Students, you must strike for Palestine.
The
Tribune Editorial Board
On March 3, 2025, Students for Palestine’s Honour and Resistance (SPHR) at McGill submitted a motion to the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Speaker, calling for a three-day student strike in support of Palestinian liberation. Accordingly, SSMU hosted a Special Strike General Assembly (SGA) March 27, during which the required quorum of 500 members was well
exceeded and the motion passed with 679 “Yes” votes and 13 “No” or abstaining, making this the first strike motion to pass through the SSMU GA in recent McGill history. The motion was then put up for ratification to the student body through an online ballot, which closed on March 31, with 3933 student voter turnout, which equates to 17 per cent of the student body. 2731 (72 per cent of non-abstaining voters) voted “Yes”, while 1061 students (28 per cent of non-abstaining voters) voted “No”.
Scheduled to occur from April 2-4, the strike is timely and urgent, considering Israel’s most recent violation of a ceasefire deal with Hamas signed in January 2025. On March 18, 2025, the Israeli military launched air strikes that killed 430 Palestinians and wounded hundreds of others. McGill continues to enable this genocide through their failure to divest in the face of widespread student protest.
The strike demands that McGill fully divest from all weapons manufacturers associated with Israel’s genocide, end
research partnerships with groups benefiting from the sale of military technology, and cease disciplinary cases against students who have been involved in advocacy or protest relating to Palestinian liberation. As the strike is not mandated, students are still encouraged to attend their exams and submit assignments, but are expected to skip class. SPHR will be offering strike-related programming during the three days, including workshops, rallies, and other events.
(Anna Seger / The Tribune)
Students vote “Yes” to strike for Palestine at Special General Assembly Undergraduate strike motion is the first in SSMU’s 100+ year his tory
Amelia H. Clark Staff Writer
Hundreds of students ratified a motion for the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) to strike for Palestine following a Special General Assembly (SGA) on March 27. The SGA exceeded its quorum of 500 students, and the motion passed with 679 in favour and 13 against or abstaining. It was then put to a ratification vote to the SSMU constituency on March 27. Of the 3,933 students who voted, 72 per cent, or 2,731 students, ratified the motion, casting a “Yes” ballot. SSMU members will go on strike April 2-4.
The strike motion asks that students not attend class during the three-day period to call on McGill to accept three demands. The first states that McGill must divest from companies linked to the manufacturing of weapons that the Israeli government uses against Palestinians. The second request is that the university end research partnerships with institutions benefiting from the sale of military technology, and the last demands that the university cease all disciplinary cases currently filed against students involved in advocacy for Palestine. Students for Palestine’s Honour and Resistance (SPHR) at McGill will host programming over the strike period, encouraging students to attend political education and cultural events rather than classes.
At the SGA, the student who submitted the motion gave a five-minute presentation on the strike’s intent. The student—who wished to remain unnamed—began by addressing
Israel’s continuation of its genocide of Palestinians since violating the ceasefire agreement on March 18. The violence includes several ground invasions by the Israeli army, which have killed over 1,000 Palestinians. The student also drew attention to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s abduction of student activists across the U.S. The speaker asserted that McGill students have a continued responsibility to demand that the university end participation in military research and funding that goes toward the Israeli occupation in Palestine.
“Students have long been at the forefront of change, leading the charge against the Vietnam War, standing on the front lines of the civil rights movement, and driving the struggle against apartheid in South Africa,” the student said. “We learned from history that
students have the power to force the hands of our political class and administrations and that divestment is possible.”
During the question period following their presentation, the speaker noted that students can still submit assignments and attend exams during the strike, but should remain absent from class whenever possible. The student added that they hope that if at least half of undergraduates go on strike, professors will change deadlines and lesson plans to adapt.
SSMU Vice-President (VP) External Affairs Hugo-Victor Solomon told The Tribune that groups across campus have reached out to him to show support for the strike and are preparing to implement measures to accommodate students participating.
“This was a really rare moment of hope,”
Solomon said. “We saw that the online registrations exceeded 800, close to 900 in fact [....] Working with the strike petitioners has been a really rewarding process. It’s cool to actually fulfill what SSMU is meant to do, which is be a vehicle to support student democracy and campaign efforts.”
A representative of SPHR, who wished to remain unnamed, emphasized McGill’s role in setting a precedent for other universities in an interview with The Tribune. They hoped that if students ratify the strike motion and pressure McGill to grant its demands, other institutions across North America may be inspired to do the same.
“It’s like a chain reaction,” the representative said. “Which is exactly what happened when McGill divested for South Africa, [...] which made [...] other universities divest as well, and the apartheid ended due to boycott and divestment.”
Jayden, a GA attendee graduating this year, told The Tribune that the overwhelming student support for the strike marks a newer, stronger wave of mobilization for Palestine than they have seen in the last four years.
“Sometimes, as students, we might feel a little powerless in these circumstances, especially when our tuition is what’s funding this,” Jayden said. “But we’re seeing that so many different faces, so many different cultures, so many different nationalities are coming together and acknowledging that the plight of one person is also our plight. What does it mean about our world if we’re not all trying to thrive for a safer, better, more peaceful world altogether?”
SSMU staff and students report disorganization at 4 Floors
Saint Patrick’s event
Some attribute the chaos of the event to its last-minute planni ng
Asher Kui Staff Writer
On March 14, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) held the 4 Floors event to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day. Three floors in the University Centre Building, along with Gerts Bar in the basement of the building, were reserved for the event starting at 5 p.m., providing dancefloors, coat check service, and festive beverages until midnight. However, some McGill students expressed frustration with 4 Floors, specifically concerning the logistics and the turnout of the event.
University Centre Building Manager Wallace Sealy confirmed that SSMU sold 1,400 tickets at the price of $10 CAD each.
Nora Lannert, U4 Arts, was a student volunteer at the event. She explained that attendees were each sent a QR code ticket to enter the University Centre, but that a technical complication prevented many students from making it through the doors.
“There was an issue with the QR code where if they had downloaded or screenshotted their ticket, [it would show] that they had already been scanned before,” Lannert said. “[As a result,] people were turned away.”
Additionally, Lannert recounted the long line of people waiting to enter Gerts
as a result of the QR code issues.
Karina Allagh, U3 Management, explained that the Four Floors event did not match her expectations due to the long line and overall ambiance.
“I had to line up to get a bracelet, which I did not expect,” she told The Tribune . “I also expected to enjoy the Gerts atmosphere, but by the time I got in [....] all the floors besides Gerts were heavily lacking.”
The organization of the event fell under SSMU VP Internal Zeena Zahidah’s portfolio. She did not respond to The Tribune ’s request for comment on the situation in time for publication.
A SSMU member, who wished to remain anonymous, helped organize the event closely. They acknowledged the logistical issues and disorganization with the 4 Floors event planning.
“The event was disorganized when it came to who was in charge, what volunteers were supposed to be doing, communication between floors, drink tickets and how they worked, food for those working and volunteers, coat check, [...] training, amongst other things,” they said.
Anirudh Ram-Mohanram, U3 Arts, was an attendee at the event. He told The Tribune that he perceived that many staff were under pressure.
“The bars were really understaffed,”
he said. “It seemed like the security guards were really stressed about the number of people there.”
SSMU President Dymetri Taylor explained how the organization of large-scale events like this one can be improved in a written statement to The Tribune
At the end of the event, the line for coat check was over an hour wait. (Anna Seger / The Tribune)
“For events like these, you usually want a plan that’s well established 1-2 months in advance. Everyone has a clear role and knows who to go to if there’s an issue and nothing is added last minute,” he said. “Furthermore, there’d be clear training for volunteers, and if things go wrong, a clear hierarchy of what gets escalated and to who.”
Regardless, Taylor maintained that large-scale SSMU events will still be held in the future.
“We certainly have plans to host
similar events in the following years, as that should be the bread and butter of the SSMU,” they said. “Next year, it will likely be on Halloween, with double the capacity of around 2,800.”
Despite the disorder of this year’s 4 Floors event, Lannert, Allagh, and RamMohanram all emphasized that on-campus events cultivate McGill’s character on campus.
“It’s nice to have somewhere that everyone can get in, [where] everyone comes together,” Lannert said. “I think it builds campus identity.”
An SPHR representative told The Tribune they believe that SSMU strike could inspire professors and administrators to take a stand with students. (Anna Seger / The Tribune)
Parc Ave. building collapse displaces local residents
Tenants left without homes or answers
Eren Atac Contributor
Awall of 5990 Av. du Parc, a vacant building in the Mile End, collapsed on the evening of Monday, March 17. The collapse severely damaged the neighbouring apartment building, Parc 5998. Though no one was injured, the incident has left residents displaced without a timeline for return.
Amanda Solomon, a resident of Parc 5998, was in her apartment when the wall collapsed.
“I was sitting on the couch in my living room [....] I heard a loud noise, so I
turned and looked, and basically all of the third and second story [of the] building, the wall of that entire side crashed down in a couple of seconds,” Solomon told The Tribune.
Parc 5990 is owned by Habitat 237 Grande-Ile S.E.N.C. and was abandoned for years before the collapse. Mikaela Germani, communications associate at McGill’s Schulich School of Music and a resident of Parc 5998, had noticed visible issues regarding the next-door building’s condition in the preceding months, such as falling bricks and a bowing wall.
Parc 5998 had already been evacuated over these concerns last March, and the city erected fences to bar pedestrian access to the building. Still, according to Germani, no other concrete action was taken by the city to remedy the issue after it was deemed safe for residents to return. Germani raised her concerns directly
to the city on March 8, which resulted in firefighters visiting the building. Nevertheless, it ultimately deteriorated to the point of collapse.
The collapse heavily damaged Germani’s apartment. Her window was smashed through, and bricks littered her living room floor. In an interview with The Tribune , Germani reported that firefighters who responded to the scene told her that, had she been sitting on her couch during the collapse, they “wouldn’t be talking right now.”
“When they told me that, it didn’t really hit me because I was running on adrenaline,” Germani said. “So it wasn’t until, finally, I had sort of a safe space to settle down at the end of the night that I started to think about the fact that I had almost died, and in the days that followed, it was really all I could think about. It was always in the back of my mind that I could not be here right now. How would I feel about that, you know, what would be the legacy of my life?”
Nearly two weeks after the collapse, residents of Parc 5998 remain displaced, with no information from the city or their landlords on when a safe return will be possible. Cole Johnson, a resident of Parc 5998 and a PhD student in McGill’s Department of Educational & Counselling Psychology, expressed in an interview with The Tribune the toll the evacuation has taken on his aca -
demic and professional life.
“I’ve had a lot less bandwidth and time to attend to things that I would normally be attending to,” Johnson said. “We’re entering the end of the semester right now. I have my own course responsibilities. I have TA responsibilities [....] I’m living out of a suitcase in a friend’s apartment. So the stress that comes with that, and the uncertainty definitely can weigh on a person, especially when we are over a week out from the incident now, and we’re just starting to get a vague idea about when this might be resolved.”
The city is expected to commence demolition work shortly, but residents have not been given a clear timeline. According to Johnson, the owner of Parc 5990 has been difficult to reach since the collapse, though the city is trying to secure a contractor to begin work. Deteriorating buildings are a city-wide issue, continually posing a danger to Montreal residents. Germani urged Montrealers to bring any of their concerns about abandoned buildings directly to the city by calling the non-emergency helpline 311. She also expressed her desire for the city to be proactive in preventing future collapses.
“This isn’t the first building that’s collapsed in Montreal, right? Because it’s been left, it’s been abandoned, it’s become derelict,” Germani said. “Does it really take someone’s death for action to be taken?”
