The McGill Tribune Vol. 36 Issue 24

The McGill Tribune Published by the SPT, a student society of McGill University Tuesday, March 28, 2017 Volume 36, Issue 24 | Joke Issue Editorial: Beyond zero-tolerance: McGill needs a new approach to deal with hazing mcgilltribune.com

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2 from the time capsule

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Parkour MiniCourse coming soon to McTavish Jack Mackland Contributor In an attempt to capitalize on the ongoing construction on McTavish, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) is rolling out a brand new MiniCourse: Campus Parkour. The course promises to be an exciting opportunity for both thrillseekers and students just trying to get to class on time.

The course has been in development since this year’s McTavish construction project began, when Earl Paxton, McGill alumnus and parkour aficionado, pitched the idea to SSMU. Paxton was inspired in part by his own experience as a selfemployed parkour teacher, but also by a preexisting university workshop on student safety when navigating campus constriction sites.

“I thought the safety thing was great because McTavish really is a danger-zone right now,” Paxton said. “But then I was like, why bother with safety, when we could teach students how to get through that danger-zone in, like, the sickest ways possible?”

The MiniCourse will cover

PARKOUR! (L-A Benoit / The McGill Tribune) the three J’s of parkour–jumping off of stuff, jogging unnecessarily, and ‘just doing it’–and teach students to apply them specifically to McTavish terrain.

Example exercises include freeclimbing the fences around con-

struction zones, backflipping off of moving bulldozers, and successfully scaling the metal staircase currently in place outside the Brown Building.

Much like McTavish itself, developing the course has been

an uphill and rocky process.

SSMU initially rejected Paxton’s pitch unanimously, out of student safety and liability concerns, but when the construction safety workshops folded due to insufficient funding, Paxton’s

parkour training was considered as a less expensive alternative.

“It’s not about the money, though,” Megan Green, SSMU representative, promised in a statement to /The Tribune/. “It’s about the fun. Who doesn’t want to learn parkour?”

Neither Green nor Paxton commented on early interest polling, which revealed that 89 per cent of students “had little to no interest” in learning parkour.

Even after getting off the ground, the course faced setbacks. An early trial course landed one participant in the hospital, after attempting a pretty sweet 360 jump from the top flight of the metal stairs to the SSMU entrance.

The incident could have shut the project down altogether. However, it was later found that the student, who suffered a broken collarbone and two fractured wrists, was not actually participating in the course—he was just running late for a midterm.

Registration for the MiniCourse opens next month, and will remain open as long as McTavish construction continues.

U3 Engineering student posts Facebook status about distrust in new SSMU leadership, citing ‘predominantly female executive’ Audrey Carleton Student Living Editor U3 Engineering student Jack Martin recently posted a status on Facebook expressing his distrust in the newly elected Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) executive team for the 2017-18 school year.

“I don’t usually post things like this on Facebook, but recent events have alarmed me to a place that I feel like I need to comment,” Martin’s status read. “I’m disappointed in the student body for its choice to elect an executive that is not truly representative of the student body.

McGill’s campus is so truly diverse—how will an executive that consists almost solely of one gender address the needs of myself and fellow brethren next year?”

Martin’s status raised questions among his friends and followers about his views on gender equality.

One friend quickly responded to this in the comments section, alleging that his claims were misogynistic and distrusting of female leadership.

Martin quickly responded to this, citing his views on gender equality.

“Look, I’m all for female equality, and I even consider my-

Fragile masculinity reaches peak on campus. (theoinion.com) self pretty liberal—but ultimately this campus is only 51 per cent female,” Martin wrote in the comment thread. “A SSMU executive that doesn’t represent the true demographic makeup of this campus is really not OK. Call me a snowflake, but I don’t feel like I can trust the new SSMU. Where do I fit into this?

This doesn’t feel like a safe space

for me. Men’s issues matter too.”

Martin went further in the comment thread to refer to himself as a feminist at a later point, citing his love for women, especially for his mother and sister.

“I don’t know why what I’m saying is so bad, guys,” Martin wrote. “I’m a feminist. Hands down. I have a mother and a sis-

ter. I’ve loved every woman I’ve ever dated—though some of them may have been crazy. I still think that feminism is gender equality. EQUALITY. That means equal men, equal women. Not an all-female SSMU. When will people understand this?”

Though six of the seven 201617 SSMU executives were male,

this seemed not to be a factor in Martin’s line of thinking. According to his roommate, Emily Sanders, with whom he shares a modest apartment on Avenue Lorne, Martin did not know about this, and seemed unmoved after hearing about it. “[Martin] has been complaining about this all-female SSMU executive thing for literal days now,” Sanders said. “When is he going to learn to shut the fuck right up?

I asked him how he felt about this year’s [mostly] male SSMU and he said he didn’t know about that, but that he didn’t think that was a relevant fact to consider. Now, I myself am not sure where I stand on this whole ‘gender’ thing, but he’s just annoying as shit and I think he needs to move the fuck on.”

When approached for comment after the fact, Martin declined, citing a lack of time due to his rigorous engineering program.

Though his status received significant backlash in the comments section, he remained unbent when navigating through the comments, taking the time to respond to each one. Boasting four likes and one “Wow” reaction, Martin left his status up publicly even after the commenting died down.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

ALTERNATIVE FACTS 3

‘Hey, can you watch my stuff for a sec?’ now legally binding verbal agreement

Report: Local hipster ‘heard of it first’

The third-wave coffee movement is so tired now, according to local hipster. (pexels.com)

Sorry, would you mind my stuff for a bit? (Amanda Fiore / The McGill Tribune)

Ariella Garmaise Contributor In an updated version of its Charter of Student Rights, McGill has amended that, “Hey, can you watch my stuff for a sec?”, “I’m just going to get coffee, will you be here for the next ten minutes,” and “Sorry, could you…” are all legitimate, legally binding contracts.

The clause amends “Part I: Fundamental Rights and Freedoms,” Section 8 of McGill’s Charter. Section 8 originally reads, “The University has an obligation to ensure that adequate measures are taken to protect security of students on University property.” Section 8.1, effective as of Fall 2017, will add, “such ‘adequate measures’ include, but are not limited to, ample security guards, security cameras, a student judicial system, and casual but nonetheless legally binding verbal conversations between students who before coincidentally choosing seats next to one another were total strangers.”

Ivan Dubé, McGill’s procurement legal counsel, explains the purpose of this amendment.

“McGill is an academically rigorous institution, but social interaction plays a tremendous role in the University’s educational mandate. With section I.8.1, the University administration seeks to instill in its students a sense of collective responsibility.”

One financial analyst suggested that the provision might be related to the recent slash in McGill’s operational expenses budget; however, Dubé was unavailable for comment.

Amendment I.8.1 was procured after years of legal battle, following 2013’s “Morrison vs.

Schulich Floor 5”. On Oct. 17, amidst the Fall midterm season, Claire Morrison, U2 Sociology,

alleged that she requested that students around her keep an eye on her laptop while she left to get coffee, yet when she returned, her Macbook Pro was missing.

While three of the students involved are legally prohibited from commenting, exonerated defendants Iman Azzari, U1 Chemistry, and Jason Klein, U0 Science, agreed to speak to the Tribune. Azzari, who left the library before Morrison returned, renounces any responsibility.

“She said she’d be back in five minutes, but like, four hours later, she’s still gone. I’m supposed to watch her stuff because she didn’t feel like bringing a backpack with her?” Azzari said.

“How was I supposed to know the guy who picked up her shit wasn’t like a friend or her boyfriend or something?” asked Klein, echoing Azzari’s comments.

McGill hopes that in securing provision I.8.1, the University will be able to provide a legal framework to support students like Morrison.

For students with similar concerns to those of Azzari and Klein, Dubé offers a list of what constitutes a valid legal agreement.

“Agreements to such a request need not be verbally explicit. Vague head nods, irritated shrugs, and weak half smiles are all legally binding.”

As Fall 2017 approaches, McGill is preparing an administrative council to review the success of the implementation of provision I.8.1. The motion will be voted upon at Senate at the Sept. 20 meeting.

In the interim, McGill’s legal counsel prepares to tackle “Silent vs. Talking: What is the Appropriate Level of Volume in the Ambiguously Labelled First Floor Redpath?”

Hazel Taggart Contributor In the Mile-End neighbourhood of Montreal, tote bags too-small-to-carry-anything-in are catching on. But local hipster James Bax assures that he totally heard of it first.

“Everyone started using these tote bags all of a sudden,” Bax said. “But I started it. I mean, I’ve used aesthetically-pleasing but nonfunctional things for years. Like those glasses with no prescription? I heard of those, too, before everyone else.”

Bax is also a fan of kombucha, the popular fermented drink making its way into every health-food store and yoga studio—and he says he started the bubbly trend. In his studio apartment that his parents pay for, Bax ferments his own scobies and bottles the drinks in mason jars from Eva B’s.

“These jars? They weren’t even for sale, but I loved them so much that I had to have them. I’ve loved mason jars for a long time, way before everyone else started Instagramming them. I don’t use Instagram anymore, instead I use Tumblr. Instagram is just too mainstream now.”

Among other popular trends hitting the Montreal community, like Blundstones and man-buns, Bax knew about them before they were cool. He describes this talent as a ‘sixthsense.’ Though there are many types of hipsters, Bax seems to be them all: He rides his bike everywhere, braids his beard, goes to every protest in the city, switched to a vegan diet years ago—he even heard about lattes before coffee shops started offering them.

“I know everything there is about coffee really, but right now I’m into matcha lattes, so of course everyone is starting to drink them,” Bax said, rolling his eyes. “Do they even know what matcha is?”

When asked what exactly matcha is, Bax responded that it is ground spinach, when it is in fact powdered green tea. But Bax doesn’t actually go to any cafés in Montreal—none of them are authentic enough. Rather, he makes his own cappuccinos and macchiatos with his vintage espresso machine.

“It can be really exhausting, you know, loving something before it’s popular. Because once everyone does know about it, you don’t get the validation and credit you deserve. But I’m okay, because I know that I really heard of it first.”

(Photo courtesy of @chaotic_martlet_memes)

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SSMUMINATI

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Marty the Martlet elected SSMU president “Just Wing It” platform a huge hit Joe Khammar Sports Editor McGill mascot Marty the Martlet was announced as winner of the presidential contest for the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) for the 2017-18 school year. The gigantic bird fought a hard campaign against Jane Darnold, ultimately finding success with his “Just Wing It,” platform.

Upon hearing the news, Darnold was upset.

“He can’t even speak! He’s a literal gigantic plush bird,” Darnold said. “The debate was just a series of shrugs and dances. I don’t think he even knows he was running.”

Despite her qualms, hopes are high for the

Martlet’s presidency. Students were positively atwitter about his optimistic demeanor in the face of adversity.

“I just loved how he always put his best tail forward,” U2 Arts Student Aaron Sanders said. “With everything going on at SSMU this year, I feel like I needed a friendly face—someone to make me feel better about all the controversy.”

Upon hearing the news, Marty enthusiastically hopped up and down with what could possibly be described as glee. Unfortunately, because he cannot vocalize, his communication was limited to dance.

How this limitation will impact his presidency going forward remains a question. That said, his victory serves as a sign of hope.

McGill releases ‘Fill-in-theblank’ statement to be used for next McGill scandal Wade Wilson Contributor On March 27, the McGill administration released a partlyblank statement for students to use when condemning of any future scandals. An explanation accompanying the statement clarifies that after the series of recent scandals involving McGill and the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), the administration has decided to no longer release individual statements.

Now, if students would like the university to issue a statement condemning any future scandals, they can simply print out the statement template, and fill in the blanks with the details of the new controversy.

“Dear Member of the McGill community,” the statement begins, “We were shocked and disappointed to hear of the recent [insert behaviour that is considered reprehensible] by [name of individual/organization here].”

The statement goes on to explain that this hypothetical offence constitutes an infringement of whichever values the univer-

sity currently stands for.

“We would like to remind the community that McGill stands in steadfast support of [value or principle that this action violated], and/or strongly condemns [prejudice or misconception that this action furthered].”

When asked for comment, McGill Principal Stephanie Fournier explained that the new statement policy would save the administration the valuable time it currently spends issuing condemnations of the various missteps of its students and faculty.

“With students filling out our statements of condemnation for us, administrators will now be able to focus on more important issues facing the University.”

Fournier said. “I’m personally looking forward to our project to increase the incline of University Street, and the upcoming unveiling of our memorial for Flood Girl.”

If the new statement does not solve McGill’s public relations issues, Fournier noted that she would consider releasing a statement disassociating the University from itself.

The student body was a twitter following Marty’s victory. (twitter.com)

New McGill passwords require six letters, three numbers, and $5 donation Password reset to address McGill budget cuts

Lydia Kaprelian Science & Technology Editor With a mandated password reset for McGill students, the administration has found the perfect opportunity to ameliorate the university’s budget concerns. When students go into Minerva to enter in a new password, $5 will now be charged to their student account. Following the grand success of McGill24, the McGill PR department is re-invigorated to demand more money from its students.

“It’s only $5,” McGill Financial Officer Burt Smith explained. “Seeing how many Fac-O bracelets were on campus we know that all our students can afford this small contribution.”

The new campaign will be dedicated to facility improvements, such as the staircase outside of the Brown Building.

“We recognized that the walk outside from the University Centre to Dr. Penfield has not

been aesthetically pleasing for many students,” Smith admitted. “From the revenue generated from the password reset, we’ll be able to tile the staircase.”

The password resets were ordered after the administration discovered phishing attempts made by amateur hackers. The extra “!” character at the end of McGill passwords will hopefully stave off future security concerns.

However, the $5 charge added to the password reset has not come without controversy.

“I’ve already had to add an extra emoji to my password,” Stew Jones, U0 Arts, said. “I don’t want to pay $5 on top of that!”

Administrators have issued thinly veiled threats that if students fail to create a new password, with the mandatory $5 fee, they may be locked out of their McGill accounts or face minor security threats, including pop-ups.

“We still have the power to send Farmville invitations,” Smith warned.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Open house for the new Office for Sexual Violence Response, Support and Education on Sherbrooke

Part of implementation of Policy against Sexual Violence

news

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SSMU Council votes to remain an observer at AVEQ

Votes against endorsing increase to the Athletics and Recreation fee

O-SVRSE is located off-campus to protect the privacy of those using its services. (Image courtesy of Consent McGill)

Julia Métraux Staff Writer On March 27, the Office for Sexual Violence Response, Support and Education (O-SVRSE) opened its doors to the McGill community and hosted two open houses. The office is located at 550 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Suite 585, and officially opened in November 2016.

Associate Provost (Policies, Procedures and Equity) Angela Campbell helped develop the Policy against Sexual Violence, which was approved by Senate on Nov. 23 last semester, and stated that the policy led to the creation of O-SVRSE. “The implementation [of the policy] has mostly been taking place through the establishment of the [O-SVRSE],” Campbell said. “An implementation committee has been formed and will be lead by Professor Lucy Lach in the School of Social Work, and she will start her role imminently.”

