The McGill Tribune Vol. 36 Issue 19

NEWS “Anti-Zionist tweet prompts lengthy question period at SSMU council” pg. 04

FEATURE “Dead ends and dead links ” pg. 8-9

The McGill Tribune

EDITORIAL: STUDENTS MUST HOLD REPRESENTATIVES ACCOUNTABLE THROUGH APPROPRIATE CHANNELS pg. 05 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2017 VOL. 36 ISSUE 19 PUBLISHED BY THE SPT, A STUDENT SOCIETY OF MCGILL UNIVERSITY McGILLTRIBUNE.COM

Dating in the fast lane McGill student groups offer speed-dating Valentine’s day dating events Calvin Trottier-Chi News Editor

Martlets sophomore guard Geraldine Cabillo-Abante had four points, four rebounds, two assists, and three steals against UQAM on Feb. 9. (Lauren Benson-Armer / The McGill Tribune)

OSD plagued by long wait times and lack of staff Change in provincial grant funding structure raises concerns Antoine Senkoff Contributor Recently, the McGill Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) has faced a lack of capacity and resources due to a heavy demand from students. The OSD’s mission is to provide students who experience permanent and temporary disability, illness, and injury with a wide range

of services, including workshops, note-taking services, awareness campaigns, and alternative examination accommodations. The OSD was established at McGill in the 1980s in accordance with the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Over the past decade, the number of students registered with the OSD rose from 500 to over 1,800. Despite the large number of affected students, the office currently has only 11 staff mem-

bers, a number that has remained stable since 2010.

“McGill is not upholding its legal duty to accommodate students because it is not adequately resourcing this office, and we know that many students fall through the cracks as a result,” the Students’ Society of McGill University VicePresident University Affairs Erin Sobat said.

PG. 02

Fact or Fiction: Chocolate is the ultimate love food Albert Park Features Editor Famously exchanged by lovers on Valentine’s Day, tucked in an attractive heart-shaped box, chocolate is almost unanimously recognized as the sweet treat of love. Beyond being a sentimental gift to express affection, some believe that chocolate directly influences feelings of attachment and

arousement, with the snack being historically considered as an effective aphrodisiac. While sinking one’s teeth into the guilty indulgence certainly elicits a joyful feeling, it is difficult to empirically judge chocolate’s supposed ability to incite romance.

Is chocolate’s reputation based on biochemical facts, or is it merely a romanticized myth? According to Ariel Fenster, a faculty

lecturer in McGill’s Department of Chemistry and associate director of the Office for Science and Society, the discussion revolves around the chemical phenylethylamine (PEA), which is found in chocolate.

“Some studies suggest that there is a chemical in the brain that is associated with love [called phenylethylamine],” Fenster said. “And phenylethylamine is actually present in chocolate.”

PG. 13

McGill students value efficiency. With the pressures of midterms, internship applications, and extracurricular commitments, many students lack time to date regularly. For many, the answer to time constraints is the quick swipeability of Tinder.

For others, an approach that combines the ease of apps and the importance of social interaction is speed-dating and matchmaking. For Valentine’s Day, several student groups at McGill have strived to show students how more traditional forms of blind-dating are done.

The McGill Chinese Students’ Society (MCSS) had its own take on matchmaking this year with a blind speed-dating event on Feb. 11, Be There or Be Square: Valentine’s Party. Participants ranked their top five choices of partners after several rounds of quick chatting, and a computer algorithm identified matches from the choices selected.

To shake things up, participants were given mysterious Venetianesque masks and a number at the door.

With that digit as a sole identifier for each participant, the hopeful hearts in attendance were free to express themselves however they liked. In the same way that dating app users can control their appearance online, this anonymity enabled attendees to converse with their partners without feeling self-conscious about their looks.

“We wanted to provide a mysterious atmosphere to this event so people could blind date without judging others’ appearances right off the bat,” Tony Ye, U2 Engineering and project manager of MCSS, said. “One of the perks of blind speed-dating is the release of dopamine and endorphins from anticipation and excitement from talking to someone with a mask on.”

PG. 07

2 news

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Floor fellows’ injunction against McGill denied by Superior Court of Quebec AMUSE Unit B pushes for salaries in addition to room and board Laura Oprescu Contributor On Feb. 3, McGill floor fellows filed an injunction with the Superior Court of Quebec regarding their salary dispute with the university, which the court denied on Feb. 9. An additional hearing date has been set for May 5 to more closely consider the details of the request.

Collectively, floor fellows at McGill belong to the Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE) union and are referred to as AMUSE Unit B. McGill has been unyielding in its negotiations with the floor fellows, leading AMUSE Unit B to decide to take legal action.

Currently, McGill floor fellows do not receive an hourly salary. Instead, they are given room and board at McGill residences, amounting to approximately $13,500 worth of benefits per year. Quebec labour laws state that taxable benefits cannot be counted as part of an employee’s salary. Instead, these benefits are considered an addition to the employee’s pay.

Disputes over salary began in October 2014, when the floor fellows first unionized.

The issue appeared to be resolved on Dec. 6, when an agreement was reached between McGill and AMUSE Unit B over the salaries of McGill floor fellows. AMUSE believed this to be the final draft of the floor fellows’ first collective agreement with McGill. According to a Feb. 3 post on the AMUSE website, representatives from both parties signed the agreement in the presence of an arbitrator appointed by the Ministry of Labour, but McGill withdrew from the agreement.

AMUSE President Claire Michela interrupted a Board of Governors meeting on Jan. 12 after the McGill administration withdrew from the collective agreement that was reached on Dec. 6. (Lauren Benson-Armer / The McGill Tribune)

AMUSE has made it clear that they are not satisfied with this outcome. On Jan.12, AMUSE President Claire Michela interrupted a breakfast meeting of the McGill’s Board of Governors Human Resources subcommittee to deliver her view on the situation.

“We have calculated that the committee’s concerns for the proposed Article 20 amount to $151,000 annually,” Michela said in her statement to the subcommittee. “If the university was committed to respecting this agreement and respecting floor fellows, we believe that you would be able to find such a sum in the university’s budget.”

In addition to believing they should be paid for their efforts, floor fellows are also con-

cerned about their lack of job security.

“McGill can kick us out whenever they want, and it’s happened before,” Huang said.

“That’s why we started to unionize. We had an arbitration with McGill University and reached an agreement. We had a contract and McGill withdrew from the agreement. So now we are moving to a formal arbitration in court and we’re going to see what will happen.”

McGill’s floor fellows are expected to take a supportive, caring role for first-year students and to welcome them into the University’s residence community. Floor fellows tend to be more involved in students’ lives than Resident Assistant (RA). Similar to the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia,

McGill RA’s staff the front desks of residences.

Unlike floor fellows, they can issue fines and behavioural contracts to students for violations of building rules, such as drug and alcohol policies.

“I really appreciate McGill’s policy of harm-reduction and holistic support, rather than the disciplinary stance that many universities adopt,” floor fellow applicant Sophie McKenzie, U1 Arts, said.“Being a floor fellow requires you to be constantly on call and often entails a great deal of emotional labour. I think a salary is well-deserved for all of the individuals that contribute hours and hours to ensuring the support of dozens of students.”

In addition to being available for students academically and personally around the clock, floor fellows are required to work one 12-hour ‘duty’ shift per week.

“The duty shift starts at 9 p.m. and ends at 9 a.m.,” Carrefour Sherbrooke floor fellow Shuaibo Huang, U3 Science, said. “Throughout the night you have a duty phone with you and security and students can call you. The most common problems are students who are intoxicated or other medical emergencies. I’ve called ambulances, M-SERT [.…] It’s pretty common.”

Unit B has been working with a PSACprovided lawyer, who has filed an injunction in the Superior Court on behalf of the floor fellows. The motion moves to get floor fellows paid as soon as possible.

On Feb. 10, McGill University released a statement explaining that the injunction had been denied. A hearing has been scheduled for May 5 2017 to review the case.

AUS discusses support for students affected by the U.S. travel ban Legislative Council also approves VP Finance screening election committee Julia Metraux Staff Writer On Feb. 8, the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) Legislative Council passed four motions, which pertained to student jobs, reforming the McGill Psychology Students’ Association constitution, screening potential VicePresident (VP) Finance candidates, and support for prospective students affected by the U.S. travel ban.

Motion to Amend Arts Student Employment Fund (ASEF) By-Laws ASEF subsidizes academically-based or relevant occupation job experience for Arts undergraduate students. The Legislative Council voted to pass the Motion to Amend ASEF ByLaws, which was moved by VP Academic Erik Partridge and VP Finance Deepak Punjabi. The motion proposes that grant money used to fund research conducted by new professors goes instead towards students in ASEF positions who are not covered by the AUS Work Study Program.

Partridge expressed that this motion is in the best interest of students.

“I brought this to [the Jan. 11 Legislative Council] meeting to ensure that students get their money’s worth out of [ASEF],” Partridge said. “This [motion] has been brought to the Faculty’s attention over the past months. We have not seen an official sign-off.”

ASEF operates differently from the McGill Work Study Program in that the AUS does not require students to be full-time in order to be eligible for ASEF. Instead, only nine credits are required for a student to be considered full time by the AUS. Motion to Approve VP Finance Screening Committee As a result of 2014 financial errors previously costing tens of thousands of dollars, the Legislative Council approved the creation of a VP Finance Screening Committee. The committee will screen VP Finance candidates in order to ensure that the elected executive is qualified.

According to Punjabi, the committee will consist of six voting and two non-voting members. Screening questions will be split into three categories: Experience, Accounting and Finance, and Summer Availability.

“As you know, with the constitutional changes made last year, there will be a screening committee that meets with each [VP Finance] candidate,” Punjabi said. “The structure of the questions will be the same [as in 2016].”

Punjabi, SNAX Manager Eilis McCann, Research Finance Administrator Cynthia Romynak, Finance Management Committee Representative Mia Trana, International Development Studies Students Association VP Finance Kashif Ahmed, and Political Science Students Association VP Finance Mitch Clark will all act

AUS votes to allocate grant money to Arts Student Employment Fund (ASEF). (Lauren Benson-Armer / The McGill Tribune) as voting members on the committee.

Motion to Support Students Affected by the U.S. Travel Ban Implemented in an executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump, the travel ban temporarily prevented immigrants from seven largely Islamic countries entry to the U.S.. On Feb. 9, federal judge James Robart stayed the order, but during the meeting the day before the Legislative Council voted to pass the Motion submitted by the Society of Linguistics Undergraduates at McGill (SLUM) and Partridge, which supports

students affected by the US travel ban.

According to SLUM VP External Jacob Shermer, the motion show AUS’s support in extending the application deadline and waive the application fee.

“I think it is important that AUS takes a stand on this because there are students who are affected by this,” Shermer said.

Responses may be unnecessary, however, as on Feb. 9 the U.S. federal appeals court refused to lift a suspension placed on the travel ban, preventing it from staying in effect for the time-being.

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Mayor Coderre holds consultations to open Montreal Urban Aboriginal Health Centre

news 3

OSD plagued by long wait times and insufficient staff

Change in provincial grant funding structure raises concerns

MUAHC petitions to open free clinic for those of Aboriginal descent

Domenic Casciato Staff Writer The Montreal Urban Aboriginal Health Committee (MUAHC), an organization mandated to empowering the health of Montreal’s Aboriginal communities, has successfully brought the city’s mayor, Denis Coderre, and his cabinet into public consultations to open an Aboriginal health centre in Montreal. The health centre would provide free services to those of Aboriginal descent, including primary care, infectious disease treatment, chronic disease treatment, addiction treatment, traditional medicine, pediatric services, family services, homelessness and housing services, and cultural safety services.

On Jan. 19, MUAHC released a petition on its website seeking 15,000 signatories in order to be granted public consultation with the municipal government to discuss securing a building for the health centre. Members collected signatures in person on Jan. 20 at the Students’ Society of McGill University and on Jan. 21 at the Montreal Women’s March demonstration.

However, Coderre agreed to hold public consultations even without the collection of the 15,000 signatories.

The centre would be the first of its kind in Montreal. In a press release, NETWORK—an organization that improves the quality of life for Montreal’s Aboriginal communities— stressed the importance of the new facility.

