McGill Tribune Vol. 35, Issue 12 by The Tribune

The McGill Tribune TUesday, november 24, 2015 curiosity delivers

Volume No. 35 Issue No. 12

Editorial: Fighting marginalization of refugees and muslims requires clarity of policy pg. 5

feature: m c gilltribune.com Trappings of the Past— should @m c gilltribune japan apologize for its past war sex crimes? pg. 8 - 9

Behind the Bench

Student. Athlete. Activist Nick Jasinski Staff Writer

Actors bring curiosity and more to the stage. (Ava Zwolinski / McGill Tribune)

M c Gill English Department gets frisky in the next room PG. 2

PGSS Internal Affairs Officer resigns Cites educational obligations Sara Cullen Staff Writer On Nov. 11, Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) Council announced the resignation of the internal affairs officer (IAO) Sahil Kumar. Kumar cited personal reasons for submitting his

resignation. “My trajectory through graduate studies has taken a new turn, and now requires a greater time commitment,” Kumar said. “I did not want to see the portfolio suffer and have decided that this would be the best option to move forward. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with [all]

of the PGSS executives and commissioners over these last seven months.” Kumar’s term as IAO will end on Dec. 3. PGSS SecretaryGeneral Danielle Toccalino said that the position will not be left vacant while a new IAO is elected. “[Kumar] will be in the po-

sition until [Dec. 3,] and the new IAO by-election will finish shortly thereafter so the position will not be empty for more than a few days,” Toccalino said. Kumar will remain on a leave of absence until Dec. 3.

Following weeks of protests over racial tensions at the University of Missouri, dozens of members of the school’s football team announced that they would not practice or play in any games until members of the university administration resigned. Within days, the president of the multi-campus university system stepped down, and the chancellor of the main campus in Columbia promised to step down to a less prominent role. The disturbing issues that players were protesting included multiple specific incidents of racism targeted at black students, but also the overall lack of action from the administration to address the racially charged atmosphere on campuses. The Missouri football team’s protest is the largest and most high-profile example of college athletes using their status and visibility to effect change in non-sport related issues they care about. The notion that an entire team in the most dominant college football league in the United States could go on strike drew national attention to the plight of black students at the University of Missouri. Critics will point to the fact that the administration’s immediate response was due solely to the financial impact that the football team has—generating $35.64 million for the school in 2014—and the million dollar fine that Mizzou would have incurred had they missed their upcoming match-up against Brigham Young University.

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You’re tearing me apart, Lisa! What to expect when attending a screening of The Room Aislinn kalob News Editor Some dismiss The Room as the “worst movie ever made,” while others believe that Writer, Director, Producer, and Star, Tommy Wiseau, is a creative genius who’s succeeded in crafting a timeless piece of outsider art. Re-

leased in 2003, The Room has since garnered a cult following, continuing to draw viewers to public screenings more than a decade after it grossed only $1,800 during its two-week stint at the box office. For those who haven’t yet had the unique, ritualized experience of attending a screening of The Room, your next chance here in Montreal is Friday, Nov. 27 at

Cinema du Parc. Here are a few key things to keep in mind if you’re going to be an active audience participant.

Bring your own spoons Despite the alleged $6 million budget of The Room, it appears that Wiseau couldn’t afford to decorate the set of Johnny and

Lisa’s apartment beyond framed stock photos—the one of a spoon garnering the most concerted mockery from fans. Throughout the movie, audience members will throw their own plastic utensils at the screen. So, watch your head any time you hear someone call out, “Spoon!” and make sure you have a few of your own to throw.

Or bring your own football If you come with a friend, sit at separate ends of the aisle and “toss the ball around” any time characters do so in the movie. If Johnny and the gang can do it in the parking lot wearing tuxedos, you can do it in a movie theatre.

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NEWS

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

PGSS Internal Affairs Officer resigns Cites educational obligations Sara Cullen Staff Writer Continued from page 1. “During my leave of absence, I have [...] been overseeing the PGSS Newswire, trivia night, and other vital duties of the IAO to avoid these responsibilities being placed on other executives or staff members during the byelection period,” Kumar said. “Once the new IAO has been elected, this will allow a seamless transition from my

term to the next IAO’s term.” At the Council, meeting dates for the upcoming byelection were approved. There will be a two-week nomination period ending on Nov. 26, followed by one week of campaigning, and one week of voting. Colby Briggs, PGSS chief returning officer, said that the nomination period is the most difficult part of the process, however, two people have already expressed interest in the IAO position. “I’ve got two inquiries already, we hopefully will do an

information session next week,” Briggs said. “But we’re kind of going through a bit of a restructuring with the [membership and special projects fee increase] not passing [last week….] We’re trying to cut down on expenses as much as possible.” Kumar said that he would remain available as a resource after the appointment of a new IAO. “The new IAO will be left in a good position with the majority of the structures and logistics in place,” Kumar said. “The interim IAO will also receive a

thorough exit report, and I will make myself available as a resource.” Despite his resignation from the PGSS executive, Kumar expressed that he hopes the new IAO will be able to pick up where he left off. “The position has a lot of potential for new ideas and room for improvements to the existing structure,” Kumar said. “I’ve done my best to advance some of these structures during my time in office and I hope the interim [IAO] can continue to institutionalize these changes for the

position. I hope to see an interim [IAO] that can also work well with the rest of the executive team and ensure the remainder of the year is a success.” According to Briggs, it was important for the new executive to learn from the outgoing IAO, and that teamwork is one of the biggest assets to the position. “All the executives have always been super dedicated, so it’s just a matter [of whether] somebody can come and work as a part of a team, because [the executives] really are a team,” Briggs said.

SSMU moves for electoral reforms in light of recent election Councillors pass motions in support of Indigenous communities, improving student mental health and legal services Garima Karia Contributor On Nov. 19, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) voted in favour of establishing an ad-hoc electoral reform committee, institutionalizing support for indigenous communities, and creating a committee to initiate and propose changes to the student health and dental plan.

Electoral Reform Committee In response to recent and prolonged SSMU election disarray, Arts Representative to SSMU, Adam Templer, spoke in favour of passing a motion to create an ad-hoc electoral reform committee. “In the aftermath of the elections this Fall, last [Winter, and] elections before that […] SSMU elections have really gotten a bad reputation from the way [they] have been run,” Templer said. “[This motion is about] bringing forward a committee to investigate avenues for electoral reform, to make it less personal, more functional, [and] more sustainable.” Vice-President (VP) Clubs and Services Kimber Bialik cited a need to reform online campaigning. “What was left out [of the previous revision were] any guidelines [...] on online campaigning, which has been a primary issue in past campaigns,” Bialik said. Council looks to address online campaigning alongside strategies for faster responses to issues during the election period. Consultation from the student body on desired changes to

the current electoral format will also be prioritized. Visiting former Council member Omar ElSharawy described student consultation as a step in the right direction. “I believe the biggest problem for the larger student body is just feeling that SSMU isn’t listening to them,” El-Sharawy said. “The fact that we’re trying to involve students, and trying to have students engaged, and trying to have student consultation is literally what students have been begging SSMU to do.” The motion passed unanimously, with an amendment to include six councillors and six members-at-large, as opposed to the four of each proposed originally.

Institutionalization of support for indigenous communities Council voted unanimously in favour of renewing the motion to adopt the Traditional Territory Acknowledgment for another year. This motion calls for the practice of indigenous solidarity by SSMU and the student body as a whole by resolving to state the Traditional Territory Acknowledgment at all major SSMU-affiliated events. This motion also gives access to room bookings through the VP University Affairs to indigenous students and groups that organize events aiming to bring greater support and visibility for indigenous communities. Bialik brought up a concern with the room bookings clause, relating to existing space capacity issues on campus. “We have a pretty serious

Councillors discuss electoral reform. (Natalie Vineberg / McGill Tribune) space constraint issue, and it isn’t possible for us to support all our current clubs and services right now,” explained Bialik. “If we keep offering free room bookings to everyone, we’re less and less able [to accommodate].” SSMU President Kareem Ibrahim reminded the Council that they had passed a similar motion on mental health space. “Indigenous groups are 0.006 per cent of the population at McGill,” said Ibrahim. “The visibility of that community is so minute, that to add this to what they can access is not going to [disadvantage other groups], but speak volumes to what [SSMU] is doing to make sure that [the ingidenous] voice is heard throughout this campus and in our country.”

Improving mental health and legal services for students Councillors voted in favour of creating a subcommittee to propose changes to the existing student health and dental plan, with a focus on improving mental health and legal services. Templer referenced a March 2014 survey conducted by Alliance Pour La Santé Étudiante au Quebec (ASÉQ), a Quebec insurance company, in which McGill students requested better mental health coverage, as a reason for developing this committee. “McGill Mental Health Services has a wait time of two weeks for initial appointment, followed by an additional two

weeks to see a psychiatrist, and a three-to-four month wait for regular psychotherapy,” Templer said. “It’s completely strained [….] This committee will allow for investigating options to get students the help that they need.” On the legal front, Templer explained that the McGill Legal Information Clinic only provides free, confidential advice and representation to students seeking legal advice in matters involving the university. Reforms would allow coverage for students in need of representation in cases such as a dispute with a landlord, or an underpaying employer. “We need better support systems for [students] in those instances,” Templer said.

NEWS

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Anti-protest law ruled unconstitutional Activists hope for increased involvement in demonstrations CAlvin Trottier-Chi

onstrating. “I believe that these laws have created a culture of fear for student activists,” Boytinck said. “Add the risk of getting ticketed to the risks that you will be exposed to tear gas or even pepper spray, and the likelihood that people will feel safe and comfortable going to a demonstration will be decreased.” Ayotte and his colleagues were against the article because of what it represents. “I think notifying the police isn’t a problem, but you shouldn’t have to ask them permission for anything,” Ayotte said. “They shouldn’t have the right to refuse, and if they didn’t have the right to refuse, why even ask in the first place.”

Contributor Article 500.1 of Quebec’s Highway Safety Code, previously used to disperse and ticket protesters, has been repealed. Quebec Superior Justice Guy Cournoyer issued a ruling on Nov. 12, declaring the article unconstitutional. Quebec will have six months to amend the code.

The article in question The Highway Safety Code is a provincial set of laws outlining legal procedure on Quebec’s highways. Article 500.1 prohibits vehicles or obstacles obstructing the highway unless previously authorized by the law. “No person may […] place a vehicle or obstacle thereon so as to obstruct vehicular traffic,” Article 500.1 reads. “This section does not apply during parades or other popular events previously authorized.” Cournoyer stated that the article was used to break up protests, violating the Quebec and Canadian Charters of Rights and Freedoms. He argued that the law was intended to prevent people from blocking roads with vehicles, not to discourage protests. Article 500.1 was first used against demonstrations during the 15th annual anti-police brutality protest on

Police will no longer be able ticket protestors. (Natalie Vineberg / McGill Tribune) March 15, 2011. Altogether, 239 people were arrested during the protest, with most charged under the Highway Safety Code and fined $500.

Usage of Article 500.1 Along with municipal bylaw P-6, which requires protesters to provide the police with an itinerary and prohibits the wearing of masks during protests, article 500.1 has been heavily criticized by protesters for infringing on individuals’ freedoms. Paul Ayotte, an organizer

of the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CSN) demonstration that took place on Nov. 16 on McGill campus, is firmly against the use of article 500.1. “I think it’s wrong,” Ayotte said. “Absolutely wrong. We have a right to free assembly and having to ask permission to have that right shouldn’t exist, we should just be able to have the right.” Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Vice-President (VP) External Emily Boytinck administrates all SSMU contingents of protests. She voiced similar concerns over the use of

Article 500.1 to disband protests. “I firmly believe that everyone has the right to take to the streets and demonstrate, and I’m grateful to see that one of the avenues used to ticket activists is no longer viable,” Boytinck said. Protesters charged with a P-6 violation are fined $637, while an Article 500.1 violation costs $500. Boytinck expressed sympathy for students faced with these potential expenses, and felt that the existence of such fees, in addition to students’ generally unstable finances, discourages them from dem-

Implications of the Ruling Boytinck hopes that this ruling will inspire a similar rejection of P-6. “The SSMU has previously condemned this bylaw by writing an open letter to the city of Montreal and encouraging our membership to go to demonstrations against P-6,” Boytinck said. The Montreal Police Service (SPVM) declined to comment. It is currently unknown how those with 500.1 tickets will be absolved, or whether those previously ticketed will be compensated.

