McGill Tribune Volume 35 Issue No. 3

T curiosity delivers

TUEsday, SEPTEMBER 22, 2015 Volume No. 35 Issue No. 03

Editorial: Indigenous issues must become part of campus discourse pg. 5

feature: vISIBLE CHANGES By jenna stanwood pg. 8 - 9

m c gilltribune.com @m c gilltribune

Commentary: What austerity means for the children of Quebec Albert park Contributor

Take Me To Church: SISTINE CHAPEL COMES TO MONTREAL PG. 10 VIsitors observe the many images from Michelangelo’s Sistene Chapel. (Emma Hameau / McGill Tribune)

The dirt on Lower Field: Budget cuts prevent maintenance Annually reviving grass deemed unsustainable Laura Hanrahan News Editor

T

he Lower West Field of McGill’s Downtown campus— commonly known as Lower Field among students— has, over the past two years, developed a large area of the field that is barren of grass.

McGill Grounds and Vehicle

Maintenance Supervisor Franco Nardi explained the origins of the damage.

“The Lower West Field has been, for many years, the preferred location for the McGill community to hold memorable events and activities including [...] Convocation ceremonies,” he said. “These great events have

a devastating effect on the lawn due to the massive size of the tent, which covers the area we now see as barren.”

While these practices have been ongoing for quite some time, Nardi explained that the past few years have seen an especially detrimental effect on the field.

“In previous years the damaged area was revived with new grass after the Convocation ceremonies ended,” he said. “It has now been over two years since the last efforts were made.”

According to Nardi, overall funding cuts have contributed to the the lack of maintenance on Lower Field.

Continued on pg. 4

Every week, I go to Ecole FACE to volunteer at an after school program, taking the students around Montreal to explore the community. As I arrived for my shift last week, I was surprised to find myself greeted by gloomy expressions from the children, shades different from their usual chipper smiles. Cautiously, I asked them what was wrong. As it turned out, they were worried that their annual camping trip could be cancelled due to the teacher’s strike.

The provincial government has proposed a massive $360 million budget cut to the education system.

In order to accomplish this, the Quebec Education Department intends to increase class sizes by up to nine additional students, eliminate funding towards school programs for special-needs children, and impose a salary freeze on teachers. Needless to say, these are tough demands to make to a system that has already lost over $800 million in funding over the past five years. As a result, the teachers have banded together and agreed not to work beyond their paid 32 hours per week. This means no more after-school activities, school clubs, or field trips for the students.

Continued on pg. 6

Ten-billion light-year-old galaxy cluster discovered Young stars formed in unprecedented galaxy-galaxy collision Daniel Galef Contributor This week, NASA announced the discovery of a galaxy cluster found billions of light years from Earth. The finding, published in The Astrophysical Journal, identified a unique property of the cluster, named SpARCS1049+56. It hosts what physicists call a wet merger, which is a unique type of galactic joining in the

presence of hydrogen gas. In the cluster, two component galaxies at the centre are currently joining and forming new stars.

Galaxy clusters, which can consist of anywhere from 50 to 1,000 galaxies, are the largest things in the universe that are bound together by gravity.

Galaxy mergers are far from rare.

SpARCS1049+56, nicknamed Sparky, is special because its wet merger occurred in the centre of a galaxy cluster, where it was

thought that there would be no gas for new stars to form. As a galaxy drifts through a large cluster to settle at the center over immense periods of time, the raw stellar material is generally stripped away, creating a resource-poor galaxy that cannot form stars.

“Usually, the stars at the centres of galaxy clusters are old and dead, essentially fossils,” explained McGill physics professor Tracy Webb.

The cluster was discovered primarily using the Spitzer Space Telescope. This telescope scans in the infrared (IR) spectrum, enabling it to detect the radiation emitted by bright starbursts created by the galaxy merger. More information about the cluster’s properties was derived from data collected by the Canada-France-Hawaii (CFHT) Telescope and the Keck Telescope as well as scans done by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Continued on pg. 14

2

NEWS

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Meet the 2015-2016 PGSS executives

by Laura Hanrahan and Jenna Stanwood Secretary General

Academic Affairs Officer

Internal Affairs Officer

Danielle Toccalino

Devin J Mills

Sahil Kumar

What projects did you work on this summer?

My two main projects have been bylaw revisions and proceeding with [human resources] related changes at PGSS. The bylaw revisions have been rather straight forward so far, but we will be initiating more in-depth discussions as we start the year to re-evaluate the roles of various bodies within the society. HR changes stem from a number of events that occurred before our term. An HR audit was started by the former executives and I, along with the [board of directors] (the board). We have been continuing on with that process.

The equity training cited in my campaign platform was also completed over the summer [by] all executives and our equity commissioner. Our mental health first aid training will occur in November.

What are your goals for this year?

What projects did you work on this summer?

[Committee] recruitments were probably the biggest thing [....] The academic affairs position is largely about [student] representation [....] We make sure that the member services officer who really oversees a lot of the committees on student services has a team of individuals who she can pull from.

The other has been looking at enrolment, understanding policies that surround enrolment and potentially some of the unintended consequences that we have currently with our enrolment policies. Some of the graduate programs are increasing in enrollment, but are they increasing to such an extent that it’s actually causing problems with the integrity of the program? We need to investigate a bit.

I would like to work towards greater unity within the PGSS by working with departmental student associations and their council representatives so [the departmental student associations] can more actively engage their own members. I would like to specifically focus on groups who have traditionally been harder to reach, such as postdoctoral fellows, graduate student with families, and graduate students based at Macdonald campus and the new Glen site.

My own personal pet project for [this] year is to revamp the PGSS governing documents. We have already passed initial bylaw changes through Council (awaiting approval by the board and the General Meeting) and are working on changes to our Society Activities Manual.

What are your goals for this year?

What obstacles do you foresee?

Time is always an obstacle. But it was a very productive summer as far as recruitment goes. The more I recruit, the more I ask on graduate students; and the more opportunities I help them get involved in, the less things I necessarily have to take on. I can be more of a central point for individual assistance.

Our major obstacle is time. As full-time graduate students, we already have time restrictions arising from our research. I want to ensure that we work together and support each other so that the top priorities in each portfolio are achieved before the end of our terms.

Masters students and [...] PhD [students are] expected to develop original contributions to the field. So the big question then is to what extent is this intellectual property [our] own? So we’re going to be hosting some intellectual property workshops for grad students.

Employment equity is also an issue that will be coming to Senate [....] We’re trying to recruit the most intelligent, the brightest, the most talented individuals around the world.

We’re trying to find ways in which we can increase diversity, increase employment equity, decrease that gap within gender but also within other marginalized populations.

What obstacles do you foresee?

What projects did you work on this summer?

[I worked] with Campus Life & Engagement, Teaching and Learning Services, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Career Planning Services, and Graphos, [a branch of the McGill Wiritng Centre for graduate students]; we set on projects this summer for McGill Graduate and Postdoctoral Orientation Week.

External to my portfolio, I also worked on our Executive Work Plan for the year, a summer dodgeball league, and establishing a social media and marketing presence through our Instagram account.

What are your goals for this year?

My goals for the year are to create more opportunities for on-campus groups to be involved with PGSS. We have been approached by CKUT, [Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill] (AGSEM), Queer McGill, McGill Outdoors Club, and others to raise interest and involvement within our society, and I hope to spend the year forging positive relationships for future executives.

Furthermore, [we...] want to provide diverse events that cater to a wide array of members within our society and ensure they are upheld to standards that promote equity and inclusivity.

What obstacles do you foresee?

With any new initiative, it is always important to ensure there is institutional memory for future years and continuity with the projects that began. With Orientation Week coming to a close, the stakeholders have sent out post-event surveys to measure the success of the new event, and gauge points of iterations for following years.

It will be important to transfer my work to the next [Internal Affairs Officer] and individuals dedicated to continue orientation once I leave my position.

Financial Affairs Officer

Member Services Officer

Bradley Por

Behrang Sharif

Brighita Lungu

What projects did you work on this summer?

What projects did you work on this summer?

External Affairs Officer

With the [Fédération Étudiant Universitaire de Québec] (FÉUQ) collapsing, two different groups started organizing new student federations, and PGSS is attending both of those groups [...] so I’ve been to working groups meetings for both of those organizations over the summer.

[I’ve] invested a significant amount of time to perform research and analyses on previous fiscal reports and this year’s financial statement. Thus far, I have been working to identify the critical financial facets of PGSS that are in need [of] immediate improvement.

What are your goals for this year?

What are your goals for this year?

One of them is to continue to attend the two different working groups. Ultimately, PGSS will probably just belong to one of the federations; so I’m presenting those different federations to the members then organizing some kind of democratic procedure to join one, which will happen optimistically at the end of this term, but more realistically, sometime in the next term.

I also want to help grad students become more involved in the student movement in the anti-austerity actions that will be happening over the year [....] What I want to do is organize some gatherings in a Town Hall kind of style with students who are interested here at Thomson House to learn about what issues grad students want to see and how they think they can participate.

What obstacles do you foresee?

There’s always the general obstacle [of getting] students to participate more. Students are really busy with their education, so just getting the word out is something that’s not simple.

[To] produce templates for financial policy [and] practices [that] facilitate providing services with better quality, increase cost-effectiveness of the corporation to ensure best use of the resources to benefit members, [and] a three-to five-year roadmap for the finances of the corporation to guarantee sustainability of services.

What obstacles do you foresee?

[The] increased cost of services is limiting the quality and quantity of what PGSS can offer to the members.

Specifically, it is becoming harder to keep and improve inclusiveness of services for non-downtown campus members. [Also], transitioning the new financial policies into practice, particularly for projects traditionally run without specific guidelines. [Lastly,] securing and managing resources for special projects initiated in the previous years.

What projects did you work on this summer?

I was involved with the hiring of the new family care resource position at [the Social Equity and Diversity Education Office (SEDE)].

Since SSMU’s president Kareem took over all the family initiatives at SSMU, I’ve been working closely with him in terms of either expanding or improving what we, the two main associations on campus, can do for our members. For the day care that they’re running at SSMU, we’re in negotiations of signing a new memorandum of agreement.

We’re hoping to maintain the collaboration over the following years.

What are your goals for this year?

[My goal is] to consolidate the position within PGSS in terms of budgeting, which will effectively consolidate the services program the society can offer.

The other main goal as MSO is to work closely with the [VicePresident University Affairs] at SSMU in terms of student services, and to improve the health services delivered on campus. We know that the student services will go under a review in November. [This] is one of the opportunities that we have to bring our concerns and suggestions to student services at a global level.

What obstacles do you foresee?

I see obstacles coming up on the Student Services side in McGill, but […] I do have hopes that the Office of the Deputy Provost will happily collaborate with the students and see great value in what we bring to the table in each committee meeting in student services.

NEWS 3 Kahnawake Mohawk nation sends seizure notice to McGill

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Claims land and monetary compensation Nick Milum Contributor On Sept. 12, a notice of seizure was sent to McGill University by Kahentinetha, a kahtihon’tia:kwenio— the aboriginal term for woman title holder­ —from the Kahnawake Mohawk nation. The letter claims that McGill has fraudulently taken Mohawk land and funds, as well as violated the beliefs of the Kahnawake people.

“We never gave permission for McGill to be on our land,” Kahentinetha said in the notice. “And McGill has never been able to produce anything to show that we gave them permission.”

The letter also called for the settlement of a debt from 1847, where Upper Canada withdrew funds from the Six Nations Trust Fund of Grand River in order to finance a loan to McGill that kept the university from closing. The Trust Fund had been created as a depository for payments from settlers renting Mohawk land.

“There’s no argument about any of the facts that we put out, the money is owed to us,” Kahentinetha said.

“It’s been 185 years since that money was taken, and it still has not been paid back.”

Kahentinetha explained that she sent the letter of seizure after discovering Demilitarize McGill’s campaign to end research at McGill which develops military weapons.

