McGill Tribune Vol. 33 Issue 8

Volume No. 33 Issue No. 8

TRIBUNE THE mcgill PX

Published by the Tribune Publication Society

CURIOSITY DELIVERS

moUnt royal find out in this issue p 13

The Fabric of Montreal fashion's influence in the city p 10

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Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Glitz and grunge: Montreal Ska Festival mixes old and new

See inside for...

Story P 7

The 5th annual Montreal Ska Festival featured bands from across North America. (Luke Orlando and Anna Katycheva / McGill Tribune)

New $2,500 Dentistry student fee to help fund faculty relocation Student-initiated referendum sets mandatory fee for incoming Fall 2014 students Emma Windfeld & Sam Pinto News Editors Incoming Dentistry students for Fall 2014 will pay a new mandatory $2,500 fee per semester to contribute to the Faculty of Dentistry’s $18 million relocation project.

The fee is the result of a student-initiated referendum question run through the Dental Students’ Society (DSS), and will not affect current students.

Announced on Oct. 18, the relocation project will move the faculty’s facilities to a new location on the corner of McGill College Avenue and Rue Sherbrooke by June 2014.

The project includes the modernization of most of the faculty’s activities, including research, clinical teaching, and its undergraduate teaching clinic.

The faculty has raised $6 million to date to fund the $18 million move, mainly through donations

from faculty supporters. The remainder will be funded through a loan.

The referendum question, which was proposed by DSS President Sina Hashemi, was approved by 87 per cent of current students, although the fee will only affect new students.

According to Hashemi, the decision to exempt current students from the contribution is due to two reasons.

“First, current students were not aware of this contribution prior to applying and therefore would not have been able to budget accordingly,” Hashemi said. “Second, this contribution may have affected their decision to attend McGill’s Faculty of Dentistry.”

The fee will amount to $800,000 per year and will help cover repayment of the faculty’s loan. Total student fees paid by first-year dentistry undergraduates from Quebec are currently $7,134,

while out of province Canadians pay $15,556.

Hashimi said that DSS’s decision to impose the fee was voluntary.

“The faculty suggested the students consider contributing to the faculty,” Hashemi said. “The DSS felt it necessary to help fund the move because we will be contributing and investing in our careers.”

Austin Chang, a grade 12 student from British Columbia and prospective McGill Dentistry applicant, said the fee may influence his intention to attend the university.

“This new fee greatly affects my desire to apply for McGill Dentistry, as the extra expense will take a significant toll on my student budget,” Chang said. “Since it is all students [who] would be using the new facilities, then it is all students that should help in compensation for the move. Perhaps a lessened fee for current students would be better than none at all.”

Yuxin Mei, U3 Dentistry, voted ‘yes’ in the referendum to impose the fee and said he would still choose to come to McGill even if he had to pay the fee.

“McGill has always been my top choice and I’d even pay another $10,000 to go to this school because as a Quebec resident, it’s still cheaper than [Dentistry programs in] the rest of Canada.”

The relocation comes as the result of the closure of the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) in 18 months.

As a result, the RVH dental department will need to move into the space currently occupied by the faculty in the Montreal General Hospital (MGH).

According to Paul Allison, dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, the relocation is also intended to consolidate the faculty’s activities and address its outdated equipment and lack of space.

“The clinic itself is probably 20 years old, so the equipment needs to

be replaced,” Allison said. “There’s a considerable lack of space [and] the lab hasn’t seen any major renovations since the 1980s.”

Allison added that the move will benefit students and the greater community by bringing everyone together in one space. Currently, the Faculty of Dentistry has teaching and research activities in a number of locations. By June 2014, the faculty plans to have completely vacated MGH and to have mostly vacated the other buildings, aside from some offices and research activities that will remain in their current locations. “[It] will provide the public with easier access to our clinic by public transportation,” Allison said.

“The new space will bring research, clinical teaching, graduate, and dental services together, and become the hub of the Faculty’s community outreach activities, all in a state-ofthe-art facility.”

NEWS CAMPUS

McGill Senate discusses need to reform structure and operations Senators propose changes to increase debate, make meetings more meaningful Emma Windfeld News Editor The McGill Senate could face changes to its membership and operation following a discussion about its purpose at its Oct. 16 meeting.

Principal Suzanne Fortier said a working group of senators will be formed to create recommendations about potential changes to Senate’s structure and operations, which will then be voted on at a future Senate meeting.

Topics under consideration at Wednesday’s meeting included Senate’s purpose and function, as well as time allocation, size, the principal’s role to chair meetings, and Senate’s role in making academic decisions. McGill’s Senate is the main governing body that oversees the academic activities of the university. According to its Rules of Procedure, Senate can revise the conduct of their own meetings.

“The present rules may be amended by a majority vote of those present at any regular or special meeting,” the document reads.

However, approval from the Board of Governors is required in order to revise Senate’s composition.

At Wednesday’s meeting, some senators said they were dissatisfied with the lack of debate motions receive before passing through Senate. Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) Secretary-General Jonathan Mooney pointed to Senate’s format as

part of the problem.

“Rather than just getting presentations for information and approving things that have already been decided, there need to be opportunities where the competencies and qualifications of Senate are used in the decision making process,” he said.

“There should be times when we disagree. We should get some engagement that way.”

Political Science Professor and Faculty of Arts Representative Catherine Lu used McGill’s decision to offer Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) last year as an example of an academic decision that passed without much input or debate by Senate.

“When I started [on Senate], I thought I’d be taking part in decision making about academic matters of the university,” she said. “I was astounded by the lack of process with respect to [the decision] last year [.… Senate’s] participatory role was neglected; open discussions failed to allow Senate to contribute.”

Religious Studies Representative Haley Dinel suggested that Senate needs to take steps to encourage debate.

“Senate is the ideal institution to have debates on any given issue,” Dinel said. “Perhaps we should have a 20-minute window in which senators could bring forth issues to debate.”

Another suggestion was to provide more information to senators ahead of the meeting to allow them to consider the information. Arts Representative

Lydia White suggested presenting fewer annual reports to make more time for Senate to discuss policy-related issues.

“Our annual reports are quite uncontroversial,” White said. “Making them available to senators to ask questions about them without presenting them [...] would free up time for the more policy-related issues that Senate might be discussing.”

However, Faculty of Science Representative Gregory Dudek argued that many issues addressed at Senate require a large amount of time for explanation, and that there is not enough time to both fully explain and debate these topics in meetings.

“It’s hard to imagine engaging in debate on big issues without having meetings every day,” he said.

Other senators questioned

the composition of Senate. Law representative Guillaume Blais pointed to his previous experience as a member of the University of Guelph’s senate to suggest reducing the number of senators and doing more work in smaller committees.

“At Guelph, this same discussion resulted in reducing the number of Senate members,” Blais said. “There’s merit to work being done in committees.”

107 voting members currently sit on McGill’s senate. In comparison, Guelph’s Senate has 162 members (reduced from 215 members in 2011), and the University of British Columbia has approximately 100.

Another recommendation was from Faculty of Medicine Representative Gary Pekeles, who advocated for Senate to be

led by someone other than the principal.

“This committee [should] not be chaired by a single administrator,” Pekeles said. “We should look for leadership coming from the floor.”

Faculty of Science Representative Graham Bell said the conversation ultimately reveals fundamental concerns about the way that Senate operates.

“The question is whether Senate is necessary at all,” Bell said. “The conclusion of the debate is that we are uncertain about what we are in this room for, and perhaps that’s a point well worth investigating.

Apparently, in some respects, the business of Senate is failing to perform its function.”

Percentage of senate members by enrolment Senate size

107

McGill University 30500 students

University of British Columbia 42440 students

100

162

.35%

Guelph University 24400 students

.24%

.66%

Statistics from aucc.ca Bar graph is not to scale.

Campus

Parents Weekend merged with Homecoming due to budget cuts

Financial constraints lead to streamlined programming for parents and alumni Erica Friesen and Jessica Fu Managing Editor & News Editor Last weekend marked the first year that McGill’s Parents Weekend was fully integrated into Homecoming, an annual three-day event that welcomes alumni back to the university.

Although the two occasions were advertised separately in previous years, parents were informed this year that McGill would not be hosting a seperate Parents Weekend, but would instead invite parents to participate

in events alongside alumni as part of Homecoming.

Derek Cassoff, Director of Communications for Development and Alumni Relations, said that the merging of the two events was motivated by numerous factors, including the provincial government’s cuts to McGill’s budget announced last December.

“The budget cuts […] have forced us to look at all of our programming across the board and see if there are opportunities to streamline things,” Cassoff said. “In this case there won’t be any major differences for parents

who would normally come.”

Cassoff said that merging the two programs did not produce marked differences in what McGill offered parents, aside from the cancellation of the Parents Association Annual Dinner.

“It’s more of a realignment of the services we provide all of our community members—alumni, parents, friends, donors,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is making homecoming more inclusive to include not just alumni, but also other members of the McGill community who migwht be interested in celebrating with

us.”

Cassoff said that the merge was also motivated by the desire to maximize turnout from both alumni at Homecoming and parents at Parents’ Tent in August, when parents are more likely to visit the city.

“It’s really a question of being strategic with the resources that we had,” he said.

Linda Good, a McGill parent from Oklahoma who has attended Parents Weekend every year for the past four years, said she phoned the McGill Alumni Association when she heard that

the weekend had been cancelled.

Although Good did attend Homecoming in its place, she said she was disappointed that it had been integrated into Homecoming. “[Parents Weekend] gave us a better picture of what McGill is like—the student body—from a parents’ perspective,” she said.

Cassoff said that Homecoming and Parents Weekend programming will continue to be hosted together next year, but that feedback from attendees and changes to Homecoming would be considered later on in the semester.

Curiosity delivers. |

NEWS

| Tuesday, October 22, 2013

NEWS IN BRIEF PROVINCE

3

CAmpus

Human Rights Commission releases McGill seeks to appeal statement against Charter of Values ATI commission decision Jessica Fu News Editor The Human Rights Commission of Quebec has publically opposed the provincial government’s proposed Charter of Values, according to a statement released on Oct. 17.

While the Commission does not have the authority to prohibit legislation from moving forward, it said that the proposal would not stand up in court.

The Commission argued that prohibiting public sector workers from wearing conspicuous religious symbols would infringe on the freedom of religion and the right to equality guaranteed through the province’s Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, as well as the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

“The proposed prohibition puts forward precisely the sort of distinction that would have the effect of excluding individuals from a significant number of jobs, based on the wearing of a religious symbol and inferred perceptions of that symbol,” the Commission’s statement reads.

“Consequently, the proposed

prohibition of conspicuous religious symbols would infringe directly not only upon the right to exercise one’s freedom of religion, but also upon the freedom of speech and the right to equal access to employment.”

The Commission also spoke against the argument that the proposed charter promotes equality between men and women, saying that restricting freedom of expression is not the solution.

“There is no denying that we have a long way to go to achieve true equality between women and men,” the statement reads.

“To achieve this, it is not enough to produce more and more declarations of principles or statements of values. Rather, the aim should be to ensure the effective realization of the rights already recognized by the Charter [of Human Rights and Freedoms], particularly by strengthening economic and social rights.”

Bernard Drainville, Parti Québécois (PQ) member of the National Assembly of Quebec and the minister responsible for the proposed Charter, told the Montreal Gazette that his party does not share the opinions ex-

pressed by the Commission.

“We don’t share the same perception of reality,” he said.

“The commission proposes to keep the status quo. It is opposed to a clarification of the rules on religious accommodation. We disagree. We think a much clearer framework on religious accommodation is needed because the people who deal with accommodation requests, like teachers, principals and school boards, are asking us for one.”

As a minority government, the PQ cannot enact the proposal as law unless another party chooses to support it. In order to possibly gain majority seating in the National Assembly of Quebec, Premier Pauline Marois would have to call a general election in the upcoming months.

Sam Pinto News Editor McGill has filed an appeal to an Oct. 7 ruling made by the Commission d’accès à l’information, a decision that denied the university’s request for the ability to deny future Access to Information (ATI) requests at its discretion.

The Quebec Court of Appeal will announce whether they accept the motion at a hearing on Dec. 4.

Last December, McGill filed a motion asking for the discretionary power to deny ATI requests that the university deemed “overly broad” or “frivolous.” McGill argued that an increase in ATI requests over the last year were causing the university financial strain and reducing efficiency.

“Following last week’s decision, McGill had a deadline of 10 days to file a motion which seeks permission to appeal that decision,” said Stephen Strople Secretary-General of the university.

“This is part of the procedure, and we met that deadline.”

Kevin Paul, a McGill law student and respondent in the case, said he had expected McGill to file an appeal.

“I’m not surprised given that we already knew that McGill was very intensely pursuing the authority to deny future ATI requests,” Paul said.

Paul also emphasized that students should question the funds the administration is spending on the case.

“Students should really be asking how much money the administration is going to be spending on legal fees on this case,” he said. “This [appeal] adds dozens of hours to the lawyers’ fees […] and this is at a time of supposed austerity budget cuts and underfunding.”

Isaac Stethem, a masters student in political science and another respondent in the case, said these developments in the case place more financial strain on the students involved. He said respondents have so far been supported by donations.

“We, as students, are in a situation where it is very difficult for us to take on that kind of fight,” Stethem said.

“I think that may well be the case that McGill assumes—that students, being people who generally don’t have the kinds of resources to deal with this kind of legal case, would just let things go and it would be much easier for them.”

Regardless of legal fees, Paul said the respondents plan to move forward and contest the appeal.

In addition, McGill’s request to deny specific requests from 19 McGill students and alumni is ongoing, and will be decided through a mediation process that is expected to begin on Nov. 27.

CAMPUS

Pilot ‘myInvolvement’ tool to record extra-curriculars New website aims to simplify students’ access to faculty and staff-organized activities Natalie Wong Contributor This semester marks the pilot stage of myInvolvement, a webbased tool designed to showcase workshops, events, and volunteer opportunities available to McGill students. The project provides a way for students to gain awareness of extra-curricular activities and for faculty and staff to track students’ involvement. It also allows initiatives taking place on campus to publicize their events.

Tool to capture involvement for all students MyInvolvement gives students access to information about extracurricular activities by providing tools to search, register, and track participation in extra-curricular activities. It also provides students with a Co-Curricular Record of Involvement (CCRI) from McGill, which is an official document that provides a summary of students’

extra-curricular activities to go along with their academic transcripts.

