McGill Tribune Vol. 33 Issue 7

Volume No. 33 Issue No. 7

TRIBUNE THE mcgill PX

Published by the Tribune Publication Society

CURIOSITY DELIVERS

MEET YOUR MAYORAL CANDIDATES who will you be voting for at the polls? p3

WHY McGILL CAN'T "PACK THE STADIUM" The struggle to revitalize sports culture p 10

@mcgilltribune ­ • www.mcgilltribune.com ­

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Still perfect: Redmen remain undefeated atop RSEQ standings

See inside for...

Story P 19

McGill trounced Sherbrooke this weekend moving to 5-0 in pursuit of their eighth consecutive RSEQ Championship. (Alexandra Allaire / McGill Tribune)

Court denies McGill request for discretionary power over ATIs Commission d’accès a l’information yet to rule on second request regarding ATIs from 14 McGill students and alumni Emma Windfeld News Editor The Commission d’accès à l’information has ruled against granting McGill the discretionary power to deny Access to Information (ATI) requests. The Oct. 7 ruling comes after McGill submitted a motion last December asking for the ability to deny ATI requests that it deemed “overly broad” or “frivolous,” saying that an increased number of ATI requests were costing the university money and reducing efficiency.

The Commission is a government agency that oversees the application of laws regarding access to documents held by public bodies.

Normally, public institutions like McGill can only deny ATI requests on a case-by-case basis by filing an

application to refuse the request to the Commission.

Last week’s verdict is part of a pre-mediation process. The second part of McGill’s motion, which asks to deny 19 specific ATI requests submitted by 14 McGill students and alumni in 2012, will be under consideration in a mediation process expected to begin on Nov. 27.

The case will continue to trial if a settlement cannot be reached through mediation.

McGill’s Secretary-General Stephen Strople said McGill cannot make further comments on the matter while it remains before the courts.

“We are disappointed by today’s ruling and we are considering our options regarding an appeal,” Strople said. “This ruling does not resolve the issues. We are, however,

encouraged by the fact that both sides remain interested in seeking a mediated settlement.”

Kevin Paul, a McGill law student and one of the students named in the case, said he doubts that the respondents will be able to find an acceptable outcome to the case in the mediation process. He pointed to the political nature of the ATIs that McGill is seeking to deny, many of which regard information on the university’s alleged links to resource extraction projects and military research, as potential reasons for McGill’s actions.

“Even with parts of McGill’s motion thrown out, its legal action is so far-reaching that it would need to back down on a wide array of points for an agreement to come through mediation,” Paul said. “We will not accept the denial of legiti-

mate requests for information simply because the information may be inconvenient politically for the administration.”

McGill’s original motion outlines its reasons for requesting to deny the ATI requests.

“The scope of documents and information requested by the respondents is unreasonable, each request often representing hundreds, if not thousands of pages, and spanning a time period of often more than 10 years,” the original motion reads.

“McGill does not have the resources to process many of the individual requests.”

Paul said he anticipates pursuing the matter until a resolution is reached.

“McGill has already gone to such great lengths—and spent so much of students’ tuition money on

legal fees in the process—to prevent access to information that it seems somewhat unlikely that it would let up in this fight,” Paul said. “I can’t speak for everyone involved in the case, but I expect we will do what is necessary to see this through. That means seeing whether we can reach an acceptable mediated resolution, and if not, proceeding to trial.”

Richard Kurland, a Vancouverbased lawyer with experience in ATI cases, said that this pre-trial ruling offers the respondents an opportunity to re-submit requests that McGill may find more manageable.

“The parties are at square one,” Kurland said. “McGill cannot prohibit more requests, and the students can get it right this time and give new requests to access the things they need from McGill.”

NEWS Student government

SSMU General Assembly takes stance against Quebec Charter

Failure to reach quorum leaves SSMU unable to appoint Board of Directors, raises concerns about advertising Jessica Fu News Editor

On Oct. 9, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) hosted its Fall 2013 General Assembly (GA). With approximately 50 students in attendance, the GA failed to meet its quorum of 100 SSMU members, and was therefore only able to pass the two motions that were under consideration as recommendations to SSMU Legislative Council. However, both motions—one regarding opposition to the Quebec Charter of Values and the other concerning amendments to the SSMU Constitution—were later passed by SSMU Council.

Low Turnout Just over 50 voting members attended the event; five to 10 viewers watched the livestream, according to numbers presented at SSMU Council the following day. At Council, Arts Senator Claire Stewart-Kannigan questioned SSMU’s advertising strategies this year in comparison to last year, when the 2012 Fall GA met quorum for two of the six motions up for debate.

“Councillors would have been open to the suggestion of doing classroom announcements […] but it was not even sug-

gested,” she said. “Not everyone was on Council last year so not everyone has that precedent.”

SSMU President Katie Larson acknowledged that turnout was low. Larson said the SSMU executive had considered many factors when determining the advertising campaign for this year’s GA. “I didn’t think [classroom announcements] were an appropriate use of councillors’ time,” Larson said. “I didn’t think it would make a huge difference. [….] We did not do an aggressive postering campaign [because] honestly, it’s expensive, and it’s already expensive to run print ads.”

Opposition to the Quebec Charter of Values The GA voted in favour of SSMU officially opposing the proposed Quebec Charter of Values, with specific reference to the section restricting public service workers from wearing conspicuous religious symbols. SSMU will send a letter expressing its opposition to Premier Pauline Marois, McGill Principal Suzanne Fortier, SSMU members, and news media outlets. SSMU will also create an ad-hoc Campaigns Committee in opposition to the charter.

David Benrimoh, represen-

tative for the Faculty of Medicine, said the proposed charter would directly affect members of the McGill community.

“There will be at least two people whom I’ve spoken to in my faculty who will be directly affected by this clause if it becomes a law,” Benrimoh said. “[This law] is intended to alienate people; it is intended to make people want to leave Quebec [....] If we do not take a stand [...] we are allowing ourselves to move back in history instead of forwards.”

Usually, a motion concern-

“[The charter] is intended to alienate people; it is intended to make people want to leave Quebec [....] If we do not take a stand [...] we are allowing ourselves to move back in history instead of forwards.” ing external matters can only be passed with a quorum of 500 SSMU members. This motion, however, was passed at Council the next day after speaker Rida Malik ruled that the motion was

internal to the Society because of the charter’s potential impact on McGill students.

“The scope of the issue that the policy is referencing is external,” Malik said. “[But] it does have a very serious effect on people who go to this university and work at this university.”

Changes to the constitution The forum also approved changes to the SSMU constitution, although the amendments still have to pass in the Fall referendum period. Larson said she brought the constitutional proposals to the GA to give students the opportunity to provide feedback and debate the changes.

According to Larson, one of the main changes is that the new document clarifies the roles of executives and directors.

“It’s super important to have a concise document that sticks to the law and [informs] members about what representatives are going to do, [and] what their rights as members are,” Larson said. “Anyone [should be able to] come to the document and understand how we govern ourselves.”

SSMU Board of Directors One motion that the forum could not vote on due to the GA’s failure to meet quorum was

the appointment of councillors to SSMU’s Board of Directors (BoD).

“Short of anything that the Board must absolutely do by law, we can still function because we can still make decisions, and we can still do day-to-day operations,” Larson said. “It’s just things like our investment[s] [.…] The money’s there, but it can’t be moved. If stocks start falling, we can’t pull the money out and store it somewhere else.

We’re locked into what we hold right now.”

The BoD is SSMU’s highest governing body, as required

by Quebec law, and consists of councillors. Every May, the BoD dissolves until new councillors can be appointed in the Fall.

Last year, however, Larson said Council changed the process so that the appointment must go through an additional step of approval by the GA, in an effort to ensure that all members can vote on the appointments. According to Larson, this is common practice for companies.

Larson said that SSMU will probably call a Special General Assembly in the near future to vote on appointed members.

Otherwise, the BoD cannot be formed until the Winter GA.

student government

EUS president announces resignation New president to be determined Nov. 4 by a Special Selection Committee Jessica Fu News Editor Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS) President Zachary Moreland announced his resignation on Oct. 7. EUS VicePresident Internal Eric Kueper is currently serving as interim president until a Special Selection Committee appoints the next president on Nov. 4.

Moreland has held the position since May of 2013. In a letter to members of the EUS, Moreland cited personal reasons for his resignation, and he asked people to refrain from asking questions.

“My reasons for making this decision are plentiful and personal,” Moreland said. “I will say, however, that the end re-

sult of these various influences is that I am no longer confident in my ability to perform at the level that I myself would expect of a president.”

Although the resignation takes effect immediately, Moreland said he would aid in the transition process for the new president. The next president will be chosen by a Special Selection Committee, which is composed of the seven remaining EUS executives, as well as one representative from each of engineering’s seven departmental associations.

Applications are open to all members of the EUS. The deadline to apply for the position is Oct. 21, and the Special Selection Committee will meet on Oct. 22 to interview candidates

and determine the new president. The selected president will be ratified by EUS Council on Nov. 4.

According to EUS VicePresident External Bryan Gingras, this process for the appointment of a new president is mandated by the constitution, which was first passed in 1974.

He said it is therefore difficult to know exactly why the constitution mandates a selection committee to choose Moreland’s successor, rather than electing the new president in a by-election.

“Forming a Selection Committee is definitely the most logical choice from a logistical standpoint, and will result in the smallest possible disruption to the EUS’s many day-to-day ac-

tivities,” he said.

According to EUS VicePresident Communications Luis Pombo, Moreland’s resignation came as a surprise.

“It goes without saying that the first reaction to the news from executives, councillors, and the student body in general, was that of surprise,” Pombo said. “Zac had done a strong job as president and was very passionate about implementing his ideas, so nobody saw it coming.”

Pombo said the resignation would not affect members of the EUS in the upcoming weeks.

“Realistically, the lack of a president does not have an observable impact on members of the EUS in the short run,” he said. “We have a strong execu-

tive team and an even stronger volunteer base that can put in the extra hours to remediate the absence of a president for the three weeks that we will be without one.”

Kueper said that although the resignation was unfortunate, he looks forward to the year.

“During his time as president of the EUS, [Moreland] brought our executive together and certainly started EUS council off on the right foot,” Kueper said. “I look forward to welcoming the successor of Zachary Moreland […] and until that time I am enthused to serve as interim president of the EUS.”

Curiosity delivers. |

>>

NEWS

| Wednesday, October 16, 2013

3

by Sam pinto

MEET YOUR

MAYORAL CANDIDATES

Election day in Montreal is just around the corner, with the McGill-hosted English language mayoral debate on Oct. 22. and the mayoral election date set for Nov. 3. Although there are 12 candidates in total, the Tribune offers profiles of a few of the frontrunners, their backgrounds, and their platforms, to give you a better understanding of the people you can vote for when you show up at the polls.

>> DENIS CODERRE

You are eligible to vote in the municipal election if you fulfill the following criteria: 1. You are 18 years old or older before or on the day of Election Day on Sunday, Nov. 3 2. You are a Canadian citizen, and have been a resident of Quebec since March 1, 2013 3. You have been a resident of Montreal since Sept. 1, 2013

Founder of the Équipe Denis Coderre pour Montréal, Coderre was a Member of Parliament (MP) under the Liberal Party for six terms, from 1997 to 2013, representing the Montreal riding of Bourassa.

Under the Jean Chrétien administration, Coderre was appointed Secretary of State for Amateur Sport, and established the World AntiDoping Agency based in Montreal, which aims to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against doping drugs in sports and has been adopted by more than 600 sports organizations worldwide.

Under Prime Minister Paul Martin, Coderre was appointed Minister of Immigration, where he oversaw the implementation of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act in 2002, which outlines the guidelines for foreign residents immigrating to Canada. In 2009, he became the Quebec Lieutenant under the Liberal Party—acting as an adviser and spokesperson on issues directly related to Quebec.

Platform highlights: >> Create an inspector general position to oversee the investigation and punishment of municipal officials to combat corruption >> Increase public transportation (expand the metro, create 50 kilometers of cycling paths, and extend reserved bus roads) >> Implement an intelligent transport system designed to make transport more accessible, cleaner, and less carbon intensive or tln >> Develop, strengthen, and retain the culm e d gui ture of Montreal neighbourhoods, through means such as the appointment of an Economic Development Commissioner to enhance culture and the development of the entertainment district, Quartier des Spectacles.

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>> richard bergeron

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Mayoral candidate of the Projet Montreal party, Bergeron is currently a city councillor representing the Jeanne-Mance district of the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough. In this position, Bergeron has been proactive in preserving city green spaces, developing transportation in ways such as furthering a plan to build a tramway, and improving snow removal. In 2000, Bergeron became head of strategic analysis for l’Agence métropolitaine de transport, or the Metropolitan Transport Agency (AMT). He was former president of the real-estate union Fédération des cooperatives d’habitation de l’ile de Montreal. The union’s goal is to provide the housing cooperative with services such as education and management services, political representation, and development and support services for cooperative entrepreneurship.

Platform highlights: >> Implement sustainable transportation (expand three of the existing metro lines, expand bike paths, increase the number of pedestrian-only streets, reduce vehicle traffic by adding bridge tolls, and reduce the number of parking spots) >> Renew democracy and fight corruption >> Improve housing >> Develop Montreal’s economic prosperity >> Improve quality of life and culture through projects such as increasing green spaces and river access, and capitalizing on Montreal’s francophone and cosmopolitan nature

>> michel brÛlé beautiful language,” as well as calling Americans “uncultured imbeciles.” In 2009, Brûlé released a book titled Anglaid, which describes the imperialism and ethnocentrism of the English world’s culture.

Platform highlights: >> Reduce the number of elected municipal officials from 103 to 31 >> Increase focus on art and culture in public places >> Establish free public transit for the elderly and parents with young children

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Brûlé is well known in the Quebec media world as a publisher, author, and singer, and is the leader of the Intégrité Montréal. He has founded several publishing companies, including Éditions les Intouchables, which focuses on the publication of children’s books. He is the second largest publisher in Quebec in terms of sales, and has also written articles for many Quebec newspapers, including La Presse, Journal de Montréal, and Métro.