“While more than 12 Canadian cities have an Aboriginal health centre, Montreal, Canada’s second largest city, does not,” NETWORK wrote in a press release on Jan. 19. “In 2011, the Directeur de santé publique de Montréal highlighted the ongoing health and social inequalities for urban Aboriginal people in Montreal. The Directeur noted that the Aboriginal people of Montreal do not have easy access to health and social services, and emphasized that without appropriate support, these inequities can deepen.”

The press release cited a number of statistics from the National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health indicating that members of Canada’s Aboriginal communities are at a higher than average risk of suffering from numerous medical ailments.

“While Aboriginal peoples comprise 3.8 per cent of Canada’s population, they account for 8 per cent of people living with HIV and 12.5 per cent of new infections,” NETWORK wrote. “Aboriginal peoples are also 26.4 times more likely to develop tuberculosis and are among the highest risk populations for diabetes and related complications. The rate of infant and child morbidity, adult and youth suicide, and infectious diseases is also much higher amowng Aboriginal populations.”

MUAHC has previously held a number of consultations with the provincial and federal government, including with the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and Aboriginal Affairs Canada, among others. Sean Yaphe, the co-coordinator at the Montreal Urban Aboriginal Health Committee, recognizes that there is more work to be done.

“Despite [the consultations], no substantive progress has been made in developing a holistic Aboriginal health centre,” Yaphe wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “Although multiple levels of government have shown interest, the response so far has been slow and fragmented.”

Currently, the organization is considering moving into the former Centre for Tuberculosis located on Rue Lucien-L’Allier. In addition to finding a location, MUAHC is also seeking funding and staff for the centre.

“Many doctors, nurses, elders, and healers working in the Aboriginal community have expressed interest in working in the health centre,” Yaphe wrote. “Fundraising and applications for funding sources will also be extremely important in the coming months in order to sustain the development of continued services of this project. We also require a mandate from the Ministère de Santé et des Services sociaux.”

The McGill Student Health Service does not offer any specific services for Aboriginal peoples. In an email to The McGill Tribune, Hashana Perera, the director of the McGill Student Health Service, said that demand for such services has not been expressed.

“We haven’t had any concerns expressed or [...] seen a need to specifically direct resources toward our Aboriginal students,” Perera wrote. “If we did learn of any concerns, we would be happy to come up with a solution.”

The number of students registered with the OSD is rising but resources allocated to the office have not significantly increased.

(May Lim / The McGill Tribune)

Antoine Senkoff Contributor Continued from page 1.

In Fall 2015, changes were made to the provincial grant funding structure that affected the OSD. The allocation of $1.2 million from the Quebec Education Ministry was not given directly to the OSD, but was rather incorporated into McGill’s annual budget. The McGill administration stated that the funds would be used to support a wider range of students not limited to those registered at the OSD. “[There is] concern that government funding is not going directly towards the OSD and that it is simply being funded by students [as a part of the student services fee],” Sobat said.

For students trying to access the resources provided by the OSD, wait time when initially registering with the office can be a significant issue. Andries Feder, U3 Arts, is registered with the OSD. He said that because same-day appointments are not available, long wait times become a concern.

“Once I got an appointment, [the OSD was] pretty helpful, [it just] takes such a long time to get that initial appointment,” Feder said. “[If they need exam accommodations], some people [try] to schedule an appointment at the beginning of the semester, and they can’t schedule one until [...] after some of their midterms start.

It’s a little disconcerting because there isn’t an active availability.”

OSD Director Teri Phillips acknowledged the problem of under-capacity in an email to The McGill Tribune. Phillips wrote that excessive wait times are a problem for the OSD. “At peak times, particularly during the Fall semester, advising wait times stand at the twoto three-week mark, which is not uncommon

across similar [McGill student] services,” Phillips wrote.

Sobat said that the limited budget is a source of problems for the OSD, stemming from a general lack of funding and resources allocated to McGill student services in recent years.

“It is the general lack of capacity of the disability and access services at McGill,” Sobat said. “One of the biggest issues is that McGill is not only not adding more resources to the OSD, but taking resources away from student services in general [….]”

According to Phillips, financial restrictions imposed on the OSD in recent years have hampered some of the services it provides, but that changes to the provincial grant funding model did not affect the OSD’s overall provision of services.

“The intent of this change, which was initiated at a provincial level, not within McGill specifically, was to decrease the administrative burden on the individual student, such as having to hire and pay their own attendant and do follow-up reconciliation,” Phillips wrote. “As many are aware, student access to disabilityrelated funding changed as of Fall 2015.”

This change has not removed the availability of funding for students, it has simply shifted responsibility for administration to the institution and shifted the avenue by which a student gains access.”

Phillips explained that, for the time being, the OSD is aware thatthe lack of resources and problems with implementation of accommodation policies across McGill cause problems for affected students..

“We are cognizant of the sensitivity of needs of those students experiencing barriers to engage fully in the McGill learning environment, and the impact that this can have on their studies,” Phillips wrote.

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Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Anti-Zionist tweet prompts lengthy question period at SSMU Council

Motion for SSMU to advocate for suspension of Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement passed David Watson Opinion Editor This past Thursday, Feb. 9, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Legislative Council hosted speakers from McGill Athletics and Recreation and the Association for the Voice of Education in Quebec (AVEQ). In addition, only two of the ten motions were passed; the Motion for SSMU to Advocate for an Immediate Suspension of the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement as well as a motion to extend the executive electoral time. Remaining motions, including the motion regarding the Amendment of the Internal Regulations of Governance on the agenda were tabled for the Feb. 23 meeting, due to a lengthy question period at the beginning of the meeting. Questions pertained to a controversial tweet by Arts Representative Igor Sadikov.

On Feb. 6, Sadikov posted “punch a zionist [sic] today,” on his personal Twitter account. The tweet has since been shared on Facebook by several McGill students who expressed their concern over the message.

During an extended question period that lasted over 50 minutes, several students in the audience approached the microphone to condemn or defend Sadikov for his tweet. Questions addressed topics such as Sadikov’s definition of Zionism, the potential for his impeachment or resignation, and concerns over both his safety and that of Zionists on campus.

In response to a question from the audience, Sadikov expressed regret over the tweet.

“When I talk about Zionism I’m not referring to a group identity,” Sadikov said. “I’m referring to a political ideology. I understand that many members of the McGill community identify with the label Zionist and that for some of them, this label is connected to Jewish identity. As someone with Jewish heritage myself, I find it important to draw a clear distinction [between] Jewish identity, culture, and religion on the one hand, and Zionist politics and ideology on the other hand [....] I regret that the

way I phrased my opposition to Zionism was harmful to some of my constituents and fellow students.”

Several hours before the Council meeting, the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS), which Sadikov represents at SSMU Council, formally requested his resignation in a Facebook statement. On Feb. 13 the SSMU Board of Directors voted against removing Sadikov from his post.

During the question period, Science Senator Sean Taylor asked why Sadikov had ignored the AUS’ request for his resignation.

“I have not yet reached a decision on this issue,” Sadikov said. “I will follow the institutional procedures that exist in the governance documents.”

AUS President Becky Goldberg was also present. In a statement to the Council, she discussed the backlash directed at Sadikov for the tweet.

“These are my words and not on behalf of the [AUS],” Goldberg said, “But [the exposure of the tweet] seems to be a little bit of a witch hunt, a political witch hunt, and I have tried to ensure Igor’s safety just in providing support in my capacity as a friend.”

Sadikov echoed Goldberg’s concerns for his safety.

“Over the past 24 hours, I have received hundreds of insults and threats on social media, my personal information has been posted online,” Sadikov said. “I cannot say that I feel safe [....] I am grateful for the solidarity that’s been shown to me, but I would prefer to see further institutional support.”

Social Work Representative Jasmine Segal– the only Councillor to openly identify as a Zionist during the meeting–replied to Sadikov’s safety concerns after the backlash his tweet received.

“I agree that you also need support and safety because I’ve seen some of the emails you’ve received,” Segal said. “However, I do think at the same time it’s important to note that you did make other people feel unsafe.”

A silence ensued after an Laura Khoury, U3 Engineering, asked why any Zionist councillors were allowed to sit on SSMU Council.

“I’m just wondering, since SSMU has a social justice mandate, why does it allow Zionist councillors on council when Zionist ideology is inherently [linked with] ethnically cleansing Palestinians and I, as a Palestinian, A question period at SSMU Council was dominated by concerns about a tweet made by Arts Representative do not feel safe Igor Sadikov, causing the meeting to end close to 1 a.m. (Christopher Li / The McGill Tribune) with councillors like that representing me on a daily basis,” Khoury to a tweet on a personal account, which makes it clear that [it] is an orchestrated campaign to instill said.

Ben Ger, SSMU president, was later asked intimidation and fear in anyone [who] expresses pro-Palestinian views.” to respond to the comment.

In addition to the response from SSMU, “I just want to point out that there are mechanisms put in place if people would like to see AUS, and the student body, members of the Mc[their representatives] removed, but anyone who Gill administration issued two statements conis elected is allowed to sit around this table and demning the tweet on Feb. 9 and 13. The statewe try to focus on that key pillar of democracy,” ments were issued on behalf of Provost and VicePrincipal (Academic) Christopher Manfredi and Ger said.

Molly Harris, U2 Arts, attended the Council Principal and Vice Chancellor Suzanne Fortier.

“I was shocked to read that Twitter post session as an audience member.

“The [Feb. 9] meeting was more unsafe than and want to make it clear that the University any [General Assembly meetings discussing Boy- condemns all expressions of hatred and attempts cott, Divestment, Sanctions] that I’ve experienced to incite violence, including any that have been in my three years at McGill,” Harris wrote in a made in reaction to the post,” Fortier wrote.

SSMU issued a formal statement on the message to The McGill Tribune. “When I asked how the SSMU and the AUS would protect me tweet and the discussion at the Legislative Counfrom being punched by anti-Zionists, the room cil via an email to members on Feb. 11. “[...We] condemn physical, emotional, and fell totally silent.”

Khoury later commented on the Council institutional violence, and do not condone racism, discrimination, or prejudice in any form,” SSMU meeting in a message to The McGill Tribune.

“I [felt] betrayed by the silence of almost all wrote. “We regret that some members of our comof my elected representatives at Council, where munity, including those present at the Legislative I had to listen to Zionists speak about protecting Council meeting on [Feb. 9], have felt personally their dangerous, colonial belief,” Khoury wrote. attacked or unsafe due to the nature of the discus“[The uproar] is clearly an exaggerated response sion or the original tweet.”

Trudeau’s Special Advisor on LGBTQ2 issues hosted by Liberal McGill MP Randy Boissonnault discusses issues affecting the student LGBTQ2 community Victoria Flaherty Contributor On Feb.10, Liberal McGill welcomed Member of Parliament (MP) Randy Boissonnault to Gerts bar for a conversation with McGill students. Boissonnault serves as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s appointed special advisor on issues pertaining to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and twospirited (LGBTQ2) community and is the first to serve in this capacity.

Liberal McGill hoped the event would give students a platform to network and discuss important issues, according to the group’s Vice-President Communications June Gleed.

“The event was an opportunity for students to voice their opinions in an informal manner to [an MP],” Gleed said. “Randy is fighting for issues that many of our students are passionate about, so we appreciate that he could take the time to meet with us at McGill.”

Students spoke with the MP in a discus-

sion geared towards important issues facing the LGBTQ2 community at McGill, in Canada, and worldwide.

Topics of discussion were varied and included the Canadian Blood Services’ restrictions on gay men donating blood, providing safe spaces for queer youth to access mental health support, and gender-neutral bathrooms in Canada. Foreign relations with nations that deny their LGBTQ2 communities basic human rights was also covered.

Boissonnault highlighted the ability of millennials to communicate on social media and emphasized how personal LGBTQ2 issues can be.

“We want to engage youth, [...] seniors, [...] people at the university, and in civil society because this is not only [...] a government approach,” Boissonnault said. “Where can we find [...] civil society activists that are going to help us not just tell the stories and adjust the wrongs of the past, but really figure out ‘How do we build together and move together’?”