Lina Di Genova, who is responsible for myInvolvement and is the manager of student assessment for McGill Student Services, said that this initiative fills the need for a more supportive campus environment where students can recognize the contributions they make to campus life.

“After looking at years of survey data, we wanted to make sure that such a tool could capture involvement for all students—undergraduate or graduate—and in the future, create spaces for all different student initiatives to have the equal opportunity to get out there in the community,” Di Genova said.

MyInvolvement assists faculty and staff in promoting activities that students are eligible to participate in. Di Genova outlined the vision for the initiative, which is to encompass the maximum possible number of organizations across the university and to allow these

groups to present themselves from one accessible, consolidated source for students.

“We wanted it to grow to allow different organizations across McGill to capture involvement in a way that was meaningful for their organization,” Lina said.

Anurag Dhir, community engagement coordinator of McGill’s Social Equity and Diversity Education (SEDE) Office, said it is important for students to be recognized for their involvement in the community within and beyond McGill.

“The fact that there is now a tool that helps collect this information as well as promote all engagement opportunities is a great initiative,” Dhir said. “The success in its application will be based on how well it reflects the diversity of engagement opportunities available through McGill.”

Getting involved Because MyInvolvement is currently in its pilot stage, students

have the opportunity to voice their opinions and be a part of consultation aimed at improving the initiative. According to Di Genova, 23 organizations currently belong to the program and over 1,500 students are using it.

Students can find out which organizations are using the tool through myInvolvement’s website.

A link to the site will be added to Minerva in the future.

“We have received really positive feedback,” Di Genova said.

“Students who have participated through Community Engagement Day have started to suggest activities that they want. We’re going to include some of it, so it’s a neat feature that students have intuitively started to think about all these other [involvement] opportunities.”

Laura Couteille, U0 Arts, said myInvolvement helped her make sense of the information given to students who are new to McGill.

“During the first few weeks of school, there were so many pamphlets and events and groups that

it was overwhelming, but MyInvolvement’s easy-to-navigate Organizations Directory helps make sense of it all,” Couteille said.

Kaelan Forgues, U0 Management, expressed a similar sentiment.

“Being engaged with myInvolvement has brought me access to opportunities that I would have originally been interested in but not aware of,” Forgues said.

Growing initiative at McGill According to Di Genova, the initiative will continue to grow as the extent of services offered expands.

“We wanted the co-curricular record to reflect the McGill student life, so we’re expanding it to include workshop training, professional development activities, volunteer opportunities,” Di Genova said. “It will keep growing and is definitely something to keep an eye on.”

4

Tuesday, October 22, 2013 |

NEWS

| Curiosity delivers.

speaker on campus

Quebec Liberal leader outlines party values, stance on Charter PLQ McGill hosts Philippe Couillard in attempt to promote student engagement in provincial politics Eman Jeddy Contributor On Oct. 18, the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) McGill hosted PLQ leader Philippe Couillard and local Liberal Members of the National Assembly at McGill’s Thomson House.

This event marked Couillard’s first introduction to the McGill community as the leader of the PLQ. His predecessor, Jean Charest, resigned last September following the party’s loss in the provincial election.

Couillard, a former neurosurgeon and professor at Université de Sherbrooke, spoke on the history of the PLQ and its values.

“I always start by telling people who we are—the history of our party, founded in 1867, centred around the economy, jobs creation, and individual freedoms,” Couillard said.

Couillard also spoke on the party’s stance on current issues and policy, notably the debate surrounding the Quebec Charter of Values, a

bill proposed by the incumbent Parti Québécois. The bill seeks to implement certain provisions such as restricting public sector workers from wearing conspicuous religious symbols. Couillard spoke on the PLQ’s opposition to the bill and the importance of individual freedoms.

“We don’t like [the proposed charter] at all. Because we are so much attached to individual freedoms that we will never allow the government to jeopardize those freedoms that we had fought so hard for,” Couillard said. “That’s why we are going to be tough on those issues.”

Although the crowd was small—approvimately 50 members of the McGill and Montreal community were present—attendees were engaged throughout the event, and Couillard’s answers to questions were regularly met with rounds of applause. Luca Varone, a U3 Law student and PLQ supporter, said that he was impressed by Couillard’s presentation.

“I wanted to get to know Couillard a little better [....] He has struck me as a rather sincere politician and this event confirmed my impression,” Varone said. “I was struck by not only the conciliatory tone but also the positive rhetoric [...] he commands by [making] clear statements [....] As a result of this, I think I would consider getting more into the Liberal Party.”

As a campus group, PLQ McGill acts as a liaison between the PLQ and McGill students looking to become involved with the party.

Marten Crevier, U2 Arts and member of PLQ McGill, spoke on the club’s goal to raise awareness for the party and Quebec politics as a whole.

“To introduce the values of PLQ to people [is not our only goal],’’ Crevier said. “A good number of students are international students [...] so simply to educate people on the political dynamic in Quebec is an interesting thing.’’

Couillard spoke on the impor-

What happened last week in compiled by Shrinkhala dawadi

QLP Leader Philippe Couillard. (Laurie-Anne Benoit / McGill Tribune) tance of speaking at events in order to access the younger generation, which he said is a basis of support for the party.

“We have a very powerful youth wing in our party that gets 33 per cent of the vote in large convention, which is unique in Canada,” Couillard said. “So to be able to recruit members in CEGEP and universities for us is extremely impor-

tant—either [to] become members or [...] interested in our ideas.’’

The PLQ will continue its tour of universities with visits to Laval and UQAM in the coming weeks.

Canada?

Anti-fracking protest becomes violent

Supreme Court upholds family’s right to choice in life support case

Free trade agreement announced between Canada and the EU

British Columbia becomes final province to regulate groundwater

Senator Pamela Wallin takes legal action against suspension

Forty arrests were made after an anti-fracking protest on Oct. 17 turned violent outside the Elsipogtog First Nation reserve in New Brunswick.

The protesters called for the energy company Southwestern (SWN) Resources to stop seismic testing in the area. The development of their traditional land was planned without sufficient consultation with Indigenous peoples, as required by federal law.

The two-week long demonstration consisted of campers and a road blockade barring access to an energy compound owned by SWN Resources. The RCMP moved in last Thursday to enforce a court injunction ordering the removal of the blockade.

The RCMP has defended their actions, saying that the protest was not a peaceful demonstration as weapons were on site.

According to Elsipogtog First Nation Councillor Robert Levi, who was arrested last Thursday, the protesters will try to remain on site, despite the ongoing injunction.

Elsipogtog Chief Aaron Sock met with New Brunswick Premier David Alward and RCMP Commander Roger Brown after the incident to try and resolve the issue and ensure that future protests are peaceful.

Last week, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that doctors involved in the case of 61-year-old Hassan Rasouli, who is living with severe brain damage, are not permitted to remove him from life support without the consent of his family.

The doctors argued that, under Ontario’s 1996 Consent Act, consent from the family was not required because life support did not provide any medical benefit to the patient, who was diagnosed to be in a vegetative state. Physicians at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto have predicted that there is no hope of recovery for Rasouli and that the medical complications he faces will increase as his condition progresses.

Rasouli’s wife, Parichehr Salasel, has refused to end life support for her husband, citing religious reasons and her belief that Rasouli’s eye movements indicate a level of minimal consciousness.

Judge Beverley Machlaclin wrote that treatment could not be confined to what a doctor considered to be medically beneficial to a patient. She also wrote that the dismissal of the case did not close the ethical debate surrounding the recurring issue, when wishes of family members contradict doctors who feel that they are doing more harm to the patient by providing life support.

Last Friday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and European Union (EU) President Jose Manuel Barroso announced the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) in Brussels, Belgium.

The agreement plans to remove 98 per cent of tariffs between Canada and the EU, encourage labour movement, and increase foreign investment. CETA is predicted to boost Canada’s GDP by $12 billion and create 80,000 jobs.

Canadian companies and farmers will also pay less for goods made in Europe, while European companies will be able to bid on provincial and municipal government contracts.

The agreement is not finalized, as it has yet to be approved by all 28 member states of the EU and all of Canada’s provinces and territories. Both Barroso and Harper have expressed confidence that all parties involved will agree to CETA, and that it will be in place by 2015. They have also stated that the agreement could be adopted provisionally until it is fully ratified.

Canadian dairy farmers have raised concerns that the agreement will negatively affect their livelihood, as the EU’s share of the Canadian cheese market is set to increase from 13,000 to 30,000 tonnes per year. According to the federal government, a compensation plan for dairy farmers is in the works.

On Oct. 18, British Columbia’s Environment Minister Mary Polak announced the province’s Water Sustainability Act, which makes B.C. the final province in Canada to regulate the large-scale usage of groundwater.

The legislation to govern the allocation of groundwater is the first of its kind in the province since the 1909 Water Act, and is a result of a four-year consultation process, which included Indigenous peoples, industries, and communities of B.C. The government has cited climate change, shale gas fracking, and the commercial sale of water as incentives for this act, which also legislates governmental power regarding water allocation in times of water scarcity.

The act imposes fees of 85 cents per 1,000 cubic metres of ground water used by large-scale industries such as Nestle, which bottles 319.5 million litres of water every year.

Although the act has not been finalized and the provincial government is seeking input from the public until Nov. 15, it is expected to add $5 million to provincial funds.

Senator Pamela Wallin announced last Thursday that she will be taking legal action against the Conservative Party, who suspended her from her position as a Senator after she was found to have filed $140,000 in fraudulent travel expense claims. Wallin has since re-paid the sum and has also not been criminally charged.

Wallin’s lawyer Terrence O’Sullivan, has criticized the way the party has dealt with Wallin’s case.

“If they want to suspend her, they should do so after she’s had the full opportunity to answer the allegations in the motion, to see what evidence they rely on, and to cross-examine their witnesses, and bring evidence of our own,” he said.

O’Sullivan has argued that Wallin’s suspension without a hearing would leave the province she represents—Saskatchewan—lacking representation in the federal government, depriving the province of a constitutional right.

In light of this recent suspension as well as those of two other conservative senators, Mike Duffy and Patrick Brazeau, discussion has been growing about reforming the power that the Senate and the House of Commons currently have to make their own rules of conduct.

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

Morgan Alexander, Drew Allen, Laurie-Anne Benoit, Max Bledstein, Leah Brainert, James Chapman, Shrinkhala Dawadi, Wyatt Fine-Gagné, Abhishek Gupta, Osama Haque, Eman Jeddy, Anna Katycheva, Alex Kpeglo-Hennessey, Tyler Michaels, Luke Orlando, Kia Poiuliot, Josh Schulman, Rosalie Teed, Jack Tokarz, Julie Vanderperre, and Elie Waitzer

opinion editorial

ATI process critical to accountability at McGill and nationwide On Oct. 7, the province’s Commission d’accès à l’information handed down its ruling in McGill’s case against a group of 14 students who had made multiple Access to Information (ATI) requests to the university. The ruling rejected McGill’s petition for the discretionary power to deny ATI requests the school judged as being “overly broad” or “frivolous,” while leaving open the question of whether the university can deny 19 specific contested ATIs made by various McGill students and alumni in late 2012. Yesterday, Oct. 21, McGill made public its decision to appeal the ruling.

The mediation process of the parties involved is expected to begin near the end of November.

The court’s decision, which was a rejection of the sweeping and arbitrary powers the university was seeking, should be applauded. What was particularly egregious about the administration’s motion to the commission was that it explicitly sought to ban student journalists—specifically the McGill Daily and Concordia’s The Link—from accessing these records, due to their allegedly “abusive” and systemic

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

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

In the case of the RCMP, the agency does not have the staff to even acknowledge receiving an ATI request within the required 30 days.

“The issue

of official transparency is one that is fundamental to any free society.

”

The real harm of these delays is that they significantly erode the capacity for the ATI process to act as an accountability mechanism on federal agencies, for average citizens and journalists. When it takes nearly a year for an individual request to be acknowledged, the chances that the immediate circumstances which prompted the request will be substantially different by the time the documents are delivered—if ever—are quite high.

Additionally, such a drawn-out process gives the impression to those petitioning information of

deliberate stonewalling and evasiveness on the part of the government, even if the real reason for the delays is understaffing.

We have already seen the importance of having robust and functional official channels to hold governing bodies agencies accountable. The case of the continuing National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance revelations stemming from the tranche of documents leaked by Edward Snowden is instructive. In that case, weak or actively stymied congressional oversight, and an increasingly hostile prosecution of those who do bring official wrongdoing to light, created an environment where domestic spying programs were allowed to develop in a manner shielded from substantive debate and ultimately inconsistent with public opinion.

The issue of official transparency is one that is fundamental to any free society. While it remains to be seen how the ATI situation will be settled at the federal level and at McGill, as a publicly funded entity, we hope to see progress towards a more effective culture of openness at both institutions.

off the board

A lament for ‘favorites,’ ‘colors,’ and squiggly red lines

Tribune Office Shatner University Centre

nature.

While McGill’s dispute will continue to wind through a mediation process at the very least, the troubling issues this case raises about institutional transparency are not limited to the university.

Last Thursday, federal Information Commissioner Suzanne Legault released her annual report to Parliament, with much of her announcement devoted to the state of Canada’s Access to Information system.

Due to a lack of staffing resources, many federal agencies are barely able or completely unable to meet their basic obligations under the Act: in one example highlighted, Parks Canada took no action on a request for documents on a national park for 11 months. For comparison, the original Act requires a 30 day response to the request from the institution. Such slow responses are endemic to federal agencies; Transport Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and Health Canada are also among the entities the Information Commissioner’s report highlights for slow ATI acknowledgements, lengthy deadline extensions, and fully missed deadlines.

Jenny Shen

Features Editor

When I started editing for the Tribune, I had hedged my bets by relying on a decent sense of spelling­— despite having been disqualified in one of the preliminary rounds of my elementary school spelling bee—and the magic of Microsoft Word to catch any of the rogue grammatical problems that might surface while reading an article for the upcoming week. I had full confidence that by the time I had made the last of my edits for the night, the piece would be ready to withstand the barrage of red pens that were due to attack it during Production Day. While I would be fundamentally incorrect to assume that I could have caught all grammar, word choice, and syntax issues that may exist in the article, I

never would have guessed that the copy-edited version of the piece would have needed so much more work. Much to my dismay, I received my section’s article from the copy editor with an alarming number of corrections marked with that dreaded colored—I mean, coloured—pen.

