The McGill Tribune Vol. 39 Issue 12

The McGill Tribune TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26 2019 | VOL. 39 | ISSUE 12

Published by the SPT, a student society of McGill University

EDITORIAL

FEATURE

The Wellness Hub needs more than a makeover

Dumpster diving

PG. 5

PGs. 8-9

McGILLTRIBUNE.COM | @McGILLTRIBUNE

TRIBUNE EXPLAINS The new Société de transport de Montréal (STM) card readers PG. 4

Still Life of Clementines and Strawberries by Mariah Lamont-Lennox (Margaret Wong / The McGill Tribune)

Knockin’ on heaven’s Fridge Door

PG. 7

Unsolicited phone call elicits concern from students about patient privacy Wellness Hub Assistant Director contacted a student unprompted after critical social media posts Helen Wu News Editor Social media posts made by a McGill student about the Student Wellness Hub sparked criticism about the Hub’s ac-

cessibility. Charlie Baranski, U3 Arts, tweeted on Nov. 15 about the Hub rescheduling a therapy appointment which he made over 80 days prior. Two hours later, he received an unsolicited phone call from one of the assistant directors of the Wellness Hub who wanted to address his tweet.

Baranski felt that his privacy was breached and expressed his frustration to The McGill Tribune.

“We spoke for about 15 minutes, and he told me [that] he got my number from my record and wanted to address my complaints,” Baranski said.

PG. 3

Know Your Athlete: Gladys Hakizimana

Big discoveries from tiny rodents

Navigating the brain’s GPS

Martlet Basketball sensation dominates on and off the court Sarah Farnand Contributor Fifth-year Martlet basketball star guard Gladys Hakizimana has been involved with basketball from a young age. A Montreal native, Hakizimana has always enjoyed the competition

and camaraderie of playing sports.

“I started playing basketball in elementary school,” Hakizimana said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “I was a really shy person, and my mom would always register me in different activities [...], and

Zoe Karkossa Contributor

[eventually], I fell in love with basketball.”

There was no girls’ team at Hakizimana’s elementary school, so she played with the boys.

“That’s why I am extra competitive now,” Hakizimana said.

PG. 15

In the past decades, the field of neuroscience has made astounding progress toward unravelling the intricacies of the human brain, but much of its functions remains terra incognita.

Adrien Peyrache, a researcher at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) and Canada Research Chair in

systems neuroscience, studies how brain structures that control navigation are linked to long-term memory storage, and how sleep plays a role in both of these important functions.

Peyrache mostly works with mice to conduct his research. Mice are surprisingly intelligent creatures; one of their most interesting abilities is their exceptional navigation skills that allow

them to maneuver as easily in darkness as in broad daylight. When mice roam around, visual and spatial orientation information is sent to specific neurons deep in the brain known as head-direction (HD) cells.

At a population level, these cells function like the needle of a compass: Specific neurons are activated when the head is facing a certain direction.

PG. 14

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NEWS

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26 2019

Tribune Explains: SSMU’s Conflict of Interest Policy

Concerns raised over whether Hillel Montreal trip poses a conflict of interest McEan Taylor Staff Writer An article published by The McGill Daily on Nov. 13 reported that Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) representatives were offered an all-expenses-paid trip to Israel

by Hillel Montreal, an organization whose mandate aims to connect Jewish students with the larger community in Montreal. At the Nov. 14 SSMU Legislative Council, some councillors raised concerns over whether or not accepting the offer constitutes a conflict of interest.

What is the SSMU Conflict of Interest Policy?

The SSMU’s Conflict of Interest Policy defines a conflict as a situation that might affect a member’s impartiality as related to their work. The fact that a conflict exists does not equate to wrongdoing, however, as long as it is addressed by the appropriate authorities.

The policy applies to all decision-making individuals within SSMU. The policy’s purpose is to guide SSMU on whether or not an action of one of its members is a conflict of interest, and if so, how to mitigate the impact on SSMU decisions.

The policy further lays out specific situations that are deemed conflicts of interest. If a SSMU representative has an unprofessional relationship with another member, they must disclose that relationship to the Legislative Council and also to ensure not to let the relationship influence their partner’s decisions. Additionally, SSMU representatives must not use information that is not available to the public for personal gain.

Further, they also cannot influence the negotiation or decision process for SSMU dealings with a business or peer through insider information or financial incentives.

Confusion over purpose of trip to Israel prompted a SSMU Legislative Council debate. (Sabrina Girard-Lamas / The McGill Tribune) According to the policy, SSMU representatives also have to be careful about receiving “gifts, hospitality, or other benefits” from any person or organization which has the potential to influence their duties or decisions within the organization.

This includes gifts worth more than $50. If there is any doubt in the intention of the gift, it must be declined by the SSMU representatives.

How does this apply to the recent controversy surrounding the Hillel Montreal trip?

The three SSMU members who originally accepted the invitation to go on the trip, called Face to Face, maintain that

they were in compliance with the policy. In accordance with the policy, the Board of Directors decided in a confidential meeting whether there was a conflict of interest on Nov. 21. Arts Representative Adin Chan had originally accepted the offer, but then decided to decline.

“While I was still planning on going, I can say that I went through the appropriate Conflict of Interest procedures,” Chan said. “I am confident that I [was] in compliance with the policy.”

Arts Representative Andrew Chase, who accepted the invitation, also believes that doing so is within compliance of the policy.

“I have attended a couple of Hillel events, and the coordinators know me personally,” Chase said. “[That] is why they invited me to apply to their educational [trip] to Israel and Palestine. […] It should be made clear that the invitation to apply was made because they knew that I would make for a good fit for the program, not because of my position as Arts Representative.”

However, in the invitation letter SSMU Executives posted publicly, Hillel Montreal states that they selected students based on their role as leaders, their experience, and their connections.

“This document acts as an official invitation for you as one of the student leaders for this trip,” reads the letter. “We’ve identified you as an invaluable student to have for this trip due to your student leadership experience and connections on campus.”

Science Representative Jordyn Wright also applied and is going to participate in Face to Face.

“The [Board of Directors] ruling is that my participation in Face to Face poses no Real or Apparent conflict of interest because Hillel Montreal operates outside of a SSMU context,” Wright said. “Should a Potential conflict of interest arise in the future, the chair presiding over whichever body the context involves may ask me to recuse myself from issues related to the content of the trip if they see fit to do so.”

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You can also download assistance tools through the iAspiria mobile app by entering “Studentcare” as the Login ID and selecting “Student” from the drop-down menu.

NEWS

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26 2019

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Unsolicited phone call elicits concern from students about patient privacy

Wellness Hub Assistant Director contacted a student unprompted after critical social media posts Helen Wu News Editor Continued from page 1.

“Knowing that my information had been accessed like that and I was thinking if I had been at the same place with my mental health as I was a couple years ago […] that would not have helped my situation to say the least.”

On Nov. 18, Baranski made a post on his Facebook page, suggesting that the Hub’s immediate response to his tweet demonstrated that public image was a higher priority to McGill administrators than student well-being. He discussed his concern for those in more dire mental health circumstances.

“It’s pretty obvious that the system at [McGill] is set up to protect [the] reputation of the Wellness Hub first and the health of students second,” Baranski said. “[This] is completely insane, because there are students at McGill who are more vulnerable than me, who are suffering because of this obsession [with] reputation. If they helped those students, their reputation will get better, because then the Facebook posts and tweets will get a lot better.”

In an email to the Tribune, Executive Director of Student Services Martine Gauthier explained that this issue has been addressed with student representatives, and

The Hub’s electronic health records contain personal contact information, which an associate director used to contact Baranski. (Leanne Young / The McGill Tribune) that phone calls of such nature will not happen again.

“When we hear about students who have had trouble accessing services, we try to find solutions,” Gauthier wrote. “In some cases, we reach out by phone. In our conversations with student representatives, it’s been made clear that expectations about communication have changed and that we need to stick to the platform on which we’re addressed [….] We deeply regret if we have offended students that found this intrusive.”

Student dissatisfaction regarding wait times to access services, physical inaccessibility of the building, and the cost of student health plans were highlighted during a protest outside the Brown Student Services Building on Nov. 12. Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Vice-President University Affairs Madeline Wilson emphasized more accessibility barriers that need to be addressed by the Hub. “[Further barriers include] not having a counsellor dedicated for racialized students,

n o t having a non-cisgender member of the Pride Team, not being able to afford the cost of private or community care they know they’ll be triaged out to, or not even being able to physically access the Brown Building because the button on the automatic door is broken,” Wilson wrote in an email to the Tribune.

Vera Romano, Director of the Student Wellness Hub, maintains that student feedback currently being collected will help the Hub increase its accessibility. Although three psychiatrists, six general practitioners (GP), and three nurses, have been added to the team during the Fall 2019 semester, Romano explained that the structure of Quebec’s healthcare system has limited the recruitment of healthcare professionals.

“The provincial health ministry doesn’t include hours spent with our students in the hours doctors are required to work, so all of our GPs give time above and beyond their already full workload,” Romano wrote in an email to the Tribune. “The average number of drop-ins with GPs has nearly doubled since the beginning of the semester [….]

We have increased the average number of pre-booked appointments available by approximately 150 per cent.”

Baranski urges the Hub to use their resources more effectively.

“Get off the phone with me and give students the therapy [that] they need,” Baranski said.

Senate discusses free speech and naming policies

The administration assured Senate that exchange students in Hong Kong are safe Adam Steiner Contributor McGill’s Senate convened for the third time this academic year on Nov. 20 to discuss the lack of policies in place for screening external organizations that use McGill facilities, the naming of university assets, and the future of international diversity on campus.

Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Vice-President (VP) University Affairs Madeline Wilson confronted Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Christopher Manfredi about the university’s attitude towards external organizations being permitted to utilize McGill facilities. McGill currently has no official policy to screen organizations seeking to use university venues. Wilson expressed concern that members of the community may feel offended or denigrated by the presence of certain organizations or individuals on campus.

In response to a question by Wilson, Manfredi defended the right for free speech, even when it may offend certain students.

“McGill’s recognition of the rights of individuals and groups to express views that may be perceived by some as [harmful] or offensive does not derogate from its overarching commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion on our campus,” Manfredi said. “It would be very dangerous for the university to try to implement a policy that put prior restraint on freedom of expression, academic freedom, and the very purpose of the university.”

The Senate also discussed the future of international diversity at McGill. Senators expressed concerns about a lack of funding for international research projects and the need to further promote McGill globally. Arts Senator Henrique Mecabô addressed the recent increase in international student tuition, which have posed a finan-

SOUND BITE

The Senate discussed the future of international diversity at McGill. (Erin Sass / The McGill Tribune) cial challenge for some students, and questioned how the university plans to attract top international talent given the additional financial barriers. The administration responded that they are trying the best they can to ensure accessibility for international students despite recent cuts in government funding.

Vice-Principal of University Advancement Marc Weinstein concluded the meeting by presenting proposed revisions to the university’s policy for the naming of assets, including buildings, and scholarships. The urgency for a revised policy was heightened by the launch of the “Made by McGill” campaign, creating the expectation of many large donations, each with a naming opportunity.

The new policy clearly outlines the protocol for naming assets and is based on the policies of other North American academic institutions. Senators were concerned that naming assets after individuals with poor reputations would reflect badly on the university.

“We use due diligence when naming assets […] to make sure that the individual has a ‘clean bill of health,’ if I can put it that way,” Weinstein said.

“I think that the reason why at this university, we keep asking this question about international tuition is because, at least in my perspective as a student and speaking for myself, I felt that the administration is a bit tone-deaf when talking about this. All we hear is McGill is getting more money but there is never really a recognition of the fact that it is costing students more money.”

