demonstrates a prioritization
of property and image over addressing violence and genocide.
On the afternoon of Oct. 7, students in Montreal protesting the ongoing genocide in Palestine were met by over 80 officers from the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), more than a dozen officers from the
and campus
Sûreté du Québec (SQ),
security.
(Zoe Lee / The Tribune), PG. 15
Flip to
comic by Zoe Lee: McGull University: “McMed to Adams Auditorum”
Rodents run rampant in McGill residences
Student described feeling isolated in dealing with Student Hospitality and Housing Services
Shani Laskin Managing Editor
At 2:30 a.m. on June 26, Tobias Gurl, a third-year master’s student in the Department of Family Medicine, woke up to the sound of a rat squealing and thrashing, its head stuck in a trap. Unsure what to do, Gurl swept the dying rat onto the fire escape of his one-bedroom unit in the McGill graduate residence, 3643 University. Gurl told The Tribune that this was just one of the multiple rodent-related incidents he has encountered while living in McGill residences.
Gurl moved into 3643 University in January 2024. By late March, he started to hear scuttling noises in his unit and noticed holes in his groceries. At the beginning of April, he contacted Student Housing and Hospitality Services (SHHS), who sent an exterminator to lay traps. Gurl explained that the noises continued, so he notified SHHS again, and they sent another exterminator. This pattern persisted until late July when the university relocated Gurl to Solin Hall at his request. Altogether, Gurl estimates that exterminators visited his 3643 University unit over five times and caught up to nine rats in the span of four months.
“At the start of July, I started to get really fed up with this,” Gurl said in an interview with The Tribune . “I was losing more and more space in my unit to the rats [....] There were droppings everywhere. The burden was put on me to clean them up, despite the fact that they were a health hazard.”
Gurl sent an email to SHHS requesting relocation per the suggestion of the exterminator who had laid traps earlier that day. SHHS initially offered to relocate Gurl to the basement unit of 3643 University; however, Gurl did not receive further information until July 10 when SHHS notified him that the other unit was no longer available due to a “major water leak.” During this lull in communication, Gurl contacted a reporter from The Montreal Gazette through a friend and a lawyer through the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) referral.
“What I needed was verification that I wasn’t losing my mind that something was very wrong here, that it wasn’t reasonable for me to be accepting this many rats in an area, or even one rat,” Gurl said. “I had no sense of what was normal, what was proportionate and I also needed that backup, that when I said something, or when I asked for something, I would have someone with actual enforcement muscles standing behind me.”
Gurl explained to The Tribune that he had advocated to live in McGill residences in the first place due to discrimination he faced in the private market on the basis of having a service dog. For him, McGill residences were the only viable option for accommodation while he finished his degree. Without another option, Gurl hoped the problem would be resolved proactively.
“There was also a frog boiling effect, where at every stage I assumed that this next step they were taking was correct,” Gurl said. “There was no [moment] until July, where it was obvious the problem wasn’t going to be fixed.”
Amid this, Gurl also explained that he was concerned for the health of himself and his service dog from the prolonged exposure to rodents. On June 27,
After some negotiation over email, SHHS offered to help move Gurl’s belongings to a one-bedroom apartment in Solin Hall on July 19.
On Aug. 22, Gurl reported a mouse in his new unit.
“I started hearing those noises again and little flashes of something along the edges of the walls. I thought I was imagining things at first, that my brain was playing tricks on me,” Gurl said. “There was no possible way I had gone from a place with rats to a place with more rodents.”
On Sept. 13, maintenance sealed a hole suspected as an entry point for rodents in the Solin Hall unit. This temporarily quieted the issue but on Oct. 15, maintenance found another mouse in the apartment. According to McGill’s Media Relations Office (MRO), the university has received five complaints of rodents in residences since the beginning of the aca -
demic year—an issue which becomes more salient in the fall as rodents seek shelter and food to survive the cold.
Speaking to The Tribune , Gurl expressed that he felt failed by what he perceived as a lack of a proactive response from McGill.
“I have a lot of sympathy for the position McGill is in,” Gurl said. “They’re not responsible for the rising rat population in the city [....] They don’t have control over the derelict buildings in the block or so where a lot of their housing is. They don’t have full control over trash pickup. But the [thing] I would have wanted from them [was] communication.”
He also felt “siloed” and isolated by McGill’s response to the situation.
“The way McGill presented solutions to me was always focused on things I should be doing,” Gurl said. “The emphasis [was] placed on me cleaning things up, me putting the food away [....] It really communicated this message that I was doing something wrong, I was at fault. And when you send that message to a tenant, it makes them want to hide the problem, because if I’m the only one going through this, if it’s because I’m not clean enough, then I can’t talk about that with other people.”
“[McGill has] no incentive to share the full story. They have an unlimited megaphone that they can blast to everybody, and you are not going to hear people who don’t have that kind of voice.” — Gurl on McGill communications. (Drea Avila-Garcia / The Tribune)
In an email to The Tribune the MRO explained that McGill’s pest control strategy includes regular inspections and specific complaints are handled on a case-bycase basis.
“This issue is taken very seriously by McGill,” the MRO wrote. “As a landlord, McGill is bound by the requirements of the [Tribunal administratif du logement]. It’s worth noting that tenants also have a responsibility to ensure that there is no food left out in dorm rooms since that can attract and sustain pests.”
PGSS Member Support Commissioner Emily Tetrault explained to The Tribune that while PGSS does not offer direct support to members facing issues with their landlords, it can connect students with services such as the Legal Information Clinic at McGill, and the Legal Protection Program. Tetrault also underscored the vulnerable position international students can be in when dealing with landlord disputes.
“Knowing your rights as a tenant, es -
pecially as an international student, is key from the beginning in my opinion. Educaloi is a great website to help people in Quebec understand their rights in relation to various topics but especially renting in Quebec. Unfortunately, many out-ofprovince and international students don’t know that landlords cannot take a damage deposit, and some landlords take advantage of this,” Tetrault said.
In an email to The Tribune , the Syndicat des locataires de Montréal/Montreal Autonomous Tenants’ Union (SLAM/ MATU) encouraged students to start a dialogue about their living conditions in and out of McGill residences.
“At the very least, students can make each other aware that they don’t have to take price gouging and neglect from their landlords,” the union wrote. “We highly encourage McGill students to discuss their housing conditions and pricing and to plan actions, and to keep that conversation going even after they leave their dorms.”
For Gurl, refusing to stay silent and advocating for oneself is crucial to advancing change.
“[Landlords] rely on tenants keeping quiet to keep getting away with bullshit, and as soon as your voice becomes impossible to ignore, then they’ll act.”
Mohawk Mothers bring legal battle with McGill to Supreme Court of Canada
Kanien’kehá:ka Kahnistensera hope to reinstate panel of archaeologists in search for
Fabienne de Cartier News Editor
Continued from page 1.
Since 2015, the Mohawk Mothers have been advocating against construction and excavation until a comprehensive investigation into possible unmarked graves is completed.
Karonhia’no:ron, a graduate student at McGill and cultural monitor for the Mohawk Mothers, called on McGill and the Quebec government to prioritize reconciliation over construction at the press conference.
“Perhaps it was naïive of me to believe that my university and the province of Quebec would agree that protecting Indigenous children was more important than a campus redevelopment project,” said Karonhia’no:ron.
In April 2023, the Mohawk Mothers reached a settlement agreement with McGill, the SQI, the RVH, the City of Montreal, and the Attorney General of Canada, which mandated that a panel of archaeologists jointly appointed by all parties immediately begin archival, testimonial, and archaeological investigations into the site. The Mohawk Mothers allege that McGill disbanded the panel in August 2023, before the investigation had been completed. However, in a statement to The Tribune McGill’s Media Relations Office (MRO) asserted that the panel dissolved after they fulfilled their mandate by complet-
ing their investigation and issuing their final report in July 2023. The MRO maintains that no unmarked graves “have been made” on the site and that all archaeological work is being done in accordance with the settlement agreement and the recommendations of the panel.
The Mohawk Mothers argue that there is evidence of unmarked graves on the site that necessitate further investigation. At the press conference, Kwetiio, one of the Mohawk Mothers, explained that in June 2023, historic human remains detection dogs detected the scent of potential human remains near Hersey Pavilion. Ground-penetrating
radar surveys then revealed dozens of anomalies, as announced by Provost and Executive Vice-President (Academic) Christopher Manfredi on Aug. 3, 2023.
Kimberly Murray, a member of the Kanehsatà:ke Mohawk Nation and the Independent Special Interlocutor appointed by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, voiced her solidarity with their motion to the Supreme Court at the press conference on Tuesday. Murray, who is responsible for making recommendations to improve Canada’s legal processes to help identify and protect the unmarked graves and burial sites associated with residential schools, empha-
sized that Canada’s legal system continues to fail the Mohawk Mothers and other Indigenous communities.
“Canadian law has been used to oppress Indigenous people for decades. The [Truth and Reconciliation Commission] has said that the law has operated to stop the truth from coming out,” Murray said. “So I support this appeal. It’s of national importance.”
In November 2023, Justice Gregory Moore ruled to reinstate the panel of archaeologists, asserting that their mandate had not been completed in July as McGill argued. However, McGill successfully appealed this decision at Quebec’s Court of Appeal this August.
By submitting an application to appeal to the Supreme Court, the Mohawk Mothers are hoping to reverse the Quebec Court of Appeal’s decision and reinstate the panel of archaeologists to oversee the investigation. According to the Mohawk Mothers, this represented the first time that traditional Kanien’kehá:ka legal documents were submitted to the Supreme Court.
Kwetiio underlined that Canada must reckon with the genocide it has committed against Indigenous peoples before reconciliation can be pursued in good faith.
“Truth comes before reconciliation,” Kwetiio said. “We hope that Canadians and their Supreme Court will see that.”
Otto Maass garden terrace seeks to move McGill closer to its sustainability goals Garden planting event cultivates community and biodiversity on campus
Daniel Miksha Staff Writer
McGill community members, numbering around 10 total, gathered to plant a garden on the terrace of the Otto Maass Building on Oct. 15 as a part of the university’s Biodiversity Plan 2030. McGill adopted the plan in 2022, which commits the university to increasing biodiversity on its campuses by cultivating and supporting native plant and animal species on the land the university occupies.
The event saw the sowing of about 365 plants, covering an area of 250 square metres on the terrasse of the Otto Maass Building. 95 per cent of the new garden is composed of indigenous species, which will take a few years to reach their mature size.
The biodiversity plan is a part of McGill’s Climate and Sustainability Strategy 2020-2025, which sets the direction for the university’s long-term approach to combating climate change, including its commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040.
Marie-Claude Carignan, Climate and Biodiversity Officer at the McGill Office of Sustainability, organized the community planting event and emphasized its alignment with McGill’s biodiversity plan.
“We’re focusing, in this case with our garden, on indigenous species, and more broadly we’re trying to see how biodiversity, [...] conservation, and restoration can be better ingrained within operations at McGill,”
Carignan said in an interview with The Tribune
Ahead of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) hosted in Montreal in December 2022, McGill joined hundreds of universities globally in signing the Nature Positive Pledge, which encourages higher education institutions to restore ecosystems damaged by their presence. This resulted in the development of McGill’s Biodiversity Plan 2030, which is the first plan of its kind implemented at McGill.
The university’s biodiversity plan consists of six key objectives; to maintain inventories of biodiversity at McGill, analyze the university’s impact on biodiversity, increase engagement with biodiversity-focused activities, embed biodiversity in university operations, increase green spaces on campus, and develop partnerships to meet biodiversity targets.
The community planting event was in line with the plan’s goal of increasing McGillians’ engagement with biodiversityfocused activities and increasing the quality and quantity of green spaces on campus. Organizers provided volunteers with gardening gloves, shovels, and hot chocolate.
Carignan noted that student enthusiasm for the event encouraged the Office of Sustainability to involve the McGill community in future initiatives as much as possible.
“We’ve had a lot of people requesting [to help out] when we’re doing [...] events,” said Carignan. “They actually want to get
their hands dirty and actually want to participate and actively be involved in the biodiversity project on campus.”