“Unfortunately, no

amount of American pride was going to be enough to combat an editorial board comprised of twentysome Canadians.

”

I’m from Michigan, located in the midst of the American Midwest. I’ve had my fair share of defending the University of Michigan’s football team, using my hand to imitate the mittenshaped geography of my home

state, and waxing poetic about the Great Lakes. But I’ve never before had to defend my spelling. Unfortunately, no amount of American pride was going to be enough to combat an editorial board comprised of twenty-some Canadians, not to mention the fact that we publish a newspaper at a Canadian university.

So I’ve begrudgingly set my differences aside, promising myself that from now on, I would do two rounds of edits for each article for my section. Once for the usual suspects—flow, word choice, grammar, the works, and the second time for a specific array of words that now make my nose crinkle almost reflexively: ‘Colour, favourite, centre, behaviour….’ And as I make those changes one-by-one each week— and even as I write this article now—I watch AS the squiggly red lines materialize underneath each word. It’s like an accusatory finger pointed directly my way each time it shows up, and I’ve

found myself classically conditioned to scowl at each red line with a certain amount of annoyance.

The obvious solution would be to change my Microsoft Word’s dictionary from English (U.S.) to English (Canada), and I fully understand how that would make my life—and the rest of the editorial board’s life—a lot easier. But then I think back to all the years I spent celebrating Thanksgiving in November, watching fireworks on the Fourth of July, and spelling ‘colour’ without the ‘u,’ and I guess the combination of defensive reflexes and nostalgia manage to get the better of me. So instead, I will continue to do that second read with my eyes peeled for those divisive words within the articles I edit—and do my best not to spell ‘favourite’ without the ‘u.’

Commentary Considering the harms of sports culture

Tyler Michaels Commentary

Last week, the Tribune ran a feature titled “Why McGill can’t ‘Pack the Stadium,’” which discusses the lack of a sports culture at McGill. It argued that the numerous other entertainment options in Montreal, a shortage of athletics funding, and a few specific features of McGill’s athletic facilities, were the reasons why more McGill students aren’t McGill sports fans.

The question of “why don’t people at McGill get involved in athletics or become fans?” is a valid one. However, last week’s article ignored the structural, institutional, and cultural aspects that might alienate McGillians from a sports culture. Furthermore, it seems to propose that such a culture is a good thing, while failing to recognize the negative side-effects of sports

A deficit of attention to overdiagnosis

Julie Vanderperre Commentary

The diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) among primary school children has increased dramatically over the past several decades. Twenty years ago, approximately five per cent of American children were thought to have the disorder, compared to 11 per cent this year. While data from the US demonstrates the most extreme surge in diagnoses, the growing prevalence of children with ADHD is a worldwide trend.

Such a steep and sudden proliferation of a congenital disorder

culture.

Maybe it’s not the cold or the overwhelming other entertainment options in Montreal that keep McGill students from becoming sports fans. Perhaps some McGillians were dissuaded from going to an athletics game long before they ever arrived in Montreal, or at least, before game day. Perhaps they were dissuaded by previous negative experiences with ‘jocks’ in their high schools. Or maybe it was when they walked into the McConnell Arena and had a ticket checker call them a “fag” and maliciously suggest that they wanted to be “pat down,” as happened to a student earlier this year. Maybe it’s because they find the members of McGill sports teams that they know personally to be misogynistic and sexist. Maybe it’s the separation of sports teams into ‘male’ or ‘female,’ which leaves no space for their gender identity. Or that they were alienated by the sign in the Athletics facilities put up—and eventually taken down—this summer that said “Be a Man!” and then listed sexist stereotypes about what ‘being a man’ entailed.

Perhaps, they were put off by the team name ‘Redmen’ which, yeah, maybe isn’t directly rac-

ist because it’s a reference to the team’s Scottish ancestry. Still, it seems kind of like naming a team “the Rapists” after an author with the (unfortunate) last name Rape and then defending the team name by saying “No! Wait! It’s not offensive! It’s a reference to a famous author! Don’t get so worked up!”

These legitimate reasons for alienation from McGill Athletics underscore a major issue that went unexamined in last week’s piece: maybe people at McGill aren’t going to games because sports, organized athletics, players, etc. have been excluding them for most of their lives, and this doesn’t make them want to go to games and cheer on these athletes. This culture of exclusion in sports at large is not the specific fault of McGill Athletics, but the onus should be on McGill Athletics to prove to people that unlike athletics at every university in the world, the one at McGill is not oppressive nor exclusionary.

I also wonder what people have in mind when they envision a ‘strong culture of athletics,’ and particularly how they would see it manifesting at McGill. Obviously, it would include a stadium packed with fans for every game; but are those fans drunk fans?

Do they host post-game ragers in packed (frat) houses? Does it include a culture of adoration of athletes on campus? In short, are they envisioning—and idealizing—a McGill-ified version of the culture of athletics that exists at many of our institutional cousins south of the border?

has prompted skepticism; how is it possible for the prevalence of ADHD to have more than doubled in only two decades?

The answer is that an increasing number of children are being misdiagnosed. ADHD has become a catch-all term for a host of other potential factors or conditions that result in similar symptoms.

Of course, this is not meant to trivialize ADHD; when properly diagnosed, it is a serious disorder with real effects on the ability to maintain focus and control impulsive tendencies. However, the recent increase of children being diagnosed with ADHD indicates the strong possibility that many of these cases can be attributed to other factors.

Our general approach towards education is changing.

More and more focus is being placed on standardized testing, leaving less time for students to engage in subjects such as art and gym. Some schools have even

cut gym class altogether in an attempt to improve test scores by spending more time in the classroom. It is not surprising that when creative and recreational outlets are diminished and substituted with rote, repetitive exercises designed to increase standardized test scores, students become disinterested.

Yet parents, teachers, and doctors are increasingly blaming the children themselves by diagnosing them with a disorder, rather than addressing the underlying causes of their distraction.

It has even been shown that students with late birthdays, who are perhaps less mature than their classmates, have a higher rate of ADHD than their older cohorts, another indication that ADHD is being used as a go-to explanation for a student behind in class.

This leaves the question of whether these diagnoses are being made in ignorance or in spite of an understanding of these external factors. One possibility

is that parents and teachers who are unable to control hyperactive children, or unable to provide adequate explanations for why they aren’t succeeding in school turn to ADHD as a convenient explanation. The frequency with which children diagnosed with ADHD receive medication to reduce their symptoms may indicate frustrated adults who don’t know how to cope with behavioural issues and learning obstacles in children.

While psychotherapeutic drugs such as Ritalin and Adderall have proven effective in managing the symptoms of ADHD, they are powerful stimulants that should only be used in cases of absolute necessity. Even proper use of such medicines could result in harmful side effects and dependency. The ease with which those diagnosed with ADHD may acquire prescriptions for these drugs means that their use among children has increased to such a degree that it is becoming

Have your say.

Write for Opinion.

“McGill Athletics—though well-intentioned and trying

hard to be more inclusive—is simply not ready for a bigger role on our campus.

”

If so, I think this should give pause. ‘Strong culture[s] of athletics’ such as these tend also to have other unfortunate correlates. They may support a culture of binge-drinking that excludes the many people on campus who choose not to imbibe. These sports cultures also valorize athletes (especially male athletes), which can give them a near-mythical status that allows athletes to get away with crimes like sexual assault. Indeed, I

6

don’t think that I have ever seen a positive or inclusive ‘strong culture of athletics,’ and if McGill’s culture of athletics is likely to look anything like what it does at other schools, I don’t want it at my university.

I only want a strong culture of athletics here if it’s going to be inclusive, positive, and non-oppressive. If my friends and acquaintances’ past experiences with McGill Athletics and sports teams are any indication, this doesn’t seem like the most likely scenario. Considering the unfortunate incidents mentioned above, McGill Athletics—though well-intentioned and trying hard to be more inclusive—is simply not ready for a bigger role on our campus. It has alienated and hurt McGillians despite its minimal relevance, and I can’t imagine that these types of incidents would somehow decrease in frequency if sports and athletics took a more prominent place in campus life.

An expanded version of this piece is available online.

mainstream. The prescription of Ritalin to children, for example, has doubled in recent years. Not only is this potentially harmful to the children to whom they are prescribed, but the effects of the widespread availability of these drugs are increasingly visible in universities, and even in highachieving high schools where students have begun illegally selling and abusing ‘study drugs’ in order to gain advantages in competitive academic settings.

The widespread diagnosis of ADHD among young children, and the frequent prescription of drugs to fix their perceived problems is, indeed, an epidemic. It is necessary to identify and address the true causes of their difficulties. Otherwise, we threaten to restrict the life chances of an entire generation, and label healthy children with a disorder that they will carry with them into adulthood.

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

arts & entertainment MUSIC

SCHOOL OF SKA

A recap of the weekend party that was Montreal Ska Festival Max Bledstein Contributor

“Two roads before you, and you must make your choice,” legendary ska singer Roy Panton intoned during the final night of the 2013 Montreal Ska Festival. His words aptly described the contrast between the final two nights of the festival, though thankfully for many Montreal ska fans, they didn’t have to make a decision.

Friday night’s events took place at Café Campus, and it was clear from the wide assortment of hair colours, piercings, and ripped jeans among the crowd what kind of a night this would be. Sure enough, once local band The Real Deal took the stage, the near-capacity venue was consumed by spirited fans gleefully moshing with one another and an infectious outbreak of crowdsurfing. Their set consisted of songs that mostly sounded like Blink-182 B-sides, but the audience wasn’t willing to let The Real Deal’s derivative tunes get in the way of them hav-

ing a good time.

After The Real Deal played, Montreal favourites Kman and the 45s, a band the audience responded to by ratcheting up their exuberance even further. Their efforts were rewarded with several ska covers of Ramones classics halfway through the set, which were easily its highlight.

The night concluded with veterans Big D and the Kids Table which were clearly the act that most people had come out to see that night. Frontman David McWane fed the crowd’s excitement with an immediate burst of energy upon taking the stage, which didn’t wane over the course of the set. The crowd matched his enthusiasm, and by the end of their set, most seemed more than willing to listen to them for the rest of the night.

Saturday night brought a shift to the larger and more upscale Club Soda: here, both the makeup of the audience and the music itself reflected the change

in venue. Gone were the ripped jeans, dreadlocks, and faded plaid jackets that had permeated Café Campus; instead, they were replaced by slacks, grey hair, and collared shirts.

Chicago act Green Room Rockers made it immediately clear that Saturday was going to be different with a melodic guitar solo from Ryan Frahm that showed a level of virtuosity not seen in any of Friday’s bands. Frahm’s playing only improved as the set progressed. His proficiency was complemented by the range of genres that could be heard as they played. The impressive scope of their music was encapsulated by “You and I,” a song that began with a 12/8 gospel feel, before seamlessly transitioning into a 4/4 Jimmy Cliff-esque reggae sound.

Next came Panton and Yvonne Harrison, who were backed by Minnesota band The Prizefighters. Their seemingly effortless vocals were a welcome contrast to the testosterone-laden

shouts that dominated Friday’s sets. Harrison’s vocals in particular cut above the band in a way that drew attention to their simple elegance.

The night ended with veteran New York City band The Slackers. Like Green Room Rockers, their set welcomed a variety of styles ranging from ska to rocksteady to rockabilly. The Slackers were helped by saxophonist Dave Hillyard, whose witty quote of the standard “I’ll Remember You” (popularized by Elvis Presley) in an early solo was only one of many delightful moments throughout the night.

The festival concluded with an after-party at Ye Olde Orchard that featured local band Danny Rebel and the KGB. The crowd practically danced on top of the band, bringing back the grungy feel that had been prevalent on Friday. Truly, there was something for all sorts of Jamaican music fans at the 2013 Montreal Ska Festival.

Roy Panton impresses on the mic.

(Anna Katycheva / McGill Tribune)

FILM

Gerontophilia: an unconventional love story Quebecois film explores whether an old dog can be taught new tricks Kia Pouliot Contributor

Gerontophilia, the first ‘mainstream’ venture of provocative Toronto based director, writer, artist, and photographer Bruce LaBruce, is the beautifully shot story of Lake (Pier-Gabriel Lajoie), an 18-yearold gerontophile (one who is sexually attracted to the elderly) and his love affair with 82 year old Melvin (Walter Borden). In the film, Melvin is a resident at the retirement home where Lake is working for the summer. The title alone makes it quite clear that this film strays far from a typical love story. Staying true to his style, LaBruce represents an extreme subject with a mix of black humour and romantic realism, managing to present an unconventional relationship as honest and endearing.

Set in present day Montreal, this boundary-pushing film compellingly depicts a number of difficult topics.

One of the darker subjects addressed

by Gerontophilia is the frequent cruelty of institutionalization—in this case, the retirement home where Lake works. The bleak life that these senior citizens are forced into is highlighted by the dehumanizing attitude of many of the home’s staff members and by the many short clips of

This couple definitely breaks the half-your-age-plus-seven rule. (TIFF)

the home’s patients looking listless in whatever activity they are going through. The only time that any life at all seems apparent is when Lake is present, contrasting the general disinterested aura with his vibrant energy and deep empathy. It is also Lake who points out—and in Melvin’s case, actively fights against— the over-medication of the patients to make care less labour-intensive. It is in this unconventional setting that Lake comes to accept and explore

his sexual identity, both as a gerontophile and as a gay man.

As a rule, the idea of an 18-yearold and an 82-year-old engaging in a romantic relationship is thought of as taboo, even disgusting. However, through masterful shot composition and sound editing, LaBruce manages to portray the relationship that blossoms between Lake and Melvin as quite tender and engaging. The gentleness is always present whenever Lake is acting on his unusual sexual

impulses, but that is not to say that it is always totally comfortable to observe. There is one particular scene, before Lake and Melvin have begun to develop any sort of relationship, in which Lake is sent to give him a sponge bath. This task, cringeworthy to most people, is eroticized through the soft lighting and sweet music, creating a certain feeling of unease in some viewers but also helping the audience understand Lake’s fascination with his elder

counterparts. The fact that ‘eroticism’ and ‘sponge-bath’ are even found in the same train of thought is a testament to LaBruce’s skill.

Lake’s attraction is a powerful subversion of the youth-obsession of today’s culture. Although we may not see Lake’s sexual preferences as normal, we sympathize with his struggles. This could largely be due to the fact that among the multiple relationships touched upon throughout the film—Lake and his girlfriend Desirée, Melvin and his estranged son, Lake’s mother and her multiple men, Desirée and her boss, etc.— that of Melvin and Lake seems to be the only one which is truly genuine.

