McGill Tribune Vol. 38 Issue 25

TIME

The McGill Tribune Vol. 38 Issue 25 | April 10, 2019 Published by the SPT, a student society of McGill University

T Editor-in-Chief Marie Labrosse editor@mcgilltribune.com

Table of Contents

News

4-5

SSMU Executive Reviews

6-7

Opinion Cartoons Feature Photo

8-10 11 12-13 14

Student Living

15-16

Arts & Entertainment

17-18

Science & Technology

19-20

Sports

21-23

Creative Director Elli Slavitch eslavitch@mcgilltribune.com Managing Editors Ariella Garmaise agarmaise@mcgilltribune.com Stephen Gill sgill@mcgilltribune.com Calvin Trottier-Chi ctrottier-chi@mcgilltribune.com News Editors Andras Nemeth, Caitlin Kindig & Laura Oprescu news@mcgilltribune.com Opinion Editors Keating K. Reid & Abeer Almahdi opinion@mcgilltribune.com Science & Technology Editor Katherine Lord scitech@mcgilltribune.com Student Living Editor Emma Carr studentliving@mcgilltribune.com Features Editor Dylan Adamson features@mcgilltribune.com Arts & Entertainment Editors Katia Innes & Sophie Brzozowski arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editors Gabe Nisker & Miya Keilin sports@mcgilltribune.com Design Editors Arshaaq Jiffry & Erica Stefano design@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editor Gabriel Helfant photo@mcgilltribune.com Multimedia Editor Tristan Surman multimedia@mcgilltribune.com Web Developers Luya Ding webdev@mcgilltribune.com Tristan Sparks online@mcgilltribune.com Copy Editor Melissa Langley copy@mcgilltribune.com Business Manager Falah Rajput business@mcgilltribune.com Advertising Executives Heela Achakzai, Maharshee Karia, Alessandra Moukarzel ads@mcgilltribune.com Publisher Chad Ronalds

TPS Board of Directors

Abeer Almahdi, Becca Hoff, Jeeventh Kaur, Marie Labrosse, Katherine Milazzo, Daniel Minuk, Falah Rajput. Nina Russell, Kevin Vogel

Tribune Office

680 Sherbrooke Street Ouest, Montreal, QC H3A 0B8 - T: 514.999.8953 The McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Société de Publication de la Tribune, a student society of McGill University. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of The McGill Tribune and the Société de Publication de la Tribune, and does not necessarily represent the views of McGill University. Letters to the editor may be sent to editor@mcgilltribune.com and must include the contributor’s name, program and year and contact information. Letters should be kept under 300 words and submitted only to the Tribune. Submissions judged by the Tribune Publication Society to be libellous, sexist, racist, homophobic or solely promotional in nature will not be published. The Tribune reser ves the right to edit all contributions.

Editorials are decided upon and written by the editorial board. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the McGill Tribune, its editors or its staff. Please recycle this newspaper.

THANK YOU The McGill Tribune would like to thank all of the contributors and staff who have been involved with the paper this year.

Without our dedicated contributors, producing this paper would not be possible and the Editorial Board is grateful to all those who put in their hard work and previous time to create content for the McGill community. Every item that we release, f rom the original idea to the f inal product, is shaped by the Tribune staff and contributors, photographers, designers, illustrators, web developers, videographers, and other students. We understand the diff iculty of balancing extracurricular involvement with academic work and you all deserve to be proud of your contributions. We recognize your achievements and thank you sincerely for all your work.

For those graduating, we wish you the best of luck and hope that the experiences that you had at the Tribune will carry into your future. For those returning in the Fall, whether you contributed once over the past year or every single week, we hope that you will continue to be part of the Tribune next year.

The Tribune is also grateful to the McGill community for its continued support throughout this academic year. We thank our readers for their engagement with our content and the student body at large for their participation in the Tribune Publication Society’s existence referendum. Thanks to students’ appreciation for the importance of an independent and diverse student press, the Tribune will continue to operate for the next four years with increased support f rom student fees. We look forward to continue to deliver content that captures students’ drive on all of our platforms.

STAFF

CONTRIBUTORS

Hannibal de Pencier Taja De Silva Kyle Dewsnap Owen Gibbs Emma Gillies Sabrina Girard-Lamas Mar y Keith Sunny Kim Sydney King Winne Lin Ronny, Litvack-Katzman Ender McDuff Gabriela McGuinty Sofia Mikton Nicholas Raffoul Nina Russell Julia Spicer Leo Stillinger Bilal Virji Kevin Vogel Tony Wang Helen Wu Jacqueline Yao Leanne Young

Cordelia Cho Favour Daka Matthew Hawkins Lucy Keller Liam Kirkpatrick Daria Kiseleva Athena Ko Mo Rajji McEan Taylor Margaret Wdowiak Kaitlin Wong

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10 2019

NEWS / 4

Students stalked with scripted harassment around campus Multiple men reported, Campus Security believes single man responsible McEan Taylor Contributor

In the past few weeks, McGill students have taken to social media to bring attention to recent incidents of harassment around campus. The issue has garnered attention from numerous media outlets, including CBC News, as well as prompted a university-wide email alert on Apr. 1.

Viveca Lee, U1 Science, was exiting the Eaton Centre when a man approached her and attempted to start a conversation with a barrage of personal questions. He asked about her home, her studies, and if he could buy her coffee. After she declined, he asked for her number so that they could meet another time.

“I left and just shrugged off what happened,” Lee said. “He made himself sound super sweet the whole time, so I thought maybe he was just desperate to get women, An anonymous source from MTL Blog alleges that the harassers are part of an online or maybe he was being genuine.” group of pick-up artists. (Liam Kirkpatrick / The McGill Tribune) However, a similar incident happened a few days later, when a different man ap- pened to me,’ ” Lee said. “Then, I read the re- trying to pick up a girl. He was definitely not proached her on the corner of Sherbrooke plies she reposted from hundreds of women anywhere near my age. He could also tell by and University with the exact same set of giving the same testimonies, and it was abso- my body language that I was in a rush, but questions. lutely horrifying.” he kept being pushy about ‘getting to know “I gave [the second man] short, dry reThe incidents originally seemed isolated me’ [….] When I learned the next day that sponses so that he would get the message to nearby Concordia’s downtown campus, this [had] been happening to many others, I and leave,” Lee said. “Eventually, I just stopped but women are now reporting similar ex- realized my random encounter with this man responding, and he kept silently walking be- periences in the McGill campus area. Alex, wasn’t coincidental, and I realized why my gut side me until I went inside Trottier.” who wished to remain anonymous, was feeling about this man was uneasy.”

As more students disclosed their ex- approached by a man with an Eastern-EuThe scripted dialogues, aggressive naperiences over social media, it became clear ropean accent in his mid-to-late 20s who ture of the assailants, and similarities between that the two encounters were not isolated was wearing a leather coat. After avoiding his the incidents have caused concerns that they incidents, but part of a deliberate, targeted attempts to start a conversation, she made could be tied to sex trafficking. According to strategy. On March 29, Concordia University sure to keep him in eyesight. the Service de Police de la Ville de Montreal student Lisa Komlos posted a video on her “He left, walking up University street,” (SPVM), traffickers often begin with nonInstagram account describing two incidents Alex said. “But then I watched him turn left violent, manipulative routines to establish a of harassment around Concordia’s campus. [onto] the path going to Otto Maass.” connection with potential victims.

Her video reports two different men who A man fitting the same description was According to McGill’s Interim Director approached her with the same scripted set reported by a student near the McConnell of Internal Communications James Martin, of questions and aggressively pursued her. Engineering building. After seeing a Face- the recent incidents are tied to the same Afterwards, Komlos felt obligated to share book post about a suspicious man near Otto person harassing women, likely while using her experience.

Maass, Lee reported the incident to Campus a script.

“I understand feeling nervous about Security, who sent out patrollers to watch for “We have heard people speculate sharing any kind of experience online, let the man and directed Lee toward the police. online about human trafficking,” Martin said. alone an experience with harassment,” “The police told me there was nothing “But we have spoken to Montreal police and Komlos said. “However, it is important to ac- I could do,” Lee said. “They were not aware they report no issues of human trafficking, knowledge that, by sharing your stories with of how this has been happening to hundreds kidnapping, or missing persons related to this others, [you] could help make others feel of women all over downtown.” kind of activity on the island of Montreal.” comfortable enough to share their experiIn addition to the notably high numCampus Security started receiving ences as well.” ber of harassment complaints, students have reports of similar cases of harassment on Komlos’ video quickly gained over reported that the nature of these harass- March 30. Since then, they have received di156,000 views and was widely shared. ments differentiates them from usual pick- rect reports from five individuals who have Hundreds of women commented, describ- up attempts. According to a student who experienced harassment and two reports of ing similar experiences around Concordia’s chose to remain anonymous, the man who second-hand accounts. campus and the Eaton Centre. Lee herself approached her while she walked through Eighteen individuals who responded to recognized the extent of the problem after campus was very confrontational. a survey conducted by The McGill Tribune reseeing Komlos’ post.

“It felt like a staged and generally ported having experienced harassment on “As I was watching the video, I strange encounter right away,” Sam said. “It campus. Three distinct perpetrators were [thought], ‘This sounds exactly like what hap- didn’t feel like the typical scenario of a guy described in the survey responses, though the dialogue the respondents described have similarities across all accounts. Nine respondents from the survey suggested that McGill should place more security personnel

around campus both during the day and at night.

Martin explained that Campus Security is increasing its presence in response to reports and encouraged students to stay vigilant.

“We have reassigned patrols to increase our visibility in high-traffic areas,” Martin said.“We keep patrolling and being visible, and we encourage people to call Security Services if they are concerned about their safety on campus or if they observe something suspicious [....] Our agents will coordinate with Montreal police as necessary, but, if it’s an emergency situation, don’t hesitate to call 911 directly.”

Encounters typically begin with a man approaching a woman and initiating a conversation by either asking a general question or directly mentioning the woman’s physical appearance. No matter how the woman responds, the man begins asking personal questions about their name, studies, where they live, or what they are doing. Then, the man asks to go somewhere off-campus, typically a cafe or their apartment. If the woman refuses, the man asks for their cell number.

Most women have said the men follow them after their conversation.

The harassers may be changing tactics, however.According to an anonymous source, who posted in a university Facebook group, a man who matched reported descriptions approached her on St. Laurent on Apr. 7 with an altered script.

“He acted surprised and said he knew us,” they wrote . “He said he was on his way to get some groceries but liked to ‘socialize on the street and meet new people’ [....] He asked us if we’d go with him to get some drinks, and again, when we said no, he persisted.”

Immediately after the incident, a different man approached the source asking if they noticed a similarity between their experience and reports of scripted harassment.

“He insisted about five times asking ‘if we had to say, did it sound similar to the scripts,’ ” they wrote . “It all seemed super off to us. It seems as if they’re now trying to figure out how to change the script enough so that girls don’t recognize it.”

Students who feel unsafe have a variety of resources available to them: The urgent care walk-in clinic opens at 8:30 a.m. on weekdays in the Brown Building, Suite 3100; the Sexual Assault Center of the McGill Student’s Society (SACOMSS) hotline is 514-398-8500; Walksafe can be reached at 514-398-2498, and Drivesafe can be reached at 514-398-8040. Any student in need of assistance is encouraged to call Security Services, available 24/7 (Downtown: 514-398-3000. Mac campus: 514-398-7777).

Petitioner previously faced impeachment and resigned Kyle Dewsnap and McEan Taylor Staff Writer and Contributor

Asa Kohn, U1 Mathematics and Statistics, has filed a petition against the Science Undergraduate Society (SUS), accusing the organization of ignoring its constitution’s instructions on how to proceed in the event of a resignation. He sent the petition to the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Judicial Board (J-Board) on March 10, but claims he has yet to receive a response, apparently in violation of the Board’s procedures.

Kohn insisted that student representatives should respect their governing documents.

“It’s fine, in general, if someone doesn’t care [about procedure],” Kohn said. “I would say it’s less fine when your job is to enforce procedure. Having procedure is important in defending against abuses of power.”

Kohn claims that SUS executives willfully ignored the Society’s constitution after the Jan. 23 resignation of SUS SSMU representative Moses Milchberg, when President Reem Mandil stated that members of the Executive Committee would represent science students at the SSMU Legislative Council for the remainder of his term. However, the SSMU Standing Rules stipulate that a student society cannot send a proxy for a representative position more than twice in one year.To avoid breaching procedure, the Legislative Council passed a motion on Feb. 7 to allow SUS executives to attend in Milchberg’s place.

The SUS Constitution states that the SUS must hold a by-election in the event of a resignation. Kohn claims that SUS executives broke this rule when they announced that they would be using proxies for the rest of Milchberg’s term. In pro-

test, Kohn petitioned the SUS to include a referendum question during the winter SUS referenda that asked whether, in the event of a resignation, the candidate with the next-highest number of votes in the election for SUS SSMU representative could take over a vacant position. In the case of this year’s elections, the person with the next highest number of votes is Kohn himself. In an email sent on Feb. 24, SUS President Reem Mandil deemed the question invalid and refused to place it on the ballot. According to Mandil, the decision not to replace Milchberg was deliberate and fair.

