McGill Tribune Week 25

Tribune The McGill

Published by the Tribune Publication Society Volume No. 31 Issue No. 25

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

QPIRG Referendum SSMU Report Cards Editorial Summer in Montreal Tomlinson Award Cold Specks Sports report cards

2 8 9 12 17 21 26-27

The year in photos (Pages 14-15)

Major events of the year (see p. 6-7)

After a tumultuous year, the McGill winter term winds down. (Sam Reynolds / McGill Tribune)

Internal review on asbestos research is inconclusive Bea Britneff Contributor

On Tuesday April 3, Dr. David Eidelman, vice principal (health affairs) and dean of medicine, announced the completion of the preliminary internal review of professor J. Corbett McDonald’s research on the health effects of chrysotile asbestos.

The review was conducted by professor and chair of the department of epidemiology, biostatistics, and occupational health Dr. Rebecca Fuhrer. The results of the preliminary review were published in last Tuesday’s email from McGill’s

Media Relations Office (MRO), several weeks after they were planned to be released at a senate meeting in mid-March.

“There was no attempt to delay, it just simply took time to get the information … and decide on the proper course of action,” Eidelman said in an interview with the Tribune. “We are very concerned about research integrity … and that’s why we’re making a careful effort to go through things as they come in.”

Although the internal investigation found no evidence of misconduct, Eidelman has consulted McGill’s Research Integrity Office (RIO) for advice on how to proceed.

“What we’re doing now is not

an investigation,” Eidelman said.

“At this point, all I’ve asked for is an opinion from the RIO … on whether there is a basis to proceed with any further investigation.”

McGill came under scrutiny in early February following allegations in an episode of CBC’s The National that McDonald, a retired professor and chairman of the department of epidemiology and health, colluded with the Quebec asbestos industry to downplay the health repercussions of chrysotile asbestos. The CBC documentary also claimed that McDonald received a total of nearly $1 million in research funding from the industry between 1966 and 1972.

In response to the allegations,

Eidelman announced on Feb. 9 that the faculty of medicine had decided to launch a preliminary review of McDonald’s work, in order to determine whether McDonald allowed his research to be improperly influenced by the asbestos industry.

“You remember, [this research] was done decades ago ... so it was done in a very different context,” Principal Heather Munroe-Blum said to campus media on March 27.

“Our dean … has a deep concern about the issues, but the fundamental issue is that of the quality of the research, and that’s being investigated very thoroughly.”

Kathleen Ruff, a senior human rights advisor to the Rideau Insti-

tute, is among those actively criticizing McDonald’s research and his connections to the asbestos industry.

Ruff and Dr. Fernand Turcotte, professor of public health and preventive medicine at Laval University, sent an email to Eidelman and Fuhrer on Feb. 12, stating that Fuhrer’s review “fails to meet normal standards of independence and transparency and is being carried out in a climate tainted by a strong perception of bias.” “[Dean Eidelman] provided no answer [to our Feb. 12 email], which provided examples of improper conduct by Prof. McDonald,” Ruff said in an email to the Tribune.

See “ASBESTOS” on page 3

NEWS

CAMPUS

MUNACA and admin prepare to finalize agreement Final version of collective agreement could be signed in “as quickly as a week” Carolina Millán Ronchetti News Editor The McGill University NonAcademic Certified Association (MUNACA) and the McGill administration have resolved the remaining outstanding issue on their collective agreement and are preparing to finalize proceedings. The agreement, ratified by MUNACA’s members on Dec. 5 after months of negotiations, marked the end of the union’s three-month strike last fall.

On March 9, approximately 250 MUNACA members demonstrated in front of the James Administration Building to protest a delay in finalizing and signing the collective agree-

ment with the administration.

The delay involved an article that addresses individuals whose salaries exceed the pay equity line drawn in 2001, and would allow them to receive salary increases as a one-time lump sum.

MUNACA had requested a list of the individuals who would be affected by this article and received 80 names from the administration during negotiations. However, according to MUNACA President Kevin Whittaker, the administration later announced that over 40 names had been added to the original list without an explanation.

According to David Kalant, MUNACA’s VP Finance, the union

met with McGill human resources twice since the rally, and resolved the issue at their last meeting on March 28] “The number [of people in the final list] increased by 20,” Kalant said. “They will receive lump sums for step increases and economic increases too.”

Associate Vice-Principal (Human Resources) Lynne Gervais said that McGill sent MUNACA the latest version of the agreement on March 30 and is awaiting the union’s response before translating the final agreement into French, as required

by Quebec law. Once a translation is ready, both parties will be able to sign the agreement.

“It can be signed [in] as quickly as a week, as soon as the two parties look at the French version, but I don’t know,” Gervais said.

Kalant noted that MUNACA members are frustrated that the agreement has not yet been finalized.

“The membership is understandably not happy with the delays since none of the agreed-to increases and retroactivity can be paid until the contract is signed,” he said. “It is unfortunate that the administration tried to alter what was agreed to during conciliation in a way that MUNACA could not accept.”

“This increased delay was, in the end, totally unnecessary,” Ka-

lant added.

Gervais reflected on the yearlong negotiations with MUNACA. “It was a very long process and clarity of definitions needs to be even more precise,” Gervais said.

“That’s what I learned.”

In an interview with campus press on March 27, Principal Heather Munroe-Blum briefly addressed the pending collective agreement.

“As principal, my hope and my goal is to have this signed and to move on, and certainly for our employees to have access to their compensation,” she said.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

QPIRG, online GA ratification questions on ref. ballot ‘Yes’ vote in exceptional referendum period would allow QPIRG to continue to exist as an opt-outable organization Erica Friesen News Editor Polling for SSMU’s exceptional referendum period opened on Tuesday, April 10. The voting period features two referendum questions—one regarding the existence of the Quebec Public Interest Research Group (QPIRG), and the other concerning the online ratification of motions passed by the SSMU General Assembly (GA). Created following a two-thirds majority vote in SSMU Council, the exceptional referendum period runs until Monday, April 16, when Elections SSMU will announce the results.

QPIRG QPIRG’s referendum question asks students to support the existence of the organization. Student support for QPIRG will allow the organization to enter into negotiations with the administration over the renewal of its Memorandum of Agreement (MoA), allowing QPIRG to keep its office space and student fee collection for the next five years.

Members of the organization have worked all year in preparation for their current MoA’s expiration on May 31. Students voted in favour of an existence question that QPIRG ran in the fall referendum period, but the administration invalidated the results, stating that the single question dealt with two separate issues— the organization’s existence and its bid to become opt-outable offline.

To avoid another invalidation, the administration proposed the

wording of QPIRG’s new question, which asks only that students support the organization’s existence.

Student fees will remain opt-outable only online.

Lena Weber, QPIRG board member and member of the ‘Yes’ committee, said that the most important challenge QPIRG faces this referendum period will be reaching quorum during such a busy time of the semester.

“We’re very confident that we have student support, but we [have] to get people out to vote,” she said.

“Fortunately we have the campaign from last semester to build off of, [when] we reached out to a lot of people.”

According to Weber, if the question does not pass, QPIRG will cease to exist as a McGill organization and will no longer have access to their office space. They could try to return as a new student service, but that bureaucratic process could take a long time.

Even if students support QPIRG’s existence in this referendum period, Weber said that the organization will continue to struggle with increasing student opt-outs, and will be forced to scale back on their programming.

“We’re excited to put all of this behind us and then just continue to work on how we’re going to sustain ourselves as an organization,” she said.

However, chair of the QPIRG ‘No’ committee Elissa Brock argued that student money should not support the specific political views

of organizations like QPIRG. She also said that only 39 per cent of QPIRG’s money supports student life on campus.

“The whole point of [McGill student] groups is to unite students on campus,” she said. “QPIRG didn’t start as a campus group. We think that the fee levy program should be going to student-run activities that support student activity on campus.”

Last week, the QPIRG ‘No’ committee received two sanctions from Elections SSMU, both dealing with online campaigning. One sanction dealt with “slanderous campaigning” for posting false information about QPIRG on the committee’s Facebook event, and the other was for sending Facebook messages promoting the ‘No’ committee events page to ‘friends’ of the QPIRG opt-out Facebook profile.

Brock declined to comment on the sanctions.

Online ratification The second referendum question proposes that all motions passed at the SSMU GA should be submitted for online ratification, and that the quorum of these ratifications be fixed at 10 per cent. The referendum was prompted by a survey in the fall, when 88.8 per cent of students indicated support for moving the final vote in the GA online.

Chair of the ‘Yes’ committee Kathleen Sheridan pointed to the current GA’s many problems, including the current unrepresentative nature of the GA, where quorum is

Student campaigns for QPIRG. (Michael Paolucci / McGill Tribune) only 100 students.

“The idea that 0.4 per cent can make a binding resolution on the other 99.6 is insane,” she said.

“Feeling like my voice is being silenced because of my schedule feels innately wrong to me. Online voting will give me my voice back.”

Sheridan emphasized that the referendum will not change the basic nature of the GA and that students will still be able to debate and propose amendments in the GA before the motion is submitted for ratification.

“We think that this online voting system will actually strengthen the results coming out of the GA,” she said. “In fact it may encourage more people to get more involved in politics as they see these motions coming out of the GA.” However, chair of the ‘No’ committee Chris Bangs suggested that 10 per cent quorum would be difficult to reach for non-controversial motions, and that this kind of online ratification will weaken the motions passed by SSMU since the majority of voters will not be en-

gaged in the debate.

“A general assembly is a very community-based political choice,” he said. “You are there to make a decision as an individual, but you do so in the context of an event that’s shaped by a narrative and an experience that’s defined by the groups that [are] there. If you’re sitting at a computer screen clicking ‘Yes’ or ‘No,’ that is an individual experience.”

Bangs said online ratification would create additional bureaucracy and make time-sensitive motions impractical. Bangs suggested other ways of making the GA more effective, such as simultaneous online voting, secret ballots, and proxy voting.

“I think there are really good ways to make General Assemblies more representative so that more people show up and vote at them,” said Bangs. “I think that we should explore those first, without going to extreme and radical steps like this.”

Curiosity delivers. |

NEWS

| Wednesday, April 11, 2012

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CAMPUS

As exam period nears, students still on strike

Social work students discuss statement from Quebec education minister and the future of the McGill student strike Kyla Mandel Managing Editor On Monday, April 2 the McGill Social Work Student Association (SWSA) voted in favour of renewing their unlimited strike against the Quebec government’s proposed tuition fee increases, with 49 for, 30 against, and 2 abstentions. As of today, SWSA has been on strike for four weeks.

Over the past several weeks, the SWSA has seen open support from the Canadian Association for Social Work Education, the Canadian Association of Social Workers, and the Ordre professionnel des travialleurs sociaux du Quebec (OPTSQ). In addition, SWSA has gained support from some tenured faculty members.

“We were the first department [sic] to go on an unlimited strike and I feel like that was instrumental in helping other departments that choose to do so,” Leah Freeman, a first year social work student, said.

Radney Jean-Claude, one of two VP externals for SWSA, noted that support for the strike grew as time progressed.

“We’re supporting this [strike] because we’ve been mandated to do so, regardless of how we feel about it,” Echo Parent-Racine, SWSA’s

NEWS

other VP external, said on student support for the strike.

However, Jean-Claude pointed to the lack of support from McGill faculty members for the student strike.

“At McGill the dynamic is different, the professors are willing to accommodate at the discretion of the student, however, there’s no real open support for the strike as it is,” Jean-Claude said.

Other student groups saw mixed reactions following Quebec minister for education Line Beauchamp’s statement on April 5 that Quebec would be improving the loans and bursaries program for students. McGill’s Association des étudiant(e)s en langue et littérature françaises inscrit(e)s aux études supérieures (ADELFIES) has been on unlimited strike for four weeks.

“People mostly think it’s a proposition that would benefit the banks more than the students, who would only be even more indebted,” ADELFIES President Mathieu Simard said in an email to the Tribune.

“I think that it just shows [Beauchamp is] starting to listen,” Freeman said. “I don’t think it’s going to bring anybody from striking to not striking, but I do think that it’s a sign the government’s starting

to reconsider its position and is open to talking with student groups.”

“I think it’s going to galvanize the groups,” Freeman added. “We’re going to stay strong because of that; it just shows that our activities are working.”

“I don’t think it’s a proposition we necessarily want to jump on because it will only indebt students,” Jean-Claude said. “The reason we’re on strike is to exactly prevent ... people from getting indebted because they want to pursue post-secondary education.”

The next strike renewal vote will happen today. “I don’t see any reason why social work students would vote now to not continue. I think we’re encouraged by our beliefs and by other departments and by the province-wide activities,” Freeman said.

With the end of semester quickly approaching, another topic of discussion will be on what the SWSA strike’s end goal will be in order to determine how and when they will end the strike, outside of a renewal vote.

“A lot of the student associations throughout Quebec are willing to stop striking at least when the government opens up dialogue on the tuition fees, not on Quebec

ates to repay their student loans in a manner proportionate to their incomes. The aid policy would also allow students with a family income of over $60,000 to borrow under the aid program.

“I’m hesitant to say that’s even a step in the right direction,” Pedneault said of the proposed loan policy. “I think one of the fundamental issues at the root of the student strike is student debt, [but the proposal is] expanding the capacity of certain students to get into more debt to finance their studies.”

Pedneault noted that a similar offer regarding income contingent loan repayment plans was made and rejected during the 2005 student strike regarding cuts to the Quebec Grants and Loans program.

“Students continued to strike after that offer was made and eventually that was not on the table anymore, and the government reversed its decision to cut the bursaries pro-

loans. So maybe we will go that way,” Jean-Claude said.

However, until the discussion opens, it remains to be seen exactly what will happen.

Simard expressed the same plan with regards to the ADELFIES strike, stating that they would continue their strike activities past the end the semester until the Quebec government agrees to stop tuition increases.

Freeman remained optimistic about the coming weeks.

“It’s been a short amount of time in the context of the whole strike and I’m encouraged by these gains and I think in the next week we’ll see more collaboration and activities from McGill as a whole,” she said.

Asbestos

in brief

continued from COVER

Government won’t back down on fee increases

Last Thursday, April 5, Quebec Education Minister Line Beauchamp proposed a new student loans plan, in response to the student movement that has been opposing planned provincial tuition fee increases of $1,625 over five years.

Beauchamp said that the government will not back down from the plan to increase tuition fees. In protest of the increases, nearly 200,000 students from across the province have been boycotting classes for over nine weeks.

SSMU VP External Joël Pedneault questioned whether the offer was realistic.

“A lot of student associations are on strike until the government makes an offer on tuition fees,” he said. “It’s not a realistic offer given the mandate a lot of student associations have voted [on], which is to reconsider the strike once the government is talking about tuition fees.”

The plan would allow gradu-

ADELFIES hosts a teach-in on tuition increases (Michael Paolucci / McGill Tribune)

gram in Quebec,” he said. “I could see a similar situation evolving right now, where people reject this offer and decide to focus on the main issue at hand, which is the tuition increases.”

Beauchamp also suggested that students hold votes by secret ballot to end the strike.

“The debate now is in the student community,” Beauchamp told the press.

According to Pedneault, this week CEGEP administrations will have to reopen collective agreements with professors, whose contract guarantees two months of break in the summer.

“If the strike continues, that will push the semester into the summer territory,” he said. “The pressure is very real and very immediate.”

—Carolina Millán Ronchetti

Eidelman declared that Fuhrer’s report “did not see any evidence of research misconduct.”

“Dr. Fuhrer was very rigorous and … her results were [based on] the information that she had in hand,” he said. “She looked at all the documents that were available [which] were mostly published material.”

“She tried to look for original data, but did not find any,” Eidelman added.

In the wake of ongoing criticism of McDonald’s research, Eidelman stressed the importance of differentiating between research misconduct and difference of opinion. “[Research misconduct] means making the effort to either hide, make up, or change data to suit somebody’s other purposes,” Eidelman said. “Some of the allegations involve [disagreement with Prof.

McDonald’s opinions] or the way he handled himself.”

Eidelman stated in the April 3 MRO email that he would keep the McGill community informed regarding the RIO’s decision.

Ruff voiced her dissatisfaction with the review process and the results that emerged.

“The internal review was carried out in secret ... No one knows what information was examined,” Ruff said. “The review clearly was not able to be thorough since, as dean Eidelman states, they did not have access to required records and data.”

Ruff also expressed her hope that the RIO will recommend that there be “a proper, transparent investigation.”

“All independent, reputable scientific bodies reject [McDonald’s] position as [based on] dangerous, incorrect information,” Ruff said.

“It is so important that McGill finally show integrity and … stop being a weapon in the arsenal of the international asbestos industry,” she said. “I don’t see how it is possible to sweep all these disturbing allegations under the carpet and dismiss them after an inadequate, internal, secret process.”

NEWS 4

Wednesday, April 11, 2012 |

NEWS

| Curiosity delivers.