As LaBruce himself has indicated to the Montreal Gazette, Gerontophilia can be thought of as an updated (and queered) Harold & Maude meets One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The film’s messages are effectively transmitted; the overall result is touching—though slightly disconcerting—and surprisingly relatable story of love, personal growth, and rebellion against societal institutions.

Gerontophilia is set for release in select Montréal theaters, on Feb. 14 2014.

Curiosity delivers. |

arts & entertainment

| Tuesday, October 22, 2013

8

Film

Art imitates life, in all its monotony Jonas Mekas’ In Praise of the Ordinary captures everyday situations on film James Chapman Contributor Jonas Mekas has been making movies ever since he stepped off the boat from Lithuania to Ellis Island in 1959. These films have covered a diverse array of topics and have ranged from the provoking and intellectually challenging to the downright bizarre. Known colloquially as the ‘godfather’ of American AvantGarde cinema, he has put out an extensive body of work. Recently, his 365 Day Project has been showing at the PHI Centre here in Montréal. With absolutely no idea what to expect, I went down to take a look.

The exhibition, titled In Praise of the Ordinary, took 38 hours of video footage shot in daily increments over the course of a year, and compiled it onto 12 separate screens. Every individual screen represented a month in the artist’s life, and the films shown on each were played in chronological order. The Festival du Nouveau Cinéma and the Foundation for Contemporary Art put on the whole affair, with guest curator Anna Kekeres there to ensure the exposition went as

smoothly as possible.

Saying things went ‘smoothly’ is a subjective definition, but none of the logistical drama typically associated with conceptually complex exhibits was present. To give some idea of what the exhibition was like, the opening video depicted Mekas giving an earnest and inspiring speech about the nature of film in a workshop before dancing to 1930s Eastern European music for the rest of the video. At one point during the dancing, the word ‘terrorist’ flashed onscreen, and was never seen again.

“Mekas contrasts the

old-time lifestyle shown on camera with the digital means by which the exhibit is presented, almost poking fun at modern ‘videographers’

”

Many of the films were interesting enough to hold my attention, despite the mundane

subject matter. Some were even genuinely moving; a 30 second clip of an empty coffee shop with a lazy tune playing on the radio made me feel inexplicably nostalgic. On the other hand, some films were just plain strange— one was just a woman’s feet, and nothing else, for six minutes straight.

On the whole, the movies were distinctly reminiscent of a bygone era and came off as heartwarming more than anything else. Mekas contrasts the old-time lifestyle shown on camera with the digital means by which the exhibit is presented, almost poking fun at modern ‘videographers’ who seem bent on recording things 24/7. The reason people aren’t normally filming every second of their lives is because the majority of those seconds don’t merit being captured on film. Again, it’s art, and thus, subjective; but good on Mekas if he’s lampooning this mentality, as I think he is.

The man himself is charming and friendly, though brief in

The man behind the mundane. (blouinartinfo.com)

his explanation of the exhibit.

The crowd present at the opening seemed to really enjoy the films, though I did see a few faces walk away from them sharing my distinctly confused expression. I went in not knowing what to expect, and left feeling confounded—though a little happier, I think.

Jonas Mekas’ In Praise of

the Ordinary has been showing since Oct. 11, and will be open until Oct. 26 at the PHI Centre .

Admission is

tick, tick...BOOM! is no bust Theatre

Student-run TNC Theatre takes on Jonathan Larson’s autobiographical musical Jack Tokarz Contributor It’s a musical where “everybody we know wants to be something else.” With a cast of three actors and a live four-piece band, Tuesday Night Cafe (TNC) presents tick, tick..BOOM! , by Jonathan Larson, best known for bohemian rock musical Rent.

Choosing love, success, or passion as life’s top priority is one of the many relevant themes at work in TNC’s latest feature.

This autobiographical piece centres on Jon (Brendan Macdonald) as he frets over his fastapproaching, much dreaded 30th birthday and his lack of success as a ‘promising young composer.’ It was originally written as a one-person show, where one actor portrays Jon and every other character in his life as he explores New York City through his own psyche. TNC and director Jon Corkal chose to portray a posthumously edited version of the musical with three actors.

One (Macdonald) plays Jon, another (Nathaniel Hanula-James)

mainly plays Jon’s lifelong best friend Mike, as well as every other minor male role, and a third (Teodora Mechetiuc) principally plays Jon’s girlfriend Susan, in addition to every other minor female role.

This musical does not present the typical musical tropes— there are no large choruses, no complex dance routines, and no overly cheerful characters. Besides the spontaneous singing and omnipresent band, it remains firmly centred in everyday reality—or, at least, Jon’s interpretation of reality.

Corkal uses an extremely minimalist set for this performance, which works both thematically and practically. With the small space of the TNC theatre and the band (John Castillo on electric guitar, Josh Loke on bass guitar, and Ben MayerGoodman on drums) taking up a third of the stage, Corkal wisely chooses to keep physical

objects to a minimum to ensure ample moving space for the actors. Without the distraction of excess furniture or decorations, the audience is forced to focus on the cast and their relation-

“Ultimately, Corkal

chose an ideal musical to perform at a university: the themes of career choice, relationship problems, fading friendships, and the pursuit of happiness...are all fully explored

”

ships— the life and purpose of the show.

Due to the small theatre size, microphones are unnecessary for the casts’ beautiful, natural voic-

es to easily be heard, enhancing the intimacy of the show.

Macdonald, Hanula-James, and Mechetiuc carry a lot of pressure in this show with no external support, and each one gloriously succeeds in the execution of each character. Macdonald at first appears a bit flat or uninspired, going through monologues as if bored and only picking up energy during songs, but this is merely how Jon is meant to be played. As the plot progresses and Jon faces increasingly emotional events, Macdonald portrays exact changes and believably shows Jon’s emotional state, no matter how subdued it is meant to be. Contrarily, Hanula-James and Mechetiuc constantly pour out energy in each line’s delivery, whether spoken or beautifully sung. Each of the actors’ voices can be distinctly enjoyed in their solo songs “Real Life” and “Come to Your Senses.”

The band fuels the show with

constant energy and momentum, driving each song without inadvertently drowning out the singers. The band members also had a few lines, making them not just a live soundtrack, but truly integrated as well.

Ultimately, Corkal chose an ideal musical to perform at a university: the themes of career choice, relationship problems, fading friendships, and the pursuit of intrinsic happiness over commercial success—all fully explored—are omnipresent at McGill. Just as the characters must choose between a safe, comfortable life, and an exciting but dangerous one, you can choose to continue your life without the experience of this play, or instead try something new: an inspiring play with great music, occasional laughs, and terrific acting. tick, tick...BOOM! plays from Oct. 23-26 at 8 p.m. in Morrice Hall on McGill Campus.

Student tickets are $6.

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Tuesday, October 22, 2013 |

arts & entertainment

| Curiosity delivers.

MUSIC

ALBUM REVIEWS

Krewella DANS la ville With Get Wet, Windy City trio dip their toes into diverse styles of electronic dance music

The Head and the Heart Let’s Be Still

Six Shooter

Computer Ugly, Fat Beats

Sub Pop

Canadian indie rockers The Strumbellas have been described as alt-country and ‘popgrass,’ among other ambiguous labels, but I can’t say I have a better phrase for what they do.

Their sophomore album, We Still Move on Dance Floors vacillates between the quiet and unobtrusive, as well as a forced pep that unfortunately doesn’t quite translate into the catchy, upbeat hooks the band may have been aiming for. There’s nothing inherently wrong with The Strumbella’s latest offering, it’s simply underwhelming.

Bright spots of the album include the peaceful opening track “Sailing,” and “The Long Road,” both of which seem as if they’re destined to wind up providing the background for episodeending montages on CW channel television shows. “In This Life” hints that something of the band’s original explosive yet folky brand of energy is still lurking there somewhere.

After listening to this album and reading that The Strumbellas were named the ‘band to watch’ by numerous publications after their debut, I was sincerely confused. Dance Floors is nice enough, sure, but not exactly what you would expect from a Juno-nominated group. My confusion was relieved after a quick listen to their first album, My Father and the Hunter, a vastly superior release. In comparison to Dance Floors, it was bursting with energy and gaveample evidence that the group indeed earned their ambiguous genre labels.

I’m forced to conclude that Dance Floors must be a sophomore slump for this obviously talented ensemble. It’s almost as if someone slipped The Strumbellas some Ambien; it’s still them, only more lethargic. The album is ‘fine,’ in every sense of the word, including the sense which implies the lack of anything better than average. Compared to The Strumbella’s proven potential, We Still Move on Dance Floors leaves something to be desired. Let’s hope they’re not moving too far away from what made them great in the first place.

Black Milk’s sophomore album, No Poison, No Paradise, is the perfect blend of smoothly laid hiphop beats and a techno-synth vibe.

The Detroit rapper-emcee introduces a new kind of soulful lyricism mixed with a story-teller vibe that was largely absent from his 2010 release Album of the Year, a mix focused more on heavy drum beats and ephemeral themes. Now, after taking time off to perfect his skills in sound mixing and engineering, the 30-year-old rapper is back with a clean-cut sound that shows a new level of maturity.

Taking on the role of ‘Sonny,’ Black Milk spins rhymes focused on the troubles affronting any child growing up in the inner city, best played out in the combo track “Sunday’s Best/Monday’s Worst.” Unlike his past work, this album is less about the rhymes and more about the music. Black Milk takes time to let the vocals fade out so the listener can focus in on the smoothly mixed tracks, which artfully display techno beats melded with jazz interludes.

For a prime example of his expertise in the field of sound engineering, just look to “Sonny Jr. (Dreams),” an all-encompassing track that features strong drum beats overlaid on a mellow bass to make the listener feel like they themselves are laying in the bed of a young Curtis Cross getting ready to start a new day in Detroit.

While slower than most popular rap/pop compilations of today’s music, No Poison, No Paradise has the ability to appeal to both novices and veteran listeners of the hip-hop scene.

—Morgan Alexander

I listened to Let’s Be Still on constant alert for a track that might outshine “Rivers and Roads,” The Head and the Heart’s traditional concert -closer and all-around gem of a song.

In that regard, their sophomore album didn’t succeed—the sendoff song is still the cream of their catalogue—but when they design their set lists, they’ll now have plenty of other quality tunes to choose from.

Let’s Be Still is a beautiful album, one that showcases the diversifying musical arsenal of a relatively new group. Though the band has toured extensively the past two years and gained national recognition, they only formed in the summer of 2009.

Opening the Americana-style album are two tracks that directly touch on prominent American issues.

The robust “Homecoming Heroes” rallies against the lagging war the country has been fighting overseas. “Another Story,” with a line from its chorus, “Every time I hear another story/ Oh the poor boy lost his head,” seems to respond to tragic events such as the Newtown, Connecticut shooting.

Compositions like “Josh McBride” and “These Days Are Numbered” capture the band’s rustic, traditional folk sound that they often branch away from—but salvage here—with steady finger-picking and a soothing harmonica solo.

I applaud the risk-taking, but I found “Springtime” and “Summertime” to be questionable album calls.

The synth-heavy pairing isn’t unpleasant, but it has no thematic unity with the rest of the album and doesn’t seem justified.

“10,000 Weight in Gold” is my pick for the album’s best track. While it probably won’t get the same airplay as single “Shake,” it pairs a sensitive ballad with a memorable riff that gives it staying power.

If Let’s Be Still is any indication, The Head and the Heart should be a fixture towards the top of the revived folk-pop scene in the foreseeable future.

—Max Berger

—Jacqueline Galbraith

om

We Still Move on Dance Floors

Black Milk No Poison, No Paradise

p .c

The Strumbellas

Krewella is one of music’s most fascinating emerging acts.

Their debut album Get Wet was released last month with a strong chart performance, and the group landed in 44th place in the DJ Mag Top 100 this past week. Consisting of sisters Jahan and Yasmine Yousaf, as well as Kris “Rain Man” Trindl, the Chicago trio is often categorized under the term Electronic Dance Music (EDM).

However, vocalist and songwriter Jahan says the group “wants to take dance music in a different direction.” Not only do their songs come from the convergence of different elements like pop, dubstep, and live vocal performances, Jahan also cites a multiplicity of diverse artistic influences.

“I like people [who] go against the grain,” says Jahan. She cites artists like Lady Gaga and M.I.A. who use their “[voices] to draw attention to important issues.”

EDM is a very male-dominated industry, but the predominantly female group says that they “never felt [they] should be treated differently.”

Referring to the fact that famous women are often arbitrarily judged for their beauty rather than their achievements, Jahan noted, “I would like to see women become powerful for different reasons.” She also pointed out the small percentage of women compared to men in lists of the world’s wealthiest individuals and conceded that societal realities can make it difficult to succeed as a female artist. The trio’s rising influence and genuine talent certainly seems to put it on a trajectory to falsify that statement.

Jahan explains, however, that success doesn’t necessarily seem to be something Krewella needs to be validated by: “We don’t see ourselves on a pedestal; there’s no subject or object.”

Reaching out to fans is something Krewella takes very seriously, using social media as their primary method of communication. The dialogue inherent in that relationship isn’t one way either, as it could be sending a letter to a P.O. box— which the group has only recently acquired. Jahan recalls receiving the brief but poweful message, “you’ve saved my life” from a fan. Clearly, to their audience, and to themselves, it’s more than party music.

Krewella hasn’t stopped producing while they’re on tour, either.

Their next album is already in its early stages with their debut record released only last month. It may not

)

Alex Kpeglo-Hennessey Contributor

ste (i bro be out any time soon but the group is aiming to “re-invent their own production.”

Jahan acknowledges that Chicago is Krewella’s favourite city to play, as their hometown and the “nucleus” of their fan base, but they enjoy Montreal and vowed that the city should prepare for a unique show.

Krewella perform Oct. 24 at 10 p.m. at Telus Theatre (1280 St. Denis). Tickets are $40 online.

mcgilltribune. com facebook.com/ mcgilltribune twitter.com/ mcgilltribune

of Montreal Photos © François Beauregard, Adrien Hu, Renee Wang, SynesthASIA

the club’s name is a play off the word “synesthesia,” representing fresh talents that colour Montreal.

