The McGill Tribune Vol. 37 Issue 1

The McGill Tribune

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2017 | VOL. 37 | ISSUE 1

Published by the SPT, a student society of McGill University

McGILLTRIBUNE.COM | @McGILLTRIBUNE

EDITORIAL

McGILL 101

POP RHETORIC

The McGill community must confront the fentanyl crisis

The Tribune’s welcome guide

Taylor Swift is her own hot take

PG. 5

PGs. 2-4

Or face fatal consequences

Information, advice, and more

She doesn’t need yours

PG. 11

(Marie Labrosse / The McGill Tribune)

Café Mission Keurig: A day at a coffeehouse for Montreal’s homeless

PGs 8 - 9

The allegory of Trump in Canada Domenic Casciato News Editor As an American student at McGill, many of the things I’ve heard some Canadians say about the United States––

particularly its politics––have been false, absurd, and, on occasion, hypocritical.

More concerning, however, is the apparent failure of many Canadians to understand American politics and learn from our mistakes. In my experience,

Canadians distance themselves from the wave of populism that swept the U.S. during the 2016 election, but this isn’t indicative of Canada’s moral superiority– it’s suggestive of unpreparedness. To understand the challenges they might

face in this era of post-truth politics, Canadians need to step outside of their ivory tower and treat Trump as a lesson, not a punchline.

PG. 5

‘Big Brother’ now a tool to study linguistics An unlikely pair: Reality TV meets university research about accent dynamics in individuals Daniel Lutes Web Developer

After moving to a new place, some people’s accents change readily while others stay more or less the same for the rest of their lives.

McGill University linguist and Assistant Professor Morgan Sonderegger recently spearheaded a study that explores the science behind accent dynamics.

Some studies on accents have analyzed only one conversation with a subject, while others have spanned years of observation.

Sonderegger, however, wanted to explore the relatively unknown realm of mediumterm accent dynamics— how accents change over a timescale of months.

While this is not the first study on the subject, Sonderegger said that it’s “certainly the most detailed.”

Rather than using a lab setting, Sonderegger executed a “natural experiment.”

He likened his research to evolutionary biologists studying birds on an isolated island—where participants interacted only with each other

in a removed, yet natural, setting.

The researchers used the British version of reality TV show Big Brother to examine how people’s speech changed over a three-month period. Big Brother follows a group of contestants who live in a house together and are continuously voted off the show by viewers until a winner is selected. Sonderegger was drawn to the United Kingdom because of the extreme accent diversity in a relatively small geographic area.

PG. 13

2 MCGILL 101

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

(Illustrated by Elli Slavitch)

MyCourses revamped: 5 new things you can do A walk through the new website Audrey Carleton Managing Editor Come the start of each school year, many McGill students feel their blood pressure rise as they open myCourses for the first time, exchanging their summer freedom for new academic goals and bucket lists. But those who took summer courses, worked on research, or neurotically spent the summer checking the site for Fall 2017 course syllabi likely encountered the new layout, quietly launched at dawn on May 29. The new site features a sleek, minimalist user interface that allows professors to customize banner images and toolbars for individual courses.

Because navigating the new myCourses may feel daunting at first, The McGill Tribune explored the nooks and crannies of the new site to find its most user-friendly new features.

1. Pin your favorite courses, unpin the unnecessary ones The most noticeable–and arguably, most noteworthy–change to the new layout of myCourses is its accessibility to the average internet user. While the roster of one’s courses was once plainly listed, it has been replaced by interactive image blocks that are easy on the eyes. Moreover, the default selection of courses that appear on the homepage are those in which one is currently enrolled; students can unpin courses and pin differ-

ent ones to meet their needs. For example, if a professor leaves their myCourses page empty for the semester, students can unpin the course. In turn, they could then replace that course with an older one they’ve taken in the past, making it easier to access materials like study guides and lecture slides, down the road. While the “pin” and “unpin” functions were available on the old myCourses, the new homepage layout makes this function more visible and easier to use—it is now simply a matter of hovering over the three dots in the top right corner of each course block and clicking.

cluding clicks on lecture slides and readings, login frequency, and amount of time spent on a course page—and students can now view the same information about themselves.

Through the Progress function in the upperright-hand toolbar, students can now view a write-up of their own myCourses activity for any given course in a similar display that professors receive. For students in courses that mark online participation, or for those looking to make a good impression on their professor, this function is useful for keeping tabs on one’s individual activity level in each class.

2. Access your email and OneDrive with one click Accessing McGill’s email service once required sifting through link after link. The homepage of the new myCourses now features a single hyperlink that directs to Outlook 365 and OneDrive. Students can now save themselves the extra bookmark and easily access their email while studying. Not only does this make contacting professors easier, but it also saves time, energy, and unnecessary stress.

4. Access myCourses more smoothly via mobile phone There are a multitude of circumstances in which one may need to access myCourses from a phone or tablet: When finding a classroom number at the beginning of the semester, when desperately cramming information from lecture slides on the way to a midterm, or when checking the syllabus for the upcoming readings on the walk home from campus. Using myCourses on mobile once required scrolling through a sea of grey boxes reminiscent of early 2000’s internet browsers. But, the recent myCourses update provides a cleaner, more user-friendly mobile platform that looks identical to the desktop version, which makes the site easier to navigate on-the-go.

3. View your own activity level on a course page—as your professor sees it The myCourses update allows professors to view comprehensive reports on each student’s activity on the course page—in-

5. Work on a customized home page Though each course page once came with a plethora of (often unused) functions—including announcement pages, discussion forums, and online quizzes—the new myCourses layout allows professors to remove any elements of their toolbar that are not necessary for the course, thus decluttering the online workspace. What’s more, professors can now select an icon image to appear with the course listed on the homepage, truly customizing the site for students. All in all, the new control that professors have over their course page ensures that students are working in a space that is geared specifically towards each class and its demands.

MyCourses is full of new features (Arshaaq Jiffry / The McGill Tribune)

MCGILL 101

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Advice to our younger selves

What The McGill Tribune’s editors wish they’d known their first year

How to stay out of trouble while drinking

A rundown of rules around alcohol consumption in Montreal Legal Information Clinic at McGill It’s the start of a new school year and the season of back-to-school parties—a time to make new friends and catch up with old ones. Getting hit with a fine in the process, however, is no one’s idea of a fun Saturday night.

The Legal Information Clinic at McGill has provided some rules to keep in mind as you make the most of the precious few weeks before midterms hit–no tickets or court dates involved.

Authors pictured from left to right in order from list below (Ava Zwolinski / The McGill Tribune)

Jackie Houston, Opinion Editor: Find your balance During my first year, there were moments when I was caught between choosing to study and going out with friends–and I often chose the latter. This isn’t a cautionary tale against partying all the time at university; it’s a cautionary tale against doing anything all the time throughout your first year. My poison was Monday nights at Korova. For some of my friends, it was studying themselves into the ground. What we all needed was to strike a balance. Making your first year at university about too much of any one thing cuts you off from the big, wide world of everything else going on at McGill. (Spoiler: There’s a lot going on.)

Marie Labrosse, Features Editor: Adapting can be tough, but you’re tougher The first year of university is so full of highs that it can be easy to forget that it’s normal to experience lows as well. I distinctly remember one group Skype call in my first semester, during which a friend admitted that they were finding adapting to collegiate life difficult. Everyone agreed that we were enjoying ourselves, but that the adjustment wasn’t quite as easy as we had anticipated. The relief I felt sharing a cathartic cry with friends around the world lifted an enormous burden off my shoulders. Although you may not experience a collective cyber pity party, it’s important to remember that settling into life at university can take time.

Emma Avery, Managing Editor: Find your passion, don’t follow everyone else’s Although there are endless opportunities to get involved, don’t feel pressured to take certain classes or join particular clubs just because other people are. McGill can be an intensely competitive environment; it can feel like everyone around you is involved in five extracurriculars and studying something rigorous.

However, don’t join something just for the sake of being involved. Try out different activities and courses, but do so because you’re genuinely interested—not because your friend is, or because it will look good on your resume. Know that by the end of university, you’ll have found your niche.

Audrey Carleton, Managing Editor: Figure out what “productive” means to you Throughout my time at McGill, I’ve struggled with this image of productivity that involves locking myself in a library for hours at a time, giving up socializing and self-care to try to finish an unrealistic number of tasks–and then feeling disheartened when I inevitably don’t accomplish everything on my to-do list. I’ve come to realize that productivity doesn’t look the same across the board; the “best” way to study is different for everyone and it takes time to find what’s right for you. Listen to your mind and body when you feel drained and need to take breaks, and forgive yourself if you don’t get as much done as you plan to in one sitting.

Know the law–and don’t get caught breaking it Frosh is freshly over and you’ve just taken off your black bracelet–but remember that the laws for underage drinking still apply. For minors, there can be consequences for not following Quebec’s alcohol consumption laws. The legal drinking age in Quebec is 18 years old; as a provincewide rule, this means that anyone below the age of 18 is not permitted to purchase or consume alcohol.

Anyone may be asked to prove that they are of age in order to purchase an alcoholic beverage, to be admitted to places that serve alcohol–like bars, clubs, and pubs–or to stay on the terrace of such an establishment after 8 p.m. If you’re under 18 and wish to remain at a club, bar, or pub after 8 p.m., the law requires the accompaniment of a parent or legal guardian.

And fun fact: It is explicitly forbidden to impersonate a minor’s parent or legal guardian.

Before you or a friend consider using a fake ID, know that minors are not permitted to falsely represent their age in order to purchase alcoholic beverages. Minors who break these rules may be fined up to $100, so ditch the fake ID. If a minor wishes to contest this fine, they bear the burden of proving to a court that they were of full age at the moment they received the fine—a nearly impossible task.

Taking the party to the park OAP may be over, but the desire to drink during the last of Montreal’s fine weather remains. However, alco-

holic drinks cannot be consumed in public areas, except when they accompany a meal in a park. In some Quebec laws, “meal” is defined, for the purposes of consuming alcohol, as “food sufficient to constitute a person’s lunch or dinner.” Drinking alcohol accompanied by food is only allowed in parts of a park where the City of Montreal has installed picnic tables, though it is not necessary to dine at a table. As a rule of thumb, if you see picnic tables around, it is safe to eat and drink there. The mandate that requires food with open alcohol applies to the boroughs of PlateauMont-Royal and Ville-Marie–an area which includes the downtown campus–Parc du Mont-Royal, Parc Jeanne-Mance, Parc La Fontaine, and the Milton-Parc neighbourhood.

