McGill Tribune Vol. 37 Issue 12

The McGill Tribune TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2017 | VOL. 37 | ISSUE 12

Published by the SPT, a student society of McGill University

EDITORIAL

McGILLTRIBUNE.COM | @McGILLTRIBUNE

FEATURE

NONFICTION NOVEMBER

The art of the steal

The McGill Tribune compiles our favourite reads

When educators are undervalued, everyone loses

Scammers exploit gaps in common tax knowledge

PG. 5

PGs. 8-9

PG. 12

(Gabriel Helfant / The McGill Tribune)

“Let’s go to the dep:” An in-depth look at the dépanneurs of Montreal

PG. 7

McGill administration conducts investigation into divisive SSMU GA Principal’s Task Force founded independently from investigation into anti-Semitism Andras Nemeth Contributor

On Oct. 25, McGill University announced the launch of an investigation into whether anti-Semitism was present at the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Fall General Assembly (GA). The announcement, sent via email to students and staff, was

a response to allegations of religious prejudice at the GA when three of 10 members of the SSMU Board of Directors (BoD) were not ratified, one of whom—Noah Lew—was Jewish.

Former McGill professor of Education and ombudsperson Spencer Boudreau is the lead investigator looking into the allegations.

Since the beginning of November, he has interviewed all of the SSMU executives and

Shorter winters, earlier blooms

New statistical measure created at McGill sheds light on the relationship Jade Prévost-Manuel Contributor Climate change is changing seasonality as we know it; the average American winter has shrunk by more than one month over the last century.

While this has received plenty of attention as a positive phenomenon for sun-starved North Americans, the impact that shorter winter seasons and changing photoperiods—the interval in a 24-hour period during which a

plant or animal is exposed to light— have on the blooming and fruiting of plants has received little attention from scientists.

Skeptics have raised the question of whether differences in the timing of these events are a response to climate change, but winters that have progressively higher average temperatures have also correlated to prematurely blooming plants. Data on these events is typically measured via surveys, which document the occurrence of early blooming events.

PG. 14

other student representatives present at the Fall GA. In an interview with The McGill Tribune, SSMU VP External Connor Spencer explained her initial concerns that the inquiry lacked authenticity and integrity. “A conversation that we were having was [that] there’s a direct conflict of interest for one institution to be investigating another institution,” Spencer

said. “It’s very weird for McGill to be investigating SSMU, especially [given] last year, when [the administration threatened] to cut our funding around this issue. There was an initial pessimism as to what the point of the investigation was, and whether or not there was going to be bias in the investigation because of how the administration handled [the Sadikov investigation] last year.”

PG. 2

In conversation with Katia Clement-Heydra

Former Martlet star and current Canadienne on her transition to the CWHL Wasif Husain Staff Writer In her first year with the Martlet hockey team, forward Katia Clement-Heydra was named RSEQ rookie of the year, tallying 26 points to help her team capture their third national championship. After such a successful rookie campaign, Clement-Heydra only got better, ultimately cementing herself as

one of the most talented players in Martlet history. She spent all four seasons top-three on the RSEQ points leaderboard and was twice named a first-team conference all-star. To top off her illustrious McGill career, Clement-Heydra was awarded the Brodrick Trophy (Canadian Interuniversity Sport female hockey player of the year) in her senior year after leading the Martlets to her second national

championship.

Clement-Heydra is no stranger to success, and her many accomplishments at the university level set her up to transition smoothly into the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) in 2015. The CWHL has been around since 2007, and Clement-Heydra was drafted in the league’s ninth season by Les Canadiennes de Montréal.

PG. 16

2 NEWS

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

McGill administration conducts investigation into divisive SSMU GA

Principal’s Task Force founded independently from investigation into anti-Semitism Andras Nemeth Contributor Continued from page 1.

However, as the inquiry has progressed, Spencer has found her concerns to be somewhat abated.

“Everyone was wary when McGill launched the investigation as to its intent and scope [...] but I think the folks that have spoken to [Boudreau] are feeling a little more reassured,” Spencer said. “It seems like he is legitimately trying to figure out whether the claims of anti-Semitism are true.”

The Oct. 25 email also announced the creation of the Principal’s Task Force for Respect and Inclusion in Campus Life. The Task Force will operate independently of the investigation, broadly examining freedom of expression, respect, and inclusivity on campus, and make recommendations for university improvements in these realms in a final report on April 27, 2018.

Dean of Science R. Bruce Lennox and Associate Professor of Law Nandini Ramanujam, co-chairs of the Principal’s Task Force on Respect and Inclusion in Campus Life, spoke at a press conference on Nov. 21 about preparations to launch the Force’s operations in the Winter term. The Task Force, which will include both graduate and undergraduate students, will attempt to evaluate

Allegations of religious prejudice at the Fall GA have prompted investigation into anti-Semitism on campus.

(Kendall McGowan / The McGill Tribune) Lennox clarified that, although the Task the state of respectful debate on campus by conducting campus-wide surveys of stu- Force was announced alongside the invesdents, faculty, and campus organizations. tigation, this timing was coincidental, with Based on the surveys’ results, the Task Force the Task Force not exclusively concerned then intends to delegate specific working with anti-Semitism or particular groups or groups, host a town hall meeting, and draft events.

“There was a coincident announcement a list of concrete recommendations for the of an investigation into [the Fall GA], and university.

“The overlap between respect and in- there was an announcement that a task force clusion is respectful debate, respectful dis- would be struck, whose definition was not cussion, and I think the Venn diagram of specific at that time,” Lennox said. “But the those two entities is where we’re going to task force did not arise from that event, it’s operate,” Lennox said. “How does one apply been an ongoing discussion [....] We will asthe concepts of freedom of expression in an sure you that this isn’t about an incident or a crisis, it’s about who we are as an instituacademic environment?”

tion.”

Ramanujam also sees the Task Force as an effort to address McGill’s long-standing interests in inclusivity. According to Ramanujam, it is the product of an ongoing conversation among faculty members that dates back generations.

“I see our work not as reactive but proactive,” Ramanujam said. “We are all a part of the collective university space, the Faculty of Law has been talking a great deal for a long time about safe spaces, inclusive spaces, respectful spaces, and [...] so I see this [Task Force] as something that is neither the beginning or the end of this process.”

With the goal to alleviate any concerns over inclusivity on campus, Lennox is confident that McGill suffers from no extraordinary challenges in cultivating a culture of inclusion and respect compared to other universities. She hopes that the University can take a leadership role in providing space for safe discussions. “[University] is where our society expects people to be able to express their point of view, to debate it, and to listen, so that as a construct has incredible value,” Lennox said. “We have a tremendous leadership responsibility, and I think McGill in particular, because of who McGill is, with diversity in our student population, our staff, our faculty, [is] in a sweet spot for dealing with this challenge.”

McGill celebrates its 2018 Rhodes Scholars

Alexander Lachapelle and Clare Lyle share their passions and future plans Jackie Yao Contributor On Nov. 20, the McGill community celebrated Alexander Lachapelle, Medical Doctorate and Master of Surgery, and Clare Lyle, U3 Science, who were selected to be the University’s 143rd and 144th Rhodes Scholars. One of the most prestigious scholarships in the world, the Rhodes Scholarship funds postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford for exceptional students across North America. The McGill Tribune spoke to both Rhodes recipients about their accomplishments, plans at Oxford, and projects they hope to complete in their final year at McGill.

Alexander Lachapelle Lachapelle, who is currently pursuing his Doctorate of Medicine and Master of Surgery, is a representative for several medical associations, where he looks into how health policies are developed and what steps can be taken to improve patient care. The Terry Fox Humanitarian Award scholar has served on the executive board of the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME), and has also represented the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) as its Liaison Officer.

Beyond his knack for health policy, Lachapelle’s main passion is technological innovation. Over the past academic year, he moved to New York City to intern at Imagen Technologies, a startup that applies artificial intelligence software to devices for medical diagnostic error

prevention. For Lachapelle, working with machine learning to improve patient outcomes and diagnosis was an enriching glimpse into the future of healthcare.

“Although there are definitely lots of challenges in implementation, I think that if we can harness the power of these technologies, there would be a huge amount of potential to prolong life and improve patient health,” Lachapelle said.

Though he’s currently undecided about what degree he’ll pursue at Oxford, Lachapelle hopes to bridge connections between machine learning and healthcare. He plans to return to Montreal after receiving his post-graduate degree.

“I think Montreal has a really unique environment to learn medicine in,” Lachapelle said.

“The diversity of people you meet here, both patients and healthcare professionals, is unrivaled probably anywhere else in the world.”

Clare Lyle When Lyle, U3 Science, is not busy working toward her Joint Honours Math and Computer Science undergraduate degree, she spends her time working as the Director of HackMcGill and as the Vice-President Academic of McGill’s Computer Science Undergraduate Society (CSUS).

Lyle, who was also one of 34 Canadian students selected in 2014 for the Loran Scholarship—an undergraduate scholarship valued at $100,000—became interested in theoretical computer science after working at McGill’s Reasoning and Learning Lab. At the lab, Lyle looked into how statistics can predict algorithm behaviour.

Clare Lyle and Alexander Lachapelle are McGill’s 143rd and 144th Rhodes scholars. (publications.mcgill.ca) In the summer of 2016, Lyle was an Explorer Intern at Microsoft, where she worked on a machine learning classifier for customer feedback. The following summer, she interned at Oxford, where she studied artificial intelligence and its implications for policy and society.

“I looked at public opinion on AI, implications of AI on security, [and] both cyber and national security,” Lyle said. “[This included] how governments can use AI either for military purposes or, if there is a dictatorship, how it can use machine learning to control what people are saying and detect dissent.”

Lyle, who plans to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in computer science at Oxford, was drawn to the university for its interdisci-

plinary analysis of technology on society. She intends to spend her last year at McGill preserving institutional memory for the student clubs in which she’s involved.

“I’ve been gradually easing people into more leadership positions in the organizations that I’ve been involved in, such as HackMcGill,” Lyle said. “Instead of me doing the agenda, I’ve been doing a rotating weekly agenda master so that everyone is familiar with how to write an agenda and how to run a meeting.”

Clare Lyle served as Online Editor at The McGill Tribune in the 2016-2017 academic year.

NEWS 3

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

DPS existence referendum shows low PGSS voter turnout PGSS members omitted from the Simply Voting email list

Political Science Students’ Association hosts inter-party debate Political groups share views on immigration, Indigenous affairs Julia Métraux Staff Writer

Elections SSMU canceled the original DPS referendum ballot after receiving an outdated list of eligible PGSS voters.

(Calvin Trottier-Chi / The McGill Tribune)

Caitlin Kindig Contributor On Nov. 17, Elections SSMU, the body that oversees SSMU voting procedures, announced the Daily Publication Society’s (DPS) successful existence referendum results, which showed an irregularly low voter turnout from Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) members. The successful vote ensured that the DPS, which publishes both Le Délit and The McGill Daily, will continue to collect non-opt outable student fees to operate for the next five years. But according to PGSS Financial Affairs Officer Matthew Satterthwaite, 1000 graduate students’ names were missing from the list of students that Elections SSMU emailed the referendum poll to. These students were thus not informed of the upcoming to vote.

“I do not believe this mistake [of not including PGSS members] was intentional, as the DPS did not know how to properly administer a referendum,” Satterthwaite said. “Groups seeking an official PGSS referendum must go through the PGSS Council. The PGSS effectively had no idea this referendum was happening until the ballot came out.”

Previous PGSS referenda have maintained a voter turnout rate of 14 per cent or higher.

However, according to the Elections SSMU email on Nov. 17 announcing the DPS referendum results, 725 out of the 7,636 graduate students voted, a turnout rate of nine per cent. Satterthwaite noted that the percentage of graduate students who voted on the DPS referendum is even lower because not all members of PGSS are eligible to vote on DPS affairs.

“If you look at the voter breakdown in the email that was sent, it says there are about 7,600 registered PGSS [members], but we’re actually closer to 8,600 members,” Satterthwaite said.

“The membership of the PGSS is not exactly the membership of the DPS.” Satterthwaite believes that PGSS voters were also unaware about the upcoming referendum because the DPS did not present at the PGSS Legislative Council. However, the society was under no obligation to present at Council, since its referendum was not under PGSS. “[The executives] had no idea that graduate students would be voting for [the DPS existence referendum], so most other graduate students wouldn’t have known,” Satterthwaite said.

“Normally, [referenda] are brought up at our Council, so that the [Post-Graduate Student Associations] PGSAs can transmit the information beforehand. The PGSS [executives] and our Council were not informed about [the referendum], and so that whole line of communication was cut.”

