The Tribune Vol. 43 Issue 16

The Tribune TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 2024 | VOL. 43 | ISSUE 16

Published by the SPT, a student society of McGill University

THETRIBUNE.CA | @THETRIBUNECA

EDITORIAL

FEATURE

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Cutting corners in higher education must be avoided at all costs

Canada’s housing crisis has been decades in the making

PG. 5

PG. 8-9

Endometriosis and mental health: A novel study on the silent battle PG. 7

(Brian Chang / The Tribune)

‘Legally Blonde’ features stellar vocal performances, a great sense of humour, and a whole lot of pinkPG. 14

Discovery of asbestos in Arts building disrupts ‘Legally Blonde’ production, worries students Students cite lack of clear communication from administration over the closure Lily Cason Managing Editor

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n Sunday, Jan. 21, students in the Department of English received an email from their chair, Professor Erin Hurley, who shared a Jan. 19 announcement from Facilities Management and Ancillary Services (FMAS). The announcement ex-

plained that plaster debris found at the back of the stage in Moyse Hall had tested positive for asbestos, a carcinogenic material used in construction between 1930 and 1990. The message specified that several spaces in the McCall MacBain Arts Building—including the stage (room 165A), room 165, room 165C, room 100, and part of the basement—are off limits as testing continues and FMAS does “remediation work.” This announcement comes after Mc-

Catching up with Shakespeare McGill’s annual Shakespeare Lecture explores new facets of the Bard Kellie Elrick Staff Writer

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n 1592, the bubonic plague hits London. It isn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last. Theatres—including the Globe—close for almost half a year. William Shakespeare writes King Lear.

In 2020 (cautioned groan), Jessica B. Hill is slated to play two Shakespearean heroines at the Canadian Stratford Festival: Helen in All’s Well That Ends Well, and Lady Anne in Richard III. Stratford cancels the season (spitting on Colm Feore is against CDC Guidelines).

“I put my scripts

under the couch,” Hill said during the lecture.

“I couldn’t look at them; that’s how much it hurt.”

As we enter a different stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are forced to reckon with how a return to live performance has changed how we view theatre—and what a world without it would lose.

PG.13

Gill closed three buildings at the Macdonald Campus early last year due to the discovery of asbestos, prompting McGill’s Internal Audit unit to look into the handling of the situation. The investigation culminated in a report, 25 recommendations, and the creation of a task force.

Unlike last year’s asbestos-related closures, no university-wide message has been sent about the Moyse Hall closure.

PG. 2

Delving into the world of sportswashing engulfing pro-sports Exploring sportwashing and its utilization by organizations and countries alike Sara Escallon Sotomayor & Marco Zeppilli Sports Editor & Staff Writer What is sportswashing?

Sportswashing has been the buzzword of choice for Western com-

mentators in the sports world for the last three years. In rapid succession, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign Public Investment Fund (PIF) acquired Newcastle United in Oct. 2021 then bought into the top tier of men’s professional golf via LIV Golf, the PGA Tour,

and DP World Tour merger. Then, the 2022 World Cup was held in Qatar. To top it off, Saudi Arabia nationalized four soccer teams in their own SaudiPro League, providing the league with limitless cash and newfound access to top-tier talent.

PG.16

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NEWS

news@thetribune.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 2024

Discovery of asbestos in Arts building disrupts ‘Legally Blonde’ production, worries students who frequent the space Students cite lack of clear communication from administration over the closure Lily Cason Managing Editor Continued from page 1.

According to McGill Media Relations Officer Frédérique Mazerolle, “Communications may be expanded to the wider community depending on the information gathered through the assessments currently underway. ” As of Jan. 29, the webpage for Moyse Hall contained a notice that the theatre and nearby rooms were temporarily closed, but did not state a reason.

Asbestos is a health risk when the lightweight fibres become airborne, which often happens during demolition and construction projects, or when there is damage to a building. If materials containing asbestos are left undisturbed or sealed, they are not thought to be a health risk. Air samples were taken in the Arts Building on Jan. 19; according to Mazerolle, the results “indicate that air in Moyse Hall is within the regulatory thresholds set by the Government of Quebec and as well as our more stringent McGill thresholds.” Quebec’s cut-off for office and classroom settings to be considered safe is 0.1 asbestos fibres per cubic centimetre, and McGill’s is 0.01.

Sarah Pattloch, U3 Arts and the lighting designer for the Arts Undergraduate Theatre Society’s (AUTS) Legally Blonde production—which was slated to take place in Moyse Hall before the asbestos was discovered—found out about the closure of Moyse Hall days before an official email went out.

“We were in the theatre in Moyse for the first day of tech on Jan. 15th, on the Monday, and then the theatre was closed and we weren’t allowed in on the 16th and on the 17th,” Pattloch said. “We had a group Zoom meeting for cast and crew on the 17th, where we found out why we weren’t allowed in.

Our production manager and director and maybe a couple of people had been having meetings with Erin Hurley [...] where they found out this information on Wednesday the 17th.”

The Legally Blonde production ultimately had to change venues last minute, as the show started on Jan. 26, proving stressful for those involved.

“We had to really tone down what we

The Internal Audit Final Report of the Macdonald Campus Asbestos Investigation showed that the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail intervened in work at Macdonald Campus three times between 2021 and 2023 due to asbestos risk. (Abby Zhu / The Tribune) were doing for set, for sound, for lighting, for all of the technical aspects, because at that point we’d already lost a week of tech, so we didn’t really have time to add all that we wanted to if we would have been in Moyse,” Pattloch said. “And also the new venue doesn’t really allow for the same level of production that we were going to be doing.”

According to Kimberly Hönig, U4 Arts, AUTS President, and Production Manager of Legally Blonde, the production was also forced to abandon their live band, as it did not work in the new space. She also pointed out that the closure of Moyse Hall has resulted in an immense financial burden for AUTS. Materials, such as musical instruments which they rented, are now locked inside Moyse Hall.

Hönig shared that many members of the Legally Blonde team are uneasy in light of

The Stewart Biology building was closed in February 2023 after damage from burst water pipes led to asbestos exposure risk. (Abby Zhu / The Tribune)

the news that they were exposed to asbestos. She believes that McGill has not done enough to keep students informed or alleviate concerns.

“In terms of the health repercussions of the asbestos exposure, I mean, a lot of us on the team have been in and around Moyse Hall for a few years, since we’ve been at McGill, so that’s definitely a concern,” Hönig said. “Especially because we don’t really have any information coming from McGill, about what the health repercussions are [....]

We were in that space and moving around that space for an entire day before we knew anything.”

Hönig pointed out that there has been little to no communication from university administrators over the issue, but instead, the English department and Moyse Hall technicians played a key role in relaying information.

“I want to stress that the communication that I’ve received about the closure of Moyse Hall and the asbestos and the warnings and all of that has not come from McGill specifically, or the health and safety team,” Hönig added. “I have been getting that information, and all my communication, through Professor Erin Hurley, the chair of the English department, and the technicians at Moyse Hall [....] The only message that we’ve gotten from McGill or from the health and services team is that official message that kind of went out to all the English undergraduate students.”

Pattloch similarly feels the university has not been maintaining an open dialogue with students.

“I haven’t been in contact with anyone directly from the department. I saw that they sent out like one email, at least a few days

after we found out the news, so [...] the email didn’t tell us anything else,” Pattloch said.

“All the other information that I’ve been getting—about what’s closing, what they’re trying to do, if they’re trying to open at any point—has kind of come from different people that I know in classes, or in other departments, or with some other kinds of connections.”

The Tribune reached out to Hurley, who stated that McGill’s communications team was fielding all questions about the situation.

In response to a question about how the university plans to address students’ and staff members’ concerns and anxiety about potentially being exposed to asbestos, Mazerolle stressed that the risk is low.

“Government health authorities state that ‘health problems associated with asbestos are in the general population’; they are more common in people who work in areas where there is high exposure for a prolonged amount of time, such as in an asbestos mine and factories that manufacture parts containing asbestos,” Mazerolle wrote. “However, people with concerns may wish to consult a health care professional.”

Although Mazerolle claims that “Students and staff associated with the Department of English received an email about the situation on Jan. 19, as well as a more recent update [on Jan. 25] that included the fact [that] air tests undertaken in Moyse Hall were within regulatory thresholds,” students in the English department have told The Tribune that they were only formally notified of the asbestos on Jan. 21, and did not receive a follow-up with results of the air quality tests.

According to Mazerolle, there is not yet a set date for when Moyse Hall will be deemed safe and reopened.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 2024

news@thetribune.ca

NEWS

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Trans health clinic strives to address gaps in mainstream health care

McGill trans activists question if community-led clinics can support trans students’ unmet needs Fabienne de Cartier Contributor

Choudhury. This research aims to identify gaps in mainstream healthcare and the demographics most underserved. Organizers at Community ozens gathered at the Concordia Mc- Healing Days hope that their pilot project will Connell Building on Jan. 23 to support serve as a model that can be replicated elsewhere the launch of three specialized pop-up in the city and beyond. clinics that seek to address unmet needs in the The new trans health care clinic will suppublic health care system. Delivered by Com- port patients as they prepare for and heal from munity Healing Days, a collective of alternative gender-related surgeries. This support is offered and traditional therapists, they will focus on pro- through workshops and bodywork provided by viding trans, menstrual, reproductive, and peri- trans and allied practitioners. natal health care.

At the launch event, organizers stressed the The clinics will operate approximately need for more accessible care, especially amid once a month, offering low sliding scale rates to the current health care crisis in Quebec. Kota make their services more accessible to low-in- Rook, a coordinator for the new trans health come patients. The clinics are funded by SHIFT clinic, emphasized the difficulties that marginalConcordia’s Deep Investment Fund and will be ized communities face when accessing care. run out of Studio 414 in downtown Montreal.

“We really particularly want to center peoThe project includes a research component co- ple with very low income, and people who are ordinated by McGill assistant professor Suparna racialized, Black, Indigenous, people of colour,” said Rook. “Because the more layers of things we’re experiencing in the world, the more barriers there are to health care.”

The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) adopted a Gender Affirmation Care Plan last year, which expanded the Health and Dental Plan to cover more gender-affirming care procedures. However, Jacob Williams, a representative from McGill’s Trans The first Community Healing Days pop-up clinic is scheduled for Patient Union, highlights Feb. 8 and will focus on menstrual and reproductive health. (Mason that the plan has some seBramadat / The Tribune)

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rious limitations. Currently, the plan requires students to obtain a gender dysphoria diagnosis before undergoing a procedure—despite the fact that this is not a legal requirement for receiving gender-affirming surgeries in Quebec. Furthermore, it does not cover certain procedures such as fertility preservation, nor the supplies needed for recovery after surgery. Additionally, the Plan’s maximum coverage is $5,000 for any one procedure with a lifetime maximum of $10,000.

“It’s a drop in the bucket,” said Williams.

“The coverage amount is so low [that] it’s only really useful for a very small amount of things.”

Amina Kudrati-Plummer, SSMU’s VP Finance, told The Tribune that although they do not yet have any statistics on the success of the Gender Affirmation Care Plan, they are aware of students’ concerns and are hoping to increase coverage in the future.

“At SSMU, we are working towards expanding the overall coverage to meet the needs of the students more comprehensively,” KudratiPlummer said.

Some members of the McGill community hope that projects like Community Healing Days’ new clinics can help address the unmet health care needs of students. Choudhury said that there is a disparity between the health care that is needed and what is available.

“These kinds of modalities have lots to offer and are sorely missing from what’s freely available [and] accessible to students,” Choudhury stated.

Others, including Keith Bellec-Warrick, finance coordinator of Union for Gender Empowerment at McGill, maintain that larger-scale change is needed to address the health care needs

of trans people.

“It’s a question of a large-scale funding and organizational failure,” Bellec-Warrick said in an interview with The Tribune. “We welcome more changes in the future, but they’re not a favour, they’re not a gift. They are some attempt at addressing long-standing failures,” Williams echoed Bellec-Warrick’s sentiment on welcoming change while emphasizing the need for wider structural changes to health care.

“I’m very grateful that projects like these exist [but] this shouldn’t be their job,” Williams said. “And it saddens me that like, basically, community organizers have to be the ones to step in to provide health care when [public] clinics can’t afford to.”

In the Jan. 30 print issue, The Tribune republished the piece “Dozens protest against CAQ’s anti-trans policies” under the title “Trans health clinic strives to address gaps in mainstream health care.” The Tribune apologizes for this layout oversight, to our contributors, and to the members of the queer and trans community who organized these separate events and gave us their time and words in interviews.

For the online version of our print paper, we have fixed the mistake and included the correct article. We appreciate the opportunity to cover these events, and promise not to make this same mistake again.