SynesthASIA Director Hana Bell explains that the organization has partnered with several popular brands.

“We have worked with American Apparel, French Connection UK, ModaSuite [... just] to name a few,” Bell said.

“Fashion is definitely crucial to the SynesthASIA identity.” In three years, SynesthASIA has raised over $25,000.

This tactic is not exclusive to SynesthASIA. The Commerce and Administration Student Charity Organization (CASCO) takes business modules out of the classroom and applies them to their annual dance and fashion show. The group’s goal is to raise money for The Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation and highlight social responsibility.

Last year, CASCO grossed over $14,000 in one evening, and received the Best Philanthropic Event of the Year

immediate proclamation of your identity.

“The clothes I wear, the accessories I choose, and the shoes I put on not only say something about my style, but also [about] who I am,” Ludmer-

their clothes tell me a story about who they are.

By Adrien Hu

her, the business aspect of fashion is an irrefutable truth.

“If I were to describe the industry in one word, it [would be] ‘money.’ [This] is an industry dealing with millions of dollars,” Wang said. “It is a growing market, [and] people are caring about how they dress more and more.”

Here at McGill, several clubs have taken notice of fashion’s unique capacity to gather attention and capital, as well as to advance more than just corporate interests. Runway fundraisers deliver in thousands of dollars each year, and have quickly become a platform for students to acquaint business with philanthropy.

In 2008, SynesthASIA was founded by three directors who created annual charity fashion shows in Montreal. The trio’s mission was to raise funds and combat Asia’s social issues— namely poverty, gender inequality, and environmental degradation.

SynesthASIA seamlessly joins humanitarian aid with artistic expression;

substance. By getting people interested in fashion and charity, organinzations have been able to establish a sense of community, especially at a school like McGill.

Over the years, this has created a space for individuals to express

“ When I look at someone,

FASHION’S INFLUENCE IN THE CITY

Fashion is often seen as both a desired reality but also a delusion of grandeur. Fashion has a way of persuading and tempting us every day with its elegance and irresistable allure. Like a skillful couturier, fashion weaves commerce with philanthropy and constructs the diverse and welcoming fabric of a community. Available for us to tailor to our own individualities, the individual’s interpretation of fashion plays a prominent role both at McGill and in Montreal.

Fashion as an industry is highly lucrative. It is a commercial behemoth with an annual revenue of $1,200 billion USD, as reported by the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF).

20-year-old Renee Wang is a fine arts student studying Fashion Design at Parsons The New School For Design in New York. Wang has interned for DKNY and worked as a stylist’s assistant for Elle Magazine Russia edition. To

FEATURES | 11

10 | FEATURES

Fabric Award at both the Management Undergraduate Society (MUS) Awards, and the Student’s Society of McGill University (SSMU) Awards.

In terms of fashion’s contributions, however, both clubs stress that dollar signs are only the tip of the iceberg in Montreal.

CASCO Executive Directors Majd Steitieh and Ruth Talbot expresssed that

has become part of our show [.... because it’s] visually effective [and] helps expand our audience. And the great thing about fashion is that [it’s] dynamic and ever-changing, so the community will only get larger and stronger as it attracts more people,” Steitieh and Talbot wrote.

Bell also saw the runway as the integral link between art and the community. “Fashion

“

Fashion connects all forms of fine art, and allows an entire community to feel included.

”

fashion has a peculiar charm in attracting an audience and inspiring cohesiveness within a community.

“Fashion and the cause work side by side […] to encourage people to come to our event because [it’s] not a classic night out. Fashion

[connects] all forms of fine art, [and allows] an entire community to feel included.

[It] increases engagement,” Bell said.

On that note, Bell, Steitieh, and Talbot all agreed that fashion strikes a perfect balance between flash and

themselves. More and more, fashion has emerged through students, bloggers and designers as an outlet for self-expression.

It has become something we can create and re-work each day to construct an image unique to ourselves.

Kira Ludmer-Kott is a fashion blogger on Campusfashionista. com who specializes in reporting trends within McGill and around Montreal. To Ludmer-Kott, items you choose to sport are an

”

Kott said. “People say that first impressions are most important; so why not dress everyday like it’s your first impression?”

For McGillians in particular, fashion is omnipresent and pervades every facet of our lives.

We watch it on TV, hear it in our music, and buy it in stores.

We no longer wear clothes; we wear fashion. Conveniently, it only takes a five-minute walk on Saint Catherine Street to see this in action.

Ludmer-Kott emphasized that this phenomena is true citywide, and can be extremely contagious.

“Montreal is such a great place to play with fashion. We are truly a city that likes to express itselt,” Ludmer-Kott said. “[McGillians] are affected by the fashion that surrounds them; all it takes is seeing one person wearing something you find nice [for you to] go out and try something like it.”

But fashion isn’t exactly a utopia devoid of flaws or shortcomings—rather, the industry is cutthroat and mercurial. Fashion can be an intense love-hate relationship.

Critics of the industry Many complain that fashion’s transition from ‘just clothes’ to ‘individual statement’ is superficial, focusing solely on profitable glamour and outer beauty.

To this, Ludmer-Kott responded that it is difficult to draw the line between wearing clothes and having it judged as a statement.

“I don’t think any of us have

a choice but to let the clothes on our backs define us,” she said.

“Don’t get me wrong, I realize that there is more to a person than the clothes that they wear. [But] when I look at someone, their clothes tell me a story about who they are.”

To anyone who deems fashion frivolous, Ludmer-Kott presented the famous words from The Devil Wears Prada: Even a minute decision like selecting a shade of blue “represents millions of dollars and countless jobs,” and it’s “comical” to think that you could make any choice which “exempts you from the fashion industry.”

Wang echoed this sentiment and emphasized that fashion is very much about hard work from behind the scenes.

“Consumers [often] take the designers’ effort for granted,” she explained. “A dress that seems minimal may take up to weeks to make. [Consumers habitually] neglect the amount of effort it takes to pattern-make the dress and give the best fit to the body while maintaining simplicity.”

To Montreal-based fashion designer François Beauregard, renowned for his minimalistic and classic designs, this was all too familiar.

“I work all the time,” Beauregard remarked. “[Sometimes it’s] 45 days in a row, non-stop. So you can imagine, [...] every day you need to be on the [go] [....] There’s always something to change.”

For Beauregard, fashion is shaped by the individual, who, in turn, is transformed by the industry. “I don’t look at fashion [as] it used to be. [Before,] it was almost a religion. [Now fashion is] just fashion, it’s very superficial. [But I have learned to] appreciate difference[s]. I don’t [concern myself] too much [with] what others do anymore. Fashion has made me more confident [in] myself and in my own work.”

Despite the vast abstraction of fashion as a whole, Wang had no trouble summing up what fashion often means to people invested in the industry.

“Fashion is attitude. It has no limit.”

Science & technology Technology

Next 36 fosters budding entrepreneurs on campus McGill alumni share experiences starting their own companies Remi Lu Sports Editor It started with an email and ended with a company. For two McGill alumni, Brian Luong and Sepand Norouzi, the Next 36 program was the perfect opportunity to kickstart their entrepreneurial careers.

Founded in 2010, the Next 36 is an entrepreneurial and leadership program that helps develop Canada’s 36 most promising entrepreneurs.

According to Luong and Norouzi, the goal of the program is to groom candidates to become the next founders and leaders of influential companies.

However, what separates the Next 36 from other start up initiatives is the program’s focus on the development of the individuals themselves rather than the ventures that candidates bring to the program.

Once individuals are selected, they are grouped with others to build a company under the direction of the Next 36, which provides the proper training and tools. “[The Next 36] is really focused on helping the person grow, as opposed to helping the company grow, which is the focus of other accelerators,” Norouzi noted.

Norouzi’s childhood obses-

sion with computers translated into a major in software engineering at McGill. He joined the McGill Entrepreneurs Society (MES) in 2011 which helped cultivate his love for new business ventures. Through his relationship with the MES, Norouzi learned about the Next 36 from cofounder Claudia Hepburn and entered the program the following year.

In contrast, Luong’s experiences with entrepreneurship began in high school when he started a business that sold gyros to the student body. In the wake of his company’s success, Luong fell in love with the entrepreneurial lifestyle and decided to continue his involvement in start up ventures. He proceeded to create his CEGEP’s badminton team, as well as a painting and construction business in his first year at McGill.

From there, he applied for Next 36 and has not looked back since.

“I love being able to start my own business, own it, and see everything that’s happening,” Luong said.

As a part of their experience with the Next 36, Luong and Norouzi started Glimpse, a website which helps people find appropriate neighbourhoods for their new home based on their needs, preferences, and lifestyle before they look at listings. The website is beginning to gain traction,

and has the potential to change the way consumers approach real estate.

“We have a real estate agent signed up,” Luong said. “We’re planning on integrating listings on the website soon [....] We realized that people have a hard time making decisions in general [so] we’re trying to build a technology that revolutionizes the way people make decisions.”

Having just recently begun its process of selecting its fourth cohort of candidates, the Next 36 has already seen a number of significant initiatives emerge from its program.

Most notable amongst these is the Myo project from Thalmic Labs, a revolutionary gesture control machine that uses electrical activity in muscles to wirelessly control digital technology. Thalmic Labs was co-founded by Next 36 alumnus Stephen Lake during the program’s inaugural year. He was later joined

by Scott Greenberg, a 2012 cohort of Next 36 who now sits on the development team.

Thalmic Labs has partnered with Y Combinator, one of the biggest accelerators in the world. With $14.5 million in backing, Myo is on track to become one of the most revolutionary pieces of technology in recent years.

As recent graduates of McGill,

Luong and Norouzi are not quite no limit to what you can accomplish ready to leave the university behind. when you set your eyes on goals and Their goal is to help expand Mc- move towards them.”

Gill’s entrepreneurial scene to be on par with the likes of the University of Toronto, Harvard, and Stanford.

The duo hope that the increased entrepreneurial presence on campus will abate concerns about McGill’s recent drop in the world rankings.

“One way for [McGill] to stay competitive and relevant on a global scale is for it to become a more entrepreneurial university,” Luong said. “We’re speaking with the alumni departments and McGill faculty members right now to promote [innovation] on campus. [We want] to get other students at McGill to see entrepreneurship as a viable career path rather than students seeing it as a last resort.”

According to the Glimpse team, this is an excellent opportunity for McGill to increase its entrepreneurial presence in Canada.

“We feel that this is the perfect time to promote the growth of entrepreneurLuong got his first taste of entrepreneurship in ship and to [expand] it [furhigh school. (Image courtesy of Brian Luong) ther],” Norouzi said. “There’s

TEchnology

WildCard app acquires an academic spin

Developers hope to bridge the communication gap between students and their societies Abhishek Gupta Contributor When does add/drop end? When will the finals schedule be released?

These are all questions many McGill students struggle to find the answer to online, and that is where WildCard comes in.

Tom Zheng and Randeep Singh started WildCard with a simple concept in 2011. According to Zheng, “It started as a card that provided people with monetary incentives to go out—a free drink at a club, free cover on certain nights.” Their aim was to connect businesses with students who enjoy nightlife.

The company launched a mobile app in January 2012 to act as a platform to satisfy this need of connecting businesses with students. Zheng, former VP academic for the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS), realized

that the problems faced by the AUS and businesses were pretty similar.

“How do you connect with people who would actually benefit [from] connecting with you?” explained Zheng. In the pursuit of answering this fundamental question, Zheng and his team embarked on a journey to bridge students needing this information and societies, like the AUS, who are providing it.

As VP Academic, he interacted with many U2 and U3 students who were posing questions such as “What is the meaning of primary curriculum on Minerva?” despite having attended the school for several years.

These types of questions made Zheng pay attention to this communication barrier.

“There was no uniform place to give all this important and pertinent academic information to students,” Zheng said. The existing channel

was just not efficient. According to Zheng, listservs have an opening rate of about 20 per cent, and even then, not all those clicks mean that +the student has thoroughly read the email.

People also do not often use Facebook and Twitter profiles to check school-related information.

“People go on to Facebook or Twitter to waste time,” said Zheng.

“To look at things like ‘25 reasons not to do something’ [… they go online] with an aim to socialize.”

Zheng explained that these forms of media are not the appropriate channels to be relaying serious or academic information.

“McGill not being able to fill up stadiums for games is being attributed to apathy,” said Zheng. He continued to explain, however, that there are students who really want to be a part of the community, but are unable

to find the relevant information.

All of these factors led to the question, ‘Can an app be a solution?’

Zheng argues an app for these societies do not need to be as interactive as Facebook or Twitter, but merely act as a platform and a channel to send push notifications about important deadlines and events.

“Wouldn’t it be great if you got a reminder one day before add/drop period ends so you don’t forget?” He asked.

Some of the most noticeable features of the app are its simplicity in design. Compared to its past use in nightlife deals, the app’s primary function is now to act as a portal to information. Settings subscribe users to notifications according to their year and major. The app also included bonus features, such as shortcuts for ordering food and a link to call a cab directly—which, as Zheng explained,

were extremely useful during frosh.

WildCard was also mindful in picking a taxi service provider that accepts credit cards so students are not faced with the problem of not having enough cash on hand.

To date, the company is working with three university organizations at McGill, two at Concordia, and have expanded to Queen’s and HEC (École des Hautes Études commerciales de Montréal).

To conclude, Zheng remarks, “If we could measure an increase in the number of students informed about what is going on at McGill that is what I would consider as success for the product.”

Download WildCard at https:// p l a y. g o o g l e . c o m / s t o r e / a p p s / details?id=app001.app001 Image from getwild.ca

Curiosity delivers. |

science & technology

| Tuesday, October 22, 2013

13

SCIENCE

Montreal’s maple trees: where monoculture meets bigotry The 1950s Montreal ‘clean-up’ brought with it a fungus that devastated the Mount Royal Caity Hui Science & Technology Editor If you take a walk up Mount Royal, you may notice that about a third of all the yellow leaves have peculiar black spots. These spots are caused by Rhytisma, a black tar fungus which lives parasitically in the leaves of deciduous forest species, and is killing Montreal’s maple trees. Surprisingly, the Mount Royal maples were not always at risk of Rhytisma. In fact, this situation arose by a misguided attempt to ‘clean up’ the city of Montreal.

During the 1950s, there was a general consensus in Montreal that the city needed to be turned around. During prohibition, Montreal had become a place where Americans travelled for drinking, gambling, and prostitution—earning it the nickname ‘sin city.’