The low voter turnout followed Elections SSMU’s choice to restart voting after the first day on Nov. 13. During the referendum, the DPS accidentally provided Elections SSMU with an outdated list of PGSS members eligible to vote from the summer, which excluded graduate students who enrolled for the Fall 2017 semester. As a result, Elections SSMU suspended the original ballot and created a new one using an updated list of eligible PGSS voters that the DPS supplied.

SSMU Deputy Elections Officer Isaac Levy, who supervises SSMU electoral officers and administers elections and referenda, first noticed the problem with the email list.

“From what we have observed and heard from some students who contacted us, some of the PGSS members did not receive emails from our Simply Voting email blasts when the mass emails were sent out,” Levy said. “We are currently looking into the matter from our end to figure out why this may be.”

In an email to The McGill Tribune, Marc Cataford, chairperson of the DPS Board of Directors, explained that a number of accidental factors resulted in an incomplete PGSS voter list.

“The error itself is a mix of a total absence of institutional memory on referenda on our end [and] on Elections SSMU’s end, and after talking with someone from PGSS, they didn’t seem to know the specifics of how it really worked either,” Cataford wrote. “In any case, at no point was there foul play and the error was not of bad faith. The second I was notified of the error, I got in communication with PGSS, with Election SSMU, and with people at McGill to [...] make sure that the election can be conducted in a fair manner that gives all of our membership a voice.”

On Nov. 21, the Political Science Students’ Association held a debate between the McGill chapters of Canadian political parties: Conservative McGill, Liberal McGill, New Democratic Party (NDP) McGill, and Young Greens McGill.

Representatives from these groups shared their views on drugs, immigration, Indigenous affairs, climate change, and economic policy. For each topic, representatives responded to prompts on how their parties address the presented issues, followed by a debate between the representatives. Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) Legislative Council Speaker Husayn Jamal moderated the event.

The first part of the debate focused on drug policy—specifically on marijuana legalisation and the fentanyl crisis. Conservative McGill senior member Nikolas Dolmat argued that the legalisation of marijuana puts public safety at risk.

“The government is rushing marijuana legalisation despite the cries from scientists [and] law enforcement officials saying that there are not adequate harm reduction strategies in place,” Dolmat said during the debate.

“We have ‘Mothers Against Drunk Driving,’ but what about ‘Mothers Against Dope Driving?’”

Unlike the Conservative Party, the NDP supports the legalisation of marijuana. NDP McGill member Kiana Saint-Macary cited Portugal’s decriminalization of drug possession as an example of progressive drug legislation that she hopes will take form in Canada.

“We think that it’s inherent that the legalisation of marijuana is accompanied by the blanket pardon of past offenders,” SaintMacary said. “We think the decriminalization of all drugs is particularly important because addiction is a health and social justice problem.”

During the immigration portion of the debate, students discussed the recent increase in Haitian immigration from the United States. According to NDP McGill member Josh Werber, it is crucial that Canada reevaluate the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement.

“The current political situation in the United States is such that we must revise our immigration policies,” Werber said. “As tens of thousands of Haitian immigrants, who are

lost without their temporary protection status, flee across the Canadian border, risking their lives, it is cruel for us to ignore their plight and apply this outdated agreement.”

The debaters also gave their parties’ perspectives on Indigenous affairs. Dolmat applauded former prime minister Stephen Harper’s reconciliation efforts, highlighting his official apology for residential schools in 2008. In response, Diamond Yao, U2 Arts and Science, a supporter of Young Greens McGill, said this was not enough. She referenced Amnesty International’s Stolen Sisters report, which details continued marginalization of Indigenous women that predated and followed Harper’s apology.

“It’s not enough to close down residential schools, because the oppression of Indigenous women is rooted in systemic oppression, such as social and economic marginalization,” Yao said. “This has pushed a disproportionate amount of Indigenous women into dangerous situations that include extreme poverty, homelessness, and prostitution.”

Debaters from all four groups agreed that the federal government must work toward mitigating the effects of climate change.

Werber expressed disappointment in both the previous Conservative and current Liberal government in handling global warming.

“Despite being the 38th largest country by population, we’re the 10th largest emitter of carbon in the atmosphere,” Werber said.

“Justin Trudeau went to [the] Paris [Summit] and came back with the same standards set by the Conservative government and that does not cut it.”

The final topic of debate was economic policy. Liberal McGill faced criticism from NDP McGill, Young Greens McGill, and Conservative McGill over the current Liberal government’s failure to support young Canadians and families. NDP McGill and Young Greens McGill recommended that the government increase social support and welfare for low-income Canadians, while Conservative McGill favoured increasing benefits for all Canadians. In response, Liberal McGill Director Jack Martin highlighted recent changes the Liberal government made to support these two groups.

“We increased the working income tax benefit very recently to make sure that we’re supporting working Canadians,” Martin said.

“We just announced that we’re committing to build a hundred thousand social housing units, increasing childcare, [and] increasing homeless aid.”

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

4 NEWS

Thousands rally in downtown Montreal to denounce the rise of far-right ideologies Demonstrators converge to take a stance against hate and racism Cherry Wu Staff Writer Thousands of activists took to the streets of downtown Montreal on Nov. 12 for the Large Demonstration Against Hate and Racism. The protest, which began at Place Émilie-Gamelin and involved over 160 local groups, lasted three hours as marchers energetically condemned the rise of far-right ideologies in Quebec.

According to the protest’s Call to Action, the organizers of the demonstration felt compelled to act following a number of discriminatory events in Quebec’s recent history.

Among them were the passing of the Quebec Charter of Values—a set of regulations to restrict public workers from wearing religious symbols proposed by the Parti Quebecois (PQ) in 2013—and the Quebec City Mosque shooting in January 2017, during which six members of the Muslim community were fatally shot in a religiously-motivated hate crime. The Call to Action also called out politicians for apathy toward racist and xenophobic sentiment that is festering in Quebec today.

Bringing together approximately 5,000 participants, the demonstration remained largely peaceful. Anas Bouslikhane, an official spokesperson for the protest, intended for the demonstration to provide a platform for minorities in the province.

“We are seeing more crystallization of racism because of efforts from the far-right and from xenophobic groups to normalize this kind of discourse,” Bouslikhane said. “[This discourse tells people] that it is ok to criticize people [for their] racial, cultural, and religious beliefs.”

Given the deep-rooted legacy of student activism in Quebec, it was only fitting that student presence at the march was strong. Both McGill and Concordia sent contingents to the protest, who marched together down Ste.-Catherine street in the hour before the demonstration’s official start at Place Émilie-Gamelin.

In the months leading up to the protest, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) showed support by signing the demonstration’s Call to Action and passing a motion to endorse the protest at its Oct. 12 Legislative Council meeting. The motion was largely motivated by concern over alt-right propaganda within the McGill community. Carl Plowright, a second-year masters student in English at McGill who attended the demonstration, emphasized that the noticeable growth of far-right ideologies on campus was no longer an issue students could ignore. “[Far-right ideologies] have absolutely reached campuses,” Plowright said. “I think there is definitely no question that students have both suffered the repercussions of the far-right and have actively been involved in unacceptable behaviour.”

The motion to endorse the demonstration also mandated SSMU Vice-President (VP) External Connor Spencer

Protesters gather in demonstration against hate and racism at Place Émilie-Gamelin. (Domenic Casciato / The McGill Tribune) to organize a McGill delegation to attend. A firm advocate for student voices, Spencer highlighted the importance of student activism in Quebec, especially with regards to the passage of Bill 62. Known as the “religious neutrality law,” Bill 62’s provision banning the use of face coverings when receiving public services was widely criticized for implicitly targeting Muslim women who wear niqabs or burkas.

“When the student movement stands up and says something, people listen,” Spencer said. “We still don’t know what this bill is going to look like [...and] the Minister of Higher Education hasn’t decided whether it is going to affect university campuses, [...but] it is important that [while everyone is] figuring out what Bill 62 is, we take a very strong stance and denounce racism.”

Vincent Mousseau, VP Internal of the Social Work Student Association (SAWA), marched with the McGill contingent at the demonstration. Mousseau reflected on how Bill 62 would limit access to employment in the field of social work in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “[Bill 62] is going to directly affect not only the people who we are able to help on the front line as social workers, but also the rising islamophobia [from] this culture [that] is going to have a mass effect on our students,” Mousseau said.

By participating in the demonstration, marchers from McGill say that they aspired to raise student awareness

(Domenic Casciato / The McGill Tribune)

of events occurring in the city beyond the campus. Jed Lenetsky, an organizer at Divest Mcgill, explained the importance of student engagement in such activism.

“Groups that are involved in doing social justice work at McGill really have the responsibility to take that work off campus,” Lenetsky told the Tribune. “McGill does not exist in a vacuum. If we are going to oppose right-wing ideology and fight for social justice on campus, we also have to do so off-campus.”

Lenetsky also called attention to the fact that McGill itself contributes to regressive ideologies, citing the administration’s decision to not divest from fossil fuels as evidence. “[The McGill Administration] said that fossil fuels do not cause grave social injury,” Lenetsky said. “By saying that, they ignore the loss of lives and the loss of livelihoods that are going to be experienced and are experienced as a result of climate change. They are really echoing this colonial ideology that some lives outweigh other lives and other experiences.”

Beyond the frame of the demonstration, Li Li, a member of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA), emphasized that activists must stand up for ethnic histories that are sometimes overlooked.

“I think, if people are willing, they can first go online and research how long different ethnicities have been [in North America],” Li said. “You have Chinese who helped build the railways. You have the Indigenous people who were here before anybody else.”

To maintain momentum in the weeks following the protest, Bouslikhane emphasized the importance of open and honest dialogue about the far-right on campus.

“I think McGill students have an important place in this work,” Bouslikhane said. “There are a lot of people from different origins at McGill [...and] I encourage students to talk to each other [....] We shouldn’t be silent about [denouncing far-right ideologies.] Being complacent is being silent [and] that could lead to very tragic events.”

To avoid falling complacent to everyday injustices, Mousseau suggested that McGill students support Montreal-based organizations such as Solidarity Across Borders, which provides aid to groups affected by racism and racist immigration policies.

“We have shaped politics in this province and in this country. We need to continue doing that,” Mousseau said.

“We won’t tolerate racism and fascism in our cities, and we won’t tolerate them in our country.”

OPINION 5

Tuesday, November 28, 2017 Editor-in-Chief Nicholas Jasinski editor@mcgilltribune.com Creative Director Noah Sutton nsutton@mcgilltribune.com Managing Editors Audrey Carleton acarleton@mcgilltribune.com Emma Avery eavery@mcgilltribune.com Selin Altuntur saltuntur@mcgilltribune.com News Editors Holly Cabrera, Domenic Casciato, Calvin Trottier-Chi news@mcgilltribune.com Opinion Editors Jackie Houston & Alexandra Harvey opinion@mcgilltribune.com Science & Technology Editor Izze Siemann scitech@mcgilltribune.com Student Living Editor Grace Bahler studentliving@mcgilltribune.com Features Editor Marie Labrosse features@mcgilltribune.com Arts & Entertainment Editors Dylan Adamson & Ariella Garmaise arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editors Stephen Gill & Selwynne Hawkins sports@mcgilltribune.com Design Editors Daniel Freed & Elli Slavitch design@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editor Ava Zwolinski photo@mcgilltribune.com Multimedia Editor April Barrett multimedia@mcgilltribune.com Web Developers Daniel Lutes webdev@mcgilltribune.com Julia Kafato online@mcgilltribune.com

Student mental health needs admin support, not “hygiene de vie” In an Nov. 21 interview with the McGill Reporter, Ollivier Dyens, Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning), shut down the possibility of a Fall reading week in the foreseeable future, despite 71.5 per cent of students declaring support for the break in an April 2015 Enrolment Services survey.

In the absence of a reading break, he explained that students can mitigate mental health challenges by practicing good “hygiene de vie”—literally, “life hygiene.” According to Dyens, this means eating and sleeping well, staying active, exercising good timemanagement, and avoiding unhealthy substances like coffee, cigarettes, and unprescribed Ritalin. He failed to mention any support systems available at McGill, nor the magnitude of the mental health crisis on campuses.