“A by-election was deemed not an appropriate course because of time [constraints],” Mandil said. “We had our full elections coming up a few weeks after the resignation [of the SSMU representative].We decided against an appointment because they would have been hired by the executives [instead of being] elected, and we wanted the remainder of the Legislative Council sessions to be attended by an elected member.”

The J-Board, SSMU’s judicial body that resolves internal disputes, has not yet replied to Kohn’s constitutional challenge of the SUS’s actions.This lack of response is an apparent violation of the Board’s internal procedures, which mandate it to accept or reject new petitions within 14 days. Chief Justice Georgina Hartono did not provide a comment explaining this delay.

SSMU President Tre Mansdoerfer explained that there were issues unrelated to this petition that have delayed the JBoard’s response. However, he also believes that Kohn lacks an understanding of what is necessary for good governance.

“I understand where [Kohn] is coming from; however, there’s got to be the recognition that other governance bodies have agreed with [the SUS’s] decision,” Mansdoerfer said. “Student societies have a yearly turnover, which may result in cases where constitution must be broken not in a way that is malevolent, but in a way that facilitates best practices. I think SUS’s decision to [use executives as proxies] is better than deciding to throw someone into the role that has no experience this late into the year.”

Kohn’s experience in student government is controversial: He temporarily worked as the Vice-President (VP) Finance for the Royal Victoria College’s (RVC) Residence Council, where he allegedly made other council members uncomfortable. Impeachment procedures were to be enacted against him, but he resigned before they officially took place. According to an anonymous RVC councillor, Kohn had obstructed the Council’s ability to govern. “[Kohn] became really neurotic about the constitution,” the Council member said.“He wouldn’t let us talk about events [...and] he was just really controlling [....] I talked to our InterResidence Council advisor and also the Residence Life Advisor and debriefed everything and he told us the best process was to impeach him.”

The SUS General Council has their last meeting on Apr. 10, and SSMU’s last meeting was on Apr. 4. Mansdoerfer stated that the petition could be heard by the J-Board in the next academic year.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10 2019

SUS constitutionality questioned in Judicial Board petition

Former McGill professor found guilty of sexual misconduct Order of Dentists may suspend former professor from practicing for less than five years Helen Wu and Nina Russell Staff Writers

QOD found Apelian to have violated section 59.1 of the Order of Dentists’ Professional Code, which regulates appropriate workplace conduct.

“The fact of a professional taking advantage of his professional relationship with a person to whom he is providing services, during that relationship, to have sexual relations with that person or to make improper gestures or remarks of a sexual nature, constitutes an act derogatory to the dignity of his profession,” the Code reads.

The police investigation, initiated in response to the complaint, was concluded in May 2017 after the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) missed the deadline to pursue any charges against Apelian. The SPVM declined to comment on the investigation.

Apelian was placed on administrative leave from McGill in Dec. 2016 following the incident, although the university’s investigations failed to implicate him. He returned to work after the university concluded its investigation in January 2017.

After the QOD’s guilty verdict, McGill cut all ties with the assistant professor at the end of February 2019. Associate Provost (Equity and Academic Policies) Angela Campbell attributed McGill’s failure to remove Apelian from the University as a result of the different tools at the QoD’s disposal.

“An external authority like an administrative tribunal leads a quasi-judicial process and, consequently, has access to ‘tools’ or measures that are not available to the University,” Campbell wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “For example, it can issue subpoenas to compel anyone to testify and/or to provide documents and information. The tribunal’s process is based on examination and cross-examination of witnesses and the parties themselves, which provides a better opportunity to test the evidence and the credibility of witnesses. These powers are provided by law. The University does not have these powers.“ Soon after McGill concluded the investigation, the student stated in an interview with CBC that the administration had actively worked to discredit her during her testimony. She stated that she felt as though members of the administration had colluded before meeting with her,

The victim has accused McGill’s investigative process of not being survivorcentric. (Leanne Young / The McGill Tribune) enabling them to undermine her testimony throughout the investigation. The Tribune also uncovered a series of emails between members of the administration who had contacted the student’s professors regarding her class attendance without her consent.

The Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry Elham Emami wrote to the Tribune expressing her commitment to the safety of dentistry students.

“This has been a difficult issue for our Faculty, and one that we have taken very seriously,” Emami wrote in an email.

“As Dean, I’m committed to ensuring and maintaining a safe and secure learning environment for our students.”

NEWS / 5

Nareg Apelian, a former assistant professor in McGill’s Faculty of Dentistry, has yet to receive a date for his disciplinary hearing, where the Quebec Order of Dentists (QOD) will decide on the consequences for his sexual misconduct.

Back in February, the Order found him guilty of groping a student during an offcampus dentist appointment in 2016.

The dentistry student, whose identity is protected, made an appointment with Apelian to adjust her mouthguard. Apelian requested to see her at his off-campus clinic, where he groped her in a locked room.

Immediately after the appointment, the student filed a complaint with the Montreal police and McGill. Apelian maintains his innocence, arguing that he required the student to come to his off-campus clinic for accommodations because the necessary equipment was unavailable at McGill. If he is not able to overturn the QOD’s guilty verdict, he may face a suspension of less than five years.

The

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10 2019

STUDENTS’ SOCIETY

OF MCGILL UNIVERSITY (SSMU) EXECUTIVE YEAR-END REVIEWS 2018-2019

C+

Matthew McLaughlin, VP Internal

Jun Wang campaigned for VicePresident (VP) Finance on a platform of improving students’ financial literacy, streamlining the funding application process for Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) clubs, and pursuing green investments.

Wang’s most significant achievement during his term was the SSMU bank transfer, which moved 230 clubs’ bank accounts from ScotiaBank to the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) to facilitate tracking of funding applications and enable clubs to receive direct deposits from SSMU. However, Wang did not communicate sufficiently with clubs during this process, and clubs were unable to access their funds during a blackout period that lasted for several weeks. Additionally, in March 2019, Wang sanctioned an estimated 100 clubs for failing to comply with regulations that clubs say were previously considered defunct and unenforced.

Though Wang hosted an audit workshop for club executives on March 28 to promote financial literacy and prevent future errors, the effort was insufficient, and many groups continue to operate without access to their accounts. Ultimately, this failure to liaise effectively with the electorate compromised many of his promises.

During his campaign for VP Internal, Matthew McLaughlin prioritized revamping the SSMU listserv, creating a centralized calendar of university events, and re-implementing the ‘Day In The Life of a SSMU Exec’ program. McLaughlin accomplished these goals, with the calendar set to roll out in Fall 2019. Other initiatives taken during his term include rewriting the First Year Council (FYC) constitution to nearly double its membership and expanding dry event options during Frosh.

Events McLaughlin planned have gone smoothly, with the exception of the ‘Children of the Corn’ Halloween party in Oct. 2018: Students’ behaviour led the event’s transportation provider to cancel service, costing SSMU approximately $10 thousand in reimbursements for students’ uber rides home. Early in his term, McLaughlin introduced a motion to Legislative Council that forbid the VP Internal from becoming intoxicated at SSMU events, increasing the role’s accountability and professionalism.

Despite his accomplishments, McLaughlin spread himself thin over the year, proposing more projects—such as biweekly video updates—than he could realistically accomplish.

Nevertheless, McLaughlin’s work, and particularly his engagement with the FYC, has left a positive mark on the VP Internal role.

EXEC REVIEWS / 6

Jun Wang, VP Finance

A-

Sophia Esterle, VP Student Life A In order to deliver on promises she had made during her campaign for VP Student Life, Sophia Esterle has worked to implement a variety of mental health initiatives, including SSMU’s first Eating Disorder Awareness Week, a mental health conversation in rez event in collaboration with Rez Life (Draw & Discuss), and the creation of an eating disorder resource website and pamphlet.

Absorbing duties from the VP External portfolio, Esterle worked closely with student activists, SSMU’s Indigenous Affairs Commissioner, the First People’s House, and the Indigenous Student Alliance on the #ChangetheName campaign.

Esterle navigated the unforeseen challenges posed by the building closure by establishing an efficient and user-friendly request system for rental space. She also successfully transitioned Activities Night to the Tomlinson Fieldhouse, which had a record attendance.

Though Esterle began work on the Clubs and Services Search Engine, the project was delayed. She managed, however, to begin streamlining SSMU’s website and creating a student groups portal, which she hopes will complement the eventual search engine.

Esterle served a successful term, and her dedication and compassion for her role and fellow students was evident.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10 2019

Jacob Shapiro, VP University Affairs

Tre Mansdoerfer, President

A-

ATre Mansdoerfer’s term as SSMU President has been largely successful: Most notable is his work on increasing coverage for the health and dental plans, the property acquisition of 3501 Peel, work on governance reform, and the Involvement Restriction Policy to increase the safety of campus events. As with the other executives, one of Mansodoerfer’s greatest challenges during his term as president was the University Centre closure, which left many clubs without space for their daily operations. He addressed this challenge by acquiring space in McGill’s 680 Sherbrooke property, saving SSMU hundreds of thousands of dollars that they had spent on 2075 Robert Bourassa in Fall 2018. Additionally, the Ad-Hoc Fall Reading Break committee saw substantial progress with help from Shapiro and the committee chair Bryan Buraga. Mansdoerfer cites SSMU’s chronic understaffing as another challenge, which he attempted to remedy with a substantial proposed $30 increase to the base membership fee in the Winter 2019 referendum, but the increase failed to pass. Although Mansoderfer did not fulfill all of his campaign promises, like switching General Assemblies to a clicker voting system, he made immense progress on others, and handled the building closure as best as possible. Overall, despite mishaps like the overambitious Master Plan, Mansdoerfer’s term as SSMU president has been a success.

EXEC REVIEWS / 7

During his term as VP University Affairs, Jacob Shapiro worked with the McGill Senate on projects such as instituting a fall reading break, providing Open Educational Resources (OERs) to make often-expensive academic resources more accessible, and improving McGill’s Policy Against Sexual Violence. He also implemented the Associate Senator program, which aims to involve first-year students in student government by allowing them to accompany SSMU executives during their work.

Shapiro also worked on SSMU governance reform with Legislative Council, the Board of Directors, Senate, and the Judicial Board to create stronger legislation to keep SSMU accountable and improve students’ trust in the organization. This work is difficult to complete in one term and Shapiro is focused on longerterm reform, which should contribute to enduring positive change in SSMU. Additionally, Shapiro achieved continuity in governmental projects by maintaining the Know Your Rights campaign. He hopes to see this project expand in the future through coordination with Student Advocacy and creating advertisements on Facebook.

Shapiro laid the groundwork for the creation of intergenerational housing and hopes to see this project take off in the future. Further, a lego-themed event in February engaged McGill students with seniors from the McGill Community for Lifelong Learning.

Lastly, Shapiro worked extensively on changing McGill’s satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) Policy, and he hopes to see a commitment from the university by the end of the semester.

Wednesday, April 10 2019

EDITORIAL

Looking back on a year of student activism

The 2018–19 academic year saw numerous grassroots campaigns, such as #ChangeTheName and the recent Global Climate Strike, among others. At McGill, activism serves an important role in the community, and student activists are behind most of the social progress that has occurred on campus over its history. While student activists have gathered momentum on a number of issues this year, it is crucial that that energy is maintained in the future.

Tomas Jirousek, Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Indigenous Affairs Commissioner, started the #ChangeTheName campaign last year, achieving national news coverage. It is common for activists to face burnout, due to the emotionally and physically exhausting nature of their work, which may lead to plateaus in progress.

However, this is not the case for #ChangeTheName; instead, Jirousek employed a variety of strategies from organized demonstrations and petitions to open letters and op-eds in campus publications, engaging a range of students with the cause. Although Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier has delayed her decision on the name until the end of this month, the #ChangeTheName campaign has achieved one success already: After a campaign from Jirousek, who stated that the name limited Indigenous students’ ability to comfortably use McGill athletics facilities, students voted against renewing the Athletics Facility Improvement Fee in the Winter 2019 referendum period.

Other campus issues, like McGill’s Policy against Sexual Violence, remain an uphill battle for many activists. On March 27, The Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS) posted a statement on their Facebook page explaining their dissatisfaction with McGill’s recently-

revised policy, most notably the policy’s exclusion of a ban on staff-student relationships; Associate Provost (Equity and Academic Policies) Angela Campbell cited the findings of Concordia’s Sexual Assault Policy Review Working Group in their decision, explaining that banning relationships between consenting adults would be illegal under Quebec privacy law.

If students are not satisfied, they should keep pushing until the necessary changes are made.

Divest McGill and the McGill chapter for the Walkout for Climate Justice launched students’ fight against climate change, to much success: On March 15, over 150,000 protesters in Montreal joined forces for a march for climate justice led by the student movement La planète s’invite à l’Université.

Unfortunately, activists on campus still faces challenges.

For example, while the culture of slacktivism and other forms of ‘lazy’ protest, such as sharing social media posts, lower activism’s barrier to entry, they are far less meaningful than forms of activism that require more labour, like demonstrations. The Walkout for Climate Justice proved that students are still capable of mobilizing for important causes; however, this protest was an exception to the rule.

