The McGill Tribune Vol. 42 Joke Issue

The McGill Tribune

Asbestos, the best therapy animal

Eliza Wang Contributor

Look no further, fellow McGillians, our struggles have come to an end.

We at The McGill Tribune are pleased to announce the recruitment of a new therapy animal, commonly known by its endear-

ing name asbestos, who is easily accessible to students and faculty alike. No need to schedule a visit to the Wellness Hub—all you have to do is take a stroll to the Stewart Biology Building at the downtown campus, or really any available university building for our readers over at Macdonald campus. Seek, and ye shall find yourself spending quality time with our new campus pet, free of charge.

TikTok is an institution, and we are its humble students

The

AnnaClare Sung Contributor

It’s 1:00 p.m., and I’ve settled comfortably on my couch after a harrowing day of class. With last night’s leftovers in hand, I pull out my favourite entertainment receptacle––

the iPhone––and begin a tricky balancing act, placing the bowl between my legs, a fork in one hand and my phone in the other. I unlock my phone and go immediately to the one app that will satisfy my ache for productivity: TikTok. The app acts as

a fresh-pressed juice of self-indulgence, escapism, and education—the only means to easily absorb the internet’s vitamins and minerals.

The week of March 5, the United States Senate backed a bill that would support a ban on TikTok.

Do take a moment and appreciate the brilliance of this solution. Instead of spending more money on improving our student wellness services or renovating deteriorating buildings (as any sane post-secondary institution would do) our beloved university is offering a unique, yet cost-effective opportunity to form deeper connections with this historic species, one who has accompanied us for decades, keeping our homes, workplaces, and schools warm.

McGill Tribune attends first international tournament as newly minted varsity team

Fordham University devastated in rage cage grudge match

Madison Edward-Wright and Michelle Siegel Managing Editor and Arts & Entertainment Editor

It was a crisp fall morning in October when The McGill Tribune’s varsity Stack Cup team piled into the car to begin

our journey. Where were we headed? New York City. What were we doing? Team bonding—and taking on our first challenge as a varsity team. We trained for months, gathering at each other’s apartments to practice our throws and pong ball bounces from dawn till dusk. So, when the Bronx came call-

ing, we answered. Bags in hand, all we had to do was stop at a bodega to pick up our equipment. The tournament was hosted just outside of Fordham University: An academic powerhouse with a decorated 182-year history, making it the perfect location for a prestigious competition.

every

Local vandals deface iconic community symbol, employees say: “Not those crazy Trib people!”

(Madison McLauchlan and Madison Edward-Wright / The McGill Tribune)

social media app TikTok harms today’s youth? That’s a lie.

By the Numbers: Reporting at McGill

Breaking down annual reports on harassment, discrimination and sexual violence

Juliet Morrison News Editor

The annual reports of the Policy on Harassment and Discrimination and the Policy Against Sexual Violence were presented to the McGill Senate on March 22. Both policies are handled by the Office of Mediation and Reporting (OMR), which oversees inquiries and reports made under the policies. The McGill Tribune breaks down the annual reports and examines the 2022 numbers.

Policy on Harassment and Discrimination

McGill’s Policy on Harassment and Discrimination outlines how one can seek redress after an incident of harassment or discrimination.

Per the Policy, harassment is defined as “any vexatious behaviour [...] in the form of repeated hostile or unwanted conduct, verbal comments, actions or gestures, that affect the dignity or psychological or physical integrity of a Member of the University Community.”

Discrimination refers to illegal discrimination under Quebec law on the basis of “race, colour, sex, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, family status, sexual orientation, civil status, age (except as provided by law), religion, political conviction, language, ethnic or national origin, social condition, a disability or the use of any means to palliate a disability, which results in the exclusion or preference of an individual or group within the University community.” Under the Policy, it can include “both the actions of individual members of the University and systemic institutional practices and policies of the University.”

The reporting process starts at the OMR, where any member of the McGill community can inquire about filing a report or accessing support services. Between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2022, the Office received 212 inquiries about reporting under the Policy.

Associate Provost (Equity & Academic Policies) Angela Campbell, whose office is in charge of preparing the annual reports, told the Tribune that the numbers show an uptick in the Policy’s usage. She attributed the upward trend to increased awareness about available reporting channels.

“The trends show [...] that there’s an increase in the uses of the policies for sure. And an increase in accessing the services at the university, especially around seeking information,” Campbell said. “So if you look at the number of people who [request] information, that’s certainly gone up over time.”

The majority of inquiries, however, do not lead to formal reports. Out of 212 inquiries in 2022, only 24 reports were filed.

Ultimately, 12 reports were eliminated because they either went beyond the Policy’s scope—meaning they did not occur in the McGill context with both parties as members of the McGill community at the time of the report and the alleged incident—or the issue was resolved through a different internal conflict-resolution channel identified as more appropriate by the OMR.

Campbell noted that though 12 reports might seem small compared to the McGill population of 50, 000, the number is still consequential.

“Twelve reports is 12 people [...] who felt that the matter was serious enough, and were able to muster up the strength to be able to file a report and go through a full investigation,” Campbell said.

A person filing a report can choose between two processes: Mediation or investigation. Mediation is a process where a mediator facilitates discussion about the reported incident between the parties involved to reach a resolution that all parties believe is appropriate. An investigation is a formal process that can result in disciplinary action against the respondent if university assessors—typically OMR full-time staff—find that harassment or discrimination did occur.

Of the reports filed in 2022 that fell under the scope of the policy, eight were about harassment, one about discrimination, and three fell into the “mixed” category. All of these reports proceeded to an investigation, meaning none of the reporters withdrew their report or reached an agreement through mediation.

If an investigation finds that harassment or discrimination as outlined in the Policy took place, the Provost will then refer the case to university disciplinary authorities for next steps. In 2022, all founded reports resulted in disciplinary action for the respondent.

Policy Against Sexual Violence

The Policy Against Sexual Violence covers McGill’s educational initiatives around sexual violence, procedures

for reporting, and the activities of McGill’s central sexual violence support service, the Office for Sexual Violence Response, Support, and Education (OSVRSE).

McGill recognizes seven categories of sexual violence: Sexual assault, sexual harassment, voyeurism/ stalking, sexual exploitation, indecent exposure, distribution of sexual images, and breach of the Code of Conduct (sec. 8).

In 2022, there were 105 disclosures of sexual violence. Although the Policy outlines OSVRSE as the main body in charge of receiving disclosures, beginning in mid-October, the Office of the Dean of Students took over the responsibility as OSVRSE was closed.

Just like the Policy on Harassment and Discrimination, the majority of people who disclosed an incident of sexual violence decided not to file an official report. Only 15 out of 105 disclosures became reports in 2021-2022, three of which were out of the Policy’s scope.

**There was a slight overlap between the 2019 reporting period (April 2019 - March 2020) and the 2020 reporting period (Jan. 2020 - Dec. 2020)

After a report is filed, the OMR will review it and decide whether the university has jurisdiction to pursue an investigation.

If a report falls within the university’s jurisdiction, an independent special investigator (SI) will begin an investigation process to determine if an incident of sexual violence occurred.

Most reports were filed under the categories of sexual assault (5) and sexual harassment (6).

*One report under the Policy can contain more than one form of sexual violence.

Although SIs are given 90 days to complete their investigation, only three investigations were wrapped up within that period. The university can provide an extension in complex cases or “where the parties or a witness delay meetings with or responses to the investigators.”

Two of the delayed investigations concluded within a week of the 90-day deadline. The third required an additional 120 days because the survivor withdrew from the process.

Of the 12 reports investigated this year, five were founded, one was unfounded, and six were ongoing by the end of the reporting period.

Disciplinary measures were imposed in all cases, except for one where the respondent left McGill. In the single unfounded case, authorities also imposed disciplinary measures as they found that the respondent’s actions during the alleged encounter constituted a breach of the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures.

In an interview with the Tribune, senior employment equity advisor Sarah Pierre said she was “encouraged” that an increasing number of community members were accessing the OMR.

“All of the awareness and campaigns have shown that the OMR is more top of mind for people and they know that there is somewhere they can go for formal reports,” Pierre said. “I think people are more aware of their rights as well as feeling more empowered to actually come to the OMR with their stories and with their questions and concerns.”

Although reporting and investigations are complex, Campbell expressed that she was confident in McGill’s procedures.

“For us, it’s really key to make sure that we have very, very strong, sound investigations,” Campbell said. “We really need strong experts to do the work of carrying things out so that the parties feel that they’re not being [...] victimized or retriggered in the process. And at the same time, the entire thing [must be] marked by procedural fairness, that’s really unimpeachable.”

Senate expresses concern regarding immigration, French fluency for students and faculty

Members highlighted barriers to student visa acquisition, revamping PhD programs

Michelle Siegel Arts & Entertainment Editor

McGill’s Senate convened for their third session of 2023 on March 22 in the Robert Vogel Council Room of the Leacock Building. The meeting was Christopher Manfredi’s last as interim Principal and Vice-Chancellor; H. Deep Saini is set to assume the position by the following session in April.

Most of the meeting was devoted to discussion after Secretary-General Edyta Rogowska presented the Policy on the Use and Quality of the French Language, which had several amendments added following its presentation at the February Senate meeting. A working group comprised of Legal Services, the Secretary-General and the VicePrincipal (Communications and External Relations) amended the policy to focus on providing student-focused support for mastering French by the end of a degree and to mandate that all McGill communications amongst civil administration bodies and

legal enterprises in Quebec be conducted in French. In spite of the prior feedback and changes, several members still questioned if the scope of the policy was inclusive enough.

“I was struck that there’s nothing in the policy about resources for faculty to acquire French,” professor and Faculty of Arts Senator Eran Shor said. “In particular, what is the university doing to support new faculty who do not speak French, given new hurdles for obtaining permanent residency?”

Shor also brought up the university’s recent efforts under the Action Plan to Address Anti-Black Racism to recruit new Black faculty members, referencing the large number of American hires who need more substantial support with learning French to confirm and maintain their legal residencies in Quebec.

The Senate then passed motions to appeal the university’s 2004 edition of the same policy and adopt the 2023 iteration, both of which will be carried to the Board of Governors for secondary approval, before final ratification from the Ministry of Higher

Education.

Josephine Nalbantoglu, Associate Provost of Graduate Education and Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, presented the Annual Report on Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, noting that many international students faced legal struggles when entering Canada.

“We have many international students and those students had great difficulty entering the country,” Nalbantoglu said. “No matter what we did as a university—through International Student Services, through the government relations office, through local MPs [Members of Parliament]—many of our students did not get a visa and could not join us, so that’s what really impacted our numbers.”

Senators participated in an open discussion about reinvigorating McGill’s PhD programs, with small-group conversations preceding an open-floor debate. Key points included ensuring that academic and professional skills could be flexibly incorporated into specific degree

curricula so that students can integrate more easily into the workforce post-graduation.

“How are we ensuring that our students understand how to translate the skills that they’re developing during their PhD for employers?” asked Darlene Hnatchuk, director of Career Planning Services (CaPS). “Those skills develop during the PhD— that does stand for a certain skill set that is valuable within [the] industry.”

Professor and Associate Provost (Equity and Academic Policies) Angela Campbell presented updates on both McGill’s Policy against Sexual Violence and Policy on Harassment and Discrimination.

“The University has been devoting quite a lot of attention to these two different policies with a view to preventing these forms of harm rather than dealing with them after they arise,” Campbell said.

Current News Editor Juliet Morrison is an incoming Arts Senator for 2023-2024, but was not involved in the production of this article.

MOMENT OF THE MEETING

When presenting the Annual Report on Enrollment and Strategic Enrollment Management, Deputy Provost (Student Life & Learning) Fabrice Labeau noted that while the Senate had agreed on a planned deficit of $9.4 million with a $20 million contingency, the expected deficit for the end of financial year 2023 is $4.9 million.

SOUNDBITE

“The OSVRSE closure back in October seems to have caught a lot of people off guard, and I want to make sure that this never happens again.”

