McGill Tribune Vol. 37 Issue16

The McGill Tribune TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018 | VOL. 37 | ISSUE 16

Published by the SPT, a student society of McGill University

EDITORIAL Task Force on Respect and Inclusion must start and end with student experiences

FEATURE

FIGHTING THE FLU

Learning to Learn

Can vitamin C really cure the common cold?

PGs. 8-9

PG. 13

Substituting traditional learning methods in higher education

PG. 5

McGILLTRIBUNE.COM | @McGILLTRIBUNE

Chopping, chanting, and chainsaws at MacDonald Campus

(Miya Keilin / The McGill Tribune)

McGill’s greatest lumberjacks at the annual Woodsmen Competition Miya Keilin Staff Writer On Jan. 27, the McGill Woodsmen team hosted its annual competition at MacDonald Campus. More than 130 competitors from seven schools competed in 14 events throughout the day. A decently sized crowd milled about the area, traveling from event

to event to cheer on their friends and family members while classic rock hits from the 1980s blared from nearby speakers, completing the atmosphere of friendly lumberjack competition.

A woodsmen team is composed of six members. McGill has four teams, two men’s and two women’s, all of which competed Saturday. Each competes in four team events,

and each team member does a singles and a doubles event.

The singles events include pole climb, super swede, single buck, chainsaw, axe throw, and water boil, plus a Mac Campus specialty—the snowshoe race. The doubles events all revolve around chopping: The standing block chop, quarter split, and underhand chop are differentiated only by the ori-

entation of the block that is being chopped.

The team events are pulp toss, log roll, swede, and cross cut. And yes, all the events are as awesome as their names suggest. In the morning, 10 events took place in designated areas across the field. In the five corrals, marked off by red “danger” tape, competitors held the standing block chop, quarter split, super swede, chainsaw, and single buck.

PG. 16

Threat of fentanyl looms over AUTS’ Into the Woods offers comical recreational drug users on and action-packed escapism campus Magic, whimsy, and fantasy fill Moyse Hall

Survey reveals important precautionary measures rarely used by McGill drug users Isabella Lyons

Contributor After several reports of overdoses in Quebec caused by fentanyl—a synthetic opioid that can be deadly, even when ingested in minute doses—Dr. Carole Morissette, the medical chief of Montreal Public Health, issued a public warning on Jan. 12 urging recreational drug

users to abstain from using cocaine and other powdered drugs that can easily be laced with fentanyl in its powdered form.

The drug cannot be detected with 100 per cent accuracy by any testing method.

Powdered drugs include any stimulant, depressant, or hallucinogen which can be ingested through insufflation— snorting or sniffing. This includes cocaine, MDMA, Adderall, and ketamine.

PG. 2

Anthony Schokalsky Contributor

Lately, it seems we’re all forced to face a little darkness every day. When the sun sets at 4 p.m., and January feels never-ending, students can use a good chuckle and a few dance numbers—all of which the Arts Undergraduate Theatre Society (AUTS) provides in

spades with its wonderfully charming rendition of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods (1989).

Before the play even begins, Katie Miller’s set design is striking, its grandness and whimsy filling Moyse Hall. While often underappreciated, set design can make or break an audience’s immersion, and here the set does not disappoint. The homes of

Cinderella (Sunny Sheffman), the Baker (Cathal Rynne) and his wife (Emma Corber), Jack (Matt Milton) and his mother (Maya Lewis), all evoke the musical’s eccentric, though gloomy, Brothers Grimm motif. Unfortunately, the costume design does not fit the set’s aesthetic. Hip and flashy, almost none of the costumes fit the dark, fantastical theme of Into the Woods.

PG. 12

2 NEWS

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Threat of fentanyl looms over recreational drug users on campus

Survey reveals important precautionary measures rarely used by McGill drug users Isabella Lyons Contributor Continued from page 1.

In a recent poll conducted by The McGill Tribune about powdered drug use at McGill, 42 students shared their experiences using powdered drugs at parties, with friends, and when alone at home. Thirty one per cent indicated that they take no precautionary measures when using powdered drugs, and only 19 per cent said they use a testing kit. Forty per cent of respondents take no precautions when buying powdered

drugs and 52 per cent said they have not changed their drug habits in response to the fentanyl crisis.

“I believe that people at McGill think [the fentanyl crisis is] only something happening in Vancouver,” an anonymous respondent wrote.

Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) Ollivier Dyens approved funding for Student Health Services (SHS) purchases of naloxone, a drug capable of reversing opioid overdoses, and training for students, faculty, and staff on when and how to administer it. According to Director of SHS Hashana Perera, SHS does not often treat

students who are under the influence of powdered drugs. However, she expects that the service is preparing for that to change.

“Here in Montreal, we saw fentanyl coming from Western Canada and anticipated its arrival,” Perera said. “We are not surprised, but nonetheless, it is hitting us hard, so we are taking action.”

Perera explained that it is impossible for users to determine whether a fatal dose of fentanyl has been laced into their powdered drugs.

“Just like when you bake a loaf of banana bread, some pieces have more chocolate chips,” Perera said. “This is

Only 21 per cent of survey respondents said they tested the purity of their drugs.

(Winnie Lin / The McGill Tribune) similar to fentanyl. When it is laced into [a batch of] powdered drugs, the amount [contained] can be different [for each buyer].”

Perera expressed concern about the potential effects of fentanyl on students, and is currently preparing information campaigns about the drug explaining the symptoms of and how to manage a fentanyl overdose. Perera explained that fentanyl poses an immediate risk to any powdered drug user.

“Just as it is a part of everyday life in Western Canada, I worry [fentanyl] will become everyday life in Montreal,” Perera said. “I worry for the student population. The students should not [be comforted by the false] assurance that they are not a user of fentanyl.”

Medical services provide some assistance in the face of a growing fentanyl crisis. In an email to the Tri-

bune, Alexander Dow, U3 Engineering, affirmed that the McGill Student Emergency Response Team (M-SERT) is prepared in the case of an overdose at organized drinking events such as Faculty Olympics and Carnival, where Dow worked as a committee organizer and witnessed substantial powdered drug use.

“If we believe someone is at risk of overdosing [...] M-SERT is equipped with fentanyl drug response kits and we ensure immediate responses if necessary,” Dow wrote.

Promisingly, Dow noted that he has seen less powdered drug use at organized drinking events since the fentanyl crisis reached Montreal.

“It has made participants more wary [of] doing drugs,” Dow wrote.

“So less people have been doing it than in previous years.”

SSMU introduces new Gendered and Sexual Violence Policy

Co-Chair of Our Turn works on survivor-centric policy Jackie Yao Contributor As of Jan. 8, Caitlin Salvino, chair of Our Turn, a national student group committed to preventing sexual violence on campuses and advocating for survivors, became the official Students’ Society of McGill University’s (SSMU) Gendered and Sexualized Violence Policy (GSVP) Coordinator. She aims to create a proactive policy to address sexual violence on campus and complement McGill’s Policy against Sexual Violence.

Although SSMU completed the first GSVP draft in July 2017 in accordance with the Community Disclosure Network’s (CDN) original timeline recommendations, initial consultations in Fall 2017 revealed students’ concerns over an underdeveloped survivor-focused framework and the lack of gender-based violence policies.

The CDN—a network for survivors of sexual and gendered violence to disclose their experiences and seek support—was established in February 2017 following incidents involving former SSMU executives. In response to the allegations, the CDN called for the creation of the GSVP and has continued to advise SSMU on relevant cases.

According to a CDN member who wished to remain anonymous, the policy’s quality should take precedence over adherence to the proposed schedule.

“Drafting policy like this takes time to do properly,” the member wrote. “[The CDN feels] extremely confident in [Salvino’s] ability to take on this project. She is incredibly well-qualified for this work.”

Salvino will be holding open forums on Feb. 5 and Feb. 12 as well as community-specific consultations in the coming weeks to spark discussion on the policy. The new GSVP draft will be delivered to student groups in March and the final GSVP report will be published on May 31.

“Right now, we are doing consultations and researching into current [sexual and gendered violence] policies and provincial law,” Salvino said. “[Starting a new GSVP draft] is kind of about stepping back, speaking to as many people as possible from many communities, and trying to create a policy that is much more holistic.”

Priya Dube, U3 Arts, and Bee Khaleeli, U2 Arts, will work alongside Salvino as Gender and Sexual Violence Policy Advisors.

Their positions will provide context on previous initiatives and recognize McGill student groups that work to address gendered and sexual violence, such as the Black Students’ Network (BSN). To BSN Vice-President (VP) Political Affairs Christelle Tessono, the GSVP is particularly important because people of colour are at greater risk of sexual violence, making it necessary for their perspective to be heard.

“It is important to understand that sexual violence targets everyone [...] and to talk about sexual violence without recognizing how it targets every specific body doesn’t do justice to dismantling rape culture,” Tessono said. “[The BSN is concerned about] how we make sure that we hold each other accountable and how SSMU plays a role in creating that culture.”

Salvino praises SSMU as the first student union in Canada to tackle sexual and gendered violence through policy, although she warns that the Society will likely face hurdles in enforcing the GSVP. SSMU VP External Connor Spencer notes the culture of mistrust around SSMU and institutional pushback, especially regarding survivor confidentiality and executive dismissal, as major limitations.

“Quebec Labour [standards] are the superseding documents to all SSMU documents and people are typically not even willing to look into bending those rules or interpreting them in a way that is accessible,” Spencer said. “It’s [also] going to take many years of good executives to combat [students’ mistrust of SSMU] and one policy is not going to fix that, but hopefully [the GSVP] is a first of many steps.”

SSMU has been exploring implementation methods such as training club executives on how to report disclosures, tying club funding to workshop attendance, and encouraging faculties to include points from the GSVP in their own constitutions. Spencer recommends that sexual and gendered violence survivors seek help from SSMU, the McGill administration, and survivor-orientated groups like the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS).

“My own definition of a pro-survivor approach is choice, and the ability to make informed choices,” Spencer said. “At the student union level, we can facilitate [student accomodations] a lot better because we have the connections with the [McGill administration] office and know what has come before [....] so that we can better advocate for certain folks.”

Our Turn committee Co-Chair Caitlin Salvino hired as SSMU Gendered and Sexual Violence Policy coordinator. (ottawasun.com)

NEWS 3

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

McGill holds forum to discuss inclusivity and respectful debate on campus

Forum speakers debate the merits of BDS and Rez Projects

Discussion at the open forum addressed a wide range of topics including BDS, Rez Project , and course syllabi. (Principal’s Task Force)

Tianyu Zhang Contributor On Jan. 24, the Principal’s Task Force on Respect and Inclusion in Campus Life held an open forum for students, faculty, and staff to voice their opinions and suggestions regarding campus inclusivity. The task force, which was announced in an email on Oct. 25 2017, is mandated to hold consultations with the McGill community and deliver a final report to the McGill Senate with recommendations about how to promote academic freedom and inclusiveness on campus.

The open forum was streamed online, and viewers were invited to provide their input to the task force’s administrators via email. It was divided into three main rounds of discussion: Defining campus inclusion, brainstorming methods of improving inclusion, and suggesting tangible plans for the administration.

Defining campus inclusion John Poliquin, staffing manager at McGill Human Resources, moderated the first discussion about the inclusivity of McGill’s environment. Laila Parsons, associate professor at the Institute of Islamic Studies, opened debate by criticizing the administration’s response to the controversial Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which advocates against the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

“The BDS is a normal method of activism, [and] the University’s condemnation of the BDS exacerbated the tensions,” Parsons said.

Morley Kert, U2 Engineering, attended the first debate, and agreed that the discussion surrounding BDS on campus could be more inclusive.

“On one hand, I agree with the fact that McGill shouldn’t be condemning activism, but on the other hand, McGill should promote open forums like this so people who have different opinions can debate their ideas,” Kert said.

Brainstorming methods of improving inclusion Fatima Anjum, a Faculty of Law student, moderated the second discussion.

Kert shared their belief that McGill should

continue to host one-on-one debates and open discussion events similar to the task force forum.

“Open debates and confrontations with people who have different views make us stronger and better prepared for the real world,” Kert said. “We are still young and developing, there is no need to take firm stances on our beliefs in this stage of our lives.”