INTERVIEW

Heather Munroe-Blum shared her plans for next year McGill Principal met with campus media to discuss the year’s events On March 27, Principal Heather Munroe-Blum spoke to the McGill Tribune, the McGill Daily and Le Délit about this year’s events and what to look forward to in 2012.

McGill Tribune: Next year will be your last year McGill’s principal. What are your goals for your last term, and what do you hope your legacy will be?

Heather Munroe-Blum: It’s a good time to be thinking about that.

Certainly my goals for the coming year are the major planning initiatives that we have underway­—the response to the Principal’s Task Force on Diversity, Excellence and Community Engagement; the completion of the next round of academic planning known as the Achieving Strategic Academic Priorities (ASAP) Paper; and integrated with that and parallel to it, the development of the Strategic Research Plan. Those are the places where we, I think, really stand to now take measures, commit ourselves to them, and have some targets that we’ll be reporting back on. And in that regard, the Task Force on Diversity, Excellence, and Community Engagement is really important for me.

The other piece, of course, is the follow-up to the Task Force in my first term, on student life and learning, and although we’ve made progress, I think there’s still ways to go in that. And I guess the other part

that’s very important is McGill not just being in Quebec, but of Quebec.

You know, we’ve just celebrated our 190th anniversary. We were here before Quebec was a province or Canada was a country, so all the great things about McGill are not just related to what happens within the institution, but where we are.

The McGill Daily: Can you tell us when your potential successors for next year will be announced, and what that process will involve?

HMB: The process is underway, which is why it’s announced quite far in advance. It’s an advisory process to the Chair of the Board, who takes a recommendation to the Board of Governors. There’s a broad representation of the university constituents on the advisory committee: students, admin and support staff, faculty, and alumni. And then they look for the best candidate. All of our leadership searches—for deans, for vice principals, for the principal—are done at the international level, looking for the best candidate.

MT: Following some events this semester, some people have been worried that McGill is a “consequence-free environment.”

How would you respond to those people?

HMB: I would say it’s not a consequence-free environment.

We’re working very hard to find the right balance between making sure

Principal Heather Munroe-Blum speaks to student journalists. (Sam Reynolds / McGill Tribune) that our core activities are protected, that people are able to do their work, whether it’s students or professors or admin and support staff. And we balance that with the ability for people to express themselves freely, and to demonstrate peaceably. Clearly, there are limits to the latter, and there should not be limits on the ability for people to do their work and carry out their responsibilities here. So there are consequences, and I think we’ve seen some of them in the last week.

You know, we’re doing our best to balance this. But I know there’s a concern about this, so you can imagine we’re quite preoccupied with it.

MT: Dean Manfredi’s open forums are a way of allowing people to express themselves. But also

last semester you had a live webcast where you answered questions, and you had a blog.

HMB: With [such a] big community … it’s really a challenge to think about how to communicate regularly, not just when there’s something that happens that makes people worried, but all the good things happening too. And it does seem the webcast is a good way to do that … so we’re doing one in April, and then I think the plan is [to do them] again in the fall and the winter.

[In the fall webcast,] far more students than ever in my experience [were] saying, ‘Well what about me? What about my voice, what about my interests and concerns?’

And what we don’t want is an extreme to dominate, whatever that extreme is …We have a very diverse student body, smart, able, dedicated, but a whole range of interests and activities. And so the leadership of the university is very distributed, the elected leadership of the constituent members of the university is very distributed, and we need to very actively continue to pursue how best to have a good alignment of that, that allows for and celebrates diversity, while respecting the place and the mission of the university.

—This interview was edited and condensed by Carolina Millán Ronchetti.

CAMPUS

Dean Manfredi hosts final meeting of Open Forum Open Forum to formally conclude on May 2 with an academic syposium on outside perspectives on peaceful assembly Christos Lazaris Contributor On Wednesday, April 4, the McGill administration hosted the last of four public meetings of dean of arts Christopher Manfredi’s Open Forum on Freedom of Expression and Peaceful Assembly.

The meeting focused on the administration’s actions in response to the events of Nov. 10. It was held in the Bellini Atrium of the Life Sciences Complex, where students, faculty, and staff voiced their opinions on the issue.

“The purpose of these open fora is to provide members of the university community [with] an opportunity to express their views on these important subjects,” Manfredi, who led the discussion, said. “Students, faculty, non-academic staff, and se-

nior administrative personnel have all attended the forum, participated, listened, and heard the differing views that people have put forward.”

Discussion focused on how to define the right to peaceful assembly, and whether or not the administration’s response to student mobilization had been too drastic, and what measures ought to be taken both by politically active students as well as the faculty and staff of McGill.

“The conversation has focused around four sets of issues that dean [of law, Daniel] Jutras identified in his report coming out of the events of Nov. 10, which are mainly issues of identity, location, duration, and … what might constitute justifiable limits on expression and peaceful assembly on a university campus,” Manfredi said.

The topic of whether or not

recent student actions qualify as actions of peaceful assembly and what the definition of ‘peaceful’ is came up frequently, as it has been complicated by recent disruptions of university work like the occupation of the sixth floor of the James Administration Building in February.

Participants identified that those whom the protests targeted may have felt threatened or unsafe, even if the protesters themselves had no intention of being violent or threatening.

“I think the question should be shifted to: [what] is the perception by the people who are in the same room or in the same space as protesters?”

Jeffrey Sachs, PhD in Islamic studies, said. “When is it reasonable for them to feel that they are in danger or are threatened? The perception question [seems to be more impor-

tant] than whether or not the people intend to be violent or whether they are acting in a violent fashion.”

Ideas of perception played a role throughout the forum, as it is difficult to adopt a definition of ‘peaceful assembly’ that takes into account what all parties believe to be a disturbance of peace.

Matters of space were equally important. Some university spaces are public places where students can, in theory, legitimately engage in protests if they so desire. However, there was no consensus about the legitimacy of occupying private spaces such as offices or libraries, which, while non violent, disrupt work done in the university.

“Where it happens changes everything, so I agree with the statement that trying to pinpidgeon [sic] [all of these points] into the code is

going to be very difficult,” Adam Bouchard, graduate student in the faculty of science, said. “What we really need is a way to be able to take a general [definition] of peaceful and then be able to review it either during or after the fact so that everyone can be treated appropriately.”

The meeting was the last of a series of four that constitute the Open Forum, which will formally conclude with an academic symposium on May 2 at the McGill Faculty Club. At the symposium, academics and experts will bring outside perspectives to the issues surrounding strikes and peaceful assembly that have been relevant this year at McGill.

Curiosity delivers. |

NEWS

| Wednesday, April 11, 2012

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CAMPUS

Hochelaga Rock may be moved in fall Pow Wow “Move the Rock” movement seeks to bring rock to more visible location and raise awareness of indigenous history Jonny Newburgh Contributor Momentum is building to move the Hochelaga Rock to a more prominent location on campus. A symbol of Iroquoian and Canadian history, the rock currently sits on lower field in between the Roddick Gates and the Welcome Centre.

The Hochelaga Rock was installed in the 1950s by Parks Canada to commemorate the indigenous history of Montreal.

In 1860, construction workers found unusual relics at the corner

of Metcalfe and Burnside, leading geologist and McGill principal Sir John William Dawson to suggest he had found relics from Hochelaga, the indigenous settlement where where Jacques Cartier landed in 1535.

After organizing a Kanata conference this fall where social work professor Michael Loft noted the general lack of awareness of the rock, U2 arts student and Kanata executive Jimmy Gutman sought to bring the rock to students’ attention.

Gutman brought a motion to move the rock to a more visible lo-

cation to the Jan. 31 AUS General Assembly. The motion passed as a recommendation to the AUS Council. The following day, AUS VP Academic Yusra Khan brought the motion to AUS Council where it also passed—this time as a mandate.

SSMU President Maggie Knight explained that dean of students Jane Everett is currently engaged in consultation with members of the McGill community to determine a better, more visible location for the rock, as a result of discussions in one of McGill’s senate committees on a recommendation from

the Aboriginal Affairs Work Group.

Paige Isaac, Interim Co-ordinator of the First Peoples’ House (FPH), said that the FPH is undergoing consultations during the summer in order to prepare for the rock’s move, which they hope will take place this fall.

“We … plan on co-aligning the moving of the rock with a celebration, most likely at our annual Pow Wow in September,” Isaac wrote in an email to the Tribune. “Our Elder, Alex Sonny Diabo, will be involved in the ceremony.”

The purpose of moving the rock

is to increase awareness of Iroquoian history, and Isaac said she aims to have the rock included as part of the Welcome Centre’s tour of McGill’s downtown campus.

“The rock right now is not visible and we are not giving it the attention it deserves—not just the rock, but the acknowledgement of the traditional territory,” she wrote. “We hope to increase this knowledge and celebrate it.”

INTERVIEW

Top Chef judge Gail Simmons on her McGill experience

Former McGill Tribune restaurant reviewer tells all about her success in the food industry As the host of Bravo’s Just Deserts and a judge on Top Chef, Gail Simmons has come a long way from her undergraduate days at McGill. Simmons, BA ‘98 majoring in anthropology, became interested in food journalism during her undergrad, when she began writing restaurant reviews for the Tribune.

Since then, she has branched out into different media as a television personality, the Special Projects Director of Food & Wine magazine, and the author of a new book, Talking with My Mouth Full: My Life as a Professional Eater. On Monday, April 9, Simmons spoke with the McGill Tribune about how her experiences at McGill shaped her career.

McGill Tribune: What made you want to review restaurants for the Tribune?

Gail Simmons: In my last year at McGill I started cooking a lot more for myself, really paying attention to what I ate, and exploring new recipes. I really loved exploring the city, and I realized that Montreal is such an incredible city and there are so many great restaurants that [students] never get to experience, because we students didn’t take time to explore other neighbourhoods.

And when I went to look for that information, I found that there wasn’t really a McGill outlet that could help me find all of those new restaurants that I wanted to know about. So I suggested to the Tribune that I write some restaurant reviews so that I could help people understand the city more, get out more, and taste new food that was available to us.

MT: How did writing restaurant reviews help you on your

career path?

GS: Writing for the Tribune gave me great writing experience and also gave me experience writing specifically in the genre of food— understanding how to use words to describe food, what it takes to make a well-rounded review, to be objective, and to describe the food in a way that makes people want to eat it or not, depending on your experience at the restaurant. It also really helped me understand what goes into making a great restaurant and what diners are looking for when they go to eat out. The value of a restaurant reviewer is really explaining to readers if their money is well spent at this restaurant or not. Writing for the Tribune really made me aware of all of those things.

MT: What are the best and worst parts of your job?

GS: I think the best and worst part of my job is actually the same thing—the amount that I get to travel. On the one hand, I love that my job allows me to travel. I travel five, maybe six months of the year at this point. I really get to see exciting cities, explore exciting restaurants, and meet amazing people from coast to coast, but it also is a downside to my job. I spend so much time travelling that sometimes it gets really exhausting and I want to spend more time at home. It’s hard to be away from my family and friends and especially my husband when I’m travelling so much. It definitely makes life a little bit more chaotic.

MT: Did you face any particular challenges writing your book, Talking with My Mouth Full: My Life as a Professional Eater?

GS: Writing a book was a huge

challenge unlike anything I’ve ever done before. Up until now, most of the writing I’ve ever done has been a few hundred words or even a few thousand words at the most. Even the biggest essay that I ever wrote at college was nothing compared to writing a 300-page book. Keeping focused, chronological, and in order was such a huge undertaking that it really took me a full year to do it.

MT: So did you draw on what you learned at university in those respects?

GS: Sure. Even if you can’t see how if will directly affect you in the moment, in hindsight it’s really easy to look back and see how the skills I learned at McGill have helped me to become who I am—learning how to write, how to think, how to analyze [and] learning how to think critically. I think my arts degree really did prepare me for that, even though when I first graduated it seemed so general. I now realize that all those lessons really did help me get to where I am today.

MT: What advice can you give to students about pursuing careers in general or about pursuing a career in the food industry?

GS: The best advice if you want to be in the food industry is to learn your topic. You need to learn about food, you need to know how to cook, you need to do a lot of reading, and you need to be able to speak the language fluently so that you can be an expert. And the only way to do that is to practice. That means practicing eating, practicing cooking, practicing all angles of the industry so that you understand it thoroughly, and then you’ll become an asset in any job in the industry.

McGill grad Gail Simmons, now a prominent gourmand. (Melanie Dunea) No matter what you want to do, find a mentor. It’s really important that you are inspired by people who have done it before you. If you can work under or be inspired by someone who is a leader in the industry you want to work in, that will help you so much, open so many doors, and be a guiding force. And the truth is, no matter what you want to do

there are no shortcuts, but if you’re willing to put in the hard work for the experience, I really believe you can do anything you set your heart to.

—This interview was edited and condensed by Erica Friesen.

NEWS 6

Wednesday, April 11, 2012 |

MUNACA

On the first day of classes, McGill students arrived on campus to the sound of picketing. MUNACA, the union representing roughly 1,700 of McGill's non-academic staff, went on strike starting Sept. 1 after months of strained negotiations between the union and the university finally broke down. A better wage scale, pensions, and benefits were among MUNACA's key demands.

Negotiations for their current collective agreement began in November 2010.

What began as a calm dispute between the two groups soon escalated—both in rhetoric and in action. After demonstrations allegedly began to disrupt university activities, the administration sought an injunction against the group from the Quebec government which limited picketing, and then extended the injunction. After the union began picketing activities at private residences and offices, the administration secured a second injunction preventing picketing at administrators' homes.

In her public email entitled 'We Are All McGill' on Oct. 18, Principal and Vice-Chancellor Heather Munroe-Blum forcefully denounced the actions of the union, accusing striking support workers of physi-

NEWS

cal threats, vandalism, and defacement of university buildings. Many on campus, however, found her accusations to be unsubstantiated and overtly propagandist. Campus media outlets, including the Tribune, received a flurry of letters condemning the principal’s statement.

For a few weeks in late November, the groups stopped issuing public statements, and many predicted a coming end to the disruption. The parties reached a tentative agreement on Nov. 30, and signed a back-to-work protocol on Dec. 2.

The protocol was finally ratified on Dec. 5, with 71.4 per cent of MUNACA members in favour, bringing an end to the strike.

Both parties have been negotiating a final version of the agreement this winter term and have not yet signed it.

Few on campus on that bright day in early September could have predicted the effect the dispute would have had on the McGill community. Lines were clearly drawn—not just the tape that delineated where picketers could stand —but also the one separating green button-clad union supporters from those who sympathized with the administration's stance. Long before occupations and student strikes, divisions on campus this academic year had already begun.

| Curiosity delivers.

QPIRG and CKUT Starting on Nov. 4 students voted on two fall referendum questions, which asked whether the Quebec Public Interest Research Group (QPIRG) and CKUT radio’s student fees should cease to be opt-outable via the Minerva online system and instead by refundable directly through each organization. Also included in these referenda was the question of the clubs’ existence, because a ‘Yes’ vote would enable them to renew their Memoranda of Agreement (MoAs) with the McGill administration which are set to expire on May 31, 2012.

Both questions passed with an overwhelming majority, with 65.6 per cent voting yes to QPIRG’s question and 72.3 per cent voting yes to CKUT’s question. However, in January the referenda results were invalidated by the McGill administration, who said that the questions dealt with two separate issues by asking students to vote both on the club’s existence as well as a change to the organization’s fees to be opt-

outable only in person.

The announcement followed a notice of appeal filed on Nov. 11 with the Judicial Board (J-Board) of the SSMU co-petitioned by Zach Newburgh, 2010-2011 SSMU President, and Brendan Steven, co-founder of the Prince Arthur Herald. However, the McGill administration’s decision to not accept the referenda results was not related to the notice of appeal filed to J-Board.

On Feb. 5 the J-Board heard the case against respondent Rebecca Tacoma in her function as Chief Electoral Office (CEO) of Elections SSMU. The petitioners specifically questioned the results of QPIRG’s question, asking that it be invalidated and citing violations during the campaign period, the CEO’s alleged inability to fulfill her functions, and the unconstitutionality of the question. On Feb. 14 J-Board ruled to invalidate QPIRG’s fall referendum question. The J-Board stated that this decision was based on the fact that the question was unconstitutional because it dealt with two separate questions.

2011 - 2012

october

november

december

september

NOV.10 On Nov. 10, 14 students occupied Principal Heather MunroeBlum’s office on the fifth floor of the James Administration Building, some wearing hoods and masks. The occupation, which had been planned a few days in advance, occurred in response the administration’s handling of various issues on campus last semester, including the MUNACA strike and admin support for tuition fee increases.

Occupiers moved into a secure area on the fifth floor and flew a banner reading “Nov. 10 Occupons McGill” from a window. After receiving phone calls from staff on the

fifth floor as well as a signal from the area’s panic button, McGill security sent personnel to the building and called the Montreal city police for assistance.

