The McGill Tribune Vol. 40 Issue 24

RESILIENCE

The McGill Tribune Vol 40 Issue 24 April 7, 2021 Published by the SPT, a student society of McGill University mcgilltribune.com @mcgilltribune

T

EDITORIAL BOARD

Editor-in-Chief Helen Wu editor@mcgilltribune.com Creative Director Aidan Martin amartin@mcgilltribune.com Managing Editors Katia Lo Innes kinnes@mcgilltribune.com Kennedy McKee-Braide kmckee-braide@mcgilltribune.com Sophia Gorbounov sgorbounov@mcgilltribune.com News Editors Maya Abuali, Kate Addison & Sequoia Kim news@mcgilltribune.com Opinion Editors Jonah Fried & Sepideh Afshar opinion@mcgilltribune.com Science & Technology Editors Madison Mclauchlan & Shafaq Nami scitech@mcgilltribune.com Student Life Editors Alaana Kumar & Leyla Moy studentlife@mcgilltribune.com

NEWS OPINION STUDENT LIFE

4-6 7-9 10-12

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

13-15

FEATURE

16-17

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

18-19

SPORTS

20-21

Features Editor Kevin Vogel features@mcgilltribune.com Arts & Entertainment Editors Vanessa Barron & Jonathan Giammaria arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editors Adam Burton & Sarah Farnand sports@mcgilltribune.com Design Editors Ruobing Chen & Chloe Rodriguez design@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editor Jasmine Acharya photo@mcgilltribune.com Multimedia Editors Sarah Ford & Alexandre Hinton multimedia@mcgilltribune.com Web Developer Benjamin Alexandor & Marwan Khan webdev@mcgilltribune.com Copy Editor Jackie Lee copy@mcgilltribune.com Social Media Editor Marie Saadeh socialmedia@mcgilltribune.com Business Manager Marilie Pilon business@mcgilltribune.com

TPS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Helen Wu, Caitlin Kindig, McEan Taylor, Tara Alami, Yara Shaheen-Abuelreish, Deana Korsunsky, Sequoia Kim, Kennedy McKee-Braide, Shreya Rastogi, Marilie Pilon, Heela Achakzai

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The McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Société de Publication de la Tribune, a student society of McGill University. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of The McGill Tribune and the Société de Publication de la Tribune, and does not necessarily represent the views of McGill University. Letters to the editor may be sent to editor@mcgilltribune.com and must include the contributor’s name, program and year and contact information. Letters should be kept under 300 words and submitted only to the Tribune. Submissions judged by the Tribune Publication Society to be libellous, sexist, racist, homophobic or solely promotional in nature will not be published. The Tribune reserves the right to edit all contributions.

Editorials are decided upon and written by the editorial board. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the McGill Tribune, its editors or its staff.

THANK YOU The McGill Tribune would like to sincerely thank all of the Contributors and Staff who have been involved with the paper this school year. Whether you contributed by writing articles, filming videos, taking photos, or creating illustrations, your talent has made the Tribune a better newspaper. Although the pandemic has made all of our lives more challenging, your enthusiasm has kept us excited and inspired. It is without a doubt difficult to balance extracurricular activities with academic work, so you should all be proud of your contributions and accomplishments this year.

We wish all our graduates the best of luck and hope that the experiences you had at the Tribune carry into your future. For those returning in the Fall—whether you wrote once or every single week—we hope to work with you again soon.

Finally, we would like to acknowledge that this past year was our 40th volume, an achievement made possible with the sustained support of our community. It is always a privilege telling stories and immersing ourselves in the McGill community. To all those who have shared their stories with us—thank you for trusting us. We thank our readers and the student body for giving us feedback and engaging with our content. The Tribune is grateful for your continued support of independent student journalism.

STAFF

CONTRIBUTORS

Reza Ali

Naomi Mirny

India Blaisdell

Margaret Askey

Matthew Molinaro

Elissa Dresdner

Zoe Babad-Palmer

Jinny Moon

Henry Fletcher

Rory Daly

Respina Rostamifar

Sophia Howard

Ella Fitzhugh

Brian Schatteman

Karan Kumar

Justin Galouzi

Noah Vaton

Michelle Marcus,

Defne Gurcay

Josephine Wang

Juliet Morrison

Signy Harnad

Xiaotian Wang

Hénia Ould-Hammou

Zoe Karkossa

Youssef Wahba

Charlotte Pierrel

Lucy Keller

Margaret Wdowiak

Taneeshaa Pradhan

Deana Korsunsky

Lowell Wolfe

Michelle Siegel

Erika MacKenzie

Wendy Zhao

Holly Wethey

Maya Mau

Yifan Wu

Adam Menikefs

Charles C.Y. Xu

Ella Milloy

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7 2021

4 / NEWS

Undiagnosed ADHD in women poses extra barriers to remote learning

ADHD symptoms present differently across genders Ella Fitzhugh Staff Writer As the Winter 2021 semester comes to a close, many McGill students have reported a range of challenges in finishing the academic year. One challenge in particular affects some students more than others, and often does so without their awareness: An undiagnosed mental disorder.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often goes under-diagnosed among women, largely due to differences in the way symptoms present themselves across genders and the gender-bias present in the medical field. With McGill’s mental health services coming under strain over the pandemic, some students allege that diagnostic services have become harder to access.

ADHD is listed among the Diagnostic Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), and is characterized by pervasive issues with executive functioning—which include activities like attention, organization, time management, and self-control.

While individuals with ADHD often struggle academically, Tina Montreuil, assistant professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology and associate member of the Department of Psychiatry at McGill, emphasized that the difficulty is not due to a lack of cognitive ability.

“ADHD, a lot of [the] time, affects the individual not at the cognitive level,” Montreuil said. “So when we assess individuals [with ADHD] cognitively, there are people that do really well. But, when you look at their functioning at the executive level, in terms of attention, concentration, focus, there seems to be some difficulties or deficits.”

There are two common types of ADHD: Inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive. The inattentive type is characterized by concentration issues, such as an inability to focus during a lecture, and the hyperactive-impulsive type—which is typically more present in boys—is characterized by poor impulse control and restlessness.

Steven R. Shaw, associate professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology at McGill, explained that ADHD symptoms present differently in each individual.

“ADHD is one of those topics that everyone thinks they know a little bit about,” Shaw said. “But in fact, it is very difficult to make a diagnosis, and everybody who has it is very different [...] It is not something where there is a typical case.”

While many students report struggling with mental health issues, an important step to treating a mental disorder is getting a diagnosis. According to Teri Phillips, the director of the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) many students have struggled to access diagnostic services this year.

“Anecdotally, and particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems that accessing assessment services have been measurably more difficult due to the need for certain inperson activities as part of a thorough assessment process,” Phillips wrote.

Statistics show that for every two males, one female is diagnosed with ADHD. Montreuil believes that gender biases present in the medical field are part of the reason behind the diagnosis gap.

“Sometimes, because of gender biases, these [symptoms] will be excused in males with the assumption that males are just less calm than females,” Montreuil said. “That is just a construct and a stereotype we are assuming. That can also impact referrals, diagnosis, and just helping in general.”

Juliette Vermes-Monty, U2 Arts and Science, spoke with The McGill Tribune about her personal experience in receiving an ADHD diagnosis and the impact that it had on her.

Dr. Steven R. Shaw notes that in girls, ADHD is often mistaken as an anxiety disorder. (Sabre Conde-Yassin / The McGill Tribune) “I did not get diagnosed for many years, so there was this constant battle of being too loud but not hyperactive enough to have ADHD,” Vermes-Monty said. “When I got diagnosed [...] my life completely changed because [...] although I did not fit the stereotype of ADHD, it made sense all of the struggles I had gone through in the past.”

Certain symptoms of ADHD, such as hyperfixations, can be exacerbated by rigid teaching styles. Hyperfixations are a non-specific symptom of ADHD which manifest as a total engrossment in a particular activity or interest. Phillips explained that there is a fine line between productivity and exhaustion when dealing with one’s hyperfixations.

“Counting hyperfixation as a superpower rather than an obstacle is definitely doable, [...] however balance is the key,” Phillips wrote. “While focussing on an assignment for five hours straight might seem like a good idea, this neglects all the other things your mind and body need to be balanced.”

Vermes-Monty spoke about the complicated power of immersing herself into a hyperfixation, noting the importance of taking breaks.

“I sing and I play the ukulele, and also I sew,” VermesMonty said. “Those are things that once I start, I do not stop for hours [....] Last semester, [...] I really did not have the time, and I would feel like I was wasting my time focussing on these hobbies. When you allow yourself to take breaks, it is fun to be so immersed in something.”

According to Shaw, professors who follow status quo teaching styles—often characterized by rigid grading structures, similar lecture styles every week, and rigorous academic workloads—may contribute to learning procedures that do not benefit students with ADHD. “The undergraduate instruction can be quite uneven in terms of acceptability,” Shaw said. “You will have some professors who are wonderful in [...] providing a scaffold for which things can be developed, [and] really helping students to develop skills. But you will also have other professors who

may really have a difficult time avoiding the cookie cutter approach, [and] they tend to be more comfortable with that [approach].”

Vermes-Monty encouraged students with ADHD to embrace their own learning styles when navigating the learning structures in place.

“I wish that I had not been pathologized by the school system,” Vermes-Monty said. “The [educational system] is so narrow that you are bound to not fit into it, and it is totally okay. It is hard to believe that and tell yourself that [...] because so much of our lives are based on how well we do in school [and] how well we fit in with the system [....] At the end of the day, if you do embrace the way that you learn and listen to your mind and your body and your intuition, it is going to help you.”

Vermes-Monty added that students with ADHD exemplify the importance of prioritizing mental wellbeing and seeking help when struggling—two key ways to being resilient in the face of stress.

“I feel like in the past my ADHD has not been that big of an issue,” Vermes-Monty said. “Because I have had my accommodations [and] with my medication, I have been able to focus for the most part. But [last semester] was the first time that that was no longer enough for me, and I just did not really know what to do about it. This semester I just learned to prioritize myself.”

Despite the dealing with the hurdle of dealing with undiagnosed ADHD, Montreuil urged students to continue to push forward in their journeys through university.

“We want [teenagers and young adults with ADHD] to feel as though ‘this is who you are,’” Montreuil said.

“With the right environment, the right strategies, and the right accommodations, some people go on to being very successful. But it first starts with [individuals] acknowledging this and then advocating for what [they] feel [they] need to really optimize [their] potential.”

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7 2021

NEWS / 5

EDRSC event discusses disordered eating in a McGill context Panellists say academic stress may exacerbate disordered eating Charlotte Pierrel Contributor Content warning: Eating disorders and disordered eating.

On March 30, McGill’s Eating Disorder Resource and Support Centre (EDRSC) held a virtual talk titled “Eating Disorders/Disordered Eating in the McGill Context.” In what was the EDRSC’s final talk of the 2020-2021 school year, panellists examined the dual impacts that university life and the COVID-19 pandemic have on students with eating disorders and disordered eating habits.

The EDRSC, which was founded in 2019, has transitioned its services of providing weekly peer-support groups and advocacy events to a virtual format since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. At Wednesday’s event, three EDRSC facilitators—Cody Esterle, Zuzana Navratil and Deborah Gallou—hosted a discussion on disordered eating at McGill, opening up conversations about eating disorders and providing support to students.

Esterle, BA ‘20 and co-founder of the EDRSC, said that academic pressures can contribute to the development of eating disorders.

“Specifically in the context of McGill,

Meal prepping and grocery shopping can be particularly difficult tasks for students with eating disorders. (Daria Kiseleva / The McGill Tribune)

eating disorders and disordered eating can easily develop because of [the university’s] high stress and highly competitive culture in terms of classes and academic pressure,” Esterle said. “[They may] develop as coping strategies or mechanisms to adapt to these very situations.”

Navratil, U2 Arts and an EDRSC volunteer, said that transitioning to adulthood and entering into the university environment also impacts students’ eating habits.

“At McGill, there is a space where eating disorders can flourish, […] caused by stressors that are not necessarily academic,” Navratil said.

“Moving to a new country, [or] not having your usual support system, encompass some of the biggest challenges of university life. For first year university students, living in residence can be a highly triggering environment.”

The discussion then shifted to topics regarding meal prepping and grocery shopping—activities which the speakers highlight sometimes cause distress to those with eating disorders. According to Gallou, BA ‘20 and support group volunteer for the EDRSC, meal prepping can lead to unconscious restrictive behaviours.

“As a student, meal prepping can start off as a good thing to gain time, but can spiral into disordered habits when you start to moralize certain kinds of foods,” Gallou said. “If you see social media advertising certain types of meal prepping plans, this can start a slippery

slope into moralizing certain types of food and can start a perspective on viewing food in a restrictive way.”

Esterle suggested potential solutions for students to alleviate food-related stress, particularly for those who are recovering from an eating disorder.

“Finding a friend or a roommate to cook with or grocery shop can be helpful,” Esterle said. “Having that support can foster the development of new, positive connotations for food, which is good in recovery. [It can make] highly anxiety-inducing settings become less overwhelming [and] can make it even exciting and fun.”

Referencing the McGill Student Services decision to defund the McGill Eating Disorder Program in 2017, panellists stated that they believe that there is a lack of institutional support services at McGill that offer specialized treatment to students with eating disorders.

Currently, there are two part-time dieticians at the Wellness Hub who are available to meet with students struggling with disordered eating.

“Professional support [at McGill is] inaccessible and restricted through endless waitlists,” Esterle said. “If one finally gets access, the lack of connection and education around [eating disorders] in other services also does not cover the many facets that eating disorders have, giving one-sided

SSMU report finds francophone students reluctant to exercise academic Students cite insufficient application of Charter of Student Rights’ Article 19 Juliet Morrison Contributor The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) and the Commission des Affaires Francophones (CAF), released the Report on Francophone Academic Rights on March 26. The report, based on a survey conducted in April 2020, presented the impediments students face in submitting work in French and set forth recommendations to improve the application of this academic right.

Compiled under the supervision of 2019-2020 SSMU Vice-President (VP) of University Affairs (UA) Madeline Wilson, current VP UA Brooklyn Frizzle, and CAF commissioner Juliette Chesnel, the report focusses on the application of Article 19 of the Charter of Student Rights—an academic right that permits students to submit work in French and have it evaluated by a French speaker.

Feedback from the report’s survey data demonstrated that 50 per cent of francophone students have not invoked their right to submit work in French during their time at McGill, despite the fact that 70 per cent of respondents said their writing skills were stronger in French than in English.