Senator Madeline Wilson, SSMU VP University Affairs

FLASHBACK Principal Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier stated that the university has reached out to all 22 McGill students currently on exchange in Hong Kong and ensured that they are safe amit widespread political unrest in the area. Some students have decided to stay in Hong Kong, while others are returning to Montreal. Fortier also assured that McGill is maintaining regular contact with their host institutions.

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NEWS

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26 2019

A conversation about sexual violence against Indigenous peoples

Panelists discuss how the intersection of colonialism and misogyny affects Indigenous communities

Margaret Askey Contributor As a part of Quebec Public Interest Research Group’s (QPIRG) Culture Shock 2019, the Sexual Assault Center of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS) collaborated with the group to host a panel discussion on Nov. 23 about the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). The activists also discussed the intersection between anti-colonialism and sexual violence against Indigenous communities.

Palm Springs Cahuilla educator Isabel Vasquez explained that her path to educating the public about issues facing Indigenous peoples began after her and her family personally experienced sexual violence and abduction. She also explained how invisibility perpetuates the violence that many Indigenous peoples face in North America.

“In my family in particular, [in] every generation there’s been somebody [who has] gone missing, or had an attempt on their life, or [had] been [human] trafficked,” Vasquez said. “One of the greatest contributing factors to the rates of violence against Indigenous people is the way that we are left out of society’s collective consciousness in colonial countries.”

Judy Sackaney, a Mushkegowuk Cree from Albany First Nation on Treaty 9 territory, stated that the stigma around sexual violence and alcoholism persists in Indigenous communities.

“I didn’t learn the history, or hear people’s stories, [until] I was much older,” Sackaney said. “[I didn’t hear] about sexual violence [that occurred to people] close to me [....] I didn’t know then, maybe because I was a kid then myself.”

Sackney emphasized the importance of finding spiritual ways to heal from the trauma of sexual violence.

Approximately 70 people attended the panel in Milton-Parc on Nov. 23, 2019. (@qpirgmcgill) “We don’t let it define us, because it wasn’t our fault,” Sackney said. “It wasn’t anybody’s fault. [....] We use our tools, our ceremonies, our ways of healing, even praying [to cope]. I’ve grown so much spiritually [from] learning the ceremonies.”

Vasquez acknowledged that the traumatic nature of these experiences, and their ongoing connections to settlercolonialism, make them difficult to share when educating the public about Indigenous peoples’ experiences.

“It is very hard to share these very personal stories and perspectives,” Vasquez said. “When we’re talking about history and consistent instances of abduction, sexual abuse, [and the] trafficking of Indigenous people, we’re talking about something that isn’t just random [....] This is a history that is deliberate.”

Vasquez explained that non-Indigenous people have a responsibility to act as allies by raising awareness within their own communities.

“People who are non-Indigenous [...] need to talk to each other about how they perceive Indigenous people,” Vasquez said. “When you hear these [misconceptions], I want you to think about why this is the reality that we are all accepting [....] This isn’t just our work to do.”

During the question period at the end of the panel, an audience member addressed that The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls did not acknowledge many incidences of police violence against Indigenous peoples. Panelist Dayna Danger, a visual artist, organizer, and drummer, responded that, for Indigenous communities, relationships with police remain fraught.

“As much as we want to say ‘fuck the police,’ [...] there is work that needs to be done because we still have to address these systems,” Danger said. “We’re still in this society. We can’t really escape that at the moment. People are still earnestly trying to find their family members, but unfortunately, the response [from the police] has not been great.”

Touching upon Indigenous attitudes toward the Montreal police specifically, Danger commented that Indigenous people often have to do the work of law enforcement themselves.

“I think that there is good work that is happening,” Danger said. “But I’d be [hard] pressed to find an Indigenous person who really waits for the police to catch up [with Indigenous community organizing] at this point. This is still work that needs to be done.”

The panel concluded with Danger leading the audience in the ‘Strong Woman,’ a traditional song that many Indigenous communities have used to raise awareness about missing and murdered Indigenous women, which has modified lyrics for each community. A fourth panellist, Kiki Harper, an Indigenous two-spirit person who creates music, joined in the performance.

Tribune Explains: The new Société de transport de Montréal (STM) card readers New card readers aim to improve efficiency and customer experience May 2019 and will continue until Nov. 2020. On standard buses, a single reader is installed at the front of the vehicle, and on extended buses, another two are stationed at the back. In Spring 2020, the readers will continue to be activated, after the software’s proper functioning is confirmed.

All readers are expected to be put into service by Nov. 2020.

“The roll-out is going quite well [and] according to our plans,” Déry wrote.

Deisha Paliwal Staff Writer Students may have noticed the installation of new card readers in Société de transport de Montréal (STM) buses in recent months. On June 27, the company announced the introduction of enhanced card readers in its vehicles to replace existing ones. The new system will decrease the time it takes to board the bus, while noticeably changing some aspects of its process for customers. The McGill Tribune spoke with the STM about their goals and anticipated timeline for installation.

Will this encourage public transportation use?

What is the purpose of the new readers?

Faster boarding and increased accessibility are among the benefits of the new system.

The readers will be used to ensure passengers have sufficient funds on their OPUS and L’Occasionnelle fare cards.

They are designed to be more efficient than the existing readers, incorporated into fare collection boxes by reading cards twice as fast. The STM anticipates the technological infrastructure to allow for payment with bank cards in the future, which transportation systems in major cities, including London and New York City, have already begun adopting.

STM Public Affairs Advisor Philippe Déry, explained that the new readers are expected to enhance the experience for passengers.

“Existing card readers were at the end of their life cycle, and thus, the STM seized the opportunity to improve its customers’ experiences by installing new, more efficient readers,” Déry wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “[These] will speed up boarding and allow the transition

The new system is expected to be in effect by Nov. 2020. (Sabrina Girard-Lamas / The McGill Tribune) towards new technologies.”

Renovations to the design of the new system will also improve accessibility from the previous readers.

“Universal accessibility will be enhanced through a larger and clearer screen, improved function, and an optimized location,” Déry wrote.

What is the timeline for the project?

The project will involve three major phases: Installation, gradual activation, and eventual service across the whole STM network. Installation of the readers began in

The activation of the new readers will still allow passengers to enter through the rear doors of the bus; however, if paying with cash or on a magnetic strip card, passengers will be required to board through the front. Although the primary purpose of the readers is to expedite boarding, confusion may slow the process at first. Enola Hihi, SSMU Sustainability Commissioner, believes the changes to the boarding process may discourage new riders.

“A problem I foresee is an initial confusion, which may hold up lines and deter people wanting to try public transportation for the first time,” Hihi said. “I don’t think this is a bad project, [but] I don’t see the point of investing so much money into it, when the money could be [put] to the [improvement] of bus routes, or possibly buying electric buses.”

On the other hand, Déry predicts that the combined projects of the STM will increase its user base.

“This project aims to improve customer service, and it is an added benefit if it encourages more people to take public transit,” Déry said. “In the long term, the addition of other payment options, like bank cards, could facilitate a more spontaneous use of our network.”

OPINION

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26 2019

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EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Caitlin Kindig editor@mcgilltribune.com Creative Director Nicholas Raffoul nraffoul@mcgilltribune.com Managing Editors Abeer Almahdi aalmahdi@mcgilltribune.com Miya Keilin mkeilin@mcgilltribune.com Sophie Brzozowski sbrzozowski@mcgilltribune.com

News Editors Kyle Dewsnap, Helen Wu, & Nina Russell news@mcgilltribune.com Opinion Editors Lucas Bird & Johanna Cline opinion@mcgilltribune.com Science & Technology Editor Emma Gillies scitech@mcgilltribune.com Student Life Editor Leyla Moy studentlife@mcgilltribune.com Features Editor Gabe Nisker features@mcgilltribune.com Arts & Entertainment Editor Kevin Vogel & Katia Innes arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editors Ender McDuff & Kaja Surborg sports@mcgilltribune.com Design Editors Erica Stefano & Sabrina Girard-Lamas design@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editor Leanne Young photo@mcgilltribune.com Multimedia Editors Sarah Ford & Aidan Martin multimedia@mcgilltribune.com Web Developers Jad Hamdan & Jonathan Colaco Carr webdev@mcgilltribune.com

The Wellness Hub needs more than a makeover Only four months after its official opening, the Student Wellness Hub has received frustrated criticisms, including a recent tweet by a student expressing disappointment about having his appointment rescheduled despite waiting over 80 days to meet with a therapist. Even after receiving a $14 million donation for the Hub, McGill has failed to resolve many of the accessibility issues students have been lamenting for years, such as long waitlists caused by an acute lack of clinical professionals.

Mental health on university campuses is an increasingly important issue that the Hub has aimed to address. In Quebec, one in five students needs treatment for depression. According to Dr. Vera Romano, director of the Wellness Hub, the Hub’s aim was to centralize healthcare services in pursuit of establishing holistic, accessible care. Since Sept. 2019, the Hub has added three psychiatrists, six general practitioners, and three nurses, as well as 11 Local Wellness Advisor for various faculties. Additionally, the Hub also plans to co-purchase off-campus counselling services and implement an online booking system.

Despite these additions, the continued shortage of counsellors

OFF THE BOARD

Copy Editor Keating Reid copy@mcgilltribune.com Business Manager Heela Achakzai business@mcgilltribune.com Publisher Chad Ronalds

TPS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Heela Achakzai, Isabelle Côté, Solomon Friedman, Katia Innes, Caitlin Kindig, Marie Labrosse, Katerine Milazzo, Falah Rajput, Keating Reid, McEan Taylor, Ahmad El-Zammar

ublication is the sole STAFF responsibility of The McGill Tri Kate Addison, Makena Anderson, Zoe Babad-Palmer, Adam Burton, Tasmin Chu, Jonathan Giammaria, Alexander Hinton, Benjamin Joppke, Deana Korsunsky, Alaana Kumar, Ronny Litvack-Katzman, Kennedy McKee-Braide, Deisha Paliwal,Taja De Silva, McEan Taylor, Sophia White, Amir Hotter Yishay, Iman Zarrinkoub

CONTRIBUTORS Margaret Askey, Vanessa Barron, Ruelle Chen, Sarah Farnand, Patrick Gilroy, Angelina Giordano, Sophia Gorbounov, Yuecheng Huang, Zoe Karkossa, Scott Kennedy, Daria Kiseleva, Shafaq Nami, Elinor Rosenberg, Tatianna Sitounis, Adam Steiner, Dylan Rochon Terry, Margaret Wong

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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.

Kevin Vogel Arts & Entertainment Editor I grew up in a trailer park in Upstate New York. Having moved several times throughout my early childhood, I remember moving into the trailer with my mother and brother as an exciting moment: Even though I had to share my bedroom, it was the largest one that I had ever lived in. However, that naïve enthusiasm did not last.

Floods in 2006 and 2011 devastated the region, and during the 2016 presidential election most Upstate counties, including Broome County where I lived, voted for Donald Trump. Living in one of the most economically downtrodden parts of the state, many of my high school friends and I dreamed of getting as far away from our hometown as

and daunting wait times have left students dismayed. Students are also frustrated to see costly aesthetic improvements to the building while waitlists and treatments remain unchanged.

These superficial renovations are another instance of McGill prioritizing appearances over student wellbeing, a trend that has been especially criticized in light of the recent “Made by McGill” campaign. Despite claiming to do its best to build incredible students, McGill has a recurring pattern of striving to maintain its prestigious image while ignoring students’ demands for change.

Other similar-sized universities in North America have taken much larger strides towards accessible healthcare. When faced with a similarly overburdened healthcare system, Harvard University created a same-day drop-in program to reduce wait times. The University of Calgary is attempting to receive some burden off on its healthcare system by removing the need for medical notes to excuse absences; no such policy currently exists at McGill.