The discussion shifted its focus toward the limits of free speech. Some audience members defended their right to speak freely, and criticized initiatives like Rez Projects—mandatory training workshops on diversity and inclusion for students living in McGill residences—for imposing restrictions on free speech. Others argued that unregulated freedom of speech harms minority students.

“There is a reason why we don’t invite people like Donald Trump or Jordan Peterson [to speak at McGill],” Arno Pedram, U3 Arts, said. “The level of debate needs to be limited when dealing with extremists, and the question of free speech always has to balance with [concerns about] security.”

Suggesting tangible plans for the administration Assistant Professor David Theodore of McGill’s School of Architecture moderated the third discussion, during which students could directly communicate with faculty. Many participants requested for professors to provide their course syllabi before semesters begin to simplify the add/drop period.

The forum concluded with closing remarks by Nandini Ramanujam, executive director at the Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism.

“Many of you would like to have more of an enabling environment for inclusive, respective dialogue [and] conversations, looking in the eye, one-on-one conversations,” Ramanujam said. “We are all McGill, so we all have a responsibility to make McGill a better place.

[But] of course the administration will take your comments and suggestions very seriously.”

The task force will continue to receive email suggestions on how to improve campus inclusivity until March 30.

Faculty and student committee to review Student Life portfolio Deputy Provost Ollivier Dyens reflects on his term Andras Nemeth Contributor The position of Deputy Provost Student Life and Learning (DPSLL) will come under review as current DPSLL Ollivier Dyens’ plans to allow his contract to expire on July 31.

“Beginning in early 2018 I will undertake a comprehensive review of the scope and orientation of the Student Life and Learning (SLL) portfolio, with the support of a committee comprised of faculty, staff and students from across the University,” Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Christopher Manfredi wrote in a Dec. 31 email to the McGill community. “I am undertaking this review to ensure that McGill University has the best possible organizational structure with respect to our suite of student support services.”

The committee, to be chaired by Manfredi, will reassess the SLL mandate to provide services to the McGill community, including housing, recreational opportunities, and medical services.

Dyens will continue to serve as DPSLL while the committee’s review is underway. In an email to The McGill Tribune, Dyens reflected on his fiveyear tenure. “[The] Deputy Provost position is both an exciting and challenging post and I found both immense satisfaction [in] the things we were able to accomplish and some frustration when things didn’t work so well,” Dyens wrote. “I fully support the Provost’s initiative to revisit the role, and I look forward to what changes come as a result.”

During his tenure as DPSLL, Dyens focused his efforts on improving safety during orientation week, securing financial aid, and developing various on-campus projects like Skills 21 and Building 21. However, Dyens has

also drawn criticism from members of the McGill community for his office’s numerous efforts to restructure McGill’s Mental Health Services.

Athar Ejaz, U3 Engineering, who received psychiatric treatment during the reorganization of Mental Health Services toward a stepped-care model in Fall 2016, explained the difficulties patients faced with the new model.

“Institutionally, I would say somebody who didn’t know anything about mental health but knew a lot about accounting, efficiency, and pure performance [...] was in charge of this policy,” Ejaz said. “It’s [the administration’s] dream. We have no waiting times, but we’re not seeing doctors any more.”

In an email to the Tribune, Director of Counselling Services Vera Romano expressed doubts over whether changes to the SLL portfolio would appease students who are dissatisfied with Counselling Services.

“Like other universities, we continue to face the challenge of insufficient resources to meet increasing demands,” Romano wrote. “These are less [of] a problem in terms of the administration of SLL than they are a matter of Québec government funding for mental health services. A change in the portfolio will not address this problem.”

Romano says that it is important that the McGill community provide input in the DPSLL portfolio reassessment process in order to effectively improve Counselling Services.

“It will be important to follow the work of the working group that Provost Manfredi is assembling, and to listen to what members of the McGill community, especially students, have to say about any changes that ought to take place in the SLL portfolio,” Romano wrote. “We don’t want to get ahead of that important work, but we will have input into that process.”

While Dyens completes his term, McGill will reassess the role of the DPSLL’s office in providing campus services. (mcgill.ca)

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

4 NEWS

SSMU researcher to investigate McGill military research New staff will make information about military experiments accessible to students Eli Wenzel Contributor The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) has begun the hiring process for a new staff position that will investigate and report on research into military technology carried out in McGill’s laboratories. The Harmful Military Technology Researcher will work for an hourly wage on average six hours a week reviewing documents related to military research conducted at the University.

They will also deliver accessible reports to the student body on the topic.

“The Harmful Military Technology Researcher will analyze documents related to military research on campus, as obtained by students through Access to Information requests,” the job description reads. “They will be expected to compile summary results in order to inform future campaigns and popular education materials on these topics.”

SSMU is mandated by its 2015 Policy for a Campus Free from Military Technology to oppose the development of military technology at McGill. The Policy obligates SSMU to oppose research into harmful military technology, and transparently consider its social responsibility when deciding research contracts. Vice-President (VP) External of SSMU, Connor Spencer, explained the role of the Researcher in an email to The McGill Tribune.

“This position was actually created by last year’s executive, but, from as far as we can see, [nobody] was never hired, or at least the research results were never collected,” Spencer wrote. “[The purpose of the position is] to figure out exactly what research is happening on campus in order to inform the students.”

Spencer referenced the importance of drawing attention to military research, as SSMU’s Policy for a Campus Free from Military Technology is set to expire in 2020.

“The VP University Affairs [Isabelle Oke] and I decided that it was important that we make sure that we have this research [on military technology at McGill] in order to inform a discussion amongst our members, as our policy is expiring and therefore will have to be brought to the next [General Assembly] to see if members want us

to take a position again,” Spencer wrote.

Student opposition to military research is not unprecedented.

In February 2016, a York University student group rallied at York’s Student Centre in protest of military research conducted on their campus.

At McGill, the student activist group Demilitarize McGill and similar movements have been pushing the University to divest from military research since the 1980s, according to the group’s website.

McGill has been involved in research ranging from MK ULTRA’s drug and psychological experiments, to using powdered metals for energy, an experiment funded by Canada’s Department of Defense.

Students less frequently use institutional channels like SSMU to voice their opposition to military research.

Chlöe Shahinian, U1 Arts, thinks the new SSMU position is a step in the right direction.

“If we want to be a university that is becoming increasingly conscious of our research and how that research can affect the world around us, I think that it is positive to have a position that will [investigate McGill’s research on] harmful military technology,” Shahinian said.

Others, like Brinton Wolever, U1 Management, worry that SSMU is overstepping its mandate.

“I don’t believe SSMU should be involved with external affairs,” Wolever said. “I also think it is a bit above a student union to declare what’s right and wrong as far as the use of military resources go.”

According to McGill Vice-President (Research and Innovation) Martha Crago, the administration recognizes SSMU’s right to create the position.

“The appropriateness of the new position [...] is a question for SSMU, which is the body responsible for making this decision,” Crago wrote in an email to the Tribune.

Meanwhile, some staff have vocally supported such initiatives.

Associate Professor Andrew Higgins of the Department of Mechanical Engineering conducts research in McGill’s Shock Wave Physics Group, which Demilitarize McGill describes as the university’s longest-standing military research lab. Higgins encourages efforts to promote an awareness of McGill’s research.

Although McGill has a long legacy of student opposition to military research, rarely have students voiced their opposition through institutional channels like SSMU. (mcgill.ca) “I feel it is entirely appropriate for students to examine the research ongoing at their university,” Higgins wrote in an email to the Tribune. “In fact, I welcome it.”

Higgins’ findings about shockwaves and high-speed combustion have often gained the attention of the Canadian Department of National Defense, though he has not conducted any research in partnership with a defense contractor.

“I have never been involved in weapons contracts,” Higgins wrote. “As for indirect or unintended consequences, this is an issue for all research. Almost all research can be harmful, and students should certainly be aware of the research on-going on their campus.”

SSMU Council considers Dentistry sexual assault allegations Council scrutinizes Accountability Committee and reviews sustainability action plan Kendall McGowan Staff Writer At the Jan. 25 meeting of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Legislative Council, Dental Students’ Society (DSS) President Ryan Siciliano defended the society’s response to sexual assault and harassment allegations in the Faculty of Dentistry. The allegations were detailed in a report by the CBC, which was presented to Council on Jan.16.

Additionally, representatives from the McGill Office of Sustain-

ability (MOOS) presented their Vision 2020 Climate and Sustainability Action Plan, and a member-at-large of the SSMU Accountability Committee outlined the group’s progress. SSMU Vice-President (VP) External Connor Spencer was appointed to the fourth seat designated for executives on the SSMU Board of Directors (BoD), and the SSMU General Assembly (GA) was rescheduled to March 26. The meeting was also the first for newly elected SSMU VP Finance Esteban Herpin.

Councillors questioned the BoD Accountability Committee over failure to produce directors’ evaluation reports.

(Ava Zwolinski / The McGill Tribune)

DSS responds to question regarding sexual assault allegations in faculty During the question period, Speaker Nicholas Dolmat reintroduced a question submitted by a member of the gallery at a prior council meeting on Jan. 16 to Dentistry Representative Nishath Syed, who was absent at both meetings. The submission questioned how the DSS planned to support its members in light of recent allegations against professors and staff in the faculty. Siciliano, who sat in as a proxy for Syed, read a statement from the DSS executive and answered questions about it.

“I know students very, very well, and we at the DSS, and me as the president of the DSS, and many other students involved don’t feel that we have a fear of harassment, or something more systemic than these allegations made by the two individuals,” Siciliano said during the question period. “At this moment, [the DSS is] satisfied with the outlets that are currently being explored, and we won’t be taking any actions regarding the current allegations.”

Later, Council unanimously voted to pass a motion endorsing the SSMU Survivor Bill of Rights, which enumerates the forms of support that survivors of sexual violence can expect from the

organization. During the question period prior to the vote, Sexual Violence Policy Project Coordinator Caitlin Salvino claimed Siciliano’s comments exemplified when advocacy for survivors might be necessary. “[The policy was created so] that individuals on the SSMU Council could advocate for survivor’s rights at higher levels,” Salvino said. “For example, earlier there was the discussion of the dentistry case, and some of the survivor’s rights in this bill we would argue were violated. So then that would require their representative to advocate on their behalf at higher levels.”

Accountability Committee representative delivers report The Accountability Committee is a committee of the SSMU Board of Directors (BoD) tasked with creating a standardized method for evaluating the performances of student senators, councillors, directors, and other student officers. Maeve Botham, a member-atlarge on the committee, explained that evaluations for officers’ Fall 2017 terms were based on the officers’ attendances and whether their reports were submitted on time. She said that, due to inconsistency in tracking and recording, the committee evaluated only two senators

and was not able to assess any directors.

Some members of Council questioned the Committee’s lack of scrutiny.

“My impression from that report is there’s basically no accountability for the Board of Directors,” Spencer said.

“Has the Accountability Committee discussed, especially because there are three directors on the Accountability Committee, any options of how to make them accountable?”

McGill Office of Sustainability presents ambitious action plan MOOS Sustainability Director François Miller and MOOS Communications Officer Toby Davine presented the office’s Vision 2020 Climate and Sustainability Action Plan, which the university recently adopted after a long consultation process that began in Fall 2016. In addition to 22 short-term actions to be completed by the university by 2020, McGill’s plan has two main long-term targets: to attain a platinum sustainability rating by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2040.

“I think if we can achieve [carbon neutrality] here at McGill we can really be an inspiration for Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and then the whole world,” Miller said.

OPINION 5

Tuesday, January 30, 2018 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 Jade Prevost-Manuel scitech@mcgilltribune.com Student Living Editor Catherine Morrison 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 Arshaaq Jiffry & Elli Slavitch design@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editor Ava Zwolinski photo@mcgilltribune.com Multimedia Editor Tristan Surman multimedia@mcgilltribune.com Web Developers Daniel Lutes webdev@mcgilltribune.com Julia Kafato online@mcgilltribune.com

The Principal’s Task Force on Respect and Inclusion held an open forum on Jan. 24. It was the first of a series of student consultations about diversity and respectful expression at McGill, and how to best ensure that student life is inclusive of all students. The Task Force is to submit a final report of its findings to the McGill administration on April 27.