If you do plan to take your party to the park, there are some other rules to consider. Montreal’s major parks— which include Parc du Mont-Royal, Parc Jeanne-Mance, and Parc La Fontaine—are open to the public from 6 a.m. to midnight. Outside of opening hours, it is forbidden to be in parks, except when the city or borough in which you live issues a permit to hold an event, per your request. Smaller parks are run by the various boroughs within Montreal, each with their own opening hours, which are generally posted at the park’s entrance. Being in parks past their hours–especially if you have alcohol–may lead to a fine of $100 to $150 for a first offense, with fines of up to $1,000 for any further infractions.

The Legal Information Clinic at McGill (LICM) is a free, confidential, and bilingual legal information service run by law students. In accordance with Article 128 of the Act Respecting the Barreau du Quebec, student-volunteers provide information, not legal advice.

From the team at the LICM, we wish you a fun and safe back-toschool season. We hope that this information helps you make responsible decisions about your own alcohol consumption.

Calvin Trottier-Chi, News Editor: Embrace personal growth Regardless of how far you’ve travelled, coming to McGill is a huge adventure on which to embark. Your first year is a chance to reinvent yourself and push your boundaries. Try to look at each experience as an opportunity to learn more about yourself–the more experiences you have, the more you’ll grow. Get engaged, join clubs, and enter growth-sparking discussions with everyone you come across--don’t be afraid to branch out. Whatever happens will make for a great story and add to the narrative that is you.

Nicholas Jasinski, Editor-in-Chief: Find what you’re good at and do that Successfully getting involved in a club or team over the course of your McGill career resembles the shape of a triangle. At first, it’s skinny, only taking up a bit of time and leaving room for plenty of parallel interests and activities. But as you move your way up the ladder and become more deeply involved in those extracurriculars, the triangle widens, taking up more of each week. Take advantage of the time you have in first year to try many things. Then, do what you’re good at, what you find rewarding, and what you see yourself enjoyably investing the most in later on.

3

All fun, no fines. (Erica Stefano / The McGill Tribune)

4 MCGILL 101

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

McGill Governance 101

An introduction to the governing bodies at McGill Calvin Trottier-Chi, Holly Cabrera, Domenic Casciato & Audrey Carleton News Editors & Managing Editor

(Florence Min / The McGill Tribune)

POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS’ BOARD OF GOVERNORS STUDENTS’ SOCIETY OF MCGILL UNIVERSITY (SSMU) SOCIETY (PGSS) (BOG) Who They Are

The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) is the representative and governing body for all students pursuing undergraduate and professional degrees at McGill. Its base of operations is the University Centre—also known as the Shatner Building, named after a particularly famous graduate. From there, it organizes student events, oversees close to 300 clubs, and negotiates with other governance bodies—like the Senate and Board of Governors—on behalf of its constituents.

What They Do SSMU is led by seven student executives who are elected at the end of each academic year.

The SSMU Executive mandate includes supervising undergraduate clubs and extracurricular activities, managing and ensuring the sustainability of Gerts and other long-term operations, advocating for student interests in the Senate, and planning social events, including Frosh. SSMU’s policies are decided at the Legislative Council, where the executives sit with 30 councillors who represent both faculties and extracurricular groups. Any councillor can propose a motion, which is then voted on at Council and may become law. Additionally, several councillors deliberate McGill policies at the McGill Senate. The Judicial Board, which ensures that SSMU adheres to its constitution, is comprised of seven students, predominantly from the Faculty of Law. Undergraduate students can directly influence SSMU by attending its General Assemblies and Referendums, both of which are held once every semester.

Recent Events Last academic year, SSMU enacted policies to provide cost-free birth control coverage and menstrual products for students. It also supported Floor Fellows in successfully bargaining with McGill for a wage, in addition to the room and board they had received previously. At the end of the Winter 2017 semester there were a number of resignations within SSMU. In April, SSMU announced the permanent closure of its student-run cafeteria, Sadie’s, for financial reasons. Currently, SSMU is drafting a Gendered and Sexualized Violence Policy.

Who They Are

The Postgraduate Students’ Society (PGSS) is an association that represents graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at McGill. The Society is led by six executive officers, six supporting administrative staff members, and five commissioners who assist officers with coordinating activities and implementing policies. PGSS Council is the Society’s highest governing body, and consists of elected students from each postgraduate student association (PGSA). Each PGSA has a number of seats on Council proportional to the size of its student population. To reach quorum, one third of the councillors must be present at Council. PGSS Council is responsible for ensuring that policies reflect the values of constituents, approving and amending the PGSS budget, and holding officers accountable for their actions.

What They Do PGSS representatives speak on behalf of postgraduates, meeting once a month to debate and vote on policies related to the Society’s long-term vision. Additionally, it liaisons with other governance bodies at McGill and beyond. Part of PGSS’ mandate is to provide an accessible social environment and improve the quality of student life for postgraduate students. In doing so, the executive plans events for students, including cocktails, meditation hours, and workshops, most of which take place at its headquarters, the Thomson House.

Recent Events In an April 2017 referendum, PGSS renewed its Health and Dental Plan to increase the services available for students such as dental preventative services and physiotherapy coverage. Over the past few years, PGSS has prioritized the development of an Orientation Week for its students. This year, the third annual PGSS Orientation will conclude on Sept. 13, the programming for which includes pub and food crawls, a movie night, a barbecue, a Macdonald Campus Activity Day, and a bike tour.

Who They Are The McGill Board of Governors (BoG) is the university’s governing body, comprised of 25 voting members and two non-voting student observers. The voting members include two administrative staff—Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier and Chancellor Michael Meighen—two professors, two Senate representatives, three Alumni Association representatives, two professors, and two administrative and support staff representatives. Two students are voting members of the BoG: SSMU President Muna Tojiboeva and PGSS President Jacob Lavigne.

Student observers from the McGill Association of Continuing Education Students (MACES) and the Macdonald Campus Students’ Society (MCSS) sit on the BoG as non-voting members.

What They Do The BoG serves as the final authority over all of the university’s academic, business, and financial affairs, and is responsible for the maintenance and administration of daily activities at McGill. The BoG is comprised of eight standing committees, including the Building and Property committee, the Finance committee, and the Committee to Advise on Matters of Social Responsibility. The BoG is scheduled to meet five times over this upcoming school year.

Recent Events Over the course of 2016, the BoG held several open forums during which students were invited to voice their concerns over administrative decisions. Most notably, the Open Forum on Sustainability was held in September 2016 to address student concerns over the campus’ carbon footprint after the BoG’s vote against divesting from fossil fuel companies. The BoG also held a closed session on May 25 of this year, during which they voted to reappoint Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier for a second five-year term, set to begin July 1, 2018.

SENATE Who They Are The Senate governs all academic policy at McGill, and includes representatives from all of McGill’s constituent groups, including students, faculty, staff, administrators, members of the Board of Governors, and alumni.

Members of the Senate, called “Fellows,” are either elected, appointed, or given membership based on their office. Of the 21 student senators, 13 are elected by SSMU, including the SSMU President and Vice-President University Affairs. The remaining eight include two members of MACES, one member of MCSS, and five members of the PGSS, including a single postdoctoral scholar.

What They Do The Senate is mandated to govern academic policies, such as the development of curricula, regulations for admissions, and requirements for degrees, diplomas, and certificates. It additionally takes on a much broader role at McGill, including managing the university’s libraries, developing its infrastructure, and administering Student Services. The Senate is comprised of nine standing committees, which include the Senate Steering Committee, the Committee on Libraries, and the Honorary Degrees and Convocations Committee.

The Senate meets on a monthly basis, with its first session in September and its last in May. During Senate meetings, standing committees deliver reports, senators hold Question and Response sessions, and senators vote on policies and nominations.

Recent Events On Nov. 23, 2016, the Senate unanimously approved a Policy Against Sexual Violence, the first policy of its kind in McGill’s history. The policy defines sexual violence and creates university infrastructure for disclosing, reporting, and responding to such incidents at McGill. In May 2017, the Senate delivered a number of revisions and expansions to the Policy on Harassment, Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Prohibited by Law and approved appointments to many staffed positions created by the Policy, most notably eight Assessors tasked with the intake and management of reports of sexual harassment.

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Editor-in-Chief Nicholas Jasinski editor@mcgilltribune.com Creative Director Noah Sutton nsutton@mcgilltribune.com Managing Editors Audrey Carleton acarleton@mcgilltribune.com Emma Avery eavery@mcgilltribune.com Selin Altuntur saltuntur@mcgilltribune.com News Editors Holly Cabrera, Domenic Casciato, Calvin Trottier-Chi news@mcgilltribune.com Opinion Editors Jackie Houston & Alexandra Harvey opinion@mcgilltribune.com Science & Technology Editor Isabella Siemann scitech@mcgilltribune.com Student Living Editor Grace Bahler studentliving@mcgilltribune.com Features Editor Marie Labrosse features@mcgilltribune.com Arts & Entertainment Editors Dylan Adamson & Ariella Garmaise arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editors Stephen Gill & Selwynne Hawkins sports@mcgilltribune.com Design Editors Daniel Freed & Elli Slavitch design@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editor Ava Zwolinski photo@mcgilltribune.com Multimedia Editor April Barrett multimedia@mcgilltribune.com Web Developers Daniel Lutes webdev@mcgilltribune.com Parth Khanna online@mcgilltribune.com

OPINION 5

McGill Frosh week just ended.

It’s September’s biggest party, and, for many students, a comprehensive introduction to the school’s party culture. Healthy McGill, Floor Fellows, and other student leaders encourage first-years to have fun, but be safe––they acknowledge that some young people do drugs, and emphasize harm reduction over lecturing or guilt-tripping, in line with McGill’s programs on student drug use.

As they should. However, this approach needs an update, one that accounts for an increasingly critical source of harm. Fentanyl, a powerful and deadly synthetic opioid, is on the rise in Montreal’s drug scene.

Whether a student is a regular drug user, or a just-this-once type, fentanyl is a real and prevalent danger. Even if they don’t use drugs at all, it’s likely they know someone who does.

These are the facts: Fatal opioid overdose linked to fentanyl is a public health crisis in Canada. Both those who struggle with addiction and casual drug-users are unknowingly overdosing on drugs laced with fentanyl, and, far too frequently, they are dying. While Alberta and British Columbia have been hit hardest by recent spikes in fatal overdoses, this is not a provincial epidemic––it is a national one, and

OFF THE BOARD

Business Manager Daniel Minuk business@mcgilltribune.com Advertising Executives Grayson Castell, Noah Cohen, Vincent Li ads@mcgilltribune.com Publisher Chad Ronalds

TPS Board of Directors

Nicholas Jasinski, Daniel Minuk, Katherine Hutter, Julia Métraux

Alec Regino, Amanda Fiore, Anthony Kuan, Arshaaq Jiffry, Ceci Steyn, Daria Kiseleva, Emma Gillies, Erica Stefano, Florence Min, Georgia Maxwell, Grey Gunning, Julia Metraux, Kendall McGowan , Koji Shiromoto, Mason Posival, Maxime Scraire, Morgan Davis, Nadia Boachie, Natalie Vineberg, Nishat Prova, Oceane Marescal, Ryan Canon, Ryan Canon, Virginia Shram

Tribune Office

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

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

it has reached Quebec. Since August 1, there have been 24 confirmed drug overdose cases in Montreal, and 12 deaths linked to overdose.