AUS council approves Divest motion of support to BoG Addresses potential Arts Lounge renovations, changes to mental health on campus alexia martel-desjardins Contributor On Wednesday Nov. 18, the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) endorsed Divest McGill’s petition to remove McGill’s investments in fossil fuel companies and discussed future renovations to the Arts Lounge and McLennan Library.

Divest McGill endorsement Council approved a motion of support regarding Divest McGill’s petition to the Board of Governors (BoG). The petition, which was submitted last February to the BoG’s Committee to Advise on Matters of Social Responsibility (CAMSR), asked the university to cease its investments in the fossil fuel industry, and to invest in other environmentally responsible funds. Some representatives were concerned about the petition reducing the internships available for McGill students in fossil fuel companies, especially for students in the Faculty of Engineering. Andrew Stein, U2 Environment and a representative of Divest McGill, explained that fossil fuel industries do not represent a significant proportion of the university’s investment.

“Out of our 1.3 billion dollar endowment fund, somewhere between five and eight per cent in the range of 70 million dollars is invested in fossil fuel companies,” he said. Nevertheless, Stein elaborated on the importance of ensuring that internships in fields other than those relating to fossil fuels are made accessible to engineering students. “What we can do is we can diversify so that when industry takes a hit, then the Faculty [of Engineering] as whole is not as strongly affected,” Stein said. “It’s not the money itself; it’s about the symbolic message of saying that we’re not interested profiting from a company that’s doing such environmental harm and social harm.”

Arts Lounge Council then moved on to a discussion about renovating the Arts Lounge. “[This] is something that is planned nearly every year, it gets discussed all the time,” AUS President Jacob Greenspon said. “The Arts Lounge is not as great of a place as it could be, and as we want it to be, and there are really a lot of ideas out there.” Renovation ideas presented at the meeting included repairing walls and

increasing study space. “We could get rid of some of the computers [in the computer lab] and put [in] more study space,” Greenspon said. “The use of the computer lab in the Arts Lounge has [...] really decreased a lot in the past year,” The discussion also focused on a framework for allowing student involvement in the decision making process. “The first way that this [student] consultation should happen is […] with idea generations outlets to [get] the word out that this lounge redesign is happening and get students to suggest […] different ideas,” Greenspon said. He also mentioned potential ideas for getting students involved in the redesign process. “We can do a survey,” Greenspon said. “A lot of people have been using whiteboards when they want to redesign a space [… and], we can put a table in the lounge. AUS Vice-President (VP) Academic Gabriel Gilling stated in his report that he will meet on Friday Nov. 20 with the AUS Library Partnership Committee (LPC) to discuss improvements to the design of the McLennan Library’s upper floors. “There [are] a lot of really funky

ideas,” said Gilling. “We are going to focus on the landings of [the] second, third, fifth, and sixth floors of McLennan [….] There [are] a bunch of things that we are looking at, especially the colours, and the carpet that we would like to change.”

looking at those 300-level, 400-level, 500-level courses where there is a much higher relationship between the students and the [professor],” said Gilling. “But it is a very good question.”

Mental health on campus

AUS VP Finance Mirza Ali Shakir explained in his report that SNAX is currently not running a profit according to its most recent financial inventory. According to Shakir, the focus of financial measures would be on adapting inventory management and decrease losses in order to keep the prices as low as possible. “The idea behind this is to pinpoint each product, how much profit we are making per product, which products are selling more […] so instead of raising prices, we are compensating for losses,” he said. Moreover, Shakir mentioned that he received a letter from the provincial government concerning the Annual Declaration in Respect of Pay Equity for SNAX employees. “It requires AUS that it pays its females employees as much as we pay our male employees,” said Shakir. “It is funny because we only have female employees at SNAX.”

Gilling met with the Committee on Student Affairs on Nov. 11 and discussed mental health issues on campus and the new Early Alert system, which is an online system allowing professors to communicate and engage more directly with their students’ wellbeing by sending them a message via MyCourses. “Most professors are increasingly aware of [mental health] and we discussed the role of the faculty, that professors would play in mental health,” said Gilling. “It provides a venue for [professors] to show their students that they actually care.” This project is not finalized yet, and will be put into place sometime during the following month. Council members additionally discussed the difficulty in identifying mental health issues in very large classes. “For the moment, they are really

SNAX

NEWS

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

McGill Innovation Week highlights projects on and off campus Students discover entrepreneurial opportunities eric tweel Contributor McGill’s annual Innovation Week (MIW) showcased developments in technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Packed with more than 20 events between Nov. 15 and Nov. 20, MIW explored a wide range of issues, including intellectual property, the future of education, social innovation, and food security. The main organizer of MIW, and Director of Innovation in Practice at McGill’s Office of Innovation and Partnerships, Isabelle Péan, spoke to the new initiatives of this year’s MIW. “This year, the major initiative of Innovation Week was probably Salon 1861,” she said. Salon 1861 is the new face of the transformed St-Joseph’s church in Montreal’s Little Burgundy neighbourhood. “[Salon 1861 will be] a wellspring for social and cultural innovation, as well as social entrepreneurship,” the MIW’s website reads. After a careful renovation that preserved the architectural heritage of the church, Salon 1861

opened its doors for the first time to kick off McGill Innovation Week. According to Péan, MIW ran smoothly. Going forward, she explained the importance of raising awareness about MIW amongst McGill students. “Most people are really happy to work together during this week,” she said. “And it is really interesting to bring students, staffs, external partners all together [.... However,] my main challenge is the promotion of MIW. Next year, we will have to improve it.” One event that attracted a lot of students was a tour of innovative organizations and start-ups, such as BioFuelNet, échoFab, and UBER, in Quartier de l’innovation, an area in Montreal’s Griffintown neighbourhood that was created as a hub for small businesses. Samuel Bellini, U2 Science, attended the tour and explained that he attended MIW because he wanted to explore opportunities in entrepreneurship. “I came to see what kind of resources Montreal has to offer young ambitious people who are interested in startups,” Bellini said. Jeffrey Riley, a local Montreal resident, explained that he was interested in MIW because of the diversity of issues it covered.

What About Innovation At McGill talk taught students about innovation on campus. (Natalie Vineberg / McGill Tribune) “It’s a quick way [to] see a lot of great organizations that are working on social innovation,” Riley said. Riley also emphasized how the week’s events brought together people from different walks of life. “It’s also a great way to bridge the French and English communities,” he said. “These are [mostly] organizations run by francophones, but are also really accessible to anglophone students.” MIW also highlighted the innovation of researchers at McGill.

At a speaking event entitled What about innovation at McGill? held at the McGill Faculty Club, Dr. Robert Hess, professor and director of the research department of ophthalmology, discussed his research into a potential cure for amblyopia, or lazy eye. Hess and his team have discovered what he describes as the first software drug, which has been shown to correct lazy eye through a regimented schedule of playing the video game Tetris. Although MIW is now over, Péan explained that her office con-

tinues to engage McGill students in innovation and entrepreneurship throughout the year. “We also have a Student Working Group at McGill and two interns working with us this Fall,” she said. The Student Working Group (SWG) at McGill aims to provide an opportunity for students to explore these issues further. It is currently working towards the establishment of a fund which will support McGill students who want to create startup businesses.

Tuition deregulation, financial report dominate Senate discussion Law senator defends Safe Disclosure Policy Kyle Dolph Contributor At its third meeting of the year on Nov. 18, the McGill Senate expressed hope that the provincial government would allow for tuition deregulation for international, and potentially nonQuebec Canadian students across all faculties. Amendments to the university’s safe disclosure policy and the continued problem of deferred maintenance to infrastructure were also discussed.

Tuition deregulation McGill University Principal Suzanne Fortier explained the benefits of a self-funded tuition model for the university. “If tomorrow [...] all international fees were deregulated, we at McGill would [not have an] insignificant amount of resources which we could put towards increasing the quality of our programs and giving bursaries to our students,” Fortier said. Fortier also discussed the way that tuition money is currently redistributed across the province to other

universities in Quebec. “Each of our students who is not a Quebec resident contributes to the Quebec bursary program,” she said. “However, those students are not eligible for the Quebec bursary program themselves. If we collected those fees, rather than send them to Quebec City, we would be able to use them in our own bursary program for international, non-Quebec, and Quebec students.” Fortier went on to discuss Quebec’s complex funding structure for universities. “[Socioeconomic diversity and tuition deregulation] are not incompatible, but this is not obvious if you don’t know the details of a very complicated funding formula in this province,” Fortier said. Meanwhile, Arts Senator Erin Sobat questioned the university’s model for deregulated tuition. “It was mentioned that McGill will apply a policy of ‘market rates,’ looking at our peer institutions,” Sobat said. “Would the university consider internal targets, an alternative to the market rate model?” Provost Christopher Manfredi responded to Sobat by explaining that such decisions would likely be

made at the faculty level, should deregulation be granted. The Faculty of Management, whose tuition has been deregulated since 2008, already utilizes such a method to set prices. Manfredi also addressed questions of how the university planned to adapt tuition policy to the diversity of international funding models for prospective students. “We’ve been working very hard on the philanthropic front to establish specialized financing programs for those students—the Mastercard program is a good example of that,” Manfredi said. It was later revealed in an annual financial report presented to the Senate by McGill Vice-President (VP), (Administration & Finance) Michael Di Grappa that McGill returns $72 million each year to the province from the tuition paid by international and out of province students.

Deferred infrastructure maintenance Di Grappa presented the university’s annual financial report which cited, amongst other problems, a $1.3 billion tab in deferred infrastructure maintenance on campus.

One senator suggested a fundraising campaign, similar to that held in 2013, which raised over $1 billion for the university. Di Grappa, however, largely dismissed such an idea. “Donors don’t want to give to bricks and mortar anymore,” he said. “There certainly wasn’t much in the last campaign that gave to deferred maintenance. Donors generally tend to prefer to give money for student support, scholarships, chairs, programs—that kind of thing”. Di Grappa did remark, however, that a fundraising campaign would most likely be instituted should the university acquire the Royal Victoria Hospital Complex. “If we were to acquire The Royal Victoria Hospital, there could be a campaign tied around that; but that is still very preliminary,” he said.

Safe disclosure policy The only matter that elicited much disagreement amongst senators during the session was in regards to the university’s new safe disclosure, or whistle-blowing policy, designed to facilitate the good faith reporting of improper activities, such as academic and research miscon-

duct.

University Libraries Senator Marc Richard felt that the policy did not do enough to protect accused individuals who are found innocent. “The first sentence assures that the discloser is afforded protection in regard to position and to reputation,” he said. “What it does not do is afford the same protection to the responded [...] this is particularly important to respondents who happen to be found innocent.” Faculty of Law Senator Angela Campbell opposed such a change. “The policy is for individuals who often feel too vulnerable to come forward,” she said. Campbell also remarked that the new document clearly delineates the responsibility of the university to those found innocent. “This policy has a provision in it that protects the right of the respondent,” she said. “There is a procedurally fair mechanism in place to investigate complaints.” Ultimately, a motion to make a minor edit to the policy’s statement of principles to reflect protection of those ‘respondents’ found innocent failed in a vote by a roughly three-toone margin.