After a Fall 2017 semester marked by allegations of antiSemitism on campus and Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) infighting—all falling along familiar fault-lines—as well as provincial legislation targeting female Muslim students, it’s easy to be skeptical of the promise of an administration initiative purporting to make campus a nicer place.

Compared to other schools’ recent attempts to address tolerance and free expression more explicitly, the Task Force’s mandate to “operationalize McGill’s core principles” reads broad and ill-defined.

But, the issue of respectful, inclusive debate on university campuses is extremely broad and inherently ill-defined. It demands grassroots consultation

OFF THE BOARD

Copy Editor Ayanna De Graff copy@mcgilltribune.com Business Manager Daniel Minuk business@mcgilltribune.com Advertising Executives Grayson Castell, Katherine Hutter, Vincent Li ads@mcgilltribune.com Publisher Chad Ronalds

TPS Board of Directors

Nicholas Jasinski, Daniel Minuk, Katherine Hutter, Anthony Kuan, Elli Slavitch, Holly Cabrera, Jeeventh Kaur, Katherine Milazzo, Becca Hoff

StaffWriters

Kendall McGowan, Cherry Wu, Laura Oprescu, Andras Nemeth, Grace Gunning, Gabriel Rincon, Avleen Mokha, Virginia Shram, Sophie Brzozowski, Sam Min, Oceane Marescal, Emma Gillies, Miguel Principe, Janine Xu, Jordan Foy, Miya Keilin, Gabe Nisker, Winnie Lin, Cordelia Cho, Erica Stefano, Gabriel Helfant, Margaux Delalex, Ceci Steyn

Contributors

Anthony Schokalsky, Avery Warkentin, Brenna Yang, Christina Stackpole, Daria Kiseleva, Elijah Wenzel, Eloise Haliburton, Grace Hu, Isabella Lyons, Jackie Yao, Jiawen Wang, Katia Innes, Kaylina Kodlick, Kellyane Levac, Kevin Reynolds, Luke Sarabia, Mary Keith, Mathilde Hourticq, Owen Gibbs, Sophie Panzer, Summer Liu, Taylor Burnett, Tianyu Zhang, Yara Shaheen-Abuelreish

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EDITORIAL

Task Force on Respect and Inclusion must start and end with student experiences

Marie Labrosse Features Editor We fear the possibility of dying before we’ve accomplished everything we want to do. Or we fear the possibility of a loved one dying before they are able to see us accomplish everything we want to do. Both are paralyzing fears—and ultimately futile.

When I was in high school, my father was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), the most common and also the most aggressive type of malignant brain tumour. These types of tumours grow incredibly fast and in such a way that makes it difficult to target them through surgical procedure. Only 30 per cent of GBM patients live to see the two years following their diagnosis.

My father passed away in May 2014, just hitting the two-year benchmark in the final months of my senior year.

During the first of those two years, he underwent three taxing surgeries,

and investigation, not top-down statements of principles—the University of British Columbia’s middling and widely-criticized statement on free expression has done little to mitigate campus divisions on the subject. The McGill Task Force presents a platform for discussion about what inclusivity on campus actually means, for all students and student groups—including and especially those whose voices are not often heard on campus. While it’s unclear what the initiative will ultimately accomplish, the Task Force correctly understands that Canadian universities must consult students first and foremost if they are to increase tolerance and inclusion on their campuses.

McGill is not alone in attempting to address these issues.

Recent controversies blurring the lines between free expression and bigotry on campuses have prompted other North American schools to speak up in defence of free speech, to varying reception. The University of Chicago’s renunciation of safe spaces made waves in August 2016, while the University of British Columbia’s statement has been criticized across

the political spectrum.

Such statements only reiterate the same, exhausting impasse that the debate on campus tolerance and free expression keeps coming up against: The value of free speech versus the value of safe spaces.

Convening a task force may be a strategic PR move, but to the McGill administration’s credit, it also demonstrates a willingness to listen before speaking out, and at least an attempt to understand the contours and consequences of inclusivity on campus as told by its most important stakeholders—students.

Given McGill’s varied track record when it comes to student outreach and consultation, that initiative should be commended.

For the Task Force to succeed in elevating student voices, it must encourage and include all student voices. That requires amplifying those voices typically sidelined by more pervasive campus issues.

Student groups embroiled in the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israel (BDS) debate can and should use this platform to share their perspectives. At the same time, conscious effort must be made to

include students with experiences of exclusion that are not often at the forefront of campus debate.

If the Task Force wants to start a comprehensive discussion about free expression and respect at McGill, it is integral to include LGBTQ+ students, Indigenous students, students of colour, and other underrepresented and marginalized communities on campus in this conversation.

Identifying areas on campus that are consistently less inclusive than others—organized drinking events are one timely example—is likewise essential.

Moreover, students themselves must be open to participating in that discussion. The Task Force is a good first step on the McGill administration’s part toward bettering the spaces that we learn and debate in, and understanding student experiences with them, but these efforts cannot end with its conclusion. Respect and inclusion on campus fundamentally come down to the actions of students themselves.

Whatever principles a school aims to maintain, campus culture is ultimately a product of the campus community that lives and shapes it.

Go gentle into that good night each a desperate attempt at extending a life that was inevitably hurtling toward its close. His chemotherapy treatments placed him at a high risk for infection and deadly internal bleeding. On top of this, radiotherapy subjected him to further brain damage than that provoked by his tumour, resulting in violent mood swings and irreversible changes in his character.

These concerted efforts toward fighting off his death, all classical medical responses to GBM diagnoses, made those two years all the more distressing for my father and for my family. The process of watching him die was drawn-out; it felt exhausting and unnecessary. All that the aggressive treatment achieved was to generate false hope that he might recover. By living out a scenario that merely delayed the inevitable, I forgot that death is invincible, no matter how hard we fight it. A franker dialogue in our culture about the pervasiveness of death might have helped to fend off such an illusion.

Ultimately, it is impossible to separate the arrival of death from the act of living, so we find ourselves under the obligation to incorporate it into the way we lead our lives. The way we choose to die is meaningful—it impacts us and the ones we leave behind—but we can’t die the way we want to if we don’t acknowledge its looming presence in the time that we have. The same goes for mourning the death of a close friend or family member: By fighting off the reality of their death, we only make it that much more painful for ourselves when we finally have to face the hole

they leave in our life.

It’s not just a question of embracing the reality of death, but of celebrating it. We need to allow death to take up space in the life that we live now, rather than shrugging it off as an immaterial likelihood, or a project to handle another day. A 2007 study, conducted by professors from the University of Kentucky and Florida State University,

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[We] conflate the approach of death with a sense of urgency to fulfill those projects we have not yet had time to complete, or love those who have not yet had time to love enough.

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finds that the acknowledgment of our mortality induces a positive emotional reaction. If we dedicated even the tiniest portion of our day to admitting that life and death go hand in hand we would— somewhat counterintuitively—actually feel happier.

When faced with an impending death, the immediate reaction is often

an instinctive fight or flight response.

Our culture conflates the approach of death with a sense of urgency to fulfill those projects we have not yet had time to complete, or love those who we have not yet had time to love enough. Instead of letting the sudden realization of the oncoming reality of death bring goals and regrets into focus, it is important to face them head on—to book that trip to South Africa, or to read that copy of War and Peace sitting forlorn on the bookshelf.

Mourning can’t be hurried; we must deal with the passing of our loved ones at a pace that feels comfortable, expressing anger and sadness at their loss along the way. Western culture simply doesn’t understand death and grief, making it even harder to handle them as an individual. We are made uncomfortable by public displays of emotion—sadness in particular—and social etiquette dictates that we tiptoe around the issue by using euphemisms.

But, if we make concerted efforts to think and talk candidly about death together, we can make its entrance into our collective lives less jarring, and create a more supportive environment for those who witness and suffer in its aftermath.

In a poem composed for his dying father, Dylan Thomas implores that he “do not go gentle into that good night,” but that he “rage, rage against the dying of the light.” Thomas has it all wrong: We shouldn’t fight off death, we should understand and accept it. Taken this way, death can be the ultimate motivation to live meaningfully.

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6 OPINION

COMMENTARY

Grace Gunning Columnist At the Dec. 12, 2017 McGill Board of Governors (BoG) meeting, a proposed review of the terms of reference of McGill’s Committee to Advise on Matters of Social Responsibility (CAMSR) was met with protest by Divest McGill. CAMSR advises the BoG on the social impact of its investments. The proposed revision, which would require CAMSR to ensure that McGill investments are not used for social or political purposes, exacerbates the fault line between McGill’s students and administration.

Students’ anger is justified— the language of the proposed

COMMENTARY

Sophie Panzer Contributor The holidays are awkward enough without having to explain the definition of sexual assault to your relatives. Yet, my sisters and I found ourselves doing just that at the end of 2017, when the subject of #MeToo, a movement created by Tarana Burke to increase awareness about sexual harassment and assault, came up at a family gathering. My mother voiced her desire to support us no matter what, but seemed confused when we explained that unwanted sexual advances are harassment and that sexual contact without enthusiastic consent is assault.

“Don’t these attitudes lead to self-victimization?” my mother asked. “Whatever happened to

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

CAMSR should promote ethical investment, not sidestep politics change in CAMSR’s terms of reference further alienates the University from students who have demonstrated time and time again that they care about the environment and social and political issues. McGill should recognize that social, political, and financial implications frequently overlap, and are often inescapable when pursuing environmentally conscious industry. It is untenable for CAMSR to sidestep “social and political purposes” while still fulfilling its mandate.

Dividing sociopolitical and financial actions seems to neutralize the language surrounding McGill’s investments, precluding the possibility or discussion of the University avoiding unethical investments. If McGill truly seeks to be a university on the cusp of technological development, as its participation in artificial intelligence research implies, it should pursue an investment model that incorporates its financial interests with being a role model for the social, political, and environmental responsibility championed by its students.

Ethical investment, or an investment made with regard to environmental, social, and governance issues (ESG

investing), is one such model: A developing investment strategy that can produce great returns for the investor while aiding in the growth of sustainable and ethical industries. The main reason that financial analysts may not take ESG factors into account is because of a lack of client interest in these factors. McGill has an opportunity to support sustainable technologies by increasing their interest in ESG

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When the University refuses to alter its investments to be more conscious of the future, its students feel not only disillusioned, but afraid and powerless.

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issues, instead of continuing to participate in the environmentally unsustainable “carbon bubble”—

supporting fossil fuel companies by buying their stock as climate change continues to unfold.

To encourage ethical investing, CAMSR should be allowed to advise not only against social injury, as it currently does, but also in a positive capacity, balancing its mandate against “great social industry” with a possible policy designed to facilitate socially and environmentally responsible investments. The language of such a mandate would have to be extremely specific, and such a revision would be a long-term overhaul, but the end rewards would be worthwhile. Long-term thinking, after all, is a key tenet of ethical investment—a tenet that the BoG, still holding onto its high volume of carbon-based investments, currently lacks.

An ESG investment strategy would not only support environmentally-conscious companies, but would also be a step toward fixing the rift between students and administration. As the on-campus traction of Divest McGill—which currently has over 2,500 likes on Facebook— shows, many students often feel embattled by the choices of their administration. According to an article in The Guardian by Justin

Keeble of Accenture Sustainability Services, young people care more about promoting sustainability than previous generations. This passion is heightened by the fear that every callous environmental choice compromises their future.

When the University refuses to alter its investments to be more conscious of the future, its students feel not only disillusioned, but afraid and powerless.

Feeble attempts at financial neutrality, such as the proposed revision, are not a solution. Ethical investing, however, could be the beginning of a reconciliation between students and university.

As an advisory body focused on social responsibility, CAMSR has the potential to be McGill’s cornerstone for a more ethical financial future. Its current proposed revision, however, neutralizes this potential in a way that is visible and disheartening to its students. The BoG may be concerned with the performance of McGill’s investments, but the world—including the financial sphere—is changing rapidly, and what “performance” means might be changing, too. The administration should follow the example of its students, and start considering the long term.

Why our mothers and grandmothers won’t say #MeToo women’s empowerment?”

These questions are central to the growing backlash against the #MeToo movement. Notably, there is a stark generational divide in the discourse. Many Generation X and baby boomer women resist #MeToo because they view it as a threat to women’s agency. Younger millennial and Gen Z women who believe in the importance of enthusiastic consent feel failed by the feminism of older generations, which frames empowerment as conforming to the worst tenets of toxic masculinity—“bite the bullet,” “don’t show fear or pain,” or, “boys will be boys”—rather than challenging them.