Moreover, a Montreal Public Health surveillance initiative of drug users in the city revealed that many users unknowingly take drugs cut with fentanyl. The agency has declared the situation a public health emergency.

Yet, there has been virtually no conversation on campus about how to best educate and protect students using drugs in this new landscape.

This needs to change. In this ongoing epidemic, students and young people are especially at risk, given the way university culture tends to normalize excessive drinking and drug use. The McGill administration, the Students Society of McGill University (SSMU), and students themselves must take proactive steps now––both educational and harm reductionfocused––to address the real threat that fentanyl and similar synthetic opioids present to students and their friends.

The rapid spread of fentanyl across Canada is in part due to the opioid’s infinitesimal size. Fentanyl is up to 100 times more powerful than morphine, so it only takes an amount equivalent to a single grain of salt to feel the drug’s effects. An amount roughly the size of two grains of salt

Domenic Casciato News Editor Continued from page 1.

I first noticed the trend of condescension toward Americans during my orientation week in 2014. A girl I had met at Frosh complained to me about how she wanted to visit Vermont, but was seriously concerned about the risk of being shot in the United States. She was worried about Vermont, the state that has consistently scored the lowest per capita violent crime rate in the entire country.

It only became worse as classes began. As an aspiring political science major, I enrolled in a number of introductory courses, excited to learn about Canadian government and

antidote drug that blocks the effects of an overdose long enough for a victim to reach a hospital. UBC has also trained campus medical aid teams on administration of the drug. It’s essential that the McGill administration moves to make naloxone freely accessible on campus.

In the meantime, preventative action must be taken through education and raising awareness. The University of Alberta, for example, has distributed informational posters on campus about the dangers of opioids.

This is not only the administration’s responsibility. SSMU ought to follow suit, and update its programming on safe partying––particularly its informational resources directed at first-year students––to provide students with the information they need to keep themselves safe, such as where and how to get their own drug testing and naloxone kits.

All the safety precautions in the world won’t make much of a difference if the McGill community doesn’t take this new risk seriously, and start the conversation on campus on how its members can best respond and support each other––now, not later. On this issue, it’s unacceptable for McGill or SSMU to drag their feet. Hindsight isn’t good enough when students are at risk of dying.

can be enough to kill a person.

Those grains are mixed with fillers or other street drugs––including popular party drugs like cocaine and MDMA––and sold for spectacular profit, thanks to how little fentanyl is needed to produce a high. Often, that high comes at devastating cost.

Between January and July of this year alone, fentanyl was found in 706 fatal overdose victims in British Columbia.

Someone overdosing minutes after doing a single line of cocaine used to be the stuff of exaggerated, war-on-drugs propaganda. Now, it’s not such an unlikely reality. That’s not to say McGill should start a campus-wide crackdown on drug use.

Destigmatizing addiction, addressing the mental health challenges that so often correlate with substance abuse, and offering students support rather than judgment should remain utmost priorities, now more than ever. But, it is also imperative that the McGill community update its risk profile of drug use, and adapt harm reduction practices––both proactive and responsive––accordingly.

Other Canadian universities have already taken such steps. The University of British Columbia, the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, and the University of Manitoba have all started distributing naloxone kits. Naloxone is an

The allegory of Trump in Canada politics. Yet it seemed not a day went by without my professors disparaging, satirizing, or criticizing the United States.

Quips about climate change denial, American jingoism, and worsening race relations in the United States became regular.

It wasn’t that I hadn’t heard these criticisms before, nor that I disagreed with most of them.

But, they were recycled and uninsightful, and hearing them

Copy Editor Ayanna De Graff copy@mcgilltribune.com

Contributors

EDITORIAL

The McGill community must confront the fentanyl crisis–or risk fatal consequences

“

I was asked on numerous occasions by Canadian peers to “explain Trump,” as if Canada were a stranger to populism and xenophobia.

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from Canadians forced me into a defensive position.

Then, along came Trump.

It felt as if my political science courses had been been moved into an actual echo chamber. I heard the same stale remarks about Trump’s spray tan, hair, unusual cadence and

speaking style, and Twitter infatuation on a daily basis.

The aspiring comedians of the department were everywhere.

Sometimes they were funny. More often, they were aggravating and condescending. I was asked on numerous occasions by Canadian peers to “explain Trump,” as if Canada were a stranger to populism and xenophobia.

It’s easy to mock something, but it’s much harder to actually explain it. It’s important to note that only approximately 27 per cent of eligible American voters voted for Trump. If you include the entire U.S. population, that number drops to less than 20 per cent. Although talking heads and political columnists alike have offered their theories, none have stuck. Several months later, the majority of Americans are still grasping at straws to explain Trump’s election.

This isn’t a #NotAllAmericanVoters plea, nor is this a call to stop criticizing Trump. Trump is beyond worthy of criticism. But, while Canada’s politics haven’t become quite as vitriolic, symptoms of the same kind of populism that elected Trump are present north of the border.

A June 2017 poll of 5,568 Canadians by The Canadian Press

found that 71 per cent believed that populist ideology was on the rise in Canada. The nationalist, anti-immigration tones of Kellie Leitch’s short-lived Conservative leadership candidacy are a case in point. Moreover, 20 per cent of the poll respondents saw this trend as a good thing; that’s the same portion as the fraction of Americans who voted for Donald Trump.

The smug condescension I’ve experienced while discussing U.S. politics with many of my McGill peers is reminiscent of the tone journalists took in the early days of Trump’s bid for president.

Trump was almost welcomed with open arms to the race by liberals, if for no other reason than the comic fodder he provided.

Envisioning a Trump presidency, many Americans thought, “That could never happen here.” Then he started moving closer to the centre of the platform in the Republican debates. Then he won the nomination. Then he won the election.

I’ve found that many Canadians view U.S. politics as a similar kind of comic fodder: Alarming, but distant and absurd. The only difference is that Americans are no longer laughing. Canadians ought to take note.

6 OPINION

COMMENTARY

Grey Gunning Contributor What people refer to when they talk about organic food has become a point of contention.

Technically, the term “organic” refers to a food item that is grown according to certain Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) standards; culturally, it is more expansive. To some people, going “organic” signifies leading a more ethical lifestyle. To others, it is an example of the financial inaccessibility of eco-friendly consumption. Whatever one’s thoughts are on eating organically, to consider eating as an act of consumption––both economically

COMMENTARY

Anthony Kuan Contributor Amid the throngs of Frosh shirts and the oceans of newly-purchased McGill merchandise that mark Orientation Week, there is another sight that stands out on campus during the last week of August: A white T-shirt emblazoned with the Harvard University crest and captioned, “Harvard: America’s McGill.”

Virtually every McGill student by now has heard its various nicknames, such as the “Harvard of Canada,” the “Harvard of the North,” and “Canada’s Ivy League.” Regardless of when these terms were born, they risk creating a gratifying air of prestige for McGill students and alumni.

Equating McGill with Harvard, an elite American college, can hardly be substantiated in facts. This comparison is not merely misleading, but it bases McGill’s reputation on the fame of another university. Praising McGill in

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Conscious eating: More than just labels and physically––is not conducive to an environmentally conscious diet.

It alienates the individual from the conditions under which the food was produced. To eat in a way that is environmentally responsible, it is necessary to alter one’s mindset surrounding food.

One must view eating as participation in an ecosystem, rather than a disjointed transaction, and make dietary choices accordingly.

This means that there is no blanket fix, such as eating exclusively organic or local produce.

Instead, the solution lies in small actions, each one approaching an affirmative answer to the question, “Are my eating choices in harmony with the ecosystem that produces my food?”

Marketplace signifiers such as “organic” might seem to indicate a more ethical choice, but this can be misleading. Organic food, firstly, is financially inaccessible to those who cannot participate in the consumer class. It is also a niche market––a subset of the food industry that only targets a specific population––and therefore does not have the capacity to affect change across all demographics.

Eating organic is only one potential component of maintaining a

conscientious and informed relationship with food.

To achieve this goal, one must be conscious of the consequences of consumption. For example, every meal has a carbon footprint, and it is the responsibility of the individual to mitigate the unnecessary expenditure of energy.

Eating local is the most obvious way to be conscious of this, but other factors also come into play. It is more beneficial to eat seasonal foods or preserved foods

to make sure that food is available out of season. Out of season food must be shipped hundreds or thousands of miles, wasting fuel.

This is the epitome of viewing food as a consumer good, instead of a varied and cyclical subset of the natural environment.

Another element to consider is the scale at which a food item is produced.

There’s more to ethical eating than just eating organic (Amanda Fiore / The McGill Tribune) than, say, fresh berries in January.

The idea of going to the grocery store and purchasing whatever you like, at any time, is dangerous because it necessitates the unnecessary expenditure of energy

For example, at its current scale, the beef industry is wasteful and destructive, an active threat to the global ecosystem. The production of four ounces of mass-produced beef creates the

same amount of greenhouse gas emissions as driving six and a half miles. This does not mean that cattle production as a whole is a horrible thing. Rather, it is the eater’s responsibility is to help shift the food culture from one that is absurdly meat-heavy to one in which meat is consumed more sparingly.

Finally, it is necessary to consider the livelihood of human beings. People too are a part of the biotic community. This is where eating organic produce may actually be of value, as certain pesticides are proven to have a connection with illnesses in farmworkers. Empathy for the people who produce the food one buys is the final link in the chain of compassionate eating.

The goals of a food production company are not always analogous to the goals of the environmentally-conscious eater. Likewise, the words “organic” or “local” do not necessarily indicate the most environmentally-conscious choice. It is only by reframing society’s perspective on food as a consumer good that one can enact legitimate change.

Rethinking the “Harvard of Canada:” McGill must be appreciated on its own terms terms of anything but itself undermines its independent merits, and how they are appreciated.

Referring to McGill as the “Harvard of Canada” is fundamentally disingenuous for the simple reason that it is untrue. While a distinguished and reputable research university, McGill is simply not on par financially with private, elite American universities.

McGill only received C$477.8 million in research funding in 2013-2014— the fourth highest among all Canadian universities. In contrast, Harvard had over US$800 million for research in the same year. Additionally, McGill does not possess the same admissions selectivity that identifies schools like Harvard. McGill’s undergraduate

“

A university’s reputation us based on more than shallow analogies or pretences of prestige.