Sofija Kuzmanovic, U0 Engineering, attended the event, and reflected on the value of direct engagement in community projects.
“People are looking to make small local efforts to combat issues with pollution and overbuilding,” Kuzmanovic said. “I know McGill is trying to meet certain goals with its biodiversity, and being able to contribute to that and see it in action makes you realize that there really is an impact in something you can do.”
approach to combating the climate crisis.
“I think that McGill operates on a narrow understanding of ‘sustainability’ that focuses on individualized actions like recycling and biking to work that allow business at McGill to continue as usual,” Milder wrote.
Organizers will label the plants, and install a chronolog photo station, allowing community members to monitor the garden’s development through a publicly-accessible timelapse.
While McGill has long-term sustainability goals, some say the university is not going far enough. Lola Milder, U3 Arts, an organizer with Divest McGill, a climate advocacy group, wrote to The Tribune that she believes the university needs to adopt a more in-depth
According to Milder, McGill’s size and influence as an institution heightens its obligation to respond to the ongoing climate emergency.
“It’s exciting that they’re moving forward to divest the university’s direct holdings from fossil fuel corporations,” Milder wrote. “But the endowment is still funding climate destruction through its indirect holdings in fossil fuel corporations, and holdings in many other destructive industries, including weapons manufacturing.”
In October 2022, the Mohawk Mothers were the first self-represented Indigenous group to obtain an injunction in a Canadian court. (Tanakehrahne)
McGill’s downtown campus is home to 11 urban gardens and over 180 documented tree species, including the endangered butternut tree.
(Daniel Miksha / The Tribune)
Oct. 7 student demonstrations dominates discussion at McGill Senate
Saini claims
Amalia Mairet Features Editor
Tthe university’s security measures were necessary
he McGill Senate convened for its second meeting of the academic year on Oct. 16 to discuss the new Deputy Chancellor, the student demonstrations of Oct. 7, and Bill 74.
First on the agenda were memorial tributes for Professor Emeritus of Surgery Harvey Sigman, Professor Emeritus of Animal Sciences Sherman Touchburn, and Professor Emeritus of French Literature Genevieve Leidelinger. McGill President, Vice-Chancellor, and Senate Chair Deep Saini offered a motion of condolence to the family of each professor.
Senators then reviewed the Report of the Senate Steering Committee and the Sept. 18 meeting minutes, opening the floor to questions and amendments. Senator Margaret Levey mentioned an inclusion to the section on the discussions between Senate members during an open discussion on evaluating the Statement of Principles on Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Peaceful Assembly.
“In the part of the minutes that reports back on the discussions we had in breakout groups […] I noted that, for instance, two groups both underscored that feeling uncomfortable does not equal feeling unsafe, but that’s nowhere in the minutes, and I think that that’s an important point that should be reflected,” Levey said.
tréal], the provincial government and other universities to determine how best to plan to ensure the stability of our campus,” Saini said. “University leaders also met with community groups internal to McGill who are those most affected by the events of Oct. 7, 2023, and their aftermath.”
Given the more than 13,600 midterms scheduled for that week and the alleged information the administration received about planned disruptions on campus, Saini expressed that the only reasonable option was to activate the Emergency Operations Centre in accordance with the Emergency
Senate should have at least been consulted at the meeting of Sept. 18, where I presume the university was aware that some measures would have to be taken several weeks later.”
Muñiz-Fraticelli then explained the consequences of McGill’s failure to consult with the Senate or the professoriate.
“This led to the implementation of measures where students were not able to access classes in many cases, because after being cleared for access to campus […] they were locked out of buildings where classes were held,” Muñiz-Fraticelli said.
ers to reduce the number of international students. The bill would allow the provincial government to prioritize certain regions, programs and levels of education. Saini reiterated that McGill is analyzing the potential impacts of the bill and will request to participate in future consultations between universities and the government.
At the end of the public part of the meeting, Research Integrity Officer and Associate Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology Craig Mandato gave the annual report on the investigation of research misconduct. Mandato began by explaining the process by which complaints of research misconduct are investigated, describing how dossiers are created and pursued. He also explained that the Research Integrity Office reports its findings to several other entities, including McGill’s Office of the Vice-President, Research + Innovation, the Senate, the BoG, and the Secretariat of Responsible Research in Ottawa.
Saini accepted the amendment. Senator Ipek Türeli also requested they add a note about the purpose of the open debate, and Saini agreed it should be included as a preamble. With that, the motion was carried. The Senate also approved the Meeting Minutes from the Sept. 18 meeting.
Saini began his Chair’s Remarks by recounting that the Board of Governors (BoG) has appointed Governor Emerita Cynthia Price Verreault as the university’s first Deputy Chancellor, who will notably provide strategic advice and support to the Chancellor and President and Vice-Chancellor. He then proceeded to comment on the campus climate during the week of Oct. 7. That Monday, hundreds of protestors rallied in solidarity with Palestine throughout downtown Montreal and McGill’s campus. The protest dispersed when the police used tear gas after individuals smashed windows of the Sylvan Adams Sports Science Institute. McGill sought an injunction against Solidarity for Palestine’s Honour and Resistance (SPHR) at McGill. On Oct. 8, the Superior Court of Québec granted a provisional ten-day injunction, effectively limiting protest activities in and around campus, and preventing “disturbances” of McGill activities and community members.
Saini stated that the university’s actions seek to uphold McGill’s academic mission, and stressed the importance of ensuring staff and students’ rights to freedom of assembly and expression.
He went on to describe McGill’s preparation for the week and the university’s method of determining the course of action.
“In the weeks leading up to Oct. 7 […] McGill worked with external stakeholders including the city, the [Service de Police de la Ville de Mon-
Management Policy. He also noted that McGill did not receive information suggesting that the personal safety of community members would be at risk, but he stressed that there was a “clear risk” of property damage and disruption of academic activities.
“Because we were prepared, the damage and injury that did occur was relatively minor compared to what could have, and in my opinion would have, happened,” Saini said.
Saini then turned to the injunction.
“Let me emphasize that the right to expression including protests through peaceful assembly remains,” Saini said. “What is not allowed is intimidating people, damaging property, and/or interfering with student’s right to learn and colleagues’ right to work. Senators will hopefully agree that these boundaries on protests are permissible and indeed necessary.”
He claimed that Oct. 7 also saw many peaceful processions, which occurred in consultation with the McGill administration.
During questioning, Senator Victor MuñizFraticelli asked about the changes in McGill’s mode of instruction implemented on the week of Oct 7.
“The language of the communications that the faculty received were at best unclear, and from the conversations I have had with colleagues in different faculties, many feel were deliberately misleading, by suggesting at certain points in contradictory language that classes were or were not to be held online,” Muñiz-Fraticelli said. “It seems to me that a change in the method of instruction is within the exclusive purview of Senate, and that
“All of which could [have been] avoided, both in terms of the rights of Senate but also in terms of implementation, by appropriate consultation of the body that should determine the mode of instruction in the university.”
Interim Deputy Provost (Student Life & Learning) Angela Campbell responded, arguing that all students with IDs had access to buildings. In regards to mishandled academic instruction during the week, she said that the administration was making “difficult decisions” working with “incomplete and imperfect information” on scheduled protests. She took exception to the notion that communication was deliberately misleading.
Senator Campbell also noted that she consulted several student groups including Jewish, Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian communities at McGill about Oct. 7, without mentioning any directly, to ask what they had planned for the week and attempt to work together on events.
“We invited all groups to [...] let us know if they were planning anything around the date of Oct. 7 and if so, how we could work with them,” Campbell said. “So some groups did work with us and they had their events and they went off smoothly but there was a lot of worry during the planning period with regard to whether or not events could be carried out safely and even in those conversations for the reasons I outlined earlier it wasn’t clear what the limitations on access to campus would even be.”
Closing his Chair remarks, Saini also touched briefly on Quebec’s tabling of Bill 74, which proposes to give the province new immigration pow-
Mandato also expressed concern over a growing number of anonymous allegations submitted online. He noted that of the seven ongoing investigations of research misconduct at McGill, two came from within the university, two came from external community members, and three were anonymously submitted through PubPeer, an online journal club.
“Across Canada, research integrity officers are wondering what are we going to do with these online allegations [...] regulations say we have to take them,” Mandato said. “We had three in May, and this is just the tip of the iceberg [....] It’s not just me who’s not sure what to do with it, there’s a lot of chatter with other research integrity officers across the country that this will be a real issue in the future.”
Following Mandato’s report and a brief question period, the public part of the meeting closed.
Moment of the Meeting
While Craig Mandato discussed the research misconduct reports, he stressed the problems in both volume and quality of allegations arriving from PubPeer. He noted that these reports often involve outdated cases, such as one from 20 years ago asking if the author had highresolution images, which Mandato emphasized was not a proper allegation. With over 40 such reports, received in July, Mandato explained that although some cases may have substantial merit, many are outdated and simply drain resources for research integrity officers across Canada.
Soundbite
“I just wanted to know if central admin is aware of the fact that not all students have ID cards, and that personally, I dealt with many students [...] who didn’t have ID cards and who were quite stressed out at not being able to get into the building […] to write their midterm exam. It’s nice that you say that every student could get in, but they couldn’t.” — Senator Levey on the academic issues posed by McGill’s security measures the week of Oct. 7.
Saini reported that Maclean’s Magazine ranked McGill first in the medical doctoral category. The university also ranked best in student awards, social sciences and humanities grants, and library acquisitions, despite having only the eighth-highest operating budget. (Rohan Khanna / The Tribune)
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Locker, Bruno
Student protest is meant to disrupt the status quo
The Tribune Editorial Board
Continued from page 1.
The event was organized by the Concordia and McGill chapters of Solidarity for Palestinian Honour and Resistance (SPHR), which demanded that both universities disclose and divest from partnerships tied to illegal Israeli settler colonialism. The demonstration took place in response to escalating Israeli terrorism, invasion, and occupation of Palestine and Lebanon in the past year.
Upon reaching McGill, protestors walked to 505 Avenue des Pins Ouest, a McGill-owned building under construction, set to be the site of the Sylvan Adams Sports Science Institute—a “twin” institute to the one at Tel Aviv University. The project is named after Sylvan Adams, an Israeli billionaire and endorser of Israeli apartheid and violence. Some protestors took part in breaking windows with metal rods and bricks and tagging red
Monique Kasonga Opinion Editor
Afew weeks ago, my professor began our history seminar on Black Internationalism by asking if we had ever imagined ourselves or our families enslaved. Given the subject matter of the class, the question wasn’t necessarily surprising, but I found it unnecessary. As upper-year history students, hadn’t we learned that we don’t need to put ourselves in others’ shoes to understand or humanize them?
What was even more striking was the demographic being asked. The idea of my majoritarily white peers imagining themselves as enslaved in order to empathize with Black suffering was unsettling. I wondered, “Am I being
triangles, a symbol associated with the Palestinian liberation movement. Riot police—some of them on bikes—stormed students, dispersing them using tear gas and pushing them off campus with physical violence.
On Oct. 8, McGill sent a message to staff and students informing them of a 10-day injunction preventing any members of SPHR and “all those who become aware of the judgment” from protesting within five meters of campus buildings. The ambiguity of McGill’s language and policies enables discriminatory enforcement, allowing authorities to selectively target certain groups while permitting others to demonstrate without the same restrictions. This frames some protestors as acceptable while portraying others, many being students of colour, as threats. McGill’s actions set a troubling precedent, suggesting that dissent is only tolerable within narrowly defined boundaries, stifling the very essence of meaningful protest.
The students’ act of breaking windows was not senseless destruction. When institutions
remain indifferent to peaceful and democratic demands for justice, protest must disrupt the very symbols of power and complicity in order to make change. This infrastructure is not neutral; it embodies McGill’s investment in systems of violence and colonialism.