Soon after, students outside the James Administration Building learned through social media that acts of aggression were occurring inside. Students formed a human chain around the building in an attempt to deny security and police access into the building.

Police on bicycles arrived on the scene, and both police and demonstrating students were aggressive towards one another. After a few minutes, the police turned away and around 5:00 p.m., approximately 100 police in riot gear arrived through

Following recommendations from the administration to CKUT executives regarding the potential to ask a revised question winter referendum period, CKUT decided to hold a question asking only if their student fee should become non-opt outable. The question failed with 42.9 per cent of the voters answering ‘No’ on March 14.

During a special referendum period from that ends April 16, QPIRG is running a question asking students to support the existence of the organization.

While the debate surrounding the constitutionality of the Fall referenfum questions for both QPIRG and CKUT has died down, both organizations may face difficulties with funding next year due to high opt-outs. Maintaining a high standard of services despite increasing amount of student opt-outs will be a challenge both will need to address.

january

the Milton and Roddick Gates.

The riot police disbanded the line of students around the building and blocked its entrance, pepper spraying students. Riot police charged towards students, pushing them outside from the Milton Gates, and then charged again along Milton. Students and faculty members, many of whom were just passing by, were pepper sprayed or hurt.

The occupiers later negotiated their exit from the building with Provost Anthony Masi and Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) Morton Mendelson, who agreed that no disciplinary charges would be laid against them.

Released Dec. 15, dean of law Daniel Jutras’ report investigat-

ing the events of Nov. 10 addressed some concerns raised by the fifth floor occupation. Mandated by Principal Heather Munroe-Blum, the report recommended that the university work to discuss the meaning of free expression and peaceful assembly on campus, including the legitimacy of occupations and sit-ins as a form of protest. To address these concerns, Munroe-Blum authorized a four-part Open Forum led by Dean Christopher Manfredi, keeping the events of Nov. 10 open for discussion throughout the rest of the school year.

Concerns with the transparency of Jutras’ internal investigation led a group of students to lead the Independent Student Inquiry, which pub-

lished a chronology of events Dec. 1, and a final report with recommendations on March 1. The McGill Association of University Teachers also created a report on governance, collegiality and security on campus that aimed to foster discussion following the events of Nov. 10.

Nov. 10 was probably the climax of this academic year, polarizing many students, who for the first few days thought that the administration had called the riot police to campus. Ultimately, Nov. 10 raised issues of freedom of speech and security on campus that still need to be succesfully addressed.

Curiosity delivers. |

Student movement at McGill The student protest movement against the Quebec government’s proposed tuition fee increases kicked off on Nov. 10, when over 20,000 Quebec students gathered to march through Montreal in opposition to the announcement that the Quebec government would be increasing local university tuition by $1,625 over five years.

On Feb. 13, two student associations at the University of Laval voted to go on strike. Since then, a total of 170 student unions, representing approximately 191,316 students across Quebec, have gone on unlimited strike against tuition increases.

At McGill, a special General Assembly (GA) was held on March 13 by the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) where students voted on whether to go on strike. With over 1,100 students attending the GA, the motion to strike ultimately failed with 609 against, 495 for, and 16 ab-

stentions.

The next day, the Social Work Student Association became the first McGill association to join the province-wide strike. They voted to go on unlimited strike, with a majority of 61 per cent voting in favour.

Following the AUS GA, various departments within the faculty of arts voted to go on strike, including the philosophy, geography, and English departments.

The Macdonald Campus Students’ Society voted to go on a one day strike, and the Post Graduate Students’ Society voted to go on a three day strike from March 20 to March 22. This was in an effort to join the Quebec student-wide day of action on March 22 against tuition increases.

March 22 saw over 200,000 people march through the streets of Montreal, making it the largest protest in Quebec history. Over 500 McGill students participated in the demonstration. Also in the crowd were other university students, CEGEP and high school students, as well as professors and concerned

parents.

Despite the mobilization, the government has not agreed to talk with student leaders on tuition increases. On April 5, Education Minister Line Beauchamp announced that the government would not back down on the expected increases.

The student movement has been marked by passionate support and increasingly creative forms of demonstration. With an anglophone majority, McGill featured less impetus to favour the strike than most other universities across Montreal.

However, the turnout at the AUS GA demonstrated that hundreds of students were eager to express their views, and that there is no such thing as student apathy when the issues at hand are controversial enough. The validity of student democracy was also called into question following mobilization by departmental GAs—arguably unconstitutional in light of a negative vote from the faculty GA.

year in review february

NEWS

compiled by Anand Bery, Erica Friesen, Kyla Mandel, and Carolina Millán Ronchetti

april march

#6party Around 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 7, a group of about 20 students occupied the office of Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) Morton Mendelson on the sixth floor of the James Administration Building. The occupiers said they would not leave until the administration met their two demands—that Mendelson resign, and that the administration ratify the QPIRG and CKUT fall referenda results, which they had previously invalidated due to concerns of the questions' clarity.

Throughout the day, additional protesters positioned themselves in the lobby of the building in solidarity with the occupiers. McGill security prevented these students from using the elevators to reach the

sixth floor, and after 9:30 p.m. security no longer allowed students to enter or bring food inside the building. Around 20 students stayed in the lobby overnight, despite being denied access to washrooms or Internet. The lobby protestors left the building around 11:20 a.m. the following day.

Over the next four days, the sixth floor occupiers ran out of food, relocated to an office with a window, and received groceries through using a pulley system. The McGill administration continued to send daily email updates of the situation.

After occupying the sixth floor for 118 hours, the nine remaining students were peacefully evicted by the police on Sunday, Feb. 12 around 9 a.m.

Later that day, the McGill ad-

ministration issued the Provisional Protocol Regarding Demonstrations, Protests, and Occupations on McGill University Campuses, which outlines situations where the administration will interfere in a demonstration or call the police. According to Principal Heather Munroe-Blum, there is no set date for the termination of the provisional protocol, but there will be some “repositioning” in the fall.

The occupation provoked many different reactions from members of the McGill community. Several organizations openly declared their support for the occupiers, including QPIRG, although they stated that they were unaware of the plans for the occupation. Others expressed strong disapproval of the occupiers’ tactic. The presidents of the engi-

| Wednesday, April 11, 2012

7

Students at “We Are All McGill” on Nov. 14. (Sam Reynolds)

Asbestos Early in the winter semester, McGill was the subject of criticism and national media attention for its links with the asbestos industry.

In early February, over 70 medical doctors and health researchers called for the resignation of asbestos exporter and member of the McGill Board of Governors Roshi Chadha, citing her involvement in plans to reopen the Jeffrey Mine in Asbestos, Quebec. Chadha is a director of Seja Trade Ltd., a company that exported asbestos from the Jeffrey Mine until the mine’s activities were suspended last fall. She announced on Feb. 1 that she would take a leave of absence from her positions on McGill's Board of Governors and the St. Mary's Hospital Foundation.

In a CBC documentary that aired in early February, professor David Egilman of Brock University accused McGill of allowing the industry to sponsor scientific studies that misrepresented the health effects of asbestos. Egilman said that the government is using these same studies to justify the reopening of the Jeffrey Mine, which would allow asbestos companies to export asbestos to countries where people are unaware of its universally acknowledged health risks.

On Feb. 9, Dr. David Eidelman, vice-principal (health affairs) and dean of medicine, announced an investigation into professor J. Corbett McDonald's epidemiologineering, management, arts, and science students’ societies, signed a letter collectively condemning the way that the occupiers' tactics "alienated" students instead of encouraging greater student participation in campus dialogue.

In response to the occupation, some students created a Facebook event titled "The James 6th Floor occupiers do NOT represent me," an event that claimed to represent the "silent majority" of students on McGill campus who did not agree with the occupiers’ tactics. This event led to the creation of the Moderate Political Action Committee (ModPAC)— a group seeking to promote “collaboration, not conflict” between students and the McGill administration.

Three months after the Nov. 10 occupation, the sixth floor occupi-

cal research on the health effects of chrysotile asbestos, which had come under fire in the CBC documentary.

The investigation was conducted by chair of the department of epidemiology professor Rebecca Fuhrer, despite calls for an independent and transparent investigation by antiasbestos activists.

Eidelman announced the results of the preliminary review on April 4, stating that Fuhrer did not find evidence of research misconduct. However, Eidelman has asked McGill’s Research Integrity Office for guidance in his proceedings, because he said the faculty did not have access to all the information necessary to completely determine the integrity of McDonald’s research.

While the controversies surrounding McGill’s connections with the asbestos industry may not be resolved, they have raised questions about the role of corporations at McGill and the standards to which prominent leaders at the university should be held. In addition, some activists have accused the university of implicitly endorsing the use and export of asbestos by not taking stern and direct action following these controversies. The internal investigation may not have uncovered proof of research misconduct, but the damage that these continuing controversies could have on McGill’s reputation seem to warrant a greater response from the university than the few MROs we have received.

ers caused concerns to resurface in the McGill community, with questions about appropriate methods of student protest and the role of the administration in dealing with them.

The gap between students and administration, students and occupiers, and supporters and critics of the occupation widened as many community members felt the pressure to declare allegiance for one side or another. From renewed security measures at James Admin to the growing discussion concerning the polarization of campus, the occupation remains a solid presence at McGill long after its participants left the sixth floor.

SSMU report cards Maggie Knight president

a

Maggie Knight was dealt a very difficult hand this year as SSMU president. While this may have distracted her from some of her goals, the Tribune has no hesitation in saying she has done an exceptional job as president. The Strategic Summits, while allowing a safe space for discussion, were sparsely attended, demonstrating that something more than just consultation is needed. That said, throughout many trying events, including two occupations, the MUNACA strike, and her dealings with the administration, Knight always presented herself as calm and diplomatic. She made a sensible decision on the Memorandum of Agreement concerning the Shatner Building’s lease and the use of the McGill name and maintained a cohesive executive. The Tribune applauds Knight for consistently delivering results.

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There is no doubt that Joël Pedneault has shown great dedication to his position as VP External from the very beginning of the year. However, while the position of VP External is often hard to define and is known for being one of the most political executive positions, the Tribune feels that Pedneault may be been too passionate, and as a result has alienated a portion of the student body while showing dedicated support for another. It is the job of the VP External to help represent the entire McGill student community, and in order to do so, it is required for those in the position take a step back from their personal politics.

carol fraser Vp clubs & services

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emily yee clare vp university affairs Emily Clare worked closely with Maggie Knight this year to draft policies such as the Equity Policy. She proved herself to be a respected voice in senate and stepped into a position of leadership when Knight expressed a conflict of interest in the Newburgh v. Tacoma Judicial Board hearing. She played a principal and pragmatic role in the renegotiation of SSMU’s Memorandum of Agreement with the administration, which ultimately led to the controversial restriction of the use of the McGill name by SSMU clubs and services. As a member of senate, we understand her role to include fostering a good relationship between SSMU, its constituents, and the administration. This was certainly a challenging year to fulfill such a mandate, but nevertheless, there was a tense relationship between the admin and SSMU throughout the year.

Carol Fraser tackled one of the most extensive portfolios this year. As VP Clubs and Services, Fraser was responsible for overseeing all of SSMU’s clubs and services, as well as acting as building manager of Shatner. Early in the year, when the admin restricted the use of the McGill name by clubs and services, Fraser acted as a effective liaison for confused club executives.

She also brought club and services information into the 21st century, with more extensive information and helpful categorization of clubs and services on the SSMU website. Her decision to include an alternative format for Winter Activities Night was creative, but ultimately flopped. At the same time, she’s paved a smooth transition for her successor, Allison Cooper.

todd plummer vp internal Many students on the verge of nervous breakdowns last December can thank Todd Plummer for bringing in therapy dogs to quell their fears. Unfortunately, that’s just about the only out-ofthe-box thing Plummer did all year. The predictable events, such as frosh, 4Floors, and Faculty Olympics were well attended, but lacked the spark of previous years.

Plummer attempted to reform the listserv earlier in the year, but the much needed reforms quickly dissipated. Finally, SSMU’s response to the AUS GA, co-authored by Plummer, was an overreaction to a problem that should have been dealt with internally.

B

joël pedneault Vp external

B

Shyam patel Vp finance & operations Shyam Patel came into the year with many high expectations for his portfolio. The Tribune feels that Patel succeeded in fulfilling many of his goals, from working to bring back a student-run café to creating a five-year ethical investment plan for SSMU. Titled the “best dressed executive,” we also commend Patel on his efforts to hold office hours, something not many VP Finance and Operations have done in the past. His only blemish on an otherwise strong year was that his much-lauded launch of SSMU Marketplace never gained the momentum he anticipated.

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Tribune The McGill

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opinion editorial

The Tribune’s stance on the April referenda

Question regarding online voting for the GA—YES This question proposes the addition of online ratification for SSMU General Assembly (GA) motions after the in-person GA has taken place. This newspaper has a history of decrying the SSMU GA as an undemocratic forum. Our complaints have included the polarized nature of the debates, the physical limitations of the venues on campus, and an absurdly low quorum in which 100 students can make decisions that affect 25,000 students.

The AUS GA demonstrated that it is impossible to conduct a democratic,

in-person general assembly for even one faculty.

Online ratification will allow more students to participate in decisions which affect them. The proposed quorum for online ratification is significantly higher than it is currently, at 10 per cent. While this is still a small fraction of the student body, it is a step in the right direction of representative decision making. Opponents of online ratification cite the in-person GA’s forum for debate as a defining component. We agree that debate is essential to the GA, and so retaining the in-person GA and adding online ratification is an appropriate compromise.

QPIRG existence—YES QPIRG’s existence is at stake again after the administration invalidated the Fall referendum results in which students voted to continue funding QPIRG and in favour of changing the opt-out system. The current question deals only with the group’s fee renewal, and students would still be able to opt out of the organization’s $3.75 per term fee through Minerva.

In the Fall referendum period, we encouraged students to vote Yes for QPIRG’s existence, although we had reservations about the group’s proposed change to the opt-out system. Our reasons for supporting

the organization have not changed: QPIRG provides funding to many groups which benefit the McGill and Montreal community. The opt-out system should be accessible to all students. Our reservations with the opt-out system—which will remain on Minerva—have been addressed.

Therefore, we encourage students to vote Yes. We encourage all members of SSMU to vote in the upcoming referendum, April 10 – 16. To vote, go to ovs.ssmu.mcgill.ca

letters to the editor The Plate Club would not exist if not for QPIRG. From our humble beginnings hand-washing in 2007 to today’s solid collective complete with an incredibly hygienic dishwasher (SSMU Best New Club 2008, now a full SSMU service), we have maintained the original mandate of QPIRG/Greening McGill’s reusable plate initiative to reduce styrofoam waste through our daily lunch service, lending reusable plates in the SSMU cafe, and through event rentals, which give

students organizing events free access to our inventory.

But our QPIRG-funded history is not the only reason why the Plate Club wholeheartedly supports QPIRG McGill’s referendum.

QPIRG’s consistent support for environmental justice initiatives has been a source of inspiration and support for us as we put in long hours at the dishwasher. Plus, we can thank Rad Frosh for leading many members and supporters to involvement in sustainability at McGill at all, and

QPIRG events always remember to green their events by using our service.

We are excited to see what other innovative and successful seeds future working group initiatives will plant. Voting “YES” ensures new voices can be heard, powerful lasting initiatives can start, essential student services can grow, a whole world of ideas can inspire and your community, from the Plate Club to all of McGill, Montreal and beyond will be stronger because of it.

The current situation in Queer McGill (QM) is one of corruption and infighting which continues to push the organization further and further towards irrelevance. In Tribune columnist, Abraham Moussako’s article “Safe Space Strife” on March 26, he outlined how I had been dismissed from my position as QM Treasurer due to violations of its anti-transphobia mandate by SSMU Equity as claimed by QM Political Action Co-ordinator, Libby Bouchard. While the SSMU Equity

recommended my resignation, they have yet to provide any reasoning for their recommendation.

What Moussako failed to mention is that this was the last of several attempts to remove me. Notable among these is, one week after my election, the call for my resignation

by Kevin Paul, former QM Treasurer, who claimed I had misappropriated $18.10 from the organisation despite not yet knowing its accounting system. Another involved an email from QM Administrator, Fran-

cesca Buxton, claiming that there was some accusation against me by someone for which a Disciplinary Committee would be struck and that I could resign immediately or fight the unknown allegation.

Queer McGill is an organisation which has strayed far from its mandate. It provides little in the way of social or support services, yet finds the time and money out of its $35000 budget to support antipolice riots, the current protests over tuition hikes, or $250 sushi dinners

Check out theplateclub. blogspot.com for more information about what we do, and qpirgyes.ca for more about the referendum. Remember to vote Yes to QPIRG McGill’s right to exist.

—The Plate Club (a SSMU service) executive, 2011-2012

and an $1100 hotel for executives.

Last semester, three executives resigned in frustration. Maybe it’s time for Queer McGill to stick to its mandate: serving and listening to the queer community.

—Brian Keast

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.