”

admissions acceptance rate was 46.3 per cent for Fall 2016, which is almost eight times the numbers estimated for Harvard, Stanford, and Columbia for the same year. Furthermore, McGill has fallen in international university

rankings for three years consecutively to number 32, according to Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), whereas Harvard and similar schools have comfortably remained in the top 10 in virtually every notable ranking. What is more tragic, though, is that McGill does its own reputation a disservice by framing it solely in comparison to elite American schools.

Representing McGill’s strengths only by international rankings or comparing it to another elite school suggests that it is either not recognizable, or not capable of being appreciated on its own. Yale University has never claimed the seat of the “Oxford of America,” and I have never heard a Stanford student boast about attending the “Harvard of the West.” The prestige of such universities, in areas like recognition, wealth, and research, is so enormously self-evident that analogies are totally unnecessary; these schools exist and are renowned for themselves.

McGill has extensive merits that qualify it for its own deserved reputation. To name a few achievements, McGill has produced the most Nobel laureates and Rhodes Scholars out of any Canadian school, it has hosted academics who have made seminal discoveries in the medical sciences, and it currently has the highest admissions grade averages out of any Canadian university. It has renowned researchers engaged in partnerships all over the world, and it is home to

an exceedingly intelligent, driven, and diverse student body. McGill is an exceptionally accomplished university, and its students should acknowledge this in and of itself, rather than using Harvard’s name to prove this point.

Moreover, there are advantages in McGill’s not being a Harvard or Princeton. As Stephen Gordon wrote for The National Post, the absence of elite institutions in Canada allows universities like McGill to provide good, accessible education to many capable students, while avoiding the rigid sense of hierarchy prevalent among many American colleges. It also doesn’t hurt that McGill’s tuition is a 10th of Harvard’s.

The sincerest way to appreciate and promote McGill is to accept the university for what it really is—not as Harvard, but as McGill. Learning what makes McGill a great university in itself will not only allow McGill students to foster more pride for their own school, but it naturally leads them to appreciate their place in its community.

McGill University is a firstclass research university with the faculty, students, connections, and accomplishments to strongly distinguish it in Canada and on the global stage. Students must realize that a university’s reputation is based on more than shallow analogies and pretenses of prestige. Evaluating McGill

Canada’s Harvard, or just McGill?

(Georgia Maxwell / The McGill Tribune) on its own terms, with all its strengths and shortcomings considered, is the most meaningful tribute that can be given to the university’s legacy and its unflagging dedication to greatness. So, forget Harvard.

Tuesday September 12, 2017

7 NEWS

Higher Education Minister announces $23 million investment in “zerotolerance” campus sexual assault policies

Quebec Government plans to force universities to adopt sexual violence policies Ryan Canon Contributor At a press conference on Aug. 21, Higher Education Minister Helene David announced that Quebec will invest $23 million into a new five-year sexual assault prevention strategy for university campuses across the province. In the announcement, David also expressed her plans to draft provincial legislation pushing universities that currently lack sexual violence policies to create them.

How this legislation will affect McGill, which passed its Policy against Sexual Violence less than one year ago, remains unclear. Dean of Students Christopher Buddle and Associate Provost Angela Campbell provided a joint statement on the announcement in an email to The McGill Tribune.

“Minister David’s announcement of a new Intervention Strategy for Preventing and Countering Sexual Violence in Higher Education is an important and welcome step forward for all universities in the province as we strive to address the significant challenge of campus sexual violence,” Buddle and Campbell wrote. “McGill’s Policy against Sexual Violence, as well as our Office for Sexual Violence Response, Support and Education, both established in 2016, have been critical to McGill’s own developments on this front.”

Buddle and Campbell confirmed that the current McGill policy will be subject to further review by the Committee for

the Implementation of the Policy against Sexual Violence. The Committee will hold an open panel to elicit feedback on the policy from the McGill community this fall.

Buddle and Campbell also expressed their plans to review the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures, the set of rules and punitive processes that apply to McGill students who commit academic offences, such as plagiarism and cheating, and non-academic offences, such as theft of university property and assault. The reviewal process could lead to amendments to the Code of Conduct that ensure that it best serves students’ needs.

SSMU President Muna Tojiboeva and SSMU VP External Connor Spencer also shared a joint statement with the Tribune about the Quebec government’s new initiative. While Tojiboeva and Spencer welcomed the action, they also made it clear that they take issue with the process that led to this investment.

“Our reservations stem from the consultation process that lacked accountability, intersectionality, and the centralization of voices of persons who have experienced sexual assault (PWESA) within the consultation processes,” Tojiboeva and Spencer wrote.

“We want to acknowledge that the policy is well-intentioned, but that until we see the promised bill, we are wary of the efficacy of the provincial strategy.”

The issue of sexual and gendered violence at McGill

became prominent in Winter 2017 after the resignations of the then SSMU VP External David Aird and President Ben Ger in response to allegations of sexual and gendered violence.

Additionally, the off-campus assault of former McGill student Kathryn Leci raised question about the limitations of existing McGill policies for handling cases of gendered violence within the student body.

The Community Disclosure Network (CDN), an anonymous group of survivors and allies that provides a space for disclosures about acts of sexual violence, has been a vocal advocate for reform of McGill’s Sexual Violence Policy, and were the first to call for former SSMU VP external David Aird’s resignation. In an interview with the Tribune, an anonymous representative of the CDN echoed Tojiboeva’s and Spencer’s concerns about the lack of inclusivity in the consultation process.

“Until we see what the actual bill is, we don’t actually know what they’re going to release, and until that time we remain very wary,” the CDN representative said. “[Included in consultation] was mostly mid-level educators and ministers deciding what to do about [the sexual violence policy]. The same thing happened with McGill’s policy, which was very well intentioned, but the voices who were making the decisions were not those who are affected by sexual violence on campus.”

Engineering students to develop solar-powered drone AERO McGill tackles agricultural drones Holly Cabrera News Editor For their required MECH 463D1 Design 3 Mechanical Engineering Project course, four U3 Mechanical Engineering students aspire to build a solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that will exceed the continuous flight time of agriculture UAVs currently on the market.

A Design 3 course, commonly referred to as a “capstone project,” spans two semesters and requires students in their final year to develop a mechanical device from start to completion. In the past, students have created off-road vehicles, bridges, and concrete canoes for their Design 3 capstone projects.

Callaghan Wilmott, Elie Bou-Gharios, Matthew Morgan, and Adam Targui intend to create an autonomous solar-powered drone to detect changes in water density and crop stress on farms and, as a result, further the use of artificial intelligence technology in agriculture.

The students will collaborate with three other teams of undergraduates from the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) department to create the UAV. Assistant Professor Jovan Nedic (Mechanical Engineering), Associate Professor Brett Meyer (ECE), and Associate Professor Margaret Kalacska (Geography) will supervise the drone’s development.

“There are lots of questions that farmers would like to have answered but they either don’t have the technical expertise or the human resources to go and do this,” Meyer said. “So, this particular drone project would allow a farmer to [...] keep better track of what’s happening with their crops [....] and ideally, [farmers] can do this all without needing to build their own drones or contract with people.”

While designing a project is a requirement of the McGill Engineering curriculum, the team insists that participating in the drone’s creation will not be exclusive to students in the Faculty of Engineering. In fact, Wilmott encourages non-engineering students to join the solar-powered UAV project in hopes of diversifying the skill set of their team as a whole.

“We are dominated by engineering students [...] and we do need skills that non-engineers can provide,” Wilmott said. “Creative skills like [web design], admittedly, we lack quite a bit [....] That’s one thing that we really need as a business. So, there are definitely opportunities for non-engineering students to get involved and we would definitely like to see that kind of involvement.”

Beyond seeing out the planning and design for the drone, the team is also responsible for financing the project. To garner

(Daria Kiseleva / The McGill Tribune)

Mechanical Engineering students collaborated to design a solar-powered UAV. (Daria Kiseleva / The McGill Tribune) sponsorships, the team’s business lead Alexander Gobran, U2 Arts, focused on companies in the energy sector. Early sponsors for the drone include The McGill Institute for Aerospace Engineering, EDF Énergie Nouvelles, Canadian Solar, and Leclanché. According to Gobran, the drone’s selling point is its potential flight efficiency.

“Right now a typical UAV used for land surveying must come down every 45 minutes to one hour to recharge or switch battery, which costs money and time,” Gobran wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “Our goal is to use solar energy to have our UAV fly for 10 hours which would provide great time and money savings. [....] It is also beneficial that UAV and solar technologies are at the forefront of modern innovation.”

Though the project is set to finish at the end of the Winter 2018 semester, the team hopes for the drone project to continue extracurricularly beyond that point. As Co-Directors of AERO McGill, a recognized Engineering Undergraduate Society design team, Willmot and Targui aspire for the project to become a multiyear extracurricular enterprise that future students can continue to improve upon.

“AERO has accepted to undertake the challenge of creating a solar-powered unmanned aerial system and has created a special projects division for that purpose,” Targui wrote in an email to the Tribune. “This project stemmed from our belief that it is important to push the boundaries of aviation.”

wv

Café Mission Keurig A day at a coffeehouse for Montreal’s homeless

1.

It’s only 9 a.m. on Friday Sept. 8, and the Café Mission Keurig is already buzzing just one hour after opening for the day. The entrance swings open to let in the morning’s patrons and the crisp St-Laurent air. Every weekday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., the café, one of the Old Brewery Mission’s (OBM) support services geared towards the homeless, welcomes close to 150 people. Some enjoy free coffee and take advantage of the internet access to browse YouTube and Facebook, or peruse the news online. Others use the space to rest, oblivious to the comings and goings of visitors, the background garble of the television, and the hum of conversation. The café is so busy that by 10 a.m., the milk and lunchboxes— apple slices and a bagel today—have all run out.

2.

3.

By: Marie Labrosse

Yet, the 8th of the month is not the café’s peak period.

Visitors describe a microcosmic environment where, over the course of a month, the clientele’s behaviour mimics the cyclical nature of the seasons. During the first week, when welfare cheques come in, the café’s clientele experiences a period of abundance. They have access to funds to pay for food or cigarettes, and consequently have less need for the café’s free indoor services. As the month progresses and their finances dwindle, they find refuge inside the coffeehouse. By the end of the cycle, the space can become cramped and the visitors boisterous, either out of frustration with the crowd or, in some cases, because they have sold their medication. When a new month dawns, the cycle begins once again.

One of the café’s earliest visitors, David, lives at the shelter on the second floor of the OBM’s Webster Pavilion, attached to the café. He visits most days, where he has a coffee and spends some time on the computers to jump-start his mornings. What really keeps him coming back, though, is the sense of community.