Language itself also poses a threat to progress, as McGill’s administration is unable to acknowledge Israel’s actions as genocidal. Recently, an anonymous legal notice forced the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) to reframe their solidarity motions with Palestine as a commitment “to promote peace” motion, reflecting a trend of students having to refrain from explicit condemnation of genocide. While the McGill administration has supported Israeli students over the past year through student-wide emails, its support for those affected by the violence in Lebanon has been through private emails sent only to registered international Lebanese students, disregarding those with familial ties or dual citizenship who are also affected. By choosing
when to offer public support, McGill demonstrates clear value signalling, and by choosing when to publicly engage, McGill aligns its messaging with political convenience rather than genuine care.
While much of McGill’s rhetoric encourages “peaceful protest,” it also demands that protests don’t disrupt or challenge the institution. However, protest that aligns with convenience will never change the status quo. Student activism is a critical artery for real change, and thus, it must pressure institutions to abandon the status quo on which a given issue is founded. McGill celebrates past movements only after they are safely in the rearview mirror, but condemns today’s activism as it challenges authority. The absence of protests should be far more alarming than their presence; silence in the face of genocide is more dangerous than disruption. The demands from students are clear—McGill must meet them. Anything less than divestment perpetuates the very injustices these protests seek to end.
Activism must be shaped beyond spectacle
oversensitive, or am I just growing increasingly frustrated with how we as humans choose to engage with the historical, and current, suffering of others?”
This experience led me to consider how we digest imagery of others’ hardships on social media and how sharing images of suffering, particularly the suffering of people of colour, has become so common. In an age of hyper-visibility, we increasingly encounter images of human misery—whether it’s police brutality, children killed in conflict zones, the conditions of migrant workers, or any other gruesome injustices. These images often spark outrage and mobilize action, especially among white allies, but history shows that this energy quickly fades. The constant exposure risks turning suffering into a routine part of our daily media consumption, numbing us rather than inspiring lasting change.
The expectation that viewing images of suffering will inspire empathy and action also overlooks the unequal burden placed on marginalized communities. For instance, to Black Americans, videos of police violence that shock white viewers are not new revelations— they are painful reminders of a history that lives in their everyday
experience. As American theologian James Cone wrote, “Black Americans cannot forget the terror of the lynching tree [....] It is buried deep in the living memory and psychology of the Black experience in America.” The same goes for those in African countries and their diasporas who face the generational trauma of colonialism paired with the ongoing harm from neo-colonialism.
More troubling is the underlying assumption that witnessing suffering is necessary to care about or act against injustice. Today, as we scroll through endless images of war, brutality, and displacement, we risk becoming passive consumers of other people’s agony. Images depicting the hardships faced by people of colour, which have long served to reinforce racial hierarchies, evoke empathy no more effectively than a familiar song that calls to mind a past experience. This reliance on graphic imagery or imagining ourselves in others’ shoes reduces adversity to spectacle, framing empathy as something triggered only by what we see. Instead of fostering meaningful action, this approach desensitizes us, trapping us in outrage without the imagination needed to envision a future beyond pain.
Honouring ongoing suffering, as well as those who have lost their
life to it, requires more than passive media consumption; it calls for meaningful action and reflection beyond the visual. We must question whether witnessing suffering interrupts power dynamics or merely reproduces them. Are we being proactive, or are we just watching? If advocacy relies on the continual display of suffering, we remain in a cycle where pain is the primary currency for creating change. We need to imagine a way forward that does not depend on the circulation of violent imagery. Instead of waiting for the next shocking video to reignite our activism, we must shift towards effective strategies that centre community care, justice, and longterm policy solutions. Our advocacy must be based less in reactivity and more on building a world in which the exploitation of violent imagery is no longer necessary. This shift requires us to move beyond empathy that is sparked by trauma and towards solidarity rooted in shared humanity. We do not need to see another video of a Black person killed by police or a child carried from the ruins of war in Palestine to know that injustice exists. What we need is the imagination and commitment to act before the next tragedy is captured on camera.
Celine Li, Ella Gomes, Jasjot Grewal, Sophie Smith TPS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Alex Hawes Silva, Amelia Clark, Asher Kui, Annabella Lawlor, Bianca Sugunasiri, Bianca Tri, Charlotte Hayes, Daniel Miksha, Daniel Pyo, Ellen Lurie, Ethan Kahn, Jamie Xie, Luken Castaneda Garces, Mahin Siddiki, Mairin Burke, Olivia Adrito, Reuben Noam, Samathar Senso, Sarah McDonald, Tamiyana Roemer, Zain Ahmed.
Aiqing Qiu, Anna Seger, Ariella Morgan, Eliot Loose, Hannah Nobile, Lilly Guilbeault, Nour Khouri, Ruby Reimer, Ryan Dvorak.
Clara Smyrski, Isobel Bray, Jeanne Le Roux, Lauren Brownell, Leanne Cherry, Michelle Yankovsky, Russel Ismael, Samuel Ferreira Duran, Simona Culotta, Uma Le Daca Jolicoeur.
Abbey
Cotler, Jen Yoojung Kim, Yi Xi.
Luken Castaneda Garces Staff Writer
SFeeling overwhelmed? Try a flip phone
martphones have become indispensable tools in everyday life, making it easier to stay connected, navigate unfamiliar places, scan menus effortlessly, and access QR codes at events. However, that convenience comes at a high cost. Increasingly, research correlates anxiety, depression, and inattentiveness with smartphone use. As such, some young people are refusing to be dominated by the alluring grip of the smartphone by instead returning to flip phones—and they are experiencing wonderful results. If you are feeling overwhelmed with the constant stimulation of the 21st century and want to simplify your life, start using a flip phone. Having a flip phone helps instill helpful technology habits. Many individuals report a healthier relationship toward technology after switching to a flip phone, even if the switch itself is not permanent. For example, people report relying on Google less often and texting people less compulsively, as it is incredibly tedious to type on a flip phone. These limitations foster a sense of mindfulness. People realize that it is unnecessary to google every question that arises in their minds, that there are certain things which are best left unanswered, and that if something is truly important, they will remember to google it on their laptop once they get home. Similarly, people are
more careful regarding the things they share with their friends over text, and become comfortable with the idea of not being constantly up to date with everyone else’s lives. On the contrary, having a smartphone makes us feel like everything is important and worthy of our attention, because there are no limits to what we can do or learn with such devices. In turn, that leaves individuals unfocused and anxious about not keeping up with everything that’s going on in the digital world.
Most importantly, a flip phone fosters a deep and carefully sustained attention to the world that surrounds us. Having a smartphone is akin to having the “One Ring” from Lord of the Rings. On one hand, it presents us with an alluring promise—it can make our lives better, more efficient, more convenient, and more entertaining. But like the One Ring, the smartphone has but one purpose in mind: To capture our attention and keep us perpetually hooked to the stimulation. Regardless of how useful a smartphone can be, its attractive promise deviates our attention from the seemingly simple, yet important things in the real world. This constant stimulation in our pockets prevents us from doing things such as stopping and smelling a beautiful flower, listening to the birds chirping on a summer evening, or even enjoying the company of our friends by giving them our undivided attention. Conversely, a boring old-fashioned flip phone parallels a bowl of zucchini pasta. It’s a healthier
alternative, but there’s less of a tendency to gorge down a whole bowl since it’s simply not as good as the real deal. In this way, users don’t find themselves reaching for their flip phones as much, and instead can appreciate the constantly fleeting beauty of the external world.
In addition to developing a deep sense of appreciation for things outside of ourselves, flip phones make us feel much less overwhelmed since they narrow down the number of choices that are available to us. In //The Bell Jar// by Sylvia Plath, the character of Esther succinctly describes the jarring experience of the paradox of choice by using a fig-tree analogy. Esther, an English honours student living in the 1950s, is stressed about all the possible turns her future could take. As such, she imagines a big fig tree, with each fig representing one of the many turns her life could take. She could become a professor, a poet, a writer, or a multitude of other things. That paradox still haunts us
in the 21st century, but smartphones and social media have intensified it by creating the illusion of limitless possibilities. In contrast, a flip phone serves as a reminder of our human limitations, stripping away the excess and allowing us to reclaim a sense of clarity amidst the noise.
In the U.S., feature flip phone sales were up in 2022 for HMD Global, with tens of thousands sold each month. (Abbey Locker / The Tribune)
From PTA to GPA: Sharing McGill campus with a parent LAUGHING MATTERS
Uma Le Daca Jolicoeur Contributor
The general opinion seems to be that attending university with a parent is a situation to avoid at all costs. But what few people think about are the unique stories and the closeness you acquire crying over midterms at the same time as your mother.
In my third year at McGill, my mom decided to enroll as well. iPad (as per my recommendation) and the family dog (her favourite child) at her side, she was ready to embark on the journey of completing her master’s degree at the Max Bell School of Public Policy. Her biggest query going into this daunting, intensive program—that included two courses in economics (math is not her forte)—was whether or not I was really okay with her moving to Montreal. As a student myself, and knowing that my mother is a perfectionist (and a genius), I truly had no qualms about the matter. I knew she wouldn’t have the time to nag me, and was thrilled that she could finally realize her dream of going to graduate school. What I did not account for was how often I would have to convince people—my friends and hers, my professors and hers—that I was just as cool and hip as my mom. In light of all this, here are the reasons all McGill students should study alongside their parents.
1. Your parent will get to know the city better than you.
While she studied hard, and read every page that was assigned to her word for word, my mom also managed to have fun with her cohort. They would go out clubbing and to the bars, where she quickly learned McGill’s ‘work hard, play hard’ culture. It’s hard to admit, but my mom has probably seen a better range of Montreal’s nightlife than the rest of us have. While undergrads like me were busy at Bar des Arts (BdA), she was at Sans Soleil and Renard. Like many students, I call my mom for help on virtually every matter, from dentist appointments to leases, and she has always given me her wisdom. This is a quality I’ve always cherished, but I never imagined it would extend to nights out. Yet there we were, at the pre-game, debating where to go—and I found myself calling my mom for advice.
2. You’ll gain new family members. Her friends embraced her and (by extension) me. Between shared school day lunches and the parties my mom invited me to, they became the older siblings I never had. I’ll never forget the moment that she judged a vaping competition between classmates or when I went to her house for dinner during Hype Week wearing the raunchiest T-shirt known to man. I explained that it was for a good
cause and she sent me off to power hour. Sharing a school and a circle revealed sides of my mom that I had never would have imagined or had access to if it hadn’t been for her move.
3. You’ll face new academic competition. It wasn’t all party though—my mom’s grind was real. On top of being a full-time student and a part-time social butterfly, she landed a research assistant gig. That’s when things got interesting: Turns out, my honours thesis supervisors are tight with her research supervisor. So, you might find yourself in the same academic circles, which on the one hand increases the incentive to do well, but on the other, gives you a parent who dishes out regular life advice and also knows the ins and outs of McGill. Talk about levelling up the family dynamic. Looking back, sharing McGill with my mom was an unexpected bonus. It definitely had its quirks, but more importantly, it had its perks. She didn’t just complete her master’s
degree; she also became an integral part of my university experience (with anecdotes to prove it). So, if you ever find yourself sharing campus with a parent, don’t sweat it too much. You’ll probably find a new appreciation for their tenacity, youthfulness and dedication. Who knows, we might find ourselves taking on our PhDs together someday—though she better not get hers before me.
More than one in five college students are parents. (Zoe Lee / The Tribune)
Exploring Montreal’s bilingual identity How our native languages impact our attitudes toward other languages
Michelle Yankovsky Contributor
Living in a vibrant and multicultural city such as Montreal exposes us to a variety of languages each day. Montreal’s linguistic mélange encourages us to consider how these different languages impact our perception of one another’s languages, and the key factors in this process.
In a study conducted in Montreal, Ruo Feng, a recent graduate from McGill’s Honours Psychology program, investigated the multilingual language attitudes of 123 FrenchEnglish bilingual adults with emphasis on two common sociolinguistic metrics: Status and solidarity. She obtained data using self-report questionnaires that collected information about participants’ demographics and their attitudes toward languages.
