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WEDNEsday, SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 Editorial: Student mobilization key to Volume No. 35 addressing youth issues Issue No. 01 pg. 6
feature: COACH LIKE A GIRL By MORGAN ALEXANDER pg. 10
mcgilltribune.com @mcgilltribune
YOUTH VOTING MADE EASY A guide to student voting SAM PINTO Business Manager
Sexual assualt allegation raises concern over redress procedures at McGill
(Hayley Mortin / McGill Tribune)
Current policies fail to include protocols for off-campus faculty events SHRINKHALA DAWADI
A
Managing Editor
llegations of sexual assault towards a McGill student following an incident in Winter 2015 have prompted student leaders and the McGill University administration to evaluate existing procedures of redress at McGill for sexual assault. The McGill administration was not able to conduct a disciplin-
ary investigation into the incident because the alleged assault did not occur within a McGill context, as outlined within Article 8 of the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures (CSC). The survivor, a McGill graduate, was allegedly sexually assaulted after the NeuroAnatomy Grad Ball, which was held off-campus in late March 2015. The survivor spoke to the Tribune (on the condition of anonymity)
It was incredibly hard to know what to do. There was no streamlined, obvious path to take.
about the experience of reaching out to various support structures available at McGill for people who have experienced sexual assault. “It was incredibly hard to know what to do,” the survivor explained. “There was no streamlined, obvious path to take. I was told by most people to contact [Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS)] , and when I called [them], they gave me the SA-
Youth participation within the Canadian political sphere is currently experiencing a drought. In the 2011 federal election, the voter turnout for the ages 18-24 was a measly 38.8 per cent, while the 25-34 demographic was at 45.1 per cent, respectively the lowest and second lowest among all age demographics. While some publications claim that poor rates of youth voter turnout are due to apathy, a report by Elections Canada found that access barriers—ranging from being busy with work and school, living away from their home riding, or not knowing where to vote—were the biggest reasons for why youth turnout was so low. Below is a guide to overcoming some of those access barriers to allow eligible voters to participate in the upcoming federal election.
Continued on pg. 9 COMSS email [....] They couldn’t even direct me to a hospital that could get me STI tested or a rape kit. So about a week after it happened, I ended up going to the [Montreal General Hospital] and I talked to a social worker there. She was probably the most helpful person in the process.” Additionally, the survivor approached Dean of Students Andre Costopoulos in early April.
Continued on pg. 4
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NEWS
M c Gill 1 0 1
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
An introduction to campus governance
Breaking down McGill’s administrative structure
By Jenna Stanwood, Laura Hanrahan, and Aislinn Kalob
SSMU
(Natalie Vineberg / McGill Tribune)
Who they are
What they do
Recent Accomplishments
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) represents all undergraduate students on the downtown campus. It also advocates for students’ interests to the university at large, and at the provincial and federal levels for issues such as affordable and high-quality higher education.
SSMU provides many services to undergraduate students, including support and administration of student clubs, the Student-Run Cafe (SRC), mini courses, and Gerts Bar. SSMU is also a governing body for undergraduate students. Its Legislative Council is the legislative body for undergraduate students, and is comprised of six executives and councillors elected from various student constituencies. SSMU also sends 13 senators to the Senate to represent members in the university legislative process. At least once a semester, SSMU holds a General Assembly (GA) which allows its constituents to debate and vote on changes to the society.
The SRC expanded and will house an additional food operation alongside The Nest. This new cafeteria will provide expanded food options as well as employment opportunities for students. Last year, the Legislative Council passed a motion to increase support of the Peer Support Network by assisting in the establishment of a permanent space for the group in order to increase mental health resource options for students.
(Hayley Mortin / McGill Tribune)
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NEWS
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
PGSS
(Noah Sutton / McGill Tribune)
Who they are The Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) represents graduate students and post-doctoral fellows to the McGill administration and to various groups at the provincial and federal level. It is comprised of six executives, four commissioners, and eight staff members charged with various responsibilities.
What they do PGSS Council governs PGSS activities and sets policy. It is made up of representatives from various faculties, and meets monthly. PGSS also holds general meetings and social actvities for graduate students. They run the Thomson House, a restaurant and bar for members that also hosts many events. PGSS also provides various services, including health plans and family programs. It is a support organization for graduate students, and provides many resources for getting the most from a McGill education, while also advocating on behalf of students to external organizations.
Recent Accomplishments Last year, PGSS finished a three-year campaign lobbying the University to reduce international student health care plan prices. The campaign successfully lowered healthcare costs for all international students at McGill.
Senate
(Hayley Mortin / McGill Tribune)
Who they are Senate is an administrative body with jurisdiction over academic policy, and serves as a forum for a broad representation of voices within the McGill community. Among the Senate’s 107 voting members are faculty deans, representatives from the Board of Governors, professors, support staff, students, and representatives from McGill’s senior administration. Thirteen student senators are elected each spring to represent each academic faculty, while four members represent the PGSS.
What they do The Senate includes nine standing subcommittees; among them are the Joint Board-Senate Committee on Equity, the Committee on Student Services, and the Honourary Degree and Convocations Committee. There are a number of additional committees focused on university regulations, such as the Advisory Council on the Charter of Students’ Rights, and the Committee on Student Discipline. Senate meets monthly during the academic year on Wednesdays, beginning at 2:30 p.m. in room 232 of the Leacock Building. The meetings are usually open to the general public, as well as available to watch via a livestream on the Senate website.
Recent Accomplishments In January 2015, the Senate passed a motion implementing a new policy allowing students in extreme situations, such as mental or physical illness, to withdraw from all courses they took in a semester without this action being marked on their transcript. This action, advocated for by student Senators, directly impacts those students experiencing extenuating circumstances. In 2013, the Senate approved a resolution taking an official position against Bill 60, the Quebec charter of values. This action on their part would ensure that if the Bill were passed, McGill University would not take disciplinary measures against individuals in violation of it.
McGill Board of Governors
(L-A Benoit McGill Tribune)
Who they are McGill’s Board of Governors is the governing body of the University. It has final authority over all of McGill’s conduct and affairs. The Board is composed of two student observers and 25 voting members— including Principal Suzanne Fortier, Chancellor Michael Meighen, 12 members at large, three alumni representatives, two academic staff representatives, two administrative staff representatives, and two student representatives, one each from SSMU and PGSS. The two student observers, who come from the Macdonald Campus Students’ Society and the McGill Association of Continuing Studies, sit in on Board meetings but cannot vote.
What they do The Board is the trustee of all university property, making them responsible for maintenance and administration. The Board also oversees the appointment of university personnel, including the principal, and determines their salaries and benefits. In addition to this, University finances, investments, ethics and human resources falls under their jurisdiction. The Board’s authority and extent of its power are outlined in McGill’s statues. With meetings generally held six times per year, all members of the McGill community are invited to attend open session Board meetings. The first board meeting of the 2015-2016 school year will be held on Oct. 8 at 4:00 p.m.
Recent Accomplishments During the Board’s final meeting of the 2014-2015 academic year, the Declaration of Compliance to Quebec Treasury Board Pursuant to Loi 65.1 was passed. This motion requires the University to make public any contract it enters into above $25,000. Students, staff, and the public can now access this information through the McGill website and see who the University has contracts with.
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NEWS Sexual Assault Allegation raises concern over redress procedures at McGill
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Current policies fail to include protocols for off-campus faculty events Shrinkhala Dawad Managing Editor “We decided to contact [Costopoulos], who directed us to Nicole Allard, [director of Science Advising Services], and they handled things internally from there.” the survivor said, adding that the experience of speaking with administration was a generally positive one. “The [people] that I talked to [from the] McGill administration were very thoughtful and obviously pro-survivor. It’s not that I wasn’t received well, it’s that there’s a problem with McGill policy.”
The Scope of McGill Policies and the McGill Context McGill currently uses the Policy on Harassment, Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Prohibited by Law and the CSC to guide its response to allegations of sexual assault. Sanctions, which include admonishment, reprimand, suspension, dismissal, and expulsion, can be enacted if a student is found responsible for violating the CSC within a McGill context. Costopoulos described Article 8 as containing an implied definition of what constitutes a university, or McGill, context. “‘A McGill context’ is defined loosely in the Code of Student Conduct,” Costopoulos said. “[It’s] usually interpreted to mean that if the event is not on property owned or occupied by the university, it has to be in the context of a McGill activity. For example [...] we have a field course in Panama [....] Two students who would get in a fight— there might be an assault, there might be a sexual assault—in one of the field studies programs; that would be within a McGill context. But two McGill students who get into the same kind of fight, but off-campus, in a non-McGill activity, then it’s not a McGill context.” Interim orders, which are provisions that restrict a student from contacting certain people or accessing certain areas of campus, can be imposed on a student for actions that did not occur within a McGill context. They can be enacted based purely on allegations, before any finding of responsibility. As a result of McGill’s preliminary investigation into the survivor’s allegations, the alleged perpetrator, hereby referred to as the individual, received an interim order of exclusion on April 8, restricting this individual from going to McLennan Library and the Burnside basement during Winter exam season. The administration, however, could not impose any sanctions against the individual because the incident did not occur within a McGill context.
Faculty Associations and McGill: Separate Legal Entities
Costopoulos also clarified that student and faculty associations are separate legal entities from McGill. Consequently, McGill does not have jurisdiction over the off-campus components of events run by student organizations such as the NeuroAnatomy Grad Ball, which was organized by student departmental associations, or Frosh. “There’s a perception issue here, because for many students, they go into Frosh, and the expectation is that it’s a McGill activity—it isn’t in legal terms, ” Costopoulous said. McGill does, however, have jurisdiction over the on-campus components of events hosted by student organizations. “On campus, we can definitely have much more leverage and influence,” he said. “We have regular discussions with student organizations about events like [Open Air Pub] and Carnival. If they want to have an event on campus, we need to be happy with the way it’s run. That’s why we have a permitting process, alcohol permits, [and] requirements for service training.” The survivor stated that the CSC’s implied definition of a McGill context limited their ability to seek recourse, as McGill could not impose sanctions on the individual. “The problem with sexual assault cases at McGill has nothing to do with [people] in the administration, but rather, it is due to the lack of a clear policy for sexual assault,” the survivor stated. “An assault would have to happen in a McGill context for McGill to have some sort of [...] jurisdiction over it. That’s not really defined—it’s basically up to [the] administration what constitutes a McGill context [....] Unfortunately, as it stands, there is very little that can be done if the assault did not take place on campus and you do not want to go to the police.” In all situations of sexual assault, the complainant has the option to pursue criminal charges against the accused through the police; however, the survivor remarked that pursuing criminal charges can be a lengthy and challenging process. “I really wanted some sort of justice, but [...] it’s a very difficult process,” the survivor said. “It’s a process that takes at least two to three years, and after something like this you just want to be able to move away from it. [It] really seems like you get dragged through the mud for three years, [and the individual] may or may not be punished.” The survivor ultimately chose not to press criminal charges, although they did register this incident with the Montreal Police on May 6.
Faculty associations and sexual assault Every student, faculty member, and staff member at McGill is behold-
en to McGill’s Policy on Harassment, Sexual Harassment, and Discrimination; however, the only available avenues of recourse for incidents that occur outside of a McGill context— such as faculty events held outside of campus—are interim orders, or the complainant pursuing criminal charges. The limits of the existing policies coupled with the legal separation of McGill university and student associations, has resulted in the lack of a procedure for student faculty associations to address allegations of harassment, and physical and sexual assault. The equity policies of major faculty associations, such as the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS), the Management Undergraduate Society (MUS), and the Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS), either do not explicitly address sexual assault or do not outline a procedure for redress in cases of sexual assault. Furthermore, McGill has extensive policies outlining the academic and personal rights of students with respect to faculty and staff members. No parallel distinction between students and student leaders is made in faculty policies. Consequently, there is no documented system outlining what standards and responsibilities student leaders are held to. SUS President Jeremy Goh, who was made aware of the alleged incident, elaborated on the role of executive members in cases where sexual assault is alleged to have occurred at a faculty or department-level event. “As a student government, our job is not to decide on the verdict,” Goh said. “We can’t comment on anybody’s [status....] Something that was important for us was to do an audit of our operations and see what the cause for concern from the situation was, and see whether that concern affected the operation [...] of our student government.”