"He’s been coming here for four years,” David said, pointing out a man to his right. “And he’s been here the same time I have, since 2001,” he said pointing at another gentleman sitting at the table behind him. “You have all these people rallying around you like a family.”

4.

Sabrina has been working at the OBM for a month. She works two day shifts and two night shifts per week, and occasionally comes in upon special request—all this on top of her schoolwork as a second year student in sexology at UQÀM. Before starting university, she worked at a shelter on the South Shore, which then led her to seek out similar employment from the OBM. Most of her work takes place in the adjacent Webster Pavilion’s housing facilities—making rounds, answering questions, resolving issues, and filling out paperwork. Today is only her second time at the café.

“It’s comforting to be able to answer to a basic need and on a larger scale than just the people who sleep here. Anyone can come here,” Sabrina said. “I love intervention and counselling, I find it very nourishing.”

5.

6.

Julien (left) and Dominic (right), two café patrons, sit facing one another reading the newspaper and talking softly.

Neither is a frequent visitor; today is Julien’s first visit at the café and Dominic doesn’t come very often as it’s not easy for him to travel from Berri-UQÀM, where he spends most of his days. They both have different reasons for coming in: For Julien, it was better than sitting out in the cold; for Dominic, the café is a good place to meet up with friends and have a cup of coffee.

John arrived in the early afternoon to drink a cup of coffee after a free barbecue lunch at the Accueil Bonneau, another local facility for the needy. The café is his afternoon stopover on his usual route.

“I make a round, this is my coffee shop where I meet my friends,” John said. “I live in [rent-controlled housing], it’s a building for old farts really. But this place… this place has a story. It’s a social club as well as a real humbling experience.

It’s not [just] a place, it’s a home, it’s my sanctuary.”

For five years, John struggled with addiction and lived in a crack house without a stove to prepare his food. When the building was sealed off due to its degradation, its inhabitants were evicted. John immediately accepted a placement offer at a social housing facility downtown, seeing it as an opportunity for a fresh start. He started using the services offered to the homeless and needy, and found employment through the Accueil Bonneau’s “Miel de Bonneau” program.

He credits these institutions and the people who run them with helping him stay active and engaged with the Montreal community.

“A wave of really bad shit would hit the streets if it weren’t for places like this,” John said.

John describes the café’s mission as critical. He has never lived on the street, but to him one’s living situation doesn’t matter inside the café.

“In the end, we’re all coming in here from the sidewalk,” John explained.

Tuesday September 12, 2017

NEWS 10

Culture Shock funding dispute reveals deeper discord within SSMU Financial adjustment leaves QPIRG with responsibility for Social Justice event Kendall McGowan Contributor In August, the Union for Gender Empowerment (UGE) published an open letter condemning the Students’ Society of McGill University’s (SSMU) decision to cut funding for the Quebec Public Interest Research Group (QPIRG) McGill’s free, annual Culture Shock and Social Justice Days events. UGE is SSMU service that offers an alternative lending library, antioppression workshops, and resources for women’s and queer/trans-friendly healthcare. QPIRGMcGill is a student-run organization independent of SSMU that has a broad mandate to research and take action on social justice issues at McGill and in Montreal. Culture Shock and Social Justice Days aim to educate students on a range of issues, including white supremacy, colonialism, and xenophobia. The conflict over the funding arose from a continued difference of opinion over which organization holds responsibility for the events.

SSMU started Culture Shock, initially titled “Culture Fest,” in the early 2000s. Yet after finding the programming tokenizing of minorities, QPIRG-McGill approached SSMU and offered to help improve the programming in 2006.

The events have been treated as a collaboration between the organizations ever since. In previous years, Culture Shock was funded through both QPIRG’s application for one-time SSMU Funding subsidies and SSMU’s own annual operating budget—the former requiring annual reapplication, the latter serving as a consistent and reliable source of financing. Last year, SSMU provided QPIRG with $2,040 from its operating budget and $2,682 in grants, as well as logistical support for Culture

Shock and Social Justice Days.

According to UGE’s open letter, SSMU opted to defund Culture Shock this year due to financial difficulties. Yet, SSMU Vice-President Finance Arisha Khan clarified that while SSMU is no longer setting aside a portion of their operating budget for Culture Shock, the executive committee hopes to continue to support the program financially through other means. Khan and the rest of the executive committee hope QPIRG-McGill will apply for the full amount of event funding this year through the SSMU Funding pot, which serves to support any student group that applies, and often holds a surplus.

“It’s not an irrational thing we’re asking to do because there are specific funds set aside for programming that we can’t use for operations,” Khan said.

Lucie Lastinger, a member of both the UGE and the QPIRG-McGill boards, found it unreasonable for the SSMU executive team to request that QPIRG go through the funding application process for an event over which SSMU has historically held partial responsibility.

Lastinger also explained that the open letter was the sole initiative of the UGE as a token of solidarity for QPIRG’s events, but that QPIRG-McGill played no role in drafting the letter.

“Over the years, SSMU has been pushing [Culture Shock] more and more onto QPIRG, now to the point where it seems like SSMU doesn’t even remember this was their programming,” Lastinger said. “Now it’s like it’s [...] somehow unfair that SSMU is helping [QPIRG].”

Raphaële Frigon, Outreach Coordinator at QPIRG-McGill, expressed disappointment over SSMU’s decreased sense of responsibility for Culture Shock. Given that SSMU contributes

UGE expressed disappointment over SSMU’s decision to pull funding from QPIRG-McGill’s events. (Ceci Steyn / The McGill Tribune) $2,040 of their operating budget while QPIRGMcGill contributed $6,500 last year, Frigon was primarily concerned about the implications of the loss of support and partnership from SSMU. “They don’t want to claim ownership of [Culture Shock],” Frigon said. “Really, what we want is not $2,000. What we want is a partner [in SSMU]. Of course money is good [...] but room booking and having the support of the execs is important.”

In Khan’s understanding, ownership of the Culture Shock events was fully transferred to QPIRG in 2006, and as such, she feels it is most logical for SSMU to switch to a system in which

QPIRG is held accountable for financing and organizing Culture Shock, albeit through SSMU’s funds. She also emphasized SSMU’s continued public support for Culture Shock and Social Justice Days, and hopes to find common ground with QPIRG. “We’re working to figure out what a relationship means, for us as well as them, knowing that we’re going through a precarious time in terms of finances,” Khan said. “A relationship does not mean just SSMU gives you a bunch of money when you ask for it, and then gets nothing in return.

So we’re trying to piece those together but so far those conversations are going well.”

SUS Council recaps Frosh, plans semester events SUS executives announce plans in subdued first meeting Koji Shiromoto Contributor The General Council of the Science Undergraduate Society (SUS) held its first meeting of the semester on Sept. 6. During the meeting, SUS executives reported on their initiatives for first-year students and announced upcoming events, including an Executive Orientation, Grad Fair, and SUS Charity Month. Representatives from science departmental associations were also present; members of the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Arts and Science, and Biochemistry associations made brief statements reporting beginning-of-year updates.

Initiatives for First-Years SUS executive members began the meeting with presentations on several initiatives and resources for first-year Science students, including the First-Year Handbook designed by SSMU. The sixty-page booklet is a comprehensive guide to all parts of life for science students at McGill, with sections on resources and student services at McGill, picking U0 courses, and Montreal. The Handbook is now available for students to pick up for free in the SUS office, located in the basement of Burnside Hall.

“If you have first-year constituents, you can direct them to [the Handbook],” SUS VicePresident (VP) Communications Reem Mandil said. “It has a lot of good information about SUS,

the councils, Montreal, and courses.”

Council members also remarked on the success of Science Frosh, which had concluded just two days prior to the meeting.

“The city, the police, and the Dean of Students were really pleased with us, and they emailed us to thank us on our work,” SUS VP Internal Soud Kharusi said. “[It was the] first year that we sold out Science Frosh, so that was really big for us.”

The surplus from Frosh will be added back to the Society’s budget, so it will be capable of organizing more events than expected over the course of this year. ECOuture, a sustainable fashion show run by the Society’s Environment Committee (SUSEC) that was held annually as part of Green Week until its discontinuation after 2016, will be restored.

“We’re projected to make a significant surplus, which we’re planning on investing back into SUS infrastructure, resources, as well as bringing back old events, such as ECOuture,” SUS VP Finance Susan Ding said.

Grad School Initiatives Other initiatives on the agenda were intended to help graduating students prepare for applying to graduate school. For example, Ellie Joung, SUS VP Academic, announced the completion and release of Redbooks, a website that compiles application requirements for science graduate programs within and outside of Canada.

“Redbooks is a website that has information about grad schools, so you can search grad schools by area or location, or topics and departments,” Joung said.

In addition, Joung announced that school registration for the upcoming Grad Fair has hit its cap of 65 universities. The event, to be held on Nov 2nd in the SSMU Ballroom, is now in the process of recruiting student coordinators.

Upcoming Events SUS President Jasmine Leung announced that the SUS Fall General Assembly (GA) will be incorporated into the Society’s first annual Executive Orientation on Sept. 16. All Science undergraduates are eligible to attend the GA to propose and vote on motions. However, the results of these votes are only binding if the quorum of 100 members present is met.

“Hopefully the GA […] hits quorum, and we can bring to the fore exciting things, and also make it a precedent that GAs hit quorum, because we’ve never had one hit quorum in the past,” Leung said.

In addition, the SUS will hold its annual SUS Charity Month in November, with proceeds going to the Children’s Wish Foundation. VP External Michelle Guo announced that the month will include bi-weekly samosa sales, a Halloween party, an apartment crawl, and a concert. Medals will be awarded to the departments that raise the most money.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 11

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

POP RHETORIC

Taylor Swift is her own hot take

She doesn’t need yours Virginia Shram Contributor

As soon as Taylor Swift deleted her Instagram account, her fans (known as “Swifties”) predictably anticipated a new album, which recently was revealed to be entitled Reputation, scheduled for release Nov. 10. Using social media stunts as teasers is commonplace among pop stars and cultural icons, but Swift’s release of clips featuring slithering snakes drew ire over its subtly hostile intentions. As Swifties begun gossiping over this new dark and vengeful Taylor, critics collectively sighed, wondering who spurned T-Swift this time around. The promise of a snake’s metaphorical venom may have tantalized gossip magazines, but the cultural consensus is that Swift is pop enough to create certified bangers, yet too bland to produce anything of real musical noteworthiness or critical attention.