OPINION

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

editorial E d ito r - in - C h i e f

Mayaz Alam editor@mcgilltribune.com

B u s in e s s M a n a g e r

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C r e a ti v e Di r e cto r Hayley Lim hlim@mcgilltribune.com

M a n a g in g E d ito r s

Shrinkhala Dawadi sdawadi@mcgilltribune.com Morgan Alexander malexander@mcgilltribune.com Julie Vanderperre jvanderperre@mcgilltribune.com

N e w s E d ito r s

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Hailey MacKinnon studentliving@mcgilltribune.com

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P h oto E d ito r

Fighting marginalization of refugees and Muslims requires clarity of policy

ases of xenophobia and Islamophobia have erupted across Canada. Since the terrorist attacks in Paris, a mosque in Peterborough, ON. was set on fire, two Muslim women were targeted on public transportation in Toronto, and a Quebec man has been arrested for threatening to kill an Arab every week. In this context, McGill may seem like an oasis; current and former McGill students displayed their trust and unity in public spaces. Muslims have gone on the defensive to ensure that they are not associated with the militant fundamentalists behind the terrorist attacks that have taken place around the world. Rebuilding trust within the community is more important, and more difficult than ever; the provincial government may take the first steps in creating a new paradigm of inclusivity and tolerance. With any act of terrorism, attitudes change. But, as Canada’s Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan has stated, maintaining a free and democratic society is the best defence against violent Islamic

fundamentalists. And yet this is easier said than done. One need only look back to 2013, and the debate surrounding the Charter of Values in Quebec for a glimpse into the attitudes that are held by many in this province. Currently, while some American states chose to close their borders to refugees, the Quebec government and Canada are ambitious in their humanitarian objectives. The Canadian government has pledged to bring 25,000 refugees before the end of 2015, and Quebec has said it will welcome up to 6,000 refugees this year. Most Syrian refugees have so far been supported by private sponsorship, not the government. The message that the provincial government is sending is worse than mixed; it is muddled and opaque. If hindsight is 20/20, the picture is bleak; for all the talk of inclusivity and a new era of tolerance in Quebec, little is being done to ensure that the society these refugees are coming to will be welcoming. The result is a marginalization of already marginalized groups, which is

complicit to the hate that Premier Couillard says he stands against. Quebec society has a history of pockets of xenophobia. In 2015, Rania El-Alloul was not allowed to wear her hijab in a Quebec courtroom. The former Conservative government’s stance on the niqab issue garnered support in Quebec in the 2015 federal election. Given the current international political situation, and the violence that has already transpired against women wearing niqabs and mosques, policies that promote tolerance are more important than ever. But despite the high stakes, the Quebec legislature is passing contradictory legislation that, in its imbalance, will provide the excuse for racism. Restricting Muslim dress, such as head and face coverings for public sector employees, and pouring funding into de-radicalization programs disproportionately targets those who would seek safety and tolerance in Quebec; the irony is heavy. The policies of Quebec and Montreal do not live up to the lip-service that is paid to the image of Canada

as a multicultural and inclusive society. The provincial government must set a unified, clear example in its policy towards minorities and refugees; otherwise, the province will be divided in its support for refugees at a time when it ought to be laying the groundwork for accepting more out of an increasing numbers of those in need, and promoting tolerance of minorities. All students have a responsibility to cultivate a positive environment; such a response must not only be neutral, it must be proactive. In a world of fear, hate, and uncertainty, it is essential that McGill act as a space of mutual respect. Students must not take the general sense of safety for granted, as we are all susceptible to the message of those who would divide us. In this context, the university must recall its response to the charter in 2013; professors stood up against the proposed law, and the university itself took a united stance in dissent. While this action will not end prejudice, it is what the university must strive for.

Natalie Vineberg photo@mcgilltribune.com

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Straightening out our public health priorities

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elie waitzer

Lauren Benson-Armer, Audrey Carleton, Cordelia Cho Margaux Delalex, Zachary Carson, Luka Ciklovan, Sara Cullen, Evelyn Goessling, Emma Hameau, Nick Jasinski, Clare Lyle, Eric-Noble Marks, Albert Park, Aaron Rose, Ellie Slavitch, Elizabeth Willcock, Alissa Zilberchteine

The world has been focused on the eradication of polio since the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988. The campaign is backed by massive funding from private philanthropists such as Bill Gates, and by the Global Alliance for Immunizations and Vaccinations (GAVI). Today, only one wild type strain is still transmitted, and the entire world is certified polio-free, except for Pakistan and Afghanistan. The measles virus, meanwhile, proliferates freely in many developing areas, and causes the most vaccine-preventable deaths of any disease worldwide. While its average mortality rate is very low, the risk of death for children under five who have malnutrition is around 10 per cent. Despite the urgency of tackling measles,

C ont r i b u to r s Tanveer Ahmed, Ashley Bach, Alex Bankier, April Barrett, Armen Bery, Kyle Doph, Alizeh Ejaz, Amber Hord, Sasha Huebener, Garima Karia, Joe Khammar, Uzair Khan, Jin Lee, Alexia Martel-Desjardins, Ian Rodgers, Sason Ross, Ellie Solloway, Calvin Trottier-Chi, Any Wang, David Watson,Eva Zwolinski

T r i b u n e O f f ic e 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.

Sports Editor

global public health efforts have remained focused on polio due to philanthropic stubbornness driven by a simplistic cost-benefit frame of reference that ignores the value of human life. From an epidemiological standpoint, three criteria must be met to successfully eradicate a virus: Scientific feasibility, social cooperation, and—most importantly—political will. Gates and others, who have donated billions of dollars with the expressed goal of eradicating polio, aren’t going to move their support to measles with the task so close to completion. Economically, this perspective makes a lot of sense. The Gates Foundation estimates that the GPEI’s efforts will generate net benefits of 40 to 50 billion USD over the two decades following eradication. The bulk of this estimate is accounted for by the fact that, once fully eradicated, it will no longer be necessary to vaccinate against polio (as was the case with the successful eradication of smallpox and rinderpest). It’s simple arithmetic: The marginal benefit of lowering annual polio cases from 50 to zero is greater than the cost of neglecting the

approximately 500,000 annual measles cases. There are two harsh realities to take away from this situation. First, when a problem is approached with a strictly economic perspective, compassion doesn’t factor into the equation. The second is that you can’t bite the hand that feeds you; philanthropic efforts often lose sight of the bigger picture, but at the same time, their private nature makes them unreceptive and immune to criticism. One of the reasons given on the Gates Foundation website for the urgency of the cause is that “eradicating polio is also an important milestone for the Decade of Vaccines.” The implicit message here is that it’s an important personal milestone for Gates to satisfy his own desire to go down in history as the man who eradicated polio. It betrays a dangerous element of ego that may be clouding the philanthropist’s decision-making process. It isn’t as if the measles effort has been completely abandoned—significant reductions in measles cases have been achieved since the turn of the century— but statistics have plateaued since 2010. Due to growing anti-

vaccine sentiments among many religious communities, reported cases in North America have actually increased from 66 in 2005 to 19,898 last year. Polio reduction statistics have also levelled off over that time period, due largely to a lack of social cooperation in Middle Eastern regions where anti-Western ideology creates a hostile and dangerous environment for both foreign and local immunization workers. Even with unlimited resources, it’s impossible to build a dam when you have a tiny leak. The funds that are being poured into what is at this point a controlled situation would be better utilized if reallocated towards providing accessible two-dose measles vaccinations worldwide. This shift would be eased by the fact that the measles effort could piggyback on much of the infrastructure put in place for polio eradication, such as safe vaccination centres in developing areas. The Gates Foundation and GAVI have accomplished incredible things since the GPEI was launched in the ’80s—and polio eradication is still important— but it’s time to step back and reprioritize.

Opinion C omm e nt a r y

david watson Contributor The campus free speech debate was back in the media spotlight these past few weeks after an incident at Yale University. Controversy followed a mass email sent by Yale Professor Erika Christakis, in which she questioned the school’s policy on culturally appropriative Halloween costumes. The response was fast and furious; students called on her to resign, and her husband, a fellow Yale professor, was publicly insulted by an angry student in a viral video

C O M M E N T ARY

Ashley bach Contributor Racial tension at universities in the United States has finally turned into discussion and action. Students of colour at institutions like Dartmouth College and Yale University are speaking out about injustices and racism they have experienced on campus. Exclusion from events, racial slurs and stereotypes, culturally appropriative halloween costumes, mascot controversies, and underrepresentation of minority faculty are just a few of the important topics being brought to light by the campus protests. Indigenous students have added their voices to the protests in Ivy League universities this year, organizing peaceful marches, drum circles, and demonstrations. But this conversation is not happening at McGill. Very little conversation on race— and, specifically, indigenous issues— has taken place across the broader campus during my time here, perhaps because all seems well. But McGill and its student body are not immune to racial issues; these problems need to be talked about. Though there will always be exceptions, it appears that McGill has swung to the other side of racial problems—lack of representation, lack

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Delineating safe spaces key to protecting free speech that has come to encapsulate the absurdity of the whole situation. Aside from Yale, maybe it’s time to start rethinking the approach to safe space at McGill. In order to ensure the credibility of safe spaces while protecting freedom of expression, safe spaces must be clearly defined. Media outlets across the internet were quick to condemn the Yale students’ reaction as censorship, and rightfully so. Regardless of whether or not one agrees with Professor Christakis’ view on Halloween costumes, calling for her resignation because she voiced her opinion is a clear violation of her right to free speech. Instead of focusing on who is to blame every time an incident like this occurs, people should instead be thinking about how to resolve the core issue at play in most of these campus free speech cases. Universities can’t protect both free expression and “safe spaces,” where students are protected from any speech that might make them feel uncomfortable or unsafe. In liberal democratic societies

like the United States and Canada, free speech is curtailed only for the most morally reprehensible types of expression: Hate speech, child pornography, Holocaust denial, and so on. But by insisting on an environment in which everyone feels comfortable and safe, safe spaces greatly expand this speech ‘naughty list’ by lumping in anything that could make one feel uncomfortable. The encroachment of the safe space on the right to free speech is undeniable. McGill, for one, should pay attention. Every year, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms compiles a Campus Freedom Report, examining the state of free expression at 52 different universities across Canada. In the 2014 report, McGill was ranked third on the list of the top 10 worst universities for protecting free speech. The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) also ranked third to worst on the equivalent list of Canadian student unions. Even though the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms is known for its right-leaning

bias, these marks are so poor that McGill and SSMU could probably get free ice cream at Frostbite. For example, In October 2013, the Vice-President (VP) Internal of SSMU joked about midterms with an Obama GIF in a mass email, and was forced to apologize and participate in racial sensitivity training. Out of the email’s 22,000 recipients, only one complained of a microaggression. Incidents like this make it clear that when it comes to safe space, we have the wrong approach. Safe spaces do serve a valuable purpose on university campuses. Students have a right to an inclusive and protected space where they feel comfortable. Any university that values openness and inclusion needs to provide this. But it is possible to reconcile the need for safe spaces with the protection of free speech: The solution is to better define which spaces are safe, and which are free. The problem with safe space on campus is that it’s not clearly delimited. For students, the principle of safe space on campus

seems to be defined in much the same way Obi-wan Kenobi defines the Force: It binds the campus together (although it unfortunately can’t help people move objects with their minds). If students want to overcome the tensions between safe space and free speech, they need to limit each one to the areas in which they are most appropriate. Residences, student lounges, and cafeterias are places where students go to feel accepted and at home: These must remain safe. But lectures, conferences, classrooms, debates, as well as the internet, are where students, faculty members and guest speakers go to express themselves, to challenge their views and the views of others—these are places where free speech needs to be protected. If McGill wants to preserve free speech, it must decide which parts of campus are safe and which are not. Safe space is supposed to refer to a physical space, not a way of life. It needs to stay that way.