To young women, empowerment means actively resisting harmful norms, not tolerating them. This requires pushing back against inappropriate behaviour not only in the office, but in personal relationships as well. For example, no adult should expect sex, flirtation, or romance to magically occur without communication between partners. It’s not robotic, it’s respectful. If young women want allies in their quest to change norms, they must be open to talking with older generations in order to reconcile these different visions of empowerment.

One of the main concerns older women have with #MeToo is that it creates a culture of victimhood.

The literary critic Daphne Merkin wrote in The New York Times, “We seem to be returning to a victimology paradigm for young women, in particular, in which they are perceived to be—and perceive themselves to be—as frail as Victorian housewives.”

Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale, wrote in The Globe and Mail that she does not believe “that women are children, incapable of agency or of making moral decisions. If they were, we’re back to the 19th century.”

Some older women also do not believe that “a bad night”—or any non-consensual sexual activity that is not technically rape— should be considered assault.

Many people questioned whether “Grace’s” account of her date with Aziz Ansari—in which he ignored her verbal and nonverbal cues— constituted assault. In her Atlantic response piece, “The Humiliation of Aziz Ansari,” writer Caitlin Flanagan bemoaned the fragility of “the young,” dismissed the woman’s feelings of violation as “regret,” and attacked the allegations as “3,000 words of revenge porn.”

Other women have questioned what romance and sex would look like without the male behaviour young women condemn. Slate’s executive editor, Alison Benedikt, published an article about her marriage to a former boss who

treated her in a way that, by today’s standards, would be viewed as harassment. He drunkenly kissed her at a work event and openly leered at her in the office while wielding power over her career.

She viewed his advances as romantic and wonders whether the excitement of flirting will be able to withstand the standards of consent that #MeToo advocates.

These critics were fine when the #MeToo discussion was limited to the likes of Harvey Weinstein, but fail to recognize that the behaviours of serial abusers, local office creeps, and aggressive frat boys are linked. These behaviours

are not equally morally depraved— no one is calling for Ansari to face the same legal consequences as Weinstein—but they all stem from the same culture of misogynistic entitlement.

As women continue to push back against sexual assault and harassment, notions of women’s empowerment must evolve past those of our mothers and grandmothers. My discussion with my older relatives about #MeToo was awkward, difficult, and frustrating, but young women need to keep having these conversations across generations in order to move forward with them.

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

STUDENT LIVING 7

Not sure where to study?

Alternative study spots for students hoping to avoid Schulich this Winter. (Kellyane Levac & Yara Shaheen-Abuelreish / The McGill Tribune)

Yara Shaheen-Abuelreish Contributor

Four alternative study spots on campus for students who are tired of McLennan

The Winter semester is in full swing, which means it’s time for students to bury their heads back into their textbooks. With the wounds of last finals season still healing, the memories of the Schulich and RedpathMcLennan libraries are scarring for many students. The McGill Tribune has compiled a list of five alternative study spots on campus to try based on mood and study habits, to switch up their study environment while staying on top of their work.

Social and Bustling Geographic Information Centre Address: 5th floor, Burnside Open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. during Hall, 805 Sherbrooke Street West

Tranquil and Solitudinous Islamic Studies Library Address: Morrice Hall, 3485 McTavish Street

the week, this library’s calm and reclusive atmosphere is perfect if you’re looking to work in a silent environment by yourself.

The bookshelves, brimming with historical material, inspire curiosity and serenity. The private carrels spread across the library are the perfect spots to be focused-yet-relaxed while doing readings for tomorrow’s class, or solving equations at your own pace. Check it out if you find yourself looking for a calm place to study, but be warned that outlets are sparse, so come prepared with a fully-charged battery.

The Geographic Information Center (GIC) is a bustling study area filled with students chatting in small groups. Situated on the fifth floor of busy Burnside Hall, the centre’s lively open space is the ideal environment for students in need of a little background noise to focus. The large tables make for great group study spaces, and the rows of computers by the door are perfect for students hoping to leave their laptops at home. If you’re overwhelmed by the oppressively-silent environment of libraries, and can’t seem to work in isolation, the GIC is the perfect place to study in the company of peers.

Noise Level - 2/5

Noise level - 4/5

For a motivated morning Osler Library of the History of Medicine Address: 3rd Floor, McIntyre Medical, 3655 Promenade Sir-William-Osler

Quaint and Focused Birks Reading Room Address: 2nd floor, Birks Building, 3250 University Street

With its tall windows, dispersed plants, and towering wooden bookshelves, this library’s atmosphere is immediately welcoming. These characteristics, combined with the intense silence of the building, make it easy to focus on schoolwork and lose track of time. However, the library’s opening hour of 9 a.m. and early closing time of 5 p.m. during the week best suits a crowd of morning risers with daytime study habits. So, if you find yourself in McMed at an early hour, this study spot may be the best for you. However, beware that you’ll need a charged laptop to get through this study session, as there aren’t many outlets in the library. Although, with the Med Café on the fifth floor of the building, students can grab a snack and charge their laptops during a lunch-time study break.

Situated within the Religious Studies building, the Birks Reading Room is a small and orderly space where students are required to remove their shoes before entering. The main floor of the library is filled with bookshelves holding encyclopedias on every known religion.

Despite the picturesque setting, the mood can be tense due to the strictly upheld rules about noise level. For a student looking for a silent study day, the lack of distraction, small crowd, and the abundance of outlets allow for long periods of concentrated work. If you’re looking to take advantage of the natural light for calm reading or people-watching, head up to the secondfloor study space and grab one of the many individual chairs in the room featuring large windows overlooking University Street.

Noise Level - 1/5

Noise Level - 1/5

McGill’s annual International Food Festival feeds curiosity Sharing culture through curries, couscous, and more Mathilde Hourticq Contributor On Jan. 25, the third floor of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) building bustled with hungry students leaning over plates of food at the International Food Festival. The festival, hosted annually since 2012 by the McGill-based organization Borderless World Volunteers (BWV), raises funds for student volunteer trips with nongovernmental organizations each summer.

Emillee Hernandez, Co-President of BWV and U3 Arts and Science student, one of the many organizers of the festival, described the organization’s reasoning behind the creation of the event.

“BWV was founded in 2003,” Hernandez said. “From there this event was [created] to celebrate Montreal’s cultural diversity. We wanted to figure out some sort of medium that was both entertaining but also made enough money to support these trips.”

In addition to on-campus events, BWV also focuses on what they can do to support those in need in Montreal.

“We have affiliations with local organizations,” Hernandez said. “We don’t give money to them but we supply [them with] volunteers. A lot of times we’ll partner with organizations that are oriented towards helping the homeless.

We also do our own sandwich distributions.”

For the first time in the six years that the festival has been running, student societies and cultural groups on campus were invited to join local restaurants in sharing their traditional cuisines. The diversity in food options from table to table at

the event was remarkable--from Italian food, to Japanese, to Middle-Eastern.

For Dounia Bennis, U3 Arts and president of the McGill Moroccan Students’ Association, the festival was an opportunity to share her culture while also becoming familiar with other cultures.

“We really try to be present in as many cultural food events as possible, to really get people to learn about Morocco, its culture, and its food,” Bennis said.

A lot of the food at the event, however, was brought in from local sponsor restaurants. David King-Hope, vicepresident of the International Food Festival Committee and U4 Engineering student, described the sponsorstudent relationship was as advantageous for both parties.

“We’re always looking for ways to make it more beneficial for the sponsors,” King-Hope said. “In doing things like printing individual banners for each restaurant [which] enhances their advertising.”

One of the restaurants present was Student Tasty Biryani, whose co-owner Salman Syed believes it’s important for restaurants to support charitable events for reasons beyond being good advertising.

“We are participating [to serve] the community,” Syed said. “We feel this is not just for business, it’s for a good cause.”

In a community as diverse as McGill, events such as the International Food Festival serve to bring people together to celebrate differences while simultaneously commemorating one’s own culture. What better way to do this than through an activity everyone enjoys—Eating.

Students gathered to learn about each other’s cultures over plates of food at the International Food Festival.

(Taylor Burnett / The McGill Tribune)

Learning to learn Substituting traditional learning methods in higher education

Elli Slavitch Design Editor

D

uring exam season, endless streams of students file into McGill’s Tomlinson Fieldhouse, their heads bent low over their notes, desperately cramming crucial information into their minds. They spend hours studying with cue cards, storyboards, mind maps—anything to help them remember material for the duration of their exams, and then to forget.

On McGill’s website, the “About” page lists “10 Points of Pride” including the University’s competitive advantage among peer institutions. It recognizes “the finest students” as those who earn “prestigious awards and prizes for academic and athletic achievement.” This is likely the first impression of the school that many potential students will have, and it is immediately clear that McGill values education as performance and competition over curiosity and learning.

McGill is unquestionably an academically stimulating environment, owing its reputation to its 50 research centres and institutes, its variety of academic programs, and its rich history. McGill’s prestige has allowed it to secure top spots in national and international rankings.

Despite this reputation, the learning experience for many students at McGill is hindered by the stifling effects of high-stakes tests. In 2003, the McGill Journal of Education published a critique of standardized testing, claiming that it was ineffective at revealing potential, and useless at measuring progress.

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“I have known professors who said that students are meant to suffer. To me, it was a sort of therapy to make sure this system isn’t transferred to the next generation.”

NICK PROVATAS

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(McGill Physics Hackathon) et, 15 years later, large-scale assessments continue to dominate our course frameworks. The majority of courses at McGill follow a well-known grading scheme, comprised of a few quizzes or assignments, a midterm, a term paper, and a final exam. This structure is useful to objectively measure scores through brute comparison, but neglects the notion that all students learn and express themselves and their intelligence differently.

Knowledge is broadly seen as an external force which professors can quantify and categorize to evaluate their students.

Alicia Barry, U2 Arts, balances her schoolwork with creative writing and has published her poetry in the student publication F Word for the past two years.

“Our evaluation scheme is not a determinant of our intelligence or capabilities,” Barry said. “Measuring how much one can memorize will not effectively help them learn in the end. To throw everything you learned in one semester into a three-hour exam is unrealistic and meaningless.”

Not only do high-stakes tests erase the deeper meaning from learning, but they are also detrimental to students’ mental health.

Canadian campuses have seen a significant increase in students with anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideations. According to a 2017 survey of students at 15 Canadian universities conducted by the Toronto Star and the Ryerson School of Journalism, campus mental health offices have seen a 35 per cent increase in the demand for their services over the course of the previous five years.

Last year, a survey by the Canadian Association of College and University Student Services also revealed that 13 per cent of students said they had seriously considered suicide, 3.5 percentage points more than three years earlier. In Barry's experience, the academically-demanding atmosphere at McGill contributes to students’ mental health troubles.

“I feel like, going to McGill, there is this sense of ‘you need to do well, or else you’re not going to succeed,’” Barry said. “There is this immense pressure to perform academically, with this highly competitive spirit, so my motivation is kind of this self-loathing that I need to do well in this or I won’t amount to anything in life.”

Susanne Lajoie, Canadian Research Chair Tier 1 and Educational and Counselling Psychology professor at McGill University, is an expert in the development of advanced learning technologies.

Lajoie is interested in the ways in which emotions can enhance the learning experience. Lajoie views education as an ongoing process rather than as a one-stop venture.

“Anyone who is in university today knows that, even when you graduate, there is so much information that is ongoing and updated,” Lajoie said. “You have to keep learning your whole life, it does not stop when you graduate.”

The educational system is intended to prepare students to make their place in a world which is changing faster than ever before.

“The most important skill in the 21st century is learning to learn, and that’s where the notion of creativity comes into play,” Lajoie said. “We’re lifelong learners, and we have to be flexible learners.”

By relying so heavily on one-size-fits-all testing methods, McGill restrains students’ potential and makes them less adaptable to new environments. Instead of learning through interest, students learn through fear.

Lajoie uses different theories of learning and emotions to create new forms of technology to improve teaching and learning in different domains. She is currently developing a simulation which acts as a virtual hospital experience, where McGill medical students receive imaginary patients and must formulate diagnoses.