While the “hygiene de vie” practices described by Dyens are certainly healthy, equating these habits with comprehensive mental health treatment strategies misunderstands the mental health challenges that university students—and particularly McGill students—face. Mental illnesses are complex, and often uncontrollable without professional treatment; presenting a laundry list of self-care tips as solutions to mental health issues trivializes the struggles of the

OFF THE BOARD

Copy Editor Ayanna De Graff copy@mcgilltribune.com Business Manager Daniel Minuk business@mcgilltribune.com Advertising Executives Grayson Castell, Noah Cohen, Vincent Li ads@mcgilltribune.com Publisher Chad Ronalds

TPS Board of Directors

Nicholas Jasinski, Daniel Minuk, Katherine Hutter, Julia Métraux, Anthony Kuan, Elli Slavitch, Holly Cabrera, Jeeventh Kaur, Katherine Milazzo, Becca Hoff

Staff Writers

Julia Métraux, Fionn Adamian, Kendall McGowan, Cherry Wu, Grace Gunning, Gabriel Rincon, Avleen Mokha, Virginia Shram, Sophie Brzozowski, Kate Lord, Sam Min, Oceane Marescal, Miguel Principe, Emma Carr, Wasif Husain, Jordan Foy, Patrick Beacham, Winnie Lin, Cordelia Cho, Erica Stefano, Gabriel Helfant, Margaux Delalex

Contributors

Andras Nemeth, Arshaaq Jiffry, Caitlin Kindig, Catherine Morrison, Christina Stackpole, Emma Hameau, Ender McDuff, Gabriela McGuinty, Hannibal DePencier, Jackie Yao, Jade Prevost-Manuel, James Collier, Katia Innes, Leo Stillinger, Linqiao Zhou, Lucy Keller, Mary Lynne Loftus, Maxime Scraire, Paloma Jacquet, Samantha Ling, Summer Liu, Taja de Silva

Tribune Office Shatner University Centre Suite 110, 3480 McTavish Montreal, QC H3A 0E7 T: 514.398.6789 The McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Société de Publication de la Tribune, a student society of McGill University. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of The McGill Tribune and the Société de Publication de la Tribune, and does not necessarily represent the views of McGill University.

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

Noah Sutton Creative Director On Nov. 2, DNAInfo, Gothamist, and four sister news websites in other American cities were shut down.

Prior, these sites provided hyperlocal news coverage of their respective cities, including New York and Chicago. Their websites now display an ominous message by owner Joe Ricketts, citing profitability as the cause of the shutdown.

“At the end of the day [these sites are] a business, and businesses need to be economically successful if they are to endure,” Ricketts’ message reads.

Ricketts, who previously founded the brokerage firm TD Ameritrade, bought the group of sites from their original founders in 2009. He isn’t the only one looking to newspapers as a business venture.

Beginning in the 1970s, corporate owners of national newspapers, such

brave people who endure them. More concerning, however, is the apparent disconnect between McGill students and the administration on mental health that Dyens’ comments illustrate. Reducing the mental health epidemic on campus to issues such as poor time management or too much coffee only perpetuates the stigma surrounding mental illnesses, and what they really consist of.

A mental health crisis is erupting on Canadian campuses. In a 2016 survey by the National College Health Assessment of 44,000 Canadian undergraduate students, 64.5 per cent of respondents had experienced severe anxiety, and 44.4 per cent indicated feeling so depressed that it was difficult to function. Now, more than ever, university administrations need to understand the unique pressures on students and provide adequate support for those struggling with mental health issues. So far, McGill has not made the grade. With the cuts to the university’s eating disorder program earlier this semester, long waitlists for counselling appointments, and the persistent lack of accessible, effective mental health services at McGill, students face an unwelcoming environment and an administration they feel isn’t listening to their needs.

Dyens was correct in acknowledging that students are

responsible for their own mental health, but he was wrong in presenting this as a choice. Moreover, he was wrong to present simply maintaining a balanced and healthy lifestyle as an obvious, catch-all fix. Students suffering from mental illness are forced to cope with these challenges every single day, which makes it difficult for them to function properly or lead healthy lives.

For students with eating or sleeping disorders, having a meal or getting enough rest are challenges in and of themselves.

It is key to recognize the role that McGill’s campus environment plays in sparking and exacerbating mental health issues. From the demanding academic environment, to the fast-paced social scene, to the pressure to be involved in extracurricular activities—not to mention the unwelcoming job market awaiting graduates—stress is inherent to student and McGill culture. There is a perception at McGill that in order to fit in, students must work themselves thin. The ‘work hard play hard’ dynamic prevails, leaving students to feel that there’s little room for self-care.

To lessen these stresses, dismantle this toxic culture, and help students fulfill their academic potential, the McGill administration must demonstrate an accurate and comprehensive

EDITORIAL understanding of mental health. This requires communicating in supportive and productive ways that show students the university cares and is receptive to student feedback. Furthermore, condescending students by telling them to practice “hygiene de vie” as a solution to anxiety only places further pressure on a demographic that already places extreme pressure on itself to succeed at university. The McGill administration should instead focus on providing the education and support necessary for students to be healthy and happy.

Every time a crucial service is scaled down, or a member of the administration expresses careless or insensitive views regarding mental health, students suffer as a result. Per its own description, the Student Life and Learning Office exists to “support students inside and outside of the classroom.” To that end, it is insufficient to divert attention to the logistics of implementing a Fall reading week, or offer self-care tips, in lieu of providing adequate—and desperately needed—resources: In the last three years, the number of students seeking mental-health or counselling services on campus has increased by 57 per cent.

When it comes to responding to student mental health concerns, members of the McGill administration must demonstrate a better understanding.

The decline of local news is a problem for everyone as the Chicago Tribune, have bought up smaller publications and scaled back newsroom personnel in an effort to offset the trend of diminished print advertising. Postmedia’s Nov. 27 announcement that it will be closing all but one of the 24 small publications the company is acquiring from Torstar Corp. is a case in point.

As a result, truly local reporting is disappearing at an alarming rate, largely because its value as an essential news source is seen as secondary to its bottom line. The loss of print advertising and the subsequent failure of smaller newspapers to become profitable online are both causes of small papers’ decline. But, part of the blame also falls on corporate publication owners who have yet to acknowledge and find solutions to these problems.

In a 2009 article for The Nation, John Nichols and Robert W. McChesney argued that this corporatization of the media— namely, the widespread emergence of corporate ownership and consolidation of newspapers—is to blame for the current precariousness of local journalism. Local reporting was the first to face cuts when its coverage didn’t drive profits. What corporations fail to understand is that this type of reporting provides the greatest value in a form other than profits.

A lot of local reporting

can be fairly characterized as boring. Reporters who cover local government meetings would hardly call it glamourous. However, their work is important in the larger context of keeping politicians accountable within communities by creating a public record of government meetings and affairs. Samuel Stein writes in The Village Voice that local reporting in Gothamist and DNAInfo cover the “political minutiae” that larger media outlets do not, “which is often where the most telling details lie.”

Moreover, journalists from larger media outlets often use public records compiled by local reporters to inform their own reporting. In fact, many TV news stories are simply reproductions of stories that appeared in local newspapers first. Julia Wick, a former writer for LAist, the Gothamist’s Los Angeles equivalent, described her work as important to the larger fabric of city-wide and even national news coverage in a Nov. 6 CityLab article.

“Some of the work we did might have seemed small, but the ‘small’ local stories we covered would often end up being part of larger patterns and louder stories,” Wick wrote.

Despite being an important part of the larger news food chain, local reporters are underpaid, overworked, and seen by owners as reporting stories that don’t matter as much as national or international coverage, because they generate less attention

from readers. Ricketts made this fact abundantly clear when he shut down the sites only a week after the staff voted to unionize under the Writer’s Guild of America East.

Gothamist and DNAInfo, both relatively recent attempts at hyperlocal, online reporting, failed to solve the problem of monetizing local news in the digital age. However, a solution is desperately needed to prevent the newsscape from losing its valuable local news coverage. This will require media owners dedicated to keeping local news afloat, and recognition that local news sources are not only business enterprises, but also providers of an essential public service.

Ricketts’ farewell letter praises the work these publications have done. He closes with his hope that “someone will crack the code on a business that can support exceptional neighborhood storytelling,” yet, he is unwilling to face this challenge himself. Gothamist and DNAInfo were shut down because Ricketts did not want the staff to unionize. Nichols and McChesney proposed, in the same Nation article, that government subsidies should prop up local journalism as a public good. They recognize the idea as a “controversial position,” but when corporate ownership of news has failed news consumers as severely as it has, perhaps it’s time for a radical solution.

6 OPINION

COMMENTARY

Grace Gunning Columnist The existence of McGill’s Quebec Studies Program is currently up for debate, due to its low registration rates. It may seem logical to cut a niche program that does not attract many students. Quebec Studies is particularly specialized—it is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on a specific locality, and because of this, it does not attract the high number of students that a broader, more popular department can. With enrollment low, the continuation of this program might seem like an unnecessary financial burden for the university.

But, McGill would be remiss to cut the department, as doing so

COMMENTARY

Hannibal DePencier Contributor Quebec’s proposed legislation regarding the regulation of marijuana—set to be legalized federally on July 1, 2018—will likely be the harshest in the country, amassing much criticism since it was tabled on Nov. 16.

On one side, the Quebec Liberal Party has come under attack from news sites, such as Vice, and marijuana activists for being too strict; on the other, opposing parties, like the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ), have called Bill 157 too permissive. Yet, as they stand, Quebec’s proposed weed laws strike an advantageous balance between mitigating the potentially dangerous aftershocks of marijuana legalization—like a spike in youth consumption and

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

McGill Quebec Studies: Maintaining an international university’s local roots would further alienate the school and its students from Quebecois culture, politics, and history. If anything, McGill should take steps to further promote this program and grow its enrollment, because it serves as a method of communication between the University and its unique locality.

There is a marked disconnect between many McGill students and the province they live in. On campus, the lack of knowledge about the Milton-Parc Community is representative of this—students, who are transient figures by nature, often forget the history of the space they are living in. The divide between students and Montreal residents also exists along language lines.

As an anglophone institution with only 20.3 per cent of its students speaking French as a first language, McGill is an uncomfortable locus point for language tensions. This is a part of the university’s legacy. In 1969, Quebec passed Bill 63, which established French as a language of education in Quebec alongside English, after massive demonstrations advocating for the officialization of the French language in the province.

One of these demonstrations took place at McGill, as francophone students demanded that the school’s official language be changed to French.

The Quebec Studies program must remain as a way for the university to look critically at its role in flashpoint moments such as this, and to ask crucial questions about the intersections between education, elitism, and language in a given community.

The program allows students to look at not just the university— but also the province itself— with a self-reflective, critical lens. This is possible because the program is an interdisciplinary field, where students can study Quebec’s culture and politics today alongside its history.

Beyond its contributions to academic discourse in Quebec, the program provides a bridge between students and the wider Montreal and Quebec communities. Its special status as an affiliate of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Montreal allows its students to create positive ties with the city beyond the Roddick Gates. With this unique structure, the program seeks to integrate students into

McGill’s Quebec Studies is a uniquely valuable program. (Summer Liu/ The McGill Tribune) Quebec by providing them with at a school like McGill, which local internships, connecting has historically contributed to them with other universities, and local tensions as a massive, potentially even encouraging primarily anglophone institution them to stay in the province after within a French province. Even if graduation to further contribute enrollment in the Quebec Studies to its communities. The Quebec program is low right now, the Studies Program actively counters program should be kept open as the effects of the “McGill a sign of respect and engagement bubble,” by establishing deep with the province it is situated in. roots between its students and the Moreover, further efforts should be taken to promote and express province.

Universities often have to its value to students. The Quebec face the problem of their status studies program is essential within their locality: Students because it offers a different are ephemeral, often highly- paradigm of the university privileged figures, with an experience—one defined not by innate disconnect from the wider transience, but by deep connection context of the places they live in. with and understanding of the Avoiding the typical university place and culture students find “bubble” is especially important themselves in.

Quebec’s new weed laws are prudently vigilant DUIs—and being liberal enough to accommodate for responsible consumers and decrease the incentive for the retention of a significant black market. Bill 157 is strict, but not without reason.

The key specifics of the bill include a legal age of 18, zero tolerance for driving under the influence, no unregulated growing, a possession limit of 150 grams per person, and no privatization. In a province where only 46 per cent of the population supports marijuana legalization—compared to 54 per cent nationally—it’s not surprising that the specifics of weed’s transition into the legal market are controversial.

One of the major issues raised by the CAQ is the proposed legal age. The evidence of weed’s detrimental effects on the growing brain’s mental health, neurocognitive performance, and neurological structure are well documented; therefore, the CAQ has advocated for raising the minimum legal age to 21.

Yet, given the disproportionate percentage of marijuana users between the ages of 18-22, making the legal age 21 would only encourage black market distribution—and all of the potential health and crime issues that surround it. These include the addition of potentially dangerous

“

adulterants to weed, and violent distribution rivalries.

