McGill Tribune Volume 33 Issue 2

Volume No. 33 Issue No. 2

TRIBUNE THE mcgill

Published by the Tribune Publication Society

curiosity delivers

MEET THE oap LINEUP p 15

MONTREAL COMICCON P 10

@mcgill_tribune ­ • www. mcgilltribune.com ­

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Redmen prevail over Concordia for first time in 11 years STORY ON

P 19

Freshman Pelle Jorgen ignites the home crowd with a 70-yard kickoff return in McGill’s 32-19 victory. (Luke Orlando / McGill Tribune)

Hearings continue on McGill’s ability to deny ATI requests Students argue administration seeks “unprecedented powers”; university claims overwhelming number of ATI requests Emma Windfeld News Editor Last Thursday, the first hearings took place regarding a motion in which McGill requests the ability to deny past and future Access to Information (ATI) requests. Filed last December, the motion seeks to deny ATI requests submitted by a total of 14 present and former McGill students, as well as the power to deny all future ATI requests that are similar in nature to those of the respondents.

The hearing was a preliminary meeting in which the respondents motioned to strike a clause that allows McGill to set out criteria that they would use to deem future ATI requests void. This clause requests a change from the procedure that typically applies to public bodies, which must submit a request to the Commission d’accés á l’information if they wish to deny any ATI.

McGill’s original motion requested the ability to deny ATI requests due to the “serious impediments to [McGill’s] activities” posed by the volume of ATIs that students were submitting. The university received 170 ATI requests last year— 133 more than the year before.

Thursday’s hearing was scheduled to extend over a two-day period, but lasted only three and a half hours. Only four of the 14 respondents were present. The Commission will not reach a verdict for several weeks.

Kevin Paul, a McGill law student named as a respondent in the case, said he left the hearing feeling confident.

“There are no instances in the past where the Commission has delegated to a public body its power to determine what an acceptable request is,” Paul said. “The Commission’s power is limited to ruling on existing requests [.... McGill] seeks unprecedented powers to judge ATI

requests in place of the Commission and relies on fabricating a retaliatory conspiracy on the part of students against the university.”

However, McGill SecretaryGeneral Stephen Strople said that there are more factors at play in the case than students’ ATI request rights.

“The law does not only give rights to those asking for documents; it also gives rights to those from whom the documents are requested,” Strople said. “At the hearing, we amended our application to provide for an alternative. If the Commission does not want to grant us permission to ignore future requests of the type we describe, then it could require that such requests for access first be submitted to the Commission for review before the university has to deal with them.”

Richard Kurland is a Vancouver-based lawyer who is not involved in the proceedings but has experience in ATI cases. He said that

the phrasing of the students’ initial ATI requests should have been more specific in order to provide McGill with questions of an answerable scope, and that McGill should be granted the power to deny similar ATI requests.

“It’s a desirable result given the ineptitude that was manifested here by whoever drew up these questions,” Kurland said. “They ought to have consulted a professional.”

Cadence O’Neal, U1 arts and a respondent in the case, said she feels it is important for students to retain the right to request information from McGill on any topic, regardless of the wording of the questions.

“Necessitating that curious students ask legal professionals prior to sending in ATI Requests seems like it would deter a lot of folks from asking anything at all,” O’Neal said.

Robin Reid-Fraser, U4 environment and another respondent, expressed a similar sentiment, arguing that McGill’s request is unreason-

able.

“From the information our lawyer presented, what McGill is asking the Commission to do goes well above and beyond its mandate as set out by the law,” Reid-Fraser said.

According to Kurland, while students have the right to request information, they should refine their requests to ask for more specific records that would be manageable for the university to procure.

“If students are worried about a policy at McGill, democracy means people have the right to know and McGill has the obligation to disclose,” he said. “But there’s a need for their requests to be crystal clear, manageable, and deliverable. The easiest thing to do is start fresh and get it right.”

A verdict is expected to be reached within several weeks. Trial dates are set for October and December to determine whether or not the ATI requests of the 14 respondents will be denied.

NEWS

EXCLUsive interview

New Deputy Provost outlines his objectives for five-year term Ollivier Dyens discusses his approach to the Student Life and Learning portfolio On Sept. 1, Ollivier Dyens officially began his five-year term as McGill’s second Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) (DP (SLL)). Created in 2005, the DP (SLL) position aims to improve student life at McGill and to act as a liaison between the senior administration and students. Last week, the Tribune sat down with Dyens to discuss his goals for the year and his approach to the portfolio.

McGill Tribune (MT): What kind of challenges does McGill present in contrast to your previous position as Vice Provost (Teaching and Learning) at Concordia?

Ollivier Dyens (OD): A different culture, different mission. The perception of McGill within the community is extremely strong. In all the universities I’ve attended and seen and worked in, I’ve never seen a place where there’s so much faith in the institution as there is here.

I’m not saying there are no problems, I’m just saying people have a sense of the McGill community as a strong community, and people believe in that community. This is why we probably have issues once in a while—because everyone cares about McGill.

MT: What are your goals for your five-year term?

OD: I really want to put the emphasis on making the campus an interesting

and stimulating learning environment, where you can apply some of your knowledge and where we can also do community outreach programs. The first thing we need to do is to really clearly establish the narrative of “student life and learning,” because I don’t think it’s really clear.

What exactly do we offer students?

That would be the first goal for the year—principles, sort of a strategic plan, and then the following year we can start building these things. I want SLL to provide a very supportive environment so you can focus on the classroom, but I also want this environment to be an extension of what happens in the classroom. So some of the theoretical knowledge you get in the classroom, you can apply some of it through projects on campus that might have an outreach aspect to them.

MT: Could you give an example?

OD: There are some websites out there where people host problems or issues—usually they’re related to engineering problems or issues— [and] the community says ‘ok, we’ll try to figure this out’ and they post a solution. I can imagine something [at McGill] where the community could post some of the issues they’re having. Students could get together from different faculties and try to tackle that issue. The way I see it, the ultimate goal of an institution such as ours is to improve the community.

Become a Contributor Come to news Meetings!

MEETINGS ON Mondays at 5:30 p.m. in Shatner 110

New Deputy Provost Ollivier Dyens began role Sept. 1. (Wendy Chen / McGill Tribune) The rest is all a means to that.

MT: This position has received some negative attention in the past. Do you have any plans for turning around that perception?

OD: I’m not going to talk about the past because I wasn’t present. All I can say is that my goal for this year and the following years is to create intellectual partnerships with students. Moving forward, all I can say is that I’ve promised two things to the student unions—respect and transparency. Once in a while we’ll probably not agree on things, but they’ll get my full respect and we’ll explain to them clearly why our position is the current one. My experience is that when you’re transparent

about what your own constraints are, negotiations are much easier because people understand that you’re not trying to do anything negative, you’re just working with what you have. Those constraints can be financial [or] legal in nature, government restrictions, or budget cuts, but we have to deal with what we’re getting.

MT: Is there anything you plan on changing about the way that this position is run?

OD: It’s a complex institution, so it’s too early for me to tell. The objective for me is to develop a coherent narrative including all the community, so the dialogue needs to be constant.

I will be present at as many events

as possible. Katie [Larson, Students’ Society of McGill University president] and I have decided we would try to do the rounds of all the residences at lunch or at breakfast and meet with the students, because in my position I need to know what the student body is thinking. The students who are just focusing on their classroom experience, they’re not going to talk to their student union because they don’t have time for that. I’ll try to be there as often as possible for them to tell me what those issues are.

—This interview has been conducted, condensed, and edited by Erica Friesen.

campus

Fortier begins term as principal

Suzanne Fortier emphasizes reaching out to the McGill community Sam Pinto News Editor On Sept. 5, Dr. Suzanne Fortier began her five-year term as McGill’s principal and vice chancellor, succeeding Principal Heather Munroe-Blum, whose term ended on June 30. Fortier is the 17th person—and the second woman— to fill the position.

“Dr. Fortier was selected based on her outstanding scholarship, commitment to academic excellence, and demonstrated ability to lead McGill,” states the email to the McGill community on March 5 announcing her appointment. “She is well known as a leader and passionate advocate of higher education and research in Canada and internationally, and has demonstrated success in building collaborative partnerships.”

A two-time alma mater of McGill, Fortier previously held the position of president of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Can-

ada (NSERC). Other positions she has held include vice principal (Academic) at Queen’s University, as well as membership on the boards of the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Genome Canada, and the Canada Research Chairs.

On her first day on the job, Fortier sent an email to the McGill community in which she expressed excitement and enthusiasm for returning to McGill.

“I have greatly benefited from my education at McGill,” she wrote. “It opened doors that I could not even have imagined as a young woman growing up in a small Quebec village, from working with a future Nobel Prize laureate to being the president of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.”

Fortier has posted a schedule on the McGill website of all of her public appearances at McGill events over the next few months. One of the first events she attended was the Shaughnessy Cup football game against Concordia last

Friday. Wearing a Redmen jersey, she posed for a photo with the football team while holding the trophy after McGill’s 32-19 win.

Other upcoming events that Fortier plans to attend include the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Activities Night, a lunch organized for the entire McGill community, and an International Student Services Reception for new international students.

In anticipation of their new relationship, Secretary General of the PostGraduate Students Society (PGSS) Jonathan Mooney expressed confidence that his working-relationship with Dr. Fortier would be a productive one.

“I hope to work with Mme. Fortier on Board [of Governors] and Senate to enhance opportunities for critical discussion and engagement at these governing bodies,” he said. “My goal is to build a relationship characterized by transparency and trust so that we can collaborate freely on issues of common interest.”

Curiosity delivers. | campus

NEWS

| Tuesday, September 10, 2013

3

Quartier de l’Innovation projects aim to engage students Development faces challenges due to financial limitations and hesitation from student unions Jessica Fu News Editor Plans for the Quartier de l’Innovation (QI) continue to progress since its official launch last May. A collaborative initiative of the Griffintown neighborhood, the project is designed to involve McGill and École de technologie supérieure (ETS), NGOs, and corporations, in a centre that drives research and innovation.

One development this summer was the creation of the QI Student Working Group (SWG) action plan, which will be presented at the end of September.

“At McGill, students are considered to be an integral part of the QI initiative and developing this district as a ‘playground’ where students can learn, experiment, research, work, and play is of utmost importance,” QI Project Director Isabelle Péan said. “That is why it was considered essential to develop a strategic communication-marketing action plan specifically targeted

at increasing student involvement at McGill University within the QI and its vast variety of offered projects.”

Further opportunities for student interaction with development of the QI will arise throughout the year, according to Péan.

One such opportunity will be on Oct. 4, when McGill’s Social Equity and Diversity Education Office (SEDE) will host its annual Community Engagement Day—an event where students have the opportunity to volunteer in the Montreal community. This year, students will have the opportunity to work within the QI district.

“Specific activities will be organized in the QI district with the Horse Palace, Bâtiment 7, the Darling Foundery, and many others NGOs,” Péan said. “In addition, a walking tour concentrating on arts and history, as well as an open discussion on the main social issues in the district will be available for students to participate in.”

The QI consists of four pillars— categories under which various proj-

ects fall—of innovation: industrial, social and cultural, urban, and education and research. According to the QI Project Booklet, investments of around six billion dollars over the course of the decade combined with projects led by professors from both schools aim to develop the area into a modern district of learning and technology. Some planned events include CLUMEQ, “a research consortium for high-performance computing,” and C2-MTL, “an annual global conference exploring commerce and creativity.”

On the QI’s website, connections are drawn between the project and similar initiatives in other cities, such as 22@Barcelona and the Innovation District in Boston. Despite the similarities, Péan said there are fundamental differences that separate the QI from its international counterparts.

“Boston is a little bit younger [than Barcelona] and, for instance, their main focus is the industrial pillar,” Péan said. “QI is really a unique model. That’s also why we have so

many challenges in bringing different projects related to our four pillars.”

Will Straw, a professor in the Department of Art History and Communications Studies at McGill, is leading the development of the Laboratory of Urban Culture. The project aims to set up space for collaborative research and art within the community. Straw said the project still faces a number of financial challenges.

“It would be great if funds could be found to rent or buy a cultural space [for the laboratory] for McGill in the Quartier d’Innovation, and we are exploring various alternatives, but we all know about the fiscal constraints facing McGill,” Straw said.

“If we found and financed a space, McGill people would come, and that cultural activity could balance whatever high-tech and entrepreneurial activities might be part of the QI.” Some members of the development team cite a lack of student support for their projects as another obstacle. Anita Nowak, a professor

in the Faculty of Management, is leading the Social Economy Initiative, which “builds social entrepreneurship and social innovation into teaching, research and community activities.”

“I presented at a meeting last year to all the student union groups,” Nowak said. “I was surprised by the suspicion that the community of students had towards the QI project. It was considered quite top-down. That was just my reading of it.”

Nowak says students may be reassured to know that the QI is developing in a socially responsible manner.

“I know the players who’ve been involved and I know the intent is coming from a really sensitive place to honour the Quartier itself as it goes through a process of gentrification, to honour the history, to honour the community, [and] to be responsive to the community,” Nowak said. “Montreal is an absolutely amazing ecosystem to see this fluorish. I would invite students to look at the QI as an opportunity.”

campus

Two McGill libraries face closure and restructuring

Budget cuts behind relocation of Life Sciences and Education Libraries, buildings to be used for additional study space Genivieve Fried Contributor

Library collections previously located in the Life Sciences Library and the Education Library & Curriculum Resources Centre are in the process of being relocated, with the intention of redesigning the empty libraries into new student study spaces. The relocation project is the result of a $1.8 million cut to the McGill Library’s budget, following the Quebec Government’s announcement last December that McGill’s operating budget would be reduced by $38.3 million.

The plan to restructure these libraries was announced last April, and involves merging the Life Sciences Library’s collections with that of Schulich Library for Sciences and Engineering.

The Education Library & Curriculum Resources Centre’s main education collection is being moved to the second floor of the McLennan Library.

The decision to close down the Life Sciences Library was proposed by Dean of Libraries Colleen Cook, who said that action had to be taken quickly due to the university’s financial situation.

“As research libraries change in the digital age, we must continuously consider how best we steward the public funds invested in libraries,” she said.