According to Campbell, the Policy against Sexual Violence and O-SVRSE are the foundation for tackling sexual violence at McGill. “[O-SVRSE] and the policy are really crucial beginnings for the development of a coordinated and effective response to the challenge of sexual violence on campus,” Campbell said. “So that the work of ensuring that we prevent [sexual violence] and raise awareness about its impact requires ongoing work and collaboration from all members across the campus community.”

Sexual Violence Response Advisor Émilie Marcotte, an O-SVRSE employee, characterized the office as the administration’s response to students who are looking for help. The O-SVRSE team includes Marcotte, Harm Reduction Officer Bianca Tétrault, Consent McGill Office Assistant Lucy Mackrell, Social Work Intern Bryn Davies, and Consent McGill volunteers.

“I think it is very important that the university has developed this office in the sense of having a designated point of entry for sexual violence [survivors],” Marcotte said. “[Sexual violence] is a big societal issue and I think McGill already has a lot of resources, including [the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS)]. This is the administration’s way of saying, ‘If there is a problem, if there is an issue, if you need help, if there is a question, here is where you can go.’”

Consent McGill volunteer Ki-eun Peck, U3 Arts, said that she volunteers for O-SVRSE to help prevent sexual violence on campus.

“I used to volunteer for Rez Project, and there are a lot of connections between Rez Project and Consent McGill,” Peck said. “[My goal is to] prevent even one sexual assault from happening.”

In addition to helping individual survivors, another goal of the office is to implement more sexual violence education to change society’s perception of sexual violence in general. “[O-SVRSE] also does the prevention [of] and education [about] sexual violence,” Marcotte said. “[...Tétrault] has been working at McGill for three years now doing the Consent McGill campaign and different workshops. So, I think the idea [...is that] more resources will be put into developing different workshops and [training] more people, [and] that will also [create] a culture change on how people think and speak about sexual violence.”

Marcotte explained that the purpose of having an open house is to raise awareness of the existence of O-SVRSE. The office also features a mural created by a SACOMSS volunteer that symbolizes the experience of being a survivor and the process of healing.

“I think it’s important for people to know that the office is there and where we are [...],” Marcotte said. “We are not on campus, we’re right across. That was done purposefully so that there will be more confidentiality. It’s also accessible, there are elevators, which are not in every building on campus.”

Councillors voted to maintain observer status at AVEQ. (Lauren Benson-Armer / The McGill Tribune)

Joe Khammar Sports Editor “Order an Angelot” Campaign At the March 24 Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Legislative Council meeting, Lev Bukhman and Marie Gauthier, national coordinators of “Sans Oui C’est Non” (Without Yes, It’s No), and Alliance pour la Santé Étudiante au Québec (ASÉQ) presented on the “Order an Angelot” campaign. The initiative helps bar patrons feel safe by giving them the option to pretend to order a fake drink known as the “Angelot.” This code word will alert bar staff to a situation in which a patron may be in danger, so that they can react accordingly.

“The campaign aims to create a very simple and clear and certain way for people to get help if they do not feel safe, are in danger, or are victims of sexual assault,” Bukhman said. “The idea is to create a very simple code word that is widely known [and] widely understood.”

Councillors raised concerns over who the program would target. Specifically, it was criticized for not consulting sexual violence survivors and relying on bartenders, who may be poorly trained in handling such incidents.

“I am concerned about this campaign,” Nursing Representative Mckenzie Gingrich-Hadley said. “Mostly because it seems like they have not done any consultation with survivors of sexual violence at all at how this can be helpful. It has also been painfully obvious, recently, that consent education is not necessarily an effective way to stop sexual violence from happening.”

Motion on Participation in AVEQ SSMU passed a motion to continue observer status on the Association for the Voice of Education in Quebec (AVEQ) and consider joining it as a full member in the Fall 2017 referendum. AVEQ is a provincial-level student association that was designed to increase the bargaining powers of Quebec university students. Following students’ vote against SSMU affiliating with AVEQ in the Winter 2016 referendum, SSMU has had observer

status on AVEQ. While this guarantees SSMU no more than the ability to observe AVEQ sessions, AVEQ encourages its observers to participate in the decision-making processes. At Council, questions were raised about the organization’s budget, which Vice-President (VP) University Affairs Sobat claimed may have been overestimated.

“I recognize that maybe some of the updates and information on what was happening with AVEQ and the deficit could have been more actively reported,” Sobat said. “This motion is to ensure we are continuing to be at that table and are able to voice the concerns of SSMU members to this federation.”

After further deliberation, the motion was passed with 14 in favour, six against, and three abstaining.

Motion Regarding Endorsement of “No” Vote for Athletics & Recreation Fee Increase Finally, the Legislative Council passed the motion to endorse “No” for the Athletics & Recreation Fee Increase. Sobat cited the same concerns that led to the recent motion against ancillary fee increases, which was invalidated due to an existing contract between SSMU and the McGill administration. The previous motion, which passed at the Winter 2017 General Assembly, would have had SSMU not approving ancillary fee increases until McGill met certain obligations.

Sobat critiqued McGill for its lack of transparency when increasing funds, raising his concern with the fact that Athletics & Recreation overhead charges have increased by 40 per cent since 2014. With reference to McGill Athletics specifically, Sobat highlighted the lack of investigation into sexual violence by McGill athletes.

“I’ve had many conversations with the deputy provost about this where I most recently asked on the February Student Services meeting,” Sobat said. “I asked him where these overhead charges were going and how they justified the deductions.

They have no formula for actually determining them.”

The motion passed with 13 in favour, four against, and five abstaining.

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Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Macdonald Campus holds referendum to disaffiliate from graduate student governance MCGSS members currently lack proportional representation at PGSS Kendall McGowan Contributor Following a week-long campaign period, the Macdonald Campus Graduate Students’ Society (MCGSS) will hold a referendum on March 30 for its members to decide whether or not to disaffiliate from the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS), which currently represents students on both the downtown and Macdonald campuses.

MCGSS President Jaaved Singh

explained the Society’s wish to sever its ties with PGSS due to students’ poor representation within PGSS, difficulties in communication, and limited access to the resources and services on the downtown campus. Meanwhile, PGSS Secretary-General Victor Frankel expressed concern that, as one of the larger Post-Graduate Student Associations at McGill, MCGSS voting to disaffiliate would significantly lower the number of PGSS members.

“If this passes, we stand to lose a

MCGSS members will no longer have access to the PGSS health and dentail plan if they choose to disaffiliate. (Kendall McGowan / The McGill Tribune)

lot of important members,” Frankel said. “People that are really great advocates for graduate students, education, student rights, transparency in governance, all these things that I think MCGSS members really add to the strength of PGSS.” Singh had issue with MCGSS’ relatively limited representation within PGSS. Normally, the nine departments that MCGSS represents would independently have a total of 18 votes; however, due to the difficulties involved in transporting 18 students from the various departments downtown for regular meetings, all nine departments are instead represented by the singular MCGSS, which gets only three votes on the PGSS Legislative Council. “[The current voting structure] gives a huge power imbalance,” Singh said. “Technically, we’re a larger group that fills a smaller role within the PGSS structure.”

Krittika Mittal, a PhD student in Natural Resource Sciences (NRS) and student representative for the NRS department in PGSS, cited several challenges arising from the distance between the two campuses. According to Mittal, living and working near the Macdonald campus means she almost

never uses the services at the downtown campus.

“If I’m paying for all those resources and services, but I’m not using them there, why are we paying money to PGSS?” Mittal said. “If 100 per cent of the fees I’m paying are going to the Macdonald campus community and I’m able to access those resources here, I think it’s just better that way.”

MCGSS members will lose certain advantages if the disaffiliation passes, including access to PGSS’ Thomson House, various events and discounts, and the PGSS health and dental plan.

However, Singh mentioned that there would be negotiations over service provision and that there are several types of membership, such as associate rather than full members. Additionally, he said that MCGSS could try to adopt the Macdonald Campus Students’ Society’s (MCSS) health and dental plan should the referendum pass. Currently, MCSS represents undergraduate students on the Macdonald campus.

“I see the future with MCSS being more of a partnership–not one organization, but two organizations with joined agreements or missions that affect all students,” Singh said. “Working with MCSS is a lot easier because we’re less

than five minutes away from speaking with them. It’s a lot easier than having to get all the way downtown.”

Singh emphasized that MCGSS wouldn’t go any further in rejoining MCSS, citing the progress made since the organization’s initial split in 2012.

“MCGSS becoming independent from MCSS has developed a stronger student union culture within MCGSS,” Singh said. “Before, you pretty much had all the campus responsibilities under MCSS and all the graduate representation under PGSS, so there wasn’t a niche for MCGSS to fill, and since MCGSS separated from MCSS, it started getting more involved.”

Frankel concluded that PGSS would prefer to see MCGSS stay, but would support them regardless of how they voted. Singh emphasized that entertaining the notion of separating was logistical and financial, not personal.

“There’s no resentment, it’s just the current situation operating within PGSS is not working for MCGSS, so we want to become our own group and disaffiliate [from] them,” Singh said.

“We think it makes sense to become our own group, with our own fees, and that way we can really tailor our services and support to Mac grad students.”

AUS Legislative Council appoints new VP Finance and Arts Representative Plans underway to renovate Arts Lounge Rebecca Zhuang Staff Writer At the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) Legislative Council meeting on March 22, Noah Lew and Catherine Jeffery were appointed to fill two vacant positions on the Council, VicePresident (VP) Finance and Arts Representative to SSMU. The Council also discussed possible projects to improve the Leacock Building, such as renovating the Arts Lounge. A plan to repurpose the Leacock terrace into an amphitheatre and the Leacock Space Project–which aims to redesign certain spaces within the Leacock Building–were also discussed.

The Council also provided an update on the 2017 Arts Frosh. According to VP Social Kat Sviknushin, the Arts Frosh Committee has already been hired and a record-breaking number of over 700 applications for Arts Frosh Leaders were received this year.

Motions to appoint VP Finance and Arts Representative to SSMU Arts Financial Management Committee (FMC) Representative Lew was appointed as AUS VP Finance to replace former VP Finance Deepak Punjabi, who resigned on March 20. Lew was elected AUS VP Finance in the 2017 AUS Winter Executive Election on Feb. 23 for the 2017-18 term and was previously scheduled to begin his term on May 1.

“This motion would allow me to begin my term early so there’s no interim period when AUS has no one responsible for AUS finances,” Lew said. “I’ve already been doing my training and

transition sessions with the previous VP Finance, so I’m aware of my duties and [I’m] able to perform them.”

AUS President Becky Goldberg addressed the confusion and speculation around Punjabi’s reason for resignation. “[Punjabi] found a job off campus,” Goldberg said. “The reason we didn’t [reveal this initially] is because you shouldn’t necessarily be encouraged to find a job part way through another job, but I’m glad that he’s doing what he needs to do.”

Arts Community Engagement (ACE) Committee Commissioner Jeffery was appointed as the Arts Representative to SSMU. She was elected as the incoming Arts Representative for the 2017-18 term, but will start her term early as a replacement for former Arts Representative Igor Sadikov, who resigned from his position on March 8.

Space improvements to Leacock Building Councillors discussed the progress of the Leacock Space Project, an initiative that was started in 2014 to redesign and renovate spaces in the Leacock Building. Plans for SNAX–the studentrun cafe located on the first floor of Leacock–are included in the project. “[The Leacock Space Project] is pretty costly and we don’t have the money for it, but there are a few things that are pretty central and would actually improve student life, like adding seating at SNAX,” Goldberg said.

According to Goldberg, AUS was unable to apply to the Arts Undergraduate Improvement Fund (AUIF) for funding to implement these changes, as a commitment of finances from the

Recently-elected executives Catherine Jeffery and Noah Lew will begin their terms early to replace Igor Sadikov and Deepak Punjabi. (Alex Gardiner / The McGill Tribune) Leacock Terrace, for which construction is schedFaculty of Arts was not pledged until after AUIF uled to begin in 2018. deadlines. However, there is the possibility of cast“[McGill is] planning to renovate the Leaing an online vote to secure funding with AUIF, cock Terrace to include an amphitheatre in the specifically to install coverage for recycling bins, space between Leacock and McTavish, which trash cans, and seating at SNAX. would involve re-sloping that area, and they would A majority of the Council expressed their like to make it available for students,” Partridge interest in renovating the Arts Lounge space in said. the Leacock basement. Goldberg explained that Partridge also expressed concerns he had in order to make any significant changes to the about the practicality of the amphitheatre. lounge, AUS must consult with Campus Space “It’s somewhat problematic because it would and Planning, then hire professionals to assess be an outdoor amphitheatre without a roof and I the lounge and decide what improvements can be don’t know how many of you actually want to stay made. outside in the winter,” Partridge said.

VP Academic Erik Partridge spoke about the

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

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Senate addresses increase in applicants to McGill from U.S. and overseas Relationship between McGill and outside tutorial services discussed Julia Métraux Staff Writer On March 22, the McGill Senate held its monthly meeting and discussed the sale of lecture materials not produced by professors, the Annual Report on Enrolment and Strategic Enrolment Management, and the Budget Plan for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017-2018.

Question Regarding Sale of Lecture Materials Before the meeting, Pharmacology and Therapeutics Professors Terry Hébert and Dan Bernard put forth a question regarding the legality of lecture materials sold and produced by outside companies including Prep 101 and SOS Tutoring. In the document, Vice-Principal (Research and Innovation) Rosie Goldstein and Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Christo-

pher Manfredi stated that professors are responsible for enforcing intellectual property rights on material that they produce.

Pharmacology and Therapeutics Associate Professor Edith Zorychta said that due to costs and access to Teaching Assistants (TAs) and tutors, companies like Prep 101 are doing a disservice to students due to their high cost. For five hours, the cost of a Prep 101 tutorial is $112.75, whereas the cost of McGill Tutorial Services is $75, and the cost of working with a TA in office hours and tutorials is free, according to the Prep 101 and McGill Tutorial Service websites.

“I think it’s becoming a significant problem,” Zorychta said. “There’s a certain level of dishonesty, it’s unfair to our students with [the high cost of external services]. Also, [professors] wonder why some of these outlets are

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allowed to put their ads on bulletin boards.”

Manfredi said that he is unsure of affiliation between Prep 101 and the university.

“I am vaguely familiar with Prep 101, as far as I know there is no formal relationship with the university,” Manfredi said. “This is something that I can look into more closely.”

Annual Report on Enrolment and Strategic Enrolment Management University Registrar and Executive Director of Enrolment Services Kathleen Massey presented the Annual Report on Enrolment and Strategic Enrolment Management, compiled by Massey and Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) Ollivier Dyens.

According to Massey, one issue that McGill University faces is a decline in yield rates, or the percentage of students offered admission who attend

McGill. The university’s yield rates have declined from 51.4 per cent to 42.6 per cent in the past 10 years.

