The McGill Tribune Vol. 42 Issue 21

The McGill Tribune

Three meals a day keep the protests away

PG. 5

Remains of Chennai Central SciTech Presents: A Pi Day Pie Recipe

PG. 8-9

PG. 13

(Ghazal Azizi / The McGill Tribune)

Montreal performers, singers, and activists celebrate International Women’s Day

SSMU spends $1,500 on incoming executives’ PR training, hires publicist

PG. 2

Only elected executive allowed to formally speak with media and student body, with some exceptions

Caroline Sun Staff Writer

In May 2022, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU)’s Legislative Council passed the Motion Regarding the

Adoption of a Media and Transparency Plan. The motion mandated that the Society hire a public relations (PR) advisor by May 2023 to increase transparency and provide media training for SSMU staff. According to vice-president (VP) Finance Marco Pizarro, SSMU officially hired a publicist in February 2023 and PR advis-

Know Your Athlete: Isabel Sarty

Martlets swimmer reflects on phenomenal final year of competition

Eliza Lee

Staff Writer

February was a busy month for varsity swimmer Isabel Sarty. At the RSEQ provincial championships over the weekend of Feb.

3, the Martlet won gold in her three individual and three relay events and was named RSEQ female athlete of the year.

Later that month, she competed at the U Sports championship, earning a bronze medal in the 50-metre fly.

These achievements are only a few drops in the pool of Sarty’s exceptional six-year varsity swimming career. During her undergraduate degree at Dalhousie University, Sarty won a total of

20 provincial Atlantic University Sport (AUS) medals and broke the AUS records for women’s 50 and 100-metre frees. Outside of the pool, Sarty completed a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience at Dalhousie and began a master’s in neuroscience at McGill in 2021, all while dominating in the water.

ing will be incorporated into the 2023-2024 SSMU executives’ onboarding.

SSMU President Risann Wright and VP Internal Cat Williams did not respond to The McGill Tribune’s requests for more details about the hiring.

PG. 4

Black history isn’t one uniform experience

Monique Kasonga Staff Writer

As an African student attending McGill, I was initially shocked to see that McGill’s course list included classes with titles such as History of Colonial Africa or African Politics. While I am glad to have the opportunity to take any classes related to Africa, something I was not provided with in high school, I find it disgraceful that 21st-

century institutions continue to frame such a large continent as one homogenous place. Working against the white supremacist centrality of Western Europe, Canada, and the U.S., some curricula and departments, such as East Asian Studies, have offered a range of courses focused on various countries, instead of grouping diverse countries into one concept.

It’s a long-standing problem in the West that the continent of Africa is often

spoken of as one indistinguishable entity. While most people at McGill (hopefully) are aware that Africa is a continent with 54 diverse countries, hearing this single-minded narrative is familiar to many Africans, especially in the classroom. Africa should not be taught as a single idea, but as a complicated and varied region with a range of accomplishments and unique ways of thinking, knowing, and being.

Montreal performers, singers, and activists celebrate International Women’s Day

Feminism resists capitalism, colonialism, and racism, protest speakers cry

Oscar Macquet Staff Writer

Montrealers took to the streets on March 8 to celebrate International Women’s Day and protest in solidarity with women’s movements across the world. The demonstration began at Roddick Gates, after which a group of marchers traversed the downtown streets, stopping in front of Quebec Premier François Legault’s office and the United States Consulate General.

For the 22nd year running, the march was organized by Femmes de Diverses Origines (FDO), a grassroots network dedicated to uniting various women’s movements across Quebec. Prior to FDO’s march, the McGill Iranian Student Association (MISA) held a demonstration in solidarity with the uprisings against the Iranian government. The protests in Iran and worldwide were sparked by the

murder of Jina (Mahsa) Amini in September 2022 at the hands of the country’s morality police for violating hijab laws.

Wearing a white dress and a flower crown, Mandana Zandi circled the audience, turning a mirror towards demonstrators and fellow performer Reza Azarpour. In a post-performance interview with The McGill Tribune, Zandi explained that they hope their performance art symbolizes women, non-binary, and queer people’s struggles.

“We wanted to express the plight of being a woman, and have a deity, a women’s protector, who is placed in a realm where earthers aren’t able to comprehend her,” Zandi explained. “The goddess is trying to help the human embrace her plights, from childbirth’s pain, menstrual cycle and societal oppression [...] to transcend them. [....] All of us have an inner God that connects us to the universe, and if we listen to our inner self, no power can abuse us.”

MISA’s vice-president Finance, Andia Moshari, then concluded the association’s protest with a speech listing the demands of the Iranian Scholars for Liberty collective, a network focused on uniting diaspora Iranian academics in solidarity with the Women, Life, Freedom (Jin, Jiyan, Azadî) movement.

“We, the Iranian Scholars for Liberty and collaborators, stand by women and nonbinary people in Iran and Afghanistan,” Moshari said. “Let us acknowledge [their] bravery by amplifying their righteous demands [...] to immediately repeal all forms of discriminating laws and act against [...] women and nonbinary people, including execution of all nonbinary and women’s rights activists.”

The FDO then began their event with a speech by Cherie Jacobs from Quebec Native Women, followed by a surprise performance from the Raging Grannies that protestors

welcomed with laughter and cheers.

More featured speakers took to the microphone, such as Virginie Mikaelian from Fédération des femmes du Québec and Chantal Ismé, Monique Dauphin’s daughter—Dauphin was a Haitian activist for migrant workers who recently died in a fire at her Montreal residence. Noa*, a member of the Palestinian Feminist Collective, then took the stage to speak on the intersectionality of women’s movements with the fight against colonialism, capitalism, and racism.

“Coming here as a Palestinian woman is important: Without the liberation of Palestinian women from all these systems of oppression, there can be no liberation of Palestine, period,” Noa told the Tribune in an interview. “People don’t associate feminism with anti-colonialism, anti-capitalism, anti-imperialism, but the reality is that they are intimately linked.”

As demonstrators marched towards Premier Legault’s office, a colourful array of national flags, banners, and pink smoke bombs dotted the procession. Chants such as “women, united, will never be defeated” echoed in the streets, while political music like Shervin Hajipour’s Baraye filled the silence in between. (Hajipour won the 2023 Song For Social Change Grammy, and the song has been an anthem of Iranian protests.)

When they arrived at Legault’s office, speakers protested Bill 21, which bans public sector workers from wearing religious symbols. Demonstrators also condemned the Quebec government’s treatment of asylum seekers and migrant workers at Roxham Road. Marie Boti, FDO’s spokesperson and a founding member, reflected on the legacy of International Women’s Day, which began as Working Women’s Day, with the Tribune

“Amazing speakers are here with us today to talk about Indigenous resistances, anti-racism, anti-islamophobia, anti-poverty, local and international feminist solidarity,” Boti said. “We want to keep up the militant tradition of International Women’s Day [....] We want to shake things up and make a change.”

*Noa’s name has been changed to preserve their anonymity.

Students condemn inaccessible food prices during Let’s Eat McGill

assembly

New campaign drew attendees with popular Instagram account

Juliet Morrison and Lily Cason

News Editors

Content Warning: Mention of disordered eating

Students filed into Arts W-215 on the evening of March 7 for an assembly on the food insecurity crisis at McGill hosted by the new campaign Let’s Eat McGill. All seats were full by the time the presentation began, which was rife with photos of expensive cafeteria items, such as a $17 caesar salad and a $15 box of raspberries. Throughout the night, snaps turned to banging on desks as students got fired up about exorbitant food prices on campus.

Moderators discussed the $6,200 per-year fee that McGill requires students living in residences to pay, much of which goes toward food: $4,725 of the fee is dedicated to the mandatory meal plan, $975 is for a meal plan administrative fee, and $500 is put into students’ oneCard accounts for expenses such as laundry and eating at affiliated off-campus dining spots. Many at the assembly said that

the plan only covered one or two meals a day, forcing them to find food elsewhere.

“I was in residence last year [....] I would go grocery shopping to supplement [the meal plan] which is ridiculous, because, [...] it’s like $192 a week [....] Where is the money going?” Sadie Cambray, U2 Arts, told the The McGill Tribune

Roommates Alyssa AbouChakra, U1 Science, and Miranda Roberts Nouel, U1 Arts, were similarly shocked that 10 items from Provigo only came out to around $70 because of the prices they were used to paying at McGill’s dining halls and cafés.

Students also shared frustrations about having to resort to unhealthy eating practices to get by, such as under-eating or skipping meals entirely. Many cited a worsening relationship with food after coming to McGill.

“I came into McGill already with [...]very much an eating disorder,” Morgane Garrick, U1 Arts, told the Tribune. “So I already had a really strained relationship with food. And

yeah, it went downhill [...] particularly my first year in New Res because of the food options, because of the prices.”

The university has held a contract with Dana Hospitality, which calls itself a “food service management firm,” since 2019. The firm supplies food to the five residential dining halls and has gradually taken over many cafés on campus, meaning it has a virtual monopoly at McGill. Students also pointed out that at Macdonald campus, the situation is especially dire because of a lack of both on- and offcampus dining options.

Organizers explained that schools like the University of British Columbia and Concordia University have taken steps to subsidize cafeterias in response to high rates of food insecurity on campus and urged McGill fto do the same. The administration, however, claimed it does not have room in the budget to subsidize the cost of food at a recent Board of Governors meeting.

Aside from subsidies, the organizers stressed the importance of student-run on-campus eateries, which

used to be abundant at the university but have gradually been phased out. Before McGill’s move toward privatization, student associations operated popular dining spots such as the Architecture Café and The Nest, which both provided accessible, affordable food, as well as employment opportunities for students. Attendees discussed how a return to this model could re-envision dining at McGill as a community-building experience, rather than an isolating and stressful one. Many pointed to Midnight Kitchen’s free lunches as an example.

Alex Bluck Foster, U4 Arts

and

one of the organizers of the meeting, enthusiastically reflected on the assembly after the event.

“The atmosphere was more than I could have hoped for. Everyone’s been really vocal and had great points. And it’s really nice to hear everyone raise things that I hadn’t even thought about, like getting jobs from student cafés,” Bluck Foster said in an interview with the Tribune “This definitely was intended to be a collaborative thing [rather than] us as this organization coming and telling you our ideas [....] We want to form a coalition with your help.”

The Montreal chapter of the Raging Grannies’ first protest was a march to the army recruitment office to oppose Canada’s involvement in the 1990-91 Gulf War. (Ghazal Azizi/ The McGill Tribune )

Let’s Eat McGill found a 200 per cent price markup between food at McGill’s dining halls and Provigo, the nearby supermarket. (Maia Salhofer/ The McGill Tribune )

Kanien’kehà:ka Kahnistensera speak at McGill while university attempts to lift New Vic injunction

Mothers urged settlers to educate themselves about Canada’s atrocities against Indigenous peoples

Jasjot Grewal Staff Writer

In honour of International Women’s Day, the Kanien’kehà:ka Kahnistensera (Mohawk Mothers) participated in a roundtable discussion hosted by the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) on March 8. The talk, chaired by Nancy R. Tapias Torrado, a human rights lawyer and visiting fellow at McGill’s Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism (CHRLP), touched on the challenges the Mothers have faced in their ongoing lawsuit against McGill.

On Oct. 27, the Superior Court of Quebec granted the Mothers an interlocutory injunction that halted the university’s New Vic Project over the Mothers’ concerns about potential unmarked Indigenous graves at the site. The order remains in effect until April 27 with the possibility of extension or until both parties, the Mothers and McGill, reach an agreement.

During their roundtable at McGill, the Mohawk Mothers emphasized the importance of their case in the ongoing fight for land rights. Mother Kwetiio believes that the Canadian settler-colonial state continuously violates Indigenous peoples’ rights, but camouflages these violations using structures such as the reserve system.

