McGill Tribune Vol. 34 Issue 21

EDITORIAL

Tuesday, March 10, 2015 Volume No. 34 Issue No. 21

Communication key for student engagement in austerity mobilization pg. 7

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Vigil p. 4

Martlets dismantle Carabins, lift RSEQ title Daoust notches hattrick in deciding game MAYAZ ALAM Managing Editor

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Vigil for slain Egyptians held on McGill campus

(Jack Neal / McGill Tribune)

PGSS, SSMU host joint summit on anti-austerity measures CECE ZHANG News Editor

dent priorities in McGill’s upcoming budget planning.

embers of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Council and the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) Council gathered for a joint meeting against austerity on Feb. 23.

The joint council was the first of its kind, and through it, the two student unions produced a joint statement opposing provincial austerity measures.

The two Councils approved two motions—one concerning the creation of a joint anti-austerity mobilization working group, and another on stu-

Joint statement against austerity The Councils passed a joint statement laying out how PGSS and SSMU would stand against the Quebec government’s stance on austerity.

The joint statement also authorized the creation of a joint mobilization working group.

“SSMU and PGSS jointly reaffirm the following: Complete and definitive opposition to the austerity measures in their actual form; commitment to support other Quebec

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student associations in their efforts against such measures,” the statement reads.

SSMU Medicine representative Joshua Chin expressed his reservations, questioning whether supporting other student unions in their measures against austerity would commit SSMU and PGSS if the other unions decided to strike.

“Will we be committing to supporting their strikes, and will it extend to SSMU and PGSS or even their constituent schools, faculties, or others?”

Chin asked, proposing to remove the clause.

Other councillors spoke against

removing this clause from the motion, stating that it did not necessitate SSMU and PGSS protesting with other student unions, and that stating support would help the overall movement against austerity.

“History in Quebec student movements show that when Quebec students are united, they have a much stronger voice and they are much more credible,” Frédérick Armstrong of the Post-graduate Philosophy Student Association said. “I would strongly disagree with striking that point, because internal debates should not hinder our efforts against such measures.”

Continued on pg. 3

ith her team down 2-1 against the No. 2 ranked Montreal Carabins in the deciding game of the RSEQ Finals, junior centre Melodie Daoust took over the game like superstars are meant to do, tallying two back-to-back goals to propel the No. 1 ranked McGill Martlets to a 7-2 victory and a RSEQ title.

Daoust, who has only played in eight contests this season due to an injury-related absence, scored three goals on the night, pushing her total to 18 points since her return. Senior winger Leslie Oles added a pair of goals, while forwards Gabrielle Davidson and Olivia Sutter rounded out the scoring with one goal apiece. The well-rounded attack was typical of the Martlets, who had nine different players score during the three-game series.

In net, junior netminder Taylor Hough started her first game of the post-season, replacing sophomore Brittany Smrke, who had been scorched for five goals on 16 shots in a 5-1 loss during game two of the series. Head Coach Peter Smith’s faith in Hough was rewarded, as the Toronto native was stout in net, overcoming a shaky first period to blank the Carabins in the final two periods.

Continued on pg. 21

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News

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Ta-Nehisi Coates speaks to McGill about race relations in the United States Atlantic editor underscores everyday racism experienced by black Americans DANIEL KANG Contributor

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a-Nehisi Coates, senior editor at The Atlantic, spoke at McGill on March 6, about the state of race relations in the United States. The talk was organized by groups including the McGill Debating Union (MDU), McGill Black Students’ Network (BSN), Women of Colour Collective at McGill Law School, and Media @ McGill.

The talk was moderated by Rachel Zellars, a Ph.D. student at McGill who is currently studying critical race theory and met Coates when they were both undergraduate students at Howard University.

Coates spoke extensively about how events in the past year motivated for him to write an essay addressed to his 14-year-old son. The deaths of black Americans Michael Brown and Eric Garner at the hands of the police in Ferguson, Missouri and New York City, respectively, were decried by the public on the account of being racially motivated. The events sparked protests against police brutality, institutionalized discrimination, and economic inequality throughout 2014.

“I thought about all the young black folks in America, in an era of Trayvon Martin, in an era of Renisha McBride, in an era of Jordan Davis, in an era of Michael Brown, in an era of plunder, and in an era of Obama, trying to make sense out of their world, and I remember how confused I was,” Coates

said, listing other black people who died after being attacked by the police. “It was just the most painful feeling to not know what was going on.”

Coates explained that the protests and public outcry were encouraging, but the experience of seeing black persons being attacked by the police was not a surprise to him. Coates’ essay sought to help his son understand why his son cannot afford to be shocked.

“Americans believe in what historian Barbara Fields has helpfully dubbed ‘racecraft’,” Coates read from his letter. “The idea that race is a defined, indubitable feature of the natural world, and from this unalterable condition, we derive racism as a natural byproduct, an innate need to reduce and destroy those who are darker or lighter than us [....] But race flows from racism, not the other way around. And the desire to be white has never been so much a matter of genealogy or physiognomy, as hierarchy.”

On Nov. 24, a grand jury decided not to indict Darren Wilson, the officer who shot and killed Brown in Ferguson.

Coates read the portion of his essay where he recounted how he spoke to his son after the decision.

“The men who left [Michael Brown’s] body on the street, like some awesome declaration of their inviolable power [...] I had known these men would go unpunished from the moment I heard Michael Brown’s name,” he said. “What I told you is what your grandparents tried to tell me: That this

is your country, that this is your world, that this is your body, and you must find some way to live within this world, and within this body.”

Coates went on to distinguish differences between the upbringings of white children and black children, asserting that black children typically live in households with lower socioeconomic means and are exposed to more violence than white children.

Furthermore, Coates argued that the use of academic discussions of racism should not diminish the visceral effect of violence that is being perpetrated by society. Coates argued that one cannot disassociate the violence inherent in racism through academic language, as it takes away from the everyday violence that many black people deal with in numerous aspects of their lives. “[The violence] compounds— everything about you, how you dress, how you carry yourself, how you laugh, what you laugh at, what you say, what you don’t say,” he said. “I came to understand that my country was a galaxy, my portion was black.”

Coates speaks to the audience about racial issues. (Cece Zhang / McGill Tribune) Denizhan Ukyur, U3 Manage- people who look down on protesters— ment and president of the McGill De- but because of its relation to violence bating Union, found that Coates’ talk and the language we use to distance ourselves from actual violence that hapwas effective and powerful.

“The effects of racism feel distant pens to actual violent people strongly to a lot people [....] The emotions people stuck with me,” she said.

Alex Langer, a U3 Arts student, feel are hidden behind words, facts, and technicalities,” Ukyur said. “He brought expressed that Coates presented a powthe visceral emotions of violence that erful message.

“What [Coates] does so well [...] people are feeling into the imagination of people who don’t necessarily have is taking something that you know is there, kind of formed in the back of the connection that other people do.”

Isabelle Oke, U1 Arts and political your head,” he said. “He just spells it coordinator for the BSN, mirrored those out and expresses things that everybody knows but doesn’t know in a simple, feelings.

“His point about violence, where beautiful, clear, and concise way that he was saying that there are a lot of just makes [everyone] understand.”

Yony Bresler elected as PGSS interim secretary-general SHRINKHALA DAWADI News Editor

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n Feb. 24, Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) of McGill University Chief Returning Officer (CRO) Colby Briggs announced that Yony Bresler had been elected as the PGSS interim secretarygeneral. Bresler, who assumed the role on Mar. 2, won with 55 per cent of the vote. Fellow candidate Saturnin Ndandala acquired 15.5 per cent of the vote. 29 per cent of voters voted ‘no opinion’ in the election, with 974 students voting in total.

Bresler spoke about his goals moving forward, highlighting the need to improve transparency and his dedication to anti-austerity measures in response to budget cuts passed by the Quebec government last year.

“My goals are to work with the current team to help them achieve their goals in their respective portfolios [...] taking steps to increase the transparency between the various governing bodies of

PGSS and [...] the members at large, and to represent graduate student interests broadly—in particular in relation to the planned austerity measures,” he said.

Bresler continued to explain that PGSS would be overseeing a working group against austerity, which was created in the organization’s joint council with the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) on Feb. 23. The group aims to mobilize the McGill community against austerity measures.

According to Briggs, a contestation—a formal procedure which contests the validity the electoral results—was presented against one of the candidates during the contestation period, which ran from Feb. 25 to March 1.

Briggs stated, however, the contestation would not likely affect Bresler’s win.

“The current open contestation concerns the claimed background and experiences of one or both of the candidates,” Briggs said. “This being said, I highly doubt any changes will come to affect the results of the election.”

(Hayley Lim / McGill Tribune)

Bresler underscores commitment to transparency, anti-austerity measures

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

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News

Greenbriar to be converted into an upper-year residence for 2015-2016 Residence’s culture of independent living style cited as reasons for conversion

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SHRINKHALA DAWADI News Editor

he Greenbriar apartment-style residence will be designated for upper-year students beginning Fall 2015. The residence is located close to McGill’s downtown campus on University and primarily housing firstyear students in studio-style and onebedroom style apartments.

Director of Student Housing and Hospitality Services (SHHS) Janice Johnson explained that the change was motivated by the increased availability of beds overall in McGill residences and the current popularity of Greenbriar as an on-campus housing option for upperyear students—about 30 upper-year students apply to live in residence each year, most of whom choose Greenbriar.

“Ever since we created [the residence] La Citadelle, we’ve got more beds than we need to meet the first-year student guarantee,” she said. “Looking at next year’s enrollment numbers [...] we thought that Greenbriar was probably the place that would be the most attractive for upper-year [undergraduate] students.”

Second to fourth-year students would be able to apply to live in Greenbriar through a process independent of the general lottery system that is used to

place first-year students in residences.

“It’s more like applying to rent a space anywhere else,” Johnson explained. “We’ll have a web form for students to fill out an application [....] If we have a [first-year] student [who] has particular needs that Greenbriar would fit, I wouldn’t not put them there [...] but we’re not going to be assigning a great swath [of first-year] students in Greenbriar.”

Leases for Greenbriar for the 2015-2016 school year would span 12 months, according to Johnson, although she said that she does not currently know how much rent would cost. Students would not be mandated to buy a meal plan.

Faye Siluk, U4 Education and Greenbriar floor fellow, explained that she believed some students might like the option of an upper-year residence.

“Even though first year is so formative, I think a lot of students still need [the] sense of security and that guaranteed community that comes from [residence],” Siluk said. “It does bring a sense of safety that you maybe wouldn’t get if you’re a little bit young or inexperienced [...] and that’s something that a lot of students as well as their families [...] might appreciate.”

Siluk also spoke to the structure of the apartments within Greenbriar,

stating that they allowed students to live more independently within the residence system.

“Now that I’m in Greenbriar, I have a lot more privacy,” she said. “I have my own apartment and kitchen, [and] I do feel like I’ve been able to grow and develop [....]

It makes sense to me that [an upperyear residence] would be Solin or Greenbriar, because it’s naturally going to be more independent.”

According to Johnson, Greenbriar will not have floor fellows in the 20152016 school year, although some on-site support would be provided for residents by relocating the MORE housing office to Greenbriar.

“There will be an administrative presence in Greenbriar during the days [...] in case students have questions, [but the] programming we [will] offer will be at a much more general level,

(Elli Slavitch / McGill Tribune) [such as] inviting [students] to stuff that’s happening across residences,” she said.

Johnson continued to highlight that student consultation would take place throughout the year.

“We want to [...] talk to students about what they might need and [...] see if we need to create something specific for upper year students,” she said.

Siluk spoke to the challenge of creating a community of upper-year students in Greenbriar during the next

school year.

“The fact that they’re upper-year students and that they have pre-established communities will make it more challenging than when you’re working with first years,” she said. “I think that if McGill set up some kind of hall council [for Greenbriar...] that plans events and gets given a budget [...] than it would really help build a community [....] I do have faith that students make [communities] on their own, it might just be a longer process.”

PGSS, SSMU host joint summit on anti-austerity measures Two student unions endorse funding for student priorities such as research opportunities CECE ZHANG News Editor

(Continued from page 1) Motion on student priorities in budget planning The joint council also approved a motion regarding student priorities in upcoming budget planning. The motion identified nine areas of the McGill budget as priorities for students: Research opportunities and funding, diversity of course offerings, experiential learning opportunities, student space on campus, scholarships and financial aid resources, library services, and maintenance of staffing numbers. Councillors also proposed two additional amendments, covering areas of funding transparency and increased funding for student health and mental health services.

PGSS Health Commissioner Elizabeth Cawley brought forth an amendment calling for increased transparency from McGill on funding for services such as the Office of Student Disabilities (OSD).

“Be it resolved that the SSMU and PGSS express their discontent with the current lack of transparency in funding transfers from the government of Quebec through the central administration earmarked for student services, and call on McGill to increase the transparency of these transfers,” the amendment reads.

Cawley explained that despite repeated requests from the Student Services committee, McGill has not disclosed details regarding the specific allocation of the earmarked provincial funds.

“When we made a formal request last year, we were simply told that ‘the university’s finances are audited both internally and externally on a regular basis’,” Cawley said. “Most recently […] there have been issues at UQÀM [University of Quebec à Montreal] with transfers regarding students with disabilities [….] We want more transparency regarding these transfers and we’re not getting it.”

An amendment proposed by SSMU Medicine Senator David Benrimoh asking that SSMU and PGSS lobby McGill to provide student health, student mental health counselling services, and the OSD with sufficient funding was also passed.

Motion on the anti-austerity working group A motion discussing the logistics behind the working group mandated by the joint statement was unable to pass before the joint council lost quorum.

Discussion on the motion only served as a consultative measure and the motion will need to be passed by SSMU and PGSS in their respective Councils to take effect.

PGSS External Affairs Officer

Councillors vote on motion to support student associations with their anti-austerity measures (Noah Sutton / McGill Tribune) Julien Ouellet presented the motion, stating that it would be a necessary step towards mobilizing the McGill community.

“To have an impact, we need to be able to mobilize,” Ouellet said. “To have a joint mobilization committee, which other associations within McGill could join, would help us raise awareness on issues such as austerity and to get people more riled up about decisions that will ultimately affect them on a very, very personal level.”

SSMU VP External Amina Moustaqim-Barrette cited concerns regarding the statement that the work-

ing group should only use “non-violent and non-defamatory strategies to reach its goal.” She was echoed by SSMU VP University Affairs Claire StewartKanigan.

“Tactically, it is essential to have disruptive practices of some kind, [but] even civil disobedience and things of that kind can be classified as violent in their creation of disruption to [the] regular functioning of things,” Stewart-Kanigan said. “By saying ‘non-violent,’ it’s giving into the idea you should be using the same word for punching someone in the face that you use for marching down the street and blocking cars, and that’s

not something we should be endorsing in our formation of the committee.”