The

Quebec’s proposed weed laws strike an advantageous balance between mitigating the potentially dangerous aftershocks of marijuana legalization [...] and being liberal enough to accomodate for responsible consumers.

”

Quebec Liberal Party’s proposed legislation concedes that young people will inevitably smoke, regardless of legality. By not making the legal age too high, it improves the government’s ability to ensure health standards for young smokers.

Unlike Alberta, Quebec has rejected the privatization of the marijuana dispensary industry,

instead opting for full government control. The weed-friendly side of the debate has deemed this measure draconian. Jodi Emery, marijuana activist and co-owner of Cannabis Culture Magazine, is quoted in the National Post as saying that Bill 157 “sounds like prohibition” and “denies Quebec residences many of their different rights and freedoms.” Yet, citizens benefit because the Quebec government will retain its power over the sale of marijuana, and therefore be able to more successfully limit underage consumption and regulate safety standards, such as THC and CBD content levels, the main psychoactive ingredients in cannabis.

Also to its credit, Quebec has categorically banned unregulated marijuana growth for personal use, and has set the legal possession limit at 150 grams, but these stipulations have incensed both those who believe the bill is too strict and those who argue it’s too permissive. Marijuana activists say that this will cause unnecessary criminalization, while CAQ justice critic Simon Jolin Barrette says the 150-gram limit is too high. Ultimately, legalizing weed—and normalizing its consumption—will almost certainly cause an increase in its use among people younger than 18. If people are allowed to grow

their own weed or possess large amounts, then it would likely fuel that market.

Regarding driving under the influence, the province has declared that there will be zero tolerance. While this may seem unnecessarily punitive given that there is a legal limit for drinking and driving above zero, marijuana affects people differently, making it difficult to determine a standard legal limit. Therefore, severe DUI laws are critical for limiting the threat of increased weed-related collisions.

Despite the vehement opposition it has faced, Quebec’s proposed legislation for the regulation of legal weed is thoroughly socially responsible.

Bill 157 mitigates the risk of a persistent and significant black market, does nothing to impede reasonable consumption, and gives the provincial government the most possible power to ensure public health and safety. While the laws are undeniably strict, they are necessary to limit the negative effects of a likely explosion in marijuana consumption. While more lenient laws may be appropriate in the future, as people acclimatize to the availability of marijuana, Quebec—and Canada as a whole—is not yet culturally prepared for more liberal weed regulations.

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

STUDENT LIVING 7

“Let’s go to the dep first”

An in-depth look at the depanneurs of Montreal Tucked on each corner of almost every bustling city and open at all hours, convenience stores are universally known as unpretentious places to get all the essentials. While the British call them ‘minimarts’ and the Japanese call them ‘konbinis,’ here in Quebec, they go by “depanneurs,” or “deps.”

Deps are ubiquitous all over Quebec, especially near McGill’s Downtown campus. Students around Montreal rely on them for everything from getting supplies for a pre, to satisfying late-night mac and cheese cravings. There are 13 depanneurs in the McGill area according to DepQuebec, each with its own unique story and quirks. While some are best known for their low prices, others demonstrate an unwavering commitment to serving their customers—for “25 hours” a day, no less. The McGill Tribune compiled a ranking and a price comparison chart for each of the best deps around, so that no last-minute request for red solo cups, candy, or crackers goes unmet.

BEAU-SOIR BEST HOURS

In the Milton-Parc area, Beau-Soir attracts passersby with their cheeky “25 hours” sign. Though in actuality it’s only open 24 hours, seven days a week, this depanneur is there to satisfy students’ cravings around the clock. A first visit to this dep might be disorienting, however, as it lacks price tags to tell customers quickly what prices are. They do have a nice popcorn machine, though.

SUPER DEPANNEUR LA CITÉ CHEAPEST GOODS OVERALL

Tucked away behind the Galeries du Parc entrance on the northwest corner of Prince Arthur and Parc streets, this depanneur can be easy to miss. But, upon entry, Super Depanneur La Cité reveals some of the cheapest prices on essentials compared to other deps. On top of all of this, it can be accessed completely indoors by those who live in New Rez or LaCité residence via the labyrinthian passageways of the Galeries du Parc shopping complex.

DEPANNEUR LINDELL

BEST ‘NON-DEP’ DEPANNEUR

Located on Prince Arthur and Sainte-Famille streets, Depanneur Lindell is the shop that many students know as the “flower dep.”

From succulents to tulips, the small store sells plants of every kind, and friendly staff are available to answer every customer’s need. But beyond flora, this depanneur doesn’t offer much; it doesn’t sell late-night snack-food, PBR, or other typical dep purchases.

MARCHE J V T

BEST SUBSTITUTE FOR A GROCERY STORE

MARCHÉ CAMPUS

Photos by Gabriel Helfant & Margaux Delalex

GREEN’S SUPERETTE BEST FOR WINE

Just a block away on the corner of Durocher and Milton streets is Green’s Superette and its eyecatching green facade. This dep has relatively low alcohol prices, and the widest array of wines under $15, such as Nicholas Laloux and Silverthorne.

However, its layout is relatively confusing, and one aisle is a dead end, making this a confusing destination for anyone who wanders in after a few drinks.

THE “UPPER RESIDENCE SAVIOUR,” CHEAPEST ALCOHOL For those living in an Upper Residence, knowing the nearest depanneur from their isolated location on top of the hill is important. At the corner of Durocher and Prince Arthur streets, Marché Campus is not only the closest depanneur to the Upper Residences, it’s also easily accessible to those living in the Milton-Parc Community. Knowing their demographic, alcohol is relatively cheap but other products, such as Cup Noodles or Kraft Dinner mac and cheese, have prices that are not as competitive.

MARCHÉ BISSONNETT BEST PIT STOP

The closest depanneur to the Milton Gates is Marche Bissonnette, situated on Milton street between Lorne avenue and Aylmer street. Its location makes it an ideal pit stop on the way home from campus for many McGill students. But most else about it is lackluster, as its prices and variety are only average compared to other deps in the area. Its main asset is the lineup of ramen and cup noodles, which they have more of than a student likely needs.

On the corner of Sainte Famille and Sherbrooke streets lies Marche J V T. This depanneur blurs the line between a dep and a grocery store, boasting the highest variety of products compared to other depanneurs on this list. Marche J V T’s produce section—an uncommon sight in other deps— makes for a good place to grab a few days’ worth of groceries if you don’t have time to trek to the grocery store. Plus, they have a wide selection of canned goods and beer, if you’re looking to stock up your pantry.

SUPER MARCHÉ BRITO ​B EST ON​ TUESDAYS​ ​

Conveniently located next to Café Campus in the Prince Arthur strip, Super Marché Brito is the place to prepare for a pre on Tuesdays, offering the complete array of Four Loko flavours. ​O n​ ​t op​ ​o f​ its ideal ​l ocation, it has ​a ​ mini​- bakery and a minideli selling a variety of fresh goods from sopressata to croissants, both of which o​ ther​ ​d epanneurs are missing.​ ​​​However, ​t his​ ​v ariety comes with a cost; Super Marché Brito’s prices​ ​a re​ higher ​t han​ ​o ther​ depanneurs.​

The art of the

steal

Students beware, scammers exploit gaps in common tax Knowledge Calvin Trottier-Chi News Editor Illustration by ARSHAAQ JIFFRY

Classic scams like Nigerian princes in need of financial assistance and unexpected cruise tickets can seem childishly blatant, but they obscure an undercurrent of more threatening and manipulative exploitations. Over the summer, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police alerted people of an increase in fraudulent calls exploiting a duty so banal that citizens are often ignorant of its intricacies: Income tax returns.

Mary,* an international student at McGill University, was the victim of such a scam. Amid essay deadlines and caffeine-fueled sleep deprivation, she received a voicemail on Nov. 16. The call was from a Canadian number and the caller claimed to be an agent at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), the government body that administers taxes nationally.

“The message said I was being investigated for tax evasion,” Mary said. “I’ve never had to file for taxes, but I thought it might’ve been a bureaucratic misunderstanding.

Then [the agent] said there [was] a warrant out for my arrest, that they would come to the house in an hour, and if I didn’t pay the sum in total I would get arrested.

So obviously I got extremely scared and I just couldn’t think clearly.”

The caller was quick to legitimize herself, providing Mary with a case number, transferring her to various superiors, and citing government legislation. She then concluded that Mary owed the CRA $4,200.83 and cited criminal charges to impose restrictions upon her.

“She set up this thing she called a protocol,” Mary said. “[...The] protocol basically had two rules. The first rule was [that] I could never hang up the phone [...] because it would seem like I was evading the government. The second rule [...] was that I couldn’t tell anyone that this was happening. She said if I told anyone what I was being investigated for or that I was under investigation, they would also be under investigation for collusion.”

Mary was given the opportunity to postpone the imminent arrest if she gave the caller $1,500 in iTunes gift cards. She dutifully spent the $300 she had in her bank account on gift cards at the grocery store Provigo, with the caller on the line all the while. “[The caller] said she was helping me out because I was being so cooperative,” Mary said. “She was like ‘We’re here to help you, to make sure you don’t get arrested, because you’re being cooperative and you’re following the protocol we’re not going to send the police right now.’ She said that I couldn’t let the store owners know what the cards were for, because otherwise they would try to intimidate me and they would quickly call the police.”

As an international student, Mary knew that her parents would be unable to transfer money to her on such a short-notice. The caller instructed her to take out a loan from her bank. Her application was denied. She managed to borrow an additional CAD$200 from a friend but it wasn’t enough. Eventually, fearful but resigned to her fate, she called her father, who reassured her that she had been taken advantage of by a financial scammer.

Upon later reflection, Mary explained how, although she had doubts about the authenticity of the caller, she was compelled to obey out of shock and fear. She worried that if her doubts were wrong, the price would be unbearable.

“I know it’s partly my fault because I should have gotten more educated, but I didn’t know how [I was] supposed to act,” Mary said. “Obviously, on TV you hear that everyone has a right to representation, but when someone tells you you’re about to get arrested, you kind of do what they want [....] I knew they couldn’t lock me away, but I still thought they could detain me before I could get representation, and I just didn’t want to be detained because, while obviously I have friends here, I don’t have an adult figure [in my life who] could come bail me out, or protect me.”

Fortunately, legitimate police investigations are less abrupt than what Mary faced. Law enforcement does not conduct random cold calls like the one Mary received. Instead, they keep individuals aware of ongoing investigations. Police forces may only unilaterally enter an individual’s home and arrest them under urgent circumstances, such as threats to national security or public safety,

although civil forfeiture laws do allow the police to seize an individual’s property if they suspect it was used to perpetrate a crime, or was obtained as a result of a crime. Sentencing for fees can only be carried out within the judiciary system.

“The police officers of the [Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal] SPVM do not arrest people [who] did not pay their taxes, nor ask for money over the phone,” Darren McMahonPayette, a spokesperson at the SPVM, said. “Depending on the gravity of the crime, investigators from the SPVM can call suspects to let them know they are considered a suspect of a crime, to ask to meet them to know their version of the story, or even ask them to go to an operational center to

be officially arrested.”

Mary’s caller’s protocol had no legal standing. Individuals are under no obligation to speak to the police beyond identifying themselves, after which they have the right to speak to an attorney, many of whom are available for free or at low cost.

“A police officer may not demand that you stay in constant contact with them,” Giovanna Annunziata, lawyer at Cabinet Gelber Liverman, a Montreal law firm, said. “You have the right to not speak to the police besides for purposes of identification.”

From a legal perspective, tax evasion is not as clear-cut as scammers would have their targets believe. International students need only file taxes if they establish residency within Canada, or stay in Canada for over 183 days in a year. Moreover, scholarships for full-time education are not taxable, and only individuals with a taxable annual income higher than $11,635 need to pay federal taxes.

Section 238 of the Income Tax Act specifies a fine between $1,000 and $25,000 as punishment for tax evasion. Additionally, Section 380 of the Criminal Code calls for up to two years of imprisonment if the tax evasion involved less than $5,000, and up to 14 years of imprisonment for larger sums. However, tax evasion rarely results in jail time: CBC reported that 26 per cent of the 98 people convicted of tax fraud in 2014 received prison sentences.

Overall, the judiciary consider a variety of circumstances when deciding sentences, among them being whether the offense was intentional.

“When evaluating

the proper sentence, the Court will look at a number of factors offences, number of particularly vulnerable could’ve potentially lawyer at Ginzburg Legal,

such as: number of people affected, whether the victims were (children, elderly folks, etc.), whether the offence destabilized the Canadian economy, etc.” Adam Ginzburg, wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune.

