McGill Tribune Vol. 33 Issue 18

Volume No. 33 Issue No. 18

TRIBUNE THE mcgill Px

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CURIOSITY DELIVERS

Considering your impact The nuances of international volunteerism P10

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Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Students debate freedom of dress in SSMU Building at Winter GA See inside for...

Story P 4

The General Assembly met quorum for three of the four motions debated at council. (Alexandra Allaire / McGill Tribune)

Conference on fossil fuels interrupted by occupation protesting lack of representation Divest McGill demonstrators support occupiers; conference organizer defends choice of speakers Jessica Fu News Editor McGill’s Petrocultures 2014 conference faced criticism last Friday, when participants were forced to relocate following an occupation of the Faculty Club by a group called “LockOut Petrocultures.” Later that day, student campaign group Divest McGill demonstrated outside the conference as well.

At 8:00 a.m., approximately 30 members of the Montreal community group occupied the Faculty Club, interrupting nearly one and a half hours of the conference. Due to the occupation, the conference was temporarily relocated to Redpath Hall.

Mona Luxion, an Urban Planning Ph.D. candidate and media relations officer for LockOut Petrocultures, said that the group planned the disruption to question the effectiveness of the

conference.

“Staging a debate [where] fossil fuel company executives have equal say as potential critics is reinforcing the status quo; it’s not moving us forward,” she said. “We really wanted to challenge this idea that this is a debate that should be happening, and really push towards concrete actions that gets [McGill] out of the business of fossil fuels.”

Hosted by the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC), Petrocultures is an annual conference that draws participants from the arts, social sciences, sciences, and engineering from across Canada to speak on the consequences of reliance on fossil fuels and to discuss responsible alternatives.

“Petrocultures 2014 will bring together leading figures to discuss and debate the role of oil and energy in shaping social, cultural, and political life in Canada at present and in the

future,” the conference program reads. “[The] event involv[es] a diverse group of speakers from across Canada.”

Members of Divest McGill, a student campaign group against university investment in fossil fuel industries, attended the conference as participants but also expressed support for the occupiers. In the Divest McGill demonstration that same day, protestors chanted in support of divestment and invited members of the community to envision a future without reliance on fossil fuels. “[The conference] purport[s] to be really non-partisan, but in reality they had two hourlong sessions from people from oil companies or from energy boards, and had very clear, vested interests,” Bronwen Tucker, Divest McGill coordinator, said.

“There was not a single grassroots Indigenous activist. They just didn’t do a proper job at representing the whole spectrum.”

However, William Straw— professor and director of the MISC—noted that 17 of the 26 speakers at the conference were activists. These included five people from Indigenous communities who work on the impact of fossil fuels, although two had to withdraw at the last minute due to personal reasons.

“To the accusation that the conference offered a false ‘balance,’ I will simply point to the overwhelming representation of environmental activists,” Straw said. “To the accusation— made before the conference had begun—that we were going to debate ‘climate change’ as if it were an unsettled issue, I will note that no one at the conference, with the possible exception of [one attendee], challenged the reality of climate change.”

Luxion said the occupation achieved their goals of critiquing and interrupting the conference.

“I think we led people to

question the starting point [of the conference], in addition to actually having a material impact in terms of forcing the conference to move,” she said.

Straw said that he was disappointed that attempts to communicate with the occupiers were ineffective.

“We hoped to talk to the occupiers, and several participants […] made an effort to speak to them,” Straw said. “That wasn’t successful.”

Straw maintained that he was pleased with the conference’s turnout this year, and that the protests would not impact future conferences.

“Building a conference is a multi-month process of awaiting responses, last minute withdrawals, pressures from various quarters, and disappointments,” he said. “Given all this, I’m pleased with what we came up with.”

NEWS city

Protesters call for sponsors of Sochi 2014 to speak out in defence of LGBT rights Montrealers stand in solidarity with international movement; Queer McGill aims to raise awareness of Russian anti-gay laws Catherine-Laure Juste Contributor

A demonstration calling for the McDonalds and other sponsors of the 2014 Sochi Olympics to take a stand against the host nation’s laws regarding homosexuality took place downtown last Wednesday.

Approximately 35 people attended the protest, which aimed to compel sponsors such as McDonalds, Visa, and Coca-Cola Inc. to publicly speak out against the laws. The protest took place as part of a series of protests around the world last Wednesday in defence of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and

transgender (LGBT) rights.

Last June, legislation passed in Russia’s highest court sparked outrage in the international community by banning the distribution of “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations.”

McGill Student Anne Vaillancourt, U3 Nursing, organized the event as a member of international equality campaign group “All Out.” “[Sponsors] are of capital importance in the Olympics and in financial support,” she said. “We know that money rules the world, thus [we hope] key players can take a stand against Putin’s laws and show their colours.

We hope this is what results from our intervention tonight.”

Protestors chanted slogans in French and English, including “buying is voting” and “no to oppression.”

Gishian Raethirian, U1 Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, was also present at the protest. Raethirian said he attended to raise awareness and question the choice of Russia as the host of an international event.

“I view the Olympics as a competition among all countries in the world,” he said. “Everyone views the Olympics as a friendly competition but how can a country host the competition if they’re not friendly towards everyone? We’re trying to bring it to surface and let everyone see what is going on.”

Raethirian cited Russia’s laws

regarding same-sex marriage as violating Principle Six of the Olympic Charter, which denounces discrimination on any basis, including that of sexual orientation.

“Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement,” reads Principle Six of the Olympic Charter.

On campus, Queer McGill—a university-wide support system for queer students and their allies—is also organizing events in support of LGBT rights in Russia.

According to Jake Belman, U1

Science and Queer McGill member, the group is currently in the process of organizing events to raise awareness of injustices and create political pressure.

For Belman, unity is key in the fight to defend LGTB rights in Russia.

“Everyone knows that they themselves cannot do much alone, and that’s precisely why we have to band together,” Belman said. “We need to stand together and put pressure on Russia to change its laws and stop oppressing LGBT people. It takes a lot of voices coming together and a lot of hands working and fighting to help the cause.”

speaker on campus

Justin Trudeau calls for youth engagement in politics

Candidate for 2015 federal elections answers questions on Indigenous affairs, taxes off of differences in opinion. He stressed the importance of finding answers that work for everyone and listening to all Justin Trudeau, leader of the Liberal points of view.

“Politics has become about diviParty of Canada, answered McGill students’ questions about Canadian politics, sion; it’s become about obtaining power, his leadership style, and issues facing the about finding the right wedge issues, about contrasting yourself with your opnext generation of voters on Feb. 6.

Hosted by Liberal McGill, the ponents,” he said. “It’s supposed to be event was part of Trudeau’s 2014 Cam- about a group of us […] coming together pus Tour, which has brought Trudeau to in Ottawa to try and figure out the best universities across the country to speak way forward.”

One attendee, who could not be with students. He spoke at Concordia University and Université de Montréal identified, inquired about the state of Inon the same day. Approximately 250 digenous affairs in Canada.

“If I’m looking at the Canadian syspeople at McGill turned out to hear tem, one of the groups that is throughout Trudeau speak.

“Getting young people […] inter- the system not represented fairly is Abested and involved in the political pro- original Canadians, and I know a lot of cess isn’t just about getting a few more this is because of systemic oppression,” people to come out and vote against the student said. “When you are prime the current prime minister,” he said. minister, how will you address this “We need to start thinking about get- issue?”

Trudeau stressed the importance of ting young people to speak up, to be involved, to make your voices heard, [and] education in improving conditions for the country’s Indigenous peoples, citing to become powerful agents of change.”

Trudeau criticized the nature of the sharp decline in suicide rates in compresent-day Canadian politics, arguing munities where education systems have HR_ULaval_McGill tribune_10x3,6_NBc.pdf 1 2014-01-29 13:45 that parties have been less open to com- been improved.

“The fact that the dollar spent per promise and more interested in playing Anthony Milton Contributor

Liberal McGill hosted Justin Trudeau’s visit. (Alexandra Allaire / McGill Tribune) student in First Nations communities is far below the dollar spent per student in all other areas of education in other provinces and places across the country just makes no sense when you look at the challenges these communities are going through,” he said.

Trudeau also expressed opposition to tax increases.

“I am certainly in agreement with simplifying the tax code significantly,” Trudeau said. “The tax code [is] much more complex and inefficient than it needs to be [….] But I do not believe that

we need to increase taxes anyway, anywhere. The government takes in plenty of money from Canadians; we just need to be a lot smarter about how we spend it.”

According to Nadia Kadri, president of Liberal McGill, Trudeau’s prior experience in connecting with students has been beneficial for this event.

“We know that from his tours across Canada, he has collected a lot of information from students,” Kadri said.

“He’s really been able to tailor a message that captures and engages the student

body.”

Iain Childerhose, U2 Arts, praised Trudeau’s sincerity in responding to questions.

“Obviously his strength is his charismatic speaking ability, and that showed today; I really enjoyed what he said,” Childerhouse said. “He definitely tried to come from a non-partisan standpoint and encourage political engagement in youth, which is something I think is extremely important.”

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Curiosity delivers. | student government

NEWS

| Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Winter referendum period to see questions on LICM fee increase, first year fund SSMU Council approves efforts to improve transparency in Gerts booking procedures Eman Jeddy Staff Writer A fee increase for the Legal Information Clinic at McGill and the creation of a fund for FirstYear Council were two of the referendum questions students will be voted on in the Winter referendum period, which will take place March 10th to 21st.

The motions were approved at a meeting of SSMU Council.

Existence and fee increase for Legal Information Clinic Council approved two questions related to the Legal Information Clinic at McGill (LICM)—one that asks students to support LICM’s existence with its current non-optoutable student fee, and another to increase this fee from $3.25 to $4.50 per semester.

LICM was established in 1973 to provide free legal information to McGill students and the Montreal community.

According to the motion, the fee has not been adjusted in 13 years, despite additional costs such as rent increases and com-

puter maintenance.

“LICM would be unable to operate at its current capacity without increased revenue, and would need to decrease services if the LICM fee remains at its current 2001 level,” the motion reads.

First-year fund Another question would create a new optoutable fee of $0.50 to go towards a fund managed by SSMU’s First-Year Council. The fund is designed help the representation of first year students through new student forums, town halls, community outreach programs, and greater interfaculty collaborations among first year students, according to the motion.

“First-Year Council now is very underfunded; its target group is 7,000 first year students, so that means exchange students, transfer students, and any other first years,” Élie Lubendo, Services Representative and one of the movers of the motion, said.

“A first year fund will engage students in first year to be more involved in school, but [also]

create more collaborations between first-year groups.’’

Science Councillor Devin Bissky Dziadyk acknowledged the financial issues facing the First-Year Council, but said charging a fee for all SSMU constituents was not appropriate.

“Is that fair to anyone beyond first year that is being forced to pay this fee?” he said.

“Although it may not be a significant sum of money, I think it sets a poor precedent when we’re imposing a fee on something that, to the best of my understanding, is for a specific group of people and we are charging everyone for it.’’

Motion on Gerts SSMU Council also passed a motion that would task the SSMU Vice-President Finance and Operations with the responsibility of ensuring greater transparency for the booking procedure for charity events at Gerts.

According to the motion, the VP Finance must post the procedure for bookings on the SSMU website. The form is currently downloadable online.

Furthermore, the comptroller, general manager, bar manager, and VP Finance must meet with charity groups to discuss ways to make the process for booking and hosting events at Gerts more understandable.

Issues regarding transparency were brought forth to SSMU, after the student-run bar raised its retention of profits from 30 per cent to 50 per cent in November 2013.

The motion initially aimed to establish a new fee policy, under which charitable organizations would be eligible to keep 100 per cent of cover and coat check fees from attendees depending on bar sales and sufficient evidence of advertising.

Currently, Gerts charges 50 per cent of cover and coat check charges to charitable organizations hosting events in the bar.

“Student groups holding charitable events at Gerts Bar entice patrons to utilize the student service and augment food and beverages sales,” the motion reads. “Montreal bars and clubs often welcome charity events for free.”

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However, Vice-President Finance Tyler Hofmeister voiced concern over the financial implications of the original motion for Gerts.

“The math that has been done doesn’t really account for the cost of goods sold, the cost of security, [and] the cost of staffing, which eats our sales to the point where we are literally paying to have certain events in the bar some nights,” Hofmeister said.

The motion was amended to its current form before it passed.

Notice of Motions Other fee-related referendum questions include Organic Campus fee creation and University Centre Building fee creation questions; as well as renewals of the Access Bursary Fund, Ambassador Fund, Campus Life Fund, and the Library Improvement Fund. Students will be able to vote on the motions between March 14 and 21.

student government

Faculty of Arts faces 50 course cuts due to reduced budget for course lecturers Greatest reductions to affect departments of English, political science, economics, history Paniz Khosroshahy Staff Writer The Faculty of Arts will terminate approximately 50 courses in the 2014-2015 academic year, as announced on Jan 29.

The decision is a continued effect of provincial budget cuts announced in December 2012, in response to which the Office of the Provost called for a 10 per cent cut in the budget for contract academic staff (CAS) in all faculties.

CAS are faculty and course lecturers not on a tenure-track. According to Dean of Arts Christopher Manfredi, impact on students would be minimal, as well.

“There is no choice in this matter,” Manfredi said. “Students’ progress towards completing their programs will not be affected, and the impact on average class size will be negligible.”

Justin Fletcher, president of the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS), said the effects on individual departments would be less impactful.

“Since reductions will take place across many academic units,” he said. “We do not anticipate there being a huge disruption in terms of the number of courses

per unit.”

However, Fletcher stressed that faculties with more CAS would be more negatively affected.

“While this cut is across-theboard at McGill, Arts is affected more because many of our courses are taught by CAS,” he said.

In the upcoming weeks, departments will present a prioritized list of CAS-taught courses to the Dean, who will then allocate the CAS budget to departments.

Individual departments will make the final decision on which CAStaught courses will be offered based on this budget.

According to Greenspon, language courses will be prioritized, since they are mostly taught by CAS. The majority of, cuts will take place to CAS-taught courses in large departments such as english, political science, economics, and history, where the large number of tenure-track professors reduces the necessity of hiring CAS, according to Greenspon.

“I would expect [large departments] to have a similar percentage of courses cut as smaller, non-language departments,” AUS Vice-President Academic Jacob Greenspon said. “But given the

The Faculty of Arts will see cuts to its largest departments. (Courtney Strouthos / McGill Tribune) number of courses in Political Science, for example, this similar percentage will result in a higher raw number of courses cut.”

This year’s cuts come in addition to 100 courses cut by the Faculty for the 2013-14 academic year. Greenspon expressed concern at the lack of student consultation in the decision.

“While I’m sure there was much conversation in the McGill administration about how to deal with less funding from the government, I believe that this

conversation did not involve as much student input as our position as primary stakeholder of the university warrants,” Greenspon said. “[This] demonstrates that the administration’s priorities do not include creating a consensus among [students] for the most important decisions that affect them all.”

Fletcher indicated several ways in which students could become involved in the process, including attending departmentlevel consultations.

“Our plan of action […] is to engage in proactive dialogue with the Dean and Provost to see if there is additional room in the budget and to encourage professors to teach at the standard teaching load of 12 credits per year,” he said. “We encourage our departmßental associations to make sure students are present at department meetings, to ensure priority courses continue to be taught.”

McGill Course Lecturer’s and Instructors Union could not be reached for comment.

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Tuesday, February 11, 2014 |

NEWS

| Curiosity delivers.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Tensions run high over freedom of dress at SSMU GA

Motions on sustainability, timely distribution of course information pass; quorum met for most of night Cece Zhang Staff Writer The Winter General Assembly (GA) of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) featured extensive debate regarding freedom of dress within the SSMU Building. Held on Feb. 5, the event met quorum, with over 100 attendees throughout most of the night.