McGill reduces students’ OneDrive storage from 1 TB to 20 GB University cites Microsoft licensing changes, security, and environmental risks Eliza Lee News Editor

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n Jan. 15, McGill announced it would reduce the amount of Microsoft OneDrive cloud file storage space for each student from one terabyte (TB) of general storage—or 1,000 gigabytes (GB)—to 20 GB of general storage and 20 GB of Outlook email storage. The storage limit will come into effect on May 31, at which point students with over 20 GB of files or Outlook storage will be unable to store new files or send and receive emails, respectively, until their storage is reduced. The new limit will apply only to personal storage and will not affect collaborative storage spaces such as Sharepoint sites.

In their announcement of the reduction, McGill claimed that Microsoft changed storage limits in their licensing structure due to cybersecurity risks that come with storing large amounts of unused data in forgotten files. The university also stated that Microsoft implemented the changes to curb environmental concerns associated with the electricity usage of maintaining unnecessary files.

Steven Ding, assistant professor in McGill’s School of Information Studies, explained in an email to The Tribune that limiting “per-user space allowance” is a common industrial practice to prevent against cybersecurity threats.

“The provision of excessive storage space to users often creates a deceptive sense of security—

leading to user neglect in properly inspecting, organizing, backing up, and managing the stored files, with a reliance instead on syncing everything quietly through the cloud,” Ding wrote.

“Particularly for universities, which are common targets for cyber attacks, this unmonitored large storage capacity significantly expands their vulnerability.”

In an email to The Tribune, McGill Media Relations Officer Frédérique Mazerolle explained that McGill chose to reduce OneDrive storage due to changes in Microsoft’s licensing structure, which limited the available storage at each licensing level. She explained that if the university had kept the same amount of storage, costs would have significantly increased, having a “financial impact” on the university.

Connor O’Keefe, U1 Science, is among the students with over 20 GB of files in OneDrive general storage. O’Keefe uses OneDrive to store lecture recordings as well as data for a McGill research group he is part of, and he questioned the financial motivation behind McGill’s decision.

“I think that citing environmental reasons and stuff doesn’t make a lot of sense. I mean, sure, but [...] it’s clearly some measure to cut costs,” O’Keefe said in an interview with The Tribune. “[McGill] says it’s some change that OneDrive is using for their plan. But I have friends in other schools, and it doesn’t seem to be mirrored.”

In an interview with The Tribune, Inan Upadhyay, a second year master’s student in electrical engineering, explained that using

OneDrive grants him greater flexibility because it allows him to access files across different devices, including the desktop computer that McGill issued him for research. He expressed disappointment with McGill’s decision and called the storage reduction “impractical.”

“Since I work in a lab environment, I According to McGill’s original announcement, justified reasons to store a lot of manuals, request a storage increase beyond 20 GB include storing collected data a lot of instructions,” research and video content for academic purposes. (Brian Chang / The Upadhyay said. “I’m Tribune) pretty surprised to learn McGill is making this decision. Twenty GB of research,” Mazerolle wrote. “Exceptions can files is really nothing, as many software take that be requested and will be considered/evaluated much amount of storage [to run].” for students who justify the need for additional Mazerolle claimed that McGill’s decision storage.” reflects the administration’s research on OneDrive For Oliver Fernie, a second-year master’s usage in the student population, that found that student in engineering, while the storage reduction a 20 GB limit was adequate for 90 per cent of may not impact a large percentage of students, it is students. Mazerolle also wrote that McGill will still another financial burden. provide additional storage for those who require “Cloud storage doesn’t cost much so it’s not it for academic activities by submitting a form, [...] a massive hit for students to replace it but it’s which will be available on the IT Support site. still annoying to have the convenience taken away “We acknowledge that some students will for those who get good use out of it,” Fernie wrote require more storage to accomplish their academic to The Tribune. “We pay enough in tuition already tasks, for example, those conducting academic and McGill certainly isn’t skint.”

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NEWS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 2024

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Along Party Lines: Quebec prevents the nomination of a professor specializing in multiculturalism, systemic racism, and Islamophobia Opposition parties accuse Pascale Déry and the CAQ of ‘arbitrarily censoring’ professor Denise Helly Oscar Macquet Contributor

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enise Helly, a full professor at the National Institute of Scientific Research (INRS)—a branch of the University of Quebec (UQ)—focuses her research on multiculturalism, Islamophobia, systemic racism, and the anti-woke movement. On Dec. 20, Helly received word that Quebec’s Minister of Higher Education, Pascale Déry, had struck down her candidature to the INRS administrative council. This news was met with much confusion at the INRS, as Helly had successfully cleared every step of the institution’s internal nomination process.

In an article published by the Fédération québécoise des professeures et professeurs d’université (FQPPU) on Jan. 19, Jean-Charles Grégoire, president of the INRS’ professors’ union, stated that the structure of the INRS stipulates that the government nominate two professors designated by the faculty of the institute to the administrative council.

Grégoire explained that although the INRS received the news that Helly’s candidature was refused, the Ministry provided no further explanation.

Déry and her cabinet enjoy ministerial discretion and are thus not required to disclose any information regarding Helly’s blocked nomination. Alexandre Cloutier, President of

the UQ, expressed his concern regarding the unusual ministerial intervention to Le Devoir.

Cloutier decried the Ministry’s infringement on both university autonomy and academic freedom, stressing the importance of the university’s ability to carry out their duties without “doctrinal, ideological, or moral constraints.” The president of UQ declared having scheduled a meeting with Déry’s ministerial team, in which he intends to defend the institution’s internal nomination process and demand a justification for Helly’s veto.

Helly spoke out against the ministerial intervention, claiming in an interview with Le Devoir that the subject of her research, which includes multiculturalism, systemic racism, discrimination, Islamophobia, and the anti-woke movement, was likely behind the government’s opposition to her nomination.

She believes that these topics of discussion are “bothersome” to the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), the provincial party currently in power. She also explained that if the minister refuses to explain her decision to exercise her discretionary power, the nature of the decision would be “arbitrary.”

Opposition party leaders and members of the teaching faculty have expressed their indignation regarding what they, too, deem as “arbitrary censorship” from the ministry and called for a clarification of the government’s

opposition to Helly’s nomination. The against Islamophobia” from the Collectif circumstances surrounding the government’s Quebecois contre l’islamophobie (CQCI), decision raised concerns regarding the an organization in which Charkaoui was a respect of the Law on academic liberty in collaborator. the university sector adopted in June 2022, Helly spoke out against this justification which protects higher education institutions’ for her blocked appointment to the autonomy. administrative board, claiming that she was Marwah Rizqy, the Liberal representative the object of a “smear campaign” led by the from Saint-Laurent in the National Assembly CAQ’s Ministry of Higher Education. Helly of Quebec, said that, without an explanation, told Le Devoir that Déry’s statement did not Déry’s decision could be understood as an act “change the nature of the situation”: In the eyes of censorship. House Leader of the opposition of the INRS, the Ministry’s disregard for the party Québec Solidaire, Alexandre Leduc, institution’s nomination process constitutes a implored Minister Déry to publicly explain violation of university autonomy. the reason behind her decision.

After over a month of silence from the Ministry of Higher Education, Déry shared on Jan. 26 that Helly’s nomination to the administrative council of the INRS was foregone due to “links” with imam Adil Charkaoui, who Canadian authorities suspected of terrorism.

In 2015, Helly Denise Helly has been a researcher at the INRS within the University received a prize for of Quebec system since 1994. (James Knechtel / The Tribune) her “efforts in the fight

The Tribune Explains: Responses to rising COVID-19 cases on campus Nursing senator speaks out against McGill’s protocols, says they are not enough to protect vulnerable community members Esther Forbes Contributor uebec experienced over 3,200 new cases from Jan. 7 to 13, according to the province’s most recent data.

This uptick in cases has added strain to the already overburdened healthcare system, which has long wait times and packed emergency rooms at over 100 per cent capacity.

While medical masks and hand sanitizer remain available in most McGill buildings, McGill has eliminated all other health protocols that were previously in place to help counter COVID-19, such as mandatory masking, social distancing, classroom caps, and requirements for classes to be recorded. The Tribune spoke to McGill, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), and the nursing student representative to the McGill Senate about COVID-19 protocols around campus.

help support students in meeting their academic and personal goals, including the Student Wellness Hub, faculty-specific resources, and other academic resources,” Mazerolle wrote. “If a student becomes ill or otherwise unable to complete academic requirements, the Office of the Dean of Students can help students understand their rights and responsibilities as members of the McGill community and can help explore reasonable ways to alleviate barriers to completing requirements.”

Mazerolle also offered insight on the future of classroom recordings at McGill, explaining that the university’s activities are designed for in-person learning.

“It is important to remember that some instructors may include online resources, assessments, or exams as part of the course materials, however they are not obligated to do so, and that processes around academic accommodation can also vary by faculty,” Mazerolle wrote to The Tribune.

How is McGill handling the rise in cases?

McGill Media Relations Officer, Frédérique Mazerolle, told The Tribune that resources are in place for those who get COVID-19 or are otherwise ill, including consulting an academic advisor about accommodations and ways to complete course material.

“McGill offers many resources to

What resources does SSMU provide?

In an email to The Tribune, SSMU Vice-President (VP) Student Life Nadia Dakdouki reaffirmed the student union’s commitment to providing support for students taking precautions against COVID-19. Dakdouki also explained that SSMU offers medical and N95 masks to students at the SSMU office and around

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the University Centre, as well as hand sanitizer. “[The SSMU continues] to comply with government regulations regarding COVID, but we also try our best to cater to students who wish to take extra measures.” Dakdouki wrote.“Outside of COVID concerns, SSMU provides most of its healthcare support by offering a health and dental insurance plan and the keep.meSAFE program (for mental health support).”

While Dakdouki confirmed that the SSMU does not stock COVID-19 tests, those with COVID-19-related concerns should be made aware that pharmacies in Quebec distribute them for free to full-time students who are between the ages of 18 and 25.

Do students feel adequately supported?

Naomi Pastrana Mankovitz, U3 Nursing and a nursing senator, feels that McGill’s current protocols are failing to adequately protect vulnerable individuals and to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

With experience working in emergency rooms (ERs) throughout nursing rotations, Pastrana Mankovitz also attested to the shortcomings of the government’s current health and safety protocols in hospitals.

“We act as if the pandemic is over, but we just don’t care about those that are

The Quebec health minister has asked Quebecers to stay away from ERs to reduce pressure on the healthcare system. (Maïa Salhofer / The Tribune) more vulnerable to the effects of COVID.” Pastrana Mankovitz wrote. “Wearing a mask is still needed especially during flu seasons. The ERs are chronically over capacity. I am doing my rotation in the ER right now, and a really good day is 125 per cent capacity. McGill is following government and health recommendations, but we can all do better.”

opinion@thetribune.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 2024

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Editor-in-Chief Matthew Molinaro editor@thetribune.ca

Cutting corners in higher education must be avoided at all costs

Creative Director Mika Drygas mdrygas@thetribune.ca

The Tribune Editorial Board

EDITORIAL BOARD

Managing Editors Lily Cason lcason@thetribune.ca Arian Kamel akamel@thetribune.ca Tillie Burlock tburlock@thetribune.ca News Editors Eliza Lee, Jasjot Grewal, & Caroline Sun news@thetribune.ca Opinion Editors Chloé Kichenane, Liliana Mason, & Isaiah Albert-Stein opinion@thetribune.ca Science & Technology Editors Ella Paulin & Athina Sitou scitech@thetribune.ca Student Life Editors Abby McCormick & Dante Ventulieri studentlife@thetribune.ca Features Editor Fanta Ly features@thetribune.ca Arts & Entertainment Editors Dana Prather & Suzanna Graham arts@thetribune.ca Sports Editors Sara Escallon & Julie Ferreyra sports@thetribune.ca Design Editors Drea Garcia & Zoe Dubin design@thetribune.ca Photo Editor Mason Bramadat photo@thetribune.ca Multimedia Editor Anna Chudakov & Alyssa Razavi Mastali multimedia@thetribune.ca

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igher education is not immune to the consequences of economic instability in Canada and around the world. Staff, faculty, and students at Queen’s University are all too aware of this, following The Queen’s Journal’s reporting on leaked documents that reveal a drastic budget deficit and the school’s plan to cut classes with less than 10 students enrolled.