“We knew that [...Demilitarize] McGill were trying to put a stop to the making of these weapons,” she said.

“So that’s when I decided as a woman title-holder; I seized McGill [....] I have a duty to protect my people, and I carried out my duty.”

This is not the first time McGill was made aware of the debt. Phil

Monture, the former director of the Six Nations Land and Resources Office, was one of the people who originally discovered it.

“We’ve known for years now about this debt, but we just want to protect our investments and work out a partnership,” he said. “Let’s move forward instead of this going around and around.”

Andre Costopoulos, dean of students, explained that the issue of the debt was resolved from McGill’s point of view.

“There was an interaction between McGill and Six Nations Grand River, I believe it was in the late ’80s [or] early ’90s,” he said. “McGill [...] found that the debt had been repaid to the federal government. As far as I can tell [...] the question is settled.”

Neverthless, Costopoulos underscored that McGill is engaged in discussion with indigenous communities.

“McGill is very, very active in building and maintaining relationships with aboriginal partners,” he said. “We have staff in my office whose full-time job it is to recruit aboriginal students to increase access to university for aboriginal students.”

Costopoulos continued to highlight that in addition to current programs, McGill was developing new resources to support indigenous students during the course of their undergraduate studies.

“Now we’re designing [...] Portage McGill, which is a transition to university program for youth who are facing significant barriers to access,” he said. “There’s a lot of stuff happening in the university. There’s an aboriginal affairs working group that I chair. There’s Indigenous Awareness Week.”

Costopoulos also explained that

he had contacted Kahentinetha over the weekend.

“We’re doing a lot, I think, and we’re always open to doing more.

We’re always listening to our partners in indigenous communities,” he said.

Leslie Anne St. Amour, U3 Arts, explained that she would like McGill to be more active in discourse about indigenous issues.

“I would like to see McGill make more of an effort to acknowledge the land that they are on, and also maybe doing things that have a bigger impact,” St Amour, an Indigneous Studies minor, said. “[McGill]

The Haudenosaunee Flag. (wampumbear.com) could take the [Indigenous Studies] in Anthropology, hopes that the uniminor and turn it into a major, or versity will increase its efforts to aceven expand the minor to include commodate indigenous students.

“I would like to see McGill more classes that are [within the] Indigenous Studies [department], of work with the Six Nations Development Corporation and the people which currently there are only two.”

St. Amour says that the the let- here who are so involved in indigter has sparked a conversation among enous education to figure out how to properly honour the debt,” Dolan said. students.

“In an ideal world, yes, Six Na- “[McGill] could pay back Six Nations would be paid back and McGill tions or create a scholarship fund for would make much more of an effort to Haudenosaunee students. They have acknowledge the land that [it is] on,” one like that at Syracuse University she said. “Even if that doesn’t happen, called the Haudenosaunee Promise.” it still raises awareness of the issues Additional reporting by and it helps to educate people.”

Jenna Stanwood Jessica Dolan, a PhD candidate

Inaugural Anti-Austerity Week aims to educate students Workshops discuss mobilization strategies Jennifer chan Contributor The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) held its first ever Anti-Austerity Week Sept. 14 through 18. According to SSMU Vice-President (VP) External Affairs Emily Boytinck, the events and workshops were intended to educate the McGill community.

“The purpose of Anti-Austerity Week was to develop baseline public education for folks who haven’t been involved in anti-austerity work before, or those who still want to learn a little bit more, and to invite people with different perspectives about anti-

austerity to speak in workshops,” Boytinck said.

SSMU Mobilization Coordinator Nicholle Savoie echoed Boytinck’s sentiments, explaining that the aim of Anti-Austerity Week was not to organize students against austerity, but rather to inform them.

“A lot of people who were interested in getting involved didn’t necessarily know what was going on, or know a ton about austerity,” Savoie explained.

“So we thought that it would be good to start-off the year with a week to get informed and hear some different perspectives [....]

SSMU isn’t in any way leading the anti-austerity mobilizing on

campus. Our role is to facilitate the spread of information and to support groups that are already doing [anti-austerity] work.”

Savoie additionally explained how students can continue to take part or learn more about the movement in other ways.

“Build links with other campuses and organizations and the McGill students who are already mobilizing on campus,” Savoie said. “Read about anti-austerity through the Montréal media co-op [....] Francophone universities have been really active in pushing the anti-austerity narrative, which has trickled into McGill campus, and now we’re

starting to get really involved.”

Molly Swain, president of the Association of McGill Support Employees–Public Service Alliance of Canada (AMUSE-PSAC) led an informational workshop on Sept. 15 entitled “Mobilizing from the Margins.” Swain discussed the history of the anti-austerity movement in Montreal and shared what she would like to see happen in the future.

“My hopes for the future of the anti-austerity movement is that it begins to expand to its conceptions of struggle, and its analysis of austerity as a fundamental part of capitalism, rather than simply a neoliberal trend that can be solved if certain kinds

of public funding is reinstated,” said Swain. “The anti-austerity movement should be reflexive to the needs and realities of those participating in it, and its strategies and tactics should be determined that way, rather than by relying solely on what may have been effective in past struggles.”

SSMU hopes to continue the conversation on austerity in the future, though plans to do so aren’t yet certain.

“There are no specific events planned right now, but we will definitely be hosting more soon,” said Boytinck. “We also will be organizing contingents to various demonstrations throughout the Fall.”

4

NEWS

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

SSMU general manager resigns, cites “personal circumstances” SSMU to consult external head hunting firm for replacement Aislinn Kalob News Editor Jennifer Varkonyi, general manager of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), resigned from her position in late August after a six-month tenure.

“My decision for stepping down from the role of general manager of the SSMU was made due to personal circumstances,” Varkonyi wrote in an email to the Tribune. “The Executive Committee is working hard on the recruitment strategy. My last day is planned for September 29, 2015.”

The position of general manager, as outlined in Article 12 of the SSMU Constitution, is the only permanent staff position that is constitutionally entrenched. The general manager’s responsibilities include consulting on long-term matters of planning and administration, helping SSMU’s financial stability, and to assist the SSMU president in managing internal human resources.

“The general manager [is someone] I like to refer to as the institutional memory hub of the SSMU,” Kareem Ibrahim, SSMU president, said. “We have an annual turnover [of SSMU Executives], which is inherently destabilizing. The general manager is supposed to be the person who stays around for at least five to seven years, hopefully a decade at a time.”

Varkonyi was hired in February 2015. She succeeded Pau-

line Gervais, who retired after serving as SSMU’s general manager for 12 years. Gervais cited the difficulties of the position as part of the reason she chose to retire.

“It was time for me to leave, because I was getting tired of starting over year after year [...] with new executives and having to train them,” Gervais said. “It is very hard on the [permanent] staff to deal with different people every year, different mentalities and different ways and visions...”

Following Varkonyi’s hiring, certain tasks under the job description of the general manager were delegated to SSMU executives or other SSMU staff members in order to lessen some of the challenges she might have faced during the transition period.

“The position of general manager has an incredibly steep learning curve, and the transition has historically been challenging,” Ibrahim said. “This past summer saw an unprecedented level of work in the SSMU office and we faced many difficulties.

We did a lot of shuffling of tasks to try and ensure that no single staff member was met with an unmanageable workload. We regret seeing Jennifer leave, as she contributed a lot to the organization and supported the team during a time when many changes were taking place.”

Gervais explained that she had minimal involvement in Varkonyi’s transition to the position.

“I don’t think she had enough training,” Gervais said. “I offered, because I was available to stay with her a couple weeks to do day-to-day stuff [....] For me, it was very important that SSMU didn’t suffer because of me leaving after that long, but they had chosen not to have me help.”

According to Ibrahim, the hiring process for a new general manager following Gervais’ resignation was rushed.

“The past executive decided to do an internal recruitment and not spend money on an external firm— which is typically the process for positions as big as these,” he said. “That internal recruitment was only done by the president and the [human resources] advisor and the outgoing general manager, which we will be doing differently.”

Although Varkonyi’s last day as general manager is in September, she may stay on in a part-time role through October. SSMU will seek a new general manager through an independent head-

SSMU will consult head-hunting firm for the new GM (L-A Benoit / McGill Tribune) hunting firm. SSMU may consult a hiring committee composed of members of the McGill com-

munity. In the meantime, SSMU may potentially seek an interim hire to fill the position.

The dirt on Lower Field; budget cuts prevent maintenance Annually reviving grass deemed unsustainable Laura Hanrahan News Editor “The funding was stopped due to the fact that the practice was no longer sustainable and also coincided with budget cuts announced during that same period,” he said.

In December 2012, due budget cuts within the Quebec government, McGill announced sudden and severe university funding cuts. According to a Senate presentation given by Provost Anthony C. Masi this past April, the university is currently tackling an estimated $1 billion-plus in deferred maintenance needs.

Nardi explained the Grounds department’s future plans to minimize further damage to the field.

“We have been working on

more sustainable solutions and scenarios, which include better management of field activities with the implementation of restricted and alternate play areas during the summer months and the use of rainwater recuperation systems,” he said. “We are presently replacing and planting 15 to 20 new trees as a better and sustainable option, and also as an ongoing practice for the time being.”

Senior Campus Planner for the Office of Campus and Space Planning Brian Karasick echoed Nardi’s sentiments.

“The level of outdoor activity within the lower campus, especially for large events, has been steadily increasing,” Karasick said. “As noted, we have

experimented with many ground cover options and ground preparations over the years, but none has managed to stand up to the intensity of use and to endure beyond a single season. We clearly need to find a more permanent and sustainable solution, but this will involve some careful consideration of the various activities and their respective impacts [and] needs. This initiative is currently underway.”

Karasick explained that all plans for the initiative are still in a preliminary stage and have yet to be solidified.

“This involves a number of McGill departments, and we’re still in the data gathering stage, so it’s too early to speculate on potential solutions,” he said.

“Safety, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability will certainly be key determinants.”

Ben Ger, U2 Environment, agreed that the practice of maintaining Lower Field is not sustainable.

“To some extent, front lawns in general are not completely sustainable,” he said. “Though there [are both] costs and benefits to it, at the end of the day, plain grass lawns, especially massive ones like McGill’s, do waste water.”

Ger suggested other potential uses for Lower Field that might make the land more sustainable and effective.

“Alternative uses for those spaces [include] interactive green spaces on Lower Field—

specifically greenhouses to study in like Concordia’s— or expanding Campus Crops [...] potentially onto Lower Field,” he said. “[Providing] places for community building [has] shown to have significant positive effects on productivity, and can be beneficial to mental health for many people.”

Ger, however, did acknowledge the complicated intricacies that come with making changes to McGill’s green spaces.

“Green spaces are complex issues that encompass mental health, spaces on campus, environmental cost and benefits, and fiscal feasibility. So I hope somebody who in a position of power on campus is paying attention.”

THE Mcgill

Editor-in-Chief Mayaz Alam editor@mcgilltribune.com Business Manager Sam Pinto spinto@mcgilltribune.com Creative Director Hayley Lim hlim@mcgilltribune.com Managing Editors Shrinkhala Dawadi sdawadi@mcgilltribune.com Morgan Alexander malexander@mcgilltribune.com Julie Vanderperre jvanderperre@mcgilltribune.com News Editors Jenna Stanwood, Laura Hanrahan, Aislinn Kalob news@mcgilltribune.com Opinion Editor Julia Dick opinion@mcgilltribune.com Science & Technology Editor Chloe Nevitt scitech@mcgilltribune.com Student Living Editor Hailey MacKinnon studentliving@mcgilltribune.com Features Editor Natalie Wong features@mcgilltribune.com Arts & Entertainment Editors Jack Neal and Christopher Lutes arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editors Elie Waitzer and Zikomo Smith sports@mcgilltribune.com Design Editor Cassie Lee design@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editors Natalie Vineberg and Hayley Mortin photo@mcgilltribune.com Web Developer William Burgess webdev@mcgilltribune.com Matt Smith online@mcgilltribune.com Copy Editor Adrien Hu copy@mcgilltribune.com Advertising Executives Mingye Chen and L-A Benoit ads@mcgilltribune.com

editorial

Indigenous issues must become part of campus discourse Indigenous Awareness Week is now in its fifth year at McGill University. The week showcases local indigenous culture through a series of events, beginning with the Pow Wow on Sept. 18, and concluding on Sept. 25 with a symposium titled Resisting Gendered and State Violence: Indigenous Women’s Activism. The focal points of the week are the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and Indigenous women’s issues.