“My first language is Mandarin, but growing up in Montreal, I’m fluent in both French and English,” Feng said in an interview with The Tribune. “With Quebec having many different French laws, I personally have my own attitudes about both languages.”
According to Feng, a central metric they studied was solidarity: The feeling of belongingness towards a given language.
“It’s much more personal in that way, whereas status is more so how valuable or important you think a language is, so it’s a little bit more removed from the self,” Feng said.
Feng explained that participants’ reported level of solidarity for their first language (L1)
In October 2024, bilingual Quebec communities lost a bid to suspend Bill 96’s implementation, arguing these new laws would cause serious and irrevocable harm. (Rohan Khanna / The Tribune)
was lower for participants whose primary language was English, compared with those whose primary language was French.
“We thought that it could be because English is more like a lingua franca, meaning that it’s [a language] of globalization,” Feng said. This means that we may think of English as a universal language, which may help explain why for some individuals, it does not evoke a strong sense of belonging.
In the study, neighbourhood diversity— which they quantified by measuring the levels of variation and diversity within languages in a given neighbourhood—was investigated as a core environmental influence on language attitudes.
“The finding that resonated with me the most was that having more languages in your neighbourhood does affect your attitudes to-
wards the importance of minority languages,” Feng said. “It speaks to the importance of respecting and honouring all these diverse languages that exist, especially as someone who speaks Mandarin, which is why I think it’s important to me.”
To quantify and explore these effects, Feng utilized the systems framework of bilingualism—developed in part by Debra Titone, a professor in McGill’s Department of Psychology—which suggests that bilingual individuals experience an interrelated system of linguistic influences that shape their language use and linguistic attitudes.
“Individual, interpersonal, and environmental factors affect people’s perceptions about different languages,” Feng said.
Interpersonal language dynamics are person-to-person interactions in daily life within various contexts. Feng quantified this in her study using language-tagged social networks. The findings indicate that having a more interconnected French-speaking personal network was associated with more positive solidarity
attitudes toward French. Next, ecological language dynamics refer to the broader, physical network of language exposure, such as your neighbourhood, work, or school environment. Feng measured ecological language dynamics using Canadian Census data.
“The findings of our cities are important because having a diverse neighbourhood of different languages can have an influence on our attitudes about those diverse languages, like in the workplace or in organizations,” Feng said.
Thirdly, societal language dynamics encompass the political and sociocultural contexts in which individuals live. These dynamics are particularly complex in Quebec due to the provincial government’s language laws, such as Bill 101 and Bill 96. While Feng did not examine these dynamics, they remain an important aspect of studying bilingualism.
Although there is much more research to be done, studies such as Feng’s provide insight into the factors that shape language attitudes. Since Montreal poses a unique case of a population governed by Bill 96, Feng explained the importance of looking outward to other multilingual cities to determine whether her findings are common across multilingual environments, or are impacted by Quebec’s unique political situation.
Moving forward, a more holistic understanding of language attitudes, along with advanced quantitative tools, can significantly benefit language planning policies in multicultural societies, including Montreal.
Turning pollution into power: McGill’s green energy innovation
Developing a method for converting pollution into green fuel
Sarah McDonald Staff Writer
At the First Earth Summit in 1972, the world set out guidelines to help preserve the Earth and prevent climate change. Since then, climate change has gained a prominent place in the global political agenda and has remained a matter of international importance for decades. But what has changed since then? Despite 196 countries uniting at the Paris Agreement of 2016 and committing to achieving green goals by 2030, the rate of global greenhouse gas emissions was at an all-time high between 2010 and 2019, and the world continues to experience devastating natural disasters at an increasing rate.
While governments address climate change by implementing policies like carbon taxes, scientists like Hui Su, a Postdoctoral Fellow in McGill’s Department of Chemistry, and Jing-Tan Han, a PhD student at McGill’s C-J Li Lab, have been striving to develop alternative ways to combat the climate crisis.
In a recent paper published in Nature Communications, Su and Han discuss their success in using light to catalyze the conversion of greenhouse gasses, specifically methane and carbon dioxide, into valuable industrial chemicals such as green methanol and carbon monoxide.
“We wanted to combat the climate change caused by the emissions of greenhouse gasses, so that was our starting point,” Han said in an interview with The Tribune
With a background in small molecule transformation, Han found the reactions he studied often produced carbon monoxide and other greenhouse gasses as byproducts. This observation inspired him to use carbon monoxide and methane as reactants and transform them into useful products.
Since 2014, Han’s team has been dedicated to this research, and after a decade of work, their efforts have begun to come to fruition.
Through their innovative process, gold and palladium ions are added to gallium-nitride, creating a photocatalyst—a substance that alters the reaction rate of a chemical reaction upon exposure to light. With the photocatalyst present, the activation energy required to break the carbon-oxygen bond in carbon dioxide and re-bond that oxygen atom to one of the carbon-hydrogen bonds in methane is decreased, creating methanol.
Methanol, a type of alcohol made primarily from natural gas, serves as a valuable chemical in the production of plastics and construction materials and can be used to fuel vehicles and ships.
Han and Su’s method can synthesize methanol from pollutants without producing any toxic byproducts.
“We didn’t anticipate this product,” Han explained.
Han and Su were expecting the production of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, two gasses that contribute to climate change far less than carbon dioxide, but instead produced methanol and oxygen—a more beneficial result.
This process could help combat climate change—fuel could be created from factory exhaust and other emissions, and recycled to power those same factories and vehicles.
By transforming pollutants like carbon dioxide into usable resources, this new method has the potential to help pull carbon dioxide out of the lower atmosphere, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Before achieving success, the team spent over six months optimizing each aspect of the project.
“We’re still trying to optimize our parameters, but we are trying to scale this process up,” Han explained. In order to decrease costs, they are looking at utilizing other photocata-
lysts, such as nickel or iron, as gallium-nitride is comparably expensive. In addition, they are exploring ways to potentially synthesize cheaper gallium-nitride.
In the meantime, while they continue to optimize their product before they commercialize, the team has patented their new technology.
“[It’s a] new, novel process, which has never really been reported before, [so we’ve created] new opportunities for research,” Han expressed.
Moving forward, this advancement in green-energy technology promises to be a useful tool in the global fight against climate change.
The average car produces approximately 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. (Mia Helfrich / The Tribune)
Figuring Yourself Out Contemplating life after graduation, and where our
sense
of urgency originates
Written,
designed, and
illustrated
by Drea Garcia Avila, Creative Director
TW: Mentions of mental illness
Inever knew what I would be when I grew up. In fact, I never thought I would grow up. My classmates described their aspirations with vivid imagery: How they would be firefighters, doctors, scientists, and journalists. Though I tried to imagine what I would be, I wondered how I could decide between so many options, each as diverse as they were essential.
Would I be a wildlife veterinarian, travelling the world—treating animals and photographing my adventures? Or the caring third-grade teacher? Or the practiced, accommodating doctor? The options appeared endless; I didn’t know how I could make a decision that felt so permanent.
As we grow up, we are often told we should either follow in someone’s footsteps, or be a trailblazer on a semi-trodden path. We ought to be what someone else, some mysterious nameless external force, wants for us, and these influences extend both within and without. Fortunately for me, my parents had but one ask: They wanted me to do what made me happy.
And though I cherished their support, what exactly would that “happiness” be?
Throughout my childhood, I could always find solace in my hobbies, which included video commentary, photography, and games. Somewhere along the way, I found an interest in art, and then one in science, nurtured by nature and amazement at all forms of life. I cherished empathy and wanted to help others learn, think, heal, and feel. But although I felt these could give me purpose, I could not determine if they necessarily sparked joy.
Even as a child, joy didn’t feel profitable—nor did I think it should have to be. I didn’t know how to combine my passions with a fruitful vision of my future. But I also couldn’t imagine devoting myself to a lifelong career that wasn’t driven by love and curiosity. On the other hand, when we link our livelihood, well-being, and future prospects to something that’s supposed to be enjoyable, we threaten the essence of our leisure. It creates a pressure to excel, profit, and surpass others with our hobbies, dimming their appeal. And if the price of maximizing our income is happiness, freedom, and enjoyment, then the ends fail to justify the means.
As I thought about what I could do with my hobbies when I grew up—such as commentary, music, and photography—something like a voice,
simultaneously alien and familiar, overshadowed my exploration: “I don’t think you’re interesting enough to be listened to, or good enough for people to hear you play, and who would ever pay to own what you create?”
I looked to other streamers and commentators, artists, musicians, and photographers, each with vast talent and inspiring dedication. But rather than catalyzing my own journey, I could only worry about how I’d never compare. And as I aged, these thoughts grew louder, unmuffled, and dominating—why bother to pick up a pencil if your work never seems to improve? To play a note, when others are playing better ones? Or to share your thoughts, when those more educated and well-spoken have verbalized already what you could never express?
Doubt has followed me throughout my life’s journey, evolving and disguising itself; it’s loudest when I think about what I’ll do after graduation, and it seems my friends and classmates hear it too.
Compulsive thoughts were voiceless when I was young, but still there, manifesting in obsessiveness and repetition. Eventually, the voice asserted itself as Doubt. It tightened its grasp, tearing at the delicate fabric of my relationships, my life, my senses, and my self-perception. Counting, sensations, and tics were just a few of the symptoms of an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that manifested early and has carried on ever since. But as I grew, I realized life is not as bleak as it seemed. Every day, I try to defy that voice of self-doubt and instead remind myself of my strengths. Today, the voice is quieter in nature, a meaningful conversation, a motivated drawing session, or a late-night study effort.
Once I had discovered a makeshift defence against these thoughts, I decided to refocus on my hobbies and school, which brought a number of struggles of their own.
In high school, every test felt like it would change the course of my life; in university, every midterm has felt like life-ordeath. I’ve had to learn to put things in perspective, how to study effectively, and how to find joy in a moment of monotony rather than worry about what comes next.
Living with OCD as a university student and a first-time participant in Life, I’m learning my personal limits one day at a time. And for me, this determine-your-entire-life-pathby-the-end-of-the-Fall-semester idea is not ideal.
100-character limit box. They sought recommendation after thought I would also do at this ticing medicine was not my true lieve that I was the kind of person school applications are due within stress keeps building, and the voice out of time, and that I’ll enter the vious years on our own didn’t count. But time for what, exactly? our life is just around the corner one oversight away from being after graduation feel so stressful?
School and society
Let’s chat: What’s
In our Western capitalist society, ing is a moment not working. External rations and companies condition as productive, impressive, and the consequences on our health spend any spare time working any media available to distract rather than resting and recovering. the momentum we’ve spent years facets of our lives as university work, school, social responsibilities, school perpetuates these strenuous McGill University’s mascot, the what it wants from its students: A grueling, continuous effort from birth to death. The martlet is supposedly born without legs, condemning it to a life of perpetual flight, for the second it stops flapping marks its end.
External pressures
Pressures not only originate from our schools and workplaces, but also from our families, ties. However, they’re not always want the best for us: To succeed, safely, and happily, and it seems uous excellence and overworking all influenced by our heritage prioritize productivity, devotion the consequences on one’s health, tal, physical, and well-being in some youth are challenging this resistance movement 躺平 (tang social culture of overworking at and ultimately inspiring others in the rat race.
Who gets rewarded?
Throughout the summer and beginning of fall, I watched my friends apply to medical schools—years of dedication, sleepless nights, and tireless efforts summarized in a
Graduation feels especially seems like this section of our life’s while we don’t know for sure where others may have played it better true—but it’s okay. Comparison quality tied to an emotional response worse about ourselves. For people parison can often exacerbate their the endlessly comparing voice tends as life didn’t end after high school, university. We have the rest of our want to do with it, and the only selves.
So, we’ve figured out partially urgency originates from. But the do we actually do after graduating? Can we change our minds? And
They wrote extensive tests and recommendation: All things I age, until I realized that practrue passion. But I wanted to beperson who would. Now, graduate within a couple of months: The voice is telling me I’m running the “real world” soon, as if precount.
Why do we feel like the rest of corner called graduation, and only irredeemable? What makes life stressful?
