The McGill Tribune Vol. 41 Issue 18

The McGill Tribune TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8 2022 | VOL. 41 | ISSUE 18

McGILLTRIBUNE.COM | @McGILLTRIBUNE

Published by the SPT, a student society of McGill University

EDITORIAL

FEATURE

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The convoy should truck off

When it comes to drugs, McGill is still stuck in the past

The renaissance of Andrew Garfield

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PGs. 8-9

PG. 13

(Cameron Flanagan/ The McGill Tribune)

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Word on the Y: Romantic moments at McGill

Kanien’kehá:ka kahnistensera take McGill to federal court over suspected unmarked graves under New Vic Project

Mohawk Mothers are pushing for Mohawk-led investigation into the site Leo Larman Brown Staff Writer A group of Kanien’kehá:ka kahnistensera (Mohawk Mothers) went to federal court against McGill University, the Ville de Montréal, the Quebec Government, and Stantec, on Jan. 14. The group is seeking an

order to halt construction of the New Vic Project until a Mohawk-led investigation into potential unmarked graves on the previous Royal Victoria Hospital site is conducted. The New Vic Project is McGill’s proposal to transform a part of the Royal Victoria Hospital into a research, teaching, and innovation hub dedicated to Sustainability Systems and Public Policy—an inter-

disciplinary approach to environmental sustainability.

The kahnistensera suspect that there may be unmarked graves of Indigenous children on the site, after it came to light that Dr. Donald Ewen Cameron experimented on a number of victims in the 1950s and 60s at the Allan Memorial Institute, which was then a part of Royal Victoria Hospital.

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Anti-Black racism has no place in Nowruz celebrations

Know Your Olympic Athlete: Liam Gill

Ghazal Azizi Staff Writer

Sarah Farnand Sports Editor

Every year, Persians meticulously celebrate the exact second that the sun passes the celestial equator, as the spring equinox marks the start of a new year, Nowruz. Nowruz, and most of

the traditions that accompany it, have direct roots in Zoroastrianism, one of the oldest religions in the world. Yet, there is one practice with a backstory that remains disputed within the Persian community.

Haji Firuz is a folklore character who heralds the holidays,

wearing a red minstrel costume and most notably, a blackened face. Now, ahead of the coming Nowruz and especially in honour of Black History Month, Persians must admit that Haji Firuz is a racist caricature and must finally acknowledge the forgotten hisPG. 6 tory of slavery in Iran.

Among the many talented athletes at the 2022 Olympics is 18-yearold snowboarder Liam Gill. Gill represents the Dehcho Dene as a member of the Łı́ı́dlı̨ ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation and is the only First Nations athlete on the

Canadian Olympic team.

Gill, who was originally an alternate for the snowboarding team, will be replacing Derek Livingston who was injured during training. Gill feels the weight of responsibility associated with competing in the place of an athlete for whom he has so much respect.

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NEWS

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8 2022

Kanien’kehá:ka kahnistensera take McGill to federal court over suspected unmarked graves under New Vic Project Mohawk Mothers are pushing for Mohawk-led investigation into the site Leo Larman Brown Staff Writer Continued from page 1.

In an interview with The McGill Tribune, Kahentinetha, a kahnistensera applicant in the court case and founder of Mohawk Nation News, said that evidence for the unmarked graves comes from oral history passed down in her community.

“We knew about the children in the school that disappeared,” Kahentinetha said. “We were never told what happened to them. Nothing. Not a word.

We’ve always suspected, we always heard things like that from our grandparents and greatgrandparents.”

In a statement to the Tribune, McGill media relations officer Frédérique Mazerolle wrote that, based on a 2016 archaeological survey of the site, the administration believes it is unlikely that there are unmarked Indigenous graves.

“According to this study, it is unlikely that Indigenous remains will be found on the New Vic Project site,” Mazerolle wrote.

“However, McGill remains committed to collaborating with the government and First Nations communities regarding potential vestiges. Should such vestiges be found, it will be made public immediately, the work will be suspended.”

Kahentinetha explained that the Mohawk Mothers’ argument rests on the larger claim that McGill and the New Vic Project are situated on land that was never ceded to Canada and is, therefore, still subject to Indigenous law. Kahentinetha’s interpretation of section 35.1 of the Constitution Act, which reads, “The existing aboriginal and treaty rights of the aboriginal peoples of Canada are hereby recognized and affirmed,” is that this clause makes Indigenous law the highest law of Canada.

She also referenced section 52.1, which “reaffirms constitutional supremacy,” as evidence for the sovereignty of Indigenous law.

“Therefore, all the laws of Canada that are not recognized by our law and other true Indigenous laws are of no force or effect,” Kahentinetha said. “We are the very first people to ever bring this [section] to the court.”

Sacha Delouvrier, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) vicepresident External Affairs, told the Tribune that SSMU does not support the New Vic Project, nor do they support the McGill Administration in the court case against the kahnistensera.