After the informal discussion at Gerts,

Boissonnault participated in a roundtable meeting to discuss the major issues facing the Quebec LGBTQ2 community. Attendees included Florence Ashley Paré, a trans law student at McGill and an active member of the LGBTQ2IA+ community. Paré attended the event as a representative of OutLaw, a club for queer students and their straight allies based in the Faculty of Law. Boissonnault followed up on a number of issues, especially Quebec-specific problems, of which he was previously unaware: Bill C-16, which made discrimination based on gender identity illegal, and the repeal of Bill C-36, a piece of legislation that threatens sex workers, were both discussed, according to Paré.

“I must say that Randy Boissonnault was very receptive to our comments [...],” Paré said. “I’m very excited for changes that might come out of that, but I also recognize that large-scale systemic changes are unlikely coming from a Liberal government.”

Paré said that changes to funding will be

difficult, given the misinformed actions of the federal government and the widespread collaboration needed to achieve progress.

“Improving queer and trans lives necessitates funding of community organisations, and the defunding of [Action Santé Travesti(e) s et Transsexuel(le)s du Québec (ASTT(e)Q)] in Montreal is a really hard blow for the trans communities around here [...],” Paré said. “I hope that they increase funding across the board because [only] funding events, such as Pride, is wholly insufficient, and some might even say inadequate, given the depoliticization and corporatization of Pride over its long history.”

Boissonnault said that the event was a productive experience.

“Every time I get to be a part of a conversation like this, I’m learning, and so that’s the kind of information I’m going to be able to take back to my colleagues in government and to inform the Prime Minister’s Office,” Boissonnault said. “It [was] a great visit to McGill [....]”

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

OPINION 5

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

Students must hold representatives accountable through appropriate channels A tweet from Arts Representative to the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Igor Sadikov, reading “punch a zionist today,” has been subject to intense controversy for inciting violence against Zionist students. Thus far, the debate surrounding the tweet and, in particular, Sadikov’s interpretation of Zionism, has been understandably divisive and heated.

Without minimizing the gravity of the issue, the question of the appropriate definition of Zionism is rooted in a deeply complex and sensitive ideological and geopolitical debate, for which student forums are not always the appropriate venue.

Regardless of the issue at stake, however, as influential figures and the representatives of a diverse constituency, student representatives should be held to a higher standard of conduct than others. Students must ensure that their politicians meet this standard while representing student interests responsibly and productively.

When taking on any job, one accepts the responsibilities and expectations attached to the role.

For student representatives, these responsibilities include being cognizant of the influence of their position and faithfully representing their

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Contributors

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Joe Khammar Sports Editor Everyone’s been there—walking around Montreal when all of a sudden you find yourself looking up at the sky from your backside.

Whether sober, drunk, or somewhere in between, Montreal’s sidewalks represent the single most dangerous threat to any student.

Snowy, slippery wipe-outs are commonplace, and those who find themselves victim of the city’s sidewalks can at least take solace in the fact that it isn’t as embarrassing as one might think. The spectators to your spectacular fall are actually more concerned with your safety than publicly shaming you. They know it isn’t your fault and the real culprit is still at large—Montreal’s shoddy snow removal efforts.

constituents. These expectations are substantial, as are the consequences of failing to meet them.

McGill’s Student Code of Conduct, which Provost and Vice Principal Christopher Manfredi evoked in an email condemning Sadikov’s tweet, affirms that it is unacceptable for anyone to incite violence against a group or individual. While every student is equally bound to the Code of Conduct, leniency when addressing its violation varies. Student representatives are afforded positions of power so that they might affect positive change on behalf of their constituents. While this influence is most obvious when acting in a professional capacity, it inevitably extends to campus discourse in general. Whether through a statement in a council meeting or through a personal tweet, when a student representative chooses to speak, they cannot forget that their voice and their message are amplified. Should their message be an incitement of violence, they will face consequences from the appropriate institutions.

Student representatives must also be mindful of their mandate— that is, to effectively represent student interests. With a society as large and diverse as the McGill student body, and a system of rep-

resentation embodied in individuals rather than in parties, the idea of perfect representation is an illusion. A representative’s views will never wholly reflect those of every single constituent, nor should students expect them to—everyone is entitled to his or her own political opinions. However, a student representative’s personal opinions should be expressed with careful regard for their role as a representative. Holding different views from a peer is one thing—violently denouncing a group that one purportedly represents is another. To make a statement that not only disagrees with, but endangers a particular group within a constituency, is a failure of representation.

When a representative fails his or her constituents in these ways, they must be held accountable—but this process must occur through the appropriate channels. In the case of Sadikov, the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS), the SSMU, and the McGill administration have taken steps to this end: the AUS has formally requested his resignation, and Manfredi released a statement condemning the tweet and hinting at disciplinary action. While a motion to impeach Sadikov from the SSMU Board of Directors has

failed, the possibility and process to do so remains open.

Students have demanded that Sadikov face formal consequences for his tweet. Students can and should hold their representatives accountable for their actions. Steps on both sides, however, must be taken carefully and responsibly. In addition to widespread backlash on social media, Sadikov has received threats of violence. Inciting violence against Sadikov violates the Student Code of Conduct in the same way that his tweet did—whatever the debate, advocating violence from either side is wrong and narrows the space for safe discussion.

Students should take to the institutional channels available to hold their representatives accountable, such as messaging representatives directly and submitting executive reviews. These steps should be taken when student representatives fail, of course, but also before that point. It is a representative’s responsibility to reflect student interests and values; as constituents, it is students’ responsibility to continuously hold their representatives to these expectations. It is only through such mutual and ongoing participation that democratic systems of government, such as SSMU, can function.

Montreal needs a better shovel for snowy sidewalks The City of Montreal is supposedly responsible for the cleaning of roads and sidewalks after a snowfall. Unfortunately, despite boasting one of Canada’s largest budgets for snow removal, the city seems to have repeated failed in that capacity. Unless one is walking on a major street like Sherbrooke or Sainte-Catherine, it’s safe to assume that the sidewalk will resemble an outdoor skating rink. Every Montreal resident has at least one nasty bruise to show for this.

The city’s snow removal failures also significantly harm the roads and sidewalks. Ice hastens the breakdown of infrastructure due to the constant expansion and shrinkage of ice within cracks and potholes. Efficient clearing of snow would increase the lifespan of infrastructure, saving the city money in addition to the backsides of its citizens.

The city ought to be more in control of this essential service.

Icy sidewalks are not a monthly or weekly occurrence—this is a daily struggle against nature that is made worse by the municipal government. In January 2015, the Plateau was not given adequate funding to ensure that the main roads were adequately plowed. City Comptroller Alain Bond blamed this mistake not on the borough’s budgeting, but on poor weather forecasts. In the same

year, Boulevard Saint-Laurent and Rue Saint-Denis were often difficult to traverse safely because of the piles of snow present. Borough Mayor Luc Ferrandez claimed that Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre made significant cuts to the budget and they could no longer afford any

“

Somehow, Coderre and his associates can’t seem to crack the centuries’ old riddle of snowfall.

”

snow removal for the rest of the year. Being that this took place in early January, the rest of the long winter was torturous for those who needed to drive or walk in the Plateau. At times, getting through side

streets was an exercise in futility.

Coderre himself was also angered by the city’s failures with clearing the sidewalks. He came up with 16 recommendations to improve Montreal’s snow removal policy. Coderre called for uniform standards of operation and cooperation between boroughs. Two years later, there does not appear to be any difference at all in the quality of shovelling. Braving the outdoors is still about as dangerous as travelling to Mordor. Somehow, Coderre and his associates can’t seem to crack the centuries’ old riddle of snowfall.

Many cities manage to successfully protect the physical and emotional state of their residents through a simple sidewalk shoveling policy: Residents of Chicago, for example, must shovel the sidewalk in front of their dwelling or face fines up to $500, and are liable for any civil damages. Calgary has a similar bylaw—if a citizen fails to clear their strip of sidewalk, they must pay the cost of the city workforce doing so. This radical idea could potentially be implemented in Montreal to clear walking paths without relying on the city.

The city needs to solve its snow removal issues. It’s embarrassing that Montreal is celebrating its 375th birthday, and still can’t seem to clear its sidewalks.

6 OPINION

off t h e bo a r d

Calvin Trottier-Chi News Editor McGill has been the target of some vile chattering. As good McGillians, we must stand up for our grey friends— mostly because they can’t speak for themselves. Ladies and gentlemen, I am addressing the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) student newspaper, The Ubyssey, and one article’s boast that UBC’s squirrels are more popular than McGill’s. Fortunately, their swaggering is rife with alternative facts, and McGill can rest easy knowing that its squirrels still reign supreme. The McGill Tribune tried reaching out for comments from our fuzzy friends, but since even our best endeavours failed, our perspective will mainly be that of

C o m m e nt a r y

Evan Thomas Contributor

The Liberal Government plans to fight climate change with compulsory provincial carbon pricing schemes. However, these measures are not suitable considering Canada’s current economic predicament. The imposition of carbon tax schemes represents the Liberals’ commitment to burdensome and ineffective ways of combatting climate change. These taxes raise energy prices for citizens, and are detrimental to the competitiveness of Canadian businesses, especially in light of circumstances south of the border.

With Donald Trump now in the Oval Office, Canadians must be cognizant of the fact that we are not only America’s greatest trading partner, but also its greatest competitor for investment and jobs. And with Trump stripping away environmental legislation, American energy firms

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Squirrel slander put to rest Homo sapiens.

Ever since there have been students, there have been squirrel enthusiasts. Several universities have Facebook groups dedicated to posting pictures of the local critters, including “Squirrels of UBC,” “Squirrels of McGill,” and “Raccoons of SFU,” with The Ubyssey reporting them to have 4,000, 3,800, and 101 Facebook likes respectively. So while it’s true that UBC squirrels have the highest absolute number of likes, it’s a mistake to draw the conclusion that they are “narrowly beating” the other top Canadian universities. In reality, what really matters is the ‘likes per squirrel fanatic,’ or LPSF. By its 2015 numbers, UBC has 61,113 students, and McGill reports 40,493 as of 2016. Assuming all UBC students are squirrel fanatics, as we are, you’ll notice that McGill’s LPSF ratio is higher at 0.094 versus 0.065.

What’s more, one must factor in the geographic differences between campuses. Thanks to its comparatively smaller size, McGill is a close-knit, community-based campus, which provides a more authentic and personal squirrel spotting experience. McGill isn’t just a place to scurry for scraps— it’s a home. Meanwhile, it’s impossible to tell where UBC ends and the surrounding forest begins; the UBC label may be imposed upon squirrels

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McGill squirrels are both cute and competitive on the national stage.

(Erica Stefano / The McGill Tribune) that more accurately identify with the neighbouring Pacific Spirit Park.

Our environment is simply more suitable for squirrels. As any McGillian can tell you, our squirrels’ carefree attitude is only matched by their hefty weight. They are free to frolic across our campus. Thanks to the neverending construction on Sherbrooke and MacTavish streets street, the constant police presence keeps dangerous

carnivores at bay. Meanwhile, at UBC, coyotes prey freely on squirrels to the apparent disregard of onlookers.

Indifferent Reddit users commented on the UBC subreddit, “I think I saw that [coyote] eat like three squirrels on three different occasions,” and “my bio prof saw it and called it natural selection in action.”

Additionally, McGill students’ relationships with the resident squirrels

are superior. On campus, students and squirrels live in harmony. McGill squirrel fans should not be alarmed that the “Squirrels of UBC” page has more activity. With Montreal temperatures so low that Arcade Fire wrote a song about it, opportunities to take off our gloves to snap a pic are few and far between.

At the same time, our squirrels are too busy surviving and being conscientious citizens to pose for pictures. In a development exemplary of the close relationship between McGill’s squirrels and scholars, 2010 research by McGill Professor Murray Humphries revealed several cases of squirrels adopting the orphaned pups of their neighbours. UBC does not show any signs of embracing the research opportunities provided by their local critters, likely because their underachieving squirrels are too busy scavenging at a Lululemon to contribute to advancing scientific inquiry.

Thus, as with many things in life, the less calculable factors must be taken into consideration as well. Blanket statements based on minor details are not a proper foundation for which school’s squirrels are better. When it all comes down to it, squirrels of all furs, all across Canada, need to hunker down together for the next four years as we weather the storm of the big orange nut to our South.