Vanity Fair’s Yohana Desta recently sarcastically wrote that this new shade of Swift “will be just a few shades light of Hot Topic.” Vulture wrote in turn that her new single “Look What You Made Me Do” sounded less like a bold anthem and more like “Disney-villain karaoke.” Amid all these accusations of inauthenticity, one has to wonder if Swift ever deliberately changed her image, or if she has merely been constantly manipulating the persona that has grown out of her most iconic moment—Kanye West awkwardly interrupting her at the VMAs in 2009.

In reality, Swift’s new release is not indicative of a significant turning point at all. Unlike figures such as Miley Cyrus, her artistic progression isn’t an angst-driven burst of individualist resistance. Rather, Taylor’s intangibility is itself the dominating feature of her fame. She has elbowed out her niche

until it grew from country-pop American sweetheart to iconic superstar spouting hollow bursts of feminism. While it is true that she markets her own white victimhood, it is also true that her feminism is evolving at a slow yet admirable pace, most recently with her successful court case against a groping DJ, where she decried victim-blaming and tackled the shameful stigma around sexual assault.

Certainly, in that moment at the VMAs, Swift swore to herself that she would never be caught u n a w a r e

again—at least, not without a suitably infamous “surprised face” for the occasion. If anything, the “new” Taylor Swift is an even more relentless curator of her own image, calculating each outfit, remark, and public appearance. Taylor Swift is her own hot

Selling out has never sounded so good. (media.timeout.com)

american dream lcd soundsystem

take—she hyperbolizes the awkward aspects of her public image, anticipating our hyperactive scrutiny and adapting her persona to preemptively respond. Her songs’ revenge fantasies are just a mass of generalized angst against that omnipresent, ultimately relatable evil: Other people’s opinions.

Her 2014 single “Bad Blood” boasted the same outward-flying blame when she sang: “Take a look at what you’ve done/ Did you have to do this?/ You know it used to be mad love.”

The old Taylor is dead.

(Natalie Vineberg / The McGill Tribune) The intent is identical in “Look What You Made Me Do”: Responding in vague ways to particular insults that both address

“We’re all going to die someday, so you change your mind,” James Murphy responded to a fan’s concerns regarding LCD Soundsystem’s (LCD) 2016 reunion.

This type of casual wisdom has defined the frontman’s work ever since the group’s first single “Losing My Edge’s” tongue-in-cheek jabs at hipster culture: “I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.” Still, despite the dance-punk icon’s transparency regarding LCD’s return, the quick change of heart understandably inspires some skepticism regarding the group’s motivations. Only five years after his band’s triumphant Madison Square Garden send-off, the man who had called it quits because “it ha[d] all just gotten bigger than I planned” was back, headlining Coachella on a several million-dollar deal.

From the first synth notes of american dream, the fourth LCD album­ — and first since their reunion—it is obvious that Murphy has lost neither his ear nor his edge. “oh baby” is a beaming melancholic croon that somehow finds room to breathe as it drowns in synth excess. This dynamic 80’s-post-punk production quickly reveals itself as the album’s sonic through-line,

the conflict in order to sustain it, and avoiding details that would make one appear too invested. It’s brilliant doublespeak.

Even when she is not overtly mentioning her West-inflicted victimhood, her discography centres ideas of self-approbation in response to jilted lovers, invasive paparazzi, or even the cloying public that unfairly interrupts Swift’s life to demand more—yet, in doing so, funds the relevance and success of Swift herself. Taylor Swift is untouchable because she has already heard your criticisms and adopted them as her next “edgy” persona— complete with uniform backup dancers and a pseudo-rap chorus for that “effortless” cool-girl vibe. She will oscillate between “Shak[ing] It Off” and being out for blood so fast that the two extremes coexist, rendering any outside “hot takes” useless, unable to cling to new ground.

Too many critics are distracted by the exactness of her lyrics, trying to tie them to the Kanye-Kim feud, or the Katy Perry feud, or some new theory involving Tom Hiddleston wearing that “I <3 Taylor” T-shirt back in the summer. Swift has spread the shade beyond the traditional scope of the spurned lover to cover everyone: from jerk ex-boyfriends and ungrateful colleagues, to the judgmental public and the journalists that keep analyzing her every move and claiming things as “honest” or “feminist” or “milquetoast”—or often a perpetual rotation of all three.

For all the bland inauthenticity Swift is accused of creating, she’s doing a pretty great job of making profit into its own revenge.

The fact that it’s an unsatisfying conclusion to the pettiness of her many feuds is exactly the point: She can draw the conflicts out for all they’re worth, and then some. And the Swifties will keep on buying it, because revenge can sound so goddamn catchy.

ALBUM REVIEW with arrangements ranging from the echoing drums of “how do you sleep?” to the barrage of delayed guitars on “emotional haircut.”

On the lyrical side, highlights including “american dream” and “tonite” are loaded with gems such as “Look what happened when you were dreaming/And then punch yourself in the face,” which Murphy sings with his trademark poignancy and off-thecuff delivery.

What truly separates this new release from its predecessors, however, is its cohesion. Insistently self-reflexive and obsessed with endings of friendships, love affairs, or lives, american dream sticks to its universal theme and specific sound to create what just might be LCD Soundsystem’s magnum opus.

In some way, maybe Murphy did sell out. But when the music is this good, the truth is, it doesn’t matter. And if your head is still in turmoil two years after the breakup, just put your headphones on and let the man himself remind you how easy it is to “change your mind.” You’ll surrender.

- Maxime Scraire (Contributor)

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

12 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

‘Baby Driver’ keeps audiences on their toes Director Edgar Wright delivers stylish genre thrills Ryan Canon Contributor Edgar Wright has made a career out of directing stylish comedies with a uniquely vibrant soundtrack, including Shawn of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. This makes Baby

Driver—a quirky action-comedy about a getaway driver who blasts music to drown out his tinnitus—the perfect vehicle for his singular approach to filmmaking.

The film centers on titular character Baby (Ansel Elgort), a getaway driver employed by criminal mastermind Doc (Kevin Spacey), who plans to escape his

Baby Driver is high -octane and quickly paced viewing (moviemom.maxlazebnik.com)

life of crime and run away with loveinterest, Deborah (Lily James). Baby Driver has the potential to catapult Elgort’s career to new heights. Previously known for his roles in films like The Faults in Our Stars and Divergent, Elgort breaks out of this young adult typecast and nails his performance as the quiet— yet—charming Baby. Equally charming is James as Deborah, a diner waitress who develops a relationship with Baby and dreams of driving West and never looking back. The driving force of the plot is Baby and Deborah’s desire to run away together, and Elgort and James do a convincing job selling their characters’ chemistry.

Though he possesses an impressive set of skills, Baby is an innocent and wellintentioned protagonist who holds strictly by his morals. He stands in stark contrast to the dangerous and unpredictable criminals that surround him, played by Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, Eliza Gonzales, and Jon Bernthal. Early on, it appeared as if each of these secondary characters might lack depth and complexity, as a lot of the acting in the movie is over-

the-top. However, after spending some time with the characters, they reveal new depths beyond caricaturist portrayals, rendering them surprisingly enjoyable to watch. Hamm gives a particularly brilliant performance as Buddy, who is one half of a Bonnie and Clyde-esque crime duo alongside Eliza Gonzalez as Darling.

The real star of this movie, however, is director Wright. Throughout his past films he has maintained a particular style which features many quick-cut montages edited in tune with the soundtrack. Given Baby’s need to listen to music at all times, the soundtrack is constant and unrelenting, with many recognizable songs each used in exciting and creative ways— such as the tracking shot set to “Harlem-Shuffle” that sees Baby dancing through city streets on his way to get coffee. Though some may see it as a gimmick, the use of music benefits the film enormously, and elevates the chase sequences in particular.

Baby Driver is an exciting and inventive action-comedy with a unique style brought to it by Wright. It is a refreshing new take on the genre and one of the better films from Summer 2017.

‘American Horror Story: Cult’ falls flat American Horror Story attempts to expose the cult mentality of Trump’s America Morgan Davis Contributor Shock value has always been a specialty of American Horror Story (AHS) creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. Continuously pushing the limits of cable television censorship, FX’s AHS has been a cult favourite for six seasons. Structured as an anthology, the series takes a different horror premise with each iteration, casting the same actors in different roles from season to season. Now entering its seventh installment, the show is taking that cult mentality literally. Using the United States’ severe political divide as a provocative starting point, the season begins on the night of Nov. 8, 2016—the date of the most recent American election.

Unfortunately, rather than achieving poignancy, this effort to remain relevant and scandalous comes across as exploiting Americans’ political anxiety for profit.

The difference between Cult and its preceding seasons is that few have taken place in modern times or incorporated real-life events. Season three’s the Axeman of New Orleans and the first season’s Black Dahlia of Los Angeles come to mind, but most of these “real world” events are often ghost stories or urban legends that have never been confirmed truths. This season, however, is taking AHS into unexplored territory by placing their characters and plot lines within fresh memories for its viewers.

Finding an entertaining yet accurate depiction of the 2016 election is a challenge, and one that Murphy and Falchuk were unable to meet. By taking the radical personas from both ends of the American bipartisan system, AHS parodies a political environment that is becoming increasingly threatening and overwhelming.

While villainizing many Donald Trump supporters, AHS also manages to awkwardly polarize liberal voters.

When learning of Trump’s victory, Winter (Billie Lourd) blasts CNN for not issuing a trigger warning before announcing the election results and then asks herself with a somber urgency, “What happens if I get pregnant?

Where do I get an abortion?” Satirizing extreme liberal sensitivity while simultaneously voicing legitimate fears in Trump’s America, the tonal balancing act strove for poignancy but fell somewhere in a decidedly cringey middle ground.

While I’m always one to enjoy horror movies and shows, the current state of American politics is arguably scarier than the witches, ghosts, and mutants that have previously been the focus of AHS. When we reduce television to its most basic form, it often serves as a sort of escapism for its viewers. By focusing on such a controversial topic AHS no longer fulfills this purpose.

The show appears to go on a tangent to entice viewers and portray more relevant plots, but after experiencing such success in previous seasons, the unnecessary change serves to confuse rather than intrigue.

Looking deeper into the origin of the horror genre, it’s understandable why AHS’s new theme drastically missed the mark. People love fear because after the initial shock or scream, viewers have the privilege of reminding themselves that they’re safe and it’s just entertainment. The ideologies that are currently crawling out of the shadows due to the Trump’s encouragement; real-life horror rather than Hollywood entertainment.

Mixing horror and social issues can be a delicate balance, but poignant when executed properly. David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows’s allusion to STIs or the compelling take on feminism in Robert Eggers’ The Witch are examples of how a nuanced approach to deeper social discussions can be highlighted through horror. Murphy and Falchuk refuse to be silenced on their opinions of Trump and his administration. While admirable, the platform for which they’ve chosen to display their commentary leaves no room for interpretation. It’s also important to acknowledge that the American election took place nine months before the AHS: Cult premiere date. By exhibiting polarizing reactions to Trump’s victory months later, the show delivers zero fresh insight to the issues that it so desperately wants to address.