Why McGill needs to be proactive about race of conversation with minority students, and misguided allies leads to silence about racial issues on campus. McGill’s student body may be reflecting the wider Canadian context which ignores or forgets about racial and indigenous issues. In my experience, the low amount of discussion about racism is taken as an indication that ‘racism is over.’ In response to this, minority students need to come together to facilitate discussion about race and take action towards making the campus more inclusive. The university itself lacks representation of indigenous peoples. According to the First Peoples’ House, only around 200 indigenous students are enrolled as full-time undergraduates, comprising less than one per cent of the student population. There is one full-time, tenure-track, indigenous faculty member, Professor Allan Downey, and one part-time Academic associate, Michael Loft. While many Indigenous students are involved with Indigenous groups on campus, there simply are not enough of us to have a major political and academic impact. I am often the only indigenous student in my classes, and my voice is not enough to counter a professor’s or students’ ignorant comments. Social Equity and Diversity Education’s (SEDE) Indigenous Education Advisor, Allan Vicaire, is often someone indigenous students must turn to to get assistance countering racism in class. Allies have an important place in activism and race relations, but some misguided allies advocate for Indigenous peoples without consulting with them. Other student groups host radical Indigenous speakers—like Kahentinetha Horn, who wrote the notice of seizure to McGill Univeristy in September—speak with false authority and

claim to represent entire peoples to further their political agendas. While I appreciate these student groups’ efforts to include indigenous voices, sometimes it leads to tokenization and perpetuation of negative stereotypes, as well as the homogenization of indigenous peoples and their concerns. When indigenous students and the Indigenous Student Alliance attempt to address these issues, we are met with cognitive dissonance and dismissal. A place to start would be a speakerseries on race relations in the university

context and an on-campus campaign, led by minority students, breaking down common microaggressions experienced in class. But as the Ivy League universities have shown, prestigious institutions and their student bodies often do not like to acknowledge institutionalized racism. Greater action may be necessary to have our voices heard. As a First Nations student, microaggressions, misguided allies, and not being heard by the institution are standard parts of my post-secondary experience. I am certain other minority stu-

dents experience institutional and subtle racism at McGill as well. By coming together to talk about our experiences, we can facilitate understanding and support each other. It may not be through solidarity protests or peaceful sit-ins (or die-ins) but together we can raise awareness of these issues and initiate action on racial issues. We need to start a conversation about racial injustices, issues, and racism on McGill’s campus. Then we can work towards taking action to make McGill an inclusive place for minority students.

The VP Internal seat is currently vacant in both PGSS and SSMU

(Elli Slavitch / McGill Tribune)

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Play REVIEW

McGill English Department’s In the Next Room flickers back to a complicated era It’s not just the lights being turned on April Barrett Contributor The McGill Department of English’s production of Sarah Ruhl’s In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play is all about electricity. The play takes the audience to early 20th century Saratoga Springs, New York, a time when on-off switches were a technological marvel, a Victorian-level of propriety was imposed on every conversation, and women suffered from elusive bouts of ‘hysteria.’ Dr. Givings (Anurag Choudhury), a man of science and a Thomas Edison fanboy, has just the thing to treat such an illness. He sees patients in his home “operating theatre,” and the electric vibrator he employs clears ‘congestion of the womb,’ which hysteria patients were thought to have suffered from. To Dr. Givings, the female orgasm is a clinical treatment. Things are not so simple for his

young wife, the vivacious Catherine (Sophia Metcalf), who is physically unable to breastfeed their new baby, and spends her days in the parlour feeling guilty and neglected by her husband. When her insatiable curiosity is heightened by boredom, Catherine makes it her mission to find out what exactly is going on in the next room. The cast of characters that stroll in and out of her living room—nurse Anna (Jacqueline Geday), impassioned artist Leo Irving (Nathaniel HanulaJames), wet nurse Elizabeth (Sandrine Jaumard), and the loveless couple Mr. and Mrs. Daldry (Tom Gould and Clara Nizard)—begin to elucidate Catherine’s understanding of her husband’s practice. As the characters’ lives intertwine, each one begins to feel the connective, arousing power of electricity, both externally and bodily. In the Next Room provides a charming critique of Victorian notions of female desire, modernity, and

motherhood. Although Ruhl’s writing is light and entertaining, there aren’t as many laugh out loud moments as might be expected in a play focused on such subject matter. Still, the McGill Department Of English’s cast acts superbly. Most notable performances are Nizard’s gentle, discerning Mrs. Daldry, a fragile woman slowly learning about herself, as well as Hanula-James’ Leo, a desperately romantic, physically unrestrained painter. Metcalf does an enthralling job bringing life and poignancy to some of Ruhl’s more complicated and philosophical monologues, and in scenes between Metcalf and Choudhury, viewers can almost feel the aching between Mrs. and Dr. Givings’ relationship. The costumes, designed by Catherine Bradley and the McGill Costume Class, are impeccable— perfectly evocative of the Gilded Age era of the play, from the intricate,

The set displayed the 1910’s decor and much more. (Ava Zwolinski/ McGill Tribune) braided coifs, right down to the bloomers and corsets. On top of this, the props (crewed by Linna Nam, Tutu Cheng, and Yasmin Bitar)— specifically the overstated switches, buttons, and levers flipped and pushed in the operating theatre—create an interesting juxtaposition to the ornate Victorian parlour designed by Corinne Deeley. The set conveys the strange convergence of modernity and antiquity that was found in the turn-ofthe-century home. Director Myrna Wyatt Selkirk

states in the program note, she stated that the production process has been one of “allowing our fingers to wrap around the corset laces of daily life and find the strength to break free of the cords that once bound us.” This is certainly what In the Next Room achieves; it is a play that gets right to the underclothes of Victorian decency, and is a reminder that innovation always starts with breaking the rules. In the Next Room runs from Nov. 26 – Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. in Moyse Hall. Tickets are $10.

Check out our reviews of Players’ Theatre’s Fortinbras and TNC’s Blue Heart at mcgilltribune.com/a-e

(Natalie Vineberg / McGill Tribune)

(Photos courtesy of Jessica Banner / TNC)

Trappings of the past Should Japan formally apologize for its past war sex crimes? Natalie Wong

t first glance, the comfort women seem just like any ordinary, elderly citizen. They have wrinkled lines framing their faces, and are slightly hunched over, exuding an air of grace and patience. Many of these women are warmly referred to as “grandmother,” a term attributing to both their gentle appearance and their active role in their children and grandchildren’s lives. Unbeknownst to many who encounter these women, behind this seemingly ordinary facade is a wounded history of deep, immeasurable pain. At a time during their youth when they were supposed to go through the transformational experience from child to teenager, and teenager to womanhood, they were suddenly swept up in the reverberating nightmare of the Second World War. In fact, these grandmothers are commonly referred to as “comfort women”: They were captured at a young age, held captive for many years, and suffered inhumane treatment and sexual violence at the hands of the Japanese Imperial Army over 70 years ago. Comfort women is the euphemistic name provided by Japan to over 80,000 to 200,000 women who were captured and forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army from 1932-1945. By the end of the war, Japan had conducted one of the largest systematic organizations of sexual slavery in the form of comfort stations to provide constant sex for

soldiers, in order to improve their morale and their performance on the battlefield. Japanese nationalists often contest the nature of comfort stations— arguing that the government was not involved in setting up the army brothels, and comfort women were willful prostitutes, not sex slaves. While comfort women were originally recruited from Japanese brothels, the expansion of the AsiaPacific War led to a growing demand for women. Following this, many were brought in through corrupt means, where private recruiters working with the Japanese government lured girls from other regions in Asia to comfort stations with promises of factory employment. The girls were held against their will once they realized the true nature of their jobs. For occupied countries in the war, thousands of local girls and women were outright kidnapped. Comfort women came from various occupied countries, the largest numbers coming from South Korea, China, and the Philippines, although many also came from countries such as Thailand and Indonesia (a Dutch colony at the time of the war), and more. Some of them were as young as 11 years old at the time of capture. In True Stories of the Korean Comfort Women, former comfort woman, Kim Tokchin, said that each woman had to serve an average of 30 to 40 soldiers per day. They suffered daily beatings, rapes, mutilation, and

were on the brink of starvation. Many women were killed, and those who survived contracted diseases. Often ostracized from their families and communities, they lived under severe stigma, physical illnesses, and lack of community support. “The existing cultural norms labelled the returned women as immoral and unmarriageable instead of seeing them as victims,” said Professor Kazue Takamura, from the Centre of East Asian Studies at McGill University. “Furthermore, the victims themselves internalized the social stigma.” In the post-war era, global reparation for war crimes included the Nuremberg trials, Germany’s official apology for the Holocaust, and U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s public apology to the internment camps holding Japanese-Americans in the Second World War. Publicly issued charges against individuals guilty of sexual violence were also held at the International Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. However, the international postwar justice process has excluded the transitional justice of comfort women. The United Nations War Crimes Commission—an agency operating from 1943 to 1948 that identified and assisted governments for trials of war crimes in Europe and East Asia— classified rape and imposed prostitution

as deserving of criminal punishment. The Tokyo War Crimes Trial (1946 to 1948), did not include crimes against comfort women. “The Tokyo Trial was highly criticized because of the selective process of collecting memory and voices,” said Takamura. “[Its] failure of not recognizing the institutional sexual enslavement made the comfort women “forgotten war victims,” [....] The voices of the comfort women were collectively silenced by the Japanese military, by the international justice system, and by society.” Ironically, in Japan, perpetrators of war crimes were not only free of punishment—they were able to take up prominent political roles. In fact, lieutenant Yasuhiro Nakasone’s 1978 memoir /Commander of 3,000 Men at Age 23/, detailed his involvement in organizing comfort stations. His high-profile accounts did not hinder his political career by any means—he became Japan’s prime minister from 1982 to 1987. “The central issue here is collective silence by the perpetrator, by the international justice system, and by society,” argued Takamura. “The Japanese army brutally picked the most vulnerable populations who did not have voice and power in society.” There was an ongoing debate between historical researchers and the Japanese government throughout the

Illustrations by Hayley Lim Infographic statistics from the BBC and the Huffington Post

’70s to ’90s, until 1991, when Kim Hak-Sun, a former Korean comfort woman, publicly stepped forward in a press conference. At that time, the official stance of Japan was to place the blame of comfort women and comfort stations on private civilian recruiters and contractors. Hak-Sun’s testimony globally broke the silence of thousands of women and revealed the harrowing and personal details of their wartime pasts. Her courage inspired other survivors to speak out, and later that year, several women filed lawsuits against the Japanese government demanding a direct apology on behalf of the nation and reparations for their terror . Despite Japanese perpetrators’ lack of reparation for war crimes including sexual violence, human experimentation, and massacres, there were initially incremental steps taken towards reconciliation. In 1993, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono issued the Kono Statement, which acknowledged Japan’s participation in wartime sex crimes. “The then-Japanese military was, directly or indirectly, involved in the establishment and management of the comfort states,” Kono said in the statement. “The recruitment of the comfort women was conducted mainly by private recruiters who acted in response to the request of the military.” Former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama also formally apologized to victims of Japanese terror during the Second World War, including comfort women, in the 1995 Murayama Statement. However, the current Japanese government, led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is reversing this step towards reconciliation by contesting the role of the Japanese military in comfort stations. As a right-wing, neonationalist, and revisionist government, the Abe Administration has launched a campaign to remove dishonour to its nationalistic history and restore Japanese imperial wartime pride. This includes full denial of the Japanese government’s direct involvement in human trafficking system during the war and in coerced prostitution. Abe attempted to reinterpet the Kono statement by implying that comfort women were simply licensed prostitutes, recruited by private-sector operators. According to Takamura, this contradicts Abe’s position in denying the military’s direct involvement. “The Japanese military established a highly institutionalized human trafficking system by integrating non-state sectors in the process,” she said. “Unfortunately, Abe’s position deeply mirrors what the mainstream Japanese politicians and elites stand for concerning the mass atrocities committed by the military in the past. The 1993 Kono Statement becomes merely a friendly mask for the conservative leaders in order to avoid international criticisms.” Abe ignited the criticism of many East Asian neighbours’ as well as Western countries in his highprofile visit to the Yasukuni Shrine. This monument memorializes Japanese individuals who died during

the war, including w a r criminals. Furthermore, just last week, the Abe administration demanded that the comfort women statue placed outside of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul be removed to improve diplomatic relations. According to Takamura, Japan’s post-war discourse was also developed by self-victimization rhetoric among politicians and governments. “By emphasizing Japan as a victim of ‘Hiroshima and Nagasaki,’ another mass atrocity committed by the U.S., [...] such self-victimization of history and the popular revisionist position made the Japanese leaders even more dismissive toward the comfort women,” she said. The Abe regime recently pushed an educational reform bill, removing anything related to comfort women from middle school and high school textbooks in Japan. “The key purpose of the educational reform bill is to impose patriotic values in public schools and to control political behaviour and attitudes of educators concerning historical and political understanding, including the war memory,” Takamura said. “The ultimate goal of the [...] bill was part of the larger push toward constitutional reform, especially concerning the amendment of Article 9—[using] the renouncement of war as a means to settle international disputes. It has a crucial role to play in terms of constraining Japan’s capacity for militarization.” Notwithstanding this attack on history within Japan’s educational curriculum, there remains a large gap in global education, too. Many secondary school history curriculums in North America are primarily Westernoriented and do not teach anything about the comfort women. Nonetheless, earlier this year, representatives of the Abe administration asked NewYork based McGraw Hill Education publishing company to change the text in their textbook regarding “comfort women.” The textbook only contained two paragraphs on the issue to begin with.