Massey said that recently there has been an increase in applications, possibly caused by political changes in the U.S., the UK, and other countries.

“Changes may be from Brexit, American elections, and other international factors,” Massey said. “Applications from the [U.S. have] increased by 21 per cent, and applications from overseas and international high schools about 23 per cent.”

Massey also discussed her goal to increase the diversity of applicants, increase the amount of students from French CEGEPs, and keep the percentage of international students between 25 and 30 per cent.

Budget Plan FY 2017-2018 Manfredi presented the second version of the Budget Plan FY 2017-

2018 to Senate. According to Manfredi, there were no major changes from the Budget Plan FY 2016-2017 to the Budget Plan FY 2017-2018.

“We are fortunate at the moment to be operating in a stable budgetary environment,” Manfredi said. “We are able to relax some of the administrative support-style reduction measures.”

Although Manfredi said that McGill has a stable budget, he predicts that the university’s financial deficit will increase.

“I think we all understand that I am anticipating [that] we are going to do more than normal capital expenditure over [...] the next decade,” Manfredi said. “We built resilience into our budget to cover that. Nevertheless, we’re projecting a good increase in our cumulative finance deficit.”

The final Budget Plan FY 20172018 will be delivered to the Board of Governors on April 27.

Andrew Potter resigns as director of McGill Institute for the Study of Canada Concerns regarding academic freedom raised over controversial article William Pang Contributor On March 22, Andrew Potter, McGill graduate and former editor-in-chief of the Ottawa Citizen, resigned as director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC). Potter was appointed for a three-year term beginning in August 2016.

Potter’s resignation followed the publication of a column he authored in Maclean’s magazine on March 20. The article linked the shutdown of a major highway during a snowstorm on March 14 with the lack of trust within Quebec society.

Since its publication, Maclean’s has clarified certain statements that were in the original article.

The column drew criticism from notable public figures, including Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard and Federal Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly. McGill subsequently posted a tweet on March 21 from its official account which stated that the university does not share Potter’s views.

In a resignation statement posted on his Twitter, Potter acknowledged the flaws in his article. The statement also noted that Potter will continue as an associate professor in the Faculty of Arts, which is part of his three-year contract.

“I deeply regret many aspects of the column—its sloppy use of anecdotes, its tone, and the way it comes across as deeply critical of the entire province,” Potter wrote. “That wasn’t my intention, and I am heartbroken that the situation has evolved the way it has.”

Editorials and op-eds published by The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, and the National Post heavily criticized McGill’s tweet for reasons including that the university was stifling freedom of speech. Some suggested that Potter’s resignation was due to pressures exerted by the university’s administration.

Jonathan Kay, McGill graduate and editor-in-chief of The Walrus, reminded critics to consider the fact that Potter was not only a pundit, but also the director of a renowned institute. “[McGill is] located within Quebec and [has] active partnerships with all kinds of government bodies and Quebec entities,” Kay wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “So, it’s weird for [Potter] to write a column that basically says ‘Quebec blows.’ [....] Doing so greatly complicates [Potter’s] status as administrative head of this prominent body at McGill

University, whose mandate touches directly on the subject of [his] column.”

A press release signed by McGill Principal and Vice Chancellor Suzanne Fortier on March 23 refuted claims that Potter was pressured to resign. “[Potter’s] resignation provoked unfounded rumours and concerns regarding academic freedom,” Fortier wrote. “I want to assure members of the McGill community that academic freedom is a foundational principle of McGill University, as enunciated in our Senate-and Board-approved Statement of Academic Freedom.”

McGill Internal Communications Director Doug Sweet wrote in an email to the Tribune that it is an important distinction that Potter signed the piece as Director of MISC. According to Sweet, academics need to distinguish when they are speaking on their own behalf and expressing their personal views.

“Had the article in question been signed by the Professor as an individual academic, the University would have had a responsibility to defend a matter of academic freedom,” Sweet wrote. “[....Potter’s] resignation from that post was not accepted because of controversy surrounding the article or whether McGill agreed with it or not; the resignation was accepted because the article’s publication had significantly hampered Professor Potter’s ability to perform his duties as Director of MISC.” Terry Hébert, pharmacology and therapeutics professor and president of the McGill Association of University Teachers (MAUT), emphasized the importance of academics being able to express ideas without fear of repercussion from the administration.

“MAUT is always deeply concerned about academic freedom—we worked very hard to get McGill to adopt [a statement of academic freedom],” Hébert wrote in an email to the Tribune. “You can bet the issue will be raised at Senate, as I will raise it myself–and I imagine many others will as well. Going forward, it would be good to hear from all parties involved as to what happened, Professor Potter included.”

Hébert was also critical of McGill’s initial response to Potter’s article.

“McGill probably should have responded by a venue other than Twitter because the issue was more complicated than a simple tweet merited,” Hébert wrote. “[The tweet] could be interpreted many ways–some innocuous, some not.”

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

8 OPINION

OPINION

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

9

CAMPUS CONVERSATION

How can SSMU regain students’ trust?

This past semester has seen a seemingly unprecedented number of scandals stemming from the Students Society of McGill University (SSMU), and has left many McGill students feeling disillusioned and disengaged with their representative body.

In light of this, we asked members of the McGill community, including incoming SSMU executives, to speak to how SSMU can regain student trust.

Read more responses at mcgilltribune.com/opinion.

Elaine Patterson VP Student Life and Acting President Before I had the opportunity to work at SSMU, I knew very little about the organization and the scope of what it offered to students.

Thousands of undergraduates are involved in student groups that fall under SSMU’s umbrella, but that’s likely the extent of their knowledge of the society. I can’t say I blame them;

david naftulin Arts Student

SSMU has a credibility problem. Plagued by scandals and fixated on dangerously divisive issues, SSMU has had a rough couple of years. But with a new year ahead and a new crop of leaders, change is possible. If SSMU follows its own constitution, holds its leaders properly accountable, and once again becomes inclusive for all of its students, then it can begin the process of regaining the trust of the student body.

GRETA HOAKEN Director, SSMU Board of Directors SSMU must change its culture from within to become more open, transparent, and welcoming to newcomers. To me, this starts with prioritizing bringing in new members that represent previously underrepresented identities. Given SSMU’s self-recognized “systemic issue of sexualized and gendered violence,” actively encouraging more women to become involved must be a core component of their strategy moving forward.

SSMU’s loss of legitimacy as a representative body starts and ends with problems from within. While others point to apathy about student politics as being the culprit, we can-

(Laurie-Anne Benoit / The McGill Tribune)

why should anyone need to know more about what SSMU has to offer?

But, as per the preamble of our constitution, the three pillars of SSMU are service, representation, and leadership. I prefer to look at these pillars as more of a foundation for the organization--fundamentally, these three things should encompass most of what SSMU does. So, in an effort to regain students’ trust, I think it’s necessary that SSMU restabilize its foundation.

The range of services that SSMU provides is what most students recognize. From room bookings to a

student bar to safety resources such as Walksafe, Drivesafe, M-SERT, and more, there’s a lot that SSMU offers to its members. Perhaps SSMU needs to revisit how it advertises and offers these services to students to ensure that they’re being used and accessed to their fullest extent.

In terms of representation this year, I think many members of the society were failed by SSMU. Our team of elected student representatives was largely white, male-dominated, and lacked a diverse set of viewpoints.

McGill boasts one of the most international campuses in Canada,

and it’s a shame that this year’s executive team was unrepresentative of its student population. However, the incoming team of executives better mirrors this diversity, so I hope that students can trust that they will be better represented in the 2017-2018 academic year.

Finally, I want to encourage the incoming executives to strive to be the best leaders that they can be.

I think that students underestimate the value of leadership when voting for their representatives; people pay attention to the tangible changes or initiatives candidates lay out in their

platforms. But if there’s one thing I have learned thus far in my term as an executive, it’s that things like leadership and communication are necessary skills for any position of responsibility. With those fundamentals, learning about the individual portfolios will come in time.

Although it won’t happen overnight, I think by continuing to offer necessary services to students, being more representative of the student body, and by demonstrating quality leadership skills, the SSMU can work to regain students’ trust.

Recent shockwaves spread through campus as two SSMU executives, former Vice-President (VP) External David Aird and former president Ben Ger, resigned from their positions because of issues surrounding sexual and gendered violence. Further allegations that SSMU had attempted to deal with Aird’s behavior internally, instead of reporting it to the necessary authorities, certainly did not help. This incident left students seeing SSMU as an unaccountable and unrepresentative organization that does not look out for the safety of the student body or the ethics of its leaders.

Yet SSMU compromised the trust of some students even prior to these allegations, through its inadequate response to Arts Representative to SSMU Igor Sadikov tweeting “punch a zionist [sic] today,” on Feb. 6. I attended the ensuing SSMU Council meeting on Feb. 9, outraged by the tweet and ready to voice my opinion. When questions from the gallery began, I was disappointed with how SSMU handled the session, which deteriorated from a discussion on the issue of student safety to the singling out of the only Zionist councillor for her beliefs. If SSMU wants to regain the trust of students that were harmed by Sadikov’s tweet,

it must improve its response to instances of such divisive and alienating rhetoric.

Just as disheartening, votes held by both the SSMU Board of Directors and the Arts Undergraduate Society failed to impeach Sadikov. Although Sadikov eventually resigned from his positions, this was not until after intervention from the McGill Administration and allegations arose of Sadikov’s emotional abuse of an ex-partner. Thus, for the mainstream Jewish community and its allies, SSMU has come to represent alienation and division on campus.

SSMU’s loss of credibility and its recent history of failing to repre-

sent its constituents, does not have to be permanent. The recent landslide election of Muna Tojiboeva as SSMU President, who campaigned on a platform of cleaning up SSMU, is an encouraging start; however, Tojiboeva and the rest of the incoming executive team enter SSMU with a hard job ahead. SSMU must abide by its own constitution, stay away from divisive and alienating politics, and must promptly and swiftly respond when their executives violate either Canadian law, SSMU’s constitution, or both. Actions, not words, are what will matter going forward. Only when they do this can students place trust in SSMU’s leadership again.

not expect students to want to take ownership of their student union if it does not look like them, or if it is dominated by a small group of decision-makers. If SSMU is to regain students’ trust, it must look inward, and make a meaningful attempt to bring new, diverse talent into the institution.

Throughout my four years at McGill I have been a strong critic of SSMU, and have never sought any position within the Society. I have been involved on campus in various capacities and in various clubs and activities, but I never felt the desire to associate with SSMU. I have long believed student politics to be too male-dominated, too self-serving, and too closed off to newcomers.

After the resignations of the VP External and the President this past semester, I became enraged, and applied to an open position on the

Board of Directors. Now a Director, I am seeing more and more the potential SSMU has to do good on campus and to truly represent its constituents, but also how much the institution must change to realize this full potential. While I am incredibly optimistic given the candidates that put their names forward this year–and the executives that was ultimately elected–there are many other positions, elected and appointed, within SSMU that are in dire need of new blood.

In my case, anger may have spurred my involvement, but SSMU cannot expect that anger alone will translate into a permanent, sustained change for the institution. I was heavily encouraged to apply for a BOD position by individuals that were already involved with SSMU. Without their support, I would not have felt like I had a place at the

table. Many students have been angry with SSMU for a long time, but they have not become involved precisely because they have not been made to feel like there is room for them to do so. Put simply, SSMU cannot expect those that have been left out of the conversation for so long, and that have been negatively affected by the actions and policies (or lack thereof) of the institution, to come running to save it in a time of crisis. Rather, those who currently hold positions within SSMU must make an active effort on both individual and institutional levels to seek out, encourage, and prioritize bringing in new, diverse representatives in the coming year.

The decision of the Board of Directors to designate VP Student Life Elaine Patterson as Acting President and Chloe Rourke as Chair of the Board are fantastic steps in that

direction. However, these changes are not long-term. If we want to see a shift in the organizational culture of SSMU, it is important for all members of the Society to encourage women, minorities, and previously uninvolved but skilled students to come to the table. Hiring decisions must prioritize candidates based on this goal. Individual leaders must take responsibility to seek out qualified individuals from outside the existing SSMU community.

If SSMU wants to regain the trust of students, it must make itself accessible and transparent to students. It’s not enough to tell us to lean in or that SSMU cares about the students it has previously ignored or discarded. SSMU and the individuals that comprise its structures of power must be willing to make an effort to help students, especially women, do so.

Muna Tojiboeva 2017-18 SSMU President Trust in SSMU is at an all-time low following several scandals and a multitude of student representative resignations. These scandals and resignations are illustrative of deeprooted institutional failures within SSMU. However, students have not trusted their student society for quite some time now--it is not an entirely new phenomenon. It becomes especially clear that distrust for SSMU has been steadily growing if we look at the constantly decreasing voter turnout as well as the alarming

Maya Koparkar 2017-18 SSMU Vice-President, Internal Affairs There’s no denying that this year has been an incredibly tumultuous one for SSMU. However, I am incredibly excited to get to work with the rest of the new executive team. I believe that we all are more than passionate about working to reestablish the student body’s trust in SSMU, and all intend to work hard to achieve this common objective.

There are a couple different ways

CONNOR SPENCER 2017-18 SSMU Vice-President, External Affairs How can SSMU regain students’ trust next year?

It can’t. And it shouldn’t pretend to. Not in just one year.

In order to regain students’ trust, SSMU needs to create a new track record over many years that outweighs the current SSMU track record that has led to a culture of distrust among its members. That takes time. And one of the most important steps on this road will be the transition between

number of abstentions in SSMU elections and referendums.

Nevertheless, many lessons can be learned by looking back at this past year in order to ensure that these mistakes are not repeated in the future and to improve SSMU’s ability to serve McGill students.

First, we need to implement concrete action policies, such as the Sexual Violence Policy, since this year’s disastrous handling of scandals illustrated that one should not rely solely on executive leadership.

Additionally, I think it is up to us to ensure that students understand all the terminology that SSMU employs in its communications with constituents. For example, clarifying

what “gendered violence” means would be a good idea since most people I have talked to are unsure about what “gendered violence” means in the SSMU context and are afraid to mention this in conversation for fear of being embarrassed.

Another good step, mentioned to me by a fellow student, is publishing a clear set of guidelines online for what one ought to do in a situation when someone discloses an instance of sexual assault or gendered violence. This way, students and student groups on campus can have a clear, step-by-step action guide that they can consult and follow if necessary.

This also brings me to my next point: information on the SSMU

website should be easily accessible and comprehensive. It is not the case right now and needs to be adapted as soon as possible. Without making information accessible to students, SSMU cannot regain their trust. A good first step in regaining students’ trust would be to start publishing governance documents online--none of the Board of Directors meetings minutes are currently published on the SSMU website.

Furthermore, SSMU suffers from a severe accessibility problem that urgently needs to be addressed.

SSMU is simply not accessible to the average McGill student because in order to actually understand what SSMU does, how it can be useful, and how it can make their McGill

experience more enjoyable, most students have to spend a lot of time and energy navigating a poorly updated website and a convoluted bureaucratic system.