Queen’s, after suffering a $48 million deficit in the 2023-24 fiscal year, attributes this “acute problem” to the Ontario government’s 10 per cent tuition cut for in-province students in 2019 and the ongoing tuition freeze. Though Queen’s faces a particularly dire situation, it is not the only university suffering from a financial crisis, heightened by the recent announcement of a federal cap on international students. As tuition prices rise and budget deficits increase, higher education must reckon with accessibility, inclusion, and transformation. In Montreal, this week’s upcoming strikes from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 offer domestic and international students across disciplines a movement to gather

Web Developer Eleni Lyberopoulos webdev@thetribune.ca Copy Editor Theodore Yohalem Shouse copy@thetribune.ca Social Media Editor Sainka Walia socialmedia@thetribune.ca Business Manager Sophie Smith business@thetribune.ca

OFF THE BOARD Arian Kamel Managing Editor

TPS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ghazal Azizi, Ella Gomes, Shani Laskin, Eliza Lee, Amalia Mairet, Matthew Molinaro, Jacob Northfield, Ella Paulin & Sophie Smith

STAFF Yusur Al-Sharqi, Roberto Concepcion, Kellie Elrick, Maria Gheorghiu, Ellie Griffiths-Barnhart, Charlotte Hayes, Madigan McMahon, Atticus O’Rourke Rusin, Eliza Wang, Katherine Weaver, Marco Zeppelli, Abby Zhu

CONTRIBUTORS Megan Belrose, Sylvie Bourque, Isobel Bray, Brian Chang, Fabienne de Cartier, Lily Dodson, Esther Forbes, Kiran Gill, Jasmine Jing, James Knechtel, Oscar Macquet, Amalia Mairet, Charlotte Theofanous, Nell Tov, Maïa Salhofer

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here are a few moments in every person’s life that define who they become, the legacy that they leave behind. For me, this moment came when I stumbled upon a line with such RAW power that even recalling it makes me shake in my metaphorical boots.

I remember it like it was

together and demand change for a better university for all.

Many universities will inevitably choose to implement cuts similar to Queen’s, eliminating classes with low enrollment. This will have particularly harmful effects on fine arts, humanities, and language programs that tend to have lower enrollment rates than sciences, engineering, and social sciences. The smallest classes, which are often those that are culturally specific, such as Indigenous Studies, attract students who have historically been excluded from higher education. Erasing smaller classes abruptly stops the momentum of these disciplines in bigger institutions, affecting programs such as African Studies and South Asian Studies. As these programs fight to solidify their place in universities, administrations must support and invest in them—not discard them.

Eliminating these classes continues to perpetuate institutional oppression by making universities less inclusive.

Small classes crucially provide students with the opportunity to forge social bonds. Unlike conventional, large classes, these classes allow students to connect with their peers and professors in a personal setting— this is the kind of networking that

can provide critical opportunities later on in life. Additionally, these small classes afford students the space to discuss, grow, and exchange ideas with students from different backgrounds, yielding vital and nuanced perspectives.

McGill among other universities has implemented hiring freezes to address these budget deficits. Hiring freezes may require post-doctoral students to take up the mantle of teaching classes when there are not enough faculty members. This raises alarming concerns regarding the exploitation of precarious educators.

The institution already overworks and underpays graduate and post-doctoral students, who must do this additional work for their tuition and livelihood, without ensured prospects for future employment in academia.

Canadian universities will face further budget constraints following Immigration Minister Marc Miller’s announcement of a two-year international student cap. This cap— which will be applied differentially by province according to population and level of “unsustainable growth”— is expected to reduce the country’s intake of international students by 35 per cent, and accompanies other changes including adjustments to the

OPINION

EDITORIAL

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process for receiving post-study work permits. Announced among growing xenophobia across Canada, the cap not only significantly reduces an integral source of income for universities, but also pins the blame for much broader issues in Canadian society—such as the housing and cost of living crisis— on an already vulnerable population.

While the relationship between Canadian post-secondary institutions and international students is rife with exploitation, a cap is not the correct form of redress. International students must be better supported through adequate housing and better protection against predatory practices.

Universities and their students must acknowledge the essential role that international students play by paying significantly higher tuition than Canadians. International students are a core part of our country and our universities, contributing a diversity of culture and opinion that enhances the educational experience for everyone involved. Universities must hold themselves accountable for their financial troubles by being transparent with their students, staff, and faculty.

Higher education must look inward, and students must stand together and demand action by supporting Montreal’s upcoming strikes.

Meryl Streep a god, Roger Ebert her faithful follower yesterday. It was a Tuesday… oh actually, maybe a Thursday. The air was so humid, the sky so empty, the night so sticky I could drown.

I just knew that me and the boys (Scooter and Tugboat) were gonna tear through the town.

Right before heading out, my bag full of White Claws and Fireball, I decided to scroll through a random Roger Ebert film review covering the Taiwanese film Three Times.

Slowly, I reached a line—the line: “Meryl Streep once said that every good actor knows that the statement ‘I love you’ is a question.”

Now, to my incredibly welldeveloped and finely polished mind, this sounded pretty deep.

So I decided to insert it into every conversation I could. A friend of mine is having romantic troubles: “Well, you know that ‘I love you’ is more of a question than a statement.” Accidently bumping into a stranger at a park: “Hey, watch it! Wait actually, hold on a second, friend! No, come back! Did you

know that the statement ‘I love you’ is actually a question?” The barista gets my order wrong: “Every good actor knows that the statement ‘I love you’ is a question,” I chuckle to myself and nod my head vigorously.

She does not respond.

Slowly but surely, this very quote began to change my life. Gone were the days when I would stare into crowds during my childhood piano recitals, scouring for my parent’s smiles of approval. I was now a wise man—an entity.

I had a new outlook on life. I would run for Student Treasurer and attempt to live my dream, to fund a fully student-run, student-acted remake of the 2008 Liam Neeson action classic Taken, all while dedicating it to my newfound hero: Meryl Streep.

I was already setting my ambitions into motion … until I found out the truth. There is no source for this quote outside of Roger Ebert’s article. Was my life a lie?

Now, I’m not saying Roger Ebert misquoted Meryl Streep. After all, I’ve been taking his opinions as my own ever since my passion for film criticism began many years ago, in one of those weird children’s stables you can find in an IKEA. Still, how could I confirm those precious words were real? What does “real” even mean? Am I real?

I tried calling and emailing Meryl Streep, but she never responded. I began to doubt the validity of the contact info I found online. I was spiralling.

It was in those moments, at my very lowest, that I thought back to the quote—“Every good actor knows that the statement ‘I love you’ is a question”—and it gave me the strength that I needed to continue. I realized it doesn’t matter where the line originates; the words themselves contain profound meaning. And as long as they made me sound smart in my Anthropology seminar, everything was gonna be okay.

ERRATUM An article published in the January 23, 2024 issue (“Judge accepts McGill’s application to appeal reinstatement of archaeological panel in Mohawk Mothers case”) stated that McGill is bound by the recommendations of the panel regarding which service providers to use in the archaeological investigation. In fact, McGill is not bound by these recommendations but is rather guided by them.

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OPINION

COMMENTARY Charlotte Theofanous Contributor

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ontreal is a city characterized by its liveliness and natural beauty. The numerous events that take place on the island, such as the Nuits d’Afrique and Jazz Fest music festivals highlight the city’s diversity and boast its reputation as a tourist hotspot. Most enticing, however, is that Montreal is composed of a mixture of people from various backgrounds. But despite increasingly inflammatory rhetoric from the Bloc Québécois and attempts to distance the province from Montreal’s diversity and to characterize Quebec as monocultural––there is not one

Blanchet’s tale of “two Quebecs” embodies the Bloc Québécois’s hypocrisy type of Quebecois identity.

Yves-François Blanchet, the leader of the Bloc Québécois, worries that Montreal is becoming disconnected from the rest of Quebec. He even goes as far as to claim that there are “two Quebecs,” where Montreal is an undesirable multilingual city, and the rest of Quebec is its “generous host society.” This rhetoric attacks not only English speakers, but speakers of the hundreds of other languages found on the island. From Inuktitut to Tagalog to Tamil, Montreal hosts a vast array of written and spoken languages. This multiplicity makes the city so appealing to both tourists and immigrants.

Blanchet believes that the history, language, values, and culture of

There were around 50,000 people who immigrated to Montreal between 2021 and 2022. (James Knechtel / The Tribune)

COMMENTARY Kiran Gill Contributor

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hat makes McGill a good school to attend? Is it the superior facilities?

The enormous introductory classes?

Much of the value in attending McGill stems from the McGill degree as a form of cultural capital. In other words, having the McGill name on a resume lends clout. A McGill degree signifies an elite education and, consequently, membership in elite circles. McGill serves not just as an educational institution, but also as an institution complicit in reproducing the elite. To reduce class disparities, proponents of higher education must confront the harsh reality that education is not the great equalizer that it promises to be.

Many McGill community members emphasize that attending the university guarantees social status as an individual who is exceptionally intelligent, hard-working, and determined. This is a gross generalization: Meritocracy is a myth.

While it would hold true in an egalitarian world, meritocracy is, unfortunately, not a reality under systems of domination. Education falls victim to the social inequality between

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 2024

opinion@thetribune.ca

Quebec are becoming marginalized– –a severely misguided view. Though Montreal is part of Quebec, it does not represent Quebec as a whole—nor should it. Most non-French speakers are concentrated within Montreal, while the rest of the province remains predominantly French-speaking. As for Blanchet’s concerns about the loss of Quebec’s culture, a question arises: Who defines Quebec’s culture?

Blanchet makes a shockingly contradictory statement when he insists that Quebec should be “one culture [...] with all its diversity.” How would it be possible for the province to consist of one culture and simultaneously be diverse? Quebec’s culture should not be a single entity, but rather a compilation of all the cultures that are present within it. Newcomers would stand more comfortably and proudly within their Quebecois identity if it honoured who they are.

Blanchet further stated that there are two Montreals divided between the East and the West of the island.

Linguistic and cultural variation is undeniable among the inhabitants of Montreal, and an incredibly enriching aspect of the city. Blanchet’s assertion is yet another attempt to pit Montrealers against each other. This irony comes from Blanchet being disturbed by a perceived separation between two parts of Montreal and between Montreal and the rest of Quebec, yet

(Jasmine Jing / The Tribune) he is content with the notion of Quebec being separate from the rest of Canada.

In Blanchet’s mind, it is catastrophic for Montreal to be distinct from the rest of the province, but it is perfectly acceptable for Quebec to be distinct from Canada. The separatist movement in Quebec often has exclusionary undertones. This way of advocating for a culture composed of similar people with similar ideologies ultimately scares away those who choose not to assimilate. Blanchet continues to fabricate this narrative as a means to perpetuate his ulterior motive: Conformity to a poorly defined “Quebecois culture” and the erasure of cultural diversity on the island of

Montreal—and in the province of Quebec in its entirety.

Promoting multilingualism will allow Montreal’s vibrancy to carry on and will strengthen acceptance within the city. We cannot allow political leaders to interfere with this goal and we, as Montrealers, must continue to promote and fight for not only diversity but also inclusion in a society where political discourse fosters a culture of exclusion and separation. It is our responsibility to push back against the cultural and linguistic hierarchy that our leaders establish and to bring forth a new model where all individuals with their respective languages and cultures are recognized and valued as Quebecers in their own right.

The real value of a McGill degree the privileged and the marginalized.

Those with access to capital of all kinds have inherent advantages in the educational system, as it is built for them. These advantages start from a very young age. When children first attend school at age five, those from elite backgrounds have significant exposure to the dominant culture that schooling reproduces and are considered intelligent purely because they were lucky enough to have well-educated parents.

Schooling continues to widen this gap by tracking students according to their abilities as they progress through the education system.

Tracking usually takes the form of dividing children by perceived academic aptitude. Regardless of their potential for achievement, children identified as having lower academic ability––an identification greatly influenced by race and class ––often lack the opportunities their peers have.

When students apply to McGill, class differences become entrenched again, as families, communities, and schools which comprise privileged backgrounds typically funnel students into higher education without great effort on their own part. For these students, attending high calibre post-secondary institutions is

the expectation, rather than a marker of achievement. At university, the divide only widens. Richer students are able to pad their resume with extracurricular activities and have sufficient time to dedicate to their studies, whereas those from lowerincome backgrounds may have to juggle part-time work with their studies. Navigating university is hard for everyone, but it is exponentially harder for those without familial experience and support. Graduating from McGill with a solid resume and a good GPA is overwhelmingly easier when a student’s upbringing has dealt them a good hand.

Entering the workforce does not reduce the effect of class disparities—if anything, it intensifies them.

Background, far more than merit, determines work hierarchies after graduation. Those who know how to play by the rules of the game end up with better positions and better pay. At work, fitting in with coworkers and superiors is easier when an employee shares a common culture.

Shared passions and hobbies create camaraderie, but these pastimes and activities are typically linked to class. Put simply, people want to help others whom they can relate to.

Class is unseen and seldom talked about, yet pervasive throughout

The National Center for Education Statistics in the United States studied 2009 ninthgraders over time and found that, by 2016, 78 per cent of students from the highest fifth of socioeconomic backgrounds were enrolled in postsecondary institutions, while only 28 per cent of students from the lowest socioeconomic fifth were similarly enrolled. (James Knechtel / The Tribune) every person’s life. Moreover, race and ethnicity have an overwhelming effect on an individual’s ability to “fit-in” as white supremacy and settler colonialism regulate dominant workplace cultures. As we progress through our lives, social stratification becomes increasingly hard to mitigate. This is why institutions have to do everything in their power to reverse these systemic inequalities.