Cold calls like Mary’s happen quickly. By the time legal expertise becomes relevant, the scammer might have already obtained their victim’s personal information. The CRA provides an extensive list of scammers’ strategies and the basics of identifying authentic transactions. Karl Lavoie, media relations representative at the CRA, empathized with victims of scams, and underlined

the importance of authenticating instructions before acting.

“The CRA never asks taxpayers to provide their personal or financial information by email, text message, or by clicking on a link,” Lavoie said. “The public can confirm the authenticity of a call that appears to be from the CRA by calling individual income tax enquiries at 1-800-959-8281 [....

Taxpayers] should always go to the CRA’s website or to their online banking to initiate the payment rather than clicking a link from an unknown source.”

Scammers may provide links to fraudulent websites that appear to be official sites, but these can be proven fake by checking for discrepancies in the URL such as unexpected words, unusually long streams of symbols, or random letters. It is also important to remember that the CRA, as well as other financial institutions like the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), observes a strict policy of not sending website links via email.

“If there’s a link in the email, there is a 99.99 per cent chance it is fraud,” Charles Toth, banking advisor at RBC, said. “Now, if you clicked, that doesn’t mean necessarily that now that you clicked we’re not going to [reimburse you for scams], that is a case-by-case thing, but no, we would never send you links in our emails.”

While email scams can be foiled by not opening suspicious links, scammers over the phone can be more persistent. A common clue for identifying phone scams is the scammers’ propensity to demand payment through gift cards, which they likely change into cash through conversion websites such as cardcash.com. Gift cards present a unique challenge because they are intrinsically hard to keep track of.

“Some of these [gift card scams] are difficult to trace because the scammers are usually sitting in another country and creating fake websites in a third country,” Benjamin Fung, associate professor at McGill’s School of Information Studies, wrote in an email to the Tribune. “Solving these cases requires international efforts.”

GiftCards.com, a gift card sales website, offers its clientele both eGift cards and physical gift cards from popular brands such as Amazon, BestBuy, and Staples. Sarah, a clerk at giftcards.com who declined to give her last name, confirmed how difficult it is to trace gifts cards.

“We can tell when the gift card was used, how much it was used for, and the location [where] it was used, but nothing more,” Sarah said.

Unfortunately, educating oneself about gift cards may not be enough going forward.

Fung predicts an increased usage of untraceable cryptocurrency, which may be a more credible channel than iTunes gift cards for scammers to receive money.

“I would predict a rise in cryptocurrency [like Bitcoin] for scams because [it] is the default currency in the world of darknet,” Fung wrote. “Some cryptocurrency exchanges [disappear] overnight. One of the most well-know cases was Mt. Gox [where $460 million worth of bitcoins were stolen by hackers].”

Although Apple has warned customers that iTunes gift cards should only be purchased for use on the iTunes store, distributors of gift cards appear to be more concerned with identity theft than coercive purchases.

“For the big transactions with gift cards, we must ask them for ID, to make sure [...that] the credit card [was not stolen],” Denis Potier, supervisor of the Provigo location where Mary bought the gift cards, said. “The reasons why people buy the gift cards are not important.”

However, not only are gift cards complicated to trace, but the scammers themselves may be difficult to identify over the phone. Scammers can adapt to victims’ characters more easily when conversing in real-time dialogue rather than through written messages. Don Donderi, retired associate professor in the Department of Psychology, categorizes scams as either positive or negative. “[In] a positive scam, i.e. we owe you a big refund, just send us your bank account data and we’ll deposit it to your account, your susceptibility to greed and your unjustified self-confidence [...] will be triggered,” Donderi wrote in an email to the Tribune.

Meanwhile, a negative scam preys upon senses of unfamiliarity and fear. Scammers attempt to coerce their victims into giving them money by preying on their lack of knowledge of Canadian tax laws.

“Your fear of being chucked out of the country is right up there with waiting to be manipulated by an ‘official’ agency, a long arm of authority that you can’t afford to defy,” Donderi wrote. “Of course many international students come from countries whose bureaucracies are really less on your side, so to speak, than the government of Canada. [They] are a bit afraid, unfamiliar with the Canadian online bureaucracy’s look and feel, and unfamiliar with what they might legitimately ask of you.”

In general, scammers exploit their victims’ insecurities. The prevalence of CRA scams suggests that misunderstanding tax laws is a common problem. Organizations such as PennyDrops, which was founded by McGill students to improve financial knowledge amongst marginalized populations, seek to combat rising financial illiteracy.

“Entering the workforce after university, we are faced with complicated financial concepts that we never encountered in our studies,” Isaac Cox, U3 Management and chief growth officer at PennyDrops, said. “For example, we have to file income taxes, start putting money aside for retirement, and live on a fixed budget. Without the proper financial education, these new responsibilities create unnecessary stress and anxiety.”

If a McGill student is the victim of a scam, they might feel that they can rely on their parents’ financial experience or, failing that, their rights against unlawful arrest as Canadian citizens.

However, when scammers come across students like Mary, who is a part of the 30 per cent of McGill students from outside of Canada, their unfamiliarity with foreign laws adds another manipulatable factor.

“I think the biggest fear they play on is that you’re alone in this country which is not really yours, and this fear of being imprisoned in a country where your rights aren’t really as strong,” Mary said.

“Because if you’re detained and you’re at home you can easily call your parents and your parents will come and help, but if you’re far away from your parents you’d have to deal with this by yourself, and it’s that fear of not being able to protect yourself.” *Name changed at the request of the student.

10 STUDENT LIVING

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

The Tribune Tries: A waste-free week

Six daily challenges, no plastic or packaging involved Mary Lynne Loftus Contributor It’s no secret that humans have a problem with waste. Globally, we waste CDN $31 billion on uneaten food annually. The United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 42 per cent of greenhouse gases come from the production of plastic packaging and goods. As a student, I’m prone to contributing to these waste levels, largely because of my busy schedule. With little time to cook, I often grab meals on the go, like coffee in disposable cups or sandwiches wrapped in plastic packaging, which I then toss without a thought about the landfill.

It wasn’t until I realized how much waste I was producing on any given day that I decided it was time for a change. In an effort to be more environmentally-friendly, I undertook a six-day challenge to go “waste-free.”

As simple as that sounds, it actually required a substantial amount of effort. Going “waste-free” entails producing as little trash as possible; people who live waste-free don’t use items that can’t be recycled or reused. To work this into my own life for the week, I brought my own lunches to school and limited how much takeout food I ate. I also made sure to always have reusable containers, an extra tote bag, and an empty reusable water bottle on hand to avoid consuming disposable products. I also tried more specific daily challenges—and while my success in doing so varied, the amount I learned from each one remained constant.

Monday: Do-It-Yourself toiletries For the first day of the challenge, I made my own toothpaste, shampoo, and body wash. I stored them in reusable Tupperware containers and Mason jars, foregoing the plastic packaging that comes with store-bought products. While the products were not difficult to make, the necessary ingredients—like essential oils— were more costly than the packaged alternative. The body wash and shampoo turned out well and made my skin and hair feel softer. But in a standard week, I don’t know if I’d have the time or energy to make these over buying them. The toothpaste I made tasted chalky—I accidentally added too much baking soda—so I gave up and used my regular toothpaste. I was disappointed that it didn’t work and I’d

recommend measuring out the ingredients carefully to anyone trying out this technique. Regardless, the toothpaste consistency might take some getting used to.

Tuesday: Donation day My closet is overflowing with clothing that I don’t currently wear. It was only fitting that on the second day of this challenge, I clean out my chaotic closet and rid my life of this waste for good.

Rather than ditching them in the garbage, I lugged my unused clothes to the Salvation Army in hopes that someone could repurpose them. In purging my closet, I realized just how wasteful some of my purchases were. While I tend to buy individual items I like without considering when or how I’ll wear them, I’m learning that when I shop, I need to think more about how to re-wear certain pieces—and thrift stores are certainly an option.

Wednesday: Paper-free note-taking On the third day, I challenged myself to take lecture notes on my laptop instead of writing them by hand, which I usually do. Handwriting notes helps me retain information, but at the end of each semester, I find that I’ve accumulated heaping piles of paper with notes that I’ll never read again. Even though laptops come with the distractions of the Internet, it’s an easy way to cut down on paper use.

Thursday: Miscellaneous waste reduction Because so much of the waste I accumulate throughout the day are small tidbits that I use without realizing, I made a point to cut down on miscellaneous waste like straws and receipts. Not using straws was fairly easy because I carried a reusable water bottle around with me, but receipts are often printed automatically. For half the day, cashiers printed them out, and I’d have to recycle them. I realized that I needed to tell cashiers in advance that I didn’t want my receipt before it got printed. Though this adds an extra challenge, it’s easy and worthwhile to implement in the future.

Friday: Face mask Friday Instead of celebrating the week’s end with our usual Sephora face masks, my friends and I made our own face masks out of natural ingredients. This cut out waste from unnecessary plastic packaging

entirely. We used simple, inexpensive ingredients that we found at the grocery store: Honey, yogurt, and avocado. Avocado is deeply nourishing for the skin, while yogurt is great for refining pores.

While the masks had a chunky consistency that we weren’t used to, they were much cheaper than those at Sephora, making this an easy practice to incorporate into daily life without breaking the bank. Protip: Buy honey in bulk at Frenco.

Saturday: Shopping at a local farmer’s market While I typically buy my groceries from a supermarket, which involves packaging galore, I went to Jean Talon market on the last day of my challenge to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. I came equipped with reusable bags to carry groceries, the trick to shopping plastic-free.

Out of all of the week’s challenges, this was my favourite. In the same trip, I was able to support local farmers and treat myself to ice cream at Havre aux Glaces—which I ate out of my own Tupperware I’d brought with me.

My main takeaway from this experience is that there are numerous small ways to cut down on waste in everyday life, which I hope to maintain long beyond the end of the challenge. However, it is important to note that some methods of wastefree living are more reasonable than others.

Buying clothes secondhand is cheaper than the alternative, but buying all groceries at local markets can take time and planning, which many students lack.

Going waste-free can help students declutter their lives—while treating the The merits of going waste free planet right. are plentiful (Taja De Silva/ The McGill Tribune)

Breakfast cookies for busy mornings A nutritious and satisfying start to the day

For many McGill students, weekday breakfasts do not exist; mornings entail waking up and heading right out the door to class. Students might dream of bacon, eggs, and luscious stacks of pancakes, but sadly, often wind up settling for a packaged and processed bar from the bottom of their backpacks. To save you from mundane morning snacks, The McGill Tribune has compiled easy breakfast cookie recipes that you can make ahead of time and grab for those on-the-go mornings. All three recipes are easy, nutritious, and delectable—ensuring a happier start to any student’s crazy schedule.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BREAKFAST COOKIE

CARROT CAKE BREAKFAST COOKIE

BANANA CHOCOLATE COOKIE IN A MUG

Makes 18 cookies

Makes 12 cookies

Ingredients 2¼ cups old-fashioned oats 1 large egg 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 cup whole wheat flour ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ cup creamy peanut butter 1 cup unsweetened applesauce ¼ cup maple syrup or honey 3 tablespoons light brown sugar

Ingredients 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour 1/4 cup coconut sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions 1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Combine the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and chocolate chips in a large bowl. Stir with a spoon.

3. Combine peanut butter, applesauce, maple syrup, brown sugar, and the egg in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk until smooth.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until thoroughly mixed.

5. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, add the mix in tablespoon-sized dollops. Flatten the dough balls with the back of a spoon to flatten them into rounds.

6. Bake the cookies for nine to 10 minutes.

7. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes. Then, enjoy!

Instructions 1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Combine the oats, flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl and stir. Sprinkle the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt into the mix as you stir.

3. Add the milk, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla extract into the mix and stir with a whisk or large spoon.

4. Use a tablespoon to scoop batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

5. Pat the cookies down with the back of a spoon to flatten them into rounds.

6. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until firm.

7. Let the cookies cool for several minutes. Then, bon appétit!

Instructions 1. In a large microwaveable mug, mash the banana with a fork.

2. Stir the peanut butter, milk, and honey into the mug. Mix well, until smooth.

3. Add in the oats and chocolate chips. Stir until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.

4. Microwave the mug mix for 45 seconds to one minute, or until firm to the touch on top (cook time may vary based on microwave wattage).

5. Let the mug cool for one minute. Then, eat away!

Recipe adapted from Chef Savvy.

Recipe adapted from She Likes Food.

Recipe adapted from Bigger Bolder Baking.

Makes one mug cookie.