—Sam Baron, Arts Senator on the lack of attention paid to OSVRSE operations

Memorial tributes for Professors Emeriti Eugene Donefer and Peter Hoffman were delivered at the beginning of the meeting by Senator Anja Geitmann and Dean of Arts Lisa Shapiro, respectively. (Sofia Stankovic / The McGill Tribune )

Meeting on affordable housing brings together students, unions, advocacy groups

AMUSE President says McGill must keep residence rents low

Jasjot Grewal Staff Writer

Students and community organizers filed into the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Ballroom on March 21 to talk about the housing crisis in Montreal. The twohour annual general meeting (AGM), held by the SSMU External Affairs (EA) office’s Affordable Student Housing Committee (ASHC), showcased booths from eight guest organizations and a brief presentation from Unité de travail pour l’implantation de logement étudiant (UTILE).

Members of ASHC sought to collect testimonies about students’ housing conditions, which will be compiled in a report for distribution to student media outlets, various student associations, and the student body via the SSMU listserv.

In an interview with The McGill Tribune , ASHC member William Li shared that ASHC has limited data about off-campus housing, which limits the committee’s advocacy work almost entirely to on-campus housing. ASHC recommends that McGill develop new methods and technologies to gather data about off-campus housing.

Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE) team members, who represent floor fellows, were also present at the event to speak with students about housing access and equity.

In an interview with the Tribune , AMUSE president James Newman shared his frustration with McGill for raising the rent of its residences year after year. Although Quebec landlords can annually increase rent prices in accordance with the Tribunal administratif du logement’s (TAL) yearly calculations, Newman believes it’s the university’s prerogative to keep rents stable.

“It’s disheartening as a union to see our employer replicating some of the same precarity-worsening practices that we’re seeing landlords do,” Newman said. “They often say, ‘Oh we’re special, we’re an academic institution.’ But you’re replicating so many of the worst evils you see in the private sector. It’s a real shame.”

Comité logement du Plateau

Mont-Royal (CLPMR) member Alain Deschamps shared how the committee can help students deal with the various abuses they may face as a vulnerable population in the housing sector. The organization helps defend tenant rights and advocates for the development of social housing. In an interview with the Tribune , Deschamps explained that tenants often hesitate to stand up for their rights against landlords due to the power dynamics at play.

“To have your rights respected, you have to sometimes take a confrontational attitude. You have to threaten [...] that you’re going to take them to court,” Deschamps said. “But now you have a relationship dynamic where your landlord

might get pissed off at you and they can retaliate in all sorts of stupid, annoying, petty ways.”

Other organizations present included ECOLE, a sustainable housing cooperative situated on University Street that also operates as a rentable community event space; the Concordia Student Union’s Housing and Job Resource Center, a legal support clinic that hosts workshops for students to learn skills ranging from finding their first apartment to refusing rental increases; and Syndicat de locataires autonomes de Montréal, a tenants’ union that strives to hold landlords accountable.

Other attendees included members from Comm-un and The Open Door. The Open Door provides subsidized housing options to Montreal’s unhoused community, who are often victims of the privatized housing market, exclusionary landlords, and general accessibility issues. Comm-un works in tandem with The Open Door by providing a collective space for unhoused Indigenous individuals to combat isolation and build community.

The event also hosted a brief presentation from UTILE, an organization that provides non-profit

Tribune Explains: Doing taxes as a student

Only Quebec residents must file provincial and federal tax returns

Shani Laskin Staff Writer

Tax season is in full swing and the May 1 deadline to file is fast approaching.

Typically, the deadline is April 30, though this year it falls on a Sunday, giving taxpayers an extra day. In an attempt to make the process less stressful, The McGill Tribune compiled answers to frequently asked questions and a list of resources offered by McGill.

How do I file my taxes?

While filing taxes varies from case to case, there are some general rules to follow. Anyone with an income must file taxes. Before starting, anyone filing a tax return needs to have certain forms on hand, such as a T4 from their employer or T2202 from their educational institution, their Social Insurance Number (SIN), and other personal details, like an address.

For students working in Canada, filing taxes is not only a legal obligation but also an opportunity to get tax refunds, which come from the money that is deducted from paychecks when initially issued. Employers are meant to issue both federal T4 forms and the Quebec provincial equivalent, Relevé 1 forms, to their employees. Workers should receive these forms in February from every one of their employers over the past tax year.

Another common tax form for students is the T4A slip. These are issued to students who

received scholarships or bursaries. T4A slips, Medical Insurance Receipts, Relevé 8 forms, and T2202 slips are all tax documents that can be accessed by students through Minerva under the Student Accounts tab.

Once all the forms are in order, it’s time to file. Taxes can be filed either online or on paper, but the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) recommends filing online, which requires a CRA-certified tax software like TurboTax or H&R Block. Residents of Quebec have to file both federal taxes to the CRA and provincial taxes to Revenu Québec.

If doing your own taxes is too overwhelming, you have other options. Students can authorize a parent or representative to do their taxes for them. In addition, many students may be eligible to get their taxes done at free tax clinics. These clinics are organized by the Income Tax Assistance Volunteer Program and can be walk-in, drop-off, or by appointment.

What kinds of deductions or credits can I get as a student?

Taxes are notoriously complicated and it can be difficult for people with low incomes, such as students, to maximize their tax returns and save money. When filing taxes, students can consult Revenu Québec’s website to find student-specific information regarding tax credits and deductions.

Depending on a student’s individual situation, they may be eligible for credits such as the federal Goods and Services Tax Refund

or the Quebec Solidarity Tax Credit—both are issued quarterly to those who qualify. Deductions can be claimed for certain student-related costs such as moving expenses, tuition costs, or interest paid on student loans.

Students with no income or people making money that is non-taxable are not required but are encouraged to file a tax return because of potential income tax refunds. In some cases, as with the GST credit, students can have no income but still get money back from the government.

What should I know if I am an international student?

Taxes in Canada are dependent on residency, not citizenship. As such, international students who work must file taxes in Canada. Just like Canadian students, international students can benefit from filing taxes even if they have no income. One benefit is a tuition credit which can be carried forward, reducing the amount of taxes that one owes in future years. Tuition credits can also be used by Canadian students.

International students should also keep in mind that they have to declare any international income, that is, any income that may have been made in their home countries.

housing for students. UTILE team member Marianne Lamoure spoke about their current partnership with SSMU in which UTILE is developing an affordable student housing complex on the corner of Boulevard St. Laurent and Rue Ontario East. In an interview with the Tribune , Lamoure shared that the non-profit organization is currently waiting on approval from the city of Montreal, which could take anywhere between six months and two years.

“The lot we found, we can’t build any higher than four floors up. Our whole concept depends on density, doing a lot of apartments in one place so that each apartment can cost low, so [the approval] will take time,” Lamoure said. “We’re hoping this project will be ready by 2026.”

What resources are there for students?

Scholarships and Student Aid, a subsection of McGill Student Services, provides workshops on how to do taxes for both Canadian and international students. For international students, International Student Services (ISS) has lists of resources that can be consulted.

Aside from McGill resources, the CRA has a step-by-step guide, including videos, which explains the details of filing taxes.

Financial savviness underlies much of the taxing tax reporting process. While people in higher income brackets have more access to help such as personal accountants or financial assistants, students often have to figure it out for themselves. To help, the Scholarships and Student Aid Office also offers workshops on budgeting and general financial literacy.

According to Student Housing and Hospitality Services, rent in McGill residences can range from $895 to $1,700 per month. (Winnie Lin / The McGill Tribune )

TUESDAY, MARCH 28 2023 EDITORIAL

T EDITORIAL BOARD

Editor-in-Chief Madison McLauchlan editor@mcgilltribune.com

Creative Director Anoushka Oke aoke@mcgilltribune.com

Managing Editors Matthew Molinaro mmolinaro@mcgilltribune.com Madison Edward-Wright medwardwright@mcgilltribune.com

News Editors Lily Cason, Juliet Morrison & Ghazal Azizi news@mcgilltribune.com

Opinion Editors Kareem Abuali & Chloé Kichenane opinion@mcgilltribune.com

Science & Technology Editors

Ella Paulin & Russel Ismael scitech@mcgilltribune.com

Student Life Editors Abby McCormick & Mahnoor Chaudhry studentlife@mcgilltribune.com

Features Editor Wendy Zhao features@mcgilltribune.com

Arts & Entertainment Editors Arian Kamel & Michelle Siegel arts@mcgilltribune.com

Sports Editors Tillie Burlock & Sarah Farnand sports@mcgilltribune.com

Design Editors Drea Garcia & Shireen Aamir design@mcgilltribune.com

Multimedia Editors Noor Saeed & Alyssa Razavi Mastali multimedia@mcgilltribune.com

Web Developers Jiajia Li & Oliver Warne webdev@mcgilltribune.com

Copy Editor Sarina Macleod copy@mcgilltribune.com

Social Media Editor Taneeshaa Pradhan socialmedia@mcgilltribune.com

Business Manager Joseph Abounohra business@mcgilltribune.com

Montreal must offer community encampments anti-colonial housing solutions

The McGill Tribune Editorial Board

On March 22, the Mobile Legal Clinic and associated lawyers went to court demanding that the provincial government stop its eviction of more than a dozen houseless people under Montreal’s Ville-Marie Expressway. The encampment has been occupied for over six years, during which the residents were subject to police raids and violence from local residents seeking to push them out. The group’s legal support claimed that the province’s attempt to raze the camp was a violation of the Charter rights to life, liberty, safety, and dignity. The plaintiffs, including a pregnant woman and a terminally ill man, requested the government grant them an injunction against Quebec’s Transport Ministry, which wants to clear the camp to begin repairs to the underpass.

The province agreed to pause the eviction and to find housing solutions for the plaintiffs. But the event illustrated the persistent negligence and failure of the municipal and provincial governments to provide for the city’s unhoused population. Housing is a basic human right which cities across the country are neglecting to make

OFF THE BOARD

Juliet Morrison News Editor

affordable, while actively destroying the communities unhoused people form within encampments. The provincial government must go beyond their legal obligations to find housing for the city’s most vulnerable, through greater support to harm-reductive shelters, stricter regulations on skyrocketing rents, and a humane, anticolonial approach to housing people without destroying communities.

An Indigenous person in Montreal is up to 27 times more likely to experience houselessness than a non-Indigenous person, and an Inuk is almost 80 times more likely. The ongoing legacies of colonial projects, such as the High Arctic relocations of the 1950s, and unceasing systemic discrimination are the primary risk factors of Indigenous housing precarity. Each of the government’s violent attempts to break up the networks and support systems of Montreal’s unhoused people reproduces this intentional destruction of Indigenous communities and again, fails to offer adequate state care and redress. Any solutions must therefore be rooted in Indigenous-led practices of community care, and institutions such as the police, an actor of colonial violence, should not be employed to interact with the

houseless, who are unjustly ticketed for simply existing in public space

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the extent of the government’s criminalization and disgraceful mistreatment of Montreal’s unhoused people. The province’s draconian curfew rules did not exempt the city’s houseless, despite the dramatically reduced capacities of shelters in the city, and resulted in the death of Raphaël André, an Innu man whose body was found in a portable toilet steps away from a shelter. The city cleared numerous encampments, seized tents, and disposed of people’s winter clothing under the guise of public health and safety. Following Joyce Echaquan’s death in September 2020, an overt case of systemic medical racism, Premier François Legault refused to recognize the existence of systemic racism in the province. While Montreal’s mayor, Valérie Plante, has criticized the insufficient funds to housing in Quebec’s new budget, she continuously allocates exorbitant funds to public “safety,” the police.

The government, the police, and even its hospitals are rooted in systemic violence, surveillance, and discrimination. The city’s violence towards its unhoused population

also manifests materially, as it incorporates hostile designs and exclusionary architecture restricting houseless people’s access to public spaces. Installing metal armrests and shallow seating on benches means that Montreal’s unhoused cannot lie down to rest. The city must end its dangerous, exclusionary, and racist design models, and instead actually invest in projects that foster community in public spaces.