“These revisionists are trying to achieve this by distorting the past and denying mass crimes including comfort women,” Takamura said. “Today, the conservative position condemns any textbook which portrays the Japanese army in Korea and in the Sino-Japan War as ‘anti-Japanese,’ hannich kyokasho. [....] [These] are seen as the major obstacle for the neo-patriotism promoted by the Abe regime in Japan.” Education is essential in acknowledging the victims who suffered immeasurable pain at the hands of military leaders. These are individuals who continue to live in the shadow of their torment from the war and received no official apologies from a nation that participated in their anguish. Many victims have passed away without ever receiving an official apology for the pain inflicted upon them, and a large portion of these victims are comfort women— the remaining ones are at least over the age of 80, still awaiting justice. Multiple groups have emerged fightingforrecognitionoftheseatrocities. Various international organizations have participated in pressuring Japan to properly acknowledge and accept victims’ demands. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Economic and Social Council, Commission on the Status of Women, and Legislatures in Canada, the United States, and the European Union have also passed similar resolutions. In 2000, Tokyo hosted the Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal for the Trial of Japan’s Military Sexual Slavery. According to Takamura, that was an important step in making a comprehensive and accurate historical record for including voices of victims; however, the current geopolitical situation in East Asia is further exacerbating the patriotic and revisionist position in Japan. “Under such a political environment, I believe that the role of the international transitional justice

framework is particularly crucial in terms of collectively pressuring the Japanese government for a formal apology and recognition,” Takamura said. “The major dilemma is that because of the prolonged transitional justice process, we have lost most of the victims and perpetrators. Collecting available living testimonies is an urgent task.” Since 1997, The Association for Learning and Preserving the History of WWII in Asia (ALPHA), a Torontobased, non-profit organization, has worked to promote education and critical understanding of the Second World War in Asia so younger generations can learn more about social justice values and humanity from this contest. “Even today, this historical conflict is still unresolved [and] there are a lot of misunderstandings among young peoples of different ethnic groups,” Flora Chong, ALPHA’s executive director, said. “Our goal is to educate our younger generations in this context [...] We have to learn from this and how to prevent this in the future.” In 2007, ALPHA pushed forward a campaign asking the Canadian government to pass a motion demanding that Japan apologize to all victims of the comfort women issue. Four comfort women survivors were brought in from China, South Korea, the Philippines, and the Netherlands to testify in parliament. The motion was passed unanimously in the House of Commons. Chong recalls a scenario with a survivor, Liu Mianhuan, who spoke at the first public testimonial in the University of Toronto’s convocation hall. Liu was barely a few sentences into her witness statement, when she broke down in tears. The room was silent; coordinators were unsure of how to react. Should they wait a bit longer? Should they remove her from the witness stand? “I went to her and [told her she could stop if it was too difficult],” Chong said. “She told me, ‘I [won’t] stop, I want to tell my story and I want people to believe in what I say.’”

Not all former survivors carry the same level of courage to come forward with testimonies. Chong said that many comfort women carried this pain after the war, discriminated by families and communities, and filled with shame. “I met some grandmas in China, and they told me, [that] every time they talk about [their experiences], their families would treat them badly, one of them even getting beaten by [her] husband,” Chong said. “Of course, there’s a lot to do with gender discrimination and [the] cultural patriarchy phenomenon in Asia, and also lots of survivors and victims [feeling] shameful so that’s why they keep silent for a long time.” Liu died in 2012 without ever receiving the apology she fought for. In a similar fashion, the last living Chinese comfort woman to sue the Japanese government, Zhang Xiantu, 89, died earlier this month. In 2007, Japan’s supreme court’s final answer was acknowledging the historical fact that Japanese soldiers harmed comfort women. However, they did not compensate Zhang, because the limitation of action for such a lawsuit had passed, and individuals cannot sue the government according to Japanese law. Like Liu, she passed without an apology—one that she had formally sought for 15 years. Since 1992, the comfort women and supporters in South Korea have congregated at the Wednesday Protests, peacefully demanding apologies for their captivity from the Japanese government. Today, the majority are over the age of 80. They sit in wheelchairs, raising posters (if they are physically capable to do so), and ask for acknowledgement of their pains. Just like Xiantu, Mianhuan, and thousands of other women who were victims of the the Japanese imperial soldiers, they have yet to receive one. Approximately 55 comfort women remain alive. For many, it is their last remaining wish. Stephanie Wong, a McGill alumnus, joined the Wednesday Protests during a visit to Seoul in 2012. “As I stood alongside them, I was overwhelmed by their resilience and their strength,” she said. “I thought about how at my age, these women had suffered the unimaginable, with their dignity stripped and their youthful spirits shattered.” Nothing could ever undo the innocence robbed of them or the years of trauma that followed. Yet, despite this injustice the comfort women suffered and endured, decade after decade, several of them continue to persevere in their fight for justice. In all of Wong’s encounters with the comfort women, she saw that all the survivors desperately wanted was for their stories to be heard, recognized, and remembered in future generations. “These women are more than war victims or survivors in my mind,” Wong said. “They are heroes, inspiring each of us to persevere for justice. They are willing to relive their pain to tell their stories, in hope that no one would ever have to suffer through what they have experienced. Full disclosure: Stephanie Wong is the older sibling of the author.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT album review

adele - 25

ome singers shoot for critical reception, others for commercial success. Some aim for neither, some for both… and then there’s Adele, who is seemingly in a world of her own. The British sensation—officially Adele Laurie Blue Adkins MBE (yes, she’s an order of the British empire now), literally started from the bottom. Born in Tottenham, U.K., and raised by a single mother, Adele has since sold over 30 million albums worldwide and has won more awards than could possibly fit on the mantelpieces of her extensive property portfolio. Her previous two albums, 19 (2008) and the ever-infamous 21 (2011)—now one of the best selling albums of all time—catapulted her to what could be argued as the pinnacle of the 21st century music industry thanks to her simple but universal songs. Despite their unparalleled success, both albums suffered from cases of filler songs and mediocre ballads—Unfortunately, 25 delivers more of the same. Beginning with the chart-topping, VEVO-record-breaking lead single, “Hello,” Adele sets the premise for what is ultimately an album of remeniscing and apoligies: Apologies to an ex-lover (“All I Ask”), to an ex-friend (“When We Were Young”), and to her younger self (“Million Years Ago”). She reminisces on both her past friendships (“Hello”), and she’s mad about growing older (“River Lea”). It’s a neat concept—imagining the future conversations Adele envisions herself having in the future

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

STANDOUT TRACKS “Hello,” “Send My Love (To Your New Lover),” and “Water Under the Bridge.”

BEST LYRIC “If you’re not the one for me / Why do I hate the idea of being free?”

SOUNDS LIKE A ‘take-the-road-already-travelled-down’ Adele, and gospel-turned Jessie Ware

(out of 5) with people from whom she predicts she’ll grow apart—but even over a mere 11 tracks, her apologies grow as thin as the heartache she wallowed in on 21. There are a number of bright moments—highlight tracks that allude to a new, more progressive musical direction that she could have embodied more fully when creating this record. The stunning Jessie Wareesque “Water Under the Bridge”— easily one of her finest songs—mixes pulsing beats and galloping drums that escalate to a dazzling finale complete with a backing choir, raising the song to an almost gospel level. Despite the plodding name, the sun-kissed “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” is the simplest and most carefree Adele

has sounded on record with a bubbling guitar and clapping supporting her surprisingly cheerful vocals. “When We Were Young” is a moving nod to a life she once lived, and “I Miss You” is a Florence + the Machine-esque song featuring tribal drums, heavy backing vocals, and a liberal application of echoes. Elsewhere, though, the songs drag tremendously. “Remedy” is a faceless ballad about yet another exlover, and somewhere during the album’s second half—a somewhat tiresome stretch in which “Love in the Dark” fades unnoticeably fades into the underwhelming finale “Sweetest Devotion”—25 is over. There is no tongue-in-cheek “Rumour Has It”

equivalent; definitely no beautifulrestraint that was “Make You Feel My Love,” and nothing that comes close to the heartbreaking levels of “Someone Like You.” And while it would be unfair to expect another 21—she certainly would have been critiqued if she had merely replicated its sound— for a singer who rests on her emotional appeal, Adele falls heartbreakingly flat. There is no doubt that Adele is enormously talented: Her voice boasts one of the most recognizable and impressive ranges in the music industry of the past decade, but there is a nagging feeling that on 25 she’s played it a tad too safe. She’s sure to sell a plethora of albums in its first week—sales are currently being forecasted as upwards

“Self Eater 3”, these works seem to point at difficulties of defining an identity, reminding the viewer that creation of something new often requires digestion of the old. This tension between new and old is especially relevant in an exhibition that recalls early 20th century modernism. Schutz does an excellent job of pulling these movements into the 21st century, both through the more personal nature of her paintings and

“Shaving”—one of the provocative paintings from the exhibit. (macm.org) through the inclusion of computers bodies rather than flattened on a screen. and other signifiers of the information Taking time with individual pieces in age. It also deals with aspects of female the collection is valuable; Dana Schutz subjectivity that were often pushed to emphasizes the relevance of painting as the sideline in the narrative of ‘high an artistic medium, showing a twisted modernism.’ and fragmented identity prevalent in The works feel current and modern art. relevant; many of the pieces appear to Dana Schutz is being shown from be from within the last decade. Images 5 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday evening online can’t convey the effect of caked- at the Musée d’art contemporain de up oils protruding from the canvas—the Montréal (185, Rue Ste-Catherine images are worth seeing with their full Ouest). Admission is $5 for students.

of 2.5 million—and will certainly allow Adele to grace the stage of the 2017 Grammys. Despite a few new production tricks, 25 sees neither vocal nor lyrical creativity from 21, revolving primarily around one topic, and ultimately allows itself to get dragged down relentlessly by the soggy piano ballads that Adele too often falls back on. It’s a shame; “Send My Love” and “Water Under the Bridge” are glimpses into the more daring, upbeat, and ‘fun’ side of Adele. But as it stands, Adele should not only be apologizing to her former lovers and friends on 25, but to the music industry—heck, the world— for delivering another middle-of-theroad record. - Jack Neal

Nudism & Cubism Dana Schutz art exhibit sheds a unique on Cubism painting Ian Rodgers Contributor Painter Dana Schutz’ exhibit mixes the experimental vigour of modernism with a personal and approachable style. The work has a clear relationship to cubism, representing figures in an atypically, fragmented manner, but it does not share the clinical eye that is representative of the movement for which Picasso is known. Rather than inviting the male gaze to dissect the female form, Schutz uses the cubist style to explore multiple aspects of her own persona. Works such as “Shaking, Cooking, Peeing” do an excellent job of representing the small but intense moments in life. These pieces seem to burst with overwhelming movement, reminding viewers of the possibly traumatic nature of the everyday. Schutz’ paintings are extremely tactile, with paint clumped and protruding from the canvas. This emphasis on texture recalls another important modernist movement, abstract expressionism—paintings such as God 6 allude to that movement, with the physical actions used in the

process of painting foregrounded in the work. This technique contributes to the overall visceral sense of Schutz’ work; everything about these paintings is immanent, protruding outwards to shake the viewer. The exhibit makes an excellent use of nudity, using it less for its erotic potential than for its representation of raw humanity. Pieces such as “Shaving,” (pictured above), connect the relaxing setting of the beach with the private ritual of shaving pubic hair. This collision defamiliarizes both settings, bringing the personal into the public in a way that transcends any social norms. Schutz’ exhibit has a certain youthfulness to it, featuring many figures who seem to be approximations of the human form. As opposed to cubism’s sharp edges, Schutz’ work is made mostly of rounded forms and ellipses. There is a cartoonish element to the works which contrasts with the grotesque subject matter. Works such as “Face Eater” are the most unnerving of the collection: They are undeniably childish, but the cannibalistic themes turn innocence into menace. Along with