Considered a sovereigntist, Brûlé has stated that he does not anticipate receiving many votes from Montreal’s English-speaking population. He has also made a series of controversial statements, including “English is not a

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>> marcel côté

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A career economist and politician, Côté heads the Coalition Montréal. He was a founding partner of SECOR, a strategic management consulting firm, where he worked until it was acquired in 2012 by KPMG, one of the world’s largest professional services companies. Côté currently sits on the Board of Directors for Osisko Mining, and has previously sat on the Boards of ING Bank of Canada and Intact Financial. He also chaired the board of directors for the Montreal YMCA, and was on the board of directors for the Foundations of the YMCA of Quebec. Additionally, Côté held the position of economic adviser for Premier Robert Bourassa from 1986 to 1988.

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Platform highlights: >> Construct 2,000 new houses and condos plus 15,000 social housing units

over the next five years to keep young families in the city >> Increase the amount of green spaces >> Fight corruption by hiring an ethics commissioner and simplifying the City charter, ensuring open public governance by allowing party members to vote freely rather than enforce party discipline, and promoting civic innovation >> Appoint an internal committee to deal directly with construction firms charged with collusion >> Freeze house taxes to the level of inflation >> Improve public transit; not by building new projects but by investing in maintaining what currently exists >> Reconfigure the city’s executive committee structure and decision-making process

At only 34 years old, Joly is by far the youngest of the mayoral candidates and the leader of the le Vrai changement pour Montréal. She received her law degree at Université de Montréal and received her master’s degree in European Law at the Oxford University. From 2000 to 2009, Joly worked at two Montreal law firms, Stikeman Elliott and Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg, practicing primarily in commercial, civil, and administrative law. From 2009 to 2013, Joly worked as associate director of the Montreal office of the international communications agency Cohn & Wolfe. During the Liberal Party Leadership election, Joly was the Trudeau campaign’s chief-organizer for Quebec.

Platform highlights: >> Create 130 km of rapid bus service >> Establish Transparency by making all political decisions, official documents, and infrastructure contracts accessible to the public for free online >> Add new green spaces throughout the city >> Develop low-cost housing to allow 30,000 families to affordably move into the city >> Increase city and commercial arteries to improve the city’s ambiance and strengthen the city’s economy (extend store hours, make Saint Catherine Street a pedestrian-only street, and improve cooperation between nightlife and the community) >> Fight social exclusion and isolation, particularly for Montreal’s homeless population >> Improve and simplify operations for businesses

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>> mélanie joly

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4

Wednesday, October 16, 2013 |

NEWS

| Curiosity delivers.

Student Government

SSMU Council approves Midnight Kitchen referendum questions Amendment allowing councillors to sit on committees as members-at-large fails

atively affect the ability of other students to fill members-at-large seats.

“Members-at-large are an important way of engaging the community, and this would only be watered down by letting councillors apply,” Rosentzveig said.

He also said the amendment would reduce a committee’s incentive to advertise for members-atlarge to sit on committees.

Cece Zhang Contributor On Oct. 10, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Legislative Council met to discuss two referendum questions regarding Midnight Kitchen and an amendment for allowing councillors to sit on committees as members-at-large. Principal Suzanne Fortier also attended council where she spoke on the importance of SSMU. Midnight Kitchen existence and fee increase referendum questions SSMU approved two questions for the Fall referendum period in relation to the Midnight Kitchen. The first question will ask students to support the Midnight Kitchen’s existence and the second asks for a fee increase of $1 from the current fee of $2.25.

Wade Walker, a representative of Midnight Kitchen, said the increase would help Midnight Kitchen improve and expand its

Councillors passed Midnight Kitchen existence and fee increase referendum questions. (Alexandra Allaire / McGill Tribune) current services.

“We want to create a new breakfast service, and there are ongoing needs to improve the kitchen, as a lot of student groups, both internal and external, also use it,” Walker said.

The student body will be able to vote on both questions during the Fall Referendum period, which runs from Nov. 6 to 15.

Amendment allowing councillors to sit on committees as members-at-large Council also voted against amending the Accountable Leadership Policy to allow council members to sit on committees as members-at-large, which are usually filled by students who are not affiliated with Council. Vice-President Internal Brian Farnan spoke in favour of the change.

“I feel like the Accountable

What happened last week in compiled by Meghan collie Alice Munro wins Nobel Prize in Literature Author Alice Munro, age 82, was awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature last Thursday, making her the first Canadian-based author as well as the first Canadian woman to win a Nobel prize in any category.

Munro is an Ontario-based author renowned for her short stories, many of which focus on women growing up in small-town southern Ontario. Munroe has published 14 short story collections, including her most recent, Dear Life, in 2012. She announced her retirement from writing earlier this year. The Swedish Academy called her a “master of the contemporary story.”

“My stories have gotten around quite remarkably for short stories,” she told CBC on Thursday. “I would really hope that this would make people see the short story as an important art, not something you play around with until you get a novel written.”

After the announcement of the prize early Thursday morning, many people offered their congratulations via Twitter, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper and fellow authors Margaret Atwood and Lynn Coady.

Montreal police expert arrested for selling information Benoît Roberge, previously the Montreal Police’s leading expert on organized crime, has been arrested for selling information to biker gangs about ongoing police investigations.

He now faces four charges for crimes allegedy committed between 2010 and 2013—one count of obstructing justice, one count of breach of trust, and two counts related to gangsterism.

Roberge was arrested while allegedly in the company of a person connected to the Hells Angels biker gang. He has also been suspended from his current position at the head of Revenue Quebec’s intelligence unit.

Suspected irregularities—which have been kept confidential due to ongoing investigations—have led police to believe that information was being leaked for several months. This triggered an internal investigation that led to Roberge, who had been working with a specialized unit that focused on biker activities earlier this year.

“The investigation will demonstrate at what period of time exactly Mr. Roberge leaked information on organized-crime investigations,” Michel Forget, a provincial police inspector, said.

Leadership Policy places some restrictions on councillors in a way that does not reflect the original spirit of the motion,” Farnan said.

He continued that allowing councillors to sit on committees as members-at-large would provide committees with enough people to meet working capacity that could otherwise be lacking.

Clubs and Services Representative Zachary Rosentzveig expressed concern that this change would neg-

Suzanne Fortier speaks to the Council Principal Suzanne Fortier spoke at Council, where she affirmed the value of SSMU, its initiative, and said that the university values student interests above all.

“I’ve been here often at SSMU, because you are a very important part of the life here at this university,” Fortier said. “You have taken extraordinary leadership, not just recently, [but] over a hundred years that SSMU exists [….] I’m very impressed with the initiatives that you’re taking, with the leadership, with the engagement.”

Canada?

Court rules against assisted suicide On Oct. 10, the British Columbia Court of Appeal upheld the current law against assisted suicide in a case involving a now-deceased patient with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), Gloria Taylor.

Last year, a landmark ruling was made in Taylor’s favour when a B.C. Supreme Court judge decided that the restriction of physician-assisted suicide violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The federal government then appealed the ruling, which was sent to the B.C Court of Appeal, the highest decision-making body in the province.

In the Oct. 10 verdict, the B.C. Court of Appeal stood by a ruling made 20 years ago by the Supreme Court of Canada. The B.C. Court of Appeal said the case raised significant issues with the right to life, liberty, and security of persons guaranteed

by Section 7 of the Charter.

The B.C. Civil Liberties Association said it plans to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.

“Without a change in the law, seriously ill individuals will continue to suffer against their wishes at the end of life, without the choice and the dignity that they deserve,” Grace Pastine, the lawyer heading the appeal, told the Vancouver Sun.

Youth ministry leader sentenced to 18 years for sex crimes A former city councillor in St. John and youth ministry leader was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Thursday for 46 sex crimes against children including child pornography, sexual assault, and extortion.

Donnie Snook, 41, pled guilty to the crimes which were alleged to have taken place over 12 years and to have affected 17 victims.

In accordance with the judge’s verdict, Snook will provide a DNA sample and break all contact with his victims for the duration of his jail time. In addition, Snook’s name will be added to the national sex offender’s registry, which allows police in every province to access information such as a convicted sex offender’s address.

A report released prior to the sentencing suggested that Snook’s actions were driven by deviant sexual interest in boys, and found that he has a moderate chance of re-offending. According to crown prosecutor Karen Lee Lamrock, 18 years is one of the longest sentences ever given in Canada for such a case.

Calgary mayor criticizes new art installation Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi has publically criticized the city’s newest art installation “Travelling Light” as a poor use of the city’s money. The piece, which cost $471,000, is 17 meters tall and situated on a major highway. It is a large blue circle featuring two parallel sticks resembling streetlights.

Calgary devotes one per cent of its capital budget to public art. While Nenshi said he supports this policy, he argued that the recent installation is not a good use of that budget.

“I think that putting art where people are whipping by at high speeds is maybe not the best use of that one per cent,” Nenshi said. “I don’t like it; I think it’s terrible.”

The project was chosen by a panel of five citizens and was initiated before Nenshi became mayor in 2010.

Rachael Seupersad, Calgary’s public art program superintendent, said the sculpture is meant to represent the universal mode of transportation—the wheel.

“The artist really looked at the environment and the surrounding area,” Seupersad said. “It is a place where all modes of transportation and movement come together and that is captured [...] within this piece.”

THE Mcgill

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

TPS Board of Directors

Shadi Afana, Anand Bery, Jonathan Fielding, Abhishek Gupta, Adrien Hu, Steven Lampert, Chris Liu, Carolina Millán Ronchetti, Elisa Muyl, and Simon Poitrimolt

Contributors

Haaris Aziz, Laurie-Anne Benoit, Sydney Cameron, Jitika Chan, Meghan Collie, Abhishek Gupta, Mark Haydn, Kaitlyn Jardine-LaChapelle, Hayley Lim, Mohamad Makkaoui, Sara Marjanovic, Stefan Novakovic, Kia Pouliot, Jitika Shah, Anthony Snell, Elie Waitzer, Diana Wright, Haviva Yesgat, Cece Zhang

opinion editorial

SSMU conduct on General Assembly an abdication of duty Last Wednesday’s Fall General Assembly (GA) of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) was once again marred by staggeringly low attendance. At its peak, the assembly only managed about 50 attendees attendees—far from its 100-member quorum. The apparent absence of an engagement campaign leading up to the event was confirmed through statements by SSMU executive members; advertising efforts were deemed to be a poor use of resources and abandoned almost entirely. This defeatism on the part of the executive illustrates both an abject failure to represent the interests of their constituents, and a neglect of the basic responsibilities of their office.

Raising awareness of the GA is not simply a good practice for the executive, but is mandated by SSMU’s constitution. While GAs officially fall under the president’s portfolio, the burden of outreach extends also to the speaker and the rest of the executives, as laid out by Article 29.3 of the constitution.

“The office of the President in conjunction with the executive and the speaker shall be responsible for the wide scale promotion of the General Assembly, including but not exclusive to: emails, website promo-

Quebec plays politics with education

Shatner University Centre Suite 110, 3480 McTavish Montreal, QC H3A 0E7 T: 514.398.6789 The McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published

Mohamad Makkaoui

by the Société de Publication de la Tribune, a student society of Mc-

Commentary

of The McGill Tribune and the Société de Publication de la Tribune, and does not necessarily represent the views of McGill University.

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

“Only by continuing to build awareness and a culture of participation will quorum become attainable.

”

Nonetheless, this GA came and went with little evidence of any effort to raise awareness of the event.

Email correspondence was vague, posters were eschewed due to cost, and class announcements were also deemed a poor allocation of resources. Apart from a few ads placed in the McGill Daily, advertising in the campus media was also mostly cast aside—the Tribune received notice of the motions set to come before the GA only two days prior to the event.

Last year’s SSMU executive put an emphasis on advertising, in-

Commentary

Tribune Office

Gill University. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility

tions, publicity in the campus press as well as posting,” the article reads.

“The SSMU executive will use all means at their disposal to meet quorum for this body. The executive shall make every effort to actively advertise the assembly in the campus media.”

The Quebec provincial government, currently led by the Parti-Quebecois (PQ), has ordered Quebec school boards to make $100 million in budget cuts over the next two years. This is the latest development in what has become a relentless back and forth between provincial policy makers and school officials. It is also another big blow to the province’s public educational institutions.

Earlier this year, Pauline Marois’ PQ government announced a two-year plan to cut funding to all public school boards by $200 million. School boards across the province responded by raising school taxes on residents some by as much as 30 per cent. Today the PQ have

adjusted their stance. According to Minister of Education Marie Malavoy, the inflated taxes are “unacceptable.” The provincial government is now demanding school boards reduce taxes to their original rate in exchange for reducing the cuts from $200 million to $100 million. However, this still leaves the schools with a significant overall funding reduction. Josée Bouchard, head of the francophone Quebec Federation of School Boards, insists that the government’s demands cannot be met without degrading the quality of education delivered, and cutting services to students.

Ever since Marois and the PQ were elected in September of last year, their agenda has come under frequent criticism. Take last month, when thousands took to the streets of Montreal to protest the proposed Charter of Values. The ‘charter of secular values,’ ironically legislated under a crucifix at the National Assembly in Quebec City, highlighted a familiar case of ethnocentric hypocrisy from provincial government officials. The motives behind Premier Marois’ actions are questionable to say the least. There

creasing efforts for the Fall GA and doubling them for the Winter. However, in Council on Thursday, SSMU President Katie Larson explained that last year’s low turnout despite the increased advertising had led her to expend fewer resources this year.

“Given the fact that we just hit quorum last year, I didn’t think that it would make a huge difference,” she said.

Evaluating previous efforts depends on one’s definition of a successful GA. To say that they were unsuccessful because, despite increased attendance, the assembly failed to maintain quorum, depicts quorum—not general participation—as the sole objective of a GA. Rather, engaging students must be the first priority. Only by continuing to build awareness and a culture of participation will quorum become attainable.

It is easy to focus on the quantity of advertising, but quality is also important. This year’s GA also presented an opportunity to engage students on a current and controversial issue. One of the items on the GA agenda was the proposed Quebec Charter of Values, which has seen vocal opposition around campus. However, the vague nature and limited scope of the assembly’s ad-

vertising did not make clear that the charter was even up for discussion at the assembly. Giving a clear picture of what is at stake is imperative to engaging students.

There are many constructive discussions to be had about the relevance of our GAs to students, as well as students’ responsibility to participate. However, these conversations cannot even begin if the initial effort isn’t being made on SSMU’s end to raise awareness and to put students in the seats. There is some hope, however, after a productive Council discussion resulted in the creation of an ad-hoc committee, through which councillors will seek to assist the executive in addressing these issues.