While elitism in universities

like McGill is not solely responsible for inequality in Canada, it makes up the apparatus that impedes class mobility and ensures elite reproduction beyond the educational system.

Eliminating the mechanisms that perpetuate class inequality in society will take a significant amount of time and effort. On an individual level, however, the first step is to recognize and acknowledge privilege and move beyond maintaining systems of power.

scitech@thetribune.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 2024

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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SciTech Reviews: ‘Emperor of All Maladies’

This expansive book highlights the history of cancer research Atticus O’Rourke Rusin Staff Writer

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lthough the risk of cancerrelated death is declining in Canada, cancer remains the leading cause of death in this country.

Given this reality, scientists have dramatically ramped up their research in the past several decades. However, cancer is not a new disease—humanity has made note of its presence for millennia, with the first recorded example tracing back to a scroll dating from 2500 B.C. Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of The Emperor of all Maladies, traces the history of cancer research, from the idea that cancer was a “suppuration of blood” to the modern debate over the causal relation between cigarettes and cancer.

Cancer, although united under one name, is in fact many diseases, all involving an uncontrollable growth of cells often as a result of genetic mutations. As an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University and an oncologist, Mukherjee’s recounting of humanity’s ongoing battle with these diseases provides a view of societies throughout history and their approaches to cancer treatment.

Inhotep, an Ancient Egyptian physician, described cancer as “a case of bulging masses,” which, according to the physician, had no known treatment. Herodotus, the ancient Greek historian known for his Histories, described the treatment of Atossa, who underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor. Moving centuries into the future, Mukherjee highlights the bleeding techniques of the Roman doctor Galen. Mukherjee notes, however, the rarity of cancer stories from early history. With life expectancy remaining low enough to hide much of the dramatic effects of cancer on human populations, cancer would not become a priority of scientific research until the 20th century.

Interspersed with these historical details is Mukherjee’s own experiences as a doctor treating cancer patients. These stories help to ground an otherwise grandiose narrative spanning centuries in the present and provide a more personal insight into the struggles of cancer diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. Not every story involves recovery, and the book often unflinchingly describes patients experiencing terminal illnesses. The contrasting of those who recover with those who do not give the reader a sense, however small, of the hope and

gravity constantly felt by cancer patients and their relatives and friends.

Mukherjee’s powerful sense of empathy and humanity makes a book spanning a millennium feel personal.

Rather than embracing an overly optimistic message, Murkhejee’s writing is nuanced and detailed.

While highlighting the hopefulness of improving cancer treatment, he also underlines the many hurdles cancer research has faced. He carefully addresses the enduring inequities of medical treatment, the huge egos of politicians and doctors, and the lingering questions.

The frustrating prevalence of medically-unnecessary mastectomies is only one example. Megadose chemotherapy—massive doses of cytotoxic chemicals to kill cancer cells and then transplants to bring patients back from the brink of death—was touted as a revolution in cancer treatment, up until it was proven that its use had negligible impact on cancer survival. Its foremost proponent, Werner Bezwoda, was also shown to have falsified data to justify its use and to save his reputation.

Mukherjee’s title, Emperor of All Maladies, personifies an illness.

Cancer’s presence as mutations inside DNA itself, corrupting the very

essence of what makes a human a human, earns this description. Although the book was published over a decade ago, its message is more important than ever before. Feelings of hopelessness and apathy have increased in the past few years, especially during the pandemic, which exposed many shortcomings of the

Canadian healthcare system. Cancer, much like climate change, inequality, and political division, can become part of the white noise of living in a modern, capitalist state. Books like this, which educate and inspire through the lens of personal experience, are necessary to combat this abstraction of despair.

Smoking rates are now falling in most countries in the world. (Zoe Dubin / The Tribune)

Endometriosis and mental health: A novel study on the silent battle Study reveals the dangers of endometriosis and chronic pain for mental health Zoe Dubin Design Editor

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ommonly underdiagnosed, endometriosis affects one in 10 people assigned female at birth.

Sufferers can experience difficult periods, excessive bleeding, painful sex, and infertility. Regulation of physical symptoms and surgical intervention may help, but a group of McGill researchers want clinicians to advocate for mental health support as an additional part of the treatment plan.

Four of these researchers sat down for an interview with The Tribune to discuss their newly published paper, “Endometriosis, chronic pain, anxiety, and depression: A retrospective study among 12 million women.” “[Endometriosis] is a condition in which the cells from inside the uterus are located outside the uterus,” Togas Tulandi, chief of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the McGill University Health Centre, explained.

Drawing on seven years of medical records from over 12.9 million hospitalized women, the researchers revealed a significant association between endometriosis, chronic pain, and anxiety.

This is the first study to use such a large database to research the mental health implications of endometriosis.

They used data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) database, which collects information from over a thousand American hospitals.

“We saw an additional effect between endometriosis and chronic pain [...] the chance of anxiety increases when we have both of these situations together,” first-author and Université Laval master’s student Hormoz Nassiri Kigloo said. Furthermore, the combination of endometriosis and chronic pain with anxiety increased the patient’s likelihood of experiencing symptoms of depression.

Interestingly, women with a history of anxiety were more likely to experience symptoms of endometriosis than those without. “[Our research] considers the impact of the mind and the mindset, the psyche, on the presentation [....] Because there’s the clinical presentation, and then there’s how I am functioning with those clinical symptoms,” Tina Montreuil, an associate professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology at McGill, said. “How we experience our symptoms, from a psychological perspective, can have an impact, not just in how we experienced the biological or physiological condition but also how we may not recover from it.” “[Getting help] is complicated

by the fact that anxiety can be hard for patients to discuss with their doctor.

“Mental health is considered a stigma,” medical epidemiologist Eva Suarthana said. “So we’re hoping by showing this association, we can advocate more clinicians to really look at the mental health aspect when dealing with patients with endometriosis.”

Aside from expanding the understanding of mental health and disease, this research also demonstrates the need for more comprehensive women’s health research. Historically, women’s health is an underexplored field—only in 1993 did the National Institute of Health formalize a requirement of enrolling and retaining women and minorities in clinical trials to combat the systemic exclusion of both groups.

“Now, there’s people out there that really believe that there is a need to recognize the particularities and the specificities of the woman’s body biologically,” Montreuil said.

In March 2023, McGill University Health Centre opened the Endometriosis Centre for the Advancement of REsearch and Surgery (EndoCARES)— Quebec’s first multidisciplinary referral centre for endometriosis.

“Endometriosis could affect the intestines, it could affect the bladder and other organs in the body,” Tulandi explained. “[EndoCARES] is run by

Endometriosis is one of the most prevalent gynecological illnesses, affecting an estimated one million women in Canada (Zoe Dubin / The Tribune) gynecologists, but we have consultant colorectal, neurologist, and imaging experts.”

Moreover, endometriosis is a disease of chronic inflammation, which in turn is linked to many comorbidities.

“Chronic inflammation can cause other diseases [...] like auto-immune disease or migraines,” Kigloo said. He is currently involved in research investigating the relationship between endometriosis

and atherosclerosis, and hopes this research paper will pave the way for similar work.

As March, Endometriosis Awareness Month, approaches, the researchers urge students to learn about endometriosis and its symptoms. Acknowledging the personal stress and academic challenges students face, they emphasize the importance of recognizing the impact of mental health on overall well-being.

Canada’s housing crisis has been decades in the

The housing crisis is not an accident, and small changes won’t h

Written by Dante Ventulieri, Student Life Editor & Designed by Drea Garcia Avila, Design Edi

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The WHL became the Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) in 1949, and continued, with varying degrees of success, to provide non-market housing.

It was with the 1973 amendments to the National Housing Act that Canada ushered in its most progressive era of housing. It discontinued its urban renewal policies and instead focused on acquiring land for public, affordable, and cooperative housing. Public housing, built both by federal agencies and third-sector non-profit companies, aimed to help both the lower- and middle-class through mixed-income developments and community-based approaches. Throughout the 1960s and ‘70s, an impressive 20-30,000 units of social housing were built each year.

In the mid-1980s, the federal government began rolling back these investments and policies in favour of market-based approaches.

This transition led to a significant decrease in the construction of both market and non-market rental units. In 1993, as neolibWhat is the housing crisis?

The term “housing crisis” refers to the eralism continued to underpin Canadian poldisconnect between housing needs and hous- itics and policies, Prime Minister Jean Chréing availability, resulting in a dearth of afford- tien pulled funding for new social housing able and quality shelter. However, it’s not a and, in 1996, decentralized the responsibility to the provinces. term without controversy.

“There was virtually no longer any fedDavid Wachsmuth, an associate professor in the School of Urban Planning at McGill eral funding for subsidized housing [….] Rewhose research focuses on housing, notes that sponsibility for housing is devolved to the recent use of the term ignores some import- provinces. In general, they kind of devolve it even further down to the municipalities,” ant history.

“It’s important to be clear about what Wachsmuth explained. “Now you have cities we mean by the housing crisis, because you that just couldn’t possibly keep up with the go back 20 or 30 years, and there was very funding requirements.”

During the 2000s, the effects of neoliberal clearly a huge crisis of housing affordability for people who were not on market incomes. housing strategies were already apparent, with That’s a housing crisis. It isn’t usually called cities like Vancouver facing record homelessthat,” Wachsmuth said in an interview with ness and a housing supply shortage. Despite this, Prime Minister Stephen Harper refused The Tribune. to directly involve the federal government in housing production. By retreating from the How did we end up here? housing sector, the federal government created a patchwork system in which power is History of housing policy During World War II, Canada was in des- scattered, funding is non-existent, and innoperate need of new housing. As thousands vation is stalled, allowing the private sector to flocked to the city as war workers, and vet- swoop in and command the housing market. erans returned from overseas, the federal government established the Wartime Housing (Over)reliance on the market Canada’s housing strategy has always inLimited (WHL) crown corporation. From 1941 to 1949, nearly 50,000 housing units cluded the market to some extent, but it’s were built, including the iconic strawberry apparent that when policymakers expect the private sector to house everyone, the shortbox home. comings are massive. It’s not an issue unique to Canada:The United States and many European countries who have similarly entrusted the market are in the same precarious position.

The market will never meet all housing needs for two reasons: One, housing is expensive, and two, the true value of housing lies in its use as a social and economic tool for the nation. Where there are no direct profits in ousing in Canada is reaching its boiling point; many are struggling, unable to pay their mortgages, and most young people can’t afford one. Housing has become a primary concern among Canadians and is poised to be a dominant issue in the upcoming federal election. No city is immune to the rapidly increasing costs of housing, including Montreal, which was long seen as a renter’s paradise.

But understanding how we ended up in this situation can be unclear and difficult to pinpoint—housing is a complex issue, and unfortunately, there have been successful efforts to exploit this complexity and create scapegoats.

Understanding the history of housing policy and exploring potential solutions reveals that there are multiple steps we need to take to address the crisis and underscore how far behind we are.

the sale or rental of the unit, there is no incentive for the market to build.

This is what makes subsidized non-market housing so logical, according to Craig Sauvé, who has represented the Sud-Ouest as a city councillor for over a decade.

“When we can plan around our needs, it’s a good investment in the economy and helps people. It’s going to provide better mental health, stability, and better results in education.

I mean, housing is a social determinant of health,” Sauvé explained. “You have to build for the common good.”

The homeownership monster Unravelling this web of issues behind the housing crisis is difficult, in part, because we are dealing with a beast that we helped create. As Wachsmuth points out, Canadians have been sold on homeownership as the strongest means of protecting their wealth.

“There’s a kind of pretty clear preference for ownership housing in Canada. Some of that [is] exogenous, in the sense that it’s not necessarily what’s in people’s hearts, but it’s more like people responding to the incentives of the system,” Wachsmuth explained. “You just can’t borrow money at a cheaper rate than you can get for a mortgage. For most people, it’s the cheapest money they could ever get in their life.”

Any politician who is perceived as threatening those civilian investments, by calling for housing values to drop to an affordable level, is setting themselves up for an impossible campaign.

“To slowly unwind the fundamental policy fixation on keeping housing prices infinitely high, and infinitely higher is a tough problem,” he emphasized. “It would be very, very hard for any government to run on a platform of effectively dispossessing the middle class of its main source of savings.”

What are the solutions?

Addressing short-term rentals In Canadian cities, every one-percentage-point increase in the share of short-term rentals, like Airbnbs and VRBOs, is linked to a 2.3 per cent increase in rent. Regulating this market is therefore a good place to start, according to Wachsmuth.