Jean Drapeau, Montreal’s mayor at the time, was particularly concerned with ‘immoral behavior,’ including displays of homosexuality and intoxication, which were occurring in the underbrush of Mount Royal. In response, he ordered that the bottom two-thirds of the maple trees on the mountain were clear-cut in an effort to expose the area. Unfortunately, Drapeau’s plan had a major unforseen consequence.

Clearcutting resulted in mass erosion and landslides, as there were no longer any trees to hold the dirt in place. This forced the mayor to plant more trees in the area he had just cleared. Keeping it simple, he selected one species, the Norway maple, which is what gives Mount Royal its yellow colouring in the fall.

However, the Norway maple was a foreign, imported species that grew much faster than the red maples already populating the mountain. Since the Norway maple reproduced more efficiently than their relative—they yielded more seedpods and grew much faster— consequently displacing the native population of trees. Mount Royal’s diversity had been replaced by a single species.

Nature was not meant to support monocultures. According to Donald Sheppard, associate professor of molecular mycology at McGill University, without diversity or variation within an ecosystem, species have no chance of evolving strategies or acquiring traits to avoid pathogens. If one tree is susceptible to the pathogen, all trees are at risk since they are genetically identical.

This problem has reproduced itself throughout history. The Irish potato famine is a classic example.

During the 1800s the Irish solved their problem of feeding a growing population by planting the Lumper potato variety. By only planting one species, the potato crop lacked genetic diversity. When the environment changed and an airborne potato fungus swept through the country in the 1840s, the entire crop of potatoes was devastated.

Fortunately, the Norway maples seem to be able to tolerate the Rhytisma infection. Though the fungus has spread dramatically, its prevalence depends on the weather conditions of the spring and fall.

According to Sheppard, the fungus grows on the leaves, which then die and fall to the ground. Therefore, in order for the fungus to infect neighbouring trees, the spores must be carried up and off the leaves and back up into the trees.

This action increases with a long and rainy fall season coupled with strong winds.

The spring also has an impact on the infection. Jennifer Llewellyn, a horticulturalist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, told the Montreal Gazette, explains that the fungus will survive the winter on the leaves infected by spores. “When you have a cold spring, leaves take longer to emerge and develop, so there is a longer period of exposure to the fungi spores.”

How can you get rid of it?

Since spores can survive the winter, raking and destroying the leaves is the easiest way that we, as Montrealers, can reduce the chances of the disease reoccurring next spring.

This photo, taken in 1964, shows lingering effects of clear cutting done in the 1950s. (Archives de la Ville de Montréal)

Want to see more photos like this one?

The McCord Museum is currently featuring an exhibition of aerial photos of Montreal, entitled Plotting from Above. The exhibition runs September 7 2013 - January 5, 2014.

Student price: $8 FREE Wednesday 5 - 9

Mount Royal was nicknamed “Mont Chauve.” (spacing.ca/montreal)

Advertise with us!

Email ads@mcgilltribune.com for more information

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Student living student

AuréLie LanctôT FIrst Year law (Wendy Chen / McGill Tribune)

Aurélie Lanctôt, a first-year law student at McGill, is taking a stand against the Parti Québécois’ (PQ) proposed Charter of Values.

As a member of the non-profit organization Québéc inclusif , Lanctôt helped write an open letter opposing feminist pro-charter arguments that freedom of religion jeopardizes previously actions toward gender equality.

As a member of the Feminist Collective of McGill Law and correspondent on Radio-Canada’s Bande á part radio show, Lanctôt was already invested in matters of gender equity in the Montreal community. Lanctôt first became involved with Quebec inclusif when she was asked by “friends, and friends of friends” to be among the ‘premier signataires’ for their manifesto.

Approximately 40 academics, lawyers, journalists, and students signed the manifesto when it was released in September. “[Quebec inclusif] was born just after the PQ released the first draft about the charter,” explains Lanctôt. “It was just a spontaneous gathering of people that share some values.”

According to Lanctôt, the

by Marlee Vinegar

manifesto is not a political statement, but rather an expression of philosophically based arguments about how the charter would deny the province’s citizens—and specifically minorities—of fundamental rights.

Lanctôt said she personally views the charter as “xenophobic and racist.”

“I think it plays on the little fear in the population, taking advantage of people’s ignorance,” she said. “I feel it’s dividing politics and it’s not very healthy for society.”

Since it came out in September, the manifesto has garnered significant support, with 26,681 signatories from diverse backgrounds.

This past week, Québéc inclusif caught the attention of mainstream media outlets again when a smaller group of individuals from the organization felt the need to react to a letter written by Quebec TV personality Janette Bertrand. Bertrand’s letter suggests that the proposed charter promotes gender equality by preventing men from using religion as a means to dominate women. Québéc inclusif’s letter

criticized these sentiments.

“The emancipation of women cannot be achieved by the imposition of a paternalistic measure like banning conspicuous religious symbols,” the letter reads.

Lanctôt stresses that feminism and freedom of religion are not necessarily in conflict, but can go hand in hand. While historically, men have used religion as a way to subjugate women, women may see the ability to express their religion as a means of asserting their own agency.

While Lanctôt says she is uncertain about what Québéc inclusif will do in the future, she says she is pleased with the response from the McGill community so far.

“I think there are a lot of students at McGill who share these ideas about the charter—francophone, anglophone, everybody,” she says. “The McGill community is very receptive.”

nominate a student of the week!

Email us at studentliving@ mcgilltribune.com

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I went through a lot of phases. For most of my childhood, I said I wanted to be a lawyer, but I don’t know anymore even if I want to study law.

If you could meet one person from history who would it be?

I would really like to sit for a coffee with René Lévesque. When I was younger, he was my idol. He still fascinate[s] me as a character that was [so] special and unique, with very strong and interesting ideas. But he also had a lot of flaws, which make him very interesting.

What’s your favourite place in the world?

Les iles de la Madeleine. I spent all the summers of my childhood there, and its just so beautiful.

If you could have any skill what would it be?

I’d really like to teleport.

What do you like about Law at McGill?

There’s a political side to law that really interested me. Here at McGill it’s a very philosophical approach.

Beauty in simplicity

François Beauregard exemplifies minimalism in classic clothing design (Adrien Hu / McGill Tribune)

Adrien Hu Copy Editor Somedays, clothes become frustrating. A brief look in the mirror and negotiations with the garments begin. Suddenly, dressing oneself quickly turns into a 3-D jigsaw puzzle of colours, textures, and shapes. In the end, we often just want something simple and pleasant.

On the corner of Ave. Laurier and l’Esplanade, boutique François Beauregard embodies this simplicity; the space is modest and charming. Upon entering the shop, you are greeted by delicate porcelain fixtures of birds taking flight. The walls are divided horizontally into white and tiffany blue, giving the impression that one is travelling across the horizon as one wanders through the shop. Chandeliers take on the form of elegant birds

nests. Shaped to resemble delicate twigs, they complete the theme and atmosphere, illuminating the space with light.

The boutique reflects a refined form of nature—an inviting retreat to the disenchanted traveller.

With delicacy and expertise, owner and designer François Beauregard carries this charm into his creations. The sides of the boutique are graced by a collection of elegant dresses, masterfully constructed blouses, pants, and skirts.

Tables stationed at the center of the room present classic staples: a selection of vneck T’s, crew necks, and Donna tank tops. Each item is crafted with care, and the style is one of gentle sophistication.

A humble array of colours and shades— navy, white, and greys—line the walls with subtle blossoms of pastels, corals, and red.

Each item is crisp in its lines and fits well to the body. Creases are integrated perfectly, forming smooth but defined shapes. The clothes emphasize the natural curves of the feminine figure, but are reserved and graceful. Several pieces feature a swift, arched curve for the back, catering to a woman with timeless taste.

Beauregard describes his design aesthetic as effortless, charming, but poised—drawing on the intersectionality of American and European culture.

“It’s minimalist, very simple, very modern,” Beauregard said. “[It is] a little bit of a mix between American classics [and] European-French. So that’s the look—very simple. I would [take] the American basic like T-shirts, shirts [...] and mix it up in an European way.”

All of Beauregard’s designs are

conceptualized in the back-room studio.

The processes is very traditional; the sketching, fabric selection, cutting, draping, and sewing are all done by hand and finished with a meticulous eye for detail.

In the Montreal fashion scene, Beauregard’s minimalistic design is second to none. To the modest and chic McGill student who takes value in comfortable, stylish, and delicately alluring pieces, this is the place. Of course, simple is in no way synonymous with limited options. On the contrary, the boutique houses an impressive collection of styles. For added variety, Beauregard also carries several brands from Europe and the U.S. to complement his staples.

For the student, boutique Francois Beauregard is a luxury because in the midst of midterms and crises, one can take comfort in the hug of cotton,

silk, and cashmere. There is certainly a value to being able to wear qualitytailored clothing and it affirms that, in a life where everything changes in a blink of an eye, the ensemble—and you—are beautiful in simplicity.

François Beauregard 204 Laurier Ouest.

Opening Hours : Mon-Wed: 11:00-18:00 Tue-Fri: 11:00-19:00 Sat: 11:00-17:00 Sun: 12:00-17:00

Curiosity delivers. |

STUDENT LIVING

| Tuesday, October 22, 2013

INSIDER INFO

15

Midterm season: honesty is the best policy

Legal Information Clinic at McGill outlines steps to protect your academic integrity It’s October, also known as “midterm season” on campus. Over the course of the next few weeks, the Student Advocacy Office will be flooded with students who have received letters accusing them of a whole slew of academic offences under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures. Don’t be part of this crowd—protecting your academic integrity is more than just a matter of ‘not plagiarizing.’

In any instance of plagiarism or cheating, students risk receiving a grade of zero. During midterm season, students are over-extended and violations of the Code usually aren’t deliberate.

Most of the time, students just aren’t paying attention, or don’t give themselves enough time to complete their work. Here are a few easy ways to prevent this from happening to you.

Individual papers

Before handing in a paper, give yourself enough time to read it through once and make sure you have included

all the necessary citations. You can also run your paper through one of the many free online plagiarism checkers, easily found with a quick Google search. Finally, don’t recycle parts of a paper you’ve used in another class; it’s considered “cheating” under the Code, even if you only recycle a few paragraphs from a 10 page paper.

also ensure that collaboration is permitted in the context of your assignment by checking with your professor or teaching assistant.

Exams

Working with friends

When you want to help a friend, never share your assignment by e-mail or in hard copy—even drafts. Sharing your assignment with someone else and copying someone else’s assignment are both considered plagiarism and carry the same consequences under the Code.

Note that although this type of plagiarism isn’t usually intentional or malicious, intent doesn’t matter under the Code. If you want to help a friend, it’s best to do it through discussion, either over the phone or in person. You should

quences for violating those provisions.

Give each group member the opportunity to read over the paper or report in entirety before it’s submitted. Be alert; if you think that someone’s work is inconsistent, don’t be afraid to ask questions. You can also do a Google search of any suspect phrases to see if anything comes up.

Group work

For group projects or lab reports, remember that you are responsible for the academic integrity of everyone in your group. Even if you can prove that you didn’t write the part of a report that’s flagged for plagiarism or cheating, you could still be held responsible. Make sure that each member of your group is aware of the content of articles 16 and 17 of the Code—the plagiarism and cheating provisions—and the conse-

There are several activities that constitute an offence under the Code in an exam context, including obtaining or attempting to obtain information from another student or unauthorized source during an exam; getting someone to take an exam for you or vice-versa; procuring, distributing, or receiving confidential materials like upcoming exams or lab results.

Additionally, be aware that McGill uses Harpp-Hogan software to detect cheating in multiple-choice exams, which is extremely accurate in identifying exams that consistently have the same

wrong answers. A Harpp-Hogan report is generally accepted as clear, convincing, and reliable evidence that cheating has occurred. When faced with a choice between getting a grade of zero because of cheating or doing poorly on an exam you haven’t adequately prepared for, the latter is clearly preferable.

Be vigilant about your academic integrity, especially during midterm season. It’s easy to slip up when you’re exhausted and overworked, but taking the time is well worth it when you consider the alternative.

If you have been accused of an offence or if you have any questions about how you can protect your academic integrity this midterm season, feel free to e-mail Student Advocacy at advocacy. licm@mail.mcgill.ca or drop by our office in the SSMU Building.

By Kiran Ross Director of Student Advocacy and University Affairs Legal Information Clinic at McGill advocacy.licm@mail.mcgill.ca

Apple Crisp

Best Apples for Baking

The be-all and end-all of fall apple recipes. Faster and easier than pie, but just as delicious.

Cortland: Slightly tart and juicy, these apples are great for all types of baking!

Golden Delicious: One of the best baking apples because of its ability to retain shape while baking. The soft sweet flavour goes well in any baked dish.

Granny Smith: A go-to for baking with apples. These apples are crisp, tart, and sour which makes them great for crisps, and go well when mixed with other sweet apples.

Jonathan: These apples are quite tart and full of flavour. They also maintain their shape in the oven.

Winesap: Sworn by some to be the best apple for cooking, these sweet-flavoured apples are firm and have a spicy kick to them. They serve as great baking and sauce making ingredients.

Serves 6

Ingredients

4 cups sliced pared tart apples (about 4 medium) 2/3-3/4 cup brown sugar, packed 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup oats 3/4 tsp cinnamon 3/4 tsp nutmeg 1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened light cream or vanilla ice cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F 2. Grease 8x8x2 inch pan 3. Place apples in pan 4. Mix brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, and butter in bowl thoroughly 5. Sprinkle mix over apples 6. Bake 30 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown 7. Serve warm with ice cream

Eat but don’t bake

There are some apples that are just bad news when it comes to baking. Many of these apples fail to hold their shape in the oven, leaving behind a mushy mess. The use of these apples in a baked dish will turn a winning recipe into a failure, even when followed exactly.