AHS: Trump is the real clown. (Nishat Prova / The McGill Tribune) The real American horror story is that we are only less than one year into Trump’s term and the administration has been continuously working to invalidate the freedoms of its citizens. By spending millions of dollars to produce entertainment based on fictional characters living in Trump’s America, the seriousness of current issues and the people they affect are being diminished.

The show’s viewers tune in every Tuesday to entertain themselves with fears of fictitious ghosts, demons, and killers. Trump’s America, unfortunately, is just too real and scary to be used as entertainment.

13 science & technology

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

‘Big Brother’ now a tool to study linguistics

An unlikely pair: Reality TV meets university research about accent dynamics in individuals Emma Gillies Contributor Continued from page 1.

“We wanted to look at change in people’s accents over time […] and we realized it’s hard to do this because you have to actually be able to see people do this over time,” said Sonderegger. “This particular TV show was a good opportunity to do this.”

This specific experiment was time-consuming because it was conducted in a natural setting and involved data from real speech, unlike uniform words and phrases that are analyzed in a lab setting. Focusing on the pronunciation of particular consonants and vowels, the researchers used recently developed software, like FAVE and AutoVOT, to analyze the change in sounds more efficiently. However, it still took more than a thousand hours of work and the help of 10 undergraduate research assistants to transcribe speech and write the programs to analyze the data.

In an isolated setting like Big Brother, where participants interact only with each other for months at a time, their accents were projected to change over the longer term. That wasn’t the case.

“People don’t actually come to sound like each other over three months,” Sonderegger said, though he noted

that a few people with closer relationships did, such as a pair who dated during the show.

The team also found that “[t]here were big daily fluctuations in the exact way people speak,” according to Sonderegger.

Lastly, they deduced that there is remarkable variability in how accents change over time, and that change is dependent on the person. Like previous studies, it demonstrates the complexity of accent change over time.

There’s some evidence for more culturally significant vowels being less susceptible to change. For instance, the way that some Brits pronounce “but” is extremely dependent on region and has been that way for a long time.

Overall, the question of why there are “changers” and “non-changers” when it comes to accents can be attributed to differences between people—researchers just don’t really know what those differences are yet. In fact, very little is known about which factors affect pronunciation over time, which is a good foundation for future work in the field.

This research relates to differences in language learning ability and cognition among individuals in general, and the findings fall nicely in between previous ones of short-term and long-term accent dynamics.

“It ties [past research] together nicely, and that piece has been missing,” Sonderegger said.

A McGill study observed that accent dynamics are complex and vary person to person.

(Julia Métraux / The McGill Tribune)

Everything you wanted to know about hurricanes How they form and are impacted by climate change Izze Siemann Science & Technology Editor Over the past few weeks, hurricane Harvey plummeted into Texas, and record-breaking hurricane Irma plowed through the Caribbean and into the west coast of Florida—with smaller hurricanes Jose and Katia.

Technically, a hurricane is a tropical cyclone. According to NASA, the name “hurricane” is regional, applying only to tropical cyclones that form over the Atlantic Ocean or Eastern Pacific ocean.

“Earlier in the week, Irma sustained 185 mph winds for more than 24 hours, a record

length of time for a hurricane in the Atlantic.” Vox reports. “Irma was a Category 5 storm for around 3 days—which is also nearly a record.”

Hurricanes form in equatorial regions where the ocean is heated by the sun, providing energy for the storm; warm air rises from the ocean’s surface to form thunderstorms. Then, upper-level and surface winds blow these clouds into a circular motion, forming a “tropical depression”—a tropical cyclone with wind speeds below 62 kilometres per hour.

Once winds inside the storm reach 119 k.p.h., the storm officially becomes a hurricane.

With hurricanes Irma, Jose, and Katia all brewing

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simultaneously, the storms have attracted global media coverage.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted this year would bring many hurricanes.

Two large-scale patterns dictate whether or not a given year will host hurricane-inducing conditions: The El Niño/La Niña cycle and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO).

During an El Niño, ocean temperatures tend to be warmer than usual, creating strong winds that usually prevent hurricane formation. The AMO also fluctuates between cool and warm seasons; the former phase is more suitable for hurricanes than the latter. The AMO changes every few decades, and the warm phase has been in play since 1995.

The NOAA notes that this year’s El Niño is “weak or nonexistent,” which explains why these three back-to-back hurricanes were likely to occur. Coupled with a suite of other conditions, this hurricane season did not come as a shock to atmospheric scientists and weather specialists.

Furthermore, extensive discussion about the role of climate change on the intensity of these hurricanes has clouded the scientific community.

In a recent article, The Scientific American outlines how climate change has both clear and debatable impacts on these storms. For example, rising global temperatures triggered glacier

Hurricane Irma reached a category 5 classification when it blasted over Carribean islands. (businessinsider.com)

melt and has lead to a rise in sea levels.

“The seemingly modest 1 foot of sea level rise off the New York City and New Jersey coast made a Sandy-like storm surge of 14 feet far more likely, and led to 25 additional square miles of flooding and several billion extra dollars of damage,” The Scientific American reports, based off the paper “Increased threat of tropical cyclones and coastal flooding to New York City during the anthropogenic era.”

A study published in Nature also emphasizes that hurricanes are getting stronger due to climate change. The most damaging storms ever recorded have all occurred within the past two years. In addition to warmer sea

surface temperatures overall— which increases moisture level in the atmosphere and the flooding power of recent hurricanes— raised temperatures result in higher winds, with “roughly eight [metres] per second increase in wind speed per degree Celsius of warming.”

However, climate change cannot be shown to be the direct cause of these storms. The Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory maintains that it is premature to connect human activities or greenhouse gases in the atmosphere directly to hurricane strength and scope.

Although climate change is not directly responsible for the hurricane count, it is augmenting the damage they cause.

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

science & technology 14

TeamMTL designs solar house for international competition

McGill and Concordia students and staff make up only Canadian team in the Solar Decathlon Nadia Boachie Contributor Picture a scenario where the household hydro bill gets progressively cheaper, rather than more expensive. TeamMTL, a group of McGill University and Concordia University students and faculty, have collaborated to build a house that produces as much, if not more, energy than it consumes. This energy-efficient home is their entry in a prestigious international competition: The Solar Decathlon China.

This event challenges university students and faculty to design and build a net-zero energy house, with the long term objective of creating sustainable cities that will help reduce pollution and waste in some of the world’s most populated urban settlements. The only Canadian team entering the Decathlon is TeamMTL. “[T]he opportunity to work with industry partners in the design and construction of a home that is a model of sustainability and affordability is rare for students, and it is an invaluable learning experience for our team,” said Sophie Jemtrud, communications leader for TeamMTL. The competition will take place from July to October 2018 in Dezhou, China, and was revamped this year to cover “innovation, water use and re-use strategies, smart energy use, and market potential” in addition to its old goals, including “cost-effective architectural

and engineering design, energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, appliances, and electronics, occupant health and comfort, and communications.”

Team members come from diverse departments, such as architecture, design and computation, arts, engineering, business, management, and dance and theatre. At the end of construction, the Canadian group will transport their residence to China and will compete with groups representing universities from around the world.

This team is tasked with the design and construction of a Deep-Performance Dwelling (DPD). Along with the net-zero and low-carbon design, the DPD takes a culturally-centered approach to city dwelling that is of great historic, social, and functional value.

TeamMTL is focused on building a sustainable home that contains characteristics and features that suit the urban environment in which it was designed for. The project exhibits blending of different cultural, religious, and philosophical beliefs into a uniquely designed home. Taking inspiration from Montreal’s streets, TeamMTL’s design draws from famous Plateau-style row houses. The team amalgamated Montreal’s urban housing with a style of courtyard housing popular in Shiyan, a city in Northwest China. Traditionally, sustainable homes cater to single families; this row house design allows Canada’s team to

TeamMTL envisions a sustainable and net energy housing system. (canadianarchitect.com)

economically use the same regulation size, 120 to 200 square meters, to fit more individuals and families. “[The residence] is the first of its kind in the history of the Solar Decathlon entries,” said Project Leader Michael Jemtrud, associate professor of Architecture at McGill University and former director of the School of Architecture at McGill.

Sponsors have provided the bulk of the funding for the project. Recently, HydroQuébec sponsored TeamMTL, donating $250,000. Eric Fallion, Vice President at Hydro-Québec Distribution, explains that Hydro-Quebec wholeheartedly supports

TeamMTL because the team’s project exemplifies global efforts to create a sustainable, decarbonized future.

Each team that successfully builds a solar house at the competition site will receive at least $100,000. Top finishers will receive significantly more, which will help continue to fund innovative, sustainable, and affordable technologies.

According to spokesperson Jemtrud, the group currently has about 15 students, but aims to expand—hoping to recruit up to 25 new members. Those who are interested in finding out more about the project and even visiting the house may do so at Concordia’s Loyola campus.

How to get involved in science and tech at McGill

Stargazing, hackathons, and piloting school: McGill has it all Oceane Marescal Contributor With over 230 clubs at McGill, finding the perfect match may seem like a daunting task. Luckily for the burgeoning scientist or technology buff, there are plenty of opportunities at McGill to foster one’s enthusiasm for research, technology, medicine, and so much more.

For the star-struck space cadet: Astro McGill A student-led organization whose main goal is to make astronomy accessible to the public, Astro McGill provides various opportunities for those interested in astrophysics and astronomy to cultivate their love for space.

Notably, the organization hosts “AstroNights”—public events that include talks given by professional astronomers or McGill professors—followed by night-sky observations using portable telescopes.

“AstroNights” occur on the third Thursday of every month, and those interested can attend the next one on Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. in the McIntyre Medical Building, room 522.

Besides these family-friendly talks, AstroMcGill also hosts “Astronomy on Tap” events, inviting students to grab a beer with professional astronomers. These monthly gatherings at various Montreal bars feature a short astronomy presentation followed by trivia, games, and prizes.

crowdfunding campaign that raised enough money to send two women to the Grace Hopper Celebration, the largest tech gathering for females in the world.

McWiCS will be hosting a hackathon next semester and is looking for new members to join their team.

For the super-coding feminist: McGill Women in Computer Science

For the adventure-seeking pilot: McGill Students’ Flying Club

Making up only 27 per cent of the students in their major, women in computer science have to stick together, and McGill’s WiCS club offers a chance to do just that.

Notably, McWiCS hosts a mentorship program they call “CSter,” which pairs incoming first-year women in computer science with older students or PhD mentors. Mentors provide guidance and advice, and are matched based on interests, personality, and goals.