ERRATA

An op-ed in the March 26 edition of the Tribune (“Safe Space Strife”) mistakenly claims that a complaint filed against Brian Keast, former Treasurer of Queer McGill, alleged that he had scheduled a club event on the same day as a vigil commemorating transgendered people.

The complaint actually alleged that Keast opposed rescheduling a planned event to make way for the vigil.

The Tribune regrets this error.

The Tribune Publication Society is seeking student representatives for next year’s Board of Directors.

The TPS Board of Directors oversees the administrative aspects of the McGill Tribune, including the selection of the Editor-in-Chief, the approval of the budget and any expenses incurred by the newspaper, and the resolution of complaints about content.

If you are interested in sitting on next year’s Board of Directors, please send an email to chair@mcgilltribune.com for further details.

All candidates must write a 300-word letter of intent and obtain the signature of 20 McGill undergraduate students advocating the applicant’s candidacy.

Applications are due before the TPS Annual General Meeting, which will be held on April 20, 2012 at 5:30 p.m. in Shatner 110.

columnists Oh, Canada?

Johanu Botha

jbotha@mcgilltribune.com

What the devil is Canada’s status quo?

Let’s imagine that the peculiar universe that is Canadian politics has a referee hulking in the shadows.

Careful not to infringe on the Game of the Great North, she—Canada’s ref would naturally reflect antigender discrimination policies, and will preferably belong to visible minority—hasn’t called a time-out in decades. But, given the toll the first 10 years into the 21st century has taken on Canada, she notes that it’s time for a wee break. After checking

Chronicles of a Curioso Tara Richter Smith

trichtersmith@mcgilltribune.com

How to say goodbye when you’re not Schwarzenegger For graduating students, April is the season of goodbyes. Everyone hates goodbyes, especially when the ones in question are more adieus than hasta la vistas, but we say them anyway, in one way or another. We wave to teachers as classes come to a close. We pack our student apartments into boxes to move into new ones. We hug our friends and board planes, trains, and automobiles for faraway places that some call—

that the phrasing of her decision is progressive-sounding enough for the NDP, double checking that her position hasn’t been cut by the Conservatives, and triple checking that the Liberals are still around, she calls for half time.

In the locker rooms of Canada’s main parties, then, the big questions are asked: where are we? How will the lines play in the next half, who will get benched, who will fade into oblivion? Most importantly: who will be leading the rankings come next season?

Rumours from the NDP camp has it that Captain Mulcair, formerly of the Liberals, is having issues rallying his entire team behind him.

The veterans are adamant that the old playbook is the way to go, while some rookies—many of them still bedazzled about their unexpected draft from the minors last season —believe in their bearded leader’s

plans to bring the centre through their team. Or their team around the centre. Or whatever. What’s important is that they will not quite be the centre.

Meanwhile, Rae of the Liberals, formerly of the NDP, is rallying his troop(s?) for battle. Ready to get back at it, the Libs will start the next half by standing steadfast in what they believe. Whatever that happens to be. The game plan will mainly revolve around convincing Mulcair to face Justin Trudeau in the boxing ring, and running a series of attack ads about Harper stealing candy from babies.

The Conservative front is quieter than usual. Their leader has taken the break as an opportunity to welcome other nations into the game. He was last seen offering home-made Albertan oil to a panda bear in China. His starting line-up is still strong too. The expert advice

that counselled them not to pursue those fighter jets—advice they ignored—has turned out to be, well, expert advice. Hopefully the expert advice they received not to table their omnibus penalty box bill—advice they ignored—will be anything but expert advice. One small ray of sunshine is the high job growth of last month, which may distract spectators from accusations that the Tories have been rigging the game since last season.

Half-time analysts highlight the identity formation of both the NDP and the Libs. As the former juggles the fine line between holding onto its social democratic fan base while providing fiscal strategies that most Canadians find realistic, the latter needs to offer more substance than just We’re-The-Moderate-Option rhetoric. The Tories, on the other hand, are busy with identity protection. They’ve carved a brand for

themselves in the West, Canada’s new economic heartland, and need to keep the small-but-safe team management product they’ve been selling attractive.

Home ice will be important for all teams as they emerge from the break. Fortress Calgary should give Harper’s crew enough spark to continue dominating the game, even while Montreal provides the NDP with a fertile incubating ground for retaliation. Where exactly the Libs have relocated remains a big question mark. A beleaguered Ontario does not bode well, but it will play a key role in the Great North’s ability to sustain all three of its most popular teams.

But whatever predictions one can make about the next half, the next season is thoroughly up in the air.

drum roll please—the “Real World,” where people don’t go to Korova on Mondays (though we haven’t done that since first year, we swear) and don’t wake up at three on Friday afternoons and call it morning. These people have nine-to-five jobs, cars, apartments not paid for by student loans or parents, plans for a babied future, and what society at large considers a progressive life.

But the question to ask ourselves is: to what, exactly, are we saying goodbye? When we leave our McGill bubble, are we abandoning it for the “Real World”? Are our lives here lived in a fantasyland where fairies complete our homework as we dance beneath snowflakes in winter and among drum circles in summer? Are we really just overreacting when we become stressed by exams, or lonely when we spend

Tuesdays pulling an all-nighter?

I say no. How is our McGill bubble not a real world? Our lives here unfold in a world as real as any other—just another side of a multifaceted universe we will never see in its entirety. What we are saying goodbye to is our world, one of greasy breakfasts at McGill Pizza, one of too many hours spent in our cubicles at McLennan, of too much PBR, and of too little time spent with the people who make this world incredibly real.

Call me quixotic, but standing at the top of Mount Royal looking out at the St. Lawrence river and breathing in crisp still-wintry air is—according to most philosophical arguments—based in reality; it is the Real World that strikes me as a fiction. MTV founded a reality TV series twenty years ago that co-opt-

ed the title The Real World but the ensuing 26 seasons turned out to be anything but a world based in anyone’s version of reality. The other realm we call “The Real World”— this rat race in the big cities, where the aim is to out-strive those around you, that many a graduate will flock to upon receiving their diplomas—is equally deceiving.

Even in our McGill bubble, we’ve caught onto the fact we’re in a recession. Most of us, if we’re employed at all, will end up in a career that does not immediately relate to our undergraduate degree. Unemployment in our age bracket is at an all-time high. If Quebec is anything like our neighbours to the south— which, with the Charest government’s proposed tuition hikes, it’s trying to be—85 per cent of graduates will be moving back in with

their parents. Social security stats suggest that the Baby Boomers have stolen our thunder. If this is the real world I have to look forward to, I’d rather stay in this one, thanks.

Yet since we can’t really stay here indefinitely, we have to come up with a good way to say goodbye when we do. Since it’s my time, I’ve decided to say goodbye a little differently. I’m going to leave without saying “goodbye” at all, but more along the lines of an optimistic “au revoir.”­ So au revoir, oh Lower Field, with your budding green grass; hasta la vista, Arts Building, with your billowing flags; and ciao for now, Leacock lobby, with your samosa and bake sales ... until we meet again.

that if the two questions had been separated, they both would still have passed. Indeed, if 65 per cent supported both the opt-out changes and existence of QPIRG, both questions separately would have received the exact same 65 per cent.

Why then, even when faced with the prior concerns raised by the McGill administration as to the legitimacy and clarity of the question, did QPIRG not decide to run two separate questions in the same referendum, especially if, according to their own statements and logic, they expected both to yield the same outcome? Or why, for that matter, when faced with the possible invalidation of the results by the J-Board, or even the administration before that, did they not prepare to put forth two separate questions

during the winter referendum period? Surely if the QPIRG BoD believed students had supported both propositions combined in the previous question, they could again be counted on to support both, only this time separately.

The reason, of course, is that they didn’t expect both outcomes to be the same and anticipated, likely correctly, that many students would vote for existence but against a change to opt-outs. To that effect, I believe they deliberately crafted a question which they knew would force some students to vote for something they did not believe in, despite their repeated assurances that all those who voted ‘yes’ did so because they wholeheartedly believed in both. It is, by all standards, the only plausible and

logical explanation.

I hope that QPIRG’s new question in the exceptional referendum period does not meet the same fate that CKUT’s did. I sincerely do want it to pass, and wish for QPIRG to keep receiving the money it needs to continue its good work. But I also hope that QPIRG and its leaders admit to the real reason behind the creation of their referendum question. The high moral and intellectual standard which they so often argue for and praise demands it. More importantly, we, as McGill students, deserve it.

COMMEntary QPIRG should admit to its mistakes As an organization that funds many worthwhile causes, I find no fault with the goals and actions of QPIRG as a whole. Where I take exception, rather, is with the duplicity and incoherence with which QPIRG has made, and continues to make, its case regarding opt-outable fees. In particular, its public statements regarding the constitutionality and legitimacy of the question it put forth during the fall referendum period, in addition to their reasoning for doing so, have been consistently misleading and dishonest.

Before and after the referendum, and particularly in statements and arguments made by interveners during the J-Board case, QPIRG maintained that firstly QPIRG’s future existence was contingent on the elimination of online opt-out fees through Minerva, and secondly, that the “reasonably informed average voter” would understand this. Accordingly, QPIRG argued that the result of the referendum question, which passed with 65 per cent voting in favour, was legitimate.

But if QPIRG contends that students who voted ‘yes’ knew what they were doing and supported both parts of the question (the “optout” portion and the “existence” portion) because they saw them as “philosophically connected,” then they must also, logically, contend

—Calvin Elsman U1 Biology

Student Living health

ADHD can add another level of stress during exams A closer look at the challenges faced by those with ADHD, and the resources available to them Jimmy Lou Contributor The fast-approaching exam season tends to be the time of year when stress and fatigue peak for students. With heaps of information to memorize, review, and understand, many students face challenges and performing below their full potential. Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may find this period even more challenging.

Dr. Annick Vincent, a psychiatrist at Quebec City’s Focus Clinic at the Centre Medical l’Hetrier, and clinical professor at Laval University, said that experts are still unsure about the causes of ADHD. “We don’t know why ADHD happens, but we find that in 80 per cent of the cases, family genetics have some correlation,” she said.

“ADHD is thankfully controllable in most cases, but those with severe symptoms still lack resources from [the] government, especially in Quebec.”

Vincent described the disorder as having two sets of symptoms— attention symptoms and hyperactive symptoms. “[For attention symptoms] you have difficulty paying attention, maintain[ing] attention, and seeing the errors you may commit,” she said. “You may be more forgetful, lose your things more often, and it may be more difficult to organize

Sometimes students with ADHD are prescribed pills to help with concentration. (Sofia Markusfeld / McGill Tribune) your life [and] your tasks. For the hyperactive symptoms, you are unable to stand still while you wait, and you talk when you want to talk.

You may interrupt others, like your teacher, and read too fast.”

Of course, not everyone with these symptoms has ADHD. Depending on the duration, severity, and scope of the symptoms, psychologists and other experts diagnose symptoms based on a set of criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders

(DSM).

“Knowing whether or not one has ADHD is very important not only because treatment will be delayed, but also since individuals’ symptoms may cause many problems in the people’s lives,” Vincent said. “Having difficulties in sleeping and studying can be detrimental to a student who does not receive help.”

U2 arts student Leah Brainerd says her ADHD makes it difficult to concentrate, especially during exams.

“The noise and movement can distract me really easily, and writing down ideas and structuring them can be pretty challenging too,” she said. “It is much better when I write exams in quiet, isolated rooms because I don’t think about other things as much and can concentrate on the questions.”

Fortunately for those who have ADHD, there are resources both on and off campus that can help. At McGill, students with ADHD can seek help from the Office for Students

with Disabilities both before and during exams. Services range from academic planning and professional support to special arrangements for exam situations, like providing a distraction-free room.

These special accommodations require a certified written diagnosis, but the office will also provide assistance or advice for students who are unsure or have recently discovered a disability.

Outside McGill, students can seek help from various clinics and hospitals within Montreal. There is virtually no cost for students who seek minimal assistance from professionals due to government subsidies. However, for students who require intensive private treatment, the costs can be quite steep, usually running from $50 to $150 per session depending on the therapist’s background and experience.

Vincent used glasses as an analogy to understanding the treatment of ADHD. “Glasses help you read, but [don’t] teach you how to read,” she said. “Treating ADHD is very much the same. We help you to adapt to the environment and adapt to yourself with mental strategies and medications, but it’s still up to yourself to make it work.”

For more information, students should refer to the online website http://www.mcgill.ca/osd/, or contact specialists directly at the McGill Office for Students with Disabilites.

Odds and ends

An educational outing with a sweet twist

A trip to a sugar shack or maplery is a must-do for any Montrealer Marri Lynn Knadle Copy Editor The island of Montreal is encircled by sugar shacks. Every spring, workers tap into the melting, sugary ichor of the maple tree, and together produce 77 per cent of the world’s maple syrup. This year, a mild winter and an early burst of heat may have put a damper on the bottom line profits that harvesters can expect, both from their trees and the people that leave the island to see them. Sugaring off just isn’t the same when the snow you’re using to cool hot syrup for the stick has been dragged out of a freezer.

A visit to a sugar shack has become a rite of passage, a must-do for anyone in the city during the maple season. The sugar shacks have re-

sponded accordingly, vying for attention by specializing in certain types of maple experiences. You can have a massage with your syrup at the Handfield sugar shack, enjoy orchard apples on the side at the Denis Charbonneau maplery, or play sports to work up an appetite at the Sucre des Sportifs. Maple has even been elevated to a gourmand ingredient, slathered throughout the offerings at L’Hermine Maître Sucrier and Au Pied de Cochon.

While fun, the flash of these places does little to put our Canadian maple pride in its crucial historical context, reducing culture to consumption. There are alternatives that provide an authentic experience, one which nourishes as much as it pleases your sweet tooth, leaving you with something more to chew

on.

The First Nations Culture House (La Maison des Cultures Amérindiennes) is located at the foot of the St. Hilaire mountain, which is a UNESCO biosphere reserve in addition to being a time-honoured symbol and source of legend for both the Algonquin people and colonists. The setting is idyllic, and plays host to Canada’s only “urban bush” maplery, which surrounds the cultural house. Inside, a permanent exhibit showcases the painted and sculpted art of the centre’s founder, André Michel, who enjoyed a lifelong friendship with the Innu of the Seven Islands region of Quebec.

The centre connects visitors with the origin story of maple syrup, and the related traditions and technologies of First Nations peoples.

They discovered how to turn the sugar-water inside of maple trees into a thick, golden syrup that provided them with energy as well as a delicious accompaniment to many meals.

The centre’s cooks serve up a delicious opportunity for you to enjoy the fresh maple syrup batch.

Savour it alongside bannock, drizzled on a potage of the ‘three sisters’ of the First Nations (squash, maize, and beans), sparingly in the vinaigrette of an Iroquois salad with wild herbs, and both in and on an Atikamekw-style sugar pie (without crust). An herbed chicken on wild rice, or a vegetable ragout for vegetarians, is the keystone of the meal and shouldn’t go without a little touch of maple on its own. Experiment, but don’t over-indulge: there’s

more maple waiting outside, where you can sugar off with your friends, armed with sticks and a snowy trench that turns liquid syrup into a chewy treat.

It’s worth it to get a group together and reserve the meal and the showroom presentation, in which a staff member welcomes you to the house with a burning sage cleansing ceremony, a song of welcome accompanied by drum, and information on the centre’s history and the surrounding area. Note that for the full package experience, reservations are obligatory, but the gallery and gift shop can be visited by dropping in.

The First Nations Culture House is located just off of the island, at 510 Montée des Trente, Mont Saint Hilaire.

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Wednesday, April 11, 2012 |

STUDENT LIVING

Festivals calendar

odds and ends

Summer in the City A Montrealer’s guide to Montreal Kyla Mandel Managing Editor Montreal is an amazing city in the summertime. However, because of the mass exodus of students leaving to their respective hometowns or summer adventures, much of the city’s charm, which remains blanketed in snow for most of the school year, goes untapped and undiscovered by the student body. Each month of summer brings something new, so whether you’re staying in town for May’s first week, or for all four months, I encourage you to take advantage of what the city has to offer.

Day trips: When the sun’s shining and the sky is cloudless, there’s nothing more satisfying than spending every minute outside. Parc Jean Drapeau’s beach is just a metro ride away. It’s open from June 16 to Aug. 12, and the entrance fee is only $8. If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, you can make a trip out to Oka National Park where there’s a beach, water slides, and hiking trails. It’s easy to drive out there if you have a car, but you can also take the train out of Montreal and then an express bus directly to Oka. (For more details, simply look up Oka on wikitravel.com). Finally, if you just can’t stand the city air anymore, why not drive up to St. Sauveur (45 minutes away), where there are water slides and a quaint town to stroll around for lunch.