Robbie Madsen challenges misconceptions of homelessness in QPIRG-McGill talk
The talk was part of QPIRG-McGill’s “Spring into Action” anti-op pression programming
Russel
Ismael Contributor
The Quebec Public Research Interest Group at McGill (QPIRGMcGill) hosted a workshop called “What does homelessness look like in our communities?” on March 25 as part of the annual Spring into Action series. Robbie Madsen headed the discussion, speaking about the 15 years of homelessness they experienced while travelling across Canada.
“It’s important for people to come out to listen to the stories [of homelessness],” Madsen said. “Because that’s the only way people’s minds can be elevated to higher levels of thinking.”
The programming challenged the preconception that poverty is a requirement for homelessness. Madsen and other participants described how the rising cost of living in many cities is inflating unhoused populations, regardless of income level.
“Some people think that homelessness means jobless[ness], and that’s not true. We’ve done research that shows that it’s nowhere close to being true, especially in the States,” Madsen said. “There [are] people that earn $50,000 USD a year that are in the shelters because they can’t afford their rents anymore.”
This trend is also observed in Canada; Madsen described Toronto as a “tent city,” where people with full-time jobs comprise around 20 per cent of the city’s
unhoused population. Although Montreal’s equivalent statistic is only three per cent in comparison, this number may increase as the cost of living continues to skyrocket.
In an interview with The Tribune , Carl Bystram, a QPIRG-McGill organizer, recognized this growing income insecurity and stressed how important it is to include speakers like Robbie Madsen in the conversation.
“Homeless people are oppressed,” Bystram said. “There’s a housing crisis in Montreal right now, and a lot of people are feeling it. I think [...] more and more people are finding themselves on the street, and the people out on the streets are very misunderstood by society.”
In an email to The Tribune , Lil Borger, an independent community organizer in Milton-Parc, highlighted simple ways that McGill students can support the unhoused community.
“It’s a bit cliche, but the easiest thing students can do to support the unhoused community is to treat them like people,” Borger wrote. “Make eye contact, smile, and if you have the time/capacity, see if there’s something they need that you could help with.”
Bystram shared the same sentiment, believing more empathetic actions from all people—not just students—can help improve the lives of unhoused community members.
“There are a lot of organizations that
are working [to support the unhoused] in the neighbourhood, so just get involved,” Bystram said. “A part of it is just having more conversations on how it is happening, having humanizing conversations, just talking to people in your neighbourhood who are experiencing hardship.”
The workshop identified homelessness as a systemic issue that has deep historical roots, especially for Indigenous peoples. Madsen themselves experienced this, describing the irony of being unhoused and Cree, as their ancestors thrived on the very same land.
“How can someone be homeless in their own homeland?” Madsen asked the audience. “I’m not allowed to live in what my ‘normal’ house would be. It’s been that way for 200 years in Canada. I’m still not allowed, even though we’ve acknowledged the Indian residential schools and the Sixties Scoop and the murdered, missing Indigenous women and all kinds of stuff.”
Borger echoed that while students can help address the unhoused crisis, institutions like McGill have more power and resources to tackle this systemic issue.
“A question I always ask students is: How is it that there are so many unhoused individuals spending time on the street in Milton-Parc, and yet you never see any of them on the McGill campus space?” Borger queried. “McGill definitely has a lot of power to help support the unhoused community, and I do not think they do anywhere near enough. There should be consistent and ongoing educational opportunities provided by McGill to connect students with the community around McGill to learn, get involved, and support.”
In August 2024, a building in Saint-Henri collapsed. No injuries resulted. (Hannah Nobile / The Tribune)
Of Quebec’s unhoused population of approximately 10,000, half reside in Montreal. (Hannah Nobile / The Tribune)
SSMU BoD members debate hiring process for VP Finance and subscription to Bounce app
BoD considers how best to mitigate potential conflicts of intere st when hiring VP finance
Kaitlyn Schramm News Editor
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU)’s Board of Directors (BoD) met on March 25 to discuss the hiring process for Vice-President (VP) Finance, whether the student union should pay for organization app Bounce , and possible renovations in the University Centre.
The meeting began with a discussion on the new process for hiring the SSMU VP Finance. This role was previously student-elected, like all other VP positions. However, following the Winter 2025 referendum results, in which 87.7 per cent
of voting students approved the motion to make the role a hired position, the BoD will now appoint an applicant for the role who the student body will ratify in a referendum. Council Member and incoming VP External Seraphina Crema Black noted the importance of taking the general will of the students into account during the hiring process.
“However we go about this process, I think we should consider that the person who ran for the position [in the Winter 2025 executive election] and got elected was elected with quite a large majority,” Crema Black said. “Whoever’s on that committee should take [that] very seriously [....] I think it was [around] 1,400 students voted in favour of Dylan [Seiler].”
meeting, the
and
VP Internal Zeena Zahidah responded to this, claiming that the hiring process should instead focus on expertise and experience over electability. Zahidah then raised questions on how to address potential conflicts of interest between BoD members and applicants for VP Finance now that the position will be
hired.
Solomon responded, noting the guidelines around whether a Board member should disclose conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from any decision-making benefiting applicants are “very surfacelevel.” He stressed that recusal is voluntary and that Board members should not be persuaded to recuse themselves, although he encouraged recusal in the event of a conflict of interest.
President Dymetri Taylor advised that the HR Manager revise and release the job description for VP Finance, and the Board opted to finish the conversation about the hiring process later.
Next, the Board turned to a Motion brought forward by Director of Clubs and Services, Hamza Abu-Alkhair, regarding building renovations for Room B-24 of the University Centre.
Abu-Alkhair said the motion followed a conversation with the building manager, who noted that the space is currently unused due to disrepair. Repairs would include electrical work, carpet change, repainting, and the demolition of walls. The Board agreed to postpone the motion until further consultation could take place.
The Board then revisited a debate on whether SSMU should commit to Bounce , an app that would centralize processes for clubs and student groups.
Zahidah raised concerns that students would not use it, citing the failure of the recent election to meet quorum twice in a row as an example of a lack of student par-
ticipation.
“I doubt that we have enough student engagement and sway at this point for even the consideration of our ability to move a bunch of students to download an app when they won’t even go into their emails to vote on something that directly affects them,” Zahidah said. “I don’t know if this is a space where we should be putting our energy right now or our staff’s energy right now.”
The Board decided to use a free trial for Bounce through September, approving the motion, and stating they will reevaluate involvement with Bounce after the trial.
Soundbite:
“I’m not saying that [candidates’ experiences] don’t matter. I guess I’m trying to highlight that there was a democratic election and that many people voted for something, and I think that means something.” — Crema Black on the importance of election results in appointing VP Finance alongside qualifications.
Moment of the meeting:
AGSEM’s academic casuals unit holds first negotiation meeting with McGill
Stronger protections against harassment and discrimination amon g the union’s demands
Representatives from Unit 3 of the Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM) sat down with the university on March 27 for the first time to negotiate a collective agreement (CA). Unit 3 represents Academic Casual workers such as tutors, graders, course assistants, and graduate teaching fellows. AGSEM’s Units 1 and 2 represent teaching assistants (TAs) and invigilators, respectively.
This first meeting comes two months after AGSEM reported McGill had been slow to begin the negotiation process.
During the session, Unit 3’s bargaining committee presented their non-monetary demands to the university, including calls for better protection for unit members against harassment and discrimination.
In a written statement to The Tribune, Bronwyn Walsh, a member of the Unit 3 bargaining committee, emphasized the importance of these protections, given that McGill’s Policy Against Harassment
and Discrimination is currently under review by the university.
“Since this policy is being reviewed/ reworked this year and we don’t yet know what the policy will look like, it is important that we ensure our membership is protected through the Collective Agreement as well,” Walsh wrote. “Additionally, there are some things [that] are not currently covered by McGill’s policy such as deadnaming and misgendering, and harassment of academic casuals by students.”
The McGill Media Relations Office (MRO) explained to The Tribune that the university is reviewing the Policy Against Harassment and Discrimination as required per section 10.1 of the document, which states that the policy will be reviewed every 3 years. McGill declined to comment on the bargaining meeting.
“As a general rule, we avoid commenting on labour negotiations that are underway,” MRO wrote.
According to Donnie Morard, another member of the bargaining committee, other non-monetary demands included that McGill create a conflict of interest
policy and standardize its hiring process for academic casuals.
Morard highlighted that like AGSEM’s Unit 1 TA negotiations with the university during the 2023-2024 academic year, Unit 3’s CA will be developed through open bargaining “to make use of workers’ expertise of their diverse roles and working conditions on campus.” This means all members of Unit 3 are invited to attend negotiations with McGill and share thoughts on the proceedings.
In December, AGSEM reported that the union would be ready to begin negotiations with McGill by mid-January. (Hannah Nobile / The Tribune)
“These negotiations are important as this first contract will provide protections to over 800 workers on campus in positions such as graders, course assistants, and graduate teaching fellows, along with roles in the McGill Writing Centre not previously unionized,” Morard wrote.
The public session of the meeting ended with the Board discussing the Special General Assembly meeting scheduled for March 27, which voted on the Motion Regarding Strike in Support of Palestine Liberation. Council members expressed concerns about the limited capacity of the meeting given the high number of expected attendees, an issue the Board addressed by granting the option of attendance via Zoom. An article published in the March 25, 2025 issue (“‘Gaza as a Compass for Thinking’ talk explores Palestinian resistance amid targeted attacks”) misspelled Carl Bystram’s name and misquoted his statement. The quote has been amended to say “We want to give a platform to educators that are speaking out about resistance to colonialism.” The Tribune regrets this error.
“We hope for a quick negotiation that will give these workers a strong contract that recognizes the value they bring to campus.”
Walsh noted that AGSEM is “excited” to begin this new bargaining process, reaffirming the union’s aim of securing stronger safeguards for academic casuals.
“[W]e look forward to building a contract that greatly improves the working conditions of Unit 3,” Walsh wrote.
In the
BoD introduced its new Internal Counsel
Corporate Secretary, Alison Glaser. (Zoe Lee / The Tribune)
Eliza Lee News Editor
Editor-in-Chief
Jasjot Grewal editor@thetribune.ca
Creative Director Drea Garcia Avila dgarciaavila@thetribune.ca
Managing Editors Yusur Al-Sharqi yal-sharqi@thetribune.ca
Shani Laskin slaskin@thetribune.ca
Ella Paulin epaulin@thetribune.ca
News Editors Eliza Lee Kaitlyn Schramm Mairin Burke news@thetribune.ca
Opinion Editors Ellen Lurie Lulu Calame Monique Kasonga opinion@thetribune.ca
Science & Technology Editors Coco Zhang Leanne Cherry scitech@thetribune.ca
Student Life Editors Auxane Bussac Malika Logossou studentlife@thetribune.ca
Features Editor Amalia Mairet features@thetribune.ca
Arts & Entertainment Editors Kellie Elrick Charlotte Hayes arts@thetribune.ca
Sports Editors Anoushka Oke Clara Smyrski sports@thetribune.ca
Design Editors Mia Helfrich Zoe Lee design@thetribune.ca
Photo Editor Hannah Nobile photo@thetribune.ca
Multimedia Editor Sahel Delafoulhouse multimedia@thetribune.ca
Web Developer Laura Pantaleon Roberta Du webdev@thetribune.ca
Copy Editor Matt Adelberg copy@thetribune.ca
Social Media Editor Aliya Singh socialmedia@thetribune.ca
Business Manager Celine Li business@thetribune.ca
Students, you must strike for Palestine. No justice, no class.
The Tribune Editorial Board
Continued from page 1.
With recent incidents of expulsion, arrest, and even threatened deportation of pro-Palestine students who have peacefully demonstrated at U.S. universities and colleges, a united student front is imperative. Exhibiting commitment to and solidarity with protest efforts is crucial to ensuring the safety and protection of student protestors, particularly given McGill’s history of suspending and punishing those who have demonstrated on behalf of the Palestinian liberation movement. McGill’s administration has responded to previous negotiation efforts by SPHR with apathy and disregard for students’ concerns, while protests on campus last summer were met with police aggression, tear gas, and pepper spray.