Indigenous Awareness Week promotes the visibility of indigenous culture on campus and raises awareness about the issues facing indigenous peoples, but in order to break down the barriers to inclusion faced by indigenous peoples at McGill, indigenous issues must hold greater weight. Currently, indigenous issues are mostly absent from mainstream conversation.

The marginalization of indigenous peoples is embedded in McGill’s institutional history—the land that McGill is built on was never ceded to the university; a series of missteps by the administration and the Government of Canada snowballed to last week’s notice of seizure sent by Kahentinetha of the Bear Clan, a kahtihon’tia:kwenio (women titleholder), of the Kahnawake Mohawk community. It stands to reason that any student of McGill should be educated in both sides of the history of indigenous-settler relations in Canada,

TPS Board of Directors Contributors

Karina Alibhai, Jennifer Chan, Sarah Cullen, Emma Hameau, Nick Jasinski, Esha Kaul, Chloe Lau, Tiffany Le, Clare Lyle, Francesca McFadden, Nick Milum, Hayley Mortin, Eric Noble-Marks, Demaris Oxman, Albert Park, Sason Ross, Elli Slavitch, Ellie Solloway, Eyal Wilk, Alissa Zilberchteine

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.

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istrators. While raising awareness is not a solution to the systemic inequalities faced by indigenous, and in particular indigenous students who pursue a post-secondary education, it is a step in the right direction. Attitudes can only

“

Awareness of indigenous culture and of the obstacles faced by Aboriginals must be coupled with caution to avoid entrenching stereotypes.

evolve when time has been devoted to ensuring that everyone has a stake in changing their own attitudes.

Insofar as McGill works diligently to ensure a commitment to social justice and inclusion, it remains behind other Canadian

universities in terms of indigenous rights and representation on campus. McGill has hired its first tenure-track indigenous professor, but such progress seems limited when compared to the University of British Columbia, which has numerous indigenous professors across various faculties. Though the recommendations laid out by the TRC in order to narrow the inequalities between indigenous and non-indigenous students apply mainly to the federal government, McGill can do more to improve the representation of indigenous peoples. A partnership with local indigenous communities in developing those goals and the steps to achieve them must be prioritized.

As progress is made by the administration, students can spark a grassroots conversation. There are less than 200 aboriginal students in undergraduate studies at McGill, and those students face microaggressions daily, according to a study released on Jan. 2 2014 by the Social Equity and Diversity Education (SEDE) Office. By not opening up spaces for indigenous awareness, the campus participates in the silencing of a culture that has been fighting for its existence for centuries. Students at McGill must decide whether they will continue that history of silence by continuing to marginalize indigenous issues and rights, or if it is possible for our campus to become a leader in the conversation.

Anti-Austerity Week a start to mobilizing students

Sam Pinto, Mayaz Alam, Maryse Thomas, Nicolas Tuech

Tribune Office

particularly as those relations relate to McGill and local Aboriginal Peoples.

The First People’s House, KANATA journal, and Indigenous Awareness Week, as well as the introduction of an Indigenous Studies Program, should be commended for raising awareness of indigenous issues and creating spaces for indigenous representation and expression on campus.

Student associations, including the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS), and the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) should also be given credit for territorial acknowledgements at meetings.

But such steps only go part of the way to bringing indigenous issues to the forefront. The scope of their progress must be extended into the consciousness of all students at McGill. This conversation could begin in residences where new students can be encouraged to think critically about Canada’s colonial legacy by their floor fellows.

Awareness of indigenous culture and of the obstacles faced by indigenous peoples must be coupled with caution to avoid entrenching stereotypes. Breaking the barriers between indigenous students and their peers will take time, and efforts to do so must be given sustained attention by students, professors, and admin-

COMMENTARY

Publisher Chad Ronalds

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5

OPINION

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Ariane Menard Contributor Last week a number of workshops and discussions to encourage awareness about Quebec’s austerity measures were a part of Anti-Austerity Week at McGill, hosted by the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU). The event took a strong stance against continuing university budget cuts while aiming to inform students and the public of what austerity means for them: Lower quality of services, higher eventual user fees, a growing wealth disparity in the community, and less support

on campus. But despite its merits, Anti-Austerity Week went by relatively unnoticed.

As a youth employment counsellor, I have seen austerity cuts destroy programs aimed to support at-risk populations. As a student, I have heard the rumblings of how these measures will diminish Student Services—through cuts to “non-essential services” such as the Arts Internship program.

Sometimes it can be difficult to draw the link between the services that are being lost and the austerity policies behind those cutbacks.

Therefore, students may not realize that they are feeling the squeeze of austerity, and as a result might not take action against it. It is imperative that students become educated about this economic policy, and come to understand the broader scope of what is at stake.

It is vital for students to understand the scope of these cuts, as it will impact the variety of services and support available to future

generations of students. Anti-Austerity week aimed to make such knowledge accessible, but these efforts must be continued and expanded throughout the semester.

Inclusive social media outreach is an important way to reach more people through students’ social networks. Tapping into the outreach power of student leaders on campus is also vital, and creating information booths could help to inform and empower students to push for greater social change.

Austerity is not an easy thing to mobilize against. When threatened with rising tuition, students mobilize swiftly; but the movement against austerity has been far less unified. This is in part because austerity is a vague and poorly understood economic policy; its effects are far-reaching but not necessarily immediately visible to the general population. Although many people will bear the brunt of cost-cutting measures, it will be felt individually as a small but

steady increase in prices and fees paired with wage freezes or salary increases below the inflation rate.

While large-scale protests last spring made the issue visible, the spotlight did not translate into increased understanding of austerity and its impacts. It is important for students to remain informed and politically active in order to preserve the essential social, educational, and health care systems that support us all as members of this community. Uninformed and unorganized protests are not enough. The SSMU and students involved should be applauded for beginning this wave by standing up for social justice and their rights as citizens of this province through their hosting of AntiAusterity Week, but McGill’s student body must do much more to become educated about the threat that austerity measures pose to their futures and engage with efforts to combat the cuts.

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Opinion COMMENTARY

Albert PArk Contributor Continued from page one: Surprisingly, none of the students at Ecole FACE expressed any blame or contempt towards their teachers. It was apparent that the children understood the reason behind the strike, and knew what was at stake for them-

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

What austerity means for the children of Quebec selves as well. While the strike may harm the students, it is easy to understand that the government’s demands must be challenged to protect their education and benefit Quebec in the long run.

Simply put, the demands imposed by the government will hurt students’ education. The high teacher-to-student ratios will mean that some classrooms will end up having up to 40 students. On top of the elimination of funding for special needs students, it is highly unlikely that Quebec’s children will have access to a satisfactory standard of education if these changes go through.

Many make the mistake of thinking that the strike is about teachers’ salaries. While this is far from the truth, it is still reasonable to consider the Quebec

While the budget cuts may save money now, it comes at the risk of future generations that are less prepared for higher education and the job market.

teachers’ demands regarding their wages. Quebec teachers have amongst the lowest salaries in Canada. While sacrifices may have to be made somewhere, when it comes to education, these sacrifices must be spared.

In the future, these students will be the ones that will be responsible for restoring Quebec’s economy and making decisions regarding austerity. It goes without saying that in order for these students to be successful, they need the best education possible. While the budget cuts may save money now, it comes at the risk of future generations that are less prepared for higher education and the job market.

It is hard to shake the concern that the strike will not accomplish its goal, however, talking to the students at Ecole FACE, I realized that there is more to the

issue than just demands and negotiations. The younger students of Quebec care about social and political issues—I often hear them mention things like the “orange people” (NDP) during their playground chats, as well as constantly questioning the high rates of homeless people in the city.

Teachers must lead by example.

This is a perfect opportunity for educators to teach their students a valuable lesson about austerity.

Whether cognizant of the government’s policies or not, this experience will encourage the children and teens of Quebec to think critically about the government’s policy of cutting public spending.

In order to create a better Quebec, teachers, parents, and students alike must all rally in support of the strike and challenge the government’s cuts to education funding.

Off the board Drawing the line between inspiration and appropriation

Jack Neal Arts & Entertainment Editor Following the release of Taylor Swift’s new music video for “Wildest Dreams”—the fifth single from her 2014 album, 1989—the singer and the video’s director, Joseph Kahn, came under fire for accusations of racism and glorifying colonialism.

It is very easy to call out something as being racist or culturally appropriative—especially given how inherently politicized and polarized the discourse on racism is—but these claims often fall into the trap of confusing appropriation and inspiration.

Racism and appropriation have been ongoing issues within the music industry—moreover, the entirety of pop culture—for years. Hollywood has a historical tendency to substitute ethnic characters in its movies for whiter, more Western and betterknown actors; Jake Gyllenhaal

playing the lead in the 2010 film, Prince of Persia, is a case in point.

There have been numerous cases in recent years that have been singled out by the media and critics as racist or culturally appropriative. The recent accusations towards Swift’s video revolved around the fact that the video, “Packages [the] continent as the backdrop for her romantic song, devoid of any African person or storyline.” There are a number of underlying issues with such critiques—chiefly that the majority of said criticisms blur the line between inspiration and appropriation.

The music video for “Wildest Dreams,” which was shot primarily in Tanzania, focuses on an unrequited romance between two Hollywood stars while in the Golden Age of Hollywood. The video is objectively stunning in terms of its cinematography and art direction, but this glamour has resulted in critics hounding it for glorifying the era that the film depicts. It is important to differentiate between the fact that although the music video does portray an extremely white washed image of Africa, its director clarified that it only sought to draw inspiration from old Hollywood

movies, and is ultimately, “an attempt to recreate a very specific era and aesthetic.”

“Wildest Dreams” looks to old Hollywood films such as Out of Africa (1985), evoking the grandeur and lavishness of its production, including stunningly cinematic shots of landscapes— filmed on location—as well as the melodramatic and tumultuous relationship between the film’s two main characters. Dramatic scenes, such as where Swift and Eastwood fly a propellered plane, feature sweeping frames of the Tanzanian landscape. Both films instill an admiration at the breathtaking imagery and striking landscape in which they are respectively set.

The criticism that Swift and Kahn have received for the video can be contrasted with Katy Perry’s appearance at the 2014 American Music Awards, in which she dressed up head-to-toe in a Geisha costume on a stage that boasted a brutal mix of Japanese and Chinese-inspired props.

For the performance, Perry’s face was painted alabaster white and her hair fashioned in the shape of a fan. She carelessly combined Japanese and Chinese cultures into one cringe-worthy—albeit visually stunning—performance.

Perry was neither paying tribute to nor celebrating the cultures that she literally stepped into the shoes of in order to put on a striking and conversation-inciting performance.

“

Both examples highlight the importance of respecting a culture other than one’s own when it’s being depicted for artistic value.

Swift was celebrating the romance and glamour of Old Hollywood, as well as its artistry and cinematic value. Perry’s performance, on the other hand, saw her appropriating two other cultures for no reason whatsoever other than to create a visually

arresting sight.

Both examples highlight the importance of respecting a culture other than one’s own when it’s being depicted for artistic value. While it’s important to acknowledge the differences in criticism—Swift’s on the grounds of glorifying colonialism, and Perry’s for its blatant cultural appropriation—these two performances tread a dangerous line between confusing appropriation and inspiration.