Ouellet maintained that the inclusion of ‘non-violent’ and ‘non-defamatory’ would increase the legitimacy of the working group.

“Within McGill. we would have a better chance of attracting other accredited unions if we made [it] clear [that] we’re going to be mindful of [the] law,” he said.

An amendment was passed changing the wording to read “without the express intent to cause physical or psychological harm to people.”

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Tuesday, March 10, 2015 News Over 1,000 march against austerity cuts in provincial education funding

Student unions rally against cuts to education and other public services

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CECE ZHANG News Editor

pproximately 1,500 people protested against austerity cuts in education on Feb. 28. The march from Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM) to McGill University was organized by several student unions, including the provincial student unions Fédération étudiante Universitaire du Québec (FEUQ); Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec (FECQ), the Labor Union Centrale des Syndicats du Québec (CSQ); and the Association Québécoise des Centres de la Petite Enfance (AQCPE), a union for child care centre workers.

In December 2014, the Quebec government announced that it would aim to cut $700 million in public service jobs and salaries. Earlier in January, the government proposed a decrease in the number of school boards, amongst other changes, in order to balance the budget.

According to Jonathan Bouchard, president of FEUQ, the march was a signal to the provincial government to preserve the

current public services.

“The main message was a cry out to the government [that] Quebec absolutely requires an investment in education in the next budget,” Bouchard said. “From daycares to university and research, all orders of education are affected by the liberal government’s austerity measures, and quality and accessibility to these services are compromised.”

Bouchard stressed the negative impact the cuts would make on education, and said the group would continue to mobilize against austerity.

“It is important to view this march as part of a bigger mobilization against the austerity measures implemented by the government,” Bouchard said. “Education is at the verge of being affected for years to come, and we have to pull together to demand a better future for our education system and our society as a whole.

Smaller actions will take place throughout the spring in order to grow and continue mobilization.”

Guillaume Parent, a business school student at UQÀM and participant at the march, said that while he understood that the gov-

Protestors march against austerity cuts in education and other public services. (Cece Zhang / McGill Tribune) ernment needed to make cuts for financial reasons, he felt that the austerity measures did not take into consideration the people’s voice.

“I know it’s not easy because there’s a lot of bureaucracy and other stuff—so in a sense what they’re doing is necessary—but I don’t think they’re doing this the right way,” Parent said. “For instance, they’re talking about closing some healthcare offices,

but that will make people go from their small village to their big town, making them ride for an hour [to get there....] They should [...] really listen to what the people want and the needs of the population.”

Gabriel Provost, a history student at UQÀM and participant at the march, cited a report created by the Coalition of Consumer Associations in Quebec (CACQ) and its proposal for increasing the

provincial government’s revenues through measures like increasing tax brackets and fully publicizing the drug system. “[The government] wants to remove the fiscal burden, but essentially what [they’re] doing is making us pay more everywhere [except] in our taxes,” Provost said. “Prosperity is something you cultivate. You cannot impose austerity on a population and expect for everything to go well.”

Vigil for slain Egyptians held on McGill campus

Offers solidarity while raising awareness for issues of intolerance

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LAURA HANRAHAN Staff Writer

n Feb. 25, members of the Montreal community gathered at a vigil held on campus to pay their respects to the 21 Egyptian victims killed in Libya.

A video released by Libyan Islamic State extremists on Feb. 15 showed the alleged execution of 21 captured members of Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority.

Participants of the vigil stood outside the Redpath Museum, holding candles and signs commemorating the lives of the Egyptian victims.

The vigil was organized by U1 McGill Arts student Gabrielle Anctil and Concordia student Antonious Petro, who said they hoped to bring attention to issues of violence that result from intolerance.

“This vigil wanted to serve as a reminder that, yes, in 2015, it is still possible to die because of your culture, religion, [or] ethnicity,” Anctil said.

Vigil attendee Kelly Schwab, a McGill alumni and current Concordia Masters student, stated that the event was moving and

brought together members of the Montreal community.

“I think it turned out to be a beautiful event,” she said. “It was quite cold [...] but it brought together quite a mix of the community—francophones, anglophones, Concordia, McGill, students, non-students. I think it was a very simple, very lovely statement about non-hate, expressed in a solemn walk to the steps of Redpath, and a brief trilingual speech on the loss of individuals to discrimination, hate, and violence. “ Petro and Anctil stated that they hoped that the vigil would serve as a platform for the Montreal community to be able to gather and contribute proactively to awareness of such issues.

“I think a lot of people feel powerless about these issues, and I think that it is very positive that we got together and showed our support,” Anctil said. “A lot of passersby stopped and read our signs, so hopefully they felt touched by our message.”

According to Anctil, the vigil was also spurred by Petro’s personal connection to the victims. “[The idea for the vigil]

Students hold a memorial for the Egyptian victims on the steps of Redpath Museum. (Jack Neal / McGill Tribune) came from [Petro] who grew up in the village where these people were from,” Anctil said.

Schwab underscored the necessity of remembering the stories of people who were killed in Libya.

“The issue is important to me on a basic human level—I condemn the use of violence in all forms,” Schwab said. “In organizing this event, it was im-

portant not to focus on the action as one taken against the Coptic community specifically, but against individual lives—that these people were deserving of life, trying to make a better living than what was available to them in their own countries.”

Schwab also highlighted that the vigil was a reminder of how injustice affects the lives of people around the world.

“Its important for us to be aware of how others exist and live their daily lives,” she said.

“The fact that [...] these men had to go abroad to find work because of systemic failings in their own countries is traumatic in itself [....] The vigil for me was an active reminder to incorporate these thoughts into my life here in Montreal.”

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News

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

SSMU Council endorses QPIRG referendum question

Councillors discuss new measures for Board of Directors elections, support of family care LAUREN WILDGOOSE Staff Writer

Motion to support QPIRG Winter 2015 referendum Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Council passed a motion to support the McGill branch of the Québec Public Interest Research Group (QPIRG)’s 2015 referendum by endorsing a “Yes” vote for a fee increase from the current $3.75 per semester to $5.00 per semester for fulltime students. SSMU Vice-President University Affairs Claire Stewart-Kanigan spoke to the motion.

“QPIRG provides a hub on campus for social justice-related research, advocacy, and organizing,” she said.

“But it’s also a great academic resource for the community [....] QPIRG provides an excellent service on campus and there is clearly rationale for the expansion of their resources to continue providing the great services that they do.”

QPIRG plans to use the $42,000 that would be gained from the fee increase to sustain current programming as well as to fund new initiatives, such as the creation of more work study positions, according to QPIRG student board members Ella Belfer and Ca-

dence O’Neal.

“Over the past few years, our finances have been increasingly unsustainable,” Belfer said to Council.

“We’ve been trying to supplement that as much as possible with grants and external sources of funding, but a lot of those sources of funding have been drying up, and at the same time, inflation has made our budget a lot smaller.”

Among the services that QPIRG has had to cut back on this year are Culture Shock and Social Justice Days, two of QPIRG’s annual event series.

Culture Shock, which in the past has run for a full week, was reduced to three days.

“It’s really important that SSMU is vocal in supporting QPIRG,” Belfer said. “One of the valuable things that we’ve been able to provide to the campus is an alternative space for people who don’t necessarily feel like they’re included in a lot of typical McGill activities, anything from frosh to ongoing programs, clubs, and events.”

Motion regarding interim changes for Board of Directors elections Council also passed a motion regarding interim changes for the Board of Directors elections. The motion al-

lows elections for the Board of Directors to take place earlier in the year, institutionalizes the responsibility of being a councillor on the Board of Directors during the summer period, and gives SSMU permission to run a referendum to approve Board of Director nominations outside the regular approval timeframe, according to the motion document and its mover Stewart-Kanigan.

It also mandates outgoing Executive Committee members to inform incoming councillors of the opportunity to sit on the Board of Directors and train the elected councillors to be informed of the opportunity before June 1.

“The benefit [of this motion] is that the Election Committee will actually be able to do work during the summer,” Medicine Senator David Benrimoh said. “This will actually end up with a better Board of Directors that’s better trained and knows what it’s getting itself into.”

SSMU and PGSS students vote to increase QPIRG fee $1.25 increase in opt-outable fee passed following referendum

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JESSICA FU Managing Editor

tudents voted to approve an increase in Quebec Public Interest Research Group (QPIRG)-McGill’s opt-outable fee, raising it from $3.75 to $5.00 per semester. The fee passed by 62.9 per cent, and is set to be implemented starting in Fall 2015.

The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) and the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) saw 13.7 per cent and 18.8 per cent voter turnouts, respectively, among constituents.

QPIRG is an organization mandated to increase awareness of social justice issues through research, advocacy, and events—including Rad Frosh and Social Justice Days. QPIRG has chapters in other Quebec universities, as well as similar research groups in universities around North America.

According to Robin Reid-Fraser, a member of the QPIRG Board of Directors, allocation of the additional funding will be evaluated over the next few months, but will also include many short-term initiatives.

“We’ve been talking about, in the short term, [putting] more funding towards our working groups, who haven’t had a funding increase in years; our programming; our applied student research platform, Community University Research Exchange (CURE); creating more staff positions; and our resource library,” she said. “In the long term, we’re planning on improving the accessibility of the [QPIRG offices].”

Fraser stated that the fee increase garnered support on campus during its limited campaign period. ”Because our campaign period ended up starting just a few days before Reading Week, we were a little worried about being able to reach as many people as we wanted to in such a short time,” Reid-Fraser said. “Fortunately, we had lots of people helping with the campaign, and it felt like we were really able to spread the word [....]

It was also greatly appreciated how receptive students were, despite the fact that midterms were going on for a lot of people as well.”

Councillors discuss motions (Noah Sutton / McGill Tribune) ernment.

Notice of motion to support “[Family care] has been an onfamily care Stewart-Kanigan raised a notice going challenge on campus,” Stewartof motion regarding the SSMU Policy Kanigan said. “The daycare needs are of Support for Family Care. The mo- dramatically underserved, with over tion, if passed, would have SSMU 700 children currently on the waiting adopt an ongoing stance of support for list with the McGill Childcare Centre current and future efforts to expand [....] These are longstanding issues child care services for SSMU and that are going to require multi-year McGill community members. SSMU advocacy, and it’s important to have would also participate in advocacy ef- a policy that stands through for those forts to lobby the Quebec government series of years.”

The motion will be brought to to expand the provision of limits on daycare licenses granted by the gov- Council on March 12.

EUS 2020 presents proposed reforms to governance structure in town hall Plans include reduction of executive positions, implementation of a directorship structure

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CECE ZHANG News Editor

he Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS) hosted a town hall to present its ideas for restructuring the executive committee and reassigning responsibilities in the governance team.

The process is part of EUS 2020, a long-term project that aims to improve EUS operations and increase representation of EUS members.

The proposal will reduce the number of executives from the current eight to seven, removing the Vice-President (VP) Services position and restructuring the responsibilities of the remaining positions. In addition, the EUS 2020 team proposed the creation of a directorship structure, which would create leadership positions under each VP that focus on certain aspects of the EUS, such as websites and technology.

As the EUS leadership structure is defined in its constitution, the proposed changes

will require corresponding constitutional changes before they can be implemented. Carlos Capriles, a member of the EUS 2020 team who worked on the restructuring, clarified that the referendum required to pass these constitutional changes would not occur this semester.

“This is a conversation we want to be able to have [...] so you know where we’re coming from,” Capriles said. “The ideas developed here will continue to be developed through the next year [....] This is not an individual mission, this is more than that—it’s the future of the society.”

In response to questions regarding the reduction of the executive team, EUS President Robert Forestell said that the restructuring will have VPs and directors working closer together to alleviate individual VP workloads.

“If we reshape the positions and have them more centred around certain areas, the areas [covered] will be bigger [...] and that’s where the di-

rectorship structure will come in to alleviate this,” Forestell said.

VP Finance David Bailey suggested that the proposed structure, where VPs would manage directors, would be difficult in practice because it requires VPs to become good managers in addition to handling their portfolio duties.

“I consider myself a decent manager, but we still had many stumbling blocks in getting things done,” Bailey said.

“We need to first get directorships to work a bit better [....]

The idea is to play around with the directorship structure until they’re very independent and can work very well, and once you get to that point where [...VPs] can just get updates, then you can confidently split things up [....] My recommendation would be to leave the executive structure [changes] to later, [and] put in the directorship structure in the meantime.”

The project will continue to seek feedback from students, according to Capriles.

Opinion

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editorial

Tuesday, March 10, 2015 THE Mcgill

Communication key for student engagement in austerity mobilization within both student societies have included the creation of a SSMU mobilization committee, which has begun strategizing for an anti-austerity campaign, the hiring of an Austerity Measures Researcher, as well as scheduled meetings with l’Association pour une Solidarité Syndicale Etudiante (l’ASSE) and the Fédération Etudiante Universitaire du Quebec (FEUQ) to discuss mobilization.

Despite the attention that SSMU and PGSS have given to the austerity measures, the student body itself has been noticeably complacent about the cuts facing the university, which amount to a sum of $15 million in the 2014 to 2015 year. Student detachment from the issue became a roadblock against progress at the summit when quorum was lost during a motion to mandate SSMU and PGSS to create a Joint Anti-Austerity Mobilization Working Group. This incident highlighted the need for student engagement if SSMU and PGSS are to undertake concrete actions to respond to the cuts facing the university.

Student mobilization en masse is necessary to effectuate changes regarding austerity. One-sided lobbying undertaken by student societies lack clout without the support of large swaths of the student body.

Two upcoming events—“Put Your Politics Where Your Mouth Is: Austerity Bites,” hosted by the Midnight Kitchen, and “Anti-Austerity Activities Night,” which is being held independently by McGill students—are seeking to bridge

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SSMU [...] needs to

initiate further conversations with students if it wants to mobilize united and fully-informed faction of students to

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The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) and the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) recently adopted a joint anti-austerity stance at a summit in the Thomson House that brought together the two student unions.

Both groups have put forward their own motions in Fall 2014 affirming solidarity against Quebec’s austerity measures, and further cuts to the university’s budget. While there is clear concern within the student unions regarding the cuts to McGill’s operating budget, the timeline for the current year is running out, and further efforts are required to communicate the severity of the losses to students in order to bring about necessary mobilization in opposition to austerity.

Student executives must continue to increase awareness about austerity and convey the gravity of the cuts to the student body, particularly amidst the relatively quiet discourse on austerity at McGill. If students can see the impacts that the austerity measures will have, not only on the university as a whole, but also on the specific services and resources that they use on a daily basis, it would likely be easier for SSMU and PGSS to mobilize students to take action against austerity.