As McGill students, we interact with unhoused people every day, but many of us are so desensitized to government failure that it strikes us as normal. Individuals living in MiltonParc without a safe, warm place to sleep at night will never be normal or just. While the municipal and provincial governments must work towards holistic solutions, students must treat their unhoused neighbours with respect and dignity and at the same time advocate for change.

The precarity of Quebec’s unhoused population has been and remains manufactured by the government. Any efforts to resolve this crisis must address, through culturally responsive and historically comprehensive recognition of, the structural violence that Canada’s colonial systems have enacted.

Reporting on what I’ve gained from campus journalism

has informed my university experience and self-perception in turn.

Joseph Abounohra, Kareem Abuali, Ella Gomes, Shani Laskin, Kennedy McKee-Braide, Madison McLauchlan, Michelle Siegel, Sophie Smith

STAFF

Ali Baghirov, Margo Berthier, Ella Buckingham, Melissa Carter, Roberto Concepcion, Ella Deacon, Julie Ferreyra, Adeline Fisher, Suzanna Graham, Jasjot Grewal, Charlotte Hayes, Jasmine Jing, Monique Kasonga, Shani Laskin, Eliza Lee, Oscar Macquet, Zoé Mineret, Harry North, Simi Ogunsola, Atticus O’Rourke Rusin, Ella Paulin, Dana Prather, Maeve Reilly, Maia Salhofer, Sofia Stankovic, Caroline Sun, Harrison Yamada, Yash Zodgekar

CONTRIBUTORS

Jack Armstrong, Kellie Elrick, Adam Motaouakkil, AnnaClare Sung, Eliza Wang, Anders Woodruff, M. Thelioma

TPS BOARD OF DIRECTORS TRIBUNE OFFICE

Shatner University Centre, 3480 McTavish, Suite 110 Montreal, QC H3A 0E7 - T: 519.546.8263

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

There’s a certain rush that comes with writing an important story. The words stream out as you find the quote that reveals the essence of the piece. Bits of reporting you collate together into a story that guides the public and exposes the truth. I’ve been thinking about this rush a lot as I stare down the end of my third year at McGill and ask myself whether I want to pursue journalism professionally.

Three years ago, the idea of doing journalism intimidated me. Journalists

were really smart people who wrote on ridiculous deadlines and put themselves in harm’s way for the sake of telling a story. I didn’t really know how to write or deal with sources, and I didn’t really know how to pull a story together. The perfectionist first-year me, afraid of trying something new, didn’t want to try and fail.

But I got over myself. On a visit home in January, I happened upon The Fourth Estate, a documentary that took an inside look at The New York Times during the first year of the Trump presidency. I was immediately drawn to the fast-paced environment that featured inquisitive people bustling around and grappling with how best to convey breaking issues to the public. Whatever was happening in that newsroom, it seemed like those reporters were at the centre of the world—and I wanted in. That night, I emailed McGill’s student papers to learn how to contribute.

Campus journalism, of course, isn’t The New York Times. The stories you write are rarely breaking news and don’t typically cause broad shifts in public opinion. But I’ve found that covering campus life, administrative decisions, and student movements is unique and important work in and of itself. Doing this kind of journalism

Entering McGill during the height of COVID-19 drastically limited my exposure to student life. But through chasing stories every week, my world opened up. Every time I researched a new story or conducted an interview, I learned something new about McGill. Through my reporting, I became acquainted with my community through their eyes.

Student journalists are in a unique position. We have a different sort of responsibility to our community than professionals. We face these issues every day and are often directly affected by the administration’s decisions, like our sources. Reporting in a smaller community also changes your relationship with pieces—the stories you’re writing unravel in front of you. And rather than moving on after a piece gets published, your idea of “campus” shifts.

McGill is a fascinating place. The university is a large and powerful institution with a very real impact on people’s lives. At times, I’d argue, even more so than the provincial or federal government, because it’s closer to us students. Being a campus journalist has forced me to pay attention to the institutional harm and negligence

that occurs every day—whether it’s pursuing legal action against students filing access to information requests or neglecting to tell the community their central sexual violence support service has been shut. And seeing these struggles up close has been formative for my own political awareness.

While journalism is ultimately the practice of speaking truth to power, the most important skill I’ve gained has been learning to listen. News reporting forces you to take a backseat. Your singular voice, your opinion on these issues doesn’t matter in comparison to accurately conveying someone’s, or a community’s, story. It’s humbling. I learned that pretty quickly through all of those nights of huddling up at the Law Library, two hours before deadline, listening back to my interviews in search of the truth.

I’m still not sure if I want to be a journalist after graduation. With cuts across the industry, tenuous employment, and increasing rates of harassment, violence, and repression, it’s not the most ideal time to pursue this career path. But reflecting on my experience, it’s hard to say no when practicing journalism has taught me so much.

I might have to keep chasing that rush.

Caroline Sun Staff Writer

News coverage about the Chinese government’s alleged interference in Canada’s 2021 federal elections has continued for more than a month since The Globe and Mail reported that CSIS received intelligence about the Beijing government’s possible meddling in the 2021 federal election.

The media attention has created a public uproar because of how it could threaten faith in our democracy and in Prime Minister

CCP interference allegations are not an excuse for anti-Asian racism

Justin Trudeau’s leadership—to certain lawmakers’ benefit. Even if they seem to only concern the Chinese and Canadian governments, the Asian Canadian community is already feeling the repercussions of recent allegations. For legislators working on China-Canada relations, these repercussions could not be more detrimental. After reports that he helped the Chinese consulate interfere in the 2019 election and advised against the release of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, Member of Parliament Han Dong, who represents Don Valley

North in Ontario, left the Liberal caucus to become an independent. Dong stated that he received hateful, aggressive comments, and even death threats in light of recent allegations.

As Dong is a powerful legislator, his missteps have consequences for Chinese residents in Canada. As new developments have rolled out, increasing political distrust towards China and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) manifests in the mistreatment of Chinese Canadians. These developments are only adding to the reasons why some are sceptical of high-profile politicians, and wondering whether Chinese and Asian Canadians more broadly are more loyal to Canada or to their home country—a racist and dangerous sentiment.

Despite the understandable concern about these allegations, we must note that no politician has stated that the Chinese government manipulated the election in a way that changed any outcome. The Angus Reid Institute conducted a survey amongst nearly one-fourth of the Canadian population and revealed that 42 per cent of past Conservative voters believe the election was “stolen.” Does that ring a bell? It should. With existing distrust in our political institutions, any proceeding

A Canadian guide to March Madness 2023

into inquiries on interference in our elections therefore must be thorough, rigorous, and attuned to institutional trust.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, North America has seen a resurfacing of overt racism and xenophobia toward the Asian community through rising hate crimes. At the same time, the relationship between the Canadian government and the Chinese government has become more strained. Anti-Asian racism is embedded in Canadian history. As early as 1885, the Chinese head tax dictated that every Chinese person wanting to enter Canada needed to pay up to $500, explicitly deterring immigration inflow amongst that population. And from 1923 to 1947, the Chinese Immigration Act openly denied entry to all Chinese people.

More recently, antiimmigration agendas have been used as a political tactic by many of Canada’s politicians, including Premier François Legault during the 2022 Quebec provincial elections. Economic crises and other historically difficult periods are often a justification for politicians and the general population to use immigrant groups as scapegoats to explain large societal issues and to cull favour from voters. Even

Big upsets for FDU and Princeton while Canadian talent dominates

Jack Armstrong Contributor

The 2023 NCAA basketball tournament kicked off on March 12, and it’s already shaping up to be one of the most memorable in March Madness history, with several shocking upsets in the first three rounds. A record 53 Canadians round out the men’s and women’s brackets and have already turned in incredible performances, fuelling fans

north of the border. In honour of this historic year, The McGill Tribune ranks the top two upsets and Canadian players of the tournament so far.

Upset #2: Princeton 59-55 Arizona

Three years counting, the 15-seed has defeated a number two seed, but that doesn’t take away from Princeton’s miraculous achievement.

Arizona entered the tournament in great form after winning the Pac-12 championship

and boasting a top-15-ranked offence. Over a quarter of all brackets had Arizona going to the final four. Instead, 111thranked Princeton held Arizona to just 55 points––their lowest all season––breaking millions of brackets in the process. Princeton did not stop there: They beat seventh seed Missouri two days later to become the fourth 15 seed to reach the sweet 16 in March Madness history. Princeton eventually lost to Creighton in the next round, but their incredible underdog run won’t soon be forgotten.

Upset #1: FDU 63-58 Purdue

Sixteen-seed Fairleigh Dickinson pulled off perhaps the greatest upset in March Madness history by beating first-seed Purdue—the second time this has ever happened. On paper, the two teams could not have been more mismatched; Purdue entered the tournament as Big 10 Champions, led by 7-foot-4 Zach Edey, whereas FDU was the shortest team in Division I and ranked 301 out of 363

teams. Despite their advantage, Purdue’s offence struggled the entire game and FDU shot the ball decisively in the second half, allowing them to take the lead and hold on for the shocking victory. FDU lost in the next round, but their victory over Purdue will make them legends in college basketball lore.

Canadian #2: Ryan Nembhard Edey and Marcus Carr entered the tournament as the most recognizable Canadian players, but once the tournament began, Creighton guard Ryan Nembhard stole the show. Born and raised in Aurora, Ontario, Nembhard had a stellar 2022-23 season with Creighton, leading the team in both assists and steals. But Nembhard brought the tournament to another level. In three games, he recorded 13 rebounds and 49 points, including a career-high 30 points in Creighton’s upset win over Baylor. If Creighton makes it to the final four, Nembhard’s hard work will be a big reason why.

though the CCP’s policy decisions are not representative of the beliefs of Chinese Canadians, the negative impression of the CCP overflows and washes over the community. Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Theresa Tam, was even berated by the Conservative leader Derek Sloan, who questioned her loyalty towards Canada. This kind of suspicion targeted at Chinese and Asian immigrants could reinforce Asian Canadians’ sentiment of not belonging to the country in which many of them are born.

Of course, the allegations made about interference in Canadian elections must be investigated so as to ensure the validity of our democratic process. In the meantime, the Canadian government and citizens must work to mitigate the growing discrimination and hatred against Asian Canadians. Institutions and individuals are equally responsible to ensure that our country stays a civil, accepting place that treats people with respect and that supports a racially-inclusive democracy. As immigrants represent almost a quarter of the Canadian population, ensuring the well-being of minority groups is ensuring the well-being of a significant part of our city, province, and country, and the democracy that unites them all.

Canadian #1: Aaliyah Edwards University of Connecticut (UConn) forward Aaliyah Edwards took women’s college basketball by storm this season, leading UConn to a second-seed placement in the tournament. Hailing from Kingston, Ontario, Edwards dominated both sides of the ball this season, leading UConn in both points and blocks. Her seismic performances have continued during March Madness—she’s recorded six assists, 11 rebounds, and 47 points while shooting over 80 per cent from the field in two games so far, allowing UConn to cruise through to the sweet 16. UConn’s tournament ended in the next round, but Edwards’ career is just getting started.

Honourable mentions

Despite riding the bench for most of the season, South Carolina forward and Mississaugan Laeticia Amihere stood out in this year’s tournament. In two games, she’s had eight rebounds and 21 points, making her a big reason

why South Carolina is the best team in the women’s bracket. On the men’s side, Carr has played outstandingly well for secondseed Texas: His eight rebounds, 13 assists, and 45 points in three games have been instrumental to the team’s success. Finally, despite their shocking firstround loss, Purdue centre Edey deserves a special mention, as he is expected to be the first Canadian to win the prestigious Naismith College Player of the Year award.tournament. In two games, she’s had eight rebounds and 21 points, making her a big reason why South Carolina is the best team in the women’s bracket. On the men’s side, Carr has played outstandingly well for second-seed Texas: His eight rebounds, 13 assists, and 45 points in three games have been instrumental to the team’s success. Finally, despite their shocking first-round loss, Purdue centre Edey deserves a special mention, as he is expected to be the first Canadian to win the prestigious Naismith College Player of the Year award.