We should employ SSMU’s vast resources in order to facilitate students’ experiences: McGill’s bureaucracy is already complicated as it is, there’s no need to have a second complicated SSMUreaucracy system.

I realize that we’ve got a lot of work to do. But I am looking forward to making SSMU an institution that all McGill Students can be proud of, fulfilling all of my campaign promises, and bringing McGill back into the national news for all the right reasons.

in which this can be accomplished.

One of the easiest ways to start doing this is by engaging directly with students and making ourselves, as an executive, more present within student body affairs and events that might not necessarily be a part of SSMU. A lot of people feel disconnected from SSMU simply because executives tend to not be the most visible. However, participating and attending different events, such as socials, performances, events, and the like, organized by departmental organizations, clubs, or committees, is a great way to make ourselves known, and more relatable to the student body. It

also sets the precedent that we are there to engage with students, and hopefully by doing this we can open up the space for students to feel more camaraderie with SSMU. This camaraderie will hopefully allow students to feel comfortable enough to open up dialogues about SSMU affairs and increase participation as a result. At the end of the day, we are also students too, and I think this is a characteristic of the executive team that tends to be glossed over, but is actually quite an asset.

Beyond this, we also simply need to be the most competent executives we can. Rebuilding trust with the student body means

holding ourselves (and each other) to the highest standard of conduct, and being receptive to feedback from our peers. We also need to be proactive about implementing methods to approach problems within the executives should they occur. I believe this is something each of the incoming executives are more than aware of, and making sure we have those conversations as soon as possible is definitely a priority.

Finally, rebuilding trust with our student body starts with maintaining trust amongst the executive team. We need to be able to trust each other before we are able to move forward in reconciling this

organization with our peers. If we cannot put our faith in one another– not just to do our jobs well, but also to hold one another accountable–it makes for an unstable foundation for the rest of the student body to put their faith in. That being said, I am looking forward to working with the rest of the incoming executives in the months ahead. We have already had many chances to come together and discuss our various beliefs and objectives for this year. Rebuilding trust is at the top of the agenda for all of us, and I believe that with diligent effort from all of us, we can show the student body that we are committed to achieving this goal.

the incoming and outgoing executive teams. The incoming team needs to prove that they will ensure that the incredibly important conversations and concerns that have been raised because of recent events on campus will continue into next year–even if the anger or urgency around the subject matter loses steam over the summer break.

SSMU has realized that they have a whole lot of listening to do.

They cannot continue to simply take positions or make statements. As part of their accountability process, they need to take steps to ensure that the proposed SSMU Gendered and Sexual Violence Policy, and the work that surrounds it, is as bottom-up as

possible.They must support, advocate for, and listen to the grassroots groups that already exist on campus who have worked and will continue to work tirelessly around these issues, such as Silence is Violence, the Community Disclosure Network, SACOMSS, and Consent McGill–groups that are all primarily survivor-led. This is why it is incredibly important that SSMU is working with CDN, and that CDN is facilitating closed focus groups for members of the community that have experienced sexualized violence.

Beyond the creation of a Gendered and Sexualized Violence Policy, the incoming executive team must all take steps to ensure that there is as much communication between

their offices and their members as possible. A lack of dissemination of information between offices was repeatedly highlighted as a problem throughout this year’s campaign period, and steps must be taken over the summer to make sure that better communication systems are in place by the time we return in September.

I can speak only concretely to the actions that the External Office will take, such as collaboration with a campus newspaper on the creation of a small weekly section listing all upcoming events and demos relating to external affairs, and promotion of the Facebook page.

Working towards accessibility this way is only one step of many on

the road to winning back the trust of the membership–and one that is easy for incoming executives to identify (as shown by how much it came up during campaigning). However, where the challenge comes will be in recognizing and validating steps that come from the student community in addition to those from within the executives and our own platforms.

One can say that the incoming executive team has a lot to prove, but I’d rather say we have a lot to do.

Just by looking at who was voted in, we can see that the membership was interested in seeing change. It’s up to the new team now to make sure that the change is not just symbolic, but lived within the work as well.

“T Serving A Purpose

The

~

Value of Service ~ Industry Jobs

By Holly Cabrera

$ $ $ $

he guy that I worked for [....] was bragging about how he was yelling at a server and in the middle [of the argument], turned and threw a knife at a wall and stuck it in the wall and scared the shit out of the server.” Noah Sutton said, when recalling his time as a line cook at McKibbin’s Irish Pub in the summer of 2016. “I thought, ‘This is terrible, like, why would you do that?’ That’s crazy.’”

With Sutton’s testimony, I’m convinced: Cooking isn’t my gig. This summer, I’m returning to my camp counsellor position and I can’t help but wonder if the first paying job of my “adult life” is worth a bullet point on my CV. I’m all too aware, as an English major, of the need to sell the value of my degree, but I’m not sure if I should pen a defence for leading a group of kids while I’m at it.

When you don’t remotely want to be a teacher or the next Anthony Bourdain, how do you justify doing work unrelated to your career goals?

Understandably, employers view internships as resume-enhancing: Working at companies gives students hands-on experience. For a season, students demonstrate their ability to carry out projects in their desired field. However, not all interns are remunerated for their professional stints.

Like Sutton, many students gravitate to restaurants if they’re in search for temporary work while at university. According to Statistics Canada, the median hourly wages of men and women age 17 to 24 in 2012 were 13 per cent and 8 per cent lower, respectively, than their counterparts in 1981.

Since wages offered for entry-level positions are decreasing, young people are more willing to accept questionable salaries. Students from lower-income families are then further disadvantaged when entering the workforce without relevant job experiences for future postings. Instead of pursuing internships, they’ll settle for non-standard work. Flexible hours and high turnover are just some of the reasons why an intrepid undergrad would choose to take the heat of the service industry.

International student and part-time customer representative at Chef-on-Call Murat Polat, U0 Engineering, discovered his current workplace, during September 2016 Frosh. Now he spends roughly 20 hours per week at the restaurant, preparing milkshakes, answering phone calls, and packing meals. Polat has certainly grown more independent since moving from Istanbul, Turkey to study at McGill. To his surprise, his work as a customer representative developed into a steady source of income throughout the school year.

“At first, I wanted extra pocket money, but now that I’ve worked for months, [Chef-on-Call is] becoming major income for me because I’m getting less money from my parents since I started working and at the end of the first semester, I found a new apartment and I have a lot of new expenses,” Polat said. “I’m trying to adult.”

Due to the low barrier to entry, positions in the restaurant industry are looked down on. But these jobs are very often teenagers and young adults’ first experience with responsibility. Even though the hiring process is straightforward, it would be inaccurate to say that cooks, hosts, and servers are engaged in mindless tasks. Seating customers during a lunch rush requires foresight and only the more coordinated among us will come out alive after a 10hour shift balancing plates. It’s no secret that entrylevel jobs are taxing. If you stick with them long enough, however, odds are you’ll put in your twoweek notice with more in-demand professional skills than you had when you first applied.

“A lot of people wouldn’t necessarily say little restaurant jobs like this would give you tangible experience,” Sutton said. “And it’s unfortunate that

it’s not something I include in my CV because I don’t think people would see how it translates. But I do think that there are skills that you get out of it that are secondary, [such as] organization, working under pressure, working in a team.”

Last summer was a three-month experiment for him. Instead of returning to New York, he opted to stay in Montreal and earn a bit of money on the side. Having a mother who is a professional chef helped him develop culinary skills, and so the service industry was an obvious sector for him to enter. McKibbin’s was Sutton’s first experience as a line cook and he was forced to adapt to the fast-paced environment quickly.

“Working in a restaurant is very much organization and just plugging and going,” Sutton said. “You know how to chop an onion? Great. Do that 100 times. Cut this entire bag [....]

Whereas homecooking, you’re making one thing, you can spend time with the presentation and really put it together. In a lot of restaurants, [what is required is preparing food] in bulk, but doing it 10 times faster.”

The restaurant industry not only fosters soft skills, like stress management and teamwork, but also quantifiable hard skills, such as better navigation. Ines Dubois, BA ‘16, a former Chef-on-Call customer representative and currently working as a cashier at Sadie’s, recalls some of the unexpected mental work Chef on Call entailed, and how she can still apply this knowledge today.

“Because Montreal is big and we’re only one [Chef-on-Call] location so you have to manage West orders, East orders, which ones go together because you can’t just send the driver all over the place for one order every time. So I learned Montreal streets, too. Even though I haven’t been to all the places, if you tell me a street, chances are I can say, ‘Okay this is South-West or SouthEast.’”

Adjusting to the highly demanding setting of a restaurant can be difficult.

At McKibbin’s, Sutton had trouble fitting into a workplace that necessitated confrontation. One month into his job at the pub, Sutton had to stand up to a server after being asked to prepare a meal that would disrupt the flow of orders. In an uncharacteristic display of temper, he yelled at the server.

“The next day, I come in and [the other cooks] are like, ‘Noah! You’re one of us now,’” Sutton said. “So yelling at server was like, ‘You’re now part of the kitchen’ [....] On the one hand, I don’t like yelling just to yell, but sometimes in that high pressure environment you have to yell just to get your point across.”

The external stress from part-time jobs is not wholly negative: It can make students more efficient and judicious with their time. Self-proclaimed procrastinators, like Dubois and Polat, need the pressure of deadlines to carry out projects. Maintaining a part-time job in high-stress environments while studying may make their schedules

jam-packed, but it also increases their productivity.

“I can manage my assignments and my school tasks better now,” Polat said.

“I can be more strict about my schedule.

For example, on Saturday I know that from noon to 3 p.m. I’m going to do this, this, and that, so it’s easier for me to get stuff done because of the structure.”

In 2015, a study conducted by the Georgetown University Centre on Education and the Workforce (Georgetown Centre) showed that 40 per cent of undergraduates and 76 per cent of graduate students work a minimum of 30 hours a week while pursuing their college degree. Out of the students who work while studying, 25 per cent commit to a full-time job and a full course load.

Dubois admits that if she didn’t need to, she would avoid juggling menial work and her studies. “[Restaurant jobs are] valuable for some life skills, but overall it was because I needed to do it more than because I wanted to,” Dubois said.

There is a tendency for customers to judge, be impatient toward, and call out entry-level workers for their incompetence, regardless if they are truly in the wrong. Rarely do working students brag about navigating the chaos of an overcrowded kitchen or enduring the hell that is unappeasable patrons.

While placing dishes before diners may be viewed less favourably than a competitive position at a prestigious firm, service jobs still warrant esteem. Getting an internship that is unquestionably related to your career aspirations is ideal, but so many of the students who work in the service industry are doing these jobs out of necessity. Hence, as with any experience, working at a restaurant contributes to a candidate’s unique background, and at the early stages of a career, it plays to one’s versatility. “[Last semester], I got a lot more hours at Chef-on-Call,” Dubois said. “[....] I would have a lot on my plate and when the [academic] due dates came, I would think, ‘Oh my god. What have I done?’ It was tough sometimes, but looking back, I’m really proud to have been able to do it all and accomplish what I wanted and to finish McGill with a GPA that I’m pretty happy with.”

Maybe a defence for so-called irrelevant jobs is unnecessary. Sutton’s, Polat’s, and Dubois’ experiences demonstrate that undertaking any type of work can be valuable for one’s career.

In retrospect, cooking in a professional kitchen or being a camp counsellor are all reasonable starting points to develop leadership skills, efficiency, and even to overcome shyness. When we disregard candidates’ less illustrious workplaces, we also neglect a significant part of what shaped who they are. In all cases, it’s the individual that defines the experience.

“The kitchen works like that,” Sutton said. “It’s kind of shady, but if you put in the effort, you also get recognized [....The tasks are] really draining. It’s an easy job to slack off in and do nothing, but you can choose to make the most of it.“

(Lauren Benson-Armer / The McGill Tribune)

(Lauren Benson-Armer / The McGill Tribune)

(Lauren Benson-Armer / The McGill Tribune)

(Photo courtesy of mckibbinsirishpub.com)

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

12 OPINION

e d ito r i a l Editor-in-Chief Julia Dick editor@mcgilltribune.com Creative Director Natalie Vineberg nvineberg@mcgilltribune.com Managing Editors April Barrett abarrett@mcgilltribune.com Nicholas Jasinski njasinski@mcgilltribune.com News Editors Holly Cabrera, Sara Cullen, Calvin Trottier-Chi news@mcgilltribune.com Opinion Editors Jackie Houston & David Watson opinion@mcgilltribune.com Science & Technology Editor Lydia Kaprelian scitech@mcgilltribune.com Student Living Editor Audrey Carleton studentliving@mcgilltribune.com Arts & Entertainment Editors Selin Altuntur & Evelyn Goessling arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editors Joe Khammar & Aaron Rose sports@mcgilltribune.com Design Editors Domitille Biehlmann & Daniel Freed design@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editor Lauren Benson-Armer photo@mcgilltribune.com Multimedia Editor Noah Sutton multimedia@mcgilltribune.com Web Developers Clare Lyle webdev@mcgilltribune.com Daniel Lutes online@mcgilltribune.com

Beyond zero-tolerance: McGill needs a new approach to deal with hazing On March 13, The Globe & Mail published an article detailing a hazing incident that occurred in September 2015 involving McGill’s men’s and women’s basketball teams. The piece, based on the testimony of an anonymous member of the Redmen basketball team, alleged that first-year players were forced to drink various alcoholic drinks, and then “ordered into sexual games with semi-nude female athletes.” News of this most recent incident comes more than 10 years after McGill adopted a “zero-tolerance” policy toward hazing after a widelypublicized 2005 case involving the Redmen football team.

This latest hazing incident reveals the problems inherent in McGill’s current hazing policy, and the need for McGill to develop a better procedure for responding to and addressing instances of hazing.