Actions and conversations regarding the austerity measures taking place

combat the austerity measures.

the gap between students and their representatives regarding conversations about austerity. Both seek to inform students about the austerity measures imposed on McGill and to encourage them to mobilize against the cuts. SSMU is

collaborating with the students hosting both events, but needs to initiate further conversations with students if it wants to mobilize a united and fully-informed faction of students to combat the austerity measures.

The terms that student society executives spend in office pass by quickly.

The fast turnover rate of executives therefore necessitates shorter consultation periods with students in order to leave more time for executives to implement changes.

Moving forward, SSMU and PGSS need to engage students in order to make progress against the austerity measures. In addition to the oft-cited need to improve communication with students, the student unions can improve the visibility of the actions that they are already undertaking unilaterally to combat austerity. The turnover rate of student society executives is substantial, and improving the visibility of the actions that have been taken or are in progress will help to keep students engaged in combating austerity from year to year. If made aware of the constructive and ongoing steps that their student unions have taken, students will hopefully be more likely to become engaged in supporting the movement against austerity themselves.

Off the board

Jack neal Photo Editor In a now-famous interview with Fader Magazine, Lana Del Rey was quoted saying, “For me, the issue of feminism is just not an interesting concept,” and that she is “more interested in intergalactic explorations.”

This resulted in backlash, harsh criticisms, and a firm ‘anti-feminist’ label on her and her subsequent album, Ultraviolence.

At first, it’s not hard to see where this backlash stems from.

Del Rey’s entire musical persona is that of a damsel-in-distress, stuck on the wrong side of the American dream, in which she was so brainwashed and confused between love and abuse that her ‘lover’ “hit [her] and it felt like a kiss.” Thus, critics such as Nolan Feeney the New York Times insisted that Del Rey was not only anti-feminist, but also glorifying domestic violence. Even Lorde weighed in on the controversy, stat-

Rey: “Lana Del Rey […] believes women can do whatever they want, which, in her world, tilts towards self-destruction.” Del Rey is labelled anti-feminist because she is accused of undermining everything that women have worked hard in order to move away from. Therefore, her wallowing around in a lonely room of drugs, depression, and dependency is seen as detrimental to the feminist movement.

However, these criticisms of Del Rey’s work and the lifestyle she chooses go completely against the values that feminist movement should be upholding. Why can’t there be a soft, broken, and vulnerable feminist?

Rejecting Lana Del Rey and her form of femininity is detrimental to the movement. Focusing the spotlight on super-women like Beyoncé creates an unrealistic and unachievable model for women to strive for, and deepens the stereotype of a feminist woman as someone who is conventionally ‘powerful.’ Society should be accepting of women of all personalities, choices, and lifestyles—not ignoring them because they don’t fit within the ‘standard’ feminist mould.

In the monologue to her music video for “Ride,” Del Rey asks, “Who are you? Are you in touch with

Managing Editors Mayaz Alam malam@mcgilltribune.com Jessica Fu jfu@mcgilltribune.com Remi Lu rlu@mcgilltribune.com Production Manager Sam Pinto spinto@mcgilltribune.com Creative Director Hayley Lim hlim@mcgilltribune.com News Editors Shrinkhala Dawadi and Cece Zhang news@mcgilltribune.com Opinion Editor Julie Vanderperre opinion@mcgilltribune.com Science & Technology Editor Chloe Nevitt scitech@mcgilltribune.com Student Living Editor Natalie Wong studentliving@mcgilltribune.com Features Editor Caity Hui features@mcgilltribune.com Arts & Entertainment Editors Max Berger and Morgan Alexander arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editors Elie Waitzer and Wyatt Fine-Gagné sports@mcgilltribune.com Design Editors Domitille Biehlmann and Cassie Lee design@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editors Jack Neal and L-A Benoit photo@mcgilltribune.com Copy Editor Adrien Hu copy@mcgilltribune.com Online Editor Matt Smith online@mcgilltribune.com Web Developer William Burgess webdev@mcgilltribune.com

Broadening the feminist scope: In defence of Lana Del Rey ing that, “This type of shirt-tugging, don’t leave me stuff just isn’t healthy for young girls to hear.” It is true that Del Rey’s drug and sex-filled lyrical themes don’t paint the most traditionally empowering image of the modern woman.

However, her outspokenness against the traditional feminist image of a powerful, independent woman is what makes Del Rey not only a controversial figure, but also an easy target. Strong, independent, and charismatic women such as Beyoncé and Lorde are the poster girls for the feminist movement. They are people who strive for a dominant position within society, and this shows in their music and how the public perceives them. Del Rey, on the other hand, comes across as a lonely, depressed, and desperate character; unsure of herself and lost in a whirlwind of American flags, red dresses, and men. Beneath the makeup and ’60s-bouffant hair, however, Del Rey is a reflection of our own loud voices, ideas, and frustrations. Silenced by her critics and feminist detractors, she is a model onto which society projects and pins up its own dangerously skewed perceptions.

In an interview with the Huffington Post, Kim Gordon, founder of the band Sonic Youth, discussed the issue that many critics have with Del

Editor-in-Chief Jenny Shen editor@mcgilltribune.com

all of your darkest fantasies?” before confidently declaring: “I am; I am fucking crazy…. But I am free.” This notion of being free perfectly encapsulates Del Rey’s stance towards the feminist movement: Women should be free to be themselves, even if that self is flawed, and at times weak and disempowered. In her interview with Fader Magazine, Del Rey expanded on her attitude towards feminism, stating that, “[Her] idea of a true feminist is a woman who feels free enough to do whatever she wants.”

She takes her freedom for granted, living the way she wants, with whoever she wants, all while defying the critics of her actions in the process.

Del Rey fills a gap within the feminist movement. She stands for the dark, the submissive, and the misjudged. Her very existence, and the criticism she’s received, is reflective of the anti-feminism that still exists today, but those who are attacking her choices and lifestyle are the very people who also claim to want equality. By accepting one type of woman as the ideal of feminism, the movement narrows itself and becomes unable to branch out and reach the broader range of individuals who are trying to exist, shutting them down because they do not fit into the categories that have been created in the name of ‘progress.’

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TPS Board of Directors

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Contributors

Matt Bobkin, Alex Bullis, Audrey Carleton, Christine Chun Chang, Cory Goldstein, Isaiah Grossman, Emma Hameau, Sarah Ibrahim, Natalie Jennings, Sophie Jewett, Adrian Knowler, Joshua Shapiro, Anthony Snell, Raphael Uribe Arango, Susanne Wang, Leslie Yao

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

7

Opinion

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

COMMENTARY

Pinkwashing event ignores LGBTQ progress in Israel

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LGBTQ rights are

human rights and should never be reduced to claims of political

{

scheming.

“

I got off the bus at the station and eagerly looked around. Excitement rushed through my veins as I saw him. With a huge smile on my face, I fell into his arms; this was my boyfriend. We walked along the water’s edge, hand in hand, as people passed us with hidden smiles of pride and support. I wasn’t used to that, but then I reminded myself: I was in Israel.

As a person who has benefitted personally from the LGBTQ rights that Israel upholds, I was deeply offended when I found out about McGill’s Solidarity for Palestinian

and still uncommon throughout the world.

The attempts of naysayers to

as an attack on Israel is astounding.

The term pinkwashing is offensive to all those who fought hard for equal LGBTQ rights in Israel, to all citizens and visitors of Israel who have directly benefited from these laws, and to anyone who earnestly defends and promotes LGBTQ rights anywhere in the world. To shame Israel, or any country, for having progressive laws protecting a minority is appalling.

Israel promotes its LGBTQ rights, along with all of its citizens’ minority rights, not to distract from the Palestinian’s plight, but out of pride of being a liberal democracy.

In fact, the first step towards LGBTQ rights, namely not enforcing previous bans on homosexual activity, occurred in Israel in the early 1960s.

However, having LGBTQ rights does not make Israel the democracy that it is. Israel’s regular representational elections and independent judiciary do that. Instead, LGBTQ rights are just one example of how Israel extends human rights to all of

{

Isaiah grossman Contributor

Human Rights’ (SPHR) Pinkwashing event, “Palestine is a Queer Issue: A Workshop on Israeli Pinkwashing and Homonationalism,” a workshop which seeks to inform students about alleged Israeli pinkwashing. Pinkwashing is the idea that Israel has and promotes LGBTQ rights in order to distract from its treatment of Palestinians. It does not take into account the fact that hundreds of thousands of citizens of Israel, and tourists like myself, are actually benefitting every single minute of every single day from these rights, which are in place because Israel was founded on principles of equality As stated in the Declaration of Independence, Israel upholds equal rights for all inhabitants regardless of religion, race, or sex. Israel holds regular free and democratic elections and has an independent judiciary.

All of these are the requirements and fundamental aspects of a liberal democratic country. Furthermore, Israel is a proud supporter of LGBTQ rights, unheard of in the Middle East

turn around the progress of LGBTQ citizens’ rights in Israel and use it

its citizens.

Unfortunately, Israel has legitimate security concerns, and has the responsibility as a democracy to protect all of its citizens including Jews, Christians, Muslims, Druze and LGBTQ. Israel ensures that it upholds the fundamental human rights of each of these groups. Both Palestinians and Israelis have committed reprehensible acts, and as such, claiming one to be an innocent victim is not helpful. Clearly, this discussion is complex, and not the simplistic case of aggressor versus innocent victim, and adding the claim of pinkwashing into the mix is egregious.

LGBTQ rights are human rights and should never be reduced to claims of political scheming. They should only be used as a beacon of hope for equality, much needed in the region.

The only way forward is open, twosided dialogue—not one-sided censures, divestments, or movements such as the offensive pinkwashing event, which are not helpful for the pursuit of reconciliation or peace.

Language requirements necessary for Quebec’s culture and economy

Quebec’s incessant language war found new fuel as McGill and Concordia recently released statements criticizing the province’s strict French language requirement for granting permanent residency, which was introduced in 2013 by the Parti Québécois (PQ). The universities claim that strict rules requiring proficiency in French are making it difficult to attract foreign professors.

The Liberal Party of Quebec responded to these complaints and instituted changes in December 2014 to make it easier for candidates with doctoral degrees to gain permanent resident status by giving

students to Montreal and to their universities. Therefore, the regulations are best left alone.

The urgency of the decline of

“

“All Quebec institu-

tions [...] have a lot to gain from the preservation of the native language in the long run.”

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Albert Park Columnist

them more ‘points’ in the immigration process. It would not be fair or necessary to implement further changes to make it easier for foreign professors to come to Quebec. The provincial government subsidizes universities with taxpayer money.

Considering that the majority of taxpayers in Quebec are Frenchspeaking, it is safe to assume that it wouldn’t represent the majority’s wishes to allow easier immigration for non-francophones to teach in Quebec’s universities.

Many anglophones have continued to demand that the government reform language laws to make it even easier for professors to bypass the requirements, in the hopes that this would allow universities to obtain the best talents possible.

However, this mandate fails to look at the issue from a wider perspective. The clear goal of the strict language standards is to protect the French language in Quebec.

All Quebec institutions—including McGill and Concordia—have a lot to gain from the preservation of the native language in the long run, which is what attracts many

the French language in Canada is another main factor necessitating strict language regulations. According to Statistics Canada, in 1981,

25 per cent of Canadians reported using French as the main language in their home, and in 2011, this percentage shrank to 21 per cent.

While this drop is alarming enough for francophones, the truly worrisome part is that the decreasing use of French in Quebec itself is contributing to the decline rather than offsetting it. While there are many factors contributing to this decline of French in Quebec, the influx of non-French speaking immigrants constitutes a large part of the decline in French usage.

The Quebec government seeks to stop the movement away from the French language. Unless the movement away from using French is slowed, division and hostility between anglophones and francophones will reach a boiling point.

According to some, political division and threats of separation are already key players behind Quebec’s poor economy. Investors and researchers do not want to put time or resources into a province that is as politically volatile as Quebec.

Therefore, preserving the native language and maintaining politi-

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cal stability by keeping the majority happy is one way for Quebec to attract more business in the future, which will, in itself, attract more foreign workers and professors.

Furthermore, the idea of bringing in foreign professors and other workers at the cost of Quebec’s language and culture is counterproductive. Many people come to Quebec for the distinct lifestyle it offers— some even come to learn French.

As McGill Principal Suzanne Fortier said in 2013, “McGill can attract the best professors and the best researchers because it attracts the best students. And we can attract the best students because they are attracted to Quebec.” Quebec’s identity is based around being the only French-speaking province in Canada, and if the language continues to get phased out, the province may not attract as many newcomers. While the strict language requirements may seem harsh, they are an efficient way to ensure the survival of the French language in Quebec, which will improve its economy and preserve its identity in the long run.

8

Student Living Student movement establishes a healthy food system

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

The MFSP spearheads food sustainability on campus Keah Hansen Staff Writer Food sustainability initiatives at McGill were scarce until about six years ago. However, with the launch of the studentfounded and student-led McGill Food Systems Project (MFSP) in 2008, a culture of food sustainability has experienced a grassroots emergence, with students critically considering and addressing food sustainability issues. Achieving food sustainability at McGill has developed into a two-tier process: Student-initiated research on sustainability is institutionalized by administration to ensure its long-term practice. This innovative process has yielded impressive results, making McGill a leading university in Canadian food sustainability.

Student-initiated

McGill’s food sustainability initiative is a product of the MFSP. The MFSP was founded by three students: Dana Lahey, a sociology and anthropology major; Sarah Archibald, an agriculture and environmental science major; and Jonathan Glencross, an environment major, with assistance from McGill Food and Dining Services (MFDS), and the McGill Office of Sustainability (MOOS). The project’s goal was to create and implement a vision of food sustainability at McGill. Since its launch, two of the founding members, Lahey and Archibald, have graduated and are now project managers for a Toronto-based not-for-profit called Meal Exchange, which works with 35 universities in Canada to address sustainability issues within campuses.

Ansel Renner, a senior leader of MFSP and U3 Environment student, reflected on the objectives of the project, which works with students to conduct Applied Student Research (ASR) on sustainability. “[The MFSP] exists to support student food initiatives with sustainability on campus, addressing the environmental, economic, and social components,” he explained.

Since its inception, the MFSP has supported many food sustainability initiatives at McGill. Projects include the first on-campus farmer’s market in Quebec at McGill’s downtown campus, the Farm to Plate Report, which addressed McGill’s food supply chain, monthly Local Food Days in the McGill dining halls, the McGill Feeding McGill partnership with Macdonald Farm to obtain produce for the residence

cafeterias, the McGill Food and Dining Greenhouse Gas Audit, and a recent Constructive Consumerism report from student researchers.