In light of a new agreement between SSMU and McGill banning students with a disciplinary record—including infractions relating to protest demonstration—from serving in a SSMU executive position, the strike symbolically honours the work of SPHR and other pro-Palestine organizations who have been outspoken in the face of disciplinary and safety risks. It is our obligation as students to demonstrate solidarity not only with the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement but also with the organizers who have shown
Aliya Singh Social Media Editor
CONTRIBUTORS
Some of my earliest memories are of the way my mother sang me to sleep—soft vowels, careful consonants, and an accent I never thought twice about.
Yet, I’ve sat in rooms where that accent—the one that raised me— was mocked. In my high school, classmates exaggerated syllables they didn’t understand. On Netflix, Indian characters were reduced to punchlines. I’ve even heard it from other Indians, trying to distance themselves from what they were told to be ashamed of.
To be Indian means constantly defending the food that nurtured me,
up time and time again to protest Israel’s genocide.
All undergraduate students should see it as a moral responsibility to strike. Crossing the picket line by going to class not only sends the message that the student body is divided, ultimately weakening the strike’s impact, but also demonstrates apathy for Palestinian life and for the activists who have put their academic careers at risk for the cause. Professors can and should demonstrate solidarity with students throughout the strike by being flexible with exams, presentations, and deadlines or even participating in programming during the strike—as various
members did during the encampment last summer. Crucially, students must not interpret the strike period simply as “time off” but engage with the mobilizing efforts coordinated by SPHR. Refusing to attend class not only communicates the student body’s commitment to BDS goals, but also opens up time for students to engage in advocacy and deepen their understanding of and commitment to the Palestinian liberation cause. It takes utter moral negligence to attend class during the strikes. It takes an absence of humanity to continue to look away. Demand divestment. Disrupt the status quo. Defend Palestinian liberation. Students, strike.
The accent they mock, the voice I carry
the accent that slips through when I reach for words I didn’t grow up with, the jewelry called too ornate, the “dots” on our foreheads called too strange.
We come from civilizations that shaped history, speaking millenniaold languages, from the world’s largest democracy—yet all of it is reduced to the way we slip over our “r’s” or pronounce our “t’s.”
In classrooms of this liberal university, I watch Indian professors—brilliant minds, experts in their fields—pause when a student asks them to repeat themselves. I hear whispers that their accent is too hard to follow. I sit quietly, but inside, I mourn. These are people with stories, with wisdom, with legacies—and yet they’re reduced, ignored, sidelined, all because they do not speak with the ease of colonial familiarity.
As I scroll through Instagram, my eye catches pages like 6ixBuzz posting about how Indians are “filling up” Canada—as if our presence is some kind of infestation. I see the comments flood in. They joke about how employees at Tim Hortons might mess up an order, as if making mistakes is something uniquely Indian. It’s racism, thinly veiled as humour, and it’s everywhere.
As I sit and watch all of this unfold, I try to find solace in solidarity. But when I look around, I see something far more painful: My own Indian friends laughing along. I watch them soften their names and smooth out their accents, trying to rinse off the weight of being Indian, all while their roommates mimic the accent we once heard at dinner tables, in lullabies, and in bedtime stories.
There was a time, early in my teens, when I did the same. I attempted to be more “Western,” hoping I’d fit in where characters like Raj from The Big Bang Theory were left out. Then, I met Colonel Amarjit Singh Rattan, my dad’s childhood friend’s father. With a sparkle in his eye and a grin that never left his face, he eagerly showed me how he tied his pagri (turban)—each fold deliberate, each movement filled with pride.
I didn’t yet understand how someone could carry their identity so comfortably. Curious—and a little naïve—I asked him how he spoke English so well. He answered with no hesitation. He spoke of growing up in colonial India—where speaking English incorrectly meant harsh punishment, and fluency wasn’t a choice, but an act of survival. It was the language of power and punishment. It
was a story I hadn’t even considered. He had fought for India in the 1962 and 1965 wars, and he stood before me with the quiet dignity of someone who had nothing left to prove.
Nearly a decade has passed since I met him, yet the lesson he unknowingly left with me stays close. I understand now: The cost of learning this language, the price of getting it wrong, the dignity required to carry an identity that colonial rule, the media, and even our peers have tried to chip away at. In him, I saw what it meant to be proud of who you are in a world that keeps asking you to be something else.
So I step out of the house wearing my jhumke with my Canadian sweater—an everyday rebellion stitched together in gold and fleece. I’m ready to correct anyone who mispronounces my name. I’m prepared to take the social hit for not laughing along when peers make racist “jokes.”
There is something profoundly lonely about loving a language, a cadence, an accent that the world keeps telling you to let go of. And yet, I hold onto it tightly. Because in that voice—in those “r’s” and “t’s”—live the people I love. And I will not let the world laugh them away.
Celine Li, Daniel Miksha, Ella Gomes, Jasjot Grewal Katie Lau
TPS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Alex Hawes Silva, Amelia Clark, Asher Kui, Annabella Lawlor, Bianca Sugunasiri, Bianca Tri, Daniel Miksha, Daniel Pyo, Ethan Kahn, Jamie Xie, Luken Castañeda Garces, Mahin Siddiki, Mairin Burke, Olivia Ardito, Reuben Noam, Samathar Senso, Sarah McDonald, Tamiyana Roemer, Zain Ahmed.
Aiqing Qiu, Anna Seger, Ariella Morgan, Eliot Loose, Lilly Guilbeault, Nour Khouri, Ruby Reimer, Ryan Dvorak.
Antoine Larocque, Dante Ventulieri, Eren Atac, Jeremy Zelken, Madeleine Le, Nell Casey, Olivia-Katherine Hebert, Russel Ismael, Sammi Lai, Siena Torres Armen Erzingatzian
(Drea Garcia Avila / The Tribune)
Duolingo claims to teach everyone—but does it really?
Olivia-Katherine Heber Contributor
Duolingo’s very name—rooted in the Latin “duo” (two) and “lingua” (language)—champions multilingualism, which seems fitting considering the function of the app as a language-learning tool. Yet, ironically, Duolingo’s design choices often speak only one language: The language of exclusivity.
In a generation where technology shapes our daily lives, the design choices embedded in massive platforms like Duolingo reveal a lot about who is included—and who is left behind—in the digital languagelearning community. While Duolingo offers courses in many widely spoken languages, Indigenous languages, many of which are already endangered, receive far less of their attention. Duolingo only offers two: Navajo and Hawaiian. Duolingo’s design choices are also inaccessible for users with autism, as its intense graphics and reward systems make its platform intimidating.
Individuals with autism often experience sensory overload from sudden sounds, rapid visuals, and inflexible evaluation structures. Duolingo’s flashing animations, rigid lesson structures requiring users to complete tasks in a specific order, and pressure to maintain a “streak” by going on the app daily can overwhelm them in this way. I realized that what was marketed as a fun and accessible way to learn could, in reality, be frustrating and discouraging for some. Gamified aspects, such as losing hearts for incorrect
COMMENTARY
Ellen Lurie
Opinion Editor
Wanswers and the expectation of fast-paced performance, can amplify anxiety, making it harder for neurodivergent users to engage.
The presence of ads in the app’s free version intensifies these problems. These ads disrupt the flow of learning, creating unnecessary stress for users who rely on consistency. They’re also often filled with bright images and intrusive sounds, leading to similar issues of overstimulation. For some individuals with autism, particularly those who experience difficulties with concentration, ads limit their ability to learn effectively.
To improve inclusivity, Duolingo could implement a “Safe Mode,” eliminating penalties, disabling flashing animations, reducing sound effects, providing textbased instructions, and removing ads. “Safe Mode” would ensure a more accommodating learning environment for all users with cognitive differences.
Beyond its inaccessibility to individuals with autism, Duolingo’s structure exposes global power imbalances in language learning. While the platform offers courses in Indigenous languages, the learning experience for these languages is often minimal compared to English or French.
Duolingo grants popular languages advanced features, varied lessons, and interactive exercises, while Indigenous languages receive limited content and fewer resources. This imbalance reinforces historical colonialism, which prioritizes the languages of colonizing powers while marginalizing Indigenous languages and
‘Flora’
hen the smartphone was invented, to have access to such a coveted—and expensive—piece of technology was an extreme privilege. Now, the smartphone is virtually ubiquitous—with over 90 per cent of Canadians owning one—and 21st-century users must confront a new problem: How to stop using it.
Phantom buzz, obsessive notificationchecking, and social media addiction are plaguing young people, leading to the pursuit of unconventional methods to prevent phone overuse. Teenagers buy flip phones to internet-detox, purchase phone lockboxes with timers, set their screen to grayscale to decrease its stimulating appeal, and even go as far as to buy something called the “nophone,” a piece of plastic with a weight and size equivalent to a real phone’s. Yes, you read that right: People are spending money on non-functioning plastic blocks to mimic the presence of a phone in their back pockets. The placebo phone retails for an astonishing $34 CAD.
Yet, the phone addiction fighter that has claimed the most significant popularity among university students is the Flora app. The app has amassed over 2.5 million users with its creative premise: Users cultivate a digital “garden,” in which every study session they log in the app “grows” a tree, plant, or flower. Users set
cultures. By continuing to elevate certain languages over others because of their popularity with users, Duolingo perpetuates the exclusion of Indigenous languages, making it more difficult to preserve and promote them today.
By creating a “Community Resource Hub,” Duolingo would be taking a first step to address this interlinguistic disparity. This program would allow Indigenous language speakers to upload open-source materials to the app, allowing active Indigenous participation in language preservation.
At McGill, the university’s limited offering of Indigenous Studies, which only
and the price of digital discipline
a personalized study time commitment— whether it be 10 minutes or three hours— that, if completed, results in the growth of a tree. Should a person violate their study commitment by exiting the Flora app to access social media, messages, the internet, or any other app, their tree is killed—an outcome that is shared with every one of their Flora friends. Users also have the option to wire their credit cards to their account, meaning that every time they kill a tree, their bank account is charged a user-designated amount between $5 CAD and $100 CAD.
Of course, the majority of phone users do not use this feature of the app, but its presence serves as a testament to a broader theme: Tech companies have realized that the fight against phone addiction is something that can be commodified. Like a vape to a cigarette, Flora emphasizes the negative connotations of addiction while simultaneously gaining from them. In this circular addiction economy, someone is always making a profit, whether it’s the smartphone industry or wellness app inventors. The developers of Flora , with a profit motive to maximize engagement and user downloads, had an incentive to design the app with its own addictive quality. After all, would users even employ the technology if it wasn’t colourful, full of graphics, and highly gamified? Flora , therefore, has an ironic, paradoxical nature in which its purpose may be to reduce phone use, but its solution requires downloading another
app. Users then end up deepening their reliance on technology, worsening the very addiction they intended to fight and making Flora a relief mechanism, not a solution.
Although the Flora app has merit as a potential harm-reduction tool, its users must be conscious of the fact that the quest to beat phone dependency has yet to be won. There are multiple means through which true liberation from phone addiction can be achieved: Periodic tech
provides a minor in the field, reflects a broader institutional pattern of not prioritizing Indigenous voices in education. For students at McGill, this lack of representation is a stark reminder that colonial legacies are still at play, not just in historical contexts but in the very systems that shape our learning environments today—including languagelearning platforms.
Rethinking Duolingo’s design choices is not just an improvement but a necessary step toward a more equitable digital future. For platforms that have the power to shape how we learn, inclusivity is not just a matter of choice: It’s a responsibility.
detoxes; the use of physical—as opposed to digital—software such as paper books, planners, or calendars; and building habits and hobbies that take place off the internet, including knitting, reading, and creating art. These methods will, of course, have varying degrees of success from person to person. There is no singular or ultimate solution. However, this much is clear: Phone addiction will only be eased—not solved—by the presence of commodified technology solutions like Flora.