Try Tremblant village (1.5-2 hours away), where you can enjoy the beach, or go camping in the nearby Tremblant National Park (for details visit http://www.sepaq.com/pq/mot/ index.dot?language_id=1) City activities: No worries if you don’t have a car, there are plenty of activities just a stone’s throw away. For an urban poolside afternoon, head over to Hotel de la Montagne at 1430 rue de la Montagne.

The pool is open to the public between 11:30 a.m. and 3 a.m. If you want something more active, why not grab your bike or rollerblades and head down to the Old Port and follow the bike path along the river?

Heading west on the path, you’ll finish at the Atwater Market where you can buy a bucket of strawber-

ries or some artisanal sorbet as a quick refreshment before heading back. If you’re looking for a slightly longer bike ride, but still within city confines, bike (carefully) along the Pont de la Concorde and onto the Formula One race track (when the races are over, of course). There’s no better feeling than biking on the smooth asphalt of the F1 track.

Nightlife: Montreal has endless venues for a fun night out on the town. Make sure to try out the plethora of terraces on the rooftops of Old Montreal’s hotels. Many restaurants have back patios or tables outside, which are great for people watching and makes you privy to the city’s unique buzz of activity.

Throughout the months of June and July you can head to the Old Port or Parc Jean Drapeau to watch the annual international fireworks competition. Also, while not many of us can afford tickets to the Grand Prix races, that doesn’t mean you can’t be part of the hustle and bustle found on St. Catherine’s from June 8 to 10. If you pick the right nightclub or bar, you might just be lucky enough to run into an F1 race car driver.

Outdoor theatre: Every year Shakespeare in the Park comes to Montreal and makes its rounds through the various local parks. It takes place near the end of the summer in August, so keep an eye out around then for placards near parks detailing the venue, time, and date.

Always sure to be entertaining, the Repercussion Theatre will be performing the Taming of the Shrew this year. Grab your friends, a blanket, and some food and head out to the park (arrive early as spots fill up fast) for an evening of cultured fun.

Check out their website for up-todate information (http://www.repercussiontheatre.com ).

Festivals: There are endless festivals throughout the summer in Montreal, including the Just for Laughs comedy festival, a beer festival, and an 18th-century market; there’s something for everyone.

Check out the calendar to the right for a list of dates that are not to be missed.

| Curiosity delivers.

June 4 - 24

June 7 - 16

June 6 - 10

The St-Ambroise Montreal FRINGE Festival Spectacles

Les FrancoFolies de Montreal

Montreal Beer Festival

June 28 - July 7

All June - July

Jazz Festival

International Fireworks Competition

various locations

June 24 St. Jean Baptist Day city-wide

July 9-29 Just for Laughs various locations

Place Bonaventure

various locations

Quartier des spectacles

Aug. 3-5 Osheaga Music Festival Parc-Jean Drapeau

Old Port

Aug. 23 - Sept. 3 Montreal World Film Festival various locations

August 25 - 26 18th Century Market

De La Commune Street in Old Montreal

A beautiful day in Montreal along the Lachine canal (smr.newswire.ca)

Find us online! www.mcgilltribune.com (tourisme-montreal.org)

Curiosity delivers. |

student living

restaurant review

I scream, you scream, we all scream for poutine!

| Wednesday, April 11, 2012

13

WIN A DOUBLE PASS TO THE ADVANCE SCREENING OF

One student takes a delicious tour through the greasy world of Montreal’s signature dish Colleen McNamara Contributor French fries. Cheese. Gravy. At first glance, this smorgasbord of three equally fatty, mouthwateringly delectable foods seems absurd. Who thought of mixing these things together? Better yet, why do we all love it? The only certainty when it comes to poutine is that the utter quirkiness of our great city of Montreal is matched perfectly by its signature dish. It’s a plate of excess: salty, warm, chewy goodness that makes it “oh-so-good-I’m-going-toforget-to-chew.”

Every evening for three days straight, I exploited my roaring stomach and abused my coronary artery by embarking on a poutine bonanza, resulting in this miniature poutine guide. Warning: this may push you out of the culinary bubble of Alto’s and McGill Pizza, into unknown territories (just in time for spring sunshine and Bixibikes)

Cheap Poutine: Madonna’s Pizza (3600 St. Laurent)

After numerous arguments regarding the reigning champion of late-night poutine, I took my sober, more critical taste buds to both La Belle Province and Madonna’s to decide who would take the crown. I stopped at La Belle Province, better known as “Belle Pro” first, and left shortly after, with my face covered in grease and my mouth tired from attempting to chew rockhard pieces of “cheese.”

But across the street, I was much more impressed with Madonna’s Pizza. Advertised as a pizza place, it’s the hidden gem of late-night poutine. Their thick, fresh cut fries made to order with a light gravy that is hot enough to soften the cheese curds in a no-frills cardboard box will undoubtedly divert your attention from the large slices of generously-topped pizza. For the accommodating price of $5, the poutine at Madonna’s is everything you expect from the most basic poutine—without the risk of being in a grease coma after.

Medium Price Poutine: La Banquise (994 Rue Rachel Est)

It’s colourful, loud, joyful, and reeks of heavenly deep-fried potatoes. My favourite song “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” quietly roared in the background as we took our seats at the park-bench-turned-

booth under a fake tree that clings to the ceiling of the dining room.

Aside from the décor and superb playlist, you’ll be overwhelmed with the number of options on the menu; everything from the hot dog poutine to a classic French-Canadian turkey and peas poutine.

To make the most of your trip, bring a big group of your pals so you can dabble in as many dishes as possible. My fellow poutine explorers and I selected the “poutine tanquise,” a Mexican-inspired dish with guacamole, sour cream, and tomatoes, the “italienne” poutine covered in a delicious tomato meat sauce, and of course, the classic poutine.

We were all pleasantly surprised by the affordable bill. For three people, even with soft drinks, the total was $30. So for $10 each, we had a massive amount of poutine, an opportunity to walk it off on our way home, and still remained full until lunchtime the next day.

Extravagent Poutine: Au Pied de Cochon (536 Duluth Est)

If I had to choose one meal to eat before I die, it would be the foie gras poutine at Au Pied de Cochon. The notoriously eccentric “we don’t have anything for vegetarians” restaurant in the heart of the Plateau is one of Montreal’s culinary goldmines. It usually takes roughly two weeks to get a reservation, but my fellow poutine explorer and I agreed to sit at the bar to confirm a spot on short notice—which I highly recommend—as watching the action of the open kitchen is half of the fun.

At 9 p.m., a cowbell rang and every staff member downed a pint of beer. They deserved it.

In front of me sat numerous chunks of fried foie gras, and creamy, partially melted cheese curds, smothered in a sauce that looked nothing like the insipid brown gravy I had grown accustomed to. It was light in colour, and tasted like a mixture of butter, cream, sugar, and salt. I renamed it “heaven sauce.”

There are few feelings that are as satisfying as walking out of a restaurant and thinking, “I think that may have been the best thing I have ever tasted in my life.”

The meal, not to mention the impeccable service and overall dining experience, made the $25 spent on one poutine seem like a bargain.

Try out Montreal’s various poutine dishes. (victoriadailyphoto.blogspot.com)

For your chance to win one of the 5 double passes to go see “The Lucky One,” send an email with the subject “The Lucky One” to cpm@ssmu.mcgill.ca by April 16th at midnight The premiere will take place on Wednesday, April 18th at 7:00 at the Scotiabank theatre www.theluckyonemovie.warnerbros.com

Thank you to all Student Living contributors for 2011-2012 We couldn’t have done it without you.

See you next year!

McGill 2011-2012: A Year in Photos

PHOTOS BY RYAN REISERT, SIMON POITRIMOLT, AND SAM REYNOLDS

Science & technology Research profiles

A chat with this year’s three Tomlinson Prize winners

Faculty of Science award promotes research excellence and scientific leadership, and funds new emerging research

T

he Tomlinson award, first offered by the Faculty of Science in 2009-10, recognizes faculty professors for their excellence in research. A $50,000 research stipend comes along with the prize. The Tribune sat down with Andrew Hendry, Karim Nader, and Xue Liu, this year’s three winners, to discuss their work and future goals.

Andrew Hendry

Department of Biology

Tell us about your current research.

In essence, my research is trying to understand how ecology and evolution interact. So trying to understand how ecological differences in the environment shape the evolutionary trajectories of populations and shape evolutionary diversification; that is, the origin of biodiversity.

On the reciprocal side I investigate how, as things evolve, that evolution then feeds back to influence ecological properties.

We and others have now shown that things can evolve quite rapidly as you change environments. If those things evolve rapidly, you might expect that as they do so they will have effects on the environment.

When most people think of evolution, they tend to think of the effect of evolution on ecology.

Can you give an example of the reverse—evolution having an effect back on ecological populations?

Part of my work is on Darwin’s finches in the Galapagos Islands.

What we’re attempting to do there is figure out how adaptation to different food types drives the radiation of that group. There are 14 or so species that all evolved from a common ancestor in the last two to three million years. Those species evolved

by the process of adaptation to different food types—different seed types and sizes, and different plant matter. We try and examine how a variation in food resources and competition among the finches ... has led to the diversification of the finches.

So that’s the ecology to evolution side—the plant community shaping the finches.

At the same time, we know the finch beaks will influence what they can feed on. The finch beak present in the environments—the number of species and the size of their beaks, and the number of individuals in each species—will presumably deplete different food resources to different extents. Large-beaked birds will differentially deplete large seeds from environment, and smallbeaked birds will differentially deplete small seeds from the environment. As finch beaks evolve, this would then feed back into shaping the plant community.

The plant community shapes the beaks and the beaks shape the plant community. People are realizing that evolution can proceed rather rapidly, and if that’s so, we need to think about the consequences of that evolution and not just the causes.

What direction do you see your work taking in the coming years?

We have a fairly good understanding now of how environmental change drives evolutionary change.

Really what we have for evolution influencing ecological change is a series of scattered examples. What I would hope to do is to build up a general framework for considering when and how these events occur, what drives them, and then having some nice experiments which test these various hypotheses for what’s going to be important or not.

Karim Nader

Department of Psychology

What kind of research do you do?

One main theme in the lab is trying to understand the mechanisms that will change when a memory is stored. The old thinking was that once memory is stored, it could never be manipulated or changed and that it stayed there forever. What we found is that if you remind a rodent about a fixed memory, the memory becomes unfixed, or unstored, and needs to be restored. Now this has been found across many species and across tasks.

How might this be used to treat human afflictions?

There are a few clinical implications of this. A lot of psychopathologies have to do with certain circuits acting incorrectly. For example, if you are somebody with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), then the circuits in the brain that control that are just going to be rewired in such a way that it mediates obsessive compulsions. If you are somebody who is an addict, the brain mechanisms that control that kind of behavior are also going to be changed to maintain drug-taking behavior. If you’re somebody with post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD), then the traumatic memory in your brain has been so strong and stored in such a robust way that the neurons and the mechanisms important for storing memories have been wired into the brain.

Looking into the mechanisms that mediate memory storage doesn’t just tell us about memories, but about the basics of how neurons change their wiring or connections together in terms of whether that neuron’s contribution is to a memory of trauma or to a memory of OCD or to a memory of drug addiction.

What we’re trying to do now is take some of the basic work, and try to translate that to patients.

Now we’re working on patients to see if we can reduce cocaine cravings in human addicts by using that same restorage mechanism. We’re also trying to see if we can come up with a model in rats that will allow us to block circuits from reconsolidation and shift the rats away from compulsions in OCD. What’s the connection between memory and an affliction like OCD? Are they stored in the brain the same way?

A neuron that is storing a traumatic memory uses the same mechanisms of storage as neurons that are,

say, in the spinal cord controlling chronic pain. It’s the same mechanisms as in the circuit that control OCD or addiction. All changes in behavior are going to engage the same kind of mechanisms that undergo a storage mechanism initially, and a restorage mechanism when the circuit seems to be reactivated. The nice thing about reconsolidation is that it extends beyond post-traumatic stress disorder.

In one demonstration with my colleagues Alain Brunet and Scott Orr and Roger Pitman, we showed we could reverse the strength of traumatic memories in PTSD patients—and some of these individuals had trauma for about 30 years.

We could reverse that down to below PTSD range with a single 15-minute intervention. No one expected that.

Xue Liu

School of Computer Science

For those who don’t have a background in computer science, how would you describe the research that you do?

My research is focusing on the study and design of scientific foundations and engineering frameworks for building modern cyber-physical systems—computer systems which feature tight integration and close coordination between computational, communication, and physical elements.

During the past several decades, we have seen tremendous growth of computation and communication technologies. They are now more pervasive in our everyday lives than ever before. We see them everywhere, from the automotive industry (autonomous driving, drive-bywire), to civil infrastructure (smart buildings, smart bridges), to energy (smart grids), to healthcare (intelligent hospitals), to manufacturing

(computer integrated manufacturing systems—CIMS), to entertainment (Wii, XBox), to mobile phones and consumer appliances. Many of our everyday activities depend heavily on these systems.

What is the Cyber-Physical System Lab? At McGill, our Cyber-Physical System Lab (CPSL) studies stateof-the-art cyber-physical systems, including the science of designing and building such systems. For example, we have been carrying out research on sensor and actuator networks, industrial control systems, power management of Internet Data Centers, and real-time and embedded systems. Much of this research has practical applications, and we have teamed up with industries such as Bombardier, Bell Canada, Microsoft, and IBM. The award aims to promote research in new directions. What do you think the future of parallel computing will be?

With the support of this award, we will target the development of innovative and enabling technologies in green information technology. In a recent report released last year, Google reported that the energy used by its data centres is emitting 1.5 million tons of carbon annually.

In fact, the IT industry is estimated to account for 2 per cent of global CO2 emissions, which is approximately as much as the aircraft industry, and is one of the fastest growing energy-consumption industries. In a world facing the pressing concern of climate change and the sustainability of its natural environments, we hope to create an environmentallyfriendly IT industry.

The overarching goal of our research is to develop more energy efficient IT infrastructures and technologies to significantly reduce the energy consumed every day by a range of computing systems including embedded computers, servers, and data centers. We will also study pairing green IT with new technologies including smart grids, and renewable energies such as wind power.

—Interviews have been condensed and edited. Compiled by Anand Bery.

Image sources: mcgill.com, unl.edu

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Wednesday, April 11, 2012 |

SCIENCE & TECH

| Curiosity delivers.

research

Uncovering the universe’s deep, dark secrets

McGill collaboration on a telescope built at the southernmost point on Earth hopes to reveal more about dark matter Farah Hanani Sam Contributor Imagine if you were to throw your keys up in the air, and instead of slowing and falling back down, they sped up towards the ceiling. As counterintuitive as it might seem, this is one appropriate analogy for the way our universe behaves. According to fundamental laws of physics, since the Big Bang, physicists thought the expansion of the universe had to slow. The universe is full of matter and the attractive force of gravity pulls all matter together. However, in 1998, the Hubble telescope provided evidence that our amazing universe is actually expanding at an accelerating rate.

No one expected this, and no one knew how to explain it, but something was causing it. (Ironically, this Nobel-winning discovery came from a mission whose initial goal was to measure how much this expansion is expected to slow down over time).

Scientists still don’t have an explanation for this mysterious antigravity force, but they have given the phenomenon a name: dark energy. We know how energy exists in the universe from studying how it affects the expansion of the universe’s elements. Observing space with the naked eye would suggest that the universe is mostly empty, but dark energy is at work in 70 per cent of those ‘empty’ spaces, relentlessly pushing elements in the universe apart.

There is no direct way to inter-

act with dark energy and measure its properties, and this is a profound problem in unravelling its mystery.

Unlike normal energy, dark energy does not seem to act through any of the fundamental forces of nature other than gravity. The evidence for dark energy is indirect. One of the ways researchers currently infer its existence is by watching massive galaxy clusters, some of the biggest elements in the universe, and mapping their movements to see how dark energy interacts with them.

In an effort to measure this, the South Pole Telescope (SPT), which measures 10 metres in diameter, was built at the southernmost point on Earth in Feb., 2007. The U.S. National Science Foundation-funded SPT initiative is an international collaboration between over a dozen mostly North American institutions, including McGill.

Tijme de Haan, a graduate student in physics at McGill and a lead author of a recent paper submitted to The Astrophysical Journal that analyzed galaxy clusters using SPT data, spoke to the Tribune about the project.

“The SPT is designed to detect the millimetre wavelength of light called the cosmic microwave background (CMB),” he said. “It is the earliest light in the universe emitted when it was 3,000 years old. By inferring its properties, we can capture a snapshot of the universe as it was long ago.”

Scientists believe that studying the CMB enables us to gather clues about the birth, evolution, and even-

tual fate of the universe. The CMB, which is just leftover radiation from the Big Bang, journeyed throughout the universe for 14 billion years, carrying information about cosmological evolution. It plays a role in mapping the geography of massive galaxy clusters from which we can derive the influence dark energy played in their evolution.