“It’s still happening to us. Our human rights are still being violated,” Kwetiio said. “As my husband would put it, he says that living on our reserve feels like we’re living in a residential school. We’re constantly being monitored. Our rights are constantly taken away from us.”

The Mothers

stressed that the surface-level, performative activism that institutions and powerful individuals engage in cannot be equated to real advocacy for Indigenous groups. Mother Kahentinetha said that while the cultural genocide of Indigenous peoples has been recognized, no real reparations or next steps have been taken.

“The Pope said, ‘yes, it is a genocide,’” Kahentinetha explained. “But now what happens? You don’t hear anybody talking about what they want to do. All they want to do is say, ‘well, I’m sorry about it.’ They want us to forgive them for what they did to us, but then they turn around and live a very good life right on top of our unmarked graves.”

On Feb. 9, McGill filed a motion to lift the injunction on the grounds that while strides have been made during confidential discussions with the Mothers, the two parties still disagree on numerous points, including the Mothers’ methods for archaeological investigation on the site. The motion argues that “the New Vic Project is a legitimate and worthwhile endeavour that is essential to the future of McGill University and is in no way at odds with, or antithetical to, Reconciliation.”

In an email to The McGill Tribune, McGill media relations officer Frédérique Mazerolle explained that McGill remains committed to positive discussions with the Mothers, but that the university will pursue litigation if there is

no resolution before the injunction expires.

“If such a resolution is not reached, the matter will proceed before the court given that the order issued by Justice Moore on Oct.27, 2022 is in place for six months,” Mazerolle wrote.

The Mothers remain adamant that all archeological work should centre on direction from qualified professionals and adhere to the guidelines set forth by the Canadian Archeological Association (CAA).

During the roundtable, Kwetiio urged Canadians to show true support for Indigenous communities by researching the atrocities that have occurred in Canada and actively participating in the fight for justice for Indigenous peoples. She would also like universities to revamp their constitutions to properly acknowledge Indigenous history.

“If you learn something and you totally disregard it, then you’re not part of the solution. You’re part of the problem,” Kwetiio said. “It’s harsh to hear that, but if you don’t take the things that you’ve learned and do the right thing, [...] you’re part of the problem.”

McGill’s motion to lift the injunction will be heard on April 20 and 21. Prior to these court dates, there are judicial settlement conferences scheduled for March 22, April 4, and April 6, which will aim to reach an agreement outside of litigation, as recommended by Justice Gregory Moore.

devices, citing cybersecurity concerns

McGill bans TikTok on all university-owned

Directive follows provincial and federal app bans on all government-issued devices

Adeline Fisher Staff Writer

In accordance with a provincial directive issued on Feb. 27, McGill has banned the use of TikTok on all university-owned devices, including smartphones and tablets for which McGill covers the cost of the mobile service. This decision stems from a federal ban that also prohibits the use of the app on all government-owned devices. All McGill staff who previously downloaded the app on a McGill device must delete it immediately.

In an email to The McGill Tribune , McGill media relations officer Frédérique Mazerolle wrote that the provincial directive was updated on March 2 to outright forbid public organizations from posting on the platform.

“Public institutions subject to the Act respecting the Governance and Management of the Information Resources of Public Bodies and Government Enterprises [cannot post] any new content to TikTok for any purposes, including advertising campaigns, announcements and recruitment,” Mazerolle wrote.

Marc Denoncourt, Associate Vice-Principal IT and Chief Information Officer at McGill, explained in an interview with the Tribune that TikTok may be used by staff and students conducting research so long as it is the only app running on the device.

“If you still need to do research with a McGillowned device, we need to isolate TikTok,” Denoncourt explained. “It cannot be [downloaded] on a device with other applications.”

Denoncourt added that although the ban only applies to McGill-owned devices, users ought to be wary of running the app on their personal devices.

“[The ban] is for McGill-owned devices only. So if you do research with your personal device, it does not

apply,” Denoncourt said. “Regardless of who owns the device, it is the same risk, but the directive is not asking anybody to stop [using TikTok] on personal devices.”

Politicians are primarily concerned with the app’s alleged collection of user data and the potential for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to access said data— the app was first developed by ByteDance, a technology company based in Beijing, China.

Benjamin Fung, a professor at McGill’s School of Information Studies (SIS) and Canada Research Chair in Data Mining for Cybersecurity, sees McGill’s ban as a response to government action.

“For the government, I think [the ban] is more like a political message to the general public, saying that this is dangerous,” Fung said in an interview with the Tribune “Most of the people who use TikTok are the younger generation, students who do not own a McGill-owned device, [and] not every staff [member] has a McGill smartphone, so I think the impact [of the ban] is nothing, it is just following the rules from the government.”

Experts point out that TikTok is not unique—almost all social media companies are culpable of selling or otherwise sharing user data. In fact, Facebook records more personal data than TikTok, and in 2018, was revealed to have exposed millions of user profiles to Cambridge Analytica, a digital consulting firm. Security concerns about TikTok similarly lie in data transmissions.

“When you copy a piece of text from one app to another app, every couple of seconds [TikTok] will try to read the clipboard,” Fung said. “By doing that, [it] can read everything you copy and paste. So if you are just copying a link, that is fine, but if you are copying a password, let’s say from the password manager to an app, that is a security concern.”

Fung recommends that McGill students who continue

to use the application on their personal devices consider taking extra precautionary measures should they wish to protect against potential threats to their online privacy.

“If you really, really want to watch TikTok videos, you can watch [them on] YouTube, you can still indirectly watch them. Many people just copy and paste [them] to YouTube. I [would] suggest [removing] the app, even for [your] own personal device, but at the end of the day, is [your] own personal choice.”

Canada’s Chief Information Officer expressed concern over what she sees as the high level of risk posed by the app to users’ online privacy and security. (Jasmine Jing / The McGill Tribune )

The Mothers shared that in the Mohawk community, part of a woman’s role is being a protector of the land that they reside on. (Sarah Leavitt / CBC News)

SSMU spends $1,500 on incoming executives’ PR training, hires publicist

Only elected executive allowed to formally speak with media and student body, with some exceptions

Caroline Sun Staff Writer

Continued from page 1.

Pizarro, however, confirmed that the Society spent $1,500 on the training.

SSMU hired a PR advisor, whose name and affiliated firm were not disclosed to the Tribune, who will work with future executives and some SSMU staff to establish proper communication networks with students and media. Pizarro did not share details of SSMU’s contract with the advisor or whether the training was outsourced before the advisor was hired.

“Most training is done with the SSMU team and outgoing Executives; we have a full team of managers and employees who specialize in various departments and share their expertise with the incoming Executives starting May 1 of each year,” Pizarro wrote in an email to the Tribune. “The Executive team typically prepares a month full of training with Commissioners, Staff, outgoing Executives, and

groups on campus, including McGill staff, to ensure a smooth transition.”

The advising will be mandatory for all SSMU executives and a few unelected positions. Pizarro explained that the additional employees who will get the training were chosen based on the likelihood of their interactions with media outlets during their tenure.

“The rule is that staff cannot speak to [the] media because they are not elected people, and so, it is only positions that can speak to the media [who will receive the PR training],” Pizarro wrote. “But there are some exceptions made, usually when staff is much more qualified.”

Rory*, an SSMU employee, has yet to receive the PR training but believes it is important because it provides some instruction on how to speak comfortably with the public for employees who lack experience doing so.

“Some people might think about the training in a twisted way, [...] but I don’t think about it in that way,” Rory told the Tribune. “I’ve seen the [executive] committee interact with

the public, and they seem to be very comfortable and eloquent.”

Aimy Croner, U4 Arts, thinks the PR training is beneficial to students working for SSMU and the student body at large. As a student who recently started working at McGill, she felt unprepared for certain tasks and believes that this type of training would help her learn the skills not taught in the classroom setting.

“I think that [PR training] is a really interesting initiative,” Croner said. “ It would take away that barrier. Like, I know that SSMU is for the students, but some people might [not] really know about it and might think that it’s still part of the institution of McGill. So you have a small barrier there in terms of ‘I don’t want to say something wrong.’”

Kateri Duranceau, U1 Arts, echoed Croner’s sentiments about the training having the potential to increase transparency, but she worries that SSMU executives would prioritize PR-safe strategies over promptly resolving problems brought to their attention by students.

“I think it’s important to learn how to communicate with customers [....] But also, I think it could give an excuse to people to just not really do their job [well],” Duranceau told the Tribune. “So it’s important but in moderation.”

The Tribune did not receive further information regarding the PR training, including the budget set aside for the advisor’s salary.

*Rory’s name has been changed to preserve their anonymity.

Interfaith panel discusses impacts of Bill 21 and discrimination in Quebec

Speakers unpack the law’s disproportionate effect on Muslim, Sikh, and Jewish people

Angélique Gouws

Contributor

On March 10, students and legal professionals convened in New Chancellor Day Hall for a conference titled “Law & Faith: Bill 21 and Religious Discrimination.” The event, put on by the McGill Christian Law Students’ Association (CLSA), the McGill Jewish Law Students’ Association (JLSA), and the McGill Muslim Law Students’ Association (MLSA), was an opportunity for those in the legal field to discuss the implications of Bill 21 for people

of faith.

Bill 21, one of the most controversial Bills currently active in Quebec, prohibits public servants in Quebec from wearing religious symbols. Doctors, police officers, judges, teachers, and prison guards are not allowed to wear visible markers of their religion while performing their duties. Pre-existing religious public structures, however, are not subject to the Bill.

Frank Schlesinger, who is Jewish, is a lawyer for Spiegel Sohmer and a former judge. He explained that structures such as the cross on Mount Royal, crucifixes around Montreal,

and streets beginning with “Saint” are still allowed under the legislation.

“In a way, it tends to indicate that people other than Christians are not entitled to have visible symbols, [and the government] will keep the old ones,” Schlesinger said in an interview with The McGill Tribune Derek Ross, Nour Farhat, and Schlesinger sat on the first panel, which delved into Bill 21. Ross, the executive director of the Christian Legal Fellowship, was the first to speak on the hypocrisy of the Bill.

“[Bill 21] effectively excludes religious people from public service,” Ross said. “Simply saying that a law advances neutrality doesn’t actually mean that it [does].”

Farhat, a Muslim lawyer who wears a hijab, explained that Bill 21 impacts Muslim women first and foremost—women who are already at a heightened risk of being discriminated against and are more likely to be victims of assault. The dangerous implications of the Bill have manifested as an increase in hate-fuelled incidents across the province since its adoption in 2019.

“Legislations have an impact on how the population reacts to minority groups and marginalized groups.” Farhat said.

A survey by the Association for Canadian Studies found that 78 per cent of Muslim women in Quebec feel less accepted as members of society since Bill 21 was implemented. The same survey found that 53 per cent of Muslim women had heard prejudiced comments about Muslims from the people around them, and 47 per cent of Muslim women reported being discriminated against by an authority figure.

“It is clear that this law is aimed at a specific group—mainly Muslim women,” Schlesinger added. “If you do not meet the norm of homogenization, you cannot participate fully in Quebec society.”

The second panel centred around being religious in Quebec. Speakers Victor MunizFratcelli, Ted Goloff, and Mariam Hammodi shared their experiences of being people of faith in the legal profession and how their religious identity has impacted them and their careers.

As the only veiled woman in her program at Université de Montréal, Hammodi explained that wearing the hijab has always come with unsolicited attention and questions.

“We sometimes feel this responsibility to answer questions in regards to religion,” Hammodi said. “I’m pretty sure [certain questions] would not have been asked to a Muslim colleague of mine that wasn’t wearing a veil [....] People [should] not be forced to make a choice between their [religion and profession].”

Andrea Sim of the CLSA, Fatima Beydoun of the MSLA, and Jonathan Zrihen of the JLSA helped organize the panel, and met with the Tribune before the event.