Freedom of dress Developed by the engineering student group the Plumber’s Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO), this motion sought to prohibit limitations on dress in the SSMU building, as well as to lift all existing bans on any group’s choice of dress.

“This comes out of the realization that SSMU actually has the power to unilaterally put a blanket-ban on any particular item of clothing,” said Morgan Grobin, a U2 Engineering student who presented the motion. “If they really think something is offensive, it should be decided on a case-by-case basis.“ Audience members questioned how efficiently SSMU would be able to monitor clothing on a case-by-case basis, with references made to numerous offensive incidents at Four Floors, the annual SSMU Halloween party.

“If you’re following the SSMU Equity Policy, and there are complaints following the policy, do you believe the complaints will be resolved in a timely manner if we follow this on a case by

case basis?” asked a student who could not be identified Grobin responded by saying that it would be difficult with the current policy, but that SSMU should find ways to address it.

Following questioning from SSMU Vice-President University Affairs Joey Shea, Grobin explained that the motion was influenced by a ban of lab coats worn by members of the PPO. The SSMU executive deemed the coats offensive for displaying inappropriate images and banned them from the SSMU Building during the 2012-2013 school year.

“For me, the most important part was enlightening the GA about the backstory of the motion, as it wasn’t included,” Shea said.

Shea explained that to her, the backstory behind the motion was just as important as the motion itself.

During the voting period for this motion, the assembly could not meet quorum; however, the motion passed as a recommendation to Council, where it was passed the following day. It was, however, ammended to include a clause to allow denial of freedom of dress under reasonable circumstances, which would be determined by the Equity Commissioner.

Motion Regarding Inclusion of Academic Assessment Rights on Course Outline This motion sought to ensure com-

pliance with the University Student Assessment Policy by faculties and professors, and to increase students’ awareness of these policies by their inclusion on course outlines.

“Since 2011, McGill has had this Assessment Policy that states a professor is not allowed to give you an exam worth more than 75 per cent of your final grade without giving another option,” said Claire Stewart-Kanigan, Arts Senator and mover of the motion.

“There’s been a lot of students saying professors just haven’t been doing this.

So a good way of enforcing this is to have this included in the course outlines, have a small section of academic rights.”

The motion will require student senators to work with the McGill administration to accomplish these changes The motion passed without debate.

Motion Regarding Sustainability at the SSMU This motion mandates the Ad-hoc Committee on Sustainability to make a recommendation on sustainability to SSMU Council by the end of the 2014 Winter semester.

SSMU President Katie Larson mentioned that since the SSMU Sustainability Commissioner position was cut due to budget constraints last semester, there have been difficulties with the sustainability committee, primarily due to a lack of interest and people not showing up to meetings—problems which she hopes to account for with the motion.

Students vote in SSMU GA. (Alexandra Allaire / McGill Tribune) “I wrote this GA motion to address, for the Ad-hoc Committee on Sustainability, certain organization and scheduling problems,” Larson said. “It’s important to very publicly make a point, [that] the Sustainability committee will report on this,” The motion was passed.

Motion Regarding the Timely Distribution of Course Information In order to decrease stress on students in terms of scheduling and buying textbooks, this motion calls for SSMU to lobby the McGill administration to distribute course information in a more timely process.

“You don’t have time during adddrop period to make informed decisions [on buying textbooks], especially for multiple courses,” Shea said. “Consid-

ering as well that many students don’t have time to attend all the courses they may want to register in during add-drop, we wanted to make this as accessible as possible.”

The motion passed.

The Motion Regarding TPP and CETA This motion required SSMU to officially take a stance against two trade agreements: the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and a Canadian-European Union Free Trade Agreement (CETA), which contain provisions on pharmaceutical patents, potentially increasing drug costs in Canada.

As it was a motion on a topic external to the workings of SSMU, however, it required a quorum of 500 people, which the GA did not meet.

The motion was tabled.

campus

EUS pilots equity presentation in mandatory first-year Engineering class Professor emphasizes relevance of content in workplace; initiative faces criticism for lack of “serious” attitude Chelsey Ju Staff Writer A new presentation on social equity and safe spaces in the Faculty of Engineering piloted last week with guest lectures in a mandatory firstyear course on Feb. 6 and 7.

The guest lecture is a result of an idea brought up last November at an open EUS discussion regarding sexism, racism, and other issues within the faculty. FACC 100 was chosen to host the presentation because it is a mandatory first-year course frequented by guest lectures. “[In this class] there have been guest lectures from all departments of the Faculty to introduce students to all the different disciplines in Engineering,” said Christopher Tegho, the Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS) Equity Commissioner. “After the EUS Safer Space [meeting], Josh Redel, Carlos (the EUS President), and I met with Professor Jim Nicell,

Dean of Engineering, and discussed options to raise awareness about Safer Space, including the idea of giving a presentation in an engineering classroom. Nicell supported all our initiatives.”

The presentations were given

by Tegho; Fiona Ross, a recent McGill Arts graduate; and Nampande Lande, a current Concordia student [faculty?]. Ross and Lande both have previous experience giving presentations on social topics.

“We have experience facilitating sexual health workshops; that’s why [Tegho] wanted someone who had experience,” Ross said. “We sat down with him, went through the workshop material, and talked about what was most important to get across and how we should get across it.” “[This presentation] was made specifically for engineering students,” Lande added.

Approximately 150 people attended the presentations each day.

The presentation stressed the impor-

tance of having a safe space within the Faculty, and reviewed identity discrimination based on class, sexual orientation, and race. In addition, the presentation also evaluated how to address scenarios of microaggression and discrimination.

Professor Joseph Matt Kinsella, who is teaching FACC 100 this year, expressed support for the in-class presentation. He said the social aspect of being a professional engineer is equally important as the academic aspect.

“The concept behind the course is to teach students how to behave professionally as they move out of school,” Kinsella said. “We’re introducing them to how they need to behave as engineering students and as they go out into a career as an engineer.”

Mathilde Marcoux, a U1 Engineering student who attended the class, said that although presentation was entertaining, it could have been more informative.

“The information presented is interesting, but I don’t feel like it’s anything that I wasn’t aware of before,” she said. “It treats very serious subjects, but the presenters aren’t very serious in their comments and manner of presenting. I don’t really see why this workshop is relevant and why it is part of my curriculum as a mechanical engineering student.”

Marcoux also expressed indifference towards the portion of the presentation addressing microaggressions and sexism in the faculty.

“I don’t feel like [being female] affects me in any way; most of the time I actually feel like it’s an advantage,” Marcoux said. “I receive a lot of encouragement from my peers and professors. When I’m experiencing difficulties in a class […] my classmates are happy to help me. They don’t make fun of me or discriminate because I’m a girl.”

For the future, Kinsella mentioned the possibility of expanding guest lectures to FACC 400, the up-

per-year professional practice course.

“It’s always good to hear things twice [....] Whereas this presentation was catered towards being a student, [one for] the workplace, I think, would be possibly helpful,” Kinsella said.

Next year, organizing these presentations will be the responsibility of the Equity Comissioner.

While Tegho was satisfied with how the presentation went, he said there is still room for improvement in the future.

“I would like to have more examples relevant to the experiences engineering students would live,” Tegho said. “This would require to have a committee work on the workshop.

This time, due to time limitations, I could not reach to other people in the EUS or in Engineering to help me with the project. After the presentations, multiple people expressed their interest to join the committee.”

Curiosity delivers. |

NEWS

5

| Tuesday, February 11, 2014

news analysis

Ethical economics: assessing the effectiveness of university divestment campaigns

Historical instances of divestment In the past, university divestment campaigns have focus on several different issues. One campaign that is often cited as a success was against companies that did business with apartheidera South Africa in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s. Hundreds of universities and other institutions around the world took part in this campaign, including over 20 from Canada.

The campaign against South African apartheid was one of two instances where McGill chose to divest. The second was the divestment from tobacco companies in 2007.

However, McGill’s Director of Internal Relations Doug Sweet said other factors may have contributed to the success of that movement.

“At the same time as divestment, there was also a pretty widespread global boycott against some South African products, like South African wine,” he said. “That probably had more economic impact than divestment.”

Unlike divestment, boycotting is a practice undertaken by individuals rather than institutions.

Effectiveness of divestment There is an ongoing debate on how effective divestment campaigns really are, and whether or not they are a wise decision for universities.

According to Divest McGill Coordinator Bronwen Tucker, di-

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McGill investments in various sectors of the Toronto Stock Exchange as of Dec. 31, 2013.

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Divestment campaigns at universities have targeted a diverse range of issues in the last several decades, varying from South African apartheid in the 1970s to companies involved in fossil fuels today Divestment is the reduction or elimination of investment in a particular company or sector for ethical and social reasons. In the last few years campaigns have sprung up at universities across Canada and around the world, including student group Divest McGill’s campaign for the university to divest from certain companies with connections to fossil fuels.

This week, the Tribune takes a look at university divestment campaigns to understand the ideas behind divestment and the arguments for and against it.

vestment is a good financial decision for universities because fossil fuel companies will decrease in value in the future.

However, John Limeburner, McGill’s executive director of investments, said that divestment would be both inefficient and unwise in the case of their companies because divestment hardly affects the companies financially.

“At the end of the day, even when someone divested, there [is] someone else there to buy [the stocks] there at a bargain,” Limeburner said. “When you sell a stock and divest, you are not taking money out of the company’s pockets but out of the pockets of the investors by making the price [go] down, and that’s another opportunity for others to come and buy it at a lower price.”

Limeburner added that divestment would leave McGill in a financially volatile position.

“Taking these sectors out and not investing in them would leave us with an undiversified portfolio,” Limeburner explained. “The risk there is that you have swings of higher volatility, which is what happened in the year of 2008/2009, and that’s what we try to smooth out by having a diversified portfolio to different sectors, countries, and types of assets.”

Tucker argued that the current stock price may not reflect the companies’ stabilitiy.

“The evaluation of fossil fuel companies on the stock market are completely based on them being allowed to burn all the reserves that they have; those companies are not as valuable as their stocks right now,” Tucker said.

“It is called the carbon bubble— which is similar to the housing bubble that is associated with the recession. There are a lot of banks coming out saying that carbon investments are risky.”

Since the sectors of energy, materials and financials­ — all of which are involved in fossil fuels—comprise of 70 per cent of the Canadian market, if McGill were to divest from these sectors, their portfolio would be severly effected by any fluctuations within the market, according to Limeburner.

However, Divest McGill member David Summerhays said that promotion of university divestment does not primarily intend to financially affect subject companies.

“We expect university divestment to raise a ton of awareness about the problem and not

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Samiha Sharif Staff Writer

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Financials......................................................... .35.3% (ex. Royal Bank of Canada)

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Energy................................................................. .24.8% (ex. Suncor Energy Inc.)

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Materials............................................................ .11.9% (ex. Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan)

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Other.......................................................................... .9.7%

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Industrials............................................................ .7.9% (ex. Canadian National Railway Co.)

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Consumer Discretionary........................ .5.5% (ex. Thomson Reuters Corp)

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Telecommunication Services...........4.9% (ex. Rogers Communications Inc.)

Black & Bolded Numbers:

Sectors that have connections to fossil fuels (a total of 71.8% of McGill s investments).

*numbers have been rounded directly harm the share price of fossil fuel companies,” Summerhays said. “McGill and many other institutions divested from tobacco in the past 20 years, and we’ve seen a wave of healthprotecting legislation across the world.”

Divest McGill and the campaign to divest from fossil fuels At McGill, a recent movement has resulted in the creation of Divest McGill, although the group’s campaigns have yet to be accepted by the administration. Its current platform calls on McGill to divest from the top 200 fossil fuel companies in the world by carbon reserve and 36 companies involved in the oil º sands.

Earlier last year, Divest McGill petitioned the Board of Governors to divest from fossil fuel companies in its investment portfolio.

According to Tucker, the divestment movement to prevent climate change began two years ago.

“There have been lots of fledging climate movements in the past, but none of them have been engaging students,” Tucker said. “We’ve known about climate change for 20 years, but there is kind of larger scale change that needs to happen in terms of government and corporate policies.”

Several small colleges in the North eastern United States like Unity College, College of the Atlantic in Maine, and Sterling College have already divested from fossil fuel companies and many of them are focused on climate change.

However, Todd Pettigrew, associate professor at Cape Breton University, argues in his article “Ethical investing isn’t as easy as it sounds” in Maclean’s Magazine that unethical companies are difficult to define.

“There are almost no easy cases—every investment is bound to have its pluses and minuses, ethically speaking,” Pettigrew said.

“So, while ‘no unethical investments’ sounds great at a protest

Infographic by Hayley Lim rally, the slogan rings hollow the moment it’s really tested.”

Other universities across Canada and the world also have divestment campaigns—for example, the University of Toronto’s group, Toronto350.

“The threat of climate destabilization is the main driving force behind this campaign,” Toronto350 President Stuart Basden said. “With that in mind, fossil fuels have no place in the liveable future. We are trying to work within the bureaucracy to change things.”

Although McGill currently maintains such investments, Summerhays said he is looking forward to future opportunities to achieve their goals.

“We’re optimistic that we can iron out a concrete way forward that would preserve the divestment impact while keeping a balanced portfolio that would put Limeburner and the [Board of Governors] at ease,” he said.

opinion editorial

THE Mcgill

Editor-in-Chief Carolina Millán Ronchetti editor@mcgilltribune.com

Equity policy needs more clarity, transparency

The Students’ Society of McGill University’s (SSMU) Equity Policy has come under sustained criticism from both students and members of SSMU Council in the wake of its application against SSMU VP Internal Brian Farnan, resulting in a public apology. As was reported Feb. 4, changes to the policy—some of which had been in the works before this controversy—are on the way. As various proposals are considered, the priority must be to make the policy clearer and more accessible to students.

One of the major issues regarding the equity policy arose this past Wednesday at the Winter General Assembly (GA). The final resolution debated that night was on the “Guarantee on the Freedom of Dress in the SSMU Building,” which proved mostly to be a stalking horse for settling a longstanding dispute between the Plumbers’ Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) and SSMU. Based on an executive decision, the signature lab coats of the PPO had been banned from the SSMU building on grounds derived from the equity policy.

One of the many issues that were debated was the extent to which the SSMU Equity Policy even has jurisdiction on the matter. The current policy specifies applications to staff, executives, and clubs that are of, or

funded by SSMU, plus activities and events hosted by SSMU and affiliated clubs and services, as well as any events, activities and promotions in the SSMU building itself.

Those clauses left the PPO lab coats in a sort of jurisdictional noman’s land. As a non-SSMU organization, it was not directly accountable to the Equity Policy. However, the coats were deemed by members of the SSMU executive to contain writings that were in contravention of the Equity Policy, leading to both their ban in the building, and a host of other sanctions against the group as a whole, such as prohibition from booking rooms in the SSMU building. One change to the Equity Policy that would improve its application in these kinds of situations is to clarify how it can be used in relation to a student group that is not actually under the umbrella of SSMU. In addition to jurisdictional issues, the Equity Policy also suffers from a general inaccessibility to students. The actual policy­­ —at most recent revision—weighs in at 22 pages. While that may be a necessary level of detail to include in a full-form document, there is currently no simpler way for a student to become acquainted with the policy. The landing page on the SSMU website that discusses Equity lists

“Read the SSMU Equity Policy” as the first step to resolving an equityrelated situation. Though the page contains a bare-bones outline of situations that could be equity-related, a better service to students would be an “executive summary” of the policy. This­—in a page or two at maximum—would outline both what the policy can remedy and what it prohibits in a form that allows a student to easily decide whether their situation falls within the policy.