Trudeau’s carbon tax policies are a burden for the Canadian economy will be at an advantage compared to their northern competitors. President Trump has promised to reverse many of the environmentally-conscious regulations implemented in the Obama years, and has suggested withdrawing the United States from the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall raised the issue of competing with the United States as a key reason for opposing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s national carbon tax scheme after Trump’s election. Wall argued that carbon pricing will hurt the Canadian economy’s growth by costing it jobs and investment, which in turn diminishes Canada’s ability to enact meaningful climate change action. As such, Saskatchewan, along with Manitoba, has rejected Ottawa’s carbon pricing plan.

In response to Premier Wall, the Prime Minister said, “I think all Canadians know that Canadian climate policy will be set by Canadians, not by whomever happens to be the president of the United States.”

While this feel-good statement may win over the hearts of his fans, it is also tremendously naive. Justin “It’s 2015” Trudeau needs to wake up to face the harsh realities of 2017.

The imposition of carbon taxes will put Canadian firms at a disadvantage compared to their international counterparts, as the burden of these taxes drives up costs for businesses. In turn, firms must lay off workers, cut investment, or relocate.

Ultimately, this harms the Canadian economy and raises prices for consumers.

Currently, British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec have implemented carbon pricing schemes, with Ottawa urging all provinces to implement them by January 2018.

Carbon taxes may sound like a good idea in theory, but if implemented they would have real consequences for the economy. Trudeau’s policy needs to acknowledge the downsides of this approach. As Conservative leadership hopeful Andrew Saxton wrote in an article for the Financial Post, “It is time for a climate policy that is rooted in reality rather than ideology.” Saxton is right.

While Trudeau has made some pragmatic concessions to economic conditions, like his recent approval of two pipelines, the prevailing notion since Paris has been full speed ahead with regards to action to counter climate change. The fact is that at present, the Canadian economy remains dependent on non-renewable sources of energy. Crude oil and natural gas account for 42 per cent and 33 per cent, respectively, of Canada’s total energy production.

Renewable sources of energy, such as solar, wind, and wave power, are promising but have not been developed enough to be implemented as effective substitutes for fossil fuels by 2018.

The provinces that have led the way in implementing carbon taxes are already showing the burden these

policies place on ordinary Canadians. One such Canadian is Kathy Katula, who in January pleaded her case against the implementation of the Ontario Carbon Tax to Justin Trudeau at a town hall event in Peterborough. Katula, a single mother of four working 15 hour shifts, pays over $1,000 a month in energy bills, leaving her with $130 to feed her family each month. Katula is just one of thousands of Ontarians suffering to the kind of provincial carbon tax policies that Trudeau supports.

Thank goodness that Justin was on the scene to rectify the situation— with one of his signature hugs.

Furthermore, Canadians should remember the minimal impact of our

emissions on a global scale—Canada emits a mere 1.6 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gases. The cost of a carbon tax on Canadians is difficult to justify considering the small impact it will have on world greenhouse gas emissions.

Combatting climate change should be a priority for the Canadian government, but it cannot do so by adopting policies that make the Canadian working class suffer. Trudeau should not advocate for more provinces to introduce carbon-reducing schemes, given that they harm consumers and hinder Canadian competition with the United States.

Perhaps Canada should test the waters again in four years’ time.

ERRATUM An article from issue 18 titled “The art of brewing better coffee” incorrectly stated that Chris Durning is Head Roaster at Dispatch, and that Dispatch exclusively sells fair trade coffee. In fact, Chris Durning is Director of Coffee at Dispatch, and Dispatch sells exclusively ethically-sourced coffee, though not all of this is fair trade. The Tribune regrets these errors.

EXPERIENCED CAREGIVER NEEDED TO START WORK IMMEDIATELY FOR MOTHER IN LAW SUFFERING DEMENTIA. I am offering 4-5 hours per day on Saturday, Monday, Wednesday,and Friday, at a rate of $20.00 per hour.

ALL APPLICANTS SHOULD EMAIL DIRECTLY AT

joetquirion@gmail.com

STUDENT LIVING

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

7

Dating in the fast lane

McGill student groups offer speed-dating Valentine’s day dating events

Calvin Trottier-Chi News Editor Continued from page 1.

For participants, the climax of the event was the removal of the masks at the end. The anticipation was akin to what online daters might feel before meeting a date in person, although their nerves were somewhat alleviated by the participants having already met in disguise.

“There [was] a grand reveal in which everyone [took] their masks off,” Ye said. “That moment [was] full of joy and laughter, or perhaps a little disappointment.”

This event delves deeper than superficial first attraction based on looks. A primary attraction of speed-dating is found within the light-hearted freedom of mingling with many equally hopeful participants.

“This type of event [attracted a] large crowd because it is interesting, and [speed-dating with masks has] never been done before at McGill,” Ye said. “It takes in the philosophical art of blind speed-dating fused with the mysterious science of a computer algorithm.”

Gamifying the pursuit of soulmates, the

McGill Students for Think Pink’s matchmaking event on Feb. 10, My Funny Valentine, had participants trying to find who Think Pink had matched them with based on their answers to an online quiz. Among other fun tasks, the quiz asked participants about their ideal study methods, their favourite Pokémon, and to write a haiku addressed to “the one.” After being handed the quiz answers of another event attendee, deemed their “ideal partner” based on response compatibility, participants were tasked with locating their ideal partner themselves. Couples who successfully found each other received prizes, which were mainly gift cards to finance their first real date.

“Everyone got along so well that we all wouldn’t stop talking long enough to get directions out for some of the activities,” Sam Wunderlich, U1 Arts and Science and vice-president of Think Pink’s Financial Implementation and Sponsorship Committee, said. “Two couples hit it off and walked out hand-in-hand with each other, even before the event was halfway done, so hopefully that was a good sign! There was [also] one match that just sat and talked in the middle of everyone, absorbed in their own little world.”

Speed-dating creates a positive, energetic environment for participants. Even if they lack

While many students are used to dating via apps and websites, several student groups held speed-dating events for Valentine’s Day. (Elli Slavitch / The McGill Tribune) romantic chemistry off the bat, people tend to enjoy the opportunity to meet each other, and engage in opportunities that can’t be found online.

“There is never a lull in conversation because you have limited time with that person before you move on to the next,” Wunderlich said. “It’s a really relaxing way of meeting people […and

you’re] surrounded by tons of others in the same situation as you, it’s almost comforting.”

Speed-dating is a great way to interact with someone new in a candid way that is not present on dating apps. These Valentine’s Day events kept the search for love light, emphasizing what it really should be about in the end: Fun.

Galentine’s Day: A celebration of femme friendship

McGill’s gals celebrate and empower each other, one ‘Parks and Rec’ reference at a time

McGill students celebrate their empowering femme friendship each year on Galentine’s Day. (Madeline Kinney / The McGill Tribune)

Grace Bahler Contributor Every year since the holiday’s inception in 2014, BFFs (best female friends) around the world have gathered together to celebrate Galentine’s Day on Feb. 13. This preValentine’s holiday originates from the NBC hit-show Parks and Recreation, in which two lead characters, Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones), celebrate their formidable friendship amid waffles, syrup, and the presence of beloved femme friends. The duo sparked a renaissance of appreciation and love among viewers for the women in

their lives, leading fans to pick up the holiday practice themselves.

Celebrating friendships with fellow femmes is powerful. Because of the way women are socialized, it’s common for them to internalize misogyny without knowing it. This leads women to use the sexist ideals society promotes against each other, resulting in a malign and competitive mindset. Additionally, this mentality is most often unconscious, meaning women don’t realize they are complicit in sexism when they shame other women for their sexual history, claim that they get along better with men, or simply state that they are ‘not like other girls.’ The competition

women subconciously feel toward other women is commonly pointed out in feminist literature, including in Roxane Gay’s essay, “How To Be Friends With Another Woman,” in which she explicitly lists her personal rules for maintaining healthy friendship with other women. As such, showing gratitude for and giving support to fellow femmes is a radical, albeit sometimes difficult, thing to do.

The power within femme friendships is often unrealized or underrepresented in the media, but it fills gaps that romantic relationships do not.

In the McGill community, there are many who cherish their closest gals and who choose to celebrate them come Galentine’s Day. Sam Gibson and Marlee Nisenboim, both U1 Arts, are among the many students who break out the romantic comedies and sweet treats annually.

“Everyone has different types of friends, […] but you’re always gonna have one friend who’s your everything friend,” Gibson said, referring to her best friend, Nisenboim.

The duo have known each other since their first year of university, having met on the seventh floor of McConnell Hall. Gibson and Nisenboim grew close as chance landed them in the same sociology class, and they bonded through shared academic stress. Over the course of their first semester, they bonded and studied, realizing how like-minded they were after many late-night talks.

They began to write music together, and even performed together; their personalities blended as harmoniously as their voices.

Though Gibson and Nisenboim

have shared a smattering of tough times, the best friends’ relationship has grown to its strongest point, free of jealousy and judgment. When Nisenboim decided to take the semester off in Fall 2016, Gibson fully supported her decision. And when Gibson missed her best friend at school, Nisenboim made it clear that physical distance didn’t change anything in their relationship.

“Even though we weren’t together, nothing really changed in terms of being there for each other,” Nisenboim said, reflecting on their daily text messages and weekly phone calls over the course of the semester.

Gibson and Nisenboim exemplify the uniquely empowering nature of femme friendships in which women love and encourage each other.

Friendship is a source of inspiration, a sentiment to which Sarah Binney and Melissa Langley, both U2 Arts, can relate. As best friends and fans of Parks and Recreation, they share a strikingly similar dynamic to the one between Leslie and Ann. “I’m much more tightly wound than [Binney], and she’s really good at reminding me to have fun [....] Sarah is definitely Leslie. I’m definitely a BenAnn combo,” Langley said, making reference to the show’s main female characters and Leslie’s love interest, Ben Wyatt.

Binney and Langley grew up a block away from each other in Sharon, Massachusetts, but the two didn’t talk to one another until they found themselves carpooling to a McGill information session in Grade 12. Since arriving at McGill, the pair have grown close, having both lived in

Douglas Hall their first year. Now well into their second year, they frequently find themselves discovering cafes on the weekends or cooking adventurous meals for dinner together. To them, their friendship is one of balance and support.

“There’s a lot of difficult things about being a woman, but the thing that’s most rewarding about it is that you get to support other women,” Binney said.

When it comes to women supporting other women, these best friends are on the same page: Always aiming to uplift each other, their friendship growing stronger as they do.

For Galentine’s Day, Binney and Langley made homemade brunch plans with their wider group of friends. Like Leslie and Ann, the goal was to eat the best breakfast food with the best of friends. For Binney and Langley, Leslie and Ann set a strong example of not only how to throw a successful Galentine’s Day bash, but of how to maintain a healthy friendship in their day-to-day life—an image that’s rarely portrayed in film and television.

“The strong female friendship is so underrepresented [in the media],” Binney said. “Leslie [Knope] is always expressing how much she loves her friends, and I really, really feel that way about my friends.”

Mutual love is present throughout these unique and radical femme friendships; love and be loved, support and be supported. Galentine’s Day is a breath of fresh air from the competitive social atmosphere between women, and serves as a reminder of the power of love between femme friends.

DEAD ENDS AND DEAD LINKS Navigating the shortcomings of McGill's websites Daniel Lutes Web Developer

“I found the whole process to be inaccessible and daunting,” said Rachel Siu, U2 Marketing, reflecting on her frustration at using the McGill websites when applying to McGill. “It was really overwhelming. I remember putting off the application process numerous times because I couldn't figure out how to navigate the dang site and I didn’t know where to find the specific admission qualifications for [...] students.”

For most McGill students, their first interaction with the university is through its websites. Applying to universities is a challenging and stressful process, and it is made even more taxing by the labyrinthine system of websites that students are forced to navigate. Upon arriving at McGill, many students realize that the problem with the website isn’t limited to the application process. From dead links, to conflicting information, to disorganized layouts, at times it seems like McGill’s websites are actively trying to confuse users. This is an issue that plagues the McGill experience for many, adding undue frustration and extra time to simple tasks, such as looking up course requirements for their program. “[As a student,] I constantly [stumble] across e-calendars from previous years where my degree requirements have changed since then, so it is unclear what my actual requirements are,” said Siu. Josh Liu, U2 Computer Science, echoed Siu’s frustrations. Beyond the difficulty in looking up course requirements, he believes that McGill sites are inherently disorganized. [Add sentence or two from Daniel explaining this?]