“This is our fourth interfaith collaborative event together,” Sim explained. “The time was right in terms of shining a light on [Bill 21] [to] come together and focus on highlighting not only the faith-based discrimination, [but also] the legal arguments to not only students but also admin […], such as [Brittany] Williams, [Assistant Dean (Students) and Dean’s Lead, Black and Indigenous Flourishing].”

In addition to the budget spent on incoming executives’ training, SSMU pays the PR advisor a part-time salary. (Shireen Aamir / The McGill Tribune)

Derek Ross says the government must remain neutral in matters of religion, but believes that neutrality shouldn’t mean that people of faith are actively excluded. (mcgill.MLSA)

TUESDAY, MARCH 14 2023

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Three meals a day keep the protests away

The McGill Tribune Editorial Board

Fifteen dollars for a box of raspberries. Eleven for a slice of pizza. Eight for a package of popcorn. This is the reality for students eating at McGill cafeterias. On March 7, Let’s Eat McGill, a collective of concerned student activists, held an assembly to discuss and mobilize around the food affordability crisis at McGill. The campus-wide uproar illustrates the difficulties exorbitant food prices cause for students and demonstrates that McGill must support student-led initiatives while also using the vast fiscal resources at its disposal to end the food crisis on campus.

High food prices have extensive, detrimental effects on McGill students. Many students are unable to eat three meals a day, resulting in food insecurity, which is associated with increased physical and mental distress, such as higher rates of binge eating and other eating disorders. On top of rising rent and intense class schedules, this physical and mental toll on students has dire economic implications: Students are often forced to pay over $20 for a single meal at the university they pay thousands of dollars in tuition to attend.

OFF THE BOARD

Wendy Zhao Features Editor

McGill directs most of its food services to students living in traditional and hotel-style residences. With the exception of Solin Hall and the MORE Houses, students are forced to pay for a $6,200 meal plan, which the Food and Dining Services website reiterates still does not cover all meals for the academic year. Students hoping to live in residence encounter a coercive system where they must decide between forgoing the traditional residence experience or paying incredibly high prices for a meal plan that fails to cover three meals a day. To end this continued coercion, students must be given an opt-out option from the meal plan if they choose to live in residence and want to have control over their own nutrition.

The crisis students face at the Macdonald campus epitomizes the university’s indifference toward student well-being. Despite providing fresh and sustainable produce for all of McGill, students at Macdonald campus are currently stuck in a food desert after the only grocery store in SainteAnne-de-Bellevue shut down. Over 600 students must now take a McGillchartered shuttle scheduled once a week to go to the nearest grocery store a few towns over. With the discovery

of asbestos in several of the campus buildings, this crisis intensified and decreased the number of on-campus eateries to only one of two, The Ceilidh, whose restaurant closes at 3 p.m.

It is unacceptable that McGill offers nothing more to Macdonald campus students when the nearest grocery store is accessible only by shuttle bus or car. Shuttle buses do not make up for the university’s negligence. If McGill does not immediately ensure that all dietary needs are met, then students should not be allowed to live there..

In response to student outcry, the university recently announced plans to implement an “all-you-care-toeat” (AYCTE) model, that will allow students to enter cafeterias for a flat rate and eat as much as they wish. Not enough information has been made available, however, about how the system would function or the plan’s prices. Without addressing costs, the AYCTE will not tackle the main problem facing students: Unreasonable pricing.

McGill must follow the lead of universities across the country willing to put their money into the needs of students. Concordia University and the University of British Columbia

have both subsidized rising food costs amidst inflation and are funding student-run grocery stores and cafés. Meanwhile, food prices at McGill are sometimes 200 per cent higher than those of neighbouring grocery stores and restaurants.

McGill blames inflation for the high food prices and argues that the costs are out of its control. This argument, however, does not hold up when McGill has an almost $1.9 billion endowment fund. Although it may upset shareholders, the university must use its immense wealth—much of which is student tuition funds—to subsidize food prices. .

Apart from dipping into its endowment fund, McGill must also highlight student-led initiatives instead of outsourcing to private companies. Students have created innovative ways to combat the crisis such as Midnight Kitchen, a collective providing cheap meals to students that deserves to have its fee increase pass during the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Winter referendum. Like Concordia, McGill should fund student-led initiatives and prioritize students in decision-making because they know how to feed themselves—if only their university would let them.

Accounting for oneself and others

ineptitude.

In my first year at McGill, my academic naiveté made me anxious and self-centred. I was convinced that good writing was a product of genius forged in solitude. When tasked with an essay, a tinge of shame came in reiterating the ideas of other scholars and writers. Citation in those first few months often came at the end of my essay writing process, always an afterthought—the bibliography felt like a confession of my intellectual

I soon learned that I had missed the whole point. Now, in my last year of university, a long and sprawling “Works Cited” page brings me satisfaction. Citation lays out the constellations of labour and love behind an individual and their work. Any student who has toiled through a research paper knows that before you can say anything of value, there comes the more arduous and vital task of understanding what others have said before you. The personal voice can only go so far. When it gestures and tunes in, rather, to a varied chorus of those who have preceded it, we can find mutual respect and insight in speaking the same vocabulary and echoing one’s own academic and creative investments.

On the topic of citational practices, I can look to Sara Ahmed, who first wrote on the inequity of citation in academia, or read Moya and Trudy Bailey who first coined the term misogynoir. To learn how to inhabit a shared language, I can reference Fred Moten and Wu Tsang’s collaborative works that quote messages, emails, and edits exchanged between the pair during their creative processes.

These writers advocate for citational practices that recognize citation as a technology of violence in academia. It is not incidental, for example, that a 2018 survey of syllabuses conducted by The McGill Daily on the Department of Political Science at McGill found that 86 per cent of the 300 authors polled were white and 75 per cent were men. In a 2018 episode of CBC’s Unreserved podcast, Indigenous scholars Kyle Powys Whyte and Sarah Hunt shared that Indigenous scholars are pressured to cite white male scholars and Western academic knowledge in order to legitimize their work. In research-centred universities like McGill, where citation is a measure for tenure, citational practices that obscure the labour of marginalized scholars translate into the material gaps within classrooms and faculty. Ahmed makes this key point: Citation is an act of selection, not a natural mirror of a discipline’s history or its core figures.

Though most commonly encountered through the bibliography and the university as an institution, citational practice manifests in our habits of engagement with others beyond the ivory walls. If we keep our

sources of knowledge institutionally bound, we neglect the vast majority of racialized and lower-income people who don’t have the privilege of being legitimized. I like it when I’m able to quote and give authority to a friend when sharing an anecdote or a piece of advice. I also enjoy learning about my friends’ own sources of wisdom, as this makes me more equipped to converse with them and critique them if I disagree. When shared, knowledge of any kind and the interpersonal networks that uphold it expand in reach only through decisive acts of conversation and commitment with and to one another.

Centring citation as a practice both within and outside of academia has made me more aware of my own agency in the sources of knowledge I choose to engage with and pass on. I’ve become more hesitant to opine hastily, though I no longer see this as a failing. Now in my last year at McGill, when writing an essay or talking with a friend, rather than seeking to immediately share a testament to my own unique knowledge, I think it’s enough to faithfully quote an idea that I see value in, or merely put it in conversation with another.

Toward flourishing for Black profs at McGill

institution.

Genevieve Downing Contributor

In 2020, Black professors represented just 0.5 per cent of McGill’s entire teaching staff, adding up to only 10 professors in total. As of today, though the number is up to 28, little improvement has been made and the percentage remains a paltry 1.6 per cent. To end the underrepresentation of Black profs, the university must both prioritize the hiring of more Black professors and create an inclusive environment that ensures they will not leave McGill for a more supportive

While McGill is taking steps in the right direction, they are not large enough to make waves in the makeup of the teaching population. McGill has outlined plans to hire 85 Black tenure-track professors by 2032, with an interim target of 40 professors by 2025. While this is certainly an improvement, this number is meagre in comparison to the 1,800-plus professors who teach at the university.

A lack of Black professors working with methodologies from Black studies leads to less diversity in thoughts and opinions presented to students, resulting in

a Eurocentric education that fails to reflect the society it serves. The lack of diversity also deeply affects Black students who do not see themselves represented in the field within which they are being instructed. When Black students are already dramatically underrepresented, McGill has the top-down and bottom-up responsibility of making the institution more reflective of Montreal’s demographics. The cycle of bias caused by a lack of a well-rounded and diverse education can only be broken when students––and faculty embedded in the institution––are educated in ways that disrupt it. In hiring, this means not only looking beyond institutions that have excluded Black scholars, but bringing first-generation and lower-income Black professors, queer and trans Black scholars, Black women and feminist thinkers, and Black Caribbean and African professors to the forefront.

Beyond the startling underrepresentation, McGill cannot continue to subject Black professors to poor and racist work conditions. What benefit would it be to bring a Black scholar into an institution that enacts more violence onto them, that works to silence them into the minority? McGill looks the way it does precisely because it disregards nonWestern knowledge systems and bears the name of a merchant who enslaved Black and Indigenous people. One of McGill’s former professors of art history, Charmaine Nelson, left McGill because it was not a safe space

COMMENTARY

Monique Kasonga Staff Writer

Continued from page 1.

to exist and thrive as a Black woman, citing that a separate space for Black students and professors must exist to uplift community and solidarity.

When Black faculty, staff, and students have raised their voices time and time again, institutional changes have followed. The Dr. Kenneth Melville Black Faculty and Staff Caucus was founded to foster a supportive environment for both educators and students. McGill has also provided a Black staff toolkit, listing the resources available to Black faculty in an effort to further improve their previously fraught support system. McGill must move past a curriculum that largely upholds white supremacy and ensure that their working conditions foster actively anti-racist spaces in which white professors’ institutional power is checked so they do not bully, block, or banish their new colleagues.

McGill must move to centre cluster hirings and a quota system so that Black scholars do not enter its all-white spaces alone. It is crucial for all of us, across axes of difference, to push for better representation and retention of Black scholars, students, and brilliance. When a massive student body is not met with diversity within the classroom, we cannot trust our education to offer us tools to combat racism, settler colonialism, and white supremacy. McGill must become a more active ally for its Black community and that starts by making sure they have space to grow and flourish within and beyond its walls.

Black history isn’t one uniform experience

When discussing Black history, the narrative is often dominated by only African and African-American history, which excludes the whole Black diaspora that encompasses people of African origin living in the Americas as a result of slavery or other forms of displacement and

migration. Taking diversity in education seriously means offering several courses that allow for a wide range of study of Black people and their experiences, throughout various places and eras. Inclusivity does not simply stop at offering a few courses to meet the demand. McGill must first have courses that recognize and incorporate both the transnationality of global Blackness and the uniqueness of Black experiences, methodologies, and epistemologies, before reworking

the constricting structures that prevent students from taking these courses.

Many African studies professors have themselves informally expressed problems with course names in the department. The many differences amongst African nations make it difficult to study the entire continent. Thus, professors often select certain regions to focus on. While this helps fix the problem of generalizing and essentializing life on the continent, it would be preferable for students to select their courses depending on the region they will be studying, as is the case for other departments. Modifying course titles to reflect the real geographical focus of the course would hold departments accountable while shedding light on the various gaps in African course content. When departments only focus on a few issues as representative of the whole––the Rwandan genocide or apartheid in South Africa, for example––they lose and misconstruct the multivocality of African politics, culture, and society.

On top of the undifferentiated study of Africa at McGill, Caribbean communities and Caribbean diaspora communities are also ignored. In Montreal, where long-established Black immigrants have historically been from the Caribbean, ignoring this crucial part of the Black diaspora undermines both solidarity across the world and students’ understandings of anti-colonial networks. One of the

most significant cultural communities in Quebec is the Haitian community, and having a course studying their involvement in politics and their various accomplishments would provide students with a well-rounded understanding of the Black history of the province they reside in.