In addition, the club holds introductory workshops exploring applications of computer science in gaming and cryptography, as well as interview preparation for job applications.

Recently, McGill Women in Computer Science ran a successful

Those dreaming of taking flight need look no further than the McGill Students’ Flying Club. With varying levels of dedication, the club is perfect for everyone: From those seeking a one-time thrill, to those who wish to get their pilot’s license.

The Flying Club’s “Pilot for a Day” events are hosted twice a semester and allow students to soar over Montreal for discounted prices.

The next Pilot for a Day will take place at the beginning of October, and those interested should attend the club’s info session on Sept. 19 in the McConnell Engineering Building.

People who catch the ‘flying bug’ can further explore piloting through Ground School. These on-campus classes are geared towards making aviation education more accessible to the Montreal

community and allow interested students to aquire their piloting license. Currently, the club offers courses for the Private and Glider Pilot Licenses, which would allow one to fly single-engine prop planes and gliders respectively.

The Flying Club also offers its members the opportunity to skydive, either outdoors from heights up to

13,500 feet, or indoors using a wind tunnel during the winter.

These three clubs are only a small sample of what McGill has to offer sci-tech-crazed students.

The only way to find out which organizations are right for you is to get out there, get involved, and get excited about what McGill has to offer.

McGill Students’ Flying Club VP Skydiving, Celina Wan has dived over 100 times in her career.

(McGill Students’ Flying Club)

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

NFL Season Preview

SPORTS 15

By Mason Posival Contributor Football fans can practically taste it in the air: The days are getting shorter, the weather is getting colder, and students everywhere are heading back to school. Fall is upon the sporting world, and with it comes football season. In February, the NFL season concluded with a historic comeback victory by the New England Patriots over the Atlanta Falcons in the 51st Super Bowl.

This year, every team is looking to dethrone quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots—the benchmark of excellence in the league for the last decade and a half. After another offseason full of surprises and blockbuster deals, some new faces are set to emerge, but the favourites remain familiar.

AFC

NFC

The AFC is the weaker of the two conferences, lacking depth but boasting elite teams strong enough to resist whoever ultimately emerges from the NFC. The AFC West looks to be the most competitive division in the conference, with plenty of young, exciting talent on the Oakland Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs. Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos have an elite defence, but their offence has fewer weapons than your neighbourhood pick-up game. As usual, the AFC South will provide the NFL world with comedic relief as the Tennessee Titans will likely run away with the pathetic division. With quarterback Marcus Mariota entering just his third year, Tennessee still probably won’t make much of its division championship.

In the North, the Steelers are primed to establish a similar level of divisional dominance. Pittsburgh has one of the most potent offensive lineups in football, stacked with superstars such as running back Le’Veon Bell, wide receiver Antonio Brown, and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Its defence need only be average for the Steelers to have a very good chance at winning it all.

However, the clear favourites in the AFC are the defendingchampion New England Patriots. Brady and Bill Belichick are the greatest quarterback-coach duo in the history of the league and should easily top the pitiful AFC East division. In the conference championship, it’s close between the Patriots and the Steelers, but the tiebreaker goes to the GOAT.

The NFC should, once again, provide some terrific competition this year. The Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons, and Green Bay Packers—favourites in each of their divisions—could all challenge for the conference title thanks to their respective veteran quarterbacks. From those three teams, the Packers—with two-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers—provide the most serious threat.

However, the group to watch this year will be the NFC East.

The division will be a dogfight once again, delivering fiery rivalries and intriguing storylines along the way. In the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys, the East boasts two top picks to win the Lombardi Trophy. New York can take advantage of an elite secondary anchored by safety Landon Collins and one of the league’s brightest stars on offence in wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are primed to make a serious run at the Super Bowl after going 13-3 last season, led by two rookies, quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott. The former now has a full year of experience under his belt and he’s had a promising preseason. Elliott will likely dodge a six-game suspension from the NFL and even if he does miss time, Dallas is wellequipped to manage it with the best offensive line in the league and perfectly capable backup rushers. Once the playoffs come around, there’s nowhere for the Cowboys to go but up.

AFC Championship Prediction: Patriots over Steelers

NFC Championship Prediction: Cowboys over Giants

Super Bowl

The Patriots are favoured to win it all, but Brady has turned 40 already, whereas the Cowboys are a young, exciting team on the rise.

The next generation of NFL stars is here, and Prescott leads the way.

Super Bowl LII Prediction: Cowboys over Patriots

Dak Prescott celebrates a score (tsn.ca)

Wayward Hayward: Loyalty in the modern NBA Players should not be faulted when they leave their teams for greener pastures Alec Regino Contributor On May 2, just weeks after losing his younger sister in a car accident, point guard Isaiah Thomas put up 53 points and carried the Boston Celtics to a comeback overtime victory against the Washington Wizards. It was an emotional performance and proved to be the highlight of Thomas’ postseason.

After rallying to defeat the Wizards in seven games, Thomas’ Celtics were decimated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in five. Just months later, Boston traded Thomas—alongside forward Jae Crowder, center Ante Zizic, and picks—to the Cavaliers for point guard Kyrie Irving.

Though the Thomas-Irving deal was the crowning jewel in a summer full of blockbuster trades, Thomas also played a role in another transaction: Before the Celtics shipped him off, Thomas helped convince forward Gordon Hayward to leave the Utah Jazz in favour of a long-term commitment to the Celtics.

Unsurprisingly, Jazz fans were not happy with the move. Hayward spent his first seven years in the NBA with the Jazz, most of which took place in a rebuilding phase.

They made the NBA playoffs just once before their all-star forward bolted for—pun intended—greener pastures. The organization did its best to do everything “the right way,” but after putting its trust in the process for

years, the franchise was rewarded only with a single second-round sweep this year before losing its linchpin in free agency.

This story has grown familiar: As a free agent, the local hero leaves and becomes a traitorous villain. Like Hayward, LeBron James once abandoned the Cavaliers and Kevin Durant ditched the Thunder.

While it’s easy to throw out sweeping statements regarding an athlete’s loyalty, the situation is far more complex in reality.

Stars are expected to fulfill many unreasonable expectations of success and commitment from fans, ownership, the media, and their teammates, but at the end of the day, monetary profit and team success supercede

any supposed obligation. Many star players are forced to decide if they are willing to sacrifice their prime years to play for the middle-of-the-pack team that drafted them; otherwise, they can uproot themselves and hope to land with a legitimate championship contender.

These high-profile defectors are often criticized for their lack of loyalty. Truthfully, they should only be faulted for their sloppy execution. Hayward’s awkward announcement joins LeBron’s comically-miscalculated TV special, “The Decision,” and Durant’s laughable claim that he was taking the “hardest road” by joining a team that went 73-9 without him. In each case, the star had a plan

Isaiah Thomas and Gordon Hayward share a moment (theundefeated.com)

to make his motives understood, but instead came off as ungrateful, delusional, and selfcentered.

LeBron toiled for years in a Cavs organization that never put pieces around him to succeed. In 2010, he left Cleveland to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami on the path to four conference championships and two NBA titles. Precisely one year before Hayward’s decision, Durant walked away from the Oklahoma City Thunder and a front office notorious for cutting costs and letting go of key players. In June, Durant helped the Warriors reclaim the NBA’s crown.

Gordon Hayward played for years without complaints. When presented with the chance to decide for himself, he chose the team that gave him the best chance to succeed.

In contrast, Isaiah Thomas was not given a choice. To the Celtics front office, Thomas was expendable as soon as they had the chance to flip him for a supposedly superior player.

The dynamic between players and owners is woefully unbalanced: The athletes provide the product and still are forced to choose between money, success, and popularity while owners reap the benefits of their work—and act out when they can’t. When players get the opportunity to make decisions for themselves, they should take it. It’s unfair to berate them for making a logical decision on their unique career paths.

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

16 SPORTS

10things The best ways to enjoy athletics and recreation at mcgill

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along with hundreds of fully-grown students dressed in furry onesies. The Carleton Ravens are the unfortunate visitors that day—probably the worst day all year to be a visiting team at McGill.

Emma Avery Managing Editor

1.

McGill might not be your traditional sports school, but it does have its own set of customs and traditions. The homecoming football game, one of the year’s first major sporting events, takes place on Oct. 14 against the Concordia Stingers and is worth attending at least once in your McGill career.

2.

Ever wanted to thump pots and pans while cheering on McGill? On Nov. 24, Pots and Pans Basketball will see the Martlets and Redmen face off against local rivals Concordia in what are sure to be a couple of bangers. In case you need another reason to go, both McGill teams were RSEQ champions last year, with the Martlets crowned national champions as well.

3.

If you’re looking for more McGill pride and eccentrics, you can celebrate the new year on Jan. 19 at the annual Carnival hockey game

4.

For those looking to enhance their experience during regular season games, Red Thunder is a SSMU club formed in 2009 “with the goal of creating passion towards varsity sports and increasing the level of school spirit on campus.”

Members enjoy perks such as a T-shirt and tickets for all varsity games, as well as tailgates, fan buses to local games, and much more.

5.

If you’re more into playing sports than watching sports, take advantage of the McGill Sports Complex. Several facilities are accessible to all full-time students via a fee paid with tuition, including the swimming pool, gymnasium, squash courts, and indoor and outdoor tracks. Students can purchase access to the fitness centre at a discounted rate ($40 per semester for undergraduate students, $50 per semester for graduate students).

6.

Take the shuttle bus to MacDonald Campus to take advantage of the brand new Mac Paddle Shack, where you can rent kayaks, canoes, and paddle boards as long as the weather stays tolerable.

7.

Take one or more of the many weekly exercise classes available at the McGill gym, including everything from swimming, kickboxing, yoga, and zumba to “Abs, back, and bootie.” If you can’t commit to a weekly class, pay-as-you-go classes cost as little as $3.48 each. Try out classes like “Body design,” hot yoga, or high intensity training without committing to a full semester.

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8.

If you prefer team sports, create an intramural team with friends or sign up as a free agent. McGill offers all the classics, such as soccer, basketball, and ultimate, but it also boasts some sports that you might not have tried before— take a shot at inner-tube water polo in the Winter semester for some real entertainment and surprisingly gritty competition.

9.

On Jan. 27, make the trek out to Mac campus to support the Woodsmen. They will be hosting the 58th annual Woodsmen Competition—one of four yearly competitions held by the Canadian Intercollegiate Lumberjacking Association. Events include “Underhand Chop,” “Water Boil,” and “Pulp Throwing.”

10.

Adopt the Québecois way of life and rent cross-country skis or snowshoes in the winter from the McGill Sports Complex. Take them up Mount Royal or on a road trip if you’re feeling ambitious.

: Lauren

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