The passivity demonstrated by the executive towards involving students in the political process is troubling. It is indicative of a disregard for the input of the membership at large, an attitude that we hope to see resolved once it comes time for the Winter GA. Encouraging student participation may be frustrating, and it may even turn out to be unsuccessful; but making the effort is imperative in keeping one of SSMU’s most valuable democratic checks intact.

have been plenty of rumours going around Quebec of an upcoming provincial election, and there are few better ways to gain valuable votes from parents of a million-strong student body than to lower their taxes.

This announcement, along with last Monday’s aptly timed four-year ‘jobs plan’ costing upwards of $2 billion, all point to the likelihood of an upcoming election.

Rather than playing politics at the expense of our children, the Ministry of Education should look inwards to reduce the deficit. In ‘Busting Bureaucracy to Reclaim Our Schools,’ a study by the Institute for Research on Public Policy, Prof. Stephen B. Lawton notes that the Quebec Ministry of Education has 5,000 administrators to oversee the education of a million students, while the entire country of Denmark—first place in the UN’s Education Index—has only 50 administrators to oversee the same amount of students. Maybe this suggests that the fat can be trimmed elsewhere. Or, instead of targeting our childrens’ education to balance the budget, maybe obsolete public organizations such as the ‘Office

Quebecois de la Langue Française’ should be the ones to take the hit considering the redundant nature of its tasks, as well as its $19 million annual budget.

Regardless of the motives behind the government’s thoughtless approach to balancing the budget, this flip-flop points to a serious lack of direction. The government imposed $200 million in budget cuts earlier this year, only to back down from that decision merely a few months later. Did they not expect the school boards to retaliate to the regulations the way they did? More than anything, this behaviour shows that even our so-called ‘leaders’ do not have a clue as to how this is going to be settled. Unfortunately, the students will be the ones who suffer.

commentary The paradox of “privilege”

Stefan Novakovic

Commentary

The phrase “check your privilege” has been bounced around a lot over the last year at McGill. Take the example of class. Suppose someone says something along the lines of “poor people need to work harder” and their peers will quickly remind them that they need to keep their “privilege in check.” From what I understand, the spirit of telling someone to “check their privilege” in these cases is to suggest that the way people view the world is often subjectively coloured by their socioeconomic background. I sympathize with that. It’s certainly true that where we grew up and the circumstances we come from can shape our political perspectives. So far so good? Maybe not. As valuable as it can be to acknowledge our biases, I think that this is far outweighed by the injustice of framing a person’s opinions as a product of their socio-economic status. If someone

is wrong, it is because they’re wrong, not because they have failed to “check their privlege.”

Sticking with the example of class, imagine the inverse situation.

Someone says something along the lines of “to hell with rich people, they’re all a bunch of vultures,” then what? If the person in question comes from a working class background, then, according to the logic of “check your privilege” we should tell them to “check their poverty,” right? Of course, this is something you never hear anyone say, but it’s the implicit suggestion of the idea of “check[ing] your privilege.” It’s unfair to anyone, whether they come from ‘privilege’ or not, to judge their opinions simply on their socioeconomic background. When we suggest that someone’s opinion is a reflection of their background, we also implicitly restrict viewpoints to being merely products of circumstance, rather than free, individual thought.

Our obsession with privilege has even greater ramifications. Another conversation I frequently hear in one form or another is the discussion of “where” people’s political opinions come from. In this regard, much of McGill students’ (and, admittedly, I spend most of my time around Arts students) discourse about political perspectives and ca-

reer objectives comes across as a sort of ‘cleansing of family sins.’ What I mean here is when people frame their ambitions to work for some thankless, heroic job in a deprived area (e.g. the developing world or a poor neighbourhood) as “Well, I come from privilege, so I feel an obligation to help the world.” Again, this is a perspective I sympathize with. I can imagine how growing up in relative splendour can leave one with a feeling of guilt considering the state of the world. However, thinking of one’s ambitions as a sort of noblesse oblige or moral imperative is a dangerous line of thought.

In this respect, imagine another conversation. Three students are hanging around in between classes, and talk turns to the eternal Arts question of “So what do you want to do after you finish school?” Two students answer that they want to help others as a way of paying back for their privilege, and that they feel this is a sort of moral duty. What if the third person in the conversation doesn’t come from a wealthy background? The guilt of coming from a privileged background ironically creates the savagely elitist notion that being wealthy means you have a greater obligation than anyone else to be morally virtuous. In aiming to create equality within society by paying moral reparations for wealth,

we paradoxically reinforce the notion that having wealth grants one an unequal moral burden.

versity. Third, McGill is suffering—but it saved itself by having a strategy of improving the research performance of its professoriate.

Former SSMU President Josh Redel argued that the failure to allow student groups to use the McGill name, a symptom of trying to protect a “brand,” showed how far the university depended on its past glories, and he expressed the view that McGill is doing too little to get professors to take their pedagogical role as seriously as their research efforts.

SSMU Science representative Devin Bissky Dziadyk, while recognizing the external constraints on the university, pointed to the resilience of McGill and the still outstanding quality and performance of its professors, staff, and students, and implied that any downhill motion could be checked in time to protect McGill’s reputation.

Ms. Sheridan, in addition to offering insight on perspective and showing she is aware of the external constraints, described an overall positive trajectory that could be used to the advantage of a new

principal and new deputy provost (Student Life and Learning).

As McGill’s chief academic officer (after the principal), I take the opinions of these students very seriously and I share their communal sense of ambiguity when it comes to answering a question like, “Is McGill in decline?”

So please allow me to take a crack at answering that question and commenting on the thoughtful responses of the four students.

There should be no doubt that McGill, in comparison with its peer group of public research universities, is underfunded. That underfunding comes from two sources: a lower average contribution on the part of the provincial government to the operating budget and much lower average tuition fees paid by students, especially for undergraduate and professional programs.

However, regardless of the financial constraints, there are legitimate questions about what we actually do with what we have.

Our scorecard on student-centredness is far from enviable, according to the survey data, yet the

examples of the interactions between researchers and students in the various venues across faculties indicate positive experiences that should be expanded. Facilitating innovative learning environments is, in fact, a pillar of our academic strategic plan.

I do not think it is accurate or fair to say McGill is resting on its laurels. Until the cuts were announced in December 2012, we had experienced 12 years of increased revenues. Over that time, we hired more than 1,000 new professors (400 net), reducing the average age of the professoriate and changing completely the composition of that body. During those years, the quality of our undergraduates continued to rise.

Student aid increased by a factor of 10. Programs of study were redesigned, institutes established, graduate student numbers and quality reached new heights.

Relative performance in research inputs, outputs and outcomes rose as well.

But, impressive as these things are against our baseline, the institutions with which we com-

Letter to the Editor Not a time to push panic buttons

Anthony C. Masi Last week’s “Campus Conversation” item in the Tribune featured four students offering their opinions on whether McGill is in decline. The range of responses covered the entire spectrum: definitely, maybe, maybe not, and not really.

I applaud the fact that our students take the future of our institution seriously. I also applaud and welcome the fact that they constantly challenge us to be better.

Kate Sheridan, a student Senator, provided the key to reading this diversity of opinion among student leaders: “It depends on your perspective.”

PGSS Secretary-General Jonathan Mooney first examined the external situation, and noted several facts: First, Quebec is dead last among provinces in funding its universities’ operating budgets.

Second, McGill is a Quebec uni-

Have your say.

Write for Opinion.

“To be ‘opposed’ to privilege is still to have privilege determine your thoughts and actions.

”

Of course it’s admirable to want to make the world a better place, whether you are wealthy or poor. It’s also naturally oftentimes more possible to do good when one has the privilege of a good education and a financially secure background.

I simply think that we should not judge ourselves and our peers—politically or morally—based on where we come from. If someone is wrong, it’s because they’re wrong, not because they’ve failed to “check their privilege.” If someone is virtuous ,it’s because they are a good person, not because of where they come from. We must engage with arguments, not identities. If we believe in a society where everyone has the same rights and access to opportunity, then we cannot allow ourselves

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to believe that morality is socio-economically determined.

In the words of David Foster Wallace, “Defining yourself in opposition to something is still being anaclitic on that thing, isn’t it?” In this sense, to harp on about one’s privilege and to base one’s actions around compensating for privilege is still to be bound by the idea of it.

If you believe that the institutions of social privilege are an evil, do not let your actions be controlled by them.

To be ‘opposed’ to privilege is still to have privilege determine your thoughts and actions. If you want to volunteer or work in the developing world or the inner city, do so because you think it is the right thing to do, not because you come from privilege, or feel you have to compensate for it. To oppose something is not the same thing as to be emancipated from it. The cruel irony of contemporary discourse on privilege is that the same people who hate the institutions of privilege also let their guilt (stemming from these same institutional privileges) control their actions. You are then a slave to your own privilege, and you have perpetuated the very elitism you claim to fight.

pete were also making significant gains. So our relative standing among the world’s universities, all things considered, did not improve—at least in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) and Times Higher rankings. Those who are ready to declare that McGill is in decline might want to look at this year’s Shanghai rankings, where we in fact have recently posted our highest score ever in that set of measurements.

So this is clearly not a time to be pushing panic buttons. New leadership and fresh perspectives will help McGill by reinvigorating the debate and discussion on how well we meet our mission of research intensity, student-centredness, international reach, quality standards, and public purpose.

Insights like those provided by the four students who engage in the Campus Conversation, have got us off on the right foot.

—Prof. Anthony C. Masi is McGill’s Provost.

Meetings Mondays at 6 p.m. in the Tribune office (Shatner 110) opinion@mcgilltribune.com

arts & entertainment Film

The Italian surveillance job

Sacro GRA brings extensive footage from one of Rome’s most important roads to the Nouveau Cinema festival Mark Haydn Contributor Gianfranco Rosi’s panoramic portrait of the working communities connected by Rome’s Grande Raccordo Anulare (GRA) highway hews closely to broad-brush expectations of what one might find in the region: a man chews a cigar in the golden bathtub of a palatial home, a fisherman trawls for eels at dawn, and women tear at paper-wrapped ham and talk mozzarella in the cab of a truck.

The winner of the Golden Lion at this year’s Venice festival—the first year in which documentaries were eligible for the competition’s prize— Sacro GRA , Rosi’s measured, peripatetic film, chronicles a two year period spent encircling the city’s outer limits; it is embroiled in the daily life of paramedics, dancers, and scientists. The filmmakers remain invisible throughout, affixing cameras to dashboards, training lenses on apartment windows, and tracking the action of their subjects from a distance.

Stories of the film’s production report the whittling of a much greater pool of footage, the filmmakers’ omnipresence perhaps

explaining the relaxed, unaffected demeanour of its protagonists.

However, Sacro GRA only intermittently succeeds in transcending its portrayals of the workers on screen, the majority of the film representing little beyond the scope of their professional roles.

Rosi’s muted, unobtrusive urban ethnography is akin to recent documentaries like Alma Har’el’s Bombay Beach , faithfully recording the activity of a subculture for those outside it, often reinforcing stereotypes without critique, as with the display of a cigar smoker’s gauchely opulent interior decor, showcased for the audience with a sardonic eye.

What the film offers most valuably is simply access: to the weary working day of the ambulanza medic, returning home to eat pasta in the glow of Skype conversation with loved ones; or to the private moments of two dancers, dressing for and unwinding after an evening twirling on countertops at a small-town bar.

The context of the film remains set, its subjects constrained to a distant reality rather than allowed to echo beyond it, but within these limits we are afforded a glimpse into what we otherwise

might not see. We observe the quiescence of an elderly couple, together in the kitchen, reading aloud and sharing melon across a lemon-patterned tablecloth, or the piercing, watchful gaze of a sex worker aside the highway, signalling at unceasing traffic.

Sacro GRA affords the viewer transport to a destination separate from the nearby tourist hub to which visitors flock, bypassing the local sights to instead communicate the feel of life inside its partially occupied modern housing developments, and out onto its sparsely populated, twilit streets. While the characters of Rosi’s film may not follow you from the cinema, they exist relatively vividly for its 90 minute runtime, gesticulating and communicating. They are the varied participants of a day spent elsewhere, reachable by taking the second exit on the way to Rome, or else available for the price of cinema admission.

Sacro GRA plays again at 3 p.m. on Tuesday Oct. 16 at Cinema Cineplex Odéon Quartier Latin, as part of the Nouveau Cinema festival, which continues until October 20 .

Sacro GRA explores Venetian life. (www.cinemasalaratti.wordpress.com)

Visual ART

Venice in all its glory MMFA’s Splendore a Venezia ties together the artistic and cultural strands of the Italian Renaissance Sydney Cameron Contributor The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) is showcasing their interdisciplinary exhibit, Splendore a Venezia, exploring the interplay of visual art, music, and political culture in the Venetian Republic between the early 16th century and the fall of the Serenissima. The museum investigates these overlaps, exhibiting a diverse collection of work: prints, drawings, illuminated manuscripts, original period instruments, and early music texts.

Although music plays in the background of the exhibit, viewers are encouraged to use complimentary audio guides, available via portable music players and headphones. Many pieces are paired with a specific track number designed to accompany your interpretation. This intimate experience provides greater understanding with regard to theme and time period of the artwork.

“At the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, it is now equally impossible to see without listening, to listen without seeing,” remarks Museum Director and Chief Curator Nathalie

One of several paintings on display as part of Splendore a Venezia. (Courtesy of MMFA)

Bondil. Matched with François Filiatrault, musicologist for the event, these combined talents have ensured the success of Splendore a Venezia.

Difficult to imitate, the culture of Venice is authentically depicted here.

There are three major themes explored in the exhibit, each aesthetically organized. The first is titled “Art and Music in the Public Sphere,” focusing on the influence of art in religion and politics. Some major features include items such as the “Corno-Ducale,” a crown worn on official occasions by the Doges of Venice (translated as

‘Duke’). This section looks at ceremonies and processions, with the inclusion of many period instruments that have never before been exhibited in North America.

The second theme revolves around “Art and Music in the Private Realm.” During this time, music was the art of the courtier and educated class; nobles were often depicted with instruments or were in the process of composing. The pieces in this section celebrate Venetian musicians, concerts, and street performances of the 17th and 18th century and include

“The Concert” by Titian, on loan from the Palatine Gallery in Florence. Also featured is an authentic Venetian gondola, crafted in the late 20th century

by Pietro Amadi, comprised of various woods and metals, and inscribed with the phrase “In Barca Vien Con Mi” (Embark With Me).