What’s the rush?
society, any moment spent restExternal factors such as corpocondition us from a young age to be and dedicated as we can, despite health or lifestyle. Additionally, we working on other tasks or consuming ourselves from our situations, recovering. This effort to preserve years building extends to many university students, whether it be our responsibilities, or personal lives. And our strenuous values as well. Notably, the legendary martlet, embodies
families, friends, and communialways ill-intended. Our loved ones succeed, to afford to live comfortably, seems the fastest route is continoverworking oneself. Additionally, we’re heritage and cultures. Some cultures devotion and work ethic, regardless of health, which encompasses menin every aspect of one’s life. But this notion, such as the Chinese tang ping, ‘to lie flat’) against the at the expense of one’s health, others to take time to heal—a halt
especially nerve-wracking since it life’s rat race is ending. And where we landed, it feels like better than us. And maybe that’s Comparison is an intrinsic human response that can make us feel people with mental illness, comtheir symptoms; in my case, tends to be deafening. But just school, neither will life end after our lives to determine what we only proxy that matters is our-
partially where this abstract sense of the bigger question now is: What graduating? Do we stick to one path? And most importantly, should we
do what makes us happy at the risk of little to no profit, or do we find something we can tolerate 50 out of 52 weeks of the year?
Of course, making a living is important. But just because something doesn’t feel bad doesn’t necessarily mean it’s right.
The rush to figure out what to do with the rest of our lives draws near, and it feels like any wrong move could preemptively end our efforts. But I argue that life would improve if we took things day by day, and did more of what we enjoyed. If we spoke more spontaneously with others; meandered on a trail; appreciated our privilege of being able to study, meditate, or create art. As humans, one of the great advantages of our evolution is that our brains allow us to change our minds whenever we gain insight that is compelling enough—and what is ‘compelling’ is entirely our decision. We have the agency to choose.
We are made to believe there are two choices: A lucrative career we’re uninterested in and disconnected from, or a monetization of our passions. However, both these options share one ultimate goal: Maximizing our income. But I suggest an alternative: That we put all this aside, if we can, and live in the moment. That we simply do things (even badly) because we can—because we enjoy them. To try to be more present in our daily lives, and live a little more deeply.
On my way to the lab, I walk down a road I’ve walked a hundred times before, wearing my headphones to dull my senses with music. I pass buildings that have become landmarks to orient myself, timing my turns with certain shapes and colours, and running when I feel the vibration of the metro arriving. I leave the station, walk mindlessly up the hill, and begin my work.
But the next day, I try something new.
I walk down the same road I’ve walked a hundred times before. I remove my headphones and hear how loud my water bottle clacks in my backpack, my hanging carabiners screeching an arrhythmic melody. My shoes squeak, the wind whistles, and I’m reminded of why I numbed the noise to begin with.
But as I continue, I look around. The trees have turned orange without any warning, depositing dead crunching leaves underfoot. Autumn decorations adorn the exteriors of buildings with crackling red paint atop
spreading over their symphyses. Above me, the clouds form wisps, moving hurriedly towards some common destination amongst a dim blue sky. A crow flies crying to its murder; a lounging cat stares from its forest green porch. The smell of wet autumn leaves, rainfall, and construction dance and swirl.
I’ve spent my life wondering when it would start, which has caused me to miss out on it all along. Maybe I won’t be able to afford a nice car, a mansion, lavish meals, and to travel every weekend. But without the hypotheticals and fears—anxious worries about what I’ll do for the rest of my life, and how little time I have to do it in—the more I see, the slower time seems to pass, and the previously mundane becomes entrancing. If I’m lucky, I’ll afford to walk a local trail, and have a good conversation in a home that feels warm and safe.
And I think the most fantastical thought yet: What if I decide to choose myself, as I am right now. Not who I could be, or working towards some version of myself that I will never truly achieve as the bar keeps moving forward; but me as I exist in this moment—with all my insecurities, worries, dreams, and desperations. To choose my passions and interests outside of the lens of productivity and perfection—and enjoy them as they are right now. I think this is a goal worth working towards, and it might just be where I’ll find the happiness I seek.
High and dry: How does drying affect weed quality?
Optimizing postharvest techniques for better cannabis products
Leanne Cherry Contributor
While many students spend their day surrounded by cannabis, not all of them can claim that it’s “for research purposes.” For some bioengineering researchers, though, this is their reality. With cannabis slowly rising in popularity among Canadians, research in the field is more relevant than ever.
In a recent publication in the journal Industrial Crops and Products, Mark Lefsrud, associate professor at the McGill School of Environment, examined how various postharvest practices affect cannabis quality.
Specifically, Lefsrud and his colleagues investigated how different treatments and dehydration techniques used after harvesting affected the concentration of cannabinoids— chemicals found in cannabis, including THC and CBD—the colour of the flower, and the drying time. Treatments and techniques included pre-freezing, adjustments in temperature, vacuum drying, and microwave drying.
“After you harvest the cannabis plant, you have to dry it down, and then you can sell it as a bud after it’s been pruned or trimmed. We were trying to come up with ways to improve the quality of the bud,” Lefsrud said in an interview with The Tribune. “We found that if we pre-froze the product and then [vacuum]dried it or microwave-dried it, we could actually improve some of the product, specifically
How
does sign
increasing [its content of THC—compounds that cause the high and intoxication].”
Pre-freezing additionally helped to preserve the bud’s chlorophyll, a compound known for giving plants their characteristic green colour. However, this is not necessarily a desired outcome, depending on where the product is sold and to whom.
“Some like [the buds] to be green, some like them to be kind of golden, and some like them to be almost bleached out white. Some smokers actually maintain that chlorophyll is what causes a harshness in the smoke, and
so we shouldn’t have it. There are others that maintain that [chlorophyll] has nothing to do with it,” Lefsrud explained.
A combination of pre-freezing and vacuum-drying improved the drying time, in some cases reducing it by as much as 71 per cent.
This study was one of many on cannabis conducted in Lefsrud’s Biomass Production Lab. Among other topics, the lab has studied production methodology, observing how the quality of light in a cannabis plant’s environment can increase its rate of growth and cannabinoid content.
Lesfrud has also examined the environmental consequences of producing and distributing cannabis in Canada. He noted, however, that this study was not exhaustive and that more work is needed towards answering the questions that arose after its publication.
To further his impact on cannabis research, Lefsrud and his colleagues across the country are trying to get graduate students involved in the industry. After receiving a $1.65 million CAD grant from NSERC in 2020, they founded a program to further this goal.
“We called it the Quality Assurance and Quality Control for Cannabis CREATE Training Centre, with the goal of training about 52 to 54 graduate students on better economic mechanisms for cannabis production, as well as working with the companies to try to improve their technology too,” Lefsrud said.
Because recreational cannabis was only legalized in Canada in 2018, researchers have had relatively little time to explore the field. The legalization presented Lefsrud with the unique opportunity to both make new discoveries and add scientific rigour to a field that previously lacked it.
Lefsrud’s work not only allows cannabis growers to optimize their harvesting techniques but also provides them with new insights about the plants they’ve worked so closely with; it is a learning experience for everyone involved.
“It’s not everyday that you get to play with a crop that has been ignored for thousands of years from a research perspective,” Lefsrud said.
language impact deaf children’s ability to learn spoken language?
Researchers finds that early language exposure fuels cognitive growth for infants
Russel Ismael
Contributor
An infant’s first three years of life are their most intensive period for acquiring language. At this stage, parents often speak to their children to stimulate language development and avoid communication challenges later on for their infant. However, this period can be difficult to navigate for speaking parents of deaf infants, as the children cannot absorb the parents’ spoken language.
Expert opinions on how to navigate early childhood education for deaf infants have changed over the years. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, teachers often discouraged sign language for deaf children, instead focusing on lip reading and producing speech sounds. In addition to the ethical concerns around preventing children from accessing communication methods that are most natural to them, current research shows that this approach may impair children’s language development. Audrey Delcenserie, a McGill graduate pursuing a PhD at the Université de Montréal, has published a paper regarding language deprivation and its adverse impacts on deaf children’s linguistic development.
“If you don’t expose [deaf children] to sign language, they actually go through linguistic deprivation, as they are not exposed to auditory inputs and they are not exposed to
visual inputs,” Delcenserie said in an interview with The Tribune. “This means that [deaf children] start [language learning] after what we call the ‘critical’ or ‘sensitive’ period for phonological development.”
If deaf children only begin learning language after this critical period, they may struggle with learning any language, whether it be visual or auditory. As such, Delcenserie emphasized that parents should use any available resources to teach their children sign language.
The Visual Takeover Hypothesis (VTH) is often cited by those concerned with sign language being taught to deaf children, as the hypothesis asserts that learning a visual language may impair auditory language development. This hypothesis argues that deaf children who receive a cochlear implant—a device that makes sound waves perceptible to deaf individuals by synthesizing the waves—later struggle with auditory language, as their brain has been primed for visual learning.
However, Delcenserie argued that the concerns regarding the VTH are overstated. She asserted that exposure to any language, even in suboptimal conditions, is better than having no exposure at all.
“An increasing number of studies show that [the VTH] is not the case,” Delcenserie said. “The changes that happen in the brain are actually more of a consequence of deafness itself than exposure to signs.”
In Delcenserie’s research, she observed positive outcomes in cognitive growth for
children who were exposed to sign language. Delcenserie calls these children ‘multimodal bilinguals,’ as they show proficiency in both auditory and visual languages and have the potential to further develop these skills.
“As the results point out, [multimodal bilingual] kids actually do quite well in terms of auditory perception when we tested these kids in French,” Delcenserie explained. “So this means their exposure to sign language may not be detrimental for their acquisition of French.”
Delcenserie also stated that even if VTH was a valid model, the speech pathology community would need to decide whether auditory difficulties are preferable to language deprivation.
“It’s possible that my results may not be replicated, and that people will come up with different results—it’s science, it’s perfectly fine,” Delcenserie said. “Even if [VTH] is true, I think parents should ask themselves what’s the best for their child: These perceptual difficul-
ties, or language and cognition?”
Delcenserie is hopeful that her paper will positively contribute to the discourse on sign language exposure and its benefits for deaf children.
“It’s quite clear that an increasing number of studies actually suggest that not exposing kids to any language input, whatever the modality is, is detrimental for language acquisition and cognitive development,” Delcenserie explained. “I don’t really know why [some speech pathologists] persist in thinking that linguistic deprivation might be a good idea, but I hope the article will help.”
The first-ever item sold on the internet was a bag of marijuana. (Drea Garcia Avila / The Tribune)
There are about 300 different sign languages used around the world. (Abbey Locker / The Tribune)
Martlets Field Hockey host their first home game in over five years
McGill narrowly missed victory in a hard battle against Queen’s Gaels
Zain Ahmed Staff Writer
After a five-year absence, the McGill Women’s Field Hockey team finally returned to their home pitch: Percival Molson Stadium. On Oct. 12, the Martlets hosted their only home games of the season against the Queen’s Gaels. Despite narrowly falling short in both matches (2-0 and 3-2), the team displayed unwavering passion. The Martlets put in the hard yards as they were bolstered by the energy in the stands, showcasing their skills against a strong Queen’s opposition in front of a supportive home crowd.
Head Coach Casey Brennan-Raab commented on pre-game morale in an interview with The Tribune
“[There were] definitely some nerves,” he said. “[As] we progressed through the week, the team started to realize: ‘Yes, this is our game’, and things settled down. The nervousness turned to excitement, and that excitement translated to the intensity that you guys saw on the field today.”
The Martlets have travelled to Ontario every weekend since Sept. 21 to compete against experienced opponents like the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. Defender Clara Smyrski, U2 Arts and Science, told The Tribune that this gruelling schedule has had physical and mental impacts on the athletes.
“It is exhausting to travel 20 hours every weekend,” Smyrski said. “It’s hard to succeed when you’re coming off an eight-hour bus ride, but this weekend was different. We were comfortable, unified, and really excited to show out in front of our family and friends.”