“When I am looking for information on course requirements, I search and search for the right page,” Liu said. “Using the site in general, there is an overall sense of lack of organization. I am aware of how the system works currently, in terms of how information is posted to the site, but there needs to be a better way of managing information that is important to students in a responsible way. It makes you wonder how many people have been unable to fulfill graduation requirements due to mistakes on the website.”

Understanding how McGill websites are managed is key to identifying the system’s weaknesses. Through a lack of oversight of what gets posted, funding woes, and an ever-increasing workload for the website staff, McGill websites have gained a reputation for failing to meet students’ needs. According to Chief Information Officer of McGill Ghilaine Roquet, the websites are managed by a small team of 10 developers. Despite the increasing importance of a strong and cohesive online presence, the Web Development team has only seen slight growth in its number of staff. There are roughly 800 associated websites run by McGill, including different pages for all of the various labs, faculties, departments, and

projects, but only 10 people to maintain it all. “[The McGill Web Development team supports] the service for public-facing McGill websites including the homepage and almost 800 associated websites,” Roquet wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “The numbers and composition of the team have fluctuated over a 16-year period, but the current configuration represents a modest increase in members.”

Managing hundreds of websites with only ten people is an extremely daunting task. The sheer volume of sites that exist under the McGill Web Development team purview necessitates the Web Management System, a tool developed by the McGill Web Service Group to better manage the McGill websites. The system allows faculty and administration to edit website information, provided they complete a course on how to make the changes in a safe manner. Upon the completion of the two-and-a-half hour course offered by McGill IT, these members of the faculty and administration are given editing privileges that allow them to update and delete content from their given domain. Since 2009, when this program was put in place, the McGill Web Management System has trained over 4,000 McGill administrators and faculty to use its tools, lightening the burden on the McGill Web Service Group.

As Roquet explains, each team of trained members is responsible for their website. Guidelines are put in place by the McGill Web Service Group, but it is up to individual site managers to follow them.

“The McGill Web Service Group team provides a web platform and guidelines to McGill units requiring a website, but each unit is responsible for creating and managing the content of their respective websites,” he said.

The system wherein faculty and administrators update content on their own section of the site leads to multiple drawbacks. The breadth of possible problems that can occur with a site of McGill is large, as Gary Francoeur, associate director of Communications Services explains.

“There are more pages on the McGill website than there are students who attend the university,” he said. “Ensuring that as much of this information as possible is readily accessible and up to date on the McGill website is a difficult feat.”

One such challenge is that of design; although website layout templates are provided by the Web Services Group guidelines, they are not always used as specified, and may cause students to rely on the wrong information. Misusing templates leads to incohesive design on the site; for example, the page for McGill Admissions has a different layout than the page for McGill Libraries. Straying

from a cohesive look for a site is not just a matter of aesthetics; creating a common practice for navigation and formatting allows users to effectively find and consume information. Learning how to navigate McGill websites that dramatically differ in layout adds unnecessary time for students trying to find vital information.

Perhaps most detrimentally, sites often contain conflicting information. This is the direct effect of having a system where people with little content-management knowledge are able to make unilateral changes to a website.

Imagine a change of course requirements for a given department. Upon completing the website management class, the dean of the department posts the updated requirements on a new page; however, all of the references to the old course requirements still exist on the site. Therefore, unless the dean visits every page on the site and removes references to the old requirements—a time-consuming task—the contradictory information remains on the page. One example of this can be found on the the page for B.A. & Sc. Freshman Program Requirements where all of the Freshman requirements for the Faculty of Arts and Science are listed. Elsewhere on the site, a page called “Course Requirements” offers contradictory information about required courses.

presentation.

“Often we have many site managers working on one site, someone creates a page, someone links to a page, and then some other person deletes that page,” said DelMarr. “What happens to that link?”

It should be noted that McGill Web Service Group offers a tool to find and remove dead links, but it is up to the 1,200 site managers to adopt this best practice. A lack of centralized control over websites’ content lends itself to problems of this nature, which are very challenging to combat.

The shortcomings of McGill websites cannot be blamed on the development team—a small team with a large responsibility should not be the scapegoat for this issue.

Furthermore, one cannot condemn the administrators and faculty who are unable to properly manage a website after only a few hours of training. In essence, this issue is the direct product of a lack of funding and accountability.

According to the McGill University Budget Book FY2017 published in April 2016, the total salary spending on Information Technology Services at McGill dropped by roughly seven per cent from FY2013 to FY2014 and fell by another five per cent from FY2014 to FY2015. In comparison, the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia

more time than necessary for many tasks.

“It's par for the course at McGill, the whole thing is just frustrating,” she said. “Time and careful consideration of [the sites’] layout should be used in making the navigation experience as easy and useful as possible for both members and non-members of the McGill community. I shouldn't have to spend 10 minutes looking for what courses I need to graduate!”

The shortcomings of McGill’s websites have created an opportunity for students, sparking a cottage industry of students building applications with the purpose of enhancing the usability and functionality of McGill websites.

One such student is Demertrios Koziris, a U3 Software Engineering student who has developed a Chrome browser extension, McGill Enhanced which integrates features from various McGill websites into a easy-to-use platform.

“The biggest thing that frustrated me was searching Google for a course and ending up on a course overview page, but from a previous year,” Koziris said.“The McGill site would have a message that showed I was on a previous year and the options it provided were either to click a link that brings you to the home page of the current year or edit the year in the URL yourself to get to the current year's version of the course page. I realized that

be how it affects students,” Koziris said. “When you want to register for courses, you shouldn't have to look up course info on the overview page, then navigate through Minerva to search for Mercury Evaluations, and then go to Visual Schedule Builder (VSB for schedules, and then go back to Minerva and navigate to the registration menu to submit course codes. Being able to jump straight from a course overview page to the registration page or Mercury Evaluations for that course, or being able to register straight from VSB without copying and pasting CRN codes, makes the process a lot smoother and that's what I tried to accomplish with [McGill Enhanced].”

An overall lack of cohesive design and structural flaws in McGill’s organizational network has created a system of websites where important information can slip through the cracks and students can be easily confused or even misled. At its core, this is an issue of funding, but with McGill cutting IT spending in recent years, it is difficult to imagine that these problems will be solved by the administration any time soon.

Instead, students are being forced to pick up the slack by creating applications, like McGill Enhanced, Minerva Bot, and Get A Seat. But these applications can only do some much. McGill websites remain the main means

“Using the site in general, there is an overall sense of lack of organization. I am aware of how the system works currently, in terms of how information is posted to the site, but there needs to be a better way of managing information that is important to students in a responsible way."

In a 2016 presentation hosted by the McGill Web Service Group, Jason DelMarr, a senior web developer analyst, explained common issues that can easily occur with the McGill websites.

He referred specifically to dead links, or 404 pages—a common and frustrating occurrence on some McGill sites. There are an estimated 21,000 dead links across all McGill websites, a figure shared in the same

both saw increases in spending over the same period. The Internet is more important than ever, both as source and a method of gathering and organizing information, so it is concerning that IT does not receive adequate funds.

Upon learning about the spending cut in the IT department, Siu seemed unsurprised. She believes that the poor organization of the site leads to users spending

instead of editing the URL myself every time, I could write a script that does that for you.”

Koziris’ extension, a result of hundreds of hours of development, is an ongoing project which has grown in functionality and user base over the past two years. In its current iteration McGill Enhanced creates a more coherent experience across McGill’s websites.

“For me, the issue seems to

by which students interact with the university; unless the administration starts to adequately value this communication, students—prospective and current—will continue to be misinformed and frustrated. starts to adequately value this communication, students— prospective and current—will continue to be misinformed and frustrated.

10

STUDENT LIVING

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Illustrations by Alissa Zilber

In this moment, I am everything I need to be.

I am thankful for the people that bring me joy.

I will never let anyone tell me I am less than whole.

Ask Ainsley: I’m developing feelings for my casual hookup. What do I do?

Ainsley enters the friends with benefits debate Dear Ainsley, I recently started hooking up with someone new. Everything has been going well so far and they’re super fun, but I can’t help but worry that I’m going to get attached, and from what I’ve heard, they’re not looking for anything serious at the moment. To be honest, I’m not sure what I want yet, either, but at the same time I find myself starting to actually like them. So, what do I do?

Should I keep hooking up with them and see what happens, regardless of whether or not I get hurt in the end?

Sincerely, Conflicted About Casual Coitus (CACC) Dear CACC, Before you make a definitive decision about whether to end or continue the relationship, I think it’s important for you to take some time to really consider why you’re afraid to get attached.

If you get the sense that your feelings for them are not reciprocated, this could be the result of the social cues they are giving you. Does this person

make you feel unwanted in any way? The fact that you are concerned about developing feelings for them is worth analyzing.

When you first start hooking up with someone, it’s easy to feel a strong connection. Do you find yourself actually enjoying this person’s company and having meaningful conversations?

Or does your enjoyment merely come from mutual physical attraction? If the latter is true, you should avoid post-coital cuddling as the release of oxytocin that comes along with it may make your bond stronger and therefore harder to break. Sharing a bed with another person can sometimes be more intimate than sex and the closeness felt after spending a night together may heighten romantic feelings. If you’re really hesitant about developing feelings for this person, maybe you should reduce the amount of time you spend together. Hooking up every once in awhile isn’t a big deal, but if you find yourself going to their room every weekend night, you may want to reconsider your actions.

If you do realize that you have romantic feelings for them, this is completely understandable and natural. If you’re open to the possibility of a new relationship, tell them how you feel. The worst that can happen is that they

tell you they don’t feel the same way. The best that can happen is that they feel similarly and are willing to develop the relationship into a deeper commitment. When moving your relationship into this new territory, it’s important to remember that, though the bond created by physical intimacy is unique and powerful, a basis of shared values and interests is essential in sustaining a serious relationship.

If you’re not in a place to enter into a relationship currently, you may want to break things off—if you do, it might be best to break them off completely. Explain to your partner that you feel the relationship has crossed a boundary and that you need space and separation, at least for a while. It’s hard to remove someone from your life when you have deep feelings for them, but you need to think about what’s best for you in the long-term. There’s nothing wrong with taking time to be alone and focus on yourself, because keeping contact may only prolong your pain.

A lack of closure could lead you to relapse into hooking up with them again after a party.

On paper, the whole “friends with benefits” thing sounds easy: You get to hook up with someone you’re physically attracted to without any strings attached. But, in practice, this only

works through strong communication of your intentions with the other person. If both parties are clear about their boundaries at the outset and check in with each other frequently, then sustaining a ‘no-strings-attached’ relationship can work out.

If you like the person enough to sleep with them and spend extended amounts of time with them, it’s likely that at least one of you is going to start caring for the other as more than just a friend.

It can work out fine between the two of you in the end, as long as you keep a close watch on your feelings and communicate with the other person, but if you don’t feel like you’re both on the same page, or are not being treated well by the other person, it’s probably time to let them go. Self-care goes far beyond eating well and working out, it also means keeping people in your life who make you feel loved and valued. So if this person ever makes you feel “less than,” or isn’t clear with you about their intentions, I would suggest saying goodbye, and turning your focus back to caring for yourself.

Sincerely,

Ainsley

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 11

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

‘Intractable Woman’ explores the nuances of free speech in journalism

Intractable Woman’s simplistic production design enables viewers to focus on the script.

(Photo courtesy of Imago Theatre)

Avleen Mokha Contributor In the 9/11 gallery theatre of the Newseum in Washington D.C., a quote by Rod Dreher is marked on the wall like a silent, certain truth: “There are three kinds of people who run toward disaster, not away: Cops, firemen and reporters.”

Imago Theatre is an independent theatre company located in Montreal, dedicated to bringing to life the stories of unstoppable women. Their latest production, Intractable Woman, is not only a stellar homage to the work of Russian journalist

Anna Politkovskaya, but a timely reminder of fighting for free speech under oppressive regimes. Directed by Micheline Chevrier, the production offers a poetic and productive theatre experience.