The third and final theme focuses on “Art, Music and Mythology,” detailing the world’s first public opera house, Il Teatro Nouvo di San Cassiano, which opened in 1637 in Venice. This section focuses on mythology in Italian Renaissance paint-

ings, showcasing a heritage marked by allegory, myths, and symbols. A beautiful pastel portrait of the great soprano Fuastina Bordini is part of this section, along with other drawings by Count Antino Marie Zenetti that have never been exhibited in North America.

There were 61 contributors to the exhibit worldwide, including the MMFA, the New York Public Library, and the Louvre, to name a few. The MMFA’s publishing department has issued a full color exhibition catalogue in English and French featuring essays by leading international experts in Venetian art, culture, and music. Bourgie Hall, the MMFA’s fine concert venue, will also be producing a series of 20 concerts which will explore five centuries of Venetian music.

Splendore a Venezia provides a fresh perspective on history; capturing the full scope of the two golden ages in Venetian art and entertainment, this exhibit is classic and informative. Don’t miss the opportunity to catch a glimpse of this key period in art history.

Splendore a Venezia exhibits at the MMFA from Oct. 12, 2013 to Jan. 19, 2014. Tickets are $10.44.

Curiosity delivers. |

arts & entertainment

| Wednesday, October 16, 2013

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THEATRE

Take these broken wings and learn to fly

If We Were Birds addresses sexual violence against women through Greek mythology Diana Wright Contributor

It always disturbs me when I hear one of my female peers say something to the tune of, “Don’t worry—I’m not a feminist or anything,” as if it’s something to be embarrassed or even worried about. Thankfully, Imago Theatre’s production of If We Were Birds screams feminism, highlighting the strength of women and decrying the devastating topic of sexual violence against them— and that’s why it sat just right with me.

If We Were Birds, written by Erin Shields and directed by Micheline Chevrier, follows the tragic Greek myth of sisters Philomela (Amelia Sargisson) and Procne (Lauryn Allman).

The production features a mostly all-female cast—only two of the nine characters are played by men. As a result, it takes on a distinctly female point of view, with the audience being privy to intimate moments between the close sisters and experiencing all the action from their perspective.

In this incarnation of the tale, Procne is married off by her father Pandion, the King of Athens, to Tereus, the King of Thrace. Eventually, Philomela is sexually assaulted by Tereus, after which he cuts out her tongue and locks her in a cabin to prevent her from vo-

calizing the injustice done to her.

The sexual assault scene is handled sensitively, but it also highlights the rage and shame felt by Philomela after such a brutal invasion. Interwoven within her story are the narratives of the chorus (Deena Aziz, Stefanie Buxton, Shiong-En Chan, Clare Schapiro, and Warona Setchwaelo), who present their own accounts of sexual violence suffered at the hands of men, particularly during times of war.

The monologues given by each of these women are extremely powerful, leaving the room seemingly devoid of air; the collective grief felt for them is palpable. But they are also strong; Birds presents these women as survivors who rise above what happened to them. The proliferation of avian imagery in the play supports this notion.

Sargisson’s performance is breathtaking at many points in the production; she deftly maneuvers her character’s transition from an innocent young girl to a violated, knowing woman.

Set and costume designer Diana Uribe distinguishes between those who are naïve and those who have been violated with white and black colours: for the majority of the play Philomela and Procne are clothed in white, while the chorus, and Tereus, are dressed

in all black. Interestingly, Pandion is clothed in a dark grey colour, presenting a literal ‘grey area’ between the two extremes—an attribute that is mirrored in his character.

Although this might seem like a rather obvious visual choice, the white costumes allow for a breath of fresh air from the mostly dark and foreboding set, replete with a ladder, a chain fence, birdcages, and an ominous platform above the stage.

The play clips along at an adequately quick pace, clocking in at just under an hour and a half. However, the brevity of the performance does not mar its worth—instead, it keeps the production from being bogged down by unnecessary distractions.

If We Were Birds uses Greek myth to explore a subject which is still, unfortunately, extremely prevalent in today’s society. There is a sense of anger and desperation in this production, one that calls for more care to the injustices suffered by women in war-torn countries—as well as those closer to home.

However, where Birds excels the most is in its insistence in portraying female victims of sexual violence as survivors; here, feminism prevails in the refusal to stay silent, instead drawing attention to something that is far more frequent than is often reported, and far

more damaging than can be imagined.

If We Were Birds is playing at Imago Theatre (5143 St. Laurent) until Oct. 19. Student tickets are $18 and $15 in a group of 10 or more.

If We Were Birds uses costume colour to convey innocence. (Tristan Brand)

MUSIC

Preaching from the choir: The Zolas explore their musical evolution Creative duo gearing up to play “the biggest jewel” in Canada’s crown of cities Sara Marjanovic Contributor When I called to interview Zachary Gray of The Zolas, he was in a line deciding on a pastry to buy in Toronto. Since September, after stops in Toronto and Hamburg, Germany, they’ve been on a Canadawide tour. Now, Zolas is embarking on a 30-day tour with Ottawa’s Hollerado and Toronto’s Pup, reaching Montreal on Oct. 18th. Gray and his band mate, Tom Dobrzanski, first met in the British Columbia Boys’ Choir before forming Lotus Child and, eventually, The Zolas together.

“Our chemistry has always been a pretty classic duo where one person is a very detailed thinker and one person is a big picture thinker and that’s sort of how we are. Tom has a mind-boggling detailed mind,” Gray explained. To elaborate on this idea, he felt it was necessary to identify Tom’s spirit animal as a dog.

As for himself: “I’m not a detailed person—although I’m work-

ing on that. I’m more of someone who just knows how they want something to feel. So together that’s how we approach things. I would write the big brushstrokes, and he would fill the details. But that’s always changing. [.…] Now it’s a lot more of an orgy of a bunch of talented people.”

Based in Vancouver, BC, The Zolas’ music is best characterized as indie piano-pop. Last year, they released their second album, Ancient Mars, after their debut album, Tic Toc Tic, achieved praise in 2009.

“We had been listening to a lot of The Kinks, and they have a very organic sound. It sounds just like a band in a room kicking the s*** out of their songs. And that’s what we wanted for Tic Toc Tic [.…] For the second album, we wanted the opposite of that. We wanted to create a false atmosphere—aesthetics that wouldn’t normally exist that sound very interesting in your headphones, but nothing that you can produce right away with a four-piece band.

We’ve been listening to a lot more produced music like Gorillaz and Beck and Spoon, and we wanted to sound like that.”

Gray has a personal attachment to the Montreal stop on his tour: his mother grew up in the city, and “Local Swan” is written from the perspective of his brother, a Concordia fine arts graduate and roommate of singer-songwriter Sean Nicholas Savage.

“We’re going to be really happy to be there—especially in Montreal [.…] Canada is a very charming country, but in a lot of ways, there are only three proper cities, and Montreal is sort of the biggest jewel in that crown, so playing in Montreal is always a fun thing and an honour.”

As excited as they are to perform in Montreal, they are equally excited about spending time in the van. Normally, the band spends their tour downtime watching cover videos of their songs, but this time, they plan to develop new skills. Gray will spend the month studying to speak

Hola, Zolas. (beatroute.ca) Spanish fluently, while bass player James Younger is planning to make electronic beats with a digital audio workstation.

Gray offered some advice to aspiring musicians: “be the best at what you’re doing. Don’t think about the industry [.…] Don’t think about the business—just think about being the best at what you’re doing.”

He appears to be taking his own words to heart.

“We’ve always had high-mind-

ed ideas of what we’re going to do and never followed through, but this time, we’re following through. Mark my words, McGill Tribune.” Words marked.

This Friday, extend a “hola” to Zach, witness Tom’s inner Husky, and be entwined in the Zola’s outof-this-world musical atmosphere.

The Zolas can be seen on Oct. 18th at the Cabaret du Mile End. Tickets are $29.

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Wednesday, October 16, 2013 |

arts & entertainment

ALBUM REVIEWS

| Curiosity delivers.

could be good MUSIC Matt Mays A veteran on the Canadian rock music scene, frontman of Matt Mays & El Torpedo is currently in the middle of a solo tour. Adam Baldwin opens the show.

Wednesday Oct. 16, doors open at 9 p.m., Petit Campus (57 Prince-Arthur E).

Tickets are $15.

DOCUMENTARY Good Ol’ Freda

LOEGz #LeagueShit

Pearl Jam Lightning Bolt

Drake Nothing Was the Same

Independent

Monkeywrench

Cash Money

Austin, Texas-based rap collective, the League of Extraordinary Gz (LOEGz) recently geared up to release their third album, #LeagueShit, which dropped Oct. 15. The album is named in honour of recently deceased League emcee Octavis “Esbe Da 6th Street Bully” Berry, to whom the catchphrase belonged.

LOEGz consists of three groups who began collaborating in 2009: Da C.O.D. (Mr. Greezo, S. Dot, Tuk-da-Gat and Lil’ J), Dred Skott (Reggie Coby and Esbe), and Southbound (Lowkey and Sandman). Largely produced by League member Reggie Coby and including guest vocals from names such as Dead Prez, Bavu Blakes, Slim Gravy, and instrumentals from Latin Funk Band Group Fanstasma, #LeagueShit is a dynamic record, showcasing the artists’ raw musicality.

The lyrical prowess and versatility of the rappers is clear in the album’s range of song topics, with a mix of lighter themes like girls and parties, as well as weightier political and sociallyminded subjects. Tracks like “4 Dollar Blues,” with the hook “I got the 4 dollar blues/I got no money/I can’t put no gas in my car” and “Party at My House,” which is about not getting into a club, are a refreshing break from the themes of opulence and A-list lifestyle common in much of mainstream hip-hop.

“Maybe She’s Right,” a song about break-ups, shows off the group’s cheeky humour by sampling snippets of angry voicemails left by a fed up girlfriend throughout the track.

The Gz’ serious side comes out in tracks such as “Never Know Me,” which focuses on the alienation that many lower class members of society often feel, as well as the snap judgments made about people based on how they appear and where they live.

Although some tracks certainly shine more than others, for the fan of classic rap #LeagueShit is a worthwhile album of consistent overall quality.

No one would have thought that any band could surpass the unique sound—or should I say noise—of legendary grunge-rock band Nirvana. But Pearl Jam did.

The Seattle-based band’s career began with their grunge debut album Ten (1991), but the band’s music seemed to transition to a more alternative rock sound after the release of Vitalogy in 1994. That newer sound has guided them all the way to their current release, Lightning Bolt.

This consistent alternative rock is an echo of their grunge sound. It is what helped Pearl Jam become as successful as it is today. While listening to Lightning Bolt, I could easily tell it was the same band that took grunge-rock lovers by storm in 1991 and revived the genre after the tragic and unexpected death of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain in 1994.

Eddie Vedder’s inimitable deep, husky voice is just as healthy as it was 20 years ago, and the band’s solidarity is just as strong.

Pearl Jam could not have picked a better name for its 10th studio album.

Lightning Bolt mainly offers fastpaced rock. The opener “Getaway” gives you the same ‘rock-out’ feeling experienced upon first hearing “Even Flow” and “Alive,” singles off of Ten. The aggressive riff flowing through “Getaway” demonstrates Mike McCready’s classic rock influence, and accompanied by ex-Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron’s dynamic beats, the song is almost a perfect opener to an almost perfect album.

However, the whole album isn’t as electric as its name implies. Pearl Jam frequently integrates a different, slower sound into their grunge roots. Classics like the melodic “Black” and acoustic single “Just Breathe” are perfect examples; and you can expect a similar sound on Lightning Bolt.

Once again, Pearl Jam has bottled up sonic lightning while leaving a place on the album for the calm before the storm. If you are an avid Pearl Jam fan, this album will not disappoint.

Drake reasserts himself as one of hip-hop’s front-running rappers with the release of his third studio album, Nothing Was the Same. While the album possesses chart-topping singles such as “Started From The Bottom” and “Hold On We’re Going Home,” the more obscure tracks deserve sizable credit for the album’s lyrical and melodic eminence.

Nothing Was The Same’s first track, “Tuscan Leather,” is arguably the musical highlight of the album.

The song impressively samples Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing,” and Curtis Mayfield’s “When Seasons Change.” Commendably, Drake pays great homage to musical legends. In a solid track titled “Wu Tang Forever” he makes clever references to one of hip-hop’s greatest groups of all time.

The honesty put forth in Nothing Was the Same is one that rap fans do not come across very often. In the revealing single, “Too Much,” Drake brilliantly exposes his personal struggles by framing them with intelligent lyrics and a melodically heartbreaking chorus. His ability to successfully deviate from rap stereotypes by showcasing a rare form of vulnerability is a definite breath of fresh air.

While Drake does not feature many artists on the album, he decides to share the spotlight with A-list hiphop powerhouse Jay Z on “Pound Cake.” This track may not be the album’s most preeminent song, but it is a great representation of the change in rap culture. With so much competition in the industry, it is captivating to see a young rapper go head-to-head with a notable veteran.

Nothing Was the Same puts Drake in the upper realms of both hip hop and R&B. With the help of producing partner Noah “40” Shebib, a Grammy nomination is likely in the works for the young artist.

— Kia Pouliot

— Haaris Aziz

— Haviva Yesgat

Alhough it is being shown in Montreal for the first time, this film has already been showcased at several large film festivals this year. It is an exclusive portrait of Freda Kelly, The Beatles’ secretary throughout their entire tenure as a band. Kelly tells stories about her experience as both an employee and close friend of the band that she began to work with as a teenager.

Begins playing on Friday Oct. 18, Cinema du Parc (3575 Parc). Student admission is $8.50.

DANCE DansEmotion Convention The second annual installment of this exposition will feature workshops and presentations from some of the best in the Quebec dance community, ranging from classical to hip-hop. This year, the event has expanded slightly to include conferences in music, drama, and visual arts.

Friday Oct. 18, 10 a.m - 5 p.m. and Saturday Oct. 19, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Place Bonaventure (800, rue de la Gauchetière Ouest). Student admission is $12 for one day and $20 for both.