Facial movement detectors and electrodermal bracelets measure users’ confusion, nervousness, stress, surprise, and other behavioural emotions relevant to the context of learning, to establish the relationship between their emotions and their performance. The simulation assesses learning through a unique and dynamic process and provides ongoing feedback.

“One of the best ways for teachers to create interest is by

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providing choice,” Lajoie said. “[It is important to offer] different types of assignments that are still equivalent in terms of grading but have different avenues to immerse [students] in the material.”

Hayley Mortin, U3 Arts, currently feels that her classes do not offer enough of a variety of assignments. Outside of her studies in psychology, she paints, draws, and is affiliated with groups such as the Fridge Door Gallery and Folio magazine.

“It’s nice that there are those little pockets [of creative activity], but it’s very statically separated from academics,” Mortin said. “I often think to myself as I leave the library: ‘Now I’m going to go do something creative.’”

Mortin’s favourite course at McGill is ANTH 408, or “Sensory Ethnography,” because of the unique way in which it is taught.

The class gives students space to choose their preferred method of learning, and create projects using film, photography, and sound.

“Having the choice to begin with is completely imperative to how well I’m going to do in the course, to be honest,” Mortin said.

“It doesn’t need to be big, a five per cent assessment can make all the difference in helping students realize the meaning behind the course material.”

Professors also see the value in adopting divergent testing methods. Casey McCormick is a course lecturer in the Department of English at McGill, and recently completed her dissertation on the history of television finales for her PhD in Cultural Studies.

“I definitely had a very traditional education at Georgia State University,” McCormick said. “All of my assignments were very, very similar academic papers [....] I lost my creative voice as a writer. I wish I had more opportunities to do different kinds of writing.”

According to a 2016 survey conducted by Adobe across the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Japan, 65 per cent of students agree with McCormick and believe that their university stifles their creativity.

“I felt like it sucked out the creativity from my writing style, and it wasn’t until I was deep into my PhD that I got my creative voice back,” McCormick said.

Since completing her PhD, McCormick has aimed to move away from writing academic papers and toward arts-based critical practices, by utilizing multimedia to frame arguments.

“Maybe I [wouldn’t] have felt so burnt out [by] academia if I was exposed to these different expressive forms,” McCormick said.

McCormick keeps her own university experience in mind when trying to create dynamic modes of engagement in her classrooms. In addition to incorporating blogging, Twitter hashtags, and Facebook discussion groups into her courses, she also introduced the Social Media Artifact assignment to McGill as part of the course ENGL 391, or “Special Topics in Cultural Studies: Netflix,” in 2016. The assignment puts students to the task of applying course concepts to social media content on platforms such as Instagram and Tumblr. Artifacts are assessed based on creativity, mechanics, and relevance to the course material.

“Overall, the response from students has been very positive,” McCormick said. “Many people talk specifically about the online component as refreshing and engaging. Of course, it’s not going to work for every single student, that’s why it’s hybrid, why I offer a wide range of spaces to make students feel comfortable.”

Arts-based critical practices help interested students stay on top of course content, explain what they have learned, and experiment with engaging, interactive, and accessible forms of expression. To structure her grading scheme, McCormick gives students a wide range of assignments so that they have multiple opportunities to succeed. She weighs most assignments in the 10 to 25 per cent range to relieve pressure on students.

“That’s one of the purposes of having so many different kinds of assignments, it’s so that students can learn to learn in the way which suits them best,” McCormick said.

Brayden Culligan, U3 Arts, has discovered the benefits of creative learning both in and out of the classroom. Over the course

of his time at McGill, he has worked with several organizations, including the McGill Office of Sustainability, to help inform and engage their audiences through multimedia. In Fall 2017, he took CCOM 314, or “Communicating Science,” which gives students an opportunity to communicate scientific problems through a variety of creative multimedia projects, such as podcasts.

Adobe’s 2016 survey revealed that 69 per cent of students believes that being creative like the projects included in CCOM 314 call for helps make people better workers. Culligan thinks that if a larger variety of testing methods were implemented at McGill, the positive impact could extend far beyond the classroom.

“I find creative expression to be more enjoyable and a better way of learning,” Culligan said. “The conversation about the value of creativity in everyday life is an important one. I hope it encourages someone to pick up the paintbrush, keyboard, or whatever they’ve been putting down for too long.”

Nikolas Provatas, Canada Research Chair in Computational Materials Science and Engineering Tier 1, was also inspired to explore creative learning methods as a result of his experiences as a student in higher education. When an undergraduate student in the class of 1988, he found the learning experience confining.

“Back when I went to school, you worked alone and didn’t ask any questions because you didn’t want to look stupid,” Provatas said. “[I] suffered in absolute silence and alone. I felt it was my fault. At some point when I started to be self-sufficient, solve my own problems, figure things out, I realized it was because I was cutting through the opaqueness that teachers threw at me. I learned that learning and torture are not the same thing.”

Provatas now teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in physics at McGill, and runs the annual McGill Physics Hackathon.

He launched the Hackathon in 2016 and it became an immediate hit. The Hackathon gathers fanatics of the discipline in a 48-hour sprint to solve problems in computational physics. It uses the same principles of teaching, but provides no university credits. Students participate and learn not because they are forced to, but because they enjoy the challenge.

The 2017 Physics Hackathon gathered elementary, secondary, and university students in a welcoming environment encouraging creativity, collaboration, and discovery. Judges evaluated students on whether they could understand the assigned problems, if they had the programming skills to debug code, and if they could sell their ideas to a panel of judges from academia and industry.

Provatas created the Hackathon as an antidote to his own discouraging experience as a student in higher education.

“I vowed to myself that if I were to ever become a [professor], I would throw away the archaic system of learning,” Provatas said. “I have known professors who said that students are meant to suffer. To me, it was a sort of therapy to make sure this system isn’t transferred to the next generation.”

The opportunity provides tangible outcomes for them to create original software, win prizes, connect with tech recruiters, and get a glimpse of the tech industry.

“I like to think of learning as a kind of play,” Provatas said.

“In terms of atmosphere, it’s been electrifying.”

Students would greatly benefit from McGill creating more opportunities to directly embrace their passions. As they discover their talents and interests, students should be able to pursue them without feeling restricted by curriculum boundaries. Courses at McGill need to catch up to increasing demands for interdisciplinary learning from students and experts in the field.

“At the end of the day, we’re here to have fun, and there are no stupid questions,” Provatas said. “If you’re struggling, don’t worry, everyone is struggling.”

There are more creative approaches to learning than crowding students into a massive room, rushing them through an exam, and having the results determine even a fraction of their future.

“The best thing we can do is provide a relaxed and yet competitive atmosphere motivated by problem solving,” Provatas said.

“Learning as fun.”

Tuesday, January 30, 2018 10 STUDENT LIVING

Having a night in: Hosting dinner parties on a budget Eloise Haliburton Contributor

A student guide to the homemade meal for a group

As the semester goes on, it becomes harder and harder to find time for socializing with friends, meaning you need to put a little more effort into getting together. When keeping up friendships, nothing says “I care about you” like a homemade meal. But as much fun as a dinner party is, serving up a five-course meal is often unrealistic on a student budget. In order to help students with their dinner party plans, The McGill Tribune has created a student budget-friendly menu for hosting the perfect night in.

Setting up your space In small student apartments, there’s rarely room for a grand dining table, but that shouldn’t stop you from getting your friends together for a meal. In fact, you may find that eating in a non-traditional, more intimate setting might even bring you closer together. One method is to throw down a spare sheet or a blanket and use some couch cushions as floor pillows. For decoration, consider placing tealight candles in clean glasses and putting them in the middle of the blanket for some cozy mood lighting.

If you’ve set up your space and realize you don’t have quite enough cutlery and tableware for everyone, there’s no shame in asking people to bring their own. This way, you don’t end up with someone eating soup with chopsticks, and you can back on the number of dishes you have to wash later.

Start with drinks What’s a dinner party without a fun cocktail? If you want to be fancy, there are ways to do this on a budget. The SAQ’s “petits prix” (low prices) section is the best place to grab a cheap and fruity bottle of red wine to use for some homemade sangria.

Depending which sangria recipe you decide on, the only additional ingredients you’ll need are citrus fruits, berries, and juice, which you may already have in your fridge.

(Daria Kiseleva / The McGill Tribune)

Easy traditional red sangria Serves: 4

Easy vegetarian chili recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 cored apple, chopped 1/2 orange, rind on, sliced into small pieces, large seeds removed 3-4 tablespoons organic brown sugar 3/4 cup orange juice, plus more to taste 1/3 cup brandy, plus more to taste 1 (750ml) bottle of red wine 1 cup ice

Instructions:

1. Add apple, orange, and brown sugar to a large pitcher 2. Stir with a wooden spoon for 45 seconds 3. Add orange juice and brandy and stir for 30 more seconds 4. Add red wine and stir until well mixed 5. Taste and adjust flavour with juice or brandy, as needed 6. Add ice to chill and stir once 7. Serve as is, or garnish with additional orange (Adapted from minimalistbaker.com)

Serve up dinner Often, the most expensive part of any meal is the meat—so consider skipping this element altogether! There are tons of easy vegetarian recipes such as stir-frys and chilis that will not only taste delicious, but greatly reduce the cost of groceries for your dinner party. In addition, if you have leftovers, these dishes are easily freezable and can be used for a meal later in the week. To save money, plan ahead and make a list of ingredients in order to avoid buying unnecessary items. If you’re unsure of what to make, buy ingredients that could work for multiple dishes.

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons oil 1 large onion, diced 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced 1-3 tablespoons chili powder (more will be spicier) 2 tablespoons of cumin 1 teaspoon oregano 1/4-2 teaspoons of chili flakes 2 peppers, diced 2 carrots, diced 3 stalks of celery, diced 2 (28 oz) cans of whole tomatoes and their juice 2 can of kidney or white beans, drained and rinsed 2 cups of frozen corn Salt and pepper Optional toppings: sour cream, cheddar cheese, cilantro, diced avocados, or green onion.

Instructions:

1. With your hands, crush the canned tomatoes until they are smooth 2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat 3. Add onion and sauté for about three minutes 4. Add garlic and sauté for around one minute 5. Add spices and stir for about 30 seconds 6. Add peppers, carrots, and celery and cook for about five minutes, or until they just start to soften 7. Add tomatoes and their juice to the pan 8. Bring all the ingredients to a simmer 9. Once the chili begins to simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low 10. Continue to stir occasionally for about 20 minutes 11. Add beans and corn then cook until the chili returns to a simmer 12. Salt to taste 13. Serve on its own or topped with additional toppings (Adapted from theendlessmeal.com)

Finding the humour in embarrassing moments McGill students open up about their most uncomfortable confessions Mary Keith Contributor We’ve all been there: Wiping out in the middle of the Y-intersection, spilling Premiere Moisson coffee all over a new shirt, or running out of a class mid-lecture to vomit after a rough night out.

These are the stories we tend to hide from the rest of the world. But this week, The McGill Tribune brings you some of its readers’ uncomfortable and unfortunate tales of embarrassment.

John M., Art History: “I was [...] at a random house party in the [MiltonParc neighbourhood] and I was flirting with [a girl] when I suddenly puked on her. I quickly left the apartment as I was embarrassed. The following morning I realized that I left with the wrong coat so I had to go back to the place. And guess who opens the door? The girl that received my vomit.

Obviously, my reaction was to run away without saying a thing. I never went back and I still wear another man’s coat.”

Sanchi B., Management: “I got pushed into a snowbank in front of the Frank Dawson Adams auditorium by 8-year-olds.”

Liam K., Economics: “In my first year, I went to Gerts to watch the first 2016 presidential debate and got so drunk that within 10 minutes I was on the floor of the bar on my back chanting for Hillary Clinton while my best friend dragged me out of the bar by the back of my shirt. I’ll never go back to Gerts again.”

Alexa R., Engineering: “I farted really loudly in Leacock 132.”

Gaby M., International Development Studies and Political Science: “I was walking in late [to my 300-level Poli class] because I had stopped to get a burrito for lunch on the way, and had ended up being in line longer than expected. As I’m scrambling through the door and looking around for a seat [...] my burrito, that I had already unraveled since I had started eating, begun

toppling over [....] In between my lack of coordination and my mouth completely missing the burrito, all the condiments ended up inside my shirt amidst a sea of curious onlookers. The class is an hour and a half long [and] I didn’t have the nerve to go to the bathroom. I had guacamole-covered chicken touching my breasts.