“Cities should crack down on short term rentals. It’s by no means the biggest cause of housing affordability problems, but it’s clearly a cause,” he said. “Within a year if they really prioritize it, any given city could return 1000s of units of rental housing to the long-term market.”

Addressing zoning limitations On most urban land, only single-family

zoning (SFZ) is allow from housing anything hold, keeping large swa permanently at the lo Typically, SFZ account city’s land but only 20 tion. Montreal has hist ly successful in limitin cent of the city’s land— Montreal maintain it than Vancouver and Tor Efforts to move a been gaining momentu adopted a policy allow lot across its territory.

The new federal Fund also financially upzone areas near tran enough is yet to be see Removing parking move that’s been gainin ing in Montreal. Witho velopers and cooperativ for more housing, larg spaces.

Most importantly, z ble and allow for a var without the lengthy am

Addressing financializa The role of large ownership of rental h dramatically in recen co-authored a report o of housing in Montre firms owned four time than previously though “These larger fin very divorced from [.. of housing,” he explain financialized rental hou people were struggling

Following other cities Canada should d other cities and countr land’s ‘housing first’ stra since 2007, leading to in homelessness. It’s a s all else, the first step in providing them with se ing. It has not only bee an economic one as w ing costs less than the C ing and managing hom Vienna is a model c of the most affordable where 60 per cent of dized housing.

Building faster Speed is key in the ing to Avi Friedman, a

e making

help

itor

wed. SFZ limits parcels g but a single houseathes of the city almost owest possible density. ts for 70 per cent of a per cent of its populatorically been relativeng SFZ, at only 45 per —a makeup that helped ts affordability longer ronto. away from SFZ have um.Vancouver recently wing up to six units per

ture at McGill, who specializes in affordable housing.

“People do not understand that if you want to build affordable housing, it takes at least four years from the moment you conceive it to the moment you give someone a key,” Friedman explained in an interview with The Tribune. “There are a variety of things that we became accustomed to, and we became very spoiled. We want to create buildings that are very complex, where every item is different. And this takes time. And time is money.”

Friedman believes that alternative production methods are one key component.

“We can move far away from the mobile home stigma,” he pointed out.

“But you have so many examples of how to produce things much faster with prefabrication. It’s something that we are not doing.”

Other improvements include pre-approved housing plans to simplify and shorten the permit procedure and reduce design costs, an idea recently floated by the federal government.

Housing Accelerator incentivizes cities to nsit but whether that is en. g minimums is another ng momentum, includout such mandates, de- Building better density ves could use the space Michael Eliason, a Seattle-based archiger units, or common tect and founder of the Larch Lab, a “think and do tank” for innovative housing practices, zoning must be mallea- believes that the design of density in North riety of uses and forms America is deficient, both socially and envimendment processes. ronmentally.

“The way that we build housing now, ation it’s basically like these huge hotels. If you’re a financial firms in the family, do you want to live on a floor with 30 housing has increased to 40 other units where there probably aren’t nt years. Wachsmuth any other families,” he explained in an interon the financialization view with The Tribune.“It’s just not conducive eal, showing that large to a high quality of life.” es more rental housing Changes are needed in the way we build ht. density, to improve liveability and attractivenancial firms are just ness. Building code reforms allowing sin..] the human element gle-staircase multi-family ned. “Areas with more units are gaining steam as ousing are where more an alternative to the mang to pay the rent.” datory double-loaded corridor. This change would increase design flexibility draw inspiration from and resident comfort by ries. For instance, Fin- making it easier to build ategy has been in place larger apartments on a substantial reduction smaller lots, according to simple premise: Above Conrad Speckert, a recent n helping people is by McGill Masters of Archiecure long-term hous- tecture graduate who has en a moral victory but been advocating for the well, as providing hous- change.

Canadian way of polic“It’s a matter of design melessness. flexibility, and unit laycity for housing, as one out is the biggest impact,” major cities in Europe, Speckert said. “There’s a residents live in subsi- huge impact on how wide the building might end up being and how much light and air you’re able to get e housing crisis, accord- into the floor plan.” a professor of Architec-

building capacity and tackling the labour shortage, without whom, meeting housing targets will be unattainable.

What is not the solution?

Burning bridges All levels of government must work together going forward to solve the housing crisis. Calling mayors incompetent will only strain cooperation and demonstrates a lack of understanding of the policy history that has brought us to this point.

Blaming immigrants Immigrants are not to blame for the housing crisis; all levels of government, to various degrees, ignored decades of warning signs.

Our population growth rate remains lower than it was in the 1950s, the difference being that we have since created a structure that prevents us from building at a high enough rate to account for our growth. Now that the issue has reached the mainstream, and people are demanding answers, politicians have begun pointing fingers at vulnerable groups simply seeking a better life.

Immigration and temporary foreign workers are key in improving the nation’s

Ignoring structural issues The need to be intentional and unequivocal is vital; patchwork solutions and moderate interventions will not help.

Without structural change, any efforts to correct the housing crisis will be ineffective and at best, short-lived. Canada must break from the neoliberal vice grip that has held us down, binding us to a notion of “only the government we need” while ignoring “all the government we need.”

Housing should primarily be regarded as a fundamental human right, integral to social welfare. For too long, the scale has lopsided, treating housing predominantly as an asset designed solely for accumulating wealth. The asset-owning class has kept their neighbourhoods frozen in amber, preventing housing from being built and blocking newcomers.

Without changing this paradigm, the problem will only grow over time, widening the wealth gap that has impoverished and exploited Canadians for the benefit of the upper-class.

“It’s going to get even more perverted with our generation, because there will be those in our generation who inherit obscene amounts of wealth and those who don’t,” Speckert explains. “And I think that a policy environment that sets up for nepotism isn’t great.”

Canadian politicians who boast about building an equitable society must ensure coherence between their rhetoric and actions, especially in terms of policy and investment.

This requires employing words like compassion and respect, approaching issues of homelessness with a sense of humanity, and recognising the fundamental need for accessible and quality shelter.

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

scitech@thetribune.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 2024

Cracking into the mysteries of avian eggshells Study explores how eggshell minerals attach to the wet membrane below Ella Paulin Science & Technology Editor

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ird eggs, with their delicate embryos encased in protective shells, have been finetuned by millions of years of evolution. In a fertilized egg, each component is optimized to help the chicken embryo grow, protect it from bacterial invasion and predators, and ultimately allow it to break out of the shell and enter the world as a young chick. While the yolk and the egg white are often the stars of this show, especially for lovers of a sunny-side-up fried egg, the thin membrane just inside the eggshell plays an equally important role.

It fulfills the dual purpose of providing an additional layer of protection against bacterial invasion and acting as an intermediary between the egg white and the shell.

Marc McKee, professor in the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Science and the Faculty of Medicine, recently coauthored a paper with his doctoral student Daniel

Buss and Natalie Reznikov, professor in the Department of Bioengineering, zooming in on this membrane, and specifically examining how the wet, organic fibres that make it up attach to minerals in the eggshell.

“I work in the mineralized tissue field, also known as biomineralization, ” McKee explained in an interview with The Tribune.

“It’s a joy for me to work in a field that lies at the intersection of biology, geology, and mineralogy.”

This attachment is intriguing because it binds together a hard inorganic material—the calciumcontaining mineral of the shell—and a soft organic material—the fibrous network of the membrane.

Additionally, the bond between them is robust, making it a potentially valuable model for bioengineers looking to adhere other organic fibrous materials to minerals. McKee’s lab set out to investigate how the two materials attach to one another.

“Why is it that when you crack open an egg, you have to peel that membrane off the shell?” McKee said.

As an embryo grows inside an egg, a chemical process dissolves calcium from the shell to provide material for the young chick’s skeleton (Mason Bramadat / The Tribune)

“And if you look with highpowered electron microscopes, even if you peel it off, and you look at the shell, some fragments of the membranes are still attached.”

The team used X-ray and electron tomography, which involve capturing hundreds to thousands of images that can then be assembled into an incredibly detailed 3D model. Armed with these high-resolution images of the eggshells, they could dive into the detailed structure of the membrane-shell attachment.

First, they confirmed what scientists had already discovered: At the scale of micrometres, some fibres of the membrane actually penetrate the inner portion of the shell. However, using 3D electron microscopy, they could go a step further, zooming in to nanoscale resolution.

“When we delved very deep at the nanoscale into a single fibre using cryopreservation techniques,” McKee explained, “we discovered that mineral ‘nanospikes’ entered the fibres themselves.”

This ‘nanospiking’ technique is critical because it adds another level of integration, which McKee explained is especially im-

portant when you have soft, wet membrane fibres trying to integrate into a hard mineral shell.

“We realized that it’s one thing to incorporate a fibre, but this fibre could still slide in and out of the rock, right? It’s wet, it’s soft, and it’s likely slippery.

Within a hard eggshell mineral, that attachment ‘rope’ could easily pull out. That’s not a very good attachment, and that would be disastrous for the egg,” McKee said.

“We figured out that this nanospiking anchors these wet protein fibres so they can’t move in and out.”

This remarkable mechanism, in which membrane fibres link into minerals at the microscale, and in turn, minerals penetrate into the fibres at the nanoscale, allows for a robust, secure attachment between the two different materials.

While this research is specific to the egg, there are other points of organic-inorganic contact in our bodies, such as where ligaments attach to bones. This discovery presents new insights about the eggshell membrane of bird eggs, and points the way toward further work aimed at understanding what happens when minerals meet organic material.

studentlife@thetribune.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 2024

STUDENT LIFE

11

Bring on the bubbles Discovering Montreal’s most popular boba shops Abby McCormick Student Life Editor

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hen I embark on my (albeit short) commute to campus every day, it’s hard to miss the steady stream of students flooding into Shuyi, the bubble tea shop across the street from Roddick Gates.

By the time I make it into my lecture hall, it seems that I’ve seen more bubble tea cups than I have coffee cups. Are McGill students going bonkers for boba?

Well, yes. But it turns out it’s not just us: Students across North America love this sweet treat. A recent survey found that 94 per cent of young adults aged 20 to 29 bought bubble tea in the last three months—more than coffee.

Wondering where you can get your boba fix in Montreal? The Tribune has you covered with this guide to some of the best bubble tea shops near campus.

Shuyi Tealicious Address: 896 Rue Sherbrooke O. Hours: Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 12-8 p.m.

Distance from campus: Two-minute walk Price (out of three): $$$ Shuyi was the first bubble tea place I tried when I moved to Montreal, and it did not disappoint. The shop’s wide range of flavours and proximity to campus make it a hit with students and working professionals alike.

However, this shop is on the pricey side, with a regular signature milk tea costing $6.65. For

more complex flavours and larger sizes, you can expect to pay upward of $10. But this is the price you pay for the ease of picking up some boba between classes.

The Alley Montreal Address: 1256 Rue Guy Hours: Sunday-Thursday 12-10:30 p.m., Friday-Saturday 12-11 p.m.

Distance from campus: 20-minute walk, 12-minute metro ride Price: $$ Conveniently located near the GuyConcordia metro station, The Alley describes itself as a “hybrid destination where unique bubble tea blends and coffees meet.” With enticing flavours such as peach oolong and crunchy tiramisu milk tea, it’s a great place to indulge in a mouth-watering new treat. The shop also comes equipped with individual working pods, a group room, and a lounge area, making it the perfect study destination.

Ocha Address: Rue 1651 St. Catherine O. Hours: Every day 12-10 p.m.

Distance from campus: 21-minute walk, 13-minute metro ride Price: $$ If you want to enjoy a tasty donut along with your bubble tea, look no further than Ocha. This boba spot located west of campus offers Vietnamese coffee and mochi donuts to go along with your fruit-, matcha-, or milkbased bubble tea. Ocha is also known for its warm, homey atmosphere, filled with indoor plants and lots of natural light, making it a

great spot to recuperate after a long day of classes.

L2 Lounge Address: 71A Rue De la Gauchetière O. Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.

Distance from campus: 26-minute walk, 17-minute metro ride Price: $ With nine locations throughout the city, L2 is a great place to go for reliable— and slightly less expensive—bubble tea.

Its flavours include Oreo cookie smoothie, pina colada, and winter melon. If none of those appeal to you, L2 also offers a makeyour-own-bubble-tea option, where you can choose from a variety of bases, flavours, and toppings.

Kung Fu Tea Address: 55 Rue Notre Dame O. & 218 Rue St. Catherine E. Hours: Every day 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Distance from campus: 32-minute walk, 33-minute metro ride; 27-minute walk, 18-minute metro ride Price: $$ With its main location in Montreal’s Old Port, Kung Fu Tea is a great spot to grab boba while being a tourist in your own city. The shop offers a wide range of authentic Taiwanese teas. Kung Fu Tea also boasts a secret menu and serves egg waffles—a popular dish in Hong Kong. If you’re looking to get bubble tea at a discount, keep an eye on the shop’s Instagram for flash sale announcements.