“In addition to jurisdictional issues, the Equity Policy also suffers from a general inaccessibility to students. The actual policy­­ weighs in at 22 pages.”

Furthermore, the policy contains ambiguous language in key parts. Section 11.5, for example, which discusses the proportion of votes needed for SSMU council to overturn a recommendation of the equity commissioners, is not clear as to how abstentions count compared to outright “no” votes. In addition, a complaint cited by several SSMU Councillors in the wake of the Farnan situation was the inability for council

Managing Editors Ben Carter-Whitney bcarterwhitney@mcgilltribune.com Erica Friesen efriesen@mcgilltribune.com Jacqueline Galbraith jgalbraith@mcgilltribune.com

to suggest changes to the recommendation once it is brought to their attention. The take-it-or-leave-it nature of the remedy presented can cause issues in which the original incident is deserving of a resolution different from that which is suggested by the Equity Commissioner.

The last, and perhaps trickier question that should be asked in reevaluating the equity policy is what even constitutes an equity violation.

There is a possible tension between resolving a wider scope of situations using the policy, and having a definition and scope of the policy that is actually taken seriously by the student body. More to the point, much of the backlash that emerged from the Farnan apology focused on the seemingly insignificant nature of the complaint itself. Continued application of the policy in such a way might make a mockery of the policy, defeating its purpose of educating students, and detracting from cases in which it is truly needed.

The SSMU Equity Policy, while imperfect, is a necessary part of fulfilling the association’s obligations to the student body. However, as recent events have shown, substantial changes are needed to allow it to adapt to the current realities on campus and keep it relevant to students.

Lauren Konken

Once again, Arts is cutting courses.

On Jan. 28, the Faculty of Arts Committee (FAC) convened for the second time this academic year. The primary announcement that emerged from the meeting was another 5 per cent reduction to all existing Arts courses, equating to the cancellation of another 50 classes between all Arts departments for the Fall 2014 and Winter 2015 semesters. This cut follows the reduction of 100 courses last winter in the face of steep provincial budget cuts and a restructuring of McGill finances to overcome a projected deficit of over $40 million. Although McGill’s deficit was reduced to $13.1 million as

Opinion Editor Abraham Moussako opinion@mcgilltribune.com Science & Technology Editor Caity Hui scitech@mcgilltribune.com Student Living Editor Marlee Vinegar studentliving@mcgilltribune.com Features Editor Jenny Shen features@mcgilltribune.com Arts & Entertainment Editor Max Berger arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editors Mayaz Alam and Remi Lu sports@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editors Alexandra Allaire and Wendy Chen photo@mcgilltribune.com Creative Director Alessandra Hechanova ahechanova@mcgilltribune.com Design Editors Hayley Lim and Maryse Thomas design@mcgilltribune.com Copy Editor Adrien Hu copy@mcgilltribune.com Advertising Executives Spoon Jung and Daniel Kang ads@mcgilltribune.com Publisher Chad Ronalds

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Jonathan Fielding (Chair), Shadi Afana, Anand Bery, Abhishek Gupta, Adrien Hu, Steven Lampert, Chris Liu, Carolina Millán Ronchetti, and Simon Poitrimolt

Staff Writers

Contributors

Course cuts: rolling with the punches

Commentary

News Editors Jessica Fu and Samuel Pinto news@mcgilltribune.com

Prativa Baral, Max Bledstein, Wyatt Fine-Gagné, Osama Haque, Eman Jeddy, Chelsey Ju, Paniz Khosroshahy, Alycia Noë, Kia Pouliot, Aaron Rose, Samiha Sharif, Julie Vanderperre, Elie Waitzer, Diana Wright, and Cece Zhang

Commentary of December, it’s been forced to make further cuts, making dollars an ever-precious commodity.

Attendance to the FAC meeting was low, which sadly is the norm. Departmental chairs expected the cuts but were not aware of their extent. As an individual often tasked with liaising between students and administrators at the faculty and departmental level, I anticipated tight finances in the coming year, but not an additional slashing of classes. Overall, the distribution of course cuts will vary between departments.

The political science department had considered the possibility of further cuts, and course planning for the coming year was made with this in mind; core courses will be preserved, leaving the sessional lecturer budget to be cut back.

This budget is a set of funds used to hire non-tenure track professors, and is often used to pay for additional thematic courses. Following

Production Manager Steven Lampert slampert@mcgilltribune.com

the 2014-2015 cuts, it was halved, and the department anticipates it will likely be halved again. Knowing this, the department is looking to add new content to existing core courses, both to refresh them with modern content while also to preserve what is being lost. How the burden is being carried out by other departments is still being determined; which courses are cut will ultimately be decided by the department chairs once they know how many they are faced with losing.

Cuts are only temporary, but to a degree, we saw this coming.

With tuition once again frozen and provincial funding severely slashed following mass student protests in early 2012, it became obvious the status quo wasn’t going to stick. Less funding and no increases in tuition equates to fewer courses and sessional lecturers. At the same time, the Faculty of Arts faces a steep hiring freeze,

with only a handful of positions being opened in a small number of departments at the dean’s discretion.

With Arts squeezed for funding, the quality and quantity of our courses is now in serious jeopardy.

Cuts are viewed as temporary, but if we can’t get our act together, it may be more permanent than we’d like it to be.

The only benefit of cuts—if there is one—may be the restructuring of outdated core courses.

This remains a real possibility in many departments where courses are taught on outdated models and methodologies. To ensure we move forward as an institution and don’t find ourselves in a cycle of permanent cuts, we as students need to be working hard to have our say on what goes and what stays.

—Lauren Konken is the VP Academic of the Political Science Students Association (PSSA)

Morgan Alexander, Helin Azizoglu, Christine Chang, Victoria Dillman, Dan Gilbert, Cristian Hertzer, Zoe Haskin, Lauren Konken, Catherine-Laure Juste, Tim Logan, Hailey MacKinnon, Anthony Milton, Anina Ratjen, Cassandra Rogers, Courtney Strouthos, and Ruby Xia

Tribune Office Shatner University Centre Suite 110, 3480 McTavish Montreal, QC H3A 0E7 T: 514.398.6789 The McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Société de Publication de la Tribune, a student society of McGill University. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of The McGill Tribune and the Société de Publication de la Tribune, and does not necessarily represent the views of McGill University. Letters to the editor may be sent to editor@mcgilltribune.com and must include the contributor’s name, program and year and contact information. Letters should be kept under 300 words and submitted only to the Tribune. Submissions judged by the Tribune Publication Society to be libellous, sexist, racist, homophobic or solely promotional in nature will not be published. The Tribune reserves the right to edit all contributions. Editorials are decided upon and written by the editorial board. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the McGill Tribune, its editors or its staff.

Please recycle this newspaper.

7

opinion “Triple-E” Senate: Equal, but elected in error Tim Logan

Commentary

On a class trip in high school, I became one of the relatively few people in Canadian history to sit at a Senator’s desk. From the wood-and-leather chair, I admired the richly-adorned chamber that the media often calls useless and old-fashioned. As my final year of high school progressed, the more politicallyinclined among us started throwing around the buzzword of Senate reform advocates in Canada: “Triple-E,” which stands for equal, elected, and effective.

To most people—save perhaps those from Quebec and Ontario—the Senate’s current composition is manifestly silly. British Columbia, with a population of over 4 million, has six Senators, while Nova Scotia’s 10 Senators represent fewer than one million.

New Brunswick also has 10 Senators,

but a population of only 750,000 people.

The current scheme of representation, fairly appropriate in 1867, has over time evolved into a haphazard mixture of representation by region and representation by population, resulting in serious asymmetry between regions. Given that representation in the House of Commons is allocated by population, it seems logical that Senate seats be allocated equally between regions. There are 105 seats in the Senate; we could, for example, give each province and territory eight, filling 104 seats, and the last could remain vacant or be removed.

Past equality, however, Triple-E has little merit: an effective Senate and an elected Senate are in direct opposition.

An effective Senate fulfills four roles: debate, regional representation, protection from tyranny, and investigation. First and foremost, the Senate was conceived as a body of “sober second thought”—insulated from majority dictates and populist currents, it debates without time limits and passes, amends,

or rejects legislation only after careful consideration of its costs, benefits, and consequences.

Second, it represents regional interests in federal matters. This role has been severely weakened, and is in real need of reform.

Third, the Senate’s legislative oversight protects against the potential tyranny of a prime minister with a majority government, who could otherwise rule unopposed. This power is even more important today, given the massive centralization of power in the prime minister’s office over the past eight years.

The Senate’s fourth role is to investigate and inform government policy.

In this, it has been especially effective, leading some to call it “Canada’s best think-tank.” Its luxury of time allows for thorough research and expert witnesses, while the lack of usual partisan bickering means that Senate Commissions stay focused and make recommendations based on evidence and sound reasoning.

Elections would interfere with all of these roles by removing the insulation the Senate requires—the party politics of elections replace debate and regionality with partisan rhetoric, oversight with overlook, and research with selective hearing. At best, the Senate would become distracted by the next campaign.

At worst, it could devolve into a dysfunctional den of division and obstinance, as in the United States.

Longer terms of office could offset this but still end in a year-and-a-half of diminished function in the run-up to voting day. Rotating eligibility—also seen in the U.S.—compounds the problem by ensuring that some part of the Senate is busy campaigning instead of doing its job at any given time. Life terms sidestep this problem but lock in the partisanship of elections.

Many today complain about partisan hacks being appointed to the Senate—but are elections really going to make this better? Or, given the growing polarization of Canadian party politics, are they more likely to result in a divided

Senate incapable of anything approaching cooperation?

Critics of Senate appointments come from two schools: those who don’t like appointment and those who don’t like the appointees. The first school results in less-effective government, which I don’t particularly care for. Nor are elections the answer to the second school, since party machines are unlikely to support anyone not a party loyalist. But here’s one possible solution: make membership in the Order of Canada a requirement for new appointees. Who better to fill our upper chamber than those who exemplify the motto “They desire a better country”? The selection committee is apolitical, and the inductees have shown their capability and drive. I can think of no group more qualified or better-suited.

In Canada’s appointed Senate we can have convenient insulation from popular whim and pointless partisanship, something we should not abandon lightly. An elected Senate would be far from an improvement.

Keystone’s environmental harms cannot be written off Victoria Dillman

Commentary

In the past few years, debate has raged over the Keystone XL project, a 1,897 km pipeline between the tar sands in Alberta and Nebraska, in the U.S. While many have opposed the pipeline, largely on environmental grounds, a new report has been released by the U.S. State Department concluding that the pipeline would create a minimal increase to carbon emissions. Despite the nineyear-long debate over the pipeline, it is a decision that ultimately falls

to U.S. President Barack Obama, as Canada has been in full-support since the beginning. However, even given the supposed short-term benefits, the environmental impact of the pipeline must be taken into account.

At first glance, there seems to be a compelling case for the pipeline. One argument put forth is that this pipeline would further reduce American reliance on the Middle East for oil. Another point is that the oil would still be extracted from the tar sands; the pipeline would simply make extraction an easier process.

Furthermore, proponents argue, if the pipeline wasn’t built, railroads would instead take the bulk of oil, most likely transporting it to the same location, just in a less timely

and safe fashion. Such an argument would seem to negate claims of environmental harm—the oil’s going somewhere anyway.

However, perhaps the most convincing argument for the pipeline is the alleged benefit to the economy. The State Department’s report claimed that 2,000 temporary jobs would be created for two years and then, once the project is completed, the pipeline could potentially support 40,000 permanent jobs.

With unemployment in the U.S. still elevated, this type of economic opportunity is tempting even when accepting negative environmental consequences. For these reasons, the general belief is that Obama will approve the pipeline.

While these reasons for agreeing to the XL Pipeline seem legitimate, they overlook major problems. The State Department’s finding that carbon emissions would not be largely affected is based on the assumption that the oil extraction would occur either way. This assumption is not necessarily true, as shown by an executive of Cenovus Energy, another company involved in the oil sands, who reportedly said, “If there were no more pipeline expansions, I would have to slow down.” This slow down in extraction would benefit the environment overall. There would be fewer carbon emissions as well as a stronger push for alternative energy sources with oil not as readily available.

While our reliance on oil will remain for many years, making access easier will only lengthen the process towards cleaner energy. Railroads would be used in place of the pipeline, but that is more laborious, and thus, production would slow. Additionally, potential investors may be less willing to invest if there does not seem to be any progress with oil exploration.

While it is true that jobs would increase with the pipeline installation, there is a question of what we value: job security now or the security of our planet later? We need to look to the future, because the repercussions are great, and the impact not easily reversed.

tal Montgomery Bus Boycott during the civil rights movement in the 1960s. One critical criticism of modern boycotts, especially in the U.S. and Canada, is that they often draw attention to the industry of commercialization and thus are somewhat superficial in nature. However, they also have substantial advantages as effective advertisements and have a peculiar ability to frame larger contexts and messages using specific, narrow events. Also, the profundity of these movements cannot be exaggerated in the developing world; the 2010 Muslim Brotherhood boycott of parliamentary elections was a hugely influential event in the timeline leading up to the Arab Spring a few years later, which drastically transformed the country’s politi-

cal and social landscape. Even this year’s most prominent boycotts have framed important issues in the modern world, including racism and LGBT rights.

Boycotts have a renewed importance in the modern world. The influence of technology, which allows for the faster spread of information, has increased the efficiency and effectiveness of modern boycotts and thus their global impact. Moreover, if boycotts are to be encouraged out of pure virtue, one must refrain from picking and choosing which issues merit their attention and which don’t. Due to their ability to spread messages with potential to perpetuate massive global impact, these tactics continue to remain viable in a modern context.

The case for boycotts Helin Azizoglu

Commentary

With the Winter Olympics beginning and the Super Bowl just behind us, the spirit of sports is in the air. Along with increased attention to the players and teams themselves, the events have brought further awareness to the commercialism behind the athletics. Specifically, several commercials and social media messages have generated controversy and adverse reactions, including boycotts.

The Israel-based company SodaStream, which produces home carbonation systems, released a

Super Bowl ad featuring the actress Scarlett Johansson, also an ambassador for the multinational organization Oxfam. The latter group, which disapproved of the location of SodaStream’s factory near settlements on the West Bank, parted ways with Johansson after she maintained her affiliation with the company. This incident has spurred varied reactions across the globe, with some expressing outrage and a desire to boycott SodaStream, and others praising Johansson’s resilient stance.

In another incident, Coca-Cola released a commercial featuring the song “America the Beautiful” in several languages, including English, Spanish, Arabic, and Hindi.

This incited rage for some spectators, who felt that the patriotic song

should be performed exclusively in English, and some on Twitter suggested boycotting the company. This was met with a counter-reaction which criticized the angry tweets, calling them racist and contrary to the multicultural nature of modern America. Yet another major controversy surrounded the Sochi Winter Olympics. Critics of the treatment of the LGBT community and various other human rights violations in Russia have advocated a boycott of the games.

These events raise the question of the true value and virtue of boycotting in the modern world. Historically, boycotts have been hugely influential in communicating important messages about social justice campaigns, such as the monumen-

Student living Student of the Week

by Hailey MacKinnon

Laura Faulkner U3 Anatomy and Cell Biology (Christine Chang / McGill Tribune )

Topics that may seem sensitive or taboo are no problem for Laura Faulkner. The U3 anatomy and cell biology student is a peer health educator for Healthy McGill, a student group that promotes healthy lifestyles for students on and off campus.