1/8 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk 1/4 cup maple syrup 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup grated carrot

Ingredients ½ medium-sized banana 1 ½ tablespoons peanut butter (crunchy or creamy) ½ tablespoon honey (or agave nectar) 1 tablespoon milk 4 tablespoons oats (rolled or quick) 1 tablespoon chocolate chips

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 11

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

‘The Cradle Will Rock’ offers a snapshot of American socialist history English Department’s production elevates historically significant but shallow source material Maxime Scraire Contributor Today, Marc Blitzstein’s musical The Cradle Will Rock (1937) is remembered not for its content, but for the outrage sparked by its original production. Directed by Orson Welles (Citizen Kane), Cradle was shut down by the government four days before its opening night because of some important budget cuts and its radical pro-union stance. With sets and costumes guarded by federal police and performers forbidden from getting on stage by their union, Blitzstein rented a theatre and piano and set out to sing the musical alone in front of the largest audience he could attract. The Cradle Will Rock got a full house; cast-members chimed in from their seats, and modern theater history was made. It’s a great origin story, one that has a lot to say about the era’s tense fight for workers’ rights and the American government’s irrational fear of communism. The work itself, which recounts Larry Foreman’s attempt to unionize Steeltown, pits America’s workers against the will of big bad capitalist Mr. Mister and his corrupted Liberty Committee, is of much lesser interest, dealing in broad strokes and simple rhetoric. Luckily, director and English Department professor Myrna Wyatt Selkirk chose to mix the two narratives, and her production is all the better for it.

As the lights go out, a pianist (Emmanuel Eustache on Thursday, Paul Keenan for all other performances) comes out on his own, the

way Blitzstein must have 80 years ago. He sits behind his instrument, located in the middle of the plain stage between a prison cell and a tribunal. In the first scene, he directly addresses the audience. The music starts, and prostitute Moll (Mitchel Csmerak in drag) comes out from behind the audience, singing the famous “Moll’s Song (I’m Checkin’ Home Now)” as she walks down the aisle. These first few seconds signal one thing: In this play, the fourth wall does not exist. Characters come up and down the stage, crack jokes with audience members, and sit with the crowd to watch scenes from afar. As gimmick-y as it may sound, this is all part of a playful take on the piece’s famed history; an effort to recreate what it must have felt like to watch a play take place not on stage, but all around you. And it works.

This audacious meta-layer helps elevate a thin script. Although acted and sung with commitment by an all-around game cast (special mentions to the charismatic lead Nick Vecchione and the naturally gifted singer and comic actress Maddy Corvino), there is simply no getting around the fact that Blitzstein’s blunt lyrics often sound more like angry union advertisements than thoughtful social satire.

Most of the thematic exposition staggeringly on the nose, frequently rupturing audience engagement. The main theme of corruption of the social elite by the powerful few is so overwrought that it is hard not to cringe every time a worker calls a priest, a journalist, or an

The Cradle Will Rock delves into Depression-era socialism. (westmountmag.ca) artist a “prostitute.” These characters, almost all stereotypes, are either too over-the-top or not enough. We quickly start to miss the grounded nature of Moll, who inexplicably spends most of the running-time watching the scenes unfold from the balcony.

Fortunately, there is enough frosting here to distract from this needlessly loud propaganda of a cake. The McGill Department of English Drama & Theatre Program’s The Cradle Will Rock is a fun time full of catchy tunes,

willing performances, and interesting historical references. Just make sure to read about the play’s history before you buy your ticket.

The McGill English Department’s production of The Cradle Will Rock will show Thursday, Nov. 30 to Saturday, Dec. 4. at Moyse Hall. Moyse Hall is located in the Arts Building at 835 Sherbrooke Street West. Tickets for The Cradle Will Rock can be purchased over the phone at (514) 398-6070 or via email at publicity. english@mcgill.ca.

‘Cielo:’ Alison McAlpine’s conversation with the sky Canadian filmmaker’s debut shines in this year’s RIDM Leo Stillinger Contributor Among the 142 films featured at the latest Montréal International Documentary Festival (Nov. 9–19), one of the most memorable was Cielo, the first feature film

by Canadian director Alison McAlpine. Set in the Chilean Atacama Desert, Cielo is an exploration of the night sky’s hold over the people who live in the driest desert in the world.

Cielo is not a typical documentary.

Slow-moving and poetic, it floats between gorgeous footage of the stars, conversations with subjects, and McAlpine’s own philosophical musings presented in voiceover narration. More of a meditation than a narrative, Cielo invites viewers to ask their own questions, without ever forcing a response.

The McGill Tribune sat down with McAlpine, who currently lives in Montreal, to discuss how the project was first conceived. McAlpine had been working on a different film project in Chile when, one night, she was caught in a power outage. The experience affected her in a way that was both emotional and intellectual.

“I was there, by chance, in this little village in the desert, and there was a blackout […] and there was no moon, of course no street lights, and I looked up, and I had never seen a sky so extraordinarily beautiful,” McAlpine said. “I was full of questions, and also astounded by the beauty.”

She quickly abandoned her old project.

“I went with this emotional urgency to

explore my questions,” McAlpine said. “For me, filmmaking is an inquiry of questions, [questions] hopefully that are important and provocative and evocative and turn your head around.”

These scientific and metaphysical questions, posed in voiceover to the sky itself, propel the film.

“It felt like [the film] needed a voiceover, but I didn’t want a traditional ‘voice-of-God’ documentary,” McAlpine said. “It did merit various drafts, and some of them were quite clever, but they never felt authentic to me. So finally I stumbled upon [the idea of] a conversation with the sky.”

This loose structure—a conversation with the sky—allowed her to imbue her intellectual and philosophical investigation with human feeling and poetry.

“I wanted to risk being emotional, and simple,” McAlpine said.

Rather than hire a professional voice actor to perform the voiceover, she recorded it herself, often improvising in the recording studio.

“The most vulnerable part is when it’s your [own] voice,” McAlpine said. “I like the expression, ‘the voice is the muscle of the soul.’ And I think it’s very hard for most of us to listen to our own voices.”

Cielo features a wide cast of subjects, whom McAlpine affectionately refers to as her “characters:” Planet hunters working in observatories, a man who takes photographs of UFOs, folk story-tellers, and a miner who writes poetry about the stars. To find these characters, she had to follow her gut.

“It’s really a process of intuition, and

Alison McAlpine’s first feature film finds the director hitchhiking across Chile. (Benjamín Echazarreta) chance” McAlpine said.

Using the observatories as her “constellation,” she journeyed through the desert, hitchhiking to a community of chozas—shack-like houses—where she found a married couple, who later feature in the film arguing about the nature of gravity.

The husband told her to go to a mine called Inca de Oro, where she found a miner who reads his poetry in the film.

“I took a bus there, and there I found the miner poet,” McAlpine said. “[...] It was a process of one person leading you to the next, just by chance.”

McAlpine returned to Chile four times.

She only began the process of filming with a

Chilean crew once she had stayed with her characters and established relationships with them.

“I had their trust, I really got to know these people,” McAlpine said. “I wanted an intimacy.”

Cielo indeed contains an intimacy, and one that is shared between many parties: The filmmaker, the characters, the viewer, and the sky. Covering one of the largest subjects imaginable, the night sky, she has created a touching film on a remarkably human scale.

“A story can be something very small,” McAlpine said. “A moment that feels to me authentic […] where we rediscover the world.”

12 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Nonfiction November

The McGill Tribune compiles our favourite reads For the British Federation of Children’s Book Groups’ celebration of National Non-fiction November Short of listening to a podcast, or reading a long article start-to-finish, reading nonfiction literature remains the best way of feeling like an intelligent, contemporary being. As finals season begins to rear its ugly head, and long days turn into longer nights spent in McLennan, pleasure reading can feel like a distant memory; a luxury reserved for parents, graduates, and retirees.

In memoriam of this long forgotten hobby, and because we are chained to the law of alliteration, The McGill Tribune asked writers and editors to compile their favourite nonfiction tomes for our final November issue.

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood Trevor Noah

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies Jared Diamond

Avleen K Mokha Staff Writer Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show, is a bittersweet but important read. Born to a white father and a black mother under the South African apartheid regime, Noah was a criminal at birth. The autobiography is not chronological—yet each chapter, based around one key event in Noah’s life, flows seamlessly. Noah’s voice is incredible; he brings profound insight into seemingly mundane anecdotes. His mischievous charisma and mature outlook on politics and society complement each other in this page-turning read.

Nicholas Jasinski Editor-in-Chief In his 1998 Pulitzer Prize-winning history of human development, Guns, Germs, and Steel, UCLA geography professor Jared Diamond takes readers on a tour of the past 13,000 years of our species on Earth. Diamond uncovers and convincingly explains the underlying causes and influences that led societies on certain continents to develop at different rates than those on others. His inquiry ranges from geographical and environmental factors to the effects of religion, disease, and weapons of war on an evolving society. Diamond’s writing is thoroughly-researched and detail-rich, and he successfully presents a plethora of information without making his work feel like a textbook.

Paris to the Moon Adam Gopnik

Columbine Dave Cullen

Katia Innes Contributor Adam Gopnik left his long-time job at The New Yorker in 1995 to move to Paris, bringing his wife Martha, and their infant son Luke along. Paris to the Moon collects his five years in the City of Light, and frames them as a moment of transition: Between comfort and adventure, security and risk—all teetering on the edge of the new millennium. This collection of essays paints an honest and beautiful depiction of a city from the unique perspective of an outsider.

Christina Stackpole Contributor As one of the first reporters on the scene of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, Dave Cullen presents the most detailed study of the incident to date. Combining interviews with students, families, and locals and detailed research into case files and evidence, Cullen focuses little on the hour of the shooting itself, and more on the lead-up and aftermath.

Exploring the backgrounds of the shooters and victims, the months of grief and controversy after the event, and the critical roles of local law enforcement and the media, Cullen eschews a reductive portrait of the killers, and examines multiple perspectives on the shooting and its repercussions.

Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 Michael Azzerad Dylan Adamson Arts & Entertainment Editor Michael Azzerad’s tour through the dwindling days of American indie rock concludes with the release of Nirvana’s Nevermind (1991). Over the course of 13 narratives detailing the histories of 13 indie bands—from Beat Happening to Black Flag— Azzerad positions Nevermind not as the beginning of grunge, but as the tombstone of truly independent rock music. With vivid, descriptive intimacy, Azzerod dusts off decades-old anecdotes about basement recording studios, filthy tour vans, and backstage brawls. A perfect read for any baby boomer dad who thinks rock died when Led Zeppelin broke up, Our Band Could Be Your Life showcases a thriving DIY post-punk scene existing outside capitalist structures of music distribution.

Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001-2011 Lizzy Goodman Sophie Brzozowski Staff Writer The turn of the millennium should have been a bleak time for rock ‘n roll in New York City, with then Mayor Rudy Giuliani cracking down on sex and drugs. Instead, during this era, the city became a backdrop for a revolution that would change the music industry forever.

Over the course of a decade, author Lizzy Goodman compiled over 2,000 interviews detailing the Strokes-era New York music scene in all of its debauchery. Bartenders, fans, industry tycoons, and, of course, rockstars recount in depraved detail their favorite shows, parties, and music from this hay-day, proving once and for all that rock ‘n roll did change the world.

The Secret History of Wonder Woman Jill Lepore James Collier Contributor William Marston was a Harvard psychologist who invented the lie detector in the 1920s.

He also created Wonder Woman, the first female superhero. The bizarre and fascinating life story of Wonder Woman’s creator takes centre stage in The Secret History of Wonder Woman—a dense 400-page epic that covers enormous ground in its telling of the struggle for women’s rights over the course of the 20th century. Lepore’s extensive research pays off, and her sleuthing connects a treasure trove of rough drafts and private documents to reveal one of the most intricate and intriguing backstories behind a comic book character.

Sick in the Head: Conversations about Life and Comedy Judd Apatow

All of the Tribune’s Non-fiction November picks are available at McLennan Library.

(Summer Liu / The McGill Tribune)

Maxime Scraire Contributor In Sick in the Head, Judd Apatow, the talent behind modern-day classics like The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, interviewed his favourite funny people about their upbringings and creative processes. Martin Short, Chris Rock, Seth Rogen, Spike Jonze, Stephen Colbert, Sarah Silverman, and Jim Carrey are only a few of the countless comedy icons who appear in the book. Raw, funny, and enlightening, Sick in the Head is an essential read for comedy nerds.