Focused on the writings of Anna Politkovskaya—the only journalist to report on the 1999 Second Chechen conflict between Russia and Chechen separatists—the play considers themes of silencing, censorship, and freedom of expression. The lyrical text of playwright Stefano Massini, moulded by Chevrier’s vision, is delivered effortlessly by a

compact, multi-ethnic cast of three women.

Chevrier elaborated on her artistic vision in choosing the diverse cast.

“I didn’t want people to think this happened only to a Russian journalist,” Chevrier explained.

“Journalists all over the world, of incredible backgrounds, [from] all kinds of countries, get killed for being journalists. For me, it was important that you see three women of various backgrounds on stage, to see them take her spirit on. In the end, they don’t really become her so much as they become her words.”

The narrative is structured into 21 scenes, all drawing upon incidents in Politkovskaya’s life.

To make the events coherent for the stage was, according Chevrier, challenging. Substantial attention had to be given to staging the relentless, flurrying life of Politkovskaya without distracting the audience from the essence of the narrative.

“It’s all about finding the balance between the words and everything else on the stage,” Chevrier explained.

This balance is reflected in the chilling austerity of the production’s design. If only one word were to be used in describing the aesthetic of the play, it would be ‘minimalist.’ All aspects of the production design exhibit nuanced simplicity. For example, the set, developed by Eo Sharp, reflects the thematic hierarchy of the narrative. At the forefront is a compact threetiered set, subordinated to the pipeline that traverses the troubled land. The highest level, however, is reserved for a screen on which Politkovskaya’s writing appears during the stage action. The constant presence of written words

on stage emphasises the importance of writing: Its ability to impact change, to shape lives for better and for worse.

The influence of authorship on objectivity in journalism is a running theme in Intractable Woman. In one scene, Anna comes across a war film on state-controlled television that claims to be a true story. A quick dissection, however, reveals the clear propaganda motive behind the piece. While Politkovskaya is shown to condemn bias in media, the play does not simplify her as the pinnacle of journalistic integrity.

Standing (onionstatic.com) in front of a fire fuelled by human bodies, Anna’s documenting of the endless catalogue of violence is halting, but she perseveres. With tears in her eyes, she challenges the perception that journalism is easy because it is only about reporting facts. Intractable Woman captures, with vivifying rawness, the inner conflict of Politkovskaya to stay objective during her reporting on horrifying human rights violation.’

The ultimate message of Intractable Woman is constant vigilance. “[We must] not take for granted what we have, [that] things need to be fought for, debated, questioned,” Chevrier said.

The production’s pacing is relentless and its tone biting: a lyrically descriptive encapsulation of Anna Politkovskaya’s life, Intractable Woman is a fierce commentary on taking action—which seems more relevant now than ever before.

Intractable Women runs Feb. 9 to Feb. 18 at the Centaur Theatre. Tickets reservations are available through the venue’s website.

Director Pablo Larraín paints a complex portrait of Chilean poet in ‘Neruda’ Declan Embury Contributor Pablo Larraín’s Neruda is an impeccably crafted film, blurring fact and fiction to create something more engaging. The film is much more than a standard biopic of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (Luis Gnecco). After the Second World War, Neruda— already an icon for his politically charged poetry advancing workers rights throughout Latin America—faced more pressure and fear of persecution than ever as Communism was vilified around the world.

Guillermo Calderón’s script tells two personal stories through the lense of a greater political narrative—the struggle between communist rebels and Chile’s militant regime following the 1940s. After a new President, with strong ties to the United States government, takes power in Chile, the communist party is quickly banned, forcing Neruda—a communist senator— to hide or flee. This starts a cat-and-mouse chase between the film’s two main characters: Neruda and Óscar Peluchonneau (played by Gael García Bernal of The Motorcycle Diaries ), a fictional police officer who is tasked with bringing Neruda to

Pablo Neruda is depicted as a sensualist with deep communist values. (collider.com) justice.

Neruda’s characters are where the film shines. Luis Gnecco’s depiction of Pablo Neruda as a revolutionary figure captivates not only the masses of workers in the film, but the audience as well. Neruda is depicted as a sensualist who enjoys the finer things in life, but striking moments in the film reveal his deeply-held communist values.

Gnecco depicts this brilliantly when, after encountering a young beggar,

Neruda leaves the girl draped in his fancy white suit. Though many sizes too big for her, the suit must be worth a relative fortune. This scene could have been cheesy in the hands of most actors, but Gnecco makes it feel real, nailing the charm one would expect from the populist artist.

Gnecco’s performance is not the only one that stands out: Gael García Bernal’s portrayal of Óscar Peluchonneau is a chilling interpretation of the classic film noir police detective.

He also serves as the film’s narrator, though not a completely trustworthy one, leaving the audience to decide what to believe as he reveals bits and pieces of his and Neruda’s pasts. The unreliable narrator is rarely used in modern cinema, but Neruda pulls it off. Mercedes Morán’s portrayal of Delia del Carril, a Chilean-Argentinian painter and Neruda’s second wife, is also worth mentioning. Though not as exceptional a performance as García Bernal, Morán offers a

warm presence that grounds the more grandiose Neruda.

Though the main characters rarely interact face-to-face, they are connected through their love of fiction. Most of their interaction is carried out through Neruda’s notes, scribbled in copies of detective novels and cleverly planted where Peluchonneau will find them.

Both men can only imagine their story ending like a detective novel. Both expect a great chase that ends either in near-escape or the action-packed capture of Neruda. This dynamic builds an unusual connection between the two main characters, as their friends and accomplices struggle to understand their desire to live out the stories that are loved by both men.

Set against a backdrop of Chile’s incredible natural features, as well as the beauty of Chilean art and culture, Neruda’s narrative is unique and captivating. The film is both a fascinating semi-biographical piece on a brilliant artist and social icon, and a work of fiction with one of the best antagonists in recent film history. Brought together by a tight script and outstanding performances by the whole cast, Neruda is one of 2016’s hidden gems.

12 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

‘Trainspotting’ exposed the underbelly of ‘90s Edinburgh Eve Fiertag Contributor “Sometimes I think people just become junkies because they subconsciously crave ay wee bit ay silence,” is the phrase that best describes Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting (1993)—the novel that inspired the opiateridden 1996 movie of the same name. With the release of its sequel T2 Trainspotting on Feb. 21, Director Danny Boyle returns with a revisited version of a long-awaited classic. Although most of this generation of students were too young to see and appreciate Trainspotting at its release, the film became a cult classic—exposing the forbidden world of narcotics through a raww yet surreal lens.

As the movie begins, it immediately sets the fast pace of drug intake, the routines of the characters, and the incredible soundtrack.

To the tune of Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” and Underworld’s “Born Slippy (Nuxx),” the viewer encounters a stylized snapshot of the lifestyle of heroin addict and narrator Renton (Ewan McGregor), sociopathic Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), naive Spud (Ewen Bremner), anger-riddled Begbie (Robert Carlyle), and athlete-turned-junkie Tommie (Kevin McKidd)—five unique and unexpectedly likeable Scots.

Disguised under dark humour and charismatic monologues, the characters are faced with the horrors of heroin addiction,

Many scenes in Trainspotting graphically depicted the surreal experience of a heroin high.

(Madeline Kinney / The McGill Tribune) withdrawal symptoms, urban poverty, and HIV. In Trainspotting, the evil is not the drug but the lifestyle that the five friends try to glamourize. Not only an iconic movie for its aesthetic—some say Renton popularized skinny jeans for men—it explores taboos and exposes the realities of working-class, ’90s Edinburgh.

However, immediately after its release

Trainspotting was criticized glorifying drug use. With its many graphic scenes of heroin injections and close ups of a deceased newborn child, Trainspotting is an obvious target for the war on drugs.

“Cinema does inherently glamourize everything: It has actors, and there is a stylization there,” Welsh discussed in a 2016 interview with Vice. Boyle’s direction

Tuesday, February 14, 2017 F las h back

precisely aimed to avoid depicting addicts in their daily routine without a specific focus. For instance, Renton’s overdose scene has a certain romantic atmosphere to it, mostly brought on by Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day.” Renton sinks into a crimson carpet, metaphorically representing death enveloping his body, which, however surreal and beautiful, pragmatically demonstrates the constant risk of substance abuse.

Fast-forward to 2017, the movie sequel T2 Trainspotting, partly based on the book’s sequel Porno (2002), has the four protagonists —sadly without Tommie—reunite 20 years later in a rather familiar setting. In sync with our Internet age, Renton’s “Choose Life” monologue was altered: “choose life, choose Facebook, Instagram, Twitter” amends the 1996 “choose life, choose a job, choose a career.” T2 maintains its precursor’s empowerment of the voices of “lowlife” junkies, and its upbeat tempo also seems to match the original film’s pace. Overall, fans of the original we be reassured by the faithfulness to the first movie and book.

Although the sequel might not live up to the cult status its predecessor bore, T2 Trainspotting will surely be a welcome revival of the iconic 90s film.

T2 Trainspotting will be released in Montreal cinemas on March 17.

ALBUM REVIEW

Kehlani displays crystal clear vocals and an impressive range. (Vibe.com)

SweetSexySavage Kehlani -Evelyn Goessling Arts & Entertainment Editor

Kehlani Parrish’s latest release SweetSexySavage follows in the footsteps of Rihanna’s Good Girl Gone Bad and Aaliyah’s Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number.

The Oakland native is staking out her claim in R&B’s next generation with a young, bold voice, and skillful pop songwriting.

Following her 2015 mixtape You Should be Here, SweetSexySavage has been highly anticipated, especially after its single, “Gangsta,” was featured on the star-studded and Grammy-nominated Suicide Squad soundtrack. You Should be Here launched Kehlani out of the Bay Area bubble with a feature from Chance the Rapper on the track “The Way;” SweetSexySavage follows the same trajectory of increasingly polished songwriting and innovative production.

Kehlani strikes an incredible balance between sultry and crystal clear vocals, and her vocal range is as impressive as her breadth of musical styles. The first track,“Undercover,” starts with a classical guitar riff, then launches into an upbeat pop rhythm with full bass and synth backing. On “CRZY,” the influence from Rihanna’s ANTI is obvious, with sparse instrumentation and a heavily syncopated drum track. “Personal” also nods to Rihanna with a cheeky “na na na,” just like on 2010’s “S&M.” This reference to the greats makes sense; SweetSexySavage itself is a reference to TLC’s iconic 1994 record, CrazySexyCool. If Kehlani hopes to carve out a place for herself among these R&B icons, SweetSexySavage is

an impressive start.

Disguised within the heavily-produced pop tracks are some serious lyrical meditations on sex, love, and loss. Leading up to the release of SweetSexySavage, Kehlani was hospitalized after a suicide attempt—stemming in part from intense online bullying following rumours that she was cheating on her then-boyfriend, singer PARTYNEXTDOOR. “Advice,” “Escape,” and “Hold Me By the Heart,” the more melancholy songs on the album, can perhaps be attributed to this distress—on “Advice” Kehlani sings, “I almost lost my mind / I left myself behind / I almost crashed and fell right from the sky,”—but these tracks never lose the pop catchiness that is captivating throughout the album.

However, the overall impression is somewhat muddled and definitely too long.

At 18 tracks, the album’s length is not notably different from Kehlani’s 2015 mixtape.

Despite the diverse sounds throughout, standout tracks get lost between ones that are catchy, but don’t add much depth to the overall album. Kehlani could have hit harder with 12 excellent songs rather than 18 ranging from excellent to good-but-notinteresting. On every song, Kehlani has a lot to say, and despite the inventive lyricism, the album is exhausting by the end. Although this is probably a result of the pop and R&B conditioning that favours repetitive, easy-tosing lyrics, on her next try, Kehlani should consider hiring a good editor.

STANDOUT TRACKS

SOUNDS LIKE

BEST LYRICS

“Distraction,” “Keep On,” “Undercover”

Ariana Grande, Tinashe, Rihanna

“If I gotta be a bitch, I’mma be a bad one” (CRZY)

Tuesday, February 14, 2017 Fact or fiction

science & technology 13 Chocolate is the ultimate love food

Many believe this favourite Valentine’s Day gift elicits feelings of love, despite a lack of scientific evidence.

(Lauren Benson-Armer/ The McGill Tribune)

Albert Park Features Editor Continued from page 1.