The average Canadian will spend almost 15 years of their life on their phone. (Drea Garcia Avila / The Tribune)
With over 500 million registered users and around 100 million learners every month, Duolingo is one of the most popular language apps in the world. (Armen Erzingatzian / The Tribune)
“We’re all human”: Refereeing blunders through the years
A light-hearted history of blown calls, baffling decisions, and the strength of forgiveness
Ethan Kahn Staff Writer
Referees are constantly stuck between a rock and a hard place. The call they make will be sure to anger at least half of the people watching the game. It’s a thankless job that takes an incredible amount of hard work to progress to the top level. Occasionally, referees make decisions so blatantly wrong that there’s nothing even the most casual of fans can do to avoid shouting at their TV screens or joining in on jeers in the stadium. Here are some of the most consequential, confusing, and downright comical refereeing mistakes throughout sports.
Josip Šimunić (eventually) sees red
The 2006 FIFA World Cup brought one of the most peculiar refereeing blunders in soccer. Croatia was fighting for their survival, needing a win against Australia to advance to the round of 16. With his squad winning 2-1, the Croatian defender Šimunić pulled back Socceroo star Harry Kewell, earning the defender a yellow card. Disaster struck in the 90th minute when Šimunić laid a crunching tackle on an opposing player. English referee Graham Poll showed the Croatian a second yellow card, which would normally add up to a red card. But Poll simply didn’t show Šimunić the red. Amazingly, Šimunić received a third yellow card for arguing with the official after the match had concluded, which culminated
in a red card. This made him possibly the first player ever to receive three yellow cards in a match.
The
“Fail Mary”
The 2012 NFL season began with officiating uncertainty. The referees had entered a lockout in the summer, and the league was forced to replace them for the beginning of the season with officiating crews from lower levels, even pulling some high school referees. A Week Two showdown between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks had fans begging for the refereeing lockout to end. The Seahawks were down by five, and they had the ball in Packer territory with less than ten seconds left on the clock. Quarterback Russell Wilson scrambled around the pocket, looking for an open receiver. He spotted Golden Tate in the back corner and aimed to deliver to his target. Tate blatantly pushed Green Bay’s Sam Shields in the back, causing the defensive back to fall over.
This missed call was compounded by the calamity that occurred when Tate “caught” the ball for a miraculous touchdown. One official signalled that the ball was intercepted by Packer M.D. Jennings, while another signalled touchdown. To everyone watching, it was clear that Jennings had intercepted the football. After 10 minutes of confusion, the replacement referees reached a verdict: Touchdown. This debacle quickly accelerated negotiations to end the lockout, and an agreement was reached
two days after the game.
The Imperfect Game
In the 240,000-plus games of Major League Baseball played, only 24 of them have been a perfect game, making it one of the rarest achievements in sports. A perfect game is when a pitcher retires all 27 batters he faces without allowing a baserunner. However, it should be 25 perfect games. On June 2, 2010, Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga only needed to get Cleveland utility man Jason Donald out to go down in baseball history. Donald hit a sharp ground ball to first baseman and future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera, who fielded it cleanly and threw over to Galarraga, who was covering first base.
The throw clearly beat Donald, and he should have been called out. However, first base umpire Jim Joyce inexplicably called the runner safe. The immensity of this decision was realized by fans and players alike. Cabrera looked as if he was on the brink of tears. What
followed was an even more unexpected tale of forgiveness. Joyce, who was previously voted the best umpire in the league by the players, was beside himself when he realized he got the call wrong. While Joyce talked to Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski, Galarraga entered the room and shared a hug with Joyce. The Tigers pitcher left the umpire with a simple message that everyone should remember the next time they’re shouting at a referee for a blown call: “We are all human.”
A soccer referee typically runs six to eight miles during a game. (Ryan Dvorak / The Tribune )
Meme madness: The internet’s sporting circus
The Tribune takes a speed tour of the best memes in the NFL, NBA, and EPL.
Zain Ahmed Staff Writer
In the age of social media, sports have evolved beyond competition into fertile ground for internet comedy. From sideline antics to questionable celebrations, athletes and coaches unwittingly transform into viral sensations with a single expression, gesture, or moment. As sports and internet culture continue their inevitable collision, The Tribune examines some of the most enduring memes across three major leagues.
National Football League (NFL): Trump dance celebration: Touchdown of trolling
In terms of viral celebrations, few can compete with the unexpected presidential dance moves that somehow emerged from the gridiron. Players gyrating all together with staccato, ter-
ribly orchestrated Trump-like ‘lack of swagger’ became an instant internet sensation in the 202425 season, once again proving that touchdown celebrations can be an occasionally volatile vehicle for performance art to overlap with politics.
Patrick Mahomes: The alleged match-fixer meme
Conspiracy theorists and meme lords unite! The constant joke that Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, is secretly orchestrating game outcomes has transformed him from MVP quarterback to internet-appointed master of sports manipulation. Every perfectly thrown pass and touchdown now comes with a host of suspected corruption. Then, of course, the Chiefs lost the Superbowl to the Eagles this year, which provided the internet with endless new meme content against Mahomes and the Chiefs.
Bill Belichick: The human poker face
In the world of explosive emotions that is the NFL, Bill Belichick—the former General Manager of the New England Patriots and current Head Coach at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill—remains the ultimate meme of stoicism. His expressionless stare became an internet shorthand for general indifference and nonchalance, transforming the coach into a living, breathing
meme that speaks volumes by saying and doing absolutely nothing in the face of positive or negative circumstances.
National Basketball Association (NBA): Shannon Sharpe’s “Lakers in 5” prophecy
Shannon Sharpe’s unwavering belief that the Los Angeles Lakers will triumph in exactly five games has transcended sports commentary, becoming a cultural phenomenon. Embodied by a compilation of different memes rhyming together, this viral NBA meme culminates in the famous punchline “Lakers in 5.” Sharpe’s passionate proclamations have turned a statistical prediction into internet art, making “Lakers in 5” a mantra of unfiltered optimism.
The Drake curse: Musical jinx extraordinaire
When Drake supports a team, internet folklore suggests disaster will follow. His appearances at sporting events have become a meme of spectacular misfortune, with fans religiously tracking which team will next fall victim to the rapper’s seemingly supernatural ability to hex championship hopes. The only teams that seem to make it out alive are Canadian, like when the Toronto Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors in 2019 to win the NBA Final.
Crying Michael Jordan: The meme that launched a thousand tears
No sports meme pantheon is complete without the iconic tearful Michael Jordan face. What began as a moment of athletic vulnerability transformed into the internet’s most versatile reaction image, immortalizing raw emotion in pixel-perfect ridicule. Used across sports, pop culture, and many other formats, the crying MJ
meme has been taking the internet by storm for years, including in Jordan’s own documentary, The Last Dance.
English Premier League (EPL):
Thierry Henry’s laugh: Comedy gold in football commentary
Thierry Henry’s infectious, somewhat mischievous laugh has become more memorable than some of his actual goals. Stifling laughter in many circumstances, his consistently playful grin makes his punditry moments all the more entertaining. His varied, humourous expressions have transformed serious football analysis into comedy gold.
Gary Neville: The Monday Night Football meme machine
Monday Night Football transformed from mere sports analysis to a comedy sketch, largely thanks to Gary Neville’s animated reactions. His passionate dissections of gameplay and snapshot reactions of shock and excitement, microphone in hand, have made tactical analysis feel like stand-up comedy, entertaining millions even beyond traditional football fandoms with his witty retorts and hilarious one-liners.
Jurgen Klopp: A walking meme
Less a manager, more a walking memegenerator, Klopp’s touchline antics, masterful interviews, and aggressively expressive celebrations have turned Liverpool’s sidelines into a circus act. Every fist pump, every incredulous look is internet content waiting to happen. His eye-catching, full-body, erratic reactions to even the smallest occurrences on the field encapsulate the term ‘body on the [touch]line.’
The term ‘meme’ was first used by Richard Dawkins in 1976. (Mia Helfrich / The Tribune)
My parents never pushed me towards religion. They are atheists themselves, so my exposure to Christianity was limited to attending Friday night youth group sessions with my aunt at her local Evangelical Lutheran church. I remember attending a Halloween service when I was 11 or 12—on that particular evening, the pastor told us we would be protected from the demons of horror movies, as long as we were baptized and followed the teachings of the Lord. I, meeting neither of these requirements, was terrified on the drive home, even though my parents had told me not to believe the things that the church had taught us that night.
Despite the pastor’s warnings, my disbelief in a higher power only grew as I got older. More recently, however, I’ve noticed that atheism makes it difficult to answer the sorts of questions that one might find themselves asking when trying shrooms for the first time (I assume, that is…), like “Can one ever be genuinely altruistic?” and, “How does one go about making their life meaningful?” Unfortunately, atheists don’t often believe these questions have definite answers. I’m not all that satisfied with this conclusion.
This dissatisfaction has become harder and harder to ignore throughout my time at McGill, particularly in the past 12 months, presumably because of the increased independence I have as an “adult” who lives alone. In any case, it has forced me to reevaluate the views I’ve held so strongly for the past 20 years—crucially, this has meant addressing my convictions towards faith.
wrong with the way I have been approaching conversations about religion. The first is that I have judged religion from a “right or wrong” perspective, getting hung up on the truth of different cosmologies and beliefs, rather than focusing on the impacts that faith has on believers and communities.
Najda Kassam, U3 Arts, who grew up Muslim but now feels more agnostic, continues to understand the comfort that faith gives people.
“Nobody wants to feel like they have to be the strongest human alive, they don’t want to deal with everything on their own, it is painful and sad,” Kassam said in an interview with The Tribune . “And I felt that way, [because] I was trying to deal with it all on my own. But when I think about it, I find it’s easier to cry in the arms of my friends, right? And that’s kind of what religion does for people.”
People have turned to religion in times of crisis for as long as it has existed. To dismiss this found comfort in the name of science or “rational” thinking is irresponsible and, frankly, rude. My preferred method of self-soothing involves several hours’ worth of Instagram reels, so to each their own.
At a societal level, religion has inspired artists and architects around the world for centuries. It has created spaces for communities of like-minded people to form. It brings peace and provides one with a general way of being. While it would be incorrect to say that organized religion has been harmless throughout human history, it is equally problematic to ignore the reasons people have turned to faith in the first place.
The artistic and ritualistic practices that emerged from religion create a myriad of beautiful things to engage with, regardless of whether you hold the corresponding faith.
Kat Mulligan, fourth-year French Studies student at Concordia University, is a regular church-goer, despite identifying as an atheist.
“I like hearing the organ music, the choir, and I like that it’s a sort of meditative space,” Mulligan said in an interview with The Tribune . “I think Catholicism does a good job with aesthetics, so especially as someone who doesn’t have the faith aspect to religion, I like the kind of show they make of their religious experience.”
These environments have built avenues to experience the beauty of religion while simultaneously being surrounded by people who show up for causes they care about. This in itself can have a restorative effect on
your faith in humanity.
I think there are two things fundamentally
Morals and meaning: An atheist’s Written and designed by
“I really like the aspect of ritual, and I think it’s nice when people go all in on something [....] In general, I like the idea that Catholicism wants you to hold yourself to a high standard morally,” Mulligan said.
My second error was to think that ‘religion’ and ‘atheism’ mean the same things to everyone who uses the terms. Throughout my interviews, it became clear that people do not necessarily stand by every aspect of a particular doctrine, and that part of coming of age is deciding for yourself what aspects of faith (or a lack thereof) are meaningful and valuable for you. Even I, a diehard atheist, find myself praying before writing an exam or waiting to hear back from an internship application. Seeing doctrines as monoliths ignores a lot of individual variation in belief and practice. The beauty of having a belief system partially lies in the way each person adapts it to their own life in practice.