A poll conducted by the Angus Reid Institute reveals that 34 per cent of Canadian voters feel it is becoming harder to ensure fair elections. (NBC News)

Only five Canadians have ever won the NCAA men’s title. (Eric Gay / AP)

We’ve got the(m) beat

Exploring the power of music at varsity sports games

Eliza Lee Staff Writer

Music at sporting events has the remarkable ability to intensify each twist and turn of a game, create a gripping narrative, and even sway the outcome in one team’s favour.

Some might say this is best evidenced by the opening scene of High School Musical 3 , where Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) plays his final basketball game at East High School. With just 16 minutes left on the clock, the high-energy Wildcats weave through the defence singing, “ this is the last time to get it right / this is the last chance to make it our night ,” while the crowd claps along. When Troy is shoved to the ground by the rival team, the encouraging words sung to him by Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hudgens) motivate Troy to get his head back in the game and lead the Wildcats to victory.

Although McGill’s varsity sporting events sadly lack East High’s spontaneous musical outbursts, the music played at games serves the same purpose: It fosters team spirit and energizes athletes to perform their best. At the same time, music creates a thrilling atmosphere for the audience, making for an entertaining game.

Meeting the musical needs of both the players and the fans is a difficult task that requires attention to detail and careful deliberation. However, McGill Athletics Varsity Sports Official Tommy Schnarr is up to the challenge. The U2 Education student has set the tunes for lacrosse, hockey, basketball, and volleyball games, and his song choice is dependent on what audience the sport draws. For example, the crowd at volleyball games is often made up of newer fans who don’t follow the sport. Because of this, Schnarr plays high-energy pop to keep the atmosphere fun and exciting.

“We go for, like, fast-paced songs with high levels of energy,” Schnarr told The McGill Tribune . “A lot of EDM [electronic dance music] kind of stuff, especially for time-outs, [which are] a lot more intense. In between sets we’ll play “Country Roads,” kind of thing, but to get the crowd nice and into [the game].”

The influence of hockey culture

In contrast to volleyball, there is a far more pronounced hockey culture in North America, given the sport’s popularity. One important part of this shared tradition is classic rock from the 1980s and 1990s featuring artists such as AC/DC and Guns N’Roses mixed in with newer rock from the Black Keys and Green Day. Much of what Schnarr plays stems from this culture, a culture he was exposed to through his own experience playing and watching the sport.

Zoe Frantz, a forward on the Martlets hockey team, echoed the role that broader hockey culture in North America has had in shaping the songs played at games throughout her career. The first-year athlete noted that the nostalgia associated with older songs from her childhood makes them especially meaningful.

“These aren’t just songs that your team shares, it’s like, ‘I remember this from my other team, I remember this from when I was a kid,’” Frantz said. “And the same thing with throwback songs [from the 2010s] [....] It’s just this really cool thing where it’s like, ‘this song has been such a big part of my life and I didn’t consider it until now.’”

Adapting to unique preferences

When crafting playlists for games, the Martlets hockey team puts their own spin on the song selection while including tracks that speak to North American hockey culture. Many of their picks rally and energize the team because they hearken back to season highlights. One song played at games is “Jimmy Cooks” by Drake and 21 Savage, which the team bonded over before their match against Carleton University on Nov. 4.

“I don’t like saying, [...] ‘vibes,’ but it had really good vibes,” Frantz said with a laugh. “Everyone was [really] into it and you could feel the room wasn’t tense or stressed, it was more just like, ‘okay, we got this.’”

Schnarr explained that part of catering to audience preferences means carefully observing the crowd’s reactions to music throughout the game and modifying

the playlist to adjust to their taste.

“If I see someone not [liking] Ozzy Osbourne for instance, you know, I’ll look at them when I play a Taylor Swift song in the next stoppage, see what they like there,” Schnarr said. “If people are moving a little bit, that’s a good sign. If they’re standing still or ignoring the music, that’s not really what you want.”

that song, what’s that song?’ And they’ll go, ‘Don’t Stop Believin,’ and they’ll say the word mentally, and in that sense, they’ll be thinking it.”

That same audience recognition works to create an encouraging atmosphere for players, Frantz says. Like Troy and Gabriella exchanging a duet from the court to the stands, enjoying a popular song together can unite the audience and athletes, creating a sense of community and motivating the team to keep pushing for victory.

“It’s cool because you’ve got your team who knows the song, but then you’ve got the audience kind of recognizing the song,” Frantz said. “When you see that everyone’s just kind of enjoying themselves and having a good time [...] [it creates a] connection [because] I know you’re there to support me, and we’re connecting on this deeper level, and we all go to McGill, and we’re all just kind of there to have fun.”

Game day music strategy

Music selection varies along with the events of the game itself. Schnarr plays different music depending on how much time is left in the game. In the case of hockey, Schnarr plays more popular songs during the first and second periods to keep the audience engaged, while in the third period, he changes the music in favour of an energetic atmosphere that will benefit the players first and foremost.

“First period and second period, [the players are] still hyped from the music that they have playing in their locker room, from the music that they have in warm-up,” Schnarr explained. “The third period is when they really need that extra boost of energy from the songs that have high beats per minute, so I play a lot of EDM for that.”

As for Fight Band, they base their music on the play happening in the moment. Band President Rosalie Joly-Simard noted that the band will play the theme from Jaws after an opposing hockey team draws a penalty to build anticipation for McGill’s upcoming power play, or will loudly play their instruments to distract a rival basketball player during their free throws.

Fostering

community through popular songs

Being attentive to the audience’s taste is just as important for the McGill Fight Band. The student-run band has been playing live music at varsity games since 2006 and is an integral part of McGill varsity culture. Fight Band incorporates both older and more contemporary music into their repertoire, from “Hey! Baby” by Bruce Channel to “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga, the latter being one of Fight Band’s hallmark songs. According to Fight Band vice-president Administrative Zachary Roberts, one important feature that shapes the band’s music selection is how recognizable songs are to the audience.

“[The purpose is] to remind the team and the crowd [...] it’s not time to give up yet,” Roberts said. “Because people will recognize the song and be like, ‘oh what’s

“Sometimes it works really well, sometimes the players are like, too focused, it doesn’t work.” Joly Simard said. “We give ourselves really good credit when they miss.”

This careful selection of songs is designed to build excitement and keep spirits high. Even when the game is not in McGill’s favour, the band still strives to create a fun atmosphere—in the event of a loss, the band will play “Fuck You” by CeeLo Green.

Thanks to the thoughtful intention that goes into song choice at varsity games, the music at McGill varsity events is far from background noise. Songs can unravel memories of an entire career in the game, foster team bonding, and rally a crowd around a team. The music at games is more than a beat for audiences to clap along to—it’s a tool to uplift athletes, a source of community, and an expression of a love for the sport.

Martlets hockey’s favourite team song is “You Make My Dreams (Come True)” by Daryl Hall and John Oates. (Shireen Aamir / The McGill Tribune)

Living in Montreal certainly has its perks. The city is home to multiple world-renowned universities, Michelin star-worthy restaurants, countless museums, a great nightlife scene, and, perhaps most importantly, a mosaic of diverse cultural communities. The island has historically and continuously been a landing spot for immigrants from across the globe: Around 150 languages are spoken across the city, and over 200 religions practiced. Its multicultural and multilingual character is visible in the numerous cultural festivals celebrated throughout the island, from the energetic Carifiesta to the colourful and vibrant Holi, and it resounds in the array of languages spoken by its residents, from the grocery store to the metro.

Born in Montreal, I was raised to be bilingual. My parents, although anglophone, tried their best to speak both English and French with my sister and me so that we would grow up with the set of tools becoming progressively more important in Quebec. Being able to speak French was something I always took for granted; I didn’t learn it because I wanted to, but because I had to. Now as an adult, though I am much more appreciative of my grasp of the French language, I am equally plagued by an ever-increasing sense of dread as I watch some of my friends contemplate leaving this beautiful city due to its repressive language policies.

I do not blame those who wish to leave. Thanks to Quebec’s government, this province that so many of us call home is becoming increasingly hostile towards those who don’t speak French. Premier François Legault and his cabinet have introduced a slew of legislation that strangles the human rights of linguistic minorities in the province.

One of the Quebec government’s most recent—and perhaps egregious—acts was the adoption of Bill 96, an amendment made this past June to the already controversial Charter of the French Language (1977). The Bill, which many activists have vehemently opposed, limits the use of English in public services and courts of law, grants language inspectors powers of search and seizure without warrant, caps enrollment at English CEGEPS, and imposes stricter francization requirements for businesses with 25 to 49 employees. Under these new regulations, businesses must serve their customers in French, ensure all public signage in non-French languages is less prominent than its French translations, and present all hiring documents in French unless otherwise requested.

The effects of Bill 96 on language education at the CEGEP level threaten not just anglophone rights, but multilingualism’s ability to thrive in the province. Starting next fall, students without English eligibility certificates will have to take a French

exam to graduate, meaning that their courseloads will be more French-heavy. Teachers and students at Vanier College, an English-language CEGEP, spoke to CBC recently about their fear that other language courses will slowly be pushed out of the curriculum, and those seeking to reconnect with heritage languages may not get the opportunities they once had.

The addition of required French courses at the CEGEP or junior college level is particularly detrimental to Indigenous students’ access to higher education and academic success. The Bill will worsen the Quebec government’s continued neglect of Indigenous leaders’ calls for the decolonization of the Education Ministry’s pedagogical curriculum and preservation of Indigenous culture and languages. Because many Indigenous students are already bilingual (mother tongue and English), the burden of having to master a third language can be taxing and weaken their quality of education and academic performance.

ing her academic responsibilities.

“I did French in high school, and I did it because I really loved the language, but that was six years ago and I lost most of it after finishing [high school],” Jessie said. “Here in Montreal, I tried picking French up again [but] during my master’s I simply didn’t have time to take classes.”

Learning a language can be a full-time job in and of itself, requiring long hours and hard work. When an international student or immigrant packs up their belong -

VIVE LE QUÉBEC BEYOND

The government’s introduction of Bill 96 reveals a glaring neglect of the province’s linguistic diversity. Despite how much the Quebec government likes to proclaim that the French language is under attack, they often do not tell the whole truth. Recent statistics show that the proportion of French speakers in Quebec fell between 2016 and 2021 from 79 per cent to 77.5 per cent, while the proportion of English speakers rose from 12 per cent to 13 per cent. These findings are the product of a biased census, in which people who identified English as their mother tongue were lumped together with people who have multiple mother tongues, including but not limited to French. This skewed the results to propagate the victimization of the French language. The census also focused overwhelmingly on Montreal residents, which tends to be more anglophone or multilingual than cities such as Quebec City, or suburban areas throughout the province. Recent research by Jean-Pierre Corbeil, a sociology professor at the Uni versity of Laval, however, concludes that the typical categories used to measure language identity—mother tongue and language spoken at home—insufficiently capture the multilin gualism of linguistic environments such as Quebec. As most Montrealers know, the boundaries of language use are not so clearly divided in daily life.

By focusing on the false narrative that the French language is under threat by im migrants, Legault’s government ignores the actual socio-economic conditions re quired to learn a new language.

Jessie*, a master’s student in psychol ogy who is originally from India, could not find the time to study French while balanc

THE ENGLISH-FRENCH

ings, moves away from their family, and settles into a new environment, time constraints on learning a new language should not be added to the duress of surviv al. Bill 96’s language regulations on busi nesses exacerbate the barriers in ternational stu dents and im migrants face when job-searching, compound ing financial and mental strains. Shru ti Kumaran, a master’s stu dent in physi

WRITTEN BY OLIVER WARNE,

to take a loan to help me pay my tuition [...] it’s ridiculous how expensive it is for international students, on top of having to pay for housing, food, and so on,” said Kumaran. “I wanted to work part-time here to help cover some of the costs, or at least to help pay my parents back, but I don’t speak French, which has made finding a job almost impossible. Part of me regrets moving here when I could have gone somewhere like Toronto… or Vancouver even.”