In 2021, McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario introduced a course on the Black Caribbean and its diasporas. Though the Afro-Caribbean diaspora is frequently excluded from these discussions across numerous movements, taking up, for instance, art and resistance in the Jamaican or Martinican diasporas would crucially revise our understanding of Black history, and the hardships and triumphs that still impact communities today. If McGill is truly committed to giving students a wellrounded education, the university must challenge the “comfortable” or “easy” approaches to Black History found in prevalent exclusive narratives.

A litany of voices were silenced throughout history, and ought to be heard today. The lack of Black history-related courses and accurate studies on Africa is evidence of the settler colonial and antiBlack underpinnings of the Canadian educational system. McGill must broaden its course offerings to reflect the richness of Black history on the African continent, and to bolster representation for all Black people.

In 2023, McGill will employ around 28 Black professors for an undergraduate population of 27,085 students. (Guilherme Duarte Garcia).

Education around Black history often excludes many communities of the broader African diaspora. (Adrian Hillman).

McGill exoplanet specialist recognized for outstanding work in astrophysics

Professor Eve Lee named recipient of 2022 Vainu Bappu Gold Medal

Harrison Yamada Staff Writer

Last month, the Astronomical Society of India awarded McGill physics professor Eve Lee the 2022 Vainu Bappu Gold Medal for her work in astrophysics. The award honours young astronomers—typically under 35—for their exceptional achievements and potential.

Lee’s work focuses on exoplanets, which are planets that orbit around other stars in solar systems outside Milky Way. Studying the behaviours of exoplanets can provide information about the origin of our own solar system, including the conditions necessary for creating life—something Lee finds particularly fascinating.

“I am very much motivated by all the interesting and unexplained patterns and trends we see in the observed properties of exoplanets,” Lee said in an interview with The McGill Tribune

Many of the patterns and trends Lee studies manifest in the way planets form, grow, and organize themselves. Relationships between the masses of planets and their host stars, or the chemical composition of exoplanet atmospheres and cores, are just some of the topics that Lee researches.

One of the challenges of astrophysics, however, is building experiments since the systems being studied are too huge and too far away to manipulate in a lab.

The nearest star, excluding the sun, is Proxima Centauri b and it is over four light-years away,

meaning that radio communication of a single message would take over four years. Comparatively, the farthest object ever sent into space, Voyager 1, has travelled less than one per cent of that distance.

To circumvent this issue and not stall research, Lee and other astronomers depend on telescope observations to gather information. Techniques such as spectroscopy—matching colours of light signals observed by telescopes to the elements known to emit those signals—can be used to gain insights about the material composition of exoplanets that cannot be directly measured.

Another common technique, called the radial-velocity method, uses the change in light signals from moving exoplanets to determine how quickly planets are moving. This change is quantified by the Doppler Effect, a measurable difference in the light emitted by an object moving away, as compared to an object moving closer. By comparing the light emitted by exoplanets at different parts of their orbit, astronomers can figure out details such as the planet’s orbital velocities and distance from host stars.

Using data like these, Lee tries to piece together more complex inferences about how exoplanets are formed, what they’re made of, and how they behave.

Lee has conducted her research at institutions across Canada and the United States, including the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Toronto, and McGill, ever since she completed her undergraduate studies in 2011.

According to Lee, she learned many of her

most important research skills as an undergraduate.

“In research, it is important to come up with multiple ways to verify one’s result, and so coming up with various sanity checks is something I tried to build on since my undergraduate years and it is also what I emphasize to the students in my group,” Lee said. “In addition, I would say patience and tenacity in carrying out research is also an important quality that can be built from undergraduate years.”

As for navigating the world of academia and the challenges that she faces as a woman in the male-dominated field of astrophysics, Lee credited

support from mentors over the years.

“I was very fortunate to have had numerous mentors throughout my academic career, with whom I still keep in touch. I think having this network of mentorship helped me navigate various challenges I came across,” Lee said.

Lee feels honoured to receive the Vainu Bappu award.

“Receiving this award is a good opportunity to have students and junior scientists be excited about the research being done in my group and also more broadly to motivate them to pursue what they are interested in.”

SciTech Presents: A Pi Day Pie Recipe

A simple apple pie recipe to help you celebrate math’s biggest day of the year

Ella Paulin Science & Technology Editor

Happy Pi Day! In a break from our regularly-scheduled McGill research coverage, The McGill Tribune’s Science & Technology section brings you one of our favourite apple pie recipes to celebrate an iconic day. Pi is a mathematical constant that represents the ratio of a circle’s diameter to its circumference. Crust us when we say that as science enthusiasts, we have the most awe-ins-pie-ring recipe to fill your day.

Ingredients

For the crust:

• π cups of flour

• π tsp of sugar

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 ¼ cups shortening

• ¼ cup butter

• 1 egg

• 1 tbsp vinegar

• 4-6 tbsp cold water

For the filling:

• 6-7 Granny Smith apples

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• ½ cup sugar

• 2 tbsp flour

• 2 tsp cinnamon

Start by making the crust:

• Mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, and salt) together.

• Combine the butter and shortening with the dry ingredients. Cut the fat into 1-inch chunks and then use a fork or two knives to cut it into the flour mix. You can also use a food processor if you have one on hand. Either way, you’re looking for a crumbly texture, which has small chunks of fat that are not larger than a pea.

• Once you have the butter all mixed in, add the egg, vinegar, and 4 tbsp of cold water. If the dough is a little too dry, add water bit by bit until you can easily shape it into a sphere—make Archimedes proud.

• Shape the dough into two discs, cover each with cling wrap, and refrigerate for half an hour.

While the crust is chilling, preheat the oven to 400°F, and prepare the apples:

• Peel the apples and cut them into practically two-dimensional semi-circles.

• Put your apples into a bowl and mix in the lemon juice, sugar, flour, and cinnamon, as well as some ginger, nutmeg, or allspice if you want.

• Toss until the apples are coated and set aside.

Once the half-hour is up, you can begin assembling.

• Take one of the discs of dough out of the fridge. Put some parchment paper down underneath the dough and another layer on top to stop it from sticking to the rolling pin. It won’t hurt to put some flour on the parchment paper as well. Roll the dough out until it is several inches wider than your pie tin.

• Lift the parchment paper off the table, taking the top layer of paper off, and rotate it 180 degrees into the pie tin, trying to centre the crust in the pan. You should then be able to peel the remaining parchment paper off the crust fairly easily.

• Once the crust is on the pie tin, gently press it into the inner corners.

• Repeat the rolling process with the second disc of dough. Do this before you add the apples so the bottom crust doesn’t get soggy if you take a while to roll out the top.

• Pour the apple mixture into the pie plate, taking care not to pour in any liquid that has

collected in it.

• Place the second crust on top and cut off any excess, leaving a fringe of about one centimetre. Crimp the crust however you like. One popular option is to press the tines of a fork into the crust around the circumference of the pie tin. You can also press the fringe of the crust between your thumb and your first two fingers in order to create a small V-shape, and then continue this pattern around the edge, trying your best to emulate your high school calculus teacher’s sine

wave graphs. Either way, the important thing is to press the bottom and top crust together to create a seal.

• Make a couple of slits in the top crust of the pie with a sharp knife so hot air can escape while baking.

• Bake at 400°F for 40-50 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. If it looks like the crust may burn, turn the heat down to 350°F or cover the edge of the crust with some tin-foil.

• Allow the pie to cool for half an hour and enjoy!

Our solar system formed from a massive cloud of space debris and hydrogen gas. Gravitational forces moulded this cloud into a disk, and eventually into planets and a sun, over the course of 4.5 billion years. (Eve Lee / NASA)

So far, scientists have calculated 62.8 trillion digits of pi, but there are many more to go! (Julia Buckle/ The McGill Tribune)

Growing up, I dreaded going to India every summer. The prospect of leaving France to spend two months in the heavy heat, shuttling from one family member to another, and having to speak Tamil brought me nothing but anguish and desperation for cancelled flights. My resentment of my Indian identity extended to every aspect of my life. I would doggedly refuse to address my mom in Tamil, cry for hours to avoid wearing a churidar, and sulk on our way to the temple. Apart from my mom’s cooking, I rejected every link to my Indianness—I just wanted to be a French kid.

Despite my obstinance, one memory from my annual stays remained with me: The Chennai train station. Ironically, I first encountered it in France, on the screen. Among the few Indian movies my parents and I ever watched was Madrasapattinam a historical romantic drama set in Chennai—then called Madras—at the time of Independence.

I was about six years old when I first saw Chennai with my own eyes. Years later, my memories of that first visit are still visceral, as if it was just yesterday when our cab drove out of the Chennai Central Station and into the chaos of the city. Al though modern-day Chennai is far different from the 1940s colonial setting of the movie, the station and its clock tower, where the two lov ers fought for their impossible love, stood still in time. Everything was just like I imagined it to be. For the first time in my life, I recognized a piece of myself in India. The memory of Madrasapattinam gradually faded as I grew up. What was once my favourite movie and the core of my nascent Indian iden tity became more and more difficult to grasp. Summers in India went by, each one more alienating than the last as a growing language bar rier—an invisible wall—stood between my family and me. Every word I pronounced was tainted with a sharp French ac cent I couldn’t even notice un til I was asked to repeat myself. Slowly, this fear of making a fool of myself, of being unable to prove myself worthy and legitimate of my Tamil heri tage, led me to lose it. While my younger self—the one who would dream of roaming the streets of 1947 Chennai— spoke a charmingly flawed but intelligible Tamil, what was once my mother tongue faded to be nothing more than just my mother’s tongue.

Yet, I remind myself that language preservation is a product of transmission, not a signifier of cultural identity. Growing up with a multicultural upbringing, my Tamil dad and my elder sister both spoke to me exclusively in French, while my mom used a mix of both languages, a sweet in-between that now sounds just like home to me. My own experience is far from unique, and is merely just the reflection of a larger trend among second-generation immigrants across the world. In 2006, a study by Statistics Canada found that only 55 per cent of Canadian children born to immigrants could communicate in their parents’ native language.

This loss of heritage often goes hand-in-hand with a sense of guilt and resentment. As I look at my mom for help with panicked eyes while her father—my only remain

for immigrant communities. Under the guise of Equality, France refuses to see our colours, washing over our individual distinctions. France neglects our identity with such tenacity that it is even illegal to collect statistics indicating directly or indirectly the racial or ethnic origins of persons. By forcing its universalist ideals on communities, France drives cultural loss for second-generation immigrants. Nonwhite French citizens like me tend to push their ethnic background aside and stress their Frenchness to assert their right to exist in every space and belong in society. In the eyes of many, often white, French citizens, opposing the

daily that I won the lottery—and my experiences are merely anecdotes compared to the financial struggles

சென்னை

The path of self-discovery through universalism and

Written by Chloé Sandanakichenane

endured by many other second-generation immigrants. Like many children of immigrants, I have had my “lunchbox moment”. I made sure to never use my hands when eating with my non-Indian peers—I know

of labourers would be from South Asian and South-East Asian countries,” Jaime told me. “Financial sit-

REMAINS OF CENTRAL

self-discovery and multiculturalism

uation in this case did matter. My family was pretty financially stable and so our experience would differ compared to someone who was less financially stable.”

By limiting representation of immi

U2 Science, grew up in Montreal but still sees the city “through the eyes of a Tamil kid.” She echoes Jaime, having witnessed how assimilating into the dominant culture comes with its own financial and mental costs.

“When it comes to integrating into a new culture, to be able to go out and experience culture, to partake in activities with colleagues, to be able to look the part, all of this gets harder when you’re not part of the same class because you also need to afford these things, not just in money but in time and energy as well,” Perinpanathan said.