Going forward: Addressing policy gaps at the Faculty and University level Goh expressed that the SUS will examine existing policies and procedures in order to create a policy that establishes guidelines for how it can deal with situations like this moving forward. “We are hoping to have a student code of conduct [policy] in the future or some sort of procedural guideline for situations like this so that executives in the future have a guideline to follow,” he explained. “Obviously we’re continuing to monitor the situation. Our job at the end of the day is to represent Science students. We’re listening to the student population, and if there is cause for concern, we will address it as it comes up.” Additionally, a new draft sexual assault policy is in the process of being reviewed by various groups on campus. This policy, which aims to unify and
formalize similar existing policies, was spurred by McGill administration’s response to an earlier case of alleged sexual assault involving former Redmen football players. Costopoulos underscored that the proposed sexual assault policy would supplement existing McGill policies rather than replace them. SSMU Vice-President (University Affairs) Chloe Rourke stated that one of the strengths of the proposed policy is the widespread consultation that went
“
The [people] that I talked to [from the] McGill administration were very thoughtful and obviously prosurvivor. It’s not that I wasn’t received well, it’s that there’s a problem with McGill policy.
into its creation. “A lot of stakeholders [...] have given feedback and consultation and been consulted in the process of writing the Sexual Assault Policy, from all over the McGill community, whether that be faculty, various student groups, general units and offices within the administrations, [and] unions,” she said. “The policy is meant to apply to the entire McGill community.” According to Rourke, the policy is significant for multiple reasons. It’s the first cohesive sexual assault policy at McGill, formalizing protocols across departments and offices, and it broadens the scope of those who can access support resources. “Support measures are available to any person who experienced sexual assault [...] regardless of when or where the sexual assault occurred, and with who.” Rourke said. “If you’re a member of the McGill community and you experienced sexual assault five years ago, you’re eligible for all the same support measures that are granted to any other person that was sexually assaulted while at McGill.” Rourke explained that the Policy will commit the university to taking a proactive and pro-survivor approach to addressing sexual assault on campus. Furthermore, the policy will take into consideration sexual assault within the
university and societal contexts. “[It will] provide support to the survivor in whatever form that they need, and not engage in victim blaming,” Rourke said.”[It] importantly acknowledges and recognizes that [sexual assault] is a problem in our community and in our society, and is especially relevant to university campuses.” Both the survivor and a close friend, who contacted the individual in early April, expressed frustration at the lack of a pro-survivor attitude they faced. “A lot of people were angry at me because I spoke about it,” the survivor’s friend said, asking to remain anonymous. “I guess [people] don’t believe it happened, or that it’s not a sufficient reason for [the individual] to face consequences.” The survivor expressed disappointment at the fact that members of the 2014-2015 SUS Executive did not reach out to her after they were informed of the allegations. “Whatever their reasons, the truth is that none of [the SUS] stepped forward and offered me any help,” she said. “[They] made the [situation] exponentially more difficult to deal with, by ostracizing me and my friends and by labelling me as a liar within the McGill community.” Currently, the sexual assault policy draft distinguishes between support measures and recourse measures. “Support Measures [are] resources and actions requested by the [person who experienced sexual assault] which do not act as disciplinary measures against, nor implicate the rights of, the Respondent(s),” Section 2.7 of the policy draft reads. “Such measures include, but are not limited to, counselling services, information provision, academic or employment-related accommodation, and other safety measures.” Recourse measures, on the other hand, are dependent on a variety of other factors. “Recourse Measures [are] actions taken against the Respondent(s) upon the outcome of a formal Complaint Procedure, or actions mutually consented upon by all parties upon the outcome of an informal Complaint Procedure,” Section 2.9 reads. Since the new sexual assault policy was first proposed, McGill and various student groups have implemented programs that aim to address sexual assault on campus, such as the Forum on Consent, #ConsentMcGill week, Sexual Assault Awareness week, and the Bystander Intervention Program. The individual declined to comment for this story and instead referred the Tribune to his lawyer, Me JeanPhilippe Caron. “Nothing has been proven that my client has acted in an inappropriate manner at any level,” Caron said. Additional reporting by Mayaz Alam
NEWS Student services budget reallocations and reductions Wednesday, September 9, 2015
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How budgetary distribution will and won’t affect students’ access to services Jin Lee Contributor In winter 2015, the McGill administration announced changes in Student Services Funding, stating that it would cease to supply Student Services with a yearly transfer from McGill’s operating budget. McGill also announced that in the event of further budget cuts by the federal government, the McGill administration would redistribute to other offices government grants previously given directly to Student Services. These budgetary changes sparked concern among student representatives in the McGill Senate about the future of services funding. Concerns addressed at senate meeting On April 22, student Senators discussed funding for McGill Student Services, an administrative branch of McGill that oversees offices such as McGill the Mental Health Service and the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD). Chloe Rourke, then Arts & Science senator and co-chair on the Committee for Student Services (CSS), explained that the budget cuts imposed by the Quebec government last spring resulted in uncertainty over the future
of financing and operations for Student Services. “My understanding is that the government has now shifted the responsibility [to McGill] to provide many services to students with disabilities that were previously arranged by the government,” Rourke said. “There is still much uncertainty as to how this will affect OSD and services for students with disabilities.” Understanding budget changes Rourke explained that Student Services is funded in three ways: Student fees, funding from the government, and transfers from McGill’s operating budget. “The university has cut transfers from the operating budget to Student Services,” Rourke said. “Five years ago, the University was transferring over $400,000 to Student Services, and now they are transferring no funds at all.” Arts Senator Erin Sobat underscored that, despite such changes, Student Services will be operating on a projected surplus. The reduction in transfers from McGill’s operating budget, however, has resulted in a $120,000 cut in funding for Orientation Week services Both Sobat and Rourke noted that
administrative overhead fees charged to Student Services had also been raised. “Administrative overhead fees being charged to Student Services [have increased] by over $260,000,” Sobat said. “Thus, while student services is able to cover these added expenses out of their surplus for the coming year, and it will not appear as a cut on paper, this still represents a reduction in funding.” In response to the Sobat’s concerns, Deputy Provost Ollivier Dyens stated that offices within Student Services, like OSD, had not suffered funding reductions. “Let me be very clear here: There has been no cut to OSD’s budget,” he said. “The alleged reduction in OSD services is a reduction in services not deemed essential caused by the substantial increase in the need for essential services.” Student services branches like the OSD, however, are different from services for students, such as the Arts Internship Office. Reallocation of services budget Dyens explained that Student Services could face additional changes to their funding structure if further budget cuts are imposed by the Quebec
government. “If we face unsustainable cuts over the next few years, we may be forced to reallocate a portion of the government grant to ensure the viability of [other] services to students,” Dyens said. “We would be able to do so only because Student Services has an accumulated surplus of more than $6 million.” Rourke explained that she believed that Dyens’ proposal was unsustainable, and would not allow Student Services to fulfill student demand for the resources it provides. “[The surplus] will run out in a couple of years,” Rourke said. “Then, Student Services will be forced make cuts and reduce service provision, or bring a referendum question [to raise] student fees.” The future of Student Services The key concerns that Rourke and Sobat wished to see addressed were service reductions and lengthier processes to access resources provided by Student Services. “The wait-time to see a therapist at Mental Health Services was over five months this year, even though Mental Health offered the most appointments [in its history],” said Rourke. “These demands are expected to [increase]
next year and the current funding and resources available [are insufficient] to meet this demand. Additionally, [OSD] has had a surge in students making first time appointments to register for their services.” Dyens explained that while services such as OSD and counselling were indeed critical, administration could not meet every demand. “[We can] focus on providing the best and healthiest possible environment, and to provide as much support as we can,” said Dyens. Dyens additionally recommended developing a response to long waitlists and stagnant funding to meet rising demand. “What we can also do is to have a well-developed wellness strategy and action plan,” he said. “I will ask the incoming senior directors of Student Services and Athletics and Recreation in coordination with every [Student Life and Living] unit to develop such a plan.” Rourke also advocated strongly for awareness and transparency on funding decisions for service units. “McGill is an elite, competitive university filled with exceptional students, faculty and administration. [However], we need to start prioritizing the mental and physical well-being of our community.” Rourke said.
Renovated SSMU Student-Run Café to offer expanded menu, replace Bocadillo Students consultation to inform further evolution of the SRC Mayaz Alam Editor-in-Chief On Aug. 24 a new, yet to be named food operation opened alongside The Nest in the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) cafeteria. Together, the two services will form the StudentRun Café (SRC). The new food operation sells items such as burgers and pizza, while The Nest has added a full pasta bar. Menu items are clearly differentiated between the two food operations, with little overlap in what each location sells. According to SSMU Vice-President (Finance & Operations) Zacheriah Houston, the new food operation will increase the variety of food options sold at the SRC while allowing The Nest to maintain its original mandate as a sustainability hub. “Students were very clearly asking for more meat, but it didn’t fit the vision of The Nest,” Houston said. “The new café will have more meat and a wider variety and selection of food, but it’ll definitely be offering vegan and glutenfriendly options [too].” The new food operation will be situated in the space formerly occupied by Bocadillo, a food service provider whose lease expired in June, 2015. Bocadillo’s departure followed the earlier exit of Bambou Bol in March 2015, which occurred due to the latter’s failure to pay rent. SSMU Vice-President
(Clubs & Services) Kimber Bialik noted that these departures enabled SSMU to move forward with its mandate to prioritize student space. “It was a mix of good timing with [...] those leases [...] ending, and when we were ready to mobilize with [the SRC].” Bialik said. The creation of the SRC follows a series of motions passed by SSMU to prioritize student space in the Shatner Building, while minimizing the presence of corporate efforts on campus : one such motion, the “Confidential Motion Regarding the Future of Food Services in the University Centre”- which was confidential at the time because it dealt with ongoing lease negotiations with Bocadillo - was passed on March 26. It mandates that SSMU work towards removing commercial tenant activity from the Shatner Building. The motion also prevents any new agreements with commercial tenants without the explicit approval of SSMU Legislative Council. According to Houston, the decision to forgo a commercial tenant in favour of another student-run operation was difficult, given the uncertainty that the SRC will immediately produce a profit. “We were giving up guaranteed revenue [from a commercial tenant] for revenue that could be more favourable for [SSMU] or could be worse,” Houston explained. “We have pretty high hopes given the amount of traffic that
used to go through the cafeteria and also based on how well The Nest did during the last term.” While The Nest ran a deficit of nearly $20,000 during its first semester of operation, Winter 2014, Houston does not foresee a similar setback for the new food operation. “The new operation will definitely be budgeted for a surplus because [it] replaced a commercial tenant; so financially, it’s not really an option to run a deficit,” Houston said. “The Nest [...] had [a] really high food cost percentage compared to any other restaurant that I’ve looked at because local, diet-sensitive food is expensive.” Bialik highlighted that input from
Students return to newly -renovated SRC (Natalie Vineberg / McGill Tribune) “I think less [restaurant] variety current students will help determine how the renovated area surrounding the will deter students from frequenting the SSMU building during lunch hours,” SRC is repurposed. “As of right now, there have been Zheng said. “At the same time, because no decisions as to what we’re going to the SRC is offering an extensive menu do with that space because the consulta- now, students can still find a satisfying tion on how [...] the SRC was going to be meal, especially for on-the-go items dedesigned was in 2012,” Bialik explained. spite the closure of two food options.” SSMU’s remaining food service “Considering that the majority of those students are gone, we definitely want to tenants, including La Prep and Liquid reach out to students again and figure Nutrition both have leases that end in out what their priorities are [...] for the June, 2016. They account for approximately 65 per cent of annual food sales, space.” For Jessica Zheng, U3 Science, the according to a presentation given to departure of Bambou Bol and Boca- Council by Kathleen Bradley, last year’s dillo, coupled with the increased menu vice-president (Finance & Operations). An earlier version of this article was pubofferings at the SRC, is both positive and lished online on August 23, 2015. negative.