Merika Ramundo, McGill Library’s Officer of Communications, explained that the decision to close the

libraries was influenced by their low rate of use.

“Attendance at the Life Sciences Library has dropped 31 per cent in the last five years [and] loans of print materials […] have dropped 45 per cent,” Ramundo said. “Loans of print materials from the Education Library & Curriculum Resources Centre have dropped 61 per cent since 2005. This trend is expected to continue as the library continues to expand its extensive digital holdings.”

Consultation reports from sessions completed in May detailed the need for “more access to space for study and group work; more online resources; and continued access to reserve collections.”

However, some people have criticized the way McGill decided to relocate its library collections, especially because the Life Sciences Library was the first and largest medical library in Canada.

Angella Lambrou, a librarian at the Life Sciences Library, started a Facebook page in April titled “Save the McGill Life Sciences Library from closure.” Lambrou claims the consultation sessions held last May to discuss solutions to McGill’s library budget were not held out of consideration for students, but as a response to media attention.

“Make no mistake about it, [if] the media had not picked up the story, the consultation process would not have taken place,” Lambrou said. “Nothing happened because of the consultation, and I knew that nothing would happen.

Books from the Life Sciences Library are boxed in preparation for transfer. (Wendy Chen / McGill Tribune) The decision had been made.”

Lambrou expressed doubt that repurposing the libraries would benefit students.

“Overcrowding is already a problem for libraries around the McGill campus, and the closure of the Life Sciences Library will not remedy that,” she said.

However, Dean of Medicine David Eidelman said the move allows the library to put the spaces to use in ways that will benefit students.

“A preliminary redesign of the library space is being prepared by the Faculty of Medicine to better meet the needs expressed by students, residents, faculty and staff during the consultation last spring,” Eidelman said. “For exam-

ple, [there will be] more space for study, learning, and research.”

One student from the Faculty of Education, who asked to remain anonymous, expressed frustration that libraries now face reduced budgets, and suggested that students who protested against raising tuition fees for Quebec students in 2012 may not have taken outcomes such as these into consideration.

“I [pay] Quebec tuition, and I think that with all of the fuss that everybody put up over a […] relatively small increase over three years […] it has a lot of other side effects that maybe they didn’t really anticipate coming out of their own educational balance,” the student said.

Other students said they were con-

cerned about the library closure’s effects on their own research and education.

“I took books from the library, and it was great to have it right here because […] I only had snippets of time in between experiments,” Mark Jacunski, a first-year Masters student in physiology, said. “Having it there is not only a convenience, but in a certain sense a necessity for students in these high requirement programs.”

The relocation of the collections is slated to be finished around mid to late September. Staff from the Life Sciences Library are currently at McLennan and Schulich to help ease the transition, and to provide students access to the collections being moved.

4

Tuesday, September 10, 2013 |

NEWS

| Curiosity delivers.

city

Residents seek to save Parc Oxygène from development Mayor claims price of land is too high to warrant protection of local landmark Chelsey Ju Contributor On Sept. 3, residents of the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough expressed their concerns for preserving of green space in the neighbourhood at a conference and question and answer session with the borough’s mayor, Luc Ferrandez. Debate on the topic centered around the preservation of Parc Oxygène, a privately -owned alleyway that has been serving as a park for over 20 years.

Parc Oxygène was originally an alleyway used by motorists as a shortcut through the residential neighborhood bordered by Prince Arthur street and Pine Avenue. Although members of the neighborhood protested that this use of the alleyway was dangerous, the city did not act in response to these claims.

In 1989, the alleyway was converted into a park, which residents of the community currently take care of.

In the past few years, a condominium proposal as well as multiple construction ideas—including parking lots and small residential housing—have been suggested to replace the park area. As a long-time resident of the area surrounding the park, Norman Nawrocki has been very active in the fight to preserve one of the area’s only remaining green spaces. He explained that resi-

dents are attempting to save the park from development by requesting that the city purchase the land and declare it an official park.

“It is a community-created green space; [it] has been this [way] for 23 years, and needs to be preserved as such,” he said. “The greater interests and rights of the community take precedence over the rights and interests of a private developer.”

Some community members, however, were skeptical of the claim that private developers threaten the park. One community member, who asked only to be identified as Clement, said he believes the park will not be dramatically developed due to space constraints.

“I would be very surprised if a condo went up in that area, whether it is or isn’t an official city park— at most maybe a parking space, or small housing [developments], but no condo,” he said. “The space is too tiny.”

Ferrandez argued that the costs of purchasing the piece of land is not worth the investment. “[There is a] six million dollar price tag on such a small urban space,” Ferrandez said. “[The space is] so small that [it] might not be sufficient to guarantee legal paperwork with which to present enough evidence for saving the park.”

He also stated that, as mayor,

he could not take action to save Parc Oxygène.

“The mayor simply cannot get involved in a legal battle between private developers and members of the community,” he said. “It isn’t my place, and that’s all I have to say on the matter. We cannot legally sustain a project like Parc Oxygène.”

Nawrocki expressed disagreement, and argued that the benefits of the green space for the borough are substantial enough that the mayor should step in to save the park.

“It provides a public space for people— including McGill students— to hang out in and socialize, enjoying the trees, flowers, birds, bees, peace, and fresh air,” he said.

“It has a history and is now an important part of the local community.”

Kira Page, a member of the Quebec Public Interest Research Group McGill (QPIRG), explained the importance of the issue to McGill students, many of whom reside in the area near the park. She said QPIRG has worked together with Nawrocki for some time to raise awareness of the issue.

“Over the last several years, McGill students have been attending events to help save the park, helping spread the word about Parc Oxygène, […] all the while learning about the history of the neighbourhood we study in,” Page said.

Community members ask the city to save Parc Oxygène.

(Elizabeth Flannery / McGill Tribune)

campus

‘How’s My Froshing’ rings in McGill’s Orientation Week Hotline serves as centralized communication service and means for students to provide feedback during Frosh Cem Ertekin Contributor Last week, McGill University’s annual Orientation Week included a new addition to the traditional festivities—a phone hotline initiative called ‘How’s My Froshing.’

‘How’s My Froshing’ is an automated phone and text service that allowed participants, leaders, staff, and coordinators of frosh to communicate in an efficient manner. The service immediately connectd callers to services such as Nightline, WalkSafe, DriveSafe, and the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMMS).

Phone numbers of every frosh participant, coordinator, and orientation leader were registered to the system before Orientation Week. The system automatically gave relevant information to callers, such as the events that were currently taking place on their calendars.

“The goal is to centralize our communication,” Brian Farnan, Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) VP Internal, said. “Any frosh leader, operation staff, coordinator, or executive member of respective faculties [is able] to text or call any frosh participant at any given time.”

“After having worked closely with frosh for many years, I saw that communication was crucial and could use a bit of extra support,” said Josh Redel, former-SSMU president and the programmer behind the hotline system.

Campus Life and Engagement’s Student Life Coordinator Mitchell Miller called the program a “customer service for frosh” and said the hotline served as a way to improve the inclusivity of Orientation Week.

“We’re trying to change the culture and come up with new initiatives,” Miller said. “We have a new project of inclusivity, sustainability, and community building. So there is a cultural change in that froshes are more focused on how can every student—whatever

they like to do for fun—find something welcoming and exciting about frosh and Orientation Week as a whole.”

According to Redel, the service is also a response to feedback that has been gathered from previous Orientation Weeks, and also provided instant feedback from participants in this year’s events.

“I think something like this empowers the community to be part of improving frosh,” Redel said. “The problem we have always faced in the past is the time between the actual event taking place and feedback being received [....] Our desire with this system is to be able to get feedback on-the-fly so as to more quickly incorporate changes as needed, and to be able to better assess comments in the moment as opposed to weeks or even months later.”

By the end of Orientation Week, a total of 5,365 calls to the How’s My Froshing hotline had been completed, for a total of 6,260 minutes of service.

Of all calls, 1,048 were inbound calls; 4,942 were mass voice messages sent

to leaders, operation staff, or participants; and 84 were connection calls, in which the hotline transferred to services such as McGill Security Services, DriveSafe, and WalkSafe.

In addition, 8419 SMS messages were sent or received. The majority of those were mass texts sent to leaders, operation staff, or participants.

Farnan expressed hope that the success of the program during its introduction this year demonstrates its potential for the future.

“We have both real time and longterm capabilities,” Farnan said. “We can respond to situations. If someone leaves a message, we can immediately act on it. Also, we take the long-term into account, just adding another layer of surveying.”

Despite the numbers, however, not all students considered the service to be particularly useful during their frosh experience.

“I am not sure how many people would actually [use the] option,” a first-year A=rts student who could not

be identified said. “They told us about the number, but I haven’t even thought about it since to be honest.”

Miller, however, said he was optimistic for the future of the service.

“We had never done something like this before for Orientation Week, and there’s little precedence of anything like this at other campuses,” Miller said. “Looking at the data, I can only be excited by the numbers we got and more excited by how the system’s use can only expand and increase.”

3G

4:08 PM

Orientation Week callSettings statistics Calculator Camera Chat Total calls: 5,365 Minutes of service: 6,260 Inbound calls: 1,048 Voice messages sent: 4,942

Curiosity delivers. |

NEWS

| Tuesday, September 10, 2013

5

campus

Renovations at McLennan-Redpath Library continue Terrace construction set to last until December; Redpath Cafeteria remains open Samiha Sharif Contributor Construction at the McLennanRedpath Library­—initially planned to conclude on Nov. 15—is now scheduled to continue until the first week of December. The project, which includes resurfacing the terrace and restructuring the support walls of the library complex, prevents students from accessing the building via the Redpath entrance.

According to the McGill website, a complete overhaul of the main Redpath entrance is planned, including the removal of the interior staircase leading down to the food court and improvements to the alternate staircase, which is adjacent to the group study area on the ground floor of Redpath Library.

The pedestrian terrace that is currently under construction was built in 1952. According to Dan Doran, Project Manager in University Services, the aging terrace has been sinking over the past 61 years into the occupied spaces below, including the newly renovated Cyberthèque study area.

“Smaller projects had been undertaken to attempt to fix these leaks, but it was conclusively determined in 2007 that a complete renovation of the terrace was required to prevent further degradation and permanently resolve the water infiltration problems in the library,” he said.

Doran said that the project was scheduled in three phases, each of which was planned for the summers and falls of 2011, 2012, and 2013.

During construction, library access

Aging terrace has been sinking over the past 61 years. (Wendy Chen / McGill Tribune) has only been available through the McLennan Library Building entrance.

The completion date was pushed back by three weeks due to a two-week long construction worker strike in June, and an additional week due to the re-mobilization and coordination of construction workers following the strike.

The renovations have affected McGill students in various ways, although the Redpath Cafeteria remains open. Arts students face particular inconveniences as a result of the construction, since McLennan-Redpath is

the main social sciences and humanities library.

“The biggest impacts that the renovations have on me are the restricted access to McTavish—which can be fixed by walking up the stairs

by Leacock—and the fact that I do not particularly like [...] that a giant hole has been made over there just weeks before parents’ weekend,” Irina Silver Frankel, U2 arts, said. “It would be nice if the construction could be done by then so that my parents [could] see a beautiful campus and not [one that is] torn-apart.”

In addition to construction this semester, more renovations are planned for Redpath in 2014.

“Once this phase is completed, McGill will explore additional repairs required on the façade of the Redpath library that include windows and some masonry elements,” Doran said.

“While no firm date has been set for these future repairs, we are hoping to have this project’s construction underway in the summer of 2014.”

Some students have also expressed concern that the budget cuts and a lack of resources make renova-

tions impractical.

“The renovations seem a little extravagant when McGill has been compromising student learning by cutting back on courses and professors,” Nicholle Savoie, U3 arts, said.

“I think it’s good that McGill is constantly being modernized and improved,” Frankel said. “However, with all the budget cuts that McGill is facing, I’m not sure that students care as much about these renovations when McGill could not even afford to keep the libraries open as much as they did last year.”

campus

McGill rules in student’s favour in harassment case

Graduate student filed complaint regarding death threat, religious discrimination from supervising professor Emma Windfeld News Editor McGill University’s Committee on Student Grievances (CSG) recently ruled in favour of former McGill graduate student Amr El-Orabi, who returned to his native Egypt last November after alleged harassment from his supervising professor, Gary Dunphy.

According to El-Orabi, the harassment included a death threat and comments on his religion, some of which El-Orabi recorded. He said the incidents began in May of 2012, and culminated in his decision to leave McGill on Nov. 29. On Feb. 14, under the advice of McGill’s Ombudsperson for Students Spencer

Boudreau, El-Orabi filed a grievance with McGill’s CSG the grounds of a death threat, intrusion of his privacy, and offences on his cultural and religious preferences.

El-Orabi told Global News Montreal that while he was pleased with McGill’s ruling, he had hoped for financial compensation for the $10,000 in travel and study expenses he incurred during his time at McGill.

“I did move on with my life, but I still have the feeling that this person ruined what I was looking for,” El-Orabi said, adding that he is now pursuing his Flight Inspector licence after recently graduating from the Egyptian Aviation Academy.

According to Global News Montreal, El-Orabi is considering a

civil lawsuit to recoup his losses, and has been offered legal advice from the National Council of Canadian Muslims.

Professor Ken Ragan, chair of the CSG, explained in an email that El-Orabi did not follow the usual steps required to receive monetary compensation.

“Redress is usually sought through established review or appeal procedures prior to launching a student grievance,” Ragan said.

As a member of the Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM), the university’s teaching assistants’ union, El-Orabi had the option of filing his grievance either through AGSEM or through the university.

“Had AGSEM been able to file a grievance on Mr. El-Orabi’s behalf, with his permission, we certainly would have sought monetary compensation for the wages that he lost due to having to discontinue his teaching assistantship,” AGSEM Vice-President Suncica Avlijas said.

Avlijas explained that grievances filed through AGSEM proceed through a legal process under the jurisdiction of Labour Law, while those filed through McGill—as El-Orabi’s was­—follow an internal process and are decided by the Provost.

Harassment and discrimination grievances must be submitted to AGSEM within 90 days of their occurrence, so El-Orabi no longer has the option of pursuing this route.