Other causes, like the anti-racism march following the Christchurch massacre, were attended by hundreds of people, but were thousands short of the rallying potential demonstrated by students during the Walkout for Climate Change. All issues of social justice are interconnected; it is important therefore that activists acknowledge intersectionality when campaigning. For example, climate change will disproportionately affect communities of colour, indicating the importance of not only attending the Global

Climate Strike, but also the anti-racism demonstration.

Students should not just engage when it is convenient or only when it affects them. Solidarity on campus is important, and coalitions like Solidarity Alliance McGill provide a model for future initiatives. Activists should stand up for everyone’s collective rights, especially marginalized communities.

For some students, activism may not be a choice or not even an option. The new provincial Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) government’s bill 21, the infamous secularism bill, which would bar anyone working in the public sector in a ‘position of authority’ from wearing visible religious symbols such as the hijab and kippah. For Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, and other students belonging to a religious minority, fighting this bill is necessary: They do not have the privilege to ‘choose’ to fight this. For others, like low-income students who have to work to support themselves, activism is not available as an option because they may not have the time or resources to engage in it. These situations illustrate the importance of fighting for the rights of marginalized voices, especially when many of them may not be able to do so for themselves.

McGill has a long legacy of successful student activism: In 2012, thousands of Montreal students mobilized against proposed tuition hikes; and last year, vice-president External Connor Spencer spearheaded the national walkout against sexual violence. Passionate student leaders sacrifice time, labour, and energy to organize successful campaigns to the benefit of all students, and their work deserves to be celebrated. Therefore, it is imperative that all students put in their necessary work into making campus a better place; this means going to protests and being an effective ally—even when it is inconvenient.

Fake football, real friends Stephen Gill

OPINION / 8

Managing Editor In my final semester of high school, I joined an online dynasty fantasy football league. We set up a group chat to facilitate league communications, and, after a million on and off-topic messages, a ditched podcast, and a half-dozen new offshoot leagues, the “Dream League” became my steadiest, longest-standing social circle.

I often find myself concerned with the current trajectory of technology—I get little value from my Instagram feed, and I have seen enough episodes of Black Mirror to know where things like Cambridge Analytica lead. But, thankfully, there is at least one positive: The new wave of technological advancement has allowed people the opportunity to access and develop deep, satisfying interactions and friendships entirely on their own terms.

As jobs become more precarious and the workforce more competitive, students often prioritize their long-term goals over present-day social lives and require greater flexibility to work around their demanding schedules. While social media has obvious flaws, it also allows people

to connect through shared niche interests, and and at their leisure.

It took me 30 minutes to explain to my mom how I grew so closely connected to a group of fifteen 23 to 40-year-old fantasy football degenerates. It took another half-hour to convince her that I probably wouldn’t be abducted. Nonetheless, this crew, as well as a more normal collection of online content channels, has provided me with fulfilling, convenient social outlets that my everyday life hasn’t always offered.

My transition from high school to university opened gaps in my social life that I failed to fill: In first year, I fell out of touch with my high-school friends and struggled to replace them at McGill beyond a single lasting group of three buddies.

An inability to establish a fulfilling social environment is anything but rare at McGill. With an intense, highly-segmented social scene, it can be extremely difficult for anyone to make and maintain friendships on campus. It is even more challenging to find people who share one’s unique, hyper-specific interests. But, the magic of the internet makes it possible for students to fill those voids, and a plethora of social media sites allow like-minded individuals to

Social media can help to connect distant individuals with similar niche interests.

(The McGill Tribune) connect over distance. While most of these connections will probably go nowhere, with time, one can often find a meaningful social circle.

In the past two years, student journalism has ushered a band of new friends into my life. That development came with the stipulation of a hectic weekly schedule that wears me out and, even then, leaves me with little free time before midnight. In turn, I’ve stumbled further into the weird worlds of podcasts and Twitch streams. While most normal people can carve out free time into their afternoons or evenings, anyone can get burnt out. For introverts and extroverts alike, there’s value to the idea of simulating social ‘interaction,’

but without the effort.

Ninety years ago, people would make friends when they went over to see the neighbour’s new 10-gallon hat; today, people can make friends by reacting to Ice-T tweets. This dynamic is new, but it isn’t harmful. It’s hard for friendships to fade with distance when they were forged and exist entirely online. And, after a hectic week of classes, projects, and student journalism, my library of dumb comedy content has allowed me to turn off my brain, laugh, and, most importantly, feel a pseudo-connection to others. Thanks to the internet’s flexibility, that fulfillment can take many forms; for me, it’s talking trades with a web developer from Florida named ‘Sticky.’

Abeer Almahdi Opinion Editor

The last time I went to Damascus to visit my mother’s family, I was around 12 years old, and although I can’t really remember all the details, there are some memories that have stayed with me. I remember visiting my great aunts at their convent, walking through the old souk, Arabic for marketplace, smelling the narenj trees by my grandparents’ house, and being endlessly captivated by my grandfather’s ever-growing home library—I developed my love for reading in that house. Despite recalling my childhood so fondly, when my mother told me that she booked a flight to visit Damascus for Christmas, I was terrified. I was ready to go home again, but I wasn’t ready to see what home had become—I didn’t want war to tarnish my memories.

After a two-hour drive from Beirut, with a few stops for the bagellike ka’ak and checkpoints along the way, we finally made it to Damascus.

Everything at my grandparents’ house was as I remembered, down to the tree outside their living room window.

I even went back to the souk and continued a book I started almost ten years ago.

Things started to change on Christmas day at my mother’s high school reunion. We were all sitting in her friend’s living room, having drinks and laughing, when we heard the sound of fireworks. While fireworks are typical for the holiday season, their frequency was strange: One huge crack every 30 minutes. It wasn’t until I opened Twitter that I realized we were hearing a missile attack. My mother asked me if I was scared, and, though I said no, I was terrified.

'’

I was ready to go home again, but I wasn’t ready to see what home had become (...)

Even though the missile target was Qatana, around 25 kilometres from the party, I was engulfed in an irrational, growing fear.

When we arrived home, I jokingly told all of my friends of the ordeal.

I knew I was safe: The target was nowhere close to me, and my family has been through a lot worse than my brief encounter. But, that’s where the trip’s honeymoon phase ended.

I remember my grandmother asking if I was okay. Though she was used to war by now, she knew that I grew up far removed from it. I was fine, but my memories were shattering around me. All of the images of bitter orange trees, family gatherings eating wara enab, and playing in the park with my cousins replayed in my head for hours on end. I expected that, despite suffering a seven-year-long conflict, Syria was going to be unchanged, just like my childhood. I wasn’t ready to accept the reality of conflict, I kept trying to go back to a time that was over. I realized that I wasn’t ready to let go of my childhood or my memories.

Then I started noticing things I had previously ignored. I started seeing the refugee camps, the long wait times at checkpoints, the closed-down shops, and the rubble. I started seeing the

blue signs of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, the soldiers with assault rifles, and the large stacks of money my mother would use to buy street food because of hyperinflation.

Syria had changed, and I wasn’t able to keep up.

I am extremely lucky and grateful to have been sheltered from the realities of the war because I grew up outside of it. Still, my grandparents’ normalization of their situation shocked me. I have to learn to accept that Syria will never be the same, and going home will not be either. All of my memories will remain fond, but I can’t

Wednesday, April 10 2019

Changing the meaning of home after the war

'’

As a child of the diaspora, I will always keep a part of Syria with me (...) keep looking to the past, or else I will forget to see what Syria has become.

War is out of my control, but enjoying holidays with my grandparents while I still can is not.

As a child of the diaspora, I will always keep a part of Syria with me; I will keep parts in picture frames around my apartment, in conversations with my friends, and in everything that I write. I will never truly leave Syria, even while I am thousands of miles away in Montreal.

Snapshots from Syria.

(Abeer Almahdi / The McGill Tribune)

OPINION / 9

Wednesday, April 10 2019

One year sober

Mo Rajji

Contributor Content warning: Mention of sustance abuse I have an empty bottle of Captain Morgan spiced rum sitting on the windowsill next to my bed. The ‘rgan’ is crossed out, and the label is slightly faded after a year in the sunlight. I bought this bottle in early Feb. 2018. It is the last bottle of liquor I ever bought, and it’s a reminder of how far I’ve come.

On March 1, I celebrated the biggest milestone of my life so far: One year since I quit drinking. To be clear, I did not just spend a year sober—I don’t think that this year would have been possible without

nicotine or weed—which fills me with shame, but that’s the truth.

I first tried to quit drinking in Oct. 2017. I knew I had a problem when I collapsed on my neighbour’s kitchen floor, clutching an empty bottle of gin, most of its contents in my veins, slurring my words and pulling heaving sobs from my throat. I was coping with grief and guilt, and the only solution I felt that I had was to drink. I knew it was unhealthy; I knew I needed to stop, but I didn’t have it in me for another four months. In that time, I spent most nights drinking, alone or with friends, blacking out and being cleaned up, trying again and again to quit. I still resent myself for the trouble I caused.

It is easy to just keep drinking at McGill, where Frosh and other drinking events like Science Games and Carinval welcome students, filling the time in between at clubs and bars with weekday specials. It’s much harder to not drink at McGill, surrounded by people who ask if you’re sure when you tell them you quit drinking. Of course I am sure, I didn’t make the decision lightly, and, no, I don’t want to try just a sip. There are also the holier-than-thou straightedge students who were horrified at the idea that I ever got to the point where I had to stop drinking. Hearing their derogatory remarks just makes me want to drink more.

But, the hardest part of sobriety is

A large proportion of social events at McGill revolve around drinking. (Isabella Rose Serrano / The McGill Tribune) not the external pressures, it’s the internal realization that the parts of yourself you despise don’t disappear when the alcohol leaves your system. I know people who have never been drunk or who never had more than a few sips of wine because they are terrified of losing control. Since quitting, I have said and done horrible things like when I consistently drank, only, now, I remember it, and I can’t blame it on the alcohol. In reality, the alcohol was never to blame in the first place; it just exacerbated all of my qualities. It has taken me a long time to

admit that I am responsible for everything I did while drunk, the good and the bad, what I remember and what I don’t.

Remembering my actions provides a necessary clarity that I didn’t have before to feel better and be better. Knowing that I just got through a whole year without a drink gives me hope that I can do better, that I do have it in me, even when it’s hard.

I might not be able to drink again, if it means that I can regain control over my life and relationships. But, I’ve come this far, and I intend to keep going.

Nothing is set in stone: Colonial statues on campus

Favour Daka Contributor

OPINION / 10

Content warning: Mention of graphic violence On March 23, Brigade de solidarité anticoloniale Delhi-Dublin, an anti-colonial group, vandalized the statue of Queen Victoria that sits in front of the Schulich School of Music. The Brigade de solidarité anticoloniale Delhi-Dublin spray-painted the statue green in the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, and also vandalized the statue of James McGill, signalling their contempt for figures who represent imperialist and racist

histories. While this case of ‘vandalism’ can be seen as a form of activism, it is perhaps not sufficient in rectifying the oppressive actions promoted by either Queen Victoria or James McGill.

The monument of Queen Victoria was first erected in front of Schulich in 1900. Her figure represents tragedy to the communities who were brutalized and oppressed by the actions of colonization she either spearheaded or promoted. Many marginalized students whose ancestors were directly affected by the actions of British colonialism have attended McGill since then, and they have to be constantly reminded of the colonial violence that Queen Victoria symbolizes.

In spray-painting the statue of Queen Victoria, Brigade de solidarité anticoloniale Delhi-Dublin is protesting all that these statues signify: The acceptance and celebration of colonial violence. However, vandalizing these statues has little real-world impact. While the green spray paint has symbolic value, it does not fully address the larger problems inherent to a culture that heralds figures like Queen Victoria. The green paint has been washed off, and the monument remains an imposing reminder of Canada’s colonial nature. The spray paint invites necessary conversation about the

permanent removal of these monuments, but the simple erasure of the paint reflects how easily McGill has erased marginalized voices to avoid substantive and fruitful conversations.

Reconsidering which figures should be honoured with monuments is certainly not a new discourse in Canada. On Aug. 11, 2018, a statue of John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first Prime Minister, was taken down in Victoria, B.C., following demands from Indigenous communities. Macdonald played a significant role in encouraging residential schools as a site for aggressively assimilating Indigenous peoples. In Jan. 2018, Halifax’s city council voted to remove a statue of Edward Cornwallis, a former colonial governor of Nova Scotia, after

Last week, McGill’s monument was spray-painted pink by anti-colonial activists. (Abeer Almahdi / The McGill Tribune)

activists spray painted the monument red.

While colonizing the province, Cornwallis declared a ‘scalping proclamation,’ which rewarded anyone who killed a Mi’kmaq person and could present their scalps as evidence.

In covering the statue of Queen Victoria with green paint, Brigade de solidarité anticoloniale Delhi-Dublin likely aimed for results similar to those in Victoria and Halifax. However, the monument is still standing. Providing marginalized communities with a platform to uplift their voices is one way of actualizing substantial change. Another way of doing so would be to properly fund Indigenous studies education, and integrate Indigenous systems of knowledge into education. Another is to demand that this statue, if it is to remain, include a plaque detailing the harmful actions promoted by Queen Victoria on the monument.