Newcomers’ relationship with French is

MULTILINGUE ENGLISH-FRENCH

WARNE, WEB DEVELOPER

just rolled her eyes and sighed, and gave me this disappointed look as if there was no point in talking to me.”

Unfortunately, this is not uncommon for non-French speakers to experience, and in a culture where our own government is actively trying to discourage multilingualism, incidents like Jessie’s may only become more frequent.

One of Jessie’s other French experiences with strangers demonstrates the alternative. Instead of treating others with a passive-aggressive air of linguistic superiority, the government should encourage the embrace multilingualism with patience and compassion.

DIVIDE

“I remember once I had to call H&R Block, and the woman on the phone spoke in French to me,” Jessie said. “I speak very little French and she spoke very little English, yet we had this cute little moment of trying to communicate, and she was encouraging me in a very patient way which was a pleasant change.”

But as hopeful as this interaction was, Jessie is now planning on moving to Toronto, as they would need to pass a French exam to be able to practice counselling in Quebec.

In addition to Bill 96’s regulations, those who wish to move to Quebec permanently must obtain a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ), which is dished out by the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration. One of the requirements for obtaining a CSQ is, unsurprisingly, a demonstration of proficiency in the French language. With many choosing to settle in other provinces instead, sociologists and politicians alike have raised concerns about Quebec’s “brain drain”, as talented and educated individuals who contribute to the province’s economy and society are leaving en masse to avoid the cultural asphyxiation caused by Quebec’s French legislation.

Nishanth Manickam, a third-year student at Concordia, was born and raised in Montreal. As his parents immigrated here from Sri Lanka and do not speak French, he fears that Bill 96 will make life in Quebec increasingly difficult

“Both my parents and grandmother speak Tamil and a bit of English, but they’re not able to communicate or understand French,” Manickam said. “Bill 96 is kind of scary for them because they feel as if they will not be able to live in this province comfortably [...], especially in terms of legal proceedings and health care, they would prefer to have the freedom to choose which language they use. This fear has led to them wanting to move to Toronto with the rest of our family because they are more accepting of English speakers in Ontario.”

Nishanth’s family settled in Dollarddes-Ormeaux, home to a sizable Tamil community. The temple he frequents is close to his house, where he has come to know some of his neighbours. He worries that should he and his family move to Toronto to avoid the language laws here in Quebec, he will be alienated from his religious and cultural community in the neighbourhood.

“There are a lot of Tamil people in Toronto too, but it would feel like we’re starting all over and we’d lose touch with the community here that we’ve been a part of for so long,” Manickam said. “I make a quick visit to the temple every day before I go home. I sit outside in my car and pray and it’s something that means a lot to me. It gives me hope even when everything seems to be going wrong. From a young age, my parents have tried their best to make sure that I don’t lose touch with the Hindu and Tamil cultures and I feel like I’ll do the same with my children.”

Nishanth is just one of many who take pride in expressing their heritage across the vast multicultural landscape of Montreal. But, like many, he has serious concerns about the growing intolerance towards those who do not fit neatly into Quebec’s predetermined francophone identity.

Jessie, Shruti, and Nishanth’s experiences show that a coercive approach to “protecting” the French language like Bill 96 does not actually give non-French speakers the capacity to learn the French language healthily and productively, but rather pressures them into doing so by taking away their access to essential public services and job opportunities. This most often affects low-income immigrants and Indigenous peoples, forcing them to sacrifice their cultures and communities or establish their future elsewhere.

We should not buy into the government narrative that English and French are in competition for linguistic supremacy. The real-life linguistic habits of Montrealers cannot be categorized into strict unilingual boxes and, by doing so, we threaten to erase the multilingualism inherent to Montreal’s history and interconnected society—in turn, forcing important community members out of the city. Non-French linguistic communities across the province do not degrade Quebec culture—they enrich it, and remain an integral part of what makes us Quebecers.

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

DESIGN BY SHIREEN AAMIR, DESIGN EDITOR

‘All Things Move’ restores a timeless work of art

Jeannie Marshall takes us on an enchanting journey into the Sistine Chapel

Kellie Elrick Contributor

Jeannie Marshall lived in Rome for 12 years before setting foot inside the Sistine Chapel.

“ I could hardly bear the thought of standing amongst a crowd only to look at something that seemed simultaneously too complex to be understood just by looking at it and too worn out from overexposure,” she writes. “[I]t never seemed like the right time to take on such an enormous symbol of Western culture. ”

Then her sister Marion died. Over the next few years, her mother and brother Ken passed away, as well. So did her husband James’s father, followed by his brother-in-law Michael, and then his mother.

After her mother’s death, she decided it was time to set foot inside. Her decision wasn’t spurred on by a grand epiphany or a sudden compulsion, but rather, by emptiness. The longawaited visit was unfulfilling. It was overwhelming. It “ seemed too much, too enormous, and too religious .”

Then she went back. Again. And again.

Marshall’s book All Things Move , which started out as an essay, raises crucial questions about how we interact with art and why it matters at all. How should we look at art? What makes art great? Who is art for? What if you wait and prepare your entire life to see a great piece of art, and it doesn’t live up to your expectations?

All Things Move explores how relationships to art can evolve over different stages of life. Beginnings and endings are carefully woven into the narrative. Chronologically, Michelangelo painted The Deluge first, starting with the end of the world. During her third visit, Marshall has a crucial realization: The people depicted on this panel trying to climb out of the water are not survivors—they’re all about to die.

The book is also chock-full of lyrical descriptions of everyday life in Rome. Marshall describes the different parts of Rome she sees while running errands: The metro, fruit sellers, groceries,

pigeons, and art shops. But also apartment buildings abandoned during the 2008 financial crisis, graffiti (both fascist and anti-fascist), and brass cobblestones in front of houses engraved with the names of their former inhabitants who had been sent to concentration camps during the Second World War.

Douglas Anthony Cooper’s accompanying photos are beautiful, but he is careful to not only capture beautiful things. Marshall was drawn to the candour of his photos. Art blends into everyday streetscapes: A red ball, a dog in a sweater, and a nun on the metro. The photos of the city are often black and white. The art is mostly in colour.

Marshall puts moments into melody when writing about photos in colour. The book explores how art has the ability to not only uniquely capture and explain key moments in human history, but to do the same for one’s own personal history. In other words, art should matter because it matters to you.

Intriguingly, Marshall is not Christian. She ruminates on the

Wednesday Night Fever in the Quartier Latin

idea that perhaps we ought to approach religion in the way we approach art. The Sistine Chapel has served as both the backdrop and foreground for many religious conflicts throughout history. In a time when the humanities are increasingly seen as decorative, art can evoke an invaluable sense of openness and uncertainty.

“Great Art” can often have a highbrow, inaccessible aura, but Marshall’s individual approach to the Sistine Chapel makes it so compelling. She writes about her grandmother, growing up in a family of fur trappers in North

Growve offers a platform to showcase flavours of the Montreal music scene

Adam Motaouakkil Contributor

One night this semester, at a bar on St. Denis, I was watching the closing set of Growve, a jam session I regularly attend. Some professional musicians barged in at the last minute, ecstatic and hugging friends they had not seen in a while. They were there to hang out, but given their credentials, the hosts immediately welcomed them on stage. For two minutes, the bassist, drummer, and keyboard player tried to lock into a groove. It was awkward, and the audience could tell that the jam was not going too well. Suddenly, the bass player found a rhythmic low end complementing the drumline, and the keyboard player playedwas playing rich synthesizer lines. With every passing minute of their set, the music only got better. It was the closest thing I’ve experienced to a musical trance; I was locked into their unique soundscape. Sweat dripped off the drummer playing his final big lines while the keyboard lingered on the last chord of the set. The crowd roared in awe, and the host yelled out one last time: “This. Is. A. Jam!”

Growve occurs every Wednesday night at 8 p.m. at Turbo Haüs. Musicians come and take a break from regular life, playing their hearts out. The three hosts, Shayne, Shem, and Marcus, offer a free performance for an audience that wants to dance to improvised R&B, neo-soul, and hip-hop.

Among the musicians, you will find artists, industry producers, session musicians, and even hobbyists. The vibes are right, and the music is tight. Every session, Shem calls out “tThis is a jam,” the show’s motto, to a raucous crowd under the signature arrowshaped lights.

“The quality of the jams [are] is very good,” guitarist Joseph Anidjar said in an interview with The McGill Tribune . “The hosts are very welcoming. Sometimes the jams are cutthroat, and this is what I like.”

For those like Joseph seeking an artistic challenge, the jam often delves into technical and jazzier sounds as professionals drop in to perform. Yet, there is always a place for those going out with their friends or those who want to show their hidden talents on any instrument.

Growve traces its roots back to Le Cypher, a jam session produced in the now- defunct Bleury Bar à Vinyle. Shayne, Joseph, and Shem, who were CEGEP students in 2017, used to gowent there to test their chops.

“There were couches in the middle of the venue,” Shayne said. “We hung out and played tunes we could not perform in music school.”

Soon Shayne, Shem, and others began hosting Mercredi Live at Bleury. Even though the bar closed before the pandemicCOVID, Marcus joined in and the show moved shop to Turbo Haüs, bearing its current namesake.

Saxophone player Seuss (U3 Music) frequents the jams—his playing is improvi-

sational and rooted in traditional jazz, but as he says, “I want to have fun, man.”

“It’s relaxed,” Seuss told the Tribune “You meet so many nice people, you get to show off, and you get gigs. All these people know me thanks to Growve.”

You will find jazz students at the bar ready to play some Beyoncé or D’Angelo, casual flavours compared to the rigidity of academic music. The ease of the songs and their broad appeal keep the jam inclusive by bridging artistic backgrounds. Additionally, bands and artists that got started through Growve play their original music. The jam,

(tripsavvy.com)

Bay, and falling in love with Michelangelo. She weaves her personal history alongside centuries of religious conflict, struggle, beauty, and identity.

“I wanted to see something enduring, something that outlasts its creator. I wanted to feel part of a world that means something, a world that continues; I wanted to feel that those we had lost were part of it too.”

All Things Move will be published on April 4, available at your local bookstore and as an audiobook.

and Turbo Haüs in general, showcases part the city’s musical zeitgeist. of the musical zeitgeist of the city.

“Many acts started thanks to this event,” Shem and Shayne said. “We can tell people where to go when they ask where the music is.”

Whether you’re a suit, musician, or anyone elsething under the rare Montreal winter sun, everyone is welcome at Growve. The equipment and musicians on stage may cost thousands of dollars, but you won’t have to pay a Canadian dime to get down on a Wednesday night.

Researchers found that when looking at the Sistine Chapel ceiling, onlookers instinctively move their wrists the way Adam does.

Musicians get together for an improvised performance while they drink and watch the shows alongside the audience. (Maia Salhofer / The McGill Tribune)

Pushing back against anti-Blackness to improve care for all

The fight for self-determination and justice in global public health

Raymond Tu Contributor

In the realm of public health, researchers and health practitioners are reckoning with the pervasive anti-Blackness in the global health community and how it impacts the health policies, quality of care, and well-being of people around the world.

In Fall 2022, Dr. Madhukar Pai, a professor at the McGill School of Population and Global Health and associate director of the McGill International Tuberculosis (TB) Centre, attended a tuberculosis conference in Nairobi, Kenya. He and his co-editor-in-chief of the PLOS Global Public Health journal, Dr. Catherine Kyobutungi, hosted a panel on anti-Blackness in global health. Following the panel, several of the researchers who participated penned an opinion article with the hopes of combating the pervasive anti-Blackness in public health research.

Doctors Marie-Claire Wangari and Samuel Oti, physicians and global health advocates from Kenya, participated in the panel and co-authored the subsequent article, published in PLOS Global Public Health

“We define anti-Blackness [in the article], but at the heart of it is the hierarchization of races driven by the Western hegemony that places Black people at the bottom of humanity’s food chain,” Oti said in an interview with The McGill Tribune

Wangari and Oti expose the reality that global health, from colonial times, to the early 1900s, to now, is structurally anti-Black, and centres on Europeans with power and privilege.