Healthy McGill provides resources and support to students, in addition to organizing events and campaigns revolving around five key aspects of health: sexual health, drugs and alcohol, nutrition, active living, and mental health.

“Sexual health is a sensitive topic, but also very important in one’s overall health,” Faulkner says. “Students at McGill come from such diverse background and with that comes many different ideas about what sexual health is.”

Last week, Faulkner worked on Healthy McGill’s “Get Tested Campaign,” which aimed to inform students about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), locations for testing, and why they should get tested. Faulkner’s team tabled around campus to provide information, brochures, and free condoms.

“We always ask people what they think the most common symptom of

STIs are,” Faulkner says. “Usually they say bumps or a rash, but the most common symptom of STIs is actually no symptom at all.”

This February, Faulkner will also run Healthy McGill’s #selfcarechallenge campaign. Starting this week, each of Healthy McGill’s teams will have a different self-care challenge that students can complete every day. Some of the challenges include replacing a coffee with tea, or doing squats while brushing your teeth. Specific to sexual health are challenges like enjoying a bubble bath or talking to your partner about protection.

Faulkner will be tabling with information, games, and prizes to promote the campaign throughout the week. The group will also provide Valentine’s Day cards where people can write things that they like about themselves.

“We’ll be encouraging people to say ‘I love myself’ to themselves,” she says. “February is usually associated with Valentine’s Day and loving other people.

It’s important to look at yourself and take care of yourself first. Valentine’s Day should appeal to everyone and not be [for those in relationships] only.”

Faulkner’s passion for helping others is also evident from her participation in the Student Life Ambassador Program. The program involves matching a McGill student with an incoming student to help them with the switch from high school to university. She communicates via email regularly with incoming students, offering advice and support.

“I wanted to use what I had learned through my own transition from high school to help new students transition smoothly. I guess I wish I had had someone who knew McGill to help me through my transition,” Faulkner says.

Graduating this spring, Faulkner aspires to pursue a degree in medical school where she can promote healthy living and work with others who are passionate about public health advocacy. Through her work, Faulkner hopes to reach out to her peers and make sexual health just as common a topic as nutrition or exercise.

“It’s a hard subject to talk about and is often met with much resistance,” she says. “But if you can speak about it without being awkward, it will get rid of the stigma around it.”

McGill Tribune: If you could live in any fantasy world, which one would you live in?

Laura Faulkner: Harry Potter seems pretty cool, if I could get to wear an invisibility cloak.

MT: What was your first job?

LF: I worked at Burger King.

MT: What would be on your ideal pizza?

LF: Just plain cheese.

MT: If you could be stuck overnight in any store, which one would you choose?

LF: Wal-Mart—there would be so much to do!

MT: If you were a kitchen appliance, which one would you be?

LF: I would be a blender…because I like to mix things up.

nominate a student of the week!

Email us at studentliving@ mcgilltribune.com

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it’s time to think about a way to impress that special someone. They say the way to someone’s heart is through their stomach, so why not give a home-cooked meal a try? Not a master chef? Not a problem! Here are some easy to follow recipes for a three-course meal that is sure to impress.

by Anina Ratjen

Dessert:

Appetizer:

Main Course:

Raspberry goat cheese salad with caramelized pecans A red and white, sweet and fruity Valentine’s Day inspired salad.

Lamb chops with Parmesan asparagus and rosemary potatoes This meal incorporates sophisticated flavours, yet is simple to prepare.

Ingredients: 2 tbsp butter 1 cup halved pecans 2 tbsp packed brown sugar 3 cups spinach ½ cup goat cheese 1 cup raspberries 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette Instructions: 1. In a small pan, melt butter.

2. Add pecans and brown sugar. Stir continuously over low heat for 3-5 minutes, until all sugar is dissolved.

3. Transfer pecans onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper and leave to cool for 20 minutes.

4. Toss spinach, goat cheese, and raspberries together with olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette.

5. Top with pecans.

Lamb chops Ingredients: 2 lamb chops Fresh or dried thyme 2 cloves garlic, chopped 3 tbsp olive oil Instructions: 1. Place lamb chops in a dish.

2. Cover with thyme, olive oil, and chopped garlic. Place in fridge for four hours.

3. In a large pan, sear lamb chops on high heat in olive oil for three to five minutes on each side.

4. Add salt and pepper as desired.

Rosemary potatoes Ingredients: 1 bunch rosemary 10 small potatoes 2 tbsp olive oil Salt and pepper

Parmesan asparagus Ingredients: 1 bunch green asparagus ½ cup grated Parmesan 2 tbsp olive oil Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 375o F. 2. Wash asparagus and remove about 1.5 inches from the bottom of the stems.

3. Place asparagus in oven-safe dish and toss with Parmesan cheese and olive oil.

4. Cook for 20 minutes.

Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 375o F. 2. Halve potatoes and top with olive oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper.

3. Cook for 40 minutes in oven-safe dish.

Chocolate brownie cupcakes Chewy, gooey, warm brownie cupcakes, served with strawberries and vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients: 3 eggs 100 g milk chocolate 200 g bittersweet chocolate 2/3 cup salted butter 1 cup packed brown sugar 1¼ cup all-purpose flour ½ tbsp baking powder 1 cup strawberries or raspberries Vanilla ice cream Baking cups (cupcake liners) Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 375o F. 2. Line 12-cup muffin pan with baking cups.

3. Melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring until smooth.

4. In a large bowl, beat together sugar and eggs until creamy.

5. Sift flour and baking powder into batter.

6. Stir in chocolate.

7. Fill baking cups approximately three-quarters full with batter.

8. Bake for 12 minutes.

9. Let brownies cool for 10 minutes.

10. Serve with strawberries and vanilla ice cream.

Photos courtesy of www.blogspot.com & www.printworksbistro.com

Curiosity delivers. | Campus Life

STUDENT LIVING

| Tuesday, February 11, 2014

9

Social media: both blessing and curse for the lonely

Research indicates that using social media to connect with others may increase feelings of isolation Laura Hanrahan Contributor From Facebook to Instagram to the multitude of dating websites, we live in a digital age where speaking to someone or finding out what they’re up to is just a click away.

Social media platforms are built on the premise of being able to instantly connect with others—to share our thoughts and experiences instantaneously. But how does our reliance on technology affect loneliness?

According to a 2009 study from Kent University and Michigan State University, people dealing with feelings of loneliness are more likely to turn to these virtual forms of communications. For example, they view sending a text message as “less risky and easier than face-to-face communication.”

Jui Ramaprasad, a McGill Management professor specializing in online communities, said the ease of virtual communication is a main driver for people seeking online dating forums, such as Tinder and Ok-

Cupid.

“The boundaries you see offline aren’t necessarily there online,” Ramaprasad says. “You can just pick up your phone and decide ‘I’m going to date right now.’ It gives an opportunity to people who are less inclined to be social in a traditional sense.”

From this point of view, social media seems like a perfectly simple solution to a rather commonplace problem, but ironically, study after study has come to the same unexpected conclusion: social media facilitates loneliness. Current research indicates that it may do so in two ways.

Firstly, the 2009 study showed that lonelier people are at a higher risk of developing compulsive internetuse behaviours—the inability to display self-restraint with online media use. These behaviours often lead to deficits in aspects of life—whether it is in work, school, or social life.

Rather than relieving the original isolation, however, compulsive internetuse can escalate the problem, leading to even more loneliness.

“The increased problems might drive them to rely more on their favourite online activity as a means to diminish or escape their augmented troubles, which could isolate them and increase loneliness more,” the researchers state in the study.

Secondly, what people post online is a very small, hand-selected snapshot of their actual life.

“I can see it having a bad side for some if you don’t recognize that people put the best parts of their lives up, and it’s not always the most accurate,” McGill U2 Arts student Breanna Morris says.

Users of social media can think through a post or perfect an image before sharing with their social circle. As a result, viewers of these posts may come to the conclusion that other people’s lives are much more exciting and glamorous than their own. While this way of thinking can have a negative impact on self-image in general, it is even more detrimental to those who are already dealing with insecurities and feelings of disconnectedness.

300 followers on Instagram, but still lonely. (Alexandra Allaire / McGill Tribune) “It enhances the way I perceive other’s lives,” Ben Turner, U1 Arts, says. “I think social media makes me believe people are cooler and loving life more than they actually are.”

This same selective infromation sharing may not only glamourize their peers’ lives; it may also drive a wedge between individuals and their peers.

“I think people tend to hate on people that only post positive […] and perfect things because it makes them jealous, thinking that other people’s lives are so much better than their own,” Morris says.

At the end of the day, technology can result in a vicious cycle of secluded people trying to connect through social media, which can increase their loneliness and further increase their social media use. This digitized world can be both a blessing and a curse, but it is by no means a substitute for human interaction.

“I find [social media] extremely useful for reaching groups of people, and for easily keeping in touch with long-distance friends,” Turner says.

“Social media is definitely necessary, but I can’t live without real conversations.”

Valentines

by Alessandra Hechanova & Marlee Vinegar

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10 | FEATURES

Considerations before volunteering

W

ith reading week fast approaching and midterms in full swing, many students are—for better or worse—turning their minds away from their studies and towards their travel plans instead. Some students take spring or summer break as an opportunity to participate in a different kind of trip by volunteering abroad.

International volunteerism— in some cases known as ‘voluntourism’—serves as a unique opportunity for students to explore a different part of the world and immerse themselves in new cultures. Usually lasting one or two weeks, these specialized programs provide the chance to travel internationally, combining adventurous activities and ‘exotic’ locations with some sort of volunteer project.

The programs assert that participants will be able to make a difference in the world and have a little fun while doing so. However, the debate arises around these assumptions about what kind of a difference these trips really make, and to whom.

Organizations like International Student Volunteers (ISV) run “educational volunteer and adventure travel programs for more than 30,000 students and young adults,” according to International Education Director Deanna Mathewson.

“Our program is unique in that it combines two weeks of volunteering as part of a team, followed by two weeks of travel through the most spectacular areas of the host country to experience the natural and cultural wonders therein,” Mathewson says.

90 per cent of ISV’s

volunteers are students and recent graduates. According to Mathewson, although participants work in the host communities for just two weeks, a steady stream of new volunteers keeps the projects ongoing.

“While […] projects are only two weeks long, there can be anywhere from eight to 30 people in a group working towards a common goal, and there are successive groups at each project during a season.

We build lasting partnerships with our hosts to ensure that the project goals are achievable and the efforts and progress made by each group are sustained,” she writes.

Other groups, like the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC), look for volunteers from a diverse range of backgrounds. However, their programs attract a younger demographic, especially those looking for experience in the medical field, according to Abigail Proctor, the FIMRC operations specialist overseeing the internship and chaptership programs. Proctor emphasizes the benefits for volunteers looking not only to improve their medical exposure, but also to engage in a cross-cultural experience.

“There’s a strong clinical focus but there’s also a very strong preventative focus as well through health education efforts,” Proctor explains.

“What’s cool about our organization is that we’re able to host something for [the] professional development [of volunteers] in the medical field;

they’re able to gain experience in the field of global health, but also culturally because they’re able to stay in homestays in the community.”

According to Mathewson, most of the feedback ISV receives from its participants is extremely positive, claiming “If they were to change anything it would usually be to stay longer,” which leads us to wonder: Why don’t they?

Does length of the program matter?

Rebecca Tiessen, an associate professor of International Development and Global Studies at University of Ottawa, has conducted indepth research on international

experiential learning, looking in part at the different lengths of trips in which volunteers can participate. She explains that the kinds of week-long trips that we’re used to hearing about really aren’t even considered short term by scholars.

“We looked specifically at a certain kind of program which we called ‘short term’ and those are three to six months,” says Tiessen. “The whole field has changed remarkably.

People consider that long term now, when in fact long term is one to two years [.…] The one to two week programs, to me

[are] ‘voluntourism’; that’s not volunteering abroad.”

“Six months—that’s enough time to really start to understand enough of a culture, about a place, about an organization; to fit in and start to be productive and feel at ease and have a routine and be able to be a good contributor in that community,” she explains.

FIMRC offers placements that can range from just one week to several months.

Proctor explains the desire some volunteers have to remain in a community for a prolonged period of time.

“Obviously if you stay for a longer amount of time, you develop more in-depth relationships with community members, and you can take on special projects that can make a sustainable impact on the site long after you leave,” she claims.

Tiessen also draws attention to some of the issues with week-long programs.

“The exposure one gets in a week or two weeks to a culture— you’re not even hitting the tip of the iceberg in those cases, particularly when you’re traveling in a fishbowl,” she explains. “When you’re traveling with a group of other Canadians, what you have then is […] voluntourism.

It’s a holiday—you might be building a school; you might be doing all sorts of things—but it’s an adventure holiday. It’s not cross-cultural immersion.”

Who really benefits?

Some of Tiessen’s work with Barbara Heron, director of the school of Social Work

at York University, focused on interviews with participants from host countries who receive volunteers on a consistent basis.

According to their findings, host participants argue that six months is the absolute minimum that a volunteer needs to commit to have any sufficient impact. Other findings showed that participants value the cross-cultural experience they take part in as hosts, as well as the energy and creativity of young volunteers.

There were, however, some challenges that host participants identified.

“Some countries felt that Canadians and people of European descent came to their host countries and acted like the boss,” Tiessen explains.

“Before we send people abroad [we] often […] teach them that they’re going to experience culture shock.” She continues. “[Host participants] found that actually very offensive—that we’re preparing people to be shocked by their culture. But at the same time, they also made references to some of our cultural practices as being shocking, about how people dress, how people act, how people disobey widely-accepted rules within the organization.”

“The final criticism that they talked about was the lack of reciprocity,” says Tieseen.

“And the fact that while they value the cross-cultural exchange, the one-way flow of volunteerism is incredibly disheartening and frustrating [.…] Sometimes we even use the language of ‘exchange’ when in fact, they’re not exchanges, they’re one-directional. [In] the host countries, […] the benefits accrue most significantly for the volunteers, and [the host partners] recognized that.”

According to Tiessen, research, planning, and critical thinking are all key components to a successful international volunteering trip.

“One of the things that I’m starting to explore now is the whole wave of young people who are going abroad on these programs in high school,” she says. “And the difference I think that makes for people who are under 18 who haven’t had the chance to develop a critique of privilege and inequality and social justice that one would get in university.”

Though age and the ability to think critically about global issues are not necessarily correlated, there are advantages to taking time to study these issues in a university setting.

“I think the lack of facilitated education that goes with those programs, compared to the sort of programs we offer in university [is clear],” says Tiessen. “[In universities], students do a course before they go abroad, where they read about post-colonialism— [that] challenge people to think critically about whether this is the right thing to do, and […]

whether they can justify their experiences.”

According to Tiessen, students and prospective volunteers can best prepare themselves by simply reading before they make the decision about what kind of trip they’re going to take. “[International volunteer programs have] become increasingly privatized, so a lot of organizations are doing this for profit,” says Tiessen. “We can’t really reign it in, so […] I think we need to inform young people as best we can about how they can make the most of their experience both for themselves and for the people they encounter abroad.”

The McGill chapter of Borderless World Volunteers (BWV) facilitates a number of international trips each summer, usually lasting between six and eight weeks.

VP International Project Development Rhea Bisaillon, along with Louise Moulié, who is BWV McGill’s chiefof-staff for the international committee, share Tiessen’s view on volunteer preparation.

Summer trips are planned and developed over the course of two semesters, and prospective volunteers spend that time educating themselves on the issues they anticipate facing on

their trips, as well as learning to work together as a team.

Bisaillon and Moulié point to the importance of a well-developed critique when researching and planning for future trips.