McGill has an important role in respecting the needs of its marginalized communities. The spray-painting of the Queen Victoria monument should encourage necessary conversations regarding McGill’s racist history, especially as the founding father of the university, James McGill, was a slave owner. To ensure that these conversations produce positive outcomes, measures toward amplifying marginalized voices must be taken seriously.

Wednesday, April 10 2019

CARTOONS / 11

From top left to bottom right: Waiting for Summer (Sunny Kim) , Remembering the Friend that is Graduating (Cordelia Cho, Winnie Lin, Sabrina Girard-Lamas, Sunny Kim, Daria Kiseleva, Erica Stefano, Arshaaq Jiffry, Kaitlin Wong), Pick your Starter (Sunny Kim), Evolution of a McGill Student (Sunny Kim)

THE COWORKING CRAZE Marie Labrosse Editor-in-Chief Fingers fly over keyboards while heads hang heavy with concentration and Slack notifications gurgle softly in the background. These sights and sounds conjure the modern work scene, but they may no longer evoke a singular image of a physical backdrop against which this work unfolds. As the typical 9-to-5 recedes, work no longer has to happen at a cubicle desk housed inside of a multistory corporate building.

Coworking, a flexible and self-directed work style, occurs in shared spaces that a 2007 Bloomberg article described as “where the coffee shop meets the cubicle” and can act as a counter to an oppressive desk job. Removed from the conventional office setting, coworking spaces often have an aspirational quality to them.

“We needed an office, but we couldn’t find one with a good enough vibe,” Gabriel Dancause, co-founder of the GAB Café, said. “So, that’s where we asked ourselves ‘what would be your dream office?’”

The GAB Café is a coworking café located in the Mile End that Dancause and his business partner Phil Héroux launched in 2015. The buzzing space features a mix of individual seating, enclosed personal work stations, and a large table designed for group work. Indie music plays softly in the background, and light flows in from the Boulevard St. Laurent behind the large windows.

Patrons have the option to pay an hourly, daily, or monthly rate for their use of the space, and they are under no obligation to purchase coffee or food.

While Dancause and Héroux pitch their business as the first coworking café in Montreal, and even the universe according to their website, coworking spaces abound in the city and worldwide.

To bridge the structure and community of a traditional workplace with the freedom of freelance work, American engineer Brad Neuberg claims to have invented the first coworking space. In 2005, Neuberg coined the term while he was working out o f San Francisco, and from there the concept blossomed

into a global

trend.

While the term ‘coworking’ may sound novel, the concept itself is not.

Jürgen Habermas, a German philosopher and sociologist, traces the evolution of the public sphere—a community that allows for the formation of public opinion—from its current form all the way back to the European Renaissance.

According to the Habermasian model, during the Renaissance, the public sphere took the physical shape of British coffee houses or French salons, which are not dissimilar to the coworking spaces of today.

“There have been a few different iterations of it,” Matthew Corritore, assistant professor of Strategy & Organization in the Desautels Faculty of Management, said. “It’s not necessarily a new phenomenon. You go back to the idea that a café is an intellectual space where lots of diverse people are getting together [....] Most recently, starting in the mid-2000s, you’ve seen the emergence of thinking about a coworking space as a different type of business.”

Today, the global platform coworker.com lists over 10,000 coworking spaces in 162 countries, with 42 locations in Montreal. Local coworking spaces are concentrated primarily in the downtown and Plateau/Mile End areas and offer a wide variety of amenities to their clientele. The variation in services that coworking spaces provide is endless: The LORI Hub is an incubator that hosts female entrepreneurs, Le402 offers creative patrons 24hour access to its photo studio, and Aire Commune is an open-air workspace.

Some already-established businesses are also integrating coworking into their space: Café Parvis, for example, started offering desks, meeting rooms, and common spaces above its restaurant in Oct. 2017.

The nebulous concept of coworking leaves the door open to a diversity of styles. However, the central tenets of coworking remain the same; users primarily seek collaboration and flexibility. Physical space, therefore, does not define coworking so much as the community that the location cultivates.

“I don’t think that there’s an agreed upon definition, and part of that is that it hasn’t been studied all that much,” Corritore said. “But, part of the basic definition is in the title. They are spaces where people are coming together to do work, [... and they are people] of different industries and different occupations and working for different companies.”

Caroline Makosza, executive director of the Temps Libre Co-op, echoed the essential role that community plays in the success of a coworking space.

Temps Libre runs two locations out of the Mile End: A free-of-charge space to meet and collaborate with coffee, popcorn, and events, as well as a coworking space which users pay to access. Revenue from rentals inside the office space helps to fund the community space’s operations.

Makosza sees the two spaces as inherently dependent on their abilities to bring people together.

“A coworking is a workspace that is necessarily open and shared between people who do not want to work alone,” Makosza said.

“They want to see people.”* The communal quality of coworking spaces encourages the diversity of services in Montreal’s shared offices. Coworking businesses serve a wealth of different communities simultaneously with different needs, leading to variations on the standard coworking model.

“There are incubators that are coworking spaces but they are also places where the designated staff will try to support the entrepreneurs as much as possible,” Makosza said. “There’s another trend that is ‘cleaner.’ It’s hyper-functional and everything in that coworking space is thought-out and all that patrons have to do is sit down at their desk [....] The staff there are dedicated to their well-being and their comfort [....] And then there are places like Temps Libre that are more grassroots [....] Temps Libre is different because its users are looking for an atmosphere and a way to have an impact on the society that they live in.”

With dozens of locations and amenities to choose from in Montreal alone, there is certainly no shortage of options for remote workers and

teams. To Makosza’s eyes these diversified offerings are an advantage for both those who use coworking spaces and those who operate them.

“There aren’t really competitors,” Makosza said. “There are multiple products, and people choose.”

Due to the nature of the work that they can accommodate, coworking spaces mostly cater to young professionals whose work is autonomous and digital. Graphic design, programming, and freelancing are all lines of work that lend themselves to remote completion and therefore attract coworking customers. Dancause also remarked that the GAB Café attracts a significant volume of McGill students and faculty due to the space’s proximity to its Downtown campus.

The proliferation of these types of casual workers who can work remotely is itself symptomatic of a larger shift in the working force.

Corritore studies the rise of ‘non-standard work,’ which encapsulates agreements between working parties that deviate from the traditional norm of a 9-to-5 job and can include temporary and oncall work.

“Increasingly, people are working for firms, not in the sense that they are an employee for many, many years and they’re coming to a traditional office and being a part of a traditional corporate culture,” Corritore said. “Now, we’re seeing people who are working on contract, or as freelancers, or even just the rise of remote work. So, I’m not necessarily going to be in the office five days a week. There’s some time that I’m going to spend working at home. That has opened up a space where there is now demand for people to have a place that they can go that’s not necessarily just working from home or working at a traditional office.”

Workers engaging in non-standard remote work seek a new space to work from to curb the isolation that comes with working at home. Coworking spaces try to provide their patrons with a form of involvement that will boost their productivity.

“I see [coworking] as a consequence or an outgrowth of a broader change that is happening in employment relations,” Corritore said. “Traditionally, those types of workers [contractors and freelancers] would just go to coffeeshops, but you’re now seeing increased demand for more heightened engagement from those workers who want some semblance of an organizational culture or at least want to have a little fun at work.”

Dancause has observed the benefits of developing a group dynamic through his coworking business.

“The people who are members are members for a long time, and most of them became my friends,” he said. “You make a community out of nothing. It’s like we’re colleagues, but it’s even better because we’re not working together, so there’s no possible conflict.”

Similarly, the collaborative nature of a coworking space, especially when combined with a co-op model as is the case at Temps Libre, attracted Makosza and led to a diversion from her previous career as a librarian.

“The public space offers the opportunity to transmit what happens in the coworking space to a general audience,” she said. “Sharing knowledge is what I am interested in [....] I like this idea that people get together to organize something and that they make it evolve according to the history of the structure.”

As these coworking spaces continue to crop up, the working attitude that they epitomize becomes concerning.

“I worry about an aspect in which the corporate world is influencing the way people manage their work lives,” Dror Etzion, associate professor of Strategy and Organizations in the Desautels Faculty of Management, said. “If it’s not enough that we have our devices, and our computers, and our email with us all the time now, [...] and, [particularly for] people who work in coworking spaces, the work life impinges even more on their sense of identity or their social life.”

The coworking mentality meshes, often uncannily, with contemporary hustle culture, which promotes performative (over)achievement over a healthy work-life balance and separation.

At one of its Montreal locations, WeWork, an American company that provides shared workspaces around the world, has TV screens that read “vis ta passion” (live your passion) lining the walls. In one of the multinational’s hubs in Hong Kong, billboard-like letters spell out the word ‘hustle’ above a bar.

“On Instagram, you can’t just send a picture to someone, it has to be doctored, and the lighting has to be perfect,” Etzion said. “In the same sense, you used to be able to go work and you could be next to somebody, and you could hang out by the water fountain chit chatting, but, now it feels like you might be obligated to do that.

It takes on this life where now you have to curate your work life so that you are part of the fun crowd at work, and networking properly, and [...] coming to all the pizza nights. More and more of our lives are broadly things that are encompassed in the notion of work.”

Nonetheless, coworking seems to provide a service for which demand continues to grow in a technologydriven professional landscape. In late 2018, the Canadian federal government even suggested adopting coworking spaces for public servants when they could not access their regular work places. If the proportion of freelance workers continues to increase at a steady pace, they would make up just over half of the U.S workforce in eight years. While the model can play into tropes of today’s corporate world such as a blurred work-life balance, it also has the ability to promote a sense of independence and community for remote workers as they continue to grow in numbers.

“

“You could hang out by the water fountain chit chatting, but now it feels like you might be obligated to do that.”

“

*Caroline Makosza’s quotes have been translated from their original French by the author.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10 2019

PHOTOGRAPHY / 14

Light to Night

(From top to bottom: Dan Aponte, Leanne Young)

The McGill Tribune’s Staff Photographers capture the university from day to night.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10 2019

Greasy diners, antique shops, and Gucci flip flops How St. Henri turned into a playground for the wealthy Kevin Vogel Staff Writer

In recent decades, St. Henri has transformed from an industrial hub to a real estate developer’s paradise.

(CBC) there [aside from staples like New System and Greenspot].”

Zinman noticed many empty commercial properties go up for sale during this time. An eclectic variety of small businesses, ranging from mattress to pet lizard stores, filled in the vacancies, but not all of them stayed open.

“The most random businesses that you could think of would pop up [on Notre-Dame],” Zinman said. “People tried different things […] but, there were so many vacancies. Then, the cafés kind of just started opening [one day].”

New condos and trendy businesses have made the neighbourhood seem increasingly attractive to students and young professionals looking to settle down in an area close to the downtown core. Jérémie Lapikas, U1 Arts, who grew up across the canal from St. Henri in Ville-Émard, recalls seeing new arrivals to St. Henri over the years.

“You really have this up-and-coming street, NotreDame, where it’s slowly becoming the place to be,” Lapikas said. “There’s lots of places to just consume, basically.”

With all of the condos, fancy barber shops, brunch restaurants, and cafés, an influx of new money has come to St. Henri.

“It’s typically young businesspeople [who frequent these places],” Lapikas said. “I see people wearing brand clothing more and more [even though] it’s still very much a family neighbourhood.”

While high-end condo developers, trendy aesthetics, and the educated mid-twenty-somethings they attract are more responsible for gentrifying St. Henri, university students also play a noticeable role in pushing long-time residents out of their homes.

“Many students who lived here, going back to the first years of Solin, after they leave rez after first year, [they] stay in St. Henri,” said Zinman. “There [are also] a lot of people who, once they’ve lived here and maybe moved to the Ghetto, come back here afterward.”

For students at McGill and other Montreal universities, St. Henri’s appeal extends far beyond its trendy cafés.

Compared to the increasingly-pricier Plateau and Milton-Parc neighbourhoods, St. Henri has relatively inexpensive rent for student budgets. Commuting to the Downtown campus

only takes 10 to 15 minutes by metro, and cheap grocery stores, like Super C and various local markets, are abundant in the area. While this is an attractive setup, Lapikas stated that students resettling in the area need to remember that their actions have consequences.

“You have this wave of students coming in, and it’s hard to blame them because if you can find an apartment which is reasonably priced, and you team up with a bunch of people and split rent it makes sense,” Lapikas said. “But, that’s putting families, especially single-income families, in a very competitive housing environment. As a single parent, it’s much harder to match whatever four students can pool together. But you need that space if you have three kids.”

To combat this problem, community organizations have worked to advocate for awareness of gentrification at City Council. Other more militant activists have smashed in windows of trendy-looking businesses. Lapikas suggested that students could also help by volunteering in the neighbourhood and integrating themselves into St. Henri more.

“I don’t think the solution is to try to reverse the process and make these neighbourhoods ‘working class’ again, but to try to split more evenly the benefits of better stores,” Lapikas said. “It’d be nice to see more interaction with students who just come here for four years and the locals who lived their entire lives here.”