Whatever Swift’s intentions with the music video, viewers can appreciate it for the piece of art that it is. As Kahn stated, “There is no political agenda to the video. Our only goal was to tell a tragic love story in classic Hollywood iconography,” and ultimately, that is exactly what was achieved.

The music video sticks to its representation of a 1950s Hollywood film set superbly, capturing the glitz and glamour of the old-world movies it strives to evoke. And like the old-world films it is so clearly inspired by, while there remains freedom to debate whether or not it is in fact racist or culturally appropriative, it can still be fully appreciated for its artistry, its cinematic value, and artistic elements.

ERRATA: -A story in Volume 35, Issue 1 (Youth voting made easy) incorrectly stated that Canadian citizens can use voter information cards as a form of I.D. In fact, they cannot.

The Tribune regrets this error.

7

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

POP DIALECTIC

The beauty of Owen Kydd’s “Knife” is in the eye of the beholder (blakegopnik.com)

Owen Kydd’s durational photographs Owen Kydd: Durational Photographs is on display at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, runs until Dec. 6, free for ages 13 to 30.

Emotionless frivolity does not make good art

Pretentiousness aside, understated simplicity shines

by Alissa Zilberchteine When some people see a great work of art, they feel a kind of ‘high.’ The connection can be instantaneous because art is all about aesthetics; its visual appeal is what is meant to draw a person in. This approach can sometimes be tricky in today’s era of contemporary art, where artists are increasingly working with untraditional mediums and therefore emphasizing the concept rather than the aesthetic. The artist statement has become essential in understanding the work. Despite this, the art itself is always more important than gimmicky concepts or authorial intent.

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is exhibiting the videos of Los Angelesbased artist Owen Kydd as part of their 14th edition in Montreal’s biennial Mois de la Photo. Kydd is a successful emerging artist in the contemporary photography scene who has exhibited his work in New York, Paris, Amsterdam, and Vancouver, and has recently become a finalist for the Aimia | AGO Photography Prize. Kydd’s work plays with the conventions of photography and film by taking still, immobile shots and prolonging their temporality by shooting four- to six-minute films The show is a bit conflicting: Kydd demonstrates strong technical knowledge of photography, but his art doesn’t evoke that jolt of seeing something great. When it comes to art, everyone has their own distinct tastes and definitions of what constitutes quality, but what they all have in common is the same realization and recognition when we finally come across it.

That feeling is non-existent when observing Kydd’s exhibit.

Kydd is a strong photographer. His compositions are compelling—they’re unpredictable, eye catching, and incorporate many complex visual forms. This is particularly evident in his more abstracted works such as “Blue Wall Three

by Christopher Lutes Parts,” a video of a blue wall with various papers, pieces of tape, and marks on it, flapping occasionally as a gust of wind goes by. In this manner, Kydd films the everyday: Building walls, stationary objects, and even people. What makes his abstract works successful is that he references these familiar things in a subtle way by creating a composition that forces the viewer to focus on other elements such as the texture and colour, as opposed to identifying the subject matter.

While a little less than half the pieces are shot in an abstract manner, the other videos were blatant shots of ordinary objects with little change occurring throughout their four-minute run. While it is evident that Kydd is attempting to show the subtle beauty of the ordinary day, he may have gotten a little carried away with this idea. This is most obvious with his piece, “Knife,” which shows a still shot of a knife on a table as unglamourous as any standard knife in any standard home.

A four-minute video of Kydd’s knife felt wholly unnecessary, considering the only real action were subtle changes in reflection every few seconds. There’s nothing interesting or memorable about it, and while Kydd wants to focus on the ordinary, an artwork still needs some sort of aesthetic intrigue in order to resonate with its viewers.

While walking through the show, visitors may find themselves ticking off an imaginary checklist to qualify whether or not the exhibit displays actual art or just a zealous gimmick. Strong composition?

Check! Compelling colours? Check! But while Kydd fulfills most of these academic criteria, his work doesn’t have that intrinsic feeling that lends emotion and memorability to classic masterpieces.

If you have to ask whether a piece of art is good, then it probably isn’t.

To judge the extent to which this can be called art, one has to decide whether or not they find this to be a gimmick. Admittedly, when reading interviews with Kydd and looking at some of his pieces online, it seemed that way; he came off as esoteric and snooty, and his pieces of art looked boring and pedestrian. Also, the term “durational photography” felt like a lame attempt at seeming innovate.

This negative perception quickly changes when actually confronted with the exhibit. Tucked away in the basement of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, one is greeted with two separate walls of text explaining the concept behind the exhibit.

The text has a tone that seems to be insisting that it be taken seriously, highlighting specific themes in Kydd’s work and decrying “an era in which the image has become promiscuous and the gaze infinite.”

The first thing that will strike viewers is how small the exhibit is. Consisting of just eight pieces, the exhibit’s smallness is a huge benefit in that it allows every piece to be properly taken in and understood by the viewer. It also limited the choice of instalments that the curator could select, resulting in only the best pieces getting chosen.

The pieces are fascinating both in terms of their movement and their transitions between shots. Even the least interesting photography subject imaginable—a blank wall—is made interesting when the camera focuses on it in extreme close-up.

The camera jitters slightly, bringing a sense of vibrancy and movement to a stationary object. Other pieces cycle through a series of shots transitioning with either soft dissolves, in the case of a series of shots looking through a storefront on a lazy day, or with quick, jarring cuts. The latter occur in a piece called “20 Degree Views, August,” which cycles between shots of the open sky.

Here, where the only spatial frames of ref-

erence in the first place are panels of wood and metal at the bottom of the screen, the viewer becomes increasingly disoriented by the relative quickness of the cuts.

Other pieces are more notable for their lack of change. “Marina and Yucca,” for instance, juxtaposes a black-and-white shot of a Yucca plant with a colour shot of a person. The more one looks at this lengthy static shot, the more the difference between the two states of living became apparent.

While the Yucca doesn’t move at all during the minutes-long shot, Marina, the human subject, tries desperately to maintain the illusion of still photography. She squeezes her closed eyes and furrows her brow, seeming paradoxically more alive than the still life formula seems to allow. Contrasted with the completely still Yucca, what results is a unique commentary on the differences of being alive in plants and animals. While a plant’s natural state is stillness, humans can’t help but move around, even when trying to be still for a few minutes. This is something that cannot be captured by traditional photography.

The through-line across the pieces is their impeccable composition. Kydd has an exceptional grasp of framing, using the colours in his subjects to create artificial borders, evoking a tacit realization of how his work is divided. He also seems to be interested in windows and reflections, with pieces like “Studies in Blue” looking at reflections of cars passing by, or a shot of a gently swaying palm tree made slightly abstract by a window in between the subject and the camera.

Ultimately, it seems like the problem with the exhibit isn’t one of art, but of poor marketing. While “Durational Photography” might be a pretentious name, the actual art of it is simple and understated, quietly breathing new life and meaning into a familiar medium.

visible changes Jenna Stanwood

Professor Allan Downey: The only tenure-track indigenous professor at mcgill

Professor Downey explores indigenous history in the classroom (Hayley Mortin / McGill Tribune)

W

alking through the Roddick Gates, one of the first things to draw the attention of passersby is the statue of a wind-blown James McGill clutching his hat and walking stick. Few students know that before reaching this statue, they’ve passed another monument honouring a completely different side of the university’s history. In fact, lying beneath a line of trees facing Rue Sherbrooke is the Hochelaga Rock. A large stone, with a metal plate drilled to its front, is placed in a patch of dirt facing a bench. A tiny description inscribed on the plate explains that the rock is a memorial to an Iroquois vil-

lage that once stood on the land now spotted with McGill’s classrooms and libraries, all built on territory that was never ceded to the university to begin with. “[The rock] really is symbolic of the way that the indigenous community is treated on a lot of campuses,” Allan Downey, a professor in the Department of History and Classical Studies, said. “Sure, it’s here, but it’s pushed into a corner and most people don’t know it exists.”

This summer, after working for a year as an academic associate, Downey accepted a tenure-track position in the Department of History and Classical Studies. Upon accept-

ing the job, Downey, who is Dakelh, a member of the Nak’azdli First Nation, located near Fort St. James, British Columbia, became the only tenure-track indigenous professor currently employed at McGill; a fact that was very publicly celebrated by the university.

Downey’s road to the front of the classroom was somewhat serendipitous. Growing up in Waterloo, Ontario, he travelled on the pow wow circuit, helping with his mother’s native arts and crafts business.

“When I was younger going through the educational system [..]

I didn’t see myself, or my family, or my history, in the books I was read-

ing,” Downey said. “As an indigenous person, you’re almost [always] confronted with different versions of racism or just ignorance.”

Downey received his bachelor’s degree at Mercyhurst University in Pennsylvania, where he studied history and played lacrosse. He always knew he wanted to study history, but it was during his undergraduate career that he realized he could combine his studies with his love of lacrosse, by researching the sport’s role in indigenous history. Despite his newfound passion, Downey’s education was still lacking in relevant content, since traditional American history didn’t incorporate

Indigenous history. Thus, he had to take it onto himself to feed his curiosity.

Downey returned to his hometown for graduate studies at Wilfrid Laurier University, where he found a natural extension of these interests in working with youth in indigenous communities. He hosted lacrosse games, promoted healthy and active lifestyles to youth, encouraged indigenous children to reconnect with their identity and culture through the game, and lectured about his research on its history . Even today, when he’s not in front of a class, Downey is working in communities.

“I didn’t need to become a pro-

fessor to realize I had a passion [for working] with indigenous communities; it’s always been there,” Downey said. “I never questioned it. I hope to go about it the right way, [and] to think critically about it every time, [so that I] make sure that what I’m doing is the right thing, and that I’m having a positive impact in the community.”

Teaching was a natural step forward for Downey. The practice of oral history is integral to indigenous societies in North America. Community history is recorded through spoken stories and passed down through retellings. Entire histories of nations are spoken but not written, with story holders acting as living, breathing libraries. Downey loves stories, and for him, teaching is no different than telling a story to his students every day—his teaching style is unmistakingly a product of this. He often speaks throughout a full lecture period without once glancing at his notes (though he almost always brings them anyway)—pausing occasionally only for a drink of water. His teaching comes from the intersections of his passions, as do his words. He does not need to write down details or dates, because they come naturally to him—they are part of his personal story.

Downey designed INDG 200, Introduction to Indigenous Studies, to be a possible representation of how indigenous traditions could be blended with the academic precedent- the readings are all penned by indigenous authors and there are oral history recordings included among the articles each week. While students are graded on papers, each topic is an exercise designed to make them think critically about indigenous knowledge, perspective, and how to apply them to modern issues.

Though he would like to see these strategies adopted within every classroom in the university, Downey knows that positive change will not come in one form for all. It will not come from simply hiring more professors in the indigenous studies department, or accepting more indigenous students. Downey repeatedly affirms that change is a matter of creating positions for indigenous professors across every faculty, integrating indigenous knowledge into every department, and prioritizing the recruitment of faculty and students of indigenous background. Along with making more room for indigenous people on campus, the changes will hold benefits for students of all backgrounds, whose education is currently lacking without it.

In McGill’s undergraduate population of approximately 23,000, only 170 are indigenous. Indigenous faculty and staff make up only a handful of McGill employees. Despite a vibrant indigenous community in Montreal, representation on campus is progressing at a snail’s pace. It was only in Winter 2015, that, as the result of a long campaign led by students, the First People’s House, the

[The rock] really is symbolic of the way that the indigenous community is treated on a lot of campuses. Sure, it’s here, but it’s pushed into a corner and most people don’t know it exists

The Hcchelaga Rock highlights McGill’s origins with the Iroquois village that once stood on campus (Hayley Mortin / McGIll Tribune) Social Equality and Diversity Education (SEDE) office, and the Institute for the Study of Canada—the new Indigenous Studies minor— was able to hold its first classes.