“Our paper is basically about counting galaxy clusters and looking at how many there are as a function of how far away they are and [then] inferring about dark energy,” de Haan said. “CMB leaves ‘shadows’ of very large galaxy structures across [the] history of the universe ... Using the data from the SPT, we can go as far back in time as we want to see whether these galaxy clusters were formed very early on or just very recently. It gives us an idea of how fast galaxies were formed over cosmic time.”

Einstein’s cosmological constant was introduced in the theory of general relativity to accommodate a static universe, which was the theory during his era. To keep the universe from collapsing under gravity like a house of cards, Einstein hypothesized there was a repulsive force at work, called the cosmological constant, that counteracted gravity’s tug.

“When Einstein was applying his theory to the universe, he found that there was a factor that allowed for the universe to expand and accelerate, but he set that term to zero because he thought that couldn’t happen for a static universe ... Now that

we know universe is accelerating,

“If neutrinos have mass, it slightly

The South Pole Telescope aims to shed light on dark matter. (newswise.com) people have started to investigate that term,” Alex van Engelen, another McGill graduate student involved in the project, said.

Since its commission in Feb., 2007, the 28-tonne SPT has looked at 2,500 square degrees of the sky (approximately one-fifth of the southernmost sky), but according to de Haan, only a small fraction of the data gathered has been analyzed.

The complete analysis of the full data might bring exciting cosmological breakthroughs.

“As data analysis is going on, and from additional observations from other telescopes, we were able to trace galaxy clusters, and measure the mass of neutrinos—very light, almost massless particles, with some radioactive decays,” de Haan said.

changes the class of structures or how structures collapse.”

Such extensive and precise measurements would not have been possible without the SPT. “First of all, Antarctica is very high up, and there’s a very large ice sheet. So there’s a high elevation and it’s very cold, hence the air there becomes very dry. There’s very little water vapour so the SPT can give us a clear picture of the sky without being contaminated (water can absorb millimetre wave signals),” explained de Haan.

Hopefully this clear picture will help researchers accurately map the distribution of matter in the universe, and, one day, uncover the secret identity of dark matter.

research

Research finds key mutation in recessive ataxia

Mutation in mitochondrial gene is found to cause neurodegenerative disease in fruit flies and humans Victor Lam Contributor The discovery of a mutation which causes neurodegenerative disorders in fruit flies and a set of conditions known as recessive ataxia in humans was recently published by researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute, in collaboration with the Baylor College of Medicine. The normal form of the gene encodes a vital part of the cell mitochondrion.

Isabelle Thiffault, who currently works full time on a stem cell research project at the Montreal Neurological Hospital, sat down with the Tribune to discuss the work.

Thiffault began work on the project back in 2004, in a small county between Trois-Rivères and Quebec City. It was known that there was a genetic defect in the human population of that region, and the defect was a common trend throughout Quebec.

Her team began several different types of analysis, with a sample of 17 families.

“We traced one of the chromosomes that had over 200 genes and began to search for the gene that was most likely to be associated with neuronal disease,” Thiffault said. “We started sequencing those genes but we didn’t find anything [at

first].”

Upon further analysis in 2006, as Thiffault and her team discovered and sequenced the six genes that expressed the mutation, a big surprise came from researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine.

“We received a phone call from [them] and they told us that they did the same kind of analysis that we did, but on the Drosophila,” Thiffault said.

The mutations discovered in the fruit flies encoded for mitochondrial methionyl-tRNA synthaetase (Aatsmet). This fruit fly mutation led to progressive degeneration of photoreceptors in the eye, shortened life

span, and reduced cell proliferation.

Baylor College of Medicine researchers consulted the literature and found that the phenotype associated with the neurodegenerative disorders in fruit flies was linked to that region of the human genome where the human version of the Aats-met gene, MARS2 was located.

“It was really perfect timing, because we were sequencing the same gene at the same time,” Thiffault said.

According to the published article, MARS2 is a homologous human gene responsible for a type of disease called ataxia, which causes the loss of full control of bodily move-

ments. This gene can be found in some French Canadian families.

Currently, Thiffault is working on producing neuronic cultures from the skin of patients to find an explanation for why these genes, which are typically expressed in tissues, have an impact on certain kinds of neurons.

“We don’t understand why that gene is so important in the mitochondria and only has an impact on the brain, especially when it requires a lot of energy,” Thiaffault said.

“So in producing these cultures, we could directly test them to see which have a positive impact on the phenotype.”

Curiosity delivers. |

SCIENCE & TECH

| Wednesday, April 11, 2012

19

research

Why invasive species matter

Exotic species in Antarctica further sign of human-accelerated change Leigh Miller Contributor

In a study published last month, a team of South African scientists found that invasive species are thriving in Antarctica. The finding is yet another that points to the growing impact of invasive species.

Last week, the Tribune sat down with Anthony Ricciardi, associate professor of invasive species biology at the Redpath Museum and McGill School of Environment to discuss what he calls “global swarm.”

“Even Antarctica, which we used to view as remote and pristine, is not so remote and not so pristine anymore. It has been invaded by over 200 species,” Ricciardi said.

Species invasion is a natural phenomenon, but humans have accelerated the process.

“Under human influence, species are moving faster and farther than ever before and every part of the planet is affected,” he added.

Ricciardi cited Hawaii as an example of humans affecting invasion rates, noting that the number of new species introduced into the ecosystem has risen from one every 30,000 years to one every three weeks.

“That’s about 800,000 times faster than the natural rate,” he said.

While many invasive species fail to establish self-sufficient populations, some of them succeed and spread wildly.

“Most of the time these impacts are negligible to society, then along comes a species whose effects are too large to ignore … not only [on] ecosystems but with clear consequences for society,” Ricciardi said.

In Canada there are many examples of these high-impact species, including beetles that have been attacking Canadian forests, like the emerald ash bore which has been found in Montreal and across North America in the last few years.

“I’d imagine it has probably killed over a million [ash trees] in Ontario so far,” Ricciardi said. “This is a modern day plague.”

Aquatic ecosystems have also been hit hard. The zebra mussel, which caused serious damage to the Great Lakes ecosystem, is not the only offender.

“The European green crab, a voracious predator of shellfish that has an effect on aquaculture, is marching on two coasts.” Ricciardi said. He added that sea squirts have also caused problems by overgrowing aquaculture regions and covering the area in a gelatinous mess, suffocating the shellfish stocks.

“These are all symptoms of one

large phenomenon that will not go away, that is driven by human activity that interacts with all other forms of global change such as climate change, altered nitrogen cycles (that affects invasive plants), CO2, land use disturbance, and deforestation,” he said.

The economic impacts of invasive species can add up. Ricciardi noted that, in 2002, the auditor general estimated that exotic species probably cost Canada at least $30 billion each year. In the United States, a more comprehensive study put their annual cost at $120 billion.

Ricciardi went on to say that global estimates would be somewhere on the order of a few trillion dollars. “[That’s] at least an order of magnitude higher than what the world is paying economically as a result of climate-related disasters,” he said.

“Invasions affect all aspects of society,” Ricciardi said. “We should manage invasions as natural disasters—though they’re not so natural—with the same kind of preparedness that we have for earthquakes or floods … Most countries do not treat invasions in that way. I think it’s because they don’t see invasions as a phenomenon but rather as a set of isolated monster stories.”

Countries can control invaders by regulating transportation systems. Zebra mussels were originally introduced by ballast water, and other species can be transported on the hulls of ships. Now ships must flush ballast water before entering the St. Laurence Seaway. Emerald ash bores traveled to the United States in untreated wooden crates from China—now all wood must be treated.

“You think of a way that we’re

moving around, I’ll think of a species that is hitch-hiking or taking advantage of that vector,” Ricciardi said.

Ricciardi’s lab is working on methods of predicting which species will have big impacts.

“Scientists are not interested in controlling all exotic species,” he said. “[Just] the ones that are deemed undesirable to society. We have to have risk assessment methods in place to be able to identify and prioritize these species. Without those, we’re constantly putting out fires after they’re already raging.”

His lab studies past invasions, looking for patterns in traits of invaders and environmental conditions that allow species to take root.

“We often look for repeat offenders, with the premise that if they are more or less consistent in their impact, then they will remain disruptive,” Ricciardi said.

Once these species are identified, he looks for locations where they are less successful.

“You identify the environmental conditions like temperature, water chemistry, or conductivity that control the invader,” Ricciardi said.

This can give researchers insight into which areas are vulnerable to invasion.

“We’re like ecological detectives; we have to go and figure out why something happened,” he said.

Still, understanding why an invasion occurred is not the same as predicting one.

“If you look at this as a form of pollution, what we’re dealing with is smart pollution. Unlike conventional pollution that degrades and diminishes over time, this stuff will adapt, proliferate, and spread,” Ricciardi said.

Follow us on Twitter @mcgill_tribune

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The European green crab is a classic invasive species . (galvbayinvasives.org)

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arts & entertainment literature

Blitzkrieg and Jitterbugs: McGill during wartime Book explores the dramatic impact of World War II on the McGill campus Richard Martyn-Hemphill Opinion Editor Elizabeth Hillman Waterston enrolled at McGill in September 1939—the same month that Hitler’s Panzer divisions first rolled into Poland and World War II began.

When one thinks about how fraught with tension the McGill campus has been this year, with students locking horns over issues like the Quebec government’s proposed tuition fee increases, it is hard to even imagine how volatile campus politics must have been in Hillman’s time, when government proposals concerned policies of mass conscription, and when fighting for a cause was meant in the literal sense of the word.

Hillman, now a professor emeritus at the University of Guelph, has fortunately made the tricky task of imagining what the McGill campus was like during World War II a much easier one, having just published her memoirs, Blitzkrieg and Jitterbugs: College Life in Wartime, 1939-1942 with the McGill-Queen’s University Press. The book is written in a lively and engaging style, bringing to light a remarkable viewpoint of World War II, and of a very different student life compared to today’s.

On the one hand, Hillman’s view of the war is an abstract one, formed from the confines of an isolated ivory tower which remained unaffected by the fighting itself: Montreal was far from the tangible dangers of the war, and sonorous

lectures, “freshette tea parties,” and essay assignments continued in defiance of the Nazi threat.

Yet on the other hand, Hillman makes it patently clear that the war still haunted McGill campus life, radically politicising classes and classmates alike, and transforming the university into a vital cog in Canada’s war machine: many students and younger professors signed up to the armed forces and were shipped off to Europe, the Middle East, or Asia; trigonometry professors were rushed off to help advise the government on how to lay mines and sink U-boats; multilingual professors were commissioned to crack enemy codes; chemistry classes focused on testing different forms of poisonous gases; physics classes specialised in improving radar technologies; psychology research looked at pain tolerance to assess the effects of torture; and female students spent a lot of their classes “knittin’ for Britain,” sending over knitted woolen clothes for families left homeless by the London Blitz.

Hillman’s main achievement in Blitzkrieg and Jitterbugs is her creation of a sense of immediacy throughout the book, using the present tense effectively to press home how urgent and extraordinary the wartime situation was, interlacing the prose with bold and daunting student newspaper headlines like, “Canada Declares War on Japan,” and “Nazis place 1,000 Czech Students in Concentration Camps.”

Even more striking is how Hillman contrasts this state of global urgency with the cheerful jocularity of student life, in one breath mentioning the brave and desperate fighting of the alpine ski soldiers in the Norwegian snows, while in the next—in a twist of irony—recounting the fun, frivolous and carefree student skiing trips to the Laurentian mountains.

Other less savoury aspects of campus life are explored with gusto.

In particular, Hillman flashes a torch onto the gender discrimination of the day, pointing out the complete absence of women in the faculties of law and mathematics, and noting the fact that Quebec women were not even granted the vote until 1940.

Equally well-observed is how separate the anglophone Montreal community was from the francophone community during the war, socially as well as linguistically.

What makes the reading of this book so unsettling is how external politics managed to pervade every aspect of academia so thoroughly.

It is not just about the classes using their expertise to help with the war effort; it is also the more remarkable and shocking fact that even English literature classes began to proselytize about the merits of warfare, with professors championing the virtues of Chaucer’s man-at-arms, and lauding Milton’s vows to oppose tyranny at all costs. Even more shocking is how the highest form of feedback in physical education classes was to attain the grade of “fit for service.”

The most disappointing facet of

lives—a topic that would have made

Hillman’s narrative projects immediacy. (McGill-Queen’s University Press) the book is that it finishes in 1942, when the war is still very much in the balance. Furthermore, there is not quite enough of a discussion about what the book’s characters went on to do later on in their

for an interesting epilogue. But for the most part, Blitzkrieg and Jitterbugs is a highly enjoyable read, as well as being a highly informative glimpse into McGill’s past.

Pop Rhetoric The hypocrisy of “artist supporters” I’ll admit it: I used to download music illegally. Let’s face it, nearly everyone who owns a computer with Internet access has, at one point in their life, downloaded a song, album, or even an entire musical collection through suspicious avenues. It’s become so popular that entire music stores have restructured their inventory to contain fewer CDs and more books, DVDs, and other music-related paraphernalia in order to remain in the black at the end of each year.

I stopped downloading music a couple of years ago. People often give me an odd look when I confess that my raving love for music is coupled with great enjoyment of

actually purchasing the physical copy of the album. To say that my sudden change of heart came from some sort of moral conflict, a desire to do the ‘right thing,’ would be a lie. I stopped downloading music when my hard drive was corrupted and years of files vanished because of my downloading. As I returned to buying CDs, I found myself enthralled with cover art, the booklets, the song lyrics, the liner notes, and the feeling I was finally supporting the artists I love.

Over the years, I’ve encountered plenty of resistance from self-proclaimed “record label haters” who have condemned my habit of buying physical albums. These haters all have the same argument: “I never buy albums because they don’t encourage the artist. All it does is feed the greedy record labels who

starve musicians and keep all the money for themselves. I download my music, but I also go to artists’ concerts instead. That’s the way a true fan supports musicians.” Excuse me?

First of all, let me address the issue of the supposed minimal amount of money artists receive from album sales. Admittedly, I am not a budding artist, so I don’t know anything about the standard entrylevel contract. But, through speaking with musicians, I’ve learned that they do actually get some money when they sell albums! It might seem obvious, but that little fact is something record label haters seem to forget. In their own world, these people imagine that every single dollar from album sales goes to the record label and none to the musicians. But in the real world, when I

buy an album, I directly contribute to the livelihood of the artists I love, however little money that may be.

Secondly, record label haters like to blame the labels for stifling the development of artists through poor deals. What they forget is that without the resources of their label, most artists we know and love would never come to be. Burning CDs may seem like a very simple thing for the average consumer, but, having been involved in the making of many CDs, I can tell you that recording is an extremely long and strenuous process. A good album requires high quality recording equipment, costly mixing software, and an enormous amount of time and know-how, and that’s excluding the work that goes into simply distributing and selling the album. Unless a band has a huge amount of money available as an

initial investment—which is rarely the case—artists must rely on the resources that a record label can offer them.

Finally, for those who refuse to buy albums but contribute to the artist by going to concerts, remember this: you may be giving money to the artist, but you’re also giving a whole lot of money to the promoter, the venue, the sound engineers, and to the equipment sellers. Before spitting on CD purchasers like me, give thanks to the albums and record labels, both of which allow the artist to not just spread their music but feed their family. That is what a true fan should do.

–Christopher Nardi

Curiosity delivers. |

Arts & Entertainment

| Wednesday, April 11, 2012

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music

Cold Specks is heating up

Etobicoke-born, London-based musician set to release much-anticipated debut album Ryan Taylor Managing Editor It’s the taping for an early November episode of venerable UK music show Later… with Jools Holland and 24-year-old Al Spx is making her television debut with only a single to her Cold Specks moniker. She stands in the centre of room, bathed in a blue spotlight, hands clasped and eyes closed, and launches into a haunting a capella gospel version of Bascom Lamar Lunsford’s “Old Stepstone.” The rest might soon be history. Her performance garnered heaps of praise on both sides of the Atlantic, record deals were officially announced with Arts & Crafts in Canada and Mute in the UK, and her debut album I Predict A Graceful Expulsion is set for release next month. It was a showstopping debut, but it almost didn’t happen.

“I lost my passport the night before I was supposed to fly out and it was the most expensive mistake I’ve ever made,” says Spx. “I had to get an emergency passport, got there in time, found out my amp was broken, my throat was really bad. I was ter-

rified.”

A native of Etobicoke, ON, Spx began with humble musical aspirations, writing songs as a product of “boredom” and playing the occasional show in the kitchens and backyards of friends during university. Cold Specks as it is wasn’t an idea until a few years ago when the older brother of a friend in the UK took an interest in her early, private demos and convinced her to fly to London to work with him.

“I didn’t think much of them,” says Spx of those demos. “He stole a copy [from his brother] then spent months phoning me up trying to get me to work with him, so I went out to work with him.”

From there, the two arranged the songs, found Spx a band, and developed her sound. She describes her music as “doom soul” and chuckles when I bring it up.

“We came home one night and we were updating the [Facebook band page] and I jokingly wrote ‘doom soul,’” she explains. “The next day a blog had picked up on it and it just went [kaboom].”