“It doesn’t have to be one rule for everybody, and there are so many different parts of the interpretation that you can make as you go. That’s the point of any piece of literature you’ll ever read in your life,” Kassam said. “It’s all interpretive. No one’s going to read the
Leanne Cherry,
atheist’s second look at religion
Cherry,
Science & Technology Editor
same thing the same way.”
Perhaps , I thought, there was some interpretation of faith that could help my atheistic heart with its existential line of questioning.
Alongside each person’s unique interpretation of their beliefs and traditions, the students I spoke with all had their own approaches to the relationship between religion and morality. Jordan Ona, third-year English Literature student at Trent University, mentioned the Sermon on the Mount from the Gospel of Matthew as an important source of moral guidance. Its teachings encourage one to practice compassion, humility, and forgiveness.
“That is one thing I appreciate that religion stresses on, is that it really does strip away everything you think is important,” Ona said in an interview with The Tribune . “Like having good skin care, a good body, being smart and in school? No, it’s loving your neighbour, your mom and dad, brother, everyone you love, and just washing everyone’s tears away. That’s what’s important.”
In contrast, Kassam’s takeaway was less about specific instructions from a holy text, and more about the fact that, as humans living on the same planet, we are all innately
connected. However, this feeling of connection, in her eyes, is not entirely removed from the idea of faith.
“I think God is this interconnectedness within us and these strings that attach us and the ties that we are, and so it would be sort of like severing that if I dishonoured it, or if I didn’t go about [life] in a way of acknowledging everything around me,” Kassam said.
This narrative ties into other faith-related aspects of Kassam’s life, namely the existence of the soul, and the value of curiosity and education.
“I kind of think that [education is] the way I carry through with my faith,” Kassam said. “So even though I don’t necessarily have to go to mosque or have to be in a certain place to pray, I find that being inquisitive and learning and finding things out and doing research gives me this sort of meditative, or religious sort of aspect to it.”
Zachary Liu, U3 Science, highlighted the overlap that atheists and theists may have in their belief systems despite taking different routes to reach the same conclusions.
“A lot of the values that I think of when I think of religion, I think I have not necessarily the same values but similar ones, except mine weren’t obtained through religion,” Liu said in an interview with The Tribune . “When I want to help someone or do something that I deem to be morally right, it doesn’t have anything to do with any external force. This is just me wanting to do it because I want someone else to be happier.”
While Liu currently identifies as an atheist, Liu’s father was Catholic, and his mother was Buddhist. Understanding religion was thus an important part of his upbringing, even if it did not ultimately inform his moral compass.
“For some parts of my family, it’s a big part of what their community looks like,” Liu said. “And then so for me, it’s important, for example, if I want to understand my grandparents. I think it’s important to have that context of their social circle like in what their events are like.”
Sam Kunesch, U3 Science, echoed a similar idea to Liu, on the premise that while religion can help people find meaning and direction, it is not the only way to do so. As a biology student and a former Catholic, Kunesch looks to the biological principle of reciprocity for moral inspiration, which is reminiscent of the biblical teaching to “love thy neighbour.”
“Reciprocity is a strategy where an organism acts in a way that temporarily re -
duces its own fitness while increasing another organism’s fitness, with the expectation that the other organism will reciprocate the favour later,” Kunesch said in an interview with The Tribune . “So we have an evolutionary advantage to something that is also advised to us by the Bible [....] It’s the closest thing to what I consider a universal truth when the religious people and the scientists can agree on something.”
***
One of the final questions I asked each of my interviewees was whether they thought life is inherently meaningful. In retrospect, I sounded an awful lot like Jaden Smith talking about the political and economic state of the world, but it was one of the driving questions behind this project, so I asked it anyway.
It wasn’t until Ona asked me how I would answer it myself that I realized I hadn’t considered the question all that deeply. It took merely a few seconds of critical thinking to realize that, while life may not have some greater, philosophical meaning, the fact remains that I am alive now, surrounded by people whom I love. My care for others exists whether it is biologically, divinely, or philosophically motivated, and I would be doing a disservice to myself and the people around me by not embracing it.
Whether you find your meaning and morals by following the word of God, through the principle of reciprocity, or simply out of the goodness of your heart, it would seem that ultimately, we are all working towards one common goal: To help and to love one another. And really, what more can we do?
Dribbling through professional success as a young athlete
Mak Whitham’s historic debut as the youngest player to ever participate in
Alex Hawes Silva Staff Writer
At just 14 years old, McKenna (Mak) Whitman has made history as the youngest player to ever appear in a National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) match. She debuted for NJ/NY Gotham FC in their 2025 season opener against the Seattle Reign. A rising star in women’s soccer, Whitham has been a standout talent from a young age, earning recognition for her exceptional skills on the field. Signed just before her 14th birthday in July, she not only became the youngest player in NWSL history but also became the youngest athlete in any sport to sign a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal with Nike.
Whitman’s rapid progress as a professional athlete reflects a broader trend in the NWSL—more young players are breaking into the league, and there are currently over a dozen athletes featured on rosters this season who are under the age of 18. Whitham’s record-breaking debut depicts both the increasing opportunities for young talent and the new demographic of the sport.
However, Whitham’s debut also sparks an important discussion about whether the NWSL’s current policies provide enough support for young players. The league has established safeguards—including pediatric medical evaluations, safety assessments, and long-term development plans— to help athletes who are under 18 transition
into the professional scene.
Despite these measures, fans and parents have concerns. Competing in such a physically demanding league against experienced professionals presents risks, from physical injuries to mental and emotional fatigue. A 2019 study found that 35 per cent of elite athletes experience burnout, depression, and anxiety. While these young players receive structured support, managing education alongside a professional career, and handling the pressures of early commercialization are pressing issues.
The increasing presence of young athletes in professional sports raises concerns
about whether players are being pushed into the spotlight too soon. While early talent development is crucial in competitive sports, the pressure of performing at a professional level as an adolescent can have lasting effects on an athlete’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. The transition from youth soccer to the NWSL is not just about skill level but also about handling media attention, sponsorship deals, and the weight of audience expectations. With a plethora of different media platforms using their name as a buzzword and the inevitable negative criticism that comes with this career path, it is easy to see how this could negatively affect an
an NWSL match
athlete’s mental health.
With 13 minor players joining the NWSL since 2024, it is evident that the youth are starting to make their mark on the league. While athletic success at such a young age is a remarkable achievement, it often allows players to put less focus on their academic careers as they know they can secure their future through athletics. This approach may seem pragmatic but it is not without its risks: If the athlete gets injured or is dropped from their team, they would not have the safety net of higher education to use as an alternate path. The NWSL must take the protective measures needed to ensure that young players’ studies are also prioritized, alongside their athletic journey.
The NWSL and other leagues must continue refining their policies to strike a balance between fostering young talent and ensuring the players’ long-term wellbeing. Going forward, the fan community must appreciate not only the immeasurable talent of young athletes, but also recognize the hardships and added stress they endure. As a fanbase, it could be as simple as not engaging with any form of public scrutiny or criticism directed towards the athlete and being aware of the toll excessive media and attention can take on an individual. As the trend of younger players entering professional sports continues to grow, leagues, teams, and sponsors must see and take responsibility for the holistic approach needed to ensure young athletes’ well-being.
Spain’s young sensation: Dominating the pitch and defying the doubters
Madeleine Le Contributor
By the end of this past European Championship, it became impossible not to know the name “Lamine Yamal” and the story of the young star the world celebrated all summer. On June 15, 2024, Yamal made history by becoming the youngest player featured in the tournament, making his debut against Croatia at only 16 years old. Yamal consistently draws both praise and criticism, yet always manages to come out on top.
Luis de la Fuente, Spanish Men’s National Football Team head coach, did not just place Yamal on the starting roster to break age-based records. Yamal played well beyond his lack of experience, serving as a crucial piece to Spain’s undefeated journey to the finals. By providing four assists throughout the divisional round, including three in the knockout stage, Yamal became the first player to score or assist in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final of a single Euro Cup.
With his impressive skill, one would believe that Yamal’s support would remain unwavering throughout the tournament. Nevertheless, where there is talent, there will be talk, and despite all of his accomplishments, many critics of Yamal seem to still be asking for more. Such was seen for the first time before the Euro semi-finals between Spain and France, when French
midfielder Adrien Rabiot criticized Yamal.
“It’s up to us to put pressure on him and to take him out of his comfort zone,” Rabiot said. “And to reach a final at the Euros, he needs to do more than he’s done up until now.”
Undermining Yamal’s efforts was crucial to La Roja remaining the top team to beat all summer. However, Rabiot would regret his comments hours later, as Yamal entered the semi-final match and scored his first goal of the tournament. Noting his opponent’s concerns, Yamal stated, “Speak now” in celebration back to Rabiot, later posting “checkmate” to his Instagram story. Yamal not only broke another record but also made a joke of the veteran player questioning his efforts, ending the competition with both the Euro Cup and the honour of being crowned the Young Player of the Tournament.
One would believe that after Rabiot’s embarrassing attempts to talk down to the young star, players would steer clear from questioning Yamal. Unfortunately, former Dutch footballer turned commentator Rafael van der Vaart did not catch this memo. Last week marked the Union of European Football Associations Nations League qualifying round for the semi-finals, where many familiar faces, including Yamal and the Spanish men’s football team, competed again. The tournament remained business as usual up until Spain’s final match against the Netherlands, with both teams
hoping to move on to the final four rounds, played in June. Before the match, van der Vaart launched unprovoked negative comments at Yamal, including commenting on Yamal’s loose shorts, his supposed lack of effort, and superficial gestures after scoring.
“[There are] things that are starting to bother me a little,” van der Vaart said. “No matter how good you are, at that age, you have to prove it every minute and in every game.”
And prove himself, Yamal certainly did. Scoring Spain’s third goal in a pulsating 3-3 draw, he brought his team into a penalty shoot-out, winning a ticket to the semifinals. Upon taking his goal, Yamal solidified his win. After tugging down his pants and posing for the camera as a goal celebration, he later wrote on his Instagram, “Pants down, a goal, a missed penalty and INTO THE SEMIFINAL, COME ON SPAIN,” serving as a
mockery towards his most recent hater. Despite his age, Yamal has never shied away from responding to criticism from senior or retired players. If those in the league have learned anything about Spain’s star, it’s that he will continue to break records and, in the end, always get the last laugh.
Mak Whitham also received non-roster invitations to train with the Kansas City Current and the Washington Spirit. (Drea Garcia Avila / The Tribune)
Lamine Yamal was crowned Europe’s “Golden Boy” for 2024 and is considered a top candidate for the Ballon d’Or for 2025. (Zoe Lee / The Tribune)
Twelve Vacancies opens portals to strange, tender, and bold cinema
Young filmmakers around the world blur the line between fantasy, discomfort, and reality
Defne Feyzioglu & Siena Torres Contributors
Stepping into the screening room for this year’s Twelve Vacancies Film Festival felt like entering a pocket dimension—one shaped by a brilliant lineup of experimental short films from young filmmakers around the world, gathered to share and appreciate their work. Filled with film enthusiasts, the energy in the room was both electric and eerie. Excited chatter quieted down as the lights dimmed, and anticipation took over the crowd.
The festival’s focus on screening visually innovative films paid off: Each piece felt distinct, often unconventional, and always driven by intention. Whether through textured animation, surreal imagery, irony or detailed sound design, each move was intentional. Every frame reflected a sharp artistic vision and the filmmaker’s willingness to take risks.
Standouts included Itch by Maggie Zeng, a symbolic exploration of anxiety. The film follows Manon, a young woman waiting for her date to arrive. As she sits on a bar stool, an uncontrollable itch overtakes her—first as physical irritation, then as phantasmic monsters. Itch’s pink and red colour palette adds to its audience’s unease, mirroring the unravelling of Manon’s sense of control. The short film blurs the line between metaphor and real-life unease, using
the itch as a symbol of psychological burden and agitation. It reveals the cerebral discomfort of anxiety through visceral embodiment.