“What indigenous studies offers is it’s a new way for a lot of people to approach problems in the world from a new perspective: To get a new world view, a new lens to view different problems, different issues, different concerns that we have in the world and think critically of new ways of approaching things instead of the same old thing that we’ve been taught over and over and over again through this kind of western colonial educational structure,” Downey explained.

Kathryn Tucker, recent graduate from McGill, echoed a similar sentiment.

“Fewer than one per cent of students at McGill self-identify as Indigenous, so it’s easy to feel under-represented and erased both on campus and in the curriculum,” she said. “The Indigenous Studies program will hopefully not only impact those students who take the courses or the minor, but inspire professors in other disciplines to take a critical look at their own pedagogies and syllabi from a decolonial perspective, and force McGill’s administration to take concrete steps to support and foster Indigenous students.”

A 2014 study performed at McGill and published by the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education found that indigenous students experienced daily racial microaggressions—incidents of racially charged attacks that are often unintentional, and reflect ignorant conceptions from perpetrators.

Whether they stem from ignorance or stereotypes, these incidents are alike in their consistency. The hostile experiences span five categories, the last of which is “living with day-to-day cultural and social isolation,” or in other words, feeling as if the student is the only indigenous person on campus. This issue is an especially large hurdle for McGill.

“Right now, indigenous students

can’t see themselves up at the front of the classroom,” said Downey.

“They’re reminded at times that their knowledge systems, understanding of the world, where they come from, [and] their identity, [are not] respected in the way that it should be.”

Creating a more welcoming campus isn’t a unique issue to McGill.

Colonialism is a word often used mistakenly in the past tense. In 2011, only 9.8 percent of indigenous peoples aged 25-64 had a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 26.5 percent of non-indigenous Canadians of the same age group. The last residential schools in Canada didn’t close until 1996. This may have ended the government practice of removing indigenous children from their home communities, isolating them from their culture and languages, and often subjecting them to abuse and neglect, but it did not erase its impact.

In 2013, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission—a section of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement that aims to educate Canadians about the history of Indian Residential Schools (IRS)— released its recommendations to the Canadian public for making amends to the indigenous lives affected by the institutions—recommendations that spanned 94 separate points aimed to repair the damage from the forced cultural assimilation that was at the heart of the schools. Every university in Canada, including McGill, signed a pledge to support the recommendations.

When asked to reflect upon what it means to live as an indigenous person within a modern colonial context, Downey said that Kanesatake Mohawk elder John Cree summed it up best during a visit to one of Downey’s classes.

“You know what’s funny, is that I know everything about you: I know about your laws, about your culture, about your governance—and yet you know nothing about me,” Downey quoted.

McGill’s involvement in the Truth

and Reconciliation process is a difficult subject. Despite recent support from faculty and ongoing lobbying by faculty and students, there is a persistent lack of representation of indigenous populations on campus.

“We’re really far behind when it comes to the recruitment and retention of indigenous faculty,” Downey said. “It’s really difficult for [McGill] to be able to [support these recommendations] at this point in time where it stands with the faculty status.”

However, Downey hopes that the program brings exposure to some of these positive things.

“These are positive changes that can take place at the university. It’s really critical that we’re starting to ask these questions,” he said.

“You know what’s funny, is that I know everything about you: I know about your laws, about your culture, about your governance—and yet you know nothing about me,” Nonetheless, Downey is unfailingly gracious, and when asked how he’s gotten to be where he is, he always makes sure to say that his success is more of a reflection of the people around him. This includes students lobbying for programs at McGill, a supportive administration, organizations like the First Peoples House and communities

like those he grew up in and has found in Montreal. It is clear that, to him, there is nothing more essential than community. At the end of the day, his goal is to give back and help build up the already rich communities around him. However, it is clear that Downey has earned where he has ended up- he is nothing if not dedicated to his subject.

In midst of discussing the lack of representation on campus, Downey stops the conversation to make sure it’s clear that the indigenous predicament is not all doom and gloom.

There are indigenous people doing great things all across the country, but they often get lost in the numbers. It’s easy to get stuck on the bad instead of highlighting the good.

When discussing the inequality at McGill, Downey also stops to point out that in the last year the administration has been quite supportive of the new program, and has even begun the process of recruiting another indigenous professor. It is not that change is meeting resistance, but that the road is long and the journey just beginning.

It is quite late—as Downey says, McGill is very publically behind the times—but as the saying goes, better late than never. There has been tremendous student support behind the various indigenous initiatives on campus—the student body is demanding indigenous content and attention for indigenous issues, and the administration is beginning to listen. Downey always refers to the “conversation” that he hopes will result from the inclusion of these indigenous issues—an open dialogue about a long ignored, yet essential part of North American history.

“It’s long overdue, [that] is the best way to put it. We’re just starting, and we have a ways to go, and really, if the interest continues like it is right now, I think not only will the university have to pay attention— and they are paying attention—[...] but it’s going to have a larger effect on the communities in Montreal and the communities in Quebec which I think is important,” Downey said.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

MUSEUM REVIEW

Take Me To Church

Sistene Chapel comes to Montreal Demaris Oxman Contributor

Few works are as universally recognized or as globally revered as Michelangelo’s masterful works in the Sistine Chapel. Created in the early 16th century, these works depict scenes from the Bible’s Book of Genesis, biblical prophets, and the ancestors of Jesus. Among its most recognizable images are the Great Flood, the battle between David and Goliath, and the iconic Creation of Adam. For devout Christians, historians, and art critics alike, the Sistine Chapel is a place to revel in the glory of both. And now it’s here in Montreal.

Entering the exhibit is a perfect escape. Despite other viewers drifting through the room, it is near silent apart for the faint background of choral music, lending itself to the ambience.

The audio tour is succinct, informative, and given in a relaxed and soothing voice. Viewers are guided through

the exhibit viewing the paintings in the order they were intended, in the same layout as they are presented on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, so that visitors may truly appreciate the stories the images tell. Both the Biblical inspiration and the histories of the paintings themselves are told through the audio player, providing patrons with a rich background. Far from a dull lecture, the narration provides succinct versions of age-old stories, historical context, amusing anecdotes, and insight into the artist’s psyche.

The images of the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling have been captured with state-of-the-art photography taken by the world-renowned Erich Lessing, and are currently on display at the Palais des Congrès. Taken just after a recent restoration, the reproductions portray the paintings in vibrant colour and precise detail. All 33 ceiling frescoes have been reproduced in lifesize, along with a scaled-down reproduction of The Last Judgment, which

A vsitor observes one of many images from Michelangelo’s Sistene Chapel. (Emma Hameau / McGill Tribune) depicts the second coming of Christ and the separation of the chosen and the damned.

The black, steely, industrial surroundings can’t possibly compare to being physically present in the Sistine Chapel itself. Particularly for the frescoes originally painted in the corners or on curved portions of the chapel’s ceiling, it’s harder to appreciate their true genius when they must be viewed two dimensionally rather than on the special surfaces for which their geometry was constructed.

These minor details are a small

price to pay for the chance to see the finer aspects of the paintings in a way that’s impossible to experience outside of Vatican City. In the chapel itself, the paintings can only be viewed from a distance, but in the exhibit, they’re 10 feet away. It allows viewers to get up close and personal with the old masterpieces, to examine the expressions on the faces of the prophets, and to marvel at the play of light on folds of silken robes. Being so close to the works creates an intimate experience with the subjects of the paintings, as the viewer is finally able to

Rhetoric

see every detail and brushstroke.

While it’s not exactly like being in the Vatican, it’s a comparable experience. The reproductions are beautiful, the guided tour is enlightening, and the images are overwhelming and awe-inspiring. The biggest drawback is craning your neck to see the works hung from the ceiling—just like the real experience.

Michealangelo’s Sistene Chapel: The Exhibition will be at Espace 1001 (1001 Jean-Paul Riopelle Place) until Oct. 12. Tickets are between $12 and $19.50.

Pop

Give me Convenience or give me Death Mr. Robot and the complicated relationship between art, consumerism, and technology.

Shows like Mr. Robot and Black Mirror look at the way the internet age has changed our lives (cnet.com)

Eric Noble-Marks Contributor “The world itself is just one big hoax,” protagonist Elliot Alderson says in the pilot episode of Mr. Robot. This summer’s critical darling, the show tells the story of Alderson, a socially-awkward, morphine-addicted hacker extraordinaire. Alderson looks at his world and sees an obvious problem: Much of it appears to be in the hands of corporations—namely the monopolistic “E-corp” (referred to by Alderson and others as “Evil Corp” throughout the show). Like any responsible hacker, he teams up with the hacktivist group “fsociety” in order to sabotage Evil Corp’s electronic records and revert all personal debt to zero.

Rami Malek shines as Alderson, who, despite his rather bythe-numbers character description, comes off as a distinct and memorable protagonist. In many ways,

the show is at its best when it stops preaching about corporate greed and instead focuses on Anderson.

Malek plays the character with such pathos and loneliness that it’s hard to look away.

The show’s anti-corporate zeal is well-trodden territory. That’s not to say that it isn’t well done; the aesthetic and narrative of Mr. Robot owes a great deal to Fight Club (1999), a biting satire on consumerism in its own right; however, the show generally portrays the head honchos of Evil Corp as cartoonishly evil caricatures. Tyrell Wellick (Martin Wallstrom), an ambitious middle-manager, is a notable exception not because he’s any less evil, but because he’s more interesting—equal parts Frank Underwood and Patrick Bateman.

The other executives paint a clear, unambiguous portrait of good and evil. Corporations are bad, end of story.

This leads to the one question that is left unanswered in shows

like Mr. Robot or movies like Fight Club: After the technocracy comes crumbling down and the debts have been cleared, what’s next? After all, the increasing concentration of political power in the hands of the rich is well documented. Anyone can look at the Citizens United ruling or the widening gap between the rich and poor and get a good grasp of the way society is heading.

It’s harder to admit that it may be as much our fault as corporations.

Perhaps this answer-seeking is unwarranted. Anderson concludes one of his better monologues with “it’s painful not to pretend, because we’re cowards.” Fight Club’s Tyler Durden captured the predicament of the middle-class worker perfectly, saying “we’re slaves in white collars, working jobs we hate to buy shit we don’t need.” As Wellick and Anderson progress, both protagonists tends to forget these concerns, and instead, focus on their main objective—taking down the big, bad corporations, the symptom

of a greater societal disease.

Enter Black Mirror (2011).

Charlie Brooker’s cynical, scifi satire is the best commentary on consumerism and technology on television. Unfortunately, it’s not on television very often, with only seven excellent episodes to its name since its launch in 2011.

Rather than forming a consistent narrative, each episode provides a stand-alone glimpse into the society of the near future. Its characters are not Wall Street capitalists, nor are they revolutionaries. Instead, they are ordinary people, living in a society that is already far out of their reach. One tragically absurd episode features a cynical comedian who decides to run for office as a foul-mouthed animated bear named Waldo as a joke. People have lost such faith in the politicians that Waldo the Bear is able to mount a considerable challenge to the other candidates. Another episode features a device called a “grain,” which records its owner’s

every action for replay at a later time. To viewers’ horror, they witness a couple’s domestic troubles spiral out of control as the device eradicates any trust they had in each other.

What Black Mirror understands that Mr. Robot and Fight Club don’t is that in a world of distractions, technology and consumption have not only shaped political and economic relationships between people, but also personal relationships. Society is at the point in which identities are self-consciously constructed on social networks every day; where a conversation with someone across the world is just a click away, but something as simple as knowing the next-door neighbours is often neglected. This hasn’t been forced on us. We chose Candy Crush and Snapchat. Perhaps then, instead of asking, “How do we destroy this world?” The question at hand should be, “why did we create it in the first place?”

11

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

student o f t h e w ee k

JUNE MILLS u 3 internati o nal devel o pment

By Karina Alibhai (Natalie Vineberg / McGill Tribune)

June Mills is passionate about using education as a means to foster global development. Pursuing an honours degree in international development, she has become deeply interested in global educational policies, and her desire to help and educate others has driven her to engage in many activities both on campus and internationally.