Tuesday, November 28 , 2017

science & technology 13

McGill researcher develops new HIV self-testing app ‘HIVSmart!’: relaying true facts and dispelling myths Océane Marescal Staff Writer Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is one of the deadliest viruses in the world and has claimed over 35 million lives to date. Recently, Nitika Pant Pai, Associate Professor at the McGill Department of Medicine and researcher at the McGill University Health Center Research Institute has helped develop a new app called HIVSmart! designed to reduce the spread of this lethal virus. HIV attacks human CD4 T-cells—a type of white blood cell that usually protects us from disease. Without these immune cells, HIV patients are defenceless against other infections and succumb to illnesses that healthy patients would otherwise be able to fight off.

HIV is most commonly transmitted through unprotected sex; however, it can also be passed on through contact with blood. For example, drug injections with previously used and contaminated needles can also spread the virus.

One of the most fatal aspects of HIV is the lack of immediate symptoms, leaving carriers unaware that they have been infected—contributing to the spread of the disease. Unfortunately, the stigma associated with getting tested for HIV prevents people from getting tested as often as they should. HIVSmart! targets this problem to help with the diagnosis.

For the past five years, Pai has been working on making HIV testing more accessible to those who need it most. Pai’s HIVSmart! is a mobile app that guides an individual through the process of performing their own HIV screening test whenever necessary.

For Pai, HIVSmart! would be an essential component of the HIV screening process.

“People can certainly test themselves without an

app, but the experience of testing and linkage to care is incomplete,” Pai said. “HIV self-testing devices have issues with interpretation, and many testers need help. Certainly after the test, if they find themselves positive, they need counselling and support.”

For those who test positive, HIVSmart! would provide a 24-hour helpline and confidential linkages to healthcare facilities, as well as access to counsellors.

The app has gone through over 30 prototypes and has been tested in at-risk populations in Canada and South Africa.

Although not yet available to the general public, HIVSmart! is currently completing a clinical trial, and Pai hopes that it will be accessible soon. It will be free for those who live in low-income countries and will offer at least six languages.

Pai views the clinical trial as only the first step toward a big future for the HIVSmart! app.

“We recently signed a partnership with an influential organization (The International Association of Providers of AIDS Care, or IAPAC) to use HIVSmart! in over 80 highburden cities worldwide in the initiative to end the HIV epidemic,” Pai said. “We would like to believe that it will be used by many different organizations around the world!”

IAPAC is an association dedicated to the global battle against HIV. In 2014, it began its Fast-Track City initiative, based on what they call the 90-90-90 and zero goal. This goal hopes to attain 90 per cent of people living with HIV to know their HIV status, 90 per cent of the diagnosed individuals to be on antiretroviral therapy (ART) for their HIV, and 90 per cent of those on ART to achieve viral suppression. The 90-90-90 and zero goal can also combat negative attitudes toward the virus through stigma elimination trainings offered to healthcare providers in these Fast-Track cities.

Pai’s app will be an essential step to IAPAC’s first and last goals, as HIVSmart! will greatly aid in the diagnosis of

HIV self-testing may soon be available. (hivsmart.org) HIV status while avoiding much of the stigma present in more public settings.

McGill students have already helped Pai in her fight against HIV. In 2011, a group of students helped evaluate the app’s strategy. She encouraged students to get involved in the battle against HIV. “Spread the word,” Pai said. “I will be happy if [McGill students] believe in our social mission [....] We need to do more to reach the underprivileged in low and high income settings.”

With the use of HIV self-testing, aided by HIVSmart!, Pai is hopeful that the HIV epidemic will soon cease to spread at such a dangerous rate and take fewer lives.

The Village Effect: How face to face contact can make us healthier, happier, and smarter Psychologist Susan Pinker highlights the importance of social interaction on health Paloma Jacquet Contributor On Nov. 24, McGill’s Department of Psychology hosted Canadian psychologist, journalist, and broadcaster Susan Pinker, who delivered this year’s Macnamara Lecture in McGill’s McIntyre Medical Building. Pinker spoke about her latest book, The Village Effect: How Face-to-Face Contact can Make us Healthier, in which she underlines the importance of face-to-face social contact. What she calls “the village effect” is a metaphor for the social interactions humans need to thrive and survive.

“There’s new evidence from a fairly new field, social neuroscience, that shows that the type of social contact that we all have affects our ability to remember, our resilience, and even how fast tumors grow,” Pinker said.

According to Pinker, many years of social science research shows that the number one factor on our health above getting flu vaccinations, exercising regularly, or eating healthy is our social interactions.

This research studied a whole population (40-60 thousand people) for seven years. Individuals’ features, such as their weight, age, number of

According to Susan Pinker, social interaction is a strong predictor of health outcomes. (Linqiao Zhou / The McGill Tribune) children, lifestyle, number of friends and smoking habits, were recorded.

At the end, the subjects ranked factors based on their effect on life expectancy: The two most important factors being social integration, followed by close relationships.

As Pinker explains, close relationships occur between people can count on one another in the case of an existential crisis, and share a closer bond with each other than anyone else.

Social integration includes the casual

or weak bonds, in addition to close relationships. “[Social integration includes] the people you meet when you walk your dog, the people you say ‘hi’ to cleaning out the snow, [and] the librarian you talk to when you head out to the library,” Pinker said. Most people find these interactions useless, although they are the most important lifestyle predictors.

In her book, Pinker presents numerous other studies that reveal

the importance of social interactions.

For example, Pinker’s study on women with breast cancer suggests that women suffering from the illness are four times more likely to survive if they enjoy regular, face-to-face contact. Furthermore, men suffering from a stroke received more benefits from regular interaction with other men than from medication.

Pinker also addresses the modern growth of human loneliness: A quarter of the population reported that they

have no one to talk to. At the same time, we live in a world where people are more connected than ever, through social media and apps like FaceTime and Skype.

Studies show, however, that digital interactions cannot replace inperson communication.

“During actual face-to-face contact, a person will release a whole series of neurotransmitters and hormones that foster trust, reduce stress, kill pain, and induce pleasure,” Pinker said.

Further brain scans show that inperson contact increases brain activity in areas linked with social intelligence and emotional reward in a way that digital contact does not. While personto-person contact is crucial for human well-being, social media provides more opportunities for digital interactions. These technologies restrict humans from what they need: Real, human contact.

Pinker’s lecture emphasizes that all humans require social relationships.

Making time to meet people in person, rather than Skyping, emailing, texting, or messaging, will benefit both parties.

Take the time to appreciate even the smallest of human interactions: As insignificant as they may seem, they go a long way in increasing health, promoting well-being, and increasing life expectancy.

14 science & technology

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Les Olympes de la Parole introduced to North America International competition aims to empower indigenous girls with emerging technologies Selin Altuntur Managing Editor On Nov. 15, the University Women’s Club of Montreal (UWCM) launched the first ever North American rendition of “Les Olympes de la Parole,” an academic competition that aims to engage young women in both local and global issues of gender inequality.

Les Olympes de la Parole was first launched in 2001 by the Association

Française des Femmes Diplômées des Universités first launched Les Olympes de la Parole in 2001, an event that is now organized in multiple countries around the world. The competition was named after Olympe de Gouges, a French playwright and activist who was executed for treason in 1793 because of her work.

At the official launch of the competition, Saôde Savary, president of the UWCM, spoke to the importance of implementing Les Olympes de la

Students from Villa Maria, The Study, and Sacred Heart were invited to participate in Les Olympes de la Parole. (Ben Etienne)

Parole in Montreal.

“The UWCM believes it is now time for Canadian girls to join the global conversation to empower their voices, to support policies that foster a gender equal society and start paving the way for all the girls in North America,” Savary said. “Addressing gender inequality is a complex issue that requires multiple perspectives in order to create sound solutions.”

Several teams of students from Villa Maria College, The Study, and Sacred Heart School of Montreal will be spearheading their own projects centered around a common theme: How improved access to information technologies can empower young Indigenous women in Canada. Speaker Deidre Kahwinehtha Diome, Chair of the Kanawake Combined School Committee, emphasized how much she valued the acknowledgement offered by the UWCM toward her community.

“So often, there is a feeling of alienation that [...] Indigenous people are alone in their struggle,” Kahwinehtha Diome said, “[But] when [the UWCM] decided [they] were going to launch this new initiative, Les Olympes de la Parole, [... they] chose [the] topic to be about us, people like me who are working in the trenches every day. And what that felt like to me, was caring, was compassion, was recognition for me and the struggle of all of our people.”

The UWCM invited representatives from all three secondary schools to speak at the launch of the competition. Maria Di Scala, a social studies teacher at Villa Maria, emphasized that today’s students are responsible for creating innovative solutions to issues of gender equity and access to technology.

“Olympe de Gouges herself is a prime example of what Villa Maria has always striven to do, to provide our students with the tools to critically reflect upon social injustices, particularly gender [inequality], and to use their passion and unique position as simultaneously oppressed and privileged in crafting creative and effective solutions,” Di Scala said. “De Gouges [...] proved that the ultimate recipe to female empowerment is the combination of education, voice and perseverance.”

Students at The Study have witnessed firsthand how improving access to modern technologies can improve the learning experiences of young women and men. The Study is partnered with a sister school in Nicaragua, where seniors participate in a community service trip and raise funds to provide the school with laptops and printers. Two students from The Study, Mia Strack Van Schyndel and Delila Farias, spoke about the barriers significant to learning experiences.

“We realized that the best way

to understand the challenges that Indigenous girls are facing is to speak directly to these women,” Van Schyndel said. “We [met] with Mayor [Madeleine] Redfern, the first female mayor of Iqaluit [....] She brought to our attention that first and foremost, the largest hurdle in regards to new technology is the lack of access to a reliable, affordable Internet connection.

As it stands, the only Internet connection [in Iqaluit] is available through satellite, which is slow, unreliable, and expensive [....] This leaves many remote communities in the country not only physically isolated, but socially as well.”

Farias echoed Van Schyndel’s sentiment. She highlighted how the UWCM’s initiative could benefit Indigenous students living on reservations.

“The bridge that this project will build between us and the indigenous women in certain regions of Canada could potentially open numerous doors and offer them opportunities that would not otherwise have been offered,” Farias said.

The UWCM will host a gala on April 6, 2018, where the three winning teams of Les Olympes de la Parole will be announced. The projects led by these teams will be put in motion by the UWCM, with the help of the schools involved.

New statistical measure created at McGill sheds light on the relationship Jade Prévost-Manuel Contributor Continued from page 1.

However, they fail to indicate exactly when these events happen, limiting understanding of the scale of variation in timing caused by climate change.

A collaborative effort between researchers from McGill and Utah State University has uncovered a solution to the problem. On Nov. 6, the team published a study on a new statistical indicator that measures the effect of climate change on plants by extracting meaningful data on early blooms—taking into account when the plant first leafs-out, flowers, or sets fruit.

Research interests of McGill Associate Professor in the Department of Biology Jonathan Davies, a co-author of the study, range from the biogeography of disease, to plant responses to climate change. His previous work has demonstrated that warming experiments underestimate

the extent to which plants are affected by climate change, and that significant differences exist between the observational data and experimental data of these experiments.

The lead author of the paper, William Pearse, assistant professor in the Department of Biology at Utah State University, commented on the current limitations of warming studies.

“Plant phenology, [or the study of periodic biological phenomena that are correlated with climatic conditions], provides a powerful symbol of how climate change is impacting our environment, and these changes can be observed both in nature and in the crops we plant and grow to feed ourselves,” Davies said in an interview with The McGill News Room on Nov. 6. “Because we have short memories, it is difficult, however, to determine whether the changes we observe today are unusual or if they simply represent natural variation from year-to-year.”

In an email to The McGill Tribune, Pearse elaborated on the difficulties involved in studying

New statistical tool measures impact of climate change on plants.

(Arshaaq Jiffry / The McGill Tribune) plant phrenology in a lab setting.

“Measuring is timeconsuming,” Pearse wrote.

“To be absolutely certain that you knew when a flower first opened, you’d have to return to it each day, maybe even more frequently, and record whether it was open or not.”

The new statistic estimator obtains meaningful data on phenological change by comparing past and present blooming times.

“Previously, it was difficult to measure phenology because it required so much intensive survey work,” Pearse explained.

“Our metric [...] makes it easier to collect even more data on phenology.”

Davies highlighted that big data collected by naturalists and herbaria—collections of dried and preserved specimens—are both important data resources for studying the effect of climate change on plants.

“These dusty specimens can provide new insights into how human activities have altered today’s climate, by contrasting the time a flower bloomed in the past, to observation in the present day,” Davies said.

Studies have shown that increases in variation are characteristics of natural systems approaching a state of change, or environmental limit. For Pearse, annual variations in blooming are important to study because flowering plants may have a limit.

“Flowers can’t just keep flowering earlier and earlier as the world warms under climate change,” Pearse said. “This increase in variation could be indicative of flowers approaching that limit. Of course, we need more studies to look into this.”