McGill’s overall approach to mental health is lacking. Starting in Fall 2019, the university removed its long term therapy program: Instead, the Wellness Hub focuses

on short-term solutions and immediate prevention. The Hub’s approach is astoundingly out of touch with the realities of students living with mental health issues.

Mental health issues can very rarely be adequately treated with short-term care, and the Wellness Hub must confront this reality by offering long-term support.

Improving support may also mean offering Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to students who need it, an option that the Wellness Hub currently does not provide.

Wellness advisors can be useful, however, they cannot replace the need for professional psychologists and psychiatrists.

McGill should consider partnering with more local clinics to fill their gaps in service. Having more partner organizations would increase the availability of specific treatment types for different student needs like eating disorder recovery or CBT. In addition, racialized, 2SLGBTQiA+, and other marginalized students require therapists who understand their realities, and even reflect their intersecting identities.

White, straight, cis-gendered, or male therapists cannot relate to the experiences of marginalized students, and this may hinder their ability to provide adequate

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EDITORIAL treatment. It is incumbent on mental health services to hire and offer treatment by professionals with diverse backgrounds and identities.

Beyond improvements to the Hub, McGill can take other steps to be more accommodating of those affected by mental illness.

For example, if McGill wants to prioritize wellness, the university should start by implementing a Fall Reading Week and increasing the amount of available academic advisors. Additionally, McGill should follow the University of Calgary’s example and abandon sick notes as well to remove the burden from healthcare services, and to allow students to take time off more easily. Other measures to prioritize accessibility, such as eliminating pop-quizzes, offering lecture recordings for all courses, and instituting flexible deadlines will help students balance their mental health with their lectures and homework.

The Wellness Hub would not deserve so much criticism if it were not for McGill’s consistent failure to listen to students’ concerns.

Students struggling with their mental health must be recognized as authorities on their own needs, and their suggestions for improvements should be heeded by McGill.

Lessons from my hometown possible.

If someone asked me what the area I grew up in is like, I would probably tell them how while New York is generally a blue state, Upstate has a distinctly conservative culture. I went to church on June 28, 2015—the Sunday after the Supreme Court declared bans on same-sex marriages in the United States unconstitutional: I remember my local pastor giving a fire-andbrimstone sermon about how Barack Obama and the courts intended to destroy the moral framework of “our” country. Further, many people in the area uncritically ignore the fact that Broome County has the highest incarceration rate in the state and profits off of the prisonindustrial complex.

During my first year of university, my mom moved to a different town, my brother joined the Army, and I settled in Montreal full-time. Over my breaks from school, I worked various jobs instead of going back home. Outside of the occasion visit for Christmas, I have virtually no more ties there. I have never met a single person from my town at McGill.

However, despite my general apathy about the area and its conservatism, I do have fond memories of growing up there.

While my hometown is still far from

perfect, it has things that a city such as Montreal can never fully offer: I miss buying corn and pumpkins from my friend’s family farm, walking around in nature, eating wild berries, and seeing a full sky of stars at night. While Taylor Swift’s “You Need to Calm Down” music video, and mass media more generally might depict a neighbourhood like mine as full of “trailer trash” and write off poor white communities as beyond saving, growing up in this environment taught me otherwise.

My experiences not only made me who I am today, but also give me hope that things can be better.

My time in the trailer park taught me how important it was to show solidarity with those in need. When I started working for the first time, I did not think it was unusual that some of my paychecks went to my mom to help her pay the bills. Similarly, in 2011 when remnants of Storm Lee brought 12 inches of rainfall and flooded

the upper Susquehanna River basin, I remember community members coming together to help out the thousands of people displaced by the floodwaters. Some volunteered at shelters, and others set up grills to feed anyone in the neighbourhood who needed a meal.

These circumstances illustrate the resiliency of people living in Upstate.

Given this tenacity, I find hope that the Upstate area is not doomed to remain in a state of perpetual malaise. The prejudices and conservatism that turned me away from the region do not exist in a vacuum—the compassion shown by the community throughout my life suggests a potentially more inclusive future. While I doubt that I will ever return there, to simply write off my hometown serves no purpose. Taking the lessons in generosity I learned growing up there into my adult life is the least I can do.

ERRATUM An article in the Nov. 19, 2019 issue #11, “SSMU debates Hillel Montreal’s offers of free trips to Israel,” incorrectly stated that six SSMU legislative council members appllied for Hillel McGill’s free trip to Israel. In fact, only three did. The Tribune regrets this error.

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OPINION

COMMENTARY

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26 2019

SSMU executives are not paid enough

Yuecheng Huang Contributor Many McGill students do not seem to hold Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) executives in high regard. In fact, one can easily find criticisms of these officials in student publications and on social media. What is more, the majority of students cannot even be bothered to vote in SSMU elections. Faced with these facts, it is only natural to start questioning the validity of a student-funded $30,000 annual salary for these apparently unpopular executives.

As students’ representatives to the McGill administration, however, SSMU executives carry a significant and crucial responsibility, one that comes with its fair share of work and stress. Any decrease of their salary would prove harmful for the health of the university’s student union, and disrespectful of the time and effort they put into their work. Being a SSMU executive is a full-time job, and therefore, it should be compensated as such.

On Feb. 3, 2016, McGill students voted “no” to a SSMU semesterly fee increase which was designed to, among other things, fund the salaries of SSMU executives. Ben Ger, the SSMU president at the time, lamented the outcome of the vote. According to Ger, his pay does not adequately reflect the sheer volume of work the job requires from him and his fellow executives, who are expected to work a standard 40-hour work week, but routinely work up to 90 hours per week. Juggling class and work, SSMU executives regularly find themselves paid well below the $12.50 Quebec minimum wage.

Individuals holding official positions in student unions across the country are unequivocally overworked to a damaging extent. Additionally, executives frequently find themselves the recipients of criticism from the student body, which can be equally harmful. In October of last year, then–

COMMENTARY

SSMU exexcutives often do not make minimum wage per hour of work. (Leanne Young / The McGill Tribune)

Vice-President (External Affairs) Marina Cupido resigned due to mental health concerns. Beyond McGill, the University of Toronto Students’ Union Vice-President External resigned last year over ‘mental trauma’ caused by an allegedly ‘toxic’ work environment. Similarly, he Concordia Student Union has expressed concern about their employees’ psychological well being, and are considering adopting extra measures to address mental health within the union.

The insufficient salary of SSMU executives also hinders accesibility to students who wish to participate in student governance but do not have the means to do so. Indeed, students at the school pay some of the highest residence fees in the country. Many of them are also experiencing the financial pressure that comes with living alone for the first time. For these students, a mediocre salary, coupled with the stress of long hours, becomes a barrier to participation in student government.

Despite the crushing pressure of their jobs and the endless tides of complaints directed against them, SSMU executives often prove to be fantastically productive.

Annually, The McGill Tribune publishes a review detailing every acting SSMU executive’s achievements during the previous year, and the list is invariably extensive. The first floor of McLennan library is open 24 hours per day thanks to SSMU. Activity Nights and Frosh both exist as results of SSMU initiatives. This isn’t to say that the executives are perfect, a quick scroll through Reddit’s /r/McGill forum will give the reader a detailed description of SSMU’s flaws. But then again, no elected public representative can escape the criticism of those they represent. In a functional democracy, one could argue that it is precisely the elector’s role to keep the elected in check.

SSMU executives’ low salary is indicative of a larger issue of undervalued labour on campus. Services such as Walksafe, the Sexual Assault Centre of McGill Student Society (SACOMSS), Nightline, and the Peer Support Centre do indispensable work, and are not nearly close to being compensated enough for their emotional labour. Students are forced to choose between extracurricular opportunities and financing their degrees; therefore, these opportunities must become more accessible.

Listening to McGill students’ persistent criticism of SSMU executives, one might be surprised that they are paid anything at all for their labour. It is important to recognize, however, that these executives are faced with the severely demanding task of overseeing multiple aspects of student life, a responsibility that often comes at the cost of mental and financial stability. The modest annual salary of $30,000 given to SSMU executives is not nearly enough when one considers the significant sacrifices in time and effort they have made in service to McGill students.

Scrooge was right

Makena Anderson Staff Writer Although no consensus exists on what marks the beginning of the holiday season, I believe it occurs sometime between the first snowfall and the release of Starbucks seasonal drinks. The season marks the end of the year, and for students, a highly anticipated winter break. Though celebrated by many as a time of love, joy, and peace, not everyone welcomes the holidays with such enthusiasm. In fact, traditional festivities can serve to exacerbate feelings of stress and anxiety throughout the month of December for many people. The taxing nature of the holiday season is detrimental to some and offers reasons for abandoning traditional perceptions of the holidays this year.

Dubbed ‘the most wonderful time of year’, there is immense pressure to live up to an impossibly high standard of joy during the holiday season. The reality of winter break is seldom full of as much holiday cheer as one is led to expect. In reality, people generally have overly ambitious expectations leading up to events and, as a result, will often be disappointed when their expectations are not met. Unfortunately, social media does little to inhibit this bias. Instagram feeds full of picture-perfect decorations, gingerbread-house building, and laughing families further inflate expectations and increase the pressure to emulate that joy.

McGill schedules only two weeks without classes or exams, which inherently advantages certain students over others. While the break period at McGill allows some students the time to return home, for others, the short break doesn’t offer enough time to travel long distances, especially when travel costs peak during this time of year. While some services exist in residences,

such as the Holiday Hosting program, McGill ultimately does little to support students who are unable to return home during the holidays.

The spirit of the holidays is pervasive in Christmas songs, cheesy holiday movies, and the umpteenth cup of eggnog, further increasing pressure to be jolly. Yet seldom do these holiday tokens encourage one to relax or de-stress. Instead, the holidays have become synonymous with stress-inducing trips to the mall, endless strings of tangled lights, and pine needles covering the living room in the case of Christmas. While it may not be necessary to part from long-standing traditions entirely, it is important to acknowledge the consumptive nature of the holiday season and the associated impacts it can have on one’s mental health. The modern holiday season aims to please the consumer, yet these habits are financially and environmentally unsustainable, and are likely to lead to increased stress levels in shoppers.

Besides the pressure to enjoy oneself and balance the dichotomy of tradition versus sustainability, people experience the December blues for other reasons as well. General feelings of stress and anxiety are common. In fact, a 2006 study revealed that 61 per cent of participants experience stress often or occasionally during this time. Some contributing factors include increased financial strain, anticipating intrafamilial dynamics, and maintaining personal health habits.

For many, the holidays mean balancing limited time between various family groups.

With a finite amount of time, students with large or disjointed families are forced to fill their schedules with brunches, lunches, and dinners to ensure they make time for everyone. The short break does not allow all students to take the necessary time to relax and instead may be a substantial source of additional stress.

Instead of attempting to enjoy the holidays at all costs, one should acknowledge feelings of

stress and anxiety in themselves and their peers this December and take time to relax when needed. For students, winter break should be a time to rest and refresh for another upcoming semester. It is time to abandon the conventional

CARTOON

image of the holidays and acknowledge that winter break can’t always be full of eggnog, iceskating, and gifts. In the end, the holidays are not the end-all and be-all, in fact, they are only another season.

Cuffing Season

Ruelle Chen / Contributor

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 7

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26 2019

Knockin’ on heaven’s Fridge Door

Student-run gallery showcases depth and warmth Vanessa Barron Contributor A staple of the student art community on McGill campus, the Fridge Door Gallery (FDG) continuously offers high-quality programming, filling the absence of a formal fine art program. On Nov. 22, the FDG hosted their fall vernissage, In Present Tense, offering free wine, homemade bread, and art to the public. The event attracted a full crowd to the small venue, Espace 8. The FDG hosts two exhibitions each year displaying sculptures, paintings, and mixed media pieces from McGill student artists. In Present Tense was thoughtfully curated with earnest and intimate art, exploring what it means to carry the weight of the past in the present.