Renner and the MFSP team are currently working on a McGill Food Manifesto, which is one of the group’s new student-initiated projects. The official statement’s objective for the manifesto is to “create a baseline understanding between a diverse group of food service providers regarding topics such as responsible and ethical purchasing, common knowledge nutritional information, and vegetarian and vegan options.”

According to Renner, the progress of sustainability that McGill has made since MFSP’s founding is one that has flourished.

“The scene in 2008 was completely different than it is today,” Renner said. “For example, McGill has one of the most expensive dining services, but the quality of the food has really improved and is a resounding conclusion.”

According to Renner, the amount of food wasted in Quebec calls for McGill’s increased involvement in sustainability.

“Quebec is the worst province for food waste in Canada,” he said. “Fifty per cent of food in Montreal is wasted, and most people aren’t aware of that.”

Renner recognized that this new project is more challenging than earlier initiatives.

“The food charter is a bigger undertaking [....] All the lowhanging fruit has been plucked,” he said.

Renner said that he would like to see further growth of food sustainability awareness at McGill.

“I want McGill to continue to be a leader in Canada,” Renner said. “Six years ago, it was like entering a black box, so difficult to figure out where your food comes from [....] Now it’s easier.”

McGill-institutionalized Amelia Brinkerhoff, a fourth-year Environment student, is involved in the institutional aspect of food sustainability at McGill. She works with the MFDS as the Student Sustainability Coordinator. Brinkerhoff got involved with sustainability at McGill to ensure that food sustainability would become a priority and conversation point at McGill.

“After first year, I volunteered with the MFSP in an operational sense,” Brinkerhoff said. “Food sustainability is

something I have always felt passionate about, [so I] got involved to continue with that vein.”

Brinkerhoff described why MFDS collaborates with MFSP for food sustainability initiatives. “[MFDS] works with [MFSP] because they do Applied Student Research,” Brinkerhoff said. “Every sustainable purchasing project is backed by student research.”

Since the release of the student-researched Farm to Plate Report, MFDS has increased its sustainability practices, such as purchasing local ingredients for the residence dining halls.

“Forty per cent of everything we purchase is local [and sustainably, consciously chosen]—that tends to be our maximum right now,” Brinkerhoff explained.

According to its website, the MFDS defines Local Food Days as “purchasing seasonal food that has been produced, harvested, caught, or manufactured within a 500km radium of the downtown campus.”

However, Brinkerhoff said that “local” and “sustainable” are broad terms for the MFDS, with economic sustainability also considered along with environmental sustainability.

“We also strive for holistic financial sustainability and try to support Quebec’s local economy,” she said.

According to Brinkerhoff, working with the Macdonald campus is also important because it is a local food connection and also part of McGill.

“Local purchasing and working with [Macdonald farm] sets us apart,” Brinkerhoff said. “[MFDS] are the biggest purchasers of Mac produce, and we have worked closely with them to expand our relationship to include beef and eggs as well.”

Another current project in McGill’s dining halls is student composting.

“We have composted in the kitchens for three or four years,

Local Food Days at McGill feature different foods from around Quebec.

(Photos courtesy of the McGill Food Systems Project) and have expanded it this Fall to the cafeterias,” Brinkerhoff explained. “Student feedback with composting has been mostly good. [They] are now more aware of what is going in and out.”

According to Brinkerhoff, it is important for universities to engage in sustainability.

“It seems hypocritical for an academic institution to generate research and have a knowledgeable and enthusiastic faculty, yet not engage in sustainability across the board,” she said. “We have an obligation to set an example in all facets of sustainability. Universities should support students in sustainability and sustainability projects—it’s [their duty].”

Despite its room for growth, Brinkerhoff believes McGill is a leader in food sustainability.

“We definitely rank among the top [institutions in food sustainability] in Canada, and have been approached by other universities,” she said. “People are seeing that our student initiatives are being institutionalized.”

Campus involvement

For students interested in getting involved in the food sustainability culture at McGill, Renner offered three suggestions.

“First, start questioning what it is that you’re eating, where it

came from, and who prepared it,” Renner said. “Also, get involved with the food sustainability culture at McGill. Consider joining the farmer’s market, Organic Campus, or one of the studentrun cafes [....] Lastly, see something that you think could be improved.”

Brinkerhoff further recommended that students try the new McGill-oriented sustainability app, “Myko,” which was launched by a team of McGill faculty and students. The application seeks to educate users on sustainability issues, proposes possible solutions, and help establish goals for positive and lasting change.

Gal Kramer, U1 Geography, volunteers at Organic Campus, a Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) service that promotes local and organic food on campus. Kramer also stressed the importance for students to be active in food sustainability.

“Students have both the knowledge and resources to impact food sustainability in our communities,” she said. “This can be achieved through urban farming, a sustainable mindset and local agriculture. It is important because it is all linked to improving public health, and creating healthier societies in general.”

9

Student Living

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Nuit Blanche: Fresh Paint Gallery Mingye Chen Advertising Executive Nuit Blanche kicked off on Saturday, Feb. 28, marking the end of this year’s Montréal en Lumière. The month-long celebration of lights, food, arts, and culture concluded with a full day and night of free art installations, gallery showings, and live music. Nuit Blanche has historically been an event tailored to encourage the people of Montreal to discover a variety of artists and explore new venues. One such gallery embraced this spirit of exploration and discovery. Fresh Paint Gallery, located at 221 Saint Catherine, is a space for talented street artists to display their work. Taking graffiti to the next level, Fresh Paint is a non-profit gallery that is dedicated to showcasing up-andcoming artists.

The murals within Fresh Paint Gallery line the entry into the stairwell of the gallery. The graffiti and tags extend beyond the walls and cover the steps of the stairs as well. In celebration of Nuit Blanche, Fresh Paint Gallery painted over one of its mural walls in preparation for the four artists—MSHL, Isaac Holland, MAG Illustrations, and Cgo—all working to create a new mural with the concept of exquisite corpse-art tag team style.

Paintings from Montreal’s artists adorn the gallery’s wall. (Photos courtesy of Fresh Paint Gallery) Fresh Paint calls this “Art Attack,” and artists paint directly onto a wall infusing creativity and style in the gallery.

According to Adrien Fumex, Fresh Paint Gallery manager since its conception in 2011, Nuit Blanche generates a much-needed interest in alternative arts.

“Graffiti is not generally associ-

ated with positive things. We are trying to destigmatize street art and show that it does have a place in the Montreal arts scene,” Fumex said. “Nuit Blanche is huge every year. We get hundreds of new visitors of all ages throughout the night. Some of which never would have stepped inside otherwise.”

Volunteers run the show at Fresh

Paint. Entry is by donation, and all proceeds go towards leasing the location and other administrative expenses.

According to Concordia Sociology student Alisa Sou, many students volunteer at Fresh Paint.

“It is very accessible to get involved,” Sou said. “If you want to volunteer here, just come in and say hi. I

have only been volunteering here for a month now and the team is incredible.

It brings people of all ages together that have never really experienced street art.”

The ephemeral nature of the artwork at Fresh Paint is one of its many charms. Previous work is not preserved, but instead painted over live in a new exhibition, emulating the nature of street art. Every new mural is a risk and a testament to the skill of Montreal’s local artists. At Fresh Paint’s Nuit Blanche event, artists covered the wall over the span of five hours while spectators sat right behind the painters.

Sarah Faye, a Montreal HEC Business School student and Nuit Blanche spectator, expressed positive sentiments towards her experience at Nuit Blanche.

“For students, what’s fun about Nuit Blanche is that it makes experiencing art in Montreal more fun and more accessible. It’s really nice to see street art and street dance be represented and brought together like this,” she said. “There’s also good wine that is free, so that’s always fun to have in a gallery.”

The gallery is open all year and has Art Attack events every three months. They also host a famous monthly graffiti battle named Beaux Dégâts at Foufones Electriques.

Café M opens in lower plateau High quality coffee served in comfort

Laura Plamondon Staff Writer After opening its doors this past Jan. 25, Café M has already became a favourite among the lower plateau neighbourhood. Situated on Avenue des Pins, Café M is an ideal place for anyone looking for good quality coffee and a relaxed atmosphere.

Walter Guiet, the owner of Café M, did not delay when he decided to open the coffee shop.

“I am very instinctive,” Guiet said. “Once I decided to open my café, it took me three days to find this location and two months’ worth of renovations and I was ready to entertain my first customer.”

Guiet said he aims to recreate an inviting and friendly coffee shop that welcomes any individual.

“I wanted to find the spirit of the small cafés I used to go to when I was a kid growing up,” Guiet said.

“I’ll always remember this one café in Ireland. I stayed there for three weeks. Everyone knew each other and enjoyed each other’s company.

That is what I want my café to be like.”

Guiet said he sees his customers as friends, not clients, and encourages his employees to engage with the people walking through his door.

“I want people to think, ‘I’m going to get coffee at my friend Walter’s,’ not just ‘I’m going to go get coffee at Café M,’” Guiet said.

Guiet has a strong connection to the coffees he offers, and only chooses those he supports.

“I fell in love with this coffee, ‘The Verve,’ when I was in New York and was inspired by the story and ‘peace and love’ vibe behind the brand,” Guiet said. “‘The Verve’ started off with these three guys in California [who] were obsessed with surfing and coffee and decided to launch their own line of coffee. I also believe in supporting local Montreal coffee bean roasters such as ‘Barrista.’”

Guiet discovered that Montreal is an exigent city when it comes to coffee; however, individuals living in the city are ready to pay extra for good quality.

“People know their coffee; I can’t just sell them anything, since they won’t come back,” Guiet said.

“I’m constantly developing my se-

The inside of Walter Guiet’s new Café M on Avenue des Pins. (Photo courtesy of Café M) lection and looking at what my customers want in order to cater to their wishes. It seems to be working. I have received positive feedback with customers saying the coffee has just the right amount of bitterness.”

Café M’s European flare is accentuated with its homemade soups and pastries. With brownies, gingerbread, and matcha muffins, Café M’s selection is always fresh and different every day.

Finally, in accordance with his French upbringing in the Alps, Guiet offers a typical Alpine dish, called ‘Tartiflette.’

“Tartiflette is an Alpine dish made with onions, bacon bits, cream, and a choice of cheese toppings— feta or brie,” Guiet explained.

Overall, Café M brings a level of warmth and comfort to Montreal’s snowy streets, enhanced by its service, goods, and décor. The

interior gives off a beach-like vibe, filled with Westfalias—specially converted Volkswagen camper vans that were popular in the 1950s—and surfboards. In the future, Guiet said that he hopes Café M will expand its menu, and already plans to create salads, smoothies, juices, and other healthier options for the spring and summer months.

10

Student Living

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Campus Spotlight: ASB McGill’s Alternative Spring Break program promotes intra-city volunteering Tiffany Le Staff Writer The “McGill bubble” often makes it difficult to explore the Montreal community. In response, the university started an Alternate Spring Break (ASB) initiative that aims to expand students’ horizons beyond the McGill campus.

For students invested in social justice, ASB took place over reading week and offered the opportunity to discover local groups and organizations that play major philanthropic roles in the city. It involved four days of volunteering and a fifth day to provide a recap of the experience. The events span four different fields with 11 organizations around Montreal.

“A lot of other universities have ASB programs--it is something that is starting to be offered a lot by universities as a complement to classroom

learning,” explained Jean Murray, community event organizer for the Social Equity and Diversity Education (SEDE) Office. “There’s a lot that [students] can get out of service learning that they can’t get out of classes.”

Students were able to choose from categories that include health and wellness, food security, youth and education, and anti-poverty. The organizations dealing with each sector are all specialized, with work ranging from enhancing the quality of life among individuals living with HIV and AIDS, to workshops creating better awareness of and more access to healthy food.

These organizations all play a big role in the Montreal community.

Some participating organizations include Santropol Roulant—a Mealson-Wheels service—to the St. James Drop-In Centre, which offers a safe and

supportive environment for the marginalized or homeless.

“At the SEDE office, we’re not working with big international organizations,” Murray said. “We’re really trying to look in places that are for the community by the community. In doing so, students get to see a part of the Montreal community and engage with people who are in the city with them rather than far away.”

Each organization has its own activities planned for the week. Before registering, students can pick and choose between what the different work entails and are able to plan their weeks accordingly. Each day involves four hours of volunteering with many learning opportunities. Many of the programs develop new and valuable skills, from vermicomposting and fertilization to creating resource kits for children’s books. They

Making the Simple

Exquisite

also demand a variety of different skills.

For instance, many of the organizations need help with maintenance jobs, while others are looking for help with food preparation and serving. Some of the more specialized work includes helping with language course registrations at a learning centre and creating a mural using book covers.

ASB is planned by the combined efforts of the SEDE office, Student Services’ Campus Life & Engagement office, and McGill’s School of Continuing Studies’ Personal and Cultural Enrichment (PACE) program. SEDE’s main focus is on fostering a better understanding among varying cultures and communities through education. They hope to develop a more respectful, diverse, and supportive campus. Similarly, PACE offers workshops throughout the year on different topics with the goal of

fostering better personal development to lead to a more successful community.

“This is a partnership; we wanted the students to get a lot in terms of learning but we wanted the organizations to be getting a lot out of it as well,” Murray said. “Ideally, these partnerships that we have with these organizations [are] not a one-time thing. We try and stay involved with these organizations and have them participate in other events, such as Community Engagement Day. It’s a similar idea to ASB, but it happens [on] one day in October.”

The ASB program can also be taken as a one-credit Winter semester course, called CPAC 102: Topics in Volunteerism and Community Development. The course is offered through PACE and also includes readings and seven hours of lecture on top of the volunteer work.

Crossword Corner

How to make juicy and perfect chicken

By Alycia Noë

Cooking chicken breast sounds easy, but often results in dry and chewy chicken that does not satisfy dinner cravings. Wellexecuted chicken breast should be a staple in a student’s cooking repertoire, as it can be used in many favourites, ranging from a chicken caesar salad to chicken-based pasta recipes.

Follow this simple method for juicy and tender chicken breasts:

Step 1

Flatten the boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Pound the chicken until it is a half inch thick using anything heavy you can find in your kitchen. This ensures a consistent, even-handed preparation.

Step 2

Season the chicken breasts.

Use any seasoning desired for your dish, such as salt, pepper, or thyme.

Step 3

Preheat the pan.

Heat a pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add approximately 1 tablespoon of olive oil or butter.

Step 4

Cook chicken breasts for 1 minute (do not move them).

This will give the chicken breast a golden colour on one side.

Step 5

Flip the chicken breasts.

Step 6

Turn the heat down to low.