SPORTS 15

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Selective success: A McGill recruiting story

Rugby is one of many sports in which universities like Concordia hold a competitive advantage over McGill. (Noah Sutton / The McGill Tribune)

To level the playing field within Quebec, McGill must shift its focus

By Patrick Beacham, Staff Writer When Peter Smith was a McGill athlete in the 1970s, team-building on both Redmen and Martlet teams looked very different than it does today. Now head coach of the Martlet hockey team, Smith remembers a varsity program that was in stark contrast to the recruiting culture of NCAA universities south of the border.

“Back then [in the 1970s], for a lot of teams, there were many more ‘walk-ons’ chosen for rosters from tryout situations [...] than recruited players,” Smith said. “Now, although there are exceptions, most of the athletes on varsity teams are highly recruited.”

Recruiting techniques have changed over the past 40 years at McGill and in Quebec more broadly, with the system now falling more in line with the NCAA’s system of attracting talent in the United States by scouting at big tournaments and appealing to star athletes. Like most NCAA schools, McGill offers multiple scholarships for top-tier athletes and has won numerous championship titles over the years—all while maintaining rigorous academic standards. However, wide disparities exist in the support McGill teams are given from McGill Athletics. Often times, McGill’s uncompromising academic standards and limited resources for athletes put its sports teams at a competitive disadvantage in the race to pick up Quebec talent.

McGill’s ability to recruit top talent is reduced because it does not have the financial means to make the lucrative offers that many other schools can. The athletic scholarships available to incoming freshmen range from $1,000 to $6,000, though the maximum award for Canadian students is $3,500.

Furthermore, most McGill teams don’t have any financial aid at their disposal to offer athletes. Yet, scholarships only apply to a few sports, and many other universities are able to table more sizable offers. Comparable schools like the University of Toronto (UofT) offer up to $4,500 to athletes, a more attractive offer for some Canadian students. Université Laval, a Canadian sports powerhouse and local rival, can muster Quebec talent for its Rouge et Or teams with awards reaching up to $10,000.

“I know that Laval is strong,” fourth-year Redmen runner François Jarry said. “If you’re putting in 15 to 20 hours a week, then [money is] probably a key factor [in choosing a school] because you don’t have time to work.”

McGill does, however, make up for some of its shortcomings by leveraging its academic reputation to attract

players. As it consistently ranks among Canada’s top universities, McGill has a standard to uphold. Admissions requirements are higher than at any other university in the country.

A CEGEP student needs an R score—the measure used by university admissions to rank Quebec students—of at least 25 or 27 to even be considered for McGill, while scores can be as low as 19 at Concordia.

“Student athletes who get into McGill get in through the front door,” Smith said. “Certainly, for our team, that narrows the field definitely. I’ll go watch a game and with [an opposing] team with 16 players on it, [and] there might be four players that have the academic marks to be able to get into McGill, so that’s where we start.”

Even the UofT’s requirements, with an R score somewhere in the mid-20’s, are less contingent on an applicant’s grades. Universities like Concordia and Laval are far more lenient. As a result, competitors—both in terms of academics and location—can recruit on the periphery of McGill’s admissions and accrue more homegrown talent. Not having to rely on international or exchange students makes teams much more secure.

“It’s a good contrast to make between Laval and McGill because [Laval is] very sports-based,” Jarry said. “It’s harder for McGill to recruit sometimes because [...] some people [...] don’t have the grades.”

Alex Pantis, a second-year Redmen rugby player, attests to the strain McGill’s academic requirements put on McGill teams. Concordia’s ability to recruit athletes who don’t meet McGill’s admissions standards puts the Stingers ahead in team-building, and it showed during this year’s rugby season: Concordia’s rugby team went on to beat McGill in both of their regular-season matches as well as in the RSEQ semifinal.

“Concordia had a very strong team and we’re looking to get back [into championships] next year,” Pantis said. “It’s not like we look at not being able to recruit as the main reason why we can’t [compete] but it’s also a real reason as to why we couldn’t compete with Concordia this year. [Around] 10 of their 13 [RSEQ all-stars] were from Quebec, and those were guys they recruited and brought to Concordia, whereas we had five guys [on all-stars] and only two of us were from Quebec.”

Pantis was one of McGill’s two Quebecois RSEQ allstars. Jarry is similarly from Quebec. Their accounts as homegrown student athletes highlight McGill’s shortcomings in

recruiting. The greatest problem seems to be a lack of consideration for potential McGillians with recruit status. “[Currently], it’s just a flag on your application that basically says you’re a recruit that they want for a certain sport, and that’s it,” Pantis said. “It’s very minimal, like if you’re equal to another person like to the hundredth or thousandth decimal, they’ll add [...] a plus [to your application], but it’s same standard if you’re part of the environmental club at your high school [....] You can’t [be promised] anything.”

Such a lax attitude toward prospects does immense harm to McGill’s recruiting power. If an applicant’s recruit status ultimately means little in the admissions process, then it can be difficult for prospects to build any kind of identity as a future Martlet or Redmen during preliminary trials with varsity teams. This time of year is also the crucial period when decisions are rolling in from most schools. Prospective McGillians on the edge of the academic bubble are forced to grapple with the uncertainty of their admission status while fighting to establish their place on a McGill team. Meanwhile, those same prospects already have the option to cement their places among teams at rival schools like Concordia because they will most likely get in. By the time the admissions office at McGill communicates a decision, it is often too late. The prospective talent has already walked off to another school.

“Other schools have the liberty to offer [potential athletes] stuff on the team like ‘come to this school because we can get you on the team, we can do this,’” Pantis said. “And [with] McGill, it’s like ‘if you get into the school.’ So people don’t have a chance to buy in fully to McGill Athletics because they don’t have the chance to really wrap their heads around the idea of coming here.”

McGill may not have the resources or incentive to expand its scholarship program, as all universities have a plethora of other priorities to tackle. In the absence of financial means, it touts academic prestige as a recruiting tool to compensate for losses in the monetary battle. This strategy has been effective in some cases, but McGill’s concentrated focus on stringent academic standards and a select few teams prevents it from being the sports powerhouse that it could be. If McGill wishes to bridge its competitive gap in team-building, it must extend financial support to all varsity teams, and recruit status needs to convey a sincere sense of belonging to athletic prospects.

Otherwise, McGill will continue to watch exciting talent wear its opposition’s colours.

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

16 SPORTS

In conversation with Katia Clement-Heydra Former Martlet star and current Canadienne on her transition to the CWHL Wasif Husain Staff Writer Continued from page 1.

She sat down with The McGill Tribune to discuss her path to the pros.

“McGill prepared me well for the [CWHL],” Clement-Heydra said. “[At McGill], we played a quick game, which was quite structured, and that was a style that was needed in the league. [As a Canadienne], you are playing against women now, who are much stronger, who skate faster and move the puck quicker. It does feel you have to start again. You’re like a baby, but playing at McGill helped a lot.”

In Clement-Heydra’s first year, the Canadiennes franchise went through a rebranding process that included affiliation with the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens, who now provide resources and marketing support to Les Canadiennes. Furthermore, they adopted the Habs’ classic branding, which helped to popularize the women’s game in Montreal.

“I think in the past three years in Montreal the [women’s] game has grown,” Clement-Heydra said. “The deal with the Habs helped a lot.”

She highlighted the importance of encouraging girls’ involvement in hockey and similar sports from an early age, in order to foster interest throughout their

Clement-Heydra and Les Canadiennes took on the Martlet hockey team in an exhibition game in October.

(Selwynne Hawkins/ The McGill Tribune) lives.

“Ringette is still [a big sport] in Montreal and getting girls to play hockey [and similar sports] will help grow the game,” Clement-Heydra said. “I think a lot more girls feel welcome to the play and see that they can go places playing hockey.”

The CWHL has also come a long way in 10 years in terms of paying players, attracting top talent, and expanding as far as China with two inclusion of the HC Kun-

lun Red Star and the Vanke Rays.

“The league has more parity than it ever has had,” Clement-Heydra said. “The expansion of the league has helped attract higher-end talent.”

Even after winning a Clarkson cup— the trophy awarded to the CWHL champions every year—this past season with the Canadiennes, she still appreciates her time at McGill.

“The first year at McGill was a dream come true, winning a champion-

ship all without losing a game that year,” Clement-Hydra said. “We had a veteran team with Olympians [.... But] winning a championship in my fourth year was very rewarding, especially by winning in double OT. It made it better that we lost in the RSEQ finals that year and still came back [to win nationals]. We really earned it that year.”

Clement-Heydra has played with many great players over the years, but four specific teammates have stuck out to her over her career.

“I [have] loved playing with Charline Labonte and Ann-Sophie Bettez who both play on the Canadiennes with me after playing together at McGill,” ClementHeydra said. “Also Cathy Chartrand, who is on the Canadiennes, and Gabrielle Davidson, who I played with on the Martlets.”

Alongside this contingent of prestigious Martlet hockey alumni, ClementHeydra has continued to impress in the CWHL. At such a formative point in the league’s short history, she is hopeful that the CWHL will continue to drive development of women’s hockey.

“I don’t doubt that the women’s game will continue to grow, especially with all the success we have had internationally,” Clement-Heydra said. “People take notice and that will only lead to better things for women’s hockey.”

McGill Martlet Volleyball downs Sherbrooke Vert et Or in straight sets

Claire Vercheval and the Martlets cruise to another victory

Ender McDuff Contributor We came, we saw, we conquered. This was the mood in the Love Competition Hall on Nov. 24, as the McGill Martlet volleyball team (8-2) dismantled the crossriver Université de Sherbrooke Vert et Or (2-7) in three sets. McGill’s success was centered around an aggressive, punishing offence that tallied 37 kills on the night.

A stifling defensive showing—especially in the final set—complimented the Martlet attack, allowing them to conquer the Vert et Or

Third-year Clare Nishikawa serves for the Martlets. (Gabriel Helfant / The McGill Tribune) in decisive fashion.

The McGill faithful erupted early as fourth-year Emilie Matte de Grasse served an ace—the first of a five-point string to open the game. The Vert et Or fought back, tying the game twice and even taking the lead midway through the set. However, the Martlets quickly found a winning formula, setting repeatedly to second-year Claire Vercheval, who registered a gamehigh 12 kills. McGill finished off the first set with another five-point run to a comfortable 25-18 scoreline.

The Martlets were unable to maintain a lead in the beginning of the second set, where the midpoint saw McGill down 12-8, their largest deficit of the night.

“Volleyball is a game of momentum, so it’s normal that sometimes you just slow down a little bit,” Martlet Head Coach Rachele Beliveau said. “But at the same time, the downs cannot [last] forever, so we have to regain the momentum and then be strong after that.”

The Martlets kept their composure to tie the set at 12 after

an ace from second-year Rowan Fletcher. This was the final challenge the Martlets faced, and they ran away with the rest of the set.

A hammer down the right side by Vercheval ended the stanza 25-20.

McGill’s performance in the third set was even stronger. After dropping the first point, the Martlets regained control, preventing any final pushback from Sherbrooke. With two false sets in a row from second-year Martlet setter Catherine Duchaine, the Vert et Or were on their heels. This set the stage for fifth-year Erika Cournoyer to hammer down the biggest kill of the night, leaving fans from both teams in awe. The crowd remained abuzz until the final blow was driven down the right flank by Vercheval, ending the set 25-14.

Beliveau was quick to praise her team’s effort.

“Intense, aggressive, quick

movement, [and] good defence,” Beliveau said. “We worked a lot on defence recently, [and] I saw a big difference. And as [we] calmed down, we were more in control of the game, and we started to play with more confidence.”

Cournoyer, who had six kills on the night, reiterated her coach’s sentiments on the team’s mindset throughout the game.

“We were very calm, and we were in control of what we were doing,” Cournoyer said. “We were pretty confident, so that’s what got us to stick together.”

The Martlets rounded out the weekend with a 3-2 win against the Laval Rouge et Or (6-3) on Nov. 26, and the two wins place them in a tie for first place with the Université de Montréal Carabins (8-1).

The two powerhouses will face off to begin the new year on Jan. 12 at Love Competition Hall.

Moment of the game

The night’s top play came from second-year Martlet setter Catherine Duchaine, who hammered two consecutive Sherbrooke sets down the heart of the Vert et Or defence in the final set.

Quotable

“I think we just came out strong, […] veni vidi vici.”

– Fifth-year Erika Cournoyer

Stat corner

In McGill’s dominant third set, the Martlets spiked home 13 kills, with their strong defence only allowing six kills by the opposing Vert et Or.