The theme for the exhibition was the “historical present,” a phrase often tossed around when discussing contemporary art, but one that is tricky to define. FDG’s curatorial statement describes it as the point when “our present become[s] our past—rational rather than affective.”

Rather than an exact moment, the historical present tense is a transitional relationship between the present and past that the works attempt to catch. Many of the works feature bodies depicted in relation to time: As we are constantly in the process of ‘growing up,’ our lived experience are often expressed visually or through emotion.

The Fridge Door Gallery opened on Nov. 22.

(Margaret Wong / The McGill Tribune) Grace Pooley’s tapestry-sized acrylic paintings exemplify both the decay and fullness of life through paintings of women’s bodies. In a similar sense, Maddy Holton’s mixed media piece, stain, shows the material impact of lived reality on the clothes we wear, adorning space and time with the experience of a stain on a shirt. As the curatorial statement reads, “These works consider what it means to be a body in time-mutable, conditioned, and conditioning.”

A standout piece from the exhibition was

a photograph entitled New Jacket by Marie Saadeh. Featured on the cover of the exhibition guide, the image encompasses the historical present gracefully in a captured moment of vulnerable transience. The picture depicts an older man trying on a jacket in a thrift store, examining the jacket and his own figure in the mirror. While he inspects the jacket from the side, he turns his head as if he is hesitant to confront the image before him. The jacket represents hope and possibility, a means of selfpreservation and self presentation. The framing

of the photo adds to the sense of intimacy—an out-of-focus door frame surrounds three sides of the picture, yet viewers get a crystal clear view of the man’s mirror image. The mundane act of buying a new jacket at a thrift store is incorporating a piece of history into your own. New Jacket gives an intimate look into a moment full of vulnerability and possibility.

The artists’ statements were beautifully eloquent, a testament to the fact that many of the student artists are in McGill’s Department of Art History and Communication Studies.

Additionally, the inclusion of each artists’ Instagram handle next to the titles reflects the present state of the art world—often, the only way to access a student’s art collection is through online display. While the works in the gallery were presented in a physical form, many of them focused on digital subject matter. Gemma Else’s watercolour selfie series not only demonstrates that selfies are modern-day portraiture, but also comments on how they are displayed. Aidan Hepburn’s still-life window scenes were originally made on digital mediums, seeing it portrayed on a scale larger than a laptop screen allowed its intricate artistry to shine through in a public setting, far away from a private desktop.

Overall, the vernissage was a delightful evening celebrating the artistic talent and passion of McGill’s student artists. Without a formal fine arts program at McGill, the FDG provides a valuable platform for promoting student creativity in a public setting.

In conversation with Linda Gaboriau

Governor General’s award winner discusses her literary passion Jonathan Giammaria Staff Writer In the world of prestigious literary awards, writers of fiction and poetry often occupy most headlines across major media platforms.

Many awards, however, broaden their focus to more accurately capture contemporary literature’s breadth of exciting work. Alongside drama, non-fiction, and young adult literature, Canada’s prestigious Governor General’s Awards features the category of literary translation.

Linda Gaboriau claimed this top honour with her translation of Wajdi Mouawad’s play, Tous des oiseaux this year. Translated into English from its original French under the title Birds of a Kind, the family drama focuses on the issues of heritage and identity within the heated context of modern-day Israel. Having collaborated with the playwright for over 15 years, Gaboriau has translated several of Mouawad’s previous works, with many of them tackling controversial explorations of interpersonal conflicts within topical contexts.

Born in Boston, Gaboriau moved to Montreal in 1963 to pursue French Language and Literature at McGill, where she obtained

both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in the subject. In an interview with The McGill Tribune, Gaboriau spoke about how she had not always considered that literary translation could be a profession to pursue.

“I had not thought of being a translator [....] I had one course in translation. It was so deadly boring,” Gaboriau said.

Gaboriau has since translated over 125 pieces of fiction, most of them novels and plays, and has also undertaken a profession as a dramaturg. Gaboriau noted that the collaborative nature of translation stimulated her work and eventually changed her initial judgement on the discipline.

“The most meaningful, appealing thing about [translation] is to work that closely, that intimately, with writers,” Gaboriau said. “I really feel that writers [...] are the witnesses of our time. They’re people who really take the time to look more deeply into what’s going on in human nature or in the political [and] social world around us. To be working side-by-side with people who have taken that risk of trying to raise their voices in the wilderness [is] fantastic. It’s a great privilege.”

This will be Gaboriau’s sec-

ond Governor General’s Award in collaboration with Mouawad, having previously won the same honour for Forests. Gaboriau noted why his work in particular excited her: In addition to her respect for the source material, she shared the interesting reason why Mouawad wanted Tous des oiseaux translated to begin with. Gaboriau explained that, though Mouawad wanted to write his play in French, he didn’t want it to be performed in French. “[Mouawad] was going to write the play in French so that he was writing the story he wanted to tell,” Gaboriau said. “But it would then be performed in English, German, Arabic, and Hebrew, with French subtitles for the production in Paris.”

Whether the work is groundbreaking or more humble in ambition, Gaboriau stressed the importance of maintaining the integrity of a text. The danger of reinterpreting a text comes from diluting its tone or meaning in the process of translation. Even after over 35 years of work, Gaboriau admitted that she sometimes doubts the accuracy of her translation. Gaboriau explained that, just as with any artist, translators obsess over tiny changes that could improve their material, even years after its publication. Nev-

The McGill alumna won the 2019 Governor General’s award for her translation of ‘Birds of a Kind.’ (Daria Kiseleva / The McGill Tribune) ertheless, Gaboriau noted that the meticulous nature of her work is what makes her work so fulfilling.

“What I love about translation is that it’s very exacting, it’s like

lacework,” Gaboriau said. “It’s really like a very delicate handicraft.

You’re alone in your study and you’re focusing on language and you’re weaving it.”

DUMPSTER DIVING The ins and outs of waste disposal at McGill Emma Gillies

Science & Technology Editor

(Erica Stefano / The McGill Tribune)

Canada produced 25 million tonnes of waste in 2016, ranking as one of the highest per-capita waste generators in the world. The non-residential sector, which includes industry and institutions such as universities, produces the majority of this waste. In the past year alone, McGill’s downtown campus has generated 1,454 tonnes of landfill waste and recycling, roughly 10 times the weight of a blue whale.

Industry professionals are working to reduce these numbers, and achieving sustainability requires addressing this issue head-on. Since the City of Montreal does not offer waste and recycling services to institutions like McGill, the university forms its own contracts with the companies that haul garbage, recycling, and compost to nearby facilities.

Kendra Pomerantz, sustainability, contracts, and special projects supervisor in McGill’s Department of Buildings and Grounds, receives an invoice from these companies for every piece of trash and recycling that McGill produces.

“I can track the supply chain to a certain extent,” Pomerantz said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “I know that [the waste] is ending up at the right place, […] and, on the other hand, I can track the amounts of waste and recycling that we’re producing as a university.”

Since McGill only started receiving third party–certified data in 2018, Pomerantz cannot yet see if the amount of waste that McGill produces is decreasing. Still, she hopes to improve waste management on campus by enhancing waste signage and increasing educational outreach.

“One of the challenges for creating educational material was the fact that […] waste signage had never been centralized and standardized,” Pomerantz said.

McGill’s Buildings and Grounds department, a unit within Facility Management and Ancillary Services, oversees waste and recycling for academic buildings on the downtown campus. This past summer, the department placed new signage stickers in all 36 academic buildings at the downtown campus.

Pomerantz plans on implementing new waste sorting stations with the same signage across 31 academic buildings next semester, a project that will cost close to $2 million.

Signage is not the only solution, however.

Both Buildings and Grounds and Food and Dining Services, for example, employ teams of waste educators to teach proper waste sorting techniques.

“The cafeterias are dealing with first-year students, which is a really important population, because if we can get them to understand waste sorting when they arrive at McGill, then that can translate throughout their whole career here,” Pomerantz said.

Yu-Shing Ni, U3 Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is a Food and Dining Services waste educator. Ni acknowledged that knowing what to throw in the trash, recycling, or

compost can be confusing. “[It] all boils down to being educated on what’s recyclable and what’s not, because there are certain plastics that are not recyclable, and that actually ends up contaminating the entire recycling pile,” Ni said.

McGill’s community hails from many places around the world with diverse waste practices, making waste education more challenging. Pomerantz believes that the varying level of familiarity with Canadian waste disposal norms among McGill’s student population could contribute to these mix-ups.

“People have come from all over the place, […which means] that there is a lot of confusion because, unfortunately, from one city to another, from one country to another, you can see really big differences in how the waste and recycling system works,” Pomerantz said.

Most plastic, for example, cannot be recycled repeatedly, because many applications—such as food wrapping—can only use plastic that has never been recycled before, termed ‘virgin plastic.’ This creates high demand for virgin uses and less desire for plastics in their second or third lives. Virgin plastic’s cheap price tag also reduces the financial incentive that market buyers need to invest in recycled plastics.

It can also be difficult to provide manufacturers with a clean plastic stream, as bins are frequently subjected to contamination.

In Montreal, the industry rule-of-thumb for both recycling and compost is 15 per cent contamination, after which the whole bag will be rejected and put in the trash. McGill limits contamination by separating recycling into two streams: Paper and mixed (plastic, metal, and glass).

“By separating the paper from plastic, metal, glass, which are typically food containers, we make sure that the little bit of Coke at the bottom of the can is not going to spill onto the paper, because that can render it unrecyclable,” Pomerantz said.

However, mistakes commonly occur.

While coffee cups are often thought to be paper recyclables, most are, in fact, not recyclable due to their interior wax coating. Coffee spills frequently contaminate the paper pile; unless it’s a compostable Roddick Roast cup, coffee cups should go in the trash.

Despite confusion over which materials are recyclable and which are not, McGill students are relatively happy with access to recycling on campus. In a Tribune survey, 81 of 98 total respondents described access to recycling at McGill as good or average; this number was slightly lower when describing access to recycling in Montreal as a whole.

Where materials go after they enter the waste stream is an entirely new ball game, and one that heavily depends on the economic market.

In Jan. 2018, China transformed the recycling world after it closed its borders to

recycling imports. The announcement, which pulled the curtain back on how materials are actually recycled, could lead to more standardization, better practices, and cleaner recycling streams in Canada. According to Jason Laframboise, a planning advisor in the City of Montreal’s environmental service, Montreal recycling is currently sent to local facilities on the Island and in Laval.

As the recycling industry evolves, the philosophy behind it evolves, too. Grant Clark, a professor in the Department of Bioresource Engineering at McGill, says that recycling is an energetically expensive process. Consequently, the original ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ hierarchy is starting to be complemented by ideas like refusing to buy unethical products and reclaiming materials, whereby once deemed ‘useless’ waste is considered useful. Urban landfills, for example, can sometimes be mined for their minerals. “[Archaeologists] refine and extract the materials, and in fact, there are higher concentrations of many rare earth materials […] than there are in the original ores that they mined out of the ground,” Clark said.

McGill’s downtown and Macdonald campuses send their landfill waste to Dépôt Rive-Nord on the North Shore of Montreal. These facilities have impermeable layers of clay to exclude oxygen and prevent waste from contaminating groundwater, although leaks do happen.

Landfills like Dépôt Rive-Nord also use carbon-capturing technologies to limit their immense carbon footprint.

“Like any other modern landfill in North America, they have a gas recovery system,” Clark said. “They have wells that are drilled down through the landfill, […] and the gas is recovered, and because oxygen is excluded, the bacteria in the landfill metabolize the organics, and one of the end products is methane.”