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Opinion
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
editorial
THE Mcgill
Student mobilization key to addressing youth issues in federal election
O
n Oct. 19, Canadians will decide who will form the government for the next four years. At this time, it is critical that students— and the organizations that represent them—remain informed and engaged. The vicious cycle of low youth voter turnout and subsequent shortage of issues affecting youth and students in media coverage and party discourse can be reversed. As the semester commences, students must encourage political engagement among their peers to ensure that our interests are heard. Under Sections 91 and 92 of the Canadian Constitutions Act—which delineates the division of powers between the provincial governments and federal governments—education is the responsibility of provincial governments. Therefore education is not directly addressed in federal elections, but this is not the only topic important to students. To bring student issues to the forefront in the national campaign, students must mobilize on campus. Youth unemployment and student debt are particularly important given Canada’s current recession, but those issues will not be made priorities unless students demand them. Questions about the environment, the economy, and our constitution will also define our experience on campus and shape our futures as young adults. The matter to be wary of in the coming weeks is one of accessibility: Access to the issues that dominate the political discourse, and access to the ballot itself. Legislation such as Bill C-23, which was made law in June 2014,
makes voting more difficult for students, particularly those living in residences, and limits the programs that Elections Canada may have on campus. The Bill has eliminated voter information cards as a valid form of identification, and requires proof of address. Such changes create disproportionately more challenges to students, who may have recently moved, or do not have a fixed address. The voter turnout for eligible adults between the ages 18 and 24 is typically low—it was 37.4 per cent in the 2008 election, and rose to only 38.8 per cent in 2011. While these figures do not apply to McGill students completely, Bill C-23 may represent another hurdle for students to overcome during this election. In Quebec—and Montreal in particular—students are known for their political engagement, but this involvement is typically focused on student-specific issues. Protests against austerity and tuition hikes have drawn crowds numbering in the thousands. What’s at stake for students in the federal election, however, is less clear. As the term begins, students, student societies, and student associations must strive to be leaders on campus in engaging fellow students in the political process. There is an unfortunate tendency for student activism in elections to remain limited to parts of our society that are already politically engaged. Students at McGill must work to expand those spaces of involvement. Student networks in residences can be activated by floor fellows and councils; the election can be made vis-
ible on campus through information sessions and advertising. This does not mean these organizations should take a normative stance. Instead, this is a chance to be actively nonpartisan and encourage healthy debate. It may also be a chance to bring the issues that students care about to the forefront through promoting greater youth engagement in this year’s elections. Elections Canada is limited to informing voters about the logistics of voting. While the organization
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Students, student societies, and student associations must strive to be leaders on campus in engaging fellow students in the political process.
will have voting booths open on campus, Elections Canada’s effort make voting accessible to students must be extended by our student organizations. Following Bill C-23, Pierre Poilievre, the minister of democratic reform at the time, said to The Star,
“The role of Elections Canada is to inform, and the role of political actors is to motivate the voter.” So far, there has been no clear effort by any of the major candidates to ignite the student voter. It is therefore up to our campus as a whole to provide that motivation. By necessity, the student vote is bound up in issues of access. For students to act on the information provided by Elections Canada, we students need to be made aware of the issues at stake. This may come in the form of assisting students in finding resources to help make their decision before Oct. 19 and encouraging students to get out to vote. While work is underway to do just that by SSMU, similar to what was done on campus for the 2011 election, the onus should not be on SSMU alone. Faculty and departmental associations, clubs, and societies must organize in nonpartisan engagement. Students acting as leaders within their own social circles can also make a difference by promoting involvement in the electoral process. We all stand to benefit from staying politically engaged for the duration of the election period. Campus-wide mobilization and guidance on how to vote would help to eliminate confusion for first-time voters, especially those who are away from home for the first time. In order to ensure that student issues are further represented in future elections, we as the students have to be more engaged than we have been to ensure that this election hears us and recognizes that our votes matter. This must start on campus.
Editor-in-Chief Mayaz Alam editor@mcgilltribune.com Business Manager Sam Pinto spinto@mcgilltribune.com Creative Director Hayley Lim hlim@mcgilltribune.com Managing Editors Shrinkhala Dawadi sdawadi@mcgilltribune.com Morgan Alexander malexander@mcgilltribune.com Julie Vanderperre jvanderperre@mcgilltribune.com News Editors Jenna Stanwood, Laura Hanrahan, Aislinn Kalob news@mcgilltribune.com Opinion Editor Julia Dick opinion@mcgilltribune.com Science & Technology Editor Chloe Nevitt scitech@mcgilltribune.com Student Living Editor Hailey MacKinnon studentliving@mcgilltribune.com Features Editor Natalie Wong features@mcgilltribune.com Arts & Entertainment Editors Jack Neal and Christopher Lutes arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editors Elie Waitzer and Zikomo Smith sports@mcgilltribune.com Design Editor Cassie Lee design@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editors Natalie Vineberg and Hayley Mortin photo@mcgilltribune.com Copy Editor Adrien Hu copy@mcgilltribune.com Advertising Executives Mingye Chen and L-A Benoit ads@mcgilltribune.com Publisher Chad Ronalds
TPS Board of Directors
Sam Pinto, Mayaz Alam, Maryse Thomas, Nicolas Tuech
Off the board
Contributors
Carving your own space at McGill
Julia Dick Opinion Editor The question I constantly asked myself and my peers in my first year at McGill was “What should I do?” Beyond the classroom, how do I strike a balance between social life and schoolwork, and which clubs should I join? We somehow all made it to McGill, yet upon arrival that accomplishment can seem more like a burden.
Once the haze of Frosh lifts, the ivory towers of McGill feel intimidating. Class sizes can be huge, the material challenging, and everyone appears to know what they’re doing. The enormity of McGill may be thrilling if you came here looking for a fresh start and a challenge. On the other hand, it may feel more daunting if you came here thinking that you were guaranteed an excellent education, regardless of what you put into it. McGill can be a labyrinth and is particularly challenging for first-year students. While there is no standard approach to finding the answer to the ubiquitous question of “What should I do,” there are ways of navigating the many resources and opportunities at McGill so that you can find an answer for yourself.
The variety of clubs, intramurals, and societies may appear insurmountable. The opportunity cost of how to spend time feels a lot more intense as everyone operates at a high velocity— “work hard, play hard” being the unofficial McGill motto. Oftentimes, first-years end up either underachieving by not becoming involved in anything at all, or overachieving and burning out by committing to too much too soon. The solution is not to demand for smaller and more refined obstacles; rather, the solution is to gain independence. Allow yourself to try new things; quit if it isn’t the right fit, and try again. The silver lining of McGill’s size is that there are countless opportunities to find your niche; it just takes time to
navigate the plethora of different opportunities available to you. Don’t worry if you haven’t found your space until the end of your first year, or even until the end of your second or third year. For all the independence you will undoubtedly acquire in your time at McGill, help is available—but it won’t come get you out of bed in the morning. Use add/drop period to the fullest and try out everything until you find the subject, professor, or friend that inspires you. Go speak to a real human being in an advising office, or at a student association, and rely on each other for help and advice. Finding that middle ground takes time and patience, as well as a great deal of self-forgiveness. But ultimately it’s worth it.
Karina Alibhai, Audrey Carleton, Zachary Carson, Cordelia Cho, Kathryn Donville, Joe Khammar, Jin Lee, Clare Lyle, Aaron Rose, Elli Slavitch, Raphael Uribe Arango
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.
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Opinion
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
C O M M ENTAR Y
What does Thomas Mulcair stand for?
Zachary carson Contributor Arriving back to Montreal in the heat and humidity of late August, I was greeted by hundreds of smiling Thomas Mulcair signs. My mother, who was with me, asked me how many shots it must have taken to make Mulcair look that friendly. She had a point. Prior to the announcement of the election, Mulcair was known for his fiery leadership of the opposition and his reputation as a verbal brawler—quite different from his jovial image on the signs. These contrary conceptions of Mulcair could be explained as campaign strategy, but this contrast is just
one manifestation of the seemingly irreconcilable dichotomies of Thomas Mulcair. From the Canadian oil industry to our economy, Mulcair has no problem making promises to those groups on opposing sides of different issues. The result is a campaign that doesn’t take a firm stand on anything. Mulcair has backed the Energy East pipeline proposal, one of several proposals on the table to transport Alberta oil to the coasts (the eastern one in this case). Such support stands in almost complete contrast to his longtime prognosis that the Canadian economy has been suffering from Dutch disease, an economic theory that describes how economic development of one sector (in Canada’s case, oil and gas) is causally related to the decline of another (which Mulcair has argued is Canadian manufacturing). This contradictory stance may be a strategy to court both voters who feel that their province or industry is threatened by the Canadian oil industry without totally
Ode to OAP
KATHRYN DONVILLE Contributor Most McGill students would agree that Open Air Pub (OAP) is a great place to commence the semester. It has cold drinks, hot food, live music, and provides the perfect venue to catch up with your friends at the beginning of the school year. But these attractions alone don’t make OAP unique. It is OAP’s status as the main campus gathering spot, as well as the diversity of patrons that it attracts, that makes it deserving of the motto—the “best place on Earth.”
Though many might argue that the title “best place on Earth” is hyperbolic, there is no doubt that OAP provides a special campus experience. It is a central hub, unparalleled in its capacity to host a large population of student day-drinkers. But its reputation is not oriented around drinking alone. It is also a place where all students, no matter their choice of beverage, can convene. By providing a respite from large and often rowdy party events, such as Frosh and Carnival, it fosters McGill community spirit by creating a common bond among students who all seek a relaxed venue to enjoy the warm weather and reunite with friends. OAP also features a variety of musical acts—many of which include McGill students themselves—to entertain its attendees. Highlighting student musicians and artists on its stage involves students in every aspect of OAP. These performances showcase
alienating those who benefit from further industry development. One of the most significant topics of debate in this election has been what Canada’s budget will look like in the coming years. Justin Trudeau, leader of the Liberal Party, has stated that, if elected, there will be a mild deficit while the government intervenes to stimulate the economy. Conversely, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is set on balancing the budget. Mulcair has promised both a balanced budget and significant social spending, providing very little explanation on how this can actually be done. He has promised a minimum wage increase to $15 per hour by 2019, the creation of a $15 a day universal childcare program, tax relief for small businesses and manufacturers, and reducing the age for seniors to qualify for old age security to 65 (Harper increased it to 67), all while guaranteeing that the budget will be balanced. The NDP is not known for being particularly strong on the
economy. Making a last-minute promise that the budget will be balanced despite a platform of sig-
the wide range of talents present at McGill, and inspire students to support one another. The variety of performances, which range from satirical rock duos to campus a capella groups, testifies to the diversity of students represented at OAP. OAP becomes a microcosm of campus life, and brings nonacademic pursuits to the forefront of student consciousness. As a result, students are reminded that campus life is more than lectures, the library, and clubs—it is a space where students can all come together. During the chaos of the year, it is easy to forget about what goes on beyond our own social circles. But by slating OAP for the start of the Fall semester, students can meet new people and be exposed to different parts of campus life. Diverse groups from all across McGill come together to eat, drink, and be merry. Unlike the faculty bars, OAP does not cater
to a specific category of students. While faculty pubs (such as Arts’ BDA and Engineers’ Blues Pub) aren’t strictly exclusive, their
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Thomas Mulcair and the NDP have made irreconcilable promises to Canadians in order to garner as many votes as possible.
nificant social spending is a way for Mulcair to ease concerns of those who are unsure of voting for
write for opinion
More than at any other time of year, there is the possibility of breaking out of the usual McGill clubs and niches.
Email opinion@mcgilltribune.com for more information Meetings in the Tribune office (Shatner 110), Mondays at 6:00 p.m.
what is typically Canada’s spending party. With the country in a recession and the oil prices low, students may wonder how the NDP leader believes this will be done. Mulcair and the NDP have made irreconcilable promises to Canadians in order to garner as many votes as possible. This has resulted in an alarming lack of a stance on some of the most important issues of this federal campaign. If elected, Mulcair and the NDP will have to choose either to implement all of the programs they have promised, or actually work towards a balanced budget. By failing to make that decision during the campaign, while instead promising both, Mulcair demonstrates his willingness to forgo taking an actual stance in order to play both sides of the electoral field. It is clear that Mulcair does stand for one thing — an NDP victory on Oct. 19.
mandates provide for, and therefore attract, particular groups. All students can be represented at OAP, providing an opportunity for new groups to mingle. This is especially unique at a university as large as McGill, where it is easy to remain consigned within one ‘niche.’ Though it may not be literally the best place on Earth, OAP comes pretty close. It is unique in this ability to draw students from different walks of life to one location. Whether students stop by in between classes or visit in the evening, they will be able to meet a variety of people. More than at any other time of year, there is the possibility of breaking out of the usual McGill clubs and niches. With this inclusivity, OAP is transformed from an outdoor pub and made into a distinctively McGillian experience.