Although professors are required to list students’ right to submit graded course work in French in their course syllabi, the report found that a significant number did not. Of professors

who included the academic right in their outline, 48 per cent said they received work in French over the past five years, compared to 20 per cent of professors who did not include the right.

Some professors left anonymous comments in the survey that they had dissuaded students from handing in work written in French, citing the development of students’ English writing skills as reason for their discouragement.

Juliette Chesnel, U3 Arts and CAF Commissioner, said that students should feel free to exercise their academic rights—without pressure from their professors to submit work in English for the sake of language improvement.

“At the end of the day it is not a valid reason,” Chesnel said. “The students know what is best for them and what they are more comfortable doing, so making sure they do not have a negative narrative from the professor is very important.”

Survey feedback also showed that many students opted not to submit assignments in French due to uncertainty about the grading process. Currently, when students submit work in French to a non-French speaking instructor, their work is passed to a French speaker for evaluation.

Andylath Dijma, U1 Management, said she is reluctant to submit work in French because there is no guarantee that the French grader has knowledge specific to the topic of the assignment.

“I am hesitant to write in French because I do not know how I will be graded,’’ Djima said. “In English, I kind of know

Report revealed historical tension between McGill and its Francophone community.

(Jasmine Acharya / The McGill Tribune) [...], but in French I do not. Especially if the person grading does not know the subject, [...] I would rather just write in English.”

Some francophone students, including Arthur Courtois, U3 Arts, claim that submitting work in French is more complicated because the language of instruction at McGill is in English.

Courtois said that he stopped submitting work in French because many subject-specific terms and concepts are only explored in English.

“After a while I just stopped [submitting assignments in French],” Courtois said.

“Oftentimes [...] the specific terms and definitions are in English, and translating is a lot of extra work [....] It becomes easier to write in English.”

The SSMU report also contained recommendationsforimprovingtheapplicationof

Article 19. One such recommendation suggested ensuring that professors list the Article 19 right on all applicable course outlines, provide subjectspecific terms and concepts in French alongside English, and supply French evaluation schemes.

Incoming VP UA Claire Downie said she plans to use campaigns such as SSMU’s Know Your Rights to bring more awareness to francophone academic rights next year.

“I would love to work with SSMU’s communications department to ensure that the campaign reaches as wide an audience as possible,” Downie wrote to The McGill Tribune.

“I also think outreach with the First Year Council could be a positive relationship, because students should begin their McGill experience knowing [about] all their academic rights.”

6 / NEWS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7 2021

McGill launches bicentennial celebrations with a packed, hour-long event Students, alumni, faculty, and musicians join in on festivities Sequoia Kim News Editor McGill kicked off its bicentennial (1821-2021) celebrations on March 31 by broadcasting its centrepiece event, “Celebrate 200: Launching Our 3rd Century,” live from the university’s bicentennial website. Laurent DuvernayTardif, MD ‘18, a frontline healthcare worker and professional football player, and Heleena De Oliveira, U3 Arts and president of the Black Students’ Network (BSN), hosted the event and also took part in 200-second challenges dispersed throughout the program.

In her opening remarks, De Oliveira recognized Shakorennawis Doxtador-Swamp, Oneida and Bear Clan, who performed the Iroquois social song “Rabbit Dance” during the land acknowledgement, and reflected on her time as president of the BSN. “I just want to take a small moment to thank the Black and Indigenous [communities] of McGill,” De Oliveira said.

“Without them, we would not have reached where we are today, celebrating our 200 years.”

The festivities began with a screening of McGill’s official bicentennial video, followed by greetings from three of McGill’s Principals Emeriti, including the Right Honourable David Johnston, Bernard Shapiro, and Heather Munroe-Blum.

Munroe-Blum, McGill’s first female Principal and ViceChancellor, serving between 2003-2013, paired her celebratory remarks with a commitment to community service.

“As we celebrate, I hope we will all commit to making McGill even better by lifting our collective aspirations toward the highest standards of service to all humanity,” MunroeBlum said.

After the greetings, De Oliveira and Suzanne Fortier, McGill’s Principal and Vice-Chancellor since 2013, shared a conversation, discussing their respective experiences at McGill.

Having been a student at the university before eventually becoming its Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Fortier said she had noticed the culture at McGill change over the years.

“There are three words that come to my mind,” Fortier said. “Open, connected, and purposeful. I do not think I would have used those words when I was a student here 50 years ago.”

Looking ahead to its third century, Fortier was confident that student initiatives would propel the university to greater heights.

“When I see all that is going on around campus, particularly with our students and all the initiatives they launch, [...] they are ready to shape the future,” Fortier said.

A musical interlude followed the conversations, featuring performances by Schulich School of Music alumni Jason Beck, B. Mus ‘94—who performs under the name “Chilly Gonzales”—and Beatrice Deer, an acclaimed Mohawk and Inuk artist who was a distinguished guest at McGill’s Indigenous Awareness Week in 2018.

Following the musical performances, Michael Loft, retired academic associate at the McGill School of Social Work, recalled his time working for the faculty.

“Some 45 years ago, McGill made room for a young Kahnawake Mohawk recently returned home from a threeyear hitch in the U.S. Marines, and gave me the tools to build a rewarding career in the social work field,” Loft said. “I am confident that the Indigenous presence [at McGill] will grow exponentially in the coming years.”

Thomasina Phillips, Kanienkehaka from Kahnawake, interim manager at the First Peoples’ House, and social worker at the McGill Wellness Hub, echoed Loft’s thoughts and offered her vision for the future of Indigenous presence at McGill.

“Inclusion is a very first important step in reaching a critical mass of Indigenous peoples within the university,”

The event showcased the Impact 200 Bicentennial Student Sustainability Challenge candidates: 19 teams were selected for semi-finals and over the course of April, 10 will be chosen to advance to the finals. (mcgill.ca) Phillips said. “By 2071, what I would hope to see is the inclusion of Indigenous knowledges and ways of life in every part of the university.”

Beyond boosting Indigenous inclusion and enrollment, Phillips hopes that McGill will foster relationships with Indigenous communities in the coming years.

“What I would hope to see are partnerships with communities that support the initiatives of those communities, around language, revitalization, kinship, [and] caring,” Phillips said.

For the event’s final musical performance, the Christine Jensen Small Ensemble performed “I Feel Foolish” from the Schulich School of Music, and a string of clips featuring alumni sending birthday wishes to McGill led the program to a close.

McGill Policy Association workshop explores diversity of public policy Panellists discussed policy-making, cybersecurity, and municipal governance Hénia Ould-Hammou Contributor The McGill Policy Association (MPA) hosted a Zoom workshop on March 30, featuring discussions on topics related to policy such as the policy-making process, cybersecurity, and municipal government. The webinar was moderated by Teresa Lee, U3 Arts and Science, and included presentations from three master’s candidates from the Max Bell School of Public Policy: Ellen Rowe, a cyber security policy analyst from the Department of National Defense of Canada, Mikayla Zolis, a social innovator working to address urban issues, and Mariel Aramburu, a policy professional with previous experience in intergovernmental and international relations.

Rowe began the discussion by imparting the importance of studying policy-making, noting its use in helping people understand political decision-making processes and how those decisions affect the lives of citizens. Rowe then elaborated on the topic of policy-making with a focus

The MPP candidates explained various policy procedures such as the general policy-making process. (Defne Gurcay / The McGill Tribune) on cybersecurity and phishing, a fraudulent way of accessing personal information.

“We need to have policies in place that can mitigate cyber attacks [and make] sure our workplace [...] is up to par,” Rowe said. “The policy side of things [...] details what technical experts and people within an organization [are responsible for].

You [have] to make sure that you are aware [...] of what phishing emails look like.”

Lee asked Zolis about the policy decisions implicated in municipal

government issues. Zolis delineated the closeness of municipalities and citizens, indicating that certain issues, such as taxation, were more local than those at the federal and provincial levels.

“Cities are the closest to the people which means that the politicians and the people that live in cities often have a closer relationship than they may do with the federal level,” Zolis said. “Politicians and civil servants are responding to more localized issues.”

Zolis elaborated on one of

the fundamental challenges in municipal governance—property taxes—emphasizing the frustration of citizens when there is a proposed increase.

“One of the major challenges that cities face is that they can only collect their revenue through property taxes,” Zolis said. “People do not like when they get raised [....] That limits what municipalities can do with their large scope and limited resources.”

According to Zolis, issues surrounding property tax increases could be managed quicker than the same issues concerning provinces or territories. “[Municipalities] can address those issues and we can see [...] that they are able to try things out and implement things a lot quicker than other jurisdictions that are higher,” Zolis said.

Aramburu argued that academic research could better shape federal policy decisions and in turn, a country’s political agenda.

“In my role with post-secondary education, sometimes policy comes from your research and what you are

looking at,” Aramburu said. “It does not necessarily mean that it [is] on the government agenda, but through your research [....] You [could] have the ability to influence what might be on the political agenda.”

Aramburu explained that policy-making is a broad field that encompasses many ways to address issues at different levels of government.

“One of the things that I am hoping to convey is that policy can be really big [...], but it can be a lot smaller. You could [be] making big differences for the citizens you are serving.” Aramburu said.

Aramburu said that policy work on cabinet documents—which she claims constitute a substantial and lengthy task—are not the only way to contribute to the field of policy.

“I think that [cabinet documents] can be a very traditional idea of what policy might look like, but it can also be on the ground, working with relationships and partners and thinking about different ways you can [...] improve your province, your city or your country,” Aramburu said.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7

7 / OPINION

Preventing gendered sexual violence requires systemic solutions

EDITORIAL

CLARIFICATION REGARDING DECLAN MCCOOL The editorial below, published on April 7, 2021, referred to an anonymous complaint that had been made against Declan

In fact, Independent Investigator Lacroix dismissed the complaint and concluded that “more likely than not, both parties had

McCool in 2020 shortly after he was elected to the position of Vice-President Internal of the Students’ Society of McGill University.

the capacity to consent to the sexual activities and that both parties gave continuous and affirmative consent to the activities…”

Despite reports in other media that the complaint had been dismissed on appeal, the Tribune failed to seek access to the appeal decision of the independent investigator Ms. Anaïs Lacroix. The Tribune failed to refer to those reports and also failed to contact McCool for his comments.

Content warning: Discussion gendered and sexual violence.

Furthermore, that “there was less than a 51% chance that the incidents described in the complaint occurred.”

The Tribune apologizes for omitting the findings of Ms. Anaïs Lacroix’s as well as her dismissal of the entire complaint against Mr. McCool.

of

McGill students are constantly forced to grapple with gendered and sexual violence perpetrated within the community, and this year was no exception. In April 2020, accusations emerged regarding then-incoming Students’ Society of McGill University VP Internal Declan McCool, and in December, survivors spoke out about rampant sexual violence within residences––an environment meant to be safe. Over the course of the pandemic, rates of gendered violence have skyrocketed, with public health measures posing significant barriers to escaping unsafe living situations. All the while, support from the university has been sorely lacking, with student groups attempting to bridge the gaps wherever possible by engaging in advocacy and providing important services. McGill’s failure to prioritize women’s safety places an enormous burden on students––one that they should not have to alleviate on their own.

The university has been slow to enact sufficient measures against sexual violence on campus. Despite recent revisions to the university’s sexual violence policies, its efforts have proven to be inadequate.

McGill’s reporting procedures for sexual assault are burdensome and convoluted, and navigating the endless layers of bureaucracy is acutely stressful for individuals experiencing traumatic aftermath from assault. But issues with McGill’s approach start long before the reporting process. For instance, its Policy Against Sexual Violence does not guarantee protection from legal consequences to those who have consumed illegal drugs before being assaulted, an approach to handling disclosure that can discourage survivors from coming forward. Also troubling is the way the university fails to hold predatory professors accountable, despite numerous scandals regarding inappropriate conduct.

There are many important student initiatives in place to help make up for McGill’s ongoing failure to support female-

presenting students and survivors of sexual violence, including WALKSAFE and DriveSafe, for instance, Both operations help students go home safely after late nights studying at the library or after a night out––situations that can be particularly terrifying for female-presenting students.

While meaningful, these services may not work for everyone. For example, students who have experienced sexual violence in the past may be hesitant to trust just anyone with their safety, especially at night. There is no question that these organizations provide important services, but they alone cannot solve systemic issues of gendered and sexual violence.

McGill students have been clear that the university’s current approach to student safety is insufficient. Beyond providing support and proper education to student groups who are trying to support survivors, the university’s policies need to be further updated within a survivor-centric and intersectional framework, no matter the

Music as a way of remembering

Ben Alexandor Web Developer People listen to music for three distinct purposes: To escape from their thoughts, change their mindset, or use as a narrative medium—something that can speak to one’s physical and mental situation first-hand. There is a time and place for each of these ways of listening to music: I will put on a certain album when I want to take my mind off something, but there are playlists made up of my friends’ favourite songs that are perfect before a Friday night out.

Most of the time, though, music is just something that follows me around in my ears while I ride the Metro or wait

for my clothes to dry at the laundromat.

The past four years of my undergraduate degree were some of the most eventful in my life. I like to think that I have learned more about myself through the adventures that come with moving out of my childhood home to start a new chapter of my life in a different city. And during all the changes and growing pains, I found solace in the music in my library, my collection providing a soundtrack to help me through my day-to-day life.

My spring 2018 playlist is marked by tunes that accompanied me through my first heartbreak, while my summer 2020 playlist consists of what I listened to on my solitary nighttime walks and socially-distanced park hangouts. My playlists are my life experiences catalogued by music and organized into months or seasons.

Music amplifies how I am feeling at any time and reflects weeks or months of my personal narrative. To me, music functions as both a way of narrating and remembering. In the moment, it comforts me; but after the fact, it serves as an encrypted diary entry. Each playlist is a time capsule containing artifacts that only I can understand.

With the advent of social media,

context in which they experience assault, rather than placing barriers to access based on factors like consuming illegal substances.

Moreover, administrators must implement more robust mental health services to students who are put in harm’s way due to the lack of preventative measures. And as many areas of McGill’s campus are poorly lit, spatial changes are far past overdue as well. In light of its current fundraising campaigns, the university should have no problem funnelling resources to these essential student-run services, which are currently filling gaps the university has left.

Despite earnest attempts by student groups to make campus safer for their peers, systemic issues require systemic solutions.