“As soon as the Mohawk Mothers spoke up, we definitely saw an opportunity to help them,” Delouvrier said. “We have to do what we can to strive toward the ideal of reconciliation, which is

“Are [McGill] students ready to say we are guilty of genocide?” asked Kahentinetha. (Anoushka Oke / The McGill Tribune) why we will support whatever position the Mohawk Nation takes.”

So far, the kahnistensera, the Ville de Montreal, the Quebec government, and Stantec have attended a two-hour court hearing on Zoom on Jan. 14, but the kahnistensera says the opposing parties are attempting to delay the proceedings by overwhelming them with court

documents.

“They are using the protocols and documents to push us into the protocol swamp,” Kahentinetha said. “They don’t want the big question to come up […] about [sections] 35 and 52.”

Kahentinetha also explained that the kahnistensera are refusing to use lawyers in the court case because it goes against their traditional forms of

justice, explaining that lawyers are part of a colonial system that oppresses Indigenous people.

“We don’t want a lawyer because a lawyer has taken an oath to the exact thing we’re fighting right now, which is the laws that are killing and oppressing us,” Kahentinetha said. “We have to do this by ourselves and we have to do it according to our ways.”

Black History Month keynote highlights Black voices in STEM The ceremony featured an address by professor emeritus James Jones

Joseph Pappas Contributor

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cGill held its virtual opening ceremony for Black History Month on Feb. 1, featuring keynote speaker James Jones. Jones is a distinguished professor emeritus of psychology and Black American studies at the University of Delaware, as well as the director of its Center for the Study of Diversity. The event, titled “Diversity within Psychology,” was the first of McGill’s Black History Month series, which, in collaboration with the Faculty of Science this year, is centred on celebrating Black scientists at McGill and beyond.

The ceremony began with remarks from several guests, including Gracia Kasoki Katahwa, the borough mayor of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.

Katahwa highlighted the measures that the current Montreal government is taking to build a more equitable future for Black communities, but acknowledged that more needs to be done.

“It is clear that as a society, we still have a lot of work to do to fight systemic racism and inequalities,” Katahwa said. “We are strongly committed to affecting these changes within our city with concrete actions. We have started by recognizing the existence of systemic racism and creating

the Office of the Commissioner to fight against racism and discrimination to help our public services in this inclusive transition.”

Jones began his keynote address by expanding on the idea that Black History Month must go beyond the celebration of select Black achievements.

“Black History is more than celebrating consequential Black people,” Jones explained. “That is important, but it is more than that. Black history is the story of the human spirit, the will to live, the capacity to love, and the fortitude to endure. Black joy balances out Black trauma.”

“Diversity represents different expectations, needs, preferences, and strategies, and accommodating those degrees of diversity is multidimensional and is not simple,” explained Dr. James Jones. (mcgill.ca)

Jones underscored the importance of diversity within the field of psychology, emphasizing that it is more than a mere box to check off; it is a crucial component in fostering scholarship in the field. Jones introduced what he described as one of his favourite concepts: Full participation.

“Full participation is a product of diversity, it’s not diversity itself,” Jones said. “It is an affirmative value focussed on creating institutions and societies that enable people, whatever their identity, background, or institutional position, to thrive, realize their capabilities, engage meaningfully in institutional life, and contribute to the flourishing of others.”

McGill’s dean of science, Bruce Lennox, offered the closing remarks, reflecting on his personal experience attending one of the first desegregated schools in New Orleans.

“As we celebrate Black History Month, I recognize that although we might have come far, at least from my first day of school, in New Orleans, we certainly haven’t gone far enough,” Lennox said. “In the present and future, I can certainly pledge that McGill’s Faculty of Science is going to be an active partner and leader in bringing the joys of STEM [and] the societal imperatives of STEM to Black students in the Montreal community, the academic communities of Quebec, and worldwide.”

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NEWS

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Black students and organizations reflect on Black History Month ahead of annual programming

Students say the observance must move beyond an isolated celebration Elena Lee Staff Writer

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ebruary 2022 marks the sixth official celebration of Black History Month at McGill, though members of Montreal’s Black community, including student groups at McGill and Concordia University, have been leading the occasion for more than two decades. This year’s celebrations were organized by the Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal Academic (OPVPA) in partnership with the Faculty of Science and will include four main OPVPA events and more than 10 general events spearheaded by students, staff, and faculty.

Since 2020, McGill’s Equity Office has partnered with a different faculty each year to organize Black History Month events. This year, the Faculty of Science teamed up with student groups such as the Black Students’ Network (BSN),

The remaining OPVPA events, “Black Perspectives: Artists Navigating Spaces,” “Decolonizing Approaches to Research,” and “Soul Food Box,” will be held on Feb. 9, 17, and 24 respectively. (citizen.education)

Black Students Financial Society, and the African Studies Students’ Association.

In addition to events organized by the McGill administration, the McGill African Students’ Society (MASS) hosts their annual Africa Speaks Conference, which covers a variety of contemporary Afrocentric issues, and aims to expand discussions about African society and culture beyond the oftdiscussed topic of “development.”