First, the administration demonstrated an unacceptable delay in its response to the incident. The university received word of the hazing during the 2015-2016 season, which ended in March, yet McGill didn’t form an ad-hoc committee to

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Mingye Chen, Julia Dick, Audrey Carleton, Shrinkhala Dawadi, Arman Bery, Clare Fogarty, Arden Li

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Andy Wang, Alexandra Gardiner, Ariella Garmaise, Arman Bery, Ava Zwolinski, Cherry Ng, Daria Kisleva, Domenic Casciato, Elli Slavitch, Eric Noble-Marks, Flaminia Cooper, Gabriel Rincon, Hannah Taylor, Izze Siemann, Julia Métraux, Morgan Davis, Nicole Spadotto, Patrick Beacham, Rebecca Zhuang

Contributors

André Morin, Ayanna de Graff, Cherry Wu, Claudia Leung, Connor Spencer, Daniel Griffin, David Naftulin, Elaine Patterson, Eloise Haliburton, Grace Bahler, Greta Hoaken, Gustina Giordano, Jordan Foy, Julie Guichard, Kate Lord, Liam Kirkpatrick, Makoto Wakabayashi, Margherita de Castro, Marie-Agnès Claverie, Maya Koparkar, Muna Tojiboeva, Sam Min, Samuel Lottes, Sophie Brozozowski, Stephen Gill

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

Clare Lyle Web Developer The tech industry has long been a demographically homogeneous place, and there has been a lot of conversation about how to make the industry more inclusive for people who don’t fit the stereotype of the Silicon Valley tech bro. However, making the products themselves more inclusive hasn’t received as much public attention. In part, this can be attributed to the idea that mathematics, computer science, and software engineering are inherently logical and egalitarian. Equations don’t have subconscious biases, after all— or so the thinking goes. This line of reasoning has two fatal flaws: The first is that programmers are notoriously bad at predicting what the code that they write will do, which means that software can often have unintended social consequences. The second goes back to a common saying in machine learning circles: “Garbage in, garbage out.” In layman’s terms, models are only as good as the data they’re based on. As such, it’s critical to collect data that reflects the diversity of the people

investigate the violation of the Varsity Code until August 2016. By the time the committee released its report in December 2016, it noted that teamwide sanctions were not appropriate since many of the players involved had already graduated. If McGill wants to hold athletes accountable for hazing— regardless of what sanctions it decides on—it needs to respond more quickly in order to reach its decision while those athletes are still on the team.

Additionally, McGill’s response to the 2015 incident suggests that the university is no longer following the strict anti-hazing policy it outlined in 2005, as those procedures were not fully implemented in this case. After the 2005 hazing, McGill stated, as part of its “zero-tolerance” policy, that any team engaged in hazing would automatically be suspended for the season. However, McGill did not suspend the basketball teams implicated in this incident. Instead it placed the Redmen on probation two seasons and the Martlets for one, and suspended one player from the men’s team for one game—a clear departure from the zero-tolerance policy. While on probation, a second offence by the

team would result in its suspension. The administration also specified in its report that it was imposing sanctions that “revolve around education, awareness, and prevention,” like having both teams attend a “Safer Partying” workshop to learn about the risks of hazing.

McGill’s move from a zerotolerance to an education-centred policy has the potential to be a more effective way to address the problem.

Punishment without prevention is unlikely to lead to progress, and the policy of automatic suspension may discourage athletes who have been hazed from coming forward, as they may worry that in seeking help they are hurting themselves and their teammates by bringing down a suspension on their whole team.

Regardless of the benefits, having one policy in theory and another one in practice makes the university’s stance appear to be contradictory. Either McGill has a policy of zero-tolerance and automatic suspension or it does not. This needs to be made clear as athletes, coaches, parents, and members of the McGill community look to the university for a clear outline of how it

plans to deal with hazing. The way the administration handled this most recent incident suggests that it is aware of the flaws of its 2005 policy. If so, it needs to make this clear while crafting a new policy.

Hazing is a serious issue, and McGill needs to ensure that its policy addresses hazing in an effective, supportive, and flexible manner in order to reduce the harm hazing can cause. Hazing is an issue both rooted in and normalized by the culture of university-level athletics; as such, it requires a response that is focused on education, awareness, and prevention, rather than relying solely on punitive measures. The policy should not mandate automatic sanctions and respect the wishes of athletes who come forward so that mechanisms of recourse do not discourage athletes from reporting instances of hazing.

Finally, the university must conduct the re-examination of its hazing policy in a proactive and transparent manner— McGill should show initiative in addressing this issue rather than waiting for another report like that of The Globe & Mail to prod it into action.

It’s not just humans who can be biased

“

Models are only as good as the data they’re based on. As such, it’s critical to collect data that reflects the diversity of the people that machine learning models are used to study.

”

that machine learning models are used to study.

For example, a machine learning model used to predict the likelihood of criminals to reoffend after jail time predicted that, all other inputs being equal, people of colour were more likely to reoffend than Caucasian individuals.

In another case, image recognition software frequently misclassified black people as gorillas. Currently, the top 10 Google image results for “engineer” are all men in hardhats.

Even if software runs precisely according to its specifications, failure to consider the social ramifications of a new product or feature can result in painful consequences for users. Take Facebook’s birthday notifications

feature, for example. In theory, it’s a convenient way to avoid the potential awkwardness of forgetting someone’s big day. But when someone is grieving over the passing of a loved one, the last thing they want to see is a Facebook notification about the deceased’s birthday. Although this might seem obvious, it was not initially implemented when Facebook rolled out this feature. Now, Facebook allows users to memorialize accounts so that friends of deceased individuals no longer receive birthday reminders, but this feature is relatively new.

The performance of machine learning models are highly dependent on the data that they are trained on.

At a high level, the way that facial recognition software is developed is by taking a classification algorithm, showing it a bunch of pictures of things that are faces, and things that are not faces, and saying “This is a face” or “This is not a face” accordingly. But if an algorithm is only shown white faces, then it will only learn that white faces are indeed faces, and although it might guess that people from other ethnicities also have faces because they look like white people, it will also be much

more likely to misclassify them as “not faces.”

This is a real-world problem that Snapchat faced when it was working on its filters that use facial recognition.

The filters simply did not work as well for people with darker skin, because the training data that Snapchat had used was mostly white people. Nobody thought to make sure that the images they were training their models on were fully representative of the diversity of human faces.

A lack of representative sampling has also been seen in clinical trials, where drugs are often tested only on men. Drugs that are shown to be safe and effective in clinical trials are sometimes found to be ineffective or even detrimental to the health of women who take them.

Scientific and technological developments can have major ramifications for society. Often, the effects of a product on its users are unanticipated by its creators.

It’s critical that the scientists and engineers responsible for them take the time to consider how their work may affect people who are not exactly like them.

ERRATA An article in Issue 23 titled “PGSS expresses doubts about LICM fee referendum transparency” was adjusted to more accurately reflect what transpired and is now titled “Doubts about LICM fee referendum transparency raised at PGSS Council.” Further, the previous version of the article stated that Manmeet Rai expressed his concerns in his capacity as PGSS Chief Returning Officer (CRO). In fact, Rai communicated his concerns to the LICM in his capacity as a graduate student at the Faculty of Law after the LICM initiated their independent referendum process. The McGill Tribune regrets these errors.

Tuesday March 28, 2017

STUDENT LIVING 13

Campus Spotlight: Social Equity and Diversity Education Office Growth and innovation through Black History Month programming

Audrey Carleton Student Living Editor The Social Equity and Diversity Education (SEDE) Office at McGill provides equity education across campus and beyond. Through equity training sessions, workshops, and advising services for students and faculty members, SEDE aims to serve the needs of marginalized voices on campus.

Founded in 2005 by Associate Director Veronica Amberg, SEDE once existed solely within the walls of a basement office in the Strathcona Anatomy and Dentistry building. It has since grown to staff seven full-time employees and a large number of student volunteers. To Shanice Yarde, equity educational advisor (AntiRacism and Cultural Diversity) at SEDE, the office has grown to become an important part of campus, as conversations about oppression and equity increase in frequency and impact.

“There’s an energy that’s here right now,” Yarde said. “I think people are recognizing that

we know there are problems and we just need a little support because we don’t really know what to do about it or how to fix them. And so, it’s really cool that people are tapping into SEDE for that support and that guidance.”

In February, SEDE launched the first-ever administrative-level programming for Black History Month. After arriving to her job at SEDE to discover that no formal celebration of the month existed on campus, Yarde seized the opportunity to pilot a month of events under the theme “Celebrating Black Excellence in All its Diversity.” Having only been with SEDE for one year, Yarde brought a fresh take to planning the event—in this case, this was an asset, rather than a hindrance.

“I feel really honoured and lucky to be able to come in with this fresh energy and to kind of take the lead on this,” Yarde said. “And to really create these spaces—not just for black people at McGill, but for people of all races to come and to learn and to engage with each other in ways that are meaningful. But then it was also really, really

important to have spaces that were [reserved for] black people because that, again, just doesn’t ever happen on campus [....] Finding ways to really centre black people in my organizing was especially important when so many black people feel so isolated, and, in a lot of ways, just ignored at McGill.”

After receiving Senate approval on Feb. 15 to host annual programming for Black History Month, Yarde remains optimistic that her work will set the stage for more successful celebrations to come. Even so, the fact that this was the first time that an office within the McGill administration hosted a formal celebration of Black History Month demonstrates how black voices are often sidelined on campus.

“For me it was just a confirmation of the need and of the lack,” Yarde said. “[....] I think it really speaks to a really, really huge gap at McGill and across a lot of institutions [....] Just hearing all of the feedback from people has been overwhelming and just showing that people have been wanting this and have been waiting for

this, and have also been demanding it in a lot of different ways.”

Beyond its programming for Black History Month, SEDE has made other important developments to better serve marginalized students on campus in recent months. Among them was the creation of the Community Projects Manager (Racialized and Ethnic Students)— whose role will be to serve the needs of racialized students on campus—using funding provided by the Sustainability Projects Fund (SPF). Further, SEDE recently launched Café Collab—a series of events that bring marginalized students and student service providers together to discuss ways to alter campus policies and institutions to better serve these students.

In its 12 years as an institution, SEDE has given a platform to students on campus whose voices are often ignored. Its recent programming for Black History Month is evidence of its perpetual innovation in this realm—a vote of confidence for continual improvement and expansion in the future.

REVIEW

CINKO

Four takes on four dishes for five dollars each CINKO, a resto-bar located in Montreal’s Quartier Latin, boasts a wide variety of dishes at only $5 per dish. To try out this seemingly too-good-to-be-true deal, The McGill Tribune’s Student Living team swung by during CINKO’s Saturday lunch hour, analyzing flavours and evaluating quality.

Poutine Eloise Haliburton, Contributor

While at first CINKO sounds like a great option for students looking for a cheap meal, there is a bit of a catch. As the waitress claimed, the restaurant operates under a pub license, not a standard restaurant license. Because of this, you have to buy a drink if you want to order food.

This can raise your bill significantly depending on your choice of beverage, though the rosé sangria was worth it.

As for the food itself, the poutine was tasty.

The fries were just crispy enough without moving into crunchy territory. The cheese curd to gravy to fry ratio was perfect, with the right amount of sauce to last until the final fry was consumed without making them soggy. The dish was wellsalted, too—no one component overpowered another. The gravy was on the thinner side and had a distinct chicken taste to it, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, just different from what I’m used to. My only complaint was the size of the meal. It came in a shallow dish, which made it look larger, but the poutine definitely was a smaller portion than other options on the menu.

That said, after eating, I felt satisfied without being stuffed full.

By the end of the meal, the bill came to just over $15. It was reasonable for a lunch out, but more than I expected to spend for poutine at a place whose name literally translates to “five.”

While I enjoyed the food enough, in the future I would rather go to another spot where I could just get the dish I want without the added cost of the mandatory drink.

Smoked Salmon Risotto Daniel Griffin, Contributor CINKO sells a variety of meals for $5 each—but that’s not without a catch.

(Flaminia Cooper / The McGill Tribune)

The smoked salmon risotto was presented in a flat bowl and garnished with green onions and peas. It looked remarkably professional given its

low cost, and it had a decent consistency. It was obvious that the line cook who prepared this dish gave a damn about his or her end of production.

It’s hard to say the same about the diligence of the restaurant’s executive chef. The salmon was overly salty and dominated the taste of the entire meal.

The salmon was dry to the point that it required a considerable amount of chewing—the cheap meat distracted from the actually decent rice and broth.

This dish was an ambitious arrangement blown off-course by its low-cost ingredients. But, what else would you expect for a five-dollar dish?

Classic Burger Makoto Wakabayashi, Contributor

Overstimulated by the decorative choices of CINKO, especially the wall of protruding and detached soles of Vans sneakers, I decided on a safe and canonized choice: The burger. In size and form, it reminded me of a McDonald’s burger and fries combo—though the bun was adorned with a garnish of lettuce, pierced by a bamboo stick to hold the sandwich together. My first impression was a mouthful of starch, though as I ate, I began to notice finer details of my meal. The beef patty complemented the slightly toasted bun, the lettuce and tomato contributed a sweet freshness and moisture, and the garlic aoli, bacon and American cheese exaggerated the salt profile. In other words, it just tasted like a burger.

Ciabatta Sandwich Grace Bahler, Contributor

CINKO served up a superb meal that only costed five dollars before additions. After ordering my mandatory drink—I went with ginger ale—it took no time at all to decide on something tasty. Before I knew it, a lovely tofu ciabatta sandwich was right in front of me. I am a huge fan of bread, and this sandwich did it in for me. But the additions of grilled tofu, pico de gallo salsa, fried artichoke sauce—which was amazing—and guacamole perfectly complemented the thick ciabatta roll, and each bite delivered a wonderful mixture of the ingredients. It was a light but satisfying sandwich, and a near-perfect vegetarian option. I would have liked a little more guacamole on the sandwich, but all in all, CINKO offered an enjoyable atmosphere and simply delicious food.

14 STUDENT LIVING

Tuesday March 28, 2017 WORD ON THE y

What do you wish you’d known as an undergrad?

McGill professors’ advice on undergraduate life Cherry Wu Contributor The undergraduate years are undeniably some of the most exciting— albeit confusing—for a lot of students.

To help students navigate this period of constant learning and discovery, The McGill Tribune reached out to current McGill professors to find out the valuable lessons they took away from their own experiences.

Laura Pavelka, Faculty Lecturer, Department of Chemistry “The undergrad experience is really about learning who you are, what you like, how you learn, and the soft skills acquired along the way. Those are the things that will stay with you for the rest of your life.

It’s ok if you don’t know what you want to do yet. As long as you continue to try new things, follow what challenges you, and take on interesting opportunities, a path will emerge. Just listen to yourself first and foremost.” (Western University, Class of 2004)

Penelope Kostopoulos, Department of Psychology “This is the best time to explore, travel, and meet interesting people.

Attend lectures outside your classes, participate in committees, and go on exchange programs in foreign countries.

Introduce yourself to the professors and engage them in your learning. Take advantage of all the opportunities. Never in your life will you be immersed in such an exciting, diverse environment at an age when you are open minded, young.

Exchange programs provide a unique opportunity to travel, learn, and meet new people across the world. Find mentors that can help guide you. Don’t be afraid to approach professors and ask questions.”