In an interview with The Tribune , Zeng revealed that Itch —animated entirely in Krita , a free software program—was her graduation film at Concordia University. It has since screened at Montreal’s own Fantasia Festival, among others internationally.
“What inspired me was a series of bad dates and a flare of eczema before my last year at uni started,” Zeng said. “I wanted to combine my feelings about love and desire with how something emotional can leave a lasting mark on your body. And I’m a fan of horror, so it felt natural to take a body horror approach.”
Another standout was Reverend Mother by Mia Buono, which uses the framework of confession to examine a morally complex young Catholic woman through the framing of confession and the strain it creates in her romantic relationship. The film’s writing is sharp, full of ironic detachment and quiet moments of emotional clarity. A unique aspect of Buono’s filmmaking was her decision to film analog on 16mm film.
“It seems to really connect every piece of the process on set in a way that digital doesn’t,” she told The Tribune. “We have very limited takes. I couldn’t see a monitor, so I have to just watch the actors, etc. It just requires a degree of coordination and trust that I feel like really strengthens the film.”
David Lynch at midnight
The choice to film in an actual church with a choir added indispensable richness to the dark but comedic tone.
At the end of the screening, the audience voted for their favourite film. My Friend in the Jingle Truck by Sima Naseem was awarded as the Fan Favourite. Set in Karachi, the film follows a young girl who encounters a magical bird in a traditionally painted truck. Via her journeys through vibrant scenes of Pakistani culture and heritage, the story explores themes of friendship, imagination, and letting go. The use of stop-motion and 2D animation brought the magical world to life, highlighting the intricate details of handcrafted Pakistani artwork. The film was both whimsical and moving, capturing the wonder of childhood in frames layered with texture, colour, and care.
it was a space that challenged and pulled viewers into unfamiliar realities. As the last film’s credits rolled and the lights came back up, what stood up was not just the talent on display but also the sincerity behind it. It was a reminder that sometimes, the strangest images are the ones that feel most true.
Through 14 short films, the festival opened up many new ways of seeing the world: Distorted, delicate, frightening, and real. It was proof that emerging artists aren’t just experimenting with form; they’re carving out space for new stories, new emotions, and new ways of being.
Twelve Vacancies Film Festival made room for risk, honesty, and experimentation;
Twelve Vacancies Film Festival ran from March 20-21.
Cinéma du Parc honours the iconic director with a retrospective film series
Jeremy Zelken
Contributor
One of Montreal’s most beloved theatres, Cinéma du Parc, is currently screening the filmography of late filmmaker David Lynch for their “Parc at Midnight” series. The retrospective, named David Lynch: In Our Dreams , began on March 7 and ends on April 27.
Since launching in 2017, the theatre’s “Parc at Midnight” series has established a dedicated fanbase. Initially screening films at 11:30 p.m. (hence the name), the event now offers more accessible showtimes: Fridays and Saturdays at 9:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.
Jean-François Lamarche, the theatre’s programming director, spoke to The Tribune regarding the series’ origin.
“‘Parc at Midnight’ was this idea of bringing back the nostalgia of [cult] films and this kind of feeling for people to see these films late [at] night,” he said.
The theatre had initially been preparing other programs for the upcoming edition of the series but decided it was only right to pay homage to Lynch following his recent passing. His death on Jan. 16 was devastating for many film lovers, including Lamarche, who has considered the filmmaker a key influence throughout his life.
“I’m still mourning, you know,” he said. “I’ve been listening to all his [film’s] music since then. I have a lot of his soundtracks on vinyl.”
The theatre is screening the films in the
order in which Lamarche first encountered them. His introduction to Lynch’s work came by chance when he stumbled upon a VHS copy of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me at a local video store. Intrigued by the film’s cover, he watched it over and over again, utterly astonished and bewildered by Lynch’s unconventional style.
“I think I watched it twice or three times back to back,” he recalled. “It was really a revelation. I never saw anything like that. It was brand new.”
That moment marked the beginning of Lamarche’s lifelong fascination with Lynch. During his cinema studies at Cégep, his appreciation for Lynch deepened. Whether it was watching Blue Velvet at a local cinema or hunting down a hard-to-come-by VHS copy of Eraserhead , Lamarche became absorbed into Lynch’s surrealist world.
Jean-François even recalls how, in 2006, Lynch’s final feature film, Inland Empire , helped keep the theatre afloat by attracting a large turnout. Lynch, he says, is perhaps the most adored filmmaker at Cinéma du Parc, by audience and staff alike.
“It’s like, for Cinéma du Parc, David Lynch is a rockstar,” he told The Tribune “After the screenings, it’s really like a rock show. People are standing in line to buy merchandise to have a memory of him at home.”
“[Lynch’s] legacy is in the ability to dream,” audience member Mark Paterson said in an interview with The Tribune . “I think that his films are going to be something that we can always go back to and see
This is Cinéma du Parc’s ninth edition of its “Parc at Midnight” series. (Hannah Nobile / The Tribune)
what’s possible.”
Another attendee, Lucile Gazquez, reflected on the ongoing relevance of Lynch’s work.
“Because we are in a violent world right now, what I like—like we see in the end of Blue Velvet —is that in violence, we still have hope,” she said.
Consistently selling out, the screenings have received overwhelming enthusiasm, drawing fans of all ages eager to admire Lynch’s films on the big screen.
“There’s a lot of people who are discovering David Lynch now,” Lamarche
said. “So this is incredible, you know. There’s a younger generation that is discovering this incredible movie maker.”
With each screening, Cinéma du Parc keeps Lynch’s unforgettable vision alive. The retrospective is a heartfelt tribute to the beloved filmmaker, celebrating his unique style and lasting influence on cinema, ensuring his legacy lives on.
David Lynch: In Our Dreams is screening until April 27 at Cinéma du Parc. Tickets are available online: Student tickets are $11.00 CAD, and general admission tickets are $15.25 CAD.
The student-run festival transformed McGill’s campus into a surreal screening room. (Sima Naseem)
McGill Drama Festival showcases six student productions
‘Dress Rehearsal’ takes home both prizes
Ella Paulin Managing Editor
From the throes of budding romance complicated by a tragic accident in Small Death to the aftermath of a long-term partner abandoned at the altar in I Don’t , the McGill Drama Festival (MDF), which took place from March 24 to 28, brought something to the table for everybody. Exploring the ups and downs of romance, mortality, and politics, the ambitious lineup of plays showcased a variety of student talent, with each play written, directed, and produced entirely by students.
On the comedic end of the spectrum, The Great God Pan is Dead imagines a handful of academics eulogizing their professor-turned-comedian former colleague (complicated by the presence of that colleague’s ghost at the funeral). On the flip side, Hesperus, Phosphorus! went full Downton Abbey , featuring a tumultuous romance between a Russian countess and her Marxist tutor in the final years of the Tsar’s reign. If linear storytelling isn’t your thing, Things Aren’t Looking Too Good flips between moments of a young woman’s life, unfolding its
story through fragments and glimpses.
Alexis Mezzarobba, U3 Science and the writer behind Dress Rehearsal , spoke to The Tribune about the challenges and rewards of writing a comedy, and the anxiety that comes with hoping people will enjoy your jokes as much as you do. Luckily for Mezzarobba, it seems people did— Dress Rehearsal won both the Best Script and Best Directing awards.
“It’s so rewarding to hear the roars of laughter come to life when it all started as some words on a Google Doc I wrote as I was procrastinating my other tasks,” Mezzarobba added. “I’m just glad people found it funny.”
She also spoke on the experimental nature of the script, playing with the boundaries between audience and cast.
“ Dress Rehearsal is interesting because although it is a simple concept, the spontaneity makes it special,” Mezzarobba wrote in a statement to The Tribune. “Starting with a regular play, then realizing it’s about the actors working on the play and not the play itself, then discovering that they all have inner issues that need to be worked through, [...] you never know what’s going to happen next. It gave me the opportunity to test the limits of
live performance.”
The show’s director, Danielle Brooks (U3 Arts) emphasized the importance of the cast and crew coming together to make this unique production shine.
“I had so much fun putting that show together, and this year has been just as exciting,” she wrote. “Directing Dress Rehearsal with such a great team has been a blast. Everyone really understood the comedic style of the piece, and what we needed to put into it to make it stand out.”
The Tribune also spoke to Siya Pandit, U2 Arts and coordinator of the McGill Drama Festival, about putting on a festival with so many moving pieces.
“We have a little community we build each year with everyone involved,” Pandit said. “It is so much fun running into other actors backstage and wishing them luck, seeing everyone’s faces during their bows, and getting to congratulate everyone on a job well done.”
While there’s a lot to do just to keep the lights running for each of the six productions, Pandit emphasized that having students come together and collaborate for the festival makes it all worth it.
“I have always loved MDF. I’ve been taking part in it since my first year at McGill, and each year, I get to meet so many talented people,” Pandit said. “Especially as governments and institutions cut funding for the performing arts, I think it
Players’ Theatre is Montreal’s oldest English-speaking black box theatre. (Sam Sheahan / @s4mj4ne)
is so important to remind students that there is a community of people who care and who will support them. Student theatre such as Players’ gives students a chance to practice their craft.”
The Tribune Predicts: Finals season horoscopes
Find out what your cramming sessions will look like…
Tamiyana Roemer Staff Writer
Are you curious about what this finals season has in store for you? Forget your study guides—the answers are written in the stars.
Aries (March 21-April 19): As finals approach, chances of securing a comfortable spot in one of the McGill libraries become increasingly slim. No matter how desperate you are for a seat, beware—you must avoid the Schulich basement at all costs. The stars predict a familiar foe may be lurking there, ready to throw off your focus.
Taurus (April 20-May 20): Sure, you may feel a bit sluggish this spring, but that doesn’t mean you’re immune to the study bug. In the next week, a call with a loved one will give you a surge of motivation to hit the library. Have you called your parents lately?
Gemini (May 21-June 21): Your curiosity knows no bounds, and neither do your questions. While you’re typically tempted to type a flood of queries in the class group chat, you’ll put those frantic fingers to better use this finals season. The stars predict you’ll book back-to-back office hours appointments.
Cancer (June 22-July 22): Your compassion and sensitivity will make you the recipient of many late-night calls from friends dealing with finals-induced stress. Offer support whenever you can, but don’t forget to prioritize your well-being. Turn on do-not-disturb when you need time for yourself—we won’t judge.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): There may only be a few days of classes left, but that won’t stop you from making a new friend before the semester is over. This finals season, you’ll find out that the best friendships are built on shared panic and caffeine.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You’ve organized your studying schedule down to the last minute, but a welcome interruption will throw a wrench in your plans. Embrace spontaneity—it may be exactly what you need to refocus and recharge.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23): Libra, you have a lot on your plate in the coming weeks, but you’ll find a new hobby to help you destress. Whether it be colouring books, crocheting, or yoga, the stars suggest you invite a friend to unwind with you.
Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21): Scorpio, this finals season, your intense focus will be un-
matched—but be warned: Your drive might lead you to burn the midnight oil a little too long. The stars predict you’ll thrive best if you remember to take breaks. Sometimes, the most productive thing you can do is step away and recharge your batteries.
Sagittarius
was removed, to ensure
(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): As exams approach, you’ll feel the pull between adventure and study sessions. For you, frequent walks to clear your mind and explore are inevitable, but make sure you return to your textbooks afterward!
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Your determination is unmatched, but this finals season, your natural pessimism will start to creep in. You’ll find yourself doubting whether all your hard work will pay off, but rest assured—it will. Stay focused and trust that your effort will lead you to success, even if it feels like the odds are stacked against you.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Your bold, im-
One’s company, two’s a crowd, three (p.m.)’s a darty What makes McGill a hotspot for day parties?