Studies have shown that PEA is found in trace amounts in chocolate, at less than three milligrams per kilogram, as a result of the thermal processing and fermentation of cacao. PEA—which is also found in wine

and various other foods—is an extremely complex organic compound. The chemical can act as a neurotransmitter, meaning it sends signals in the brain, resulting in the arousal of certain emotions and biological responses.

It is theorized that PEA creates a feeling of happiness and euphoria often associated with love by helping the brain release chemicals essential for producing

feelings of pleasure, such as beta endorphin and dopamine. As a result, PEA itself has gained a reputation as a love drug.

“Supposedly, [PEA enhances] your feeling of attachment and your feeling of love,” Fenster said.

Despite all this, Fenster believes that the theory that chocolate produces feelings of love is ultimately lacks sufficient scientific backing. He claims that while chocolate contains PEA, there is no evidence that it will have a notable effect on the brain, given the distinct separations between the body’s digestive and neural systems.

“Like anything, [the theory] has a kernel of truth,” Fenster said. “The problem is that, even though phenylethylamine is supposedly present in brains of people in love, and even though it is present in chocolate, when you eat the chocolate, it cannot pass the blood-brain barrier, it cannot get into the brain.”

Significant concentrations of PEA from foods, such as chocolate, cannot reach the brain. The majority of PEA from food is metabolized by an enzyme in the body into phenylacetic acid. Since chocolate contains such a low dosage of PEA, there is little-to-no chance that it will actually have a significant effect on one’s mood or feelings.

Yet, there is hope for the hopeless romantics who are fans of this sugary treat.

Besides PEA, there are numerous other compounds found in chocolate that could affect how one experiences love and the various activities and ideas related to it. For example, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, dark chocolate contains around 43 milligrams of caffeine per 100 grams. Caffeine is well-known to produce a feeling of excitement and alertness, which could potentially affect one’s romantic encounters. At the very least, a bar of chocolate could give people the energy needed to enjoy a night out with their loved one.

Perhaps the most convincing argument for the romance-inducing attributes of chocolate are due to the placebo effect, which has been proven to work for a vast majority of people. The placebo effect describes a beneficial consequence when patients feel a result of a mimic drug attributed to their belief in the treatment.

This idea can essentially be applied to the effects of chocolate: As long as people truly believe that sharing a box of chocolate with their lover will help them fall deeper in love, this could very well be the case.

Ultimately, love is a complex chemical and psychological process with many variables, so if people would like to believe in the magical romantic properties of chocolate, they should keep an open mind, and continue to enjoy the treat freely.

Using the senses to find your soulmate

Scientists for Love encourages connections through the scientific method Gustina Giordano Contributor Love is in the air and, according to the Montreal-based organization Scientists for Love, it is also in our senses.

On Feb. 9, founders Amy Chartrand and Leigh Kotsilidis spoke during the Science Undergraduate Society’s (SUS) Academia Week 2017 “Stranger Things,” introducing the audience to a new method for building human connections. “[Scientists for Love is] an organization devoted to the scientific study and advancement of love in all its forms,” Kotsilidis said. “Not just the love that you might feel for a romantic partner, also the love you share with family members, friends, and even complete strangers.”

While brainstorming project ideas in Casa Del Popolo, Chartrand and Kotsilidis realized that it was more difficult to engage with the people physically around them than through virtual platforms, such as Tinder and Facebook.

“We were totally surrounded by a sea of people we thought were really interesting and cool, but we had no way to bridge the gap and talk to them,” Chartrand said. “What is going on with our interactions that we can’t bridge the gap in this room, but we have no problem connecting with people on all sorts of social media?”

They looked to the scientific method for a solution that would help people develop connections through social interactions.

Scientists for Love presented their mission for making connections through the senses at SUS Academia Week.

(Alex Gardiner / The McGill Tribune) “We thought, ‘What if we tested all five senses [...] to see if the senses themselves, if when examined in isolation, could make a prediction of who you would be compatible with?’” Chartrand said.

“It was all a big joke, until we started actually thinking about it and talking to people about it.”

Their first event, “Speed Dating for the Senses and the Sensitive,” launched in Jan. 2014. They tested each smell, taste, hearing, sight, and touch during the night through five experiments, which measured each sense in isolation.

Chartrand and Kotsilidis illustrated their method on their McGill audience.

It began with putting on blindfolds and listening to the count of 10 by several different voices and picking the most attractive voice. Then, audience members experienced the touch of another participant while blindfolded and listening to music. The event culminated with looking at several participants in the eyes without speaking. These experiments were all developed to encourage connection through atypical means with a focus on the effect of the senses.

“What we are doing is part science, part performance art,” Kotsilidis said.

“We consider the science we do not for us, but for the participants. All the data and all the information we gathered throughout the evening is handed over to all the participants to analyze and draw their own conclusions.”

Unlike psychological studies aimed at gleaning generalizable findings, these experiments are designed to connect individual participants to each other and enable them to gain a better understanding of themselves. They use the scientific method to inspire connections by leaving the analysis to the participants.

“We really believe that there is a truth in your own perception of your own experience as a human being, and so for us, if you examine your own perception of your own experience through the scientific method, then you are a scientist,” Chartrand said.

Scientists for Love have will have their next event on March 18, 2017.

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

14 science & technology

Can Canada be the next global superpower?

How Green Chemistry could make it happen

Angelina Giordano Contributor The McGill Canada Excellence Research Chair in Green Chemistry and Green Chemicals Robin D. Rogers spoke at the Cutting Edge Lecture series on Feb. 9 at the Redpath Museum. Rogers work focuses on creating ionic liquids for cleaning using the principles of Green Chemistry— that is, designing chemical products that reduce environmental burden.

His lecture—titled, “Canada can be the World’s economic superpower in the non-fossil fuel world and Green Chemistry can get us there”—revealed the scope of Rogers’ ambition.

“Maybe what I would do is take you through a personal story and see if we could ever arrive at the rather grand title that is up there today,” Rogers said.

Rogers grew up in Athens, Alabama. By the time he was two years old, he knew he wanted to become a scientist.

“To me, the 1960s were about science and technology,” Rogers said. “This was the race to the Moon.

This was when to be a scientist or an engineer was the pre-eminent job that one would want to have.”

In this atmosphere, Rogers was inspired to attend the University of Alabama to study chemistry.

Then, something changed.

Rachel Carson’s ground-breaking book, Silent Spring, was released in 1962 and the public’s perception of

he could do to help. He realized people were paying $10,000 a month to dispose of the shrimp shells that littered the Gulf of Mexico. Rather than shipping these crustacean shells off to a landfill, Rogers saw potential because the shells contained chitin.

As a naturally occurring biomolecule, chitin has economic value due to its flexibility and strength.

Not only that, but the ionic liquid Rogers had previously developed could dissolve the shell, so all that remained was the chitin. The chitin industry is a $63 billion world-wide industry and no chitin producer currently operates in the United States.

Eventually, Rogers and his team were able to obtain a grant for their ionic liquid design. Now, Rogers is working on turning renewable polymers into products.

“I don’t want to replace anything,” Rogers said. “I want to Professor Robin D. Rogers discussed lessons learned after a lifelong career in chemistry. (Lauren Benson-Armer/ The McGill Tribune) eliminate it.”

Rogers came to McGill because science began to shift. Chemists were can be used to protect the environment; how he had to think about creating a he believes that Canada has all three of perceived as creating toxic chemicals but, unless it is bridged with other business model. Though it wasn’t his the legs for sustainable development. that pollute the planet and the number disciplines, it isn’t enough. Because area of expertise, he started his own Unlike other resource-restricted of environmental regulations began to of sustainability’s interdisciplinary company, 525 Solutions, in order to countries, Canada has the opportunity nature, Rogers has developed a innovate and develop some of his new for sustainable harvest of its raw increase.

“One thing that chemists do is we “three-legged stool” for sustainable ideas. Particularly interested in using materials. Canada also has the social make things,” Rogers said. “We make development. The three legs are: salts to break down compounds, his fabric, intellectual capital, and natural integrity, social company focused on the development resources to make sustainable goals a new chemicals and these chemicals, a Environmental lot of times, get out into society and responsibility, and economic viability. of ionic liquids. Unfortunately, his reality.

Rogers believes Canada can “I can tell you there’s a third leg company was declined a grant from are used for some purpose.”

Rogers emphasized the need academics never want to talk about,” the U.S. Department of Energy, so become a global economic superpower by developing new products from to test for potential toxicity in newly Rogers said. “[Which is that] you have Rogers sought inspiration elsewhere.

When the 2010 BP oil spill renewable polymers through the use to make money.” released chemicals.

As a scientist, Rogers explains happened, Rogers went to see what of his tool: Green Chemistry.

Chemistry, as Rogers explained,

Unlocking the benefits of exercise on mental health Forging healthy habits to improve mood

While finding motivation to exercise can be difficult, especially in the winter, it is important for maintaining mental health. (Kathryn Ciu Leci / The McGill Tribune)

Myriam Driss Contributor It’s a no-brainer that the physical benefits of exercise can take time to manifest, but the emotional and mental benefits can be almost instantaneous.

“When we exercise, more of the hormone serotonin is released,”

Louise Lockhart, a nurse at Macdonald campus’ Student Health Services, explained.

These hormonal releases work as an immediate mood booster.

“When we exercise, blood flow increases steadily to the brain and other hormones are also released, such as thyroxine and androgen, which lead to a much calmer

demeanour,” Lockhart said.

In addition to improving mood, exercise can lead to greater confidence.

“Overall, even after exercising a moderate amount, we can feel an immediate boost of energy, self esteem, and increased cognitive function,” Lockhart said.

In university, regular exercise becomes increasingly important in managing anxiety and mild depression, since these conditions usually develop during late adolescence and early adulthood.

However, with severe depression, it is necessary to contact a professional. “[There is] a lot of data [that] suggests that college students [who] exercise report [fewer] mental health problems,” Jill Barker, director of Macdonald Athletics and Recreation and a fitness columnist for the Montreal Gazette, said.

Mathilde Guglielmi, U1 Environment, has felt the benefits from exercise first hand. Guglielmi explained that she started experiencing symptoms of depression during the summer after her freshman

year at McGill. Running became her way to improve her mood and fight depression.

“I kept running and it [became] a kind of a drive,” Guglielmi said.

“The anxiety is worst when I don’t run, so my body gives me a push to go.”

For Gugliemi, running is also a study aid. Studies have shown regular exercise has positive impacts on productivity in the workplace, and for that matter, the classroom.

“It motivates me!” Gugliemi said. “After a run, I become more productive and get more stuff done.

When I don’t run, I am more jittery and distracted.”

It can be difficult to know how to form a new habit. Yet, it is important to focus on self-care to experience the positive effects of exercise on one’s mental state. “‘No pain, no gain’ is counterproductive if you want the emotional and mental benefits of exercise,” Lockhart said.

Gugliemi suggested finding people to run with so it keeps you accountable to a plan.

“It helps because you have

motivation as you can talk to them while you run and you can challenge each other,” Gugliemi said. “Exercise was always a social thing.”

Exercise also presents an opportunity for social interaction. As Gugliemi explains, there’s no shame in starting slow.

“You can start running in intervals where you [switch between] running and walking,” Gugliemi said.

Overall, exercise should be enjoyable and leave you feeling relaxed. Though it can be difficult, Barker offered some helpful tips to get started on a regular fitness routine. “[Use] an app to track your goals and progress, [find] something that you really want to do, [and] start slowly and spread out your workout,” Barker said.

Ultimately, self-encouragement and visualization are helpful tools when trying to find motivation and will help develop positive feelings towards working out.

Next time you’re struggling to get out and run, remember that the rewards are not just physical, but mental, and will literally pay off in the long run.

SPORTS 15

Tuesday, February 14 , 2017

Changing the Game: NBA rules

(barstoolsports.com)

Stop sending bad free-throw shooters to the line

(draftmanager.com)

(performgroup.com)

Stephen Gill, Contributor

Wasif Husain, Contributor

24 seconds is too long after offensive rebounds

No more cheap threes

Current “Hack-a-Shaq” rules give teams an alternative to actually playing defence when the other team has possession.

Rather than creating a real defensive scheme, opposing coaches can just send poor free-throw shooters to the charity stripe whenever they please.