Methane is eventually upgraded and sold to pipelines as clean, sustainable natural gas, which, unlike natural gas that comes from the ground, has been actively cycling through the biosphere.

Dépôt Rive-Nord also has a composting facility for food waste. Like in a landfill, an impermeable pad of clay surrounds the compost pile so that polluted water does not reach the groundwater. Unlike landfills, however, compost piles are aerated to promote soil formation.

“The compost is formed into windrows, [which are long rows of organic matter], maybe mixed with a bulking agent like wood chips so that there’s lots of porosity and airflow so it remains aerobic, and then they turn it,” Clark said.

The compost produced at many facilities is used to cover the landfill itself. After covering 40 metres of compacted garbage with clay, the facility places composted topsoil on the top and revegetates it. At McGill, Compost Montréal transports food waste to a composting facility in southwest Montreal, where the finished product is used in the municipality’s landscaping.

In other municipal facilities, compost is sold or given away to citizens, or placed back on agricultural land.

Composting at McGill is only offered in cafeterias, McConnell Engineering, and certain places at the Macdonald campus. 82.5 per cent of survey respondents reported that access to compost bins at McGill was either bad or very bad. Pomerantz hopes that the McConnell proof-of-concept project will lead to more compost stations on campus in the coming years.

“It’s a very, very large operational system to roll out,” Pomerantz said. “So, due to popular demand, we put compost bins in McConnell Engineering, and for us, that was a good way to test […] how much we [are] collecting, what type of material it is, and so on.”

Last year, a McGill waste audit found that nearly half of the material in the trash was compostable. Once in the landfill, organic matter does not cycle nutrients back into the environment: Archaeologists have found perfectly preserved 40-year-old hot dogs, for example, beneath thick layers of garbage. Trapped food waste also heavily contributes to climate change, since food waste in a sealed, anaerobic environment breaks down and releases methane, a gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Access to compost bins is not just a McGill problem: 92.7 per cent of survey respondents described access to compost as bad or very bad around the city of Montreal, and 29.9 per cent

reported that they do not compost at home. Laframboise admitted that organic waste pick-up in Montreal remains an issue.

“There are many bins outside homes […] for recyclable materials [in Montreal],” Laframboise wrote in an email to the Tribune.* “With respect to organic matter, [there are] very, very few.”

Several survey respondents also indicated that they did not compost at home as a result of not having a brown bin.

“All buildings of eight apartments or less in the City have a brown box (and up to ten per cent of doors in buildings of nine apartments or more),” Laframboise wrote.* “The implementation in buildings of nine apartments or more and industries, businesses, and institutions […] is expected in the years to come.”

Proper waste disposal at McGill and in Montreal is a small but necessary step in transitioning to a more sustainable society from a consumeristic, linear economy model. The linear economy is based on extracting natural resources and converting them into usable products, after which they are simply thrown away.

“The problem [is that] if we’re using finite, nonrenewable resources like minerals, […] those eventually are going to get more and more difficult to extract, because you use the easy stuff first,” Clark said.

As the extraction of resources becomes more difficult and more expensive—whether it is coal we use for energy, oil for plastics, or phosphorus for fertilizer—the cost of living increases. In addition, the extraction process and disposal of such materials results in severe environmental degradation.

On the other hand, a circular economy reuses resources and embodies biological and technological processes like composting and recycling. The model can be applied to all sorts of materials—even human excrement (termed “biosolids”) that is sent to wastewater treatment facilities.

Canada generates more than 660,000 tonnes of biosolids every year. While about half of that goes to agricultural production, the rest is either incinerated or landfilled. Clark would like to see more of it go back to agriculture to circularize the process.

Clark sees technological and behavioural change as crucial to accomplishing the ideal circular economy.

“For a lot of people, throwing something away is […] almost like an unconscious action: You don’t think about it, it’s just part of your daily routine, but it’s one of those examples of this tiny little action that adds up to make such a giant […] problem and footprint,” Pomerantz said. “And I think it’s a really tangible way that every single one of us at McGill engages in sustainability every day.”

Pomerantz is optimistic that student engagement on campus will soon lead to significant improvements to McGill’s waste and recycling systems.

In addition to dining hall waste educators, McGill has a host of other waste reduction plans. The Office of Sustainability offers sustainability certification for events and offices, as well as funding for projects through the Sustainability Projects Fund. Student clubs and initiatives like Bring Your Own Bulk, Plate Club, Trash2Treasure, and the Recycling Pioneers aim to manage waste disposal better on campus. Yet, as Clark pointed out, students are limited in the impact that they can make.

“The problem with student clubs is that there’s no continuity,” Clark said. “When one cohort of students graduates, if there’s nobody to pick up the reins, that sort of dissipates [.…]

If you want something at a university to persist, it really has to be institutionalized.”

Pomerantz and her colleagues in the Buildings and Grounds department have taken on the challenge of trying to improve this.

“While McGill is very bureaucratic, and while there’s more red tape here than you would find in other places, there really is the departmental will to work on this, and we’re the people that ultimately have to make the change, because we’re the ones that run the system,” Pomerantz said. *The original quote was translated from French by the author.

10 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26 2019

Highly Suspect misses the mark in experimenting with new sounds

A confusing assortment of genres disappoints in third studio album, ‘MCID’ Tatianna Sitounis Contributor In a world where most rock heroes are either aging or have already passed away, it is hard not to get excited when a promising young rock band like Highly Suspect appears. After the success of their first album, Mister Asylum, which landed the band two Grammy Nominations (Best Rock Album and Best Rock Song), it seemed like they had the music industry in the palm of their hand.

The band’s promising beginning is one reaason why it pained fans so deeply when Highly Suspect’s third studio album, MCID, turned out to be a disappointment. Of course bands evolve, as does the ambition that goes into creating a unique album. In this case, the band’s vision of a completely new sound was poorly executed, especially considering the sound and success Highly Suspect has already achieved.

The album is inconsistent in its overall sound, with each song pulling the listener into completely different genres: From hip hop on “Tokyo Ghoul,” which

features Young Thug, to “16,” which reflects the band’s former rock/groove sound. Throughout the album, there are intermittent, lo-fi tracks such as “Tetsuo’s Bike” and “Juzo,” which bring the listener, once again, into a different soundscape.

Frankly, the album is difficult to sit through. It lacks coherence and the lyrics are often rudimentary, even cringey. Take, for example, the opening track, “Fly,” wherein the last quarter of the song, the lead singer, Johnny Stevens, gives random shoutouts: “Shout out to Pam the cat / Shout out to Jolene the dog,” not adding anything to the music or the sound.

Sadly, MCID is a confusing, poorly executed attempt at bridging gaps between genres. Although this album sorely missed the mark, listeners shouldn’t give up on Highly Suspect just yet. Their past work proves that the group is capable of bringing more to the table in the future.

Battle of Wits: A comedy show

Learn some trivia AND laugh at the silly antics of comedian contestants during this comedy quiz show!

Nov. 27, Doors 7:30, show 8:30 Diving Bell Social Club $10 advance, $15 at the door

Paper City: A literary map Reading that explores city life through literature.

Nov. 30, 2-3:30pm 4th space at Concordia University Free

Shonda Buchanan Book Talk and Signing Join award-winning poet and educator Shonda Buchanan as she discusses her new book, “Black Indian.”

Nov 28, 6-7:30 p.m.

Paragraphe Bookstore Free ‘MCID’ does not live up to Highly Suspect’s past success. (genius.com)

Die Hard: A live staged reading

Get into the Christmas spirit with a staged reading of the classic Bruce Willis action film!

Proceeds go to charity.

Dec. 7, 8-9:30pm MainLine Theatre $12 advance, $15 at the door

Back to the House Concert is a rousing success Student musicians came together to perform for charity

Patrick Gilroy Contributor Cramming 100 people inside an apartment kitchen is not easy. It also is not easy to play live rock music on a residential street without getting a noise complaint or two. But the “Back to the House Concert,” which raised funds for the charity Jam for Justice, managed to accomplish both.

The retro-themed house concert featured four artists playing back-toback: Enter the Mojo, Parker Konz, Societal Siege, and Alyssa Nazmi.

Each act brought something unique to the show, but there was a clear through line: Fun. From the groovy keys and funky guitar riffs of Enter the Mojo to the punk-infused rock of Societal Siege, it was clear that everyone showed up to have a good time.

The night began with the timid ambiance of most house parties, which really get going about an hour or two after the posted start time. With the crowd slowly filtering in, Enter the Mojo probably got a better chance than anyone to show off their sound without crowd-noise. Playing covers of both Childish Gambino’s “Me and Your Mama” and “Redbone,” Enter

The concert donated its profits to the charity Jam for Justice.

(Dylan Rochon-Terry / The McGill Tribune) the Mojo got everyone in the mood to dance, playing with technical skill that most amateur bands would envy.

But as the night went on, it became difficult to make out the specifics of what was happening on stage. From the start of Parker Konz’s set until late

in the show, the crowd was so thick that the only way to see the performers was to climb onto the counter or to push to the front of the room. The fact that so many did is a testament to the atmosphere of the show. Instead of being a detriment, the chaos simply added to

the setting’s intimate vibe. The concert increasingly became a rowdy and electric experience as the night went on.

Parker Konz’s cover of Arcade Fire’s “The Suburbs” seemed a fitting latedecade tribute to one of the most successful indie acts from Montreal, and

the crowd’s response proved that it still remains one of Generation Z’s most powerful anthems.

Despite how great each band was, the show really peaked with Societal Siege’s pulsing rock-and-roll set. What had been a present but simmering mosh pit throughout the night exploded into a frenetic boil. The original tunes that Societal Siege played were instantly catchy without being predictable, and they allowed everyone to get in on the energy. Multiple attendees launched themselves onto the crowd for a quick surf, and somehow the front rows stayed far enough away from the band to not interfere with their performance.

A DJ set by Alyssa capped off the night of music, which ended up lasting from 9:30 to well past midnight without feeling too long or stretched out. There were rooms in which to hang out and take a breather away from the music, with samosas and free drink samples for all. These spaces provided a nice touch to an already fantastic event, allowing concertgoers to take comfortable breaks over the course of the long night.

Four great acts entered one house and the crowd did the rest. The result was one of the best student-run indie concerts of the year.

STUDENT LIFE

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26 2019

11

A candid cannabis conversation

Cannabis roundtable fosters discussion of legalization between students

Zoe Karkossa & Leyla Moy Contributor & Student Life Editor Over a year after the national legalization of cannabis, Quebec is raising the legal age to 21, a decision poised to directly impact students. On Nov. 20, Voxcann, a cannabis education initiative by the nonprofit Groupe de recherche et d’intervention psychosociale (GRIP), and the Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy’s (CSSDP) Concordia and McGill chapters collaborated to host a cannabis roundtable at the Concordia Art Hive. The event aimed to promote candid conversation about student cannabis use from a medical and social standpoint. A mix of Concordia and McGill students discussed their experiences with cannabis, the changes brought about by legalization, and upcoming reforms to legislation.

The roundtable was a natural partnership between Voxcann and CSSDP. Coco Wang, the director of development for Voxcann, explained the group’s mission.

“Our focus is [...] youth empowerment [on] the topic of cannabis education and policy, because that’s what we at Voxcann think is lacking in the current [cannabis scene].” Wang said.

Similarly, CSSDP’s McGill chapter aims to give voice to student concerns about national drug policy.

“Our goal is to mobilize young people to participate in the political process at all levels [to advocate] for sensible drug policies that aim to reduce harm and [...] reflect [...] research,” Gabriel Aboutoul, a CSSDP representative, said.

Both groups focus on harm reduction and approaching drug use as an issue of public health and human rights rather than criminal justice.