(University of Patras, Class of 1999)

Oran Magal, Course Lecturer, Department of Philosophy “One thing I wish I knew: Automatic online backups! This sounds silly, until that one time your computer gets wrecked or stolen. Put all your notes and essays in your Dropbox or Google Drive folder and you’ll thank yourself later.” (Tel Aviv University, Class of 2003)

Michael Hilke, Associate Professor, Department of Physics “As an undergrad student I took the minimalist approach and thought that many things we learned were useless, but it came to bite me later as a professor, when I realized that I had to learn all these things I thought were useless, except that now I have much less available time than I had as an undergrad. It would have been useful to inquire and learn about the bigger picture of how the different topics we learn are interrelated and where they are used in a modern context.” (University of Geneva, Class of 1990)

Chantal Westgate, Faculty Lecturer, Desautels Faculty of Management “I wish I had spent more time going out, developing relationships. I was very focused on my studies because at the same time I was studying in a different language than my mother tongue. I wish I had the time to do more sports. I was a little too unidimensional and very focused on studying.” (Concordia University, Class of 1982)

Frieder Schöck, Associate Professor, Department of Biology “It would have been nice to know how much time is spent on trying to obtain money to do research—but this wouldn’t have changed my [career] choices. Or maybe that I should have been more proactive as an undergrad about talking to professors and inquiring about research projects.” (University of ErlangenNürnberg, University of Edinburgh)

Anthony Francesco Imbrogno, Course Lecturer, Department of Political Science “Talk to your [teaching assistants] and your professors! I really wish I had spent the time reaching out to professors about their research. Go [to] their office hours and talk to them. They are there to have a discussion with you, so don’t waste the opportunity.” (University of Calgary, Class of 2006)

Safety on the trails with gendered violence in the background Running isn’t a jog in the park for half the population

People are talking more about the safety of female and femme runners while on the trail. (thesun.co.uk)

Grace Bahler Contributor Running makes people happy, gets them fit, and adds years to their lives— it’s no wonder the sport is so popular.

For many, running is the ultimate release; it’s a temporary escape from the bits of life we don’t like, and it just so happens that pounding the pavement is chockfull of health benefits. But despite its vast following, safety while running remains a common concern for many.

On March 5, Seattle, Washington runner Kelly Herron was washing her hands in a public washroom mid-run in Golden Gardens Park when she was assaulted. The attacker, a registered sex-offender, beat

Herron and attempted to rape her, but she fought back and survived to share her story.

In an Instagram post, Herron recalls the incident as her “biggest running nightmare” becoming reality.

Unfortunately, this is a common narrative within the running community.

‘Woman abducted while running’ and ‘female jogger stabbed’ are just a few examples of common headlines.

Megan Cheung, a first-year Master’s student and the vice president of Marketing for the McGill Students’ Running Club (McRun), is an avid runner, and she is alert to the world of gendered violence.

“Maybe it’s a stereotype in society [that females are] vulnerable, smaller, less able to physically compete if we had an

attacker coming onto us,” Cheung said. “It’s good to be guarded, still [....] It is good to be cautious because [assault and harassment] still do happen.”

Though Cheung has never felt threatened while running, it is because she often sticks with a pack. For her, running within a group guarantees safety.

“Maybe I’m so biased because I’ve been exposed to running in groups, but I think that [running with others] is safety,” Cheung said. “[....] We’re always together, and there’s that sense of togetherness that you feel like, if something were to happen to you, somebody knows about it.”

However, for some, running with anyone at all may be neither an option nor a preference. Alexandra Yiannoutsos, U2 Arts, always finds time for running in her busy schedule, but often goes alone and at night—and that has proved to be enraging in some situations. From the pervasive male gaze to the occasional man stalking her, Yiannoutsos is well-aware of the realities women face when they’re out on the trails or on city sidewalks.

“I am catcalled almost every time I am out. That’s not frightening, it’s infuriating,” Yiannoutsos said. “They don’t know me, they don’t know my worth, but they choose to intimidate me because of my sex [....] It’s not flattering. I am not there for men to ogle at.”

Equipped with bear spray and emergency money, Yiannoutsos is always prepared for the worst—yet she remains

outraged that those precautions are necessary.

“It’s bullshit that we are responsible for our own safety against violence because we are not the source [of this violence],” Yiannoutsos said.

She is not the first to address the problem with placing the burden of gendered violence on women, rather than on their attackers. Following the deaths of three female runners in Michigan, New York, and Massachusetts over the course of nine days in August 2016, writer and runner Meghan Kita published an article in Runner’s World Magazine addressing sexism in the running community. As a response to the multitude of articles on ‘staying safe,’ Kita called out the community for insinuating that victims of attacks are responsible.

“Women know ‘what to do to stay safe,’” Kita wrote. “The best practices of being aware of your surroundings, trusting your gut instincts, and staying within shouting distance of people who might be able to help in case of emergency are instilled in women from an early age, and they’re not just useful while running.”

Most women are familiar with the 101 on safety and strangers that they were given as young girls. From being aware to being visible, there are many techniques that could potentially save one’s life midrun. While it’s frustrating that the burden of these precautions falls on women, they have proven they know how to fight back—and that they will.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 15 STAFF ROUNDUP

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

‘More Life’ - Drake the disappointing VIEWS release last April, but More Life fails to make up for its predecessor. That said, a personal highlight on More Life is when Drake spills on his failed attempts to drunk text Jennifer Lopez on “Free Smoke.” Songs like “Blem” and “Madiba Riddim” are drenched in island sounds accompanied by Caribbean slang that Drake has for some reason recently acquired. So, if you’re tired of ‘Jamaican Drake,’ this is not the playlist for you.

The horde of features tends to overshadow Drake­. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why Drake is referring to his new work as a “playlist” instead of an album. He’s moving from centre stage to create a tribute to his most respected artists.

Jordan Foy Contributor

Drake’s latest album curates borrowed sounds. (complex.com) April Barrett Managing Editor In More Life, Drake’s propensity for picking up Caribbean sound and slang is strong, and his growing paranoia of the people around him is stronger. Still, Drake’s talent lies in his humour and humility, and a few moments on More Life demonstrate that he hasn’t fully lost that yet.

Drake shows a sincere commitment to putting on black diasporic music, from South African house producer Black Coffee to Jamaican-Canadian dancehall producer Boi1da. Drake

does well with “Get It Together,” where Brit teen Jorja Smith carries an emotion-soaked melody over African house drums, and “Madiba Riddim,” an afrobeat-nod. Cool, jazzy “Passionfruit” is another stand out, remnisicent of 2015’s “Sweeterman.”

Though More Life’s cultural tastetesting is rightfully questionable, these stand-out tracks show that, at the very least, Drake is a masterful curator of borrowed sounds.

Morgan DaviS Staff Writer I had high hopes for Drake after

The boy is back. It’s clear off the hop that More Life proves to be a sleek, polished, and eclectic work that offers more than last year’s VIEWS. The playlist includes Drake’s traditional mix of fiery bangers, like the opener “Free Smoke,” and cool R&B jams, such as “Teenage Fever,” but Drake also experiments with other genres. “Get it Together” is a catchy house song, and Drake dabbles in grime on “No Long Talk” and “KMT.” Lyrically, Drake reiterates the same familiar idioms—drunk texts to exes, hypocritical ruminations about his insecurities, and firing shots at enemies. A strong cast of collaborators from Kanye West to

Jorja Smith helps to diversify the sound of More Life.

Ariella Garmaise Staff Writer Even before I listened to the songs, I found More Life’s “playlist” branding gimmicky and selfindulgent.

Album opener “Free Smoke” seems to mark a genuinely unique musical experience. The lyrics that follow, however, launch Drake back into whiny territory. Along with a petty, attention-grabbing reference to drunk texting Jennifer Lopez, the track falls in line with Drake’s usual complaints.

More Life is not without highlights.

“Glow”—Drake’s collaboration with Kanye West—is my favourite on the album, especially when Kanye references “Started from the bottom now here we go.”

Nai Palm and Kanye’s contributions are memorable, but if Drake had emphasized different artists even more heavily, the album could have been a bona fide playlist.

Selin Altuntur A&E Editor Drake’s More Life is a pseudoemotional playlist that fails to innovate. Capitalizing once again on self-indulgent tirades against past flings, Drake missed a golden opportunity to differentiate himself from his sad boy image. Somehow, even the album’s “feel-good” songs

are tainted with self-pity. From “Blem” onwards, every track trudges along at the same slow, droning pace—making it difficult to justify sitting through the one hour and 21 minute runtime of More Life. It should be noted, however, that this relaxed pace does work in “4422,” as do Sampha’s ghostly vocals. Yet the album as a whole is far too much of a chore to endure to the end.

Eric Noble-Marks Staff Writer

(onionstatic.com)

The ethos of More Life is largely summed up in the first word of its title. The album, if you can call it that, largely offers a continuation of Drake’s commercially golden formula rather than a definitive, or interesting, break from the past.

There are more chilly trap bangers, more half-hearted forays into dancehall and grime, more moody, sentimental lyricism, and clumsy flow.

Credit where credit’s due, Drake’s questionable mining of Afro-Carribean, South African, and Atlantan musical traditions does strike gold from time to time.

Nevertheless, Drake’s nasal fuckboyery feels decidedly awkward over these lush soundscapes and sounds downright boring over more straightforward production. Stick around for the earworms and don’t sweat the details. There’s plenty of great hip-hop out there right now. Don’t spend an hour and a half on this.

TNC’s ‘Stop Kiss’ is a familiar yet enchanting love story Sophie Brzozowski Contributor Stop Kiss—written by Diana Son and directed by Alex Levesque—takes place, like so many other plays, in the West Village of Manhattan. It is there, amid the ubiquitous brownstones and manicured greenery, that Callie (Maha Nagaria), lives by herself, working as a traffic news reporter. Meanwhile, just a couple subway stops away, Sarah (Esmée Cook) has just moved in from St. Louis, having procured a teaching fellowship in the Bronx. When the two meet for the first time, Callie offers her new friend the advice of a seasoned New Yorker—“If it gets too rough... go home.”

It’s hard to pinpoint the reason that New York City appeals to storytellers the way it does. It must be some combination of history, industry, and heterogeneity that has given the city its infamous reputation.

Bright Lights, Big City, RENT, and other such stories made the city hallowed ground for stories of the misfits and the mavericks.

Yet Friends, Sex and the City, and Seinfeld turned NYC into a stock setting—so uncool and overdone that now we’re starting to write romcoms that take place in Philadelphia or Chicago, instead. Where the NYC setting has failed in television it has thrived on stage—NYC remains the

theatre capital of the world, and succeeds in representing not only the diversity, but the challenges that the notorious city poses.

Callie and Sarah’s story isn’t a particularly groundbreaking one. It deals with themes of self-acceptance, fear of the unknown, and prejudice—all of which are, frankly, done to death. At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be anything very particular about a tale of two girls from two very different worlds, both trying to make it in the big city. Their issues are mundane and simple, not unlike our own. Both girls are battling with self-denial, identity, and their feelings for one another—storytelling tropes as old as fairytales.

This is perhaps why the content warning on the program might take audience members by surprise at first, with it’s threat of “graphic and emotional descriptions of violence.” The play begins innocently enough, with the promise of friendship between the two young girls, but quickly takes a dark turn as another, more ominous thread begins to unravel. Before long, it is revealed that Sarah is in a coma after being attacked during a night out.

Stars Nagaria and Cook delivered a genuine, if slightly uneven, performance.

Miles Keily-Baxter portrayed Callie’s neglectful, sort-of boyfriend with such familiar poignancy that his mere presence onstage immediately elicited an eye-roll

from the crowd.

The audience can’t help but become invested in the story as its complexities begin to reveal themselves. It’s a simple story, and not without its hokey moments and the occasional bit of corny dialogue.

Yet there’s a reason we keep coming back to NYC for classic love stories—derivative though they may be. Stop Kiss is not a play for the cynics or the skeptics—it’s a play for anyone who’s not too cool for a good,

old-fashioned love story that represents many important aspects of humanity.

Callie and Sarah’s story is sweet and funny and heartbreaking all at once—and it’s one that merits attention.

TNC’s Stop Kiss is playing from March 29-April 1 at 8 p.m. in Morrice Hall in the Islamic Studies Building, 3485 Rue McTavish. Tickets are $6 for students and $10 general admission.

Maha Nagaria and Esmée Cook star in this classic tale of love and friendship. (Alex Gardiner / The McGill Tribune)

16 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Bringing the McGill Drama Festival to life Morgan Davis Staff Writer

Peter Carlone and Chris Wilson delivered expertly-timed performances. (Photo courtesy of Danny Belair)

Sketch Republic presents ‘The Peter ’n Chris Show’ Ariella Garmaise Staff Wrtier St. Patrick’s Day is not a holiday commonly associated with comedy.

Nonetheless, Théâtre Sainte-Catherine CaféBar was particularly abuzz on Friday March 17, as the Sketch Republic—“Montreal’s premier monthly sketch comedy night”— prepared to host its long awaited “Peter ‘n Chris Show,” featuring two-time winners of the Just for Laughs’ Montreal Fringe Comedy award in 2012 and 2013, Peter Carlone and Chris Wilson. Founded by Erin Hall, Sketch Republic hosts monthly events, “featuring a rotating line-up of the best local and visiting troupes at venues all around town.” Leading up to headliners Carlone and Wilson, the show featured two sketch troupes—Goddamn Bear and Pickle Party—and local standup comedian Rachel Gendron as host. The diversity of comic styles and experience levels made for an evening that felt wellrepresentative of the wide spectrum that is Montreal’s comedy scene.

Goddam Bear, made up of members Andy Assaf, Laura Buchanan, Jason Grimmer, and Dimitri Kyres, was first to take the stage. The troupe opened with a sketch about trendy DJ’s inappropriately hosting a “Benefit for Sick and Ugly Children.” While the bit was a little messy and at times hard to follow, the scene was not without well-crafted one-liners.

“I am now going to play for you the slowest music ever head on the earth, inspired by my time with the whales,” deadpanned one DJ. In another scene, the group plays an improv team, pushing teammate Grimmer to his breaking point in a workshop. Grimmer’s emotional but articulate outbursts were symbolic of the juxtaposition between improvisational comedy’s spontaneity and sketch comedy’s carefully crafted structure.

Following Goddam Bear was Pickle Party, comprised of duo Emily Bilton and Martha Graham. Less verbose, but more physical than their openers, most of Pickle Party’s sketches featured dance. In their best and final scene, Bilton and Graham played

performers auditioning to play the Monkees.

However, as the eponymous song, “Hey Hey We’re the Monkees” began to play, Bilton became overwhelmed by ape-like urges. Graham is the perfect straight-man, maintaining her goofy choreography even as her partner begins throwing bananas at the audience.

Both groups incorporated video into their set. Pickle Party’s “Tofu–Nature’s Crumble” advertisement was an overdone attack on the bean curd, and Goddam Bear’s take on modern meditation ran too long. Still, it was interesting to see the groups experiments with non-traditional mediums in a live forum.

While entertaining, these performances were not without amateurish moments. At one point, host Gendron forgot the word “troupe.”

Bilton had to ask the sound manager to make the music louder so she could concentrate better. Nonetheless, both troupes delivered strong performances and were suitable openers for the especially skilled Peter ‘n Chris.