As the recipient of the Davies Family Arts International Internship Award, Mills pursued an opportunity offered by McGill’s Arts Internship Office to work with the Association for India’s Development (AID) this summer. She was able to intern in their education department, The Eureka Child Foundation, and visit rural areas while examining their primary education programs.

From this, Mills compiled a report about the most effective teaching practices in classrooms, and was able to draw conclusions to help the organization better understand which teaching methods were best-suited to improving students’ scores. During her time abroad Mills also travelled around India, to places like New Delhi and Agra.

“I chose to go to India for two reasons: First, I have always wanted to travel [to] India and learn about a new culture, language, and history,” Mills said. “Secondly, I was very interested in the work with education that AID India does.”

Mills’ passion for global development also led her to get involved with the Dream Corps chapter at McGill. Dream Corps is an organization that works with local governments, schools, and educators in rural China to set up libraries, provide books, and run reading activities for children.

“I got involved with Dream Corps because I was born in China and was adopted at a young age,” Mills said. “I have been fortunate to grow up in Canada [...] and this is a way for me to give back.” Throughout the year, Mills plans to hold fundraisers and information sessions in order to raise money towards sending books to libraries in China.

In addition to being a member of the Dream Corps chapter, Mills is an executive member of Best Buddies. Best Buddies is an international organization that fosters the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in the community through friendship programs with student buddies. Mills has been a part of this program since she was in high school and is now the co-event director of the McGill chapter.

“I learned about Best Buddies in grade 10 at a leadership conference [...] my friend and I loved the program so much we opened a chapter at our high school,” Mills explained.

On top of planning events like glee concerts and the Annual Art Auction, Mills maintains a positive relationship with her buddy of three years, Jonathan, through playing guitar and attending glee club rehearsals­ —her favourite activities to do together.

While education is important for Mills as a pillar for international development, she also places deep importance on her own education and is the recipient of the Duncan McCaskill Scholarship at McGill. Combining her desire to help others and enrich her own knowledge, she is currently a research assistant for Political Science assistant pro-

fessor Megan Bradley. Mills decided to take on this position after taking and thoroughly enjoying Dr. Bradley’s course, POLI 359, on refugee politics.

Mills is excited to start the next chapter of her life, and she is shocked by how quickly her three years at McGill have flown by.

She reminisced that one of her favourite memories at McGill was meeting people from all over the world during first year.

“I was in New Rez which was huge, but I was still able to meet many people,” Mills said. “I made closer friends here than I ever have, and going through all the ups and downs with those friends was fun and a bonding experience.”

Mills also cites immersing herself in the McGill community as one of the most valuable aspects of her time in university, and advises other students to do the same to get the most out their McGill experience.

“Don’t worry too much about your work,” Mills said. “Readings are definitely important, but it is also important to take advantage of every opportunity you get because you are only here for a couple years, and there are a lot of cool things that happen at McGill [...] Take advantage of all your resources.”

Mills hopes to use the insight gained through her research assistant position, as well as her various other community service endeavours, as she looks into post-graduate paths such as law school and graduate studies programs. This way she can continue applying her passions and academic abilities to the real world and inspire positive change among others.

Preparing for life after McGill A to-do list for getting in to graduate school or landing a first job JULIE VANDERPERRE Managing Editor Although graduation may seem far away, it is never too early to begin making plans for a career or continuing education after McGill. It is normal for students to feel anxious about postgraduate plans, and it can be daunting to not know where or when to start.

Here’s a comprehensive to-do list to quell common worries and leave McGill students feeling prepared to face life beyond the Roddick Gates.

Request copies of your transcript from Service Point This is one of the most commonly overlooked steps of applying for jobs or grad school, and it is also one of the simplest. You can easily order your transcript on Minerva or in person, and they will mail the copies to your address, or you can pick them up at Service Point.

Doing this early will ensure that you don’t need to stress about the processing time (which can be up to a week during peak periods) that

it takes for your transcript to arrive.

You can also avoid the $15 fee that is charged for urgent transcript requests.

Attend career development workshops hosted by CaPS CaPS hosts a series of different workshops and info sessions to help students plan for careers and graduate school. These seminars start in September, and are held throughout first semester into November.

Presentations include everything from “Discover the Hidden Job Market” to “Time Management for Busy Students.” These events are also great opportunities to speak to other students who are also experiencing the same trepidation, and share advice.

Browse job listings McGill provides several comprehensive databases of companies and organizations to check out. myFuture is the CaPS job and internship search tool that is only available to McGill students, and has a long list of reputable employ-

ers. You can apply for jobs directly through myFuture, which can help to ease access to employers who normally would be more difficult to contact. You can also tailor your job search by industry, location, and type using different job search engines listed on the CaPS website.

Attend career and/or graduate school fairs CaPS hosts several of these, in cooperation with various faculties and student groups. The fairs take place throughout September, October, and November, and they provide plenty of valuable information on different opportunities to explore, and are a great place to begin networking.

Create a LinkedIn account Although some people view LinkedIn’s form of cyber-networking as superfluous, it is a useful tool to research different companies and to explore the interests and connections of your contemporaries.

If you already have a LinkedIn account, now is the time to update

your profile with any relevant experience that you gained over the summer. Don’t forget to join groups like McGill University Alumni and your faculty’s group on LinkedIn to stay up to date on networking and employment opportunities. CaPS also has a LinkedIn peer advising service coming soon.

Draft your CV and go to CaPS’s Daily Drop-In to have it reviewed Registration for drop-in visits opens at 9 a.m., and you must go in person to the CaPS office to register for a meeting the same day.

Your CV can make or break a job opportunity, so it is imperative that it is formatted and edited to perfection.

Ask your professors for recommendations Most employers and graduate schools will require at least one recommendation from a professor.

Indstructors therefore get inundated each semester with requests from students to write them shin-

ing, thoughtful, and personalized letters. Ask your professors as early as possible to write you a recommendation to avoid the rush that usually happens closer to when job applications are due. It is courteous to give professors at least one month to complete the letter. When asking a professor to write you a letter, be polite in your request and make them understand why you value their perspective. Don’t forget to bring along supplemental materials like your resume, personal statement, and any information pertaining to the job or graduate program to which you are applying.

Prep for interviews The more you practice, the less nervous you will be for your important interviews. You can schedule an appointment for a mock interview with a career advisor, or even just practice what you plan to say with a friend. CaPS also provides a comprehensive how-to guide for preparing for interviews and making sure that you ace each one.

Student Living

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

New York Fashion Week: Taking the trends to the streets

(vogue.com/fashion-shows)

12

by Tiffany Le and Chloe Lau

Monochrome

Off the shoulder

The fashion world is no stranger to monochrome colour schemes and Givenchy’s Spring 2016 collection took advantage of this simple palette to transform silk and lace from sleepwear to daywear. This unusual pairing pays homage to gothic undertones, another prominent theme present at New York Fashion Week. The monochrome trend allows for a wide range of experimentation with textures, layers, fabrics, and accessories while still keeping the pieces relatable. A great addition to this look showcased at Givenchy’s show was a classic pointed heel with an lace-up panel to add structure to the front of the shoe. Not only are such outfits easy to transition from runway to campus, they’re also easy to match on days when you’re running late for class. Moreover, the unique texture and feel of corduroy is a good starting point to become comfortable with the different structures and materials showcased in this trend.

Proenza Schouler’s collection at New York Fashion Week highlighted the brand’s versatility.

The use of asymmetric structures and textures in their Spring 2016 collection welcomes ruffles and polka dots back into the spotlight. The collection also continued the trend of incorporating elements from traditional East Asian garments such as the Chinese cheongsam and the Korean hanbok. One of the prominent trends in the collection plays on fashion’s obsession with shoulders. Should cutouts have been seen in previous years, ut this season is the pinnacle of the full off-the-shoulder trend. For this piece, as well as many others in the collection, designers McCollough and Hernandez incorporated ruffles inspired by traditional Spanish garments. A loose off-the-shoulder top or dress with bell sleeves can give any outfit a ‘70s impression, but a tight off-the-shoulder crop top is a modernized layering staple. Even as Montreal heads into the colder months, the off-the-shoulder trend can still be transitioned to long-sleeves­—an easy tip for students attempting to mirror this look.

Shorts on shorts

Longer the better

For his 10th anniversary collection this season, Alexander Wang not only threw the best, most extravagant party of New York Fashion Week, but he also displayed a groundbreaking collection. Wang has consistently paved the way for creating wearable trends with an unusual twist. With defining figures of this generation— from Kanye West to Nicki Minaj—filling up his front row, it was only fitting that Wang’s collection represented this generation’s rebellious, adventurous mindset. His pieces evoked an urban jungle vibe, and one look that stood out was the two pairs of shorts stacked on top of one another. Any pair of baggy jean shorts will take on a whole new persona on top of another pair of colourful shorts. There is a nonchalant, careless feel to every piece that Wang has ever presented, and perhaps that’s the key to his widespread popularity. Whether opting for some worn-in cutoffs with a pair of adidas basketball shorts, or a polka-dotted number over neon spandex, this is a way to break out some clothes hiding in the back of your closet. This whole look is about the confidence to try something different and it is an innovative way to break the conventions of how clothing should be worn.

Trench coats have always been a classic staple, but this year they’ve shown up fulllength, billowy, and Sherlock Holmes-esque all over the runway. At his New York Fashion Week show, Calvin Klein Collection designer Francisco Costa threw a velvety trench coat over a loose-fitting silk slip dress for an edgy yet refined look. Costa also introduced eye-catching florals that bring to mind a modern East Asian flair.

This infallible combo is comfortable, and looks great even when paired with sneakers (as Costa proves) and the intricate and minimalistic stitching on certain pieces ads a subtle curiosity to his creation. Contrasting and combining the richness of fabrics with the simplicity of the outfits is what made this collection memorable.

Long trench coats are a great trend because they are very open to interpretation. A student budget might not accommodate a brand new trench coat, but thrift stores offer a wide range of sizes and colours. Channel a casual Winona Ryder at the 1987 screening of Amazing Grace & Chuck by slipping on a pair of pyjama-looking printed pants underneath, or imitate Audrey Hepburn’s timeless glamour by pairing your trench with some sleek black heels.

13

Science & technology

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

“So, you want to become a doctor?” gives students a look into the medical world MedSpecs hosts its annual medical icebreaker esha kaul Contributor Last Wednesday’s ‘So, you want to become a doctor?’ conference, organized by MedSpecs, spoke about the process of applying to med school.

The presentations, which featured current McGill medical school students and alumnus, drew from personal experiences. The event began with, Guido Guberman Diaz, M1 McGill, who provided the audience with guidance on the medical application process.

“There’s no specific recipe to get into medical school,” he explained. “Try to excel in one particular area of interest and be at least acceptable at the rest.

[Be] a jack of some trades and a master of one.”

In response to a student’s question about what extracurriculars to participate in, Diaz said that it is essential to pick an activity that is meaningful.

“Question everything you do to find the underlying importance for why you did it,” he explained. “If you can find no other answer than adding it to your CV then you should really reconsider doing it.”

For Diaz, finding meaning in his activities meant establishing a MedSpecs chapter at Concordia and conducting research during his undergraduate years—experiences he said he loved and grew from. Sharing these experiences is vital for those curious about the application process.

“It’s great to have medical students and doctors discussing their experiences and providing tips on how to succeed as a candidate,” explained Jacqueline Hsiao, U1 Science, who attended the event.

Nebras Warsi, who is currently in his third year at McGill medical school, was the second speaker. He likened applying to medical school to making food.

“There is a lot of different things going into it, but we can all agree there is never any one type of recipe that’s always the best,” he explained.

“Sometimes you can put in a little bit more sugar, which could be GPA in this case. If you have a little less sugar, you can go for those glazed cherries which could be extracurriculars.”