The legal age to purchase cannabis will be raised to 21 in January 2020. (Voxcann) Discussion first turned to where students get information about cannabis, and whether that information is likely to be accurate. Many participants got their information anecdotally and discussed the inherent limitations to this lack of objectivity.

One participant discussed their work at the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) and the restrictions on what information vendors can disclose to customers.

Legalization has paved the way for more accessible information about the technicalities of cannabis. For example, it has facilitated emerging research about the psychoactive effects of different terpenes, the scent compounds in cannabis that define certain strains.

The conversation then turned to the positive and negative

effects of cannabis use. Though for some people, weed can alleviate symptoms of mental illness with fewer side effects than medication, it can exacerbate these issues in others. Despite this, legalization has allowed these individuals to try cannabis in a more controlled environment and learn how it affects them through experience.

The group also discussed the degree to which cannabis has changed post-legalization. The roundtable recognized the intersections of racial and class privilege. For those in positions of privilege, weed use has always been safer, given the disproportionate rates of cannabis-related incarceration in poor, homeless, and racialized youth, specifically young black men.

Finally, the facilitator highlighted the changes in cannabis legislation that will take effect in 2020. In late October, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government passed a law that will raise the legal age to purchase cannabis within the province from 18 to 21. The change in legislation aims to protect teenagers, a group that lawmakers fear is especially vulnerable to dependency. However, opponents contend that the legislation is both unfair and potentially harmful, since it creates a second class of adults aged 18 to 21 who will likely resort to illegal methods of obtaining cannabis.

The roundtable agreed that these changes are both confusing, given that the legal age to purchase alcohol will remain 18, and harmful to those who had access to legal cannabis granted and quickly revoked. Though the change is likely due to concerns about stunting brain development, the table concluded that the decision to revoke a right that had already been granted and that in fact promoted safer use, was a misstep. By re-criminalizing use that will likely continue after the change, the Quebec government could endanger teens who will naturally seek to experiment.

A fast-paced night showcases slow fashion in Montreal

‘After Hours’ at the McCord Museum highlights sustainable and eco-friendly design

Scott Kennedy Contributor The McCord Museum’s ‘After Hours: Slow Fashion’ event on Nov. 21 brought together members of Montreal’s fashion community for a night of celebrating sustainable style. The night’s programming focused on promoting creative and eco-friendly clothing and highlighted creative and ethical alternatives to fast fashion, the inexpensive clothing produced by mass-market retailers to capture current fashion trends. The socalled ‘slow fashion movement’ incorporates natural colours, recycled fabrics, and locally sourced fibres as sustainable options in clothing production.

The evening’s main spectacles were two consecutive fashion shows presented by CÉGEP MarieVictorin’s School of Fashion. In collaboration with Ardène, the School of Fashion graduates created a line named “Remodeler,” which was on display at the McCord Museum that night. The fashion shows unveiled 20 repurposed fur coats with sustainable consumption and circular creation in mind. The afterhours event also featured pop-up shops that showcased the work of local designers and creatives, all of

The event featured two fashion shows, demonstrations, and local pop-up shops. (nightlife.ca) which incorporated sustainability into their products.

One vendor on display was Once Again, a local fashion collective that aims to educate consumers about the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of the fashion industry. The brand offers three ethical clothing lines, each with its own unique products and solutions.

Their ’Nouveau’ line, displayed during the event, features textiles made of organic, natural, and synthetic fibers coloured with a range of natural dyes. Lawrence Lambert,

a co-founder of the eco-friendly studio, highlighted the importance of sustainable and ethical fashion practices. “[The] clothing industry is the second-most polluting industry in the world.” Lambert said. “[Designers] should see [sustainability] as a creative opportunity.”

When asked what motivates the brand’s eco-friendly practices, Lambert mentioned that her design choices are influenced by her passion to make change. “[Sustainability] nurtures

my inner self [by contributing to] something that’s bigger than me,” Lambert said.

Eliza Faulkner, a Canadian fashion designer based in Montreal, also displayed some of her latest designs. Her clothing lines incorporate ultra-feminine dresses and bold use of colour. Faulkner always seeks to be more sustainable in the design and manufacturing processes.

“It’s just about making really beautiful clothes that happen to be ethically made,” Faulkner said of her clothing range. “We try to use as many sustainable practices as we can. We manufacture everything in Montreal […] [and] buy a lot of deadstock fabric [and] natural fibres.”

Another unique vendor featured was the up-and-coming resale app Upcycli. This start up, co-founded by Elodie Lourimi and Christopher Montoya, is the first mobile app in Quebec dedicated entirely to the purchase, sale, and “upcycling” of second-hand clothing. Upcycling fashion involves using pre-existing clothing, accessories or other items and transforming them into new garments.

“We launched the app because we want to help people buy [fewer new] clothes,” Christopher Montoya, one of Upcycli’s co-founders,

said. “We want to reduce [fast fashion] [and], we want to give a second life to our clothes.

Although Upcycli only operates in Quebec for now, Montaya assured that they hope to expand into other provinces across Canada.

The vendor pop-ups were joined by numerous workshops centred on eco-friendly practices, including stations dedicated to paper-making with recycled fabrics and linen paper spinning. One workshop was led by Mariane Laforest, founder of textile studio Atelier 1n, which offers workshops and creative classes to those interested in learning about natural dyeing and textile design.

“Natural dye[s] are better for the environment because there [are] no chemical products [left] in the water after,” Laforest said.

However, this natural dyeing process can also have negative environmental repercussions.

“Natural dye can also be a problem for the environment because you need to use a lot of water with natural dye” Laforest said.

This unique event was successful in promoting sustainability as an ethical and creative opportunity for designers, as well as inspiring people to search for ecofriendly options when making style choices.

12 STUDENT LIFE

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26 2019

At home at ECOLE

Community sustainability hub reorients for the future Elinor Rosenberg Contributor Throughout the year, McGill and MiltonParc community members can be found at the ECOLE house, located at 3559 rue University, working to advance social and environmental sustainability through a range of groups and projects.

Originally called Alternative University, ECOLE was born out of the 2012 Quebec student movement, wherein students protested tuition increases and advocated for a place outside of McGill to learn, exchange ideas, and create. Today, ECOLE is a hub where students groups related to social or environmental sustainability can host events on their own or in partnership with ECOLE. “[ECOLE serves as a] community organizing and collective living bootcamp,” Jesse Grindler, a coordinator at ECOLE, said.

ECOLE receives funding from the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) and works closely with the organization alongside the broader Milton-Parc community. Sarah Mitchell, U4 Agriculture and Environmental Engineering and an ECOLE facilitator, emphasized its importance in working within the community. “[ECOLE focuses on] bridging the gap between McGill students and the Milton-Parc community,” Mitchell said.

The Milton-Parc community has both the greatest concentration of collectives in North America and a history of activism for social change that ECOLE enhances. The first facilitator training revolved around the history of MiltonParc, beyond being the “McGill Ghetto,” and facilitators learned about the history of citizen’s movements in preventing big industry from mov-

ECOLE houses ten upper-year McGill students, called facilitators, who complete an Applied Student Research (ASR) project during their stay.

(Iman Zarrunkoub / The McGill Tribune) ing to the Milton-Parc community. ECOLE supports SSMU’s projects, such as Trash 2 Treasure, which allows Milton-Parc residents to donate their belongings during move-out week and reduces waste in the neighbourhood, As an ECOLE facilitator, Mitchell is one of 10 upper-year McGill students who live at ECOLE. These students learn, live, and work together, creating an environment where sustainability is ingrained in everyday life.

In addition to their household responsibilities, facilitators carry out Applied Student Re-

search (ASR) projects to implement more sustainable practices in the house and in McGill student life. Mitchell describes her life in the house as being energizing, though balancing schoolwork with a seperate, nonacademic focus is challenging. “[Life at ECOLE is] you have school, your club, and your house all in the same place, but your club is like three different clubs,” Mitchell said.

Two coordinators, including Grindler, support the facilitators and the house as a whole, doing the necessary behind-the-scenes work. A board

made up of representatives from all of the different stakeholders in the community also directs the vision of ECOLE. The board consists of an ECOLE facilitator, a SSMU Legislative Councilor, McGill students, McGill staff and faculty members, as well as additional Montreal community members.

A collective will be launched in January that will allow people living outside ECOLE to get involved in leadership. The collective is just one example of how ECOLE is questioning their previous practices and reorienting for the future. “[ECOLE is now] in the phase of seeing how it will be sustained [in the] long term,” Mitchell explained. “This means [...] maintaining their flow year after year even when facilitators change and maintaining an institutional memory.”

Even the ASR projects are being reshaped to focus on smaller, more incremental changes rather than tackling more daunting issues. For example, Mitchell focused in on bulk shopping for the house and pieced together shopping bags from spare pieces of cloth. Additionally, Mitchell is working on upcycling an old bike to generate electricity.

On Nov. 27, ECOLE’s Annual General Meeting, which Grindler described as an accountability tool for the nonprofit, will take place. The meeting will be open to the public and is a great chance for students to learn about ECOLE and support its future. ECOLE’s biweekly Sunday potlucks and Thursday afternoon coffeehouses, organized with the SSMU Environment Committee, are another chance to get involved.

Despite its renewed focus on its future, ECOLE still centres on motivated stakeholders coming together to learn from each other and advocate for sustainability.

Ask Ainsley: Coming home for the holidays Dear Ainsley, I’m dreading going home for the holidays and seeing my family again, and this fear has been hanging over me since midterms. My parents can be really strict and critical, especially about my weight, grades, and struggles with my mental health. The prospect of seeing them again and facing that criticism is daunting, especially since the holidays are already unusually stressful and triggering for me.

How should I cope with this while studying for finals, and how can I prepare emotionally for being back home?

Sincerely, Not So Sweet Home (NSSH) Dear NSSH, It is natural to feel anxious when awaiting the judgement of your family.

After all, they are likely very important to you, and their opinion will always matter. Remember that because they are critical, your parents may focus on the negative. However, you shouldn’t let reminders of your errors make you forget your successes.

If you are worried about your parents putting pressure on your academic performance, a good strategy is to remind parents of your achievements. Start conversations with anecdotes about the courses you were passionate about or extracurricular activities you excelled in.

At the end of the day, your parents want

to know what you enjoyed about your university experience, so let them know how you made your time at school worthwhile.

It can be very difficult when parents are critical of weight. Firstly, it is important to remember that your parents have not seen you in a long time, which means any bodily changes may come as a surprise. Recognize that any comments will most likely be exaggerations. Additionally, bear in mind that you are still growing. It is natural to grow into your late teens and 20s—in fact, some medical professionals consider adolescence to last until 24. Finally, embrace any changes. Try your best to be confident with your body and acknowledge that there is nothing wrong with a change in weight.

With holidays coming straight after finals, your stress levels could cause temporary weight gain, and this fluctuation is normal.

Finally, criticisms of your struggles with mental health can be especially triggering. As with anything that requires a high level of empathy, it is important to be in constant communication with your family about how you feel. Nobody should trivialize your mental health struggles. If your parents do not understand your challenges, confront them if you feel safe to do so. When in doubt, speak to your peers; you may find that you are not alone in your situation, and

Coming home for the holidays can often be a stressful experience for students.

(Sabrina Girard-Lamas / The McGill Tribune) there are others who are suffering similarly. You may find comfort in the fact that mental health struggles are common at university: According to the American Psychology Association, 41.6 per cent of college students suffer from anxiety, and 36.4 per cent suffer from depression. Tell your parents about how specific reactions make you feel, and how these feelings can sometimes be overwhelming. If you have the resources, seeking professional help can be useful to give your parents

insight into your mental health struggles.

Ultimately, your family should always want the best for you. Keep in communication with them and let them know how you feel. Try to get their support.