Gala, Macouns, Red Delicious, Fuji, Lady

— Leah Brainerd, Contributor

Recipe

Easy Lasagna Serves 6

Ingredients

650-750 mL jar of marinara sauce 2 packages of 575g refrigerated or unthawed ravioli (tortellini works as well) 1 box 300 g frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed of excess liquid) 2 cups shredded mozzarella ½ cup grated parmesan

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F 2. Coat 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and spoon a thin layer of sauce into the bottom of the dish 3. On top of the sauce, layer a third of the ravioli, spread evenly across dish 4. Layer with half the spinach, half the mozzarella, and a third of the sauce

5. Repeat steps three and four 6. Finish with the remaining ravioli and sauce 7. Sprinkle with parmesan 8. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes 9. Uncover and bake until bubbling for five to 10 minutes — Leah Brainerd, Contributor

y.c om )

This recipe is great if you want lasagna without the hassle or the extra dishes.

da eet w s h (o

19

SPORTS

BASKETBALL — REDBIRD CLASSIC

Mixed bag for McGill at annual Redbird Classic Sylla shines for Martlets; Redmen struggle with consistency

Martlets Mayaz Alam Sports Editor

This past weekend at the annual Redbird Classic, the reigning CIS Rookie-of-the-Year, Miriam Sylla, showed why she has the talent to lead the McGill Martlets to another RSEQ title and a deep post-season run at the CIS National Championships. She led the team in scoring and rebounding over the weekend while the Martlets swept their opponents. Sylla had ample support throughout the tournament as other standouts included junior forward Gabriela Hebert and junior pointguard Diana Ros. Each year three teams congregate in Montreal over one weekend for a round robin slate of exhibition games held in Love Competition Hall. This year’s lineup included the Memorial Sea-Hawks, Western Mustangs, and Toronto Varsity Blues. Last year’s tournament’s winless showing was disappointing for the squad. However, this year’s team was keen on using the weekend as a launch pad for a successful season.

The Martlets emerged victorious over the Sea-Hawks in the first game with a score of 62-43 on the backs of a stingy defence and balanced scoring. Jennifer Silver, a rookie forward, proved to be an offensive sparkplug off the bench as she made the most of her 13 minutes of playing time by scoring 13 points.

Ros, fresh off of her appearance with

Team Canada at the Summer Universiade, orchestrated the offence to the tune of six assists, which offset her poor shooting night. McGill’s defence forced 25 turnovers with 12 steals and two blocks. Memorial was consistently forced into bad shots en route to shooting below 30 per cent from the field and a ghastly 35.7 per cent from the free throw line.

The squad’s second game, a tilt against the Western Mustangs, was a tougher challenge, as McGill needed to rally back from an early 11 point deficit to emerge victorious 68-66. The game was tied up in the final minute before rookie guard Carolann Cloutier showed her clutch gene, calmly hitting a jumpshot to give the Martlets the victory.

Cloutier was second on the team with 13 points, behind Sylla’s 14.

Hebert stuffed the box score with a team leading six assists and eight rebounds while also chipping in with eight points. McGill shot a blistering 51.6 per cent from the field in the second half while holding Western to 33.3 per cent during the same time frame. The Mustangs remained in the game primarily by capitalizing off of McGill’s 26 turnovers and going 13-15 from the charity stripe.

However, Western’s inability to score from the field and stop McGill from doing so in the second half ultimately led to their demise.

In the final game, McGill faced off against Toronto in a tight contest that ended with the hosts winning 71-64 behind the efforts of Sylla, Ros and Hebert. McGill had the lead

Marie-Pier Bastrash looks to pass inside. (Wendy Chen / McGill Tribune)

for most of the game, but was never able to stretch the lead to more than 10 points. Ros entered the game shooting 3-19, but was soon able to find her rhythm as she led the Martlets with 16 points. Ros once again showed skill ful control at the reins of the offence by registering seven assists. She also registered six rebounds, the highest figure on the team. Hebert also had 16 points while Silver notched 10 points, making the most of her second straight opportunity to start. McGill once again showed an inability to take care of the ball, as their 27 turnovers point to a weakness that the team must address.

The team now travels to North Andover, Massachusets to play Merrimack College in the NCAA in what should be a difficult test. The team then starts their RSEQ season on Nov. 8 against Laval. If their exhibition record is to prove indicative of their regular season, the Martlets have an excellent opportunity to make their third straight trip to the National Championships.

REDMEN Joshua Zigler Contributor

The McGill Redmen basketball team hosted its annual Redbird classic tournament at Love Competition Hall this weekend. The fans that came to watch were not disappointed, as the tournament boasted a wealth of talent from the four competing teams. The University of Alberta Bears, Guelph Gryphons, Queens Gaels, and McGill Redmen faced off over three days of round robin action. This year’s tournament comes at a time that is critical for establishing pre-season rankings and fine-tuning skills before the regular season.

McGill, 5-3 in the pre-season, found itself up against an extremely inexperience Guelph team that consisted of nine freshmen. The game looked evenly matched at the outset with the first quarter ending in a slim six-point lead for McGill. However, as the first half advanced, the Redmen exposed Guelph’s inexperience and demonstrated the skill that propelled them to a fifth place finish in last year’s national championships.

As the gap on the scoreboard widened, the animosity between the two teams became apparent. Both teams were given technical fouls as the fourth quarter consisted of alter-

Christian McCue protects the ball. (Alexandra Allaire / McGill Tribune) cations and shoving matches down low. Fourth-year guard, Simon Bibeau, led McGill with a game high 14 points and third-year forward, Vincent Dufort, added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Redmen Head Coach David DeAverio was pleased overall with the team’s effort.

“I’m happy with the way we competed,” DeAverio said. “It’s so early and there are so many things we need to clean up on the defensive end, but the effort was very good.”

Day two of the tournament saw McGill take on the University of Alberta Bears, the consensus trophy favourite going into the weekend. The matchup got off to a fast-paced start as both teams’ raw athleticism was evident. Everything seemed to click for McGill, as the first quarter ended with a 22-20 lead off of inspired efforts by rookies Francois Bourque and Michael Peterkin. The Alberta coaching staff tightened the screws in the second quarter as the Bears began to fire on all cylinders. Alberta outscored McGill 27-8 in the second quarter, a deficit that proved to be insurmountable for the hosts.

Jordan Baker and Joel Friesen led the way for the Bears with 19 and 18 points respectively. The Bears were able to maintain their standing as the team to beat in the tournament, besting McGill by a score of 72-63.

Third year guard Ave Bross commented on McGill’s hopes to make up for their poor showing at CIS Nationals last year. “[Alberta] is a very strong team

and our second quarter simply was not good enough to beat one of the top teams in the country,” said Bross. “We played much tighter in the second half but it was too little too late.”

In the final game of the weekend the Redmen were unable to finish off a determined Queen’s Gaels squad in overtime, and ended up falling 86-78 to an opponent that they had beaten by double digits as recently as last weekend. McGill dug itself into a hole to start the game, trailing nine points at the end of the first quarter. They were able to stay in the game behind the efforts of Bibeau and fellow guard Thomas Lacy who exploded for 19 points.

The points were not coming easy for McGill as they shot an anemic 30.6 per cent from the field and 15.8 per cent from three-point range. Bibeau found the basket by getting to the foul line, making 8 of 11 free throws.

Despite the disappointing finish for the reigning RSEQ champions, the tournament afforded the coaching staff a good opportunity to test out different lineup combinations and to identify players who will be able to handle a larger role in the upcoming season.

Curiosity delivers. |

sports

| Tuesday, October 22, 2013

17

Predictions Red Sox in 7 — Osama Haque

The Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals are ready to rekindle old sparks from their World Series matchup in 2004. Both teams have been excellent, but this series will go down to the wire.

Each ballclub has multiple reasons to believe that they can win it all, but the Red Sox are stronger across the board than their opponents.

The Cardinals’ pitching should keep them in the series as starters Adam Wainwright, Joe Kelly, and Michael Wacha have been stellar this post-season. Carlos Beltran has been on a tear for the Cardinals and should provide enough from the plate to ensure that St. Louis doesn’t go down without a fight. Boston, however, has a deeper rotation, lineup, bullpen, and are healthier. The Red Sox are once again destined for success, and David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia will be sealing the deal in Game 7 by bringing the trophy back to Beantown.

Cardinals in 6 — Joshua Schulman

As a proud resident of New York State, making the Boston Red Sox wait 86 years between World Series victories seems status quo.

Although it has only been five years since the Sox last won baseball’s ultimate prize, it doesn’t appear that the St. Louis Cardinals will need the Curse of the Bambino to help them achieve victory.

The reason: Michael Wacha, the Cardinals’ dynamic second starter who has not only pitched like an ace down the stretch but also earned the nickname “Wacha Flocka.” If Wacha can even partially replicate his video-game-level post-season stat line of 3-0, 21 innings pitched, 0.43 ERA, and 22 strikeouts, this series could be over quickly. The combination of Wacha and Cardinals’ ace Adam Wainwright (St. Louis’s Game 1 and 2 starters) have been unhittable all post-season.

Finally, and most importantly, Boston’s current offensive model is not sustainable. Boston cannot count on hitting two late game, series-changing grand slams for the second time in as many weeks. St. Louis’ combination of superior pitching and sustainable offensive efforts led by Carlos Beltran and Allen Craig will prevail.

Cardinals in 7 — Mayaz Alam

The Red Sox and Cardinals were the MLB’s top two teams this past season despite the fact that much of the fanfare throughout the 162-game grind was devoted to more star studded teams, such as the two squads that lost in the Championship Series. St. Louis enters the series with the ability to trot out their dynamic duo of Adam Wainwright and Michael Wacha in Games 1, 2, 5, and 6—a frightening proposition for a Boston lineup that could only muster 3.17 runs per game against the Tigers. Against quality relief pitchers, the Red Sox will not be able to take advantage in late game situations like they did against the Tigers. Also, the Red Sox will face an interesting predicament when deciding where to play slugger David Ortiz without the option of a DH slot during the middle three games in St. Louis. Ortiz is as notorious for his awful defensive abilities as he is for his game-changing power. The combination of the above will make the series an interesting curtain call on an already dramatic post-season, but the Cardinals will ultimately come out on top.

Cardinals in 5 — Natan Weinberger

It is interesting to consider who has the edge in this year’s Series, as the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox prepare for a rematch of the 2004 World Series. The Cardinals have surged through the post-season so far thanks to outstanding performances from ace Adam Wainwright and rookie sensation Michael Wacha. Wacha, who pitched within an out of a no-hitter in his final regular season start, proved that it was no fluke by shutting down the Dodgers’ offense in the NLCS and taking home MVP honours for the series. Supported by arguably the greatest active playoff hitter in Carlos Beltran and a solid, homegrown roster, the Cardinals have a very competitive team. On the other hand, the Red Sox sport a fearsome offence, boasting post-season legend David Ortiz, whose grand slam in Game 2 of the ALCS sparked Boston’s offence for the rest of the series. The Red Sox do have a couple of question marks, including one at third base, where Will Middlebrooks may be supplanted by top prospect Xander Bogaerts, whose oneout walk was key in Game 2. However, Former MVP Dustin Pedoroia and a solid bullpen will make the Red Sox a tough opponent. All things considered, the Cardinals have an advantage thanks to their strong starting pitching and balanced, consistent lineup.

Cardinals in 7 — Elie Waitzer

It’s going to be close, but there’s just no beating the Cardinals’ voodoo witch magic in the playoffs. This is a team who procures elite rookie arms like Shelby Miller (15-9, 3.06 ERA) out of thin air, and then has the depth to leave Miller out of their post-season roster and still feature a dominant rotation. Boston has the edge on offence, with a deadly combination of power, speed, and on-base skills from top to bottom, but we saw in the ALCS that lights-out pitching can tame the Sox’ potent bats. Carlos Beltran—arguably the most clutch post-season hitter of our generation— could soon be hitting in front of a healthy Allen Craig, who hit .454 with runners in scoring position this season—a proposition that should frighten the Boston faithful. The Cards are just too dangerous in a best-of-seven format.

Cardinals in 6 — Drew Allen

The St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox are two teams with great pitching, great hitting, and great defense. More importantly, the World Series has two teams with a flair for the dramatic — ­ see David Ortiz, Game 2 of the ALCS, or David Freese in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. This late in the postseason, however, pitching has been, and always will be, the key factor in any World Series matchup, and the Cardinals have the arms to win it all. While Adam Wainright and Michael Wacha might not be as big of names as Max Scherzer or Justin Verlander, St. Louis has arguably the best one-two punch in baseball right now at the top of their rotation. Also, the Cardinals bullpen has been solid throughout the playoffs, which will make it difficult for Boston to string together late-inning comebacks like they were able to do against Detroit. In the end, the Cardinals will be able to shut down the Red Sox’ big sluggers, and take home their second championship in three years.

18

Tuesday, October 22, 2013 |

sports

| Curiosity delivers.

football — redmen 3, carabins 28

McGill offence silenced as season winds down Redmen face a must-win match next week against Gaiters Wyatt Fine-Gagné Contributor The introductions for the McGill Redmen’s (3-4) homecoming game on Saturday had a different theme than previous matches this season. Instead of meeting the starting lineup for McGill, the audience bid adieu to all those graduating at the end of the year. For these players it was likely their last home game members of the Redmen. After a 28-3 loss at the hands of the Université de Montréal Carabins (5-2), however, festivities and celebrations were dampered.

McGill’s offence, which put up 29 points against eighth-ranked Bishop’s just two weeks ago, ground to a halt. In fact, it took until just under three minutes were left in the first half for the Redmen to even get a first down.

The most-called name for the Redmen was punter-kicker Samy Rassy. Though Rassy played well, as he has done for most of this season, it is nearly impossible for a team to get on the scoreboard —let alone win games­­­­— when the kicker is taking a third of the team’s snaps.

Quarterback Pierre-Luc Dussault keeps the play alive. (Luke Orlando / McGill Tribune) Struggles to move the ball led to poor field position throughout the half, and McGill ended up taking safeties twice in order to prevent strong positioning—and easier scores— for the Carabins.

Although the game was still within reach at halftime, McGill’s offence failed to improve in the second half. They mustered just 159 yards of total offence on the day, the vast majority of which came towards the end of the game when the outcome of the match was no longer in

question.

Senior quarterback Jonathan Collin was brought in on the last drive of the third-quarter to replace starter Pierre-Luc Dussault, but the small spark the substitution provided was too little too late. Dussault and Collin have battled for the starting role all season, but injuries and inconsistency have prevented either from becoming the clear-cut choice.

If McGill can take one positive from the game, it is that their defence was for the most part solid. A corps

that has been somewhat inconsistent so far this season tallied four sacks and forced two turnovers. Although they gave up 28 points, the number was still less than their season average for the year. That can be partially chalked up to the offence’s inability to stay on the field —McGill spent just under 20 minutes with the ball.