From the first whistle of game one, the Martlets quickly settled into a rhythm. With flurries of well-executed passes, grandiose sweep shots, concrete defensive blocks, and intense sprinting across the turf, there was talent on display everywhere the supporters looked. The first
game against Queen’s was a tightly contested affair. Both teams battled fiercely, creating numerous opportunities. While the Gaels found the back of the net twice, the Martlets put up a stalwart defensive effort and ran the Gaels all over the park. Sara Prins, U1 Arts, was awarded player of the game for her insatiable energy holding the team together in the midfield.
The second game was even more dramatic with the Martlets using their momentum and undying fight from game one to lead 2-1 going into the third period of game two. Impressive goals from forward Natalie Doehla, U3 Science, and midfielder Avery Berry, U1 Science, made for a ferocious fight going into the third. However, the Gaels bit back in the 28th minute, tying the game at 2-2. The Martlets didn’t let up, stopping chances and creating more of their own, but the Gaels clinched the game in the 54th minute, securing a nail-biting victory in the fourth period. While the results may not have been in their favour, the Martlets fought tirelessly and left it all on the field.
“The field hockey we played today was the best we’ve played all season and it is no doubt because of our mindset and support,” Smyrski said. “It makes a huge difference!”
The return to Molson Stadium was a significant milestone for McGill Field Hockey. It marked the beginning of a new chapter filled with optimism about team success and playing more games on the gleaming home turf.
The end of an era: The Oakland A’s relocate to Vegas
The team says goodbye to Oakland
Samuel Ferreira Duran Contributor
On Sept. 26, the Oakland Athletics (A’s) played their final game in the storied yet crumbling Oakland Coliseum ahead of their relocation to Las Vegas, defeating the Texas Rangers 3-2 in a bittersweet victory. Despite the triumph and a sold-out stadium, the Coliseum was filled with a kaleidoscope of emotions, including fans’ feelings of anger and sadness. These are sentiments likely to resonate with Montreal Expos supporters, the last fanbase in Major League Baseball (MLB) to undergo a relocation before the A’s.
The game marked the end of a historic chapter for the A’s. Although Oakland was the A’s third home, after Philadelphia and Kansas City, it became its most decorated. Since their move from Kansas City to Oakland in 1968, the team won four World Series titles, including three consecutive championships from 1972 to 1974.
The A’s move to Vegas will be the latest departure in a series of team exits from Oakland following the Warriors’ move to San Francisco in 2019 and the Raiders’ relocation to Las Vegas in 2020.
The A’s departure, while heartbreaking, was not a shock to Oakland fans. The franchise has been burdened with the task of finding a new stadium to replace the
historic Coliseum for years and has considered relocation several times. The A’s fanbase overwhelmingly considers the franchise’s relocation to Las Vegas as a direct result of poor management by the team’s owner, John Fisher. Fans have determinedly but unsuccessfully pushed for him to sell the team. Ahead of the A’s final game in Oakland, Fisher released a statement to saddened fans addressing his failure to find the team a new stadium in Oakland. He urged A’s fans to continue supporting the team and consistently highlighted his efforts to keep the team in Oakland.
Many fans found the letter insincere, including ABC7 Sports Director Larry Beil who ripped up the statement live on air. The disappointment over the A’s departure even caught the attention of U.S. presidential candidate Kamala Harris, a Bay Area native, who lamented the A’s departure from Oakland on the All the Smoke podcast.
To make matters worse for Oakland sports fans, the A’s relocation to Vegas will not be complete until the 2028 season. The A’s will play the next three seasons at Sutter Health Park, the stadium of the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, as they wait for their new stadium to be built. During this time, the A’s will lack a home city and will simply be known as the Athletics.
For Montreal baseball fans, the A’s’ relocation draws reminders of the Expos’
move in 2004, and for some, even shines hopes of the return of an MLB franchise to the city. Montreal has been a candidate city to host a new franchise in the MLB in recent years. A survey conducted by The Athletic in 2022 of over 11,500 subscribers showed that 45.4 per cent of fans would like to see a new franchise in Montreal. While sports franchise relocations always cause sadness and disappointment among fans of the departing team, they can also bring excitement and opportunity to new cities which are desperate to call a
Moment of the Game
Natalie Doehla scored the first goal in game two following a whirlwind of shots and blocks, with the Martlets pummelling the Queen’s defence. Doehla rifled the ball into the goal, cracking into the backboard with a powerful shot to end in elation for the Martlets. The goal released all the pent up tension on the field and gave a sense that the floodgates had opened. It allowed them to ultimately take the lead in the second period and battle until the last minute.
Quotable
“I’m feeling very motivated because we were so intense in that game, we just have to continue our system, which has worked really well [....] Away days are definitely hard for us but after the games we played this weekend, I think we can really take it to them and finish our season with some highquality field hockey. We love our sport and each other so we hope to take our momentum from this weekend away to Toronto!” — Defender Jenna Payette, U2 Science.
Stat corner
The Martlets have won two home games and two away games against Queen’s with a conference record of 4–23–5 against them since their first game in 2003.
major franchise their own.
A’s fans have every reason to be upset with the mismanagement of the team. The franchise’s owners have run the A’s like a business, prioritizing their financial interests over their fans. Pursuing flawed stadium projects in Oakland and managing the lowest payroll in the MLB by a wide margin is not the right strategy if your goal is to win championships. As A’s fans know, sports teams should be run as passion projects, not as financial ventures.
The Oakland A’s had the lowest payroll in the MLB for the 2024 season, spending almost $30 million USD less than the next lowest franchise. (Hannah Nobile / The Tribune)
With the appointment of new coaching staff for the 2024 season, Martlet’s Field Hockey looks to host OUA opponents more in coming seasons. (Mary Kay Wieler)
Know Your Team: McGill Swimming
Their success emphasizes the importance of team in an individual sport
Clara Smyrski Contributor
The McGill Swim Team has dominated the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), taking home the championship for the past three years. The team started this season strong at their first meet, where they racked up 1,187.5 points, 477.5 points above the second-place team, the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees. They have also made their mark nationally, when the women’s team came in fourth place and the men placed third at the 2024 U SPORTS championships last spring. Members of the team sat down with The Tribune to discuss the group’s recent successes, their rigorous schedule, and how support from team members can have an impressive effect on an individual sport.
The team follows an intensive schedule that spans from preseason in August to the U SPORTS championships in March. Swimmers participate in at least seven practices each week, including double sessions twice a week and weight training sessions. This means that on particularly busy days, swimmers can train for up to five hours while balancing their academic commitments. On top of this, the team competes in meets every other week. Women’s Captain Naomie Lo, U3 Engineering, discussed the training schedule in an interview with The Tribune
“Training that amount of hours on top of school is not an easy pursuit, and that’s where a team is really important, to kind of help motivate each other,” she said. “We’re 50 swimmers, which is a lot, but it’s nice because there’s 50 other people going through the exact same thing as you, and we do a really good job of bringing each other up, especially when we’re down.”
As Lo explained, it is clear that support from the team is one of the pillars of McGill Swim’s success. The team has bolstered the positive group dynamic outside of practice and meets. 2024 McGill Female Rookie of the Year Maya McGhan credits the team’s trip to Puerto Rico last year as a beneficial team bonding experience.
“From there, so many friendships and connections were built that are super important to me now, and I think that really made me feel welcome on the team and brought us together before nationals,” she said.
Along with the hours of practice and the supportive team culture, much of the team’s success is attributed to their coaching staff, led by Head Coach Peter Carpenter, who has been the Martlets’ and Redbirds’ coach for 16 years. Carpenter focuses on individualized coaching, saying he moved away from a ‘cookie-cutter’ approach after advancing to the university level.
“I started focusing a lot more on coaching the person rather than coaching
A runner’s guide to Montreal
the athlete,” Carpenter said. “The distinction there is looking at each person as an individual and trying to provide what they need in all aspects of their lives to make a more holistic approach.”
The McGill Swim Team’s future is looking bright. McGhan expressed that some key recruits have joined the team in recent years, and the returning players are excited about their prospects. While some teams might see past successes as added pressure that hinders athletes from performing their best, Men’s Captain Bruno Dehem-Lemelin, U6 Engineering, explained that the swim team views it as a motivating factor that helps them reach their full potential.
A handpicked list of running route recommendations
Anoushka Oke Sports Editor
About 27,000 runners participated in either the Montreal Marathon or the Montreal Half this September, showcasing the city’s passion for running. I ran cross-country and distance track in high school, and when I arrived in Montreal, I was thrilled to discover that the city is a paradise for running enthusiasts; it’s a city where early mornings will see the late-night partiers crossing paths with the early-morning runners. Montreal’s thriving running culture is supported by local athletic stores and brands (like Ciele), its fun and inclusive run clubs, and all of the many running routes it offers. Here are some of my personal favourite routes that are great for any Montreal runner.
Mont Royal
Let’s start with the elephant in the room—the fact that there is an entire mountain resting right in the middle of our city makes for several running route options. Mont Royal is covered in miles of trails of varying steepness, and a run to the summit is rewarded with stunning views of the city skyline. Mont Royal’s trails offer Montrealers a nature-based refuge from city life, making them a peaceful and pleasant place to run. It also features Beaver Lake, which has a running
and walking path around its perimeter.
Straight shot along Sherbrooke or de Maisonneuve
This one is controversial—I know many people who are repulsed at the thought of running on such a busy street where onlookers could watch their every move, but I personally love the feeling of running through a busy urban area. There is an abundance of energy around you, and so much to watch and distract yourself with while you run. If you mistime your run and the sun starts to set, there is little risk of being in a dark and isolated area. The frequent crosswalks across busy
streets with stop lights also offer beginner runners some breaks. While either direction is enjoyable, I prefer going southwest because it is a gradual uphill on the way out and then a gradual downhill on the way back. As you approach Westmount when running southwest from McGill’s campus, occupy your mind by taking a look at all of the multi-million dollar houses and cute shops scattered throughout the neighbourhood.
Through the Plateau to Parc La Fontaine
Mont Royal isn’t the only greenspace that is an attractive backdrop for a run; running through Parc La Fontaine and the areas surrounding it is part of my favourite five-kilometre route. It is a great option for people like myself who prefer flatter running routes, and it’s both beautiful and lively. People are always out walking their dogs, playing sports, having picnics, and, of course, running. The park features walking paths and a pond surrounded by a perfect running path. Although it is significantly smaller than Mont Royal, incorporating some of the charming surrounding Plateau streets into
“Especially before the first meet, we are [...] never 100 per cent sure of where the other teams are at,” he said in an interview with The Tribune . “Coming into Cup One is always a bit stressful, and then seeing the good result makes us happy and excited about the rest of the year. We’ve won the RSEQ the past four seasons, so we’re hoping [to do it again], and it’s looking good after Cup One, but it’s obviously not done.”
Hearing from the swimmers themselves, it is clear that McGill Swimming will continue cementing their success in the RSEQ and U SPORTS history books. One can expect to see great things from the team this year and for years to come.
your route will enhance the running experience. I particularly recommend doing this route during golden hour, as the tree leaves and the ripples of the pond become illuminated in the most stunning way.
Along the Lachine Canal
Running southeast from McGill’s campus will eventually bring you to the Lachine Canal, which is neighboured by both a bike path and a running trail. From my experience, running by a body of water makes for a more peaceful run. The route will also take you through neighbourhoods outside the typical McGill bubble like Griffintown, Little Burgundy, and St. Henri. Along this route you will also pass Atwater Market—the perfect spot for a mid- or post-run treat.
Bonus: a route to avoid Straight shot along St. Catherine
The great thing about running along Sherbrooke or Maisonneuve is that you get the city feel while still having room to move around and weave through people. This is not the case with St. Catherine, at least not the part that aligns with McGill’s campus. The few times I made the mistake of running here, I often found myself walking because there was no safe way to pass through the bustling crowds of people. All-in-all, it makes for a frustrating experience and an abhorrent elapsed running time.