MUSIC Man Man Fresh off the release of their fifth studio album, On Oni Pond, Man Man returns to Montreal to perform. The group is noted for their experimental style and multiinstrumentational tracks. Xenia Rubinos opens the show.

Saturday Oct. 19, doors open at 8 p.m., Cabaret du Mile End (5420 Parc). Tickets are $16 in advance and $20 at the door.

SLAM POETRY Throw Poetry Collective Join this spoken word and poetry community for their monthly slam poetry event that brings together poets, musicians, rappers, and beat-boxers from across Montreal.

Sunday Oct. 20, 8 p.m., Divan Orange (4234 St. Laurent).

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FEATURES | 11

10 | FEATURES

Average home attendance

Why McGill can’t “Pack the Stadium” The struggle to cultivate a stronger sports culture

BY MAYAZ ALAM With nearly 40,000 students and an endowment that is upwards of $1 billion, McGill is no doubt a large and well-funded university. Despite this, attendance rates for sports games are low, and a general sense of apathy is palpable towards athletics at McGill.

McGill’s athletic history, much like its academic past, is both prestigious and noteworthy. Dr. James Naismith, a McGill alumni and former Director of Athletics, invented the game of basketball. McGill students were also instrumental in the formation of another sport, ice hockey, as they collaborated to codify the first rulebook of the sport before creating the McGill University Hockey Club in 1877, the first of its kind. McGill also had a major impact in the development of another of the ‘Big Four’ of North American professional sports— the remaining being hockey, baseball, and basketball—as the first North American styled football game was played between McGill and Harvard in 1874.

McGill’s athletic success isn’t simply limited to the history book, either. In the past three years, the Redmen and Martlets have combined to win 15 championships in conferences such as the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and the Reseau du Sport Etudiant du Quebec (RSEQ), among others.

In addition to this, men’s and women’s ice hockey, men’s baseball, men’s lacrosse as well as men’s and women’s tennis have won national championships in the past three years.

The obvious lack of school spirit and excitement surrounding varsity sports gives the impression that McGill student athletes are unsuccessful. With the exception of the men’s basketball, hockey, and football

teams—collectively known as the ‘Big 3’—most games are played in front of near empty arenas and stadiums. Even for the aforementioned ‘Big 3,’ attendance rates over the last three years have lagged considerably compared to other schools with significantly smaller student populations and comparable athletic records.

According to former McGill Martlet Kristin Hazzard (2002-2006), the culture of athletics at McGill has always been like this.

She started off her career on the women’s volleyball team, a program that ranked consistently in the nation’s top 10. After her first year, she made the switch to the ice where the historically dominant Martlet ice hockey program made it to nationals every year she was on the squad. Despite the success in both sports, she noted that fan engagement was clearly lacking.

“I was on very good teams […] but nobody really watched us except for family and [sometimes] friends,” said Hazzard.

One of the main reasons that McGill Athletics struggles to generate interest is because of the university’s location in the heart of a major city. For many schools located in rural or semi-rural areas, universitysponsored sports are an integral part of daily life. Without alternative sources of entertainment, students are naturally drawn to varsity sports. Hazzard’s experiences echo this sentiment.

“At French-Canadian universities in smaller towns like Laval and Sherbrooke there would just be a different atmosphere,” Hazzard said. “[In] Sherbrooke […] the volleyball program was just something the entire town got behind.”

Tessa MacDougall, a former Syracuse Women’s Soccer player (2006-2010),

commented that it was fairly common to see student life centred around college athletics at a National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) school like hers, compared to its relatively low profile at McGill.

“There were a lot of events [surrounding] sports, things like pep rallies or homecoming were a huge deal […] and there were tailgates for every game of every sport.”

Syracuse is in a metropolitan area with a population of less than 700,000 people and only one major higher education institution.

Montreal, on the other hand, has a greater population of just under four million and hosts four major universities. Consequently, students here are given limitless options to satisfy their entertainment needs. Olivia Sutter, a former Carleton Raven and current McGill Martlet, noted that despite being the fourth largest city in Canada, Ottawa pales in comparison in terms of city life.

“In Montreal, as a student, there’s just so much more to do. There’s the culture, the nightlife, [whereas] in Ottawa you’d be more inclined to go to games because you know your friends are going,” said Sutter.

Neal Prokop, a forward on the Redmen ice hockey squad and former student athlete at the University of Manitoba, noted that schools that are in urban centres with large swaths of commuter students face added difficulty.

“Once a student leaves campus [for the day], they aren’t as inclined to come back, especially in the colder months of the year,” explained Prokop. “I think it is difficult for a school to maintain a ‘campus atmosphere’ with students spending so much time living ‘off-campus.’”

Drew Love, McGill’s executive director of Athletics and Recreation, sees the other

entertainment options as just another component of what he calls the ‘Montreal Fabric.’ The centrepiece of this idea is, of course, the Montreal Canadiens who dominate a disproportionate amount of both the media coverage and the fan engagement and interest. Other professional teams have struggled for a market share whilst competing against the Habs, despite seasons having very little overlap. The Alouettes, Montreal’s CFL team, have struggled to stay in the city throughout the course of their history while the Impact, Montreal’s Major League Soccer (MLS) team, have really focused on finding its consumer base in the large immigrant population.

Hazzard believes that funding is a major factor that drives the culture of athletics.

“It always seemed like other universities were pumping in more money into their programs. We were very lucky in ice hockey with the funding we had. I know in most other sports, including volleyball, it was very minimal.”

MacDougall’s experiences at Syracuse were completely different. She noted that funding was never an issue and was a consistent driving force in the development and maintenance of a successful culture.

“I was paid to go there [through my scholarship] just like all the other student athletes. And […] alumni donate back to make sure the experience improves,” MacDougall said.

While McGill Athletics has a budget of $3.8 million, most NCAA athletic departments see much bigger numbers.

Syracuse Athletics’ profit alone is around $4.1 million.

In addition to this, there are certain characteristics about the student body that

Bars reflect per cent of total undergraduate population

McGill Athletics banner adorns the Leacock Building. (Laurie Anne Benoit / McGill Tribune)

are unique to McGill. One such characteristic is the location and structure of the athletic facilities.

“At Carleton the arena was right on campus and everyone knew where it was.

Here, it’s hidden,” said Sutter.

Hazzard noticed that the atmosphere around the McGill vs. Concordia rivalry game was noticeably different if the game was being played at Ed Meagher Arena at Concordia, as opposed to McConnell Arena.

“The game [at Ed Meagher] was always more popular and the atmosphere was better […] because their arena was structured so that there was only one side of the ice for bleachers.”

Love reiterates the statement when it comes to McGill’s field sports, as the atmosphere created is misleading if only attendance rates are taken into account.

“You can’t create a sense of urgency around buying a ticket when you never sell out […] because our venues are so large that if 3,000 people show up you can’t black-out the rest of the stadium and create a positive atmosphere,” Love said. Percival Molson stadium has a seating capacity of over 25,000. so even a crowd of 3,000 would look relatively modest.

Another key factor that is mostly unique to McGill is the academic and research-orientated nature of the school. This is something that affects everyone that is a part of the university, including those in the Athletics program.

“We know that this is an academic institution,” said Love. “That’s why we’re all here, and we say that we develop student athletes, students first, athletes second [….] We see, even in [the Athletics Complex], the result of fans and players who have to fight their way through very difficult academic situations […]

It’s just reality here and it affects the fan base.”

MacDougall’s experience at Syracuse, a reputable and top 50 institution in the United States, is a far cry from those within the McGill community.

“It was the sort of situation where you’d rather skip an exam than skip a game […] because it’s the main reason you’re going to the school,” she explains.

McGill still has a long way to go in terms of branding its program compared to other Canadian universities. Sutter has noticed the marked change during her time as a Martlet. “[Here] there aren’t flyers anywhere promoting the games. [At Carleton] it was everywhere on every wall of the student centre,” said Sutter.

Prokop noted that the University of Manitoba was able to parlay two major developments on campus, the building of a new stadium and a new active student centre, into added interest for university athletics.

“The school is using the opportunity to create a new ‘fan experience’ through student promotions, university events, state of the art facilities and a new website,” he explained.

“The football team has drawn some of their largest crowds to date, and the ‘buzz’ on campus, with the help of social media, is focused on engaging as many students as possible.”

Prokop also believes that a successful athletics program should strive to move past just success or fan engagement and focus on the development of its student athletes.

“I think the healthiest university athletic program are those that produce great student athletes,” said Prokop. “Having the support in place to help athletes succeed in and out of the classroom should be a priority.“ In this respect McGill undoubtedly succeeds. However, as evidenced by the current state of the program, more needs to be done by both McGill Athletics and by the student body as a whole. Love says he is fully aware of the unique, inherent problems that McGill faces when trying to develop its fan base and has been spearheading the charge to tackle these issues. It has become clear that it is not enough to just broadcast that there will be games certain nights and expect fans to show up. Rather, its latest policy has focused on generating buzz through step-by-step solutions that make it easier and more exciting for the greater McGill community to attend games.

“We’ve created special event nights [like] ‘Fandemonium’ and ‘Pack the Stadium’ […] to generate interest and get people [in],” said Love.

“We’re trying to work with Red Thunder and get them more active and out to more games.

We’re working [on] some programs now with [the residences…] to get the community to come in […] but the thing is it’s never-ending, it’s a four year cycle that keeps on going.”

The program is also currently going through a marketing program that has focused on bringing more advertising towards main campus and away from the Athletics complex.

The new strategy places a greater emphasis on branding the uniqueness of McGill. Phrases such as: “Behind every great team there is a great university,” or, “#werunthiscity” can now be found on walls in academic buildings on campus. Despite the continuing efforts of McGill Athletics, students must also choose to shift time away from alternative entertainment options and choose to support their peers. A perfect opportunity to do so will be Homecoming Week. McGill football faces off against the Université de Montreal in the annual Homecoming Game on Saturday Oct. 19 at 1:00 p.m. in Molson Stadium, a tilt with major playoff implications. Later that evening, as part of the festivities Men’s Ice Hockey will also be playing its Homecoming Game against UQTR at 7:00 p.m. in McConnell Arena.

The foundation for creating a strong culture of athletics exists at McGill. The shared onus now falls upon the entire community to take the next step forward.

Average home attendance Bars reflect per cent of total undergraduate population

Ph oto s co urt esy of t he Mo ntr eal

Ne uro log ica l In stit ute

Infographic and design by Alessandra Hechanova Data from Canadian Interuniversity Sport and Statistics Canada

Science & technology Technology

McGill Hackers battle it out in 30-hour MIT ‘hack-a-thon’ U1 computer science student recounts his experience attending HackMIT Abhishek Gupta Contributor Thirty hours, more than 1,000 hackers and over $10,000 in prizes—this was HackMIT. Hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the picturesque town of Cambridge, Massachusetts, HackMIT brought programmers from every level to participate in a ‘hack-a-thon.’ The purpose of the event was to create a product or a service from scratch in a fixed amount of time with a team of up to four ‘hackers’. All hacks were required to be computerrelated, but the projects ranged from web, desktop, mobile, and hardware tasks, such as websites and iOS apps.

“Hackers stuck it out through the night to come up with brilliant hacks that were displayed the next morning in the judging session.”

The event was sponsored by Sequoia Capital, a large American venture capital firm known for being an early backer of Google. After a brief introduction followed by crisp descriptions of various Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), the event kicked off with teams rushing out of the auditorium to find themselves a cozy and comfortable spot that would be their home for the next 30 hours.

Forty-five students represented McGill at this event, all of whom were members of the emerging group aptly named HackMcGill. These devoted members—who traveled all night to make it to the Hack-a-thon the following morning—were eager to take advantage of the exciting opportunities offered by the event.

Teammate Ivo Bratanov said “HackMIT was an incredible opportunity to meet, interact with, and learn from some of the brightest coders in North America.”

Representatives from the big names in the social media world, like Twitter, Facebook, and Google were present to discuss their APIs with students.

This opportunity allowed hackers to network with people in the industry, while at the same time acquire some sample ‘swag’ as souvenirs. Technical talks were also conducted throughout the day by these companies, which gave the hackers an opportunity to take a break and get some air.

As the hack-a-thon progressed, the hackers lost Wi-Fi connectivity because of the heavy pressure the event put on the network. This led to frustration across the event. Within a few hours the organizers brought Ethernet cables and hooked all the groups up to Internet. The venue quickly took the shape of a tropical forest floor littered with vines.

Despite these technical difficulties, the true spirit of the hack-a-thon kicked in as the day progressed. The cables, laptops, pages on pages of product designs and discussions, and energy drinks—the key to a 30-hour hackathon—all contributed to the lively atmosphere.

As the evening drew near, the organizers provided air mattresses for those looking to take a little break. However, most hackers stuck it out through the night to come up with brilliant hacks that were displayed the next morning in the judging session. The judging period was immediately followed up with the closing ceremony at the Kresge Auditorium where the winning hacks were announced.

Though HackMcGill did not return with a prize, hackers returned with new friendships, memories, and a renewed spirit for hacking.

Hackers spent 30 hours competing to design projects like Android apps and websites.

(Kevin Yiming Chen / diamondbackonline.com)

30 hours

(Hairuo Guo / bostinno.streetwise.co)

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Curiosity delivers. |

science & technology ASK SCITECH

Why do we lie?

Perhaps the easiest lie to detect is when someone says they have never lied. From social fibs, in which a person lies in order to protect someone else’s feelings or to benefit others, to self-enhancement fibs, in which a person lies to save face or avoid consequences.

In a nutshell, lying plays a major role in our interactions in society.

So how did this innate ability to lie develop? Did it evolve from a survival instinct thousands of years ago, or is being dishonest more of a present-day manifestation to ensure personal gain?

While we may never discover the primal origins of the need to fabricate, we can understand how and why children develop the ability to lie. This knowledge can help us understand, to some extent, why we lie as adults.

Canada Research Chair in Developmental Psychology and Law Victoria Talwar examines children’s social-cognitive behav-

iour at McGill’s Talwar Research Team. According to Talwar, “the occurrence of lying in children is considered a normal cognitive development.”

Talwar explains that while lying is a positive sign of burgeoning intelligence and imagination in children, in adults, this childhood; discovery of fibbing can manifest itself in a manipulative manner because we are much more aware of either the personal gain or the avoidance of negative consequences that lying provides. Since lies themselves depend on context, place, and person, children do not really start to lie until pre-school age. Before reaching this stage, the reasons for lying are more to do with wish fulfilment then actual deception.