For 90 minutes.”

Elijah S., Sociology: “One time during finals, I was walking through Redpath and saw someone in front of me waving and going in for a high five. I didn’t know him and was a little caught off guard but I thought he was just being motivational to try to get me through exams so I enthusiastically returned the coming high five only to realize a split second before our hands met that he was saying hi to the person behind me. I was so physically close to both of them at this point that it was too late to be able to just casually walk away, so I had to awkwardly say ‘my bad’ before turning red and sprint walking away.”

Responses have been edited for style and length.

Sharing embarrassing moments may be the best way to find humour in our misfortune.

(Kaylina Kodlick / The McGill Tribune)

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 11

Tuesday, January 30 , 2018

The most egregious snubs of the 2018 Oscars From Hugh Grant in a cravat to CGI Iggy Pop

T

he Academy Awards are awful. This is not up for dispute. They’re trying to get better— this year’s nominees present a definitively more inclusive list than in years past—but at its heart, the event is a self-congratulatory, out of touch, typicallydiscriminatory money grab that almost always awards the wrong thing. Nevertheless, it will inevitably elicit coverage from every media outlet that also denounces the ceremony on the aforementioned grounds.

Talking about movies is fun. So, without further ado, The McGill Tribune has compiled a list of the most glaring snubs from this year’s nominations.

metamorphosis. With a slow pace and sparse dialogue, Ducournau makes a bold statement about the pain and trauma of loss of innocence in a society that treats women as objects without desires.

Best Animated Short Film: World of Tomorrow Episode Two: The Burden of Other People’s Thoughts (dir. Don Hertzfeldt)

Dylan Adamson, A&E Editor Kobe Bryant was nominated for this award.

81-points-in-a-game-Kobe Bryant. Settled-rapeallegations-out-of-court-Kobe Bryant. Nominate literally anyone instead of Kobe Bryant, but especially nominate Don Hertzfeldt. If World of Tomorrow Episode Two: The Burden of Other People’s Thoughts sounds like a lot for a title, the film’s ideas are also a lot for its 23-minute runtime.

Akin to its brilliant predecessor, Episode Two takes the unscripted dialogue of Hertzfeldt’s five yearold niece, Winona Mae, as the launching pad for a ridiculous, life-affirming odyssey through memory, grounded in the experiences of Emily Prime (Mae) and her clone (of a clone of a clone of a clone, from the future) (Julie Potts). Mae for Best Actress is another blurb entirely. Episode Two continues to perfect Hertzfeldt’s balance of childlike enthusiasm, affectless stoicism, and iTunes visualizer-level backdrops. It lands in a good spot somewhere in the vacuum between Kubrick, Adventure Time, and Camus.

Best Original Song: The Pure and the Damned - Oneohtrix Point Never (feat. Iggy Pop) (from Good Time)

Dylan Adamson, A&E Editor

The 2018 Oscars have snubbed everyone from Robert Pattinson to Hugh Grant.

(Arshaaq Jiffry / The McGill Tribune)

Best Foreign Language Film: Raw (France, dir. Julia Ducournau)

Christina Stackpole, Contributor In her feature-length directorial debut, Julia Ducournau spins a grisly and emotionally-charged coming-of-age tale. Garance Marillier plays Justine, a vegetarian freshman at veterinary school who is forced to eat a raw rabbit kidney in a hazing ritual, and soon begins to develop a craving for flesh.

Raw is truly the best descriptor of the actors’ candid performances (particularly Marillier’s), the cold and derelict interiors of the campus’ buildings, the kinetic and claustrophobic cinematography, and the unflinchingly gruesome portrayals of Justine’s

As funny as a Sufjan Stevens (Call Me By Your Name) acceptance speech would be, there’s no way it could top an Iggy Pop acceptance speech. Good Time’s “The Pure and the Damned,” produced by Oneohtrix Point Never with lyrics by Iggy, is a beautiful, shattering piano ballad that accompanies the best final scene of 2017. The song takes the template of Johnny Cash’s “Hurt” (old singing man and younger producing man), and ups the weird ante with minimalist piano and wacky synths. The fantastically terrifying video uses non-film footage featuring an extra veiny CGI Iggy Pop, a bloodied wolf puppet, and Robert Pattinson wearing what looks to be a counterfeit sleeveless Baltimore Ravens/ Orioles shirt.

Best Original Screenplay: Wind River (dir.

Taylor Sheridan)

katia Innes, Contributor The final installment of Taylor Sheridan’s American Frontier trilogy (following 2015’s Sicario and 2016’s Hell or High Water) was woefully forgotten after receiving an eight-minute standing ovation at Cannes. The crisp cinematography, Nick Cave-scored soundtrack, and chilling performances by Elizabeth Olsen, Gil Birmingham, and Jeremy Renner, make it a seemingly obvious contender. A neo-Western set in a blizzarding Wyoming stage, Wind River documents the investigation of the brutal homicide of a young Native American woman. Sheridan uses this singular event as a microcosm to the larger issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women. In the wake of the #MeToo movement, the inclusion of this narrative would have been incredibly powerful.

Best Documentary: Casting JonBenét (dir.

Kitty Green)

Virginia Shram, Staff Writer Casting JonBenét made a splash when it first came out last April, but deserves more official credit than the 15 minutes of fame it received. Unlike the dozens of other JonBenét Ramsey films, Casting Jonbenét offers a multiplicity of narratives that expose and support each other to uncover new layers of understanding about the mysterious 1998 murder of the American six-year-old beauty queen. The documentary films the interview and audition process of these actors trying out for the roles of JonBenét’s nuclear family using local actors who remember the event when it occurred. As these individuals are questioned about their own theories of the murder, the documentary lays bare America’s obsession with cold cases and biases towards the creation of the perfect suspect.

Best Picture: Una (dir. Benedict Andrews)

Avery Warkentin, Contributor In Benedict Andrews’ adaptation of David Harrower’s play Blackbird, Rooney Mara stars as Una, a young woman who confronts her childhood neighbour and abuser, Ray (Ben Mendelsohn, of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story). Set almost entirely in an empty factory warehouse, Una plays out like an intricately choreographed dance between Mara and Mendelsohn, wandering through a labyrinth of corridors and storage rooms as they revisit the painful and murky past. Andrews refreshingly avoids stereotypes of the helpless victim and remorseless predator, instead crafting a believable and heartwrenching (albeit toxic) relationship between the two characters.

After a year when sexual harassment and violence have been at the forefront of popular discourse, Una is potent and relevant, boldly exploring the blurred lines of consent, healing from abuse, and reclaiming one’s self-worth.

Best Actor: Robert Pattinson in Good Time (dir. Josh and Benny Safdie)

Luke Sarabia, Contributor Aside from being perhaps the most underrated and spectacular movie of 2017, the Safdie Brothers’ Good Time brought us the year’s best performance from the most unlikely of indie movie stars. Good Time is a manic take on the classic New York street thriller, and Robert Pattinson’s leading turn as sociopath criminal Renaissance man Constantine Nikas is the film’s furiously beating heart. Pattinson spends the movie carefully balancing Connie’s unflinching manipulative cool with a subtly accumulating sense of desperation. The result is a masterful performance which holds together an invigorating and understatedly moving thriller. After Good Time, Pattinson deserves to be remembered as the inventive talent that he truly is, rather than just a teen vampire hunk. The Academy should recognize as much.

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

12 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

AUTS’ Into the Woods offers comical and action-packed escapism Magic, whimsy, and fantasy fill Moyse Hall Anthony Schokalsky Contributor

Continued from page 1.

From Eva B sweaters, to ‘90s-styled sneakers, to bright socks of every colour in the rainbow, these costumes are a bold production choice and ultimately poor addition to the play. There are exceptions, however, including Rapunzel’s Prince (Eddy Yang), Cinderella’s Prince (Alexander Grasic), and Little Red Riding Hood (Claire Latendresse), whose costumes amuse without distracting from the setting.

The rest of the production’s technical work is amazingly quick and creative, the most prominent example being when the Wolf (Lucas Amato) disguises himself as Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother.

Befittingly reminiscent of moments from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a screen obstructs the actors so that they can only be seen through animated dancing shadows.

Melissa McCracken’s choreography is another strong point of AUTS’ Into the Woods. The dancing is in sync, precise, and playful, particularly in the song “Ever After.” The quick and whimsical nature of the performance’s dances follow the

music closely, at some points feeling as if the musicians and actors are part of the same mind and body.

Ben Barton Creelman’s outstanding musical direction allows the musicians to stay in sync with the actors. Even with only 12 musicians, Creelman’s musical ensemble sounds like that of a much larger orchestra, delivering a vivacious and lively tune for every scene. Nevertheless, the music would not be as magical without the actors’ impassioned singing. Almost every actor fills the room with their voice, especially in the duet, “It Takes Two.” Corber and Rynne take the song’s rather drab lyrics and sing it in perfect key, conveying the sense that perhaps their characters are truly in love.

Through a constant delivery of humour, an effective technical background, impressive instrumentation, and expert singing and dancing, AUTS’ production is a lively and cheerful rendition of the Sondheim classic.

AUTS’ Into the Woods is playing at Moyse Hall from January 25 – 27 and February 1 – 3, with performances beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at autstheatre.ca.

AUTS delivers a whimsical production of ‘Into the Woods’. (Margaux Delalex / The McGill Tribune)

TNC’s ‘FUSE’ finds meaning in confusion Much ado about... what, exactly?

Kevin Reynolds Contributor Tuesday Night Cafe Theatre’s (TNC) FUSE is a confusing play. It includes little in terms of conventional plot structure or character development, and several days after seeing it, I am still having a hard time knowing what to make of it. If you like linear narratives and happy endings, this play might not be for you. However, for those looking for something different, or at least to leave Morrice Hall with more questions than answers, this play gives much to enjoy.

FUSE begins with a debate between prologues. Three characters, each personifying a prologue, argue over how a play should begin. The three prologues put forth theories dealing with the nature of art, theatre, and life itself. One character memorably laments that playwrights,

unlike other artists, give their audience all the answers in their work.

Although the line was delivered with some irony, it is nevertheless clear that FUSE avoids neat answers.

The play continues in a similar fashion as it began. Each act elaborates on a different theme by using unconventional devices like spoken word poetry and borrowed news headlines. Several motifs run consistent throughout the work, including femininity, existential anxiety, and expression of the body.

These little scenes and the palpable emotion they imparted on the crowd come to form a plot of their own. FUSE does not move toward something so much as it digs deeper into the initial themes with which it began.

However, the casts’ performances are what really make the play. The emotion conveyed by each actor serves to translate some of

TNC’s ‘FUSE’ asks a lot of questions, and offers no answers. (Margaux Delalex / The McGill Tribune) Although FUSE relishes its the play’s more cerebral or esoteric really is, and how a play can be shaped moments into something immediately by interpretation and the environment abundance of unanswered questions, it is unquestionably worth seeing. understandable. In addition to playing in which it is viewed.

With scenes dealing with Despite some confusion, FUSE is the role of prologues, some of the actors played audience members. global violence and personal drama, filled with good writing, moving These planted spectators left the FUSE asks audiences whether they performances, a healthy dose of crowd to take their place on stage play the parts of observers or actors continental philosophy, and a nearly on cue, making the transition from in their own lives. In many ways, glutinous serving of skepticism. I observer to actor seem natural, these questions are the hallmarks of find it very hard to believe the play’s although still unexpected. By blurring great art. Not only does it make one slogan, “Everything is Meaningless.” the distinction between audience question the nature of the piece, but It might take several viewings to member and cast member, one begins life itself is viewed and inspected in grasp, but there is a lot to take to heart to wonder what the role as an observer relation to what is unfolding on stage. here.

science & technology 13

Tuesday, January 30 , 2018

Can vitamin C really cure the common cold?

Separating fact from fiction in a fifty year-old debate Ronny Litvack-Katzman Contributor It’s that time of the year again.

Flu season is upon us, and everyone seems to be getting sick.