Emilia Mastromatteo, U2 Science, won four gold medals, was named female swimmer of the meet, and broke the school record for the 50-metre Butterfly at the Cup opener on Oct. 11. (Matt Garies / McGill Athletics)
McGill has its very own running group, the McGill Students’ Run Club. (Mia Helfrich / The Tribune)
Montreal needs to plan around its cultural heritage
The Court of Appeal of Quebec’s decision on the operation of La Tulipe sets a dangerous precedent for similar
venues
Charlotte Hayes Staff Writer
On Sept. 23, the Court of Appeal of Quebec ordered La Tulipe, a century-old concert hall in the heart of Montreal’s Plateau-Mont-Royal borough, to halt all shows due to a longstanding series of noise complaints from surrounding residents. While the Court’s original ruling from May 2023 stated that the theatre had to comply with Section 8 of the borough’s noise regulation code by soundproofing the interior of the building, the September 2024 ruling now invokes Section 9—a far stricter rule requiring that no noise from sound equipment such as loudspeakers be heard from nearby properties, regardless of intensity—forcing La Tulipe to close its doors.
“This situation of constraint that we have been experiencing for eight years now has cost us enormous losses in operating revenues for the venue, legal fees, and all kinds of damages,” reads a statement from La Tribu, the Quebec-based company that owns La Tulipe.
The complaints lodged against La Tulipe stem from the owner of an apartment building located adjacent to the venue. Although the section of Avenue Papineau where both buildings are located is zoned for commercial use, the city has permit -
ted owner Pierre-Yves Beaudoin to use the space as a residential building housing 16 people since 2016. If property owners like Beaudoin can bend zoning rules, they shouldn’t expect the environment to reflect that of a residential zone—and more generally, the city shouldn’t concede to landlords’ every whim. This ruling sets a dangerous precedent, particularly in a city like Montreal whose character, heritage, and culture are so deeply tied to its art.
At the heart of this issue is balancing the need for historical preservation and addressing Montreal’s current rental crisis. In the past four years, rental prices in the city have surged by 27 per cent while eviction rates simultaneously reached an all-time high in 2023. Combined with the city’s mere 1.5 per cent vacancy rate, it’s never been harder to find and keep an apartment in Montreal. It’s understandable then that a borough would build where there is availability, regardless of the surrounding landscape. But adequate housing is so much more than just building units haphazardly throughout the borough—it requires proper consideration for the urban environment.
Respect for and preservation of historic properties, like La Tulipe, benefits not only the businesses they house but also members of the community. When housing takes absolute precedence over everything else within a neighbourhood, it degrades
the quality of life for residents new and old. There may be more apartments, but without ways of engaging with the city’s culture, it begs the question of why one would choose to live there in the first place. People are so much more than just residents of a building or borough; they are community members, and they deserve a neighbourhood that they want to live in.
In addition to being historic locations, these properties are businesses that employ many members of Montreal’s arts community. Thus, when venues such as La Tulipe are forced to shut their doors, the economic fallout extends beyond the surrounding physical area to the larger arts community across the city.
“It is also the entire ecosystem that suffers: Artists, musicians, technicians, event promoters, [La Tulipe]’s employees,” reads the same statement from La Tribu.
The longer-term implications of failing to properly regulate the construction of residential properties in the city will be
the degradation of cultural monuments in each neighbourhood. Popular tourist destinations like the Musée des beaux-arts will (hopefully) always be there, but smaller venues, restaurants, and galleries like La Tulipe are at real risk of extinction. It is those institutions, used on a regular basis by those who live in the city, that make Montreal the hub of creativity that it is. In the absence of spaces to practice and proliferate art in the community, we lose a core sense of identity that is profoundly important to the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough in particular, as a historic epicentre for musicians in Montreal.
Pretty Little Liars Lily Dodson, Contributor
Every fall, there’s little my sister and I enjoy more than sitting on our couch and binging episodes of Pretty Little Liars ( PLL ). Since discovering it on our parents’ Netflix account at the ages of 10 and 12, we’ve been hooked.
The eerie, ominous nature of the show makes it perfect for fall. Set in the fictional town of Rosewood, PA, PLL follows a group of four friends grappling with the murder of the fifth member of their clique, while also receiving threatening messages from an anonymous stalker who signs off as “A.” Even though it has some of the most absurd story arcs and one-liners in television history— “Call off your techno boy toy, or I tell the cops what your mom keeps in the lasagna box” is a quip I can’t begin to explain to a non-viewer—it is thoroughly entertaining. Despite rewatching it around half a dozen times, the show’s seemingly endless supply of nonsensical plot twists ensures it never gets tiring.
Beyond its absurdity, the show is a touching ode to friendship. The four ‘liars’ stick together despite all of the chaos they face throughout the show’s seven seasons. My sister and I enjoy watching to get a good laugh in, but I have grown to appreciate the absolute loyalty that the girls have for each other, and that itself reminds me of why we keep going back to it every fall.
Tell Me Lies Season Two
Siena Torres, Contributor
Season two of Tell Me Lies just finished airing last week, and I am still reeling from its cliffhanger ending. Since it first aired in 2022, Tell Me Lies has created a scandalous, raunchy, and toxic world worthy of its Gossip Girl influences. One major difference is that it is a rare television show set in a university, which allows for more scandal and consequences than a high school setting does.
Told mostly through the eyes of Lucy (Grace Van Patten), we follow her from her freshman year with her new friends and observe how she becomes involved with the narcissistic Stephen (Jackson White). The show is held together by the real-life couple’s intense chemistry, which provides the only justification for why Lucy keeps coming back to such a toxic relationship.
In flash-forward moments, the friend group celebrates a wedding that threatens to implode due to past secrets. The new season expands on other characters’ troubles including an affair, a sexual trauma, and explorations of queerness. The episodes aired weekly which allowed for anticipation to build for the finale and its relentless string of reveals. If you are looking for a new show to binge with characters that will provoke your emotions, Tell Me Lies is well worth a watch.
Saturday Night
Annabella Lawlor, Staff Writer
90 minutes until showtime. The final bricks are being laid. There are too many sketches for too little time. Cigarettes are smoked in anticipation. The microphones stop functioning. There’s no one to work the lights. Fights break out over a bee costume. Scripts are burned. 20 gallons of blood are misplaced. It’s Oct. 11, 1975, and Saturday Night Live is set to premiere at 11:30 p.m.
Jason Reitman’s new film, Saturday Night , thoughtfully replicates the growing tensions between the cast and crew of the historically acclaimed sketchcomedy show. The film follows showrunner Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) on his quest to tame the chaos of comedic creativity. With his performance, LaBelle captures the looming fear of failure in the show’s conception and the anxieties of harnessing the self-involved talents of up-and-comers including Chevy Chase, John Belushi, and Gilda Radner. The set and costuming transport the audience back to 1975, perfectly capturing the dying state of late-night comedy in the period with its juxtaposition of the kitsch comedy then airing to SNL ’s seem -
ingly revolutionary approach to the genre. Saturday Night is an ode to the original show’s everlasting legacy and cultural impact, memorializing it in 16mm film as the rebirth of comedic culture. It’s emotional and tense, reminding viewers of the young comedians who once sought to revitalize late-night television with their daring absurdism and refreshing humour.
La Tulipe was first constructed in 1913. (Yoojung Kim / The Tribune)
Saturday Night’s director Jason Reitman wrote for SNL for one week in 2008. (Mia Helfrich / The Tribune )
Tokyo Police Club says a final “au revoir” to Montreal The Canadian band stops at Théâtre Beanfield for their farewell tour
Isobel Bray Contributor
Continued from page 1.
Even if they were unfamiliar faces to some audience members, their music still had people moving and singing along with their friends. The longtime friends of TPC celebrated the band’s career, and by their last song, the crowd’s energy was palpable.
People eagerly awaited TPC’s arrival, erupting into raucous applause the moment the band stepped onstage. Kicking off the set with “Argentina (Parts I, II, III),” the band’s passion for performing shone through. When not playing, Wright danced around on stage, having fun with both the audience and his bandmates. Hook and Monks also moved around the stage, making sure to include Alsop in the fun. Their setlist featured songs from all eras of their discography, including their biggest hits and fan-favourites like “End of a Spark” and “Nature of the Experiment.”
Between songs, they celebrated Montreal as their honourary second home and a major part of their origin story. In 2006, they performed at POP Montreal, a notfor-profit music festival. Monks attended
McGill at the time, so all four band members crammed into his Gardner Hall dorm room. Shortly after, the band signed with Toronto-based label Paper Bag Records and released their debut record A Lesson In Crime . Both Monks and Alsop dropped out of school to pursue music, and this risky decision has evidently paid off: TPC has performed on Late Night with David Letterman and at festivals like Osheaga and Coachella, making themselves a household name in Canada and beyond.
The band views this tour as a celebration of their career and friendship, and though the show had its fair share of headbanging, the stage’s small standing lights also made for a more intimate atmosphere. Near the end of the set, Monks entered the stage alone to perform “The Harrowing Adventures Of…” and “Ready To Win.” Monks wrote the latter about looking back on mistakes but finding the strength to move forward (the day after turning 30). It includes the lyric, “So
turn on the house lights, turn to your left / Shake hands with someone that you’ll probably forget”—and the audience did just that. The lights came up and people who didn’t know each other shook hands before turning back to the stage to enjoy the music they all came to see. This felt especially fitting for a TPC performance, as the band expressed the desire for their music to bring people together.
TPC exited the stage after playing “Tessellate,” but the crowd chanted “Tokyo” until they returned for the encore. During “Cheer It On,” whose lyrics feature the band’s name, the audience joyfully yelled the lyrics back to them. Before closing with “Your English Is Good,” an indie-rock favourite, Monks asked the audience to wave, and the band waved back, saying their final “au revoir” to Montreal.
Throughout their performance, the band leaned on each other—literally and metaphorically—making sure to tell their fans how much this experience has meant to them. The audience members showed their love for the band with enthusiastic cheers and energetic dancing. It’s clear that even though Tokyo Police Club’s time as a band is coming to an end, their music will still have a place in Montreal, and in the hearts of many fans, both old and new.
‘White Bird:’ A heartbreaking tale of courage and kindness in the face of mass destruction
A reminder to everyone of how difficult it is to be kind, making it all the more important
Bianca Sugunasiri Staff Writer
How is it that we can enter a theatre dry-eyed and fresh-faced and emerge several hours later, eyes glistening with tears? It is not simply violence or harm that touches our souls. To elicit such a visceral reaction, something more is required: Injustice. Harm inflicted upon the innocent and kind is what squeezed the hearts of those who have gone to see the 2024 film White Bird: A Wonder Story —a sequel to the 2017 film Wonder A story that may seem on the surface acrimonious is in fact a beautiful depiction of kindness and its capabilities in the face of hardship.
From the title to the end credits, the film relies on the motif of the “white bird,” symbolic of comfort, purity, and peace, whilst war and hatred seek to consume everyone and everything around it. The white bird provides comfort not only for the audience but also for Sara Blum (Ariella Glaser), a young Jewish girl struggling to stay afloat as her beloved hometown in France becomes infiltrated by Nazi soldiers. Forced to flee her home, her family, and all the comfort she has ever known, the white bird is the only thing to console her in the icy solitude of the woods. Sara’s white bird, however, is not just an image, but the young boy Julien Beaumier, who despite
being subjected to brutal affronts every day at school, retains a glimmering kindness in his heart. He hides Sara in his barn, threatening his own life in the process every day.
But perhaps what appeals to the audience most is the reason why this story is being told. In the film’s “present day,” Sara is an elderly woman, portrayed by Helen Mirren, revealing her heart-breaking story to her grandson, Julian Albans, in an attempt to make him understand that being kind is the most courageous thing anyone can attempt. As Julian learns about the courage and kindness of his namesake, we sit along with him, helpless to do anything but listen to the horrors inflicted upon Julien Beaumier, an innocent child just trying to do the right thing.