“When you’re part of the same culture, you’re already in the same boat and it becomes easier to relate to

integrated into my French community. Every time I lack the words to sing along to the songs my French friends play, I find myself back in this “cultural void” scaffolded by the bits and pieces I picked up from both worlds. If you asked me today if I’d rather be French or Indian, I would tell you a thousand times that I’d rather be both. But being in touch with both sides of one’s cultural identities as a child of immigrants is not innate. It requires time, introspection, and a little bit of a spark. For me, I found these in Montreal. A couple months ago, my best friend and I were cooking baingan bharta while listening to Indian music (at his request). Everything, all of a sudden, felt as though I were six years old again. My music on shuffle, I did not expect to hear Madrasapattinam’s theme song come out of my

similar experience of self-discovery for Dhanishta Ambwani, U2 Science. Ambwani grew up in New Brunswick with Indian parents, but found more opportunities to commune with her Indian culture here.

“It’s just so amazing to […] be friends with people with similar experiences [...], and with whom I can relate on completely different levels,” Ambwani said. “I think being in university, and in an environment where there are classes […] that focus on my rich cultural history also helped me become more interested to learn more about my culture. I definitely feel more connected with my culture right now than I have ever felt before.”

In Montreal, my feeling of belonging to the Indian community has similarly been reinforced through academia. Being here at McGill gave me the opportunity to explore South Asian politics, studying topics that I would not in a million years be able to learn about in France. One essay at a time, Montreal and McGill bring me closer to my roots and give me the legitimacy to speak about my country—even if it is not in perfect Tamil. My academic interest in India was initially performative—piqued by the conviction that it would differentiate me from my peers. But, as I fell down a rabbit hole of politics and history, a more authentic kinship with my parents’ home country emerged. I found a fascination in studying the 1947 Partition that tore India apart and drenched it in blood, breaking up families and pulling apart lovers, separating Arya and Amy forever in independent Madras.

As unbelievable as this may seem to my younger self, I now look forward to going to India. I may not be as Indian as my blood says, but I will never be as French as my passport declares me to be, either. Stuck in this in-between, I choose not to choose, and to love both. I know that, somewhere in Chennai Central’s clock tower, time stands still—and the little piece it took of me as a child will always remain.

*Name has been changed to preserve anonymity.

Design by Shireen Aamir, Design Editor

Sandanakichenane , Opinion Editor

Making soup with methane, vitamin D, mRNA, and shellfish waste

McGill researchers give rapid-fire presentations at 35th edition of Soup and Science

Ali Baghirov, Atticus O’Rourke Rusin Staff Writers

Russel Ismael, Ella Paulin Science & Technology Editors

The 35th semesterly Soup & Science was one for the books, with top-notch student and professor research presentations accompanied by delectable soup. The McGill Tribune brings you the presentations we liked best for a little taste of the event.

Improving mRNA resilience by combining it with other molecules

U4 chemistry student Sally Yao presented her research about the instability of nucleic acidss, which are the gene-storing molecules that form DNA and RNA.

“From COVID, many of us are familiar with therapeutic nucleic acids, which are mRNA vaccines,” Yao explained. “Despite its great efficacy in treating diseases […] the biggest limitation is that it’s really unstable under ambient temperature.”

Because mRNA vaccines cannot be stored above a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, communities in hot or remote areas have limited access to them. The same instability causes mRNA from COVID-19 vaccines to degrade in our bodies over time, meaning that we may have to take more booster shots, exhausting our immune systems.

Yao’s research endeavours to bind nucleic acids to poly-A, a chain of nucleotides in mRNA, to form a three-stranded molecule that our cells cannot degrade. Perfecting this will solve the myriad issues of mRNA vaccine storage, like temperature and expiration dates.

Sustainably processing shellfish waste

Chemistry professor Audrey Moores presented her research on finding ways to sustainably process discarded shells from the shellfish industry.

“If I look at the province of Quebec, we estimate that we generated about 14,000 tons of the [shellfish] waste every year, which is humongous. And right now, we don’t do anything with that waste,” Moores said. “This is a missed opportunity because these materials can actually give rise to value-added materials.”

Moores’ research could lead to a sustainable, practical way to handle shellfish that would help limit the environmental impact of leaving huge piles of shells along shores. It

would also allow us to make use of the valuable components present in shells.

“They contain nitrogen-containing molecules, which is very rare for stuff coming from nature,” said Moores. “This can be interesting because it has some cool applications in the biomedical area, for instance.”

How do experiences of racism impact longterm health?

Darius Scott, an assistant professor in the Department of Geography, spoke about his work mapping the relationship between health outcomes and people’s experiences of stigmatization and racism, as well as their perceptions of how accepting their environment is.

“In thinking about stigma and health, again, there’s so many factors or so many outcomes that are associated with stigma,” Scott said. “I’m just starting here in Montreal, seeking out Black, gender, and social minority adults, and the impacts of past and recent stigmatizing experiences on their perceptions of the city.”

In the past, he has conducted studies asking similar questions in the American South, making discoveries that inform and motivate his research here in Montreal. Some findings indicated that experiences of stigmatization can have long-lasting effects on how individuals, Black gay men in particular, felt about their communities.

“The folks I was working with suggested that even if you live in an environment that’s more accepting, past experiences of stigma can be so persistent in dictating your perception of your present-day environment,” Scott said.

Stable isotope biogeochemistry and paleoclimatology

Associate professor Peter Douglas’ research focuses on the role of methane emissions in global warming, both in wild environments, such as natural landscapes in northern Quebec, and populated towns.

Methane is a focus of climate change research because it warms the atmosphere 32 times faster than carbon dioxide (CO2).

“While there is a lot more CO2, methane has a very big impact on the atmosphere—it accounts for about 25 per cent of anthropogenic global warming,” Douglas said during his presentation.

Large amounts of carbon are stored in permafrost—permanently frozen soil that is common in Canada.

“We’re worried that as the planet warms,

this is going to release carbon [from permafrost] in the environment and it is going to turn into CO2 and methane,” Douglas added.

His team found, using radioactive carbon isotope dating, that methane in the environment is actually derived from “younger” carbon compared to other carbon-based emissions. This is because “almost all [methane] is coming from human operations, with some coming from tailings ponds and some from bitumen mining.”

Community relationships to governmental conservation efforts

Associate professor of geography Brian Robinson’s research focuses on the way communities use the environment to implement conservation efforts that target highly exploited areas.

Robinson’s research specifically looks at how communities in China interact with the environment. His data found that low-socioeconomic status communities were more likely to depend on their natural surroundings for their livelihoods.

Another focus is how governmental policies and institutions affect the environment, focusing on agricultural subsidies. China passed legislation to compensate herders who limited their livestock numbers in an attempt to preserve regional grasslands. Robinson studied this policy to determine the size of its ecological impact.

He found that payments were insufficient to cover the losses that herders incurred as a result of downsizing their livestock and that the Chinese government would need to increase their payments in order to see larger benefits from the program.

Randomness in infinite dimensions

Mathematics professor Linan Chen studies what comprises “randomness” through probability regarding concepts with “infinite dimension.”

“We can think of dimension as a degree of freedom,” Chen said. “A line only has one degree of freedom, while a plane has two dimensions, so you have two degrees of freedom [...] we’re going to see infinite dimensional randomness—all of them related to geometry.”

Chen explained that you would need to “put an infinite degree of randomness” to get a truly random curve.

“In fact, nature has given us the best answer,” Chen said. “Robert Brown was a botanist who put [...] pollen on top of water’s surface, and as the water molecules kick and bounce off,

the pollen moves across the water’s surface, leaving a [zig-zag-like route.]”

Brownian motion can be found in water molecules diffusing through a cell membrane, and it’s different from other curves like a sine wave because there are infinite degrees of randomness found within Brownian curves.

Links between vitamin D and autoimmunity

Physiology professor John White presented his research about how vitamin D deficiency in childhood affects autoimmunity later in life, discerning that it can lead to Type 1 diabetes or multiple sclerosis.

“The clinical evidence suggests that vitamin D is influencing the process in the thymus called negative T-cell selection, in which Tcells of the immune system that recognize the ‘self’—anything that you produce, [and] for the most part, proteins—as a foreign invader, [rendering them] immunologically innocuous,” White said.

Autoimmune regulators (AIREs) are proteins that drive gene transcription for every protein encoded in your thymus. Vitamin D’s role in the thymus was unknown until White discovered it’s a cofactor with AIREs, as it assists AIREs in chemical reactions.

“Vitamin D stimulates the transcription of a number of genes that are regulated by AIRE,” White said. “This puts vitamin D at the heart of the critical transcriptional events that are necessary to control negative T-cell selection.”

Evaluating aptamers as DNA repair inhibitors

U3 pharmacology student Antoine Moitessier’s research involves using aptamers— DNA or RNA strands that can fold into a threedimensional structure and bind to target molecules, such as proteins—as cancer-preventing agents.

Moitessier seeks to understand how current therapeutic methods for cancer, like chemotherapy, involve DNA denaturation and also take a large toll on patients’ overall health.

“[DNA denaturation] is toxic to cells, [so] the idea is that they will also be toxic to cancer cells as well, but they, of course, have many side effects,” Moitessier explained.

Aptamers should inhibit DNA polymerase beta from repairing damaged cells with cancerous cells, preventing the cancer’s growth. Moitessier focused on aptamers because of their high affinity, which means they bind ‘tightly’ to targets, and high specificity, since they attach to only a certain cell type. As opposed to chemotherapy, aptamers will not cause cell death.

Almost all human mutations happen because of transcription mistakes in the non-coding region of our DNA. (Margo Berthier / The McGill Tribune)

Human diet is notoriously vitamin D deficient. Most of it will come from supplements (Jack Neal / The McGill Tribune)

Preserving life, drop by drop McGill’s on-campus blood drive offers students a convenient way to donate blood

Melissa Carter Staff Writer

On March 6 and 7, McGill’s on-campus blood drive provided students with a productive activity between classes: Donating blood. The drive was brought to students through a collaboration between the McGill Students’ Blood Donation Association (MSBDA), the Medicine, Education, and Development for Low-Income Families Everywhere (MEDLIFE), the Medical Students’ Society (MSS), Nurses for Community Service, and Héma-Quebec.

In Quebec, someone needs a blood transfusion every 80 seconds, meaning that the province needs 1,000 blood donations daily to account for patient needs. Over merely two days, the blood drive collected blood from over 100 students.

Cyril Kazan, U3 Science, is the president of the MSBDA, an organization that he founded in 2021 in response to the lack of blood supply in Quebec during the pandemic. The club focuses on recruiting blood donors, recruiting plasma donors, and raising awareness for blood-related issues such as sickle cell anemia.

Kazan explained in an interview with The McGill Tribune that the closest fixed blood donation centre is a 30-minute metro ride away from campus, an inconvenience for students eager to donate.

“All the students complain about the 30-minute metro ride,” Kazan said. “That’s something that has made it harder for students to donate and harder for us to convince them to donate. So, having it on campus is much, much easier. Students can donate

blood just between classes, for example.”

At that week’s blood drive, giving blood was extremely simple: After booking an appointment, students headed to the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Ballroom in the University Centre to register, take an online questionnaire, donate blood, and rest with some snacks. The HémaQuebec nurses were kind and patient with donors, creating a comforting and calm environment.

Although the drive was only two days long, organizers wished it could have been longer as online appointment bookings filled up fast.

Natasha Odessa Grimard, M1 and MSS representative, hopes to expand their next drive to accommodate more donors.

“One thing that we would like to do in the future is maybe a three-day instead of a two-day blood drive,” she said. “So really extend the drive or even add another blood donation zone.”

Kazan knows that many students are concerned about the safety and potential consequences of donating blood. Before the process, all patients are subjected to a blood pressure and hemoglobin test to ensure they are safe donors. However, Kazan insists that patients don’t lose anything by donating.

“Blood is something that 100 per cent regenerates. So you’re donating your blood, but in more than 50 days, all of the things that you lost, so the iron, the red blood cells, everything will be regenerated, and you’re back to normal,” Kazan said. “Except if you’ve finished your blood donation and you go run a marathon, then yeah, you’re gonna be in bad shape.”