However, the motivations behind adult lies are less rooted on cognitive development. Based on a study conducted by Dan Ariely, professor of psychology and behavioural economicas at Duke University and described in his

TEchnology

Midterm season app reviews With midterms underway, make use of these apps to help you be more proactive at the library in the next few days!

StudyBlue StudyBlue is one of several flashcard apps available online and for iPhone and Android. The app allows you to make digital flashcards and flip through them while keeping track of your progress. You can also share flashcards with peers. Each flashcard can contain text and pictures, and the app will recommend similar sets of flashcards created by others users to try after you make your own. What makes StudyBlue advantageous compared to your regular flashcards is that the app comes with various filters to help enhance your studying. From creating quizzes based on your cards, to weeding out the cards you answered correctly and creating review sheets—the app allows you to test your knowledge in various engaging ways.

Wunderlist

Wunderlist is like a master to-do list. From grocery shopping to travel arrangements, the app allows you to plan for just about anything. Not only does this app allow you to create lists, it also allows you to share them with your classmates. The app focuses on organization and efficiency, everything from due dates to reminders. It even allows you to turn your emails into reminders and print off your to-dos.

StudyChecker

Didn’t study enough to pass that exam? Don’t blame it on the test. StudyChecker, an app designed for Android phones, has the ability to prove how much you’ve studied. Essentially, the app automatically records your study times and breaks. Then, it displays your stats for the day, week, month of a designated time period to show you what your study and break habits look like. The app also has several other useful features, such as the ability to create task lists to better manage your work.

| Wednesday, October 16, 2013

13

By Jitika Chan

book The (Honest) Truth about Dishonesty, the science behind an adult’s decision to lie is far more profound and complicated then was thought.

Ariely conducted a series of experiments to examine the motives behind the desire to lie. He provided participants with math questions and directed them to solve as many as they could within a five-minute time frame. At the end of the five minutes, the group members received a monetary reward for each correct answer. The average number of questions answered was four in this particular group of people.

The experiment was altered with a different group of participants. Members were permitted to destroy their answers after they had completed the math problems, and were instead asked to simply state how many questions they had solved. As a result, members had the opportunity to lie, as there was no evidence to verify the truth in their responses. Within these

altered conditions, the average number of questions correctly answered increased to seven.

Then, Ariely added a twist to the experiment. He increased the monetary value of each math problem solved correctly for this second group of participants. The findings were surprising. Participants in the second group did not adjust their fictitious results to show a larger number of correctly solved problems from their original lie.

In other words, the participants in the second group were not inclined to be more deceitful when the opportunity to make more money per question was introduced to them.

Concordia graduate Nada Hafez, who completed her undergraduate studies with a bachelor of science in psychology, shed light on the interpretation of this experiment, “These experiments demonstrate that [people are] constrained by a sense of their individual ethical guide [when lying],” Hafez said. “Why was the average num-

ber of questions solved within the group that lied not nine or even 10, but seven?”

She explained that this phenomenon is known as cognitive dissonance in psychology, where the participants experience discomfort as they struggle between two conflicting cognitions, the appeal of dishonesty and belief in telling the truth when reporting the number of math questions actually solved correctly.

“And in the process of this internal conflict what ends up happening is that, as in the case of the second group, they want to distort the truth enough to gain advantage from the situation but not so much that they feel they deviate from their moral schema,” Hafez concluded.

Evidently, our motivations for lying are a lot more complicated than we might think. It’s up to future studies in psychology to continue to shed light on why we engage in this behaviour.

Student living student

Debra Kelsall U2 HONOURS INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT (Alexandra Allaire / McGill Tribune)

Most days, Debra Kelsall can be found hard at work at the Bronfman Building. As a second year student in the Honours Investment Management Program, Kelsall’s interest in her program has expanded beyond the classroom, as seen through her involvement in groups such as the Desautels Women in Business Club and the McGill Christian Fellowship.

The Honours Investment Management Program is highly competitive and is designed to prepare students to work in financial asset management.

“The curriculum in this honours program is practically oriented so that students gain a lot of hands-on and real-world experience with an end result that, more often then not, leads to a career in investment banking,” Kelsall explains.

As part of their training, students are divided into different sectors, such as the consumer or energy sectors. Kelsall is a member of metals and mining.

Her team recently presented an industry review on copper, iron, and gold to inform their peers on the latest developments within the sector. Another

by Jitika Shah

monthly demonstration in their program is a stock pitch, which involves an analysis of a specific company to determine its current worth.

As one of only three women accepted into the competitive program, Kelsall understands the challenges facing young females who are trying to become involved in the business world.

As a member of the Desautels Women in Business club, she helps organize events to encourage women to pursue their interests in the finance industry with the aim of improving the representation of women.

“I have been to a lot of conferences and you always notice that, as a woman, you are always the minority, “Kelsall says. She added that she hopes the group’s activities inspire more female students to consider a career in the upper echelons of business.

Another way Kelsall seeks to push boundaries traditionally associated with business is her resolution to reconcile her Christian upbringing with her career choice. According to Kelsall, the motivating factor behind decisionmaking in investment banking is com-

merce, rather than one’s moral compass. She has found a way to explore these personal conflicts by holding weekly meetings called “Business and the Bible” as a member of the McGill Christian Fellowship.

“I wanted to see how the Bible can be relevant in the world of business,” she says. “Banks are always in the news for the wrong reasons and I want to look at how I can work at an investment firm, remain ethical, and still have an influence on the others around me and contribute to the firm in a positive way.”

The group discusses issues such as defining success in the world of finance, and how that compares to God’s definition of success as described in the Bible.

Regardless of what she is engaged in, Kelsall says she is resolute in staying true to herself.

“It is important for me to be the same person regardless of what context I am placed in, whether it be in school or at church or at an investment firm,” she says.

xploring McGill’s librari e : t u o g n i h c n es Bra Birks Reading Room proves good things come in small packages Erica Friesen Managing Editor Best known for its quiet, intimate atmosphere and its no-shoes policy, the Birks Reading Room is one of the smallest libraries on campus. Located on the second floor of the Birks Building, the reading room currently holds approximately 20,000 items from the Religious Studies’ collection including texts on biblical studies, comparative religions, modern theology, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

Where is your favourite place to hang out ?

The mountain. I really like to go for runs up there. It is so beautiful.

What is the one weird thing about you that no one knows ?

I like baking, but I don’t think that’s weird… I can’t whistle!

What is the one item you cannot live without?

My laptop. I like to read up on the finance industry in between classes.

What did you want to be when you were a child?

I wanted to be involved in a non-profit organization.

nominate a student of the week!

Email us at studentliving@ mcgilltribune.com

knows them here, so they can write without being bothered.”

Part of this atmosphere is the policy that Birks is perhaps best known for: shoes off at the door. According to Youster, this does more than just protect the expensive hardwood floors from unnecessary wear.

“It also adds to the ambiance because there’s no noise,” he said. “When people walk in [shoes] it makes noise and disturbs the atmosphere; but if people take their shoes off, right off the bat, it’s quiet, it’s clean, it just helps.”

Something special

History

Although the building itself was built in 1930, the Religious Studies collection started almost two decades before the reading room even existed.

The collection dates from 1912, when the Joint Board of Theological Colleges was established in affiliation with McGill. Participants of this foundation made their library resources available to the university, and this trend continued with groups that were later associated with McGill such as the Montreal Diocesan Theological College and the United Theological College. The Birks Reading Room housed the entire collection for the Faculty of Religious Studies until most of its holdings were relocated to McLennan Library in 1996.

In 1994, the Faculty of Religious Studies faced an uncertain future, when

What advice would you have for a student who is considering investment banking as a career ?

Start networking early. The McGill Investment Club has a lot of events so take every opportunity to participate and learn.

(Laurie-Anne Benoit / McGill Tribune) then-principal Bernard Shapiro proposed that McGill only support faculties capable of generating the revenues required to sustain themselves. According to Allan Youster, the library clerk who runs Birks Reading Room during opening hours, this tentative situation meant that the library was in poor condition when he was assigned to its care in 2000.

“It was dirty, the floor was coming apart, and it was dark, so people never came,” he said. “I started cleaning just because I had nothing to do, and slowly people started coming. It was quiet, and people like quiet.”

After seeing the renewed interest in the library, Youster said the university

refurbished the lighting and power in the library, and also invested $70,000 to redo the floors.

Resources

Although Birks isn’t known for its resources, it still offers the essentials.

Besides taking out books from the collection, you can use one of three available computers.

With only 40 chairs, however, the library can get quite busy during midterm and exam season. If you’re wondering how likely you are to find a seat, look out for a “library full” sign on the door at the busiest times of year.

Atmosphere

For many students, the draw of Birks Reading Room is the atmosphere.

From the bay windows with stained glass insets to the high ceilings and wooden furniture, the library feels a world away from the steel bookshelves of McLennan. Altogether, it’s a cozy, intimate atmosphere that is hard to come by at McGill.

“Most universities—especially ones in financial trouble—don’t keep spaces like this,” Youster said. “People come here when they’ve done their research and they need a place to read and write, because it’s quiet and a place to think. A lot of people from other faculties also come here because no one

Set off from the main study area, the stacks of books that hold the collection are designed to encourage a comfortable atmosphere conducive to browsing. Chairs scattered throughout these stacks make it possible for students to sit and browse through the collection, rather than just retrieving individual books.

“I’m not keen on things like compact shelving—they’re interesting for storage, but […] the sense of browsing is gone,” Youster said. “Here we encourage that. Have a seat, look around—you have your one call number for one book, but there’s so much beside it. Who knows what you’ll find?”

Hours of

Operation MONDAY-FRIDAY 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

2 p.m.-5 p.m.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY Closed

Curiosity delivers. | FOOD

STUDENT LIVING

15

| Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Rebel finds kitchen at Prato Pizzeria; poutine packs major punch Matt Basile dishes out street food and advice on carving one’s own career path Marlee Vinegar Student Living Editor The man behind Fidel Gastro, a Toronto street food experience company, held a pop-up restaurant event at Prato Pizzeria on St-Laurent last Friday.

Between serving foodies and the occasional exclamations of his catch phrase ‘Ole,’ Matt Basile took the time to speak to the Tribune about street food, making it in business, and giving in to your professional appetite.

Basile didn’t always dream of becoming a culinary sensation. He started off working as a copywriter in Toronto.

Cooking was something he did with his family and to make a little money on the side. When he realized he wasn’t doing what he really enjoyed, Basile gave notice that he would be leaving his job at his marketing firm in order to pursue his passion for food. According

to Basile, listening to Steve Jobs’ commencement address to Standford University on YouTube consolidated his new outlook.

“It was so much aligned to what I had just done moments earlier that it was like Steve Jobs was talking to me directly,” Basile said. “You know, people aren’t meant to be task-doers; they’re meant to carve their own way. That’s the human spirit—do your own thing.“ Basile has certainly trod his own path. In addition to doing pop-up food events, where he takes over a restaurant for a night to serve up his own food, Basile sells street-fare from his food truck, Priscilla, and runs his restaurant Lisa Marie in Toronto. These ventures are featured on Travel and Escape network’s television show Rebel Without a Kitchen, which he hosts.

When initial plans to hold a pop-

up in Buffalo fell through, the lastminute stop in the Belle Province was a

Cooking tip from Fidel Gastro “I think it’s just a matter of knowing what you like…Start there, [ask yourself] what do I enjoy?

I enjoy barbecue, I enjoy burgers, I enjoy sandwiches. Then you just go from there, that’s it…

There’s no formal training on fun.”

no-brainer for Basile.

One need look no further than the food trucks parked outside Leacock to realize that the street food movement has hit Montreal with full force.

“I’m not from here, but I definite-

ly have a huge love for this city,” Basile said. “I [thought], how do we do something in such a short amount of time and still [do] Montreal justice?”

For his Friday night menu, he prepared two variations of Montreal-inspired poutine—if they can even be called that. The first dish incorporated Schwartz’s smoked meat into the classic Quebecois meal. Though smoked meattopped poutine certainly isn’t unheard of, Basile made the Montreal experience his own by topping it off with Dijon honey sauce instead of the traditional gravy.

The second was a marinara poutine made with delicious local cheese curds and marinara sauce prepared by him and Prato’s owner, Rosa.

It simultaneously delivered the standard Italian-style tomato, basil, and cheese trio and satisfied any late night

poutine cravings.

“Smoked meat, poutine, pizzerias—these are all things that are near and dear to everyone’s hearts, so all I [had] to do [was] put the Fidel Gastro twist on it,” Basile said.

That “Fidel Gastro twist” is what Basile does best.

“Whether it’s in my restaurant or in my truck, or on a table in Montreal, in order to really make an impact in the food industry, you just always have to be different,” he said. “That’s the most important thing.”

Although Basile’s job comes with reality television-esque drama, like issues with his deep fryer and Prato’s power on Friday, he said he feels incredibly fortunate to be where he is today.

“I love my job and I love doing it every day,” he said. “I’m very blessed in that sense.”

SEASONAL

Friends, family, and food: an international perspective on turkey day First impressions on Canadian Thanksgiving and why McGill students are giving thanks this year Kaitlyn Jardine-LaChapelle Contributor The traditional Canadian Thanksgiving calls to mind images of lively family gatherings, shameless gluttony, and moments of meaningful reflection. For many of McGill’s culturally diverse student body, however, Thanksgiving is a new experience. Separated by great distances from home and family, these students often find alternative ways to partake in the autumn tradition. We talked to fellow McGillians about how they have interpreted the turkey-fueled holiday and what they are thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Simon Rioche,

Michele Kim,

Enrique Pale,

“Before coming to Montreal [from France], I had no idea about Thanksgiving—[except] through Obama kissing a turkey on the TV. Even in my first year, I would see my Canadian and American friends leaving for home, but I had to stay and eat turkey in [residence]. Thomas, my Canadian roommate, invited me to his family dinner at a native reserve and they became my second family. They gave me a family gathering where I’ll feel welcome even though I’m a stranger[.…] So this year, I looked forward to going to it even though I know I’ll be so late in all my work.

We will be having our beer in front of the hockey game, part of a Canadian family.”