Warsi explained that his experience shadowing a doctor at the Montreal General Hospital allowed him to grow as a person and exemplified the importance of experiences for the sake of self-discovery and learning.

The final presenter, Dr. Leah Feldman is a recent McGill medical school graduate and is currently a second-year resident practising family medicine. Feldman emphasized on how important it is to be passionate about what you do. She explained that as a doctor, she loves her job because of the lives she’s touched and the innumerable things she’s learned from her patients; however, because studying medicine is a long process, Feldman underscores that it’s important to understand the

Third-year medical school student Nebras Warsi gave medical school prospects advice and insight on the application process.

(Emma Hameau / McGill Tribune) reasoning behind why a person wants to be a doctor.

For those who are uncertain about their dedication, this means making it through the first year of medical school, which tends to be a decisive period. Those who have chosen the profession for money alone often become overwhelmed, and drop out at this point.

“Most people have this idealization [about being a doctor] where [...] you walk into the room, everyone is in a panic due to a code blue [and....] you save the patient’s life and go home in your Mercedes with a

FACT OR FICTION

Are you born a morning person?

Chloe Nevitt & Francesca McFadden

measurements (a device similar to a wrist-watch to measure a person’s activity). By then, comparing the genomes of individuals to the genes researchers believed were correlated to sleep rhythms specific polymorphisms—single nucleotide mutations within the genome— were detected. These were then paired with the actigraphic records of the participants, and allowed the researchers to determine how specific polymorphisms affected an individual’s daily rhythm. The research suggests that a single change in PER1 can alter your waking time by by as much as an hour.

For some, it seems impossible that a point mutation in one gene could cause such a dramatic change in sleep preferences. However, these differences are seen elsewhere too.

“Night owls [have] significantly less white matter [in their brains], and as a result, there are fewer pathways for feel-good hormones such as serotonin or dopamine to travel through,” explained the host Mitchell Moffitt in an ASAPScience video. “But it’s not all bad for the late-nighters. In fact, they tend to be much more creative, have been found to have higher cognitive

Science & Technology Editor & Contributor Some individuals find themselves waking up with the birds, while others are falling asleep to them. People who wake up late have been stigmatized by society as being lazy, while those up at the break of dawn were perceived as the gogetters; however, studies are showing that the inverse is most likely true.

Research conducted in 2010 at the London School of Economics and Political Science showed that people with higher IQs are more likely to be nocturnal. Furthermore, a person’s sleep schedule is almost entirely genetically predetermined and certainly not a mark of competence.

A study published in the journal Annals of Neurology in 2012 discovered variations within a specific gene, PER1, which is among a group of genes that affect human behavioural rhythms. These can then be linked to the circadian system— the body’s internal 24-hour clock.

The team first determined participants’ daily activity peak— known as the acrophase—over a week-long period via actigraphic

abilities, and are known to be risktakers.

While the cause of this decrease in white matter is unclear—some scientists attribute it to a sort of ‘social jet lag’ experienced by night owls—it’s presence is linked to increased susceptibility to depression and disruptions of normal cognitive functions.

Individual dispositions to sleep or wakefulness have huge impacts on cognitive performance and lifestyle, even beyond uncontrollable physical traits. In today’s society, an early bird lifestyle is favoured; most work and school days are structured in an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. manner. By forcing night owls to go against their body’s natural rhythm, late-risers are more vulnerable to depression, sleep disturbances, and substance abuse. “[Early birds] tend to get better grades in school, which gets them into better colleges, which then leads to better job opportunities,” explained Christopher Randler, a biology professor at the University of Education in Heidelberg to PsychologyToday. “Morning people also anticipate problems and try to minimize them. They’re proactive.”

To further understand and narrow the definitions of individuals

ton of money,” she said.

McGill medical school is unique because it gives clinical exposure to students from their second year; however, its intensity also makes it quite demanding.

“No matter if you’ve done a bachelors, masters, or PhD, it’s a ton of new information [in your first year] but it’s fun and [the professors] help you through it,” Feldman said.

After graduating from medical school, students will need to complete a residency. This can take from two to five years and is often followed by a fellowship that can take roughly

three more years—another reason why Feldman encouraged prospects to really understand their motives behind becoming a doctor.

For those in attendance, the event helped assuage the fears of many.

“I had a different perception about medical school,” U0 Science student Irene Zhang said. “Now that I’ve heard the speakers talk, I’m [even] more motivated to apply to medical school.”

Full disclosure: Adrien Hu, copresident of MedSpecs, is the Copy Editor for the McGill Tribune.

An individual’s sleep schedule is largely genetically determined. (sleepJunkie.com) based on sleep-preference, The American Academy of Sleep Medicine categorized individuals based on their disposition to sleep and wakefulness; people can be categorized as early (EC), late (LC) or intermediate (IC) chronotypes.

In the study, researchers showed that LC individuals had lower firstyear university GPAs than EC students, however, for the most part had comparable GPAs by their last year in university. The scientists

believe that this is due to students understanding their chronotypes and taking courses accordingly; however, following re-entry into structured society, these individuals once again suffer in order to adapt.

The solution to this, many scientists have theorized, is to allow employees to work at their most productive hours of the day—be it night or day. However, the challenge remains in how to accommodate all of these individuals.

14

Science & technology

Tuesday, September 22, 2015 The History

The Lingo

1982:

The first officially accepted use of an emoticon took place on September 19, 1982 when Carnegie Mellon professor Scott Fahlman posted the now-iconic :-) on an electronic bulletin board.

1987:

Emojis are changing the way people communicate. (Natalie Vineberg / McGill Tribune)

Understanding the world of hiero-gifics The gist on GIFs, emojis, and stickers CLARE LYLE Contributor Emoticons have been used for decades to eliminate ambiguity in the tone of a text-based message. Take, for instance: ‘You’re late ;P’ vs. ‘You’re late.’ The two messages inspire very different reactions in the reader, yet contain the same words in the same order. Studies have shown that humans react to emoticons in the same way that they respond to real facial expressions. In a study published in Social Neuroscience, scientists found that the same structures in the brain that are activated when people see faces are activated when they see emoticons.

A 2014 study in The Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication found that emoticons serve the same role in text-based communication as facial expressions and other non-verbal cues do in face-to-face interaction.

According to the researchers, emoticons aren’t limited to just expressing happy and sad emotions.

“When following expressive speech acts, such as thanks [and] greetings, [emojis] function as strengtheners,”

As platforms like Short Message Service (SMS), Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp grow in popularity, the amount of time people spend interacting face-to-face decreases. To make up for this, tech enthusiasts and artists have teamed up to develop novel ways to convey emotion over text. Ranging from the humble smiley to the more complex cat GIF, these seemingly innocuous images have had a huge impact on the way we communicate today.

the paper stated. “When following directives (such as requests, corrections, etc.) they function as softeners.”

Emoticon usage follows rules that allow the user to express politeness and respect—in addition to smiley faces.

Another report, written by the keyboard app SwiftKey, presented statistics on emoji-use by country.

The French used the heart emoticon more than any other nationality, while Canadians stood out for their use of the pizza emoji. Interestingly, the type of emoticon used to express the same feeling—happiness, sadness, fear— varied depending on which country the sender was from.

For example, to express happiness, :) is the most popular emoticon used in North America, but in East Asian countries ^,^ is preferred.

Emoticon usage has also been found to vary between social groups. According to a study published in the Journal of CyberPsychology and Behaviour, women tend to use more emoticons than men in internet communications, although this difference in emoticon usage becomes less pronounced when people are in mixed-gender settings.

The GIF file format is created by Steve Wilhite of the company Compuserve in June 1987 to improve on black and white image transfers without slowing down modems. The GIF introduced 256 colours to the image.

1992:

‘Les Horribles Cernettes’’—a parody music group created at CERN—album cover becomes the first image file uploaded onto the internet.

1999:

The emoji was first created in Japan in 1999 by DoKoMo i-mode—a mobile phone provider in Japan—to allow their users to add pictures in their text messages.

2011:

Apple incorporates emojis into its iPhone keyboard with the release of iOS 5.

2013:

Facebook enables users to add stickers to their messenger conversations.

2015:

In May, Facebook messenger incorporates Giphy, an app which let users send GIFs to each other in comments and private messages.

ASCII:

The American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) is a way for computers to encode characters through text. It is limited to the Latin alphabet and assigns each character (i.e., letter or punctuation mark) to an integer value, which the computer then stores and uses.

Character encoding:

Used to represent characters by a set system of symbols or patterns—examples include Morse code and braille.

Unicode:

A computing industry standard used to handle character sets for almost any language.

Emoticon:

A series of ASCII characters that represent a facial expression.

Emoji:

An icon that conveys meaning by resembling the physical object. This could be, for example, showing a smiling face to convey happiness.

Bitmap:

A way that computers represent image data as a matrix of dots.

GIF:

The Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) is a bitmap image format that also supports animations.

Giphy:

App that lets you send GIF files through a messaging service.

Ten billion light-year-old galaxy cluster discovered Young stars formed in unprecedented galaxy to galaxy collision Daniel Galef Contributor Continued from page one: SpARCS1049+56 is unique in more ways than one. Not only is it undergoing this extremely unlikely type of rebirth— creating new stars as a result of the wet merger—but it’s doing so at an incredible rate of speed. The merger is thought to produce 800 new stars per year.

In comparison, Earth’s galaxy, the Milky Way, only births one or two stars per year.

A tell-tale sign of new star formation is the creation of gas pockets.

This phenomenon, visually described as by astronomers as “beads on a

string,” was observed by the Hubble and Spitzer telescopes.

“With Spitzer’s infrared camera, we can actually see the ferocious heat from all these hot young stars,” stated Jason Surace, senior research astronomer at California Institute of Technology, another coauthor of the paper.

SpARCS1049+56 is 9.8 billion light-years from Earth.

To put this into perspective, if Pluto were 7 μm away from the Earth (the width of a single red blood cell), the cluster would still be 133,000 km away.

Consequently, any information we know about it is 10 billion light-years out of date, because that’s how long it’s taken light to travel the distance separating humans from the galaxy cluster.

Nevertheless, astronomers believe that the cluster is still around today. Unlike other celestial bodies such as stars and nebulae—whose expiration dates are astronomical but existent— galaxy clusters are essentially endless.

According to Webb, the fascinating galaxy wet merger that makes SpARCS1049+56 so special is by now long over, having lasted about a billion years; however, the object— now wholly merged into one gargantuan galaxy of mature stars—still very much exists and is probably one of the largest things in the universe.

“Today Sparky is probably a very massive galaxy, but not one that has much going on,” Webb said.

When galaxies collide, stars are born. (Wikipedia.org)

15

Sports

Tuesday, September 22, 2015 B e h in d t h e B enc h

A September to remember PO I N T

Marcus Stroman has the Jays thinking of ‘93 EYAL WILK Contributor The last time the Toronto Blue Jays were atop the AL East this late in the regular season, the European Union did not exist, Billboard’s No. 1 song was Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” and Liam Neeson was nominated for an Academy Award. Since the transcendent 1993 World Series team, injury, sub-par play, and disappointment have afflicted the Jays franchise and numbed Toronto fans to the point of near apathy.

At first, the 2015 season seemed no different. Just two weeks after the Blue Jays’ first team spring training workout, the team’s 5’8” ace Marcus Stroman tore his ACL and was believed to be out for the season. Stroman’s rookie season was one of the few bright spots in a mediocre 2014 Jays’ pitching staff; he posted a 3.65 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 111 strikeouts in 130.2 innings pitched. The team believed he could be their number one starter in 2015.

With Stroman’s season-ending injury, it was tough to find hope in a rotation that featured two unproven rookies (Daniel Norris, Aaron Sanchez), two veterans nearing the end of their careers (Robert Dickey, Mark Buehrle), and the frustrating

F r o m t h e c h ea p seats

Drew Hutchison. Stroman, however, refused to give up on the season, and aimed to make a late-season return.