However, not all new stores cater to multimillionaires like Lady Gaga and Nas. Despite Notre-Dame’s many changes, locals have taken a leading role in shaping St. Henri in a less ostentatious fashion. Charity organizations like Les Ami(e)s de Montréal sell inexpensive second-hand furniture, and St. Henri locals own the Singaporean street food restaurant, Satay Brothers. When new residents support long-time residents of the neighbourhood, they can lessen their impact on the gentrified area.

“I love those guys because they were born and grew up in St. Henri, and they employ people from the neighbourhood,” Zinman said. “So, even though I find them a little expensive […], to me, [Satay Brothers] is a great St. Henri success story.

But, I can see how someone from the outside could look at that and see it as gentrification [in action].”

STUDENT LIVING / 15

In 1962, novelist and filmmaker Hubert Aquin produced September Five at St. Henri, which documented the daily routine of families living in the southwestern, working-class neighbourhood in Montreal.

“St. Henri is not known for fancy restaurants,” Bill Davies, the film’s narrator, comments. “It is really a little island, surrounded by water, railroads, and the industrial wealth of other men.”

Davies’ commentary has hardly aged well. Rue NotreDame Ouest, the commercial main street of St. Henri, now boasts a plethora of lavish restaurants with pricey menus.

Vintages Frames L’Archive, a sunglasses store on the street, sells designer products for thousands of dollars, and a January Versace ad campaign recently featured 2Chainz sporting a pair of shades that he purchased at the shop. The flamboyance of this new St. Henri is a symptom of a rapid gentrification process: Even though the neighbourhood is home to a distinctly working-class community, rising rent costs coupled with precarious financial circumstances have priced out even long-time residents in favour of more affluent professionals and young students.

While factories hum in the background of Aquin’s film, in the time since, most of St. Henri’s major factories have since closed down and are now abandoned and rusting along the banks of the Lachine Canal. With employment prospects for working-class individuals dwindling away over the decades, the neighbourhood has faced immense economic pressures, and the population has sharply declined. The Arrondissement du Sud-Ouest, of which St. Henri occupies the northwestern quarter, lost 38 per cent of its population between 1966 and 2006, according to Montreal City statistics. That population did not start to grow again until the mid-2000s, as economic redevelopment along the Lachine Canal accelerated.

In the aftermath of deindustrialization, real estate groups renovated abandoned factories into new houses and condominiums. In 1993, developers purchased 4710 rue StAmbroise, which had been a Simmons Bedding Company factory since 1919, and refurbished it into a luxury loft building.

With a Parks Canada investment dedicated to beautifying the areas around the old industrial area, the canal, which once housed the heart of Canada’s manufacturing economy, now features bike lanes, recreational boating opportunities, and music festivals. Private companies have continued to assume old factories and warehouses along the canal, turning them into luxury condos with prices starting at well over $300 thousand for a simple studio. McGill even capitalized on the abandoned factory market in St. Henri—in 1990, the university purchased a former chocolate factory and renovated into what is now Solin Hall, its second-largest student residence that houses upward of 280 students.

These economic and demographic changes have had adverse effects on remaining long-term residents. As factories closed and the population dwindled, entrepreneurs soon bought cheapened property in the area and started new businesses. Howard Zinman, the senior administrative coordinator of Solin Hall, has witnessed St. Henri’s changing landscape since he started working there in the early 2000s.

“When I first got to St. Henri, Notre-Dame [street] was filled with collectible shops. You could have found vintage Barbies, Coca-Cola things,” Zinman said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “I feel like the Internet and the way it affects commerce really stabbed at the heart of Notre-Dame […]

For a while, Notre-Dame was a ghost town. [Because of sites like eBay,] the collectible shops closed, there was really nothing

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10 2019

Trivial pursuit

Fun fact: McGill students and professors love learning Gabe Nisker Sports Editor

On Oct. 6, 2014, Mariusz Galczynski, at the time a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Education, watched the taping of an episode of Jeopardy!. He had passed the many required tests in order to be on the show, and it was almost his turn to compete.

“Anyone who knows me [...] knows that I love the Spice Girls and Celine Dion,” Galczynski said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “[In the game before mine], there was a Celine Dion questiow and then Final Jeopardy. The answer was the Spice Girls, and no one knew of the contestants.

So, right away, I was like ‘Agh, my god, I wish I was playing that game.’”

Jeopardy! records a week’s worth of episodes in one day of taping, and Galczynski was up next on the Tuesday episode. He won $20,350 in his initial appearance before losing the following ‘day’ in an episode taped 15 minutes after the first one ended.

When his winning episode aired on Nov. 25, Galczynski hosted a viewing party at Thomson House, where he and his friends used to participate in trivia nights.

“I invited all my friends that could make it, and it was great,” Galczynski said.

“We watched the episode live. I knew the result, but they didn’t, and, when you watch the episode, it was a really close game and also pretty exciting [....] Obviously, they’re rooting for you to win, so it was awesome to deliver that at the end of the episode.”

During weekly trivia gatherings, students and professors compete in a battle of wits. (Jeopardy.com) Throughout Montreal, trivia-junkies host events at pubs, basements, and student unions. Venues around campus host themed nights with The Office, Game of Thrones, or even Shrek-specific trivia. For more general-knowledge-based questions, chemistry professor David Harpp has hosted his Centraide Trivia Nights at the Faculty Club for the past nine years.

“My daughter teaches at a university in the [United States], and I was visiting her about 12 years ago, and she said, ‘Do you want to go to a trivia night?’,” Harpp said in an interview with the Tribune.

Harpp’s trivia nights attract the McGill community, Montreal residents, and even a regular visitor from the University of Waterloo. As quizmaster,

he runs seven rounds of 10 questions on a Powerpoint slide show. Harpp explained that, in preparation for competitions, he thoroughly researches his questions.

“If I think of [a potential question], like ‘that’s an interesting thought,’ I’ll just research it and make sure that it’s at least ‘Wikipedia right,’” Harpp said.

At Harpp’s trivia nights, around 30 teams of four or five discuss the questions at their tables and submit their answers on scorecards marked by undergraduate students. “[It] gets very noisy [and] very competitive,” Harpp said. “[There’s] highfiving, and [then also] a little bit of gentle cursing when they get something wrong or are talked out of a right answer at the

table.”

A similar spirited atmosphere is present at the McGill Trivia Club’s events.

The club meets twice a week in library group study rooms to practice for Quiz Bowl competitions with other schools across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. Club president Akhil Garg has been participating in trivia competitions for nine years. He enjoys trivia competitions as a way to absorb new information.

“It’s all about learning new things,” Garg said. “I specialize in science and social science. As a medical student, I’m mostly studying biology, so trivia lets me study [all of the other sciences]. It’s a way to really expand my knowledge base.”

Overall, participants’ appreciation of learning promotes healthy competition.

Garg compared this relationship to his favourite piece of trivia.

“There’s this thing called Bergman’s rule, which is that species in higher latitudes tend to be larger,” Garg said. “We at McGill Trivia always like to joke that we’re bigger than the clubs we compete against.”

A friendly atmosphere goes a long way in the trivia world even though competitions can get tough. Harpp agrees: Trivia remains competitive, even at home.

“My wife plays [at my trivia nights] with a team,” Harpp said. “She doesn’t get any inside answers. If I’m playing a piece of music, she’ll say ‘Who’s that?’ and I’ll say ‘That’s for you to find out.’”

2019 McGill time capsule Relics of modern campus life Lucy Keller

STUDENT LIVING / 16

Contributor

On Oct. 2, 2003, during a routine security check of the Donner Building of Medical Research construction zone, campus security officer Mathieu Racette found a time capsule dating back to 1947. Students placed it in a cornerstone of the building during the 1947 commencement ceremony. After carefully opening the rectangular box, the McGill Archives Staff found the letter that William H. Donner wrote in his donation for the building’s construction; remarks made by Chancellor O.S. Tyndale on the day of the ceremony; an extract from “Who’s Who in America” profiling Donner; and a McGill Faculty of Medicine Calendar dated 1947-48.

Like students of semesters past, The McGill Tribune has assembled a time capsule filled with a selection of items to give future generations a glimpse into the life of a McGill student circa 2019.

A HANDFUL OF BAR DES ARTS TOKENS

These one-dollar chips have brought happiness to many McGill students in recent years. Whether patrons spend them on a grilled cheese or a beer, Thursday nights are always better when spent at BdA with a couple tokens in hand. BdA may no longer be running once this time capsule is found, but

if not, hopefully this discovery will spark enough curiosity to re-open the doors to Leacock room B-12.

2019 MCGILL FROSH SHIRTS

The student-run event has helped welcome students to McGill since 1999. From bonding with leaders and group members to exploring the waters of Beach Club, Frosh has served as an exciting and integral start to students’ first year on campus. One can only imagine the themes that the faculties will concoct in the future, but, by including this year’s shirts, future students can get a glimpse into Camp Frosh, Froshed Ashore, and Frosh of the Sea.

A JUUL

Students rely on these tiny rectangular devices around campus. While cigarettes remain prevalent on campus, Juuls are easy to use anywhere and have allowed smokers to skirt the 2018 smoking ban on campus.

Including a Juul will show future students just one of many poor habits that McGill students have picked up during their college years.

COVERAGE OF THE FALL READING WEEK COMMITTEE

It is unlikely that there will be a fall reading week

In 2003, security guards uncovered a time capsule buried over five decades earlier. (mcgill.ca) by the time this capsule is found; however, that doesn’t mean students don’t love the idea of one. Despite referendum questions, motions, and committees to study the possibility of changing the academic calendar, there has not been any progress. To memorialize the process of the initiative, the time capsule will include one of the many governance documents on this topic.

AIR PODS

These wireless headphones have sparked a revolution. From Instagram posting to showing off the latest Apple invention in Bronfman basement, these headphones have become the latest status symbol on campus. While no one is quite sure what ornaments Apple will create for the future generations of university students, they will probably continue to dominate the technology market.

Leo Stillinger Staff Writer

Indeed, in the absence of official recognition, a variety of clubs have sprung up, offering opportunities for music, theatre, a capella, visual arts, and dance.

The diversity of options is testament to the need for creative outlets across the student body.

Yet, for Cholot, the clubs she participated in at McGill were somehow unsatisfying. They struck her as fun diversions for stressed-out students, where art was more of a therapeutic hobby than a serious practice. For instance, a recent Visual Arts Society event was titled “DeStress with the VAS: Colouring Book Night.”

“There’s no sense of critique,” Cholot said. “It was very much […] to breathe out your classes and release the pressure,” Else also found the lack of critique of her work to be limiting. While wine and paint events are fun, and they provide a wonderful and much-needed release from the pressures of McGill, Else misses the level of feedback she had in her Studio Art class in high school, and she thinks her progress has been stifled as a result.

“I think critique nights instead of a drawing night could be really cool,” Else said.

Despite such limitations, artistically inclined students continue to choose McGill. Else, who has an eye to pursue law school, put it bluntly.

“I can pursue art on the side but I can’t pursue law on the side,” Else said.

Moreover, a future in the fine arts can be frighteningly precarious.

“Being a creative person—that’s always the issue, right?” Khalimonova said, referring to the uncertainty of life with a B.A. in creative writing. “You love your thing, and you want to believe in it, but it’s also kind of terrifying.”

Pressure from parents can be another factor in deciding to push a fine arts practice to leisure time. Many McGill students will attest that their university is ‘harder’ and more ‘prestigious’ than Concordia, even if

in reality this prestige often translates to a lack of flexibility in curricula.

All three artists, however, told me that even more than prestige or pressure, they came to McGill because they loved learning.

“Being able to engage with ideas and the world differently is something I really value,” Khalimonova said.

Cholot voiced a similar sentiment.

“There is a great need for educated artists in the world,” she said. “When you learn [as] much stuff as you do at McGill, to be able to transcribe that into art pieces […] would be great for people.”

Unfortunately, the classical curricula of McGill fail to foster such dynamic and interdisciplinary work.

“It’s a square, and you have to fit the square,” Cholot said.

In this prestigious pressure-cooker, art and academia find themselves as bitter competitors instead of fruitful collaborators; when the going gets tough, grades take priority, and art is relegated to a remedial hobby. Cholot’s program at Concordia, which combines theoretical art history with applied fine arts, shows that this need not be the case. Perhaps, it is up to the students, with the little institutional power they have, to imagine a McGill where art and academics could go hand-in-hand.

Until then, devoted artists will keep up their balancing act. It is possible, Cholot told me, even at McGill. It just takes some sacrifices.

“You have to give up on the idea of being a straight-A student,” Cholot said.

Else, meanwhile, told me that the problem isn’t exclusive to McGill.

“You’re never, ever going to have enough time,” she said. “Graduating isn’t going to give me more time. It’s going to give me different time.”

When asked if a healthy balance was possible, Khalimonova’s answer was more abstract in nature.

“I want to say yes,” she laughed. “I’m sure someone’s figured it out!”