If you’re thinking about donating blood, checking the eligibility criteria first to ensure that

You’ll never walk alone (again?)

Best podcasts for a walk to campus

Charlotte Bawol Contributor

Even if the weather is getting slightly more bearable as the days go on, walking to campus every day can take a toll. Thanks to an unfortunate sprained ankle, I’ll be avoiding the trek, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know the frustrating feeling of being so bored of your music that you end up walking to campus alone with your thoughts rather than listening to “Boy’s A Liar pt.2” for the 23rd time that day. Enter podcasts: The undeniable sign that you are becoming an adult. So, keep reading for some recommendations that will last you from Mile Endto McLennan.

For podcast novices

If you’re a total podcast newbie, welcome— and don’t worry, you are in good hands. A great place to start, and where I personally started with podcasts, is WNYCs Radiolab. Radiolab started as a radio broadcast and is now available in podcast format, exploring various topics related to science, philosophy, and politics. They have some riveting longer series, such as The Other Latif which chronicles Radiolab host Latif Nasser’s attempt to retrace the story of one of the world’s only other individuals named Latif Nasser, who is detainee number 244 at Guantanamo Bay. If you’re not ready to commit to a longer series, they offer really interesting and incredibly random, one-off episodes, such as “The Helen Keller Exorcism,” which is not about an actual exorcism—but will totally change the way you look at Helen Keller.

For pop-culture fanatics

If you’re interested in popular culture, you should check out Sounds like a Cult. Each week, Isa Medina and Amanda Montell sit down and explore different cultural trends through the lens of a cult to shine a light on the modern-day cults we all follow. A few particularly good episodes were the cult of Trader Joe’s—guaranteed to blow your mind if you’re a frequent shopper back in the States. The cult of Elon Musk was also very insightful. Overall, the hosts’ humour and intelligence mesh wonderfully, making it feel like

you fit the blood donation criteria is essential. A few common mistakes that inhibited students from donating were having gotten a tattoo or piercing in the last three months, recent travel to a different country, or forgetting a valid form of ID (HémaQuebec volunteers recommend a passport).

Although there is not yet another on-campus blood drive to look forward to, students eager to donate blood can register for an appointment at a clinic in Montreal or stay up to date with blood donation opportunities on and around campus by

checking the MSBDA Facebook page.

Donating blood is essential to our healthcare system, and for Odessa Grimard, when it’s as easy as walking over to the SSMU building, the pros outweigh the cons.

“We need blood donated by people in order to treat other people and there’s very little way about it for a lot of cases. So of course we need people to donate blood because I would like my patients to have the greatest chance of survival. And that sounds dramatic, but that is the truth.”

you’re walking to campus while listening to your friends.

For PoliSci bros

If you’re a PoliSci bro in one of my conferences and have been having a hard time reaching your mansplaining quota of the week, do not worry, the Council on Foreign Relations has got your back with weekly episodes. The World Next Week is a podcast where hosts Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins discuss significant international affairs events and offer

important insight into how the international political community functions. The “Why It Matters Podcast” hosted by Gabrielle Sierra also offers important insight and interviews expert guests on topics such as water scarcity or the future of Africa’s population boom.

For the aspirationalists

If you’re a student who is on the verge of being the next Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, or Mark Zuckerberg, maybe ABC News’ The Dropout, hosted by Rebecca Jarvis, will make you change your mind. This incredibly well-researched and produced podcast perfectly details the story behind Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes, the alleged youngest female billionaire. And if you want to learn more after finishing the podcast, Disney+ released a miniseries by the same name, which does a great job of bringing the story to life.

For future fraudsters

If you finished The Dropout and your interest in scammers and fraudsters peaked, allow me to introduce you to Scamfluencers. Hosts Sarah Hagi and Scaachi Koul unpack different stories of the very best influencer-scammers. The Hollywood Ponzi scheme series follows Zach Horowitz as he creates nearly a $650-milliondollar Ponzi scheme involving fictitious licensing deals with HBO and Netflix in order to support his own acting career, and reveals how he eventually gets caught. Bonus points for the Canadian hosts making references to Canadian culture that make me feel like a true Canadian, despite having only lived here for less than three years.

Blood donations can be separated into each crucial component of blood—plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets—allowing one blood bag to save up to three lives. (MSBDA)

Word on the Y: McGill Yearbook Quotes

Alexa, play “Thnks

Michelle Siegel Arts & Entertainment Editor

Dear Y/N,

fr th mmrs”

Have a great summer—but also, a great life since I’m moving back to the United States and will probably never see you again! We’ve had such fun times over the last few years, going to classes (sometimes), hitting the bars (every weekend), and making memories (that I’ll refuse to tell my children about when they’re older). There’s just so much to look back on when it comes to our time at McGill—think about all the different buildings we’ve gotten to study and sob in.

“Leacock smells like a school gymnasium, and I can’t really explain it, but I think maybe I’ll miss it, but maybe not, who knows?” (Basil Atari, U2 Arts)

I will always remember the sparkling sights of McGill’s downtown campus—when it’s not covered in icy, gross snow, of course. One of my most treasured memories is sitting outside on the picnic benches near Lower Field, waiting to spot Cloudberry and all his little buddies.

“Those squirrels are really fat!” (Ruo Ning Wang, U1 Science)

And who could forget Mac campus? Well,

by Fall Out Boy

technically me, since I’ve never been.

“Mac campus should be more represented at McGill.” (Sky Castaing, U3 Science)

I know I never really talked about anything going on outside of the McGill bubble and, now that I’m graduating and leaving the country, I probably never will. But somebody should totally do that. Pour one out for all the apples, asbestos, and absence of food resources! Speaking of the which:

“Asbestos will put us back online.” (Olivia Benguigui, U2 Kinesiology)

Oh, the Zoom University days! I vaguely remember hearing about McGill’s long history of pretending student activism doesn’t exist, ignoring the needs of marginalized and disabled students, and doing the bare minimum to acknowledge the settler-colonialist history of the campus, our namesake’s rise to power, and island of Montreal.

“COVID f***** half my school year and McGill has given me nothing else, so f*** you McGill.” (Afreen Mithaiwalla, U3 Arts)

I would be remiss to talk about McGill memories without talking about what we pay the most for: Our education. I know we always sat in the back of lectures so we could play 2048 and take

A Moderately Challenging Puzzle

Theodore Yohalem Shouse Contributor

naps without the judgement of other students, but sometimes, a professor would say something so poignant it would capture even our attention.

“‘Bald is beautiful.’ —Sidney Trudeau.” (Vanessa Quinn, U2 Kinesiology).

I will always treasure the nights spent in one of our apartments, watching movies, judging people on social media, and sharpening our cooking skills by trying new flavours of ramen soup packages. For the meme, here were some of my favourite records—from our shared notes app file—of these nights:

“Don’t trust what would swallow you.” — Julian Cashwan-Pratt (Charlie Zacks, U1 Arts)

“Water off a duck’s back.” —Jinkx Monsoon (Maya Kendall, U1 Arts)

“How are you going to be a revolutionary if you’re such a traditionalist?” —La La Land (Mitchell Horwood, U4 Arts)

As we split off into the next phase of our lives, I’m not sure we’ll ever see each other in Montreal again. But it’s heartwarming to think back on how enthusiastic and optimistic we were when we first started at McGill—we are practically the inspiration for the “how it started, how it’s going”

meme format.

“McGill has been, so far, the best two years I’ve had in Montreal!” (Jade Smith, U2 Arts)

I love you so much, Y/N. You’ve been there for me through it all. But like, I wouldn’t name my kid after you, no offence. XOXO, bestie!

“I expect you to pay for my therapist after graduating.” (Alexander Joly, U1 Science)

McGill yearbooks, which stopped being produced after 2000, also included students’ hometowns. (Maeve Reilly / The McGill Tribune)

ACROSS

1. “Me day” destination

4. Verdi opera set in Egypt

8. “The Matrix” hero

11. Celestial sphere

12. Fragments

14. Kyoto cash

15. Spot to grab 1-Down on campus.

16. Actress Téa of “Madame Secretary”

18. NBA stats

19. Some sources of Canadienns broadcast

21. NYA subway org.

24. They might be sold on campus

25. “Guy” in Gatineau

26. Chamomile and rooibos

27. They used to be sold on campus

29. Subj. for non-native English speakers

30. Michelle Yeoh’s birth country

31. Give in to gravity

32. Seasons?

33. They come from the heart

37. Spherical lip balm

38. Auditorium section beneath the balcony

39. ___ Lanka

40. ___ Khan

41. Toboggan, e.g.

42. Nine-digit ID

DOWN

1. Trendy coffee order

2. Early-born babies

3. Bizarre

4. “Same here”

5. Pasta suffix

6. Kitchen sink device

7. Dr. visits

8. ___ worth

9. List ending abbr.

10. ___Kosh B’Gosh

13. Faux ___

17. Catches

20. Baby shower banner

21. Like a photon

22. They change sides

23. One with a killer job

25. Spanish painter Francisco

28. Gathered together

30. Stable mates?

31. Part of a tennis match

33. Harvard or Chicago alternative

34. Joplin piece

35. La-la lead-in

36. Before, poetically

Montreal is giving us chills—in more ways than one

Beware McGill: A ghost tour you can take at home

Ella Buckingham Staff Writer

Content warning: Descriptions of graphic violence

The idea of ghosts has been haunting humankind since ancient times. It comes from the theory that the human body and spirit are separate entities, and the spirit continues to linger on Earth after a person dies.

Haunted buildings and attractions advertising their spooky history are also sources of entertainment for many who like to experience the mystery and allure of the unknown. Aside from sightings of ghosts, signs of a haunting include eerie noises, strange smells, winds that knock objects over, and more. And as Donovan King, teacher, actor, and the owner of Haunted Montreal knows well, Montreal is chockfull of these signs from beyond the pale.

“A paranormal encounter is not something that fits within the scientific norms, [it is] something that is unexplainable […] like reading someone’s mind or levitation,” King said in an interview with The McGill Tribune

The city of Tiohti:áke, or Montreal as it is known today, was founded in 1642 by Paul de Chomeday de Maisonneuve, and Jeanne Mance, but the land and its surrounding areas have historically been the home of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabeg peoples as well as many other Indigenous peoples for at least 12,000 years. After the first Europeans arrived in 1535, Montreal became a centre of the fur trade and has been an economic, industrial, and cultural hub ever since. But with this violent and unsettling past, the city’s wealth of traumatic history has yielded no shortage of paranormal baggage. With over 150 recorded ghost stories overall, Montreal is the most haunted city in Canada—possibly even North America, though many others eagerly claim that title.

A Little Dose of Death

If you’re trying to kill time before a movie at Cinema Banque Scotia or passing through to see a Canadiens game at the Bell Centre, you might wander through the stately Dorchester Square or its southern counterpart, Place du Canada. Today, with easy access to Ste. Catherine and other bustling downtown streets, the square is a favourite for community gatherings, protests, and rallies, including the Unity Rally in 1995. It seems to be a popular meeting place for both the living and the dead: Over the years, there have been rumours of paranormal activity, occurring most frequently after nightfall. Uneasy feelings, mumblings of prayers, and round objects, possibly so-called “ghost orbs,” hovering throughout the square have all been reported.

Formerly the Sainte-Antoine Cholera Cemetery from 1799 to 1854, the square’s grounds today include an estimated 70,000 skeletons laying underneath the lush lawns and well-trodden sidewalks, many of which are buried in unmarked mass graves. During the cholera epidemic of 1832, an estimated 9,000 people died, many of whom were laid

to rest here.

However, due to the heavy doses of opium being prescribed to cholera patients at the time, some, simply in an opium-induced coma, were accidentally buried alive. Years later, during an excavation of the square, workers found coffins that had sustained damage to the inside as the victims fought to claw their way out. In Place du Canada, where a number of human remains have been discovered, people have experienced an abnormally high number of medical emergencies, including panic attacks, strokes, and heart attacks.