“We are [...] surprised to hear reports in the news that Mr. El-Orabi did not receive any compensation for lost wages despite a decision in his favour,” Avlijas said.

According to Avlijas, AGSEM has been working to make members feel more comfortable filing grievances, such as informing TAs of their rights at orientation.

“We have taken steps to increase our accessibility to members, including adding union representatives at Mac Campus, speaking to new Teaching Assistants at orientations and welcome events, and making sure our delegates who are the union representatives within departments are aware of the issues and know how to deal with them,” Avlijas said.

opinion editorial

THE Mcgill

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

PQ overstepping its bounds with ban on religious symbols Last Wednesday, Sept. 4, the Parti Québécois (PQ) marked its one-year anniversary of minority governance. Over the past year the government has had various troubles, including, most prominently for this editorial board, the party’s complete duplicity on university tuition, first freezing tuition increases and then enacting harsh budget cuts. However, it seems as if the PQ has found itself a distraction from the year’s political missteps.

In late August, news was leaked that the PQ government was considering enacting what it called a “Charter of Quebec Values.” Chief among the provisions is a set of restrictions on provincial government employees wearing various religious symbols while at work. Much of the early coverage framed the provision as a means of capitalizing on the “integration” wedge issue, already awakened by the debate earlier in the summer over an attempt by the Quebec Soccer Federation to ban the wearing of Sikh headwear during matches in the province. That attempt was quickly abandoned after receiv-

ing justified repudiation from all quarters, including an official statement from FIFA that torpedoed the provision’s rather dubious justification of player safety.

“Restricting

religious freedom is a losing proposition not just for immigrants but also for Quebec itself.”

It might be just as well that the PQ wants to drive these wedges back into the electorate. Polling shows that the actual issue of sovereignty—ostensibly the PQ’s raison d’etre—is at best a politically dormant proposition. These attempts to assert control over religious and cultural minorities, which have the added side benefit of stirring up federal-provincial friction, do well in polls with significant parts of the Quebec electorate, even in the face of opposition from quarters normally

supportive of sovereignty.

Despite the popular support it enjoys in some quarters, the current Charter of Quebec Values is a decidedly ill-considered project. Forcing government workers to choose between their jobs and their religion, particularly in situations where observing a religion presents little, if any, disruption to the work environment, is the kind of pernicious intrusion on individual rights that has no place in a free society. This restriction, which would function as a de facto bar from employment for individuals of certain religious groups, raises serious questions on the Charter.

On a more practical level, restricting religious freedom—in a manner that will inevitably have a disparate impact on mostly nonwhite, non-Christian religious practitioners, is a losing proposition not just for immigrants to the province but also for Quebec itself. The province has long been losing population to the rest of Canada, and with relatively low birth rates, immigrants have long been counted on to stem the province’s population decline.

By instituting such a policy, Quebec risks losing valuable contributors to society. For example, increases in hospital wait times are being threatened if Sikh and Muslim doctors are driven out of practicing while observing their religions.

This editorial board believes that to create such an environment of hostility to outsiders—be it based on language, ethnicity, or religion—will only make this province less appealing to newcomers, including McGill students. From the board’s vantage point, multiculturalism is not, as Premier Marois seems to view it, a failed social policy precipitating violence, but rather, one of the guiding values not only of this institution and its student body, but also of this nation. We hope that Marois will stop pandering to baser instincts of provincial public opinion and instead look at the bigger picture.

Managing Editors Ben Carter-Whitney bcarterwhitney@mcgilltribune.com Erica Friesen efriesen@mcgilltribune.com Jacqueline Galbraith jgalbraith@mcgilltribune.com Production Manager Steven Lampert slampert@mcgilltribune.com News Editors Jessica Fu, Emma Windfeld, and Samuel Pinto news@mcgilltribune.com Opinion Editor Abraham Moussako opinion@mcgilltribune.com Science & Technology Editor Caity Hui scitech@mcgilltribune.com Student Living Editor Marlee Vinegar studentliving@mcgilltribune.com Features Editor Jenny Shen features@mcgilltribune.com Arts & Entertainment Editors Max Berger and William Burgess arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editors Mayaz Alam and Remi Lu sports@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editors Alexandra Allaire and Wendy Chen photo@mcgilltribune.com Creative Director Alessandra Hechanova ahechanova@mcgilltribune.com Design Editors Yael Chapman and Maryse Thomas design@mcgilltribune.com Online & Social Media Editor Brontë Martin socialmedia@mcgilltribune.com Copy Editor Adrien Hu copy@mcgilltribune.com Advertising Executives Spoon Jung and Daniel Kang ads@mcgilltribune.com Publisher Chad Ronalds

TPS Board of Directors Chris Liu, Elisa Muyl, and Simon Poitrimolt

off the board Jenny Shen

How I accidentally became a vegetarian

Features Editor

I know the headline seems ludicrous. How do you accidentally make the supposedly conscious decision to become a vegetarian? Well, I assure you that when I began a vegetarian diet this past May, I had no intention of making a permanent change to my eating habits.

Looking back, I realize that the initial transition away from eating meat stemmed from two main factors: money and laziness. The money issue was tricky, because meat doesn’t have to be expensive. There are plenty of cuts that you can purchase from

the supermarket that are walletfriendly. However, I found it difficult not to inch toward my favorite—albeit pricey—fish in the supermarket: salmon. Because I consider myself a bit of a penny pincher, I ended up buying meat and fish less and less. It was gradual, but undeniable.

The other factor, pure laziness, tends to seep into a lot of daily activities for me (read: Studying habits or lack thereof).

Preparing meat often involved taking extra steps, whether that meant defrosting a fillet, butterflying a chicken, or marinating cubed portions of pork. Sometimes I would come back to the apartment after a long lab, realize that I had forgotten to defrost the meat, and opt to eat something else instead.

Contributors

This all raised a huge concern for me. I’ve always been rather conscious of health, and it was alarming how much protein I was missing out on. So I sought out other sources of protein: beans, tofu, quinoa, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt...the list goes on and on. I found myself searching for vegetarian recipes that incorporated other sources of protein in order to ensure that I wasn’t depriving myself of any nutrients. In fact, I experimented once with counting the grams of protein I had eaten and comparing it to the recommended value.

I was pleased to find that I had in fact gotten enough that day.

Oddly enough, the process of searching and trying out new vegetarian recipes was fun. It became a bit of a puzzle in some

ways—finding substitutes for meats in certain dishes and trying out new combinations of foods that I was unfamiliar with—and I ended up really enjoying it. It actually took me several weeks to realize that I had become a de facto vegetarian, that I was having a good time with it, and still getting the nutrients I needed.

I would never want to discredit other people’s reasons for becoming a vegetarian, as I wholeheartedly respect that many people have varying reasons for their decisions. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but look back to my own transition into vegetarianism, feel a little confused, and wonder to myself: “How exactly did that happen?”

Derek Drummond, Shrinkhala Dawadi, Cem Ertekin, Wyatt Fine-Gagné, Elizabeth Flannery, Genevieve Fried, Benjamin Gordon, Chelsey Ja, Michael King, Jennifer Lee, Chris Liu, Jennifer Mon, Krishanth Manokaran, Alycia Noë, Stefan Novakovic, Luke Orlando, Michael Paolucci, Sarah Papadopoli, Aaron Rose, Samika Sharif, Joyce Siu, Jack Tokarz, Lauren Wildgoose

Tribune Office Shatner University Centre Suite 110, 3480 McTavish Montreal, QC H3A 0E7 T: 514.398.6789 The McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Société de Publication de la Tribune, a student society of McGill University. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of The McGill Tribune and the Société de Publication de la Tribune, and does not necessarily represent the views of McGill University.

Letters to the editor may be sent to editor@mcgilltribune.com and must include the contributor’s name, program and year and contact information. Letters should be kept under 300 words and submitted only to the Tribune. Submissions judged by the Tribune Publication Society to be libellous, sexist, racist, homophobic or solely promotional in nature will not be published. The Tribune reserves the right to edit all contributions. Editorials are decided upon and written by the editorial board. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the McGill Tribune, its editors or its staff. Please recycle this newspaper.

Erratum A story in the Sept. 4 issue (Physics theory proposes universal Inception) incorrectly identified the Boltzmann Brains ‘paradox’ as a ‘theory.’ The Tribune regrets the error.

7

columnists The academic decline and (other) decline of McGill University

Stefan Novakovic

Commentary

For the three years that I’ve been at McGill, the academic decline of our school has been a constant topic of discussion around campus. A semester hasn’t passed in which budget cuts, professor and teaching assistant (TA) contracts, student experience, declining global reputation, or general financial woes are not at the forefront of campus discussion.

These concerns are not unfounded.

It’s likely obvious to every student at McGill that the school has financial problems. In turn, there have been concerns about maintaining the university’s reputation and fostering a positive student experience. However, our perspective on these issues is often inconsistent.

All students are concerned about the fact that 200-level courses that previously had TAs and conferences are now taught with neither. It is clear that the combination of having fewer courses available, and larger class sizes, even with more TAs, will all negatively impact the student experience. We all recognize that these changes are harmful, and undergraduate students—particularly those in their first two years, whose courses are most affected—are right to worry about the changing face of the classroom experience.

What we need to realize, however, is that receiving a good educational experience and attending a ‘prestigious’ university are not the same thing. While closely linked, the ‘academic’ decline of McGill (i.e. its placement in world rankings) and the classroom decline of McGill (limited course selection, expanded classes) are not the same issue. The global QS University

and Times Higher Education rankings that we all pore over are largely derived from aggregating academic citations, peer reviews, and employer perceptions. These factors can have very little to do with what one actually learns or experiences as an undergrad. Take, for example, University of Toronto; a high ranking, in this case, goes hand in hand with a dispiriting, Kafkaesque undergraduate experience of cavernous lecture halls and minimal interaction with faculty. McGill and UofT may be the highest ranked, but we also have higher rates of student dissatisfaction. Likewise, universities that boast the highest student satisfaction, such as Guelph, are not nec-

“What we need to

realize, however, is that receiving a good educational experience and attending a ‘prestigious’ university are not the same thing.” essarily the most prestigious.

The point is that with limited resources available, we need to decide what kind of institution we want to be. At some point there comes a compromise between hiring prestigious researchers and building a global reputation and fostering a positive undergraduate student experience. Those of you in your first year at McGill are surely proud (and rightfully so) of the fact that you attend one of the best universities in the world. The administration has made clear to you and your extended family that you will receive a world-class education.

Keep that in mind as you step into Leacock 132 to attend the course in which you have only passing interest but are required to take because first year options are so limited. Keep that in mind as you notice the course is lacking in TAs, and is clearly over-enrolled.

Have your say.

Write for Opinion.

Meetings are held at 6 P.M. on Mondays in the Tribune office, Shatner 110.

For more information, contact: opinion@mcgilltribune.com

I love McGill, and I believe that having world-class research and prestigious faculty has benefited my education substantially. Nonetheless, there have been times when I have been forced to confront the fact that a prestigious education is not always the same thing as a good one. Still, I feel like I’ve been lucky. I’ve had TAs and essays in the same Arts courses that

(Joyce Siu / McGill Tribune) now have only a professor—or, increasingly, just a PhD student—and a multiple choice exam. So to those of you who are new undergrads at McGill, especially Arts students, I welcome you to one of the best schools in the world; but I do not envy you. You will receive a respected diploma, but not necessarily a good education.

JOIN tHE MCGILL TRIBUNE’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Tribune Publications Society is looking for student representatives to sit on its Board of Directors. For more information, email Carolina Millán Ronchetti at editor@mcgilltribune.com

Science & technology Vulnerability to alcoholism linked to the brain’s reward system McGill study shows people who are vulnerable to alcoholism also have a larger dopamine response Krishanth Manokaran Contributor

ASK

By Caity Hui

they did not feel as drunk, despite drinking the same amount as the other subjects.

Each participant then underwent two positron emission tomography (PET) brain scan exams after drinking a fairly large serving of either juice or alcohol (about three to four drinks in 15 minutes).

“The PET scans are to compare the brain scan signals obtained when people drink juice versus alcohol,” Leyton explained. The difference between the two scans is the change in dopamine release.”

The analysis indicated that people categorized as “high-risk” for alcohol-use problems experienced a large dopamine response after drinking the alcoholic beverage; this effect did not occur in the people categorized as “low-risk” for alcohol-use problems. Since dopamine triggers the brain’s reward system, subjects who experienced a higher release were positively reinforced for drinking and therefore

were at a higher risk for alcoholism.

These findings were subsequently published this January in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

“Still, there are a number of issues that need following up,” said Leyton. He explained that, since this study is the first report of an altered dopamine response to alcohol consumption in people at risk, the study will need to be replicated.

“While both of these are wellestablished indices, it will be important to learn whether the brain dopamine response also predicts which individuals will go on to develop an alcohol-use disorder,” Leyton explained.

He believes it is likely that many pathways in the brain lead to alcoholism and looks to further investigate whether this dopamine response to alcohol contributes to one specific pathway or many.

Maryse Tho m

While long-term alcohol use has been known to have various effects on the brain, including memory impairment and nerve damage, a more recent study suggests there might be another effect to add to that long list. Those who are vulnerable to alcoholism also experience a larger dopamine (reward system) response when consuming a large drink, as found in a study conducted

by Marco Leyton, a researcher at the Mental Illness and Addiction axis at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RIMUHC).

“Dopamine is a chemical made in the brain. When released in the part of the brain called the striatum, it activates a circuit that fosters interest in natural rewards,” explained Leyton. “We need a system like this to survive both as individuals and as a species. Dopamine activation

stimulates our interest in food, the opportunity to have sex, and plays an important role in motivation.”

According to Leyton, a sip of alcohol activates the brain’s dopamine system in two ways. Alcohol acts pharmacologically in the dopamine cell-body region, where it removes the inhibitory input on the cells— similar to releasing a brake— causing an influx of dopamine. Once people have some experience with alcohol, environmental cues associated with drinking can also fire-up the dopamine system, suggesting that this system has conditioning effects. “Some people might be especially sensitive to developing these [conditioned] effects,” added Leyton.