Most people resort to their personal catalogue of remedies and preventive strategies to avoid the winter plague—among them, reaching for a bottle of ascorbic acid, or vitamin C. The theory that vitamin C could prevent the common cold first received public interest when Linus Pauling, a famous American chemist and winner of the 1954 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, put the idea to the test. In 1970, Pauling published Vitamin C and the Common Cold, a book outlining his belief that vitamin C could provide a cure for this everyday ailment.

Pauling was met with harsh criticism from his peers after the book’s publication. Today, there remains little backing for his claims in scientific literature, with the majority of evidence showing that vitamin C neither prevents nor cures one’s cold symptoms.

While the vitamin may not prevent colds, it serves a number of other purposes. Joe Schwarcz, director of the Office for Science and Society and a professor in the Department of Chemistry, discussed the role of vitamins in maintaining overall health with The

McGill Tribune. “[Vitamins are] any substance that the body cannot manufacture and therefore must be provided by the diet to prevent certain diseases,” Schwarcz said.

For over 200 years, vitamin C has been used as a treatment for scurvy, a disease resulting from a lack of the vitamin that causes gum disease, weakness, and skin hemorrhaging. While vitamin C deficiencies are obviously detrimental to human health, controversy has arisen around whether or not the vitamin is beneficial in excess. Vitamin C’s primary purpose in the body is in the growth and repair of connective tissues, and is required for the functioning of a number of enzymes. More generally, it works as an antioxidant, a property that has given it plenty of attention as a potential cold remedy.

“There has been a lot of discussion about [vitamin C] being an antioxidant,” Schwarcz said.

“In that way reducing the risk of various diseases in which free radicals are implicated.”

Free radicals are molecules in the body that are produced as byproducts of oxygen metabolism.

These unpaired molecules can cause significant damage to living cells, increasing a person’s vulnerability to viral infections like colds. Antioxidants like vitamin C safely interact with free radicals, preventing them from damaging

vital cells. This argument has become the basis of how antioxidant supplements like vitamin C can treat a variety of diseases, among them the common cold.

Although these assumptions seem reasonable, Schwarcz explained that current research does not sustain these claims.

In clinical trials, vitamin C has never been able to stop the cold virus from entering the body. This medical application has rarely been successful, save for some modern vaccinations.

“Taking a supplemental dose of vitamin C will in no way prevent you from coming into contact with a virus that can lead to a cold,” Laura Plante, a McGill instructor and Registered Dietician, wrote in an email to the Tribune.

While vitamin C may not prevent or cure the common cold, some studies have shown that large doses at the onset of symptoms could reduce their severity. However, Schwarcz expressed that even this finding remains contentious in the scientific community.

Deficiencies of any vitamin can lead to serious health complications. The best strategy for remaining healthy during the year is to get your daily intake of vitamin C through fruits and vegetables.

“Citruses are generally thought to be the best sources [of vitamin C], [although] red bell peppers supply us with up to double the

Vitamin C is critical to tissue repair in the body, but its anti-cold properties have been contested by the scientific community. (Kaylina Kodlick / The McGill Tribune) vitamin C in [a portion of the same size],” Plante said.

While eating foods rich in vitamin C may reduce your chance of scurvy, there is no consensus supporting the idea that vitamin C is an effective cold remedy.

“There is no magic cure,” Plante said. “Science holds no proof that chicken soup helps cure the common cold either! Still, that has yet to stop us from having a bowl and presumably [feeling] its benefits.”

The Science of Black Mirror

Discussing the plausibility of controversial technologies seen on the show Jiawen Wang Contributor Charlie Brooker’s harrowing British sci-fi series Black Mirror returned to Netflix with six new episodes exploring multiple technologies of questionable ethics. From the digital uploading of human minds to predictive neuroscience technology, the show’s fourth season illuminated some frightening, futuristic concepts. But with real-life advancements in brain imaging, artificial intelligence, and computer processing, this future may not be all that far away. The McGill Tribune digs deep to decipher the science behind Black Mirror. Consider yourself warned: Minor season spoilers will follow.

Visual Reconstruction Visual reconstruction, or the ability to reconstruct perceived images, was used by the mother in “Arkangel” to monitor her child and the officials in “Crocodile” to gather short clips of memory for investigations. Being able to “see” what another person sees with brain recordings is a relatively new, but rapidlyexpanding, field of study for scientists in

neuroimaging.

Most studies in image reconstruction so far have used functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, to read brain activity. FMRI relies on magnetic fields to detect changes in the blood flow within the brain. Increased blood flow to a certain region indicates that the region is more active.

With these fMRI readings, scientists use computer software to convert brain activity into reconstructed images.

Using neural networks, these created images vary from person to person, and theoretically could be used to reconstruct memories and mental images.

In terms of its applicability, this method of scanning and processing has already been proven to work for simple letters, short video clips, and, yes, even human faces. While the results are impressive, they are miles behind the crisp, detailed reconstructions of the characters in Black Mirror. In these studies, unfortunately, the resolution of recreated images have all been lowquality.

Most of the aforementioned studies have focused on the early visual cortex, the first region of the brain to receive visual information from the eyes.

Recently, scientists have started using higher-level areas of the brain in fMRI scans. These areas are the latter parts of the visual pathway, and are related to more subjective experiences like memory, imagination, dreams, and face recognition.

Mind Uploading Episodes like “USS Callister,” “Hang the DJ,” and “Black Museum” used technology to digitally upload human minds to computers. In “Black Museum,” for example, a museum owner reveals that the main attraction of his business is the hologram of a convicted criminal. His body, his mind, and his ability to feel pain remain digitally intact. Could such a thing as an uploadable human mind exist in the real world?

Accelerating advances in both brain imaging and computer simulations have led computer scientists and entrepreneurs like Ray Kurzweil to believe that the ability to live permanently in a simulation could become commonplace as soon as the year 2045. Others are skeptical.

Groups like the Allen Brain Atlas and The Blue Brain Project have studied and attempted to replicate the entire connectivity of rodent brains. Aptly

called connectomes, these maps represent the specific way in which different brain regions are linked and how they interact with one another. However, even the brains of mice have proven difficult to recreate on the microscopic, cellular level, where many higher-level functions like cognition, consciousness, and behaviour are thought to emerge. A biologicallyrealistic recreation of the human brain won’t happen any time soon.

This hasn’t stopped scientists from using this brain imaging to run experiments on digital brains, albeit for less insidious purposes than in Black Mirror. Because the whole brain, with its 86 billion neurons, remains too complicated to replicate, neuroscientists are using computers to build simplified versions of the human brain with lower resolutions. They can then use these digital brains to study changes in cases of epilepsy or Alzheimer’s.

Despite being far-fetched at times, Black Mirror provides its viewers with cautionary tales of what could happen if the designers of a new technology were to completely disregard their ethical obligations. As technology advances in complexity and control, so must our selfawareness, and so must our humanity.

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

14 science & technology

Meet H3N2: The virus responsible for this year’s deadly flu outbreak Unpacking the 2017-2018 flu season with Dr. Maziar Divangahi

Grace Hu and Brenna Yang Contributors As January comes to a close, the seasonal flu once again runs rampant across campus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under the U.S Department of Health and Human Services has deemed the 2017-2018 flu season as the worst in almost a decade. In North America, flu season typically occurs between the months of October and May, peaking in January or February.

In Canada alone, this season has seen 24,749 positive cases and 110 deaths confirmed as of Jan. 20, according to the Canadian FluWatch report.

The viruses currently circulating include the Influenza A strains H3N2 and H1N1 and two lineages of influenza B strains, B/Yamagata and B/Victoria. A and B strains differ based on the hosts that they infect, with A strains infecting both humans and animals and B strains only affecting humans. H3N2, the most dangerous strain in circulation, is notorious for the severity of its symptoms and is responsible for the high death toll of this year’s flu season. According to Maziar Divangahi, assistant professor of Medicine at McGill, the reason behind H3N2’s severity lies in its origins. Zoonotic viruses— those transmitted from animals to humans—are initially more

dangerous, and gradually become less severe after passing through the human population.

“This is kind of an evolution, and any virus that suddenly comes from animals [and can be transmitted] to humans is very pathogenic,” Divangahi told The McGill Tribune.

“But if it gets passed on and on to the humans, then it becomes a seasonal flu [....] If you want to predict the severity [of each coming flu season] you have to look at this cycle, how [it] could continue, and [how it] could be prevented.”

Observing these cycles and the prevalence of different influenza strains around the world is crucial to the development of vaccines, which are typically cultivated in chicken eggs. Influenza vaccines introduce weakened strains to the body, allowing a person’s immune system to create antibodies that, in the event of exposure to the real disease, combat infection.

Despite the fact that H3N2 is included in each year’s flu vaccine, its mutation rate is very high. As a result, wild viruses differ greatly from the ones grown in labs that are used to make vaccines.

“H3N2 doesn’t grow very well in chicken eggs, [...] so when you have a season of flu by H3N2, your vaccine is not very protective,” Divangahi said.

The most dangerous strain this season, H3N2’s ability to penetrate the lungs evokes a volatile reaction from one’s immune system. (cosmosmagazine.com) According to the CDC, the current vaccine for H3N2 viruses is only 33 per cent effective, while vaccines for influenza B viruses are effective 54 per cent of the time.

Mutations within the H3N2 strain also alter its protein structure, making the virus more harmful. Under normal circumstances, the human body traps flu viruses in the upper airway—but H3N2 has developed the ability to penetrate the lungs, which causes an extreme reaction to the virus from the immune system.

“When people get really sick it’s not because of the virus, it’s because of your [dysregulated] immune response,” Divangahi said. “You’re not supposed to have the virus deep in your lungs, and [this causes] the immune response to go nuts. It says, ‘Well, what’s going on here.’ [...] We need to find out the timing and the regulatory mechanism that could shut that down.”

As the race to develop an effective vaccine continues, Divangahi’s lab is looking into

developing drugs that suppress the immune system’s intense reaction to infectious diseases such as influenza and tuberculosis.

“A vaccine for influenza definitely is the ultimate goal, but we still need more time to generate an effective vaccine for every single strain of the virus,” Divangahi said. “[Until then], can we find a targeted therapy to regulate these immune pathologies?”

And, more importantly, can we find it before it’s too late?

Learning a new language may benefit children with autism Research suggests bilingualism increases the cognitive flexibility of children with ASD Holly Cabrera News Editor For many, fluency in more than one language would be considered an obvious asset. Yet, the concept of a “bilingual advantage” is still widely debated, particularly for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Often, parents are advised to raise children with ASD monolingually to avoid compounding potential language delays resulting from autism. Controversy surrounding the effects of bilingualism on executive functions, or the set of cognitive processes that control behaviour, is especially prevalent.

A new study conducted by Associate Professor Aparna Nadig from the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders and McGill alumnus Ana Maria Gonzalez-Barrero, suggests that proficiency in a second language may help—and not hinder—the cognitive flexibility of children with ASD. After presenting 40 children between the ages of six and nine with a series of card sorting tasks, the researchers found that those who were bilingual performed significantly better on the most complex phase than the monolingual subjects. For the tests, children were seated at a laptop and ranked images of boats and rabbits

based on their size and colour.

“Something that I, and even the parents, found interesting was that the task the children were doing on the laptop was quite challenging, even for adults,” Gonzalez-Barrero said. “It had different phases, but on the most complex [one], the bilingual children [with ASD] performed really well. [Some] parents observing their children were surprised [....They] told me that ‘If you asked me to perform this task, I think I wouldn’t be as good as my child.’”

According to Nadig, activities related to cognitive flexibility, including switching from one task to another (setshifting) and approaching a problem from a different perspective are actions that people with autism typically struggle to carry out. Gonzalez-Barrero explained that, given the stringent requirements for the population study, the scientific literature on children with ASD—let alone bilingual children with autism—is limited.

“This is the first study to our knowledge that is looking at whether bilingualism may provide advantages on cognitive flexibility for children with autism spectrum disorders,” GonzalezBarrero said. “There are several articles that have reported a bilingual advantage in adults and in children [suggesting] better cognitive skills in some specific

tasks for bilingual relative to monolingual individuals, but this hasn’t been explored [extensively] in children with developmental disorders [....] We wanted to see if the bilingual advantage could be generalized to children in the autism spectrum.”

For this study alone, participants had to undergo a two-hour testing session in each language they spoke—English, French, or Spanish—and had to have received at least 20 per cent exposure to their second language since birth.