As a wealthy and influential institution, it is disgraceful that McGill ignores ongoing calls for better protection for its students rather than doing its part to address the ongoing crisis of gendered and sexual violence that festers within its walls and plagues its community.

OFF THE BOARD the way we listen to music has also become increasingly socialized.

Services like Spotify allow users to follow each other, see what other users are listening to, and collaborate on building playlists. Now, listening to music as a way to draw meaning from our experiences is something we can do together, the process helping to create shared life narratives.

Amid the barrage of electronic communication I receive in the form of promotional emails, social media notifications, and spam calls, I always look forward to a friend sending me a playlist. In my relationships, sharing music is a show of love and inclusion in the life we are building together.

It is a way of inviting each other into our lives and keeping each other in our minds. Songs on my playlists often find their way onto my friends’ playlists and vice-versa. Our bonds are

strengthened by the music we share.

I am currently building the last playlist of my undergrad, which is both exciting and unsettling. I am looking forward to the adventures that lie beyond McGill, but I am also scared of saying goodbye to the student life I am familiar with. In the face of a rapidly changing world filled with uncertainty, I find myself latching onto the songs that guided me through the past four years.

Just by putting on my headphones and clicking the play button, I can relive my frosh week, meet my best friend again at a pre-game for a Kacey Musgraves concert, and remember what it was like to warm up with other members of my dance company. I am sure I will revisit this music occasionally, the same way I sometimes listen to my now private high school playlists, but for now, it’s time to focus on the future and find music to narrate a new chapter.

ERRATUM An article published in the March 30 issue titled “McGill partnership with University of the People establishes transfer program” incorrectly stated that transfer students from UoPeople would only pay assessment fees. Transfer students will pay McGill tuition.

The Tribune regrets this error.

OPINION / 8

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7 2021

McGill is responsible for confronting anti-Asian hate Charles C.Y. Xu Contributor On March 27, my girlfriend and I were on our way to pick up sushi when a random man approached our parked car and raised his middle finger at us. As we crossed the street toward the restaurant, I heard, “F**k China! F**k Japan!”

I turned around to see that same middle finger pointed at me, my ethnicity, my race, and my heritage. Blatant racism is nothing new to me—I first experienced racism at the age of six, before I could even speak English, days after my arrival to the U.S. from Wuhan, China. At that moment, I did not know that only an hour later, the same man would be filmed harassing and threatening Rebecca Ng, an Asian woman riding the Metro.

The TikTok video of the assault is hard to watch—not only because of the man’s hand gesture of a gun pretending to shoot her in the face or the Nazi salutes, but also because no bystander stood up for her. No one helped her. After viewing the video on Facebook, I recognized that it was the same man who harassed me. I knew I had to do something; I knew that this time, I could not just forget about it, as I have done so many times in the past.

Ng and I have now both filed police reports with the hate crimes unit of the SPVM, not just to hold the man responsible for his racist actions, but to encourage others from the Asian community to stop tolerating anti-Asian racism.

It is time to call it what it is, and ignoring racism only allows it to fester. The video also made it painfully evident that Montrealers can witness such horrific attacks and choose to remain silent.

The surge in blatant anti-Asian racism during the pandemic is simply a continuation of historic racial injustices and a manifestation of systemic anti-Asian discrimination. Western science has tried to categorize humans, with the white man always portrayed as superior to other people. These ideas, when combined with Darwin’s natural selection and implemented in governmental policies, directly harm minorities through Social Darwinism, eugenics, and Nazi race theory. Academia, then, helped develop and maintain social hierarchies through its imaginary objectivity and scientific authority, which has historically served as one of the founding principles of white supremacy. The history of McGill University is seeping with eugenics. Even to this day, some scientists, including Armand Leroi––who was invited as a seminar speaker in the Department of Biology on April 1––are strong advocates for the revival of race science.

“What gives a Han Chinese child the curve of her eye? The curve I read once described by an eminent Sinologist as the purest of all curves.

What is the source of that curve?” Armand once wrote in a blog post.

The curve of my Han Chinese eyes come from the way I cringe when I think about how

Between March and December 2020, 643 incidents of anti-Asian hate crimes were reported.

(Graham Hughes / The Canadian Press) statements like “science is apolitical”—which Leroi claimed during the seminar—are used to defend the racist, imperialist, and misogynistic roots of science. Scientists are not absolved of responsibility simply because they are unaware of the ethical implications of scientific pursuits like modern neo-eugenics. Science is inherently political and continues to be used as a weapon by those privileged enough to wield it.

McGill has a large proportion of Asian students, staff, and faculty. Our ancestors were

head taxed, discriminated against, segregated into urban slums, and killed. Yet, we persist.

McGill’s reluctance to adequately condemn ongoing anti-Asian racism and systemic injustices is glaring. I hope that my personal experience can catalyze McGill to confront the distress of its Asian communities and create a concrete anti-Asian racism action plan to be implemented as soon as possible. The Asian community is beginning to find its voice, and it is about time we started using it.

Park parties are not an acceptable response to pandemic fatigue Michelle Marcus Contributor What started as a sunny afternoon on March 25 quickly devolved into a midpandemic disaster. Around 3:00 p.m. a crowd of students began to party in Montreal’s Jeanne Mance Park, forming a mob-like cluster despite ongoing provincial social distancing regulations prohibiting large gatherings. After two hours of moshing around a makeshift DJ station, the Montreal police shut down the gathering around 7:00 p.m.—but it was far too late to mitigate the potential spread of the virus. These students’ disregard for public health measures demonstrates a clear lack of empathy and social responsibility, jeopardizes the health of community members, and damages McGill students’ reputation.

Students must realize that COVID fatigue is not a valid excuse for putting lives at risk.

Montreal’s anti-mask and anti-curfew protests capture just a fraction of Quebecers’ frustration with red-zone regulations. Students in particular, feel robbed of the parties and social gatherings closely associated with university culture. These sentiments are understandable, and the temptation to let loose after months of lockdown is natural. The beginning of spring has also sparked nostalgia for events like Frosh and OAP—a painful reminder that COVID-19 cancels the ‘play’ side of McGill’s unofficial ‘work hard play hard’ motto. Still, students must resist the urge to equate the end of

Montreal’s winter with the end of the pandemic.

After losing my grandmother to COVID-19 last April, I received nothing but support from fellow McGill students.

Despite the pain of loss, I was comforted by the apparent commitment of my peers to do their part in limiting the spread of the virus.

Ironically, some of the students who posted videos to social media from the thick of Thursday’s crowd were the same people who

by now, all students know that large gatherings are counterproductive to Quebec’s recent progress in reducing case counts.

From the onset of the pandemic, young people have been pointed to as the source of spiking transmission rates. Considering that many students have responsibly obeyed regulations, this constant finger-pointing can feel uncalled for. Incidents like the gathering at Jeanne Mance, however, suggest that the

Legault announced in a press conference April 6 that if COVID-19 rates keep rising in Montreal, curfew may be pushed back to 8 p.m. (Brian Schatteman / The McGill Tribune) had offered me their heartfelt condolences just 11 months earlier. Considering the copious amounts of knowledge surrounding virus transmission, those who participated in the gathering cannot plead ignorance––

blame may be more warranted than we would like to admit. Although only a fraction of McGill students were involved in the gathering, events like these rightfully anger community members, as large gatherings increase the

likelihood of Montreal’s red-zone being extended. And while some students will have the luxury of escaping Montreal’s restrictions come the summer, local business owners and essential workers will continue to bear the financial and psychological consequences of lockdown measures. If these restrictions serve to prevent others from having to say final goodbyes to loved ones over the phone or increase the likelihood of in-person classes next year, compliance is morally necessary.

The way people responded to my family’s loss demonstrates that students have successfully grasped the importance of empathy. However, empathizing with families like mine, who have shown resilience in overcoming the traumas of COVID-19, is not enough. If students are not willing to sacrifice their personal desires to do their part to solve an issue directly impacting their peers and families, claims of allyship in social causes like Black Lives Matter and anti-Asian racism ring hollow.

With the vaccine rollout underway and the return to relative normalcy within reach, it is counterintuitive to jeopardize the province’s progress—especially with a third wave looming. It is encouraging to see that many students have resisted the temptation to use the weather as an excuse to behave irresponsibly.

However, the actions of students who took part in Thursday’s gathering are a slap in the face to those enduring the loneliness of isolation or dealing with the pain of attending Zoom memorials for their loved ones.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7

9 / OPINION

Campus Conversation: McGill students’ resilience Johnathon Cruickshank Staff Writer

Music Montreal’s creative spirit is difficult to put into words. Friends and family, too, have commented on the city’s distinct feel. One explanation may be its diverse and multilingual community, or perhaps it is the combination of the European aesthetics of Old Port and the laissezfaire style of the Plateau Mont-Royal.

It may even be the vibrant student populations who keep the city young.

For me, however, it has always been

world plunged into lockdowns over one year ago, a good friend of mine had launched a student-run record label that sought to platform McGill musical artists. Now operating entirely online, Green House Effect records has become a revolving door of talent, lighting up the student music scene. Some of my favourite Friday nights in quarantine have been spent tuning in to their Twitch stream to listen to their in-house DJ mix the latest hits, filling the musical void that would otherwise have been satisfied by a night out at the club.

Students have also been putting their performance skills towards charitable causes. On March 23, Meals for Milton-Parc teamed up with Jam for Justice to host a virtual event that demonstrated the power of music in bringing students together in solidarity with marginalized communities. It was a thrill to listen to the series of coffee house performances by local artists, especially knowing that it

From Leonard Cohen to Arcade Fire, McGill has been home to a host of iconic artists. (Dylan Rochon Terry / The McGill Tribune) the rich and lively music scene.

Whether it was attending outdoor performances at OAP or open mic nights in crowded basements, my first two years of university filled me with musical memories to last a lifetime. Although we may not be quite as artsy as our friends over at Concordia, McGill students have delivered some of the brightest and most talented acts in the city.

The COVID-19 pandemic made it more difficult for the city’s music scene to thrive, with the days of big crowds, packed venues, and collective jam sessions are on pause for the foreseeable future. However, McGill students have adapted to these unprecedented circumstances, finding ways to prevent the pandemic from snuffing out creative expression. As the world went virtual, so, too, did our vibrant music community, displaying resilience only found in the most trying of times.

Just before cities around the

was for a good cause. Events like these go to show that even a global pandemic cannot deter the McGill community’s creative output.

Kennedy McKee-Braide Managing Editor

Friendships The day after McGill announced the two-week closure of the university back in March 2020, I sat with my three best friends in one of their basements making plans for the upcoming two weeks of freedom. At this point, none of

With loneliness at an all-time high due to the pandemic, connecting with friends virtually can make a significant difference in one’s mental health.

(Kennedy McKee-Braide / The McGill Tribune) us truly understood how serious the pandemic would become, but we would soon realize that it would be quite some time before we could see each other again. For those first months of quarantine, I cried over missing my friends more times than I’d like to admit. After all, they are my rocks, and I hate when we are apart for too long.

Despite not being able to have sleepovers or watch shitty television over bottles of wine and junk food, we found ways to adapt. Days before my 21st birthday, I was dreading spending the milestone alone, when my doorbell rang and I was met with a package––a weighted blanket from my friends, who had remembered that I mentioned wanting one months before. On the day of my birthday, we watched almost the entire season of Too Hot To Handle together on Netflix Party, and I felt incredibly loved.

Over the past year, one of our favourite activities have been our weekly—and sometimes even daily—Netflix Party routine. By my calculations, we have watched at least eight different shows together since the onset of the pandemic, and right now, we are rewatching the entirety of Pretty Little Liars. People are often confused when I tell them what shows we are watching, because they are almost always of awful quality.

But nothing makes me happier than time spent with my friends making fun of Riverdale’s ever-deteriorating plotlines, or watching some good old-fashioned reality TV. At the end of the Fall 2021 semester, two of the four of us will be graduating from McGill, with the rest of us following suit in Winter and Fall 2022. We all have ambitious dreams for life after undergrad, some of which will inevitably require us to leave Montreal. We try not to think about this too much, because the thought of being apart is unbearable.

However, if the pandemic has proven

anything, it is that friends can always find ways to share laughs, love, and new experiences, no matter how far apart they are.

Sophia Howard Contributor

Humour Throughout the hardships of the pandemic, students’ sense of humour has been a great strength.

Nothing brings people together like a good laugh, and university students have always survived tough times by poking fun at shared struggles.

Even before remote classes, students

negative—between horrifying COVID-19 death counts and gruesome details of human rights violations committed across the world—and it is important to have a variety of coping mechanisms, whether through friends, family, and various hobbies. Seeing a meme amidst one’s feed is one way to take a break from the constant bad news.

Remarkably, the university’s comedians rose to the challenge of COVID-19 like never before.

Meme pages mocked MRO Communications’ emails, Associate Provost Christopher Buddle’s daily vlogs, and even the province’s curfew. Instead of despairing about these difficulties, humour has helped students cheer each other up. Facebook groups like McGill Poll Party, for example, provide a community where students freely rant or joke about their experiences.

In honour of remote learning, the popular Instagram meme page @eatingassinottomaas recently changed its name during the pandemic to @eatingassinonlineclass. When the McGill community heard of absurd events like the infamous fight club, meme pages immediately responded with a host of jokes about the event.

Research shows that a simple laugh can relieve stress by reducing stress hormones like cortisol. Even anticipating laughter can help the immune system by releasing oxytocin—a hormone linked to increased empathy and bonding. By joking with our peers through the internet, we are able to forge a sense of comradery. Having dedicated internet spaces to visit for comedic relief has supported students’ wellbeing.

Students have managed to develop new forms of community, even when physically separated. (instagram.com/spicy_martlet_meme)

shared jokes on Instagram meme accounts, Facebook groups, and the McGill subreddit.

The news that comes through social media is often overwhelmingly

The past year has been bleak for McGill students, but levity has helped them persevere through hardship and focus on the bright side of things.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7 2020

10 / STUDENT LIFE

Three student organizations take advantage of $11,000 from IRL Events The #irl11k contest aims to enrich virtual event planning Taneeshaa Pradhan Contributor This year’s monumental shift to online learning has forced student clubs to adapt their event planning.

As many clubs transitioned to virtual recruitment and meetings, the IRL (In Real Life) Events app kicked off its #irl11k contest in December 2020.

The contest encouraged student organizations at universities across North America to propose virtual campus event ideas, with the winning campuses receiving a reward. At the start of 2021, McGill was awarded $11,000 to be distributed between three organizations on campus.