Bubble tea as we know it was invented in the early 1980s in Taiwan. (Mason Bramadat / The Tribune)

Taking on an undergraduate thesis Tips and tricks on enhancing your academic journey Maria Gheorghiu Staff Editor

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little over a year ago, I reached a metaphorical wall in my life. I had left my job to focus on school, but as a keener (and overachiever), I felt like my undergraduate degree had little to offer. At that point, my time at McGill had been extended by a year, meaning I had two extra semesters of academic real estate to build on. In a combination of my ambition and interest, I decided to apply for the Honours Urban Studies program and take on an undergraduate thesis. A year in, I’m here to offer some pieces of advice for those of you who, like I was, are questioning taking this big step in their degrees.

How can I find a topic?

A thesis is a big deal. Even if it’s smaller than one you might write in grad school, it’s still around 50 pages, depending on your program. This means you // really// need to enjoy your topic. Maybe you already know what you want to write about, and you’re ruminating on data collection methods and potential hypotheses.

But if you’re like me, the only thing you know at this stage is that you want to produce some kind of knowledge.

Luckily for me, my department has an honours seminar, where we were presented with an extensive document of projects our faculty needed help with, and it just so happened that one of the pitches stood out

to me—I found myself drawn to residential energy poverty and its potential solutions.

However, if you aren’t as lucky as I was, reaching out to the professors in your department is also a great first step. Chances are, your interests may align with theirs.

Will I be able to write that much?

You haven’t even begun your thesis, and you’re already anxious at the idea of organizing all your thoughts into one big document. This is normal; your brain probably can’t wrap itself around the magnitude of a project you haven’t yet started working on. Take things one day at a time, and don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to figure it all out at once.

Typically, your data collection and analysis is done during the summer, which leaves you with plenty of time in the fall and winter semesters for writing. I will say that this may vary based on the length of your writing period as determined by your program. Regardless, there’s no such thing as a linear path. If you can’t collect all your data in the period you determined, be kind to yourself and take your time. It’ll all work out in the end.

Going back to the previous section, remember that while a thesis may seem hard to grapple with right now, it’s actually just small parts made of smaller parts, strung together into one big manuscript. Notion is a very popular online time and space organizer that you might be familiar with— although I personally like an old-school

planner and notebook to keep track of my thoughts.

What if an entire thesis is just too much?

There have been times when I have doubted my ability to write so many words on my topic, despite my passion for it.

Sometimes stress gets the better part of me. The truth is that a thesis is no small feat, and while it’s entirely doable, it’s also a big commitment. Personally, I spent an entire summer collecting data, thinking over potential interpretations in my spare time. If you have a passion project that you

want to try out for a semester, perhaps look into whether your department offers any three-credit independent research courses.

If you read this piece, chances are the research bug has bitten you and you are trying to figure out if this is something you want. Even if a thesis seems daunting now, I highly encourage you to give it a try. It’s hard work, but the entire process is incredibly rewarding. Ultimately, you’ll conclude your degree with a concrete piece of work that you’ll be proud of for years to come.

Writing a thesis in your final year can tie your undergraduate degree together (Mason Bramadat / The Tribune)

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STUDENT LIFE

studentlife@thetribune.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 2024

You Reddit here first: January winter wonderances The latest in r/mcgill includes questions, concerns, and a few rants Chloé Kichenane Opinion Editor Suzanna Graham Arts & Entertainment Editor

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e’ve scrolled through the r/mcgill subreddit for you, McGillians, and here are the notable submissions. So sit back, relax, and guffaw at the silly (and occasionally sweet) text people post on our own little corner of the internet. where do ppl put their coats before class - u/Certain_Clothes_2480 It’s true—first-timers can get intimidated by both the frigid winter weather outside and the extreme heat in their classroom. There are a few solutions: 1. Put your coat on the back of your chair and pray to the gods of slush that your sleeves don’t drag in the brown puddle forming underneath your Doc Martens. 2. Don’t bring a coat. Frostbite is a social construct. You should be like those gym bros who wear shorts year-round.

Show Montreal winter who’s boss!

3. As user AngelicDevil4444 rightly suggested, eat your coat—it’s always good to bring a snack.

Ideas for a roast - u/Elkatar Hello, Sherbrooke student (or should I say, bonjour). McGill is a perfect university with no lack of fine arts, no asbestos, and absolutely no settler-colonial history. Personally, I love existing permanently in the McGill bubble, never having to speak français (and therefore, never improving), and swiping left whenever I see a Concordia student on Hinge. McGill is a place of shiny happy students who would hug the school’s administration if they got the chance. So I’m sorry to say, Sherbrooke étudiant, but there’s nothing here to roast.

Hustler GF needed - u/XRobJuliannepierX I’m a little concerned with the parameters of your request, Plateau man. Does “single non-toxic hustler” mean something to you? I fear you are wooing the idea of a woman, rather than a real one. Relationships are a partnership, and you should be aiming to adapt to her schedule as well. Maybe if you lower your expectations you’ll find someone who will surprise you.

Travel suggestion for a fellow McGillian - northern lights - u/guywiththemonocle With Valentine’s Day coming up soon, all of the happy couples are panicking as they try to find //the// perfect date idea and show their Instagram followers that they are happier than all of the other happy couples (that’s what I assume happy couples do in their free time). If you’re one of them, pack your things and be ready to gatekeep: I’m taking you to the best spot to see the northern lights.

It’s cheap, convenient, and of course, magical. Choose a snowy night and take a stroll to Jeanne-Mance, lie down and observe the shimmering green aura emanating from the Complexe Desjardins office building downtown. Isn’t it beautiful?

How are people so inconsiderate???? - u/Kuranyeet Between those asking this desperate user to stop whining and confront loud students on the library’s quiet floor, and those whining along, this thread offers no real solution.

Here are my favourite techniques for coping with students who think that the Schulich third floor is a group

With a little under 60,000 users, the McGill Reddit offers an immediate glimpse into the spirit of the Harvard of the North. (Lily Cason / The Tribune)

therapy space where they can go on a rant about their situationship. 1.

Leave. I personally spend most of my time at the library looking for an excuse to leave so this would be perfect. 2. Stare. Don’t be shy, sometimes you just have to throw a little serial killer stare in there. 3. Mouth something mean in French. There’s a 70 per cent chance that these students come from the great City of Light. While all their talking might be great for the preservation of the French language in the province, we

would also like to preserve the silence on this floor.

Good landlords? - u/starryspirits Hey sorry, has anyone seen my tenant rights? No? Oh, okay… so sorry I bothered you. Yes, I’ll check the lost and found, and I’ll look for a good landlord in there as well. On a more serious note, there’s a good reason why there are absolutely no responses to this thread at the time of writing.

Looking for an icy escape? Take to the rink!

Discover where to go ice skating near campus Dante Ventulieri Student Life Editor

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ontreal winters, for all their downsides, do make the city a great place for skating. It may be negative 10 and cloudy, but that shouldn’t stop you from heading outside. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, there are plenty of options throughout the city that’ll offer you a great break from studying.

If skating in Old Port is your desired vibe, //The Tribune// recently created the perfect winter itinerary for spending a day in the historic district, including some time on the ice. For the rest of the city, keep reading for a list of skating rinks near campus.

McGill Lower Field Skating Rink Distance from campus: Zerominute walk Cost: Free entry, no skate rentals available If you’re hoping to fit in a quick skate on the way to your 8:30 a.m. class, look no further than the lower field skating rink. Conveniently located on the west field, this not-so-hidden gem offers beautiful views

of downtown and campus. As an added bonus, using McGill’s services always makes the cost of tuition (at least the pre-Legault rates) feel more worthwhile.

McGill McConnell Arena Distance from campus: Fiveminute walk Cost: $3 for members, $5 for non-members, no skate rental available If you’re craving a nice warm-up before you get on the ice, an uphill walk on University Street is sure to scratch that itch. Skating at the arena requires booking your slot in advance through their website, which might ruin your dream of spontaneously skating when your heart desires. But at least it guarantees a nice amount of open space.

Beaver Lake Distance from campus: 30-minute walk, 30-minute bus ride Cost: Free entry, skate rentals available for $12.75 If the thought of walking to the McConnell Arena wasn’t too enticing, walking up to Beaver Lake probably isn’t your vibe. Luckily, the 11, 165, 166, and 465 bus lines can take you there.

Though the real Beaver Lake has been closed for years due to concerns about ice quality, the adjacent refrigerated rink is a beautiful substitute, with its lights and music providing a great ambiance. But, be careful, it can get quite busy on weekends.

Esplanade Tranquille Distance from campus: 15-minute walk, five-minute metro ride Cost: Free entry, rentals available for $13.05 The newest entrant to the list sits at the heart of Quartier-des-Spectacles, with a lowvely panoramic view of the area. This refrigerated rink is sometimes a victim of its own success as long lines can form on the weekends, especially for rentals. When your legs get tired, head inside to the lounge, sit by the fireplace, and take out a book or borrow a board game.

Atrium 1000 Distance from campus: 15-minute walk Cost: $10 entry, rentals available for $9 Located on the main floor of one of Quebec’s tallest buildings, this indoor rink offers an option for those days

when spending time outside isn’t too appealing. The large skylight means you don’t feel too removed from the outdoors though, making it ideal for those who get caught offguard by walking outside to the early sunsets of Montreal winters.

Montreal’s outdoor rinks Distance from campus: Varies Cost: Free entry, rentals available at some rinks As a city home to a long winter, Montreal has an established network of outdoor

rinks across the island, including Jeanne-Mance Park and Cabot Square. Most rinks are not refrigerated, making them very dependent on the weather conditions. Luckily, Montreal’s city portal does track the quality of ice rinks so you can better prepare. The portal is only available in French so remember, “anneau” refers to ice rings and “avec bandes” refers to rinks with boards, which are typically good for playing hockey.

Montreal’s milder winters have sadly made ice conditions less consistent.

(Mason Bramadat / The Tribune)

arts@thetribune.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 2024

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

13

Catching up with Shakespeare

McGill’s annual Shakespeare Lecture explores new facets of the Bard Kellie Elrick Staff Writer Continued from page 1.

The Annual Shakespeare Lecture— co-presented by the Friends of the McGill Library and the Stratford Festival—addresses this question, framing it within the broader context of how texts change as the reader’s own lens on life does.

This was no traditional lecture. Rather, it was a conversation between Paul Yachnin, Tomlinson Professor of Shakespeare Studies at McGill, and Hill—who is now set to play Viola in the Stratford Festival’s 2024 production of Twelfth Night. It was, if you will, somewhat like watching a play (and at one point, Hill recited Viola’s Act I Scene V speech to Yachnin’s Olivia, much to the audience’s delight).

Shakespeare is often conceptualized as the epitome of orthodoxy—but we also often meet the cultural conception of Shakespeare before the man himself. We know him before we read him. What he has to say might surprise us.

With the 2020 Stratford season cancelled, Hill eventually turned to playwriting in the absence of a stage. On the page, she discovered a side to Shakespeare that she hadn’t seen before. The resulting play is The Dark Lady, an exploration of the

enigmatic muse of Shakespeare’s eponymous sonnets.

“She started to come to life for me, and he started to come for life for me,” Hill said. “This incredible poetess, this incredible proto-feminist, [who] is a huge contender for the Dark Lady Sonnets: Emilia Bassano.”

The Dark Lady looms large over the conversation—Hill and Yachnin highlight what has been omitted from scholarship of the Sonnets for so long: The title “The Dark Lady” may be ambiguous, but the Sonnets themselves are more blatant — Shakespeare says that she’s a Black woman.

“When I finally realized, Shakespeare said, ‘took you a while to get here, didn’t it?’” Yachnin said. “When I teach the Sonnets to undergraduates, or teach Twelfth Night to undergraduates, they’re amazed, because here’s this most canonical of writers—in the world canon—who’s bisexual, and a play also that’s filled with sexual desire that just crosses the borders that they are supposed to respect.”

His words often reach beyond the page. Helen in All’s Well That Ends Well heals an ailing King through medicine— but also through poetry. Shakespeare wrote Twelfth Night—a riotous comedy— around the same time as Hamlet. Both emerge from the death of Shakespeare’s son Hamnet.

“He writes the scene that he never gets to see his twin daughter have with her twin brother, because he passed away,” Hill said.

When Shakespeare reunites Viola and Sebastian, he reaches beyond the veil and mourns his son by creating another world for him.

When faced with chasms, whether they emerge from death, or pandemJessica B. Hill’s plays “The Dark Lady” and “Pandora” are to be pubics, or the plague, lished with Scirocco Drama later this year. (Sylvie Bourque / The stories creep in to Tribune ) fill the spaces left by grief. and put it into words. Perhaps we’re still Shakespeare is far from dead. He con- developing the vocabulary required to intinues to change, to unfold, to surprise. terrogate Shakespeare.