“I don’t really like to categorize things and I think when I have to it’s

funny to say something like ‘doom soul.’ It’s dark and it’s also kind of soulful.”

It’s accurate for a joke. Songs on I Predict A Graceful Expulsion draw on blues, gospel, and folk traditions, anchored by Spx’s husky, quivering powerhouse of a voice. It’s an arresting instrument, and amazingly something she didn’t know she possessed until high school.

“I took a music and computers course and we had to have a live instrument on one of the projects and I decided to sing,” says Spx. “I had no idea that I could until I played it to my teacher who told me that I could sing, that I could hit notes.”

Spx is a self-taught musician, which made the process of translating her ideas to a full band difficult.

For example, she based her guitar tuning on six notes that most closely resembled the sound of an oud, a traditional North African and Middle Eastern instrument.

“They found it really hard to learn my songs because they’re not very structured. The tuning’s completely random. I don’t believe in counting beats—it’s not that I don’t, but I just have a hard time doing it.”

Cold Specks’ performance on Jools Holland garnered rave reviews. (Jim Anderson) The result is an album peppered with fluid, off-kilter rhythms and phrasing, like on lead single “Holland,” “Elephant Head,” and album closer “Lay Me Down.” As laborious as it may have been to get the band on the same page, everything comes together to create Spx’s unique musical voice, one she never

expected to take her this far.

“I just thought I’d record some songs on my laptop and pass them around to friends.”

I Predict A Graceful Expulsion is out May 22. For more information visit www.coldspecks.com

film

Bully is a wake-up call for more than just students

Director Lee Hirsch’s documentary offers brutal storytelling of schoolyard torment Ilia Blinderman Contributor After a typical day of school, 12-year-old Alex Libby jumps on the trampoline in his yard, or walks around the neighbourhood, delicately holding hands with his angelic sister Jada. Sometimes, he throws rocks near the train tracks behind his house as the burly freights pass.

In the morning, Alex heads back to East Middle School where he is greeted by cries of “fishface,” and endures a torturous bus ride; he is stabbed with pencils, strangled, and has his head beaten against the seat.

Although he tries to laugh it off and convince himself that his tormentors are just joking, Alex’s mother unequivocally tells him that the only connection he shares with them is as the object of their violence. Alex flatly replies, “You say these people aren’t my friends. Then what friends do I have?’’

Alex is one of the subjects Lee Hirsch profiles in Bully. Others include Kelby Johnson, a 16-year-old lesbian who copes with her townspeople’s vitriol through her tightknit

Alex Libby is but one of millions of bullied children. (www.allmoviephoto.com) circle of friends; Ja’Meya Jackson, who wanted to teach her bullies a lesson by bringing a gun on the school bus; and Ty Field, the grade six boy who received a suspension for shoving his long-time bully, and then shot himself in his parents’ bed-

room.

Hirsch, who was bullied himself, tells these stories in a clean, almost sterile manner, abstaining from any verbal narration. We benefit from his distanced approach, since our objectless indignation and sym-

pathy do not stem from the polish that is acquired through production, but rather through the cruelty of the events themselves.

Alex’s story seems the most viscerally pitiful. Born some three months premature, he suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, which noticeably hobbles his understanding of social relationships. Apart from his circumstances themselves, Hirsch amplifies the sense of misery by virtue of his complete access to film throughout Alex’s school—in one terribly lonely scene we see him awkwardly milling about the other children during recess, taking long, deliberate strides to nowhere.

Hirsch’s camera also introduces viewers to Kim Lockwood, the vilely myopic assistant principal of Alex’s school. When Alex’s parents confront her with the footage of his daily abuse aboard the bus, Lockwood assures them that the children on his bus route are “just as good as gold.” She then assumes a vapid smile, and proceeds to show them a photo of her granddaughter. It is this sort of neutered, anaesthetized response on the part of authority fig-

ures that prevents victims from telling others about their suffering.

Unfortunately, Hirsch misses an opportunity to prove his journalistic mettle when documenting the suicide of 17-year-old Tyler Long.

Poignantly portrayed in the film as a boy driven to suicide by a barrage of bullying, Tyler is the subject of a mendaciously two-dimensional account. Rather than showing him as a bullied, mentally ill boy (bipolar, ADHD, Asperger’s) who was removed from his honours and AP classes by his parents, and whose girlfriend had recently left him (as Emily Bazelon’s thoroughly-researched Slate piece shows him to be), he was depicted as a shamefully crude sketch.

With Bully garnering a PG-13 rating, and many young students certain to see it, Hirsch perniciously simplifies Long’s death, giving a potentially fatal model to victims. In such affecting documentaries, filmmakers’ veracity should be held to a higher standard. With Bully, Hirsch jolts the audience’s indignation. It is disappointing that he wasn’t more honest about it.

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Wednesday, April 11, 2012 |

Arts & Entertainment

music

film

Indie pop at the top

Whedon’s cabin fever

Fun try to stay grounded despite recent successes

Jacqui Galbraith Features Editor

Alex Knoll Contributor Fun’s name itself is the best descriptor of their music. The band’s second album, Some Nights, was released in February, and their single “We Are Young” skyrocketed to the top of the charts, making them the first band since 2002 to reach number one on the Billboard Top 100 with their first single.

Fun’s rise to success seems to have happened overnight. “We Are Young” was featured on an episode of Glee well before it became a hit single, and though the TV rendition gained plenty of notoriety, the band was determined to turn their original into a hit. By March, they were featured as the cover story for Billboard Magazine.

“It’s very exciting,” guitarist Jack Antonoff exclaims. “I mean, it feels very atypical from most chances and how things normally happen.”

The group likes to think of the band as an extension of their respective careers. Each member originally came from a different band, and Some Nights is only their second album together. Their individual experiences of struggling independently makes their newfound success all the more exciting, as well as grounding.

“It’s kind of like the feeling you have when you’re younger and you see your grade school teacher at the supermarket, and it’s weird because you can’t picture them outside of school,” Antonoff says. “It’s like two worlds colliding; and that’s basically how we feel when we look at our ticket sales or hear ourselves on the radio. It’s physically very weird.”

Fun makes their gratitude to their fans abundantly clear, expressing their appreciation regardless of their status as rising musicians.

“When things are kind of hap-

Fun was originally intended to be a side project. (indierockreviews.com) pening on a bigger level it can be slightly alienating for a lot of fans who have been there for a long time,” Antonoff explains. “It’s really vital to us that we remind all the people who have been supporting us for years that it’s still us, and we’re still just making songs we like and [are] happy to be able to play them for everyone.”

Coming from different musical backgrounds and having dealt with the music industry through separate paths, each member wants to build their career with integrity. Through their tenure as Fun, they’ve learned and matured together.

“In our early 20s we really hated the idea of being told what to do, and we were all about releasing our own record,” Antonoff says.

“But now we have confidence. We know what we want to do and how to execute it. We’ve realized the benefits of being signed to a major label and are very appreciative of it.”

Regardless, they retain their hesitance about the industry. The album’s intro song, “Some Nights,” opens up with the line, “Tea parties

| Curiosity delivers.

and Twitter; I’ve never been so bitter.” However, it seems as if Fun has figured out a way to work on their own terms.

“We have a code that we follow which is basically, in a non-arrogant way, to just do whatever we want whenever we want,” Antonoff explains. “At the end of the day, it’s really us out there; it’s our songs, our faces, our visions. We’re constantly putting ourselves in positions where we’re surrounded by people who really understand that and can help that process. I think it’s pretty rare that we can play by our own rules and also work with bigger companies; usually those two don’t go hand in hand.”

The members of Fun seem comfortable with their current status. Along with huge success, they are happy with the way things have worked out and look forward to continue making music people love. But most importantly of all, they’re having fun doing it.

Fun performs on April 30 at Cabaret du Mile End. Tickets are $16.50.

The less you know about The Cabin in the Woods, the better chance you’ll enjoy it. Co-written

by Joss Whedon (Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and directed by fellow Buffy writer Drew Goddard, hardcore fans won’t need much more than the blunt tagline to know what to expect: “Five friends go to a remote cabin in the woods. Bad things happen.”

For those of you who might need more convincing, the basic premise is to take a classic horror movie and turn it on its head. On one level, this movie really is just a runof-the-mill, blood and guts extravaganza, with the victims embodying the five classic stereotypes of the horror genre: the athlete, the nerd, the slut, the fool, and the virgin. But this classic formula is given a sinister twist once the audience realizes that they aren’t the only ones watching the mayhem unfold.

The film pays tribute to the horror genre while simultaneously mocking itself. At some points, it’s reminiscent of Scary Movie, although not quite as ridiculous.

Where many scary movies boost their production value through gruesome new weapons and fake organs—often at the expense of dialogue and character development— Cabin features Whedon’s trademark wit, brilliantly delivered by a dream

cast of both veteran and up-andcoming actors. Heartthrobs Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy) play the athlete and the nerd, respectively, and newcomers Kristin Connolly and Anna Hutchison play the virgin and the slut with gusto. Fran Kranz steals the show as the foolish stoner, and established actors Richard Jenkins (Burn After Reading, Step Brothers) and Bradley Whitford (The West Wing) also add some unexpected flavour. The main cast brings depth to characters that are initially presented as archetypal, giving the audience a gory horror movie with all the familiar plot points, while also offering a chance to actually root for the young victims.

The film’s pacing keeps it from feeling too much like any other tired, predictable scary movie. As promised, it’s a slasher film, but Whedon and Goddard’s unique perspective on horror, namely frequent and unique scene cuts, are enough to keep the audience guessing, and ensures that there is never a dull moment. By the end of the movie, so many questions about human nature and juxtaposing perspectives have been brought up that one might want to head right back into the theatre and watch it again. It’s a brilliant mix of bloodshed and ironic humour that is thoroughly the product of Joss Whedon, and it’s great.

Cabin in the Woods provides an unexpected twist. (www.collider.com)

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Curiosity delivers. |

Arts & Entertainment

| Wednesday, April 11, 2012

23

music

Twenty years on, Dandy Warhols stay strong Life on the road is still a thrill for lead singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor Jacqui Galbraith Features Editor After performing for nearly 20 years, it’s understandable when artists get a little too used to the sound checks, interviews, and general wear and tear of life on the road. Yet, talking to Dandy Warhols’ lead singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor offers a refreshing surprise. While years of doing interviews might leave some artists with a large supply of stock answers, Taylor-Taylor is spontaneous, genuine, and honest. He offers up new elaborations on what might seem like old observations.

The band, comprised of members Taylor-Taylor, Peter Holmstrom, Zia Mccabe, and Brent Deboer, has been performing since 1994, and Taylor-Taylor looks forward to performing material from their upcoming tenth album, This Machine, on their European tour this summer.

“The most constant awareness that I have during a European tour is that you can’t read a damn thing that’s on any [highway] sign,” he says. “The music part is fairly constant the world over. We are the same band, more or less, and the audience is fairly similar, so you don’t attract [the] kinds of people that you wouldn’t want to hang out with.”

Portland, Oregon‘s Dandy Warhols are set to release their tenth album, This Machine. (albionblog.wordpress.com) Whether it’s touring the continent or laying down new tracks, the Dandy Warhols are rarely free.

According to Taylor-Taylor, they’re “constantly making music,” working with producer Jeremy Sheerer at their own studio.

“Jeremy is just our house guy, he’s the angel of our studio, so

we’ve been working with him constantly for years now,” he explains.

“I don’t know if a week has gone by in nine years that we haven’t recorded something; a b-side or a tribute for someone’s tribute record.”

Taylor-Taylor has a hard time identifying his favourite place to perform, but he knows exactly what

to look for in a venue.

“I think the size and shape of the room is important because that [affects] the acoustics,” he explains.

“The texture of the walls, do they echo? How close are the walls to where I’m standing? How much are they influencing what I hear? Is the stage wood or is it carpeted?”

As far as the upcoming tour goes, the band is especially excited to perform “Well They’re Gone,” which they have made available as a free download on their website.

“We’re all extremely excited to play that one live,” he says. “I just like playing new songs live because, you know, we’ve been playing ‘Not If You Were the Last Junkie On Earth’ for 16 years now, and it’s fun, we’re very good at it, but it’s great to have new songs too.”

When speaking about the group’s songwriting methods, Taylor-Taylor notes that their growing experience and skill in the studio, coupled with their obvious passion for their art, promises a strong future for the Dandy Warhols.

“I have to wait for [songs] to happen to me, but generally once I have one, then I take it to the band and go, check this out, and we start playing it, and we all play it together, and then everyone works out what they want to play on it ... It’s incredibly inspiring.”

Dandy Warhols play Theatre Corona on June 2. Tickets are $31.25 and go on sale Friday April 13.

summer playlist Summer is almost upon us. Enjoy this self-indulgent playlist from the Tribune Editorial Board.

Neon Indian—“Terminally Chill” (from Psychic Chasms) Kanye West feat. Big Sean, Pusha T, 2 Chainz—“Mercy” Dunson—“Count On It” (from The Investment) Baby Eagle—“Brave Women” (from Bone Soldiers) Deerhunter—“He Would Have Laughed” (from Halcyon Digest) Best Coast—“The Only Place” (from The Only Place)

A big thanks to everyone who contributed to A&E this year!

Macklemore—“Stay At Home Dad” Duran Duran—“Rio” (from Rio) Jay-Z—“Heart of the City” (from The Blueprint) Madness—“One Step Beyond” (from One Step Beyond...)

Said the Whale— “Camilo (The Magician)” (from Islands Disappear) The Wombats—“Techno Fan” (from This Acoustic Glitch) Childish Gambino—“Freaks and Geeks” (from EP)

Have a fantastic summer!

SPORTS Interview

10 questions with ... Evan Vossen

Redmen captain caps off McGill hockey career with overtime winner in CIS gold medal game Christopher Nardi Sports Editor McGill Tribune: How did it feel to win the CIS championship?

Evan Vossen: It’s a great feeling. The way things happened in terms of the history of the franchise, the program—which is 136 years old—not winning after what we went through last year in terms of losing in the finals, and then to win it in the fashion that we did, in overtime, on the 50th edition of the University Cup, it was really something special for us.

MT: How did the team react when Western scored that tying goal in the third? What was going through your minds?

EV: They scored the tying goal 30 seconds into a five-minute powerplay and I was thinking, “Okay, this is something we’re going to have to dig out of.” But, we have such a character group of guys that nobody got too frustrated, panic didn’t set in, and in the remaining four and a half minutes of the powerplay, we only let by one shot. I think it shows how determined the guys were, and the sacrifices they were willing to make.

MT: How did it feel to score the winning goal in overtime?

EV: Having that puck go in, I was ecstatic, but it was also so much

more for me. Beyond making program history, I don’t know if many people know, but Picard-Hooper, who gave me the pass on the tying goal, his assist set the all-time point record at McGill. There’s just so much stuff that happened in that one play that has such an impact on the school, the team, and all of our lives.

MT: What will happen to your hockey career now that you’re graduating?

EV: I want to play professionally, probably in North America, so I’m going to look at my options during the summer and, come fall, hopefully I’ll have something to do.

If not, I would definitely consider Europe as an option. In the end, if it doesn’t work out, yeah I’ll be disappointed, but hey, I have a degree, and hockey has been so good to me that I have no regrets whatsoever.

MT: What do you think of the Redmen coaching staff?

EV: Since he joined the team two years ago, [Head Coach] Kelly Nobes has been a great addition for us. We’ve had exceptional coaching all five years that I’ve been here. Really, our success the last three years has been thanks to [ex-Head Coach] Martin Raymond’s recruiting, and then Jim Webster [came] in for a year and we lead the nation in scoring that year. Then Kelly [came] in,

Around the

W

ater cooler

In case you were too busy searching for Easter eggs or the afikoman, here’s what you missed this past week in the world of sports ...

NHL HOCKEY — The NHL season wrapped up this past Satur-

day, with all playoff spots already locked down before the day’s last

and we lead in scoring again and win the championship.

MT: As team captain, how much responsibility do you take for your team’s successes and failures?

EV: For me, being a leader is leading by example. It means putting in hard work, but that’s what our team is based around. I don’t have to show the guys the way, the guys show each other the way. And that’s something I noticed when I got to McGill; it’s something that’s instilled within the program, and it’s still being instilled into the young guys that are coming in.

MT: How do you think the team will respond next season, considering that the team loses eight players this summer?

EV: There are a lot of the first years that got a lot of experience this year because of injuries, so they have a solid base to work with next year. They have most of the defensive core coming back, as well as all the goaltenders, and winning the CIS championship is a huge recruiting tool. So I think they have a solid team coming into next year.

MT: Take us through your typical gaem day.