After a competitive evaluation process, events submitted by the McGill Hellenic Students Association (MHSA), Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS), and McGill Formula Electric (MFE/ FSAE) were selected by IRL to split a prize of $11,000. Campus ambassador for IRL Events, Ionna Tzima, U3 Arts, explained the contest.

“The competition split $11,000 between three clubs, adjusted to the budgets appropriate for virtual events,” Tzima said in an interview

Using the prize money from #irl11k, the EUS was able to make participation in E-Week free for the first time. (events.ok.ubc.ca) with The McGill Tribune. “Three McGill clubs won on the basis of the number of RSVPs.” The EUS used the prize money to make admission to E-Week, an annual event that promotes friendly competition between engineering departments, free for the first time.

This year’s E-Week saw virtual events like Escape Rooms and Scavenger Hunts spread out over the month of February. Tzima described how organizers used the prize money from IRL Events to make

E-Week more accessible.

“After the [IRL] sponsorship [of prize money] in January, E-Week used the funding to make admissions free, and gave back all of the tickets to participants,” Tzima said.

MHSA’s February Trivia Night saw similar benefits, with an impressive lineup of guest speakers inaugurating the event. IRL’s financial contribution allowed event organizers to distribute gift cards ranging in value from $20 to $100 to trivia winners. Tzima, who is also

the VP Internal of MHSA, explained how #irl11k helped the event come to fruition. “[The IRL prize money] definitely had an impact on feasibility for the MHSA,” Tzima said. “We wouldn’t have been able to do this without IRL and have the gift cards [and the] the prizes [to] make it as grand as it was.”

The MFE plans to use the funds to ensure that the entire team can attend international races over the summer. Budget restrictions often limited the number of team members that can participate in competitions and events abroad.

“Usually, the MFE has difficulty in adjusting their budget to include travel for the car and the members,” Tzima said. “The funding from IRL gives them the opportunity to transport every member, which hasn’t happened in previous years.”

While collaborating with IRL Events, the three student associations were mindful of the ever-changing circumstances surrounding planned events due to the pandemic. Tzima elaborated on the accommodations that MHSA and EUS made for event participants not currently in

Montreal.

“It’s obviously very different to not have in-person events, especially in terms of funding,” Tzima said.

“To adjust to the virtual format, gift cards were a huge part of everything [....] Everyone can use them no matter where they are.”

In light of this uncertainty, MFE has prepared for the possibility of cancelled international competitions. Team co-captain Benjamin Munt, U3 Engineering, described an alternative plan for the summer break in the case of unforeseen circumstances.

“If we are unable to compete internationally, we are hoping to spend [the money] organizing a local race for some of the schools in Ontario and Quebec,” Munt said.

Noting the success stories coming from the #irl11k competition, IRL Events looks forward to continuing and expanding its involvement and outreach within the McGill community.

“IRL is always looking for new event ideas, and they have a lot of cards up their sleeves in terms of student events,” Tzima said. “I think they’re an excellent resource for the deserving clubs on our campus.”

Ask Ainsley: How can I enjoy Montreal safely this summer?

Navigating downtime during a pandemic Dear Ainsley, These days, I feel a mixture of excitement and sadness about the upcoming summer. On one hand, I’m glad to have a break, but on the other, I know I won’t be able to do many of the things I usually would. I miss travelling and enjoying Montreal’s summer offerings and I don’t know how to face another summer in lockdown. How can I enjoy Montreal this summer while still being safe?

Sincerely, Missing Travel in Lockdown (MTL)

You can also look forward to safely meeting up with a few friends from a distance. Try having a socially-distanced picnic in Square St. Louis while enjoying a pastry from Mamie Clafoutis. You might even consider exploring a new part of the city, such as the Lachine Canal, where visitors can stop and enjoy the sights and smells of the Atwater Market. Make sure to follow the provincial guidelines by limiting the amount of people you’re with, keeping your distance, and wearing a mask.

One of the coolest things about Montreal is the number of museums the city is home to. This summer, pay a visit to The Museum of Fine Arts or explore a lesser-known museum such

Dear MTL, I hear you! Much like last year, this summer will certainly look different from the Montreal summers we’ve come to love.

With a 9:30 p.m. curfew currently in place, restaurants closed to dine-in guests, and gatherings in private homes banned, it is understandable to miss the freedom we had in the past. That being said, although the lockdown may limit your activities this summer, there are still safe ways to have fun.

There are plenty of outdoor activities you can do while socially distanced this summer. Try exploring The Botanical Gardens—a signature Montreal attraction—with a walk through the Japanese Garden or their collection of bizarre plants, such as elephant’s foot and living stones. The classic Mont Royal hike is also a great way to enjoy the beauty of the city while keeping a safe distance from others. Try visiting Beaver Lake or climbing to the top in the evening to enjoy the sunset––just be mindful of the raccoons.

Mount Royal Volunteers help maintain and protect the mountain’s ecosystems. (Brian Schatteman / The McGill Tribune)

as the Écomusée du fier monde, a museum of grassroots and working-class history. But be sure to reserve your place well in advance, because they are in high demand.

While it’s nice to leave the house, the summer is also a great time to acquire some new skills. You can start learning a language you’ve always wanted to speak, or consider devoting a part of the summer to your own hobbies. There are so many possible projects to take on, such as knitting, baking, or even creative journaling––you can even take the opportunity to prepare some birthday or Christmas gifts in advance. Some great options include knitted scarves or Origami, which are always a joy to receive.

Finally, another great way to spend summer is by volunteering in the Montreal community. There are so many organizations doing important work: You may want to consider Meals for Milton Parc, Santropol Roulant or Habitat for Humanity Quebec. Additionally, the summer break is a great time to start working on your resume, and beginning to think about future job prospects. Getting a head start and thinking about what you want to do post-graduation will only benefit you in the long run.

It’s normal to be feeling apprehensive about another summer spent in lockdown—this summer likely won’t allow for any trips, nor will it be possible to take advantage of Montreal’s bustling nightlife like we used to. However, Fall 2021 carries the promise of in-person classes and reunions with friends. In the meantime, there are still plenty of ways to soak up the sun and enjoy the city.

Warmly, Ainsley

STUDENT LIFE / 11

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7 2020

McGill clubs and student groups reflect on the 2020-2021 school year Student organizations found creative ways to stay connected remotely Maya Mau Staff Writer The COVID-19 pandemic forced student organizations to redesign their events this year. Nevertheless, many of McGill’s student groups found ways to adapt to these challenges, even spinning some of them into positives—a testament to the strength and resilience of the McGill student body.

McGill Students’ Chess Club During the pandemic, the McGill Students’ Chess Club joined forces with the University de Montreal’s Club d’Échecs to organize joint meetings and tournaments. Roman Sarrazin-Gendron, a PhD candidate in the Department of Computer Science at McGill and the club’s president, sees the community as a place where students can share their love of the game.

“We are proud of still being able to have weekly meetings in which people can come [online] and play chess,” Sarrazom-Gendron wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune.

“Most of the fun of the game, at a casual level, comes from interacting

with people and talking as you play.”

These virtual meetings and online games have been so successful that the club is planning on continuing online play even as campus activities transition back to in-person.

“There is a wide group of players who [...] prefer to play online,” Sarrazom-Gendron wrote. “Going forward, we cannot wait to meet in person again, but we will also keep hosting online events.”

McGill Girls for Ghana McGill Girls for Ghana, a philanthropic club that raises money for girls in Ghana living in poverty, was founded in Fall 2020 by Elizabeth Rampersad, U1 Arts, and Anne-Clara Sanon, 1Law. During the pandemic, the club’s membership base grew to over 40 students and surpassed their initial fundraising goal of $1,000, raising over $3,500 since the club’s inception.

“This year, we were able to take advantage of the online context by opening our events to family members and students from other CEGEPs and universities,” Sanon wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “We learned that families are a great asset to our club not only in terms of donating, but

also as a support system.”

Despite the challenges of coming up with new fundraising ideas during the pandemic and creating incentives to attend events, Rampersad said the club hosted a series of successful trivia nights.

“With the help of our general members and fantastic [executive] team, we were able to [...] secure over 85 attendees for our most recent Trivia Night,” Rampersad wrote. “We more than [doubled] our initial goal of $500 and ended up raising over $1,000.”

McGill Students for Greenpeace Although environmental activism often depends on in-person action, Mariana Lebrija, U3 Arts and vice-president external of McGill Students for Greenpeace, explained that the group has managed to grow their online presence this year.

“Before COVID-19, our club did not even have a website,” Lebrija wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “Shifting to an online model has been a challenge because it meant basically starting from scratch, keeping members engaged, and learning how to attract new students without the possibility of meeting in

Some clubs developed ideas over the remote semesters that they want to carry with them as next year transitions back to in-person learning.

(Chloe Gordon-Chow / The McGill Tribune) person.”

The club has focussed on building their website and growing their community. They are currently planning a variety of virtual events for the upcoming months, including trivia nights and workshops.

“Even with [our] larger ambitions to contribute to a largescale movement, this year has shown us the value of community,” Lebrija wrote.

McGill Yoga Club The McGill Yoga Club has found ways to bring the joy of yoga to

students’ homes. Maggie Sessenwein, U3 Arts and the club’s co-president, explained that the organization improved attendance at club events by using social media.

Sessenwein was pleased that the club has followed a weekly schedule all year, and hopes to sustain momentum in the Fall.

“This year, we’ve definitely realized just how important it is to stick to a schedule and practice selfcare,” Sessenwein said to The McGill Tribune. “We [...] have a weekly yoga class schedule that we are really proud of, [and we] do our best to cater to people of all skill levels.”

The unique student network of McGill Free and For Sale Buy-and-sell groups connect students across Montreal Holly Wethey Contributor Last year, my roommate and I hauled a dresser all the way from Avenue Coloniale to Rue Saint-Urbain. Struggling to carry it, we lugged it down the crowded sidewalk as the people lined up outside of Schwartz’s Deli watched. Like many McGill students, we had relied on McGill Free and For Sale—a Facebook group that takes you across the city for the cheapest finds on anything ranging from textbooks, to mattresses, to vintage dresses to record players—since moving into our apartment in second year.

The Facebook group was created in 2015 and now boasts over 18,000 members.

It is no surprise, then, that many other students share my love for the group.

Christal OuYang, U2 Arts, who joined the Facebook group in her second year, remembers carrying a lamp she bought across downtown Montreal last year.

“When I bought my lamp during Christmas break, the streets were super busy,” OuYang said. “I went all the way to Concordia and my friend and I carried it all the way back to our apartment in the Plateau. It was this five-foot-tall lamp and we had to lift [it] above our heads because

there were too many people on the streets.”

Travelling around the city to pick up cheap finds is a quintessential part of the McGill experience. While many use the group to furnish their apartments, the group is also known for its hidden treasures.

OuYang recalls finding a creative gift for her friend among the listings.

“For Christmas, I ordered a bunch of gifts online that never showed up, so I went on Free and For Sale and found a mini Winnie the Pooh waffle maker,” OuYang said. “My friend loves Winnie the Pooh so I got it for her [....] It was the furthest I had trekked in Montreal by myself.”

Students can find virtually anything while scrolling through the numerous items for sale. Eve Cable, U3 Arts, found her pandemic companion—a giant 50-pound teddy bear—while browsing the McGill Free and For Sale page.

“I bought my eight-foot-tall bear Bearnie last March for $30,” Cable said.

“He is normally about $300 in stores, so we got a sweet deal for him at a tenth of the price. He has been more than worth for the novelty factor of having an eight-foot bear in my house.”

Marketplace, a Facebook platform connecting buyers and sellers in the same

Students can find anything from secondhand textbooks to furniture on McGill’s Free and For Sale Facebook page. (Eve Cable / The McGill Tribune)

region, shares a similar purpose to Free and For sale. On both platforms, users often bargain for better deals, since buyers communicate directly with the seller.

While both groups are great places to find hidden gems, there is a special feeling tied to purchasing an item directly from a fellow student—an experience the intimate McGill Free and For Sale group offers.

Buyers may even feel more connected to their community in the process.

“It’s nice to see [other students’] faces,” OuYang said. “I felt less worried going into their house. It is cool to see where everyone’s living [...] and to hear their stories [....] I like knowing that the things I’m buying used to belong to a McGill student.”

The McGill Free and For Sale group speaks to the nature of the McGill community, which manages to remain tightknit despite the vast amount of students who attend the university. In a time when students are scattered across Montreal, and the world, having a sense of community is more important than ever. Online platforms have provided an important opportunity for individuals to maintain bonds with their peers, even without the usual campus experiences. We may be somewhat dispersed, but we are still connected, too.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7 2020

12 / STUDENT LIFE

Word on the Y: Zoom edition

Quarantine diaries from McGill students One year into the pandemic that turned students’ lives upside down, The McGill Tribune’s Student Life team reflects on a tumultuous, yet occasionally triumphant, year.

Josephine Wang Staff Writer I remember the plans my friends and I had laid out for our senior year: Go to hockey games, attend concerts, try out new restaurants.

Our plan looks different now––to see each other again someday. It did not dawn on me until recently that I had no idea when I would see my best friends again. This uncertainty made me feel lonely and lost, but it also prompted me to reflect on the relationships that I valued the most, and the ones I wanted to keep. So, I am okay with not knowing exactly when we will all be able to see each other again—just knowing that we will eventually is enough.

Holly Wethey Contributor For the past two semesters, I have been living in my Plateau apartment, watching Montreal go from the orange zone to the red zone, and back again. The ongoing isolation has led me to develop a habit of taking walks to decompress—leaving me with ample time for reflection. The loneliness of being the only people from my friend group in the city has made me realize how much the people in Montreal make the city so special. Though nostalgia for normalcy has certainly defined the past six months, so too have small pleasures, new experiences, and unexpected adventures. I made new friends, spent time missing distant ones, founded a magazine, drank a lot of bubble tea, and even started learning Portuguese.

Alaana Kumar Student Life Editor

Wendy Zhao Staff Writer I have spent the last three semesters in my childhood home, passing most days alongside my grandmother. Our routines have come to mirror one another’s.

Drinking hot water and venturing out for slow neighbourhood walks are new fixtures in my life. She

Though the 2020-2021 school year brought isolation and upheaval, the Student Life team found space to re-evaluate priorities and find moments of joy. (pitchfork.com) to feel like a kid again. I am unsure what the next year will look like, but am hopeful that a time of hugs and reunions will come soon.