A Lost Piece of History

Fortunately, nothing as morbid has happened (as far as we know) at the next stop on the tour: McGill’s Redpath Museum. With construction being completed in 1882, the Redpath Museum is the oldest building in Canada built to house a museum. It contains vast collections relating to the fields of paleontology, zoology, mineralogy, and ethnology, articles of which are used daily in research projects and university courses. In an interview with The McGill Tribune , Sara Estrada, one of the educators at the Redpath Museum, explained the museum’s place in history.

“We have very special pieces that are unique and you cannot see anywhere else, for example, [a] letter from Darwin to Sir Dawson,” Estrada said.

She added that you can even see fossils in the exterior limestone of the building, but as far as she knew, no remnants of the past had come back to life in the museum. Due to the museum’s affiliation with McGill as well as its reputation as a world-renowned site of study, I should clarify that the follow-

ing story has not been confirmed by anyone working at the Redpath Museum—but is a notable one nonetheless.

Of all the rumours heard about this place, the story of George the Silverback Gorilla wins the “Best Redpath Museum Myth” award. Back in the 1930s, the museum acquired George, for cultural and educational research purposes. In the 1950s, a group of McGill students disguised in lab coats entered the museum and approached the director, explaining to the trusting man that a professor required George for research purposes. Unaware of their true intentions, the director agreed. The next day, George was found on top of the Three Bares Fountain, completely relieved of his genitalia. Upon George’s return to the museum, visitors, children in particular, have become frightened by a disembodied growling emanating from the silverback, perhaps calling for the return of his genitals. Interestingly, the stolen parts were never found.

A ghost on the wall

The final stop on this tour lands you, the reader, at the corner of Rachel and St. Laurent, to a local favourite that has been serving up bluegrass nights and ghostly tales for decades. This is Barfly—and yes, that was a Guy Fieri reference. The bar’s music volume will suddenly increase when certain songs, such as “Werewolves of London” by Warren Zevon, are played. Employees have said they feel rapid rises or drops in temperature and have noticed a shadowy gentleman in a striped top who disappears before they can tell who it is, according to Haunted Montreal. Barstools have also been flung around after they were put up, suggesting someone

doesn’t want the bar to close for the night. Even though this description could refer to most Plateau residents, these hauntings are overwhelmingly attributed to a former owner, Gary Sharp. Sharp owned the place, then called G. SHARP, in the late 1980s. A neighbourhood personality, he would often keep the bar open all night. Tragically and very suddenly, he died of a heart attack, but it is very possible his spirit is still keeping the place he loved company.

A story to tell

Weaving new stories with ancient legends into the category of ghost stories keeps the spirit of this genre of storytelling alive and meaningful.

“Ghost stories are a type of folklore that often complement [a] city’s history. We have a lot of activist material woven through [our ghost] stories. We are bringing issues to light such as LGBTQ+ issues, feminism, [and] post-colonialism […] along with other forms of oppression that can be challenged through this type of storytelling,” King told me.

To King, ghost stories are one of the oldest storytelling traditions of humankind, dating back to prehistoric times. While the truth of these stories lies only in the hearts of the people who tell them, there is value in recognizing how the past affects the present. Examining spooky tales them allows us to remember the trauma of the past so that humanity as a whole may learn from them and never repeat it. If ghost stories such as these help people imagine and internalize history, then the telling of them becomes all the more important. Also, if we ever forget them, our campfire stories would be all the less exciting.

George the Silverback Gorilla, mentioned in the Redpath Museum story, can still be seen today on the staircase between the second and third floors. (McGill University)

Creed III: This is only Round One Michael B. Jordan shows audiences he’s just getting started

Simi Ogunsola Staff Writer

Inever really understood why directors were called storytellers until I watched the first Creed film. Somewhere between the gut-wrenching words of Meek Mill, Adonis’s (Michael B. Jordan) fingers tangled in Bianca’s (Tessa Thompson) braids, and the sweat, blood, and tears hitting the floor, I was completely transported. Watching the film felt like director Ryan Coogler was sitting in front of me, pulling me to the edge of my seat with everything he found beautiful in life. The second movie had a similarly enchanting feel, so I was more than intrigued (and I’ll admit, a little concerned) to hear that the third Creed film (the ninth installment in the Rocky franchise) would be helmed by a new director: The film’s star, Michael B. Jordan.

The movie picks up with world heavyweight boxing champion Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) three years into his retirement, still waiting to find his rhythm outside of the ring. He doesn’t know what to do with himself—he still has a little bit of the competitive bug and a whole lot of anger. Add in an uncomfortable surprise from his past, a battle to confront his own emotions, and a challenge he can’t back away from and––well, you might as well just cue a fierce training sequence set to J. Cole and Kehlani.

I’m Nervous, I’m Excited, but I’m Nervous

Creed III felt kind of…fast? At first, viewers are introduced to characters in scenes set with a kind of pump-fake conflict to make the real conflict that much more intense. I’ll admit, it worked; but once the main conflict was established, it felt like we rushed right through solving it. I mean, had my 10 p.m. bedtime alarm not gone off in the middle of the theatre, I would have mistaken the final fight for only more build-up. The movie’s run-time was just under two hours, but had they drawn out the big confessions or let those side-by-side training scenes run just a tad longer, the ending would have been a real knockout—pun intended.

Mental Health Matters

Looming even larger than I-can’t-lookaway-from-the-tank-that-is-Jonathan Majors was the theme of pain and buried emotions. The entire film seems to ask, “how do you just talk about it?” The Rocky franchise included the overarching theme of “you vs. you,” which Creed III seems to pick up and shine its own light upon.

One Time for the Girliesssss

Going against the conventions of sports films, there were women in this film: Not just at parties, or signalling the changes between rounds, but in the sparring rings, holding up

the pads and pushing champions to their limits. They stood, immovable, in the way of plans to just bottle pain up and try to forget it. Most of all, they were there, waiting at the end of a long line of legends, confident and ready to become the next one.

Can You Hear Me Now?

On the note of representation, the film also invited hearing viewers into the deaf community through Amara (Mila Davis-Kent), the daughter of Adonis and Bianca. It cleanly cuts through the stigma often associated with deaf people by presenting her not as an afterthought, but as a complex character with her own sub-

plot. The film said, “here is Amara, she’s deaf… what about it?” In one scene that stuck with me, Adonis and Bianca were teaching a houseguest two American Sign Language phrases so that they could greet the young girl. In a way, they were teaching the audience, too, and lowering that barrier of entry.

Like with Coogler’s entries, the movie felt like an invitation into Jordan’s mind. The struggles highlighted and people given voices throughout the film felt like a beautiful, genuine glimpse at how he sees the world. Boxing fans, movie buffs, and MBJ fans alike will be delighted by the delivery of such a potent message through the knockout movies we all love.

Jena Malone does not owe us the name of her assaulter

Millie Roberts

Contributor

This past week, The Hunger Games actress Jena Malone posted a photo on Instagram taken after wrapping up the last entry of the franchise, Mockingjay: Part

Two. The photo, in which Malone is standing in a field in the French countryside, was captioned with a statement detailing her sexual assault by a coworker on the The Hunger Games set. Malone stated that she is working to “reclaim the joy and accomplishment [she] felt” upon concluding filming of the franchise despite the pain she associates with it.

The post incited a whirlwind of online discussion, with many offering heartfelt well-wishes and applauding her strength, but some members of the public expressed criticism. To them, without disclosing the name of her assaulter, Malone is complicit in shielding them from accountability.

One Instagram user commented, “Hiding/protecting a violator only leaves them unaccountable and open to offend others. Call their name, and keep it moving.”

This position comes from the hope that publicly naming sexual predators present in the film industry will make workplaces safer for

women. Keeping their identity a secret only protects them from consequences, right?

While this stance might hold some moral integrity in theory, in practice, past cases show otherwise. Despite facing multiple sexual abuse allegations, Woody Allen continues to make films to this day. Marilyn Manson is currently suing Evan Rachel Wood for defamation after she accused him of sexual abuse. Harvey Weinstein is the exception, not the rule—and while Weinstein may be in jail, Rose McGowan claims that some of her projects were dropped, such as one with Amazon Studios, after she came forward against him.

To come forward against an abuser does not guarantee substantive action, and—especially for women— it opens a new mode of discourse to be shamed and blacklisted.

Take the defamation lawsuit between actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard—and its new and dangerous legal precedents. Heard penned an essay for the Washington Post in 2018, two years after their split, in which she detailed her experiences with domestic violence and the ways that her professional and personal life were affected by telling her story. Although she does not mention Depp by name, based on her previous restrain-

ing order filed against him for abuse, it is clear who she was talking about. In 2019, Depp sued Heard for $50 million over the article, claiming that Heard was in fact the perpetrator, rather than the victim, of abuse. What resulted was years of legal proceedings, with Heard ultimately losing the trial and settling her appeal out of court.

The court of public opinion grants little mercy. Heard faces unparalleled online vitriol to this day. Seemingly uninterested in the complexities of abusive relationships and the evidence provided in court by either person, as well as Depp’s loss in a U.K. libel lawsuit decided by a singular judge, supporters of Depp rallied unflinchingly behind him. What took place was a wave of mass misogyny to steadfastly place Depp on a pedestal and Heard at the stake.

Evidence that pointed to flaws in Heard’s case was broadcast across the internet, whereas evidence against Depp did not make headlines. A

deeply personal case of domestic violence transformed into a public spectacle. The trial was live streamed, and Johnny Depp fan accounts and Amber Heard hate accounts proliferated. Those who “suffered” in silence since the inception of the #MeToo movement finally had a scapegoat: An imperfect victim, a woman who could be vilified as a liar—regardless of whether Depp had lied, too.

Malone’s post exemplifies how survivors can face scrutiny for almost every possible action and inaction.

In the act of naming her perpetrator, Malone puts herself at risk of the same vilification and online abuse faced by so many women who publicly come forward against their abusers. After the Depp-Heard case, women who speak out against their abusers are not only publicly reviled but now face a legal precedent of a possible defamation lawsuit. Not only is Malone morally unobligated to inform the public on such a personal issue, but the material consequences of doing so would be increasingly devastating.

After Depp-Heard, the stakes for women coming forward are risky as ever

Jonathan Majors stars in the latest installment of the Rocky franchise, and it was a TKO (total knockout). (imdb.com)

Jena Malone starred in three of the four ‘The Hunger Games’ films as District 7 victor Johanna Mason. (gettyimages.com)

Mirror mirror on the wall, will Red Bull once again conquer all?

Tribune Predicts: The 2023 Formula 1 season

Zoé Mineret Staff Writer

As the lights went out in Bahrain and the 2023 Formula 1 season got underway, fans flooded the stands to watch this year’s batch of drivers and cars perform on the track. With lots of speculation about who will win the World Championship, The McGill Tribune compiled a handy prediction guide to help you keep up with the race.

Which teams are the top challengers of the season?

Despite Red Bull’s reduced wind tunnel time, a result of their 2022 cost cap breach, the Austrian team had an easy one-two finish in Bahrain with Max Verstappen taking first and teammate Sergio Perez snagging second. The perfect finish is a telltale sign that Red Bull’s domination is far from over and that their recipe for success is just as effective as last season. The Tribune predicts that Red Bull will easily win the Constructors’ Championship.

On the other hand, Ferrari’s poor strategy

Know Your Athlete: Isabel Sarty

over the past eight years—complemented by a number of driver errors—left the former championship-winning team unable to compete for titles. But Ferrari is once again a top contender, with new leadership setting the Italian team on what appears to be the right track to attain multiple podium finishes this year.