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Student Living student of the week
U3 Management student Peter Maccario is involved in a variety of endeavours that speak to his passion for leadership, his curiosity about the world around him, and a commitment to equality and peacebuilding. This summer, Maccario won the McGill’s Li Ka Shing Study Award. Consequently, the recipient spent 20 days in China: Ten days studying at Shantou University and 10 days of travel between Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing. Maccario had already been to China twice before, where he had taken Mandarin courses in Beijing, but this trip differed in that he was able to experience life in smaller areas like Shantou. It was here that he gained insight into Chinese management structure and their companies’ unique products. “I think that was the most interesting thing—learning how [Chinese businesses] manage their companies and the relations have within their them,” Maccario said. “China and Canada are completely different in terms of corporate structure [including] how [managers] talk to each other and how everything is delegated.” In addition to travelling around China, Maccario spent over a month visiting Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar and Cambodia. His favourite? Myanmar, by far. Myanmar has only recently opened its doors to tourism, which, according to Maccario, made it an especially unique experience. “No one was there, and there’s not (Natalie Vineberg / McGill Tribune) that many hotels set up so you see the same people in different areas,” he explained. “You almost become friends with everyone you’re travelling with since it’s a very small group.” Another highlight of Myanmar, and of his travels in general, was learning about each country’s rich history. Maccario has always been interested in learning about different cultures and histories. In fact, he con-
peter maccario u3 Management By Hailey MacKinnon
Wednesday, September 9, 2015 siders it a crucial element when travelling to foreign lands. He was able to learn from tour guides and from monks themselves—who taught him not only about the country’s past, but about the current state of government and military affairs. “Everyone should have the experience of understanding the culture and the history, because that’s so rooted in the country, and if you don’t get that, it’s like you’re missing a portion of that country that you’re visiting,” he said. Maccario’s desire to understand different cultures and the minds of the people within them is also key reason he chose marketing as a major. He is interested in understanding why people choose to consume certain things, and why they buy certain products rather than others. The answers to these questions are often rooted in understanding different cultural meanings, symbols and traditions. “A lot of the time I’d go into China and think ‘That’s terrible advertising, I would never buy that’ but you never know, the Chinese population might love that,” he said, laughing. “So I think that’s so interesting to understand where the differences come from […] how do you appeal to this person, and why is it so different from Canadian culture?” After his travels abroad, Maccario, a marketing major, returned home to an advertising job in Toronto—a dream position. His role was account intern, which entailed working in logistics, such as scheduling, budgets and briefs. A highlight of this position was when he was given the role of project manager for the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) Twitter contest which used the hashtag #practicesafework. Maccario was responsible for helping to post tweets, and talking with clients and partners. In the future, however, Maccario
Staying active on campus
1.
A membership for the fitness centre costs $32 a semester—a much cheaper fee than most gyms—and provides access to a variety of workout machines and weights.
(smu.ca)
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The McGill Gym also offers fitness classes like yoga, Zumba, and boot camps, for those who get bored of running on treadmills and want to exercise in a fun and social environment.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle in university
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Making use of McGill’s fitness and food resources
4.
By Karina Alibhai Everybody has probably heard of the infamous ‘freshman 15’— it is a dangerous and inevitable consequence of unhealthy college behaviour; however, there are ways to avoid
an unhealthy weight gain. Determination, willpower and a healthy mindset can make staying healthy at McGill a habit, not a task, and McGill campus services can help with that.
Students can join intramural sports teams, individually or in groups, from a selection of more than 10 sports. Intramurals are a great way to get active and hang out with friends at the same time. Student’ Society of McGill (SSMU) offers minicourses including dance and fitness classes. Minicourses not only help students stay in shape, but also allow them to walk away with a new skill—like knowing how to salsa or swing dance. Committing to one of these activities, which happen only once or twice a week, is a manageable way to maintain an active lifestyle.
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Join a club! There are a variety of sport and physical activity-based clubs offered at McGill by SSMU. Examples include McGill Muggle Quidditch Club and the SSMU Boxing Club.
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Take advantage of other free or cheap workout classes around McGill. Fit For a Cause offers $2 fitness classes with all proceeds going to a local charity. During finals, Healthy McGill offer free yoga classes. There are
wants to take on more of a strategy-based role rather than project management. “I like to develop from the beginning and have a hand in everything, and that’s what strategy does,” he said. “Rather than just passing it along to [different people] and making sure it gets completed, where you don’t really have so much to say in the creative process [….]” Maccario’s passion for developing an overarching strategy and taking on more of a leadership role inspired him to apply for the role of co-president of one of the biggest clubs on campus, Right to Play. This club seeks to empower underprivileged children through games, sports, and play. Having served as Vice-President Events and Vice-President Finance in the past, Maccario decided to apply for this position so that he could gain experience manning a whole team and learning how to negotiate with others and delegate responsibilities. “[Right to Play] is a very eclectic, diverse team, all from different faculties and personality types, so it is a fun aspect to learn how to work with different people and help them become empowered [...] as the organization does,” says Maccario. In the future, Maccario hopes to allow his socially-conscious side to continue to inspire him along with his passion for advertising and marketing. “What I hope to achieve is to keep [doing] responsible advertising and working for companies that I believe in, whether that’s more sustainable companies or notfor-profit companies that need advertising.” he said. “That way I can combine my Right To Play experience and advertising experience—I think that’s worth a million.” If you would like to nominate a student for Student of the Week, email us at studentliving@mcgilltribune.com
also fitness centres around the McGill area that offer free introductory classes, for example Moksha Yoga on SaintLaurent and Spin Energie on Parc.
7.
Walk as much as you can. McGill is located on a hill, so while you may hate walking up to Stewart Biology Building, your legs will thank you. Prioritizing walking can also include taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and going on walks as study breaks.
Eating healthy on campus
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It is tempting (and cheap) to live off of bake sales and samosa sales around campus, but there are many healthy alternatives to choose. The Student-Run Cafe in the SSMU Building offers vegan and gluten-free meals, while Midnight Kitchen serves free (or by donation) vegan lunches daily. Other options include delicious salad bars at all residence dining halls, healthy smoothies at Liquid Nutrition, and salad bowls at Quesada as an alternative to burritos.
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Buying fresh food is made easier through the McGill Farmer’s Market, which offers delicious, local, and seasonal produce on McTavish Street during the fall season, They also offer the option to pre-order vegetable baskets and pick them up on campus, meaning you won’t even need to head to the store to acquire healthy groceries.
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See a dietician. It is always okay to ask for help, especially when it is regarding health. McGill Student Health Services offers dietary help and has a dietician on campus. Book an appointment to address any questions or concerns you may have, or just to make sure you are on the right track.
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Student living Kicking back at McGill’s student bars Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Taking advantage of the best drink deals on campus AUDREY CARLETON Contributor The average university student is, more often than not, stressed about schoolwork, on a tight budget, and always in need of ways to relax. It follows that there are a multitude of places to de-stress over drinks at a very low cost. In addition to the good deals, drinking on campus— rather than venturing to Crescent or Saint-Laurent—support student initiatives and build campus community. The following is a full list of the best places on campus to grab a drink with friends after a long day of classes.
Open-Air Pub (OAP):
Braving the harsh Montreal winters not only builds a McGill student’s character, it also fosters a greater appreciation of the little time when Montreal is actually warm. There is no greater way to enjoy the good weather than with inexpensive brews, burgers, and live music on campus, an unique experience one can only find at OAP. Brought to students by the Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS), the
set-up of OAP at Three Bares Park is designed by McGill engineering students, and includes a stage for various local McGill and Montreal musical acts to perform every night. “I feel like [OAP] is a nice way to end off the summer and welcome in the new school year,” Emma Little, U1 Engineering said. “Beyond the burgers and cheap beer, the atmosphere is very low-key, lax and inviting.” During the first two weeks of school, OAP brings McGill students closer to one another and to the Montreal music scene, taking full advantage of Montreal’s beautiful weather and the stress-free freedom of the add/drop period.
Gerts:
Gerts, the student bar in the basement of the Shatner building, is the year-round watering hole where any and all brands of McGill students can be found, regardless of major, faculty, or affiliation. Since its founding in 1974, Gerts has aimed to build community by providing a safe and accessible place for students to gather, socialize, and unwind. Clubs and student groups
can rent out Gerts’ to host themed fundraising events, allowing students to contribute to good causes while enjoying cheap drinks. Lines are longest on Wednesday evenings—more commonly known as “Sangria Wednesdays”—when McGill students gather for good deals on tasty pitchers of Sangria, among other inexpensive drinks available at the bar. According to Zach Brown, “[Gerts] is loud, but not overly so [...] it’s not too chill, but it’s not too live and overwhelming either. The atmosphere is pretty friendly, even if you’re by yourself or with one or two people.” Despite newfound competition with Ace Bar, an off-campus bistropub that similarly offers Sangria and fills up quickly on Wednesday nights, many McGill students have remained loyal to this on-campus gem, carrying on the long-lived saying, “Gerts ‘til it hurts.”
Blues Pub:
Another piece of paradise put on by the EUS, Blues Pub is a weekly pub held on Friday evenings in the Engineering Common Room,
located in the basement of McConnell Engineering. Timed perfectly with the end of the schoolweek, Blues Pub provides students with a space to unwind and socialize after a long week of classes, over cheap beers and grilled cheese. Each Friday’s event is hosted by a different Engineering department, club, or committee, along with a different theme in decor and music. “The environment at Blues Pub is quirky, because it’s usually almost only engineers, so you’ll always see friends and people you know,” Isaac Eckert, U2 Science, explained. “Everyone knows everyone.”
4 à 7:
The Management Undergraduate Society (MUS) never fails to host great events throughout the year that bring students closer together. Among these gems is the MUS’ happy hour, 4 à 7, held on select Thursday afternoons from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the basement of Bronfman, to celebrate the near end of the week. Beers and grilled cheese cost a mere one or two dollars respectively, making 4 à 7 one of the most cost-effective ways to
start the weekend early. “4 à 7 is very social and welcoming,” said Michael Kalman, U1 Marketing. “Walking in, you get lots of high fives and fist bumps. It’s a good place to meet up with friends.” Though 4 à 7 is mostly frequented by Desautels students, the events are open to all faculties, even those with 4 p.m. classes.
Bar des Arts:
A product of the Arts Undergraduate Society, Bar des Arts (BDA) is a weekly pub night held on Thursdays from 5p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Arts Lounge, located in the basement of Leacock. Student departmental associations and clubs within the Faculty of Arts can apply to be featured at BDA, using this platform as a way to gain publicity within the faculty and student body. In addition to competitively cheap brews, BDA often serves staple foods that the average McGill student has grown to love, such as samosas and poutine. BDA’s timing on Thursdays puts it in competition with Desautels’ 4 à 7, creating a playful rivalry between the two student pubs, but it’s hard to go wrong attending either one on Thursday afternoons.
Youth voting made easy A guide for student voters Sam pinto Business Manager
Continued from Page 1:
Registering to vote: An individual cannot vote if they are not registered with Elections Canada. Fortunately, over 92 per cent of Canadians are already registered within National Register of Electors, which obtains its information from sources such as the Canada Revenue Agency, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and provincial driver’s licence agencies. This means that if you have a driver’s licence, a passport, or pay your taxes, you’re most likely registered. If not, you can register to vote online through Elections Canada. When you arrive at the polling station, you’ll be asked for several options to prove your identity. You can show a driver’s licence, a voter ID card, or a provincial ID card. If you have none of those pieces, you must show two pieces of ID from a long list of options that includes a passport, a birth certificate, a health card, or even a personal cheque.
Where to vote: (picshype.com)
On Election Day and advanced
voting days, polling stations will be open for citizens to cast their ballot for every riding across the country. While the locations of poll stations have not been released yet, you can find out what riding you’re in by simply typing your postal code into Election Canada’s Voter Information Service. For the first time, Elections Canada is opening offices on university campusees across the country to make it even easier for students to vote. There will be three offices at McGill, one in Carrefour Sherbrooke, one at La-Plaza-Diplomate (Ace Bar), and one at Memorial Hall. At these offices, students can vote regardless of where their riding is. This means that even if your primary address is in British Columbia, your vote will count in your home riding.
When to vote: Election Day is officially on Thursday, Oct. 19, but for students who might be busy that day, there are other options available. Advanced polls are open from Friday Oct. 9 to12, which is conveniently Thanksgiving weekend. They will therefore have the option to vote in their own riding if you are going home for the weekend. While the campus offices are only open from Oct. 5 to 8, their hours are quite convenient. They operate from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., allowing for much flexibility when accommodating
students’ schedules.
Other resources: Students at Concordia University have developed a free app called VoteNote, which provides users with all the information they need to vote. Users can identify their riding using GPS functions, see a list of the materials needed to register, and view information about all the running candidates. VoteNote can even set up an Uber to get you to the polling station. If you are unsure for whom you want to vote in this election, you can use CBC’s “Vote Compass” to learn where you sit on the political spectrum. This quiz will ask you a series of questions on a variety of political issues to help determine which political party you side with. Lastly, student-related issues such as education and affordable housing have not been at the forefront of this election so far. An organization called YouthVote is seeking to change that by pushing political parties to make youth issues a larger priority, which could increase civic participation amongst young people. For students who want to learn more about youth issues and want to help bring them to the forefront of politicians’ minds, getting involved with YouthVote is an excellent start.