For many years, an acceptance to McGill was all I could think about, so seeing it end so abruptly hurts. Despite the current circumstances, I am incredibly grateful to have spent the last four years in Montreal and to have met such a unique group of friends both in-person and virtually. While my university experience was like nothing I could have imagined four

tripping while walking across the stage at graduation—that might be the only upside to graduating via YouTube video. Lately, I have been wondering how much the pandemic has really changed these pivotal moments in our lives: Whether all the fanfare of graduation makes the monumental change seem real, or whether all college graduates are left standing in the dust of these four years, marvelling at how it all happened so fast, and, more worryingly, pondering what happens next.

Looking forward, I will know not to take anything, even the seemingly mundane—like the joy of a lukewarm samosa wrapped up in a printed newspaper—for granted.

Kennedy McKee-Braide Managing Editor While I have always been involved in a number of extracurricular activities at McGill, I spent most of the first two years of my degree too anxious to fully immerse myself in some of the more social aspects of campus culture. I would make excuses, telling myself that the next week, month, or year would be the one I would finally work up the nerve to

I have met through remote student life. I am unsure what the future holds, but I am relieved that the vaccine rollout is underway, and thankful that I have received my first dose. While I have grown this year as a student and as a person, I look forward to experiencing in-person campus life in the near future.

Lucy Keller Staff Writer

prepares the same eggplant dish almost everyday, while I have found equal comfort in preparing endless oatmeal variations. I am grateful to have this time with her before I move back to Montreal for my third year at McGill. Even while surrounded by memories of a younger self, it has become difficult

Maya Mau Staff Writer I have looked forward to attending university for a long time.

It was strange to start my experience as a McGill student from my home in New York, but I still learned a lot from my professors and the peers

Everyone always says that university will be the best four years of your life. As my time as a McGill student comes to an end in these uncertain times, this phrase increasingly scares me. While I had an incredible time at McGill, I find comfort in the idea that I still have many years ahead of me to grow intellectually, make new friends, and have exciting nights out. This past year, I spent too much time on the couch pondering the years ahead of me. While thinking about the changes to come frightens me, it has made me more excited for what the future holds.

years ago, I learned a lot—both academically and personally. I am graduating now with a greater understanding of what it means to work hard, be a good friend, and roll with the punches, and I think that is what makes it all worth it. Congratulations to my fellow graduates; it is quite fitting that the 200th class did it a little differently.

Leyla Moy Student Life Editor To be totally honest, I am glad I will not have to worry about

branch out. During the first months of the pandemic, I beat myself up for not taking advantage of the opportunities I had when life was normal, but recently, I have come to terms with the fact that I cannot change the past. Instead, I look forward to making the most of my post-COVID life. While my last year of university next year may not look exactly like what I once imagined it would, I hope to have more opportunities to take advantage of all that student life at McGill has to offer––in person this time.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7 2021

13 / ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

MSAI virtual coffee house fundraises for Meals for Milton Parc Students and alumni give virtual performances as part of Jamnesty Yifan Wu Contributor On March 19, McGill Students for Amnesty International (MSAI) hosted Jamnesty, an annual coffee house fundraiser featuring student and alumni artists. The event was free but organizers encouraged audience members to donate money as part of their “ticket.” The initiative resulted in $1,042 raised for Meals for Milton-Parc, a student-run community organization that provides food and supplies to unhoused people in the neighbourhood.

Previous iterations of the coffee house have taken place at local venues, but this year’s event was held on Zoom due to the pandemic.

With quick reminders for the audience to hit mute and performers to unmute themselves, the first screen-share began.

Sarah Plenge, BA ‘21 and California-based artist, kicked off the show with an original poem. She appeared via pre-recorded video and performed a love letter to Montreal. Speaking solemnly and with a slight rasp, Plenge delivered terse snapshots of the city, capturing in vivid detail both its most picturesque scenes and its more dreary sights. Her care to depict Montreal in its entirety demonstrated her true love for the city—even the gritty parts.

The first musical number of the night came from Alina Jalink, U2 Arts and a member of McGill a cappella group Tonal Ecstasy. Armed

Armed with a ukulele, gray cardigan, and girl-next-door charm, Alina Jalink began her first original song, “Butterflies.” (Isabella Vella / The McGill Tribune)

with a ukulele, gray cardigan, and girl-nextdoor charm, Jalink began her first original song, “Butterflies,” in a delicate, ethereal falsetto.

Jalink’s backdrop of Polaroids and tie-dye canvas created an intimate setting that would be unachievable onstage; Jamnesty’s audience looked directly into her bedroom.

Jalink continued her set with a cover of Taylor Swift’s “Right Where You Left Me,” before a cascade of plucked strings introduced her second original song “Spring Cleaning.”

“The thing I can’t seem to get rid of is how much I care,” Jalink sang. “I can’t make you leave when I still wear the necklace you gave me.”

Once she finished, the audience flooded the chat with supportive comments and clapping emojis.

Caroline Lauf, U1 Arts and also a member of Tonal Ecstasy, embodied an entirely different aesthetic: Long, dramatic, black curls framed her face, and the walls of her own bedroom stood bare. Lauf began her set with a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “That’s Alright.” Playing a muted guitar, Lauf transformed the originally upbeat single into a heartfelt, bittersweet sendoff.

“I hope you find love, your own designs love, that’s alright,” Lauf sang.

Lauf’s strong and dark vocals carried over to her next song, a cover of Harry Styles’ ballad “From the dining table.”

Lauf showcased her lower vocal range

in her final selection, Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good.”. Clearly comfortable in chest register, Lauf exuded the quiet confidence of a performer at home onstage, or in this case, on-screen. Her voice on the descending melody of the title lyric was mesmerizing.

Ending the night was Katie Harbour, U3 Science, who performed a mashup of SZA’s “Love Galore” and Jhené Aiko’s “Everything Must Go,” on her guitar, followed by Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You.” Then came time for the final verse of the night, Blackstreet’s “No Diggity.”

“This last song is a certified banger,” Harbour said.

And as if only one banger did not suffice, she then transitioned into Robin Schulz’s “Sugar.” In response, the chat lit up with cheers, and expressions of delighted surprise appeared on the faces of audience members. Harbour matched the spike in energy as her own face lit up with a smile.

In addition to fundraising for a worthy cause, Jamnesty 2021 provided a muchappreciated night of joy. It offered an escape into the wonderful world of art and music— not only did it speak to our communal need for a thriving performing arts scene, but it also demonstrated the resilience of those who’ve continued to practice their crafts and perform.

Meals for Milton-Parc is currently seeking both monetary and item donations.

In speculative fiction, sex is no longer a fantasy

How the fantasy genre has evolved through eroticism and sexuality Lowell Wolfe Staff Writer New and exciting fantasy novels are constantly making names for themselves in the present day: From Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files to George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, the fantasy genre has continued to redefine and reinvent itself. While fantasy is not new— arguably over a century old, dating to George MacDonald’s Phantastes (1858)—authors’ attempts to shift the genre into R-rated territory, namely in the bedroom, is relatively nascent.

Only recently has sex become explicit among heroes who typically fight evil magic or discover their world’s lost secrets. Far from being simply pornographic—which admittedly it sometimes is—the presence of sex in fantasy books allows the genre to access relatable, socially reflective, and even political spheres of discourse.

Many canonical fantasy books are explicitly non-explicit. Pillars of the genre such as J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings or Tad Williams’s The Dragonbone Chair

present worlds of propriety and modesty, while contemporary novels portray intimacy through grittier, nastier aesthetics. Some feature sex so prominently that readers and marketers alike recognize them for such; Joe Abercrombie’s First Law series is notorious among fantasy fans for its uncomfortable, awkward, and therefore realistic portrayals of physical intimacy between the main characters.

Sex has also enabled innovative storytelling in fantasy novels, allowing authors to craft detailed, relatable human characters and to market specific stories toward certain audiences. Fantasy books often exhibit the peak of literary world-building and deep, original characterization, but sex-less worlds and characters foreground their fictitious, unrealistic identities. By incorporating sex and its associated expectations, stigmas, and even regulations, authors can literally and figuratively flesh out these worlds and characters. Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Legacy features a masochistic courtesan protagonist in a world where prostitution is a religious activity carried out by

Sex has also enabled innovative storytelling in fantasy novels, allowing authors to craft detailed, relatably human characters and to market specific stories towards certain audiences. (dailydot.com) female devotaries, demonstrating that sex can be a powerfully liberating plot device and even act politically within a fictitious, otherworldly novel.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin explained how relationships and their erotic fulfillments are tools for crafting realistic characters and stories.

Because of his unequivocal treatment of sexuality, Martin has received many letters from fans—often

women—asking him to include specific male sex scenes in his novels.

Despite this, Martin maintains that he only choses to include sex scenes if they have mattered to his plot.

Martin’s decision speaks to a larger trend in fantasy, where sex is not used simply for shock and awe, but to meaninfully advance character development and storyline.

Along with sex itself, new fantasy novels have also explored topics of sexuality and gender,

accessing new forms of representation and relatability for their fanbase. In his first fantasy novel, Black Leopard, Red Wolf, Marlon James decided to create characters of varying sexual identities, paying homage to his story’s sources of inspiration. Since James derived the novel’s world from traditional African mythology and storytelling, he wanted to accurately represent the cultures that influenced his book. In an interview with Vice News, James spoke on how queerness, gender fluidity, and sexuality fluidity existed within ancient African society, and, while their presence in the book was contemporarily relevant, he didn’t do it to appeal to certain audiences.

“None of that was new. They end up making a contemporary statement, which is true, but that’s all old shit,” James said.

Sexuality has allowed fantasy authors to take their characters and worlds into new, uncharted realms which many readers enjoy and relate to. The recent explosion of sexually provocative fantasy books might be jarring for some, but for many, it is just another dimension of the literature.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7 2021

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT / 14

Dior exhibit highlights the simple extravagance of post-war couture Why the exclusive, custom-made branch of the fashion industry persists today India Blaisdell Contributor Over time, the fashion industry has grown to rely on brand recognition to drive popularity and sales. Fashion houses such as Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Dior have long remained in the cultural consciousness because they— quite literally—made a name for themselves. Backed by full-monogram outfits, celebrity brand ambassadors, and rap songs that pair haute couture with wealth, the influence of these fashion houses is undeniable. Amidst the rise of mass-produced fashion, however, the small world of haute couture has started to lose its original meaning. The Christian Dior fashion exhibit, on display until May 2 at the McCord Museum, brings the history of haute couture and the prestige of names back to the forefront.

Haute couture refers to a style of clothing that is tailor-made and hand-sewn for the client. Charles Frederick Worth cemented the term as an expression of the dressmaker’s artistic vision in the 19th century, and founded what is now the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode.

When Dior opened the house and presented his first haute couture line, dubbed the “New Look,” he aimed to bring women’s fashion out of the gloomy styles of WWII. (Isabella Vella / The McGill Tribune) In contrast, ready-to-wear clothing is mass-produced in a standard set of sizes for public consumption. Only certain fashion houses qualify to be on the official haute couture list, and those that do so use their haute couture lines as outlets for creativity and innovation while relying on their commercial ready-to-wear lines to survive financially.

The Christian Dior exhibit

seamlessly guides its visitors through the first decade (1947-1957) of the House of Dior. This decade defined the house’s present-day aesthetic values and influences, and Dior’s first haute couture line, dubbed the “New Look,” revolutionized women’s fashion and brought it out of the gloomy styles of World War II. With men fighting in the war and rations limiting access to finer fabrics,

women wore industrial, masculine styles in simple, monochrome colours and patterns.

The garments on display at Christian Dior are anything but conventionally masculine. Dior’s seminal “Bar jacket,” featured in many of the daytime outfits at the start of the exhibit, marked a return to traditional feminine styles and lines. The jacket, along with the matching long and flowy A-line skirts, emphasizes the waist and slims the shoulders. It brought womenswear firmly into the postwar era—think Betty Draper in Mad Men. Although culturally significant both then and now, the daytime suits and dresses are not the star of the show—that title is reserved for the evening gowns, presented in full glory at the end of the exhibit.

One gown in particular stands out from the rest: A strapless dress Dior affectionately named Palmyre. The white satin is covered with incredible embroidery of fine threads, beads, and Swarovski crystals in stunning silver and blue. The seamstresses who created the gown used the “Lunéville technique,” a blind stitch in which the beads, sequins, and crystals are hidden from view. Although it may

seem counterintuitive to embroider a garment on its reverse side, this technique allows the couturiers to work faster.

In addition to the garments, Christian Dior features documentary video clips, sketches, jewellery, shoes, perfumes, and other accessories, creating a complete tour of Dior’s foundational years. From a modern point of view, the exhibit is deceptively simple—it is no match for the eclectic, innovative, and boundary-breaking works of Alexander McQueen and Rei Kawakubo’s ready-to-wear collections. However, the historical significance of Dior’s work in postwar France cannot be emphasized enough. By reinventing fashion aesthetics for society’s elite, Dior brought an entire industry back from the brink of extinction. Whether or not Dior’s current work under Maria Grazia Chiuri lives up to his legacy is of little importance: Christian Dior has already left his mark in the history of fashion.

Christian Dior runs until May 2 at the McCord Museum (690 Sherbrooke St W). In-person student tickets $14, virtual tours $8.50.

‘Kim’s Convenience:’ The impossibility of cancelling a classic

The show’s dedication to a represent a diverse Canada will endure beyond its airtime Matthew Molinaro Staff Writer On March 31, 2020, CBC announced that Kim’s Convenience—their fan-favourite sitcom—had been renewed for two more seasons.

Less than one year later, on March 8, 2021, fans around the world were shocked when the network announced that the fifth season of Kim’s Convenience would be its last. The confusion set in immediately, with many wondering why a network would cancel such a highly-rated and well-received popular comedy so abruptly.

Although the decision—made by producers because co-creators Ins Choi and Kevin White were leaving for other projects—may seem justified, it is a risky move nonetheless. To end a show in its prime, particularly one that represents an underrepresented racialized group, seems like a major blunder for CBC. Yet it was exactly the show’s own risks—from its unconventional casting approaches to its radical plot choices— that made it popular and that will ultimately cement it in Canadian cultural consciousness.