A long-standing issue in global health is the

visa apartheid that impacts potential conference attendees, especially anyone from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, and other African nations. Already, fundraising for a visa application is challenging because a visa application to Canada costs $100 CAD and the entire biometrics, travel fees, and online applications can cost upwards of $1,100.

“Practical examples include the persisting issue of visa discrimination to attend global health events such as the IAS [International Aids Society Conference] in Montreal and the HSR [Health Systems Research Conference] in Bogota in 2022,” Wangari told the Tribune

While 58 per cent of HIV incidence globally is in sub-Saharan Africa, many of the primarily Black folks from affected regions are advocating for health equity, but can’t do so at events such as the IAS Conference.

Wangari, Oti, and even their more senior Black colleagues have run into difficulties with visas for conferences.

“On a personal level, my ambitions to hold higher positions in a global medical students’ association faced a premature death,” Wangari explained. Due to her inability to attend international conferences, her experiences were deemed too “Afro-centric,” compared to her wealthier, more well-travelled colleagues.

“At some point, I got so fed up that I called on African experts to boycott global events,” Oti added.

Visa discrimination is not the only way antiBlackness manifests in global health. Of the seven institutions granted $30 million USD by the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative in 2021, not a single one was based in Africa. There is also inadequate

access to vaccines against viruses such as HPV and mpox (formerly known as monkeypox).

“Africa is the only continent where [mpox] has been endemic for years,” Wangari said. “However, when there was an outbreak, the priority countries to get the few vaccines available were the countries that had the financial muscle to purchase them.”

Given these deeply entrenched power asymmetries, there is a growing call to decolonize the global health and development sectors.

“As individuals, we might not have sufficient power or influence to change things,” Oti said. “However, as a continent, we are over one billion people strong. That is why I appreciate and support

[the] Africa CDC’s call for a New Public Health Order.”

Africa’s New Public Health Order calls for capacity building for African institutions and health workers, the expansion of locally manufactured health products like vaccines, increased domestic investment in health, and promoting partnerships inter-, and importantly, intra-continentally.

“As the African saying goes, he who wears the shoes knows where it pinches the most,” Wangari said. “It starts with something as simple as acknowledging that African experts not only deserve to have a seat at the table but also have the expertise to shape health reforms and mutually collaborate as we all work towards health for all.”

SEDTalks showcases the wonders of McGill graduate student research

Students present projects on superviruses, energy storage, and nanoplastics

Ella Paulin Science & Technology Editor

The Trottier Institute for Sustainability in Engineering and Design hosted the fifth annual edition of SEDTalks, a program where three graduate students work throughout the winter semester to present their research to the public in an accessible, engaging way. This year’s students presented a wide array of research in public health, sustainable energy, and detecting the impacts of pollution.

Can blueberries help ward off superbugs?

Fathima Afsal, PhD candidate in the Department of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics, is researching superviruses that proliferate in the human gut. According to Afsal, one of the most pressing risks facing humanity right now is the development of pathogens that are resistant to antibiotic treatments.

“The next health crisis is not going to be a surprise,” Afsal said during her talk. “In fact, it is going to be due to antimicrobial resistance.”

To better understand how these

antimicrobial-resistant pathogens may be developing inside of the digestive system, Afsal studies the human gut biome in all of its complexity.

“Over the past year, I have built in the lab an artificial human digestive system,” Afsal said. “We have tried to give it a very creative name: The ‘gut-imulator,’ consisting of different compartments ranging from the stomach to the small intestine.”

The gut-imulator is fed three times a day, with pH levels and bacteria presence carefully monitored in each compartment. Using this technique, Afsal can study how specific chemicals called anthocyanins affect the proliferation of resistant bacteria. Anthocyanins, commonly found in blueberries, are believed to help ward against microbial resistance, but a comprehensive study into its effects has yet to be carried out.

Using rocks to store energy sustainably

Hamidreza Ermagan, a PhD candidate in the Department of Mining and Materials Engineering, is studying a new way to store energy for later use: Heating rocks in an insulated chamber and releasing

that heat later, in the form of energy. According to Ermagan, this could be the key to harnessing the full potential of renewable energy.

“Renewables are not always available when needed and they’re not always needed when available,” Ermagan said during his presentation. “We need to find a way to address this mismatch between energy supply and demand.”

Current energy storage methods, like lithium-ion batteries, are expensive and require the mining of toxic chemicals. Simple rocks, on the other hand, are cheap and abundantly available. They also have several beneficial properties for energy storage.

“Rocks do exceptionally well at withstanding really high temperatures, and that is really important for us, because we are not only interested in storing heat as heat, but we also want to transform it to electricity,” Ermagan said.

Detecting nanoplastics in our environment

Arav Saherwala, a master’s student in McGill’s Department of Chemical Engineering, is currently developing a reliable method of detecting nanoplastics—small particles that break off from plastic

products and pollute the environment.

“These nanoplastics that we’re generating can be smaller than one micron in size,” Saherwala explained. “This is much smaller than a red blood cell and orders of magnitude smaller than a hair.”

This makes them extremely difficult to detect, but using a new technique called enhanced darkfield hyperspectral microscopy, it may be possible.

“What’s high-tech about this microscope is that we get two

types of information, we get spatial information, as well as spectral information,” Saherwala said. “For every single pixel that’s on this image, we get a spectrum. And this spectrum is much like a fingerprint, as it’s unique to every element.”

Using this spectral data to identify each material in a sample, Saherwala could identify the precise types and locations of nanoplastics, getting us one step closer to understanding how widespread they are and what impacts they may be having on our environment.

While 90 per cent of deaths caused by malaria occur on the African continent, funding is largely allocated to organizations in countries in the Global North. (Unsplash)

As of Fall 2024, McGill will begin offering a Master’s of Engineering in Sustainability in Engineering and Design. (Willy Kurniawan / Reuters)

Where nature meets technology: Machine learning as a tool for climate action

Artificial intelligence, a potential ally in battle against climate change

Atticus O’Rourke Rusin Staff Writer

With the dangers of continued fossil fuel use and environmental mismanagement unfolding before our eyes in the form of intense heat waves, droughts, and wildfires, it’s obvious that dramatic, transformative action must be taken.

Throughout the pessimistic debate about the effectiveness of climate change policy and methods of pollution mitigation, almost every solution under the sun has been proposed. Some have suggested the widespread use of carbon capture technology, while others, like Boyan Slat, have developed ways to remove garbage from our oceans. But one technology has the potential to revolutionize climate action: Artificial intelligence (AI).

In a recent paper spearheaded by professor David Rolnick of the Department of Computer Science, researchers studied the application of machine learning to climate science in great detail. Each section of the article explored a specific sector—including electricity, industry, or infrastructure—and explained the ways machine learning could be used to reduce the sector’s impact on the climate.

Machine learning is an offshoot of AI. While the aim of AI is to develop computers that can “think” like a human, machine learning is more about training computers on experiences and data to recognize patterns and make decisions.

“Machine learning is looking at large amounts of data, finding the patterns that are common across that data and linking those to what the algorithm is asked to do,” Rolnick said in an interview with The McGill Tribune

Uses for machine learning fall into a few categories, according to Rolnick: Monitoring, optimization, simulation, and forecasting. Take, for example, how forecasting can be applied to the study of electricity.

“Machine learning is used to predict the amount of electricity that will be in demand at a given point in time so there is enough supply to meet that but not more than there needs to be,” Rolnick explained. “Understanding how much power is needed and how much power is available is important to make sure the grid is running effectively and without waste.”

Since AI cannot plant trees or pass legislation, its practical application may seem abstract. However, its effects are tangible: AI has been used to increase crop yield in India, improve electricity efficiency on wind farms by planning for weather, and improve data centres’ efficiency.

“Most of the technologies that I am talking about are at some level of deployment. For example, the U.K.’s national grid has already integrated deep learning models into forecasting supply and demand of electricity and has greatly increased efficiency as a result,” Rolnick said. “The UN uses AI to guide interven -

tions in flooded areas [....] These are not just research projects and it’s fundamentally important.”

Although AI is an incredibly promising technology, there are a couple of drawbacks to be addressed. One of these drawbacks is human bias—since humans write the algorithms and supply the human-collected data to train machine learning, these tools can replicate human biases. To prevent these biases, then, human bias needs to be corrected—there is no software fix.

“We cannot technology our way out of most biases,” Rolnick said. “The solutions to biases in technology are the same as solutions to biases in any other part of human endeavour. That means they are hard, but they are solvable via human

Shining at the AUS Awards Ceremony

Simi Ogunsola Staff Writer

Two hundred and three feet in the air, looking out over the silhouette of Montreal through blue-lit steel, the lights of the city seemed to gleam. Funnily enough, they weren’t as bright as the stars in the room behind me.

This year, the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) hosted its annual awards ceremony at the Montreal Biosphere. The zero-waste environment museum is more commonly recognized as the huge, geometric, metal dome just across the river from the Old Port—it glows electric blue at night.

The night overflowed with jubilant feelings of celebration. The semi-formal theme was brushed past: Red lips, floor-length gowns, and the highest of heels took to the Biodome that night. Rihanna’s old hits were playing, and the dances in the room were easy and light. People came together from different programs, finding time (as Arts students do) to “just consider the other side of a debate” before splitting off again to find new partners and stories.

The night was a heady mix of elegance and excitement. High cocktail tables stood throughout the room, with plush couches scattered along the perimeter—the atmosphere inviting people to mingle. The entire space was wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows, which al-

lowed for a moment truly worthy of the word “breathtaking” when the sun dipped below the Montreal skyline. Side tables were filled with cheese platters, fruit platters, gourmet cookies, and chocolate dipping sauce. Bartenders were mixing up vibrant-hued drinks, and, with what looked like a waffle-maker, frozen shots Photographers circled the room, conversations punctuated by the flash of cameras. Despite the night being a little chilly, more than one person ventured out onto the surrounding balcony, taking in a close-up view of the dome and the city, and snapping a couple shots for the ’Gram.

To kick off the ceremony, AUS vice-president (VP) Communications, Britney Vu, called it a night of celebration and recognition, a night to applaud all of the hard work, dedication, and passion that came from each department. With the hoots and hollers that rose up for every honourable mention and award called, the energy in the room was palpable. Of course, attendees came in with hopes for their own shining glass plaque, but there was also something like a collective pat-on-the-back going throughout the room. It was a night for everyone, all together and individually, to look back on their contributions at McGill and simply appreciate it.

The History Students Association (HSA) took home the final prize of the night, for Most Outstanding Departmental Executive Team. To receive an award, Arts undergraduate departments nominated members of their executive

team. After nominations, prizes were voted upon by the AUS team, and when there were conflicts of interest, the AUS secretary-generals voted in their place. AUS’s VP Academic, Nick Rieck, U2, told The McGill Tribune that they tried to make the decisions as equitable as possible.

With AUS missing a VP Internal, Rieck took it upon himself to put together the awards ceremony this year. With preparations beginning as early as November and continuing through until Friday night, it was a daunting project for Rieck, but feelings of gratitude propelled him.

“There are so many cool events and things that go on with the different departments […]

choices.”

This technology also requires enormous quantities of energy for algorithms to be trained and maintained, but the energy can be minimized by designing efficient algorithms and planning applications carefully.

“It’s also worth noting that most of the negative climate impacts of AI globally come from how it is used, not the direct energy consumption,” Rolnick wrote in a follow-up email.

Although machine learning models can be quite energy hungry, the models Rolnick uses are not exceedingly energyintensive. With careful planning, scientists hope that the emissions benefits from these models outweigh their energy consumption.

what we really want to do is honour the work that our departments do,” he explained.

After seeing firsthand how the departments positively contribute to Arts students’ experiences at McGill, Rieck said that the night was a way of giving back to the students who work to make that happen.

Somewhere between the bright blue lights of the night, the frozen shots being doled out at the bar, and snapshots being taken, an inspiring sense of pride and appreciation flowed throughout the room. There was a sense of teamwork— between departments, and between everyone in the Faculty of Arts. The dome’s blue lights and camera flashes that night shone bright. But that feeling…it shone the brightest of all.