Title subtitle
Coach like a girl By Morgan Alexander
TIMELINE
McGill’s 1926 Royal Victoria College Hockey Team. (Photo courtesy of McCord Museum)
Where are all the female coaches at Canadian universities? After nearly a decade of research and policy drafting with the Canadian government, Sport Canada introduced its Policy on Women in Sport in 1986. This policy aimed to support women financially in athletics, while also promoting a societal shift in the way women are perceived in the male-dominated world of sports. It arrived in the wake of Title IX, an educational amendment in the United States focused on increasing opportunities for women by making gender-based discrimination illegal in educational institutions, including athletics. The combination of these policies, both Title IX and Sport Canada’s policy, represented a clear goal: Increase the amount of female coaches and opportunities for female athletes. However, its impact on female coaches and athletes deviated, with the former falling significantly. For female athletes, the Sport Canada Policy, now replaced by Actively Engaged: A Policy on Sport for Women and Girls (2009), had a noticeably positive effect. In fact, the present number of inter-university teams for men and women in Canada are roughly equal. For coaches however, the numbers are far less motivating.
Although the amount of coaching positions available has rapidly increased over the past half-century, the percentage of female coaches has plummeted from 60 per cent in the ’60s, to less than 20 per cent today. This data is perplexing for obvious reasons: If there are significantly more high-level female athletes and therefore more coaching opportunities, one would reasonably suspect an increase in the number of female coaches. It is inevitable, then, to wonder: Why are there fewer female coaches, despite the increased opportunities for women to coach? “Coaching isn’t traditionally a female-friendly job,” said Jill Barker, assistant director of Athletics at the Macdonald Campus. “The hours suck. It’s a lot of hours during family time, after-school hours, dinner hours, weekends, travel, and recruiting. It’s almost like politics where there’s not a lot of female politicians; you could put parallels between the two professions.” Jennifer Brenning, director of athletics at Carleton University, echoed this sentiment. Brenning has worked in university athletics for 25 years, and witnessed the impact coaching can have on someone’s personal life—particularly
as women move from community sport into professional athletics. The beginning of a coaching career is very much volunteer-oriented. It takes a lot of time and certainly heavy commitment, and most coaches working in the community have a full time job while they’re doing this. These community volunteer coaches are vital, because they serve not only to maintain teams that receive little to no outside funding, but they also motivate young girls to participate in sports with confidence. “My coach was a female too, and she was so tough,” said Margaret Lan Shen, head coach of varsity men’s and women’s badminton at McGill. “She was a very good coach and she was always in my mind. She was like my second mom.” In fact, when Shen eventually became a coach herself, her parents commented on how similar her coaching techniques were to her previous coach. The first drop-off point in the amount of female coaches occurs at the high school and CEGEP level, which require more commitment, training, and money. The stakes are higher for athletics in high school,
because a conference victory could mean a university scholarship, increased funding for a sport, or new donors interested in supporting the athletics programs. As a result of the heavy time commitment required to gain the experience necessary to coach in these high-level positions, the balance shifts from women to men. Ironically, the reason for this trend away from gender equity stems from Title IX. According to Barker, the few women’s teams that existed prior to Title IX had female coaches, and the men’s teams had male coaches. Once Title IX came into effect, female athletics boomed, introducing more interest in the athletes and, as a result, more money. The coaching positions that were previously parttime or volunteer-based became full-time paid positions, requiring coaches to have significant experience before taking these positions. Since men were playing high-level athletics longer and tended to have the experience required, they took the new salaried positions—leaving less opportunities for female coaches. At the university level, female coaches nearly disappear. According to a 2013 report by the Centre for Sport Policy Studies, there are
742 head coaches within the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) overseeing 965 club and varsity teams. Although half of these are women’s teams, 83 per cent of the coaches are male. In fact, only two female coaches were coaching male teams in 2013. McGill University has a similar breakdown, with an equal amount of male and female varsity teams, consisting of 19 male coaches/three female coaches. To some, these statistics may insinuate that the Sport Canada policies instituted by the Canadian government and the CIS had no effect, or that women are being directly discriminated against by their employers. But university athletic directors across Canada claim that despite what the numbers show, there are attempts among athletic directors to actively and directly recruit female coaches, as was discussed at the June CIS AGM panel discussion on women in sport, in June 2011. “When I search for coaches, I would like to hire a female coach to coach our women’s program and get more women involved in coaching. That’s absolutely a priority,” Brenning said. Despite this goal, Brenning found that in the last two hiring processes for Carleton University, of the 60 applicants they received for a single coaching position, only four or five of the applicants were female. McGill Athletics follows the Senate’s guidelines on equity in hiring, and has consistent practices when searching for potential head coaches. According to Interim Executive Director of Athletics, Philip Quintal, and Assistant Director of Athletics, Geoffrey Phillips, the search for head coaches follows a clear standard: The job listing is put out on public forums for potential coaches, specific people may be contacted if they have a connection with the university or fit the criteria exceptionally well, rounds of interviews are conducted, and the decision is finalized following extensive meetings and recommendations. Lisen Moore, the manager of Varsity Sports at McGill, believes she has seen progress towards equality in university athletics. “I think that Canadian Sport has done a tremendous job in including opportunities for women to start their families and still remain as competitive athletes and competitive coaches,” Moore said. “University of Manitoba was a bit groundbreaking back in the ’90s, maybe, when Coleen DuFresne—who’s now the athletic director at the University of Manitoba—had her son. She was allowed to take him to the office; she was allowed to take him on the road as she was bringing him up—those are things that you see a little bit more now.” Numerous other Canadian universities have also made claims that with every search for a head coach, the amount of male applicants increasingly outnumber the amount of female applicants. Therefore, the reason for the low number of female
coaches does not seem to lie with the institutions. Instead, it appears to be institutional. In order to be hired as a head coach at a university, candidates have to complete necessary certification and need significant amount of experience, both of which require hours of work and dedication, usually without a high salary. At the university level, however, the potential salary can be a significant reward. While public sector salaries are private information in Quebec and McGill doesn’t release broad salary information for athletics, multiple head coaches at comparable universities like the University of Toronto make well over the median inMcGill’s 1918 basketball team, which defeated Queen’s University in the first Canadian women’s intercollegiate sporting event. (Photo courtesy of McGill University Archives) come for the average Canadian. The high salary is justified by the amount of money brought into the universities, which directly correlates with how successful a given program is. The university wants a successful coach just as much as athletes do—which explains why every single person interviewed for this piece had the exact same sentiment about hiring practices. “You want the best coach.” It’s all about selecting the most qualified candidate, and this practice should be consistently encouraged. It would be backwards progress Infographics by Hayley Lim / McGill Tribune; Statistics from the Centre for Sports Policy Studies to hire a woman to a head coach position if there was to help women who lack the expe- women,” says Rachèle Béliveau, failed is apparent. McGill is currently in search of a male candidate that was clearly rience to be a head coach progress head coach of Martlets volleyball more qualified. University officials within their institution, but they are at McGill. “You have to be strong a new executive director of Athletics seem to understand that there is a not enough. There are three female mentally to be in this competitive and Recreation, and the person chobenefit to having a female coach head coaches at McGill, and out of world. It’s always traveling towards sen will be instrumental in dictating the course the athletics department on a female team, which likely ac- the 30 varsity teams, only 13 have excellence all your life.” Despite the fact that university takes towards tackling the consiscounts for the 2013 statistics show- female assistant coaches. University-level varsity teams athletics is a male-dominated field, tent problem of the lack of female ing a slight increase in the amount of female assistant coaches when thrive on competition and constant there are clear signs that the institu- coaches. It’s too soon to say whether push to excel. The athletes aspire tions are self-aware and striving to- there will be a wave of women lookcompared to female head coaches. For example, Alyssa Cecere is to be the best players, the coaches wards equity. At the administrative ing for coaching positions. But until an assistant coach with the McGill aspire to lead championship teams, level, 2013 data showed that 24 per that time comes, instituting coach Martlets and a former Marlet her- and the administration aspires to cent of athletic directors in Canada development programs and policies manage consistently successful were female along with 50 per cent aimed to support women with famiself. “She’s done a great job in get- and lucrative programs. The cur- of assistant athletic directors, which lies and encourage female athletes ting the experience and background rent university athletics atmosphere are undeniable improvements. To t o pursue these careers can only that’s needed for a coach, and I demands coaches who are well- say that there isn’t a concerted effort benefit the university, staff, and its think she’s a real good example of qualified, experienced, competitive, focused on encouraging women to students. a player who has gotten into coach- demanding, and willing to sacrifice get involved in university athletics An extended version of this in some capacity would be false, but ing,” said Peter Smith, head coach for their team. “It’s very hard—you’re in a realizations that many past efforts to piece will be available online. of McGill Martlets. Efforts like these are necessary man’s world even if you’re coaching support women in these fields have
Science & technology
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Wednesday, September 9, 2015
md or phd? How to get career experience in the sciences
Deciding what to do after graduation is hard for all undergraduates. While some are blessed with the secure knowledge of what their future holds, for most, that’s not the case. For Science students, the most common choices are graduate or medical school. While undergraduate studies, for
the most part, provide all the necessary skills and information to pursue both of these choices, it fails in one important area— real work experience in either of these positions. To acquire this, students must look further.
Choosing between medical and graduate school can be a daunting task. (Cordelia Cho / McGill Tribune)
Chloe Nevitt Science & Technology Editor
So you want to be a doctor? Many people have always coveted having a “Dr.” before their name. However, without having done any real medical work, it’s impossible to know if the choice is right. During university, a number of options exist to give students an idea about the realities of medical work. The easiest choice is volunteering—hospitals will always need people to sweep floors, cart meals around, and empty bedpans. Although unglamorous, this choice exposes students to career options in medicine, as well as the general process by which most procedures are undertaken. “I got the job by filling out the application, as well as [having] two reference letters,” U2 Environment student Lydia Kaprelian, who has been volunteering at St. Mary’s Hospital since January, explained. “I work in the recycling department and find new lives for products and streamlining the recycling process in the hospital.” The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) currently has over 2,000 volunteers and also offers its volunteers workshops and seminars about healthcare. Other volunteering opportunities exist at the Jewish General Hospital (JGH), l’Hopital Hotel Dieu, and the Montreal Children’s Hospital. For those overwhelmed by the thought of working in a hospital, shadowing a doctor is another choice. Unfortunately, most hospitals in Montreal don’t offer a shadowing program. Researching private practitioners by their area of specialty is probably the best option for students who want to get a feel of the dayto-day responsibilities of a doctor. At McGill, Medical Direction offers lists of possible shadowing opportunities for new students. It may take a couple of hits before finding someone to agree, but it’s not impossible. For this, parents are a useful tool; often they have friends (or friends of friends) who are doctors that may be willing to participate in a shadowing program. McGill is also host to its own Student Emergency Response Team (M-SERT). M-SERT is an entirely student-run volunteer service that provides emergency first aid services to McGill University and Montreal communities.
“I personally noticed some changes [in myself],” M-SERT Director of Finance Katherine Li explained. “As a member of M-SERT you’re looking out for everyone, there’s absolutely no prejudice. Everyone is someone that you care for and you want to help; once you gain this mentality, it’s really hard to lose.” Those on M-SERT not only help their peers, but also obtain Canadian Red Cross Emergency First Responder certification. It’s important to understand what medical work is like before embarking on an expensive, long, and difficult medical journey. “I’ve learned how to apply knowledge from school in the real world,” explained U3 Nursing student Soyoon Jin, who has spent time volunteering at the Montreal General Hospital, Royal Victoria Hospital, and the JGH. “[You] interact with others as individual human beings, not [just] as an illness you have to identify.”
So you want to go to graduate school? If the sight of blood makes you queasy, but you have a passion for details, discovery, and experimentation, then working in a lab might be right for you. There’s a wide range of research being conducted within a single field, so its important to figure out what type of work you want to do within a particular field before even making a decision about which professors to contact. Participating in undergraduate research is a more competitive process than getting medical volunteer experience, so the best professors to contact are the one’s whose classes you’ve taken. That way, the professor has an idea about your capabilities from your grade, and knows you’re somewhat interested in their research. Contacting professors can be tricky. During the school year, professors are busy reading and writing grants, teaching classes, and running their labs. Consequently, they have very little time for taking on prospective undergraduate students, which means that it is important for students to distinguish themselves from the crowd. There is a happy medium between emailing as many professors as possible and emailing labs with research areas of specific interest. E-mails to professors should include reasons beyond “I’m interested in your work.” Students should read publications by the
professor’s group and determine precisely what about their work is interesting to talk about. This helps the professor weed out those who will actually commit because of interest versus those just looking for a CV booster. McGill’s summer undergraduate research policy prevents unpaid students from working in a lab. For students, this means they should apply for funding. Funding can be obtained in a variety of ways. For Canadian students, The Natural
Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada offers Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) to citizens and permanent residents of Canada. For all other students, McGill has Science Undergraduate Research Awards (SURA), funded by private donors and awarded on the basis of academic merit, as well as work-study programs. Once the school year starts, however, students are eligible to work on a volunteer basis in labs.