Find the answer key at: www.mcgilltribune.com

Step 7

Across 1. Fatso, Stretch, and Stinky's nephew 7. Blockade 10. C8H18 11. Former name of Tokyo 12. Commences 13. Symbolic depiction of regions 14. Harvest with a scythe 15. Weapon used by the humans in The Matrix 16. Technique that creates images of organs and tissue, abbr.

18. National Incident Management System 20. Gross!

23. George Ezra's “Listen to the ____” 24. Maks Leem, for one.

25. Baltimore hip-hop artist Duane Bridgeford 26. Common SMS abbreviation 27. Beaver or Saint Louis 28. Typically offensive word for gentile 29. French for summer 30. What Houdini is known for doing 39. "Good for when you want 2,000 of something" 40. Straighten 41. Tailless anthropoids 42. Child's bank 43. Most excellent

Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid.

Step 8

Cook on low for 10 minutes (do not lift the lid).

Step 9

Remove the lid and check the chicken for rawness.

Take one chicken breast off the heat and make a small incision to check the inside.

Do not cut the chicken all the way through.

If you do not see any pink, remove the chicken from the heat.

Step 10

Let the chicken breast rest for at least five minutes before slicing.

This ensures any juices will remain in the meat, keeping the chicken nice and juicy.

By Cory Goldstein Down 1. Adj./Hyp. 2. Pretend 3. Beginning 4. Trim 5. Twisted 6. Assist by means of artificial air 7. Land attached to a manor 8. Savage or Levine 9. Cleaning 16. Video game type suitable for large number of players 17. Computer data storage, abbr.

19. Manufactures 21. To speak fondly 22. Essential 30. To take 31. Fully grown or developed 32. Ones 33. Animal structure to hold offspring 34. Limit 35. Former professional boxer 36. Babe or Wilbur 37. ___head: an anti-intellectual epithet 38. New York sports network, abbr.

Interested in

Illustrating for the Tribune?

Email hlim@mcgilltribune.com with samples of your work

Les nuits illuminées

By Caity Hui Photos by Christine Chun Chang & LA Benoit

G

littering purple and blue, the snow was painted in the soft light of the churning Ferris wheel, standing amidst a crowd of milling viewers in the heart of Place des Arts. In the background, a projection danced across the face of a building—one of many art installations at Montreal’s 12th edition of Nuit Blanche.

Each year, Montreal joins hundreds of other cities across the world in an annual celebration that showcases the arts.

The concept stemmed from Helsinki’s Night of the Arts festival in 1989 and Jean Blaise, the founder of the Research Centre for Cultural Development in Nantes, France. He organized a festival known as Les Allumées—The Lighted Up—in Nantes in 1990, where he transformed the city into an outdoor art gallery from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., showcasing six different artists from six different cities. Twelve years later, Les Allumées inspired the first installation of Nuit Blanche in Paris— which was also directed by Blaise—and since then has spread to countries like Canada, Australia, and Chile.

Unlike other cities, however, Nuit Blanche forms part of a greater initiative known as Montreal en lumière. The festival draws around 900,000 fans each year over a 10-day period to experience a range of visual and performing arts. This February, Montreal itself was the muse for its own festival. Renowned Montrealbased chefs contributed to the gastronomy aspect of the festival, while artists found inspiration from the city in the pieces they created for showcase.

“The event was bright and colourful, and a great way to get out of the McGill pocket and see the local music scene.

The crowds were lively, which added to the excitement of the event. One of my favourite parts was roasting sausages and marshmallows by the fire pits.”

—Katie Lee, U3 Pharmacology

“Graffiti always struck me as something that belonged outside, defacing the side of my corner [depannéur.] So watching them paint right on the gallery wall seemed so wrong, but I couldn’t look away. It made me sad that it would get painted over for the next exhibition, but that’s kind of the point, isn’t it?

Like Nuit Blanche itself, these murals are sort of a one-nightonly deal.”

— Mingye Chen, U3 Arts & Science

“For someone who does not live downtown, one of the main reasons to go out on Nuit Blanche is that the metro is open all night. I do not have to worry about how I will get home or spending extra money on a taxi with a student budget. [It allows me] to wander to new places in Montreal. However, this year, I got so exhausted from walking and dancing—in a good way—that I just ended up cabbing.”

—Roman Radetskyy, U3 Microbiology & Immunology

“There were so many activities and fun things to see [in the] Place des Arts complex. The ambiance was appropriate for all ages, and I would definitely go again! [...] It was great to see Place des Arts filled with so many happy people—everyone came [together] on the cold night to spend time with each other.”

— Veronica Li, U3 Arts

15

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Peer Review

Thomas Bragg gets practical with pinneapple and a university favourite. (youtube.com)

Practical Procrastination Sophie jewett Contributor Recent McGill graduate and entrepreneur Thomas Brag had wanted to start a YouTube channel for a long time—ever since he discovered the class “Marketing and Society,” taught

by Just for Laughs founder Andy Norman. The class teaches you how

to properly start a YouTube channel; however, even with the benefit of quality academic preparation, taking the leap into the world of YouTube takes courage.

“It was so scary making the first [video]—it was terrifying,” Brag admitted. “So [the class] was a good excuse to actually do it.”

At first, Brag had considered the

content.

“I hadn’t thought about how I wanted to release it, how to market it, the analytics, the thumbnail, the title, etc.” Brag said. But the class taught him how to navigate the intricacies of YouTube.

“For example, the thumbnails have to be consistent with a chosen style,” Brag explained. “And it can’t

be misleading [because] YouTube’s algorithm is based on how long people watch the video, so if you click away after a few seconds the algorithm assumes it was not something you wanted to watch and the video will end up a lot further down the list.”

After the class ended, Brag continued to make videos, and his channel, “Practical Procrastination,” is now a growing platform. It offers life hacks to college students through comedic skits of absurd situations that are surprisingly relatable and typical of life in your twenties.

“I wanted to combine practical advice with comedy,” Brag said. “And I’m experimenting every episode and trying to change it up a little bit, basically trying to get as much feedback as possible to find what styles and themes people enjoy watching.”

As Brag noted, YouTube is more than cat videos, and a channel can be run almost like a business, which demands some real marketing skills.

“Some YouTubers are able to make a lot of money, fund other projects, [and] even employ people to help them,“ Brag explained. “I really just see it as a way to build a community for people who enjoy laughing [....] and it’s also just a lot of fun to make them.

Every week, I cast my friends and we all just have fun with it.”

Brag has received a lot of support from his friends.

“I had friends who were

into acting already,” he said. “My roommate, Nicholas Lepage, had been in plays at McGill every single semester.”

Lepage also indirectly inspired Brag to take that leap and start posting content.

“Seeing him on stage made me realize that it might not be so scary and it kind of pushed me to go for it,” Brag explained.

A lot of work goes into making YouTube videos—approximately two days of scriptwriting, two days of filming, and between eight and twelve hours of editing—so Brag appreciates the help from his friends.

“Nick has become absolutely necessary,” he said. “I do most of the work since he is still in school, but he has become pretty essential for brainstorming, for scripting, and for the improvisation he does on set. He always changes the script into what he thinks will be funny and I really trust his opinion.”

Taking the leap into the world of YouTube has paid off for Brag so far—he has even been recognized a few times around campus.

“When I was at Gerts last week, a dude came up to me saying he had seen my videos,” Brag shared. “It’s so overwhelmingly flattering, like ‘Holy shit’ you actually watched the video and remember the jokes. It’s just very flattering and it makes me really happy that people enjoy what I’m making.”

Lose your language to dance with Le Couleur Montreal-based band gets anglo audiences moving with latest album and tour Audrey carleton Contributor Montreal-based trio Le Couleur is back in town promoting their latest EP, Dolce Desir. The drummer of the electro-dance-pop group, Steven Chouniard, took time to speak with the Tribune in the midst of their tour, which began in New York City and will be continuing up to Quebec City.

For a group singing entirely in French, playing for predominantly English-speaking audiences in anglophone cities like New York and Toronto may seem like a risk. As Chouinard explained, it’s quite the opposite.

“I didn’t expect anything like this,” Chouinard admitted, describing the success of their tour thus far.

“We’re singing in French [for mostly] English people, so you don’t know what [to expect]. But it went really well, actually. The American people are very open [to] this language.”

The band also attributes its success within anglophone audiences to the style of music it plays.

“We are doing this kind of dance-y house disco music that can take on any language,” Chouinard said.

When prompted with the question of defining the band’s music, however, Chouinard paused.

“That is a hard question actually,

Le Couleur poses for the cover of their new album. (quebeccinema.ca) because we don’t like to categorize our music,” Chouinard explained.

“No artist likes to categorize [his or her] music [....] I would say, like I said earlier, it’s dance music. We want to make people dance.”

In defining the impact he wanted to have in the music world, Chouinard responded humbly: It’s not about the fame, it’s about the music.

“We just want to play our music in front of people,” Chouinard said.

“And the more people [that are] there, the more happy we are [....] You put all

your passion, all your money, all your time, all your heart in those songs [...]

The goal is just to play in front of more people, and just live with your music, live with your passion.”

Le Couleur’s passion about their music means they rarely have time to do anything else, but when the members of Le Couleur do find free time, they enjoy tracking down musical gems—particularly vinyl records. It’s difficult for the group to find spare moments like these while on tour, however. Chouinard

acknowledged the difficulties that come with constant travel.

“You arrive [at the city you’re performing in], you’ve been driving all day, you get to the venue for the soundcheck, you have some time between the soundcheck and the performance, you eat—sometimes you don’t have time, so you don’t eat,” Chouinard lamented. “In the morning, you pack up the set and you get to the other [venue].”

The high-speed, high-intensity nature of going on tour is just part of the

job. Outlining his hectic schedule for the past few days, Chouinard explained how he had only gotten three hours of sleep the night before. Playing shows at night had kept him up late, only to wake up several hours later in the early morning to travel to the next stop on tour. However, Chouinard noted that type of hard work and motivation is essential to finding prosperity in the music business.

“You have to work very, very hard, and you don’t give up, you keep going.”

16

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Disaster and everything after

Benoit Aquin’s Mégantic exhibit captures images from site of recent tragedy alexander bullis Contributor

For over two decades, Montreal photographer Benoit Aquin has made a name for himself through his blunt and captivating portrayals of environmental and human disasters.

His unique investigative style of photography, in combination with his precise artistic vision, has earned him international acclaim and recognition.

In July 2013, when a 74-car freight train was derailed in the small Quebec town of Lac-Mégantic, Aquin was one of the few photographers with access to the epicentre of the disaster. His photo series Mégantic, now on display at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA), provides a terrifying glimpse into the surreal landscape of the small town in the aftermath of overwhelming destruction.

Visitors of the exhibition are met upon arrival by the prominently displayed centrepiece of the exhibition: The striking diptych “Debris,” which occupies its own wall. It shows a twisted and tangled mess of oil-soaked metal, each panel mirroring the other to form a blossoming web of shrapnel and destruction. The irony of the beauty and butterfly-like appearance of the violently destroyed debris generates a powerful and lasting mental image.

The series consistently utilizes the emotional and visual power of extreme lighting contrasts, a technique well

Aquin beautifully captures the silence and shock that follows a disaster. (benoitauquin.com) established by Aquin in his previous series, Quebec’s Far North. However, in comparison to his earlier works, Aquin uses blackness and predominantly dark fields more frequently, rather than light colours, to evoke a sense of dread and reverence. This technique is exemplified by what has become one of the most famous photographs from the series, “Zone d’Exclusion.” In this image, the temporary fence surrounding the disaster’s exclusion zone is presented in such a way that only pure blackness is visible behind it. The foreboding angle at which the fence is presented, in

conjunction with the complete obscurity of all that lies beyond it, captures the essence of terror and devastation that lie within the site of the disaster.

One of the most striking features of Aquin’s style in the series is his general avoidance of human subjects. While there are occasional images in which residents or aide workers are featured, the vast majority of the photos are devoid of people in the foreground. This effectively creates a feeling of isolation, contributing to the alien and nightmarish feel to the scenes he illustrates.

Aquin’s focus in his previous work

has strongly been the environmental impacts of both human and natural disasters, and as such, photographs in the Mégantic series frequently revolve around the widespread environmental destruction resulting from the catastrophe. Burned plants splashed with black oil and the polluted shores of the Chaudière River feature prominently throughout the gallery.

Many photos centre on the human response to the pollution and, at times, highlight the absurdity and inadequacy of the methods. “Riviere Chaudière No. 6” shows several oil nets tossed into the

river, while the banks are littered with oil and debris in other photos. The stark contrast between photos of the river before and after the incident indicates the true gravity of the disaster’s ecological impacts.

While environmental destruction is carefully documented, Aquin in no way overlooks the profound human tragedy of the event. He tastefully shows glimpses into the suffering and pain caused by the loss of nearly 50 lives. His most direct analysis of this is through the haunting work, “Andreé-Anne Sevigny, Jeune Victime,” a simple photograph of a listing of the funeral for a young woman who perished in the disaster.

Photographs of abandoned homes, burned banknotes, and empty store shelves fill the gallery, emphasizing just how widespread the social implications of the destruction are.

Aquin’s years of experience in photographing disasters perfectly prepared him to document the horror and destruction of the Lac-Mégantic catastrophe. Through his understated yet painfully revealing work, his Mégantic series brings to light the true costs of one of the most devastating tragedies in Canadian history in an unforgettable and profound way.

Mégantic will be presented at the MMFA (1380 Sherbrooke) until Sunday, May 24. Student admission is $12.

The marriage of hip hop and jazz on rap’s periphery Eric noble-marks Staff Writer In 2011, three jazz students at Toronto’s Humber College performed a piece inspired by rap collective Odd Future. Their instructors promptly declared that the piece had no artistic value. Undiscouraged, the young musicians uploaded their arrangement to YouTube under the name “The Odd Future Sessions.” As it happened, Odd Future’s leader Tyler the Creator disagreed with Humber’s brass and invited the trio, now known as BADBADNOTGOOD (BBNG), on tour with the collective.

Four years and four albums later, BBNG have come to represent a type of jazz that unabashedly flaunts its hip hop and R&B influences. A BBNG concert experience is closer to Earl Sweatshirt than Dave Brubeck; a throng of primarily young fans mosh to jazz interpretations of tracks by hip hop luminaries such as Kanye West, Nas, and Gang Starr. Recently, the trio collaborated with Wu Tang Clan member and rap legend Ghostface Killah. Their newest album, Sour Soul, perfectly represents the crosspollination of hip hop and jazz.

However, this blending of genres is hardly a new phenomenon.