Artistic Outlets Tuesday Nighty Cafe Players’ Theatre Franc-Jeu McSWAY Poetry Collective Visual Arts Society The Fridge Door Gallery In 2003, security guards uncovered a time capsule buried over five decades earlier.. (The McGill Tribune)

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT / 17

Gemma Else, U1 Arts, has painted since before she started kindergarten.

In grades 11 and 12, she enrolled in an advanced placement Studio Art class, where she practiced four hours a day, six days a week. At McGill, Else has continued to make art and is a curator for the studentrun Fridge Door Gallery. But, instead of oil painting, the medium she loved in high school, she has switched to less timeconsuming endeavours, like pencil sketches and watercolours. As a student, she yearns for the day that she will have enough time and space to take up oil painting again.

“It’s been hard,” Else said. “I’ve totally changed the way I work. I don’t work in the same [media] anymore, and that’s simply [due to the] time restraint.”

Like Else, Jeanne Cholot studied visual art extensively throughout high school, taking five hours of art and art history classes every Saturday afternoon. At McGill, she realized that a political science major was not for her and that the art clubs at McGill were insufficient creative outlets.

She formed an artists’ collective called École Publique with other McGill students, but she still felt unsatisfied. After attending an open house for Concordia’s art studios, she applied to their joint B.A. in art history and fine arts. For the past year, Cholot has studied at Concordia, and art has gone from a side-project to a full-time study. It marks a welcome change from McGill.

“I’m learning to be an artist, so it’s very different,” Cholot said.

Sasha Khalimonova took up guitar at age 16, and started playing at open mics around Montreal. During CEGEP, she dreamed of studying creative writing at Concordia, but her parents wanted her to go to McGill instead. While she enjoyed her classes, she felt stifled creatively.

Nonetheless, she continued to practice

her music on the side, performing nearly every week. In September, her band Sasha Cay opened for Homeshake at the Rialto Theatre. All the while, Khalimonova struggled balancing music with her academics.

Upon meeting Khalimonova at the Milton Gates with her guitar case in hand, she revealed that she too, had transferred to Concordia, to pursue creative writing.

It would be wrong to sensationalize a handful of anecdotes: As far as we can tell, there is no large-scale artistic brain drain crossing Sherbrooke southwards to Concordia. Nonetheless, these artists’ experience raises questions about the difficulty and the feasibility of balancing art and academics at a prestigious institution like McGill, which has no fine arts program.

The problem is largely one of timemanagement. When Khalimonova opened for Homeshake, she was balancing band practices, homework for her English Literature classes, and a 15-hour-per-week job. She cited an author who compared writing a novel while having a full-time job to having an affair.

“It was this secret thing she wasn’t supposed to do, but she got done anyways,” Khalimonova said. “I think there’s something kind of exciting about it, doing the thing you love knowing it’s really difficult and it’s getting in the way but doing it anyways.”

The difficulty of time management is compounded by a lack of institutional support from McGill. For music students, there is the Schulich School of Music, although the high admissions standards limit the school’s reach to a select few musicians.

For visual artists, performers, and creative writers, there are no classes in fine arts, not even electives, and the only degree program where you students can learn to draw is in the school of Architecture.

“McGill as an institution doesn’t do anything,” Else said. “I think that creates a necessity for a really strong, student-driven environment for the arts.”

Wednesday, April 10 2019

BALANCING ART & ACADEMIA: A QUESTION OF TIME

Wednesday, April 10 2019

Jerry Saltz challenges elitism in the art world “Art first; All Else Follows” calls for the contemporary world to open its doors Emma Carr

Student Living Editor “Eighty-five per cent of the art made during the Renaissance was crap, it’s just all gone.” Jerry Saltz said to a Montreal crowd at Theatre Outremont on Apr. 3. “Eightyfive per cent of the art made during Impressionism—bleh.”

These are not words typically uttered by esteemed art critics, but Saltz has always relished in shocking his audience.

Known to his followers as the ‘people’s art critic,’ the artist and 2018 Pulitzer Prize-winner for art criticism spoke with unexpected candour and levity about the stuffiness of the contemporary art world.

Saltz addressed a crowd of artists and art enthusiasts in his talk titled “Art First; All Else Follows,” hosted by Art Speaks, an organization that stages biannual lecture series aimed to facilitate discussions about contemporary art between experts and members of the public.

Saltz, the current senior art critic for New York Magazine, is one of the most celebrated contemporary art critics. However, he had an unorthodox entry into the field.

Unsure of his qualifications, Saltz explained that he was initially hesitant to pursue a career in the arts, and instead worked as a long-distance truck driver.

“Finally, in the trucks, by the time I was about 40, I was in agony, really [...and] I decided to become an art critic,” Saltz said. “[At the time], I had never written a word in my life [...] I won the Pulitzer Prize and I don’t consider myself a

writer, I think of myself as someone who just tries to write down what I am thinking. I think of myself as a folk critic.”

Among the crowd were several young hopefuls seeking advice on starting a successful career in art and criticism.

Reflecting on his own professional journey, Saltz encouraged members of the audience to prioritize collaborative work.

“You must form a gang [...], and you will take over the world together,” Saltz said. “That’s how it’s been done, and that’s how it will continue to be.”

Saltz suggested that Montreal was an ideal setting for artists to plant their roots. In recent years, the city’s artist communities have flourished. Yet, more importantly, according to Saltz, the city is teeming with diversity and talent.

“You have a cosmopolitan city,” Saltz said, “There are not many of them. In my opinion, only cosmopolitan cities with mixed, warring [...] populations can become great centres for the arts [... I] went around to the galleries [in Montreal] today, and what I saw was good.”

Despite the city’s bountiful opportunities for artists, Saltz reiterated that, for many aspiring artists, a career in the creative disciplines is inaccessible. He was particularly vocal about the systemic barriers women and artists of colour encounter during their careers. According to a 2019 study of the art displayed in major U.S. museums, only 13 per cent of the work is by artists of colour and 20 percent by femmeidentifying artists, an issue which many activist groups, such as the Guerrilla Girls, have sought to address. In response to this systemic discrimination, Saltz advocated for radical

institutional reform within the art world that would broaden the scope of high culture. Nonetheless, Saltz optimistically pointed out that artists are producing work that challenges traditional sources of authority.

“The canon walls are down [...], and we can already see that change is beginning,” Saltz said. “What I hope is that a mediocre woman artist could have as powerful of a career as all the mediocre white men who have had careers all of these centuries. ” Despite the art world’s continued inaccessibility, Saltz nonetheless encouraged the audience, regardless of their background, to participate in Montreal’s artistic community.

“I’m lucky to be in [the art world]. I worked my whole life to be in it,” Saltz said. “Whether you make art or just love it like I do [...], I want you to have a life lived in art because if you have that life, you will never be bored.”

Jerry Saltz is known as “the people’s art critics.” (hirshorn.si.edu)

Bring Your Own Juice supplies the laughs Squeeze in a chuckle at McGilll’s sketch comedy show

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT / 18

Matthew Hawkins Contributor In the midst of the pre-finals panic, there is often little time for humour. However, one McGill group is bringing joy and laughter to the community, providing some much needed respite from this terribly unfunny season. Bring Your Own Juice (BYOJ), McGill’s only sketch comedy group, hosted a three-night show at Tuesday Night Cafe (TNC) this weekend, featuring over a dozen sketches written and produced by the 11-person cast.

The sketches explored a range of subjects, from a parody of The Little Mermaid’s “Kiss the Girl”—in which Sebastian the crab urges Prince Eric to do a little more than just kiss Ariel— to skits referencing the disturbing and widespread theory that many public figures, are, in fact, lizard-people. The varied subject matter is undoubtedly due, in part, to the fact that the entire cast takes part in the writing process.

Writing ability, in fact, is also part of the audition process. “[For the audition the directors and producers] asked you to submit one sketch, and then, optionally, another piece of comedic writing,” Anika Hundal (U0, Psychology), a member of the cast, said.

The 2018-19 season is Hundal’s first year with BYOJ, and she is also a member of Continental Breakfast, one of McGill’s improv groups.

Hundal’s featured piece in the show was titled “Emotional Baggage,” an ad “from the luggage company that brought you ‘Whiteface:’ The only thing guaranteed to get you through airport security without hassle.”

One notable sketch featuring Hundal was a slam poetry session in which every poet worked with a similar theme: “My parents are divorced but are still good friends.”

As each slam poet revealed their emotional turmoil over their parent’s amicable divorce, the host became increasingly frustrated until Hundal entered wearing layers of clothing giving a seemingly profound reading while removing items, only to reveal a shirt with the words “my father left my mother” on the front and “but they’re still friends” on the back.

Other standout sketches included a ‘bro’ who discovers that he lacks object permanence when his friend “disappears” to the washroom, a girl from Toronto who finds out that she was adopted from Laval and is, in fact, Celine Dion’s daughter.

There was even a skit that included a “Personality Shop for White People”

BYOJ sold out Morrice Hall—an impressive feat, especially given that it’s finals seaon.

(Taylor Douglas) which featured characteristics like the person who did a year abroad and a Plateau/Mile-End classic: The guy who owns a record player.

Morrice Hall was sold out, so some audience members had to stand on the side for the duration of the show, while others shared seats.

A fully-packed theatre for a student comedy show is refreshing, especially as end-of-term stress bears down.

Hundal also extolled the close-knit community of the group, explaining that positive group dynamics were essential to a good

show.

“We had a retreat to rural Quebec this fall where we just got to know each other and [wrote] a bunch of sketches,” Hundal said.

With group-based comedy like sketch, group chemistry is paramount and BYOJ clearly shows this camaraderie by translating real bonds and friendship into a perfect on-stage chemistry. The blend of writing and performing showcased the individual strengths of each performer, making the characters strong, believable, and, most importantly, funny.

Heart attacks, strokes, and accidents associated with daylight saving time Margaret Wdowiak Contributor

Every spring, millions of sleep-deprived Canadians are prompted to wake up an hour earlier, all the while cursing the person who invented daylight saving time. Few people probably imagine that one man’s love of bugs could have disturbed the life of so many individuals on an annual basis.

In 1895, the New Zealand entomologist George Hudson first proposed the concept of daylight saving time because he wanted more daylight hours to better study his insects. While parliament initially dismissed the idea, the English Parliament later accepted daylight saving time in an attempt to conserve energy: The more in sync time is with daylight, the less necessary electric lights are.

Germany was the first country to adopt daylight saving time in 1916 to conserve electricity during the middle of WWI. The United Kingdom followed suit a few weeks later, with other countries like Canada and the United States in tow. However, most countries stopped the practice when WWI drew to a close. The practice was reinstated during WWII, but it was not standardized in the U.S. until Congress passed the Uniform Time Act in 1966, which established a system of daylight saving time across the country.

Dutifully following its neighbour, Canada subsequently standardized daylight time as

In Canada, the presence of daylight saving time varies from province to province. (investorplace.com) well.

In Canada, daylight saving time is a provincial matter. While most jurisdictions have adopted the practice, certain areas, like the majority of Saskatchewan and some towns in Quebec, have not. These exceptions are actually the global norm, as most of the world has not implemented daylight saving time; the practice is not in use in 79 per cent of countries worldwide, and many countries have abandoned it in the last decades.

Despite its long history, daylight saving time has encountered increasing criticism in the last few years. There is a growing

movement to end the practice entirely south of the border. A telephone survey in the U.S. from 2013 found that 45 per cent of respondents thought daylight saving time was not useful The growing criticism is primarily a result of the negative consequences associated with the use of daylight saving time. For example, a study on hospitals in Michigan found that heart attack rates spike by 25 per cent on the Monday immediately after clocks go forward in the spring. The pushback has also been linked with an increased risk of stroke: Researchers find that the overall rate of artery

occlusion-based stroke rises by eight per cent during the first two days after the transition.

Also, spring daylight saving time has been associated with an increased number of road accidents. In 2014, there was a 20 per cent increase in car accidents in Manitoba on the Monday following the change.

Perhaps most obviously, daylight saving time disturbs sleeping patterns. Sleeping disturbances can lead to mood disruptions, increased irritability, poorer memory, and lower concentration levels. Individuals who have both a sleeping disorder and a psychological condition have an especially hard time adjusting to ‘springing’ forward.

Research shows that the rate of diagnosed depression, particularly Seasonal Affective Disorder, increases dramatically in the first week following the spring change.

Considering the negative effects associated with daylight saving time, some governments are taking steps across Canada to end the biannual practice. Recently, the Union of British Columbia Municipalities accepted a proposal to disregard daylight saving time completely. In light of the increasing pushback against this practice, disgruntled Canadians can rest easy in the hopes that, in the near future, they won’t be forced to wake up an hour earlier every spring.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10 2019

The fatal consequences of turning the clocks back

Cargo ships contribute to spreading alien species Economic growth a sound predictor for spread of invasive species Andras Nemeth News Editor

Scientists believe that zebra mussels, native to southern Russia and Ukraine, were brought to the Great Lakes in ballast tanks. (express.co.uk) could increase three- to 20-fold by 2050. In fact, the study found that increases in shipping are far more likely to lead to threats of species invasion than the isolated effects of climate change, which may actually slightly decrease the risk of invasion due to diverging environmental conditions.