Bianca Tri Staff Writer
You don’t always need an excuse to host a day party or ‘darty’—usually, just a backyard—but this past St. Patrick’s Day saw an overwhelming number of afternoon get-togethers, even by Montreal standards. With spring weather rearing its head, darties per capita can be expected to skyrocket. But what makes Montreal and McGill such great places to host darties? Are they any different from the festivities in university towns like Kingston? Who invented the darty?
Day drinking, presumably, is about as old as normal drinking, and we have records of ancient Greek men hosting intellectual banquets called symposiums. Literally meaning “drinking together,” the participants would argue over philosophy and show off their nice items, which is by all means pretty similar to a modern-day darty.
The term first surfaced on Urban Dictionary in 2008, but has gained more traction in recent years after being published on accounts popular among university students like Barstool Sports and university publications such as the Ohio State University’s The Odyssey and the University of Maine’s Her Campus/
The Tribune reached out to students who have hosted and attended darties to get their take on the darty scene at McGill. Meave Harrington, U3 Arts and a Montreal local, talked about how she first learned about darties through her family.
“The first time I heard of the term darty
was from my older sisters who also went to McGill,” she said. “They were preparing me and really hyping darties up and saying it’s a great opportunity to come together with your friends on a really nice day and relax from all the schoolwork.”
Harrington also praised the city for being extremely darty-friendly.
“I’ve hosted darties in Jeanne-Mance, and that’s a great place for a lot of people to come together and play things like spikeball, or even bring a pong table,” Harrington said.
Kirk Slocum, U1 Arts, felt that there was no major difference between throwing darties in Montreal compared to other schools in the area. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that the high number of students who live off-campus creates a strong party culture.
“I don’t know if McGill specifically is a better place to host darties compared to other schools, but the fact that all students are forced to have apartments after first year means that there’s a greater percentage of students living in the student neighbourhoods,” Slocum said. “They form a good community, and a good community is better for parties.”
In Montreal, drinking in parks is permitted before 8 p.m. if accompanied by food, which makes the city more welcoming to picnic darties. However, McGillians have had mixed experiences with police enforcement shutting down their events.
“I feel like the only downfall about darties is that the cops can come through even though it’s 3 p.m. on a Saturday. You can get unlucky,” Harrington shared.
Slocum, however, found that the police
were relatively relaxed when it came to daytime events. He also expressed no preference when comparing darties to parties, though he’s hosted two of the former in the past.
“I personally like darties but not any more than parties. And I don’t know if there’s any difference between them; it’s just that when a darty’s done, you can still go do stuff after,” Slocum said.
On the other hand, Harrington emphasized her appreciation for darties, highlighting how good weather and open space can be conducive to making new connections.
pulsive nature means you’re never afraid to take risks—even with your study schedule. In the past, last-minute cramming may have given you those pleasant adrenaline rushes, but this spring, you’ll find that consistency pays off. Believe it or not, you’ll finally learn to pace yourself, and you’ll conquer finals season without breaking a sweat!
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): You’re no stranger to sacrificing sleep for a few extra hours of cramming. If you have plans to work in the library after dark, avoid the silent floor—it will drain your energy rather than fuel your focus. The stars suggest you seek a lively new study space that keeps your mind sharp!
The word “darty” comes from taking the first letter of “day” and the last four of “party,” but what else could it stand for? Dragon party? Drinking party? The possibilities are endless. (Zoe Lee / The Tribune)
“I really like darties, and I know so many other people that do because it’s a really wholesome event,” she said. “Parties are a bit cliquey-er, I feel like the crowds at darties are more outgoing. Everyone likes to be outside. Parties are dark and cramped, while darties are bright and open.”
With the late spring snowstorm (hopefully) behind us, now’s a great time to consider planning a darty for yourself! All it takes to host a successful one is daylight hours and a group of willing friends. With that in mind, whether you need a break from studying or just finished your final exams, it’s the perfect time to darty the day away.
Did you know that there were originally 13 zodiac signs! Ophiuchus, the snake charmer zodiac,
zodiac signs matched the Babylonians 12-month calendar. (Mia Helfrich / The Tribune)
How to stay motivated through spring Balancing academic and personal needs as the semester comes to a close
Nell Casey Contributor
With only two weeks of classes left and finals following close behind, the finish line of the semester finally seems within reach. However, when seeing the melting snow and lengthening days, it is tempting to relax, enjoy this time of year with friends, and completely forget about schoolwork. Even as the distractions grow stronger, keeping academic motivation is key to staying on top of finals for the last push of the semester. The Tribune has compiled a few tips for staying motivated and balancing schoolwork with personal time.
One way to stay motivated is to have clear objectives and keep your academic goals in mind. Daphne Barret, U1 Arts, stressed the importance of remembering why you’re at McGill in the first place.
“I moved here to pursue education, and I want the best grades possible,” Barret said.
Setting clear goals, regardless of how small they may be, can help create a sense of direction and put into perspective the importance of staying on course.
Another effective way to stay motivated is to find the right group of friends to study with. While not every friend is the right partner for a study session, surrounding yourself with people who can keep you accountable to your work can not only boost your productivity but also create an environment where you can support each other
by sharing ideas and clarifying concepts.
Still, academic success is not only found in the library. Barret highlighted the necessity of taking breaks and making time for social activities.
“I would not be able to function without breaks and valuable social time. It’s part of a balance that cannot stop just because you have a lot to do,” Barret explained. “It would be detrimental in the long run to only focus on school.”
Barret also added that she likes to go on walks or spend time on a bench outdoors during the school day, especially when the
weather is nice, to maintain a balance between studying and relaxing.
Studies from the National Library of Medicine confirm the importance of spending time outside to improve mental and cognitive health. Further, time spent outdoors can also lower anxiety and stress levels and improve your sleep cycle. Exposure to natural light also helps regulate our circadian rhythm.
In addition to spending time outside, engaging in social or creative activities can be a great way to take your mind off school
A retrospective on McGill’s ambitions Exploring the campus that could have been
and unwind. Barret noted that while hard work and academic success can be fulfilling, what makes her time in university enjoyable is finding ways that she can have fun.
“In high school, I was only dedicated to school, and it took a toll,” Barret said. Now, in university, she listens to what she needs, prioritizing her well-being.
This could look like meeting a friend for a coffee date, trying out a new recipe, or picking up a new hobby like drawing or writing. By taking the time to switch gears, you can return to schoolwork later with a fresh mind and renewed energy.
Getting regular exercise is also crucial, as physical and mental health are often intertwined. While this may seem like a break from schoolwork, getting your heart rate up can give you an academic boost. Processes in the brain that occur during physical activity release proteins that are important for memory and cognitive function. Additionally, exercise increases blood flow to the brain, supporting neuron and cell growth, and improving concentration and energy levels.
As the semester wraps up, it’s important to keep in mind that finding this balance is a necessary part of being successful in school. Productive study habits also need to be accompanied by activities that will recharge you—whether it be socializing, exercising, or spending time with just yourself—to nurture academic and personal health.
Dante Ventulieri Contributor
Nestled at the foot of Mount Royal, McGill’s campus offers a respite from the busy downtown streets of Montreal. Over the years, many projects have been proposed that would improve the campus experience for students. While these ambitions and concepts are exciting, McGill must often rely on the cooperation of various levels of government for funding and approval, and as a result, their ability to execute these plans leaves many promising designs stuck in the blueprinting phase.
Join The Tribune as we head down memory lane, reminiscing about a campus that could have been.
McTavish underpass
Many students on campus are intimately familiar with the joys of its northwest area, home to the Law, Medicine, and Education faculty buildings, among others. Crossing on red at the McTavish and Docteur-Penfield intersection has become a rite of passage for many rushed students. In the late 1960s, however, McGill had other plans. True to the planning principles of the time, where impeding the flow of vehicular traffic was seen as taboo, the proposal saw the construction of a pedestrian underpass underneath Docteur-Penfield. Perhaps it was better that this plan never got off the drawing board, as pedestrian underpasses are associated with safety and connectivity concerns.
A beautiful library is a defining characteristic of long-established universities. Though McGill has some impressive spots, like the Birks Reading Room or the Morrice Hall Octagon Room, it lacks a truly impressive flagship library. For fans of brutalism, McLennan might scratch the itch, but it’s a tier or two below the libraries at Johns Hopkins, UC San Diego, and U Chicago, among others. In 2019, when I first started at McGill, the administration announced the Fiat Lux project, their plan to completely overhaul, modernize, and expand the McLennan-Redpath Library complex by 2025. Back then, I remember thinking that if I ever ended up pursuing a master’s at McGill, I would get to enjoy the renovated library. Today, as I enter the final weeks of my master’s, all I’ve gotten is a library devoid of books and an announcement that the project has been suspended.
McGill College Avenue revitalisation
Maybe this one is a bit of a stretch— it’s really a municipal project, but it bears the name McGill, so why not include it?
One of my first pieces for The Tribune was about the McGill College Avenue Revitalization Project: Announced in 2020, the city envisioned pedestrianizing the avenue and adorning it with micro-forests, an outdoor fire pit, and an entrance to the McGill REM station. Though slated for completion by 2025-2026, construction has yet to start. The Ring, however, is a
nice surprise that adds a flourish to the view from the Roddick Gates.
Bike parking garage
In 2015, a plan to build an underground bike parking facility in the University Centre was proposed by McGill and ékm architecture. The project included 250 rentable secure bike parking spaces, 10 shower stalls, changing rooms, 116 lockers, a repair station, and a space for the FLAT Bike Collective. Construction was supposed to begin in 2018, but alas, 10 years after the proposal and 17 years after the idea was initially floated, the notion of secure
indoor bike parking is but a pipedream for the McGill community.
The future of McGill campus
Though McGill Campus Planning and Development has a pipeline of projects, both small and large, funding directives from the provincial government have unfortunately pushed McGill to suspend many of its capital projects. While it might be a while before McGill can return to its ambitious roots, students can at least look forward to the Fall 2025 reopening of the Upper Main Road… well, hopefully.
Sleep deprivation can hinder productivity, so don’t forget to get those eight hours of sleep each night. (Zoe Lee / The Tribune)
Fiat Lux
Dementia and disparities: The sex differences in healthcare utilization
How men and women with dementia differ in a variety of healthcare settings
Antoine Larocque
Contributor
Healthcare inequities—avoidable differences in health across population subgroups—are ubiquitous in Canada. Even though women are more affected by dementia—a group of age-related diseases characterized by memory decline—than men, current dementia policies often do not consider sex-based differences.
Dementia is a major public health issue, with the number of cases projected to rise significantly as the population ages. According to the Alzheimer Society of Canada, nearly 600,000 Canadians are currently living with dementia; this figure is expected to double by 2030. Women account for approximately twothirds of all dementia cases, but an alarmingly low amount of re- search and policy development in the field takes gender-based disparities into account.
In a recent study, Geneviève ArsenaultLapierre, a researcher at the Centre for Research and Expertise in Social Gerontology and an associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine, and her collaborators investigated disparities in healthcare utilization between men and women with dementia.
Expanding on previous research conducted in Ontario, Lapierre’s study examined 23 healthcare indicators such as visits to family physicians, antidepressant prescriptions, and mortality.
Pulling data from the Quebec Integrated
Women with dementia tend to
seek medical care early, while men find it more challenging to acknowledge their early dementia symptoms. (Leanne Cherry / The Tribune)
Chronic Disease Surveillance System, Arsenault-Lapierre and her collaborators organized the healthcare indicators into five different healthcare settings that reflect a continuum of care needs: Ambulatory care (outpatient services), pharmacological care, acute hospital care, long-term care (including nursing homes), and mortality.