Duo Peter ‘n Chris are a Canadian sketch comedy phenomenon. The local celebrities brought excitement to the small café. Each of their sketches were perfectly timed and performed—the seamless execution highlighting not only their natural chemistry, but also the expertise that comes from years of friendship and experience. Their sketches varied in length and style, showcasing a repertoire that highlighted their broad skillset. Some of their sketches were just one-liners—in one, Wilson is “Gandalf the Crossing Guard”– shouting “You shall not pass!” at pedestrians. In another quick bit, Carlone is a man perplexed by his air-guitar, which is not making noise. The two are also capable of longer, more situational pieces. In an especially witty sketch, cop Wilson arrests Carlone for harassing a neighbour with a story that has gone on for too long.

Even so, Peter ’n Chris’ best moment was when they brought all previous performers up onstage in a convoluted fight sketch. The scene itself was not especially memorable, but the shared spotlight was a nice ending for an evening focused on camaraderie.

The McGill Drama Festival (MDF) is an annual event that takes place at Players’ Theatre on the third floor of SSMU. MDF prides itself on its six plays being entirely written, acted, and produced by students, and aims to promote inclusiveness in the McGill theatre community. 2017 co-coordinators Jordan Devon, U3 Arts, and Kaleigh Bourk, U2 Arts, were inspired to take on a major role in the development of the festival because of a strong sense of community. “[The festival] brings so many people together in the theatre community,” Bourk said. “You get to display student written work, which is the best part about it—just the fact that you’re producing something that your friend in Chemistry class could’ve written. I find that’s the most incredible thing about it.”

Devon stressed that one of the reasons that student involvement in the MDF is so vital is that McGill community allows for a diverse collection of works to be submitted.

“It was so wonderful to be in a cast where the director was studying theatre but the actors were studying political science and biology,” Devon explained.“It’s such a wonderful thing to coordinate a festival where people from all different walks of life come together. You have students who aren’t English majors submitting works and they get the opportunity to have their work seen.”

Former McGill student Cain Humeniuk is the writer of existential drama The Loops. His writing process was the result of nursing the idea for the play in his head for years.

“A lot of the time, you’re trying to write and collect your thoughts that you have on life and the world,” Humeniuk said. “And so, I guess that’s the main point of what I was trying to do [with Loops], is take these philosophical thoughts and idealistic thoughts I’ve had [….] It’s really telling my experience of spirituality, individuality, and existentialism.”

MDF’s support of student work is further exemplified by the annual Colin Krivy Award. Years ago, Colin Krivy was involved in theatre at McGill. After his death in 2004, the Krivy family set up a fund of $500—awarded to the best playwright of the festival. The winner is determined by three judges, one of whom is a family friend of the Krivys and the other two are faculty members in the Department of English.

One special aspect of the event is the connections and relationships that develop amid the spirited work required to put it all together.

“It becomes like a huge family,” Devon reminisced. “It’s such a lovely experience to bond with so many people from different environments.”

The Ever-Present Witness by Maddie Joliffe

A 1950s nuclear family is not what it seems. Maintaining their cool façade proves to be difficult as double lives and secrets become increasingly dangerous.

Joshua by Laura Jarecsni

Joshua illuminates the universal stress of trying to fit in through the experiences of Jesus Christ.

The Original by Daniel Galef

The Original follows the lineage of ancient entertainment and modern pop culture through adaptations of theatre classics such as Romeo and Juliet and A Comedy of Errors. Epochs and genres clash in this musical adaptation of literary and theatrical history.

Loops by Cain Humeniuk

Time is thrown for a loop in Loops. In this play about the human condition and the nature of knowledge, the protagonist must decipher a sudden shift in scenery and escape before time runs out.

The Mixer: A Fratire in One Act by Benjamin Butz-Weidner This one act play lampoons the debauchery of frat culture in an absurd, Hangover-style adventure.

The Meeting to Save Goody Diana by Cindy Kim

This postmodern take on the Salem Witch Trials calls into question individual and historical actions, the supernatural and magical, and the cruelty of humankind.

The McGill Drama Festival runs March 29 to April 8 at Player’s Theatre in the SSMU Building. Tickets are $6 for one night of three shows, and $10 for a festival pass­, which provides access to each show once on any day. For a full schedule, visit the Players’ Theatre’s Facebook page. Tickets can be reserved by emailing events.players@gmail.com.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

science & technology 17

What’s the deal with CRISPR?

McGill geneticist assesses the potential future of the technique Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, and the University of California (UC) Berkeley. On Feb. 15, the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board ruled in favour of the Broad Institute. As a result, the Broad Institute won the patent pertaining to editing eukaryotic genomes, a patent that UC Berkeley considers to be interfering with its claim.

“The dispute was about who the patent belongs to,” Roy said. “Feng Zhang [of the Broad Institute] got the patent, leaving the scientific community perplexed. Jennifer Doudna [of UC Berkeley…] quickly saw that there were ways to co-opt the process to provide a means of directing it to whatever sequence an investigator might want to target.”

Sam Min Contributor CRISPR offers the potential to cure presently untreatable cancers and diseases. Moreover, it could revive an extinct organism, such as the mammoth, using tiny bits of genomic information that scientists have collected through their serendipitous discoveries.

“CRISPR is a gene editing technique that allows investigators to alter the gene sequence of an organism using a technique that is based on a genome surveillance mechanism employed by bacteria.” Dr. Richard Roy, Molson Chair of Genetics and a professor in the McGill Department of Biology, said.

The scientific community and the general public are elated by the CRISPR technology’s recently realized potential to edit genomes precisely.

What exactly is CRISPR?

What’s next?

CRIPSR allows scientists to efficiently and effectively insert genes into a DNA strand. (Daria Kiseleva / The McGill Tribune)

In 1987, a team of scientists at Osaka University discovered five consecutive 29 nucleotide-long repeats in bacteria DNA, interspersed between non-repeated sequences that were 39 nucleotides long. Surprisingly, the word CRISPR—which stands for “clustered regular interspaced short palindromic repeats”—does not denote the fanciful technology itself; rather, CRISPR refers to the unusual DNA sequence that originally tipped off geneticists to the revelation of the bacteria’s potential. At this time of the discovery, repeated sequences in bacteria were known to be rare. Hence, it did not take long before more labs followed suit in investigating the purpose of these unprecedented repeated nucleotides.

Non-repeated intervening sequences

closely resemble viral genomes. Therefore, these sequences essentially serve as a memory storage for bacteria. With CRISPR, bacteria ‘remember’ the viral genomes’ profiles and lay out specific defences against the formerly exposed virus type.

Bacteria’s peaceful lives can be devastatingly disturbed upon viral intrusions. The extraordinary diversity of viruses can render the defences of the bacteria helpless.

However, oftentimes, not all of the bacteria are killed. If some survive, they activate enzymes that are responsible for cleaning up the remnants of viral genomic components. These enzymes grasp and insert the viral remains in between the CRISPRs of the bacterial genome. If the same type

of virus were to attack the surviving bacteria, the bacteria would know what to do. Instead of using CRISPR as a defensive mechanism, scientists have harnessed the bacteria’s ability to replicate gene sequences to modify genomes with specific genes of interest.

Whose idea is it?

With such a radical new technology, there is extreme financial opportunity. Rights of ownership over the CRISPR technique have lingered since its initial discovery. Recently, the CRISPR patent disputes were partially settled between the Broad Institute of the Massachusetts

CRISPR will soon be more sophisticated.

What would happen to our children if we are armed with a refined and reliable CRISPR technology?

For example, eggs and sperm are fertilized on a petri dish instead of in the mother’s fallopian tube during in vitro fertilization (IVF). Although IVF was initially deemed unethical, most people who vehemently disagreed with the technology now accept it. This could be the case with CRISPR as well. For now, however, CRISPR holds several unresolved ethical issues. For instance, altering genes in the human population could be irreversibly consequential as the modified genes will carry on for generations.

“The future is hard to predict, but CRISPR is likely only limited by the imaginations of the end users,” Roy said. “This is still ethically very nebulous, so lawyers, philosophers, policy makers, and scientists will have to engage in a long and active discussion as to how to proceed and what will be off limits.”

Indigenous communities continue to face disproportionate barriers to health McGill’s Women’s Health Conference examines structural determinants of health

Gustina Giordano Contributor Dr. Ojistoh Horn, from the nearby Mohawk Kahnawake Nation, spoke at the Women’s Health Conference hosted by McGill’s Comparative Healthcare Systems on March 11. The conference aimed to spark conversations on the structural and social determinants of health within Canada.

After attending medical school at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Horn returned east to complete a fellowship in maternal and child health in McGill’s Family Medicine residency program.

Dr. Horn explained that over 500 years ago, there was an Iroquois community in Hochelaga, the land where McGill currently stands. It is a very important place for her personally and culturally.

“I have an unbroken female lineage, an unbroken tie to this area, this place,” Dr. Horn explained.

At her workshop titled, “A Day in the Life of My Clinic,” Dr. Horn said a few words of the Ohenthen Kariwatekwen to share a

piece of culture with the workshop participants. “[The Ohenthen Kariwatekwen is] an acknowledgement of where we are in nature and that we are not above nature, we are part of her and we were put here to take care of her,” Dr. Horn said.

“What’s happening to our Earth is a reflection of what’s happening to us.”

Due to this belief, Dr. Horn has explained the importance of taking care of one’s health in a culturally relevant way.

“I talk to my patients about taking care of themselves and I do it in a way that is culturally relevant,” Dr. Horn said. ”If I tell them to go running, they are not going to understand that, but if I tell them to go outside and hear the tones of the birds […] and look up at the sky, they go, ‘Yeah, I should do that.’”

Dr. Horn works in Akwesasne, a Mohawk community on the U.S.-Canada border. Half of the community is in New York and the other half is situated between Quebec and Ontario, which creates major problems in terms of travel between the different

parts of Akwesasne and health care jurisdiction.

Crossing the border to get different health care or coverage is a huge challenge for Dr. Horn’s patients, many of whom are at a high health risk. She encounters a myriad of difficult cases in her practice, including problems of opioid addicts, fertility problems, obesity, smoking, kidney disease, and sleep apnea. However, she must resort to tackling these problems using outdated medical tools due to the limited health care coverage for indigenous communities in both countries. She also has patients who are healthy yet considered high-risk due to their heritage. Dr. Horn overcomes these barriers by building strong relationships with her female patients.

“I have created a relationship with her where she has trust and that is the crux of the situation on the reserves,” Dr. Horn said.

To be an effective doctor, Dr. Horn emphasized the formation of trusting relationships with her patients. But it is still difficult to come back to the community due to lateral violence—referring to the

Dr. Arijit Nandi of McGill’s Centre of Population Dynamics also presented at the Women’s Health Conference hosted by Comparative Healthcare Systems. (Lauren Benson-Armer / The McGill Tribune) displaced violence against one’s peers—from the patients towards the doctors. Dr. Horn acknowledges the difficulties of going back to one’s indigenous community after becoming a doctor, but she stresses that it has been a rewarding journey.

She is inspired by the increasing interest she sees in young girls for becoming midwives.

“We have a lot of girls in our community who are really

inspired by the idea of becoming a midwife,” Dr. Horn said. “It is so culturally important, so historically important, and it is going to bring our women back to the same level that we lost.”

Dr. Horn hopes to bring births back to the communities and help revive cultural heritage, bringing back a sense of community and empowering the next generation of indigenous women.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

18 science & technology

‘Coffee-naps’: Revolutionizing the McGill student’s favourite pastime A scientifically based life hack

Kate Lord Contributor University life is known for many things, but an overabundance of sleep is not one of them. The endless onslaught of lectures, papers, labs, and midterms that McGill throws at its students is not conducive to getting the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep every night. For many students, the most appealing option to combat their sleep-deprived states is to schedule a nap into their busy day, if not in a bed then at least on their library desk. While there are not many parallels that can be drawn between a university student and a toddler, the unreserved and delirious desire that the demographics share in regards to napping stands out as a point of similarity.

The other obvious option to restore mid-afternoon alertness is to consume copious amounts of caffeine. As the world’s most widely

used and popular psychoactive drug, caffeine is a naturally-occurring stimulant that activates the central nervous system, staving off lethargy and encouraging mental acuity.

While coffee, Red Bull, and Monster are all attractive options at three in the morning when your essay is due at noon, the side-effects—which can include jitteriness, headaches, aggravated anxiety, and/or sleepdisorders—may not be similarly desirable.

While it might initially seem counterintuitive, there is increasing evidence to suggest that a student in search of a much-needed burst of energy might have the most success by combining caffeine and napping. A ‘coffee-nap’ is the act of quickly consuming caffeine, most conveniently in the form of an espresso or an iced-coffee, before setting a timer and taking a 20-minute nap. In one study published in Psychophysiology in 1997, scientists

found that taking a coffee-nap the perfect combination of clearing limit the individual to the NREM was significantly more effective adenosine and binding caffeine, (non-rapid eye movement) stages in reinvigorating an individual resulting in a more effective power of sleep, and prevents sleep inertia, or the hangover-like grogginess that in comparison to just napping or nap overall.

The correct timing of the often results from a longer nap. The drinking coffee alone. Discovered two decades ago, the revelation of caffeine consumption is essential, coffee-nap, therefore, allows the the coffee-nap is not a new one, but as the power nap is designed to napper to hit the ground running after end before deeper sleep, or REM 20 minutes, and is the ideal solution it certainly deserves more attention. for students who needs a quick break What explains the extra power of (rapid eye movement) in the middle of their busy lives. a coffee-fuelled power nap? Caffeine cycling, begins. A 15is chemically similar to adenosine, a or 20-minute nap molecule with a specialized receptor will usually in the brain. Once enough adenosine builds up, the result is that groggy, tired feeling; however, when we drink caffeinated beverages, the caffeine competitively binds to the adenosine-receptors and thus blocks the adenosine from attaching. Taking a nap, on the other hand, is a process that naturally clears out the adenosine that builds up in the brain. As it takes about 20 minutes for the caffeine molecules to bind to the adenosine-receptors, a 20-minute coffee-nap allows for Try combining caffeine and sleep for a more effective pick-me-up. (Madline Kinney / The McGill Tribune)

The struggle between access and innovation

McGill conference discusses the access gap for new tuberculosis drugs

Dr. Jennifer Furin of Harvard University, spoke at a McGill conference commemorating World TB Day. (Lauren Benson-Armer / The McGill Tribune)

Andy Wang Staff Writer The diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis (TB) remain the top two leading public health challenges of the 21st century. First identified in 1882, mycobacterium tuberculosis is by far the world’s most successful pathogen: One-third of the world’s population is infected, with 10.4 million new infections and 1.8 million deaths in 2015. In recognition of the date of its discovery, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated March 24 as World TB Day. The McGill Chapter of Universities Allied for Essential Medicines hosted a conference to commemorate the day.

Tuberculosis is resistant to most antibiotics and can evolve to become resilient to the few drugs that are available to treat it. In addition, its ability to manipulate the human immune response poses a particular challenge to the development of a TB vaccine.

Macrophages are immune cells that engulf

and compartmentalize foreign particles, such as bacteria. When they are not able to destroy these particles, multiple macrophages will merge together to partition the particles from the rest of the body.