“Some Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have fees,” Moulié notes. “Mainly the bigger NGOs. Just to participate […] you have to pay a certain fee on top of the volunteering fees, and that money is […] not necessarily [used] on the projects.”

“What you do during the year is prepare [for] your trip, choose the [NGO], you work with the NGO throughout the year to figure out […] what they need from you, and what kind of project you could put in place once you’re over there,” Moulié says. “But a lot of the work is on the field.

Once you get over there you’ll probably have to adapt your project because it’s easier to understand what they need once you’re there.”

“We teach them what to expect,” Bisaillon continues.

“You have to really respect the locals in the area and work with [them]. We do a lot of team-building exercises before the volunteers [go].”

“That’s what we tell our volunteers,” Moulié says.

“We’re not a trip agency; we’re here to prepare them.”

Many students decide to participate in a volunteer trip without a thorough understanding of what exactly they have to offer, or even what they hope to gain from the experience. There are any number of different motivations young people can have to volunteer, from skills and language acquisition to crosscultural exposure, but arguably one principal influencing factor is the sheer amount of promotion that targets the student demographic.

“I really support students who want to do these kinds of programs,” explains Tiessen.

“But we are bombarded with all sorts [of] messages around us, whether they’re posters or television commercials, or the discourse that’s used by the agencies [.…] And often those images are of black children, or of brown-skinned children, and so it perpetuates a number of neo-colonial ideas about what our role is, what our relationship is going to be with the people that we encounter when we go abroad.”

Tiessen explains that this imagery can play a role in shaping our discourse and perceived cultural relations.

“So if we constantly

see these images of white people helping black children in Africa, we reinforce and normalize a certain kind of power relationship that we think is appropriate and representative,” Tiessen explains.

The desire to volunteer your time and energy to help others is commendable, but what needs to go hand in hand with that desire is a willingness to educate oneself—not just in preparation for a trip, but continuously, about the issues and intricacies of any volunteer undertaking. A certain level of critical thinking is absolutely essential as far as international experiential learning goes, but it’s also important to realize that there are lots of different styles of travelling. Thinking carefully about what exactly you hope to accomplish, both for yourself and for others, is a vital step in any successful trip. “[Working on your CV is] not a reason to do it,” Tiessen says. “Be honest [...and] say ‘I want to have an adventure.

I want to go and I want to be able to do something that doesn’t involve sitting on a beach for two weeks. I’d like to go and do something that is a bit productive.’ [But] be honest about the experience.”

Science & technology the puzzle of pain behaviour Basil Kadoura explores reactions of mice to male and female experimenters Caity Hui, Science and Technology Editor

Known for its excellence in research, McGill University is home to a host of professors and scientists whose work contributes to scientific innovation. In tribute to the amazing work conducted within McGill’s walls, each month Science and Technology features a student researcher who have helped further the cutting-edge science conducted at the laboratories.

Basil Kadoura, a U3 neuroscience student, has always had pets, so it comes as no surprise that he currently enjoys spending his days in the lab playing with mice. Working under the supervision of McGill professor Jeffrey Mogil, Kadoura is investigating a chemosignaling study concerning how mice respond to male and female experimenters in terms of pain behaviours. Chemosignals—also known as pheromones—are chemicals secreted into the environment by animals, which affect the behavior of other animals of the same species.

“We are looking at olfactory cues with male versus female experimenters and seeing how it is affecting pain behaviours in mice,” Kadoura explained. “Something Dr. Mogil found and published a couple years ago is that mice show pain behavior on their face—how tight they squeeze their nose or mouth or whiskers shows how much pain they are in. We looked at [their behavior] with male and female experimenters. [If our research confirms our hy-

pothesis that mice respond differently to male experimenters], it’s kind of a big deal, because it means male experimenters have been affecting trials and research [with mice] for so long.”

Basically, Kadoura observes the reaction of mice in the presence of male experimenters compared to female experimenters, and records and analyzes their degree of pain behaviour.

Though Kadoura will be completing his undergraduate research project with Mogil, he has worked in other laboratories before. Since his second semester at McGill, Kadoura has experienced a total of five different laboratories, ranging from human trials to mouse work.

“That’s why I appreciate my [current] lab so much—because I’ve experienced other labs,” Kadoura said. “I think I’ve been lucky in my research career not to have any horrible experiences, but exploring and being adventurous is important. You can also try a lot of things, from humans to mice testing […] It’s like,

SCITECH calendar

Psych of Sex—What’s going on in your head when you think about sex?

Hosted by the McGill Psychology Student Association (MPSA) featuring Dr. Jim Pfaus, Concordia’s leading psychosexual researcher Date: February 11, 2014 from 6-7 p.m.

Location: Leacock 219 McGill Start-Up Career Fair Students have the opportunity to bring their resumes and meet several succesful start-up companies from the U.S. and Canada.

Date: February 12, 2014 from 11-4 p.m.

Location: SSMU Ballroom Valentine’s Day Freaky Friday: Science of Love Competition Come see McGill undergraduate science students give short presentations on the quirks of love.

Date: February 14, 2014 at noon Location: Redpath Museum auditorium Killam Lecture: The Cognitive Neuroscience of Spatial Thought and Language Presentation will be given by Dr. Lesley Fellows, McGill professor and neurologist Date: February 25, 2014, 4 p.m.

Location: Montreal Neurological Institute, Ondaatje Hall

if you don’t taste how sour a lemon is, can you appreciate how sweet—I don’t know—a gummy bear is?”

Kadoura appreciates the opportunities he has received from working in a variety of labs, with U3 Neuroscience particular empha(cassandra rogers /mcgill tribune) sis on the current lab he is in now.

“The social atmosphere of our lab is really great […] you are a part of this lab; your questions will What’s your favourite job at the lab? be answered and they will be an“I do like playing with mice. When you go into a lab swered sincerely. As a general thing, where you are dealing with mice you have to go through it is fantastic,” Kadoura explained. the training—how to handle a mouse, how to hold a “The other thing is the help I’ve remouse, how to transfer a mouse. They’re actually kind ceived. Research can be arduous and of cute, they’re fun to play with.” repetitive; and [so] it’s nice when you don’t have to sit there and watch If you could choose a super power, what 20 hours of mice videos, you only would it be? have to watch 10. It’s great to have “You don’t understand how much I’ve thought about that support and I’m really lucky.” this. Teleporting, telekinesis, and flying are probably Some of Kadoura’s other work my top three. Can I have three? And freezing time—oh, has included concussion research that’s four.” and establishing a recruitment process for a study. Kadoura particuAdvice for other students applying for a larly appreciates the opportunity he lab job? received to see a research project “My advice would be to email professors […] I would transition from an idea to a publispend the time to look into their publications and see cation. what they are doing. One of the other pieces of advice “I helped create a study and is that it is also important how well you fit with that lab. this recruitment process for the You need to find [a lab] where you are going to enjoy study,” Kadoura explained. “The your time, because otherwise, research is not going to be paper is now published […] it took a good experience for you. As an undergrad you don’t two years, but it was worth it.” want to be picky, but at the same time you don’t want to Although Kadoura plans to be miserable. If this is someone who you are seriously pursue medicine, he sees research thinking of doing graduate school with, you want to apas a critical part of his career. preciate the lab that you’re working in.”

“Research has always been something that I wanted to be a part If you were a mad scientist, what would you of my life,” Kadoura said. “I don’t do in your lab? know in what way, but I know it “I’ve thought about this a lot too. [It’s] tough, because I will be there. [When I first came to have studied [many areas of research], so I’m into a lot McGill], I started seeing professors of different topics. There is sleep—I’m really interested from McGill talking about their rein sleep—sexual development, that’s really cool, and I search and then I started to volunget to work on pain in the Mogil lab [….] So, I think, if I teer in a lab and work in a lab. It were a mad scientist, I would do it all. I would figure out progresses and you figure out what a way to look at various different things at once. I would works for you, but I think coming to have a PhD student looking at sexual development, I McGill, one of the main draws was would have a PhD student looking at lucid dream—kind for research.” of like world domination as a scientist.”

Basil Kadoura

Curiosity delivers. |

science & technology

| Tuesday, February 11, 2014

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SCIENCE

Sochi 2014: mechanisms of performance enhancing drugs

Stimulants, diuretics, and peptide hormones improve performance but have devastating physiological consequences Prativa Baral Staff Writer While the Olympics often garner attention as a series of events showcasing determination, hard work, and perseverance, there is a dark side associated with the Games: the abuse of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs).

PEDs have long been connected to the Olympics. As far back as the first games in ancient Greece, athletes attempted to boost testosterone by eating sheep testicles and extracts of mushrooms and plant seeds.

Today, their use is still widely prevalent, although the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) tries its best to maintain fair play in competition.

“It would be naïve to think that all athletes […] are clean,” said David Howman, the WADA director general.

While there is pressure on athletes to bring home gold medals, PED use brings with it potential side-effects, the disgrace if caught, and the risk of dependency.

Amphetamines: Often nicknamed “black beauties”, these drugs are stimulants which release excitatory neurotransmitters such as dopamine that stimulate the central nervous system.

Their purpose is to boost individuals’ energy levels while inducing feelings of power and reducing fatigue.

However, their use often distorts the users’ sense of reality, and in athletes’ cases, it may cause them to compete even when injured. Worse, these drugs are related to many adverse effects including convulsions, insomnia, hallucinations, paranoia, nerve damage, and potentially death due to blood vessel ruptures.

The production of amphetamines began in the 1930s and their use spread shortly after. Tragically, Danish athlete Knut Jensen collapsed at the Rome Olympics in 1960 after using amphetamines. He died soon after, causing the International Olympic Committee to form a medical committee and establish drug testing for future Games.

Diuretics: Diuretics are often prescribed to induce urination and are used to treat several disorders such as kidney diseases, high blood pressure, and heart failure. However, they are also commonly used by people suffering from eating disorders as it provokes weight loss, and by athletes right before being tested for drugs.

Taken orally or injected, the drugs’ sole purpose for athletes is to act as a masking agent. In other words, they remove or dilute enhancing drugs such as steroids out of the body by increasing urine volume. Some adverse effects include hypovolemia—decreased blood volume—and metabolic acidosis—high blood acidity leading to potential risks of cardiac arrhythmias, coma, or death.

Gymnast Luiza Galiulina of Uzbekistan tested positive for a diuretic substance (furosemide) in the 2012 London Olympics, and was banned from competing for two years. Runner Mariem Alaoui Sel-

soui of Morocco also tested positive for the same substance in the 2012 Games, after already having gone through a two-year suspension between 2009 and 2011 for using erythropoietin.

Erythropoietin (EPO): EPO first emerged in 1987 as a way of boosting blood thickness.

The drug is a peptide hormone that stimulates red blood cell production from the bone marrow, and is prescribed to treat anemia (due to kidney disease).

Athletes’ interest in it, however, comes from the fact that EPO improves endurance by enhancing oxygen delivery to muscles. Abnormally high red cell count leads to reduced blood flow—due to the increased thickness—which is linked to risks of stroke, heart disease, and thrombosis (blood clot).

A test to identify EPO was introduced in the 2000 Games. Past users in the Olympics include 2012 race walker Alex Schwazer of Italy, who was subsequently disqualified

after having tested positive.

Various other enhancers derived from anabolic steroids, such as nandrolone to ephedrine, have also been used by athletes despite dire consequences. To date, advances in technology have resulted in the creation of new drugs, including gene doping—when specific mutations are created to improve athletic performance. Therefore, anti-doping agencies have to be consistently updating their testing methods and banned substances list. Even before the Olympic opening ceremony in Sochi, Russian biathlete Irina Starykh, along with two other biathletes, tested positive for doping violation; Starykh has since then withdrawn from the Sochi Olympics.

The next two weeks will be revealing as to the pressure of the Games and whether athletes succumb to drug abuse.

Ask SciTech: What is the science behind chemical attraction?

When we meet someone that we like, our heart flutters and we feel short of breath. On a first date, our stomach is full of butterflies. And when we fall in love, we feel a powerful sense of empathy towards our partner.

While poets, novelists, and songwriters have described the feeling of love in countless types of verse, attraction at the biological level boils down to simple chemistry. In fact, falling in love equates to about 79 carbon atoms, 117 hydrogen atoms, 14 nitrogen atoms, 19 oxygen atoms, and two sulfur atoms— all of which comprise four critical hormones: testosterone, adrenaline, dopamine, and oxytocin.

Hormones are secreted compounds that are produced by specific cells, glands, or tissues. They travel throughout the body and influence many physiological and behavioural activities, including digestion, metabolism, growth, and, in the case of these hormones, attraction. Though you can’t see or feel them, these tiny molecules have a huge influence on who you find attractive and, ultimately, with who you fall in love.

Testosterone Commonly known for its role as a male sex hormone, testosterone is actually present in both men and women,

and plays a pivotal role in fostering sexual attraction. It’s responsible for increasing sexual arousal and focused attention on the person of interest, making it one of several chemicals guilty of inspiring lust. While testosterone is present in higher concentrations in men, a study published by Northwestern University in 2012 suggests that mutual attraction actually induces a hormonal testosterone spike in both parties.

The study consisted of approximately 200 heterosexual men and women who volunteered to take part in about 2000 speed dates. Participants were required to provide researchers with four saliva samples for hormonal analysis. Two were taken a week before the speed-dates, while one was taken right before and another right after.

The samples showed that testosterone levels remained stable during one-sided attraction, but sharply increased when mutual attraction was experienced.

“Many people think that only men have testosterone, but that’s not the case,” said Eli Finkel, the lead author of the study. “It’s true that men have much more testosterone than women do, but the links between testosterone and social outcomes are similar for men and women, and testosterone is associated

with a stronger sex drive in both sexes.”

The study gives rise to interesting questions concerning sexual attraction—how accurate are people at detecting this mutual attraction, and are testosterone levels related to some people being better at detecting it than others?

Adrenaline When you meet someone new, this fight or flight hormone is responsible for the butterfly feeling in your stomach and racing pulse. According to Reginald Ho, a cardiac electrophysiologist and associate professor of medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, the brain sends a signal to the adrenal gland, which secretes adrenaline to the blood. The hormone then travels until it reaches various organs on which it has a physiological effect. For instance, when adrenaline reaches the heart, it binds to a specific receptor called the adrenergic receptor expressed on the heart tissue. Binding to this receptor triggers an increase in heart rate. Adrenaline is the same hormone that is released when we are frightened or stressed, which may go to explain the feeling of nervousness we experience when meeting someone we find attractive.

Dopamine Anthropologist and human behaviour researcher Helen Fisher conducted an experiment where she scanned the brains of young couples to see what areas of the brain lit up when they focused on the object of their affection. One of these areas was associated with dopamine—a hormone that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. Not only does dopamine enable us to see rewards, it also provokes people to take action to move toward them.

“My prediction is that dopamine is an essential part of infatuation”, said Fisher to Psychology Today. “[The hormone] is already associated with euphoria, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, and a rush of motivation.” In other words, the dopamine response seems to induce all the symptoms we attribute to falling in love.

Oxytocin This cuddling chemical is the hormone that activates feelings of trust and attraction between people when it is released in the brain during childbirth, breastfeeding, and sex. Unlike testosterone, adrenaline, or dopamine, oxytocin plays less of a role in sparking relationships, and plays a role in promoting monogamy.

According to a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience, oxytocin helps maintain relationships once they have started. The researchers monitored a first encounter between male study participants and a woman in a laboratory setting. When given oxytocin via an intranasal spray, men who had indicated they were currently in a stable relationship kept a greater physical distance from the woman in the lab compared to single men sprayed with the same hormone. This supports the idea that raised levels of oxytocin promote monogamy between partners.