In many ways, the marriage of jazz and hip hop first emerged in the late eighties with the music of a loose confederation of producers and MC’s known as the Native Tongues Collective. Artists such as A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and the Jungle Brothers sought to blend jazz, rap, and Afrocentric ideology to create a socially as well as musically conscious brand of hip hop. To these artists, the parallels between hip hop and jazz were obvious— Q - T i p rhymes on Tribe’s legendary “Excursions”: “You could find the Abstract listening to Hip Hop/ My pops used to say it reminded him of bebop.” Similarly, Tribe’s single “Jazz (We’ve Got)” paid homage to the legendary jazz label Blue Note Records in its cover art and production style.

In the late eighties and early nineties, hip hop often faced criticism for being a parasitic genre that

leeched off the genius of others such as R&B, funk, and jazz.

However, it appears the feeling was at least

However, despite Tribe’s influential work, and other innovations in the early 2000s from producers such as J Dilla and Madlib, mainstream success

The marriage of jazz and hip hop feels so right. (Susanne Wang / McGill Tribune) partially reciprocated by mainstream jazz artists. Herbie Hancock had been experimenting with hip hop beats and production since the early 1980s.

Brandford Marsalis collaborated with producer DJ Premier on his Buckshot Lefonque project in 1994.

has remained elusive for jazz-infused hip hop artists. Indeed, even modern acts such as BBNG who have been accepted into hip hop’s inner circle have yet to gain the mainstream recognition of their contemporaries.

The classics of the genre, albums like

Tribe’s The Low End Theory (1991), Madvillain’s Madvillainy (2004), and J Dilla’s Donuts (2006), remain critically but not commercially acclaimed. Why? Perhaps the answer also explains why jazz has failed to appeal to mainstream listeners. Like its source material, jazz rap features little in the way of catchy hooks or booming production permanent in its contemporaries. Both the genre’s lyrics and instrumentation are introspective and subtle by definition. The genre’s understated yet detailed qualities have garnered it a great degree of recognition among musicians and critics but are often lost on mainstream audiences. However, it has always thrived by looking to the outside rather than the centre of the hip hop audience, allowing it to both reinforce and criticize the hip hop lifestyle—see De La Soul’s masterful “Stakes Is High” for evidence.

Perhaps jazz and hip hop were never meant to exist together at the top of the charts. The underground remains its natural home. Despite BBNG’s sizeable momentum, based on previous cases, it is hard to see artists like them becoming hip-hop megastars. However, there’s plenty of room to succeed on the edge of the mainstream. Here’s hoping I’m proven wrong.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Songs called “Shine a Light” Matt Bobkin Contributor

ALBUM REVIEWS BADBADNOTGOOD - Sour Soul LEx

“Shine a Light” Artist: The Rolling Stones Album: Exile on Main St. Released: May 12, 1972

Though the Rolling Stones’ 1972 double album Exile on Main St. is now considered to be one of the greatest albums of all time, its penultimate track, “Shine a Light,” with its groovy, honky-tonk chorus that is nothing but uplifting, is a step above. Filled with sweet guitar riffs and a relentlessly jammy piano hook, “Shine a Light” is a hootenanny of a track, with beautiful daubs of gospel licks stuffed in there for good measure—without ever feeling bloated.

Four minutes of shifting, soulful classic rock, this quintessential Stones cut is a slice of bliss from start to finish.

“Shine a Light” Artist: Madonna Album: Shine a Light EP Year: 1980

The deepest cut of them all comes from the Queen of Pop, the almighty Madge herself—but from 1980, a few years before she became the Material Girl that we all know and love. Though it’s not quite the dance pop Madonna is known for, it still features her airy yet commanding voice, with hints of her future pop dominance, but this time on top of a buoyant bass line and shuffling drums. At a scant 101 seconds, this tune is gone too soon—as was Madonna’s embrace of this sound. Nonetheless, it makes a great impact during its brief runtime.

Since BADBADNOTGOOD (BBNG)’s discovery by Tyler the Creator in 2011, their rise has been nothing short of meteoric, and they now find themselves standing shoulder to shoulder with Ghostface Killah, who collaborated on their recent release. However, on Sour Soul,

Artist: Constantines Album: Shine a Light Released: August 19, 2003

Despite forming in 2009, electronic rock group AWOLNATION had been a silent murmur in the EDM-rock crossover world until the massively successful “Sail” was re-released on its debut album Megalithic Symphony (2011).

while Ghost and underground king MF DOOM trade lyrical blows. It’s funky, psychedelic, almost giddy fun—especially when the song pulls a 180 halfway through and transitions to a booming BBNG outro. In fact, the entire album feels laid back—a welcome relief in an era of hip hop in which every track is meticulously put together by an army of producers and emcees.

Is Sour Soul a perfect album? Unfortunately not. It doesn’t feature a lot of variation in lyrics, flow, or production. At times, Ghost can sound stale—albeit not as often as other critics would have you believe. In the end, none of this matters all that much. BBNG are as on point as they’ve ever been.

—

Eric Noble-Marks

Now AWOLNATION is releasing its second full album, RUN , amid quiet fanfare and undoubtedly high hopes that another song will push the band from one-hit wonder to electro-rock staple.

RUN is the definition of an artistic identity crisis. The album starts strong in its eponymous opener, with electric violins leading into an eerie voice over claiming “I am a human being/ capable of doing terrible things.” The build to the song is slow and steady, but when the bass drops it drops hard into an unexpected electro-metal bridge.

The following song, “Fat Face,” takes the established sound of the opener and erases it. It implements a mellowdramatic choral background under such banal lyrics as “I walk to the rhythm/ To the rhythm of your heart.”

The musical confusion continues

with the ’80s-esque “Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf)”—which, admittedly, is one of the best tracks on the album—to the acoustic serenade “Headrest for My Soul” to “Like People, Like Plastic,” which was oddly reminiscent of a climactic number in a rock opera.

RUN is not a bad album. The songs, however confusingly disjointed, are overall well-produced and pleasantly unique in their sound. AWOLNATION’s biggest failure is in turning what could have been two excellent EPs into one average album. That being said, if you’re looking for a solid electronic rock album, you could do much worse than RUN .

—

Morgan Alexander

Skrillex and Diplo - JACK Ü Mad Decent

“Shine a Light”

Artist: Wolf Parade Album: Apologies to the Queen Mary Released: September 27, 2005 Coming off the heels of labelmates Constantines’ smash album/single of the same name, Montreal art-rockers Wolf Parade’s take on the phrase is a little happier in comparison. Built around a chugging chord progression, this lighthearted, stompy rocker features guitarist Dan Boeckner—now of Divine Fits and synth-rockers Operators—on the mic for some jagged, breathy vocals. With some jangly guitars in the background, Wolf Parade’s track is fun, synthy indie rock at its best, including a great, riff-filled climax to round things out. Though Wolf Parade is no longer active, its “Shine a Light” is just one of many great tunes to come out of the Montreal group—and a reminder of the sharp rock they crafted during their time together.

BBNG sounds anything but starstruck. On this album, their signature brand of high voltage jazz/hip hop is fused with elements of noir and Morricone-esque spaghetti western. Wisely, they tone down some of their more erratic elements to make room for Ghostface’s trademark punishing lyrical delivery.

As for Ghost himself, his typical style meshes nearly perfectly with BBNG’s rumbling background work. Even if Ghostface Killah’s rapping is a tad predictable, the album’s guest features more than make up for it. Danny Brown is pure fire on “Six Degrees,” boasting his usual idiosyncratic timbre that inspires either acclaim or disdain, depending on who you ask. When he claims to “eat a rapper like butternut squash,” I’m inclined to agree.

On “Ray Gun,” another standout of the album, BBNG provide a sort of drugged-out Family Stone impression,

AWOLNATION - RUN Red Bull

“Shine a Light”

One of the hits by Guelph, Ontario rockers, Constantines, “Shine a Light,” features irregular time signatures in verses that give way to a heavy chorus. Though not a bleak tune, it’s not a particularly uplifting one either, working to keep the listener on edge: Clean guitar noodling is juxtaposed with a heavy, walking bassline and eerie synths. Compounded with Bry Webb’s raspy, howling vocals, the track plays with mood before jolting to life for a gritty, guitar-driven rock climax. It’s fun, unsettling, and definitely not your standard rock tune, taking calculated breaks and bridges to maximize the impact of the song’s climaxes.

17

Collaborations between established artists have given us some of the most interesting and enjoyable music of the last decade. The combination of the visions of two musicians often leads to the

creation of a new and distinct sound that would otherwise have been unachievable for either independently.

Diplo and Skrillex’s new collaboration, Jack Ü , is not one of those cases.

There are no surprises hidden anywhere in the brief 35-minute album—it is precisely what you would expect from the two artists working together. All of the essence of Diplo’s eclectic percussion shines through and is punctuated by stereotypical Skrillex drops and basslines Rarely do the two mesh in any kind of interesting way.

The incorporation of various featured artists is what gives the most memorable tracks their quality, rather than any kind of unique production.

Self-aware and entertaining raps from 2 Chainz hold the percussive and bass-

heavy track “Febreze” together. Unfortunately, while adding 2 Chainz helped in that instance, there are numerous other cases where it was clear that the featured musicians were there only to draw media attention to the album and not to provide any valuable contribution.

Jack Ü is not a bad album by any means, but it’s unfortunately not a particularly good one either. It’s often catchy and fun, and a few of the beats are infectious enough to get even the most reserved club-goer moving. It just doesn’t manage to deliver anything more substantial than that.

—

Alexander Bullis

18

Science & Technology Protecting against piracy using DRMs

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

K-cups and Kindles have more in common than you think Clare Lyle Staff Writer

Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology has permeated our phones, our computers, even our coffee makers. In theory, DRM is meant to protect content creators from piracy; however, its critics are quick to disagree. According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, DRM technologies “impede innovation, security, and basic user rights and expectations, while failing to inhibit copyright infringement.”

Although DRM is not at the front of most people’s minds when they read a book on an ereader or listen to music on an iPhone, it plays a major role in how media is consumed and what sources it can be accessed from.

DRM ensures that eBooks bought from Amazon can only be read on a Kindle, and Microsoft can limit the number of computers that can run a single licence of Office.

While it’s possible to get around DRM and, for example, read books from the Kindle store on a Nook, the expertise and time required to do so provides enough of a barrier that the average consumer is forced to either own two different devices, or purchase

content from only a single provider. The pervasiveness of DRM turns it into something to be assumed rather than questioned.

Occasionally, DRM does win the spotlight. When Microsoft initially unveiled the Xbox One, gamers were outraged because of the “always-online” functionality that prevented players from borrowing games from friends or purchasing second-hand editions.

The reaction of the Xbox community was so overwhelmingly

Keurig 2.0 display when competitor cups are used. (Photo courtesy of CMG digital) negative that Microsoft ended up cent decline in revenue in Canada in the financial quarter following scrapping the concept.

Ignoring consumer opposi- the Keurig 2.0 release.

DRM opposition can be seen tion to DRM can land a company in hot water, as Keurig has re- as being moral. Opponents think cently discovered. The coffee ma- that the practice goes against indichine giant released its ‘Keurig vidual rights and gives too much 2.0’ in 2014, quietly adding a power to large corporations. On feature that prevented new ma- a more practical level, DRM can chines from reading K-cups that also lead to major security vulnerit hadn’t produced. Despite con- abilities. In the early 2000s, Sony sumer backlash, Keurig has stood used software called XCP to reby its decision to add DRM to the strict customer use of the music coffee industry. It saw a 12 per on CDs produced by the company.

It was later revealed that this software left users’ computers vulnerable to third-party attacks.

DRM is also criticized for its inefficacy. In theory, the technology is intended to prevent piracy.

In practice, it is still possible for users to circumvent these restrictions. In fact, many methods of doing so can be found with a quick Google search; typing “Keurig 2.0” into the search engine prompts “keurig 2.0 hack” as one of the first suggestions.

Jailbroken iPhones, an array of file conversion software, and programs that rip movies off of DVDs are all examples of how easy it is to get around DRM. For most, DRM is little more than an inconvenience, like traffic jams. Its ubiquity causes it to fall off of the radar, except for the occasional media frenzy. This becomes a problem when the inconvenience turns into a liability, as was the case with Sony in 2005. Without an informed consumer base, it’s easy for DRM to be used in such a way that consumer rights are compromised.

This leads to DRM’s greatest danger: It’s everywhere, but no one realizes.

Fact or Fiction : Is it blue and black, or white and gold?

Lydia Kaprelian Staff Writer #TheDress became a viral sensation at the end of February, triggering heated arguments: Is the dress blue and black, or white and gold? Though the trivial debate was blown tiresomely out of proportion, the disagreements have revealed amazing differences in how our eyes and brains have developed to perceive colour.

To see colours and composite images, wavelengths of light hit the retina in the back of the eye. In the retina, light is sorted by cone cells sensitive to red, blue, or green wavelengths.

From there, activated cone cells send action potentials along the optic nerve to the visual processing cortex of the brain. The combination of signals allows our brain to make near-instantaneous judgments on the colours around us.

“Ninety-nine per cent of the time we’ll see the same colours,” Dr. Julia Haller, the ophthalmologist-in-chief at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia explained to CNN. “But the picture of this dress seems to have tints that hit

the sweet spot that’s confusing to a lot of people.”

The light from the object that enters our eyes is dependent not only on the object’s intrinsic properties but also on the object’s surrounding illumination. The ability to assign fixed colours amidst changing ambient lighting is called colour constancy. Colour constancy allows us to manage these ambient differences, like sunlight at noon versus at sunset.

“Our visual system is supposed to throw away information about the illuminant and extract information about the actual reflectance,” explained neuroscientist Jay Neitz from the University of Washington. “I’ve studied individual differences in colour vision for 30 years, and this is one of the biggest individual differences I’ve ever seen.”

The discrepancy for this particular image lies in the lack of information about the dress’s surroundings. Though the background appears light in color, the source of illumination is not clear. If the dress appears washed out in bright light, then often the dress is seen to be blue and black. But if the dress is

#TheDress is the perfect example of how the same image can be perceived differently. (Photo courtesy of Yahoo) perceived under a dark shadow, it is more likely that the dress is seen as white and gold. When the context of illumination varies, so will visual perception.

What do these differences mean? Why do some view the dress in a shadow while others perceive an overexposed room?

“Why do some people love cilantro and others say it tastes like soap?” Haller responded.

“Why do some people have per-

fect pitch and others are tone deaf? It’s the same with vision— our sensory apparatus is fine tuned.”

Our highly developed sense of colour likely stems from a biological evolutionary advantage. As trichromats—those who have red, green, and blue sensitive cone cells—human ancestors were more likely to perceive a difference in colour between a ripe fruit and its surrounding fo-

liage compared to dichromats— almost all non-primate mammals. Heightened sensitivity to colour differences thus conferred a greater chance of survival to fellow trichromats. Our ability to sense a wide array of color likely means there are slight variations in our visual information filtering. The differences of perceived dress colour is therefore likely the product of evolutionary variability.