Climate Change AI, co-founded by Professor Rolnick, runs workshops and seminars to help teach the importance of machine learning in combatting climate change. (Wikimedia Commons)

AUS Awards night at the Montreal Biosphere was a dream, under the stars—and alongside them, too. (mcgill.ca )

How note-taking methods affect memory and attention in class

Melissa Carter Staff Writer

Picture this: You’re in a classroom, looking alive as the lecture drones on. About half of the students, typing their notes quickly, seem to be outpacing those who choose to write the old-fashioned way. Where do you stand in this faultline?

The sea of laptops that flood most lecture halls today tells us that typed notes are the obvious choice for most students. By the numbers, notetakers on their laptops or iPads take the lead— writing notes by hand reaches a meagre average of 13 words per minute, while typewriting allows for an average of 40 words per minute.

Clearly, the speed and efficiency of typewritten notes make it easy and uncomplicated to summarize a lecture; however, being too comfortable with easy approaches to studying can dilute active involvement in your own education. Typewriting can be a double-edged sword: On the one hand, it allows you to copy everything down efficiently, but on the other, it enables mindless transcription without you processing the content. Although taking notes by hand is more work, here are a couple of reasons why you should give it the “old college” try.

Staying focused in class

Resisting the urge to doze off in class can be a real battle, but it’s no easier when you get email notifications or have to fend off the urge to scroll through Twitter on your laptop.

Cella Wardrop, U1 Arts, explains that she writes on paper as

a way to keep herself attentive in lectures.

“For me, writing [by hand] is more of a tool for paying attention in class. It does seem like taking notes on a computer is a little distracting,” Wardrop said in an interview with The McGill Tribune

Signy Sheldon, professor of psychology and the head of McGill’s Sheldon Memory Lab, explains that having distractions available to us in our learning environment can make paying attention more taxing.

“Laptops are so many things to us; they’re entertainment, they are social, and they’re also used for our work and school. So, if you are on your computer taking notes, you might think that ‘Oh, it’s okay if I stop and use this device for its other functions, I might check what’s going on in my email, or look at social media,’ and offering that distraction can really be harmful,” Sheldon said.

“So, not only are you distracted, but the fact that you know that those other functions are there in your computer means that you have to inhibit that information and that requires a lot of cognitive processes and it takes away from paying attention to your lecture.”

Not only does the temptation to check your inbox on your device affect your attention, but distractions out of your control—like looking over a classmate’s shoulder at their online shopping—throws off your focus during lectures. Although it is impossible to eliminate all distractions from a lecture hall, you can minimize them by taking notes by hand.

In an interview with the Tri -

bune , Jessica Taylor, U1 Arts, discussed her experience with a professor who prohibited devices from her lecture hall, forcing students to try their hand at pen and paper note-taking. Creating a device-free environment had a positive effect on Taylor’s overall concentration.

“I feel what made [a devicefree lecture hall] less distracting was that it was a unanimous thing.”

Importance of meaning in note-taking

The benefits of handwritten notes go further than just heightened concentration in class, with psychological evidence that handwritten notes may help you cut down on review outside of lecture hours. Sheldon says that due to the levels of processing model, a theory stating that the depth of processing during encoding affects your retention of that information.

“When you’re studying or learning something, you want to process that information at a deep level,” Sheldon explained. “When you connect it to things you already know, you’re going to form a stronger memory, and you’re going to be able to retrieve it more easily during an exam or later on.”

Typing the lecture slides verbatim is an example of shallow processing, a superficial method that observes surfacelevel material but does not account for meaning. On the other hand, having to summarize the lecturer’s information into handwrite-able bites of information allows for deeper processing—you are adding meaning to the lecture content at the moment of encoding. According to

the levels of processing theory, remembering what happened in class should be easier for deep, meaningfully processed information compared to shallow information.

“Often, when you’re taking notes by hand, [you] will connect what is being said [...], or you will interpret what’s being said with your own language and with your own knowledge. So you’re more deeply encoding that information,” Sheldon said. A little extra effort to take handwritten notes in class may help shave time off your exam review––more time at the end of the year for the activities that might have distracted you otherwise.

The embodied experience of handwriting

Anyone who cares about typography knows about the connection between the body and the text. In the shallower processing of typewritten notes, the kinesthetic motion of forming letters by hand versus tapping keys creates a significant advantage. Isabel McQuilkin, U1 Arts, who takes handwritten notes throughout all her classes, suggests that the physical experience of writing notes by hand comes in handy when reviewing a lecture.

“I feel like I remember the information better when I am physically writing it out. I like that I can colour-coordinate and visualize what I’ve just learned,” McQuilkin said. “By writing each individual word, I can kind of remember how it felt when I was writing it.”

McQuilkin can use visual and somatosensory tools from her written notes to help her re -

call content, asking herself what the word started with or how it felt to write out the letters by trying to visualize her lecture notes.

Sheldon echoes the embodied aspect of handwritten notes:

“[If taking typed notes], I would be concerned that you’re engaging in more habitual forms of memory, rather than if you’re writing or taking notes in which you have to slow down.”

While typing gets the information down (a legitimate benefit), tapping keys does not create mental connections like forming letters by hand can. Habitual memory is a physical or mental skill that does not require conscious thought, like riding a bike. So, as your professor lectures, you can transcribe what they are saying without thinking about the meaning behind it. By hand, though you can also reproduce your professor’s exact words, you can’t keep it up for anywhere near as long as typing before resorting to summation. This critical difference distinguishes students who leave the class clueless from those with a solid understanding of the material.

While taking notes by hand may be an adjustment, it is worth trying out. Although parting ways with typed notes may feel unfathomable, the extra effort in lectures will pay off when exam season rolls around.

“My suggestion is during a lecture, instead of splitting your time between trying to furiously write down what’s being said,” Sheldon says, “listen to what’s being said, take selective notes, and then the key is what you do after with the knowledge you get from that lecture.”

Although

is

choice for most students, you may be able to improve retention and minimize studying time by taking notes by hand.

Asbestos, the best therapy animal

New student wellness service at McGill ultimate remedy to everything wrong with your health

Eliza Wang Contributor

Continued from page 1.

Forget about the ludicrous prices of food on campus. Forget about all the financial strains and potential eating disorders it causes. Forget about the utter lack of physician or psychiatrist appointments available at the Hub.

Asbestos will make all these inconveniences seem trivial.

It’s free. It’s omnipresent. It’s used in everything, from heat-proofing to poisoning every single living creature in the building. It is a carcinogen that can cause a range of deadly diseases—giving the pharmacology majors something to work with—making it a leading supporter of student research on campus.

But these are just a few of the benefits asbestos has to offer. By recruiting asbestos as our campus pet, McGill indoctrinates us into an age-old Quebec tradition: True immersion in Canada’s largest asbestos mining province. Without travelling all the way to the infamous mining town of

A labour of love

Asbestos, QC, we are privileged enough to interact with asbestos first-hand, right in the heart of Montreal.

Plus, it’s like playing a game of Russian roulette. Every time you go to class, you get to experience the butterflies of not knowing if you will be diagnosed with lung cancer 40 years down the line, all because you walked into an asbestos-filled building back in your days at McGill. Then again, those butterflies could be asbestos taking root, saying “hi, I’m here for the ride.”

Some critics, however amateur, have noted dangers associated with asbestos exposure. But according to a totally unbiased McGill study back in the 1970s, Dr. John Corbett McDonald at the School of Occupational Health determined that being an asbestos miner is just fine and poses no health concern whatsoever.

So, the next time someone tries to convince you that asbestos is dangerous and should be eradicated, just remember how it has seen us through thick and thin, how it’s been a pillar of our community, how it’s proven itself to be much more accessible and generous than mandatory meal plans,

Linking in for relationships with your new flame

Abby McCormick, Mahnoor Chaudhry, & Matthew Molinaro Student Life Editors, and Managing Editor

Times are tough, fellow McGillians. It seems like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge just aren’t doing the trick anymore—they’re all tricks themselves without any treats. The same faces repeat, over and over: How often do you need to scroll through blurry mirror selfies of George, U3 Mech Eng, a moderate from Laval who “likes” callisthenics, or clustered candids of Karlynn, U2 Nursing, from NDG who eats raw food and loves Taylor Swift before you make a change? The McGill Tribune ’s Student Life team has collectively got your single back––here’s how to make LinkedIn (or LinkedIn Pro) your first stop for career and couple advancement.

Comment me your comment baby, I know who you are

While it may initially seem intimidating, the best way to show your affection for your newly-found professional (and soon-to-be romantic) connection is none other than the LinkedIn comments section. As soon they post about a new position or career opportunity, this is your time to shine. Start off by congratulating them and letting them know just how impressive their new position is—but of course, it’s not quite as impressive as your latest VP Finance position at The McGill Investment Club, which you would be happy to help them get involved in if they’re interested.

Make sure your crush knows that you want to get to know them in more than just a professional setting, so offer them some subtle hints in your comment that you might be interested in a date. Mini golf, anyone??

To add that little bit of flirtatious energy, winky faces will be your best friend, so be sure to end your message with one…or three. And if you really wanna show off your financial stability, remember that the LinkedIn Pro badge can’t hurt.

Targeted for the very first time

When you’ve mastered the art of the cute comment, you must shape the course of your interactions. Set the scene by

Students’ Society of McGill University Studentcare coverage, or any other student services McGill has to offer.

Asbestos has been a part of our lives for so long that it’s practically a member of the community. Who among us will not have fond memories of dragging our feet through asbestos-infested halls, or breath -

ing in its sweet, carcinogenic dust while battling our inner demons during a lecture? Asbestos is a part of McGill’s history, our culture, our very being. Who needs health and safety when you can have cheap and life-threatening therapy sessions with asbestos? It truly is the campus pet that keeps on giving.

targeting them, implicitly or explicitly, in your postings. Career transitions might just be the new thirst traps. You don’t even need to wait to strike after you post your internship at Raytheon. Start talking about the privilege you have to join the family environment at Deloitte. It’ll make you seem like a provider, with the security to start your future together. You worked hard for this position, so ensure that you have a sweaty picture of yourself in your thread, captioned “Sleep? Never heard of it!” Your crush will know that you’re available at all hours of the day and that you put your best, and most tired, foot forward. Make at least five references to McGill’s work hard/play hard culture and five humble jokes that the “play hard” was your favourite part. The more humour, the better. Your acknowledgements will be the place to shine. Don’t hesitate to tag your beloved in the list of people who helped you: Your local bartender, the students who bring down class averages, Big Suze, end of list. Saying “And @ Leslie, we don’t know each other but let’s be real, you got me to Lockheed Martin” is the new “u up.”

And I am a direct message girl

When all this groundwork is done, prepare your professional writing skills to type out the most sensually charged advertisement for a job and slide it into their blue box. Make sure to clearly outline what is required for the role, such as good communication skills, the ability to multitask, three developmental experiences, etc., as well as what duties you expect them to perform on a daily (or weekly basis)—that I will leave up to you to decide. In the midst of sponsored messages, therefore, your tailor-made listing (titled perhaps ‘Emotional Support Intern’) will be sure to arouse a curious excitement, especially when it comes to turning it into a full-time role— provided that their performance is above average, of course.

Remember that for this to work, you should be fully committed to the process because, once that job is accepted, all of LinkedIn must be informed through an award-winning announcement post. After all, a cringe-worthy declaration is the only way to show the world that you are theirs, solely and forever bound.

Did you know asbestos exposure can help you lose 60 per cent of your will to live? (M. Thelioma / The McGill Tribune)

TikTok is an institution, and we are its humble students.

The social media app TikTok harms today’s youth? That’s a lie.

AnnaClare Sung Contributor

Continued from page 1.