The strategy slows games to a crawl and turns basketball into a free-throw shooting contest. The only counter to this trick is to remove the poor shooter from the game, meaning far too much emphasis is placed on a player’s ability to make uncontested 15-footers. This game plan plagues basketball from both an aesthetic and strategic standpoint.

The league needs to prevent these senseless gimmicks with a simple solution: When an off-ball foul occurs, the offensive team should be given the choice to restart the possession or head to the free-throw line for a pair of shots. This would finally put an end to the Hack-a-Shaq strategy, giving NBA fans defence to cheer for rather than watching some knucklehead miss shots from the charity stripe. Defenders would have to keep DeAndre Jordan from dunking on them instead of laughing as he helplessly bricks shot after shot from the line.

With the rise of guards like Steph Curry and Kyrie Irving boasting both incredible ball-handling and deep-shooting abilities, teams are able to waste game time as these players dance around behind the three point arc without risk of a turnover. The NBA needs to do away with these painful experiences by implementing a 14-second shot clock after a team grabs an offensive rebound.

A reduced shot clock would give teams more time to attempt a comeback, adding excitement to boring blowouts As it stands now, the clock resets to the standard 24-second mark when the offence recovers the ball. The result is slow possessions with little time for losing teams to attempt a comeback.

The league has already started experimenting with a 14-second clock in the D-League, which has has received rave reviews. These matches are faster-paced and more entertaining to watch, despite having a lower level of talent across the board. If implemented in the NBA, the 14-second timer would accelerate gameplay and make games far more exciting. In a league dominated by just a few really good teams, pushing the pace of the game may allow new strategies to knock off the continuing Golden State WarriorsCleveland Cavaliers supremacy.

Initially just a risky proposition with the potential to yield high rewards, the three-point shot has become one of the most abused tools in the NBA. An undeniable crowd-pleaser in games, especially when Steph Curry effortlessly sinks threes from beyond halfcourt, the three-point shot has diminished the the value of big men for too long. Without cheap threes, the NBA would have a big-man renaissance, harkening back to the days when Charles Oakley and Bill Laimbeer ruled the court from the paint.

The NBA must foster a more a mentality that values versatile players. Avid basketball fans yearn for the days when no backboard was safe from destructive “Shaq Attacks.” Fans definitely don’t buy overpriced tickets to watch Kyle Korver relentlessly jack up corner threes while the rest of the team hustles on both ends of the court. At the very least, it’s time to move the three-point line back three feet. In an even more radical move, the NBA should get rid of corner threes by drawing the arc from wing to wing. It wouldn’t take away from the most talented players; it would just prevent three-point specialists from camping out in the corners.

Jonas Cohen, Contributor

In Conversation with Gillian Florence

McGill alum to be inagural inductee to Canadian Rugby Hall of Fame Joe Khammar Sports Editor Canadian Rugby Hall of Famer and McGill alumna Gillian Florence spent 17 years playing internationally and retired as one of the most decorated athletes in her sport. She now lives rural Nova Scotia, where every morning she wakes up to the sounds of her chickens squawking. Despite her humble surroundings, Florence is one of the most celebrated players in Canadian rugby history, with a career spanning nearly two decades and five World Cups. As a reward for such an illustrious career, Rugby Canada will be honouring her as one of the seven inductees to the inaugural class of the Canadian Rugby Hall of Fame.

Florence began her rugby career playing for the Ste-Anne-De-Bellevue Rugby Football Club in the early 1990s. It was there that she became involved with the Canadian National Team.

“I had been playing with SteAnne Rugby Club, which was a top level club [...] in the country,” Florence said. “McGill was [in] sort of a competitive league. It was fun and just another opportunity to play rugby in the fall.”

Florence played one season for the Martlets in 1995-96. As a fresh-

man that year, she led the team with a pair of tries in a 50-0 beatdown of the Bishop’s Gaiters for the championship. Despite the team’s success, she was not able to continue playing

was too hard to do both.”

Starting in 1994, she played in five different rugby World Cups with the Canadian National Rugby team.

Between 1994 and 2010, she played

ished below sixth, reached the semifinals on two separate occasions, and was consistently ranked one of the top-five teams in the world.

“Just the fact that Canada was

Gillian Florence is entering the Canadian Rugby Hall of Fame. (theglobeandmail.ca) for McGill.

“Back then, this was pre-CIS, […] there wasn’t much emphasis on the pathway to the national team,” Florence said. “The next season, I tried [to play for McGill], but it was conflicting with my national team responsibilities and commitments. It

a fundamental role in Canada’s achievements on the field. Before 1994, Canada was generally considered a second-tier nation in the sport.

The nation was newcomer to international competition and had not fared well in prior appearances. During Florence’s tenure, the team never fin-

in a semifinals, I think turned a lot of heads in the [international] rugby community,” Florence said. “We were what they called a ‘second tier nation’ in terms of the sport [....]

Being able to compete on the world stage at that level, despite losing those games, we took pride in [play-

ing] and were able to walk away from that still accomplishing something.”

Since retiring from national and club play in 2011, Florence has been focusing on her career outside of rugby. She currently works for Ultra Electronics in Nova Scotia.

“Obviously rugby and sports took up a big chunk of my 20’s and 30’s, so here I am,” Florence said.

“I worked in Montreal for Caterpillar and we moved [to Nova Scotia] when I was eight months pregnant, I had my first [child] here.”

Despite the distance from rugby in her new home, she’s excited about the prospect of returning to the sport for the HoF ceremony.

“It’s sort of surreal right now,” Florence said. “I moved to rural Nova Scotia […] totally feeling out of the loop of the game and not relevant. As close as it was, it seems like a lifetime ago, [and] I’m excited to get back into the Canadian rugby family.”

The HoF ceremony takes place on March 9 in Vancouver. It will precede the Canada Sevens men’s tournament that weekend. Florence and the other inductees will be in attendance for the matches, where they hope Canada will build on their 13th place finish in the Sydney Sevens on Feb. 5.

Tuesday, February 14. 2017

16 sports

Potvin’s late three lifts Martlets to victory over Citadins

Total team effort marks McGill’s win Patrick Beacham Staff Writer In the dead of winter, a crowd of McGill students in swimsuits and beachwear came to Love Competition Hall to see Martlets’ basketball (7-6) down the visiting UQÀM Citadins (76) 55-50 on Feb. 9’s Beach Night.

With a bevy of turnovers from both squads, neither team was able to gain a substantial lead in the first-half. Despite the Citadins struggles as a unit, senior centre Jessica Lubin had a dominant first half performance, netting 12 points and 5 rebounds. “[Lubin] is probably one of the top post players in the country,” Martlets Head Coach Ryan Thorne said.

Up by two points at halftime, the Martlets enjoyed some much-needed rest before breaking out in the third frame.

Momentum swung McGill’s way as a pair of threes from sophomore guard Fredericke Laflamme stretched McGill’s lead to 12 points before the fourth quarter.

“I think the girls did a good job knocking down shots when they needed to,” senior Martlets centre Alex Kiss-Rusk said. “We took a few reckless ones that were kind of lucky going in, but we did a good job.”

In the final frame, the game began to unravel for the Martlets. Turnovers and missed shots pumped life back into the UQÀM attack. With 30 seconds left, the Citadins clawed back from a double-digit deficit to tie the game at 50. After a McGill timeout, Kiss-Rusk set an off-ball screen to free up senior guard Frederique Potvin for the clutch three to regain the lead.

“We tried to run this play twice in the game, but it didn’t really work out,” Potvin said “But then Alex set me a really great screen and my defender got caught in it and I was wide open, so I didn’t have a choice but to hit it.”

On the next possession, the Citadins air-balled a three that would have tied the game before the Martlets converted a pair of free throws to ice the game.

“It was for sure a tough game, but we had a 16-point lead,” Potvin said.

“I wish we had kept the lead, but we still pulled that off, so that’s all that matters.”

While Lubin finished the game Alex Kiss-Rusk struggled against UQÀM’s Jessica Lubin. (Lauren Benson-Armer / The McGill Tribune) with 21 points and 18 rebounds for UQÀM, it was McGill’s balanced attack that prevailed. Gladys KEY MOMENT STAT CORNER QUOTABLE Hakizimana, Kiss-Rusk, and Laflamme all finished the game with double-digit points and combined for 13 rebounds.

An off-ball screen “When we were in McGill was The Martlets will head across town to take on the Concordia trouble is [when] we got from Alex Kiss-Rusk outscored in the Stingers on Feb. 16. With their playoff spot secure, the team’s stagnant [....] We wanted freed up Frederique paint 34 to 16 by focus will be on preparing for what lies beyond the upcoming someone to win the game Potvin for an open UQÀM. match. three to give McGill one-on-one, and we’re “[This next game] is about improving every week as we the lead with 16 not that team.” —Martlets head into playoffs,” Thorne said. “It’s not necessarily about seconds left in the Head Coach Ryan Thorne Concordia, it’s more about us being better.” game. on team cohesion.

1.

5.

Feeding off the stellar play of goaltender Jonathan Quick, the Los Angeles Kings rallied back from a 3-0 series deficit in the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs to upset the San Jose Sharks in game seven of the series. The Kings became just the fourth team in NHL history to pull off such a comeback and carried their momentum to a Stanley Cup victory.

Halfway into the Canadian Grand Prix in 2011, Jenson Button crashed twice. Though Button reentered the race after patching up, his mangled car, all seemed lost as he remained almost two minutes behind first place. Remarkably, Button raced past his opposition into second place with five laps left, then squeaked into first place to win the race.

10 Things: Comebacks Nicole Spadotto Staff Writer

(cbslocal.com)

2.

The rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees reached a pinnacle during the 2004 American League Championship Series. In a 3-0 series hole, David Ortiz led the Sox all the way back, forcing game seven and eventually clinching the series with a 10-3 victory. Boston would go on to win the World Series that year.

In the wake of the New England Patriots’ incredible 25-point comeback victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI, here are 10 other incredible sports comebacks.

3.

8.

At the 2016 Rio Olympics in women’s 4x200m freestyle swim, the American relay team fell behind the Australian team by almost a second. On their final swimmer, Katie Ledecky made up the difference by the end of the first leg and stormed ahead to win gold for the U.S.

(thestar.com)

All seemed lost for the Canadian Women’s Hockey team in the 2014 Olympic gold medal game against Team USA. The Canadians were down 2-0 with three minutes left in the game before Brianne Jenner scored to launch the comeback. The momentum turned after the Americans hit the post on an empty Canadian net and Marie-Philip Poulin scored the game-tying goal, and again in overtime, to capture gold for Canada.

4.

During the 1993 playoffs, the Buffalo Bills orchestrated the largest comeback in NFL history. Down by 32, the Bills rallied back to force overtime against the Houston Oilers and won the game 41-38.

The comeback came off the back of a 50-yard scoring drive by Buffalo, a 38-yard touchdown, and an additional four touchdown passes. Most Bills fans reverently refer to the game simply as “The Comeback.”

6.

After squandering a 3-1 series lead in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Boston Bruins found themselves down 4-1 in game 7 with just over 10 minutes remaining. Nathan Horton found the back of the net to narrow the lead and the Bruins netted a pair in the final two minutes to force overtime. Patrice Bergeron then clinched the series with an overtime winner.

7.

When soccer superpowers Liverpool and Milan met in the 2005 Champions League Final, Milan came out strong, taking a commanding 3-0 lead. But Liverpool came storming back, tying the game in the second half. The Reds took the game in a 3-2 shootout after a spectacular save in the final round by Polish keeper Jerzy Dudek.

(triangleoffense.com)

9.

In the first game of the 1995 NBA Eastern Conference semifinals, Reggie Miller’s Indiana Pacers were down 105-99 against the New York Knicks with 18.7 seconds left in the game. Miller scored eight points in nine seconds, hitting two three-pointers, two free throws, and snagging a rebound. The Pacers won the game 107-105 and eventually the series 4-3.

10.

Leading 4-1 in the third set of the 1993 Wimbledon Women’s Final, Jana Novotna was beating Steffi Graf 40-30 in the set’s sixth game. Despite Novotna needing just five points to win the championship, Graf thundered back, eventually winning the game, the set, and her fifth grand slam.