When Kim’s Convenience first aired in 2016, the cultural winds of Canadian TV were sweeping in; Schitt’s Creek had already been on air for a year, and Workin’ Moms and Anne with an E were in production. But unlike its contemporaries, Kim’s Convenience had no connection to previous Canadian successes with which the network nor the showrunners could

use to bolster the show’s reputation. Instead, Kim’s Convenience originated from humble beginnings: It was first a play starring Paul SunHyung Lee and Jean Yoon, who would reprise their roles as “Appa” Sang-il and “Umma” Yungmi on television. Meanwhile, Schitt’s Creek had Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara, Workin’ Moms had Catherine Reitman, and Anne with an E had author Lucy Maud Montgomery’s international reputation. Alongside Lee and Yoon were talented, then-unknown actors ready to make their breakthrough: Andrea Bang and Simu Liu, who play Lee and Yoon’s children Janet and Jung, and supporting actor Andrew Phung, who plays Kimchee, pursued atypical acting post-secondary education in psychology, business, and economics respectively.

Five years later, the virtually no-name cast won consistently at the Canadian Screen

Awards, with Lee winning twice for Best Actor in a Comedy Series in 2017 and 2018, and Deidre Bowen and Millie Tom winning Best Achievement in Casting in 2017. Further, Liu is set to become the first Asian actor to lead a Marvel film in Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings, and Phung and Nicole Power have new shows in the works. Even though choosing actors from different experiential backgrounds can be risky for a major network sitcom, each actor entered the show with a drive that allowed them to embody their characters, displaying the power of a robust cast.

Beyond the deft acting, Kim’s Convenience represented Canada and Toronto’s diversity. The showcentresaroundtheKims,aKorean-Canadian family who operate their titular convenience store in the Moss Park neighbourhood in Toronto. On the one hand, the show’s navigation of immigrant

Kim’s Convenience’s cancellation was a risky move, but the show’s risks separated it from its contemporaries and will keep it a classic. (ew.com)

family dynamics and its exploration of racialized identities in a Western context accurately reflect the lived experiences of many living in Toronto, where half of the population is foreignborn, and another half is racialized. Yet, Kim’s Convenience did not make the same mistakes as its predecessors, like All-American Girl, which universalized individual experiences and made stereotypical jokes about accents.

The show abided by routine sitcom procedures like cold opens and running plot points throughout while also tieing in issues like racism, family tensions, and aging. The pilot episode started off on this deft footing: Overwhelmed by the crowds at Toronto Pride, Mr. Kim offers a “gay discount” and learns about drag while Mrs. Kim posts an ad for a cool, Korean, Christian boyfriend for Janet. From that point on, the showrunners were able to marshal in a new era of Canadian television, one that celebrates a unique Korean-Canadian experience.

Whether it be street car rides that showcase Toronto architecture, Janet’s education at the OCAD University, or jabbing at Muskoka cottage culture, the show lives and breathes a more accurate picture of Toronto and Canada.

Kim’s Convenience may have been cancelled, but its impact on Canadian cultural formation will live on.

The finale of Kim’s Convenience will air on April 13.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7 2021

15 / ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

‘Godzilla vs Kong’ is mind-numbingly entertaining

What the film lacks in substance, it makes up for in battles and bright aesthetics Michelle Siegel Staff Writer While I am far from ashamed of my love of cult classic movies, I have never dabbled in anything remotely related to the Godzilla or King Kong franchises. Last week, however, I dived headfirst into Legendary Studios’ MonsterVerse with Godzilla vs Kong, released in theatres and HBO Max on March 31. As I loaded the movie on my laptop, the fact that I had not seen the prior three movies in the MonsterVerse series did not deter me at all: Even I knew that Godzilla films are not known for their engaging plots.

Godzilla vs Kong follows the mysterious Apex Cybernetics corporation as they use Kong to access a potential energy source, which allows them to fight back against a seemingly rogue Godzilla and inadvertently incite an ancient rivalry between the two monsters. The film is best enjoyed by turning off one’s brain during the scenes of human exposition—the plot is paper thin, but its flimsiness effectively contrasts the explosive battle scenes, making

audiences wait in agony for the next one to take them out of their misery.

The characters, too, all fall flat. Madison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown) and Dr. Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler) from 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters are the only characters in the film to have appeared in previous movies.

This normally implies that they are significant to the plot, but it is far from the truth in Godzilla vs Kong. Madison leads a completely inconsequential subplot that mainly facilitates some mediocre comic relief and unengaging background information for the main plot. On the other hand, Dr. Mark Russell is barely in the film at all.

The multiple new characters are unmemorable, with most of their names forgotten by the time Godzilla vs Kong hits the halfway point. Their overwhelming number makes it difficult to feel any emotion for them beyond annoyance, and their scenes take time away from giant monster battles. All of the actors’ performances, while not necessarily the worst of all time, are perfunctory and placid. Perhaps this delivery is intentional, as

The intense action in Godzilla vs Kong is worth far more than one could have ever expected, creating a unique viewing experience that one must zone out for the majority of to actually enjoy it. (indiewire.com)

this allows the human characters and plots to irritate and distract the audience, subsequently making them more excited and engaged by the massive battle scenes.

The saving grace of the movie is ultimately its monsters: Godzilla vs Kong pushes the titular titans to the forefront of the film, inducing chills even when watched on a meager laptop screen. The CGI is extremely impressive, giving all the monsters a sense of intricate realism while they commit the most unrealistic of acts—from drilling a hole to another world with laser vision to destroying multiple skyscrapers with a couple of punches.

The choreography in every fight is dynamic, engaging, and stunning to watch. The backdrops of the fights are equally dazzling, from the early ocean battle between Godzilla and Kong to the final showdown in Hong Kong, with a neon architectural aesthetic reminiscent of works like the Pacific Rim franchise, the Blade Runner duology, and Neon Genesis Evangelion series.

Objectively, Godzilla vs Kong is a forgettable, bad movie. In many ways, it lacks humour, and feels like a rushed and nonsensical version of The Avengers (2012). If you are looking for a powerful, nuanced, and emotional film to watch, this is not the right movie for you. But the intense action is more impactful than I could have ever expected, and it provides a unique viewing experience that requires one to zone out to enjoy. Given the distraught state of the world, the timeline of this taxing online semester, and the common student desire to be able to turn off their brain, Godzilla vs Kong is somehow the most palatable theatrical vehicle 2021 has produced thus far.

Could be Good Dancing for a Smile: SALSA FIT

Salsa class taking donations for children in Ecuador.

Apr 9, 7 p.m.

Online Free

“Hunger Games”: SNAP Benefits and Food Insecurity

Test your knowledge about food insecurity in university student populations.

Apr 7, 8 p.m.

Online Free

Opera McGill: Un Giorno di Regno

An opera production by Schulich School of Music.

Apr 10, 7-9 p.m.

Online Free

Haunted Downtown

A spooky ghost-themed tour that explores Montreal’s history.

Apr 10, 6:30-8 p.m.

Norman Bethune Square Tickets required ($24.50)

Lana Del Rey grapples with fame on ‘Chemtrails Over the Country Club’ The album delivers nostalgia cut through with dolefulness Yifan Wu Contributor Chemtrails Over the Country Club is abound with Lana Del Rey’s signature wry wit: The album’s title references the chemtrails conspiracy theory, adding a sinister undertone to the otherwise pleasant visual of a sprawling green country club with planes flying overhead.

The album is an atmospheric, 45-minute wash of sound that contains all the familiar components of a Lana Del Rey album: Her fragile falsetto, nostalgic perspective, and yearning for living and loving with wild abandon, all woven through with selfcriticism and dolefulness.

Returning collaborator Jack Antonoff compliments Del Rey’s vocals with his understated, blurry production, reminiscent of his recent work on Taylor Swift’s folklore.

On Chemtrails, Antonoff’s lo-fi sound features record-crackling that contributes to the album’s analog sound. This effect is especially prominent on the opening track,

The album’s title makes reference to the chemtrails conspiracy theory, juxtaposing its menace against the classic, sprawling green of the country club. (pitchfork.com) “White Dress,” which also introduces one of the album’s major themes: Del Rey’s burgeoning doubts over her fame and success. She reminisces on working as a waitress when she was 19 years old: “It made me feel, made me feel like a god / It kinda

makes me feel, like maybe I was better off.”

Del Rey explores the isolating effects of fame further on “Dance Till We Die,” a track that expresses the solace she finds in the companionship of fellow female music legends Joan Baez, Stevie Nicks, and

Courtney Love. Del Rey shares personal relationships with all of them, and she establishes herself as their musical successor while she continues to build her own persona as a serious artist.

Chemtrails finishes with Del Rey and featured singers Zella Day and Weyes Blood covering Joni Mitchell’s piano ballad “For Free.” While the multiple vocalists jazz up the original version with a few harmonies, Del Rey forgoes any significant changes— and for the better. Mitchell’s lyrics shine through the track and capture the essence of Chemtrails despite debuting some 50 years ago: “And I’ll play if you’ve got the money / Or if you’re a friend to me / But the one-man band by thе quick lunch stand / He’s been playin’ real good for free.”

Chemtrails is consistent with Del Rey’s past discography, and is sure to be reliable fan-fodder. However, listeners are left wondering whether she will choose to evolve stylistically or continue churning out sonically similar tracks—not that one is necessarily better than the other.

Walk a mile in our shoes

The perpetual anxieties felt by women at night Sepideh Afshar, Opinion Stage 1: Initial enjoyment I love walking. From taking in the sights and sounds around me, to feeling the fresh air on my skin, I have fond memories of my walks, both by myself and with others. I often insist on walking home from wherever I may be, even if it means walking alone. The journey itself is almost always preceded by some inner turmoil about how late it is or how safe the route to my destination is—but I am stubborn and almost always end up convincing myself that I will be alright and that there is nothing to be afraid of. Vanessa Richardson, U1 Arts, shares my love of going on walks.

“Walking around downtown Montreal was one of my favourite activities to do while I was on campus last year,” Richardson said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “It was nice being able to walk from my residence to a café to study or get some fresh air to de-stress.”

When I’m alone, I listen to podcasts, my current favourite being Modern Love by The New York Times. Otherwise, I will shuffle a playlist that I specifically curated to boost my mood during my solitary walks. I often purposely match my steps to the rhythm of the music, feeling like the main character. When I am walking alone, I usually start off feeling calm.

Unfortunately, this feeling does not last long.

The decision to walk alone triggers a recurring cycle most women and female-presenting individuals experience on a regular basis: We overthink our actions out of a need to ensure our safety in a time where gender-based violence continues to skyrocket. While Montreal is fairly safe compared to other major cities, women’s safety is a perpetual predicament. In the past eight weeks, eight women have been killed in Montreal.

Stage 2: The onset of fear It is usually when I look around and notice that there are few pedestrians that I become painfully aware of my vulnerability. As a 5-foot-2 woman of colour, it does not take much to feel unsafe on the street whether it be a car slowing down near me or a group of men that are on my path. Richardson noted that she was taught to expect the worst from a young age.

“I have always been concerned about safety while travelling as a woman,” Richardson said. “I was taught to keep my guard up at night, so that is what I did. Knowing [that] cases [of gendered violence] are even more common for women of colour has amplified my own fears.”

As I continue on my way, I feel my adrenaline building, the sun has set and my mind is suddenly occupied by statistics and stories. One in three women in Canada experience unwanted sexual advances in public, and in Montreal, several women have been assaulted while walking in the Plateau. I tell myself I should have taken the bus, yet buses are enclosed spaces and even waiting at a bus stop can be dangerous. Taking an Uber also does not comfort me: The company’s own 2019 safety report included over 3,000 claims of sexual assault from clients.

This is where the regret sets in. All the joy and excitement I felt before embarking on my journey home dissipates, and in its place is a feeling of dread. I wonder if anyone will be around to help me if something awful were to happen. The recent case of Sarah Everard, a U.K. woman killed by a police officer on a walk home in March, plagues my mind.

For students like Sophie Arsenault, U1 Arts, Sarah’s story is just the latest reminder of the constant threats women face today, when even those who are supposed to keep us safe can harm us.

“Sarah Everard’s story is one which depicts an abuse of power,” said Arsenault “It is difficult not to assume the fear of repetition in incidents when women are found missing on such a regular basis.”

By the time I realize that no mode of transportation can assure me, the pedestrians who initially prompted my anxieties have long passed by. The looming feeling of discomfort, however, does not fade until I arrive home. The cyclical nature of this feeling on every walk is a reflection of what women are taught to deal with from a young age: Discomfort is expected.

Stage 3: Contingency planning Plagued with horror stories about the dangers of being a female-passing person out and about, we are often taught to plan ahead to avoid the worst. Richardson stays in contact with friends so they know her whereabouts—a practice often foreign to men.

“I [make] sure to text my friends my location,” Richardson said. “[I] let them know how I’m doing throughout the night, and let them know [when] I got home safely.”

I, on the other hand, usually forget to do so until I am prompted by a message. I scan my brain, trying to remember who I shared my location with. The list includes my sister, my boyfriend, and my roommates, but I am not sure if they would check my location if I did not let them know in advance that I was walking home.

I regret laughing off a self-defense course offered in middle school, realizing I would not know what to do if I was confronted by harm.

Stage 4: Self-soothing Eventually, my walk brings me to campus. Even if it means taking the long way home, arriving in the area always makes me feel better. The familiarity of the fairly-lit Y intersection and the sight of the Arts building brings a sense of comfort I do not feel on Parc or Sherbrooke. Many women, including Arsenault, consider McGill’s campus to be safe.

“I do feel safe on campus, though primarily on the basis of the active and vibrant life between the Roddick Gates over the spring, summer, and fall months of the year,” Arsenault said. “It is a community I have grown attached to, and feel a relative sense of safety towards.”

Thankfully, being close to campus also means I am closer to home. With only a couple of more blocks to go, I try to regain a sense of calm.

Stage 5: Stranger danger Then I see him and realize that my relief was short lived. I have no idea who he is, but he is wearing dark colours and walking behind me. I speed up, which does not do much to calm my racing nerves, since I cannot tell if he is speeding up with me or if I am imagining things. I employ my most-used strategy in these kinds of situations: I look back to send the message that I am scared. This time, it does not help. He seems to be speeding up, but I’m not sure. There is a reason why many women assume the worst when walking at night, and Arsenault outlined what many women face when outside alone.

“I think that I, as many other women have experienced, have faced various incidents of harassment on the streets to a degree where it has become relatively normalized among my loved ones,” Arsenault said. “Whether it [is] being followed late at night by intimidating figures, approached by strangers [...], or being touched in a way that is inappropriate and non-consensual in public spaces, the experience of walking by myself is not one which has continuously proven to be safe.”