Science & Technology

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

19

This month in

STudent research

Adam Marks

Clare Lyle Staff Writer

(Jack Neal / McGill Tribune ) remi lu Managing Editor Dr. Claudio Cuello told Adam Marks that he could have a job if he found someone in the lab to take him on as an undergraduate researcher. Accepting the challenge, Marks approached a masters student to ask for a role. Two years later, the two of them are under review for publication, with another study in the works.

Alzheimer’s disease is typically characterized by short-term memory loss and disorientation, tending to manifest with age.

Despite a recent surge of awareness, very little is known about the disease. As such, a majority of research surrounding Alzheimer’s currently focuses on understanding the disease from a biomolecular standpoint, rather than developing treatment methods.

Cuello’s lab at McGill is one of the foremost research centres on Alzheimer’s disease. Marks, who applied to Cuello’s lab in his sophomore year, is now a third-year biochemistry student working on his own projects at the Cuello lab. His current research focuses on characterizing the disease. “[We’re trying to] look for biomarkers [to] understand the background mechanism behind why the symptoms are manifesting in the way that they are,” Marks said. “[We’re] looking at the cognitive deficits, outcomes of what’s going on, and [reasons] why these things are going on.”

The disease is typically characterized by both an accumulation of amyloid beta plaque proteins in the brain, and a build-up of tau protein aggregates. Although researchers have discovered that these aggregates are present in the brain of Alzheimer’s patients, no conclusions have yet been made as to the cause of these build-ups.

At the moment, Marks works with a rat amylopathy model—developed by the lab to

mirror the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s—to find novel markers of the disease.

“I’ve been doing […] a lot of immunohistochemistry [protocols], which involves taking tissues—either rat brain or mouse brain […] and staining it with antibodies against a specific protein, looking [at cells under a microscope], trying to find localizations of these proteins, and trying to find trends in the data,” Marks said.

Marks has been involved in research since his high school days, when he worked in a lab studying Multiple Sclerosis. Approaching two years now in the Cuello lab, Marks has achieved the seniority to engage in more projects, able to give more input on the research that is conducted in the lab. Although most students conducting undergraduate research focus primarily on applying to medical school, Marks said he has no desire to limit himself to clinical medicine. After all these years devoted to research, his goal is to develop his own research project as part of an MD/PhD program.

“For me personally, I need to maintain this aspect of my life with research,” Marks said. “With the [MD/PhD], you get a dual degree [….] You need to fully devote yourself to medical school and give 100 per cent to your research. I think that’s a nice balance, and it’s exactly what I want to do with my life.”

Beyond his passion for the research itself, Marks champions the research community and the sense of collaboration it creates.

“I like the whole [concept] behind research and the community it generates,” Marks said. “The whole sharing […] between labs and even lab members, just bouncing ideas off each other. It’s really an environment for developing new ideas and improving the scientific community as a whole.”

Working out boosts grey matter

A recent study of adult twins has shown that an exercise routine can do more than just burn fat.

Researchers from the University of Jyväskylä in Finland analyzed data from 10 pairs of adult male twins who had grown up playing the same sports, but in recent years had engaged in different fitness regimes.

Most studies that try to determine the effect of exercise on physiology and health run into problems when trying to tease out the different effects of environment, genetics, and individual backgrounds. But because the twins in the study all grew up in similar environments and had similar exercise histories, the scientists were able to rule out environmental and genetic factors in their analysis.

The study found that a greater level of physical activity was associated with a lower body fat percentage and larger grey matter volumes in the striatal and prefrontal cortex. Active twins were also better able to maintain their blood glucose levels, something that indicates a reduced risk of type II diabetes.

What makes these findings notable is the timeframe under which they developed. The twins had lived near-identical lifestyles up until three years before the study took place, indicating that the differences in physiology appeared after only a few years of differing levels of physical activity.

Archaeologists discover 2,600-year-old brain

In 2008, archaeologists excavating an Iron Age site in York England, made a surprising find. From inside a decapitated head, scientists from the York Archaeological Trust found a preserved brain.

“I peered through the hole at the base of the skull to investigate,” said Rachel Cubbitt, of the York Archaeological Trust in an interview with the Daily Mail. “To my surprise, [I] saw a quantity of bright yellow spongy

(Photo courtesy of the Huffington Post) material. It was unlike anything I had seen before.”

While it was assumed that the brain was approximately the same age as the site where it was found, it was only this year that scientists were able to put an exact number on its age: 2,600 years. The brain’s longevity is attributed to its owner’s timely burial, as a thick layer of mud would have starved the brain and skull of oxygen for the past two millennia and prevented soft tissue from decomposing.

Scientists use 3D-printing to model human brains

In a paper published in Tissue Engineering: Part C, a team of Australian scientists used conductive polymers in a 3D-printed model brain to differentiate neural stem cells.

First announced last year, the project aims to use 3D bio-printing technologies to build scaffolding on which scientists can grow neurons, mimicking a functioning human brain.

“With the opportunity and realization that natural and synthetic biomaterials can be used to support and control cell and tissue engineering, I believe we can better model healthy and disease biology for understanding disease processes, drug development, and tissue replacement therapy,” said Professor Jeremy Crook from the University of Wollongong.

The project team’s most recent publication details its use of this scaffolding to electrically stimulate stem cells. Researchers used a conducting polymer called polypyrrole to build the model brain, and then looked at how stem cells developed on the film.

They found that cells that had been electrically stimulated were more likely than unstimulated cells to become neuronal cells— grey matter—rather than glial cells—white matter. The stimulated cells also exhibited increased branching of neurites, the parts of the cell responsible for connecting to other neurons. These findings have the potential to be used in research and as therapy for neurological diseases.

20

Sports

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Basketball – Bishop’s 68, Redmen 63

Redmen season ended by Bishop’s in RSEQ Finals Late rally not enough to overcome early deficit, title streak ends at two Aaron Rose Staff Writer It was too little too late for the McGill Redmen on their quest for their third straight RSEQ Championship. After trouncing the fourthseeded Concordia Stingers 74-60 on Friday night, the Redmen faced off against the third-seeded Bishop’s Gaiters in the RSEQ Finals in front of Bishop’s home crowd. The Gaiters were looking to “exorcise their McGill demons,” as the Bishop’s commentator repeatedly explained after watching his team fall to McGill in back-to-back championship games over the past two seasons.

This time, the veteran Gaiters squad came out firing, downing McGill 68-63 and moving on to the CIS Championships.

McGill started hot against Concordia in the semifinals, jumping out to a 25-7 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Redmen upped their lead to 22 in the third on a red-hot 53 per cent shooting percentage in the second half. Second-year forward Michael Peterkin led the way for the Redmen, scoring 16 points while shooting 70 per cent from the floor.

“I just played with confidence and a lot of emotion,” Peterkin said.

“I wanted to help my team out in any

Jenning Leung and Noah Daoust swarm the Bishop’s ballhandler. (Emery G. Photography / Bishop’s University Athletics) way I could.”

Senior guard Ave Bross logged significant minutes off the bench, recording 10 points and eight boards– just two rebounds shy of what would have been his first career doubledouble. RSEQ Defensive-Player-ofthe-Year Dele Ogundokun recorded 14 points and a pair of steals, while second-year guard Jenning Leung finished in double-digits with a 10point game.

Unfortunately for McGill, the fun didn’t last long. In the final,

the Redmen started slow against the Gaiters, shooting 39 per cent from the field and a pitiful 12.5 per cent from behind the arc in the first half.

Bishop’s took advantage, connecting on 56 per cent of their shots, including four from deep, to grab an eight-point lead heading into the half.

The Gaiters stretched their lead to 20 late in the third before the Redmen came storming back on a 25-5 run to tie the game up at 60.

“We knew if we got it close in

the fourth, we would have a chance to win,” RSEQ Rookie-of-the-Year Noah Daoust said. “We kept our focus and believed in our abilities.”

Daoust finished off his impressive rookie campaign with 17 points off the bench for the Redmen, including a big three-pointer to tie the game up at 63.

McGill regained the ball down by three with 40 seconds left. Although it’s tough to doubt the gametime decisions of two-time RSEQ Coach-of-the-Year David DeAveiro,

it was strange to see two of McGill’s best three-point shooters, Thomas Lacy (33 per cent) and Regis Ivaniukas (31 per cent), on the bench for that possession. DeAveiro decided to play four of his five starters and replace struggling centre Francois Bourque with the red-hot Daoust in the final seconds.

“I ended up getting a pass from [Leung] for an open shot at the top of the key,” fourth-year captain Vincent Dufort said. “[I] thought about shooting before I caught the ball and ended up fumbling [it]. [The ball] happened to go to [Daoust], and he had to take a contested shot. It was an unfortunate outcome, but you have to give the Gaiters credit.”

Bishop’s grabbed the rebound and added a pair of free throws to close out the game.

The majority of the Redmen team is expected to return next year, including all five starters. While the loss to Bishop’s will be tough to accept right now, expect the Redmen to bounce back and make some noise in the CIS tournament next season.

“Seeing Bishop’s hoist the championship was tough to watch,” Peterkin said. “It will motivate us to come back and unleash havoc on the conference and the rest of the nation next season.”

from the cheap seats: UFC 186 open day Zikomo Smith Staff Writer I find it strange being in a room with multiple people who can easily beat me up. Especially when some of those people are only 5’3”.

And that is the position I was in for two hours at the Bell Centre on Feb. 25 for the UFC 186 open media session. I got my press pass at the door, got a coffee and sandwich at the complementary buffet, and entered the surreal world of the most popular organization of mixed martial arts (MMA). I was immediately struck by how accessible and willing to talk the athletes were. They all exuded a mixture of humility and confidence.

They gave refreshingly candid opinions as opposed to the recycled platitudes we hear in so many mainstream sports.

They did not shy away from difficult questions about UFC legend Anderson Silva’s positive steroids test and doping in MMA. Everyone questioned agreed that steroids should be banned and drug cheats should be punished.

However, some of the fighters were more empathetic towards steroid users than others. That side was represented

by Demetrius “DJ” Johnson (the fivefooter who could beat me up), who said that he believes that steroids do not totally invalidate a fighter’s achievements.

“Anderson Silva did some amaz-

ing things in the octogon whether he was on [performance enhancing drugs] or not,” Johnson said. “He still has to train. Yes he did cheat, but he still has to put the work in the gym […] and go into the octagon and knock this person out.”

Despite the sympathy, Johnson was adamant that he did not believe in steroid use, and that he was not tempted to use it. On the other side, TJ Dillashaw–defending UFC Bantamweight champion–was far more emphatic about steroids as cheating and a blight on the industry.

Johnson also did not baulk at criticizing the exuberant and visionary UFC commissioner Dana White for allowing WWE wrestler CM Punk to join the company without a substantial background in MMA. “Next time I see [White] I am going to ask him, ‘How are you going to sign CM Punk to the best MMA organization,’” Dillashaw said. “I would not sign him. I would pay top dollar to get the best talent over someone like CM Punk […] who has never had one amateur fight or spar.”

With regards to UFC in Canada, Montreal veteran fighter Patrick Cote, who will face Joe Riggs at UFC 186, believed better grassroots development was needed to continue producing quality Canadian fighters.

UFC 186 competitor TJ Dillashaw (right) throws a punch. (lowkickmma.com) “We have a lot of young fighters and prospects [who] want to fight but there is [no] serious organization to develop those young guys,” Cote explained.

Ever since MMA was legalized across Canada in 2010, the sport has blossomed. Canada has hosted the most UFC events outside of Las Vegas and Atlantic City. The first UFC event in Toronto sold out with 55,000 tickets.

This has been aided by the presence of the wildly popular superstar Georges St. Pierre, who would probably be elected as Premier of Quebec if he ran. Quebec-

ers, and Canadians at large, have taken to UFC at an alarming rate.

“First and foremost, Canadians are sport fans […] so I think that we are a great sports nation and this is a great sport,” Head of UFC Canada Tom Wright explained. “Second is that we are as multicultural a country as you would find anywhere on the planet and […] our sport is as multicultural as any.”

Despite its status as a second-tier sport in Canada behind the usual suspects such as hockey, basketball, and football, MMA is truly awe-inspiring.

Its athletes are probably in the best shape

of any athletes on the planet–all muscle, coiled power, and fluid limbs.

The open media day made the UFC seem very egalitarian. The athletes unabashadly shared their opinions.

Wright seemed to connect personally with the fighters. This is an organization that seems to want to make the paying public a part of their world. I was sold. I got a star-struck photo with Cote. I even managed to make it through the session without taking a beating.

UFC 186 takes place on April 25 at the Bell Centre.

Sports

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

21

10 THINGS:

Spring Training

By AAron Rose

(aaronontiveroz.wordpress.com)

Billy Goat snuff – From the Billy Goat curse to the Bartman incident, the Chicago Cubs have known nothing but despair and ineptitude for over 100 years. Plug in Jon Lester, Jason Hammel, Miguel Montero, and Dexter Fowler to go along with Joe Maddon behind the bench, and this could be the year the Cubs win the pennant. Can’t imagine it? Go check out “Back to the Future Part II”!

More questions than answers – After breaking thousands of hearts, last year the Toronto Blue Jays went out and made big moves, bringing in Russell Martin and Josh Donaldson. Unfortunately, the Jays still have question marks all over the field, with a shaky pitching staff and a mediocre bullpen. The Jays are counting on big performances from Brett Cecil and Dalton Pompey—not a good position to be in. Only time will tell if Alex Anthopoulos is a baseball genius or if his tenure in Toronto is coming to a close.

Now batting for the Yankees, number who? – For the first time in 20 years, someone other than Derek Jeter will jog out to shortstop for the New York Yankees. 25-year-old Didi Gregorius will have the daunting task of filling the void left by “#2.” There’s nothing tougher than following a legend. So how does Gregorius stack up to “The Captain?” His career .243 batting average would be considered a slump for the recently-retired captain.

International men of mystery – The recent success of Cuban baseball players has created a frenzy down South. In November, the Diamondbacks signed Cuban slugger Yasmany Tomas to a sixyear, $68.5 million contract. Three months later, the Red Sox spent $63 million to acquire 19-year old Cuban infielder, Yoan Moncada. While Cuba has been a baseball factory as of late, there are a lot of eyes on Korean shortstop Jung-Ho Kang. It’s uncertain how he will fare with the Pirates, but he did crush 40 homers last year, albeit in the comparatively weak Korean Baseball Organization.