Student Living

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

s t u d ent o f t h e w ee k aud Schram is passionate about human rights and global issues. A U3 student double-majoring in Political Science and International Development and minoring in Environment, Schram hopes to use her education and experience with oncampus organizations to promote global humanitarian development. “I was born in Lyon, France, and then at the age of six I moved to the U.S.,” Schram said. “From having moved countries, I’ve just always been interested in international matters and political issues.” To assume an active role in global affairs, Schram took on the role of co-president of McGill Students for UNICEF. She participates in fundraising, as well as advocacy and on-campus awareness about UNICEF. Schram and her team of McGill Students for UNICEF launched a viral campaign on Sunday Nov 22 called #PiecesLeftBehind in order to foster awareness and empathy for Syrian refugees. “The goal of #PiecesLeftBehind is that people post a childhood picture of themselves and then they write three things that were significant to them in their childhood [...] growing up,” Schram said. “It [...] reflects back to the idea that refugees often have to leave their homes and sometimes their families too, and can’t afford to take everything with them.” Schram hopes #PiecesLeftBehind will become as prominent as the ALS ice bucket challenge, and will make refugee justice and aid more visible. Working for McGill Students for UNICEF, however, is not just about helping the current global community, but also providing a better foundation for the upcoming generation. “My inspiration for [getting

maud schram u3 arts

By Alizeh Ejaz

(Natalie Vineberg / McGill Tribune)

aislinn kalob News Editor

involved with] UNICEF comes from UNICEF itself,” Schram said. “While the United Nations may not be a perfect body, I think UNICEF is key because it serves children— the upcoming generation. We hear a lot of negativity in the world; however, UNICEF, and other external factors, have worked to increase the standard of living around the world.” Furthermore, Schram hopes to use her knowledge in international development studies and human development experience from McGill to help empower women when it comes to sexual violence. “In the future I aspire to change the structures we currently have in society that put women at a disadvantage,” Schram explained. “One issue that I find particularly important and deplorable is sexual assault: The stigmas that surround it, and the subsequent steps survivors are burdened with.” Schram would like to create an awareness and outreach campaign in the near future where survivors are reminded they are not alone in their struggle. There are numerous groups and campaigns that share a similar message, but unfortunately the stigma remains prevalent. She hopes to continue to be an advocate for women’s rights and a world free of sexual exploitation. Something Schram also feels strongly about is McGill students’ rights to a more effective mental health clinic. She believes it is every student’s right to receive the appropriate help he/she needs from the university. “I’ve been dealing with some mental health issues and just the process of going through that here at McGill has been [a struggle],” she said. “It takes three months to get to see someone from McGill mental health [….] I find it pretty

unfortunate and pretty embarrasing on the part of McGill for not properly taking care of mental health issues.” Schram believes the McGill community has an important role to play in raising awareness about the McGill mental health clinic’s inefficiency in addressing serious health problems. “It’s really difficult when you’re taking a full load of courses and participating in extracurricular activities,” Schram explained. “This university should just take better care of its students, and the students should speak up.” Schram hopes to bring positive change to the world by utilizing her experiences at McGill to enact real change. As this is her last academic year, she looks forward to spending time exploring her interests in reading about social science, discovering new places to eat around Montreal, and continuing to meet people from different backgrounds. Schram is excited to learn about the numerous opportunities her degree will lead her to after graduation— including, hopefully, a position with UNICEF.

Q&A McGill Tribune (MT): If you were to write a book about yourself, what would you call it? Maud Schram (MS): “I probably wouldn’t write a book about myself.” MT: If you could have one super power, what would it be? MS: “Probably flying, so I can migrate down South when it’s really cold here.” MT: What’s the best place on Earth? MS: “Tam-tams!”

You’re tearing me apart, Lisa! What to expect when watching The Room Continued from page 1.

Oh, hi Denny Denny is a child of indeterminate age who lives next door, and shows up seemingly at random. ÊMake sure to mimic Wiseau’s flat, unsurprised intonation in greeting Denny (“Oh, hi Denny”) in any scene. ÊConfused as to why he just entered their apartment without knocking, and then joins the couple for a pillow fight in the upstairs bedroom? Johnny would never let on. Remember to say goodbye to Denny when he leaves, which is never a moment too soon.

Meanwhile, back in San Francisco Call this out whenever Wiseau makes it apparent that the location of the film uses a generic, wide-angle shot of the city. As a bonus, Wiseau’s artistic licence with B-roll footage provides a consistent and predictable reminder of the film’s setting. Between many scenes, viewers are subjected to a long, slow tracking shot of the Golden Gate Bridge. ÊDuring this shot, chant “Go, go, go!” as if to encourage the panning to complete the length of the bridge. Cheer if it reaches the other riverbank.

Seventh-inning stretch Be advised: There are five painfully long and uncomfortably graphic sex scenes throughout the movie. It is acceptable to vocally express your discomfort at each and every one of these borderline pornographic displays. But if you need to get up to use the bathroom, buy some popcorn, or just take a well-deserved break, it is advised to do so during the longest sex scene in The Room. This happens towards the end of the film, so you can simultaneously avoid seeing it. The A.V. Club has aptly dubbed it the “seventhinning stretch.”

Student Living

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

McGill students set up pop-up sushi shop for Restaurant Day Two hundred Montreal restaurants appeared and disappeared in one day amber hord Contributor This past Saturday Nov. 21, thousands of people across the world set up their own restaurant, café, or bar for one day only. “Restaurant Day” is a worldwide event where anyone can set up their own restaurant in their home, office, on a street corner, or even in a park. It is the world’s largest food carnival and takes place four times a year. Since its beginning in 2011 the festival has seen 23,000 one-day restaurants in 73 different countries, serving a total of over 2.7 million customers. The event is set up by a team of volunteers based in Finland, who oversee the event and make sure everything runs smoothly. Restaurant Day has greatly impacted the food culture in Helsinki, and this new culture is spreading across the world as participation in the carnival increases. “Restaurant Day is exactly the sort of project that will define our future,” wrote Jussi Pajunen, the Mayor of Helsinki, on the Restaurant Day

website. “[It] has inspired the city’s population to question how things are run and to experiment and put forward new ideas of how daily life might be improved in the future.” The festival creates its own community for a day, as fellow citizens are welcomed in to each other’s homes to share a meal. This has inspired the citizens of Helsinki to question how things are run, and imagine how they could change in the future. “Restaurant Day is a prime example of how food can give birth to a new type of communality,” wrote Johanna Mäkelä, professor of Food Culture at the University of Helsinki, on the festival’s website. In Montreal, over 200 pop-up restaurants set up shop around the city. A range of creative food and drink spots appeared, from cupcake shops, and vegan pizza to mulled wine. Some restaurants specialized in a specific food or beverages, while others offered a range different eats, including desserts and drinks. To set up a restaurant, applicants had to register on an interactive map.

The map was able to be accessed by restaurant creators and goers online, or on the “Restaurantday” App. It showed the location and information of every participating restaurant, and when users clicked on specific restaurants, the name, address, opening hours, menu, and a brief description appeared. The app allowed users to search restaurants by name, distance, and opening hours, and then favorite them to make a customized list of places to visit. Two McGill students, Michelle Shi and Rachel Siu, set up their own sushi shop in their apartment on Rue Alymer, called “Siu & Shi Make Sushi in the (McGill) Ghetto.” Their menu featured spicy and regular california rolls and a vegetable roll, all $5 for eight pieces. It was their first time participating in the festival. “At first we wanted to go to restaurants, but then I thought why don’t we just do our own,” Shi said. “When we realized our names Siu and Shi put together sound like sushi, we thought, how could we not open our own sushi place? We really did it for the experi-

Winter style forecast

Layers and glitz for this upcoming season By Sasha Huebener

A sleek felt coat. (cosstores.com)

Hats to keep your ears cozy. (cultureclub.clubmonaco.com)

Felt Coat

The Giant Hat/Fluffy Head Accessory

The felt coat has popped up during fall, and is likely to prevail throughout the winter season. With influential designers such as Celine, the coat can reach as long as mid-calf length, is a tad oversized, and can commonly be found in neutral colours such as grey, black, camel, and olive. Its beauty lies in the fact that it is fabulous for layering and has a sleek, minimal look—no fuss about it. This style can be found at stores like Zara, Club Monaco, and Aritzia. It screams for winter to bring it on, while exuding a calm sophistication, pairing perfectly with boyfriend jeans, skinny jeans—any jeans really—and the cosiest sweater possible. Add extra texture and patterns with a blanket scarf, which is also perfect for those days when four layers become necessary, but buttoning up becomes a tedious mission.

It may be easy to be dissuaded by the obnoxious Pom Pom, but don’t be—one might as well let their winter accessories make a statement, and these hats make a fantastic conversation piece. The chunkier the knit, the better. Topshop provides an array of fantastic colours, and they have proven themselves to be warm enough to survive winter in style. Have a fear of hat hair? Perhaps earmuffs are more suitable. They are particularly practical for days with perfectly styled hair. American Apparel sells these in a plenty of shades for colour coordinating for those who prefer to go all out.

ence and to meet new people, not so much for profit.” Siu and Shi never expected their pop up to be as successful and popular as it was, but were pleasantly surprised with the amount of people their temporary store served. “We expected just our friends and maybe a few other people to come, but we had everyone from students to older Montrealers stop by, ” Shi said. Though they prepped for a few hours before opening, Shi said that they did not anticipate the amount of patrons they ended up getting. “It ended up being so busy we kept running out of rice had to go back and forth to the store to get more,” Shi said. While Shi enjoyed the experience of running a restaurant for a day, she has decided to forgo the experience come Restaurant Day next year. “I’m really glad we did it this year [...] It’s definitely something I would recommend doing once,” Shi said. “Everyone was really friendly and it was a great experience overall, but I

think next year, we want to go check out other restaurants, and be on the other side [....] It was so fun, but also a lot of work.” What makes this festival unique is how it allows anyone to become a chef and restaurant owner for a day. The style of interaction is also more informal than at a typical restaurant, allowing for a fun and casual dining experience. “People were really friendly, and everyone was talking to each other,” Shi said. “We met some really interesting people.” The culture surrounding Restaurant Day introduced a new way to interact as it encourages strangers to come together for a day to share a meal, and to get to know each other. Restaurant Day is creating a new, more inclusive culture surrounding food and the restaurant industry around the world. Montrealers eager to either set up their own restaurant, or to taste what their community has to offer, will be able to participate in Restaurant Day’s next event next February.

With fall gradually drifting farther away, it’s time to face the fact that one cannot simply rely on doubling up on sweaters, or throwing on a scarf when heading outside. It is Montreal after all. And with Montreal winters comes the difficult question of prioritizing practicality and warmth, or serious style. Luckily, savvy students know there is a way to manage both.

A versatile grey jumper. (acnestudios.com)

Letting your inner child shine in glitter. (vogue.co.uk)

Crewneck Jumper

Glitter

Throw it back to Alex Wang’s H&M collection with this structured sweater. The myriad of layering opportunities will allow this staple to smoothly translate from fall to winter wardrobes. The style has appeared in collections of other designers such as Acne Studios and Public School. It’s a classier, sleeker take on the hoodie that is characteristic of Scandinavian minimalistic style (and similar to wearing joggers, it hardly looks like you’re sporting loungewear). Wear it plain, or throw in some preppiness with a white button down shirt underneath, but make sure the bottom of the shirt is long enough to be seen from under the sweater. For versatility purposes, invest in a neutral colour such as grey. The lighter colour will also brighten spirits during the drab winter months.