RESEARCH BRIEFS
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Science & technology
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Brain Power
Researchers further unravel the mysteries of the brain chloe nevitt Science & Technology Editor
Molding memories Some people find it hard to remember what they had for lunch yesterday, while others can remember every detail of the house they grew up in. Understanding how memories are retained and recalled has always intrigued researchers, especially when seeking therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Researchers speculate that the lifespan of the connections that exist between neurons, called synapses, helps determine how long a memory lasts. These connections will strengthen or weaken—known as synaptic plasticity—in response to increases or decreases in neuronal activity. When the synapse’s strength decreases, the memory disappears. To test this, researchers from Stanford University examined changes in the hippocampus—the area in the brain responsible for consolidating memories—in mice over long periods of time. Published on June 22 in Nature, results showed that the synapses of the mice they were studying lasted around 30 days—approximately the same amount of time that memories in the hippocampus are retained. By using an imaging technique known as advanced fiber optic fluorescence microendoscopy. Associate Professor in the biological sciences and applied physics departments, Mark Schnitzer was able to monitor the formation and destruction of synapses. These images
were then compared with behavioral changes in the mice—such as losing the ability to navigate a maze—to confirm that the synapse damage resulted in the loss of memory.
Delusional or Sleep-deprived? Evolutionarily speaking, the ability to defend oneself from predators was an important skill. In order to do this, the brain needed to be able to distinguish between friend and foe. This means being able to detect and interpret emotional facial cues. By using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), scientists from University of California Berkeley have shown that this ability is dulled by lack of sleep. Considering that 30 per cent of Canadian adults are sleep deprived, according to the World Association of Sleep Medicine’s 2011 report, it’s worth wondering if the resulting deficit could affect our everyday interactions. “Recognizing the emotional expressions of someone else changes everything about whether or not you decide to interact with them, and in return, whether they interact with you,” said professor of psychology and neuroscience at UC Berkeley and senior author of the study, Matthew Walker, to MedicalXpress. The study involved showing the participants photos of people with both friendly and threatening expressions, and then asking the participants to interpret the emotion. This was done twice, once under normal conditions, and then again after being awake for
24 hours. “They failed our emotional Rorschach test,” Walker explained. “Insufficient sleep removes the rose tint to our emotional world, causing an overestimation of threat.” During the study, the scientists also measured the heart rates of the participants and showed that there was no change in heart rate to signals typically perceived as being distressful. Consequently, most faces appear to be threatening, even when they’re not.
The brain is perhaps the most complex organ in the human body. (Elli Slavitch / McGill Tribune)
DNA degeneration In order to access the genetic information stored in DNA, it must be unwound from its normal doublehelix resting state. This process is continuously occurring in the brain—DNA is unwound and wound back up again every time we have a new memory, according to a team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). “Cells physiologically break their DNA to allow certain important genes to be expressed,” neuroscience professor Li-Huei Tsai explained in an MIT News release. “In the case of neurons, they need to break their DNA [... to] pave the way for the transcriptional program that supports learning and memory.”
To create new memories, new DNA must be made. This process, as people age, will become faulty and can lead to mutations. By pinpointing the specific areas of error, the amount of problems can be minimized. This finding—recently published by Tsai’s team in Cell—can lead to a deeper understanding of how neuronal damage accumulates in the brain, and more importantly, how to cure it. Particularly, as people age, the body’s ability to properly control its memory system degenerates and leaves its cells vulnerable to errors in its genetic code; these mutations can be extremely deleterious and could be implicated in Alzheimer’s. “During aging, and particularly
with some genetic conditions, the efficiency of the DNA repair system is compromised, leading to the accumulation of damage,” Tsai stated. Past studies have already shown that mice with Alzheimer’s have higher levels of DNA damage known as double strand breaks, where there are gaps in the sequence caused by improper replication. The team studied the enzymes responsible for this damage, as well as why certain memory genes relied on a faulty mechanism to function. Their results showed that this system allows the cells to respond as fast as possible to external stimuli, a response most likely developed to quickly adapt to one’s surroundings.
The summer slide Scientists examine why students perform poorly following summer vacation Clare Lyle Contributor Summer marks a pause in the academic year. It’s a time for students to recharge after a hectic semester and forget about school for a few months. Unfortunately, this can also mean forgetting a sizable chunk of the previous year’s work. This phenomenon, known as the “summer slide,” is well-documented in elementary and high school students. According to a literature review from researchers at Duke University, students coming back to school in September experience a one-to-three month setback in reading ability. This setback varied with their socioeconomic status—with lowerincome students experiencing a greater setback than those who came from high-income families. This means that
their three months of summer holidays undid between one to three months of coursework. “A conservative estimate of lost instructional time is approximately two months, or roughly 22 per cent of the school year,” stated a report from the National Summer Learning Association. “It’s common for teachers to spend at least a month reteaching material that students have forgotten over the summer. That month of re-teaching eliminates a month that could have been spent on teaching new information and skills.” Although the scientific literature is fairly sparse when it comes to university students’ return from their summer holidays, a number of studies exist that instead have examined how the brain creates and stores memories, along with how it forgets them. Memory can be divided into roughly two different categories:
Procedural and declarative. Declarative memories are the brain’s way of storing facts and concepts. Names, dates, and ideas are all forms of declarative memory. Procedural memory is related to skills that require practice, like riding a bike, skiing, or driving a car. These two types of memory are treated differently by the brain. Declarative memories, for example, tend to be forgotten more quickly than procedural memories. An MIT study showed that although sleep improved both types of memories, early-stage sleep—when individuals spend less time in the REM stage— tended to prove more beneficial for recalling word-pair lists. Later-stage sleep, which contains more of the REM stage, helped participants recall mirror-tracing skills. A different study, also from MIT, found that short naps where the participant didn’t enter into
the REM phase helped consolidate declarative memory, whereas procedural memory was uneffected. For a university student trying to avoid forgetting biology notes after the summer, the best study strategy might be to simply take a nap—after reviewing their notes, of course. But what else can students do in the upcoming semester to keep their course material from being forgotten quite so quickly? Neuroscientists and psychologists have explored a broad range of options, with a number of studies attempting to discover the exact effects of how study methods and lifestyle factors affect memories. One effective study method is called spaced repetition. Multiple studies over the past few decades have indicated that spacing out review sessions helps individuals improve recall. In one study by researchers from Villanova University,
participants were asked to memorize a set of pictures in two sessions. Groups whose sessions were spaced further apart tended to perform better when performing recognition tests later, in one case improving their accuracy on a written test from 76 per cent to 89 per cent. This means cramming a semester’s worth of material into the night before an exam is not a good idea, if science is anything to go on. In addition to causing an undue amount of stress and a number of sleepless nights, the practice also hinders recall. The better solution is to spread out study sessions over the course of several days, taking advantage of spaced repetition. In short, the scientific literature supports common sense on this front: If you want to remember what you learn in class, you need to crack open a book every once in a while.
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Wednesday, September 9, 2015
SeaSON Preview FC North
Green Bay Packers — It’s another Super Bowl-or-bust season for the Packers this year as they look to redeem themselves after a heartbreaking NFC Championship Game loss. With reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers at the helm, the Packers should have no problem moving the ball offensively, even with the loss of star wideout Jordy Nelson. Any sort of significant Super Bowl run will depend entirely on their young defence. Look for the Packers to experiment with Clay Matthews all over the field as they try to create havoc for opposing offences. Detroit Lions — The Lions are the NFL’s version of fool’s gold—they’re never quite as good as they seem. After Detroit’s loss to the Cowboys last year, quarterback Matthew Stafford is now 3-32 in his career against teams with winning records and a pathetic 0-18 against winning teams on the road. If superstar wide receiver Calvin Johnson can stay healthy and Detroit can muster up a formidable rushing attack, a wild card spot might be within grasp. Unfortunately, the losses of Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley on the defensive line could prove costly for the Lions.
FC South
Carolina Panthers — In a division where no one managed to post a winning record in 2014, the Panthers are the only team that look poised to buck that trend going forward. Even with last year’s breakout wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin sidelined for the year with a torn ACL, Cam Newton has two promising pass-catchers in tight end Greg Olsen and wide receiver Devin Funchess. While the offensive line won’t do Newton any favours, he’s nimble enough in the pocket to weather the pass rush. With the best defence in the division, the Panthers should easily take first place. Atlanta Falcons — This team can only improve on its dismal 2014 season. Unfortunately the Falcons haven’t made enough additions to what ranked as the worst defence in the league last year. Matt Ryan is going to have his work cut out for him on offence. If receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones can stay healthy, the Falcons’ passing game will be among the best in the league. But it takes more than one dimension to win, and the Falcons’ defence is not strong enough.
Minnesota Vikings — Expect big things from the Vikings this year. A playoff spot will be tough to secure in the competitive NFC, but the return of Adrian Peterson make an impact in the backfield. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will continue to improve, and new addition Mike Wallace will provide him with a dynamic target. Last year, the Vikings were average defensively, but with a maturing young core led by Anthony Barr and Sharrif Floyd, Minnesota could have one of the league’s premier defences in the years to come.
New Orleans Saints — Even with the shocking off-season departure of Jimmy Graham to Seattle, quarterback Drew Brees has enough to work with in Marques Colston, Brandin Cooks, and Josh Hill. The squad’s wildcard will be its defence, which is largely made up of unproven rookies and average journeymen. First-rounder Andrus Peat has the potential to make an immediate impact on the offensive line, and centre Max Unger has the potential to lessen the sting of the Graham trade.
Chicago Bears — The Marc Trestman experiment is over in Chicago, and with it ends the Brandon Marshall era. The Bears have been pitiful recently, never mustering up the kind of seasons one would expect from a team with such impressive offensive firepower. Newly hired Head Coach John Fox should help shore up one of the league’s worst defences, but as long as Jay Cutler is taking snaps under centre, the future looks bleak for Bears fans. Expect wide receiver Alshon Jeffery and running back Matt Forte to have stellar seasons, but for Chicago to be in better contention for the top pick than a division title.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Hopefully nobody in Tampa expects this season to be anything more than an extended training camp for rookie quarterback Jameis Winston. The number-one pick makes this offence a little scarier, but when Mike Evans and Doug Martin are your only real threats, it’s going to be a long season. Recent reports suggest Winston may not be ready for Week 1 with a sprained ankle, and the prospect of seeing Mike Glennon out on the field for any meaningful period of time is not a cheery one.
FC West Seattle Seahawks — To run or not to run? If the Seahawks are able to move past the fateful decision that ended their title hopes last year, they could well end up in the title game once again. During the off-season, Seattle traded for superstar tight end Jimmy Graham, who should make a steady offence far more explosive with his elite size and athleticism. The league’s best defence should continue to stifle opponents. If the Seahawks have home field advantage for the post-season, expect to see them in the Super Bowl for the third straight year. Arizona Cardinals — The Cardinals began last year 9-1 before starting quarterback Carson Palmer went down with a knee injury. In front of him is what is shaping up to be an elite offensive line that should pave the way for a solid running game. Although the defence conceded the ninth-most yards in the league last year, they were the fifth-best when it came to preventing scoring. Arizona is well balanced and if Palmer’s surgically repaired knee holds up, they should once again challenge Seattle for the divisional title. St. Louis Rams — The Rams bring back all 11 starters on defence and add enigmatic former first-rounder Nick Fairley to the deepest and most talented defensive line in football. The questions remain on the other side of the ball. Newly acquired quarterback Nick Foles needs to steady the offence and rookie running back Todd Gurley needs to return from injury and make an impact if St. Louis is going to make the post-season. Nonetheless the Rams have tremendous spoiler potential and are a dark horse to snatch the last wild card spot. San Francisco 49ers — Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Looking at the 49ers’ roster, it’s hard to believe that this is the same franchise that reeled off three straight appearances in the NFC Championship Game from 2011 to 2013. San Francisco has been ravaged by multiple departures, including former head coach Jim Harbaugh and All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis. The once-vaunted defence is undergoing a rebuild, and the offence lacks the firepower and consistency to be a threat in the ruthless NFC West. The rebuilding 49ers will likely finish at the bottom of the best division in football.