For the study, researchers recruited 26 social drinkers aged 18 to 30 in the Montreal area. The subjects at higher risk of alcoholism were then identified based on personality traits and having a lower intoxication response to alcohol—

as/

McG

ill Trib

une

SCITECH

You snooze you lose; why you should avoid the snooze button You spend one third of your life sleeping, according to a recent study conducted by Statistics Canada. Based on an average life span of approximately 90 years, 30 of those are commited to sleep.

Despite this commitment, a huge percentage of the population seems to be waking up too early— and on the wrong side of the bed— thanks to an unusual culprit. Add on to the list of caffeine, all-nighters, drinking, and anxiety; the revered snooze button.

According to The Chronicle, a publication at Durham College, 90 per cent of college students are sleep deprived. In addition, 3.3 million

Canadians over the age of 15 (about one in seven) report difficulty both falling and staying asleep.

However, while the snooze button is a tempting option, snagging a few extra minutes of sleep doesn’t help you to wake up. Instead, smacking the snooze button and drifting off resets your sleep cycle all over again. The next time the alarm sounds, you are disturbed in a deeper and earlier part of your sleep cycle, which translates to a grumpier and less-rested you.

In addition, artificial wake-up cues disturb the natural processes your body undergoes to help you wake up. These include chemical changes, namely the release of dopamine and cortisol (‘wake-up’ hormones), an increased body temperature, and a lighter sleep. According to Assistant Director of Critical Care and Pulmonary Medicine at Maimonides Medical Center Yizhak Kupfner, using an alarm clock often interrupts your sleep cycle and cuts these processes

short. As a result, you are bound to feel more tired depending on what stage you were in before the alarm went off.

Mayo Clinic sleep specialist Timothy Morgenthaler recommends seven to eight hours of sleep per night for adults, and up to 11 hours of sleep for school-age children. It may seem like a lot, but this number shouldn’t be taken lightly. Sleep is an incredibly important human necessity. As a result, interruptions to your body’s natural wake-up cues can have negative effects on performance throughout the day.

When we sleep, we are allowing our bodies to execute a variety of tasks to assist us in the coming day. These include physical processes, such as the manufacture and release of hormones, tissue growth and repair, and the replenishment of energy to the brain and body. Sleep also extends to help us perform better in our studies.

In fact, sleep has been proven to aid declarative memory, which is the retention of facts and knowledge. It plays a particularly impor-

tant role in allowing individuals to retain facts when challenged with subsequent, competing information.

A study conducted by Jeffrey Ellenbogen of Harvard Medical School in 2007 showed that participants who received a good night’s sleep prior to testing performed better than those who did not. He compared subjects who began learning at 9 a.m. and returned for testing at 9 p.m without sleeping (the ‘sleepless’ subjects) with those who began learning at 9 p.m. and returned for testing at 9 a.m. after a night’s sleep (the ‘sleepers’).

The sleepers barely outperformed their sleepless peers when the groups were asked to memorize 20 pairs of random words, such as blanket and village. However, when given a twist—the subjects were forced to learn a new set of word pairs 12 minutes prior to testing— the well-rested participants recalled 76 per cent of the initial pairs, compared to a mere 32 per cent by their peers. The researchers concluded that “memories after sleep are resilient to disruption,” which goes

to show that resting before an exam could improve your ability to retain the information, despite nerves and other distractions.

Furthermore, a poor quality and quantity of sleep has been shown to affect students’ performance at school. Sleep is a basic human necessity. So when you go without it, you experience symptoms that make it difficult for your brain to perform well, like low concentration. It’s the same as if you were to study while starving; it’s nearly impossible to focus on the task at hand because your body is craving another basic necessity.

While hitting the snooze button might be tempting, experts recommend adopting a more regular sleep schedule rather than ‘snoozing’ for hours to achieve a higher quality of sleep. Your body loves predictability, and the more consistently you fall asleep and rise in the morning, the better it will adapt to your routine and naturally wake itself up.

Curiosity delivers. |

science & technology

| Tuesday, September 10, 2013

9

technology

The science of chemical warfare

Recent attacks in Syria reopen analysis of what makes chemical weaponry so dangerous Jennifer Lee Contributor As members of the international community condemn the horrific chemical attacks on the suburbs of Damascus, Syria that began Aug. 18, the past few days have cast a spotlight on the mechanisms behind chemical warfare. The recent series of events in Syria have reopened an analysis as to what exactly makes chemical weapons so much more immoral than those employed in conventional artillery warfare.

Why the distinction between ‘chemical’ and ‘conventional’ arms?

Chemical agents conjure a certain psychological terror among civilians in part due to the entirely indiscriminate nature of gas attacks, and the fact that often no smell, sight, or even sound precedes the victim’s imminent death. If not a clean death, the sheer physical brutality of chemical maiming is cruel and usually carries long-term generational and environmental effects.

Often referred to as the ‘poor man’s weapon of mass destruction,’ critics, such as political scientist Dominic Tierney claim Western powers are quick to condemn the use of chemicals due to the vast array of

powerful and expensive conventional arms these countries hold at their advantage.

“In fact, people likely die more quickly and in less pain from sarin poisoning than if they bled to death from a shrapnel wound,” said Stan Brown, a chemistry professor and chemical weapons expert at Queen’s University in an interview with the National Post.

Still, there is a remarkably low technological and monetary barrier preventing rogue actors from obtaining chemical weaponry in very large quantities. Many technologies, equipment, and materials used throughout the world for civilian purposes can easily be gathered to produce and manufacture chemical weapons agents, and there lies its greatest threat. An artillery shell the size of a suitcase full of sarin gas is lethal enough to kill an entire football stadium of civilians—a much greater effect than explosives of equivalent size.

By understanding the biological mechanisms of these chemical agents, research quickly illuminates why and how chemical weaponry pose such a threat.

Sarin gas

Widely suspected as the chemical employed in Damascus last week

in the killing of 1,500 civilians, sarin gas affects the nerve endings of victims’ muscles through the nervous system. Eyewitness’ accounts of the recent attacks relay harrowing images of children running from their houses, convulsing, and gasping for breath before collapsing to the floor. Typically, sufferers experience frightening symptoms, such as foaming at the mouth and violent full-body convulsions. At high enough doses, sarin ultimately results in asphyxiation.

Under normal conditions, nerve cells release the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, a molecule that transmits signals from neurons to cells, to stimulate the muscle. The neurotransmitter crosses a tiny gap, known as a synapse, binding to the surface of adjacent muscle cells in order to excite the tissue and facilitate muscular movement. Then the enzyme acetylcholinesterase quickly degrades the acetylcholine in the synapse to prevent overstimulation of the cell, and relax the muscles.

The chemical compound, sarin, inhibits acetylcholinesterase.

Therefore, when sarin gas enters the nervous system, it prevents acetylcholinesterase from degrading acetylcholine. A dangerous build up of acetylcholine can occur within minutes, resulting in a continual excit-

Sarin prevents the degradation of neurotransmitter acetylcholine. atory response in the muscles. This stimulation causes muscle seizures and impairs the respiratory system, ultimately resulting in respiratory arrest and the victim’s death.

In addition to its use in Damascus, sarin gas was employed in Iraq by Iraqi military forces against the Kurds in the 80’s, along with a number of cult terrorist attacks in Japan in the 90’s in an effort to bring down the government and install the group’s founder as the ‘emperor’ of Japan.

Mustard gas Sulfur mustard carries an odor resembling that of mustard plants or horseradish; it is a potent vesicant— a chemical agent that produces blistering on exposed skin and mucosal

membranes.

Often, mustard gas is used medicinally in wart removal. However, ingestion of even a very small amount of the compound can be fatal, leaving soldiers and civilians with painful internal and external disfigurations.

Upon entering the body, the chemical reacts with the water surrounding the body’s cells and loses a chloride ion, leaving behind an ion intermediate that reacts quickly with a number of enzymes and proteins on cell surfaces. Since this chemical process occurs most quickly in warm, moist conditions, the mucous membranes, eyes and respiratory tract are the most affected areas of the body. However, much is still unknown about the exact mechanism of tissue injury. The chemical can also mutate nucleotides—organic molecules that form the basic building blocks of DNA; this explains the long-term carcinogenic properties of mustard gas.

Since its first use in World War I, documented mustard gas use includes the Iran-Iraq war in 1984. In recent weeks, French intelligence has accused the Syrian Assad regime of having stockpiled 1,000 tonnes of both sarin and mustard gas, but this claim is still under much contention.

R esearch in B rief...

Prosthetic digital musical instruments Caity Hui Science & Technology Editor After three years developing their project, McGill Music PhD students Joseph Mallock and Ian Hattwick have designed and produced the first prosthetic digital instruments in the world.

Under the supervision of Input Devices and Music Interaction Lab (IDMIL) Director Marcelo Wanderley, the team collaborated with composers, choreographers, musicians, and dancers to produce a prosthetic device that could endure extensive use in dance performance while appearing visually striking.

“We wanted the objects to suggest a purpose beyond that of a costume, but we were quite happy that that purpose might remain ambiguous,” explained one of the researchers in a short documentary about the project.

Each prosthetic contains a variety of sensors, power

supplies and wireless data transceivers which respond to touch, movement, and orientation to create sound. The music is produced in real time through an open-source peer-to-peer software system developed by IDMIL, which processes the signals from the prosthetics.

What remains most striking is the semblance between these digital instruments and the human skeleton.

Illuminated from within by small LED lights, the transparent pieces resemble human forms, including articulated spines, curved visors, and rib cages that were constructed through 3D printing and laser cutting.

Current versions of the

prosthetics toured across Canada and parts of Europe earlier this year in a piece known as Les Gestes, written specifically for the digital musical instruments.

The instruments are designed to be worn as an extension of the dancers’ bodies. (wired.co.uk)

The Montreal Comiccon

, making its eighth debut this weekend at Palais des congrès, is an amalgamation of ‘geekdom’—a place where the various streams of geek culture coalesce into one exciting weekend. The representation of interests runs the gamut from Plain Jane board games to intricately detailed cosplaying, with the whole eclectic occasion accompanied by celebrity guests and corporate sponsors.

It has grown from an event hosting fewer than 700 people in its first years to over 32,000 attendees at last year’s convention.

And that’s just Montreal—the San Diego Comiccon (SDCC) hosts over 130,000 people each year.

Comiccon and SDCC have their roots in the original comic book convention format— where local comic book shop owners could liquidate their stock in one sitting and fans from all over the area could gather and meet each other. However, the ‘comic book convention’ has grown into something far greater than its humble origins could have ever predicted.

It has been a few years now since the geek movement started gaining momentum in popular culture. In 1989, Batman grossed over $400 million dollars. Marvel Studios jumped on the bandwagon starting with Blade in 1998, then Spider-Man in 2000. And it’s a good thing they did— Marvel’s The Avengers is the third highest grossing film of all time, at a titanic $1.51 billion. The Dark Knight, too, shattered people’s expectations about what a superhero movie could achieve in plot development and characterization. These films have not only done well commercially, but have also been met with critical acclaim and widespread appeal. People started taking these movies seriously, and by proxy, the community that existed around these

(Comiccon

de Montréa

l)

franchises.

The growth of conventions begs the question—is it the fans who are changing, or is it the way that people view this particular subculture?

Several individuals immersed in this community have offered their perspectives on the evolution of geek culture.

Among them is Cliff Caporale, the programming director for Montreal Comiccon. Caporale described Comiccon as “a genre convention for fans to get to meet some of the people behind the things they love most. It’s also a chance to be surrounded by like-minded people that share similar interests. We hope to please as many geeks as possible, even if you are only 0.5 per cent geek.”

Caporale explained that they wanted to expand the event to cater to more fans.

“After a few years, we wanted to grow the event. We were able to add a diverse selection for fans, and expand further into other genres like horror, Franco-Belgian comics, anime, and fantasy. This year we take it further, adding Canadian pop culture, geek improv, and music.”

By widening the scope of the convention’s offerings, more and more people will likely be able to find themselves at home in this community.

To Caporale, the diversity of interests in geekdom is most definitely a benefit for the city.

“Montreal Comiccon [is] becoming one of the city’s spotlight events,” he said.

“Montreal has a very interesting cultural identity that can allow for the city’s Comiccon to become a true international event. You won’t find another genre convention that will have a cast member from Star Trek, one from Galaxie près de chez vous [Quebec’s most popular—and maybe only—sci-fi show from the late 90s], a North American comic book artist, and a Belgian comic book artist in the same room. It’s pretty cool that we’ve gone from being a tiny event seven years back to become one of the top 20 genre events in North America, and in the top three for Canada.”

But other people have been noticing a shift in what people consider ‘geek culture’ as well. Alain Veilette is one of the owners of Foonzo, a video game bar located on 1245 Drummond in the heart of downtown Montreal, and has experienced these changes firsthand. Acting as a nexus between geeks and providers, Veillete has been able to closely observe the changing attitudes toward geek culture.

“It’s more and more socially acceptable [to be interested in this culture],” Veillete says. “Video games that are coming out today—a lot of them gross more profits than

movies. I just saw a couple of pictures in L.A. of this huge building downtown, and the building was covered in a huge poster of Grand Theft Auto V. It may not sound like much, but I mean could you imagine? Fifteen years ago, you would’ve only expected Nike to appear up there.”

However, with such a wide array of interests represented in conventions like Comiccon, some fans have expressed concerns that ‘geekdom’ has started dividing.

Alex Havas, a U2 computer science student at McGill who describes himself as a geek who was “born with a controller for an umbilical cord,” shared his thoughts on the issue.

“The idea is that ‘geek’ has now become a [synonym] for ‘obsession,’ and to try to unify [those terms] under a single flag is kind of silly. Really, the best way for any sort of unification within geek culture is to live and let live. You can keep rivalries, as long as they’re fun. [For example], ‘Who would win in a fight, Star Trek Redshirts or Stormtroopers?’”

Havas shed further light on other dichotomous attitudes regarding geek culture, explicating the division between perceptions of the community.

“There are two sides: there’s ‘casual geekdom,’ which is very acceptable.

Say you like Game of Thrones. That’s high fantasy with dragons and knights and stuff, and that’s fine, but t h e n you say you go to bed with one of those full-body anime pillows...”

As such, Havas has been wary about the development of people’s attitudes toward the concept of ‘geekdom.’