“Right when I tore my ACL, I kind of mapped [my comeback] out in my head,” Stroman told Robert MacLeod of the Globe and Mail.

He returned to Duke University to finish his Sociology degree and endured a gruelling rehab regimen.

From his more than frequent Instagram and Twitter updates, It was clear he was putting in work, but the idea of a miraculous Stroman resurrection in September seemed unnecessary. The Blue Jays would be sitting at their usual .500 record down the stretch—why rush Stroman back for a handful of meaningless starts?

Something strange started to happen after the All-Star break, however. Alex Anthopoulos, the patron saint of Jays fans, pulled off a set of miraculous deadline-day deals that brought in David Price, Troy Tulowitzki, Ben Revere and some key depth pieces to the bullpen.

With a revamped squad, the Blue Jays were transformed into a big, blue winning machine.

In the month of August, the team went 21-6 to overcome a 7.5 game deficit and take the division lead from the Yankees. The lineup instilled fear in the hearts of the

grown men trying (and failing) to pitch to them as they averaged 6.3 runs a game and outscored their opponents by 87 runs. The rotation, led

by Price, has posted the lowest WHIP (1.06) and third lowest ERA (2.83) in the entire MLB. Jays fans everywhere rejoiced as their team broke further and further into uncharted territory. When Stroman’s first rehab start was announced, Jays fans couldn’t push thoughts of ’92 and ’93 out of their minds.

An ACL tear usually requires anywhere from six to 12 months of rehab to fully heal. Stroman was running, and throwing 80 feet across the diamond in four months. Five months after his surgery, Stroman completed his rehab at Duke. On Sept. 2, he threw 4.2 innings of shutout ball in his first rehab start with the Jays’ Single-A affiliate.

After a quick tune-up in Triple-A, the unthinkable was announced: Stroman would make his season debut against the Yankees on Sept.

12.

Any visiting pitcher will tell you that Yankee Stadium, with its

Height doesn’t measure heart.TM (Elli Slavitch / McGill Tribune) short left-field porch, is the last place you would want to make your first start after returning from a serious injury. Stroman wasn’t bothered.

He went five innings, giving up three runs on four hits to record an emotional win. He was electrifying in his next start against the Red Sox. Pitching in front of a sold-out crowd at the Rogers Centre, Stroman fired seven innings of one run ball, giving up six hits and striking out three in his homecoming.

As the Jays chase the Royals for the best record in the AL and home-field advantage in the playoffs, Stroman’s unlikely return

gives the team a whole lot of pitching options that they did not have a few months ago. It allows the Jays to put a struggling Hutchison in the bullpen with the option of pulling him back into the rotation if the aging Mark Buehrle needs to be rested. If Stroman can return to his top form for the post-season, the Jays will have an infusion of talent and a top-of-the-rotation starter that will gear them up for a deep playoff run. As the team reunites with their star pitcher, you get the sense that nothing can go wrong for the Jays.

Stroman has the Jays singing: “This is going to be our year.”

All about the Alouettes PO I N T

Falling in love with Canadian football at Molson Stadium Sason Ross Contributor Many McGill students I’ve talked to don’t respect the CFL. They see it as a game filled with unskilled players—a joke living in the shadow of the NFL. Just go to one game and you’ll see that this couldn’t be farther from the truth. I headed to Molson Stadium on Sunday to see the Montreal Alouettes take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The atmosphere was electric. Every big play was followed by cheers from the crowd of 23,262 vociferous, loudmouthed Quebecers in attendance. A 95-yard kick return

by Montreal’s Stefan Logan—the game’s MVP—brought the crowd to a fever pitch. The energy was transcendent throughout the stadium as time wound down. The final score read 35-14 in favour of the Alouettes.

The CFL is a very distinct game in comparison to its American counterpart. It embraces a much faster pace, which leads to more highlight reel plays. With only three downs, a shorter 20-second play clock, and a larger field, offensive coordinators favour throwing the ball over running it. This leads to more

long passes—something any football fan will appreciate.

Jesse Briggs, a former Redmen football player and current Winnipeg Blue Bomber, explained what drew him to the CFL. “[It’s] something that is ours,” he said. “It’s truly Canadian, something that we own.”

There is a certain Canadian blue collar quality to the CFL. The average salary, according to Global News, is around $50,000 a year—a far cry from the NFL. CFL players have even been known to work as police officers in the off-season.

As a result there is less media coverage surrounding the CFL. It’s easier to focus on the on-field action without the distracting WWE-style narratives around deflategate and concussions.

The knock on the CFL is that the players are worse than NFL players. There’s no denying this— NFL players are faster, stronger and more skilled. The Canadian game, however, makes up for this by being more unpredictable and hence exciting. There’s an anything-canhappen mentality that leads to crazy games and Sports Centre moments.

In Sunday’s game, with

The Alouettes get ready to rumble. (guideevenement.com) Bombers’ quarterback Drew Willy injured, back-up Matt Nichols got the start for Winnipeg. It was immediately apparent that he was overmatched as he threw a pick that would have shamed a Pop Warner quarterback.

Injuries hurt a team far more in the CFL than in the NFL, because teams have less depth. This creates absurd and unexpected mismatches week to week. With less certainty

comes more excitement and parity.

Another wrinkle in the CFL is that after the three-minute warning, the clock stops on every play—20-point leads vanish in the last quarter of games as teams chuck the ball up on every possession.

These quirks make the average CFL game a perfect way to spend your Sunday. So grab some friends, drink a couple cold beers, and embrace some of Montreal’s very

own culture—it’s right at your doorstep. Find out for yourself whether or not this game is for you.

Be proud that we can call this game ours: Truly Canadian.

Alouettes games are played just around the corner from the upper residences at our very own PercivalMolson Stadium. Student tickets are anywhere between $24-34.

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Sports

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

kn o w y o u r at h lete

p a u l r ak o c z y Men ’ s L ac r o sse Defnece m an

By Ellie Solloway (Natalie Vineberg / McGill Tribune)

Paul Rakoczy is in a nostalgic mood as he prepares for his last season on the team. As his team gears up for the Baggataway Cup National Championship in November, the defenceman and co-captain is looking to the past for inspiration.

“It’s bittersweet, for sure,” Rakoczy said. “I love this lacrosse team. It’s something special.”

In his four years with the Redmen, Rakoczy helped the team win their first-ever CUFLA Championship in 2012 and reach two other finals. As this year’s squad takes aim at a pennant, his knowledge and experience will prove invaluable in boosting his teammates confidence.

“We’ve got 10 guys that were on that 2012 team,” Rakoczy explained. “[They] know what it takes to win, and I think that’s huge when it comes to showing some of the younger guys how to get there.”

The past two years, however, have seen the team twice come up short in the finals. In 2013, McGill was stunned 14-11 by the Guelph Gryphons. A year later, the Redmen—undefeated in the regular season—lost again to the Gryphons 15-12, despite scoring seven unanswered goals in a frantic final eight minutes.

These losses, while painful, are important to Rakoczy and the team as they plan the 2015 season.

“We know that we can score a lot of goals very quickly,” Rakoczy said. “In the coming games, we know

1 0 t h ings : RU G B Y w o r l d c u p

we need to come out faster and harder earlier in the game as opposed to letting other teams get ahead.”

The team is currently undefeated, and has outscored opponents 85-31 through its first five games. On defence, Rakoczy and his teammates have not skipped a beat after leading the league in goals against average last season.

Rakoczy has seen both sides of a championship in his playing career: Glorious victory and crushing defeat.

But beyond the final score, Rakoczy is passionate about the communities he’s a part of in Montreal. He chose McGill for it’s superior education, impressive campus, and the proximity to his home in Burlington, Ontario despite receiving multiple offers from NCAA Division 1 lacrosse schools in the U.S. “Most Division 1 schools in the states could beat us,” Rakoczy, an Earth and Planetary Sciences major, acknowledged. “But McGill offers a nice balance for lacrosse where it doesn’t become a full-time job.”

Rakoczy has cherished his McGill education, highlighting his experiences doing fieldwork for his department in far-flung locations such as Arizona, California, and Peru. He finds his workload pretty manageable, though balancing his work with the team often leads to “late nights.”

Being a part of a National Championship team is definitely a perk of attending McGill compared to other schools, and after winning it all in 2012, there’s nothing that motivates Rakoczy

more than the thought of sharing the taste of success with his teammates this season. Rakoczy is keeping his options open for after graduation, although he has no interest in going pro.

“I actually kind of want to open a brewery,” Rakoczy conceded with a laugh.

Career paths aside, when Rakoczy reflects on his four years at McGill, there’s no doubt he’ll have left behind an impressive legacy.

McGill Tribune (MT): Most used emoji?

Paul Rakoczy (PR): Sunglasses smiley.

(MT): Favorite ‘lax bro’ lingo?

(PR): ‘Savage’ is thrown around a lot on

the team these days.

(MT): Latest Netflix-binge watch?

(PR): I just finished Narcos two days

ago. Fan-tastic.

(MT): Favorite team to play an away

game against?

(PR): Probably Bishops, because their crowd hates us.

(MT): Fundraiser Samosa or Dispatch toast?

(PR): Samosa, for sure.

(MT): Finish this sentence: Donald Trump’s hair looks ______?

(PR): A dust bunny.

most

like

Twelve of the 20 teams in the tournament qualify automatically by finishing third or better in the group stages of the previous Rugby World Cup. The remaining eight teams qualify by region, with Europe and the Americas both receiving two qualifying places and Africa, Asia, and Oceania one place each. Final qualifiers are decided through a play-off.

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The tournament is divided into a group stage and a knockout stage. The nations are divided into four groups of five teams. In the group stage, each team plays every other team in its pool once. Teams are awarded four points for a win, two points for a draw and none for a defeat.

Teams can also score a bonus point by scoring four or more tries in one match or by losing by seven or fewer points.

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The top two teams from each pool enter the knockout stage, with the third-place team falling out of the tournament, but automatically qualifying for the next Rugby World Cup. The knockout stage has eight teams and three rounds: A quarter-final, semifinal, and then the final. The winner of each group faces the runner-up of another group in the quarter-final. The losers of the semifinal matches play a consolation match for a bronze medal.

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Japan shocks the world to beat South Africa. (stuff.co.nz )

By Nick Jasinski The Rugby World Cup, started in 1987, is a quadrennial international rugby championship contested by the top 20 national men’s rugby teams in the world. The 2015 tournament, which lasts six weeks, began on Sept. 18th and is being hosted by England. The final will be held at Twickenham Stadium in London on Oct. 31.

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Japan defeated South Africa 34-32 in the first great upset of the 2015 RugbyWorld Cup . The surprise group-stage victory was entirely unprecedented. South Africa had only lost to three other teams in the history of the World Cup: Australia, New Zealand, and England. It had also been 24 years since Japan last won a World Cup game. The match represents a pivotal moment for rugby in Japan, where the 2019 World Cup will be hosted.

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The winners of the tournament are awarded the William Webb Ellis Cup. The trophy is named after an Anglican clergyman who invented the sport of rugby in 1823. According to legend, Webb Ellis simply picked up the ball during a soccer game and ran with it towards the goal, inspiring the new sport of rugby.

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The Rugby World Cup is organized by the sport’s worldwide governing body, World Rugby, which was formerly known as the International Rugby Board. The association, founded in 1886, has 100 full members and 17 associate members, and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

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New Zealand—the current title holder— South Africa, and Australia each hold two titles.

England captured a title in 2003. New Zealand is the only country to reach every semifinal held since the Rugby World Cup was created.

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Attendance has fluctuated over the history of the tournament. The average sits at around 1-2 million spectators each year. The most successful Rugby World Cup was the 2007 edition, held in France and attracting 2.3 million viewers, 35 per cent more than the 2011 tournament in New Zealand.

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The officially-licensed Rugby World Cup 2015 video game was released in September 2015 on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. IGN rated the game 1.5 out of 10, calling it "unbearable."

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