Too often, students are told to analyze— As Yachnin so aptly put it, “Shaketo examine a text—but not necessarily to speare’s been waiting for us to catch up feel it. An inarticulable draw to art might with him.” not make for neatly packaged argumentaA recording of the Shakespeare Lection; but sometimes there’s a feeling of ture is available online. Tickets for the something living under the ink—just out Stratford Festival’s Production of Twelfth of reach, not ready to emerge quite yet, Night (April 26-October 26) are available but waiting for someone to come along, on the Stratford Festival website.

Nathan Fielder’s ‘The Curse’: A failed attempt at a satire on gentrification A24’s collab with Fielder and Benny Safdie misses the mark Lily Dodson Contributor

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hough The Curse was enigmatic and uncomfortable, I really thought that I would enjoy Showtime and A24’s newest television show starring Nathan Fielder, Emma Stone, and Benny Safdie. I have a fondness for Fielder’s previous works, such as Nathan for You and The Rehearsal. I especially enjoy his awkward humour that often makes you want to crawl out of your own skin, especially in his various schemes involving real people. So, part of the appeal of The Curse would be seeing a more serious side to Fielder—I’ve never seen him in anything that attempts to explore serious themes, whatsoever.

The show’s premise is not entirely clear and also incredibly hard to explain, even after watching all ten episodes. What I’ve gathered and have chosen to believe is this: The Curse focuses on Asher Siegal (Fielder) and Whitney Siegal (Stone), a couple who build eco-friendly homes in Espanola, New Mexico, with the goal of “improving” the lives of its mostly Indigenous community members. Most of the show focuses on their filming of a new HGTV-style show titled “Fliplanthropy,” though the title later changes to “Green Queen” because Whitney wants the show to focus more on her. The concept behind this fictional program is much clearer than that of the actual show: The Siegals are building environmentally-conscious, pas-

sive homes and are trying to find people to move into them. Basically, they’re actively gentrifying the community while trying to create the opposite impression.

While the final results are not that strong, the one plotline that The Curse successfully pulls off is showing the surface-level impacts of gentrification and how far some are willing to go to achieve it. In episode five, the Siegals’ high-end clothing store experiences high rates of shoplifting. Instead of having the store call the police every time something is stolen, Whitney tells the store manager to charge her credit card, hoping to keep the neighbourhood’s crime rates artificially low in an attempt to entice future home-buyers to the community. Similarly, when trying to justify the gentrification, the Siegals hire a “Native American consultant” to work on their show to avoid their seeming too out of touch.

Overall, the show misses the mark on almost all of the issues it tries to address. The other premise of the show, aside from the couple’s HGTV episode, is the curse that a little girl puts on Asher in the first episode. After pretending to give her money in the parking lot as a photo op for the show, the girl places a “curse” on him. Afterward, Asher becomes superstitious and paranoid. While the plot was most likely supposed to focus on the consequences of gentrification, it later evolves into Asher becoming the stereotypical white saviour of this family. However, like most plotlines on this show, it

doesn’t explore either potential aspect of the plot to its fruition. Instead, it cuts the narrative in a way that leaves its viewers confused— especially in regard to whether the curse is real, or if it’s just a joke that the girl decided to pull.

As the season progresses, the show attempts to explore more and more plotlines without tying them all together. While that can work in some cases, the result here is quite messy and disjointed.

I expected better from Showtime, A24, and especially Fielder, in terms of both the comedic element and in terms of the quality of the storylines that they could’ve pulled off with a little more effort. If some of these extraneous storylines were scrapped, there could Asher Siegel is Nathan Fielder’s first entirely fictional role. have been more room (themoviedb.org) to explore the issues with gentrification. The show over the concept of “flipping” homes in then could have been a fantastic satire low-income communities with a slight sucondemning home-improvement networks pernatural twist.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

arts@thetribune.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 2024

‘Legally Blonde’ features stellar vocal performances, a great sense of humour, and a whole lot of pink

McGill should consider hiring star Mira Cohen as council on their asbestos problem Amalia Mairet Contributor

challenging number by Serena (Ava Burgess, U1 Arts) and Margot (Miranda De Luca, U1 Education). The talented and energetic Mira his year’s Arts Undergraduate Theatre Cohen, U1 Arts, plays the protagonist Elle, and Society of McGill (AUTS) production her tirelessly earnest performance propels the of Legally Blonde came with a huge show. warning label. A week before opening night, During “Serious,” we meet Warner, the the cast learned that asbestos had been found Kennedy-esque motivator for the musical’s in Moyse Hall. The director, assistant director, plot. The song features Sam Snyders’s, U2 and stage managers were left scrambling for Arts, incredible tenor and convincing frat boy a new location, and had to ditch the band, the acting—his Warner is just as clueless as Elle set, and most of their prepared tech. They opted but with an added masculine sense of superiorfor a low-tech show held at Trafalgar School ity. Their breakup sparks Elle’s journey to Harfor Girls, which was intended to showcase the vard, where we meet her intense TA Emmet cast’s hard work despite the staging issue. I (Donovan Burt, U1 Engineering) and deeply was prepared for the worst. pretentious new peers, including a financial The show opens with the Delta Nu soror- software coder (Jessica O’Gorman, U3 Educaity singing the production’s famous “Omigod tion), a European princess (Emma Nash, U1 You Guys.” Perfectly cast, the sorority girls Arts), and a peace corps lesbian (Kleo Hellperformed with incredible spirit, which they man, U3 Education). maintained throughout the show. Costuming We then come across the famously intimireinforced their peppy stage presence, decked dating Professor Callahan, played by Arthur in glitter and bright colours. Of course, there Lyhne Gold (U2 Arts), whose rendition of were also stunning vocals throughout the “Blood in the Water” struck fear into the hearts of future law students in the crowd. When Elle decides to go full Jackie Kennedy and dye her hair brunette, she meets the show-stealing Paulette (Abbie O’Hara, U2 Arts) at the hair salon. Embracing Jennifer Coolidge’s iconic voice, O’Hara boasts a hilarious Boston (or New York?) accent and impressive vocal runs.

The second act beThroughout the show, actors wear the most professional attire I’ve ever gins with “Whipped Into seen at McGill. (Brian Chang / The Tribune )

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Shape,” led by fitness queen Brooke Wyndham (Rachel Arnold, U0 Arts). Arnold nails Brooke’s manic exercise video energy, and belts throughout some very difficult jump rope choreography. Group numbers like this one showcased the cast’s strong voices from both on- and backstage.

Another iconic scene, the “Bend and Snap,” featured Paulette, cheered on by Elle and the Greek Chorus. Paulette was a force onstage throughout the show, upstaged only

by Kyle the Package Guy (Joshua Karmiol, U0 Engineering), who made the audience shriek with his cheesy smile and goofy head-swivelling swagger. I hope whoever stuffed what looked like four socks into his tight shorts was adequately compensated.

My favourite number in the show was “There! Right There!” where the cast asks the eternal question: Is he gay or European? The cast’s frenzied investigation of the silk-shirted preening pool boy (Milan Miville-Dechene, U0 Arts) had the audience in stitches—the question is apparently quite relevant to a Montreal crowd.

Legally Blonde’s comedic production lent well to what could have been a tumultuous show week. While the new music and changes in staging must have been incredibly stressful, the cast weathered any issues with professionalism and good humour. Warner secretly fixed Elle’s mic during an affectionate touch on the head and the cast ad-libbed some great lines during difficult costume changes. The numbers are deeply entertaining, ranging from Irish dancing to a conga line, and the vocal performances are wonderful. I would highly recommend drinking two to three glasses of wine and bringing your friends for the most fun I’ve ever had in a high school gym.

HOT TAKE Stop listening to music while walking to class (or anywhere else) Kellie Elrick Staff Writer

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ou’re walking to class. You’re late. Snowbanks make sidewalks narrower; Satan makes them slipperier. You trod on; you persist, and then you come up behind a headphonedonning human hurdle, swerving carelessly—oblivious to the surrounding agony. I will not buy the excuse that walking without music is “boring.”

Without distraction, the world around you crystallizes. Laughter. Tears. Dramatic falls. Squirrel attacks. The nonsensical horror that is the intersection of Milton and Hutchinson. I do not buy the excuse that headphones keep you warm; that’s what hats are for. In December, an ambulance almost hit my friend on Sherbrooke—the sirens and urgently honking cars drowned out by the pain of the human condition (just kidding, it was because she was wearing headphones). The situational irony is not worth it. Take off your headphones, touch grass, and move: Music = good; disrupting the peace = bad.

The McGill Fine Arts Commission brings student art into the spotlight

A review of the intimate and sophisticated exhibit Isobel Bray Contributor

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n Monday, Jan. 22, the McGill Fine Arts Commission (FAC) held its first art exhibition of the year in the MacDonald Harrington exhibition room. The theme was liminal spaces, places of transition or change, expressed in varying forms. According to FAC’s VP Design, Emma Létourneau (U3 Arts), the FAC team selected this theme due to their curiosity about artists’ journeys, havens, and thresholds. They hoped this theme would provide space for artists’ creative expression while also challenging them to reflect on the various ways this idea could be presented.

The FAC is an organization on campus that supports and promotes fine arts at McGill. They also organize various events like exhibitions and workshops. As McGill does not offer any fine arts courses, students must find outlets for their artistic pursuits on their own time.

“The FAC’s overall goal is to provide the McGill community with opportunities to engage with art, whether it be by making art, or simply appreciating it,” Létourneau said in an interview with The Tribune.

Reflecting on their concept, I could see how someone could easily feel lost, staring at a blank canvas or empty photo albums, but nineteen art-

ists found enough inspiration to contribute to the exhibition. Some students presented existing work, others made bespoke pieces for this event, and everyone brought a unique perspective to the theme.

Subtle jazz music performed by Felix Hartley (U3 Music) on bass, Yuanlong Jiang (U2 Music) on tenor sax, and Gabe Newman (U1 Music) on guitar accompanied the viewing experience. This added yet another layer of artistic expression, contributing to the intimate and sophisticated atmosphere.

While all of the works were impressive, four collections and pieces with distinct media stood out for their versatile representations of the theme.

Marianne Chen-Ouellet’s (U3 Arts) multi-media collection depicted the liminality of the creative process and the hesitation of how to best represent it. The collection featured photo-copied images, coloured pencil drawings, paintings, and zine booklets.

Charles Cant (U0 Arts) submitted a pair of oil paintings entitled Bedsheets, depicting people on beds. The artist said they were hoping to express a liminal emotional state rather than a physical one. When I asked attendees about their favourite pieces, many cited either Chen-Ouellet’s or Cant’s work.

I found the photography pieces particularly captivating, as they allowed artists to capture fleeting real-world moments in time. Samti Luk’s (U3

Science) photography collection, Gloria’s Motel, so many. Art can be an especially beneficial break Trans-Canada Highway, focuses on an abandoned from studying and, with collective support, can be motel. The artist describes the building, gradually financially accessible to see or make. succumbing to the elements, symbolizing the tran“We can really see we are answering a need sitional space between humanity and nature. by seeing the turnout,” Létourneau said, referring Coco Jie Wang (U3 Arts) sculpted a piece to the more than 250 attendees at Liminal Spaces. called Hua, which means flower in Mandarin. I could hardly get a good look at it because of the FAC’s next exhibition is slated for 2024. large crowd inspecting the clay figure. Wang crafted a human torso with dried flowers emerging from its chest, noting that liminal spaces evoke memories of elements that were once familiar but have since changed, much like human bodies.

When I stepped into the room, I saw the faces of people who came to support their friends’ art, as well as others who had simply wandered in.

This type of community engagement is a major part of FAC’s mission, and I loved seeing stu- McGill has more than 30 fine arts and performance clubs. (Isobel Bray dents’ art appreciated by / The Tribune )

sports@thetribune.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 2024

SPORTS

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The Trib Explains: McGill Intramural Sports How to find a team, what sports you can play, and the glory of winning a mug Tillie Burlock Managing Editor

W

hile many students arrive at McGill having retired from their sport at the end of high school, intramural sports provide an exciting way to relive their athletic glory days. As it says on the intramural website––for those who claim they could have gone pro (if only that knee injury had held off for a few years) or others who want to try a new sport, McGill intramurals are a great place to start.

How to find a team If you are interested in a team sport, finding a few friends and forming a team is just one way of going about it! If you and your friends don’t quite have enough players to form a team, or you are looking to join a team on your own, the McGill Intramural Free-Agent Facebook group is a great place to start. Another step to take is to attend the annual free agent meeting held at the Tomlinson Fieldhouse or to fill out the Free Agent Form that is sent out to team captains each season.