“There’s a bit of apprehension about people saying things like, ‘Oh, we love geeks now!’ It’s like, ‘No, you don’t like my geek. You like this glossed-over kind of geek.’ There’s heavy scrutiny on people who are not already established as inside the group already. [Before,] it didn’t matter [what you were interested in]. As long as you waved that banner proudly, you were one of us. Now there’s this kind of— I think— fear of homogenization; the idea that there’s one image of [the glossed-over] geek that no one wants to conform to.”

Beatrice Soucy, a first-year medical student at Université de Montréal and a self-proclaimed geek, has also noticed such changes within the ‘geek culture.’

“When I was younger, I went to a school that didn’t care for geeks. Then I got into university and realized people had the same interests as me. I think the public has been opening up in a way. Video games are more accessible than [they were] a generation ago.”

But Soucy has noted that though changes in attitudes have occurred, there is still a

al) de Montré (Comiccon gender-based stigma that exists in the subculture.

“People are still surprised when I end up ‘showing’ myself as a geek,” Soucy said.

“Some guys will actually hate girls being there. They don’t like girls trying to get into their niche, so [they] can get kind of aggressive or demeaning about that,” Soucy said. “There are still very sexist games and costumes. The moment we start criticizing it, there’s so much hate from the community.

[This might be] why there aren’t more [female] gamers out there— it’s because they face such shunning and rejection that they don’t really see the point [of getting involved].”

Veilette has noticed a promising trend, however.

“We’ve only been around for two and a half years, and I don’t think it’s long enough to really see a huge shift, but there is noticeable change regarding female gamers.

Honestly, I think that they’ve been out there the whole time.”

Caporale corroborated Veilette’s observation.

“Our audience was generally male, 7030, when we first started, but as time has gone on, we are starting to see it be closer to 55 per cent male.”

Alhough it may not be simple to pinpoint the way this subculture is changing, it’s clear that these changes are manifesting themselves in multiple ways, whether that be through events like the Montreal Comiccon or through the types of people who frequent Foonzo on a Friday night. And though some people may have identified with this community since the day they could read their first comic book panel, whereas others are only starting to discover their favourite video games and superheroes, maybe being able to articulate exactly how ‘geekdom’ is changing isn’t what’s important. The evolution of Comiccon and ‘geek culture’ may mean different things to each individual, and that can truly contribute to the complexity of this community. Embrace it; live long and prosper!

Student living McGill Tribune: What are some clubs that you’re in on campus?

Brendan Edge: I’m the Vice President of the Beta Omega Chapter— McGill Chapter— of Delta Lambda Phi, which is a fraternity at McGill.

It’s a fraternity for gay, bisexual and progressive men [….] We’re Canada’s first gay fraternity. We just participated in Pride [Week] this past summer, which we’re pretty proud of, and we’re starting our Fall rush coming up. Over the past two years, I’ve [also] participated in a number of theatre productions. I was in Sweeney Todd my first year —I was Tobey, the little kid— [….] The past two years, I was in the [McGill University Rowing Club (MURC)].

the student ofweek

by Jennifer Moh

BRENDAN EDGE U2 Canadian Studies Honours (Wendy Chen / McGill Tribune)

MT: Can you tell me a little more about the Montreal Pride event?

BT: This is the first time our chapter has participated [in] representing the fraternity in the Pride celebrations.

We participated in two portions of [the week-long event]. We [also] did Community Day where we set up a booth in the Gay Village on Sainte Catherine Street. We ended up meeting some alumni from other

chapters in the States who graduated a long time ago, but hadn’t known that we were going to be up here.

Four of our brothers, myself included, marched in the Pride parade.

MT: Is being in a fraternity similar to how it’s depicted in the movies?

BT: Some of the fraternities have frat houses, other sororities and fraternities don’t [….] There are some very special bonds. You really become brothers, or for sororities, sisters.

You reach that level of a family. And you don’t have to love every single member of your family; you can have that cousin that annoys you.

MT: Any advice you have for firstyears?

BT: Get out and do a lot. I joined the rowing team in my first year, which is something I’d never done before.

I tried something new; I made tons of new friends, had such a great experience, and I took so much away from it. It really helped shape my life now. Don’t get overwhelmed by the workload, [because] it’ll all work out in the end [….] Try something new, try something that you

might worry that you are not going to be good at, but give it a shot.

MT: Where do you picture yourself in 10 years?

BT: If I get into law school […] I will be practicing law, and hopefully will be on my way to getting a seat in the House of Commons. If I don’t get into law school, then I’m doing my masters and my doctorate in either Canadian Studies or History.

So 10 years from now I’ll still be in school, more than likely!

MT: What would you do if you won the lottery tomorrow?

BT: Hopefully it would be a lot of money. I would make sure that I had enough money set aside for undergraduate and then whatever I do afterwards. I would make sure my family’s debts were all paid off and that my brother and sister have enough money as well for their education. I would buy a large house in Montreal, and fix it up and potentially donate it to the frat. I would also like to give money to organizations that have helped shape me—back home, in high school, in Montreal—

and to some general goodwill organizations, stuff like animal shelters [and] Red Cross.

MT: What’s your favorite place in the world?

BT: Georgian Bay, Ontario [….] It’s sometimes called the sixth Great Lake, it’s huge and beautiful, and right on the Canadian Shield. So you [have] those igneous rocks that are just beautifully designed, and these white pines that are bent to the wind [....] When you’re surrounded by forest, it’s got a level of peace that’s just so calming [….] It’s paradise for me.

MT: If you were stranded on an island and could only have one thing with you, what would you ask for?

BT: I would ask for a fully loaded Kindle, with every book in the English language on it. As long as I can read, I’m good. I can build a charger out of coconuts!

Nominate a student of the week!

Email us at studentliving@mcgilltribune.com

Pro Tips

Variety is the spice of lunch

Learn to love your leftovers and prepare meals that are both economical and delicious Alycia Noë Contributor While it can be much easier to cave into the enticing smells of food from convenient cafeterias and restaurants, eating out daily isn’t always the smartest choice—both for your wallet and for your waistline. You might ask, “But how can I possibly have the time to make healthy, affordable, and most importantly, quick meals that I can bring to school?” It’s doable; it only takes a little planning and foresight to become the envy of all your friends with your delicious homemade meals.

First and foremost, you need to love your leftovers. Leftovers get a bad rep because students struggle to see their full potential. Recreate your leftovers! If you have leftover vegetables, make a frittata with eggs in

the morning. If you have extra meat, make a sandwich or soup. Don’t limit yourself to using your leftovers in their original presentation. Being creative eliminates the feeling of boredom. Simply changing spices with the same ingredients can satisfy a variety of different cravings; seasoning chicken with paprika one day and oregano and garlic the next yields two distinct meals. The combinations and quantities of spices are up to your courageous, risk-taking palate. This approach also works well with canned tuna and chopped eggs—see below for some ideas!

If you want to kick up the flavour further, you can spice up your mayonnaise with Sriracha hot sauce to make your own spicy mayonnaise. Condiments are another easy way to change the flavour profile of a meal and make leftovers exciting.

Mixing up what you eat is cru-

cial to resisting french fries and ice cream. Switching the starch is one way to create variety. Think of different breads to make a sandwich with: whole wheat, rye, focaccia, bagel, tortilla wrap, or pitas. You don’t always need bread either; brown rice, quinoa, and lentils are additional starches that enhance your meals. Remember that the vegetables you pair with your protein can also change the meal. If you’re cooking steak, for example, eat it with mashed potatoes for one meal, and grilled zucchini and carrots the next. The first meal feels more like comfort food, while the latter feels much lighter. The key is to buy seasonally, which can be done by either going to local farmers’ markets or looking online for a seasonal vegetable chart.

One practical tip that seems simple, but is often overlooked: use

your freezer! The freezer is vital for stocking up on sale items and for freezing excess food. Leftovers can be frozen in Tupperware in singleserve portions and saved for a rainy day. You should note that there are microwaves in most major dining areas on campus, so if you make pasta, you could make double. Next time you feel like some, instead of boiling water and cooking it, which could take up to half an hour, you can pop your Tupperware into the microwave for a quick and painless meal.

Planning is essential for saving money and maintaining a well-balanced diet. If you have a list when you go grocery shopping, you will buy exactly what you need instead of a box of Pop-Tarts and Kraft Dinner. Also, plan your meals around sales. For example, if steak is on sale, plan on having a steak for din-

Five easy ways

to dress up canned tuna

Lightly Dressed Mayonnaise and vinegar (any type)

Eggcellent

Mayonnaise, chopped egg, onion, pickle

Spicy

Mayonnaise, tabasco sauce, ketchup

ner, and then reuse the leftovers in sandwiches and salads with different toppings throughout the week.

Another fundamental shopping tip: never shop hungry. It’ll save you money by reducing impulse purchases.

Lastly, cooking is not necessary for every meal. This is especially true for breakfast; cereal, granola bars, yogurt, and fruit are perfect when rushed in the morning. These also work well for snacks, which are a must-have to keep you satisfied throughout the long days.

Hopefully, from these tips you will learn to enjoy cooking for yourself. You can even involve friends and share meals. Although the task of preparing your own food may seem daunting at first, it doesn’t have to be; cooking can be easy, fun, and quick!

By: Alycia Noë

Colourful

Avocado, corn, red or green peppers

Fancy

Dijon mustard, capers, chopped celery, carrots

arts & entertainment Radio documentary

6Party documentary examines the morning after Student documentary reflects on controversial occupation, but not everyone invited Max Berger A&E Editor Shutting down university parties is something that police officers are well accustomed to, but the 6Party occupation brought them face-to-face with an unorthodox gathering that only some could describe as festive. In 6Party and The After Party, an hour-long radio documentary written, produced, and conarrated by fourth-year arts student Davide Mastracci, that exact group takes the spotlight in this revisiting of the event.

‘6Party’ refers to the six-day occupation of the James Administration Building that occurred in February 2012. It was a political event that directly involved a small group of occupiers and administrators, but had a polarizing effect on McGill’s entire campus as many students found themselves either sympathizing with the occupiers, or condemning their tactics.

The documentary retells the story of the 6Party occupation, with commentary and reflections in hindsight of the event from administrator Doug Sweet, McGill’s director of media relations; Louise Burns, a representative from campus radio station CKUT; and a slew of current and former students that participated

in the occupation.

Absent from the program are students who did not support the occupation when it occurred. In a written statement about the documentary, Mastracci explains that the piece “focuses on the story of the party from the angle of the party guests themselves.” Although the documentary’s ambition is no secret, it is disappointing to hear zero commentary from a student with a stake on the other side of the fence regarding such a sensitive issue in McGill’s recent history.

This is not to imply that the opposing viewpoint is ignored entirely—perspectives of students who did not support 6Party, such as those who joined the Facebook event “The James Sixth Floor Occupiers Do Not Represent Me,” are briefly discussed, and Mastracci reads a letter from one of the organizers of an anti-6Party event that outlines their views. Co-narrator and arts student Hannah Besseau laments that no leaders of ModPAC, a political campus group that formed to promote a more moderate discourse between students and faculty, agreed to be interviewed for the documentary. Still, even the voice of an average opinionated student would have been a welcome addition to a slate of stu-

dent interviewees that is oversaturated by occupiers.

The documentary succeeds in accomplishing its main objectives: giving the listener a thorough explanation for why 6Party occurred, discussing how it was organized and executed, and giving the occupiers a chance to reflect on the experience.

Mastracci transports listeners back to 2007, where changes to the optout system regarding student fees for student-sponsored organizations CKUT and the Quebec Public Interest Research Group (QPIRG) laid

the groundwork for the issues that would characterize 6Party. Later, the occupiers discuss the entire process of the occupation and share anecdotes such as planning it in Gerts using code words, and delivering food to the occupants on the 6th floor of the James Building using a pulley system.

Some may be surprised to hear the variance in opinion that is offered about the impact of 6Party, both in how it was able to assist CKUT and QPIRG, and its more general consequences. “I think the occupation probably had a negative effect on the [winter CKUT] referendum,” reflects one occupier in the documentary. He continues to add that “a large group of students who wouldn’t normally be particularly political were politicized in a reactionary way.” In contrast, another occupier felt that “at least it shook up the McGill status quo enough that the people who embodied that status quo wanted to take action. If only because of that, it was worthwhile.”

A promising aspect of the documentary that goes unfulfilled is its integration of non-vocal audio, which is greatly underutilized throughout.

Initially, Mastracci draws the listener in with a pulsing background noise that creates an unsettling am-

biance as he revisits the Quebec student protest movement during the tumultuous 2011-2012 academic year. After the introduction, however, that auditory element disappears until the conclusion, save for the repetitive five-second sound clip that separates the various sections of the documentary, and a short audio clip that records the initial moments of the occupation. Such little variance from the regular speaking that comprises the bulk of the program often comes across as monotonous.

Both literally and figuratively, 6Party and The After Party aims to empower the student voice at McGill; it unravels the threads of a long standing point of contention, provides a forum for the occupiers to express their thoughts on what they did, and also allows them to connect with a new wave of students who didn’t witness the occupation or its immediate effects firsthand. However, its preoccupation with the occupiers’ perspective leaves a vacant space at this after party for the missing, perhaps more moderate student voice that 6Party helped to awaken.

6Party and The After Party will be aired Sept. 13 at 5pm on CKUT (90.3 FM).

R

FILM

Despite ethereal visuals, Gravity is full of narrative antimatter Underwritten performances dim awe-inspiring camerawork and 3D effects in latest space blockbuster Chris Liu Contributor For a space film, Gravity is fairly un-spacey. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney star as astronauts who must struggle to survive when a space mission goes horribly wrong. Gravity doesn’t disappoint visually—director Alfonso Cuarón’s famous long takes seem particularly amiable to outer space—but the film repudiates much of the intellectual legwork done by previous sci-fi masterpieces. Insofar as Gravity’s message is being reduced to humanity finding itself in adversity, the film is as thematically sophisticated as a made-for-TV space horror. But such a criticism may mean little to some.

As a straightforward action flick, Gravity is certainly meritorious, with some flashy technical bells and whistles thrown in.