“I didn’t actually celebrate Thanksgiving with my family because we have a separate version of Thanksgiving in Korea. It’s not a super important holiday, but it reminds you to be thankful even for just a day, a meal, focusing on what you’re thankful for in life and what’s going well and what a lot of people probably don’t have. If you’re always focused on yourself, you can get very stressed out about what’s going on in your life. [When] you talk to your friends, your family, you gain perspective. It’s not just about what’s happening with you […] I’m honestly just thankful for e.verything. There are bad things, but everyone has bad things. Everything could be better, but life’s pretty great where it is right now.”

“In Mexico, we don’t have a special day like this. This is my second Thanksgiving that I am experiencing in Canada. For me, it’s a special time to spend with your friends and the family you’re staying with. I think a little longer about the things I have and this opportunity to study abroad[.…] It’s a moment to have good food, good drinks, and good company. Not everyone has this opportunity, for five months to be someplace nice like Montreal. I don’t meet people from all over the world normally in my hometown [.…] Getting to know many people from different cultures, different perspectives, what they want to do with their lives, and so on—that makes you grow. So I’m thankful for having these experiences for my future.”

U1 Anatomy & Cell Biology

U3 Management

Masters of Business Administration

Renuka Srinivasan,

U3 International Development Studies

“The first time I’d ever heard of Thanksgiving was two years ago.

I wasn’t actually aware that this was a thing; there is no Thanksgiving in India. For me, it’s an extra [vacation], a time to catch up on stuff, but I will stuff a turkey because I like the tradition of it, even if I don’t share any of the cultural significance. I’ve always seen it on TV and wanted to do it, even just for the fun of doing it with my friends[.…] I’m thankful for my health, for my family, for being here in Canada, this lovely day. I’m thankful for my friends, thankful for Montreal […] because the weather isn’t horrible yet.”

RECIPE

Butternut squash puff pastry tart Ingredients

1 sheet frozen puff pastry Egg wash (1 egg and 1 tsp water) 1 butternut squash (medium) 1tbsp olive oil ¼ cup honey Dash of chili flakes 2 tbsp water 10-12 sage leaves Dash of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F and line baking sheet with parchment paper 2. Roll out sheet of thawed frozen puff pastry and transfer to baking sheet 3. Prepare egg wash and lightly brush over pastry 4. Slice squash into 1cm rounds and arrange over pastry 5. Bake for approximately 10 minutes 6. Brush squash with olive oil and sprino

kle with salt 7. Continue to bake for 25-30 minutes or until a golden brown 8. Boil honey, chili flakes, and water in saucepan until thickened 9. Drizzle honey mixture onto pastry 10. Fry sage leaves in a oil until crispy 11. Cut into squares.

— Alessandra Hechanova, Creative Director

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Makes 12 slices

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SPORTS From the

Cheap

Seats

By Elie Waitzer

Fenway in October I’d like to say that I lost control of my body—that it wasn’t me in there. How could I be screaming my voice hoarse along with 38,029 New Englanders, high-fiving the stranger standing a row behind me, whipping my t-shirt above my head as David Ortiz lifted a booming game-tying grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning?

It couldn’t have been me because I have hated the Boston Red Sox ever since I attended my first game at the Rogers Centre in 2006.

It is with a sense of disbelief, then, that I sift through my memories of attending Game 2 of the American League Championship Series at Fenway Park this past weekend. I’m remembering myself at the beginning of the game.

There’s no cap on my head; I’m in a sea of Red Sox red as I stand out in a dull brown flannel that can’t be mistaken for any major league colour; I don’t clap (or boo) when the home lineup is introduced. I don’t sing along to a foreign national anthem.

When I came into the opportunity to go to Boston to take in some post-season baseball for the Thanksgiving weekend, I didn’t hesitate to seize it. As a lifelong Blue Jays fan born a few years too late, I had never seen baseball played past

September in real life. I had not even been to a stadium beyond the Rogers Centre, much less an openair stadium like Fenway, steeped in a century of myth and lore. I buried my deep-rooted loyalties and got on the eight hour Greyhound to Beantown.

Sunday night: Pushed up against the door of a crammed Boston subway car, the first “Go Sox!” cheers bubble up out of the crowd as Kenmore station is announced. As I step onto the Fenway concourse, all of Boston—all of New England—seems to be crowded around me. I push past a horde of scalpers who look and sound like they just stepped off the set of The Departed.

“Sahx tickets heeah!” As soon as I pass through the gate into the concession area, the history is palpable.

The smell of hot dogs and chowder wafts through the green underbelly of the stadium. The attack on my senses is overpowering.

The anxiety doesn’t hit me until a roar erupts from the crowd around 10 minutes before the game even begins—across town, Tom Brady of the New England Patrots had just thrown a game-winning touchdown pass with five seconds left. Who was I going to cheer for? I had no com-

pelling reason to risk rooting for the visitors, the Detroit Tigers, but I sure as hell wasn’t cheering for Boston.

Eating away at me though was this thought: would I be able to resist the infectious euphoria of the Fenway crowd if something—something like a walk-off—happened?

Luckily, there wasn’t much to worry about through the first seven innings, as Tigers starting pitcher Max Scherzer completely dominated to the tune of one earned run, striking out 13 players along the way. I did not cheer for any of the five runs Detroit scored. I just stood there as silent as the rest of the crowd, hoping against the hopes of everyone in the stadium that the next few innings would be just as uneventful.

Then something happened.

After a quick first out, Detroit reliever Jose Veras allowed a double to rookie Will Middlebrooks. Fans around me started to turn their caps inside out—the universally recognized ‘rally cap’—and before I had time to think, the bases were loaded.

Bottom of the eighth, two outs, with David Ortiz—Big Papi—taking slow, measured steps to the plate.

What happened next could only be described as inevitable. Unstoppable.

Sports briefs

By Mayaz Alam and Remi Lu

Martlet Rugby Over Thanksgiving weekend, the Martlet rugby squad emerged victorious after facing fierce competition in the Ottawa Gee Gee’s and the CIS no. 6 ranked St. Francis Xavier X-Women. The first match had important implications for the team’s post-season picture in the RSEQ as McGill travelled to the nation’s capital to determine which team would have home field advantage

Redmen Hockey The Redmen ice hockey team gained three points in its two matches during the regular season’s opening weekend in Toronto. On Friday, Ryerson led the game twice, before McGill

for the playoffs. They were able to parlay a strong first 20 minutes into a 14-0 lead as Casey Thorburn and Deanna Foster scored tries. The tilt ended at 21-13 as the Gee Gee’s closed the gap. The latter match was the second leg of the McEwen Cup. McGill jumped out to an early lead behind the brilliance of standout Brianna Miller. The Martlets’ 17-3 lead at halftime was too steep for the visitors to recover from as McGill

ended up winning 29-17. Despite the victory, the aggregate score for the McEwen Cup was 46-27 in favour of St. Francis Xavier. McGill will now host Ottawa in the RSEQ semifinals, a match that has doomed the program five years in a row. The team will play on Oct. 19 as part of McGill’s Homecoming week.

tied the score up behind goals from Mathieu Pompei and Cedric McNicoll. However, they were unable to hang on in overtime as Ryerson freshman Domenic Alberga capped off a three point night with the overtime winner. McGill was able to follow this up with a

shutout over its ‘Old Four’ rival, the Toronto Blues. Goaltender Andrew Flemming was superb between the pipes for the Redmen as he parried away 37 shots and kept the squad in the game while they were outshot. Sophomore Max Le Sieur had two goals on the night to lead

Red Sox slugger David Ortiz admires his grand slam. (San Fransisco Chronicle) The temperature had dropped a few degrees over the course of the game, and I could see thousands of little clouds puffing out around me as the crowd began a deafening chant: “Papi! Papi! Papi!” Standing next to me, my brother’s friend—a lifelong Red Sox fan—turned to me and said, “This is Fenway. This is Fenway.” Then, on the first pitch of his at-bat, Ortiz belted a line drive just past the outstretched glove of

Martlet Volleyball

The McGill Martlets took to Love Competition Hall for the first time this season to host the annual Martlet Invitational Volleyball Tournament. McGill kicked off the first day of tournament play by winning 2-0 against Memorial and Regina, ending the day tied with Montreal in first place. However, the team then dropped their match on Saturday against Queen’s University, losing 3-0. This set up McGill for its bronze medal game against Saint Mary’s University. The Martlets failed to close out their opponents in three sets, losing by a narrow margin of a mere 12 points across

the scoring efforts for the team.

The Redmen now host Ottawa and UQTR during Homecoming Week for their regular season home openers as they attempt to return to national prominence.

right fielder Torii Hunter. I surged to my feet and jumped; the breath from my cheers condensed with everyone else’s in the cold October air.

In my mind, there is no guilt or conflict. It was a primal reaction.

There was no moment in which I decided to do it—it just happened.

Who knows if it will ever happen again, but I’ll never forget the night that I cheered for the Boston Red Sox.

all three games. Montreal won its gold medal match against Queen’s, three sets to one. McGill’s MarieChristine Lapointe, a fourth-year setter out of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, was the only Martlet named to the tournament All-Star team. Marie-Sophie Nadeau from the Montreal team was named the tournament MVP. The Martlets will officially begin their regular season on Oct. 25 in the RSEQ-AUS Interlocking League Tournament in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

Curiosity delivers. |

FALL TEAM PREVIEWS

Swimming

(Victor Tangermann / McGill Athletics)

Last year saw the Redmen and the Martlet swimming teams each advance through their respective RSEQ conferences on the way to joint eighth-place finishes at the CIS National Championship in Calgary.

Despite some key losses due to graduation, both teams are looking to start the season strong and hope to improve on last season’s results.

The Martlets enter the 20122013 campaign with a strong mixture of youth and experience on

Redmen Hockey

(Luke Orlando / McGill Tribune)

It was just two years ago that the McGill Redmen hoisted the University Cup as national champions.

The program was at its peak; Head Coach Kelly Nobes had built a model university hockey club in terms of recruiting and player development.

However, fortunes changed last season in what was certainly a transition year. The Redmen lost to Nipissing in the OUA East Quarterfinal and failed to defend their championship. Surprising or not, the

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In case you just emerged from a food coma sustained from scarfing down all of that Thanksgiving turkey, here’s what you missed this past week in the world of sports...

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COmpiled by Ben Carter-Whitney, STeven Lampert

their roster. They will be relying on a strong sophomore performance from mid-distance swimmer Katie Caldwell, who took the RSEQ by storm last year and received nods for both Rookie-of-the-Year and Swimmer-of-the-Year. Caldwell also proved she could compete on a national level as she brought back a silver and a bronze in the 200m and 400m individual medley events respectively.

The team got off to a good start at its first meet, placing second overall thanks to strong showings from

Caldwell, veteran Rayven Snodgrass, and newcomer Fanny Gervais-Cartier.

Although the Montreal Carabins are the favourites to dominate the RSEQ, expect to see the Martlets at the CIS Championships once again.

On the men’s side, the outlook is not quite as bright, as the team lost its top swimmer and last year’s Male Athlete-of-the-Year, Steven Bielby, to graduation. The team will seek to fill this void with the continued development of returnees such as senior Pierre-Alexandre Renaud and junior Marc-André Benoit, as well as

a healthy class of rookies.

The Redmen took a relatively distant third place in their first event, with the Carabins dominating on the men’s side of things as well. However, bright spots included a gold for Renaud in the 400m freestyle, and success from the McGill relay teams.

With seemingly little competition below the top three RSEQ spots, McGill can use the season to adjust to the loss of Bielby, and should have no problems reaching Nationals once again.

result was disappointing. Following the tough season, this young roster is poised to bounce back and regain some of its past national prominence.

In order to reach that high level once more, McGill needs a huge year from new starting goaltender Andrew Flemming, who finally takes over behind the crease after longstanding Redmen netminder Hubert Morin graduated last spring. Flemming virtually matched Morin statistically last year as a backup, posting a 2.71 GAA in 19 games played. This was a fine effort, but he will likely need to steal a few games himself this season if the Redmen hope to climb to the top of the OUA East.

The defence returns some familiar faces, most notably senior captain Ryan McKiernan. He and junior Hugo Laporte will help clear traffic out in front of Flemming. The rest of the defence corps is marked with relative inexperience. Freshman Samuel Carrier will be relied on from the beginning of the year, while sophomore JeanPhilippe Mathieu will need to build on his short rookie campaign.

Up front, the Redmen are deep and should receive scoring from multiple lines. Sophomores Patrick Delisle-Houde and Mathieu Pompei return after impressive debut seasons.

The key, however, lies in the hands of three other second-year forwards David

Rose, Jonathan Brunelle, and Max Le Sieur. If they show improvement and stabilize the roster with secondary scoring, opponents will struggle to handle the Redmen attack.

Coach Nobes returns for his fourth season behind the McGill bench. He will be instrumental in incorporating all his players and developing his young core.

A lot needs to fall in place for the Redmen, but the talent is there to make some serious noise. That transition year is long over; it is time for McGill to become a powerhouse once more.

NFL

first game the 36-year-old Carlos Beltran led with his stellar defence and his clutch batting to score the game winning run in the bottom of the 13th inning. In the second game Michael Wacha pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings while Cardinals journeyman Jon Jay brought in the only run on a sacrifice fly.

riveting match for those that were too niche to watch the NHL or MLB playoffs. The fight went the full 12 rounds, with Bradley recording the win in a split decision, thus remaining undefeated and holding on to his welterweight title. Bradley fans have been seen tattooing the judges’ names on themselves, while Marquez fans draw up conspiracy theories. Marquez claims that he has now been robbed six times in his career, facing Pacquiao three times in two narrow losses and a draw.

Maybe he’s just a bad fighter.

In a matchup of perennial heavyweights the New England Patriots came back from behind to defeat the New Orleans Saints 30-27 moving both teams records to 5-1.

Patriots’ superhero Tom Brady once again reminded us that he has no kryptonite (other than the New York Giants in Super Bowls), even though his receiving corps this season has more drops than an EDM song.

Brady led his squad 70 yards down the field for the game winning drive with no timeouts and only 1:13 left on the clock. With five seconds left he lofted a perfect pass into the arms of undrafted rookie wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins to the dismay of the entire state of Louisiana.