EV: Usually, I’ll meet up with Andrew Wright at 9:30 at Cora’s for breakfast. Honestly, I’m not much games. The three biggest surprises of the year had to be St. Louis, Ottawa, and Florida. The St. Louis Blues finished second in the West, after a year of incredible goaltending. If anyone can name six Blues’ forwards, we’ll be impressed. No one forecasted the Ottawa Senators’ success this season, but they snuck into the playoffs and are left in an opening round matchup against the first-placed New York Rangers. The Panthers won their first division title in franchise history, and will be making their first appearance in the playoffs since the 2004-2005 lockout. This leaves the Toronto Maple Leafs as the only team left to have not made the playoffs since the lockout—impressive, right? In other non-playoff team news, Steven Stamkos scored his 60th goal on Saturday, giving him the NHL goalscoring crown—now that is actually impressive.

GOLF — The PGA Tour’s most coveted tournament took place this past weekend at Augusta National, as golfers competed in the 2012 Masters. Tiger Woods had all the attention leading up to the event after winning his first PGA tour event in

Vossen led McGill to their first ever CIS Championship. (Jean St. Pierre) of a class goer on game days, so I usually have a bowl of soup around noon and follow that with a nap for an hour and a half in the afternoon.

Then I’ll get up towards three, eat my pre-game meal, hop into the shower, and get out of my apartment by four. Then it’s down to Second Cup for a coffee and off to the rink.

We always have a meeting an hour and a half before the game with the coach, and then we warm up and play. After the game, I usually hang out with the guys, get something to eat and then go to bed.

MT: Who’s your favorite hockey player/team?

EV: I’m a Habs fan, and have been since I can remember. I have to

say, especially when I was growing up, my hockey role model was definitely Jerome Iginla. I really enjoy the way he plays and the hard work he puts into his game.

MT: Do you think fighting should be taken out of hockey?

EV: I don’t think you can completely remove fighting because there will be stick swinging incidents, dirty elbows, hits to the head, which have been so popular lately, and I have no problem with a guy going after another guy for a cheap shot. If you’re going to do something like that, and put someone else’s health at risk, I think there’s a price you have to pay.

over two years just two weeks before. However, he struggled after a solid first round and was not a factor on Sunday’s final 18 holes. Instead, it was all about Bubba Watson who had four straight birdies on the back nine to climb up the leaderboard, where he and his playing partner, South African Louis Oosthuizen, battled for the lead for the final two holes. Nothing was settled, forcing a sudden-death playoff. After Watson made an unbelievable shot on the second playoff hole, he was left with a tap-in to secure his first major victory. I think everyone is happy that a guy named Bubba just won the Masters.

cibia as the hero, blasting a threerun homer to end the tie in the top of the 16th. In other opening weekend news, Albert Pujols went 0-3 in his Angels debut, while Prince Fielder hit two home runs in his second game with the Detroit Tigers.

MLB BASEBALL — The boys of summer are back as the MLB season got underway last Wednesday night with the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals playing in the new Marlins Park against the Miami Marlins. Baseball’s real “opening day” occurred on Thursday, with seven games. Canada’s lone team, the Toronto Blue Jays, played against Cleveland in what became the longest opening game day in MLB history. The game lasted 16 innings, with Jays’ catcher J.P. Aren-

NBA BASKETBALL — Dwight Howard is causing trouble again. On Thursday morning during a press conference, Orlando Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters that star centre Howard asked management to fire Van Gundy during the season. Later in the presser, Howard went over to Van Gundy and gave him a hug, totally unaware of what his coach had just said. It made for some great awkward fun. This isn’t the first blow to Howard’s reputation this season. At the trade deadline in March, all indications were pointing towards him being dealt because he was not happy in Orlando. He then changed his mind at the last minute, and told the Orlando brass that he wanted to remain with the Magic through the next season. Genuine or not, he is definitely toying with Orlando. If he isn’t traded this offseason, we’ll be shocked.

Curiosity delivers. |

NHL

| Wednesday, April 11, 2012

25

Playoff Preview

By Hrant Bardakjian and Adam Sadinsky

The days are getting warmer, clothes are getting lighter, and starting Wednesday, news junkies will no longer be able to catch Peter Mansbridge on their local CBC stations: the NHL playoffs are upon us. Eight teams from each conference and their fans begin their bearded quests, praying that they will find that magic elixir called momentum and ride it to glory in June.

western

Conference preview

The Vancouver Canucks are exactly where everybody expected them to be at the beginning of the season—Presidents’ Trophy winners. Vancouver conquered the league yet again, but don’t expect Johnny Canuck to be chopping wood late into June this time around. With Daniel Sedin on the mend with a concussion, the ‘Nucks don’t match up favourably against the Kings, who will be looking forward to some payback.

Corey Schneider better dust off his tire pump; Roberto Luongo is going to have a leak.

Speaking of goaltending, does it get any better than the duo of Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak in St. Louis? Once a castoff from our nation’s capital, Elliott has nestled himself comfortably under the Gateway Arch. Goaltending withstanding, the Blues are a well-rounded team with David Perron, David Backes, and T.J. Oshie leading the way offensively and Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Carlo Colaiacovo keeping the puck out on defence.

How about this for a prediction: the Pheonix Coyotes will represent the West at the Stanley Cup Finals. This team was projected to bottom out in what would be a heartbreaking final season in the desert. Phoenicians can thank Mike Smith and his Vezina-caliber performance for keeping this team afloat, winning its first division title in franchise history.

It seems like the Nashville Predators are everyone’s sleeper team to come out of the west this year. Pekka Rinne has been in beast mode all season long as the Preds are finally garnering the attention they rightfully deserve. All that talk about a lack of scoring is complete nonsense since the team ranks eighth in the entire league in goals. The addition of Alexander Radulov should only improve the Preds’ depth at forward. Music City is going allin this post-season. Wings fans should be worried.

SPORTS

Once considered the cream of the crop of the west, Detroit doesn’t even have home-ice advantage during the first round this year. How the mighty have fallen.

However, nobody should count out a skilled, veteran-filled Wings team. The Wings are post-season warriors and have that ability to crank up the effort level with Lord Stanley on the line. Detroit can easily upend any of these western teams if Jimmy Howard channels his inner Dominik Hasek.

Chi-town has some huge question marks heading into the playoffs. First, how effective will Jonathan Toews be upon his return? Second, will the Hawks get decent goaltending? And lastly, will Patrick Kane suddenly display his goal-scoring prowess?

Ultimately, Chicago will put up a good fight, but an early round exit seems likely at this point.

This summer, management needs to add a mobile defenceman, like the one they gave up in the Brian Campbell trade to Florida.

Antii Niemi has been too shaky for San Jose’s liking. An early matchup against the wellrounded Blues spells bad news for the Sharks, who are eager to make a deep playoff push or risk seeing its team torn apart in the off-season. Besides Joe Thornton and Logan Couture, the rest of the club’s leaders have been fairly inconsistent and downright maddening at times throughout the season. The Sharks have no bite for playoff contention.

Notwithstanding their eighth seed, the L.A. Kings have the available talent to overthrow the powerhouse Canucks in the first round. Jonathan Quick has been a rock in the net yet again, finally establishing himself as a premier goalie within the league. The trade for Jeff Carter was a shot of adrenaline to the Kings’ anemic offence, as now it has finally awoken from its season-long slumber.

Anything less than a first round victory will be deemed a failure in L.A.

Eastern

Conference preview

Looking at the standings, no one will have more confidence than the first-place New York Rangers.

Trying to bring the title back to Broadway for the first time since 1994, the Rangers surpassed expectations by finishing atop the Eastern Conference standings. This is a well-coached group, but it remains to be seen whether they can hang around with more physical teams.

The Boston Bruins enter the playoffs with sights set on becoming the NHL’s first repeat champions in over a decade. Boston is a hardworking team that doesn’t count on any one star (Tyler Seguin led them with only 67 points). The core of last year’s Cup-winning squad remains intact, and last year’s experience should carry them deep into the postseason.

The Florida Panthers are making their first playoff appearance since 2000. With 18 overtime losses, some may question how much the Panthers deserve their seed as division champions, but Florida was the model of consistency, leading the South(l)east for nearly half the season. Florida will rely on forwards Tomas Fleischmann and Kris Versteeg to kickstart their offence, while Brian Campbell should continue to provide stability on the back-end.

The fourth-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins excelled even before Sidney Crosby returned to action, and are loaded with tons of game breakers. The Penguins are strong at every position, posting a whopping +61 goal differential and having stormed to within a point of the league’s best record. Pittsburgh will be a popular Stanley Cup pick as long as they can get past their rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Flyers will be a tough out for Pittsburgh and others if they advance, as their top forwards not only can score in bunches but also

can physically intimidate opponents.

After trading two former faces of the franchise, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, in the off-season, Claude Giroux is the new king in Philly and answered the bell with a Hart Trophy-worthy campaign. Scott Hartnell is the emotional leader, and is one of the best two-way forwards in the league, while also leading the team with 37 goals.

The New Jersey Devils have made their reputation over the year with stifling defence and that will be a major factor if they are to go far in the playoffs. New Jersey’s roster is a mix of old and new as the Devils relied on young guns like Adam Larsson and Adam Henrique along with the seemingly immortal Martin Brodeur to get back into the postseason.

The seventh-ranked Washington Capitals enter the playoffs with their lowest expectations in years. A midseason coaching change was emblematic of an incosistent season as the Caps hovered around the playoff line for much of the year. The usual cast of characters are back, but injuries to goaltenders Tomas Vokoun and Michael Neuvirth means that fans in Washington may be disappointed once again.

On the other hand, the fans of the Ottawa Senators are playing with house money. Expected to fight for the first overall draft pick, Ottawa surpassed the expectations of pundits everywhere by putting together a solid season and scoring a ton of goals. The Senators falter when they have trouble keeping the puck out of their net, but with Craig Anderson back from injury, this team has the potential to surprise, having won season series against the Rangers, Panthers, Penguins, and Flyers.

Image sources: wikipedia.org, sportsnickel.com, dailygleaner.com, nucksiceman.com, hockeyguys. net, goodoldhockeyshow.wordpress.com

26

Wednesday, April 11,2012 |

Winter Sports

SPORTS

| Curiosity delivers.

Report Cards

Compiled By: Christopher Nardi, Steven Lampert, Rebecca Babcock, and Jeffrey Downey

A+ Redmen Hockey No team in McGill Athletics has been as successful this year as the Redmen hockey team.

They won the Winter Carnival Cup against Concordia, then won the Corey Cup against the Ottawa GeeGees, then won the OUA championship against UQTR, crowning them league champions. Then, they followed with a Queen’s Cup win against a powerful Western team, whom they would face once again in the CIS national championship finals, which they also won. All in all, the team finished the regular season with a 24-2-2 record, good for first in the OUA, five cups, and

the team’s first ever national championship in the 136 years of the team’s existence. Of course, that is without mentioning that the team finished first overall in the league in scoring for a second consecutive year, and had two of its players signed by two top AHL teams.

The team was honored at a Habs-Leafs game by being invited into a private loge with Canadiens’ owner Geoff Molson, and team captain Evan Vossen’s CIS overtime winner was replayed on the jumbotron for the 21,273 fans on hand. Not too bad a year.

ships. Unfortunately, the success came to an end in Calgary, as McGill lost both their games at nationals. Nevertheless, the team should be extremely proud of the progress they made this season. Seniors Anneth HimLazarenko and Natalie Larocque provided great leadership and consistent scoring. While the Martlets will lose both players to graduation, the team’s future is bright. Francois Charest, Marie-Eve Martin and Helene Bibeau will assume the leader-

ship roles next season as incoming seniors, while the team will look for a boost from all-CIS rookie Dianna Ros, and other young standouts Tiye Traore and Valerie L’Ecuyer. Head Coach Ryan Thorne should be very happy with his second season at McGill, having brought back an RSEQ championship while building a strong foundation for the program heading into next season.

Athlete to watch Max Segal

A-

Martlet Basketball The Martlet basketball program found success in the 20112012 season. The team opened the regular season with consecutive losses in RSEQ play, but bounced back with eight straight wins to start 2012, a streak that lasted until Feb. 9. The Martlets carried their momentum through the RSEQ playoffs, winning their first RSEQ championship since 1996 in what was certainly the highlight of their season. With the title they received an automatic bid to the CIS Champion-

MVP Francis Verreault-Paul

MVP Anneth HimLazarenko Athlete to watch Dianna Ros

B+ McGill Swimming Once again, Steven Bielby, an electrical engineering senior, monopolized McGill swimming headlines all season long with his dominating performances at every competition.

But Bielby was not the only McGill swimmer who had a very successful CIS championship, as 10 McGill records were broken at the CIS championship meet. Bielby led the McGill squad with two bronze medals all the while leading the relay squad to two new McGill records. With his two medals, Bielby is now the most decorated swimmer in school history, with an amazing 11 career CIS medals—six gold, one silver, and four bronze. Marc-Andre Benoit also had a strong meet, winning McGill’s

third bronze medal and individually smashing five school records.

The Marlets were slightly less successful on the national stage, breaking only one McGill record and missing the podium, yet they won a surprising RSEQ championship, winning the title for the first time in eight years. Freshman Valerie De Broux had a stellar competition, winning five medals—one gold, three silver, and one bronze. Leanne Roach, who also won a gold medal at the RSEQ tournament, was awarded the league’s annual leadership and citizenship award for her great performances in the pool, coupled with her extensive volunteering outside of the pool.

MVP Steven Bielby Athlete to watch Valerie DeBroux

Curiosity delivers. |

SPORTS

pectations unattainably high. A CIS bronze, although extremely impressive, somehow seems out of place for a team entering the tournament as the winner of four of the last five trophies.

Despite a strong 18-1-1 regular season record, one of the losses snapped a 107 RSEQ game winning streak and another was McGill’s first loss to Concordia in school history.

Perhaps the most worrisome fact for upcoming years is the loss of talent that accompa-

27

A

Martlet Hockey The Martlets claimed both a seventh consecutive RSEQ gold medal this season and a 12th straight national medal when they won bronze in Edmonton. McGill had a total of five all-CIS players peppered over the first, second, and all-rookie team, in addition to RSEQ MVP Ann-Sophie Bettez, Rookie of the Year Mélodie Daoust, and Coach of the Year Peter Smith.

Unfortunately, the Martlets’ storied history of dominance and achievement often leaves ex-

| Wednesday, April 11, 2012

nies the end of this season, with stars Ann-Sophie Bettez, Cathy Chartrand, Charline Labonté, and Jordana Peroff all reaching the end of their eligibilities. Although there is always a more than capable cast to fill the void, it still seems like an insurmountable task. Youngsters Mélodie Daoust, Gillian Ferrari, and Katia Clément-Heydra will all be relied upon heavily next year to keep McGill’s winning ways going.

MVP Ann-Sophie Bettez Athlete to watch M é lodie Daoust

C+ Redmen Basketball The Redmen basketball team had a better start to the season than one would have expected given their actual playing, which was marred by poor offence and turnovers. The young team hit their stride after winter break, winning six out of their eight games and placing second in the conference. They played UQAM in the opening round of the RESQ and were in an excellent position to make it to the finals.

However, they failed to do so, losing the series by three games. It was particularly frustrating because the team had plenty of potential—half of the roster was made up of freshman with only one senior—but their inexperience ultimately prevailed.

Despite the results, the team had talent and each player brought a different aspect of the game to the floor. Winn Clark led the team by example. He hustled both on offense and defense, hitting key shots and dominating the glass, while Tristan Renaud-Tremblay was a very strong forward and dominated opposing big men in the paint. Vincent Dufort had an impressive first season, as he was strong on both ends of the floor, and was rewarded with RSEQ all-rookie honours.

Martlet Volleyball A+ Although the Martlet volleyball team had a slow start, they ended their season with a confidence booster, defeating the first-placed Montreal Carabins. They carried this momentum into the playoffs, beating Laval University in the semis to play the Carabins again in the finals. McGill lost, but the women still earned a berth to the CIS Championships for the first time in 15 years.

They were seeded fifth in the tournament, and clear-

ly the underdog in the field, but opened with a win against the St. Mary’s Huskies to advance to the national semis where they were outmatched by first-seeded Alberta, and were relegated to the bronze medal game. There they met the Carabins once again, and shocked everyone by earning the bronze and the first volleyball medal in McGill history.

No one played as consistently as Kaiva Mateus, who was a threat on the floor, continually stepping up in

Image sources: livingprooffitness.com, edublogs.org, brothersoft.com Photos by Sam Reynolds, Cole Burston

big moments. DaphnéeMaude André-Morin also deserves recognition for her excellent defensive play this year, leading the RSEQ with 236 total digs, and winning the RSEQ libero-of-theyear award for the second consecutive season. During the playoffs and at the CIS championships, second-year Geneviève Plante was the sparkplug off the bench for the Martlets and should continue to grow and become a force for McGill.

MVP Kaiva Mateus Athlete to watch Genevi ève Plante

MVP Tristan RenaudTremblay Athlete to watch Vincent Dufort

Thank you to all Sports contributors for 2011-2012.

We couldn’t have done it without you.

See you next year!