Once you’ve found a team, select a team captain to register the team (or register yourself if you are playing an individual sport) through McGill Athletics’ online services. The captain will pay the team fee and team performance bond. The team performance bond is reimbursed at the end of the intramural season, provided you and your

team abide by the rules laid out in the McGill Intramural Handbook.

Intramural sports are open to all McGill students. McGill staff and alumni are able to play by purchasing an “Intramural Access Pass” for $85. Non-McGill community members are also able to purchase an “Intramural Access Pass” for $145 (meaning yes, your friend who goes to Concordia can play).

What sports are available?

Each season has its own set of sports!

While roundnet, volleyball, and soccer are available year-round, sports like threeon-three basketball are offered only in the summer and innertube water polo only in the winter. While the majority of sports offered are team sports, badminton and tennis are offered for those looking to compete in individual sports. A full list is available on the McGill Athletics website.

Categories There are three categories available for most sports, open, women, and mixed. The open category is open to all individuals, regardless of gender. The women category is open to women and those who self-identify as women, two-spirit, trans, and gender non-conforming. The mixed category is also open to all individuals regardless of gender; however, teams must adhere to a maximum number of athletes of a single gender on the field of play. For example, in seven-on-seven

ultimate frisbee, three women per team must be on the field at all times, or in mixed fiveon-five basketball, two women per team must be on the court at all times.

Levels Most sports are divided into four or five different levels. Tier one, two, three, and four sports all have playoffs and players compete for a championship mug.

Tier One: The highest level you can play! This tier is highly competitive, and participants are typically expected to have several years of prior experience.

Tier Two: Still high level but more intermediate. This tier is still very competitive, and participants typically have some prior experience.

Tier Three: Players are still expected to have some experience with the sport, but there is lots of room to grow!

Tier Four: For beginners or those with little prior experience.

Play-Fun: This tier is for those looking for a very casual sports setting where “overly aggressive and competitive play are not welcome.” Play-fun teams always compete in the open category and some gameplay and rules are modified.

Why should you play intramurals?

“Intramurals keep me young,” Jude Sinclair, U3 Engineering, says. Sinclair has played 90 games on 18 different teams since 2021. He has taken home three mugs, all in

McGill uses a scheduling platform called IMLeagues. (Tillie Burlock / The Tribune) ultimate frisbee.

“I love intramurals,” Jonah Mickelson, U2 Statistics, explained. “It makes me feel like a professional athlete.” Mickelson has played 47 games since 2021, earning two mugs in frisbee and one in soccer.

The Intramural Hall of Fame Outside of winning a mug, players, team captains (builders), teams, and intramural staff can be nominated to the Intramural Hall of Fame. Those who are lucky enough to have their name enshrined in “McGill’s most prestigious club” receive a white porcelain “Hall of Fame” mug and have their names engraved in plaques and displayed within the McGill Sports Complex.

For more information, the McGill Athletics website has an intramural specific page and a FAQ page.

Martlets basketball suffers another loss against bottom-of-the-pack UQÀM. This result extends the Martlets’ losing streak to four.

Megan Belrose Contributor

O

n Jan. 27, the Martlets’ basketball team (5–7) experienced a disappointing defeat against the UQÀM Citadins (2–8), leaving the Martlets third in the RSEQ conference as they head into the last stretch of the season.

The game got off to a rough start for the Martlets. The Citadins won the jump ball and got a fast break to the basket, leading them to open the scoring only 10 seconds in. However, McGill quickly responded with a three-pointer scored by forward Seyna Diggs. The Citadins made Love Competition Hall a tough atmosphere for the Martlets, loudly supporting their teammates from the bench. UQÀM continued to dominate in the first quarter, shooting 66.7 per cent from the three-point line, whereas McGill struggled to put points up, shooting a 35.7 field goal percentage. The quarter ended with a score of 12-28 after the Citadins went on an 11-point run.

The Martlets started the second quarter stronger than the first, with Diggs scoring a three-pointer and just barely avoiding a shot clock violation. Martlets guard Lily Rose Chatila then picked up a shooting foul, but UQÀM failed to score both free throws, and would go on to only shoot 16.7 per cent from the line the entire quarter. Martlets guard Katie Rathwell added her name to the score sheet after making a three-pointer that brought the Martlets

within 10 points of the Citadins. Later in the quarter, guard Emma-Jane Scotten found an open lane on offence and scored a layup to bring the Martlets closer, but it was not enough to get the lead. McGill outscored UQÀM 19-13 in the second, but still the quarter ended with a 10 point advantage for UQÀM. “We encountered a few unexpected challenges that slightly diverted us from our game plan,” centre Kristy Awikeh said in an interview with The Tribune. “Being on our home court, we anticipated a smoother flow, but unfortunately, some of our shots that usually find their mark just weren’t falling.”

Diggs opened the scoring again in the second half after nearly a minute of play.

McGill started closing the gap to UQÀM after three-pointers and a layup from Scotten and Rathwell brought the score to 43-45. McGill played aggressively, picking up several fouls in the process. However, this was not enough to keep the Citadins at bay, who made several layups and free throws in the last five minutes of the quarter to make the score 47-56. Still, the Martlets ended the quarter well with Scotten making both her free throws after being fouled in the last seconds of play.

The fourth quarter started well for the Martlets. McGill centre Katerina Stoupas made a contested layup to put the Martlets within seven points of the Citadins. UQÀM started to pull away from McGill as the quarter continued. The game’s rhythm ramped up in the last minutes of

The Martlets are two points back from the Bishop’s Gaiters for second place in the RSEQ. (Mason Bramadat / The Tribune) the game. Both teams were playing and fouling aggressively. Two UQÀM players fouled out before the game was through. The Martlets implemented a full-court press that the Citadins struggled to break, which led to steals for the Martlets, but it proved to be too little, too late as the game ended 62-71 in the Citadins’ favour.

Despite the loss, the Martlets showed drive and determination. Their strong effort suggests promise for future games.

“We are really channelling that feeling to get ready and focused on our next four games,” Awikeh said. “These games are super important for us to make it to the playoffs. And personally, I am hungrier than ever for what’s ahead.”

The Martlets (5–7) will face Laval (10–0) on Feb. 8 at home.

Moment of the game: A successful offensive rebound at the start of the third quarter led to a layup to start the second half off well.

Quotable: “A lot of my teammates stepped up and brought a lot of energy, both on the court and on the bench which is just as important [....] We have to work on starting our games off better, taking care of the basketball and taking advantage of opportunities where [we] have an advantage to score in transition.”

– Guard Emma-Jane Scotten Stat corner: The Martlets scored 9-13 of their free throws compared to UQÀM’s 8-16.

16

SPORTS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 2024

sports@thetribune.ca

Delving into the world of sportswashing engulfing pro-sports Exploring sportwashing and its weaponization by organizations and countries alike Continued from page 1.

First to join was Cristiano Ronaldo in Jan. 2023, and the league has since the signed big names such as Karim Benzema, Sadio Mané, and Neymar Jr. and pushed numerous competitions, such as the FIFA Club World Cup final and the SuperCopa de Espana to be held in Saudi Arabia.

Gulf investment in Western sports began when the Abu Dhabi United Group investment fund bought Manchester City in 2008 and the Qatar Sports Investment (QSI) fund bought Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2011. While these acquisitions are different in practice, they all stem from these states’ shared desire to diversify their economies away from oil production and engage in sportswashing––a form of propaganda whereby groups, including high profile individuals, private businesses, and governments, use sporting events, competitions, and sponsorships as a means to improve their public reputation. These investments tend to divert attention from scandals stemming from problematic business ventures, corruption scandals, environmental disasters, or human rights violations.

How money took over professional sports As sports clubs grew in popularity over the years, investors came to see professional sports as a worthwhile business opportunity. An influx of cash led to improvements in infrastructure, creating a professional ecosystem in which team owners collected gate revenue from local supporters, with players being able to make a living playing pro sports.

However, as the sports industry expanded, costs of operation soared, and financial stability was far from certain. Locally owned teams with limited financial prowess struggled to ensure the survival of their clubs. Many leagues did not have frameworks in place mandating community ownership, leaving the door open for outside investors. These investors come in the form of individuals, businesses, and governments with deep pockets that were able to pay the freight associated with the increased costs of running these operations.

The bubble keeps growing Since then, professional sports franchises’ values have increased exponentially over the years. European soccer club Chelsea F.C. was sold in a deal worth $5.4 billion dollars in 2022, up from the $190 million it was bought for in 2003.

A.F.C. Bournemouth, a much smaller club, sold for $147 million in 2022. On our side of the pond,

(All-Pro Reels, / CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons) the National Football League’s Chicago Bears were purchased for a mere $100 in 1920 and have a franchise value of $6.3 billion today according to a 2023 Forbes estimate.

The value of a professional sports franchise is often difficult to predict. Most are run as private businesses and therefore do not release their financials publicly. However, a certain scarcity in owning a famous sporting franchise lends the asset its value. Even when their associated revenues do not necessarily justify these high valuations, many potential suitors are often vying to purchase any given team when its owner is looking to sell, driving up the eventual price when the asset is sold.

When any professional sports franchise is sold today, only a small subset of the population can actually afford to buy it. Teams, for the most part, are not being purchased by local business owners, but by wealthy investors. Of course, some of these investors have a personal connection to the team and their community or are motivated by civic pride. Increasingly, however, ulterior motives such as the notoriety of being in an exclusive club of professional sports team owners or the accumulation of personal wealth drive the purchase of teams.

We need to be more critical of sportswashing in all of its forms When we discuss sportswashing, invariably Gulf investment is at the tip of everyone’s tongues.

However, sportswashing is not limited to these states––it is endemic to the professional sports

ecosystem.

Front-of-shirt partnerships with gambling companies, such as Brentford F.C.’s renewal of their sponsorship with Hollywood Bets, is a glaring example of sportswashing, as the renewal occurred shortly after the English Football Association banned Brentford’s star striker for eight months for having a gambling addiction.

How is this not criticized as sportswashing?

Potential investment into Manchester United from QSI—a group with strong links to the Qatari state—was criticized by fans as anti-competitive, as the QSI owns PSG in France as well, and denounced as sportswashing. Despite that, when Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the CEO of INEOS, invested into Manchester United via the petrochemical company, he did not receive the same amount of backlash. INEOS also owns OGC Nice and their investment is clearly intended to distract from INEOS’s terrible environmental track record.

These examples are not about states, but nevertheless, they are commercial entities using a professional team (or network of teams) to clean up their public image.

Sports teams everywhere deserve better The legacy of Reagan- and Thatcher-era market liberalization means that it is not only the world of sports that has embraced investment from morally questionable sources. Sports teams are businesses, but they mean so much more to their communities than purely commercial entities.

Ownership by corporations, such as the Red Bull network of clubs, can compromise the beliefs of

entire leagues. In the case of Austrian club RB Salzburg, Red Bull erased the 82-year history and identity of the previous club, SV Austria Salzburg, leading to heartbreak for supporters who saw their beloved club fall to ruin. Even in the case of their German club, RB Leipzig, founded in 2011, Red Bull used a loophole in the Bundesliga’s strict 50+1 fan ownership rule to own the club and tie it to their corporate identity. In Germany, football clubs are perceived as having a social duty to their fans rather than being vessels for some ulterior motive, and Red Bull’s conduct with RB Leipzig compromises those morals, making them the country’s most hated club.

As described in a 2022 paper in Sports, Ethics and Philosophy, the tragedy of sportswashing is two-fold: Fans, players, coaches, and journalists become complicit in the immoral actions undertaken by problematic owners, and the sporting heritage of local community institutions is compromised.

The Western world should view the widespread rot of sportswashing as a mirror through which to examine its own faults. After all, how did we get to this point? Who set the rules which allowed this to happen? It should not be up to supporters to give up their childhood club because of morally bankrupt ownership.

Still, there are reasons for hope. The Green Bay Packers are the only non-profit, supporter owned major sports team in North America. The Packers mobilized fan investment to engage in stadium upgrade projects without threatening to uproot the team thereby stiff-arming municipalities into investing public dollars into private infrastructure that does not generate local economic growth. They’ve also won four Super Bowls, most recently in 2010. The Bundesliga is famous for its 50+1 supporter ownership rule, which includes Bayern München, one of the most successful clubs on the planet. The story of Luton Town F.C., promoted to the Premier League last season, is a heartwarming example of the situations of other “phoenix clubs’” saved from ruin by supporters. Community is what sport institutions are rooted in.

Sports teams deserve so much more than to be vessels for the aims of some greater entity, divorced from the reality of community building.

It simply isn’t fair to those who sport is actually for, the millions who love the game. The integrity of sport is long gone, and we must bring widespread change or risk losing sight of who sports is actually for. And after we lose that, what else is left?

All figures mentioned in the article are in USD.

(Adnen1985 / CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)