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, the spotlight turns to the romantic gestures couples make towards one another. Fisher explains that, based on the chemistry of attraction, these gestures aren’t so crazy after all.

“No wonder lovers talk all night or walk till dawn, write extravagant poetry and self-revealing emails, or cross continents or oceans […] for just a weekend,” Fisher said. “Drenched in chemicals that bestow focus, stamina, and vigor […] lovers succumb to a Herculean courting urge.”

By Caity Hui

Jay Malinowski charts a new course on Martel

Bedouin Soundclash frontman looks to his seafaring ancestor for inspiration on latest musical project Max Berger Arts & Entertainment Editor To move forward, Jay Malinowski needed to look back. Not long before the Bedouin Soundclash frontman began working on Martel —the 18-track album that his current project, Jay Malinowski & The Deadcoast, releases today—the idea of such an ambitious venture seemed inconceivable based on his trajectory at the time.

“I was at a point in my life where I wasn’t sure if I was going to play music again,” Malinowski tells me somberly. “I just was not in a state of mind to do it anymore. That was about two-and-ahalf, three years ago; I went back to Vancouver where my family lives, bought a place there, and sort of started to refigure my life.”

Moving closer to his family proved to be the the thing that helped suspend Malinowski’s musical hiatus, but it was an ancestor—not a living relative—that provided the spark he needed.

“All the choices that I’ve made in my life,” Malinowski begins. “Were they based on a grand

set of historic circumstances and patterns that we have? [….]

That’s when I started to think about the past, and to think about Charles Martel.”

Charles Martel isn’t your average family ancestor. As Malinowski family archives reveal, the young Huguenot witnessed the gruesome death of his mother in Lyon, which arose over religious differences.

Later, he would escape France and fight alongside British General James Wolfe during the battle of Louisbourg in 1758. His most important legacy, however, is his patriarchal position as the first of a long line of globetrotting sailors.

That’s the impetus for Martel ’s nautical theme. Malinowski divides the album into two nine-song halves titled “Pacific” and “Atlantic” and each track corresponds to a different port around the world, making the record a journey just as much as a collection of songs. Malinowski also has plans to release an accompanying novella called Skulls and

Bones (Letters From A Sailor To A Long Lost Granddaughter) that he’s currently in the process of completing, though two chapters

have already been pre-released.

The unique album format also lends itself well to experimentation with global and classical musical styles; this was something Malinowski had been hoping to do for a while when he recruited the Vancouver strings trio The End Tree to form The Deadcoast.

“I wanted to work with classical musicians because they have such a different background than what I was used to,” he explains. “[The End Tree] were aware of Bedouin but they were like ‘That’s not really what we do; we don’t do pop music.’ Then I told them ‘It’s not going to be pop music, it’ll just be this more dissonant stuff.’

And that really fit well with what the character of Martel is about; sort of old-world, but really rough around the edges.”

For many people—myself included—there’s a very different Martel that comes to mind in conjunction with the ocean.

“It’s funny, I think that must be a Montreal thing,” re(andrislinz.ch) sponds Malinowski

music

arts & entertainment

when I bring up the coincidence. “Because I’ve heard it twice today and [ Life of Pi author] Yann Martel is from Montreal.”

Although he grew up in Vancouver, Malinowski is originally from Montreal, and feels a definite attachment to the city. As it turns out, his birthplace happens to be the same place that Bedouin Soundclash’s biggest record was born.

“A lot of my history is based in Montreal personally,” he says.

“The first label [Bedouin Soundclash was] ever on, Stomp Records, was here [….] “We recorded “When the Night Feels My Song” just down on Rachel and St. Laurent.”

Given the way that Malinowski has branched out musically, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he didn’t plan on returning to Bedouin Soundclash after Martel —but he quickly assured me otherwise.

“I always go back because it’s my first love, you know, Bedouin,” Malinowski says. “We just wanted to take a break for a bit and recalibrate, but we’ll definitely be doing something.”

The elite eight: Karen Russell’s short story collection shines Zoe Hoskin Contributor Karen Russell’s new book of stories titled Vampires in the Lemon Grove, published in February 2013, is preceded by a slew of positive reviews and awards from her past publications. With Vampires, Russell once again demonstrates her drive to challenge herself and push the boundaries of her prose and genre.

For her first set of stories, St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves (2006), Russell was named one of the National Book Foundation’s top “5 under 35” in 2009, and won the Bard Fiction Prize in 2011.

However, it was her debut novel, Swamplandia! (2011)—for which she became a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2012—that secured her reputation as a master of prose and a moving storyteller. When the Chicago Tribune asked her about the influence of literary awards on her work, Russell humbly replied, “I think it’s good to be held to a really high standard. It’s wonderful to have this impetus to do good work and feel challenged to push into new fron-

tiers.”

In this collection of eight unified stories, Russell inhabits diverse human and animal perspectives from around the world. She writes these characters with a level of cultural detail that a reader couldn’t possibly verify without travelling to these distant countries, boarding with a local family, and maybe spending a decade in each one.

In addition to her rich settings and personae, Russell’s prose begs to be read slowly and enjoyed; her language contains all the poetry and mysticism of a haiku. In each sentence, words are arranged in inventive ways so that magic seems to ooze from the cracks between the real and the solid.

Likewise, her plots and story set-ups tend to combine realistic problems with streaks of magical intervention. One may reasonably wonder how Russell is able to so fully imagine and transmit the visceral experience of transforming from a young girl into an enslaved worm in a Japanese silk factory, as she does in “Reeling for the Empire.”

With empathic grace, Russell lights up her stories using interna-

tional, cross-gender, and cross-species experiences tied together by the thread of forgiveness from past guilt.

Russell is an expert at targeting pivotal moments in her characters’ emotional evolution and colouring them, pushing them to tension until they buzz. She ends each story with a single sentence that provokes multiple questions inside the reader’s head: What is freedom? What are we bound by? Are we defined by our pasts?

Whom and what do we live for?

Russell plots her animals in the trajectory of guilt and forgiveness.

In almost every story, the animal’s characteristics cause it guilt yet, when seen in a different light, they allow the animal to free itself through forgiveness. In the opening story “Vampires in the Lemon Grove,” an ancient immortal vampire bat regrets his blood-drinking youth; and after discovering that he does not need blood, he instead goes to live off of a lemon grove in Italy. In another story, the former American presidents have become horses that are trapped in a pen (possibly in heaven) but can jump over the low fence once they are mentally strong enough. Russell’s collection of stories is unified

books

Vampires in the Lemon Grove is an engaging exposé of human and anthropomorphic narratives

The book’s title holds nothing back. (theguardian.co.uk) through themes of guilt and transformation, and animal symbolism.

With her final story, “The Graveless Doll of Eric Mutis,” the Florida-born Russell roots herself in the North American literary tradition alongside writers like Toni Morrison and Margaret Atwood, who explore memories of childhood bullying to take an unabashed look at guilt and repentance. In this piece, schoolboy Larry Rubio teases, shames, and beats up another student, Eric Mutis, who is “paler than a cauliflower” and has a questionable home environment. The final image is of Rubio’s effigy of Mutis, “Mutant,” made of a

found scarecrow and a pet shop white rabbit. Rubio looms over the makeshift shrine and concludes, “Somewhere I think I must still be standing, just like that.”

By the end of the collection, Russell has melted her imaginative tales into a wonder that crosses from her fiction into the reader’s world.

The things that are identified as magical in her book translate to the invisible, emotional forces of memory and transformation, guilt and forgiveness.

As promised, Russell extends her prose and genre to create an imaginative collection of short stories in which creativity meets empathy.

Curiosity delivers. |

arts & entertainment

| Tuesday, February 11, 2014

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POP Separating art and the artist Rhetoric “Do you want to like the artists you study?”

That was the question posed on the first day of class by the professor who teaches my T.S. Eliot course. He went on to explain that those who weren’t already familiar with Eliot would almost certainly find it impossible to like him after becoming acquainted with the facts of his life. In addition to being one of the preeminent literary minds of his generation, Eliot displayed public anti-Semitism and had a reputation for being a generally unpleasant person. For me, the warning was another reminder of something I already knew: we’re not obliged to admire the artists responsible for the art we admire.

The weekend following that class, Woody Allen was honoured with a lifetime achievement award at this year’s Golden Globes ceremony. In the wake of that presentation, there’s been a heavy stream of discussion concerning the moral justification for giving the award to Allen despite the accusations of sexual assault that were brought against him by his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow—for which there wasn’t enough evidence to convict Allen with when an investiagtion was conducted by the state of Connecticut 21 years ago.

Farrow herself has been largely

responsible for the renewed attention towards the situation. After opening up about her feelings in a Vanity Fair piece published last November, she’s continued to share her side of the story with the media in light of Allen’s Golden Globe award. On Feb. 1, Farrow published an open letter in The New York Times detailing her grievances and ongoing struggle. The notoriously private Allen responded last Friday with an op-ed of his own in the same newspaper, denying her claims and promising that the article would be his final public comment on the matter. Later that day, Farrow released another accusatory response through a spokesperson, vowing at its conclusion, “I won’t let the truth be buried and I won’t be silenced.”

The entire saga is disheartening; the resurfacing speculation casts a dark shadow over Allen’s public image, regardless of whether or not Farrow’s accusations are true. However, the larger question that it begs us to ask ourselves is essentially the same one that my professor put forth to his class: How should we feel about an artist’s work when we’re offended by their behaviour? Although there’s a

of poetry that isn’t distinctly marked as being the thoughts of a character, our gut reaction is to experience it as if the poet were speaking directly to us—which they are in many cases. But the possibility also exists that the voice we’re hearing is that of a subtle persona developed by its author, which they may want us to view ironically rather than sympathetically. But ultimately, there’s still a connection between an artist and their craft that makes us wonder just how much the latter is a reflection of the former.

Because of this inherent bond, we come to grow attached to artists based on what they’ve produced. Especially in a visual medium like TV or film where an actor can make a name for themselves with a signature role, it’s hard to imagine aspects of their personality not matching up with their on-screen counterparts—like when Michael Richards, who portrayed Seinfeld’s happy-golucky Cosmo Kramer, went on a racist tangent while performing a comedy set at the Laugh Factory in 2006.

In Farrow’s open letter, she begins by asking her reader, “What’s your favourite Woody Allen movie?” and closes the piece by assertively rephrasing the question into “Now, what’s your favourite Woody Allen (thatsawrapshow.com) movie?” in an attempt to make us

temptation to want to scorn everything they’ve produced, appreciating their art doesn’t have to be seen as a validation of their actions or views.

The connection between an artist and their work is so strong that it’s often easy to forget that a separation can exist between the two. For example, when we read a piece

feel guilty for enjoying any of his work.

I sympathize with Farrow for the plight she’s had to endure all these years— because no matter the truth behind the events, she’s suffered greatly—but I can’t say that it will change the way that I feel about any of Allen’s films.

That’s not to say that if Farrow’s allegations were true, I wouldn’t disapprove of Allen—I would think considerably less of him as a person. But knowing the uncomfortable truths of an artist’s personal life isn’t an excuse to boycott everything they have produced.

Long before I knew of T.S. Eliot’s racist inclinations, I had read “The Waste Land” and “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” and was absolutely captivated by their messages and the scope of their composition. Knowing what I know now, I still consider them to be some of the most impressive works of literature I’ve ever read. Eliot on the other hand? I respect his genius but pity him for whatever unnecessary hatred was inside of him.

It’s ideal when an artist can represent the same greatness as their art; but when they don’t, it doesn’t mean we have to shut our eyes to their work—we just have to view the artist through a harsher lens.

—Max Berger

The Seagull will have Montrealers flocking to its stage Max Bledstein Staff Writer In Tom Stoppard’s introduction to his English translation of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull, he writes, “You can’t have too many English language versions of The Seagull.”

Although he very well may have written those words in the interest of stressing the relevance of his translation—particularly given the plethora of other English translations which were already in existence—his words certainly seem validated by director Peter Hinton’s new adaptation, currently playing at the Segal Centre.

Hinton’s rendition of Chekhov’s classic sets the drama in the contemporary world and convincingly makes the case for its continued relevance. Certain details and interactions from Chekhov’s work have been changed to reflect the production’s setting in the modern sphere. Masha (Krista Colismo) smokes marijuana instead of consuming snuff; Sorin, male in Chekhov’s original, has become the female Sorina (Diane D’Aquila); the track suits, t-shirts, and spandex worn by the characters (designed by

Montreal English Theatre Awardwinner Eo Sharp), as well as the contemporary music throughout further emphasize Hinton’s decision to set his adaptation in the present.

Sharp’s set also helps to establish the play’s modernity. The jumble of white plastic beach chairs that line the center of the stage at the beginning of the drama inform the audience of the play’s time frame right away. The stylized disarray in which the chairs are scattered suggests the influence of abstract art, as do the black scribbles across the grey canvas which provides the backdrop for much of the play’s action. Sharp’s use of abstraction effectively situates the play’s deconstruction of what it means to be an artist within the context of the modern art world.

Though artistic styles have changed, Sharp seems to suggest, Chekhov’s messages about the lives of artists continue to resonate.

Despite the strong influence of modernity, Hinton maintains the essential plot arc and character traits of Chekhov’s original. Constantine (Patrick Costello) still wrestles with discovering his identity as a writer while also trying to win the approval of his love interest, Nina (Shannon Curie), and his mother,

Arkadina (Lucy Peacock). Constantine hopes to impress Arkadina and her lover Trigorin (Marcel Jeannin) with a production of his avant-garde play on Sorina’s estate, which features Nina as an actress and brings the rest of the ensemble together to watch. Things go awry when Arkadina interrupts the play by mocking it, and the incident sets into motion the family and relationship struggles which comprise many of the play’s essential conflicts.

The ensemble beautifully draws out the ire and agony at the root of these conflicts, as well as the illusions that the characters have about each other and their features.

The longing to experience each other’s lives, which Curie and Jeannin express, increases the impact of the pain they feel later on when their fantasies are shattered by reality.

Curie and Jeannin also convincingly portray the romantic chemistry that develops between Nina and Trigorin as a result of their idolization of each other. Costello effectively conveys his pining both for Arkadina’s approval and a career as a writer.

Ultimately though, Peacock’s performance makes her stand out from the rest of the ensemble. She brings out both the outside flamboy-

ART

Modernized adaptation of Chekhov drama is an aptly-named and welcome addition to the Segal Centre’s lineup

Like it’s stage, the play depicts disarray as it moves along. (Segal Centre) ance that spills over from Arkadina’s stage persona into her everyday life and the cruelty of her abuse of Constantine. Despite the intensity of her portrayal of Arkadina’s faults and diva-like behavior, Peacock also manages to humanize her and allow the audience to sympathize with her.

Peacock, along with the rest of the ensemble, helps to make Hinton’s ambitious undertaking flow and feel less audacious than it is.

Though some traditionalists will certainly still scoff at the idea of a modernized Seagull, Hinton and his actors have crafted a version of

Chekhov’s classic which brings it into the present day without modifying its themes or sentiment. Certainly, the struggles of making a living as an artist have changed given the increased modes of distribution that exist and the effects which they have on artists; Hinton’s adaptation provides a fascinating look at how Chekhov’s characters would have reacted to the contemporary milieu.

The Seagull will be performed everyday except Friday until Feb. 19 at the Segal Centre (5170 ch. de la Côte-Ste-Catherine). Showtimes and ticket prices vary.