However, sometimes your parents may be too critical, and that is not your fault.

Good luck!

Ainsley

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26 2019

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Helium is an endangered element

The world will run out of the precious element, though experts disagree on when

Shafaq Nami Contributor The world is running out of helium. This may come as a shock, as helium is the second most abundant element in the universe, but it is also a non-renewable resource that is rapidly being depleted.

Helium is a light inert gas that belongs to a group of elements known as the noble gases. The result of radioactive decay of other elements over millions of years, helium is found in gas pockets beneath the ground. While some continues to trickle to the surface and escape, most of it is extracted for human use. Due to its light mass, helium does not stay in the atmosphere, but quickly escapes the Earth’s surface and travels into outer space.

People often associate helium with balloons or know it as the gas that makes your voice sound funny.

However, it has a wide variety of applications, including scuba diving tanks and space flight operations. Its inert, or unreactive, properties allow it to be used in the welding and manufacturing of semiconductors.

When liquefied, it can also be used as a cooling agent for superconducting magnets in MRI scanners and important pieces of chemistry lab

equipment, which only work when bathed in liquid helium.

A crucial piece of equipment in chemistry labs is the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR) machine, a piece of equipment that is used to observe local magnetic fields around atomic nuclei. Dr. Tara Sprules, a manager of the Quebec/Eastern Canada High Field NMR facility (QANUC) in the McGill Chemistry Department, uses liquid helium to run the machines. The lab has been affected by helium scarcity, forcing Sprules to search for financial assistance to purchase equipment that can recycle helium. Helium supply is particularly unstable because it relies on other industries, and is often extracted as a byproduct of natural gas and petroleum exploration.

“If natural gas and petroleum industries get cut down, [...] that’s a potential [helium] source that we don’t have anymore,” Sprules said in an interview with The McGill Tribune.

There are not many sustainable alternatives to helium to begin with, and in many applications, there are no sufficient replacements at all.

“For the NMR and MRI applications, there aren’t any alternatives because the superconducting magnets have to be at four [Kelvin],”

Experts say that the world’s supply of helium could run out in as little as 25 years. (peakpx.com) Sprules said. “The material used to do superconducting has to be that temperature [....] There is nothing else that can get that cold, and there isn’t any semiconducting material that has the appropriate conductance at a higher temperature.”

Sprules pointed out that most people do not directly use helium in their everyday lives, so placing the onus on individuals rather than industry to conserve helium will not have much effect.

“You may want to stop using helium-filled birthday balloons or devices containing semiconductors,

but then it becomes a larger question as to what extent you are willing to go,” Sprules said. “The more practical solution is that wherever there are places where helium can be recycled, it should [be].”

Sprules believes that recycling helium can be very efficient in addressing the helium shortage.

“We are working on purchasing [helium-recycling] equipment,” Sprules said. “If we were to have [it], [...] we would be able to recycle 90 per cent of the helium we use.

Any place that recycling can happen, it’s a very good solution.”

Experts are conflicted about how long it will take for helium to run out. Some believe that we will run out in 25 to 35 years, while others think that helium resources will last another 200 to 300 years. Regardless of when we will run out, most experts agree that we need to start thinking about helium conservation.

“There are several sites in Saskatchewan where they are starting to extract helium,” Sprules said.

“It all depends on how much gets recycled and how successful new exploration sites are.”

Science capsule: The first hot air balloon flight

A sheep, a rooster, and a duck were the first passengers in a hot air balloon Angelina Giordano Contributor

Nov. 21 marked the 236th anniversary of the first untethered, manned hot air balloon flight. The flight was the result of the work of Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier, brothers from the small town of Vandalon, France. Their father’s lucrative paper company enabled them to fund their scientific endeavours and also provided them with lots of paper. The brothers discovered that filling a lightweight paper fabric bag with hot air caused the bag to float, since the heated air becomes lighter than its surrounding air, and the balloon rises.

For hot air balloons to carry a 1,000pound object, 65,000 cubic feet of air must be heated, a number equivalent to the weight of 2,560 hot tubs. The brothers, however, were not aware of this and initially believed that they had found a new gas lighter than air.

Although the Montgolfier brothers’ 1783 hot air balloon flight was one of the first times that humans took to the skies, humanity’s itch to fly had already been around for a long time. After the invention of the kite in 400 BC China, people unsuccessfully tried to fly like birds by strapping wings to

their arms.

The hot air balloon did, however, inspire further exploration into the world of flying. In 1799, George Cayley created a glider for humans to drift above the ground.

Later, in 1891, Otto Lilienthal created a more complicated glider that could fly longer distances. With the help of the engine, Orville Wright piloted the ‘Flyer’ plane into the air in North Carolina in 1903.

All of these flying machines used a mechanism to lift themselves off of the ground. Lift, weight, thrust, and drag are four forces that determine how high and fast a machine will take off into the air. While hot air balloons rise due to a temperature difference between the air in the balloon and that of the surrounding air, a plane is able to take off due to the shape of its wings. Since an airplane’s wings have a curved top shape with a flat bottom, the air is able to glide over the top of the wing faster than the air on the bottom, enabling it to take to the air.

The Montgolfier brothers first displayed their hot air balloon discovery on June 4, 1783 in Annonay, France, when they burned straw and wool to send an unmanned balloon 3,000 feet into the sky. In their second test, they sent a sheep, a rooster, and a duck into the air. At the time, a sheep’s physiology was considered similar to that of a human’s, making it a good non-human test subject. The duck and the rooster were the controls in the experiment, since they were used to flying, although the rooster to

The first untethered, manned hot air balloon flight was on Nov. 21, 1783.

(Anne McGrath / The McGill Tribune) a much lesser degree.

After these animals successfully completed their hot air balloon mission unharmed, the first human passengers took flight, achieving what had previously been considered an impossible task in front of an excited crowd.

“We observed [the balloon] lift off in the most majestic manner,” spectator Benjamin Franklin wrote in his journal. “When it reached around 250 feet [76 metres] in altitude, the intrepid voyagers lowered their hats to salute the spectators. We could not

help feeling a certain mixture of awe and admiration.”

The sentiments that Benjamin Franklin expressed when viewing the majestic hot air balloon still hold true for people today. Every August in Montreal, the International Balloon Festival attracts people from all over the world to witness untethered, manned balloons jet off into the sky.

The Montgolfier brothers would not be disappointed with the evolution of flight that their invention initiated and the joy that it has brought to generations.

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26 2019

Big discoveries from tiny rodents Navigating the brain’s GPS Zoe Karkossa Contributor Continued from page 1.

As the mouse turns, other nearby neurons activate, and the compass needle turns. The brain’s navigation system integrates this compass with other inputs, such as the animal’s travelling speed. It then encodes its position in a ‘cognitive map’ located in the mouse’s hippocampus, a region of the brain associated with memory.

During sleep, the brain does not simply turn off; rather, many regions are surprisingly active. The movement of a mouse’s brain ‘compass’ during rapideye-movement (REM) sleep is almost identical to when it is awake. The ‘needle’ of the compass spins at the same speed as if the mouse were actually roaming freely.

“It’s like the cortex doesn’t know it’s asleep,” Peyrache said.

The same structures that are involved in spatial navigation are crucial for consolidating long-term memory, since both involve encoding movement through time and space. How exactly this relationship functions is still unknown, but Peyrache is confident that the data his team have collected so far confirm an important link. His work suggests that, while this phenomenon may occur because inactive neurons quickly die, there could be a link

with memory consolidation.

Many complementary methods are used to study mouse brains. One of the main techniques is electrophysiology, which consists of using electrodes to record single neuron firings. Arrays of these electrodes are implanted in the brains of mice, who are then free to roam painlessly while data is collected.

Mice are a useful study subject for many reasons, including the similarity of their brains to other mammals, their small body size, and the vast array of tools that have been developed to study them.

Research conducted on rodents can also lead to important human applications.

Peyrache has been striving to make this transition in his work for many years, most recently in collaboration with the human electrophysiology unit at the MNI. “[Our work] is basically bridging the gap between human and animal electrophysiological research,” Peyrache said.

Although electrophysiological technology is quite invasive, there is already a human population set up to further such research. For example, certain patients with epilepsy have electrodes implanted in their brains for clinical purposes, namely to identify the region in their brain responsible for their epileptic episodes.

Peyrache compares the human brain to a building to describe how these electrodes work: Electroence (EEG) lets researchers hear a murmur through the walls, intra-

Mice have exceptional navigation skills that allow them to move around easily in darkness and daylight. (Taja De Silva / The McGill Tribune) cranial electrodes allow them to listen to conversations through the door, and macroelectrodes let them listen to a single person speaking. If the researchers hear someone speaking nonsense, then they have found the damaged population of neurons.

Peyrache’s work is at the forefront of research regarding single-neuron record-

ing for the brain. Although his planned research on humans is not yet at the stage of ethical approval, it carries great potential.

He expounds the virtues of both theoretical and application-driven scientific research.

“Science is not an easy world, but it’s also fantastic and inspiring,” Peyrache said.

Rat Park and the War on Drugs

Drug addiction does not begin with the drug itself

Sophia Gorbounov Contributor This year, VICE Studios released Rat Park, a documentary that dives into the sociopsychological causes of drug addiction. By looking at drug epidemics in three countries— Portugal, the United States, and the Philippines—the documentary focussed on how class, wealth, social status, life struggles, and politics play into the ongoing war on drugs.

The title comes from an experiment performed by Canadian psychologist Bruce K. Alexander in 1978. He found that by keeping lab rats in isolation and giving them the choice between morphine and water drips, almost all chose the morphine, and many died. However, when the rats were placed in a sort of ‘rat haven’—a ‘rat park,’ as he called it—with open space, activities, and other rats, almost all of them preferred water to morphine. Thus, he concluded that there are numerous factors that cause someone to use hard drugs, and that addiction is not as simple as the drug itself.

The documentary first peered into the life of Justin Kunzelman, a former drug user in Florida who has started a harm reduction notfor-profit organization called Rebel Recovery.

Florida has had an ongoing opioid epidemic for nearly three decades. Before the so-called ‘pain clinics’ were recently shut down, opiates were easily accessible in the state. Now, many who have since become addicted to them have turned to the cheaper alternative: Heroin. With

Rats kept in isolation frequently chose morphine over water. (brucekalexander.com) the government’s unsympathetic view of addicts who cannot simply stop using, it is up to organizations like Rebel Recovery to help them through their addiction in the safest environment possible.

Next, the film covered Vincent Go, a photojournalist in Manila who is actively investigating the killings of drug-users that are being carried out by the controversial president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte. Since his declaration of the war on drugs, over 20,000 people

have been killed due to suspicion of drug usage.

Countries like Portugal, on the other hand, have taken things in the opposite direction. In 2001, Portugal decriminalized possession of all drugs, and according to the documentary, overdose deaths have decreased by 80 per cent since the law went into effect. Tiago Praca, a visual artist from Lisbon who had previously been used heroin and crack cocaine for over 20 years, explained why criminalizing and demonizing drug usage is ineffective in the film.

“There will always be drugs,” Praca said.

“So, if you want to solve [...] the problem, you just have to change the attitude.”

Thomas Brown, an assistant professor of psychiatry at McGill, explained that Portugal’s success may cause other countries to follow suit.

“The data from Portugal are promising, but decriminalization must be accompanied by a concerted, systematic, and an adequately supported bouquet of first, second, and third line preventative mental health strategies,” Brown wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune.

Norman White, a professor in the McGill Department of Psychology, agreed with Brown that decriminalization cannot be the sole solution.

“It’s pretty clear that the current policy of trying to prohibit all aspects of drug commerce and use is a total failure,” White wrote. “Some kind of harm reduction approach is clearly indicated.”