Sara, as a narrator, allows us to view Julien Beaumier through her eyes as he transforms from what the film describes as the pathetic boy at school, to the person she admires most in the world. He demonstrates kindness as something that isn’t weak or passive, but instead something difficult and powerful. Orlando Schwerdt’s portrayal of Julien is aptly complex, exemplifying sincerity that is at no point excessive. His presence is magnetic, compelling every person watching to get hopelessly attached. He is the white bird in the darkness of the war. It makes his unceremonious murder all the more guttural. Without even watching it occur, a gunshot was all that was needed to fill every eye in the theatre with tears. It
wasn’t just a life being taken, but a speck of kindness snuffed out by hate.
The story itself deserves applause as each of its characters—even the ones that epitomize kindness—are multi-dimensional. Sara Blum begins as a selfish, inconsiderate bystander with little regard or understanding and grows to care for others. Julian Albans, expelled from his previous school for bullying another student, embodies apathy; he just wants to exist without any regard for others.
Even Julien Beaumier has moments of frustration and anger, taken out on others. That is what makes the film so compelling; kindness isn’t easy. It is a choice that requires sacrifice.
As the tear tracks on your face are harshly illuminated by the theatre’s lights, you remember Julien Beaumier and Sara’s advice
to Julian: “You might forget many things in your life, but you never forget kindness. Like love, it stays with you...forever.” The moments of kindness that Sara was offered allowed her to carry kindness forward to Julian, now. It can be difficult to see the light of kindness outside of a world of darkness; that is what Sara’s story reveals to the audience. Even if the impact cannot be observed, an act of kindness can send an immeasurable ripple through someone’s life.
Tokyo Police Club will play their last concert in Toronto on Nov. 29 to a sold-out crowd. (Matt Adelberg / The Tribune)
The film White Bird is based on R.J. Palacio’s graphic novel of the same name, and elaborates on ‘The Julian Chapter’ in her novel Wonder (Mia Helfrich / The Tribune)
The Tribune Predicts: Fall horoscopes
In’s and out’s for each sign this autumn season
Bianca Tri Staff Writer
With sweater weather in full swing and a pumpkin spice latte in hand, it’s time to hunker down in a library until it’s spring again. While you’re hibernating, check out The Tribune’s predictions to round off the end of 2024. In this edition, we’re doing “ins and outs” for each sign.
Aries (Mar. 21 – Apr. 19): Whether your favourite scent is cranberry or maple wood, head to the nearest home goods store before a seasonal cold steals your sense of smell! Self-care is in, and agendas are out! All of your tasks and meetings can float into the void—that peace of mind is the best self-care of them all. In: Warm sheets, baking, scented candles. Out: To-do lists.
Taurus (Apr. 20 – May 20): This season is about relaxation and renewal. Try to take advantage of the nice weather and get some muchneeded rest! In: Group texts, evening naps, aimless strolls. Out: Superlatives, cold water, wardrobe meltdowns.
Gemini (May 21 – June 21): With Mercury going into retrograde in November, it’s time to delve into your own identity. In: Personality
tests, listening to new music genres, blind dates. Out: Permanent markers, repetition, monologuing.
Cancer (June 22 – Jul. 22): Have you been feeling optimistic lately? Keep that contentment flowing with journaling. This fall and Thanksgiving, list everything you’re grateful for. In: Meditation, follow-up texts after a hangout. Out: Assumptions, “if ykyk.”
Leo (July 23 – Aug. 22): Fall is the perfect time for you to dive into your passion projects. Whether you’re starting something you’ve always thought about doing or finishing something on the shelf, it will get done before 2025. In: Minimalism, bedroom deep-cleans, screentime restrictions. Out: Multitasking, Zoom meetings, people pleasing.
Virgo (Aug. 23 – Sept. 22): Your ruling planet will enter the house of relationships this November! Whether you’re in a relationship, seeking one, or just don’t care at all, your connections with others will be reinvigorated. In: Semiformal, fragrantica.com, manifestation. Out: Ghosting, playing it by ear, instant gratification.
Libra (Sept. 23 – Oct. 23): Happy birthday Libras! This season—and year—don’t be afraid to get a little weird. Indulge in all the strange things
that bring you joy, even if that means biking to the US/Canada border for a Carnival scunt. In: Mismatched clothes, spontaneity, fortune cookies. Out: Traditions, nostalgia, soft launch.
Scorpio (Oct. 24 – Nov. 21): It’s time to face some things that may have been bothering you for a while. Before your birthday season is up, tidy all the loose ends and resolve some grudges that are weighing you down. In: Cold calls, little treats, dinner parties. Out: Overthinking, revenge, “do not disturb.”
Sagittarius (Nov. 22 – Dec. 21): This semester is about making new connections. Send those LinkedIn requests to your highschool best friend’s cousin’s boyfriend; everything is on the table. In: Applying for club executive positions, networking events, knowing your neighbour. Out: Bedrotting, celebrity culture, playing hard to get.
Capricorn (Dec. 22 – Jan. 19): A major professional opportunity is around the corner, but you already knew that, didn’t you? Take this opportunity to get some rest. In: Penpals, 10+ picture photo dumps, manifestation. Out: Crying wolf, less than seven hours of sleep, business casual.
Aquarius (Jan. 20 – Feb. 18): Thinking
about booking that trip for Christmas break? Wanderlust is fueling you right now, so switch things up and broaden your horizons. In: The unexpected, new shoes, going off-the-grid. Out: Imposter syndrome, hometowns, the word “delulu.”
Pisces (Feb. 19 – Mar. 20): Confide in your friends about the things on your mind, or branch out! You might realize someone you know is more similar to you than meets the eye. In: Double-takes, coffee dates, talking to your TA. Out: “Situationships,” FOMO, keeping up with people you don’t like.
Horoscopes offer a “take what resonates, and leave what doesn’t” kind of advice. ( Zoe Lee / The Tribune)
When is the best time to attend Piknic Électronik?
Exploring the festival’s five months of outdoor music
Simona Culotta & Jeanne Le Roux Contributors
Piknic Électronik is a Sunday ritual for many McGill students and Montreal locals alike, transforming Parc Jean-Drapeau into a pulsing hub of music and good vibes for five months straight. With the festival running weekly outdoor music events from May to October, the fun runs the full gamut from spring to fall, making us wonder how Piknic’s experiences vary throughout the seasons.
Starting with the constants: Across all seasons of Piknic Électronik, students from each category generally reported high levels of satisfaction with the price of tickets and food options.
“$25 CAD [for one entry] was a very good price for the experience,” Nell Casey, U1 Arts, told The Tribune after attending Piknic this past spring.
The festival also offers a discount for students with their popular “Back-toschool” pass. Priced at 60 CAD, this pass gives festival-goers access to all regular Piknic ÉElectronik events starting Aug. 25, making it especially attractive for those looking to attend at the start of the fall semester.
The outdoor venue’s two main stages showcase different artists throughout the night. Food and drinks are also available making it possible to take breaks and refuel before getting back out in the crowd. “There were many food trucks that had a lot of fast food like hotdogs, poutine, and grilled cheese sandwiches,” Juliette
Whitecross, U1 Science, said.
Casey also mentioned that the possibility of attending Piknic at different times during the year allowed students to balance academic priorities and fun events.
“[I] liked it better in the summer because in the fall I have more classes and work to do, and it would be stressful to attend as many events,” Casey explained.
Zoya Mirza, U1 Arts, who went to Piknic events during both the summer and fall, expressed more enthusiasm towards attending during the spring as a way of letting loose and having fun after the school year comes to an end.
“The combination of post-exam relief and celebrating the beginning of summer break really topped the experience,” Mirza stated.
The students we spoke with also observed changes in the festival’s demographics throughout the year; they noticed more McGill and Concordia students at Piknic during September and October, while they found that Montreal locals preferred to attend during the spring and summer months.
“[I] personally liked Piknic during the summer because of the temperature, but I think it could be more fun during the fall if you want to meet people from McGill or Concordia because in the summer, most of the people there were in their mid-20s,” Whitecross said.
Casey noted the same trend, but she still enjoyed the festival during the summer months. “Even though it was not the regular school year, I still saw a lot of
McGill students and had a lot of fun,” she highlighted.
Mirza, who attended Piknic both with and without the bustling crowd of college students, found the early-season festival events to be more enjoyable. “Honestly, it felt so refreshing with fewer McGill students around after exams and the school year ending,” she said.
Factors such as school work, crowds, and the festival’s overall ambiance shaped these students’ enjoyment of their Piknic Electronik 2024 experience across the spring, summer, and fall months. While some preferred a festival crowd full of
university students, others enjoyed the differences in attendees and a step away from the McGill bubble. In addition, this iconic Montreal festival’s months-long season made it especially appealing to students who could take part in the event whether school was in session or not.
Ultimately, Piknic Électronik stands out as a beloved cultural staple in Montreal, offering a vibrant and flexible festival experience that resonates with both McGill students and locals, regardless of their academic commitments or seasonal preferences.
Piknic Électronik has expanded worldwide, now offering events in locations like Melbourne, Chile, and Dubai. (Auxanne Bussac / The Tribune)
McGill Global Brigades: Building bridges in global health Uplifting communities through sustainable health initiatives
Lauren Brownell Contributor
McGill is home to many student clubs focused on global issues like sustainability and public health. Among them, McGill Global Brigades stands out as a club that encourages students of all fields and interests to roll up their sleeves and collaborate on public health initiatives. Not only does it create new communities and build networking skills, but it also enacts tangible global change.
With 27 chapters across Canada and over 340 across the world, Global Brigades unites students in promoting sustainable international health initiatives. This non-profit organization works with various communities around the world to promote medical and economic goals such as access to clean water and sanitation.
At McGill, numerous programs—including medical, dental, business, public health, and engineering—work to advance sustainability initiatives in their respective spheres. The medical subgroup, for example, focuses on health and wellness, while the business program hones in on financial development initiatives. The McGill chapter raises awareness about these global health issues through fund -
raisers and hygiene drives in support of the organization’s remote clinics in countries around the world.
While the club mainly holds fundraising events, they also promote academic and non-academic gatherings, such as game nights and a Spanish-language acquisition workshop in preparation for their most recent “brigade”—a trip to Honduras scheduled for May 2024.
Eva Weigle, U2 Arts, is a member of the events subcommittee for McGill’s chapter of Global Brigades. While she joined the club just this year, the chapter has helped her build on her fascination for global health and sustainability initiatives, as she explained in an interview with The Tribune
“I’m an econ major and a bio minor, and I’m really passionate about public health. I like how Global Brigades is kind of like an intersection of all things I’m interested in,” Weigle said. “It’s really focused on helping communities, specifically with global health, but also they do a lot of other things, like micro-financing.”
Global Brigades not only harnesses interdisciplinary interests among its members, but it also cultivates a strong sense of fulfillment and achievement within the club.
“I’ve volunteered in vaccination
events, and that’s where I feel like I’m actually informing people and helping people,” Weigle added.
As part of the Global Brigades events subcommittee, Weigle emphasizes the networking and outreach skills she practices in the club, which extend beyond McGill to other communities around Montreal.
“It’s actually really cool, because I get experience reaching out to local pubs and local bars. And it’s really good because it’s work experience, almost like I’m getting ready for the real world, and it’s fun,” she said.
While the club mainly conducts fundraising and awareness events at McGill itself, its hands-on practice of doing brigade trips allows its members to have real-world work experience in the medical field while seeing their fundraising efforts make an impact.
“I really am excited to see what we do in person,” Weigle said. “And I’m just kind of excited to help out [in] any way I can.”
The club also provides a sense of community, as its members bond over their passion for global health and sustainability efforts.
Weigle highlights the multidimensional aspect of the club and encourages other students to join as representatives or members of their events or design subcommittees.
“If you are passionate about global health, or even if not, you’re just passionate about helping people, we do so much,” Weigle said. “If you’re interested in medicine, global health, and economics, we kind of have a little bit of everything.”
To keep up with Global Brigades’ future events and activities, sign up for their Listserv, take a look at their Linktree and website, or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
MCMED TO ADAMS AUDITORIUM
McGill Global Brigades has gone on three trips since 2018. (Global Brigades / McGill University)