Their findings revealed significant differences in how men and women access and use healthcare, but the nature of these differences varied by setting.
“Women received more ambulatory care, saw their family doctor more often, and received their dementia diagnosis from their family doctor,” Arsenault-Lapierre said in an interview with The Tribune
Moreover, women were more frequently prescribed dementia-related drugs, such as memantine and cholinesterase inhibitors. However, they also saw increased prescriptions for antidepressants and benzodiazepines—drugs that are not optimized for dementia treatment.
On the other hand, men with dementia were hospitalized more often and relied more heavily on acute care services— many of which could have been avoided with better primary care. They also experienced higher rates of hospital readmission within 30 days, an indicator of lower-quality healthcare and poorer patient outcomes.
“Men went to the hospital more often,” Arsenault-Lapierre added. “They also had more acute care services […] that could potentially have been avoided, and more [30-day] readmissions after hospitalization.”
Additionally, men with dementia were more frequently admitted to long-term care facilities and had higher mortality rates than women with dementia.
While this study was primarily descriptive and did not investigate the causes of these sexbased differences, Arsenault-Lapierre empha-
sized the importance of understanding how sex is recorded in healthcare databases.
“Administrative databases [use] sex attributed at birth, which changes if the person requests a change,” Arsenault-Lapierre explained. “We measure indicators that are influenced by biological factors, that is, sex, but also psychological and sociocultural factors, that is, gender.”
Nevertheless, their findings highlighted the need for healthcare policies that consider sex differences in dementia care. In particular, they support the implementation of personalized medicine—an approach that tailors treatment to the needs of individual patients rather than employing a one-size-fits-all strategy.
Personalized medicine could help address key disparities within dementia treatment practices, such as the overprescription of potentially ineffective drugs to women and the lack of adequate outpatient care for men.
To better understand how people with dementia access and use healthcare services, Arsenault-Lapierre says future work should focus on differences between additional population subgroups.
“[We should investigate] the differences at the socioeconomic level and between rural and urban areas because rural areas do not have the same services as urban areas,” ArsenaultLapierre said.
Ultimately, further research is required to determine whether these sex differences arise from inequities in healthcare access and, if so, how to address them.
Hormone therapy: A new way to treat Alzheimer’s, or more harm than good?
Uncovering the effect of hormone therapy on biomarkers in Alzheimer’s Disease
Sammi Lai Contributor
Menopause is often associated with sleep disturbances, hot flashes, and mood swings—but could it also play a role in brain health? While most people do not immediately link menopause with Alzheimer’s disease (AD)—a brain condition that results from the buildup of amyloid and tau proteins in the brain—research suggests that the decline in estrogen during this stage of life may contribute to an increased risk. With women making up nearly 70 per cent of all Alzheimer’s cases, scientists are exploring whether hormone replacement therapy could help protect the brain and reduce this risk.
Yi-Tang Wang, a researcher at McGill’s Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, investigated the effects of hormone therapy on Alzheimer’s-related biomarkers. These biomarkers, such as phosphorylated tau (p-tau), can indicate the buildup of amyloid plaques and tau neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in the brain even before the patient begins showing symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
“We have these biomarkers from both neuroimaging and biofluid that can identify the pathology happening in the brain before the symptoms actually show up,” Wang said in an interview with The Tribune
In an observational study, Wang found that postmenopausal women who had undergone hormone therapy exhibited lower levels of Alzheimer’s-associated biomarkers than those who
had not. This suggests that hormone therapy decreases the accumulation of amyloid plaques and NFTs in the brain. Furthermore, as the buildup of amyloid is thought to accelerate the buildup of NFTs, Wang also found that hormone therapy might help to reduce this interaction.
However, she emphasized that this does not necessarily mean hormone therapy can prevent Alzheimer’s.
“[This study] is not trying to tell you—or recommend you—to take hormone therapy to prevent AD [...] It provides certain evidence that hormone therapy might link to AD biomarkers in the brain, [but] its goal is not really to give you any recommendations,” Wang clarified.
Research on the effect of hormone therapy on cognitive decline has been inconclusive. While some studies suggest it reduces Alzheimer’s risk, the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS) found no such benefit and even suggested a potential increase in dementia risk.
These discrepancies are likely due to differences in study design, participant populations and hormone therapy timing and dosage. Furthermore, genetic factors, such as carrying the APOE ε4 gene—a major Alzheimer’s risk factor—may influence how individuals respond to hormone therapy. Socioeconomic factors also play a role, as women who undergo hormone therapy typically have better access to healthcare and tend to be more educated, which could contribute to improved health outcomes that are not necessarily representative of all women.
Despite Wang’s desire to investigate the impacts of hormone type, treatment duration, and
In 2024, 8.7 per cent of people in Canada over the age of 65 had some form of dementia. (Leanne Cherry / The Tribune)
genetic predisposition, her study’s small sample size limits the ability to study these variables separately.
“When you [want] to do too many things, you really don’t get to if you don’t have a big sample size. But that means you are sacrificing [considering] certain factors that could impact the results,” Wang said.
Wang calls on the need for large-scale casecontrol studies to conclusively determine the potential of hormone therapy as a way to prevent Alzheimer’s. She is also interested in uncovering the reason behind the sex disparity in Alzheim-
er’s, asserting that it will help scientists better understand the mechanisms of the disease and develop sex-specific treatment approaches.
“One of the reasons why we really want to try to explain the sex difference is we want to know if there’s certain strategies that need to be changed between men and women. We don’t want a one-size-fits-all strategy,” Wang said.
Overall, Wang’s study shows that hormone therapy reduces levels of Alzheimer’s-associated biomarkers and she hopes to enable future studies regarding Alzheimer’s risk and treatment in women.
Do we really choose our groceries, or does habit choose for us?
Sarah McDonald Staff Writer
How do we decide what to buy when we go grocery shopping? Why do we purchase the same items time and time again? Do we really choose our groceries, or do we pick what we buy based on habit alone?
Hiroshi Mamiya, a professor in McGill’s Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, is trying to answer these questions. In a paper recently published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, Mamiya explored patterns of co-purchased foods in Montreal.
“When we buy food, we buy different foods together, and that’s important from a public health sense, because we want to know whether people are eating healthy food or not,” Mamiya explained in an interview with The Tribune
Mamiya and his team analyzed anonymized grocery store loyalty card data from a single Montreal grocery store chain between 2015 and 2017, allowing them to identify which foods were most frequently purchased together.
“We found that sodas and salty snacks tend to be bought together. This is kind of common sense, because when we go to the store,
An
analysis of co-purchased foods in Montreal
they are always side by side, and intentionally lined up together to make us buy them,” Mamiya said.
Along with the co-purchasing of soda and salty snacks, they found that fruit is often purchased with foods such as yogurt and nuts, and that vegetables are often purchased with fresh or frozen fish.
“We used very sophisticated science to prove what everybody kind of knows, but someone has to prove these things empirically. Our project has a lot to do with confirming common sense using science,” Mamiya explained.
Their project also confirmed some widely held assumptions: People who buy soda tend to buy more unhealthy foods, including sweets, highly processed foods, red meat, and readymade meals, as compared to people who do not buy soda.
In contrast, those who purchased fresh fruits and vegetables were more likely to have healthier diets overall, with fewer processed foods and more whole ingredients.
Having analyzed these findings, Mamiya is particularly interested in how these purchasing patterns may shift in response to the current food insecurity crisis.
“In the age of increasing food insecurity, we want to know if the rising prices of vegeta-
bles and other healthy foods will cause people to buy more junk foods,” Mamiya said. “Do people tend to buy junk food to get the same level of caloric intake? Whether people give up buying healthy food or not is what I think is probably important, because we want to help make sure people’s diets are not compromised because of the price of food.”
The sample for this study was over 1,500,000 unidentifiable transaction records. (Ryan Dvorak / The Tribune)
Government initiatives, such as taxes and subsidies, could help steer people toward healthier eating habits. By identifying which foods are commonly purchased together, policymakers can better determine which products to tax or subsidize to encourage nutritious diets.
Mamiya highlighted how these policies can help remind people of what they are buying.
“We don’t always know what we buy, because we kind of buy things almost as a habit,
right? Even if prices increase, people still buy Pepsi and potato chips together. Everybody does it, it’s a habit,” Mamiya explained. Trying to break these ingrained purchasing habits and actively making more intentional food choices at the store can help improve our diet quality. Since nutrition plays a critical role in preventing many chronic health conditions, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, being mindful of grocery shopping habits is a crucial step toward better health.
Less is more: How efficient crop water use promotes environmental sustainability Water
management in agriculture enhances food production and benefits the environment
Samathar Senso Staff Writer
Freshwater plays a pivotal role in global food production, with over 70 per cent of available freshwater supplies used in agriculture for pumped irrigation and rainwater harvesting. While the water cycle ensures freshwater regeneration through a continuous movement of water between the surface and atmosphere, our current usage of freshwater significantly exceeds the planet’s ability to restore its water supplies.
Climate change further complicates this balance by making precipitation patterns more unpredictable, leading to extreme droughts and intense rainfall. As global temperatures rise, evaporation rates increase, further reducing available water resources and exacerbating agricultural water stress.
In light of these challenges, efficient water management practices are essential in ensuring global food security. Without proactive conservation efforts, freshwater shortages could lead to declining crop yields, increased food prices, and greater food insecurity worldwide.
Water scarcity also threatens rural livelihoods, as many farmers depend on reliable water access for their agricultural production. Recognizing these challenges, researchers and policymakers are working to develop solutions that promote more efficient use of freshwater resources in agriculture.
In a recent paper, Xinchun Cao, a former visiting professor in McGill’s Department of
Bioresource Engineering, and his colleagues constructed a water conservation model that optimizes water use through the Water-EnergyFood-Ecosystem (WEF) Nexus. This approach examines the interconnectedness of water use, energy consumption, and food production while exploring how improved water management can reduce carbon emissions.
“The purpose [of the model] is to understand the key drivers of crop water footprints and provide insights into strategies for improving water resource management in agriculture,” Cao said in an interview with The Tribune
The WEF nexus highlights a key issue: Irrigated crop water requires energy to be extracted, transported, and distributed, emitting carbon at every stage. By reducing crop water consumption, we can simultaneously lower energy use and decrease carbon emissions, making agriculture more sustainable.
To achieve this, Cao and his team calculated the total amount of freshwater used across seven regions in China and analyzed its relationship with seasonal variations, total area of the irrigated land, fertilizer consumption, and economic conditions. They then used this data as input for the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II (NSGA-II)—an optimization algorithm within the computing platform MATLAB—to minimize crop water footprints and carbon emissions while maximizing economic benefits, such as higher crop yield and reduced production costs.
By properly identifying how different factors and conditions influence crop water con-
sumption, the researchers gained valuable insights into how current water supplies can be used more efficiently.
“While [the model] is based on data from mainland China, its methodology can be applied to other regions as well,” Cao noted. “By adapting the data inputs, the model can be used to assess crop water footprints and water conservation strategies in different geographical contexts.”
The model revealed that using fertilizer reduces crop water efficiency as it not only increases carbon emissions but also contributes to water pollution, rendering polluted water unusable and requiring more irrigation.
While the water conservation model is currently focused on agriculture, its potential extends to broader applications in policymaking and regional water management planning. Authorities could use this tool to better understand the factors driving crop water use and develop targeted strategies for conservation.
Freshwater use in Canadian agriculture increased by over 45 per cent from 2005 to 2021, a concerning figure given that Canada holds more than 20 per cent of the world’s available freshwater. Implementing more efficient water management practices could help ensure sustainable use of this critical resource.
“This research could be used
to refine water conservation models, develop region-specific strategies for improving water use efficiency, and guide sustainable agricultural practices,” Cao said. “It could also contribute to broader efforts in addressing global water scarcity issues by providing a better understanding of the relationship between agricultural practices and water resources.”