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arts & entertainment

ALBUM REVIEWS Tuesday, February 11, 2014 |

DEEP CUTS

Unearthing the hidden gems in today’s music Compiled by Jack Neal Swingin’ Party Artist: Lorde Album: Pure Heroine—Extended Released: September 27, 2013 This sensation from New Zealand has made no shortage of headlines; however this song, embedded in her reissue, Pure Heroine – Extended, remains relatively unknown. Singing over a smooth, pulsing beat with an unusually simple organ in the background, Lorde reinforces why she’s here: her relatability. “If being afraid is a crime, we hang side by side.”

Girls Like You Artist: The Naked And Famous Album: Passive Me, Aggressive You Released: September 6, 2010 From the get-go, the track’s muted yet racing beat and whispered lyrics, which are followed by sudden heavy drums, climax in an epic chorus which cleverly warns—from a detached perspective— that negative actions result in negative consequences. However, the lyrics clearly don’t match the quality of the song: It’s all positive.

Long Highway

Artist: The Jezabels Album: Prisoner Released: September 16, 2011 The galloping beat and distant guitar strumming creates a final sound that echoes the song’s lyrical content: “Mesmerizing [….] Paralyzing [.…] (and) something you can feel.” It’s absolutely fantastic.

Au Pair

Artist: Underground Lovers Album: Weekend Released: April 5, 2013 A brilliant song from a lauded alternative band. There’s no denying the awesome guitar riff, so with its quirky beat and simple vocals, your foot will be tapping within the first 10 seconds.

Bombay bicycle club- So long, see you tomorrow So Long, See You Tomorrow, the latest album from English indie-rock group Bombay Bicycle Club, has given the band yet another chance to try out a new genre revolving around vocalist Jack Steadman’s longing, airy vocals.

Due to the high frequency with which the group modifies their musical approach, they’ve faced accusations of being a genre-less quasi-cover band of sorts that simply sucks the popular sounds of the time and forces them into a dubious halfhearted pop ideal. With that criticism in mind, it is important to note that Bombay Bicycle Club has established themselves as one of the more popular indie-rock bands, with all three of their albums certifying gold in the UK. So Long, See You Tomorrow follows the band’s history of regular redefinition, but the electro-pop sounds flowing out of

sun kil moon- benji

| Curiosity delivers.

Vagrant

this album are a special kind of reinvention. Dreamy and still electric with undeniable rock beats melding with high, airy lyrics, this album is—in one word—fun. The track “Luna” is an upbeat love ballad with a contagious beat, and the use of unexpected heavy drum backing in “Carry Me” adds new definition to the album as a whole.

This album is held back primarily by its lack of a strong, signature sound. While it still establishes itself as an interesting and respectable album, its failure to make the most out of each member’s individual talents—instead tending to meld them into one hazily-defined jumble—truly limits the band’s potential.

— Morgan Alexander

Caldo Verdi

Unique in its cohesiveness and beautiful in its honesty, Sun Kil Moon delivers a true masterpiece with their new album Benji.

Although still under the moniker Sun Kil Moon, Benji is born from the workings of singer/guitarist Mark Kozelek and plays like an autobiography of his life. The album is littered with motifs of death, family, childhood, maturity, and love; they’re all intertwined in an intricate spider web network, each song relating to the others.

Album opener “Carissa” is a portal into Masillon, Ohio— Kozelek’s hometown. The song tells the tale of Mark’s second cousin Carissa, who died in a fluke fire caused by an aerosol can.

In this personal account, Kozelek dwells on the universal inextricable ties between family and that biological connection that never disappears, no matter how long the time spent apart.

On the following songs, Mark teaches the listener about his love for his mother (“I Can’t Live Without my Mother’s Love”), his discrepancies between love and sex (“Dogs”), and his musical inspiration (“I Watched the Film the Song Remains the Same”) all

the while remaining true to the power of the complexity of one’s life story. In the beautiful Plastic Ono Band-esque “Jim Wise,” Kozelek reflects on days spent with his father, visiting his titular friend, a disabled bearded man preparing for prison after he’s killed his wife “and failed at suicide.” Complemented by female vocals as well as a distorted light-hearted keyboard that contrasts harsh subject matter with melodic music, Mark is able to summon the happiness in melancholy, the lessons in darkness.

Floating on haunting picked acoustic patterns, Sun Kil Moon offers one of the best albums released this year. The record is fantastic in its ability to convey universal truths about humanity within personal narrations while avoiding the obvious metaphorical statements typical of folk rock. If you have an hour to spare, listen to this album from start to finish; you can’t help but feel its powerful emotion.

— Cristian Hertzer

Kara-Lis Coverdale talks MTL music scene, working with Tim Hecker Kia Pouliot Staff Writer If you hear of a 20-something-year-old musician who hasn’t yet had a radio hit, the first thing that likely comes to mind is the ‘struggling young artist’ trope— lots of work with little payoff and growing frustration—but that’s not the case for Kara-Lis Coverdale. Walking into her little Plateau home studio surrounded by an array of pianos, keyboards, computer screens, plenty of electronic equipment, and an enveloping ambient sound that feels like a fixture of the household, there isn’t a trace of desperation in the air.

Coverdale began studying piano at a young age in rural Ontario, and by the age of 14 she was an organist and composing music director at a local church.

Coverdale completed a master’s degree in music at Western University and wrote an interdisciplinary thesis on timbral rhetoric and constructions of realism in recorded sound. After completing her studies, she made a somewhat spontaneous move to Montreal.

“There was nothing stopping me from doing whatever I wanted, and I knew Montreal was the place I wanted to do it,” says Coverdale. “In London, the scene was pretty low-key, which can be a great thing to develop a practice and focus on your craft. However, there comes a time when you’re ready to share and collaborate. Here in the city, I feel pretty spoiled—it’s an incredibly inspiring and imaginative idea pool to be a part of.”

Coming to a big city without prior connections is a daunting prospect, and Coverdale explains that the Internet was a huge help in getting the ball rolling.

“I imagine getting settled in a completely new city would have taken eons before the Internet. When I first arrived I didn’t know anyone at all and I didn’t have anything set-up,” she says. “But shortly after I got here, I landed a position as an organist at St. John’s NDG and did an internship at Vice Magazine, a special experience which really helped me meet people directly involved in the cultural scene of the city [....] The editor there put me touch with Tim.” The Tim she refers to is none other than the Montreal-based sound artist

Tim Hecker, a well-established figure in the world of ambient music. The two hit it off immediately and he asked Coverdale to play the keys on his latest album, Virgins, a hauntingly beautiful soundscape that was rated a top ten album of 2013 by The Wire, NPR, and SPIN. The partnership seems like it was meant to be, as working with Hecker provided the perfect venue for Coverdale to develop her own personal sound.

“In terms of my mindset I’m kind of a technologist,” she tells me. “In school, this was one of my huge frustrations with the academy. They never encouraged that type of out-of-the-box thinking [....] So it was up to me to learn the tools and equipment I needed to put the ideas I had about the modern world around me into actual music.”

Her growth as a musician is evident when you compare her first release—a three track EP of self-composed solo piano pieces titled Triptych—to her latest endeavors, which are considerably denser arrangements, full of polymorphous sounds with the occasional resurfacing of processed piano.

“Solo piano pieces are a different beast,” says Coverdale. “I don’t know if I’ll ever make anything like that again. Maybe. I enjoy them, but for right now they aren’t fulfilling. They don’t say what I want to say. When I look back on that work, it feels like a shadow of something else.”

As her music continues to evolve, I have high hopes for whatever Coverdale has in store for us. Her current project, a collaboration with New Jersey-based experimental electronic musician/internet archivist LVX, centres on themes of disembodiment and digitalized aggression.

“We began to explore disembodied violence and virtual reality, and realized these forms of aggression don’t really involve blood at all,” she says. “We wanted to design, from scratch, a soundscape for the distinct pleasure and ecstasy that lies in this safe nook of disembodied experience.”

Keep an eye out for Coverdale in the Montreal music scene in the coming months. She’s clearly a musician with a vision, and won’t hesitate to see it to fruition.

SPORTS In their final season, the siblings who have defined McGill basketball’s rise to prominence reflect on their legacy Remi Lu Sports Editor She catches the ball in her shooting pocket, both feet already squared towards the basket. In one smooth motion she elevates off the ground, the ball released before her defender can close the space between them. The only thing more pleasing than the textbook followthrough is the splash of the net as the basketball drops through the rim—her fourth three-pointer of the night. One hour later her brother catches the ball in the same spot, netting his own three in much the same way. Their shooting forms are nearly indistinguishable, developed through a childhood of basketball together.

Identical noises echo throughout Love Competition Hall in both contests: the squeak of sneakers on the newly polished court, the grunts under the rim, and the rhythmic pounding of leather on the hardwood. These are the sounds of the game the siblings have loved since they were little—the same game that has made them inseparable through the years, regardless of the distance between them. _______________ Simon Bibeau sits down, shedding his backpack with a sigh of relief. Standing an easy 6’2”, clean shaven with an unkempt sweep of hair, it can be easy to forget that he is a student first, and athlete second. Sitting next to him is his sister Hélène, four years his senior, a neat ponytail of blond hair tied back behind a friendly smile. Both Bibeaus possess a sense of controlled confidence, complemented with a humbleness that belies their ability on the basketball court.

The siblings have stated that this will be their last season representing McGill—Hélène is playing out her last year of CIS eligibility, and Simon, an investment management major, is looking to get a jump on his life after basketball.

Born in St. Bruno, Quebec, the Bibeau siblings were raised abroad, with stops in Morocco, Uruguay, and Mexico. When Simon was five years old, his father installed a basket hoop on top of his bedroom door, where he practiced his shot as often as he could. “[My father] told me that my eyes lit up—I was very excited when I first touched a basketball,” he recalls.

Hélène, on the other hand, while retaining her family’s aptitude for sport, had managed to avoid the draw of basketball in her early years.

“In my elementary years I was more into girly sports like gymnastics and dancing and all that,” she says. “I

don’t know why; I would see Simon and my dad playing but it didn’t really interest me that much.”

She had a couple more years of reprieve before she finally succumbed to the game in Grade 6, when her peers told her that her height would lend itself well to basketball.

Their first coach was their father, François Bibeau, a former Université Laval basketball player who drilled them on the mechanics of shooting from an early age. When they weren’t practicing their fundamentals they played HORSE together, interspersed with the occasional game of one-on-one. Although things between them never got too heated, the siblings’ competitive spirit was obvious early on.

“We had a basket outside our house,” Hélène says. “The memories I have are just of me leaving the court angry. At that time I was a post-player [...] and Simon [has always been] a point guard. Even if he was younger he was always better than me. So I remember just sometimes being mad at that.”

Hélène and Simon both left home early to play for intensive basketball programs—Hélène leaving at 14 for Lévis, Quebec, and Simon at age 16 for Hamilton, Ontario. Hélène went on to represent McGill after playing for three years in CEGEP. Simon’s dream of playing Division 1 basketball in the United States ultimately fell-through despite serious consideration by Princeton and Dartmouth. As a result, he turned towards McGill—an attractive destination considering Hélène had just completed her rookie year there.

Upon arrival to McGill, both Bibeaus immediately turned their respective teams around. Hélène’s pinpoint shooting from range had an immediate impact on the Martlets, who used her unusual skill set as a post-forward to

help stretch opponents’ defences. Simon’s handles, shooting, and control of the game helped the Redmen become a winning team after numerous losing seasons. Together, they turned two disappointing programs into perennial powerhouses. With the playoffs only two weeks away, both siblings are gunning for a final RSEQ Conference Championship.

As they recall their respective arrivals at McGill, however, an air of nostalgia settles over the conversation.

The years have flown by and this is their swan song.

“I came in [three years ago] and I remember I was extremely keen on playing five years,” Simon says. “That’s one of the reasons why I chose number five—my goal and my vision was to play for five years, and I had set lofty goals about breaking records or being an All-Canadian [….] And it just didn’t pan out that way [….] I grew so much as a person, as a student, as an athlete—I think in all aspects.”

Five years ago Hélène had been picking out her jersey number. In the time since, she has had a wealth of experiences with the Martlets.

“I’ve always kind of been the mom for the team,” she says. “Before the playoffs I would always prepare motivational videos for the team and organize fundraisers [….] I love all the girls on the team [and] my coaches, and that’s why it’s going to be very sad to leave them behind.”

The Bibeaus’ impact on the basketball program at McGill is immeasurable.

They are each stars in their own right— Simon for his scoring and passing prowess, and Hélène for her shooter’s touch and veteran leadership to the Martlets.

Despite their achievements as individuals, it may be their legacy as McGill’s Bibeau Siblings that will live on

once their basketball careers are over.

“I think we both contributed to our teams—and I think they’ll remember us for our shooting I guess,” Hélène says with a laugh. “Oh, and [when in-game announcer] Rob Watt says, ‘Bibeau!’ [after either of us score]—my friends walk up in the streets and they all say it that way. It’s nice; I wish I could just put it in a box and listen to it.”

Although the Bibeaus have shared many special basketball moments together—most notably last year’s backto-back provincial championship victories—it may be the siblings’ relationship off the court that stands out most, more than any individual or team accolade.

“I think what most of my teammates and my sister’s teammates and people from the McGill basketball community will remember is that my sister and I have a very special bond,” Simon says. “Sometimes it’s maybe even weird for the outsider to see how close we are and how we understand each other.

Sometimes we have very funny moments and people laugh at how we act

together because we are very goofy. I think that individually it doesn’t show, but when we get together there’s an explosion of fun and stupid stuff.”

For the Bibeaus, basketball is family. Even as they close out the current season and contemplate what comes next, they will always return to their roots.

“I think we owe it a lot to our parents,” Simon says. “I’d like to give them credit here because I think that they really provided us with an environment to blossom.”

And indeed, many years and coaches later, there is one person who knows their play better than any other.

When asked whether their father is happy with their shooting form these days, the siblings laugh.

“I think so,” Hélène says. “Although he [still] has little critiques: ‘Be more stable; your feet should be low.’

But overall I think he’s happy.”

Photos courtesy of the Bibeau family.

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Tuesday, February 11, 2014 |

W

Around the

sports

ater cooler

Mayaz Alam Sports Editor

In case you were too busy wondering what you would do with $51 billiion, here’s what you missed during the first few days of the 2014 Winter Olympics ...

Snowboarding (Men’s Slopestyle) — Only two weeks prior to these Olympics, Mark “Mr. Clutch” McMorris, fractured a rib at the Winter X Games.

Presumably fuelled by the power of Canadian wheat, the Regina native made a speedy recovery in time to become Canada’s first medalist of Sochi 2014. In all three rounds, McMorris’ first run was lackluster, but the 20-year-old consistently posted second runs that lived up to his nickname. If only we all got a second chance to make a first impression.

FIGURE SKATING— In a wild twist of events that reminded the Olympic world of a colder time marked by détente, a French media outlet reported judge vote-fixing by the Russians and Americans. As it turns out, all the superpowers needed to get along was the impending threat of Canadian supremacy in the ice

| Curiosity delivers.

dancing event; allegedly, the Cold War rivals were colluding to ensure that the American ice dancing pair finished before Canuck skaters Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. In return, all the Russians wanted out of the backroom dealing was a gold medal in the overall team trophy. Eerily enough the Canadian figure skating team won a silver medal—placing behind the Russian team, while Virtue and Moir finished second behind none other than our southern neighbours.