Around the

| Wednesday, October 16, 2013

MLB Playoff baseball is in full swing in the big leagues as the St. Louis Cardinals quickly jumped out to a 2-0 series lead over the Los Angeles “We’re richer than you are” Dodgers. Despite strong pitching performances from stars Clayton Kershaw and Zack Grienke, the Evil Empire have been unable to get their bats going. The Cardinals have not been blinded by the star power in the opposing dugout and are buoyed by a mix of no-name rookies and past-their-prime veterans. In the

WNBA The Minnesota Lynx won their second WNBA championship in three years this past week. The Lynx swept the playoffs, including their final against the Atlanta Dream. Notable moments for Minnesota included forward Maya Moore winning the finals in her home state, and the team staring down a picture of Britney Griner in their locker room.

This championship is particularly delicious for Minnesota as they have had to endure the loss of all media attention to Griner. However, the Lynx’s championship would be a little more impressive if anyone could name a player on Minnesota.

Oh well, it’s time to go back to envisioning Griner playing for the Dallas Mavericks.

Boxing Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez faced off on the pay-perview scene this past Saturday in a

NHL Tomas Hertl has taken the league by storm after he scored his first professional goal for the San Jose Sharks on a between-the-legs flick against the New York Rangers this past week. The 19-year-old rookie out of Prague has become a YouTube sensation thanks to of his youthful enthusiasm for the game and his endearingly broken English.

It seems that Don Cherry is the only one that doesn’t like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Hertl. We aren’t sure what the saddest part of this goal was for New York: the fact that it was a 19-year-old’s first professional goal, the fact that the San Jose Sharks won the game 8-2, or the fact that they’re the Rangers.

18

Wednesday, October 16, 2013 |

sports

| Curiosity delivers.

Expert Tips

From the track to the training room Cross country coach Dennis Barrett weighs in on fitness trends Remi Lu Sports Editor The McGill Tribune had the chance to sit down with Martlet and Redmen cross-country and track and field Head Coach Dennis Barrett this past week for the sports section’s podcast, Beyond the Back Page. As a trainer for many professional athletes—including Olympic gold medalists, CFL players, and NHL players—Barrett has witnessed and experienced many movements in the world of physical fitness. He weighed in on a number of trendy topics for athletes, as well as his general fitness advice.

On barefoot running:

[Barefoot running] is something that I’d discussed with people a long time ago before it became

popular. As a young runner, I used to suffer from shin splints, and I know a lot of athletes that suffer from shin splints. If you’re born in a country where you run around barefooted you don’t have that problem. I wore shoes since I was very young. That wasn’t my choice—that was basically your family’s choice [….] The problem I see with barefoot running now is a lot of people are jumping in foot first, and part of the problem is they’re not used to it. They have these five-finger shoes that are not giving [runners] a lot of support.

The problem is if you’re not accustomed to doing it and you go into it too quickly, you’ll develop a lot of problems.

If you want to go barefooted or run close to barefooted then you start off on grass and you walk, and you jog, and you walk, and you jog

10 THINGS

1

and you gradually build up. It takes your body a while to adjust to it basically because […] the centre pad of your foot is the forefoot and at times what has happened is that the running shoes that they’ve made have been too thick. With the thick running shoes you can’t feel how hard your impact [is] on the ground and a lot of people just hit too hard because they can’t sense it. The minimalist shoes do bring that to the forefront where you will learn to not hit the ground that hard because it will hurt [….] It’s a matter of conditioning and not putting our kids in baby shoes and trying to keep them barefoot as much as possible.

On nutrition:

If you know what you’re doing it makes a huge difference. The main thing is having a balance in your

Anybody who is motivated and loves to train will always over-train.

I was one such person. You need that guidance […] a lot of us need that coach to tell us not to do so much.

2

The average NHL player travels at over 20 mph in most game situations. The fastest players often top-out above 30 mph on a daily basis. To give some perspective, Usain Bolt has never sprinted above 27.79 mph. But if you think that’s fast, just wait till you hear how fast the …

... In contrast, current Caroline Hurricanes left winger Nathan Gerbe holds the honour of shortest active player in the NHL. The Michigan native stands at 5’5”, which hasn’t held him back from scrapping with the local giant, Chara, himself. Gerbe also holds the distinction of having scored two goals in five seconds against the New York Islanders, proving that size doesn’t mat-

Join Us.

On life:

Remember, luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

Interview conducted by Mayaz Alam and Remi Lu. Visit www.mcgilltribune.com/sportspodcast to listen to the entire interview.

Hockey

6

Since 2008, the NHL has held outdoor games every season. Teams have faced off at Fenway Park (Boston), Ralph Wilson Stadium (Buffalo), Wrigley Field (Chicago), Heinz Field (Pittsburgh), and Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia). These Winter Classic games routinely draw crowds of upwards of 40,000 fans willing to brave the elements to enjoy their favourite sport in its purest form. But that doesn’t compare to the crowd that showed up for…

7

… The Big Chill at the Big House. On Dec. 11th 2010, Michigan took on rival Michigan State in the NCAA in what is considered the largest attended hockey game in history. Over 110,000 fans were at the game and saw current New York Rangers winger Carl Hagelin score two powerplay goals to lead Michigan to a convincing 5-0 victory over the Spartans.

8

In June, the Stanley Cup will be handed out for the 86th time in the NHL era. 2004-2005 was the only season Lord Stanley was not awarded, as the season was cancelled due to the player lockout. Weighing in at 35 pounds, the Stanley Cup is one of the heaviest and most recognizable trophies in all of sports and was once hoisted by…

4 10

… World Record for hardest slap shot is. The rocket shot clocked in at an astounding 114.13 mph and occurred at the 2012 KHL All Star Game Skills competition in Latvia. The hardest shot ever recorded in the NHL came off Boston Bruin Zdeno Chara’s 108.8 mph shot. He also happens to be the tallest NHLer, standing 6 feet and 9 inches tall ...

5

One of the things that I preach to my athletes is that it’s not [so much] about hard work. Whatever you do in life, it’s about constructive hard work [….] If you’re a sprinter, and you’re running 10 mile runs, it won’t help your sprinting too much. So it’s not [just] hard work but constructive hard work that’s very important.

by Anthony Snell

There are also new rules in the NHL introducing hybrid icing and restricting the size of goalie pads. These are designed to increase scoring and player safety. In addition, players are now being penalized for taking off their helmets when fighting, as concerns about brain injuries have increased. Last year’s most penalized team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, as well as the perennially tough Philadelphia Flyers will have to adjust to the new rules if they want to succeed.

can’t Beat Us?

On training athletes:

you didn’t know about...

This year marks a new era in the NHL. As part of the league’s conference realignment, the Winnipeg Jets are back in the Western Conference after a 17-year absence, and the Detroit Red Wings moved to the Eastern Conference after a 20-year stint in the West.

3

diet. One of the key things is having a lot of raw foods. Basically, a lot of vegetables, a lot of raw fruit—that makes a big difference. You can still have meat, which gives you protein, but you want to balance it and try and ingest more alkaline foods than acidic foods. A lot of meats, sweets, and baked goods are acidic. A lot of things that are tasty tend to be acidic [….] We live in an era where we have a lot of fast foods and not enough [healthy] eating. You want your athletes to eat more fruits and vegetables. It just keeps you a lot healthier.

9

McGill alumnus Mike Babcock in 2008 when he coached the Detroit Red Wings all the way to the Stanley Cup. Babcock was not the first former Redmen to win the Cup, as Lester Patrick guided the New York Rangers to glory in 1933. In 2010, Babcock won gold with Team Canada in Vancouver, finally bringing Olympic hockey gold back to Canada. In high-pressure games, Babcock is often seen sporting his lucky McGill tie behind the bench.

Canadians make up 52.6 per cent of all players in the NHL, which includes about 363 players on current NHL active rosters.Twenty-eight out of the 58 rookies in the league this year are Canadian. Roughly 600,000 males register with Hockey Canada every year. Taking age into consideration, a young Canadian male’s chances of playing at least one NHL game are one in 4,100.

Come to our meetings Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. in Shatner 110 Email sports@mcgilltribune.com for more info

Curiosity delivers. |

sports

| Wednesday, October 16, 2013

RUGBY— McGill 43, Sherbrooke 3

19

Wilson, Perrin lead the way in blowout McGill bounces back after slow start; five different Redmen record tries Remi Lu Sports Editor The RSEQ-leading McGill Redmen squared off against the Sherbrooke Vert et Or in a Thursday night matchup at Percival Molson Stadium. The Redmen dominated from start to finish, posting a 43-3 victory. McGill’s James Wilson scored three tries and Cameron Perrin tacked on eight points en-route to the team’s fifth straight win of the season.

The Redmen are the clear favourites to win the rugby RSEQ Championship again this season, and have continued to impress sitting atop their conference with a 5-0 record.

McGill’s ability to set the tone of the match right from the opening whistle was on full display Thursday evening. Just under two minutes into the game, McGill’s Thomas Stokes, a rookie fullback from Vancouver, British Columbia, recorded a try to put the Redmen up 5-0. Third-year centre Hugo Peurois quickly followed up with his own try four minutes later to give McGill a 10-0 lead.

However, that quickly signaled the beginning of a scoring slump for the Redmen as they struggled against Sherbrooke’s mounting

Redmen run through the Vert et Or in a dominant performance. (Alexandra Allaire / McGill Tribune) pressure. McGill was called for a number of penalties, breaking up the offensive rhythm and forcing the home team into uncharacteristically sloppy plays. Wilson scored once more for McGill at 28:54, while the Vert et Or’s Yannick Mailhot tallied Sherbrooke’s only points off of a penalty goal to close the half at 15-3.

Assistant Coach Ian Baillie said he believes that the squad still has room to improve in the technical aspects of the game, despite its spotless record.

THIRD MAN IN Jerseys are the ultimate symbol of a fan’s devotion to their team. They tell onlookers not only where someone’s allegiances lie on game day, but also provide a unique insight into what that person’s values and what their personality is like. A LeBron James jersey from his tenure with the Miami Heat versus a LeBron James jersey from his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers signifies two completely different things.

Fans and athletes alike have incorporated the jersey into their daily wardrobes because they are proud of the team or player they are representing, or simply because of aesthetic appeal. However, despite their unrivalled importance in the culture of sports, jerseys are being disconnected from both fans and athletes alike.

Nike and Adidas, the two sportswear powerhouses with nearly unchallenged supremacy at the top of the industry, can be blamed for changing the meaning of what a jersey is.

The start of the ‘jersey revo-

“Our fundamentals are good [but] we’ve got to continue to work on basic skills,” Baillie remarked.

“Primarily handling the ball—we still throw the ball a little poorer than we want to [….] Protecting the ball, handling the ball, [that’s something] we’ll continue to work on.”

It was clear that the Redmen wanted to re-establish control of the game as they came out of the locker room looking more engaged.

Third-year wing Robert Ashe scored for McGill just 1:35 into the second

half, scoring his second try of the season. The Redmen then proceeded to open up their lead, as the strong forward pack controled the flow of the game by dominating the rucks.

McGill put the match after two more tries by Wilson and one additional try by centre Patrick Mulherin. Junior fullback Perrin scored on his last four conversion attempts to help ensure McGill’s victory.

The Redmen had previously played the Vert et Or in their first game of the season, scraping out a

narrow 7-5 victory on Sept. 6. As a result, McGill entered this meeting with a fresh game plan for Sherbrooke.

“This is the second time around so you’ve seen everybody once already,” said Baillie. “We wanted to change things a little bit, wanted to hold onto the ball a little more [and] protect it a little better. [We wanted to] attack the middle of the field, draw them in, and then spread the ball wide. The first time we played them, we were going wide in the beginning so we wanted to change that.”

Now sporting an 11-game win streak dating back to last year including the RSEQ Championships the Redmen have only the highest expectations placed upon them this season.

“The aspiration is always to win each time you come out to play,” said Baillie. “What we want to do is continue to improve and continue to get better [….] Ultimately, our end goal is to host the final and see what we can do there.”

McGill has three regular season games remaining before the RSEQ playoffs. The team will play the winless Montreal Carabins (0-4) on Oct. 19 at Macdonald Campus for Homecoming Week.

It’s not the sleeves, it’s the symbol

Seriously, what’s up with these sleeves? (San Francisco Gate) lution’ can be traced to the Oregon Ducks football team. The program receives heavy funding in the form of donations and guidance from Nike Co-Founder and Chairman Phil Knight; consequently, the Ducks have had the luxury of trotting out different uniforms for every individual game. Oregon has been buoyed by the buzz surrounding their flashy uniforms, and have used it as a key recruiting tactic.

Adidas, in an attempt to push the envelope and compete with its rival, launched an ambi-

tious campaign last February. The company introduced NBA jerseys with sleeves, a project which the Golden State Warriors were first to outfit. Adidas boasted that the product was a “revolutionary marriage between performance and aesthetics.” This statement is only partially correct. Adidas should be commended for striving to improve the quality of its equipment but should be ridiculued for losing the ability to make aesthetically pleasing products. The company further stated that the jersey was designed with the fan in mind,

as basketball jerseys are limited in a stylistic sense since they are sleeveless. However, what they failed to recognize is that the sleeveless nature of basketball jerseys is what defines them.

Most recently, Nike released ice hockey jerseys for Canada, the United States, and the Czech Republic in preparation for the 2014 Winter Olympics. The Canadian jerseys are supposed to represent Canadian culture and national pride even though the alternate jersey’s primary colour is black.

The Czech Republic’s sweaters on the other hand, seem like carbon copies of the nation’s soccer jerseys. The American logo resembles a silhouette of a highway route sign. All three nations have faux laces on the necklines of their jersey. Instead of embracing the heritage and hockey histories of each nation, the jerseys reflect a distinct change in the mindset of sportswear producers. They have put too much of a focus on creating flashy, new age jerseys, rather than something that athletes, and

fans, are proud to wear.

Both Nike and Adidas have seen positive feedback after making concerted efforts to create uniforms that are environmentally friendly and high tech. The Warriors’ jersey was made from 60 per cent recycled materials; a major component in the American jersey is the use of 17 recycled plastic bottles. The new wave of jerseys are lighter and have improved ventilation and breathability. However, while achieving these goals the jersey has gone from a source of pride to a source of comedy.

In an attempt to become more advanced, both Nike and Adidas have made a laughingstock of a symbol that is rooted deeply in the world of sports; the true meaning of what it is to own and wear a jersey has been forgotten. The jersey revolution has gone too far and it is time for it to come to an end.

— Mayaz Alam

Thanksgiving in

QuebecCity

PHOTOS BY WENDY CHEN