Doing the box step – “After a pitch, you [have] to stay in the box? I call that bull s---” Red Sox slugger David Ortiz said regarding the MLB’s rule changes. New commissioner Rob Manfred is implementing a new rule requiring each batter to keep one foot in the batter’s box throughout his at-bat in order to speed up the game. Will it work? Depends how good you are at thinking inside the box.

Batman and Bane return to Gotham – From the shadows—or a PED scandal—a super villain has returned to wreak havoc on the poor citizens of Gotham. Alex Rodriguez is back, and he’s looking for money—$21 million to be exact. Fortunately for Gotham, a dark knight has risen.

After missing the 2014 season due to Tommy John’s surgery, Matt Harvey is back on the mound for the Mets and is looking to save New York from the evil Rodriguez and the rest of the Yankees.

Seeing green – Since being hit in the eye by a pitch in early September, Giancarlo Stanton has been seeing nothing but green, signing a 13-year, $325 million contract with the Miami Marlins in November. Stanton then sat back and watched the Marlins reel in Dee Gordon, Martin Prado, Mat Latos, and Dan Haren. If Stanton can stay healthy, this team looks poised for their first playoff run since its 2003 World Series Championship.

How the West was won – Over a dozen players moved in and out of the NL West this year. Add in all the crazy moves the Athletics and Mariners made, and off-season should have heads spinning. One thing’s for sure: This season, the West Coast is certainly the best coast.

Pocketed aces – What can $210 million buy you? The Nationals discovered that to be the right price for former Cy Young winner Max Scherzer. Washington inked the ace to a lucrative seven-year contract, making Scherzer the highest-paid right-handed pitcher in MLB history. Add Scherzer to a pitching staff already including Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman, Gio Gonzalez, Doug Fister, and Tanner Roark, and this group is certainly one shutdown that Washington wants to see.

Worst to first…again? – From 2012 to 2013, the Boston Red Sox went from baseball bottom dwellers to World Series champs. Fast forward to 2014, and the Sox were once again trapped in the AL East’s basement. After a plethora of off-season moves, the 2015 Red Sox look like top contenders for October’s hardware. Can Pablo Sandoval, Hanley Ramírez, and a handful of new pitchers bring Boston back to baseball’s best?

Hockey — best-of-three series: martlets 2, Carabins 1

Martlets dismantle Carabins, lift RSEQ title Daoust notches hat-trick in deciding game Mayaz Alam Managing Editor

(Continued from page 1) “[Hough] was ready to go, and I didn’t think our whole team had a great game on Saturday, so we made a switch like that, “Smith explained. “It made a difference and I think it worked out pretty well.”

In Game 1 of the series, the Martlets were able to race out to an early 2-0 lead in the first period, which they stretched to a 6-2 final score behind Oles, a second-team RSEQ All-Star.

Oles was one of five McGill athletes to merit league-wide recognition last week. Davidson was joined by reigning CIS Player-of-the-Year Katia Clement-Heydra and defenceman Kelsie Moffat on the first team, while defenceman Brittany Fouracres joined Oles on the second team. All of these individual accolades will be for nought, however, if the Martlets are unable to perform in the

coming week.

With the victory in Game 3, McGill moves on to the CIS Championships, where they will be joined by their arch-rivals, the Carabins, in the eight-team tournament in Calgary from March 12 to 15. The two teams, who have been jockeying for pole position in the CIS rankings all season long, will likely face each other for the 10th time with a National Championship on the line–it would only be fitting for the two most recent national champions. While the Martlets will be the No. 1 seed in the tournament, a repeat championship is far from guaranteed, and the squad must maintain its focus.

“It’s a very hard-working group and we need to go out there and play with tempo and pace and play a good team game,” Smith said. “We’ve prepared all year long for this [....]

We’re playing real good hockey right now, and we just have to go out there and be ourselves– nothing less and nothing more.”

Martlet captain Katia Clement-Heydra leads the Martlets to the CIS Championships. (Jack Neal / McGill Tribune)

Sports

22

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Spicing up major league baseball

With MLB’s attendance levels and television ratings on the decline, baseball’s new commissioner Rob Manfred has unveiled a controversial set of rule changes intended to speed up the pace of play and broaden the appeal of America’s pastime. Is this the end of baseball as we know it, or is it the salvation of the sport? The Tribune sports team weighs in.

(beyondtheboxscore.com)

Not-so-sweet relief It’s happening more and more every season, and it will be taken to a whole other level come October: It’s the dreaded pitching change and the mind-numbing loop of car commercials that go along with it. As recently as the 1970s, around 60 per cent of games featured only two pitchers per side.

This means that if you went to the ballgame on any given day, you were likely to see one pitching change per team all game. Today, thanks to the trend of using highly specialized relievers late in games to exploit batter handedness, it’s twice as likely you’ll see four or more pitching changes per team than one.

Legendary Cardinal skipper Tony La Russa is often praised for revolutionizing the bullpen, but as much excitement the Royals’ dominant relief trio provided in

Slippery Slope

last season’s World Series, MLB has to face the facts: The over-use of relief pitchers in baseball is the number one culprit both in lengthening games and in dampening offence. If Manfred wants to boost run scoring and shorten games, he should institute a structured limit on pitching changes. Barring injury, each manager should get two changes over the first through sixth innings, and two more over the last three innings. This would also add a new strategic dimension to the game, with intriguing spillover effects such as increasing the value of individual relief pitchers, reducing the need for an overly large bullpen, and freeing up space on the bench for speedy pinch runners.

—Elie Waitzer

Box e‘ m in Making the batter stay within the batter’s box during the entirety of the atbat is sure to improve baseball. As much as baseball fans wish to preserve the ‘purity’ of the game, this rule will definitely increase the pace. Watching a player like Jonny Gomes fiddle around with his helmet, gloves, cleats, and bat is not only boring to the viewers, but also unfair to his opponent on the mound. The delays break the pitcher’s rhythm and makes an already long game even longer. This rule will shorten games and help turn around the poor broadcast ratings that have plagued the MLB for the past few

MLB’s new pace of play rule changes will backfire, and the consequences could damage the league and the game itself. The league’s motivation for implementing new rules was to get baseball moving at a faster pace in an effort to appeal to a broader audience, but Manfred has lost sight of the fact that baseball is already plenty exciting to those who take the time to understand, analyze, and enjoy the game. The joy of watching baseball for those who love it doesn’t come from bone-crunching tackles, fistfights, or freakish athleticism. If football is shot-gunning a beer, baseball is sipping a glass of cognac.

Slightly shorter games won’t do anything to attract fans that weren’t interested before. They will only alienate already loyal fans, and disrupt the players who have

no problem with baseball’s current pace.

Legendary Red Sox slugger David Ortiz has already stated that he won’t follow the new rules, and will accept the fines he’ll receive. With the average MLB salary set to break four million dollars this year, players are still going to take their sweet time adjusting their batting gloves. The most worrying part about all of this is that it represents the beginning of a slippery slope for MLB. This round of changes will arguably have minimal impact on the integrity of the game, but the purists should hold on to their pitchforks for the next time the league tries to ‘spice up’ the game.

—Adrian Knowler

Time is money

seasons.

Professional baseball is at a crossroads. Sports fans can respect the quirks and mind games that give ballplayers character and make them more interesting to fans, but the league has to recognize that for the sport to survive in the 21st century , there need to be some changes.

MLB must tiptoe the line between re-invigorating interest in America’s favourite pasttime and stripping away the subtle intricacies that make baseball the beautiful sport that it is.

—Anthony Snell

A breath of fresh air is descending upon Major League Baseball. The new rules that are designed to make the game faster will have a positive impact. The faster tempo will mean that the crowds in the stadium will appreciate the sport more and the audiences watching it on TV will feel more enthralled by this magnificent sport.

The best way to accomplish this would be to put time limits on the various baseball ‘traditions’ that length-

en the game excessively. Things like mound visits should have a hard cap set at 30 seconds, and even the newfangled instant replay process should be timed to trim down the length of each game.

The delay of games caused by these ‘timeouts’ makes crowds yawn in despair and head to the bathroom, or even the exits. This sport isn’t cricket, for heaven’s sake.

—Raphael Uribe Arango

23

Sports

Tuesday, March 10, 2015 Basketball – martlets 53, Citadins 51

Martlets win fourth consecutive RSEQ title Sylla carries team with superstar performance Wyatt fine-gagné Sports Editor There is a basket at Mitchell Gym in Lennoxville, QC that needs new mesh. The old netting is now in the possession of Head Coach Ryan Thorne and the Martlet basketball team following a thrilling 53-51 win over the UQÀM Citadins Saturday afternoon that gave McGill its fourth consecutive conference title.

The game itself was one for the ages, featuring 15 lead changes, with the final—and ultimately decisive—shift coming with less than a minute to play in the fourth quarter. Down by one point, junior forward and game MVP Mariam Sylla worked her way to the hoop to drain the game-winning basket, putting home a lay-up with 26 seconds to play. She would make a free throw with a couple seconds left to reach a seasonhigh of 25 points in addition to 14 rebounds for the double-double.

“I thought the way [Sylla] played was consistent with how she played all year,” Thorne said. “It’s kind of what we expect from her. I think she was pretty poised down the stretch and when things were a bit in question, that’s who we went through. She’s one of our leaders.

She’s a captain, and she’s our best play-

er, and when it comes down to it [Sylla] is [who] you go [to.]”

Great players come through when their teams need them most, and Sylla did just that, dropping eight points in the final 6:22 of the fourth quarter to help push the Martlets past the Citadins. McGill was forced to lean especially hard on Sylla following an injury to junior centre Alex Kiss-Rusk early on.

Kiss-Rusk has been a consistent contributor for the Martlets down the stretch this season, and was McGill’s second-leading scorer after Sylla in its semifinal victory over Laval two days prior.

“It definitely affected the rotation and [...] I think that was the biggest adjustment,” Thorne said. “I think that the players [who] step in [...] have a pretty good understanding of what needs to be done—the fundamentals, and the basics of what we do [....] Losing that length affected the defensive side of our game and our inside scoring, but overall, it was pretty much a bit of a next-man-up situation.”

Beyond Sylla, the Martlets had a difficult time making shots, shooting only 33.3 per cent from the field. Not including Sylla, McGill shot a combined 26.8 per cent, including just one make on 15 tries from beyond the arc. UQÀM

The Martlets strike a chamionship pose. (Emery G. Photography / Bishop’s University Athletics) fared only slightly better, shooting 34.4 per cent as a team. It was McGill’s ability to get to the free-throw line and convert that gave them the edge, hitting 14 of 21 free throws compared to UQÀM’s eight of 15.

Senior forward Gabriela Hebert and freshman point guard Marika Guerin both stepped up in Kiss-Rusk’s absence, contributing nine points apiece in 28 and 24 minutes of playing time, respectively. Hebert also pulled down six

Tribune Athletes of the Week

rebounds. Those kinds of performances will be important for the Martlets with the CIS Final 8 tournament beginning on March 12 and Kiss-Rusk’s health in question.

Despite this added adversity, the Martlets should feel very comfortable entering nationals. McGill has reached the tournament in each of the past three seasons, losing just a single game this season. That being said, it has been almost 20 years since the program has

earned a medal in the CIS tournament, with the 1996 squad taking home a bronze.

This group may be McGill’s strongest in recent memory. Although an RSEQ Championship banner sure is sweet, the allure of a CIS gold medal is far greater. It is a tall order to come out on top in this final tournament, but it is one that the Martlets no doubt feel ready to take on.

REDMEN HOCKEY

Jenning Leung Basketball, Point Guard Sophomore – Arts

It was a tough week for Leung and the rest of the Redmen basketball team after they bowed out of national title contention with a loss to Bishop’s in the RSEQ Championship game. Though it is likely a small consolation, Leung was impressive in both of McGill’s games this week, notching 10 points and a couple of steals against Concordia in the RSEQ Semifinals and 15 points, six assists, and four steals in the finals. The sophomore point guard will continue on next season as the team’s likely starter, after stealing the job from the graduating Ave Bross. If these performances are any kind of preview, the Redmen have good reason to be confident in their floor general going into next year.

Mariam Sylla Basketball, Forward Junior – Science Sylla gave the Martlets a top-tier performance when it was most needed this past week, leading McGill to its fourth consecutive RSEQ Championship. The Conakry, Guinea native collected double-doubles in both the semifinal game and championship, including a season-high 25 points in the latter. On the week, Sylla averaged 23.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game, all while shooting 61.2 per cent from the field and 81.8 per cent at the line. Her most important points came at the end of the championship game, as Sylla drained the game-winning basket with 26 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Sylla was named game MVP of the finals, and after such an impressive season, should end up a CIS All-Canadian for the second consecutive year.

After dominating the OUA East division to the tune of a 21-5 regular season record, the Redmen hockey team came within 61 seconds of punching their ticket to the CIS tournament. Down 1-0 with under two minutes left, the Windsor Lancers pulled goalie Peter Van Buskirk in a last-ditch effort to salvage their season. Mere seconds later, third-year Lancers forward Ryan Green deflected a shot from teammate Julian Luciani to send the game to overtime. McGill had held an edge in shots all game up to that point, and it looked like star goaltender Jacob Gervais-Chouinard had his second playoff shutout in the bag, but the wild goal proved too devastating to overcome for the Redmen, as Green would score the game-winner just five minutes into the extra period to claim the OUA men’s hockey bronze for Windsor.

Fourth-year centre Guillaume Langelier-Parent put McGill up early in the third period on a pass from winger Neal Prokop, but that was all the offence the Redmen managed to muster. There were no heroics from superstar defenceman Samuel Labrecque, no big-time shots from junior winger Jonathan Brunelle, and no sight of McGill’s lethal power play unit, which was held scoreless on two overtime opportunities.

After a miraculous playoff run that featured overtime victories, record-breaking performances, and astonishing individual efforts, this squad can be confident that it gave its best effort, and should be back with renewed energy and determination next season. Though the team expects to lose seven seniors to graduation, including Cedric McNicoll, Neal Prokop, Guillaume Langelier-Parent, MarcOlivier Vachon and, Benoit Levesque, they will be strengthened by a host of core players returning.

24

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

4

Number of years in a row the Martlet basketball team has captured the RSEQ Championship.

18

Points recorded by junior centre Melodie Daoust over the nine games she has played for the Martlet hockey team this season after returning from injury.

283

Saves made by the Redmen hockey team’s starting goalkeeper Jacob Gervais-Chouinard over the team’s playoff run.

Featuring speakers, panels, and keynotes from: The Walrus editor-in-chief Jonathan Kay, Montreal Gazette editor-in-chief Lucinda Chodan, former CBC director Mary-Jo Barr, and investigative reporter Raffy Boudjikanian Monday March 23 to Thursday, March 26 5:30PM - 8:30PM