With Sherbrooke (2-5) losing to undefeated Laval (7-0) on Sunday, McGill still holds on to the fourth and final playoff spot. The loss to the Carabins is a huge blow to the

Redmen’s playoff hopes. A win would have clinched a playoff spot and given them a chance to rest their starters, a number of whom are dealing with nagging injuries.

Instead, the Redmen will need to enter next week’s rematch against the Bishop’s Gaiters ready to play.

McGill controls its own destiny - if the Redmen win the match, the team will move onto the post-season. A loss, however, coupled with a nearcertain Sherbrooke win over lastplace Concordia (0-7), knocks the team out of the playoff race.

Although McGill has far exceeded pre-season expectations in the wake of numerous winless seasons, missing out on the playoffs after this campaign would still prove tobe a big disappointment. This Redmen squad has shown the ability to compete toe-to-toe with the top programs in the province. For players in their final year on the team, the task now is to make sure that next week’s match against the Gaiters is not their last in a McGill uniform.

hockey — redmen 3, patriotes 0

Redmen blank opponents in Homecoming sweep Rookie goaltender Chouinard impresses in first start; McGill records third straight shutout Remi Lu Sports Editor Homecoming Week celebrations were certainly in store for the McGill Redmen, as they trounced the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Friday with a final score of 6-0. The team followed up the win with a dominant victory over the UQTR Patriotes at McConnell Arena, posting a score of 3-0. Second-year kinesiology masters student Andrew Flemming guarded the net for McGill in the first shut-out, while rookie goaltender Jacob Chouinard added to the team’s shut-out total in their match against UQTR. Following Friday evening’s matchup with the Gee-Gees, the Redmen faced the Patriotes for the first of two meetings this season.

McGill quickly settled into a rhythm in the opening period, maintaining strong offensive pressure on their opponents by shifting the puck around the UQTR defence. The teamwork paid off as rookie forward Jan Kaminsky finally broke through the Patriotes’ blue line at 8:06, scoring his second goal of the season. Secondyear Education student David Rose added to the Redmen total two minutes later, putting McGill up 2-0 to end the first.

Cedric McNicoll prepares for the faceoff. (Luke Orlando / McGill Tribune) McGill’s offence has developed well this season under Head Coach Kelly Nobes. He has been able to implement his offensive and defensive game plans with his young roster.

“We’ve been doing a good job of getting pucks to the net and getting guys driving the lanes,” Nobes said. “We’ve scored goals on second

and third opportunities, which you need to do. Our penalty killing has been outstanding. We’ve killed off about 14 to 15 penalties this weekend [….] We’re able to use all 20 guys, so that’s key to winning for sure.”

Despite a scoreless second period, the Redmen came out with a sense of urgency and aggression,

immediately putting pressure on UQTR goalie Marc-Etienne Gelinas once more. McGill’s up-tempo offence translated into a 43-41 shots on net advantage. Seven minutes into the final stanza, defenceman and co-captain Ryan McKiernan fired a rocket shot down the middle of the ice to net McGill a 3-0 lead. Secondyear right-winger Max Le Sieur was credited with an assist for the goal, along with second-year centre Jonathan Brunelle. Other Redmen on the scoresheet included Cedric McNicoll, Neil Blunden, and Patrick Deslisle-Houde. McGill held onto the advantage to finish the game despite a few last minute scares from UQTR. “We wanted to have another consistent effort tonight,” Nobes said. “We wanted to play with more of a physical edge, be disciplined.

We wanted to get pucks in behind their [defence], get moving, and really establish the pace.”

This year’s roster has witnessed a relatively large overhaul, as the team lost many long-time veterans to graduation. Included among the losses was goalie Hubert Morin, the face of the Redmen for the past few years. However, it is clear that the changeover at the goalie position has caused few problems, with

previous back-up Flemming posting two shut-outs and rookie Chouinard recording another.

“Our goaltending has been [strong],” Nobes said. “We’re getting good production… from both of our goalies.”

Rounding out the team are 21 players in their first or second year.

Coach Nobes is high on the potential of his young roster following last year’s tough season.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Nobes said. “The guys are having a great time together[….] They’ve got a lot of energy. We’re coming together quickly.”

The Redmen now have a conference record of 3-1-0, in stark contrast to last season’s struggles against OUA teams. McGill’s sole loss has come at the hands of the Ryerson Rams, a winnable game that was dropped in overtime. With a fresh roster and young talent, the Redmen hope to once again challenge for the CIS Championship.

McGill faces the Carleton Ravens this Friday, Oct. 25 in the first of two match-ups.

Curiosity delivers. | Soccer — Martlets 4, Citadins 0

sports

| Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Post-season bound: Martlets clinch playoff berth

19

Bourque scores two in 4-0 victory over UQAM; Muccilli records fifth clean sheet Steven Lampert Managing Editor There is something to be said for a team that gels at just the right time, and the McGill Martlet soccer team has found its time. Entering their contest against the UQAM Citadins (2-8-1), the Martlets (7-3-2) were riding an eight game unbeaten streak, dominating opponents in all aspects of the game. It was no different on Thursday, as McGill strolled to an impressive 4-0 victory at Molson Stadium, clinching their 26th consecutive RSEQ playoff berth.

After losing their first two division matches of the year, the Martlets have turned their season around. Head Coach Jose Valdes has noticed his team’s progression and attributed the shaky start to the transition to a new offensive and defensive system.

“We struggled to score early in the season but this was a result of the players adjusting to a new coaching staff with different systems being introduced [….] We [have been] able to adjust to a higher level of play and synchronize our play,” he said. “We are now seeing the payoff on the score sheet, and the team’s confidence level is high.”

The Martlets controlled the ball in the first half, en route to a 57 per cent possession advantage in the game. Following a few qual-

ity chances, McGill finally tallied a goal when junior midfielder Meghan Bourque sent one past UQAM goalkeeper Valérie Labbé in the 38th minute. This sparked some momentum as Bourque notched another just minutes later, giving the Martlets a 2-0 lead heading into halftime.

Bourque has been key for the Martlets all season both in terms of producing timely goals and proving to be a strong role model for the squad’s nine freshman. “[Bourque], along with our two other captains Carolyn Bell and Kelsey Wilson, have been very good leaders on and off the field,” Valdes said. “They know what it takes to play at a high level in this league. They lead by example and show the way for our freshmen to develop a better work ethic.”

The Martlets started the second half with the same intensity they brought in the first 45 minutes. The team generated a number of fluid rushes, characterized by all three waves moving in tandem up the pitch. More impressively, McGill stifled almost every UQAM attack. The Citadins recorded just two shots on goal in the entire game.

Despite a light amount of action, Martlet goalkeeper Victoria Muccilli was key to the victory and collected her RSEQ-leading fifth clean sheet. She is finally healthy after a couple of injury plagued

Forward Rebecca Green directs it at the net. (Sam Reynolds / McGill Athletics) years, and has remained composed despite facing some competition from the two rookie Martlet goalkeepers. Valdes views it as healthy competition.

“We are the only team in our league that has played three different goalkeepers and I think that has proven to be beneficial for us,”

he said. “They may both be young but have pushed [Muccilli] to earn every single one of her starts [….]

We are very happy with the trio.

They love working together.”

McGill maintained its pace through the rest of the match. Wilson put one past an injured Labbé, who went down while making a

save. In the 83rd minute, Wilson rang a free kick off of the crossbar before senior defender Hannah Kirby headed the rebound into the back of the net. From there, the Martlets cruised to the 4-0 win.

With just two games remaining before the playoffs, the Martlets will look to maintain their strong defensive effort, having outscored opponents 21-2 during this nine-game undefeated stretch.

However, the Martlets must ensure that they are prepared mentally as they head into the post-season.

Lapses in focus will translate into lapses in play, something that can send a team packing in an elimination situation.

“We know that we are only good when we are focused and ready to play hard for a full 90 minutes,” Valdes noted. “We have had moments during games where we lost our rhythm without too many consequences. But when it comes down to the crunch, these little lapses may cost a playoff game, and the season will be over in a flash.”

The Martlets followed up their victory with a disappointing 2-1 loss against UQTR (3-8-1) on Sunday. They round up their home schedule against Bishop’s (2-10-0) on Friday night at 6:30 p.m., before wrapping up their regular season in Quebec City against Laval (8-3-1) on Sunday.

Sports brief Redmen Soccer

By Mayaz Alam

Sophomore Goalkeeper Max Leblond was in fine form as he parried away five shots en route to the shutout and Man of the Match honours during a 0-0 draw as the McGill Redmen (3-4-4) played the UQAM Citadins (5-2-2). Although the Redmen played well defensively, they were unable to translate their offensive chances into goals despite the efforts of the RSEQ’s leading goalscorer Massimo Di Ioia.

On Sunday, in what was undoubtedly the Redmen’s most important game of the season, the squad was finally able to put the pieces together to trounce the UQTR Patriotes (3-6-2) with a final score of 4-0 in Trois-Rivieres on Sunday. Heading into the game, the Redmen were sitting in fifth place in the RSEQ with 10 points, just one point behind the last playoff spot, held by UQTR. McGill was unfazed by the importance of the game and netted goals from Redmen Alexander de Santis, Mohammed Kleit, Mawuena Mallet and Valentin Radevich. All four players are in their first season with McGill, and are a part of an enormous group of 16 rookies. How-

ever, as evidenced by McGill’s play during the second half of the season, the young squad has grown up following the rigours of RSEQ play and are ready to make a run at the post-season.

The Redmen currently have 13 points and are two points clear of UQTR, who are now fifth following Sunday’s outcome. If the Redmen either draw or win against Laval (5-1-4) on Sunday Oct. 27, they are almost certainly assured of reaching the playoffs as UQTR needs to beat the no. 4 ranked Montreal Carabins (6-2-2). In their previous matchup, McGill was able to sustain a lead until the 89th minute before settling for a draw. However, the team is on the rise, and looks primed and ready to fulfill its potential.

mcgilltribune.com/sportspodcast

SPORTS

ONLINE: MONTREAL IMPACT RECAP

NBA Canada Series — Timberwolves 104, Celtics 89

Montreal hosts second annual NBA Canada Series Celtics no match for Timberwolves as Kevin Love and Kevin Martin shine at the Bell Centre Remi Lu Sports Editor The NBA returned to Montreal for another year this past Sunday, Oct. 20 as part of the 2013 NBA Canada Series.

The game featured the Boston Celtics and the home team Minnesota Timberwolves playing in the Bell Centre as a part of the league’s pre-season schedule.

This is the third time in four years that the NBA has hosted a pre-season game in Montreal. The Timberwolves pulled off the victory, winning the match 10489 over the Rajon Rondo-less Celtics.

Kevin Love starred for Minnesota with 22 points on 6-14 shooting, while pulling down nine rebounds in over 32 minutes of play. Boston’s Gerald Wallace tallied 16 points on 50 per cent shooting in the loss.

The Timberwolves (3-2) have used this pre-season as a project for integrating Love back into the lineup, after the power forward sat out the majority of last season due to hand and knee injuries. The team also acquired shooting guard Kevin Martin this summer in a three-team trade with Okla-

homa City and Milwaukee, which sent Luke Ridnour and a 2014 second-round pick from Minnesota to the Bucks. As a result, the roster has had to learn to integrate Martin into the flow of its offence.

“It’s a really, really tough guard when you have a guy like [Martin] who is so fast, can get open, runs the break, and can shoot the ball from distance,” Love noted. “He only needs a split second [....] We have been waiting for a really solid wing scorer like Kevin who at one time was scoring 24 points a game. He’s a 20-point-a-night guy who’s [shown] that throughout this preseason.”

Martin certainly got off to a quick start against the Celtics (1-6), as he netted three of his game-high five threepointers in the first-quarter to give Minnesota a quick 11-point lead. Boston struggled to find a flow to its offence in the first half, often settling for contested mid-range shots and sloppy passes.

However, the Celtics came on strong to finish the second-quarter, posting a score of 57-51 heading into halftime.

The Timberwolves appeared to gain traction going into the fourth-

quarter, with back-up point-guard J.J. Barea replacing Ricky Rubio due to foul trouble late in the third. Barea scored six points within 90 seconds in the fourth to open up the gap between the two teams.

Rubio set the tone for the Timberwolves throughout the match with his aggressive mindset. The 6’4” pointguard out of El Masnou, Spain, attacked the paint looking to either draw fouls or kick the ball out to the team’s perimeter shooters. Rubio finished the game with seven assists, on par with last season’s average of 7.3 assists per game. Beyond his highlight-reel passes, however, Rubio has become a much improved shooter from threepoint range. The 180 lb guard shot 2-3 from distance, in stark contrast to his 29.3 per cent three-point shooting from last season.

Although it is still early, it is clear that Rubio has worked hard to add another dimension to his game.

“He’s really been shooting the ball particularly well in practice,” Love said. “So I just told him, ‘Get it out of the way now,’ so when Oct. 30 comes around, we can start knocking them down even more. I know what he’s capable of.”

With Martin added to the roster, Love healthy, and Rubio shooting well, the three-point shooting for Minnesota looks to be a marked improvement over last season’s pedestrian 30.5 per cent figure. The biggest issues for the Timberwolves will be on defence, where the team lacks a legitimate interior defender—a necessity in today’s NBA game. Although Nikola Pekovic and Love can hold their own in one-on-one situations, neither offers a serious shotblocking presence.

“We have to improve [on] defence,” Rubio said. “On offence we have enough talent to score. But our goal has to be to get some more stops.

Because at some point [we’re] going to miss some shots, [so] on defence we have to be solid.”

In contrast to Minnesota, Boston’s hopes for the season run in a completely separate direction. After losing Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Head Coach Doc Rivers to the Brooklyn Nets in a blockbuster off-season trade, the Celtics are looking to bottom out in hopes of snagging a top lottery pick in next year’s loaded draft. While the team waits for Rondo to return from an ACL injury, Boston will bank on the development of defensive-specialist Avery Bradley. With his improved shooting, ball-handling, and locker room leadership, Bradley’s development will be

Photos by Alexandra Allaire

key for the Celtics’ future.

Timberwolves fans will look forward to a team that has the potential to return to the playoffs after a nine year post-season drought. However, Head Coach Rick Adelman must work to patch up the porous interior defence before the team can be treated as true contenders.

Minnesota hosts the Orlando Magic for its home opener at the Target Centre on Oct. 30. The Celtics will visit the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre for its first game of the 20132014 NBA season.