I suddenly feel the need to let somebody know where I am, so I grab my phone and call one of my roommates. When no one picks up, I press my phone to my ear and pretend to be talking to someone, hoping that the figure behind me will believe the act. All the precautions women must take seem ridiculous—but even exercising excessive caution is sometimes not enough.

“Minutes before Sarah [Everard] was murdered on her route home, she called her boyfriend to assure him that they would meet the next day,” Richardson said. “Unfortunately, she did not make it to the next day.”

Next, I grip my keys between my knuckles, unsure if I might actually need to use them to defend myself. Zay Rahman, U1 Arts, recalled hearing horror stories about women who did not take precautions, such as carrying self-defence tools.

“Sarah did everything right,” Rahman said. “She wore bright, coloured [clothing], she walked on the main road, a lit area, something we were all taught to do and she was met with this gruesome conclusion. We have all had to come back from something that ran longer than expected, and we call ourselves lucky to be able to make it back home safe. But luck should have nothing to do with our safety.”

Stage 6: Relief I finally turn onto my street. Once I’m inside my apartment, a wave of relief washes over me. I look back out my window, and see the man walk right past my house. I think to myself that he probably was not a threat, just someone else who happened to live on my street. For a moment I feel sheepish for overthinking, but am ultimately grateful that I made it home safe. As I remove my shoes and jacket, I exhale a deep breath. I know I am lucky to be in the comfort of my own home but several women do not reach this stage.

Stage 7: Aftermath The worst part of walks like this is the feeling of guilt that comes afterwards.

I know it is not my fault that I feel unsafe, yet I become angry for blaming myself when I know I cannot control others. The burden of our own safety is heavy, but it should not fall on women alone. Richardson urged men to take responsibility and work toward creating safer spaces for women.

“It’s upsetting that the onus is placed on us as women to ensure our own safety while walking to and from work,” Richardson said. “Men should be responsible for calling out assault when they see it, regardless of whether the perpetrator is a stranger or their own friend. Teach your friends that cat-calling is harassment, respect a woman’s decision to decline your advances, offer to walk your female friends home.”

There are a number of small steps men can take to bring significant peace of mind to women. For example, crossing onto another street or steering away when you find yourself behind a woman at night can help ease our fears. Also, do not call out to a lone woman on the street, no matter the reason. All that is going to do is frighten her. Men need to understand that no matter their actual intentions, they should consider how their actions are going to be perceived by a woman who has been taught to expect the worst.

“The whole burden to keep ourselves safe and the onus to prevent anything from happening to us gets so tiresome, and it’s like a rite of passage for most women to worry about their safety,” Rahman said. “Without asking men to change their behaviour towards us, there is really no solution or progress to be made.”

A walk should not be burdensome, yet this is the reality for most women. And although stories like Sarah Everard’s are tragic, they are not surprising––women have had to adapt to a world that refuses to respect them. The risk of experiencing gendered violence is one taken by every woman whenever she leaves the house, even just to take a walk.

Design: Chloe Rodriguez / The McGill Tribune

18 / SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7 2021

Demystifying social anxiety and its impacts on student life Symptoms of social anxiety can be physically and emotionally debilitating Margaret Wdowiak Staff Writer A timid McGill student observes a group of classmates talking and laughing, and wishes to join them. As she contemplates whether to approach them, she remembers words of encouragement from a therapist: “You will make friends, you are kind and fun. People like you more than you think.” After recalling those reassuring words, she summons the courage to approach the group. Her heart is beating a mile a minute as she stands, shaking, waiting for the group to acknowledge her. To her relief, the group is extremely welcoming. As they let her in on their conversation, she is overwhelmed with happiness, but still fears not being liked.

Many individuals face struggles similar to this timid student. Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a type of anxiety disorder that causes extreme fear in social settings. Between eight to 13 per cent of Canadians struggle with SAD during their lifetimes and approximately seven per cent of American adults suffer from social anxiety.

SAD is characterized by fear, anxiety, and avoidance behaviours that interfere with one’s daily routine. Individuals with a social phobia have trouble talking to people, forging new social connections, and attending social gatherings because they fear judgment from others.

“I think the fairest way to describe it in my personal experience is feeling a bit like an alien trying not to be found out,” Ashley*, U3 Arts, wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune.

“It’s as if everyone around you has some kind of cheat, or instruction manual you were not given, and they are all constantly inspecting you trying to prove that you don’t in fact know what you’re doing.”

This constant fear of being scrutinized by others is accompanied by both physical and psychological symptoms.

Physical symptoms include excessive sweating, trembling, difficulty speaking, and rapid heart rate. Individuals also experience emotional and behavioural symptoms such as intense fear of interactions, and may spend time analyzing their social performance for flaws.

According to Helen Costin, a clinician at the Student Wellness Hub, these physical and emotional symptoms result in avoidance behaviours.

“A person with social anxiety may go to great lengths to avoid social interactions and will make choices based on avoiding these interactions,” Costin wrote in an email to the Tribune.

The fear of being judged by others, especially in public settings, can interfere with eating and working habits.

“I also have trouble being comfortable doing anything in front of other people, especially

Rates of social anxiety are nine times higher among individuals who abuse alcohol. (Jinny Moon / The McGill Tribune)

eating in public,” Ashley wrote.

“There have been many days I haven’t eaten at school because I was alone.”

Other avoidance behaviours include refraining from dating and asking questions in public.

Symptoms of social anxiety often appear in early adolescence, around the age of 13. According to Dr. Tina Montreuil, an assistant professor in McGill’s Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, both nature and nurture are responsible for the development of the disorder.

“The incidence of anxiety disorders more generally are associated with a genetic predisposition combined [with] an interplay [of] environmental factors,” Montreuil wrote in an email to the Tribune.

Physiological abnormalities such as imbalances of serotonin, a chemical found in the brain that helps regulate mood, and an overactive amygdala, a brain structure that controls fear and anxiety responses, play key roles in the development of SAD. Moreover, anxiety tends to run in families, further supporting its genetic basis. However, an individual’s upbringing is also a pivotal factor.

“Systemic factors such as overly controlling parenting, greater criticism potentially stemming from inadequate parental support, lack of adequate coping skills, and poor sense of personal competence are all associated with a greater incidence of anxiety,” Montreuil wrote. “In some cases, exposure to violence, trauma, or bullying could be [a] trigger of social anxiety.”

Given that SAD has causes and symptoms that are both psychological and biological, psychotherapy and medication are both effective treatments.

Cognitive behavioural therapy, exposure therapy, and group therapy have all been shown to ease symptoms.

Cognitive behavioural therapy teaches individuals how to control anxiety through relaxation and breathing exercises, and also how to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Exposure therapy helps make individuals more comfortable in anxietytriggering situations by gradually introducing them to social situations. In group therapy,

individuals acquire social skills and techniques to interact with other people. Therapists try to provide a safe, non-judgmental environment for patients to practice these skills through role-playing.

Common medications used to treat social anxiety disorder include Paxil, Zoloft, and Effexor XR, which are antianxiety medications as well as antidepressants. However, caution must be exercised with medications: Common side effects include insomnia, weight gain, and upset stomach.

The pandemic has only increased the number of university students struggling with SAD. Extended periods of isolation have both eliminated opportunities for students to exercise social skills and cut them off from the social contacts they feel comfortable with.

“What we’re seeing in the data is that students across Canada and the United States are reporting increasing feelings of loneliness and anxiety—it’s a phenomenon that touches all university campuses, not just McGill,” Dr. Vera Romano, Director of the Student Wellness Hub, wrote in an email to the Tribune.

Students suffering from this disorder encounter many academic barriers in addition to feeling socially stunted. Even routine classroom activities such as presenting in front of the class and interacting with peers become harder, potentially impacting their academic performance.

“It could conceivably make it more difficult for such a student to give a presentation, participate in group work, and if severe enough, attend larger classes,” Teri Philips, Director of the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD), told the Tribune.

Students with anxiety often make their academic choices around the avoidance of potentially triggering situations.

“Trying to take classes with a larger number of people can make you feel less observed [or] scrutinized,” Ashley wrote.

“Trying to take at least one class with a friend also helps if you have questions about the course material and are too scared to ask a TA, [as well as] signing up for a class with little or no

participation marks.”

SAD can also impact student life outside the classroom such as when joining student clubs or participating in university events.

“I am the only one out of my friends who has not participated in or joined any university groups, organizations, [or] clubs,” Ashley wrote. “Since I don’t have to interact with anyone, I am unable to practice, and I get stuck in a negative reinforcement cycle.”

Despite their virtual delivery, McGill offers services to help students who are struggling to manage the symptoms of social anxiety.

Many of these resources are available through the Student Wellness Hub, which attempts to provide basic mental health services as well as peer support programs to students at both the Macdonald and downtown campuses.

However, the Wellness Hub is plagued by long waiting times, lack of staff, and absence of long-term support plans.

Other obstacles also further prevent students from accessing these services. Poor time management, already a stressor for those with anxiety, often results in students prioritizing pressing deadlines, pushing mental health concerns to the wayside. Moreover, 90 per cent of people with SAD often have comorbidities resulting in them suffering from an additional mental illness such as depression or a different anxiety disorder.

These compounded symptoms and avoidance behaviours constitute serious obstacles for students in need of support.

The university needs to increase access to mental health services, but professors can also ease the burden on anxious students by improving classroom accommodations.

“I have always appreciated any effort to include anonymity by professors [in class participation],” Ashley wrote. “Simple awareness and recognition by professors would also be helpful, such as having multiple options so students aren’t forced into assignments or positions that will induce an anxiety attack.” *Name has been changed to preserve anonymity.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7 2021

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / 19

Dr. Lucy Gilbert honoured among Top 25 Women of Influence

Gilbert developed technology for early cancer diagnosis Zoe Karkossa Staff Writer Women’s achievements and contributions to medical science have long been overlooked.

To combat this prejudice and recognize their accomplishments across all disciplines, the annual Top 25 Women of Influence awards highlight Canadian women who have inspired positive change in their field of work.

This year, Dr. Lucy Gilbert, a professor in McGill’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Department of Oncology, was recognized as one of 2021’s Top Women of Influence for her work on ovarian and endometrial cancer diagnosis.

Gilbert was drawn to research surrounding the diagnosis of these forms of cancer due to the deadliness of the diseases and the decades-long lack of progress in improving patient survival rates. Gilbert started practicing medicine as an obstetriciangynecologist (OB-GYN) in the United Kingdom and later worked as the Lead Cancer Clinician for

two health districts in England.

McGill, which did not have a gynecological research unit at the time, recruited Gilbert in 2001 to expand the university’s work in this field.

Gilbert has been dedicated to researching cancer in women and educating students in the field ever since. She currently serves as the director of both Gynecological Oncology and the Women’s Health Research Centre at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).

Gilbert credits Montreal women for their participation in research trials, without whom her work would not be possible.

“The women of Montreal are so generous,” Gilbert said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “When we [recruit] them into a clinical trial and [...] we say it may help you or may not help you, but it will help other women, they say, ‘I want to help other women’.”

Women who suffer from ovarian or endometrial cancer often report nonspecific symptoms, prolonging the

waiting period before diagnosis.

Such delays in diagnosis are a significant factor in the estimated 3,100 and 1,300 deaths caused in 2020 by ovarian and uterine cancer, respectively.

Working with her team at the MUHC’s Women’s Health Research Unit, Gilbert helped develop the DOvEEgene test, a screening test that enables doctors to detect early forms of these cancers. Although the pap test is commonly used to detect the genetic traces of cervical cancer, the DOvEEgene test expands

its diagnostic power to cancers of the endometrium, Fallopian tubes, and ovaries. DOvEEgene is capable of detecting such cancers with a 70 per cent sensitivity and 100 per cent specificity rate, meaning that false positives—and their great emotional toll—are avoided altogether.

Although researchers have made progress toward improved healthcare for women, there is still a large gender gap in the care that they receive. Gilbert recognized that many battles are still being fought—both by the doctors

Endometrial cancer and uterine sarcoma are the two main types of uterine cancer, with the former accounting for over 90 per cent of cases. (MUHC)

working to improve the quality of medical care and the patients seeking it. She emphasized that female patients, in particular, benefit from receiving care from female healthcare providers.

“When [women] go to the doctor, [...] they are apologetic and [try] to explain away some symptoms,” Gilbert said. “They are not listened to and they are not taken as seriously as men.”

Despite the daily challenges of confronting illness and death, Gilbert is committed to supporting her patients and their well-being. She affirms the importance of taking the time to understand each patient’s unique lived experience—regardless of how difficult it may be to step into their shoes.

“Of course I get sad, but you can do a lot of good, and that makes me very happy,” Gilbert said. “It is not just about [fighting cancer], it is also how you live and how you die that matters. There is a great deal to be said [about] making the quality of somebody’s life good and the manner of their dying [comfortable].”

Deadly pollutant PM2.5 is lacking regulations worldwide Particulate matter in the air causes a host of health conditions Henry Fletcher Contributor Particulate matter (PM) 2.5 is a group of airborne particles smaller than 2.5 micrometres found in ash, dust, vehicle exhaust, smoke, and sometimes the air we breathe. A micrometre is roughly onemillionth of a metre—about 30 times smaller than the average diameter of a human hair— and is only visible with a state-of-the-art electron microscope. With such a small size, these particles are deadly to humans: In 2015, they were responsible for an estimated 4.2 million premature deaths worldwide, 60 per cent of which occurred in Asia. The regulation of PM2.5 is a pressing concern to scientists as this form of pollution is on the rise globally.

The minuscule size of a PM2.5 particle allows it to penetrate deep into human airways, where it can cause a plethora of health issues including cancer and pulmonary disease, which is usually induced by tobacco smoke or asbestos. Long-term exposure to PM2.5 was involved in more than four million deaths in 2019 alone—even higher than that of COVID-19, which, as of April 3, 2021, has a death toll of 2.85 million worldwide. If no action is taken to reduce the presence of PM2.5 in the air, this form of pollution will continue to be a major threat to those who are more vulnerable to respiratory illness.

The size categories of PM2.5 can range from ultrafine dust to coarse particles.

(Brian Schatteman / The McGill Tribune) In a recent study, a team of McGill researchers compared PM2.5 regulations globally, and found that 3.17 billion people live in countries without restrictions limiting the concentration of PM2.5 in the air. The study also reported that in countries with restrictions in place, the limits are often higher than what is considered safe by the World Health Organization (WHO). The researchers offered policy suggestions on how to prevent these microscopic particles from moving into human airways.