Astronauts Ryan Stone (Bullock) and Matt Kowalsky (George

Clooney) are in the midst of a spacewalk when news arrives that a recently-destroyed satellite has caused unexpected debris fields. In no time, space shrapnel is punching holes through their space shuttle (and, in particularly gruesome fashion, their shuttlemates).

To say much more would go beyond the film’s relatively tightlipped trailers. But know that Gravity is narratively taunt, with a distinctive ability to wring impressive levels of tension from its premise.

Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki recieved acclaim for his acrobatic camerawork in Tree of Life, and the space environment—in which there is no ‘up’ or ‘down’—provides the perfect setup for Lubezki to repeat his magic. The mindboggling depth of space itself is similarly well-captured, aided with perhaps one of the rare instances in which 3D is actually a benefit (though I did attend the IMAX screening, which tends to do 3D better).

Where Gravity burns up is in its screenplay, and by extension, the performances. Clooney ramps up his charm machine to full throttle, but receives limited screen time (and a late appearance seems gimmicky and forced). In contrast, Bullock’s character is underwrit for a protagonist, resulting in a mundane performance, save for a triumphant climax.

What’s frustrating is that Gravity had so much potential. Other directors have done more, with less of a premise— Rodrigo Cortés’ Buried comes to mind— whereas Stone’s character starts off interesting and becomes adulterated and bland.

We’re introduced to a fascinatingly lonely woman, one lonelier on earth than in space. Instead of growing in complexity, she grows flatter. Similarly, the first half of the story floats the idea that while space is inhospitable, earth itself may not be much better. This relatively fresh thematic territory is quickly abandoned.

Space is death. Earth is life. On with

E

VI

E

W

Sandra Bullock and George Clooney gaze into the abyss. (hollywoodreporter.com)

the show.

Like space itself, Gravity may leave viewers feeling a bit cold.

Many critics now like to play a game when entering a Cuarón film: counting the seconds until the next edit.

Cuarón’s Children of Men (2006) was impressive for featuring long takes that dazzled the mind and redefined what was cinematically possible. But in this case, optical feats of strength don’t add up to a great

movie. Gravity is still a decidedly entertaining action film. But considering the output to be expected from the profound storyweaver that gave the world Y Tu Mama También, Gravity leaves the film fan yearning for a little more.

Gravity had its North American premiere at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, and is set to be released in theatres Oct. 4.

Curiosity delivers. |

arts & entertainment

| Tuesday, September 10, 2013

14

Music

Jenn Grant sets off into the wild East Coast singer-songwriter prepares to embark on Fall tour with Ron Sexsmith Lauren Wildgoose Contributor It takes a lot to ruffle Jenn Grant’s feathers. The singer-songwriter from Nova Scotia seems to take everything in stride, whether it is her upcoming show in Montreal or her future collaboration with Ron Sexsmith. Despite being a longtime fan of Sexsmith’s, Grant speaks nonchalantly about being approached by the Juno award-winner to perform together on tour this October.

“I don’t know what it’ll be like yet,” she says of taking the stage with Sexsmith, but feels that the new songs she will be performing on their tour

will “lend themselves well to his audience.”

The closest she comes to gushing was on the topic of Sexsmith accepting her offer to sing on a previous record in 2007. “I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience,” she laughs.

Grant’s apparently unshakable confidence didn’t develop overnight, however.

“I was born to do music,” Grant says. “But it took me 10 years to be comfortable enough to start singing in front of people. It was scary at first.”

Never one to sit idly by, Grant put those years to good use pursuing other artistic aims. A woman of multifaceted talent, she studied painting, draw-

ing, and sculpture at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) while building confidence as a musician. Indeed, her eye for visual art has made her mindful of all aspects of the concert experience. On her tour this fall, installation-based pieces by fellow Nova Scotian artist Charley Young will serve as a backdrop to Grant’s haunting voice. “I think they’ll enhance our performance and make the show more beautiful for the audience.”

Grant is entering an exciting new era in her career, a time of both independence and collaboration. She is breaking off amicably from the team she has worked with for the past seven

Music

an eclectic phaeleh UK electronic musician is out to please fans, not critics

m)

Under the stage name Phaeleh, Bristolnative Matt Preston creates and performs electronic music of an indeterminate genre. Also indeterminate, for some, is the pronunciation of his stage name. Matt corrected my initial pronunciation of Phaeleh to “fella,” although he added, “I did not have a certain pronunciation in mind when I created the name, I just liked the shape of the letters. The visual balance and the combination of letters and ideas spoke to me.”

Though Tides, Phaeleh’s most recent album, was released to mostly positive reviews, Preston downplayed the importance of critical acclaim.

“I’m glad my fan-base likes the album because that’s who I make the music for. If some critics don’t give it a good review that’s fine; they probably would never like my style of music [anyway].”

Preston’s music does challenge definitions of several genres within the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) umbrella. It could technically be labelled ambient dubstep, but with the direction dubstep has taken in the past several years, that classification may give the wrong impression. “I struggle as much as journalists do to describe it,” admits Preston. “Chilled electronic music with quite a bit of emotion is the closest I can come [to a precise definition].”

Each track on Tides varies in construction; some use dub-inspired beats while others seem more akin to trance. Additionally, a few tracks prominently feature vocals from frequent collaborator Soundmouse and other vocalists. The combination works, providing an album that keeps the surprises coming until the last song.

Perhaps Phaeleh’s music is so unique be-

cause he does not have a concrete mindset while creating each track. When he sits down to work, he lets his present mood dictate the song he works on; whether his day has been full of joy or pain, he makes sure to imbue each song with its own moody edge. This provides the emotional connection fans feel to his music, eliciting atypically powerful responses at shows. Due to the variety in sound, Phaeleh’s music draws out different audiences at each show. He enjoys seeing how new cities respond to his music and catering his set to the crowds’ mood of the night. Some crowds simply want to dance and yell and jump around whereas others find his music therapeutic and find essential meaning in the sound.

He finds improvisation to be critical when performing: “I don’t want to play songs no one will like.”

When asked about the recent drug-related tragedy at Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) in New York, Preston says that he feels great sympathy towards all affected, but does or. not agree that EDM as a genre t u pt (dubste should be punished for the mistakes of a few. The opinion many people are forming of EDM fans is unjust, according to Preston.

“Some may enjoy drug use but many more find meaning in the music sober. Nobody should need drugs to enjoy this music.”

Though Phaeleh’s music is all over the place in the subgenres of electronica, his heart certainly seems to be in the right place. He may be on the way to bigger things, but we shouldn’t worry about him forgetting those who helped him get there: his fans.

Phaeleh will perform at Le Belmont (4483 St. Laurent) with opening act Shigeto and Beacon on Sept. 14 at 10 p.m. Admission is $12. co

Jack Tokarz Contributor

years to make a fresh start and forge her own creative path.

“I’m working independently for the first time now. It was a challenge making that decision, but it’s been a positive move for me. I get bored, I like a little [variety].” She hasn’t left teamwork entirely in the past, however. One of her recent collaborations is a side project with Canadian musicians Charles Austin and Graeme Campbell, called AquaAlta.

“I’m part of something, rather than leading it, and it’s expanding my writing abilities,” she remarks. Grant’s latest album, The Beautiful Wild, is looser and more eclectic than her previous work, with a layered, Canadian

indie tone. “There are a lot of organic sounds in it,” Grant says, also pointing out her experimentation with new instruments such as the sitar: “That was totally new for me.” The lyrics on the album follow a similar vein. “I was using a new writing technique. It was a much more sporadic writing experience. I was writing songs really quickly and every day; it was a rush.” Her advice for aspiring musicians? “Go see a lot of live music, support your community, collaborate with people, and don’t be afraid to take risks.”

Jenn Grant performs in Montreal Sept. 14 at 9 p.m. at Quai des Brumes (4481 St. Denis). Admission is $15.

Write for Arts & Entertainment arts@mcgilltribune.com

APPLICATIONS

Now Open For January 2015 Admission

Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)

The University of Waterloo offers the only co-operative education Pharmacy program in Canada. The rich benefits of co-op include practical paid work experience, exposure to different practise settings and opportunities to establish pharmacy career path connections.

We are seeking applicants who: ~ have leadership qualities and experience ~ communicate effectively and enjoy working in a team ~ are genuinely motivated to help others as a health professional ~ enjoy life sciences and mathematics ~ want to be a trailblazer in an innovative Pharmacy program Applications for Jan 2015 admission will be open until Jan 6, 2014 Highly qualified applicants may be considered for early admission in Jan 2014. Deadline to apply is Oct 24, 2013.

For further information: www.pharmacy.uwaterloo.ca 519-888-4848 or pharmacy@uwaterloo.ca The Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy program of the School of Pharmacy at the University of Waterloo has been awarded the status of Conditional Accreditation by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs for the three year term 2012-2015.

15

Tuesday, September 10, 2013 |

Over the past two weeks, you’ve probably run into nearly everyone you’ve ever met in Montreal at Open Air Pub (OAP), a beloved campus fixture that seems to define the beginning of each school year. Cheap food, plenty of beer, and live music keeps OAP secure in its status as the place to be every September for McGill students—and the lineup never disappoints. Featured below is a glimpse at some of the bands you’ve been listening to, just in case you feel like updating your playlist.

arts & entertainment THE SOUNDS OF

Jacqu

Editor i Galbraith , Managing

ALEXEI MARTOV

Comprised of two brothers from Boston and an Aussie, Alexei Martov features a “heavier blues rock, sort of psychedelic rock,” in the words of lead singer Martin Bradstreet. Jonah and Matthew Dorsman both studied at McGill— environmental and international development, respectively— and met Bradstreet at Gerts a few years ago.

The band has been playing together since 2010, and you may recognize them from their OAP debut last year. When asked about their experience playing, Bradstreet commented that “winning the crowd over is a bit harder, but on the other [hand], you know everyone’s having a good time regardless. As long as you’re playing good music […] you don’t have to win them over […] you just have to not play terribly.”

APACHE KINGDOM

Apache Kingdom features the musical talents of Jesse Smith, Andrew Assaf, MarcAndre Cloutier, and David Leblanc— the the latter of which is an English Literature major here at McGill. The band became involved with OAP through McGill’s music network, according to Leblanc. “Café Racer played at OAP Lite [last spring], and my friend Myles [who’s in that band, gave me] the contact info. It was really a word of mouth type thing.

I contacted Neil [Den Toom, head manager and music manager] two days before OAP started, and we got the gig. It was super last minute but it all worked out.” Of the experience, Leblanc notes, “The biggest challenge was reeling people into the music because no one at OAP goes to listen to music.”

BODYSHAKES

Philosophy majors Aidan O’Shea and Gintas Norvila, cognitive science major David Whitmey, and international management major Jeremy Singer— otherwise known as BODYSHAKES— are all students at McGill. With a self-described “garage blues rock” style, BODYSHAKES has been playing together since November of 2011, and has played OAP twice now. “OAP as an experience is so different than what you would get going to Gerts, which is also on campus and mostly student populated,” says Singer. “OAP […] always comes at a time of year where people are really looking forward to seeing each other […] and you don’t always get that freshness […] anywhere else.

That’s probably why it’s the best place on earth.”

CAFÉ RACER

Concordia student Josh Grant, McGill Engineering student ‘Myles from home,’ who chooses to go by his stage moniker, and

| Curiosity delivers.

is the McGill connection. I think his Canadian band mates are McGill students, and he kind of introduced Ménage to McGill,” says Fernando. On the pros and cons of OAP, Fernando notes that it’s “probably the venue where everyone is in the best mood ever. It’s just a really great atmosphere. I think it’s cool to be part of the beginning of someone’s university life, or be kind of like the soundtrack of that. The hardest thing about playing at OAP is outshining the beer tent.

[Actually], the hardest thing about playing Montreal is having to leave Montreal.”

PABLO

Das Blankout at OAP (courtesy of Das Blankout)

Shawn Forbes, are collectively known to the McGill community as ‘Café Racer.’ “We actually played OAP Lite in April,” Myles explains. “It’s a totally different kind of vibe.

The school year’s done and a lot of people are leaving. It’s almost like a farewell kind of thing. Whereas OAP, you can’t walk around for five minutes without seeing some sort of glorious [reunion].” His advice for future OAP performers? “You have to learn covers, and you have to learn covers people are going to know. You need to do that early, and you need to do that throughout your set.”

DAS BLANKOUT

Native to Montreal, Das Blankout also got involved with OAP through a McGill referral. After playing together for about a year, Matt Burghardt (vocals and guitar), his sister Kim (bass guitar), and friend Pat Bilodeau (drums), were excited to take on an opportunity like OAP. “We’ve pretty much just played bars, so it’s quite different,” Burghardt comments. At OAP, a lot of people are there to socialize more than anything else.”

GENERAL GENERAL

Another returning act to OAP is General General, comprised of McGill Arts students Wyatt Fine-Gagné, Ben Carter-Whitney, Landen Moore, and Llewellyn Littlemore.

The band has been playing together for the past two years, and Fine-Gagné describes their music as “Indie folk rock; probably heavier on the rock end of things.” Of their two experiences at OAP, he says, “The first year we played it was […] the first week of OAP, and it was way less crowded. We played a short set [during the second week this year], and so it was pretty packed because once everyone’s actually back [for] classes, OAP gets a lot [more full].”

KILLAWAIL

Musicians Benji Miu, Dizzy Velvet, Sarah Supersingle Dion, Josh Michaud, and Sebastien Fournier had their first OAP experience this past week. Mostly hailing from Montreal— Miu is from Australia originally — the band plays ‘garage soul’ music; but from the sound of it, they won’t be doing so again at McGill any time soon. “All the kids just kind of stand there and don’t move around much. I was expecting like crazy freshmen stuff,” Miu explained. “I wouldn’t do it again,” he says. “I don’t think I can; I got kicked out for urination. I was [doing my thing] and [a manager kicked me out]. She said that I could never come back, and I said ‘That’s okay, I’m not [going to] come back anyway.’ As a band you should do things for [two] of three reasons: money, fun, or exposure. You [have to] tick two of those boxes, and I suppose we ticked one of them.”

LITTLE STELLA

An Ottawa-based band, Little Stella played both OAP and Divan Orange on their most recent trip to Montreal. Ryan Tansley, Zach Ledgerwood, James Siwanowicz, and Jeff Watkins first heard about OAP from their manager, who studied at McGill. “He said ‘you guys should play this, [because] it’s awesome,’ and we said ‘Okay, sounds good,’” recalls Tansley. “To be honest, we weren’t expecting such a big event, so we were pretty excited when we got there.”