FC East Philadelphia Eagles—The Eagles had a chaotic off-season, with Head Coach Chip Kelly shedding 11 players from the team. Starting quarterback Nick Foles and Pro Bowl running back LeSean McCoy are out, and running backs DeMarco Murray and Ryan Matthews are in. The changes are all part of Kelly’s plan to take his team to the Super Bowl, and the moves already have some analysts predicting an NFC East title. With a new defensive backfield in place and Sam Bradford starting at quarterback, it will be interesting to see if Kelly’s boldness plays off. Dallas Cowboys — The Cowboys’ main objective for this year is to repeat their first-place showing in the NFC East. The loss of running back DeMarco Murray—who led the league in rushing yards last year—to the Eagles spells trouble for their ground game. Whoever emerges to replace Murray will benefit from the Cowboys’ dominating offensive line, but the real test of the team will be whether its defensive line can avoid a letdown. New York Giants — The Giants are poised to have another lackluster year after being crippled by injuries in the 2014 season. A productive off-season resulted in the acquisition of running back Shane Vereen, who should be a good fit in the Giants’ offence. Receiver Odell Beckham Jr. should continue to amaze, but the team is already facing a rash of pre-season injuries. Star defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul’s missing finger will render him useless for the time being, putting the impetus on new Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to prevent any hiccups. For Head Coach Tom Coughlin, four consecutive seasons of missed playoffs could cost him his job, raising the stakes for this boom-or-bust team. Washington Redskins — The quarterback duo of Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins should continue to underwhelm in 2015. The hiring of new General Manager Scot McCloughan isn’t likely to have any significant impact on the team that went 4-12 in the 2014 season. The team’s personnel dysfunction and shaky offensive line shouldn’t lead anybody to expect anything better than a last-place finish. This franchise needs a long-term rebuild.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
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Sports
Bylines: Elie Waitzer, Zikomo Smith, Mayaz Alam, Morgan Alexander, Joe Khammar, Raphael Uribe Arango, Aaron Rose
FC north Pittsburgh Steelers — The Steelers appear talented but disorganized. Arguably the league’s most dynamic attack, Pittsburgh must cope with the NFL’s toughest schedule in 2015. The offence, is over-reliant on Antonio Brown and all-purpose superstar Le’Veon Bell. Bell and Martavis Bryant have suspensions to start the season while centre Maurkice Pouncey is injured, so expect a slow start. Most worrying is that the Steelers’ uninspiring secondary and shallow linebacker corps have not improved. Ultimately, Pittsburgh’s offence should mask defensive flaws and take them to the post-season. Baltimore Ravens — The Ravens are excellent on defence and unproven on offence. They are powered by a top-shelf offensive line, a solid secondary, and an imposing—though Haloti Ngata-less—defensive line. Joe Flacco, however, will need to find a deep-ball threat from Baltimore’s inexperienced receiver corps to replace the departed Torrey Smith. Nonetheless, the Ravens should be able to ride their defensive strength far.
FC south Indianapolis Colts—Everyone is waiting for Andrew Luck to realize his ‘chosen one’ status and win a Super Bowl. The Colts have a balanced offensive attack; Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen are red-zone threats, Frank Gore will bolster the backfield, and future Hall-of-Famer Andre Johnson will join the dynamic Pro Bowl wide receiver T.Y. Hilton. The only remaining question is whether the offensive line can gel and stay healthy. Indianapolis should dominate the South. Houston Texans — Offensive coordinators everywhere will probably have sleepless nights before facing the Texans’ defence. College superstar Jadeveon Clowney will return from injury to join the freakish J.J. Watt and lockdown cornerback Jonathan Joseph. Veteran Vince Wilfork will bolster a strong defensive line. The same cannot be said for the offence. Arian Foster is out for half the season, Brian Hoyer is a beerleague quarterback, and Andre Johnson left for a division rival. Houston might be tough to beat, but they will not have enough offensive firepower to get to the playoffs.
Cincinnati Bengals — The Bengals are the only perennial playoff team with a coach and a quarterback in the hot seat. The team is well-rounded, boasting a deep secondary and a fearsome defensive line with Geno Atkins looking like his old self in the pre-season. Their offence is equally wellorganized. Jeremy Hill had an impressive rookie season in the backfield behind solid linemen. He complements the unstoppable A.J. Green and the mercurial Andy Dalton. Expect the Bengals to top the division but to exit the playoffs early.
Tennessee Titans — The Titans are putting their trust in rookie Marcus Mariota’s arm. The former University of Oregon quarterback impressed in the pre-season and should improve on Tennessee’s dismal 2014 offence. Mariota does not have many weapons, although rookie wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham has exciting potential. On defence, coordinator Dick Lebeau has a solid secondary, and scary linebackers to experiment with in Derrick Morgan and Brian Orakpo. This is a team in transition, so expect them to struggle whilst having some encouraging performances. The Titans won’t make the playoffs, but they might surprise a few teams.
Cleveland Browns — This year’s Browns are similar to last year’s: Excellent on defence, dysfunctional on offence, and unlucky with players’ off-field conduct. Expect Joe Haden to lock down number-one receivers, and Donte Whitner to ring some bells. Cleveland has a good offensive line led by star tackle Joe Thomas. They unfortunately have the immature Johnny Manziel at quarterback, an uninspiring run game, and no true number-one wide receiver. Expect their tight defence to keep them in tight losses.
Jacksonville Jaguars — Expect Jacksonville to stay in the NFL cellar this year. Blake Bortles struggled behind a porous offensive line in his rookie season. His mechanics appear to have improved over the off-season, but this offence is punchless regardless. The biggest worry is the depleted defensive line. First-round pick Dante Fowler Jr. is injured along with veterans Ziggy Hood, Sen’Derrick Marks, and Andre Branch. Head Coach Gus Bradley wants his team to “own the AFC South,” but all Jacksonville can hope to own is 2016’s No. 1 draft pick.
FC West
FC East
Denver Broncos — With head coach John Fox gone and Peyton Manning looking for the first time in his career, it’s very possible the Broncos will lose the division for the first time since 2010. Several solid off-season additions won’t be enough to counter the offensive crater left by the departure of Julius Thomas, but the Broncos will beat down teams with their balanced running game. C.J. Anderson came out of nowhere last season to put up 1,200 yards, while Ronnie Hillman and Montee Ball are capable backups.
New England Patriots — With quarterback Tom Brady and Head Coach Bill Belichick still in command (thanks, judge Berman!), the Patriots remain the dominant organization in the division. The defence has been depleted with Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner, and Vince Wilfork leaving, but Belichick has always been able to coach extra wins out of this team down the stretch. When healthy, the Patriots have a frightening receiving corps. Expect to see Rob Gronkowski terrorizing any mismatched defender who covers him.
Kansas City Chiefs — The Chiefs seem most likely to unseat the Broncos atop this division. The addition of wide receiver Jeremy Maclin is a definite upgrade over Dwayne Bowe, but quarterback Alex Smith probably wouldn’t make the second string on a lot of other teams. Their defence also figures to be even better than last year with the return of both Derrick Johnson and Eric Berry, along with the additions of Marcus Peters and Tyvon Branch.
New York Jets — With Todd Bowles at the helm, the Jets could have the best defence in the league, especially with Darrelle Revis returning. Their defensive front three is absolutely lethal and the secondary has been upgraded over the off -season. On offence, Ryan Fitzpatrick will be a welcome upgrade at quarterback over Geno Smith, while Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker are two stud wideouts that will provide Fitzpatrick with dangerous weapons. After an exciting off-season, the Jets have set their expectations on a playoff berth this year.
San Diego Chargers — Philip Rivers is undoubtedly the most talented quarterback in the division and has the potential to post elite numbers in 2015. Wide receivers Stevie Johnson and Jacoby Jones provide two exciting new targets for him, while cornerbacks Jason Verrett and Brandon Flowers make up the core of a secondary that is second only to Seattle’s. Rookie running back Melvin Gordon will be an interesting x-factor, but the run defence will end up holding the Chargers back.
Miami Dolphins —The Dolphins are the sneaky underdogs in this division. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill showed flashes of promise last season, and a strong offensive line could lead the team far. On the defensive side Cameron Wake is a destructive force—a perennial Pro-Bowler and a sack machine. With the addition of Ndamukong Suh at defensive tackle, the Dolphins’ defence made the jump from scary to impenetrable. Brent Grimes is one of the top three cornerbacks in the league. Don’t be surprised if the Dolphins give the Patriots a run for their money.
Oakland Raiders — The Raiders will be an intriguing team to follow this year and over the next few seasons.While Oakland doesn’t have the talent to compete for a playoff berth right now, they do have a promising future. New coach Jack Del Rio and a core of young stars give hope for a bright future, while the front seven—led by Khalil Mack—are already among the best in the league.
Buffalo Bills — Head Coach Rex Ryan has massively upgraded the Bills’ offence by acquiring LeSean McCoy and Percy Harvin. At the same time, Buffalo’s defence remains among the top10 in the league. The offence has the potential to be explosive with Percy Harvin and Sammy Watkins as receivers but it all falls on quarterback Tyrod Taylor’s ability to manage a highpowered offence. There are tons of questions about this squad, but don’t count them out as a dark horse to upset the Pats for the division title.
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Sports
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Team Previews
Compiled by Mayaz Alam, Morgan Alexander, Zikomo Smith, and Elie Waitzer
MARTLET
RUGBY 2014 was a rebuilding year for the Martlet rugby team. Fresh off of a RSEQ Championship the year before, the team lost notable players including CIS Player-of-the-Year Brianna Miller. This season, the squad looks to build off of last year’s appearance in the RSEQ semifinals, when they fell to the Ottawa Gee Gees, and challenge for an RSEQ title once again.
REDMEN
Lacrosse What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. If that’s really true, then the Redmen lacrosse team is posed to come back more vengeful than ever this season. After going undefeated at home and against conference opponents during the regular season, the Redmen fell to the Guelph Gryphons in the CUFLA Baggataway Cup Final for the second straight year. Last year’s loss will be felt for a long time after the Redmen scored seven unanswered goals in the closing minutes of the game but fell short of a miraculous comeback.
REDMEN
Baseball The reigning ‘Tribune Team-of-theYear’ kicked off the 2015 season Sunday with high expectations. The defending CCBA champions posted a 21-9 record last year during the regular season and won four out of five games at Nationals. Tournament MVP Tyler Welence and Robert Sedin, two of McGill’s four CCBA All-Stars, are returning this year at shortstop and third base, respectively. Welence led the CCBA in batting average (.458), and was
REDMEN
Football For the first time in over a decade things are looking up for McGill football. While the Redmen were winless last year, the team won its season-opener for the first time in 15 years against Bishop’s University by a whopping 10-3. The victory marks the first CIS win for new Head Coach Ronald Hillaire, who took on the position in February following Clint Uttley’s resignation The Redmen lineup has gone through a complete overhaul this year. Eleven starters from last year are off the team, including
The Martlets will return two All-Conference players in prop Audrey Marcotte and centre Caroline Suchorski. Last season, Suchorski was the offensive anchor for the team and led the RSEQ in scoring, tallying 91 points in seven games. Star wing Deanna Foster also returns to the squad after missing last season with a knee injury. During her sophomore season, Foster was an All-Star at the CIS National Championships; she will likely partner with Suchorski to make a formidable one-two scoring punch. The Martlets started off their season with a 29-12 loss against the Laval Rouge et Or on Sept. 7.
(Luke Orlando / McGill Tribune)
With 14 seniors returning to the squad, regular season dominance should be routine for Redmen lacrosse. Three-time All-Star Connor Goodwin, newly named co-captains Anders Bjella and Rufus Frost, and junior attackman Spencer Bromley lead the most prolific offence in the conference. On defence, veteran Paul Rakoczy will be a steady presence in the backfield, and will help mentor blue-chip defensive recruit Brendan Mullen. Most importantly, the Redmen must keep faith in goaltender William Waesche. The junior was named 2014’s best goalie and McGill’s MVP after going a perfect 9-0 and posting a league-best 4.83 GAA. The Redmen are the deepest team in the conference—just give them one more shot at Guelph.
(Jack Neal / McGill Tribune)
second in base percentage (.544) and runs scored (18). Sedin led the league in slugging percentage (.721). The two will lead a youthful Redmen roster. Thirteen of the 24 spots are occupied by players in their first year of eligibility. This will present a new challenge to the Redman who lost five players to graduation last year. McGill’s fiercest competition for the crown will come from rival Concordia, who were the runners-up in last year’s tournament. McGill have split their first two games of the season, both against Carleton. They hope to bounce back next week against the Montreal Carabins.
(Wyatt Fine-Gagné / McGill Tribune)
running back Jean-Philippe Paquette and quarterback Dallon Kuprowski. Two-time Vanier Cup winner Benoit Groulx will join Hilaire and the coaching team as the team’s new offensive coordinator In the victory over Bishop’s, first-year kicker Justin Lavelle tied up the game in the second quarter with a 14-yard field goal. Slotback Louis Brouteille was the star of the match, scoring a 33-yard touchdown with 4:32 remaining after a strategic passand-run play. It’s too soon to say whether the victory will be indicative of a winning season, but Hilaire’s revamped squad certainly looks more confident on the field after going through a tumultuous season last year.