However, the Tribune regrets to inform Ferrari fans that 2023 is not the year for their team to regain its former glory. Despite its great car design, the SF-23 is no match for Red Bull, and the Scuderia will probably be second in the Constructors’ Championship.

Fernando Alonso’s third place and Lance Stroll’s sixth place finish in Bahrain confirm that Aston Martin’s changes in both car design and engineering have paid off. The team can confidently expect to sit on top of the midfield. Fans of Alonso and Aston Martin can also expect multiple podiums from the Spaniard and riveting driving from both pilots. However, do not be fooled by reports that Aston Martin can win the Championship. The team’s performance promises to be exciting, yet insufficient to challenge Red Bull for the title: The Tribune’s crystal ball foresees exhilarating battles with Ferrari.

Which drivers should fans look out for?

After proving to fans in 2022 that he’s still got it, Double World Champion Alonso’s move from Alpine to Aston Martin is proving to be the right one as he is finally in a podium-finishing car. As the most experienced driver on the grid, Alonso’s love for competition is known by all teams and drivers. The combination of his passion and his

Martlets swimmer reflects on phenomenal final year of competition

Eliza Lee Staff Writer

Continued from page 1.

This season, one of the swimmer’s proudest achievements was breaking her personal records in some of her strongest races. Sarty noted that improving her best time by 0.09 seconds in the 100-metre free—her favourite race—at the RSEQ championship was a highlight of her season. These new personal records came as a welcome surprise to Sarty, given that her fastest swims were from 2020, immediately before the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to her training.

“[I] never thought that I would get back to the shape that I was in undergrad,” Sarty told The McGill Tribune . “Now I’ve had the busiest schedule of my life so far, and the fact I could still swim better than I have in all the previous years was just such a personal accomplishment.”

Sarty’s interest in swimming began when her parents enrolled her in lessons at a public pool in her hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her parents saw swimming as a practical skill first and foremost, given that the family grew up beside the Atlantic Ocean. The sport came naturally to Sarty, who joined a summer swim team at the same pool at just six years old. She

noted that these formative experiences instilled in her a love of swimming that has endured throughout her varsity career.

“My parents kind of fostered this idea that as long as you just work hard and have fun, then that’s all that matters,” Sarty said. “Since I started in a type of swimming that was relaxed [...] it’s always been a part of my life that’s an outlet instead of a big stressor.”

Sarty believes the positive atmosphere that her teammates and coaches fostered at McGill has kept the sport fun throughout her training. From competitions to pottery painting sessions to a trip to Puerto Rico for training camp over the winter break, team outings have been a memorable part of Sarty’s McGill swimming experience. The sense of camaraderie among the team was an important source of motivation for Sarty, especially given her busy schedule.

“If it wasn’t a fun environment to go to, I would not be walking down to the pool every day, and every morning,” Sarty said. “The support and happiness I feel at the pool has been […] life-changing.”

The U Sports competition marked Sarty’s final varsity swim meet, as she plans on graduating this coming summer. But she stressed that the memories of her teammates and what she’s learned along the way will endure long after her final practice at Memorial pool.

“I think [swimming] has really helped me [...] in terms of goal setting, and just knowing that I can always push the limits of my goals,” Sarty said. “If I set my sights on something that might seem a

car’s abilities are sure to make him a top driver this season.

Fans who also enjoy battles at the back of the field should look out for Haas’ Kevin Magnussen and Niko Hülkenberg driver pairing. The American team has done a complete 180 from its 2021 strategy: The 2021 team consisted of a pair of F1 rookies, but transitioned to two experienced drivers for its 2023 pairing. This combination will surely bring in some finishes in the points department, especially as Haas finished eighth out of 10 in the Constructors’ Championship in 2022, bringing in additional funding.

Which teams have it wrong?

Lewis Hamilton’s P5 finish and George Russell’s P7 finish in Bahrain show that Mercedes can still fight for podiums and be a strong team in 2023. But this is not the standard of competition expected of Mercedes––a team that has dominated F1 for the past decade. Mercedes is a team that should fight for pole positions and championship wins. Instead, it looks like the team still hasn’t found the right combination to bring them back up to their standard of performance.

McLaren also had disappointing results in Bahrain, with a P17 finish for Lando Norris and a Did Not Finish for rookie Oscar Piastri. The team’s performance has slowly declined since the 2020 season when they finished P3 of the Constructors’ Championship. Their results in Bahrain are not only indicative that the team will be unable to rise to the top of the midfield, but also that they have completely missed the mark in terms of car design for this season.

little bit lofty or be a little bit far-fetched, I know that if I work hard and do the right steps and just stay really committed to my goals, swimming’s taught me that I know I’ll get there.”

Fernando Alonso’s P3 finish in Bahrain marked the 99th podium finish of his career. (planetf1.com)

Sarty’s go-to pump up song before races this year was “Cool For the Summer” by Demi Lovato. (Matt Garies / McGill Athletics).

A sports defibrillator: Is Netflix’s ‘Full Swing’ golf’s saviour?

Absence of women and LIV Golf critique leave the show short of the green

Maïa Salhofer Staff Creative

Drive to Survive, Netflix’s heavily dramatized Formula 1 series, brought millions of viewers to the sport and reversed its slow, decade-long decline in popularity. With the release of its sister show, Full Swing, on Feb. 15, fans are wondering if the media conglomerate can work its viewership magic once again— this time, with the world of golf. While on the surface, Full Swing is set to have the same success in transforming the sport’s viewership, the show’s first season falls short of the green.

Based on Drive To Survive’s model, Full Swing, a Vox Media Studios and Box to Box films production, takes a sport struggling in the public eye and puts the most famous golfers from the Professional Golfers’ Association of American (PGA) tour and LIV Golf on the global stage. The show opens with 15-time PGA tour winner Justin Thomas and closes with PGA golden boy Rory McIlroy. But the show’s absence of women and glossing over of

LIV Golf hinders the possibility of increased viewership by failing to delve into the most interesting aspects of golf’s current affairs.

Not unlike Formula 1, golf is commonly seen as a sport for old, wealthy, white men because of its history of exclusion—the PGA in particular. The growing popularity of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) was a golden opportunity for Netflix to draw new viewers in, but the company utterly failed to do so. Just as they did with Drive to Survive, where women speaking accounted for an abysmal 1.54 per cent of season five’s entire runtime, Netflix failed to spotlight women in Full Swing

Despite the rapidly increasing viewership of the LPGA, up 32 per cent from 2021 and 69 per cent from 2020, the show features zero women athletes. The vast talent of the LPGA deserves to be placed at the forefront. In 2022, Minjee Lee beat every PGA pro at every distance in accuracy from the fairway. Lydia Ko has 101 top 10 finishes at only 25 and had 10 LPGA tour wins at the age of 18––five years earlier than Tiger Woods earned his first 10 PGA wins. Nelly Korda, largely regarded as the face of American

women’s golf, won five events, became a major champion, and took home an Olympic gold all in the same year.

Even the PGA is coming to recognize how important the LPGA is to the game with the announcement of the Grant Thornton Invitational in Naples. The talent is there, the excitement is there, the desire to watch is there––but Full Swing had other priorities.

In an attempt to replicate the reality TV drama witnessed in Drive to Survive, the show created a villain: LIV Golf. The Saudi Arabian-funded golf tour promises an all-men’s championship, a guaranteed paycheck, and an extra $4 million to the winner—unlike the PGA tour where players are paid according to placement.

Athletes who sign with LIV Golf are accused by their opponents in the show of only caring about money and overlooking Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuses. The Netflix show adopts this criticism, playing Big Bag of Money by G-Eyez in the background when introducing Ian Poulter and Dustin Johnson, two LIV Golf athletes. But while failing to provide any substantive criticism of LIV, Full

Swing simultaneously functions as a PGA apologist, ignoring the Tour’s pitfalls and functioning as an eightepisode PGA advertisement.

Since Full Swing came out just under a month ago, it is unclear what the long-term impact will be on golf viewership. The low ratings for LIV Golf’s debut event prompt some to believe the threat to the PGA is fading and along with it,

the potential for dramatization. But one thing is certain: Netflix must do better with season two. Women and the LPGA are vital to increasing viewership, especially in light of the introduction of LIV––a league that wants nothing to do with women athletes. With plenty of time and resources, Full Swing must coursecorrect if it wants to hold onto viewers and grow the game of golf.

Sorry, Canadiens fans—the Bruins are poised to take the Cup

Boston’s unstoppable run could lead them all the way through

Anoushka Oke

Creative

Director

This might offend some Habs fans, but let’s be honest, the Bruins rock. Sitting at the top of the power rankings with 105 points and having played fewer games than many of their division opponents, the Bruins have dominated the NHL 2022-23 season—they could be coming for the Habs’ all-time record of 132 season points. With their seemingly untouchable winning momentum and an encouraging internal

culture to support it, Boston should easily take home the Stanley Cup.

The Bruins wasted no time establishing their winning streak; they lost just three of their first 20 games and registered a record 14 straight home wins, devastating the many fans who call the Bruins their most-hated team. Most impressively, the Boston team has lost a mere 10 games in regulation, three under the current record of 13 losses in an 82-game season held by the Detroit Red Wings. In terms of points, the Bruins lie 11 points above the next most successful team, the

Carolina Hurricanes, who have racked up 94.

As for player performance, David Pastrnak, the Bruins’ top goalscorer, has been an absolute powerhouse. On track for 50 goals this season, “Pasta” has spent the entirety of his time in the NHL thus far with the Bruins and recently signed an eight-year extension.

Strong individual performances have also notably come from the Bruins’ two goalies, Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman, who boast save percentages of 0.938 and 0.913, respectively. Ullmark has been the best in the league this season, and even scored a goal against the Vancouver Canucks––something an NHL goalie hasn’t done since 2020 and a Bruins goalie has never done. The wholesome, supportive relationship between Ullmark and Swayman is indicative of the positive atmosphere in the Bruins’ locker room. They end every game with a heartwarming goalie hug, a tradition that began after the 2021-22 season opener.

But why are the Bruins so good? Tactics and player performance will always play a role in a team’s success, but the Bruins wouldn’t be where they are without their strong locker room culture.

They have had a succession of spirited team leaders, with the leadership legacy of former captain Zdeno Chara—who notably banned the hazing of rookies—being carried on by captain Patrice Bergeron and other players like Nick Foligno and league irritant, Brad Marchand. The culture is one that players are proud of, motivating them to perform for the team.

games. (Christopher

Throughout the season, the Bruins have continued to add to their locker room by signing several exciting players. They recently traded Craig Smith and some future draft picks for Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway from the Washington Capitals, as well as Tyler Bertuzzi from the Red Wings. Despite concerns that trading for new players could potentially mess with the Bruins’ winning formula, the new acquisitions have all meshed well with the team and registered goals or assists as Bruins. These introductions will undoubtedly add pep in the Bruins’ step to stick with their upward trend rather than falling flat.

In the wake of the Bruins’ reprehensible signing of racist and ableist bully Mitchell Miller, team leaders stood firm in their disdain for the decision and maintained a united front. Management put coaches in a tough position but thankfully, the Bruins players who were asked about the deal didn’t shy away from expressing their aversion to the signing. Bergeron emphasized that Miller’s behaviour goes strictly against Boston’s carefully-built team culture.

The team calls a hockey-obsessed state home, and thus has a fanbase that is arguably one of the strongest in the NHL—this is particularly a plus considering that their season record could bring them a home-ice advantage for at least the first two rounds. It is undeniable that the league’s most disliked team is equipped to win the Stanley Cup this season, and the fans will only add fuel to their winning prowess. What Boston supporter doesn’t want to celebrate a B’s goal at the Garden as Kernkraft 400 taunts the opposing team in the background?

Brooke Henderson is the highest-ranked Canadian on the LPGA with 71 career top tens and 13 LPGA tour wins. (esquire.com).

This year, the Bruins were the fastest team to hit 80 points, doing it in just 47

Hanewinckel / USA Today).