Tansley didn’t notice such a big difference in terms of venue. “The difference is the crowd involvement. In a club, they’re there to listen to the band; at OAP we’re sort of in the background I guess. Otherwise it’s just playing— same thing.”

MÉNAGE

Toronto-born, Los Angeles-based Ménage is comprised of the Ferreira siblings: Bela, Gabriel, and Basilio Fernando. “We use a bass player when we’re in Canada named Stacey Shopsowitz, and he, I believe,

Montreal-born Pablo made his OAP debut this September. “I’ve heard a lot of things about OAP here and there, but I was definitely told that it was a great party,” he comments. “I thought it was really well organized, and everyone looked after us. There was nothing but good vibes about it, and I hope we helped along and brought our own good vibes too.” Playing with Peter Colantonio, Tyler Moulton, and Tristan Giardini, Pablo gave his take on the event: “It’s definitely more of a kind of social get-together than maybe a gig. One has to know the difference. I’m just really happy we were invited to be a part of that party. I did see a couple of people dancing though, so I guess we didn’t do that bad [....] We didn’t get any beers thrown at us.”

THE SOUND APPROACH

Originally from Lacolle, Quebec, a small town right on the U.S. border, Stephen Feeny; Patrick Pret-Bellware; and Philip Dehm, a McGill law student, have been playing together since high school. This is their second year at OAP, an experience they were happy to repeat. “I think there’s a good vibe [at OAP],” Dehm says. “People aren’t really there for the music […so they] are having a good time whether or not they’re paying attention to you. It’s fun playing in those scenarios because there’s not really any pressure on you as a performer.” Dehm also commented on the nature of the event itself, noting that “the staff is chill. They’re all young people, and it’s for charity so it’s a good feeling to be part of it. It’s always a chill environment when university kids get together.”

TEAR AWAY TUSA

Another out-of-town act, Tear Away Tusa were new to the OAP scene this year.

Shane Rodak, Sam Schwartzbein, Ely Weisbrot, Adam Kurgat-Nikov, Erin Tusa, and Danny V. “used to play with a band called the Thundermonks [who also played at OAP this year] in downtown Toronto,” says Weisbrot.

“We saw a video of them playing OAP, and it looked like a really hype scene.” Rodak adds, “We’re used to playing A, at night, and B, sort of in grungy, hole-in-the-wall type venues. It was great to be out in the daylight on a nice day [where] everyone [was] just hanging out and loving the weather, and sort of feeding off that energy.

Full disclosure: members of General General— Fine-Gagné and Carter-Whitney— write and edit for the Tribune, respectively.

19

SPORTS

Soccer — Mcgill 1, Montreal 2

Inexperience, offensive woes plague Redmen Shaky start against Carabins sinks McGill squad in RSEQ opener Mayaz Alam Sports Editor Last Thursday, a frigid September night, the McGill Redmen (0-02) faced the No. 5 ranked Montreal Carabins (2-0-0) in the RSEQ opener for both squads. It was also Head Coach Marc Mounicot’s first RSEQ game with the team.

Throughout the match, a young Redmen squad played with tenacity and grit against a bigger and more talented Carabins squad. The Redmen backline attempted to set the tone for the rest of the team, refusing to be intimidated. Left-back Clovis Fowo repeatedly lunged into multiple tackles in an attempt to control the physicality of the game. Fowo’s initial attempts were deemed nothing more than fouls in the first half.

However, the leniency that was afforded early on was replaced by a flood of yellow cards, one of which was handed out to Fowo.

The affair ran much like a hockey game; there were three distinct periods of flow in which either side took control. McGill’s period of strong play occurred in the middle third. The Redmen had, “more confidence, more flow [and] more commitment in the will of playing football,” according to Mounicot.

Two notable plays marked this segment. Freshman midfield maestro Michael McIntyre had a role in both. The first play was a dipping

Freshman Alexander King jostles for the ball (Luke Orlando / McGill Tribune) free kick that McIntyre shot over the wall that pulled McGill even in the 42nd minute. The second key play was a through ball at the start of the second half by McIntyre to another freshman, Alexander King, who put a well-placed shot past the keeper only to see it hit the inside of the post and bounce out.

Despite flashes of brilliance later on, the Redmen started out poorly. The over-zealousness of the backline led to multiple miscues.

can’t Beat Us?

Join Us.

Sports Redmen Lacrosse Vs. Trent: McGill Lacrosse (2-0) kicked off its season on Saturday, facing off against the Trent Excalibur (0-1) in the season opener for both teams.

The Excalibur were put in a tough position from the opening whistle, given that they were facing down the defending champions of the Bagattaway Cup. Trent’s relatively young roster was no match for the Redmen as the visitors began the game with their signature aggressiveness. McGill got on the scoreboard first despite physical play from the Excaliburs, and managed to maintain the lead for the entirety of the game

The Carabins’ midfielders repeatedly played balls over the Redmen defence and onto the feet of oncoming Montreal forwards within the first 10 minutes.

Mounicot characterized the initial play as “a bit shaky because of nerves and the quality of the opposition.” Aditionally, Mounicot noted that his team had to change its line-up compared to the last game because of injuries to freshman forward, Mawuena Mallet and de-

Come to our meetings Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. in the Tribune office.

Email sports@mcgilltribune.com for more info. Shatner 110

briefs

By Mayaz Alam and Remi Lu

to finish on top, 13-8. However, Trent stayed resilient, keeping the match close for the entirety of the clock.

Credit for the win goes primarily to McGill’s spectacular depth at midfield and outstanding netminder Riley McGillis, who lived up to his status as 2011 Goalie of the Year.

Vs. Queen’s: The Redmen followed up their win against Trent with a trip to Kingston, Ontario to face the Queen’s Gaels (1-1). Holding a .500 record last year, the Gaels looked to start off the season on a strong note after rebooting the roster with a number of new faces.

fender, Dominic Bell, both of whom started the previous game against Cape Breton.

The lack of chemistry resulted in the first goal, a header by Vincent Da Bruille off of a cross by Samuel LeBlanc, that McGill sophomore goalkeeper Max Leblond, had no chance of stopping. Poor marking left Da Bruille with space to direct a powerful shot past Leblond’s outstretched arms.

Similarly, the second goal, con-

ceded in the 51st minute, was off of another header. This time Alexandre Haddad connected for Université de Montréal off a free kick that crossed into the box.

Mounicot remarked that the key for the squad going forward involved, “getting all [of their] players healthy.” Veterans such as senior William Hoyle and talented freshmen such as Graham Kasper have yet to see the field, while Bell has only been able to play two halves due to injuries.

Mounicot also felt that his squad “showed[...]resilience and quality” that will help them achieve their goal of making the top four of the RSEQ. Realizing this goal hinges on the development of the nearly 20 freshmen that make up the roster.

If the talented newcomers can mature and gel with returning players, success is not out of the question.

A determined Redmen squad compounded the tough loss against Montreal with another nail-biter against Sherbrooke University (10-1) by a score of 1-0 on Sunday.

The Vert et Or played host to McGill and were able to rack up the three points on a penalty shot from Gwen Duguet with six minutes remaining.

The Redmen now face a tall task against the defending RSEQ Champions, the UQTR Patriotes (1-1-0), in a home game at Molson Stadium on Friday, Sept. 13.

However, the defending champion Redmen would not make that an easy task as they jumped to a lopsided lead over Queen’s, scoring eight consecutive points before the Gaels mounted a surprising 5-0 run in the third quarter. However, McGill managed to hold onto the lead and surge back, regaining their composure in the final quarter to close out the game 14-6.

The Redmen will play their home opener against the Carleton Ravens this Saturday, Sept. 14 at Molson Stadium.

Rugby Martlets, Redmen topple Sherbrooke to open RSEQ regular season The McGill Martlets (1-0-0) travelled east to Sherbrooke (0-01) and dominated an overmatched Vert et Or squad to the tune of a 41- 12 victory. The blowout was a complete reversal of the Martlets’ previous game against St. Francis Xavier (1-0-1) in which the redand-white were shut out 29-0.

Junior, Emily Barber was chosen as McGill’s Game MVP after tallying two tries to lead the Martlets in scoring. Reigning RSEQ Player of the Year, Brianna Miller had three conversions while five others scored tries to round out the scoring.

The Martlets look to continue their attempt to top the RSEQ on Sept. 15 with a tilt against the Montreal Carabins (1-0-1).

On the same day the men’s squad eked out a victory against the hosts to begin their quest for an eighth straight RSEQ Championship, it was a homecoming for rookie Jordan Nimat, who provided McGill’s lone try in the outing. Last season’s team MVP, Cameron Perrin converted the kick after Nimat’s try, providing the difference in an otherwise tight affair.

The shaky performance sends a message that there are weaknesses to be exploited when playing against the Redmen. The aura of invincibility that once surrounded the program is fading as the rest of the province appears to be catching up. McGill has the chance to regain its dominance as they face the Montreal Carabins (0-0-1) on Sept.

15.

Curiosity delivers. |

THIRD MAN IN Thursday, April 25, 2013; the moment remains clear in my mind.

The Los Angeles Clippers, led by my hero, Chris Paul, squared off against the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 3 of the first round of the NBA playoffs.

I had a vested interest in the Clippers taking it all the way, and the result seemed inevitable as Los Angeles held a two-game lead over their conference rivals. This was a big game, as 3-0 series advantages have an unsurprising historical precedent of yielding to the leader.

It didn’t hit me until midway through the fourth quarter that I was not actually watching the game.

Rather than yelling at my team for falling into a nine-point hole, I stared blankly at the TV while pondering the implications of some sports article I had just read. The sacrilege of my actions didn’t hit me until later that evening as a grim-faced Paul addressed the media about the loss.

Click; scroll; scan.

Click; scroll; scan.

This is the daily rhythm of the sports journalist. The constant pursuit of knowledge through story lines is necessary for success in today’s 24/7, information-obsessed society. There is not a moment that goes by without Adrian Wojnarowski breaking news

W

| Tuesday, September 10, 2013

17

Reality checks in sport journalism

about the latest J.R. Smith mishap, or James Walker tweeting pointless Miami Dolphins quotes. We have turned the trivial into gold as we dig ourselves deeper into a stimulationdriven prison.

Analyzing sports has changed me. I can’t watch an NHL game with-

Around the

sports

(flickr.com) out picking apart San Jose’s offensive spacing. Andrew Luck’s inability to step into the pocket no longer escapes my notice. I subconsciously analyze Chicago’s pick-and-roll defence every time they step on the floor.

I can’t see the game for the game plan, if you will. Diving deep

Major League Baseball – In only his third start of the season, Giants’ starting pitcher Yusmeiro Petit went 26 outs without surrendering a baserunner. Sporting a Bond villain moustache and cackling maniacally as he stepped up to bat, pinchhitter Eric Chavez finally looped a single off of Petit with the count full and two outs in the ninth inning to ruin the 28-year-old right-hander’s dream performance. Chavez, now San Francisco’s public enemy No. 1, seemed to be channeling some deep resentment, since his long-time ball-club, the Oakland Athletics, are suddenly relevant after his departure. Petit will now have to salvage a career that has otherwise been reminiscent of watching paint dry. It also cannot be confirmed whether Petit’s Wikipedia page existed prior to his near-perfect outing.

ater cooler

In case you were too busy waiting in line for beer at OAP to notice that a new semester has started, here’s what you missed this past week in the world of sports …

NCAA Football – Powerhouse programs USC, Texas, Florida, and Notre Dame all lost on the same weekend for the first time in over 35 years. Coincidentally, the quartet represent four of the most hated football teams in the United States. For USC and Texas, the losses against lowly Washington State and BYU, respectively, will

into the world of analytical athletics has broken down the beauty of the game into binary X’s and O’s. The loss of the wonder and unadulterated joy that I used to feel while watching sports is a painful reminder of the hidden cost of sports journalism.

And yet, there are still those rare, transcendent games that you catch on TV which erase any mutinous thoughts. The Leafs and Bruins in Game 7. Novak Djokovic, one-seed, pushed to his limits by ninth-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka. The Miami Heat battling the San Antonio Spurs in one of the greatest finals in NBA history. These are the sporting events that break the shackles of media scrutiny. They remind you that sports will never be truly overshadowed by the media; sports transcend a 140 character limit or an expert’s analysis.

As with anything else in life, I think that reality checks are necessary when writing about sports. It is easy to get caught up in the analysis of professional athletes and forget about the love that drew us to sport in the first place. There is a fine balance between analyst and fan, and sports journalists must find it to maintain perspective.

That spring night when the Clippers fell to the Grizzlies was a crucial turning point for me. Los An-

certainly renew calls for both head coaches to be fired. Florida’s loss represents the second straight week in which a Top 15 Southeastern Conference (SEC) lost to a program in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Riots are sure to break out across the football-crazed South if a non–SEC team becomes the team of destiny and hoists the BCS National Championship. Lastly, Notre Dame fans are wishing that the calamitous past eight months would disappear, much like Manti Teo’s girlfriend.

U.S. Open – This weekend played host to an outstanding weekend of men’s and women’s single tennis. Highlight games included the men’s semi-final, on Saturday which pitted ninth-seed Stanislas Wawrinka against the world’s No. 1 seed, Novak Djokovic. The surprise Wawrinka, who defeated UK deity Andy Murray, pushed Djokovic all the way before finally conceding the match to him after three gruelling hours. Rafael Nadal had less trouble against Richard Gasquet despite a surprise second-set effort

by Rafa’s seasonal training fodder.

Women’s tennis witnessed Serena Williams attempt to become the oldest woman to win the U.S.

geles went on to lose the series eight days later, yielding to a dominant four-game run by Memphis. Perhaps it was because Zach Randolph found his rhythm. Perhaps Memphis realized that the Clippers were offensively inept beyond Paul. Perhaps I should have let my budding identity as a sports analyst continue to impartially analyze story lines for the collapse.

Or perhaps, I should just sit back and enjoy the game.