This collection of macrophages, called granulomas, is an ancient mechanism of protection. Following millions of years of co-evolution, mycobacterium tuberculosis uses these granulomas as a source of nutrients and the bacteria’s compartmentalization allows it to effectively hide from the rest of the immune system.

TB is a unique disease in that 90 to 95 per cent of those initially infected do not exhibit any symptoms and 90 per cent of these individuals will never develop active TB. However, with one-third of the world’s population infected, the comparatively minute percentage of active infections represents a huge number of people that require treatment. Moreover, TB is quite contagious.

The current frontline medications against tuberculosis are isoniazid and rifampin. The

increase in the number of multiple drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) cases has spurred the development and licensing of two new TB drugs: Bedaquiline in 2012 and delamanid in 2014.

Their approval for commercial use was met by celebration in the TB treatment community, representing the first and second new TB drugs in over 50 years.

However, current public health policies in most countries have not allowed these drugs to be widely used. Similarly, despite multiple advances in the precision and accuracy of TB diagnostic tests, microscopy smears continue to be the primary test to look for an active infection—the same method Robert Koch used to discover the bacterium more than a century ago.

In the conference held on March 23, Dr. Madhukar Pai, director of the McGill Global Health Program, highlighted the issues surrounding diagnosis.

“Out of 10.4 million active TB patients, only 6.1 million are showing up on the books,” Dr. Pai said. “Most TB patients will go to wherever they’re used to going, such as the local chemist, a sangoma, or a faith healer in the community. There is no TB test at the level of primary care.”

Cultural practices lie at the heart of the issue, and the lack of political will in many TB endemic countries, such as India and South Africa, continue to hinder the progress of proper diagnoses.

“The best test we have currently is the GeneXpert MTB, which is more than 90 per cent accurate,” Dr. Pai said. “However, there is a loss of resistance to its use. It’s more expensive than the

smears and people don’t trust it.”

GeneXpert MTB is a molecular test for TB and enables the enhancement of specific DNA fragments. Therefore, it is also able to discern a drug susceptible strain from a multiple drug-resistant strain, bridging the time for MDR-TB patients to receive more aggressive treatment options.

The conference also addressed the gap between the development of new drugs and patient access.

“One the biggest challenges to successful introduction [of bedaqiline and delamanid] has been the incredibly tepid recommendations made by the WHO about the use of the new drugs,” Dr. Jennifer Furin, a lecturer on global health and social medicine at Harvard University, said. “Nowhere in their guidelines do they mention the toxicity and the lack of efficacy of the treatments we use now.”

Indeed, many of the speakers were displeased by the recent actions of the WHO, which has just published a list of priority pathogens for research funding. TB did not make the list.

“I don’t think that the WHO is merely indifferent to TB. I think it’s contempt. I think the WHO and the global health organizations that have been charged with helping people who are suffering from this disease, view them with great contempt,” Dr. Furin said.

The most-cited argument by the WHO against the availability of new drugs has been the fear that their overuse would lead to resistance.

But the speakers at the conference voiced a counterargument: Why are we not protecting lives instead?

The TPS Board of Directors is holding its Annual General Meeting on Saturday, April 8 at 2:00 p.m. in the Tribune office (SSMU 110). All undergraduate and post-graduate members of the TPS are welcome. The TPS is currently accepting candidates for its Board of Directors for 2017-2018. Positions are: Student Representative, Post-Graduate Representative, Contributor Representative, and Chair. Candidates must be registered at McGill for Fall 2017 and Winter 2018. Board members meet at least twice a month to discuss the administration and policy of the Society.

To apply, please send a statement of intent to chair@mcgilltribune.com by April 5 at 11:59 p.m.

SPORTS 19

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

POINT C o u nt e rpoint Should NBA teams rest healthy players?

(politico.com)

(nesn.com)

(cavnation.com)

With NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently weighing in on the debate of whether or not teams should rest their stars, two of our writers give their opinions.

March 11, 2017: It’s a Saturday afternoon in prime time. The AT&T Center in San With the NBA season lasting seven grueling months, teams have turned to sitting their Antonio is packed with a sell-out crowd. Fans are energized to see one of the best matchups players during select games in order to help them cope with the physical strain of the year. Gone in basketball: The San Antonio Spurs versus the Golden State Warriors. But, in a game beare the days in which a player could log 40 or more minutes every night without an occasional tween the top teams in the league–when a game-winning three from Steph Curry or a clutch night off. Players have become bigger, faster, and stronger than they were 20 years ago, when Kawhi Leonard steal should have been the story on SportsCenter—the fans were treated to ballers like Michael Jordan could go all-out every night. Coaches and trainers now work players a collection of benchwarmers in both teams’ starting lineups. With five All-Stars spending harder and exhaust their bodies more and more with each successive season. Nowadays, NBA the night on the bench, fans were privileged to see the world’s highest-paid cheerleading players cannot physically drain themselves night after night without proper rest. If they do play squad put on a team spirit spectacle. Though injuries can obviously keep a player out on any through exhaustion, their performance suffers and they become more susceptible to injury. given night, these stars weren’t injured, nor did they forget their sneakers at home; rather the The most common game for teams to sit their stars is on the second night of a back-to-back coaching staff just decided they needed rest. Instead of seeing the All-Stars and their highgames. Sports scientists have found that teams that play back-to-back games are significantly flying theatrics, fans paid to see the benchwarmers log starting minutes. less likely to win the second leg of these series. This is because players are fatigued

This story isn’t a new one. In December 2016, one fan reportand with fatigue comes injury. In an interview with ESPN, sleep scientist Dr. edly travelled four hours and spent $800 only to find out the man he Charles Czeisler suggested playing on a back-to-back is like trying to came to see play–LeBron James–was resting that evening. As compete on an empty stomach–it doesn’t work. Additionally, when the face of the NBA, James has been under significant scruity not given enough time to recover, the chemical balance in an athfor taking nights off. The March 11 Spurs vs Warriors game lete’s body gets thrown off, leading to health problems. NBA is an especially egregious example of resting. The game teams have recognized the necessity of rest throughout the was sold out, with 18,418 people in attendance, payseason. Infrequent nights off for players have become noring an average of $58.45 for their tickets. If t the fans mal across the league and while some—like the Charlotte had known in advance they were paying to see Kevin Hornets—still do not embrace this practice, an ever inLooney make his fourth career start, they might not creasing number of teams have realized the disadvanhave paid half that amount. And, frankly, clearing tages of playing while tired. the bench makes for poor basketball.

The payoff for keeping players in every game is We agree that for the health and safety of players and

To clarify, there is nothing wrong with restlow when compared to the drawbacks of wearing down to extend their seasons, the NBA should allow stars to ing players who are injured or airing on the side of the body of a franchise player. Like tread on a tire, athcaution to avoid aggravating an existing injury, but letes can only work so hard before they break down. rest when their teams deem it necessary. in these cases healthy players were taking the night For the best teams, there is little to gain by winning a off.

In the NBA, star players have an outsized impact random regular season game. Last year, the Golden State on the league’s appeal. If the fans are angry, the comWarriors’ Steph Curry entered the playoffs with an ailing panies that purchased ad time must be furious. They knee and elbow injuries as his team pushed to break the pay untold amounts of money to expose their product or 1995 Chicago Bulls’ regular season win-loss record. Though service to millions of people. Without stars, significantly the Warriors won 73 games to break the record, those meaninglower amounts of people view games, making the commeriless minutes late in the season haunted Golden State, who saw cal time worth substantially less. Thus, teams that are going to their MVP point-guard’s knee deteriorate in the playoffs. Without rest their stars for a nationally televised game must give companies their star at 100 per cent, the Warriors couldn’t repeat as champions, fallsufficient warning in advance or they face a hefty fine from the league. ing in game seven of the NBA Finals to Lebron and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Spurs—a repeat offender—were fined $250,000 in 2012 for resting their The argument against resting players often points to disappointing contests that stars against James’s Miami Heat. At the end of the day, the NBA is in the business of entermatch up two top teams, only for all of the important players to sit. There’s no question that these taining: Fans pay to be entertained and ABC pays to provide good television. situations are a letdown, but fans must consider the alternative to the occasional disappointing

Obviously, the best television would be to have the best two teams perfectly regular-season game. With measures already taken to prevent player injuries, last year’s playhealthy in the finals, which might involve lightening the workload for some players down offs saw three NBA stars–Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and Curry–suffer season-altering ailments. the final stretch of the season once a playoff spot is assured. However, sitting someone out It is likely that even more players would be sacrificed to injuries if teams weren’t resting their for an entire game should not be an option. It should be noted that these players don’t want players. to be on the sidelines in their expensive suits—they want to be playing. MVP-candidate Ultimately, the decision comes down to when the basketball world wants the NBA to reach James Harden told reporters in March, “I just want to hoop. I’ll rest when I’m done.” It is its highest level. If superstar players sit out the occasional game, they can compete more inevident that some teams do not believe their stars can play all 82 games plus a lengthy playtensely for the other 75-or-so nights that they’re on the court. Though the regular season might offs. Coaches are responsible for keeping their players fit and ready for a championship run, lose an interesting story line every so often, die-hard fans would prefer having their teams play but surely there are other ways to keep players healthy than insulting fans by turning NBA late into June rather than see the stars go all-out in mid-February. Sitting players is thus the best games into D-League exhibitions. option available, allowing the highest number of players to compete at their greatest levels with seasons on the line.

— Gabriel Rincon — Stephen Gill Staff Writer Contributor

Editors’ Pick NBA players should rest

20 SPORTS

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

k no w y o u r a t h l e t e

(facebook.com/marty.t.martlet)

M a rt y t h e M a rt l e t

By Nicole Spadotto Staff Writer

McGill is known for fostering success stories in academia and athletics alike and, proof that birds of a feather flock together, Marty the Martlet is no exception. Marty is just like most McGill students: He juggles the rigour of school with having fun and a full-time job— one that isdesigned to entertain us loyal McGill sports fans. But Marty wasn’t always a silly goose; he used to chicken out every time he was in the spotlight.

“Believe it or not, I was really shy when I was a wee hatchling,” Marty said. “I couldn’t fly as well as the other birds, I wasn’t as smart, and I’d be teased about that.”

Salvation for Marty came through dance. He began shaking his feathers and listening to musicals at which point he heard the song “Dancing Through Life.”

“That beat just got me grooving and made me smile, it’s a pretty ‘wicked’ song,” Marty said.

Since 2005, Marty has been on a mission to spread the song’s message and make people stop worrying about school. Though his dance moves might be strange, crowds flock to see him.

“I love seeing people excited when I show up,” Marty said. “I get bombarded to take pictures and dance with them. I love seeing people laugh at my silliness, [....] even [McGill Principal] Suzanne [Forti-

er] says I have great dance moves!”

While the prancing around is certainly fun, Marty trains hard to be there. Despite his cuddly exterior, he works his tail off to stay in shape.

“I have to hit the gym often to really keep my muscles tight and my cardio up, or else I can’t dance and cheer,” Marty said. “No one wants a soft Marty.”

When he’s not putting in reps at the gym or dancing around campus, Marty is grinding out his school work at McLennan.

“I’m a busy bird with big dreams,” Marty said. “I’m keeping my GPA in the 3.6 to 4.0 range.”

Marty somehow also finds the time for other endeavours and the occasional chick flick.

“I’m actually collecting research and drafting my first book!”

Marty said. “But of course when I’m not sticking my beak in books and research, I’m in front of the TV watching Netflix.”

Marty certainly sets an admirable example for all high achieving McGill students. On one wing, he’s known for having fun and letting loose, but on the other, he pushes himself to soar to new academic heights. In this respect, Marty’s advice to McGill first-year hatchlings could also benefit upper-years.

“Come out and support your [McGill] teams!” Marty says. “The

games are so fun and you get so much McGill swag. Also, take risks with your classes. You’ll never know when that random elective you pick will become your favourite class!”

Indeed, sometimes the best ideas can come from just winging it.

For everyone at McGill, you need to leap from your nest if you want to fly, and don’t be afraid to ruffle some feathers along the way.

McGill Tribune: Cardio or weights?

Marty: Both! Got to keep my heart healthy to keep up the sick dancing, but got to keep my body trim for the ladies.

MT: Favourite Montreal poutine?

Marty: Duck, sugar coated fries, and lots of maple syrup. My cousins weren’t too happy about the duck, but man those little floaters are tasty!

MT: “McGill once McGill twice” cheer or “I’d rather be a Redman” cheer?

Marty: “McGill once McGill twice” because I can dance around to that. I can’t speak, which is why I love to dance. I let my sick moves do the talking.

Enough stalling, it’s time for a change

The NHL needs to find a new point system André Morin Contributor With five minutes left to play in the third period, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens are tied 2-2.

In the midst of a close playoff race, both teams are looking to grab any precious points they can to push them into the postseason. In such a tight contest with backand-forth chances all game, the final minutes should have the crowd on the edge of their seats, squeezing anyone around them as the teams go full throttle trying to pull ahead. Instead, both retreat into a defensive shell, no longer taking any chances, as they let the final few minutes wind down before overtime.

This is the reality of most NHL games that are tied in the final minutes of regulation. Teams take advantage of the NHL’s point system, staying cautious and stalling until they can get a guaranteed one point in overtime. Since a win in overtime, or in the shootout, is worth the same two points as a regulation win, and a loss in this scenario grants one point, there’s no reason to risk losing in regulation and miss out on a point that requires just holding out a few more minutes. Essentially, a game that ends in regulation is worth two points, but for some inexplicable reason, overtime or shootout games dole out a combined three points—two for the winner and one for the loser.

Should the NHL add a point for a win in regulation? Commissioner Gary Bettman is perplexed. (thestar.com) With nearly 25 per cent of NHL games from 2005 to now going to overtime, this system makes it difficult for teams to try and move up in the standings when their opponents can just stall until overtime and clinch at least one point.

It’s commonplace for teams with less than five minutes remaining in regulation to just buckle down and wait for the thirdperiod buzzer when the game is tied. The NHL needs to change this point system in order to prevent teams from taking advan-

tage of this flaw.

An easy solution to the league’s problem would be the switch to the aptly-named “three points for a win” system. Similar to European soccer leagues, an NHL team that wins in regulation would receive three points while an overtime winner would be awarded two and the extra-time loser would still receive one. Thus, winning a game in regulation would be worth more than winning a game in overtime or a shootout. According to a 2007 Canadian Press article, NHL general managers flirted with this idea back in 2004, but support for the measure vanished while other, more drastic rule changes such as the shootout, were adopted.

Adding an extra point for a regulation win would provide an extra incentive for teams to try to push forward in the third period of games that are tied, especially for those fighting for playoff berths. Games approaching overtime would once again become exciting, with some teams on the brink of the postseason possibly pulling their goalie in order to get all three points. A team that looks bound to be eliminated from postseason contention could suddenly be back in the race by stringing together a series of regulation wins. Fans may be disappointed to see less overtime hockey and fewer shootouts but the added intensity at the end of regulation will make up for the lack of extra time.