Brown supports the idea that drug addiction is a complex concept.

“Contribution to addiction is multifaceted: Environmental factors including drug accessibility, poverty, early life stress and trauma, [and] social genetics [are all factors],” Brown wrote.

Indeed, Rat Park showcases that putting people—and rats—in an environment where they can thrive socially and experience a high quality of life drastically diminishes their propensity to turn to drugs.

SPORTS

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26 2019

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Know Your Athlete: Gladys Hakizimana Martlet Basketball sensation dominates on and off the court

Sarah Farnand Contributor Continued from page 1.

Basketball, and sports in general, can teach valuable life lessons. Hakizimana noted how learning teamwork, discipline, and organization from sports have helped her succeed in other facets of her life, including school.

“I know [that] with [my] hectic schedule, I have to find ways to do my school work and do weights and cardio and find time to shoot the basketball,” Hakizimana said. “I really have to be organized.”

On top of classes, homework, and personal training, Hakizimana spends her Mondays working at a gym and has team practices in the evening. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, she has team practices from 6:00 to 8:30 a.m. With such a busy schedule, it is difficult for Hakizimana to have a traditional social life. However, she still manages to build strong relationships with her teammates.

“If I’m not doing homework, I’m working, so there’s not really a social aspect to my life right now. But, [I have] no regrets, I love it,” Hakizimana said.

“Being a part of this team, obviously I love the girls [....] They’re like my social life.”

Hakizimana is an incredibly hard worker, and this has translated to many

accomplishments on the court. Hakizimana cites the Martlet’s National Championship win in 2017, the first women’s basketball national title in McGill history, as her greatest accomplishment.

“The fact that we [had] one victory and four losses in the first semester, and we ended up winning the Provincial [Championship] and then winning [the] national [title], [...] was just [...] a miracle,” Hakizimana said. “I can’t forget. I have the ring at home, and the goal is to get another one.”

Outside of playing basketball, Hakizimana likes to read, listen to music, meditate, and do yoga. Yoga and meditation help her body recuperate after training and also keep her calm and positive. As far as books go, she enjoys the drama genre.

To date, her favourite book is Black and White by Paul Volponi.

“Even when I watch movies or Netflix, I will go to a drama category,” Hakizimana said. “I like scary movies too and scary books [....] I just like the suspense.”

After McGill, Hakizimana does not know if she will continue playing basketball.

“That was my dream as a kid, but I got a few bruises and injuries along the way,” she said. “But I’m going to think about it [and decide] soon.”

Whether or not she continues to play basketball, Hakizimana plans to pursue a career in social work.

“I want to help youth,” Hakizimana said. “I want to work with kids and young adults to be there for whatever they need me to be there for. Just help them go down the right path. I love helping, and I like

Fifthyear Gladys Hakizimana has learned many valuable life lessons from her time playing basketball.

(McGill Athletics)

listening, so that’s the main reason I went into social work.”

Although her final season has had a rough start with three losses so far, Hakizimana remains hopeful that results will improve over the rest of the season.

“As a team we’re going [one] game at a time, so no pressure,” Hakizimana said. “But, we’re definitely trying to win Provincials and head to Nationals and hopefully go for the gold.”

A letter to female sports fans Finding community in a male-dominated space Zoe Babad-Palmer Staff Writer Dear fellow female sports fans, It has been a mixed couple of decades for us. We’ve seen the enactment of Title IX and the success of Bianca Andreescu.

Interest in sports is growing among younger women: In 2014, 48 per cent of women under 50 reported being interested or very interested in sports, compared to 36 per cent of women over 50. Gender distribution among NFL fans is almost equal, with 47 per cent of viewers being female.

I am inspired to see female sports fans come together and lift each other up. When I first got into sports, I was lucky enough to find a group of women online with whom I was comfortable talking, and that made a huge difference for me.

This support system is crucial. At every turn, and with every instance of progress, our position within the world of sports fandom has been called into question. If we follow women’s sports, we are told that no one cares, that there will never be an audience, and that they are not as entertaining, so we should watch real (men’s) sports. If we follow men’s sports, we are incessantly badgered with demands to prove that we are “real fans.” Do we only follow them because of our fathers? Our boyfriends? Do we only care about the attractive players?

We keep watching, though. We support

women’s leagues, even when the arenas are tiny and the players only have time to practice in between working their fulltime jobs. We put up with patronizing pink merchandise from our favourite teams. We gather our friends and go to games, ready to wield memorized rosters, statistics, and historical facts in case we need to demonstrate that we fit men’s definition of a “real fan” and win their acceptance.

Every woman who loves sports has faced opposition, and it breaks my heart to think about all the women who have stopped interacting with online fan communities because they grew tired of misogynistic slurs. And, when I think of the women who are hounded for daring to criticize a beloved player and are then told that they have to either be a girl or a sports fan, that heartbreak turns into rage.

Besides the harassment that we put up with both in person and online, we also have to live with the knowledge that there are athletes in our favourite leagues with histories of domestic violence that male fans often do not care about. Abuse from famous athletes flies under the radar because a case was dropped for lack of evidence, or a settlement was reached outside of court, or the victim was afraid for her life. The knowledge that violence against women is treated as a speed bump in a player’s career is enough to make most women want to change the channel.

Even if you do not find the same

Female sports fans regularly face harassment despite constituting a significant portion of sports viewers. (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

community as I did, do not let that deter you from watching your favourite teams and supporting your favourite players, because you do not owe it to anyone to explain or defend your position as a sports fan. And, remember that there are other women in the same position, sharing the same experiences.

So, with all that said, keep being amazing, (female) sports fans. I have a feeling that it’s only going to get better for us.

Stay strong,

ZOE

16

SPORTS

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26 2019

Martlet hockey falls to crosstown rivals Concordia beats McGill 2–1 Kaja Surborg Sports Editor McGill women’s hockey (3–6) fell 1–2 to top-ranked Concordia (8–1) in a fast-paced game on Nov. 24. Concordia gained the upper hand early, scoring just 55 seconds into the first period. The Martlets allowed a second goal on a power play later in the period, after thirdyear centre Marika Labrecque was called for a penalty. The period ended with six shots on goal for the Martlets and eight for the Stingers.

“I feel good about our team,” Martlet Head Coach Peter Smith said. “The reality is that we’ve had three games [where] I thought we played real well, [but] we came out [on] the short end.”

The second period saw an uptick in momentum for the Martlets with 14 shots on goal to 10 from Concordia. Fourth-year forward Léa Dumais put McGill on the scoreboard with a goal poked past the Concordia defence after a struggle around the net, assisted by fourth-year defence Rachel Santini and third-year forward Christiana Colizza. This was Dumais’s fourth goal in three games. The second period also saw Concordia’s only penalty, given for interference, handing McGill a power play 15 minutes into the period. McGill was unable to score again; however, the next two power plays for the Stingers produced no goals, demonstrating the Martlets’ strong defence and performance under pressure.

“The game started at three o’clock and we didn’t start playing at three o’clock,” Smith said. “Against a team like that you have to play a full 60 minutes, and we got probably a good 45

MOMENT OF THE GAME Assisted by Rachel Santini and Chistiana Colizza, fourth-year forward Léa Dumais scored her fourth goal in two home games in the second period. In the 2018-19 season, Dumais became the fourth highest scoring player in Martlet hockey history.

QUOTABLE “I like what we have going on and I feel good about our team. We work hard.” - Head Coach Peter Smith on the Martlets moving into the second half of the season.

The Martlets let in two goals early and were never able to catch-up to top-ranked Concordia. (Ben Joppke / The McGill Tribune)

[minutes] out of it, but we didn’t get 60.”

Both teams kept a clean slate in the third period, with a game total of 24 shots on goal for both teams. The pace of play picked up in the third period with McGill skating hard and fast in an attempt to even the score. While the Martlets could not put themselves back on the score sheet, they remain hopeful for their final game before the break.

“We only have one game left, so we obviously want to finish on a high note,” Smith

said. “We are playing [University of Ottawa] next Saturday, and we would like to do well, and we need to get some healthy bodies back.”

The break promises to give the Martlets a chance to recuperate from the first half of the season and focus on moving forward and qualifying for the provincial and national championships, coming in February and March, respectively.

The Martlets next face the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees (4–5) at home on Nov. 30.

STAT CORNER Fourth-year goaltender Tricia Deguire made 22 saves, demonstrating why she was invited to the USports Summer Showcase Tournament in August 2019.

USWNT star Megan Rapinoe is fighting the good fight

Rapinoe’s activism is a model for white allies everywhere Miya Keilin Managing Editor US Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) star forward Megan Rapinoe accepted Glamour’s Woman of the Year award on Nov. 11. The two-time World Cup champion has a hefty collection of awards for accomplishments on the field, but her activism off it is what makes her a true champion.

In September 2016, Rapinoe took a knee during the US national anthem before a National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) game, becoming one of just a few white American athletes to show solidarity with Colin Kaepenernick’s protest against police brutality and racism in the United States. She has also long been a part of the USWNT’s fight for equal pay: In March 2016, Rapinoe was among five USWNT members to file a complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunities commission, and in March 2019, she and 27 of her teammates filed a lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation, citing institutionalized gender discrimination.

Additionally, Rapinoe continues to use her platform to speak out against homophobia and transphobia in both sports and society, working with groups like the Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and Athlete Ally.

Many female athletes are thrust into an activist role because of the systemic sexism prevalent in sports, while their male counterparts have the privilege of being able to focus solely on their athletic careers. Rapinoe, however,

Soccer star Megan Rapinoe is effectively using her platform to serve as an ally.

(FIFA / Getty Images)

recognizes that she cannot just advocate for gender or queer issues, with which she has personal experience. Oppression is intersectional, and while she may experience many barriers, she also benefits from certain privileges.

In her acceptance speech at the 2019 Woman of the Year awards ceremony, Rapinoe was humble and emotional. She thanked Glamour and recognized the diversity of women receiving this year’s award. Early on, she acknowledged Kaepernick’s role in her rise to fame through her activism, noting that she would not be the activist she is today without him.

“While I’m enjoying all of this

unprecedented, and, frankly, a little bit uncomfortable, attention and personal success [...], Colin Kaepernick is still effectively banned from the NFL for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of known and systematic police brutality against people of colour, known and systematic racial injustice, and known and systematic white supremacy,” Rapinoe said. “[...]

It would be a slap in the face to Colin, and to so many other faces, not to acknowledge, and for me personally, [not] to work relentlessly to dismantle that system that benefits some [to] the detriment of others and, frankly, is quite literally tearing us apart in this country.”

Rapinoe consistently recognizes her privilege and uses her platform to give power to marginalized voices. She could have spent the bulk of her speech addressing her lawsuit and the issues female soccer players face; she could have spoken about queer issues and promoted her own activist work; she could have brought up Donald Trump’s Twitter attack against her during the World Cup and criticized the very real and dangerous consequences of his words and actions. These are all important issues, and they are issues that affect her personally. However, Rapinoe used her acceptance speech to share her platform.

“I’m not going to act like it wasn’t Colin Kaepernick, Tarana Burke and the #MeToo movement, Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi of Black Lives Matter, the women of Time’s Up, Harvey Milk, Gloria Steinem, Audre Lorde, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, and the injustices that so many others face that have put me in this very position,” Rapinoe said.

“And I’m not going to act like my whiteness has nothing to do with me standing before you now.”

White athletes—and white people—would do well to follow Rapinoe’s lead by sharing their platforms to provide room for the voices of marginalized individuals.

“We’ve got to switch the game up,” Rapinoe said. “Caring is cool. Lending your platform to others is cool. Sharing your knowledge and your success and your influence and your power is cool. Giving all the fucks is cool. Doing more is cool.”