Though Canada has yet to pass any similar legislation (beyond preventing anyone with a governmentissued phone from using the app), I take personal preventative measures each day. Even if a ban goes into effect, a daily dosage of scrolling for an hour minimum will hopefully inscribe my mind with TikTok users’ numerous precepts. The algorithm assists in my success, presenting content just for me with a white satin glove. Amongst the odd celebrity drama or elaborate soap-making video, there are two types of TikToks that dominate my feed—lifestyle and news—each serving an essential purpose.

A pseudonym for individuals displaying their excess wealth, beauty, and other unobtainables, lifestyle TikToks, in their most primitive form, keep me fiercely humble while giving me something to work towards. “Outfit of the Day” videos (or more colloquially known as “OOTDs”) inspire my style, yet politely suggest that it’s unlikely I’d be able to pull off the pictured look.

Simi

TikTok news shapes my critical thinking, feeding me information that tests my scepticism with a fun game of “Real or Fake?” And I know that if I study enough Tucker Carlson clips, I can learn how to effectively

and carelessly get enough people to believe my lies––an attribute that will certainly be useful when I enter the corporate workplace, with companies like Enron and Raytheon as my ideal employers, of course. With-

out these strangers’ OOTDs or fake (and actual) newscasters’ intelligible opinions, I’d be arrogant, lazy, poorly dressed, ignorant, unintelligent, and certainly not as humble. For my most redeeming attributes and presumably yours as well, we have the algorithm to thank.

If ever I’m upset by the reality that my family and friends cannot, unfortunately, read my thoughts, I receive the most wonderful consolation from the algorithm: A psychic mind that, somehow, just knows me I feel a kinship with this inanimate system like it’s a childhood companion I grew up with, someone who can sense my likes and dislikes without asking or invading my psyche, but who knows when I need some tough love and even harsh criticism. Excellent character and appearance are not the algorithm’s only irreplaceable contributions to the hordes of young people using TikTok daily. For academics like you and me, TikTok is the ideal mode of cultural production. The app is a place where artists create for other artists to consume at no economic cost. The algorithm ensures that the content gracing our screens matches our penchant for the highbrow. Evidently, people don’t use the platform to gain capital; each

creator creates genuine art. What is a sponsored make-up routine if not a visceral reaction to, and expression of, beauty standards and gender roles or individuals reclaiming finances lost to the wage gap or opposing rampant stereotypes? Intellectual value saturates even a simple video of a gorilla eating a pineapple—providing an apt commentary on wild animals’ captivity and exploitation.

From CNN to Fox News, the usual rhetoric surrounding TikTok is all too negative (yet curiously, one of few things with bipartisan support in the United States). Without stealing and farming our data, the algorithm couldn’t feed us such personalized videos. How can something be so positively impactful on one’s appearance and attitude yet debilitating to their mental health?

We must end these harmful, propaganda-ridden ideas that further infect the media and general population with each new emerging “danger.” We must heed the truth: TikTok holds tremendous potential through which we can all learn and grow. If this absurd fear-mongering continues, Canada will be next in tow, falling down the same slippery TikTokban slope that the United States is currently falling into.

QUIZ: Guess these eight movie and TV characters, out of context

Here’s a hint: Each character is a university student—just like us!

4. ACAB, but this cop should quit and become a slam poet. Now that’s talent.

1. The next time you and your new friends chill out by the Roddick Gates, make sure to act like this character and start accusing them of trying to murder you. It’s not her fault—she’s just trying to look out for her loved ones after eight murders in their hometown. Her favourite subway station is the Burnside tunnel, but she’s worried a copycat killer is just around the corner— and there could be more than one. But don’t worry, McGill students! Her college campus looks exactly like yours, but this is Montréal, not New York.

2. This guy is a legacy at his university, but his best friend is still learning the ropes as a newcomer who can’t get into his program of choice. When his best friend bets his entire education on his misfit fraternity winning intramurals, this character reluctantly offers to help, knowing they might have to drop out if this plan goes badly.

3. Imagine you didn’t get into McGill, or even Harvard—your safety school. What now? For this character, the answer is to create their own university and fool their parents in the process. It’s easy! All you need is a children’s shoe salesman to teach your ethics class, a friend who can blow up your enemy’s car with his mind, a comp sci student to make your dupe website, and some cash to bribe your little sister to keep her mouth shut. This is legal… right?

5. This character is a tech-savvy, rebellious media studies major at an Ivy League university where most students are white— she, as well as the film’s three other main characters, are Black. Armed with her intelligence and a campus radio show to snarkily respond to their classmates’ racism, her activism leads to an explosive Halloween party. I guess it’s hard for some people to hear the truth.

6. While people now may call this character a lizard man in real life, know that he was once a respectable Harvard student on academic probation. It wasn’t his fault—he was only trying to get revenge on his girlfriend. Of course, that turned into making a creepy rating website for girls in his class, which turned into making a flop dating website for Ivy League schools, which turned into making the biggest social platform of our generation. But who needs friends IRL when you can make friends online?

7. Whether it’s battling the knowit-alls in class, facing the condescending boyfriend who thinks he’s going to be president, or befriending the he’s-definitely-not-my-type-but-why-am-I-attracted TA, there’s a bit of all us in this student. From California to Massachusetts, they’re all about dedication, loyalty, and the power

of believing in yourself, with more than a little sparkle thrown in. Riddle us this: What do you get when you mix impeccable hair-perming knowledge, a trusty sidekick, an unrelenting pursuit of the family rock, and a gleaming French mani? The correct answer: One kick-ass lawyer.

8. Imagine this: Elie Saab gowns, high tea at the Ritz, and a boyfriend who doesn’t believe in feelings (other than feeling like “you betrayed him” when all you were trying to do was protect what he cares about most—but now he’s saying you were what he cared about most—but it didn’t look like

that way when Jack was here and now… anyway). Who needs class when you have a city to run, princes to fend off, and schemes to be schemed? All with the help of an elusive local blog that can’t get enough of you and your friends.

TikTok has just over one billion monthly users. (Julia Buckle / The McGill Tribune)

Ogunsola & Suzanna Graham Staff Writers

Answers:

1. Mindy Meeks-Martin, Scream VI

2. Sully, Monsters University

3. Bartleby Gains, Accepted

4. Schmidt, 22 Jump Street

5. Samantha White, Dear White People

6. Mark Zuckerberg, The Social Network

7. Elle Woods, Legally Blonde

8. Blair Waldorf, Gossip Girl

McGill Tribune attends first international tournament as newly minted varsity team

Fordham University devastated in rage cage grudge match

Michelle Siegel & Madison EdwardWright Arts and Entertainment Editor & Managing Editor

Continued from page 1.

But Fordham wasn’t prepared for how big the McGill team was.

“I was surprised by how ready [McGill] was to play,” said host Brittany* in an interview with the Tribune . “I assumed that as Canadians, everyone would be too nice to play rage cage well.”

After a hearty two-for-$5 pizza dinner at the shop around the corner from our hotel, we got on the subway, hyping each other up and trying to calm our nerves. Our reputation was on the line, and we needed to show McGill that we deserved to keep our new varsity status. Fordham students greeted us warmly when we arrived, daring us to explain Canadian geography and take pictures in front of the Gibby shower curtain, our ultimate idol. But we didn’t waste much time chatting— it was game time.

We gathered around a folding Lifetime table in the compact backyard of a Bronx home—Fordham is in the Bronx for all you non-locals—and dispersed red Solo cups in a large circle, then proceeded to fill them with an assortment of

beer, saving the nastiest combination of beer, White Claw, wine, and tequila for the dreaded bitch cup. Our palms were sweaty, knees weak, arms were heavy. We looked forward to the first few sips of Natty Light that would calm our nerves. This was going to be a rage cage match for the ages.

But Fordham came to play dirty. Both in the traditional sense of the term—beer splattered on the table and all over our hands—as well as mentally, as we sank into inebriation.

Any varsity team has to be prepared for the shouts, the player engagement, the mid-match trash talk. But the regional differences between our schools meant we had to be careful what we screamed at strangers across the table: Our references had to be both quippy and comprehensible.

The game felt like a blur—even now, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly how many times each of us ended up “in the cage,” with the participant to our left repeatedly stacking their cup into one of ours as the rest of the table looked on in anticipation. Hardly anyone can even recall who really won and who really lost, though being on the edge of a blackout certainly didn’t help.

Regardless of the gaps in our collective memory, McGill claimed a certain

type of victory that night: We definitely consumed the most, but were unable to hold it together post-match. At the end of the night, we left the tournament, trophy in hand—a borrowed fire alarm that was proudly displayed in the Tribune office—until it had to be returned to event organizers in preparation for next year’s match-up (and to avoid incurring fines at the end of their lease).

Victory celebrations ensued over the course of the weekend. Instead of drinks, we enjoyed some bagels with lox and book shopping, even stopping by Central Park

That one kid in every conference

Anders Cairns Woodruff Contributor

It was another Friday morning spent sitting in the Education building, listening to my peers drone on about economics. I rolled my eyes, opening my bag to find Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell, the only economic education I would need. I had been reading it for a few months. Just as I was about to immerse myself in page two of the foremost intellectual work of our times, I heard a voice from across the room.

“Maybe we should raise the minimum wage,” said a nervous girl. “So many people are having trouble affording housing in Canada.”

Instantly, my killer instinct engaged—I had been challenged. I slid my glasses up my nose as I rose out of my chair. I took a second to compose myself and remembered the last Ben Shapiro ‘SJW DESTROYED’ video I saw before confronting the liberal.

“Excuse me, I didn’t realize employers were obligated to pay you whatever you want,” I began.

“Trudeau’s already made Canada communist, but now you’ve gone too far.”

I continued addressing the girl, her bright blue hair falling across her face as she withdrew in fear. But hiding behind her bangs was not going to save her from my wrath.

“Besides,” I continued, “it’s well-known that the more you make an employer pay, the fewer people they will hire—or did you not know that either?”

“Wait,” interjected the TA as the girl’s eyes filled with tears, “this is a third-year course, everyone knows about labour mark–”

I turned to face the TA.

“And you! You’ve filled our minds with nothing but liberal gibberish this entire term. I know you’ve made up half of the concepts we needed to learn. Tragedy of the Commons? Really? Liberal bullshit!”

The class slowly began recovering from its initial shock at my righteous rebuttal. The initial commenter’s friend, surely an emasculated “male feminist,” decided he would try to defend her

honour.

“Actually, a majority of economists now thi—”

“You mean a majority of charlatans,” I sneered, careful to not be put on the defensive, just as Ben Shapiro had taught me. “You probably think the Moon Landing happened too, don’t you, sheeple?” The entire room burst into laughter, delighted that I had given the soyboy such a witty tongue-lashing.

Finally, my real prey entered the fray. The pierced communist I had always despised finally looked up from her book (how dare she read in a conference!). “But Karl Marx said—”

“You mean the well-known antisemite?!” I responded. “I didn’t know you loved racists. For my part, I only read Thomas Jefferson and Sir John A. Macdonald.”

to bask in the sun—and our glory. Our months of training paid off, but we suffered physically for days because of the fierce competition. All we can say now is, look out, aspiring rage-cage international competition participants—McGill is not known for giving up a championship title once we’ve earned it.

Names have been changed to preserve anonymity—we couldn’t do anything else to protect them from further embarrassment after losing to us.

wits

Finally, the class began to understand my vast intellect. The women all wanted me, and the men all wanted to be me.

“Maybe if you listened to The Daily Wire , like I do, you’d understand,” I continued, “but you’re all too busy worrying about how Big Pharma tells you viruses are real.”

I adjusted the bald eagle pin on

my sportscoat and sat back down, leaving the class totally silent.

Suddenly, applause broke out across the room. Only my interlocutors sobbed silently. The applause grew louder and louder until I could hear no more. I grinned as I put on my coat—it was time to go outside and confront some more snowflakes.

A brave young conservative confronts his liberal classmates in a battle of

To the astonishment of Canadian editors, name brand red Solo cups were used by the American hosts and attendees. (Madison Edward-Wright / The McGill Tribune)

Weekly conferences give students the opportunity to engage with a smaller group of classmates outside of lectures. (rawpixel)