Speed Skating (1500m short track) – “It’s not my best distance,” Quebec native Charles Hamelin explained following his gold in the 1500m short track. The medal, Hamelin’s fourth of his Olympics career, puts him second on the list of most decorated Canadian male Winter Olympic athletes. The Olympics were a family outing for the Hamelins; Charles’ father, Yves, is the Canadian speed skating national team director while his brother François, finished second in the B-final earlier that night. François probably apologized for bringing dishonour to his family by not medalling; the only thing more Canadian than a humblebrag is an apology Freestyle Skiing (Moguls) – Justine DufourLapointe became Canada’s first gold medalist of the 2014 Winter Olympics when she posted a score of 22.44. Fans in Sochi began seeing double-trouble when Chloe Dufour-Lapointe—Justine’s older sister— took home the silver medal in the same event. Two days later in the men’s event, Vancouver 2010 gold medalist Alexandre Bilodeau proved to be more than a one-hit-wonder, while Mikael Kingsbury, came in as the runner-up. All four athletes hail from La Belle Province, giving the nation of Quebec three golds and two silvers, good for third best at Sochi 2014.

Ruby Xia / McGill Tribune

Mayaz Alam, Sports Editor

Martlet Hockey

For 43 consecutive games against RSEQ opponents, the CIS no. 1 ranked Martlet ice hockey team emerged victorious. Many of those wins have been blowouts, but on Friday the tables were turned as their streak was snapped by the no. 2 ranked Montreal Carabins in a 5-1 loss. Like most other Martlet games, the team snatched the lead early when Brittney Fouracres converted a powerplay goal five minutes into the first period. However, by the end of the second frame, the Carabins had flipped the script and taken a 2-1 lead on the strength of their own special

Track and Field teams play. The final stanza featured three more goals to put the game out of reach.

McGill dominated the shot total 34-21, but sophomore goaltender Taylor Hough was unable to replace standout fifth-year senior Andrea Weckman.

On Sunday, with Weckman back in net, the Martlets returned to form, blowing out the Concordia Stingers by a score of 6-2. Sophomore winger Gabrielle Davidson—who was uncharacteristically shut out against the Carabins—tallied a hat-trick, bringing her goal total to 28 and tying the CIS season record.

Alternate captain, Katia Clement-Heydra

chipped in with two assists to bring her points total to 39, third in the CIS. McGill’s final game of the regular season is a rematch against the Carabins.

The game between the two powerhouse squads will be held at McConnell Arena on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 7:00 p.m.

The McGill track and field program made its way south of the border to The Armory in New York City, New York for the annual Armory Collegiate invitational meet.

The meet brought together more than 100 universities and colleges from across North America with the Redmen and Martlets facing their stiffest test to date.

Although no McGill athletes won medals, a few standouts emerged; Scott Hancock, a triple jumper and a hurdler, posted a mark of 14.16m in the triple jump to secure a spot at the CIS nationals.

Hancock produced two more top 10 finishes at the meet, finishing eighth in both the 60m dash (8:42) and the 60m hurdles (8:48). The Redmen 4x200m relay team also

fared well, finishing fourth with a time of 1:29.51. On the Martlets side, sophomore jumper Caroline Tanguay continued her excellent streak of performances with a 10th place finish in the high jump (1.69m). Also, sophomore long distance runner Alison Barwick finished eighth in the 3000m race (10:10.01).

McGill’s athletes now return home for the Redmen Invitational to be held in the Tomlinson Field House on Saturday, Feb. 15.

Curiosity delivers. | BASKETBALL— McGill 62, uqam 56

sports

| Tuesday, February 11, 2014

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Buoyed by Charest’s return, Martlets sweep Citadins

With four games remaining, McGill holds narrow one-game lead in RSEQ Remi Lu Sports Editor With a mere two weeks remaining before the RSEQ playoffs, the McGill Martlets (10-2) squeezed by the UQAM Citadins (7-5) in a 62-56 statement win Thursday evening at Love Competition Hall.

The victory—the Martlets’ ninth of the season—saw the return of starting point-guard Francoise Charest, who had missed two weeks due to a lower-body injury. McGill followed up Thursday’s performance with a 65-56 win at UQAM on Saturday, gaining a narrow two-point lead atop the conference ahead of the secondplace Concordia Stingers.

Contrary to their normally dominant starts, the Martlets looked lost out of the gate as UQAM shot a blistering 56.25 per cent in the firstquarter. The Citadins attacked early on, swinging the ball for open shots and punishing McGill on defence.

The Martlets had no answers for UQAM as the visitors closed out the first-quarter with an 11-point lead.

“They had 24 points in the firstquarter,” said Head Coach Ryan Thorne. “We were a little taken aback [by their full-court attack.] It’s hard to prepare for their pressure—they’re really good at it. So I think we were a

little tentative early to start.”

The Martlets were plagued by a pesky UQAM defence whenever they had the ball in their hands. Sophomore forward Mariam Sylla was frequently taken out of the action by the Citadins’ Jessica Lubin, forcing her to look for the other Martlets on offence. Sylla finished the half with an uncharacteristic five points on 1-5 shooting from the field. As a result, McGill went into the locker room with a nine-point deficit: 34-25. “[Lubin] is really athletic and she’s good in the post, and I know that she’s a really good rebounder also,” Sylla said. “My goal was not to always try and find a way to score on her because I knew the help was coming. So I was just there to make my teammates contribute as much as possible when they came to double me.”

A markedly different team started the third quarter. Charest had been out for two weeks and looked noticeably rusty in the first-half, but soon began to dictate the pace of the offence as she settled into the flow of the game.

“The past two weeks have been hard because I wasn’t playing, but I practiced this week and I felt great,” Charest said. “There was not [as much] pain, so I felt ready for the

Redmen Hockey The last time that the McGill Redmen (20-5-2) won 20 games in the OUA East and made it to the CIS Championships, they came home with a University Cup as national champions.

On Friday, McGill won their 20th game of the year in dominant fashion against the UOIT Ridgebacks (7-16-4) by a score of 9-2. Sophomore winger Patrick Delisle-Houde led the way with a hat-trick and two assists while David Rose added one goal and four assists, and linemate Cedric McNicoll chipped in with two goals and three assists. Rookie netminder Jacob G e r v a i s - C h o u i n a r d parried away shots with ease, tallying 30 saves.

The Redmen goaltenders have had the luxury of

playing behind the second most productive offence in the nation, easing their job and relaxing the pressure for a tandem that has proven to be one of the best in the OUA. Delisle-Houde now also leads McGill’s balanced attack— 10 players have at least 20 points—in scoring with 36 points, narrowly edging out McNicoll, who has 34, and blueliner Ryan McKiernan who has 33 points. McGill is currently first in the meatgrinder that is the OUA East, with 42 points in 27 games.

The team has one game remaining, a home tilt against Nipissing on Feb. 14 at 7:00 p.m. in McConnell Arena.

Forward Gabriela Hebert looks to initiate the offence. (Courtney Strouthos / McGill Tribune) game.”

Thorne and Charest have been together for five years now, and Thorne’s reliance on her ability to run the Martlet offence is obvious. “[Charest] is our team leader [and] the quarterback of [our] team,” Thorne said. “She controls the pace.

The girls feel more confident when she’s on the floor with them. And as the coach, you feel more confident knowing you’ve got your team leader out there. She’s an extension of me.”

The Martlets managed to close

Swimming

At the start of this year there were doubts as to whether the McGill Redmen swimming team would be able to regroup after the loss of All-Canadian Steven Bielby. This past weekend at the RSEQ Championships in Sherbrooke, any shred of uncertainty that remained was erased. Senior sprinter Pierre-Alexandre Renaud snagged three golds and one silver medal, en route to being named Swimmer-of-theYear, while three others were named to the All-Conference team. Renaud, a team captain,

out the third-quarter on a 4-0 run, entering the fourth frame with a narrow 45-43 advantage. Charest netted two three-pointers to start the last quarter, and McGill proceeded to finish the game on top, 62-56.

If the Martlets are to make a run at one more RSEQ Championship, they must learn to adjust when Sylla is shut-down on offence—as she was in the first half of the contest against UQAM Thursday evening.

Thorne acknowledged the issue after the game.

set an RSEQ record in the 200m butterfly (2:00.23) and also garnered gold medals in the 400m freestyle(3:55.24) and 4 x 200m freestyle relay (7:35.08).

On the Martlet side, the squad notched one gold, eight silvers, and nine bronze medals, giving the entire McGill program a combined 30 podium finishes.

Katie Caldwell, last year’s Swimmer-of-the-Year as a rookie, captured the team’s sole gold medal in the 200 m IM(2:13.97). Most notable though was the fact that both the Redmen and the Martlets

“No matter what, we’re still going to play through Mariam,” Thorne said. “We’re going to play inside-out. People are going to collapse, help off her, and then we’re going to get good opportunities on the perimeter.”

The Martlets have four games remaining on their schedule before the RSEQ playoffs. Their next game will be on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 6:00 p.m. against the Laval Rouge et Or at Love Competition Hall.

achieved their primary goal for the season, to finish second in the RSEQ. Traditionally, swimming in Quebec is dominated by the Montreal Carabins, a program that hasn’t been unseated from the pinnacle since 1999. Following this weekend, McGill has qualified 20 swimmers for the CIS Championships to be held at the University of Toronto from Feb. 20 – 22. Look for Head Coach Peter Carpenter to push both teams to improve on their eighth place finishes from last year’s nationals.

SPORTS BASKETBALL— McGill 90, UQAM 72

Dufort dominates in Redmen rout of UQAM McGill shoots lights-out; Dufort posts team-high 24 points, 11 rebounds

winning the conference for us because [we] don’t get home court advantage,” DeAverio said. “So at this point we’ve got to […] try some new things [.…] We tried to do some of that today, and unfortunately it didn’t work for us.”

The Redmen have four more games to work out all the kinks before the playoffs start. Look for DeAveiro to mix up the lineup, and for the team’s freshmen to see increased playing time in the next two weeks as the squad gets geared for the madness of March.

McGill’s next game will take place on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 8:00 p.m. as the Redmen look to take on the Laval Rouge et Or at Love Competition Hall.

Aaron Rose Staff Writer After clinching a playoff berth with back-to-back wins against the Bishop’s Gaiters last week, the CIS no. 8 ranked McGill Redmen (9-2) returned home with control of first place in the conference to face the struggling UQAM Citadins. McGill jumped out to an early 18-point lead in the first-quarter, but a questionable substitution pattern left the door open for the desperate Citadins who brought it back to a five-point game in the fourth. UQAM—playing the part of the pesky underdog—refused to back down all game, but the Redmen hit crucial shots down the stretch and never relinquished the lead en route to a 90-72 victory.

The Redmen offence was sizzling hot from the field, shooting a new season-high of 59 per cent. Veteran forward Vincent Dufort had a tall task in front of him trying to compete with the reigning scoring champion of the RSEQ, UQAM forward Alexandre Bernard. While Bernard topped Dufort in scoring with a game-high 30 points, Dufort put on a shooting clinic, making three of every four shots—including two from behind the arc en route to a team high 24 points.

Dufort was everywhere for the Redmen, as he recorded his fifth double-double of the season with a team-high 11 boards.

“I’ve been working on my shot and I was fortunate enough that it was dropping tonight,” Dufort said. “I just tried to find what advantage I had, whether it was in the post or on the perimeter.”

Strong shooting from the perim-

Rookie guard Dele Ogundokun squares up against the UQAM defence. (Remi Lu / McGill Tribune) eter has been a trend for the Redmen all season. Sharpshooter Thomas Lacy came off the bench to tally an efficient 10 points in limited playing time, while freshman Michael Peterkin’s strong defensive play was accompanied with an equally efficient 11 points in just 18 minutes.

The Redmen dealt with foul trouble all game as they tried to stop Bernard and point guard Richard Addai as the two combined for 53 of the visitors’ 72 points.

“Our scouts say they only have three guys that can score,” said Head Coach David DeAveiro. “Our job is to shut those guys down, and we didn’t do

THIRD MAN IN Dan Gilbert Contributor When DeMar DeRozan steps onto the court at the New Orleans Arena on Sunday, Feb. 16, it will be the first time in four seasons that the Toronto Raptors will have one of their own players in front of the bright lights on All-Star Sunday.

The Raptors—like all other Toronto sports teams since 1993—are a study in disappointment and false hope.

This year was supposed to be different. This year we were supposed to be good, yet the squad opened the season with a sluggish 6-12 start.

The wildly inconsistent 18game stretch was enough to show that the Rudy Gay experiment wasn’t panning out. Masai Ujiri, hired as the Raptors’ general manager this past off-season, took it upon himself to bring change. Cue the night of Dec.

a very good job of that today.”

McGill has struggled to put together four complete quarters of basketball this season, and Thursday night’s game was no different.

“I don’t know if there is any other team in the country that dresses seven freshmen every night,” DeAverio said.

“These guys have never done it before […] a full 40 [minutes] is going to take some understanding and a high level of concentration.”

On Saturday, the Redmen were forced to put more than 40 minutes of effort in against UQAM in a rematch at the Centre Sportif. McGill clawed out a 78-76 victory in an overtime thriller that

saw star point guard Simon Bibeau hit a game-tying three-pointer at the end of regulation. Bibeau stuffed the stat sheet and led the team by example, finishing with 17 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

While the Redmen are now in control of their playoff destiny and are in the running to finish first in the RSEQ, there may be a disadvantage in finishing the regular season on top of the conference. The RSEQ tournament is set to be played in Quebec City, home of an underrated Laval team that handed the Redmen their first loss earlier in the season.

“There’s really no advantage to

The evolution of the Raptors

9 when Gay was shipped off to Sacramento, and the Raptors seemed to plunge themselves back into their perpetual state of rebuilding.

At least that’s what they thought. Today, the Raptors are nestled snuggly at the top of the Atlantic Division as the third best team in the Eastern Conference. This hope was glimmering, and it was real. The new-look Raptors are breathing new life into a moribund franchise, and are offering a refreshing brand of basketball that focuses on the simplest of philosophies: ball movement and teamwork. It wasn’t long before the skeptics came out to question whether or not this current group is legitimate, but based on the eye test, this is anything but fool’s gold.

On this team, every player understands his role, and as a unit, the team plays a grind-it-out, unselfish style of basketball. Once under-valued players that came over through

the trade are now allowed to play to their strengths and look like solid complementary pieces on a playoff roster. Younger players such as DeRozan and Terrence Ross are taking on more responsibility and are developing without the need to appease Gay’s star cache. Due to their selflessness on offence, the Raptors are trusting each other on the other side of the ball. They are a defensive force that ranks seventh in the league in terms of points allowed per possession—a previously unfathomable achievement.

It may not be a stretch to compare this year’s rendition of Canada’s team to the 2004 NBA Champion Detroit Pistons, but similarities do exist. Neither team had a superstar but still found ways to win by showcasing strong collective play and discipline on both ends of the floor.

Point guard Kyle Lowry is the equivalent of 2004’s Chauncey Billups.

He’s tough, versatile, clutch, and most importantly has a huge chip on his shoulder after being given up on by so many teams. DeRozan, while not the defender Rip Hamilton was, can create his own shot and has the potential to average 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists a game.

Ross has freakish athleticism, which, combined with his length and lateral quickness, can be deployed as a defensive stopper in the mold of Tayshaun Prince. Finally, you have young big men, Amir Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas, both of whom can stretch the floor and are learning to play the same team defence with which Rasheed and Ben Wallace anchored the back line for the Pistons.

The Raptors are structured, focused and poised to make a statement come playoff time. As long as they maintain their potent level of chemistry and play as a team, they should be able to push even the best of teams to

s e v e n games. The players are well aware of how they have to continue playing in order to keep the machine running smoothly, but only time will tell if that will happen. As a loyal fan of the franchise since childhood, I certainly hope they can keep it up.

That being said, regardless of where they end up come April, Raptor Nation can finally be proud of the fact that its squad has made significant strides in the right direction.

In Year 19, the franchise has finally developed a meaningful identity, and maybe, just maybe, a recipe for long term success.