As ecosystems transform due to climate change, they are likely to become increasingly dissimilar, making it harder for invasive species to adapt to different environments.

According to Leung, one of the surprising results of the study was that the projected increases in invasion risk were high even for sustainable economic scenarios.

“One of the future scenarios that had the highest invasion potential was the business as usual, fossilfuel development one [...] but, the other one was the sustainability pathway,” Leung said. “The sustainability pathway could also produce, as an unfortunate side-effect, increased invasions, and the reason for that is that everybody is doing better […] which means they are trading more.”

SCI-TECH / 19

In 1988, the arrival of the zebra mussel irreversibly transformed the ecosystem of the Great Lakes. The introduction of the species was, and continues to be, a disaster for North American waterway ecosystems. By 2009, the species had spread as far as Manitoba and Texas, driving out local species and costing the U.S. government an estimated $5 billion per year, primarily through the cost of removal from electricity-generating and water-treatment facilities.

When freighters load up on ballast water, large pressurized containers that keep a ship sufficiently submerged, they risk introducing invasive species to their destination. Scientists believe that these ballast tanks brought the zebra mussels, native to southern Russia and the Ukraine, to the Great Lakes.

The role of shipping in propagating species invasion has since become the subject of extensive study, incorporating the use of statistical models to better predict patterns of invasion. However, when Brian Leung, an associate professor in McGill’s Department of Biology, and Anthony Sardain, a graduate student, were considering the issue, they realized that the existing statistical models didn’t account for a key factor: The variability of shipping activity over time.

“Sardain’s [...] father works in shipping,” Leung said.

“So, while we were trying to figure out [the] project, he was having conversations with his father, who was talking

about the variability of shipping, and how shipping changes over time [....] Most of the models that we have and the forecasts that existed at the time didn’t account for this potentially very large change.”

Leung and Sardain sought to study the relationship between economic growth and invasive species risk, and, to do so, they developed a model to predict shipping activity based on global economic scenarios from the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA). Their shipping model relies on an economic theory known as the gravity model of trade, which states that trade between two countries, like gravitation, is a function of the ‘mass’ of the economies and their geographical and economic proximity.

“We started with this shipping model, realizing that we would have to attach it to measurable elements afterward,” Leung said. “The first part of that was building the shipping model, evaluating and validating it, and seeing whether it was, in fact, possible to forecast the magnitudes of change of shipping, which we were able to do. We also needed to use those elements that we could get worldwide data for and that also had projections for the future, so that’s where the IPCC [...and IIASA] came in.”

The results of the study show that, as shipping intensifies, it will magnify the risk of the introduction of invasive species. Based on the six economic development scenarios used in the study, the threat of invasive species

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10 2019

‘I feel you’

The true workings of empathy Morgan Sweeney Staff Writer

Empathy is often talked about in popular culture, particularly within the realms of politics, advertising, and psychology. Articles from ‘Why Empathy May Be Your Most Important Business Skill’ to ‘How to Avoid the Empathy Trap’ are popping up all over the internet. Generally, popular culture labels empathy as a positive, sociable trait.

Despite its universality, though, it seems that there is very little consensus on what empathy actually means. The common confusion is a result of the term’s complexity and wide scope.

“The problem is that empathy is one word that we use for a whole bunch of different things,” Jeffrey Mogil, a professor in McGill’s Department of Psychology, said. “You can functionally define it, but, then, it’s hard to categorize what it is. Is it a cognitive ability, is it an emotional ability, is it something else entirely? [....] That’s why it’s so interesting, right? Precisely because it’s so mysterious and hard to pin down.”

The general consensus is that empathy refers to the understanding and experiencing of another’s emotions.

Though both of these endeavours are intertwined in the general definition of empathy, scientists consider each as their own distinct cognitive processes.

“Consistent evidence has emerged for two broad forms of empathy at least partially separable at the neural and cognitive levels,” David Vachon, an assistant professor in McGill’s Department of Psychology, wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune.

“Cognitive empathy [is] the ability to detect or understand emotions, [while] affective empathy, [is] the tendency to feel the emotions of others.”

SCI-TECH / 20

FEELING OTHERS

One way that scientists have understood the different types of empathy is by studying people with external behavioural disorders, such as narcissistic personality disorder and psychopathy. While psychologists often broadly characterize these disorders by a decreased amount of empathy, it is important to note that empathy does not decrease across the board.

“People with externalizing [behavioural] disorders are not any different in their cognitive empathy, but tend to have lower affective empathy,” Vachon wrote. “They can tell what you are feeling, but they care less.”

Meanwhile, people on the autism spectrum may have the opposite condition. They can have high, sometimes overpowering, affective empathy, and are able to experience the emotions of others. Conversely, though, they generally have lower levels of cognitive empathy, meaning they

contagion.

Mogil’s experiment had three conditions. He divided participants into a control group where two subjects immediately went in, a treatment group where the subjects took a stressblocking drug, and another treatment group where the two strangers played the music video game Rock Band together for 15 minutes before participating in the experiment.

There was little difference between those that took the stressblocking drug and those that played Rock Band; both exhibited significantlyhigher emotional contagion than the control group that immediately walked in with the stranger. This suggests that the bond of familiarity is more important than the particular activity.

“Once the strangers got into the room to have their pain tested to see if they had emotional contagion, they weren’t strangers anymore, [since] they had just been doing something together for 15 minutes,” Mogil said.

Mogil’s study further showed that the instinctive stress response triggered when encountering a new person blocked emotional contagion, and that this immediately prevents the formation of empathic connections with strangers.

There is an important distinction between someone who feels neutral when seeing a sad person and someone who is elated at another’s sadness.

(Sabrina Girard-Lamas / The McGill Tribune) can have more trouble understanding how other people are feeling in the first place.

Both popular culture and science often link low levels of empathy to violent tendencies. However, unlike certain forms of psychopathy, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is rarely associated with violent crimes. Based on a meta-analysis, Vachon pointed out that the current model of empathy actually has very little predictive power when it comes to aggression. To address the unpredictability, Vachon and his colleagues posited a third subscale of empathy, known as affective dissonance, or ‘anti-empathy.’ This scale measures cognitive and affective empathy in addition to the emotional ‘resonance’ of subjects.

“Empathy can be extended beyond resonant responses (e.g. empathy, sympathy, compassion) to include a lack of response (e.g. callous, unemotional, indifferent) and dissonant responses (e.g. sadism, scorn, schadenfreude),” Vachon wrote.

There is a distinct difference between someone who feels neutral when viewing a sad person and someone who is elated by another’s sadness. The ACME scale Vachon and his colleagues developed

includes this important distinction in its measurement, and is a promising predictor of aggression.

FEELING STRESS

Stress, another key factor in aggression, also plays a vital role in the process of empathy. In 2015, Mogil and his team published a study that found a strong relationship between empathy and stress.

Mogil, a pain researcher, initially came across the link while experimenting on mice. He noticed that a mouse’s pain response would be more dramatic when a mouse that they knew was present in the same room. He explained this as a sign of an empathetic ‘emotional contagion’ between the two mice.

“Emotional contagion is when the emotional state of one animal affects the emotional state of another animal,” Mogil said.

Mogil decided to try this same experiment on humans and found similar results: A person with their hand immersed in ice water experienced more perceived pain when in the presence of a person they knew, as opposed to a stranger. Moreover, the most interesting thing the study found was how to foster emotional

FEELING GOOD

Despite the widespread perception of empathy as morallysound, there are situations in which it can be a hindrance. Empathy deficits can be favorable in high-stress fields that require quick and unemotional decision-making, such as in surgery or stockbroking.

In fact, empathy’s weaknesses form the entire basis of Against Empathy, a book written by Paul Bloom, a psychology professor at Yale University. In a 2017 interview with Vox, Bloom explained some of the key misconceptions about the term, most notably the prevalence of empathic bias.

“I’m [more] likely to feel empathy toward you [the interviewer], a handsome white guy, [than] somebody who is repulsive or frightening,” Bloom said. “I actually feel a lot less empathy for people who aren’t in my culture, who don’t share my skin color, who don’t share my language [.…] Empathy is as biased as can be.”

Bloom cited empathy as a factor influencing individual donations to charities in developing countries.

While unconditional donations from sympathetic foreigners can provide short-term benefits they can bankrupt local businesses in the long-term.

“It might feel good, but empathy often leads us to make stupid and unethical decisions,” Bloom said.

$3.5 million donation shows progress, but fails to address wider accessibility issues Kaja Surborg Staff Writer

environments to all backgrounds, starting at the youth and development levels, coaching opportunities will remain attainable only to those who can afford to play sports throughout their youth and collegiate careers.

Within Canada, and greater North America as a whole, many racialized communities continue to fall into lower income brackets, which makes sports less accessible due to the time and cost involved. Additionally, transgender athletes continue to be excluded from some sporting environments, making it more difficult—and in some cases, dangerous—to participate. These accessibility issues at lower levels of competition need to be addressed before true diversity and representation at the top levels of professional coaching can be achieved, and McGill Athletics should consider this when developing future programs for women in sports.

The Athletics office should also be weary of making claims about striving for equality while the men’s varsity teams are still named after a racial slur. Keeping the name creates an environment in which Indigenous athletes can feel isolated.

McGill can take a step toward truly levelling the playing field by changing the name so that all athletes feel safe and welcome in varsity sports programs.

As for the initiative’s immediate impact, other universities in Canada have reached out to McGill Athletics looking to share ideas as they implement their own programs that build gender parity in athletics.

“I’ve connected with other universities [that] are doing similar programs like [the University of] Guelph, [the University of British Columbia], and [...] Dalhousie [University],” Béliveau said. “Those are only examples. If there’s anyone out there who is doing similar things, we want to look at their good practices and see how we can implement [them] here. We don’t need to reinvent everything [...], we’re looking to adapt it to suit the women who are in a position to [benefit].”

Women in sports are consistently underrepresented and underserved at higher levels of competition, and, while the Women in Sports Initiative is moving in the right direction, it is not enough to level the playing field for everyone.

Kelsey Wilson (left), Rikki Bowles (centre), and Sylvie Béliveau (right) were hired as part of the Women in Sports Initiative. (McGill Athletics)

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In Sept. 2018, McGill Athletics and Recreation launched the new Women in Sports Initiative thanks to a $3.5 million donation from McGill alumni Sheryl and David Kerr. The initiative aims to promote women in leadership roles within McGill Athletics and help female athletes balance their academic obligations with their athletic time commitment. Hiring two women in full-time associate coach positions has been a key part of this initiative: Rikki Bowles joined the Martlet basketball team coaching staff, while Kelsey Wilson moved from a part-time position to a fulltime one with the women’s soccer team.

These additions to the teams’ full-time staff have already made a significant impact on coaches and players alike.

“It’s important to have that possibility of having a female role model,” Wilson said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “As a player, I didn’t necessarily have that when I was growing up. I think it’s important for young players, especially, to see that if they are interested in coaching, that it is a possibility, that you can continue on and develop and actually find full-time positions.”

Both Bowles and Wilson played for the Martlets during their undergraduate degrees at McGill. Fourth-year Martlet soccer winger Tia Lore agreed that it is comforting and inspiring to have someone who understands the players’ situation.

“It’s huge when you’re playing on a team, and you might be new to the team, or you feel like you’re not doing great, but you gain this confidence [from knowing that] she’s been through this, so she knows the struggles,” Lore said. “Seeing female coaches and having female coaches is super empowering. Having a coach empower you, not just as an athlete, but as a female athlete, is huge.”

In the future, Martlet volleyball will also benefit from the Kerr donation. The team is planning to expand their coaching staff. Meanwhile, the women’s hockey program has already been receiving support through the Kerr Martlet Hockey Coach Endowment. This endowment has funded the salaries for fulltime Martlet hockey coaches since 2007. The team went on to win its first three national titles in the four years immediately following, demonstrating the immediate impact that additional full-time coaches can make.

The purpose of the Women in Sports Initiative is to support not only Martlet athletes, but also female coaches.

“Hiring two new people is already huge,” Sylvie Béliveau, senior advisor to the McGill varsity program, said. “It changes the lives of those two women. They can now bond with and better service their studentathletes.”

With these new positions, the women’s soccer and basketball teams now have more full-time coaching staff than their male counterparts.

In almost every other sporting environment, including coaching, competing, and sports journalism, women are underrepresented. This move will give female athletes and coaches additional, valuable opportunities to pursue careers in sports.

“I don’t think we really knew what we could have [regarding having female coaches to learn from and look up to],” Lore said. “We weren’t [thinking that] we were

missing this. It was more [realizing that] we should have had this before.”

The new hires from the Women in Sports Initiative are certainly making a positive impact. However, the move to provide extra support for female coaches and athletes was a slow one. A 2013 study found that only 22 per cent of head coaches and 17 per cent of assistant coaches in Canadian intercollegiate athletics were female. In the six years since the study was published, McGill’s female coaching statistics have been below national averages. While McGill was providing the same number of coaches to its men’s and women’s teams, the gender imbalance represents a failure to provide sufficient opportunities for female coaches until now.