(Natalie Vineberg / McGill Tribune)
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
more than just
17
cheap beer: a backstage look at four of oap’s finest performers
z o o
l e g a c y
c u l t
Morgan Alexander
Z
oo Legacy is undeniable an anomaly. Part hip-hop, a little bit of indie, a sprinkle of rock, all mixed together to form a sound that can only be described as collaborative, but certainly not disjointed. “When we began, it was really a rock group with a rapper,” lead singer Nick Pouponneau wrote in an e-mail to the Tribune. “Over time we’ve worked so hard together to make what is our sound. It’s not a mix between two genres, it’s our sound.” The group, formed in 2011, hails from Ottawa. One member, keyboardist Samuel Goss, is a McGill alumnus who “still rocks the Redmen hoodie.” Having been together for five years, the group maintains an eclectic mix of musical influences—ranging from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Notorious B.I.G.— that allows for diversity and adaptability in their sound. “Lyrically, I think we fall somewhere in between the party, easy-going, get turnt style and handling more heavy themes,” wrote Pouponneau. “Putting together the two styles hasn’t been too difficult because we build from the ground up. We’re not an indie band with a rapper or a rapper with a backing band; we’re true to our process and our sound.” That process reflects the palpable joy that Zoo Legacy has for their music. Reflecting on the songwriting process, Pouponneau creates a beat to match the instrumentation before formalizing the lyrics, tuning, and then, “voila, you have
a banger!” Their on-stage presence is equally as positive and electric. OAP veterans, Zoo Legacy closed the first week with all the fanfare you would expect of a band that has opened for Lauryn Hill at Ottawa’s Bluesfest. When preparing for the performance, Pouponneau spoke of the opportunity with graciousness and excitement. “It’s always such a great vibe, there’s always so much love,” Pouponneau mused. “I feel like this show is going to be that same feeling but on a bigger scale, more people to jam with, more energy which we definitely feed off of. It’s going to be an experience!” Their performance was exactly that; high energy, fun vibes, and heavy on pumping up the crowd. This type of performance is typical of Zoo Legacy, who likes to stay close to the album sound while still focusing on building a connection with the audience. “The one thing we always try to emphasize is giving the crowd as much energy and feeling as possible; whether it be a sexy, slow jam or a party record, we want people to walk away with a connection,” Pouponneau wrote. “We make sure everyone is having a good time because we don’t ever take for granted how blessed we are to be able to rock a crowd.”
Zoo Legacy released their third EP, Departures in June. You can check it out on spotify.
c l a s s i c Christopher Lutes
S
pringing from the experimental art pop and shoegaze scenes of the ’80s and ’90s, dream pop has become a major influence for young artists on campuses across the country. One of these disciples is Cult Classic. The McGill band— who started from humble beginnings in the basement of Gardner Hall— took to the stage at OAP last week. “All of our members only got back four days before [OAP],” Chris Steward, singer and lead guitarist, said. “So it was like, five hours of practice a day for four days.” Singer Rosie Long Decter said, “I came back to Montreal, and it was like ‘Okay, Rosie, we’re going to play three new songs at OAP; we need to write the lyrics and melodies for all of them.’” This is the life of a band that also has to live with the stress of being students. Coordinating practice time can be next to impossible; musical passion comes into direct conflict with academic obligations, and members are separated from each other for most of the summer. Balance can be hard to achieve. “Rosie does it well,” Steward said. “I think I’m far more reckless, to be absolutely honest. It’s a lot of three-day no sleep binges. I just have to try to push myself to every limit possible and pray it works out in the end.” The outcome of this struggle is a sound that is blissfully unconstrained, as though it could meander anywhere. The music manages to feel collaborative, even when the band members have to work together
with an ocean of distance between them. Due to this bond, the end product winds up feeling greater than the sum of its parts. “I find that different parts [of the music] kind of take their own life,” said bassist-guitarist Tom Gould. Steward echoed this sentiment; “That’s the thing, each of our members brings something completely different to the table,” he added. “Like Austin—our drummer, for example—is a fantastic jazz drummer. I’ll give him a part that I have an idea for, and he’ll transform it into his own groovy sort of thing. That’s how the songs become really unique.” As the band members get to know each other’s musical quirks and preferences, they get a better grasp on how they should sound as a unit. “We’ve always been really into our textures,” said Steward. “So recently, it’s been [about] reconciling that shoegaze-y textureness [sic] with this groove and oomph we hear in Tame Impala. But at the same time we have to sound kind of ethereal and dreamy.” This production-heavy focus in their recorded content can be hard to recreate onstage, but the band views the spontaneous nature of live performance as an opportunity rather than a constraint. “We were trying to write lyrics and remember them the day of OAP,” Gould said. “It was great, we all kind of came together—I think we pulled it off.”
You can listen to Cult Classic on Soundcloud.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
OAP Continued
Students gather for OAP 2015. (Natalie Vineberg and Hayley Mortin / McGill Tribune)
C a f e
R a c e r
I V O R Y
Morgan Alexander
C
afé Racer is no stranger to the whims of the OAP crowd. The headliners are preparing to close the event in true veteran status, drawing people by putting their twist on covers of songs that everyone loves, then keeping the crowd interested with their own brand of indie rock. The group, now entering their third year of performing, is in tune with what the people want, and they’re dedicated to making a place for themselves in the rock world. “We’ve stuck to a pretty solid sound,” said Myles Hildebrand, guitarist and lead singer of Café Racer. “We never mess around with synths at all; we’ve kept it guitar, bass, vocals, and drums. I think we’ve always just naturally played this kind of revivalist rock with a new spin on it.” The emphasis is on keeping the sound fresh, not letting it get bogged down by past invocations of “classic rock” a term which drummer Josh Grant says he hates, opting to describe his band’s sound as “classically inspired.” In the studio, they keep their sound focused, using a rhythm track to maintain the structure of the song. But on stage, the energy of the crowd tends to take over. “We try to keep [our live shows] as close as possible to the record,” says Hildebrand. “I’m fully willing to sacrifice some musicality for the stage show.” Café Racer is all about stage persona. Hildebrand has developed a personal aesthetic revolving around his long, blonde hair, which
is used to the fullest to invoke that traditional head-banging rock n’ roll-feel on stage. It helps pump up the crowd, and it motivates the other members of the band too. “When you’re playing in front of people and you feed off the crowd and you have someone in front of you leading the band, it helps you,” Grant explained. “We’re all fired up and we all love playing music for people. It’s a very cathartic feeling to be on stage performing your own songs for people.” Out of the studio and off the stage, Café Racer has kept that energy going through their music videos. Their latest, Circus Girl, was produced by Cannes-nominated director, Chris Rob, and premiered alongside Burlesque dancers to a packed audience at Le Belmont. “We released the “Circus Girl” video at a show that we also called Circus Girl,” said Hildebrand. “There were burlesque dances and live circus performers; that was definitely our biggest show. It meant a lot.” The band has their sights set on bigger venues, first Metropolis, then Osheaga. For now, they’re ready to return to OAP as veterans and perform their hearts out. “We’ve played OAP too many times,” said Hildebrand, laughing. “We know what the crowd wants.”
Café Racer will be playing at Open Air Pub on Friday, Sept. 11 at 8 p.m.
H O U R S J A C K NEAL
W
hereas most bands strive for immediate recognition and commercial success, the London, Ontario-based band Ivory Hours has quite the opposite take on fame. “I think we had the luxury of not that many people knowing about [us],” admitted lead singer, Luke Roes. “We were allowed to evolve in a bit of a bubble with people that really supported us [….] There was no expectations at all.” In 2012, Roes was just finishing his degree at Queen’s University when he decided to dive into the music industry. After an unsatisfactory stint in Vancouver, Roes came back to Ontario where he got to know his two current bandmates, Tom Perquin and Chris Levesque. “I think [the band] has definitely evolved. When I was hiring Chris and Tom, I definitely had a stronger idea than I originally had,” Roes explained. “I had an idea of who I wanted to be playing with.” The band has since released two studio albums, Mary (2014) and Morning Light (2015). The band admits that their sound generally reflects “indie-pop,” specifying The Strokes, Mother Mother, and MGMT as inspirations for actually writing songs and making a record. While Roes said the original album was a lot of “finger-picking” and “folk stuff,” there was a much more “high-energy pop tune” goal for the second record.
The band has also released a stream of highly-produced music videos, some featuring conceptual stop-motion production and friends who are more than willing to be a part of the often lengthy process. “We’re lucky we’ve got a great group of friends to support what we do,” Roes said. “They are such good campers too when it comes to not having a [...] fully-fledged idea. That’s when some of the most magical moments too when people just get on set and go wild.” The trio has since won recognition and awards, and their music has played on numerous radio stations. They started touring in Ontario and Quebec to promote their second LP, Morning Light. “There is going to be more touring in Ontario the rest of the year and into 2016; then we are planning on doing a full North American tour next spring which we’re really excited about,” Roes said. “We’ve won a bunch of studio time too, which is just sitting there, so we’re going to do a lot of writing in the fall.” The band later performed a fantastic set at OAP; their light and energetic music was perfect for the end of summer vibe the night reflected. Ivory Hours will be performing as a part of Pop Montreal on Sept. 17.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
19
PEER REVIEW
KALMUNITY Montreal music collective jives into its 13th year of live improvised shows At Kalmunity, Montreal artists come together on stage and give live, improvised music performances. (Photo courtesy of Melika Dez / Kalmunity)
HAILEY M AC KINNON Student Living Editor The self-dubbed “vibe collective,” Kalmunity, is a musical group who perform improvised shows twice a week in Montreal. Their unique form of “live, organic music” falls into place naturally; nothing is rehearsed beforehand, and there are no limitations for the sounds, themes, or collaborations that can be produced on stage. Their performance is an experience as much as a show. Kalmunity, a play on the words “calm” and “unity,” was a project formed by Jahsun, a Montreal artist, in 2003. He had noticed a lack of platforms for different forms of black music to come together within the Montreal music scene. To remedy this, the Montreal native invited artists to come together on one stage and give live, improvised music a show. The result was a melange of jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop, afro-beat, and rap, among others. “Music is one language,” Jahsun claims. “That’s what we show by mixing it all together, it all is one world of expression.” A typical Kalmunity song will start up with one musician playing solo, and other instruments slowly chiming in one by one. While the music is going, vocalists will participate in a huddle where those who are inspired can step forward. These huddles make sure that the themes to be explored align within reasonable boundaries so as to create a succinct piece of music. Once the vocalists finish the huddle, they take turns at the microphone, either alone or in groups, while the instrumentalists simultaneously listen and adapt. “It’s about adding to the puzzle,” Jashun said, “Sometimes, two people come together, and it’s not necessarily intentional; but if you’re open enough to listen to that clash of sound, it will inspire another sound. And from that you can build.” Akin to the way their sound is pro-
duced, there is no formal process in becoming a member of the collective. While each performance usually features 12 to 15 members, the entire collective has reached 70 members specializing in different forms of art. Vocalists have the freedom to perform in whatever language they best express themselves in, which ends up ranging from French, to English, to Creole. “There’s something really contagious about a community of 12 to 15 people really just trying to be honest on stage, as opposed to entertaining people,” said Jahsun, “I think that it relates to the human spirit directly. So I hope [the audience] feels inspired for whatever they’re doing, that they feel a certain energy that helps them carry on in a more positive way.” The desire to spread the value of organic music also inspired Kalumnity to establish bimonthly workshops. Through these, artists and musicians are able to bring in their instruments or pieces of art. They then receive handson instruction from three to four collective members in order to learn to do what Kalmunity does on stage. “We really critique how the communication can be better, not necessarily the art,” says Jahsun, “We’re not there to teach how to be a better poet or a better
musician per se, but in a way we are, because the tips we’re giving will help you become a better artist.” In typical Kalmunity fashion, the future for the collective remains unplanned. Jahsun wants Kalmunity to thrive, whether it be by continuing their performances and workshops, or by potentially putting smaller, diverse EPs in the works. “I just want to be able to ensure that there’s always a space for black music to be explored creatively,” Jashun said. “I also see us as becoming a bigger resource
to Montreal itself [... Kalmunity is] local, [we’ve] got a certain quality that is a high standard of quality, but also a certain quality that is Montreal.” No matter what the future holds, Kalmunity—the self-characterized music collective and church of sorts—will continue to “vibe on” into their 13th year of celebrating black music and live, improvised performances. You can watch Kalmunity performing at Les Bobards on Tuesday nights or at Café Resonance on Sunday nights.