Participants’ parents and independent bilingual graders also listened to the subjects’ speech and rated their fluency on a four-point scale.

With their work, Nadig and GonzalezBarrero contributed additional literature for families to consult when making important educational and child rearing decisions.

“There are an increasing number of families with children with ASD for whom using two or more languages is a common and valued practice,” Nadig said.

“As we know in bilingual societies such as ours, speaking only one language can be a significant obstacle in adulthood for employment, educational, and community opportunities.”

Nadig and Gonzalez-Barrero’s study is long-term, and they will continue observing the same group of children over

The bilingual advtange is a highly debated topic in neuroscience. (1310 news) three to five years. In this next phase of their research, they hope to examine the effects of bilingualism on the childrens’ daily life behaviours, such as their ability to set-shift when confronted with a challenging activity.

“We have a companion study to this one that will be coming out shortly, where we investigated more complex language skills at school age in the same sample of children with ASD,” Nadig said. “We found there that bilingual children’s language skills were still in the normal range in their dominant language, so once again, the take home message is that bilingualism is not harmful.”

SPORTS 15

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Super Bowl LII Picks SPORTS STAFF WRITERS

“Eagles”

SEwlynne hawkins

stephen gill SPORTS EDITOR

SPORTS EDITOR

“Patriots: Philly’s offence runs out of steam as the crushing inevitability of joyless football continues its reign. ”

Stephen Gill Sports Editor Just 13 years ago, the New England Patriots took home the Lombardi Trophy against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. Two familiar faces remain from the original matchup: Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Head Coach Bill Belichick. Those two look to further cement their legacies as the greatest of all time at their respective positions with a sixth championship, while the underdog Eagles are eager to bring the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory home to Philly.

Philadelphia Eagles After losing star quarterback Carson Wentz in the regular

EMMA avery

MANAGING EDITOR

nicholas JASINSKI

Editor-in-chief

“Patriots: I’ve been burned “Eagles: Defence wins “Patriots: I don’t pick betting against the Pats before championships.” the birds.” and won’t make the same mistake again, as much as it pains me.”

season, the Eagles head into Super Bowl LII led by a backup quarterback in Nick Foles and a cutting-edge football tactician in Head Coach Doug Pederson. That duo has worked together to form a surprisingly strong passing attack with the help of weapons like Zach Ertz, Alshon Jeffery, and Jay Ajayi.

However, Philly’s defence has been the real differencemaker in these playoffs. Named Football Outsiders’ secondranked defence, the unit has conceded just 17 points and added three takeaways in its two postseason games. Aside from defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, the Eagles lack the defensive star power of teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars, but make up for it by fielding 11 reliable defenders at all times. Against a New England offence that picks on mismatches as well as any team, to have no such weaknesses is a greater strength than to have a handful of stars.

New England Patriots The latest edition of New England’s long line of Super Bowl teams includes an interesting blend of faces old and new.

As always, Brady and Belichick will lead the Patriots charge, likely with the help of Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola.

This season’s addition of Brandin Cooks, on the other hand, brings a new dimension to their passing game.

Stephon Gilmore brings a similar injection of life to the New England defence, pairing with Malcolm Butler to form one of the best cornerback tandems in football. Unfortunately, the strengths stop there for the Patriots defence—likely the worst unit on the field for either team. The unit held its own against limited competition in its run to the Super Bowl, but Pederson’s creativity and offensive weapons will provide a new, formidable challenge.

Which All-Star game shines the brightest?

A definitive pecking order for North America’s four major All-Star events

Owen Gibbs Contributor All-Star season is upon us. It’s the time of year when sports fans get together and celebrate the proud North American tradition of watching the top stars of our favourite sports face each other to determine not that much. However, not all four major league sports are created equal: Due to their unique formats, some All-Star games are far more entertaining than others.

4. NFL

American football is a perfectly fun sport to watch, but let’s face it—the Pro Bowl isn’t. The game takes place the week before the Super Bowl, so stars like Tom Brady are preoccupied with bigger things, and those who aren’t playing are already on holiday. Though there is now a relatively-small monetary prize, there is otherwise no major incentive for either team to win. In such a contact-heavy sport, players don’t want to go all-out against each other when there isn’t much on the line. All together, these factors contribute to a bland final product.

2. NHL

1. MLB

An event of many faces, the NHL All-Star Weekend has historically pitted the league’s two conferences against each other, including a short stretch where two players were selected as captains and would draft teams from the All-Star pool in a televised event.

The current format, however, is the most unique of all four leagues.

A 10-player team is selected to represent each of the four divisions.

Instead of one full-length game, the stars play three short tournament matches for a monetary prize. These feature three-on-three hockey instead of the standard five-a-side, which supposedly elevates the excitement. However, the game itself often lacks hitting and defence—two of the sport’s most entertaining elements.

The skills competition is well worth watching. Players compete in a number of events, such as hardest shot and fastest skater, giving fans a spectacle unlike in any the other league.

The MLB All-Star break boasts perhaps the best skill competition, where the Home Run Derby encourages baseball’s biggest sluggers to pound as many balls as possible into space.

Whoever hits the most home runs wins, while players can earn extra points for distance, which provides fans with constant entertainment value.

Furthermore, baseball doesn’t require a team to have perfect chemistry, so players can provide a worthy product without any prior experience with their teammates.

However, what truly sets the MLB game apart from the others is that it actually matters. The teams are divided by league, and the winning league’s team gets home-field advantage in the World Series. Thus, players have an incentive to win, on the off-chance that their team makes it to the championship. The consequential nature of the game is unique to the MLB, and it helps the midsummer classic secure the top spot: All-Star of All-Stars.

3. NBA

The NBA All-Star Weekend, and its entertaining set of skills competitions, just misses second place. With much of each event centred around the stars themselves, the league gets to display the players’ creativity.

The game itself is filled with a continuous highlight reel of flashy passes and spectacular dunks at the cost of any semblance of defence, so some fans enjoy it much more than others. This season, the NBA switched to a player draft format similar to what the NHL used to have. However, the NBA did not televise the event, a sore point among fans. The dunk and three-point contests have gotten somewhat tired over the years, and with players’ personalities coming to the forefront, performances—like the Shaq-lemore stunt of 2014— can become draining.

Tennessee Titan Delanie Walker and Denver Bronco Von Miller shared MVP honours after another forgettable Pro Bowl. (denverpost.com)

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

16 SPORTS

Redmen basketball triumphant in big win over Gaiters McGill squad gets revenge in second half of home and away series Gabe Nisker Staff Writer Talk about a bounceback victory.

On Jan. 26, the McGill Redmen (8-2) fell to the Bishop’s University Gaiters (3-8) in a tough 86-81 away loss. The following night back home at Love Competition Hall, the Redmen showed their true colours as they controlled the game from start to finish in a 108-57 blowout victory over the same Gaiters team—with the Redmen’s largest regular season margin of victory since 1977.

“I was disappointed last night

[Jan. 26] with our energy level,” Redmen Head Coach David DeAveiro said.

“So, we really wanted to come out here and establish a level of energy and compete.”

McGill shot 49.4 per cent from the field. Five Redmen scored in double figures, led by fourth-year centre Noah Daoust’s 18 points in 17 minutes off the bench. Daoust filled the stat sheet elsewhere, too, adding five rebounds, four steals, and three assists.

Starting sloppy in the first quarter, both teams took some time to settle down, but it quickly became clear which direction the game was headed in. Both

Despite a sloppy start, McGill claimed a well-earned victory. (Gabriel Helfant / The McGill Tribune)

sides found themselves in foul trouble, attempting 22 shots from the line in total. At the end of the stop-and-start first frame, the Redmen were up 11.

McGill’s lead grew to 16 by the end of the second quarter. After a half filled with fouls and free throws, DeAveiro kept his side locked in the game with his halftime speech.

“He was just telling us to stay focused and to stop fouling,” fourth-year guard Alex Paquin said. “When we came out in the third quarter, we stopped fouling, we started moving our feet, pressuring. They really had no option.”

Indeed, McGill stopped antagonizing the referees. After fouling the Gaiters 15 times in the first half, the Redmen totalled only three fouls in their dominant third quarter run. They forced eight turnovers in the frame on their way to a 19-0 run, holding the Gaiters without a basket for nearly five minutes as the lead grew to 33 by the end of the quarter.

Paquin scored all six of his points and added two assists in the quarter to pace the Redmen. Fourth-year guard Avery Cadogan added eight, on his way to a total of 12 for the game.

“We love to play fast,” Paquin said. “Coach always tells us ‘push the ball, push the ball, run out.’ We want to make teams turn the ball over, play fast,

and then get open threes, and not have to settle for five-on-five offence.”

McGill continued their dominance in the fourth quarter, as stifling defensive pressure held the Gaiters to only eight points in the closing frame while the Redmen scored 26 more of their own.

“When we start running, that’s when teams really struggle to guard us,” Daoust said. “They’re a really good transition team but the way to beat them is to run on them.”

Third-year guard Isaiah Cummins’ dunk with 2:28 left put a nice bow on the Redmen effort that evening. With

the team bathing in the loud fan appreciation postgame, DeAveiro highlighted his team’s efforts on the second night of a back-to-back.

“If [the] result [had been the same] tonight as yesterday, but [we had] competed like we did today, I would have lived with it,” DeAveiro said. “I just know when we play like this, when we compete like this, we’re a hard team to beat.”

After one of their most impressive performances of the season, the Redmen look to keep up the energy in their next game on Feb. 1 against the Laval Rouge et Or.

Moment of the game

With 3:43 left in the third quarter, fourth-year guard Alex Paquin dropped a beautiful behind-the-back pass right into the hands of fourthyear centre Noah Daoust for an easy lay-in to extend McGill’s lead to 22.

Quotable

“My brother [...is] a sophomore at Bishop’s [....] Unfortunately, he’s hurt [...but] I’ll be interested to see what he has to say. He was texting me after the game [last night] being really supportive and I hated it, obviously because of how it went [....] We’ll see what kind of mood he’s in, hopefully he’s okay.”

- Daoust on the McGill-Bishop’s sibling rivalry.

Stat corner

Pressured by the relentless McGill Redmen defence, the Bishop’s Gaiters turned the ball over 36 times on Saturday night.

Chopping, chanting, and chainsaws at MacDonald Campus

McGill’s greatest lumberjacks at the annual Woodsmen Competition Miya Keilin Staff Writer Continued from page 1.

In the adjacent snow-covered rugby field, the snowshoe race (two laps around the field in snowshoes) was contested.

Axe throw, pole climb, log roll, and pulp toss were all on the outer boundary of the main area.

All the morning events happened simultaneously—running continuously from 9 a.m. until the lunch break at noon— but the competitors still found plenty of time to cheer each other on and socialize with family and friends. When their competition times drew near, however, the athletes lost their easy-going manner and psyched themselves up to perform.

“We do a chant, like a cheer, before [the event],” secondyear woodsmen Victoria Tseng Paepcke said, referring to a loud, intense huddle every team did before their team events.

The chants are specific to each team and work to create a

The woodsmen competed in several team sawing and chopping events.

(Miya Keilin / The McGill Tribune)

bond between members.

“The team spirit just keeps us going,” fourth-year woodsmen Alice Viala added.

McGill had one of the largest teams at the competition and found much success in the morning. One of the men’s teams had to deal with a fallen log during its log roll run, but quickly recovered and still managed a decent time. McGill axe thrower Thierry Philippot had an excellent go in his singles event, hitting the target on all three tries.

After the break, the competition was partitioned into five corrales, with each school completing the remaining events in their respective sections. Fans crowded around the corral where their school competed and cheered on the teams.

The first two events were team sawing competitions. The events were set up like relays, where each player or double would saw off a cookie (a biscuit-shaped piece of wood) and then hand off the saw to the next. The underhand chop went third. This event had a similar relay nature but both teammates started in a chopping position, standing atop their blocks, and then chopped one after the other.

The final event of the day was the water boil. Competitors chopped up a log, used matches to start a fire, and heated up water in a tin can until it boiled over. Though this was the longest event, it was far from dull. Teammates shouted advice from the sides, and competitors got down on the ground, blowing furiously into their fires—all while the crowd watched with anxious anticipation.