The Kerr donation is a one-time donation, which means that the money will eventually run out. It is therefore necessary for McGill Athletics to implement a plan that reallocates funds so that they can continue to pay the program’s coaches. The initiative is still in its infancy, but its longevity appears to be a priority for now.

“Our goal is sustainability,” Béliveau said. “We’re thinking long term. It’s going to be a robust program, built on solid ground [....] It’s a 10 to 12 year program, but, past that, we want it to continue.”

The press release from McGill Athletics announcing the donation stated that the initiative would also fund additional resources for female varsity athletes in balancing the academic demands of McGill with their sports.

“The next step is [asking] how we can service them better,” Béliveau said. “We want to ask them [about what they need].

We’re looking at building a community of practice, for example.”

Managing the pressure of being a student-athlete is no easy feat, especially given McGill’s recent defunding of mental health services such as the Eating Disorder Program. Relying on private donorship to fund support programs for students, including student-athletes, gives the university administration an excuse not to provide crucial funding itself. Furthermore, donations often target a particular subset of students and do not effectively reach the entire McGill student population.

Expanding opportunities for female coaches in collegiate athletics is important, but such measures do not equally affect all women. Racial and socio-economic factors significantly impact the accessibility of these opportunities. Without a commitment to opening sporting

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10 2019

McGill Women in Sports Initiative makes an impact

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10 2019

The Montreal Canadiens dynasty’s role in francophone culture The story of a city in love with its team Owen Gibbs Staff Writer Montreal has been at the epicentre of hockey since the creation of the sport. While it is disputed exactly where the game was invented, the first organized match included a number of McGill students and took place in 1875 at the Victoria Skating Rink, mere blocks from the Roddick Gates. In the following decades, several small North American leagues came and went. Most drew small crowds and folded after a few years, but all had some Montreal ties. In December 1909, a group of businessmen formed a new team in Montreal as part of the brand-new National Hockey Association (NHA). In doing so, they created an icon: The Montreal Canadiens.

When the NHA folded in 1918 and the National Hockey League (NHL) came into existence, the Canadiens became the only team to predate the creation of the new league. Since then, the NHL has grown to what will soon be 32 teams, making it the secondlargest professional sports league in North America by number of teams, and fourth-largest by popularity. As the NHL grows, the Canadiens, too, show no signs of slowing down: Hockey pundits recognize their fanbase as one of the most passionate in the entire NHL. The Canadiens have built their brand on a long history of high-quality, entertaining hockey. Montreal has won 24 Stanley Cups, the most of any team, and their closest competition, the Toronto Maple Leafs, trail far behind with 13. Two-thirds of these victories occurred during the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, which are considered the golden age of Montreal hockey. Maurice Richard, Guy Lafleur, and Jean Béliveau led talented Canadiens rosters. These teams could handle almost any opponent without breaking a sweat or losing their signature grace, shattering many league records in the process.

Christopher Lyons, head librarian for McGill’s Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, was born in Montreal and grew up cheering for the Canadiens during the 1970s. He believes that the city’s love for the Canadiens stems from the success established in past dynasties.

“The Canadiens in the seventies were beautiful players,” Lyons said. “Their playmaking, their skating, and their passing was just stunning. As a kid growing up, we were spoiled. We just assumed that Montreal would win the [Stanley] Cup every year.”

The Canadiens could build such dominant teams in the past because of a league rule that gave them a specific advantage: They had exclusive rights to sign homegrown talent. For many years, Montreal could select players from thousands of amateur leagues in Quebec without having to compete with the other NHL teams. Many of the superstars who made up the Canadiens’ Cupwinning squads, such as Lafleur, Béliveau, and Richard, were recruited through this program. The competitive advantage gave rise to another narrative that defined the love for the Canadiens: They were Quebec’s team.

“If you grew up in Montreal, you had these deep, deep feelings for this team and for its history,” Lyons said. “There was a real sense of pride and believing in something.”

The 1950s-70s were a period of tension for the province. Quebec was strongly divided by language.

Because of the conservative policies of Premier Maurice Duplessis, Quebec fell behind the rest of Canada in its technological and economic development, and, according to Suzanne Morton, professor in the Department of History and Classical Studies, anglophones sometimes treated francophones as second-class citizens.

“Generally, anglophones made a lot more money than francophones,” Morton said in an interview with

The McGill Tribune. “Economic differences were tapped into by francophone nationalists.”

Quebec francophones may have been treated as inferior, but the Canadiens of the 1950s, led by league-leading scorer Richard, was a constant that French Canada felt they had over the anglophones.

Francophones throughout the province saw homegrown stars like Richard as heroes who came from small towns or working-class neighbourhoods in Montreal, starting out the same way as hundreds of local children. They walked the same streets and skated on the same backyard rinks. The Canadiens provided many Montreal hockey fans with positive feelings that a francophone hockey player could reach the heights of the NHL when it had previously seemed impossible.

Roch Carrier of Ste. Justine, QC, was one such boy. His famous children’s book, The Hockey Sweater, tells a true story from Carrier’s childhood: A young Carrier and his friends idolize their hero Maurice Richard. They play hockey on a frozen pond, all wearing Canadiens jerseys with his number nine on their backs.

One day, Carrier’s francophone mother writes a letter to the jersey manufacturer in Toronto to order her son a new Richard sweater, but, as a result of a failure of translation, the company sends a Maple Leafs jersey instead. Humiliated, Carrier wears the new jersey out only to be laughed away by the other children who see Toronto as vastly inferior to the great Canadiens.

Once he receives the proper jersey, Carrier goes to play hockey with his friends once again.

While Carrier’s tale is one of love for the Canadiens rather than anger with English North America, anger once prevailed back in March 1955. Following an incident in which he accidentally hit a linesman in the face with his stick, Maurice Richard was suspended for the remainder of the 1954-55 season, including the playoffs. At the time, the Canadiens led the league and were favourites to win another Stanley Cup. Without Richard, however, they finished second, falling to Detroit in a seven-game Cup Final. Many francophone fans believed that the suspension would have been more lenient for an anglophone player, and, as a result, when League President Clarence Campbell visited for a match several days after the incident, a massive riot broke out. Hockey writer Sean McIndoe describes the 1955 Richard Riots in The Down Goes Brown History of the NHL.

“The situation was a powder keg, with protests breaking out outside the building and death threats called in to the president’s office,” McIndoe explains in his book. “When [anglophone] teammate Bernie Geoffrion passed Richard to secure the scoring title on the season’s final day, Montreal fans booed him.”

McIndoe believes that Canadiens fans felt that this drastic suspension was a slight toward the francophone Richard.

“There was a feeling among a segment of the Canadiens fanbase that they were not just unhappy because their best player had been suspended for the season,” McIndoe said in an interview with the Tribune.

“There was a feeling that this would not have happened to an English player.”

The Richard Riots capture the focal point of why Quebec loves its team so much. In a country dominated by the English language, the Canadiens are a cultural icon for francophones. According to Lyons, the Québec Nordiques, the province’s other team until 1995, attempted to tap into franco-nationalist sentiment at an organizational level during their run throughout the 1970s and ‘80s.

“The Nordiques played themselves as the pure Québécois, quasi-nationalist team,” Lyons said. “As an anglophone Montrealer, their association with the politics of the time is what made the Nordiques more dislikeable.”

However, the team ultimately moved to Colorado, an area of the United States that was unconcerned with the plight of Québécois nationalists. Except for a group of fans that continues to push for the Nordiques to return to Quebec, the Nordique fanbase died then and there, and many returned to following the Canadiens.

The Montreal Canadiens inspired franco-national pride from the 1950s through the ‘70s, dominating the NHL when anglophone teams could not. While their dominance in the league has dwindled, pride in the local team is passed on through generations, which equips the Canadiens to proudly represent their city.

Many young hockey players were inspred by Roch Carrier’s book ‘The Hockey Sweater.’ (Sheldon Cohen)

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10 2019

The seven stages of sports injuries The hidden mental struggle of recovering from injury Ender McDuff Staff Writer I lost my grade 11 basketball season to injury.

Returning from a sprained ankle just in time for the season, all I wanted was to play. I just had to push through and make it happen. But, I was weak; my leg was weak. That’s when I tore my vastus intermedius, the deepest of four muscles in the right quadricep, which ended my season.

Injuries, as devastating as they can be, are widely accepted as an inevitable consequence of playing sports. Athletes know that they take a calculated risk every time they train or compete, yet they play because the joy of sport is unparalleled. Still, with the highs come the lows: For me and countless other athletes, sports can be our undoing.

Gordon Bloom, a professor of Sports Psychology and the Director of the McGill University Sport Psychology Research Laboratory, described the psychological impact that an injury can have on athletes.

“It is a lot more traumatic than I think people realize,” Bloom said. “If an athlete sustains a really serious injury, they actually, in a lot of cases, go through a similar process as [...] someone who is grieving.”

Grief occurs in seven stages, the first of which is denial. Bloom explained that athletes will question whether they are truly hurt and how bad their injury is. Helen Wu, U2 Science, tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) playing basketball and underwent this experience.

“I thought that it was just going to be a quick fix, and then I could get back at it again,” Wu said in an video interview with The McGill Tribune .

Bloom explained that the denial quickly turns to anger, and athletes begin to indignantly question why they were the one to suffer an injury. In many cases, this makes the athlete surly and difficult to be around. Lauren Herweyer, a second-year McGill field hockey player who tore her ACL in high school, acknowledged her own disagreeable temperament after her injury.

“I was so tightly wound just because I was taking the elevator at school and wasn’t allowed to practice,” Herweyer said. “I was so upset by all of it that I started to not handle anything in my life well.”

Bloom also noted athletes’ tendencies to bargain with doctors and coaches, protesting the diagnoses, recovery timetables, and their practicing constraints as they come to grips with the sadness and frustration they experience.

Herweyer demanded that her mother take her to practice three days after sustaining her injury and then played in the provincial championship tournament while injured. As a result, she required extra medical care during games as well as

Gordon Bloom has found that athletes recovering from injuries often go through a similar process to someone who is grieving.

(Kaitlin Wong / The McGill Tribune) Concerned with missing out on a limited number of seasons, athletes face a difficult choice: Return as quickly as possible, or take more time to recover and prevent reinjury. This can become a profound mental handicap because, while the months absent from sport are difficult, returning too soon can be equally daunting, as one’s mind becomes preoccupied with thoughts of reinjury.

“On the floor, where I’d always been confident, I [became] afraid to do any tumbling where I’d land facing backward,” Stefanou, who was injured performing such a maneuver, said.

Despite caution, reinjuries happen frequently.

Athletes’ competitive nature can cause them to push their bodies to the point of failure if they are unwilling to take breaks. “[My ACL] took a long time to heal, and it never healed properly, so I reinjured it four or five more times after that,” Herweyer said.

My own injury came as a result of this same forced error: I pushed my body too hard, failed to receive proper physical and mental help, and was unwilling to rest. Yet, my injury would not prevent me from playing basketball forever, and I wish I had understood that at the time. My quadricep will never work the same again because I foolishly played when I should not have, but I managed to return a season later and help my team win a provincial championship. I may never have that single season back, but my injury was not the end, either.

Wu looks back on her experience with the same insight.

“The struggles you go through now, the struggles you have, they’re going to teach you something,” Wu said. “This didn’t happen for nothing. This happened to make you stronger, to teach you, to build your character. Learn from everything that happens to you, whether good or bad.”

This feature was produced in coordination with the Tribune ’s Multimedia section. Find the video accompaniment “Recovery” by Bilal Virji on our website.

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immediate and constant ice afterward to make the pain of her injury manageable.

Athletes also feel an absence in their lives when their injuries prevent them from participating in their sport. For many, sports are not only a constant presence but also serve as an emotional outlet and provide a sense of belonging. Without this stability, the outcome can be disastrous.

“In some cases, it goes to the point of depression,” Bloom said. “They are suffering mentally [... and] are just unable to control their emotions.”

Bilal Virji, U3 Arts and a student filmmaker, conducted interviews with McGill student-athletes for his project “Recovery.” He described how he struggled with his own injury, a repeatedly-torn ACL. “The most difficult part about [the injury] was not the physical scars but the mental ones,” Virji said. “Sport was my form of meditation [....] It was my coping mechanism for everything that life threw at me, and, in an instant, it was all taken away from me.”

Many athletes recalled suffering from depression, eating disorders, or drug addiction and considered dropping out of school. Dorothea Stefanou, a U2 Arts student and gymnast who dislocated her elbow, recalled her own struggles.

“The injury was kind of the beginning of the end for me,” Stefanou said. “I was fighting for it before that, but, [after the injury], I kind of realized that I couldn’t overcome my mental challenges.”

Friends, family, and even coaches often fail to comprehend the mental trauma and challenges that injured athletes experience. This only further exacerbates the difficulty of their recovery.

“People just ask an athlete, ‘How’s your knee doing? How’s the recovery?’” Bloom said. “It’s all about the physical instead of saying, ‘How are you feeling? How are you doing?’”

Additionally, student-athletes are often constrained by graduation dates. If they do not play now, they will lose out on their final chances to play and even the opportunity to play at a higher level.

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OPINION I don’t want to rent a lamp: I need to see a therapist Johanna Cline

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