Winter is festive! This is the one time a year where people above the age of 10 are exempt from dressing glitter-free; thus, it is the time to wholly embrace the glitz. Glitter really should be a yearround trend; however it seems to associate itself mainly with the holiday season. Since the Balmain for H&M came and went in a matter of minutes, the one thing that’s had a lasting impact was the shimmer on many of the clothing items. A little bit of sparkle goes a long way, and can come in the form sequins, beads, thread, metallics, etc.—it embellishes any outfit for any soiree that may arise, especially during December.

Science & technology

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Media response to tragedies in Paris and Beirut incite controversy Researchers examine how individuals react to others’ suffering Uzair Khan Contributor On Nov. 12, 2015, 43 civilians lost their lives in twin bombings claimed by ISIS in Beirut. The next day, 129 civilians lost their lives in multiple ISIS attacks in Paris. Both tragedies have drawn in sympathy and well-wishes from around the world, but this support has been met with controversy. Many are upset that the events in Paris garnered more support and attention from Western countries than the events in Beirut. For example, Facebook gave users the ability to add the French flag to their profile picture as a sign of solidarity with France, but presented no such option for Lebanon. Writers from USAToday , The Huffington Post , and The New York Times have claimed that this imbalanced reaction stems from Westerners holding lives of other Westerners above those of Middle Easterners, and consequently, the loss of their people of lesser importance. Researchers explain, however, that the difference in reactions to these two massacres is largely based on relatability. Witnessing a close family member suffering

is undoubtedly bound to cause more grief and pain than watching a distant acquaintance experience the same thing. This experience—called empathy—is the ability to understand another person’s condition from their perspective. “It is perhaps one of the most defining features of humanity,” wrote Farriss Samarrai in an article for UVAToday . This past January, a group of researchers from McGill’s Pain Genetics Lab set out to prove how the relationships between two individuals could affect emotions. To do this, the team first treated McGill undergraduate students with a painful stimuli and asked them to rate the pain. The students rated the pain similarly when tested alone or with a stranger; however, when tested with a friend, the pain levels felt by the student had increased. This increase in pain, the researched hypothesized, was due to a greater amount of empathy felt between the individuals, causing them to feel each other’s pain. Taking their research a step forward, the scientists pharmacologically inhibited glucocorticoid receptors— involved in stress—in their participants. When they did

this, they observed higher pain ratings. By blocking the receptors, the individual felt a lower level of social stress, and thus a higher vulnerability to pain. In essence, the person was less worried about being in an unfamiliar environment with an unfamiliar person, and consequently, had more capacity to feel their pain. When the tests were emulated in mice, the team observed similar results. The group’s efforts provided valuable insight about how an individual is able to empathize. The inner biological actions of empathy, however, have continued to remain elusive. To shed more light on this, researchers from the University of Virginia looked at how individuals respond to threats. The team took fMRI brain scans of individuals in an experimental condition where either they, their friend, or a stranger was placed under the threat of electric shock.

Facebook gave users the ability to check-in safe for the Paris attacks. (www.walesonline.co.uk) When the threat was to the self or a friend, similar areas of the brain, specifically the anterior insula, putamen and supramarginal gyrus, were activated. However, when the threat was to a stranger, these areas showed little activity. “Familiarity involves the inclusion of the other into the self, that from the perspective of the brain, our friends and loved ones are indeed part of who we are,” the researchers explained in their paper. Through close familiarity, one person’s pain is felt by others.

This is precisely the reason why there was an immense outpouring of support for those affected by the tragedies that occurred in Paris and Beirut. But this is also partly the reason why more support and recognition were shown towards Paris by Westerners. France is more ‘familiar’ to Western countries because it shares some of the same cultural and historical backgrounds as other western countries. This causes Westerners to associate with the people in Paris more than those in Beirut, and thus, feel their pain more.

Disclosing medical information in the work place McGill Law Professor Derek Jones addresses issues surrounding medical information andy wang Contributor On Nov. 19, the Comparative Health Systems Program (CHSP), a non-profit organization within McGill, hosted a lecture on medical information privacy and its implications in the workplace. The evening’s lecture began with an image of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 1976 year-end report. Among the many issues the WHO addressed, including female genital mutilation and infectious diseases, the privacy and protection of medical information was highlighted as an emerging problem due to the various technological, medical, and human rights advancements made in the last 50 years. The pace of scientific discoveries today is faster than ever before, yet privacy of medical information continues to be a problem that both individuals and corporations address on a daily basis. Guest speaker and McGill Law Professor Derek Jones spoke to the audience about concerns dealing with privacy. In practicing law, balancing individual rights with the

moral and social values of society can be difficult. “The question I hope to address tonight is: To what extent do human rights balance against disclosure of medical information in a work setting.” Jones said. Jones explained that ‘the law of humans rights’ is absolute and is given the highest priority in a court of law—violations to human rights will always be prosecuted. But the issues of privacy and medical information in the corporate world has not been as straightforward, and its evolution can be summarized in three parts. “[First,] the HIV/AIDS emergence in the ’80s [brought] medical information privacy into the spotlight,” said Jones. “Then, in the late ’90s and early 2000s it was the disclosure and release of genetic information. And in the last five years or so, the disclosure of depression and mental health information has begun to emerge the central issue where privacy is concerned.” It is estimated that more than $50 billion worth of corporate income is lost annually in Canada due to mental health issues, including

depression. Up until the early 20th century, laws existed in Canada in which individuals could be forcefully committed, without a proper diagnosis or form of legal protection. Mental health issues, however, continue to be stigmatized in society. It is therefore not surprising that around 71 per cent of employees conceal issues concerning depression for fear of discrimination. Yet around one in five individuals, of every age and ethnicity, are afflicted with some form of mental health issue, and with it being such so opaque and widespread, the question now becomes: Aside from the individual and their physician, who else needs to know? The answer is perhaps not as clear-cut as one might think. While laws exist in Canada to protect against discrimination based on mental disability, certain issues occasionally arise wherein the disclosure of mental health information is essential for the daily functions and duties of a job. For example, a professional struggling with depression or anxiety may not be able to provide services to their clients at the expected standard.

McGill Law Professor Derek Jones outlined the importance of human rights. (Emma Hameau / McGill Tribune) To conclude the talk, Jones stressed the importance of considering opposing viewpoints in this issue; however, Jones also stated that there will never be a definitive or decisive answer to the problem of medical information privacy. “Problems associated with mental health arise from both its concealment as well as its overfocus,” said Jones. The answer lies somewhere in

the middle. “The Quebec Bar exam for law school graduates has five questions concerning mental health,” Jones explained. “After a thorough review by human rights professionals, these questions have been cut down to two.” Just as the symbol of law—the scales of Madam Justice—never really stop teetering, the solution to disclosure and privacy must always be a dynamic one.

Science & technology

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Montreal’s 2015 International Game Summit Cutting-edge technology is revolutionizing the gaming experience

ALEX BAnkier Contributor Whether it’s Candy Crush Saga or Fallout 4, video games are an increasingly integral part of everyday life. The enormous range of developers churning out games means that there is more or less something for everyone on the market. The challenge remains, however, to get noticed and then get published. Today, one of the best places for video game creators to gain popularity is at the Montreal International Game Summit (MIGS). Since its inception in 2004, MIGS has provided a platform for video game creators and enthusiasts to collaborate as well as showcase the latest hot talents and emerging technologies. Running from Nov. 15 to 17, MIGS 2015 began in earnest with the Big Indie Pitch event, a travelling showcase sponsored by the online magazine Pocket Gamer. During the competition, several independent developers demoed their mobile games before a panel of judges, Dragon’s Den-style. Everything from wingsuit-simulators to fingerbased sorcerer combat games were showcased, and in the end, one of the simpler games took home the gold. The crowned victor, Grumz, requires only one finger to play; users must tap their screen to stop an infinitely yoyoing ball from getting wrecked by other polygons. Though seemingly simple, the use of elegant and straightforward interfaces continues to dominate the industry, as seen in the Expo Zone. Here, MIGS participants presented their technology and games to attendees. Local powerhouse Ubisoft presented its brutal new third-person hack ‘n slasher For Honor in a tense 4v4 tournament, while Quebec Citybased unknown Parabole showed off a visually minimalist, yet striking, exploration through northern Quebec’s wilderness with Kôna. Aside from the ongoing expozone, seminars and talks were presented throughout every day of the conference. One session featured Dominic Vega and Jason Kantor— resident aural wizards with developer Avalanche Studios—as they debriefed the entirety of their experience with the sound design and implementation in Avalanche’s nuclear-powered

blockbuster: Just Cause 3. In their talk, Kantor and Vega highlighted the challenge of developing complex sound cascades that could be available at any second with the game’s plethora of weapons, vehicles, and destructible objects at the player’s disposal. It’s easy to tell the duo knows their stuff; coherent explanations made a concept as esoteric as spline––polynomial functions used to create everything from level-up schemes to in-game camera movement––feel as accessible as elementary school arithmetic. “[Just Cause 3’s mix of] aircraft, motorboats, and land vehicle [sounds] were a delight to work on,” explained Kantor. “They all sound absolutely incredible.” Dave Miner, product marketing manager with Yamaha, has been working with fellow music equipment company Steinberg to release the newest version of their acclaimed sound software Nuendo. The result is Nuendo 7—a software for editing and mixing sound, complete with a special tie-in for game developers. The tie-in is full integration with game audio group Audiokinetic’s ubiquitous sound software Wwise, allowing for simple drag-and-drop operation when exporting mixed sounds from Nuendo 7 to Wwise. Because of this, it now takes mere seconds, instead of hours, to transfer sounds between the two systems— which is used to put the desired sound into a game. Remarkably, this system has compatibility with platforms ranging from Android to Xbox One, and every game engine from Unity to CryEngine. In a serendipitous discovery, Miner and his team found that the Nuage mixing console’s touch feedback and ergonomic design even enable editing via virtual reality (VR) headset, effectively immersing the user in both the game and Nuendo 7 interface. “[When we released the technology] we had no idea [this capability] even existed,” Miner said. This interest in VR was seen in works being produced by many other MIGS participants. For example, the Digital Imagery Research and Development Centre (CDRIN), is based out of CÉGEP de Matane, and possesses Canada’s largest motion capture studio—a taste of which was presented at MIGS.

MIGS15 provided attendees the opportunity to sample a variety of new video game platforms and technologies. (Emma Hameau / McGill Tribune) A welded metal framework surrounded by rigging fitted with infrared lights and cameras provide the staging for the experience. Clad in a bodysuit covered in reflective spheres, Camille Tremblay, CDRIN’s project manager, has her every movement rendered onscreen in real-time by cameras catching the infrared light reflected back from the spheres. Attendees are invited to join by putting on a CDRIN VR headset. While wearing the headset, users ‘see’ Tremblay as a spaceship captain inside a futuristic elevator, which is used to visit three floors featuring different virtual environments. The most notable scene is a balcony overlooking a breath-taking mountainside castle. But the VR headset goes beyond what users see, it can change the very laws of physics. In this VR world, Tremblay

steps off the castle balcony and walks on air. Participants, if they dare, are encouraged to follow. While developers cannot yet nullify Earth’s gravity, other technologies are being introduced to create unique gaming experiences. North Carolina-based Spark Plug Games was founded by John O’Neill, responsible for the rapid-fire, run ‘n gun Mech Runner. But O’Neill’s game has a twist—it uses eyetracking software, courtesy of Tobii Technology, in addition to a handheld controller. With this, gamers can simply look at enemies in order to target them for destruction. If combined with a VR headset, Tobii’s EyeX Tracker could allow users the unprecedented experience of a world that reacts dynamically to both sight and bodily orientation in real-time.