In many countries, air pollution constitutes a leading cause of death. In the United Kingdom, for example, a coroner made

history by ruling that air pollution was the reason for Ella Kissi-Debrah’s death. KissiDebrah was a nine-year-old girl from SouthEast London who lived less than 30 metres away from one of the city’s busiest roads where thousands of cars expelled exhaust daily.

McGill researchers found that the concentration of PM2.5 stayed below the limit in countries where regulations are stricter, such as Canada and Australia. However, pollution limit violations were most frequent in countries with more relaxed regulations, such as China and India. Yevgen Nazarenko, the study’s co-author and a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic

Sciences, believes that tighter regulations and standardized methods of measurement are needed to mitigate the dangers of PM2.5.

“We need tools that give us a benchmark allowing us to gradually reduce air pollution, disease incidence, and premature mortality,” Nazarenko said in an interview with The McGill Tribune.

The study recommends implementing universal standards of PM2.5 measurement worldwide, as well as unified global limits and clearer enforcement mechanisms. There are existing techniques such as short-term averaging, which allow for closer monitoring of spikes in pollution by recording PM2.5 concentrations for 20 minutes to one hour.

Nazarenko compared the challenges of global PM2.5 regulation to the COVID-19 vaccine distribution, explaining that keeping people safe requires international cooperation to ensure the same standards of protection for everyone—whether it be through vaccines or pollution regulation.

“If we do not work on vaccine distribution globally, COVID-19 will keep spreading and new variants will arise that vaccinated people aren’t protected against,” Nazarenko said.

“The same goes for controlling air pollution […] you need to intervene globally if you want to save people in your own country.”

After all, if there is one resource that transcends global borders, it is the air we breathe.

20 / SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7 2021

Analytics, athletics, and you

How to appreciate, understand, and employ sports analytics Zoe Babad-Palmer Staff Writer Whether they know it or not, all sports fans, even casual ones, have probably encountered data analytics, from Sportsnet graphics to a player’s batting average or save percentage. The sheer amount of data used in sports analysis can be intimidating for someone unfamiliar with analytics, but gaining a basic understanding of this data and how they factor into games is easy to learn.

Analytics is the collection and use of statistical data to help teams and individuals measure their performance and improve upon it. These statistics can be basic, like a basketball player’s rebounds, or more advanced, like a football team’s intended air yards per pass attempt. Three major types of analytics are often used simultaneously: Descriptive

use analytics to monitor player data and a wealth of information has been available to the public. Dr. Timothy Chan, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto, has followed the increased use of analytics in hockey for years.

“Back in 2009, when we were starting our hockey work, the data and the statistics that were being captured were still very simple,” Chan said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “In the 10 years since, there has been an explosion of data that leads to advanced stats that we can calculate. The interest [has grown] from pro all the way down to amateur and other levels of sport.”

The applications of analytics in professional sports are endless: Teams use prescriptive models to call plays and create player profiles to decide who to sign or

Stephen Gill, BCom ‘20, founded a football analytics blog named twitrsports to track different aspects of NFL and collegiate football. (twitrsports.com) analytics gather information about previous games, predictive analytics predict outcomes of future competitions, and prescriptive analytics recommend how to improve performance.

Although the use of analytics is now standard across most sports leagues, the practice has only recently become mainstream. Billy Beane, the General Manager of Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athletics from 1998 to 2016, is believed to be the first sports executive to build their team’s lineup and strategy based on data analytics. The Athletics’ successful 2002 season, which culminated in a West Division title, was chronicled in the 2003 book and the 2011 movie Moneyball.

In the two decades since, many other sports have started to

draft. These profiles are often used in contract negotiations and when forming game lineups.

Despite the benefits of analytics, they are not without their troubles, as sports are by and large a “boys’ club,” and analytics is no exception. An estimated 85 per cent of attendees of the 2015 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference were male, and only 22 out of 153 speakers were women. Chan is currently working on a project that aims to provide empirical data on the demographic makeup of the sports analytics community.

“We are trying to get a baseline of what is the state of diversity and inclusion in the field,” Chan said.

According to Stephen Gill, BCom ‘20, founder of the football analytics blog twitrsports, and master’s student at Northwestern

University’s Analytics graduate program, the inaccessibility of data can also be a barrier to understanding them.

“There is a pretty big knowledge gap between the practitioners and the audience,” Gill said. “The practitioners don’t try as much as they should to make [information] accessible, and the audience sometimes can be resistant to change.”

McGill Athletics has started to use analytics for some of its varsity teams, including the men’s ice hockey team. Gianfranco Giuliano, the Director of Analytics for the Redbirds Hockey team, uses analytical data to strategize for games. Their statistical database contains over 75,000 data points, ranging from information about zone entries and exits, to expected goals, and passing networks.

Giuliano said he creates post-game reports by analyzing video footage from games and then provides coaches with the data.

“The most important part of my job is communication,” Giuliano said. “Being able to relay these concepts in some form of a digestible, actionable kind of way is the most imperative. [You want to] give [coaches] something they can implement, whether it be a strategy, a lineup change, a concept, [...] something where they can find some kind of a positive impact.”

In addition to game reports, Giuliano creates player profiles to better understand how players perform together on the ice.

“Once you have enough of those profiles amassed, 12 forwards and six [defence], then you can figure out why guys should be playing together, why they should not be playing together, and what works and what does not work,” Giuliano said.

After delving into sports analytics, finding a foothold to

(Soulpage IT)

(McGill Athletics) produce and share one’s work can be daunting. Some specific knowledge needed—expertise in math and programming languages—and where to find information is not made immediately clear. While one can understand descriptive graphics online without deep knowledge of math and programming, specific skills are needed to produce original analytics data.

A few key steps will go a long way toward appreciating analytics, but the most important is understanding the sport. Reading about Jonathan Drouin’s offensive zone deployment is not without knowing the difference between a power play and penalty kill.

The next step, Gill recommends, is to read as many books, blogs, or Tweets as possible.

“There are a lot of people who have written stuff in the past about every sport,” Gill said. “Twitter is a good spot to get a feel for the lay of the land, and from there, you can tell that there are [websites] that specialize in specific sports.”

Creating original analytics work, however, does require specific coding skills that can only be developed with time and effort.

“Entry-level analysts really need [...] good programming skills,

so probably Python or R, and a good grasp of basic statistics,” Chan said.

While a formal education in statistics or computer science is helpful, many of the skills needed for analysis can be learned through websites like Coursera, Khan Academy, and Harvard Online Courses that offer free classes on statistics, programming, and data science. For those less mathematically-inclined, however, Giuliano recommends exploring data visualization tools like Tableau or PowerBI—programs that generate interactive graphics and reports—as well as Excel.

Chan, Gill, and Giuliano all emphasize that the most crucial step to embarking on an analytics journey is to begin proactive learning. The process starts by thinking of a question and finding data to provide an answer. Next, publicize the data in any way possible by starting a blog, using Twitter, or attending conferences, and talking to people in the sports analytics community. When it comes to becoming involved in analytics, Giuliano stressed the importance of asking for opportunities.

“Honestly, just ask,” Giuliano said. “It sounds so naive and utopian just to say it out loud, but [...] people will always appreciate the help.”

Innovations in analytics are made every day, and conferences and contests like the NFL Big Data Bowl and the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference encourage new ideas. As the world of analytics evolves, there are several new opportunities to learn and collaborate. With a clear picture of the tools available and how to access them, there is nothing stopping anyone from giving analytics a try.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7 2021

SPORTS / 21

Champions League predictions, quarterfinals to the final Dark horse Chelsea likely to win the Champions League final Reza Ali & Karan Kumar Staff Writer & Contributor

Quarterfinals 1: Manchester City vs Borussia Dortmund Manchester City are set to play Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League quarterfinals. Manchester City, who are leading the Premier League as of April 1, have yet to win the Champions League under manager Pep Guardiola. This should be enough to motivate the club to win this year’s Champions League title. In comparison, Borussia Dortmund are currently fourth in the Bundesliga, 18 points behind league leaders Bayern Munich.

Dortmund’s star striker Erling Haaland, who scored 21 goals so far this season, will be a thorn in the Manchester City defence.

However, Manchester City remain a stronger defensive side, conceding only 21 goals in total in the Premier League. Dortmund, on the other hand, conceded 37 goals in the Bundesliga.

Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan are key to Manchester City’s successful run in the Premier League, and will be game changers in the matches against Dortmund. Manchester City are expected to qualify for the semifinals.

Quarterfinals 2: Chelsea vs FC Porto Neither Chelsea nor Porto were expected to win their respective qualifying matches, yet both qualified for the next round of the competition. Chelsea’s convincing win against Atletico Madrid makes them a much more promising side than first expected. Atletico is known for defensive prowess, yet Chelsea, dealing with star striker Timo Werner’s goal drought, were able to put three past the Madrid giants. Porto’s result in the previous leg was much less convincing, advancing on the tiebreaker of away goals against Italian powerhouse Juventus. However, their win was an arguably bigger upset as they were able to defeat a Juventus side which boasts stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo.

Reborn under Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea and their defensive stability will be too strong for Porto to break. Yet, Porto have shown they can pull off the unexpected. Still, it should be Chelsea advancing to the semifinals.

Julia Miracle, U1 Arts, believes Chelsea will advance, but expects a difficult tie.

“I’m predicting a 2-1 final score across two legs,” Miracle said to The McGill Tribune.

“Chelsea has Olivier Giroud, who has six Champions League goals, and Porto does not have a similarly prolific striker. Regardless, Porto were able to hold off Ronaldo and Juventus, so anything is possible.”

Quarterfinals 3: Bayern Munich vs Paris Saint Germain FC In a repeat of the 2019-20 Champions League final, Bayern Munich will clash with Paris Saint Germain (PSG) in the quarterfinals

of this year’s Champions League. Dominant striker Robert Lewandowski’s ligament injury is a huge offensive setback for Bayern Munich. Lewandowski is the leading goal scorer in the Bundesliga, scoring 35 goals this season. With Neymar Jr. expected to return from injury by April 7, PSG can put

all season. Both teams have had subpar domestic campaigns compared to their usual successes. Sean Hall, U0 Arts, mentioned the team’s injuries and inconsistencies in his own analysis of the tie.

“Real Madrid [vs] Liverpool is going to be an absolute toss-up,” Hall said to the

Neymar Jr. could pose a huge threat to Bayern Munich in his upcoming match for Paris Saint Germain FC. (Redbull) up their strongest squad in the fixture. PSG are currently second in the Ligue 1, with Lille OSC leading by three points.

World Cup winner and PSG striker Kylian Mbappe is a huge threat to the Bayern defence. Mbappe is the Ligue 1 top scorer with 20 goals so far this season. Germany’s shocking defeat to the North Macedonia national team on March 31 in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers has dealt a tremendous blow to their confidence. PSG’s impressive win over Barcelona in the round of 16 gives the team

Tribune. “Real Madrid have been rocky but have started to get their act together, and if Liverpool show up [strong] they can score a lot of goals. With all the injuries to Klopp’s side [Liverpool], they are [vulnerable to] giving away easy opportunities that Benzema [Real Madrid] can put away.”

This tie will ultimately come down to one critical component: Whether Real Madrid’s experienced midfield trio of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and Casemiro can control the game. If the trio can dominate the centre,

and Paris Saint Germain (PSG) semifinal clash is a delight to every football fan. Both are top European soccer clubs leading their respective domestic leagues, but the extent of each team’s dominance differs. Manchester City is clearly the top contender for this year’s Premier League title, 14 points ahead of second-place Manchester United. Pep Guardiola won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2009, and is expected to take Manchester City to the Champions League final in Istanbul this year.

Despite Manchester City’s success, Thomas Jogand-Coulomb, U0 Science, believes PSG might be able to prevail.

“I would hate that PSG go through, of course,” Jogand-Coulomb, who is a Marseille local, said to the Tribune. “But, I think they definitely have the team to do it and [Mauricio] Pochettino could definitely bring them to the final, and Neymar Jr. could do something crazy.”

Semifinals 2: Chelsea vs Liverpool An English semifinal would make for a chaotic match as soon as the opening whistle blows. This scrappy tie will motivate players to leave everything they have on the pitch.

Chelsea’s recent success has been based on high-level defence, which is necessary to slow down Liverpool’s powerful attack. If Liverpool’s offence is rendered useless, the rest of the side—filled with substitutes— must exceed our expectations. Divock Origi may have brought heroic substitutes in the past, but the Chelsea side is too well-coached to fall victim to a quick corner routine. Expect the Blues to continue their Cinderella story all the way to the Champions League Final.

Final: Manchester City vs Chelsea

(Prime Time Sports Talk)

(Eurosport)

added momentum to triumph over Bayern Munich and advance to the semifinals.

they will drive Liverpool to make mistakes, and provide their forward Karim Benzema many chances to score. If not, Liverpool’s three-pronged attack, highlighted by wingers Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, will score enough to take them through to the semifinal.

Liverpool’s strong forward trio should take over this tie and help them advance to the next round.

Quarterfinals 4: Real Madrid vs Liverpool Whichever club’s key players return from injury will walk away victorious from this star-studded clash of football titans.

News came out recently that Real Madrid’s captain Sergio Ramos will not be playing due to injury. Additionally, Liverpool have been missing their usual centre-back pairing of Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez

Semifinals 1: Manchester City vs Paris Saint Germain The potential of a Manchester City

Chelsea last won the Champions League in 2012. Having spent $292 million on his team in the summer, owner Roman Abramovich is counting on the team winning the title. Chelsea are a new team under manager Thomas Tuchel—undefeated in the past 14 matches. It looks like Chelsea could replicate their 2012 run, where they defeated Barcelona in the semifinals on two away goals.

Manchester City have almost been on cruise control this year. They are 14 points ahead of second place in the Premier League, and qualified for the EFL Cup final and the FA Cup semifinal. Due to the pandemic, games have been condensed in their time, meaning this Manchester City side has all the makings of possible late-stage burnout.

The Tribune predicts a Chelsea win. In past Champions Leagues, the pressure on Pep Guardiola led to him overcomplicating tactics in big games. Additionally, Chelsea would have a fully fit squad while Manchester City aim to survive their overwhelming schedule. In a City-Chelsea final, Chelsea are the underdogs, but might just sneak a win against the near-perfect City side.

WINTER 2021 HIGHLIGHTS

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