—Remi Lu

upcoming GAMES Baseball

September 11, 7:30 PM vs Concordia @ Gary Carter Field

Lacrosse

September 14. 6:00 PM vs Carleton @ Molson Stadium

Cross Country

September 14, 10:00 AM @ Mount Royal Park

Field Hockey

September 14, 2:15 PM vs Western @ Waterloo

Open. The mainstream tennis media had a field day discussing Victoria Azarenka’s record as the only woman to beat Williams in her last 17 WTA finals. Alas, the media could not protect against Williams’ old-school game as she won her 17th Grand Slam title.

NASCAR – The lively, diverse, and international NASCAR community… the NASCAR community…ahem, a collection of rich corporate Home Depot and Gilette clients, witnessed a disastrous and controversial Saturday night at the Richmond International Raceway.

Ryan Newman lost out to the 12th and last berth to Martin Truex Jr. after his teammate, Clint Bowyer, spun out with seven laps left while Newman was leading. Speculation erupted as to whether Bowyer intentionally sabotaged Newman’s chances at the last spot, given that Newman and Truex finished with a tiebreaker at the end of the regular season. Gentleman Newman took the high road, blaming his pit crew for the loss, despite the back-room high fives that were sure to have happened in the Truex mansion over new Shick razors. Oh, and Carl Edwards won the race.

18

Tuesday, September 10, 2013 |

sports

| Curiosity delivers.

FALL TEAM PREVIEWS

REDMEN rugby

derek drummond / mcgill athletics

beating cross-town rivals Concordia in the final, securing a seventh consecutive RESQ title.

Although a sizeable number of Entering yet another season players from last year’s roster were as the defending RSEQ champions, lost to graduation, expectations the Redmen (1-0-0) have something for McGill are lofty. Fortunately, of a dynasty to uphold. Last year the team is showing no signs of came right down to the wire as the loosening its grip on what has team forfeited the first half of itsINSIDE: been, in the last decade, McGill’s otherwise undefeated season due championship to lose. A strong to an ineligible player, but came contingent of returning starters, roaring back to win the rest of its including last year’s MVP Cameron games. The icing on the cake was Perrin, will seek to step forward

MARTLET rugby

Sarah papadopoli / mcgill tribune

New Head Coach Matthew Stephens steps into his first role as a CIS head coach. His main challenge will be to coax consistency out of a squad that has lost in the RSEQ semifinals five straight years. Too often last year, the Martlets, “stooped to the level of another team or let [the opponent] control the game,” according to starting-wing Deanna

REDMEN LACROSSE

mike king/ mcgill tribune

The Redmen Lacrosse season ended with a poetic finish, in which McGill captain Jishan Sharples scored the game-winning goal against the University of Western Ontario to win the previously elusive Baggataway Cup. Sharples, who had once planned to attend Western Ontario, decided instead to take his talents to McGill. The team finished with a 9-1 overall record to end atop the Eastern Conference, setting a lofty precedent

REDMEN Baseball

benjamin gordon / mcgill tribune

The 2012 season saw the McGill Redmen (1-1) reach the CIBA National semifinals before falling to eventual champions St. Clair College.

Entering his second year at the position, Head Coach Jason Starr has high hopes for his squad. While the team lost a few key veterans in the off-season, its core remains largely intact.

compiled by: MaYAZ ALAM, BEN CARTERWHITNEY, Remi Lu, Wyatt Fine-GagnÉ

both on the field and in the locker room to make sure that a winning culture remains.

Head Coach Craig Beemer also returns for his sixth year at the helm, bringing with him an incredible 66-6 coaching record.

Beemer has expressed confidence both in this year’s squad and in the continued depth of developing talent in McGill’s program.

The Redmen shrugged off any remaining fears of a championship hangover on Friday, opening their

season with a 7-5 win over the Sherbrooke Vert et Or. McGill’s next challenge will be the Montreal Carabins (0-0-1) as the teams take to Stade CEPSUM on Sept. 15.

Foster.

Foster, a sophomore political science major, commented that the team is trying to “play the game to our strengths,” by “exploiting the whole field[…] because we are fast and have the skills to[…]send the other team a message in the first 10 minutes of the game.”

Emily Barber, a junior hooker, says the team is intent on not following in the footsteps of its predecessors. “The biggest challenge[...]is remaining focused and committed to getting better

each and every game of the season,“ Barber said.

Luckily for Stephens he welcomes back a skilled crew from last year’s team, including standouts Barber, Brianna Miller, and Caroline Suchorski, all of whom hope to build off of a successful summer spent representing Team Canada in international play.

The trio highlights a veteran core that looks to improve on last year’s tumultuous season. Miller, a fly-half who earned All-Canadian and RSEQ Player-of-the-Year

honours, will lead a group of backs that should light up the scoreboard on a consistent basis.

The shift in outlook has so far proven to be successful as McGill (1-1) blew out the Sherbrooke Vert et Or 48-12 to kick off the RSEQ season. If Stephens can help the squad achieve its vast potential, the Martlets have a chance to win the RSEQ championship and emerge as a dark-horse candidate at Nationals.

for this year.

The Redmen (2-0) enter the season with a roster filled both with youthful talent and hardened veterans. Though the team has lost Sharples; all-time leading scorer Ryan Besse; and All-Canadians Kyle Robinson and Jeff O’Neil, the Redmen still have a good number of veterans to help anchor the team.

Furthermore, McGill has a young and exciting group of rookies and sophomores whose development will provide excellent depth for a squad with championship aspirations.

McGill’s success last season stemmed from its team-first mentality

and outstanding offensive and defensive cohesiveness. The veteran presence on the team will continue to keep the offence composed, hopefully maintaining the spectacular Redmen passing game. The fresh young talent adds an explosive component that can complement and enhance last season’s team dynamic.

The season has so far been promising for McGill, with statement victories against the Trent Excalibur and Queen’s Gaels. The games have shown the strength of the Redmen depth at midfield, with the McGill players wearing down the opposition and gritting out tough games.

Standout goalie and third-year philosophy major Riley McGillis, has continued his unparalleled performance around the league, validating his 2011 Goalie-of-theYear award.

An examination of the CUFLA this season shows that McGill has a good chance of repeating as champions.

As it stands right now, the Western Conference is wide open, but it is safe to say that the East will be McGill’s to lose.

McGill plays its home-opener at Molson Stadium against the Concordia Stingers this Saturday, Sept. 14 at 6:00 p.m.

This season represents a transition year in terms of leadership, with players such as sophomore Tyler Welence taking a more prominent role both on and off the field. The Redmen should also benefit from the return of former CIBA All-Canadian Channing Arndt, who spent the past two years at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee.

This year’s rookie class is one of the strongest in recent memory.

With a few players slated to be key contributors, and more than a few prospects in the mix, the depth and

talent on this team should match any Redmen team of the past few years.

Third-year starting pitcher Elliott Ariganello is not shy about goals for the team.

“We definitely have big expectations this season. We have a few additions to the rotation and a solid line-up, top to bottom.

We’re certainly looking to play for a National Championship.”

A strong start to the season is more important than ever as the traditionally strong Northern Conference will become even more

difficult with the addition of a team from the Université de Montréal.

Unlike many teams in their inaugural seasons, the Carabins should be quite competitive. Cross-town rivals Concordia have also improved with a solid rookie-class of their own.

A tough conference will mean the Redmen may face multiple obstacles on the road to repeating last season’s success. However, despite the stiffer competition, the Redmen have enough potential that, when healthy, a national championship is a realistic possibility.

Curiosity delivers. |

sports

| Tuesday, September 10, 2013

FOOTBALL— McGill 32, Concordia 19

19

McGill emerges victorious in Shaughnessy Cup showdown Explosive second-half scoring outburst stings Concordia Aaron Rose Contributor Senior quarterback Jonathan Collin knelt down in front of 2,845 rambunctious fans to seal McGill’s first victory over Concordia in 11 years.

It was McGill Football’s home opener, as the team took to the field against the Stingers on Friday night for the 45th annual Shaughnessy Cup game.

The match started slowly, with mental mistakes and costly penalties from both teams. McGill opened the scoring with a 29-yard field goal by capitalizing on a Concordia fumble.

In the final minute of the second quarter, the McGill offence strung together a series of six completions, working their way 55 yards down the field. With the ball at Concordia’s 32-yard line and less than 10 seconds remaining in the half, Collin threw a deep ball that was intercepted in the end zone.

The first half ended with Concordia on top 7-5 despite strong play from the Redmen defence. With the exception of a few mistakes, McGill forced a fumble recovery, two sacks, and two tackles for losses.

As the temperature in the stadi-

Principal Fortier congratulates Redmen after the game. (Luke Orlando / McGill Tribune) um dropped at halftime, the offence was getting ready to heat up. McGill quickly siezed momentum coming out of halftime with a 46-yard drive that culminated in a 32-yard field goal by senior kicker Samy Rassy.

After a quick stop by the defence and a subpar 16-yard punt by the Stingers, McGill regained possession of the ball. Collin proceeded to air it deep to sophomore wide receiver, Jean-Philippe Paquette, for a 31-yard gain. Immediately following the big play, running back Luis Guimont-Mota kicked it into high gear, breaking numerous tackles en route

to a 21-yard rushing touchdown.

After another defensive stop for the Redmen, sophomore receiver Joel Brtka hauled in one of his 11 receptions for a 15-yard touchdown.

The Stingers tried to turn the tide in the final quarter, clawing away at a 15-point deficit. After a McGill punt, Concordia marched 97-yards down the field for a touchdown. Down by nine, the visitors attempted to fool the Redmen special teams unit by attempting a fake extra-point conversion. However, McGill was prepared and smothered wide receiver Shayne Stinson’s rush

attempt.

Concordia’s momentum was short-lived as freshman running back Pelle Jorgen electrified the crowd with a 70-yard kick return. Rassy connected on a field goal once more before Guimont-Mota put the nail in the coffin with his second rushing touchdown of the night.Concordia scored a late touchdown, but by then the game was already out of reach.

It was a big win for a team that has shown consistent improvement since Head Coach Clint Uttley took over three years ago. Despite the success, Uttley did not allow the

team to get complacent. “We’ve still got to get [the running game] going,” Uttley remarkedIf Guimont-Mota can continue his rise as a key cog in the offence, the veteran line should clear enough open holes for him to plow through. This will present yet another viable option for the offence as the team looks to broaden its attack possibilities.

For Defensive Coordinator Mickey Donovan, the game represented a victory over his alma mater. Donovan noted that beating Concordia feels, “great, because last year we lost a heartbreaker to them, and that should have been our game then. So for us to bounce back this way and finish with a ‘W’ for these guys and get the Cup, that’s what it’s about.”

The game tied the two schools’ all-time Shaughnessy Cup series at 36-36.

The Redmen now hold a 1-1 record. Next week, the team is set to travel out to Sackville, New Brunswick to take on the 0-1 Mount Allison Mounties in the latter’s home opener. Look for another victory on the road before McGill returns to Molson Stadium to play the Sherbrooke Vert et Or on Sept. 20.

Soccer — Martlets 0, Montreal 1

McGill shut out as season starts with disappointment Air-tight Carabins goalie grounds winless Martlets

Sophomore midfielder Kristina Pearkes looks to spark the Martlet attack. (Wendy Chen / McGill Tribune) Remi Lu Sports Editor The McGill Martlets (0-0-2) began their RSEQ season in front of a crowd of over 500 at Molson Stadium. They faced off against the sixth-ranked Montreal Carabins (2-0-0) for the first of two meetings this season after going 1-1 last year against the squad from Outremont.

The Martlets started by immediately controlling the ball and setting the pace of the game. The match marked the home debut of Head

Coach Jose-Luis Valdes, and it was clear from the outset that McGill’s game plan revolved around keeping the Carabins on their heels. However, their aggressive gameplay translated into a quick offside call just 48 seconds into the match, as well as a number of fouls a few minutes in. McGill forward Sarah Bourque was key to the offensive attack as she looked to create opportunities early on.

The Martlets’ frontline shared the ball with precision and composure during the first half. Yet it was

clear that standout Carabins goalie Martine Julien would pose a problem for the Martlets as she managed to deny all four shots in the first half.

“We kept possession of the ball very well and moved it around with composure,” noted sophomore defender Zoe Fasoulakis. “However, we didn’t really threaten their goal enough, and should have finished the chances [that] we got.”

The second half began with a lacklustre effort by both teams.

Following the first-half total of 8-6 shots-on-net differential between

McGill and Montreal respectively, the game finished with a mere three additional shots by the Martlets and only two by the Carabins.

Despite the low shot total, Montreal forward Chloe Malette managed to convert in the 64th minute, firing a rocket past McGill goalie Victoria Muccilli. Malette’s goal clinched the game for the Carabins, 1-0. The match then turned into a messy affair, with two Martlet players penalized with yellow cards in the dying minutes of the game.

Despite the loss, there was a clear bright point for McGill as the Martlet defenders were quick to their positions and eager to pressure the Montreal attack. The hosts managed to disrupt the Carabins offence every time they ventured into McGill’s defensive zone, forcing numerous shots wide of the net.

It is clear that Valdes has secured a relaxed and comfortable environment for his players, which will be key as the team hopes to integrate a good mix of new and old players alike. Furthermore, he has succeeded in getting his players to buy into his system since the depar-

ture of Marc Mounicot, now head coach of the Redmen.

“We always have a game plan specific to each match. In the changing room we always keep a relaxed atmosphere…our playlist is super important,” said second-year forward Kristina Pearkes.

Fousalakis added that the team makes sure “to relax and get pumped up for the game. Also, we focus on some game strategies that our coach has told us previously [about our] opponent.”

The team may still have a bright season ahead, despite this loss to the nationally ranked Carabins. A stout defence should anchor McGill during the transition period, as Valdes hopes to bring together a talented squad. The Martlets will be a very tough team to beat once they begin to make the most of their numerous attacking moves.

McGill continues its pursuit of Nationals this Friday, Sept 13th as they play host to the UQTR Patriotes (0-0-2) in what will be a critical match in turning around their young season.

Mike

Sylvie Louis Pamela

Max Larry

Brie

Tattoo artists and enthusiasts come together at the Montreal Art Tattoo Show at Windsor Station. (Alexandra Allaire / The McGill Tribune)