With the rapidly expanding set of tools available to game developers, new gaming mechanics are being used to tell uniquely immersive stories. After all, the most memorable games allow a person to become wholly invested––mentally and emotionally––in the experience. While big name developers may be slow to challenge conventional storytelling, this is, fortunately, where indie developers really shine. Games like the eerie, black and white side-scrolling puzzle game Limbo– –a stunning example of games as an art form––can be made without massive budgets and VR technology. Add in the crowdfunding and communicative capacity of the internet, and indie developers can churn out innovative cult classics indefinitely.

Sports

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Changing the Game

Fixing the NHL’s scoring problem Goals are at a premium in today’s NHL. The average number of goals per game has fallen from 6.05 to 5.32 since the 2005-2006 season. The Tribune sports section weighs in on how to shock this icy game back to life.

NHL Commisioner Gary Bettman needs to listen up. (Photos courtesy of Yahoo Sports, The Globe and Mail, Huffington Post, and the Toronto Star)

No icing on the cake

People have argued to increase the size and surface area of the nets; however, this seems unfeasible as changing the goal dimensions in the NHL means changing it at all different levels of hockey, including community arenas, which could be an administrative nightmare. It is also a cultural taboo. The simplest way to increase scoring would be to eliminate the ability of the penalty-killing team to ice the puck. The fact that a team is allowed break a rule after committing a penalty for having broken a rule is nonsensical. More importantly, this would increase scoring chances during power plays as the defence would be under pressure for a full two minutes. The new rule would also stipulate that if the penalty-killing team did ice the puck, referees would treat it like a delay of game penalty that is called when the puck is shot over the glass. There have been arguments against this proposal, saying it could cause an increase players diving to induce penalties. Further, critics say that it could potentially decrease overall penalties, as it would make teams more cautious of taking bad penalties, resulting in fewer goals. More statistical analysis needs to be done on whether this is feasible. However, it does propose a unique, and ultimately better alternative than increasing the size of the net or decreasing the size of goaltenders equipment.

— Sason Ross

B e h i n d t h e B e nc h Nick Jasinski Staff Writer Continued from page 1. But it goes deeper than that. The football team’s threatened strike proved that studentathletes have a unique visibility and potential for leadership as activists at all universities. Members of collegiate sports teams—whether recruited or not, and whether their programs gen-

Two minutes to save the world— Tanveer Ahmed More scoring opportunities statistically translates to more goals. A power play lasting two minutes, regardless of a change in score, would drastically increase chances for the offensive team. Full two-minute power plays would preserve the integrity of the game while rewarding skilled offensive teams with a longer manadvantage to score goals. Strong penaltykilling teams would hardly be affected since they aim to kill the full two minutes anyway. It would force less effective penalty-killing teams to improve, while motivating teams to invest in their power play units in order to yield multiple goals on the man advantage. In practice, this season’s Boston Bruins squad would be involved in extremely high-scoring games since they are both the best power play unit as well as the worst penalty-killing unit. This trend would be extrapolated across the league as eight of the top 15 power play teams rank in the bottom 15 in penalty killing. Furthermore, this solution bypasses the need to change the size of the net, which would inconvenience goalies at all playing levels since nets are standardized. It would also avoid any shrinking of goalie equipment that would compromise their safety.

— Tanveer Ahmed

Don’t mess with the status quo

Increased surface area

The NHL shouldn’t increase scoring by artificial means. Scoring output is always in flux, and it naturally increase and decreases when position players and goalies respectively adjust their techniques and skill levels in order to meet the high demands of the other. At the moment, the advantage is with the goalies, but this is to a large extent merely a product of improved goaltending ability in the league. The art of goaltending is just as nuanced and precise as that of goalscoring, and it can be just as electrifying for fans. The fact that today’s goalies consistently make highlight reels proves that fans are increasingly willing to regard goaltending as an exciting and worthy aspect of the game, comparable in entertainment value to goalscoring (just take a look at Carey Price’s jersey sales). Fans enjoy the unfathomable flexibility and laser-sharp reaction time that today’s elite goalies possess. If anything, fewer goals per game make each goal more meaningful, which in turn makes the game more intense for the fans: Hard-fought, low scoring games are also the most nerve-racking. On a more individual level, as the gap between the highest-scoring and lowest-scoring players narrows, close battles for scoring titles among players will be all the more suspenseful come April. The NHL should rather address the more pressing issues currently plaguing the league like concussions, illegal checks, or their embarrassingly inaccurate and archaic advanced statistics.

Adapting goaltending equipment would fundamentally change goaltending style in the future, altering the game too drastically. Several goaltenders, including James Reimer of the Toronto Maple Leafs, have already spoken out about the fact that streamlining goaltending equipment compromises goalie safety—undermining players’ ability to do their job effectively and safely. The only rule change that should be pursued in earnest is making the nets bigger. This would allow for more space for players to aim for and thus increase scoring without forcing goaltenders to alter their game, at least not to the extent that they would have to with slimmed-down equipment. The bigger nets would also allow for hockey to still look like hockey, just with slightly more space to score. Games would be more exciting without scoring becoming redundant. With big equipment and increasingly big goaltenders, the only solution to increasing scoring without adversely affecting safety of players would be to increase net size. The increase of net size will not only increase scoring, but also return hockey to a sport where upwards of six goals would be scored per game. This allows for a nostalgic return to the offence-first game of the past, as well as increasing excitement as scoring becomes more prevalent.

— Ellie Solloway

—Nicole Spadotto

T h e M i ss o u r i F o o t b a l l p l a y e r s st a n d i n s o l i d a r i t y erate millions of dollars or not— are still representatives of their schools and have a platform to be leaders and role models for their fellow students, especially in the social media age. “We just wanted to use our platform to take a stance as fellow concerned students on an issue,” University of Missouri defensive back Ian Simon told the New York Times . “We love the game, but at the end of the day, it is just that—a game.” At McGill, a school already

known for its activist student body, athletes still have the ability to lead social movements. Events such as McGill Athletics’ Movember challenge, and the many fundraisers that various teams put on are a starting point, and demonstrate that the Redmen and Martlets have a desire to use their unique voices to make a difference. “Being a student athlete shows amazing dedication and a different position within the school,” said senior MArtlet

swimmer Katie Caldwell. “we should take a responsibility to make a change where possible.” History is full of examples of athletes stepping up and taking stands on social issues that they believe in. One of the bestknown images in sports is of San Jose State sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos standing on the 1986 Olympic victory podium. They had their right arms raised high in the air and their fists clenched in black power salutes. NBA Hall-of-

Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was well known to have joined student protests at UCLA while a student-athlete there in the late ’60s. “Let this be a testament to all of the athletes across the country that you do have power,” Mizzou defensive end Charles Harris said during the team’s protest. And he’s right. When players make it clear that they care about an issue, other voices will follow.

Sports

16 redmen basketball

mcgill

75 - 53

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

C o nc o r d i a

Redmen stay unbeaten, dismantle Stingers before winter break Leung’s hot shooting streak continues in front of 600 fans Aaron rose Staff Writer “It was an unbelievable atmosphere and our kids want to play on a night like that,” Redmen Basketball Head Coach David DeAveiro said. “We need this crowd to feed off of and succeed.” In front of over 600 rambunctious fans, the McGill Redmen (3-0) put on a basketball clinic, downing the Concordia Stingers (2-1) in a 75-53 victory on Thursday night. The Redmen jumped out to a 15-11 lead after the first quarter before extending the margin to 34-26 at halftime. Junior forward François Bourque led the squad in the first half, scoring nine of his 13 points in the early frames. McGill maintained control after halftime, outscoring the Stingers 41-27 on 50 per cent second-half shooting. “It was a total team effort, and our depth really made the difference,” DeAveiro said. “Today was a good challenge for us because it was a close game throughout, [but] the fourth quarter, I just thought that we were

mentally tougher [and] imposed our will on them.” Coming off a career high 29point game against the Bishop’s Gaiters (0-3), starting point guard Jenning Leung once again led the way for the Redmen with a gamehigh 15 points. Junior guard Dele Ogundokun stuffed the stat sheet, recording seven points, along with a game-high nine boards and four assists. The win marked McGill’s eighth victory in the last 11 games against the rival Stingers, and reaffirmed that the Redmen are the team to beat in the RSEQ. After a tough pre-season that included a 74-70 victory over the No. 1 ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees (5-0), the Redmen emerged as the No. 3-ranked team in the country. “When you have some early success, you become a target,” DeAverio said. “Everyone is going to give you their best game and we can’t let up.” On Saturday night, sophomore centre Noah Daoust led the Redmen to a 74-58 dismantling of the UQÀM Citadins (1-2). Coming off the bench, Daoust dropped a game-high 18 points, including

François Bourque slams it home. (L-A Benoit/ McGill Tribune) four buckets from beyond the arc. Leung struggled with his shooting in the first half, but came through in the second half, scoring nine of his 14 points after the break. The Redmen return to Love Competition Hall on Dec. 5 in a showdown with the Laval Rouge et Or (1-1). Look for McGill to improve to 4-0 on the season before the winter break.

Quotable

Stat corner

“If you look at our team, you look at depth. I think [after] two [or] three quarters, we started to wear them down and just put our foot on the pedal.”– DeAverio on McGill’s ability to punish opponents late in games.

McGill’s ranked in the top three in the CIS for the first time since Nov. 27, 2012.

Moment of the game Daoust scored nine consecutive points in the first half against the Citadins.

WEEK THAT WAS By the Numbers

Tribune Athletes of the Week

Percentage of CIS qualifiers at the Kemp-Fry Invitational meet who swim for McGill

.176 33

Martlet Basketball’s threepoint shooting percentage in Saturday’s loss to UQÀM

Redmen Hockey’s OUAleading goal differential through 14 regular season games

Katie Caldwell

Jenning Leung

Senior swimmer Katie Caldwell had a fantastic first day of the Kemp-Fry Invitational meet last Friday as she recorded three gold medals and a personal best time in the 200m breaststroke. She alo qualified for CIS Nationals with her performance. Caldwell led the way in McGill’s best ever performance in their history—13 swimmers qualified for the Nationals and McGill produced 24 races that met CIS qualifying times.

Junior point guard Jenning Leung scored 29 points for the Redmen basketball team in a dominating weekend sweep of Montreal rivals Concordia and UQÀM. Leung had 15 points against Concordia on Thursday, shooting 50 per cent from the field and was three of seven from beyond the arc. Leung had a less efficient shooting performance against UQAM on Saturday, but still scored 14 points to help power McGill to victory.

Photos courtesy of McGill Athletics

Swimming

Redmen Hockey

Thirteen members of McGill’s swim team qualified for next semester’s national CIS Championships at the Kemp-Fry Invitational meet on Friday, comfortably the most of any university at the meet. The Redmen finished first of the seven competing universities, winning eight events while the Martlets finished second with four gold medals. Freshman Jean-Daniel Vallieres and senior Katie Caldwell each qualified for both the 200m individual medley and the 200m breaststroke. Other qualifiers were Barisan Firildak, David Whiteside, Duncan Burns, and Kade Wist for the redmen along with Emily Goodwin, Amanda Borowczyk, Katerina Cardi, Simone Cseplo, and Carly Ede for the Martlets.

McGill’s (12-2-0) winning streak ended at nine straight games as the men’s hockey team fell 3-2 to the York University Lions (8-2-3) on Saturday. After falling behind by two goals early on, McGill stormed back early in the second period on a Samuel Labrecque power-play goal.

Martlet Hockey Senior netminder Taylor Hough posted her RSEQ-leading third shutout of the season to lead the Martlet hockey team (5-3-0) past Concordia (3-3-1) 2-0 on Friday. Olympian centre Melodie Daoust scored what proved to be the game-winner midway through the second, and senior forward Gabrielle Davidson added a shorthanded helper in the third. The victory pushes McGill into a tie for second place with Ottawa. Hough posted another shutout in a 4-0 exhibition win against RPI of the NCAA on Sunday, and will look to keep the net spick and span as the Martlets host Ottawa next Sunday.