According to Joy Sebera, U2 Arts, this year’s theme is “Africa in the Media.” As MASS vice-resident Education, Sebera is the lead organizer of the Africa Speaks Conference 2022, which will explore the evolution of Africa’s creative industries. “‘Africa in the Media’ aims to engage content creators, authors, entrepreneurs, and more in conversation about African media and art as well as the African presence, or lack thereof, in Western media,” said Sebera.

Hassanatou Koulibaly, MASS president and U2 Arts & Science, appreciated the administration’s inclusion of student groups in the planning process of Black History Month 2022 was welcomed, but says that more needs to be done to spread the word to the wider McGill community.

“I think generally we appreciate the efforts made and the events planned and the consideration for student groups and the activities we may have individually planned,” Koulibaly said. “But we feel that visibility and awareness of these events definitely need to be worked on so that students and faculty at McGill are aware.”

Beulah Omo-Idowu, U3 Science, however, believes the problem extends beyond a simple lack of awareness about Black History Month. Omo-Idowu told the Tribune she had attempted to organize a Black History Month movie night for La Citadelle residence, where she is a floor fellow, but that it

never came to fruition.

“People don’t like to be confronted with conversations about race, because, especially in spaces like McGill where it emphasises how diverse it is and how diverse we are, no one ever wants to examine where maybe they’re not being exactly inclusive,” Omo-Idowu said.

When it comes to McGill as an institution, James McGill’s racist and colonial history, alongside the administration’s efforts to downplay it, have been well-documented and protested. While McGill’s Action Plan to Address Anti-Black Racism 2020-2025 discusses the university’s problematic glorification of James McGill, the Strategic Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Plan 2020-2025 makes no direct mention of his connection to the enslavement of Black people. “[McGill is] lacking in terms of actually doing things outside of February,” Omo-Idowu said. “[Black History Month] celebrations are nice but [in regards to] the policies in this school, [...] at least in my program, I have not seen any Black staff or professors.”

There remain few Black faculty and students at McGill.

As of September 2020, only 14 of approximately 1,750 tenuretrack and tenured professors—0.8 per cent—were Black, and during the Spring 2019 convocation ceremony, a total of 40 Black students accepted diplomas on stage. Black students and staff, who often report feelings of isolation and lack of representation, would benefit from a designated space in which they could bond and interact, suggested Koulibaly.

“I think also creating a space for discussion with nonBlack persons at McGill in a less formal setting than a town hall, for example, would also help bridge a gap at McGill,” Koulibaly added. “Beyond just the month of February, it would be nice to still see some of the excellence that exists in the Black community recognized.”

Reddit posts show student restlessness and deliberations about dropping out of McGill An increase in burnout and anxiety has left students feeling overwhelmed Sabrina Nelson Contributor

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n Jan. 30, Chloe Legault, U1 Arts, made a reddit post asking whether it was too late to request a leave of absence due to her mental health. Subsequent discussion threads posted to the McGill subreddit have revealed that a number of students are considering dropping out, deferring, or taking a leave of absence due to mental health issues.

Simon Kidd, U4 Arts and a moderator for the Reddit thread, has noticed the number of posts related to mental health issues steadily increase over the pandemic— though he says they have recently decreased since the return to inperson teaching. Posts from students contemplating dropping out were nothing new, however: Kidd says they were only frequent during stressful academic periods of the semester prior to the pandemic, whereas now they trend throughout the year.

“Often mental health, physical health, or loss in the family is the driving force behind dropping out,” Kidd wrote in a message to The

McGill Tribune. “The pandemic has led to an uptick of posts with users expressing their desire to drop out of McGill.”

Though most of her classes are currently delivered in a hybrid format, Legault says she is experiencing burnout, and that taking a break from school would be beneficial for her mental health.

She says that McGill has not been very accommodating throughout her struggles with depression and anxiety, citing a lack of accessibility to the Wellness Hub. “I wish I could say the university is accommodating,” Legault said.

“They offer the idea, ‘Here are some mental health resources on the Hub,’ but usually the counselors or psychiatrists are too busy.”

Olivia Bornyi, U2 Arts and the mental health outreach coordinator for the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), told the Tribune in an email that she, too, has noticed an increase in burnout and hopelessness due to the unique circumstances of the pandemic.

“I think everyone is tired of feeling uncertain and having to constantly adapt,” Bornyi wrote. “I definitely believe that students feel

overwhelmed during online classes with an ever-growing workload, not to mention other responsibilities such as clubs or part-time jobs.”

Bornyi noted that difficulty accessing mental health services has

for students that need immediate assistance,” Bornyi wrote.

“Throughout Mental Health Action Week, the general sentiment seemed to be that people were feeling lonely and missing social interaction.”

Bornyi, SSMU Mental Health Outreach Commissioner, believes that the hustle culture and sense of competition at McGill is a factor that has contributed to students contemplating dropping out. (Jinny Moon / The McGill Tribune) only compounded the struggle.

“Accessing student mental health services has been hard, with both the Wellness Hub having long wait times and provincial services lacking in accommodation

Frédérique Mazerolle, a McGill media relations officer, stated in an email to the Tribune that the university had not observed a rise in university withdrawals throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Fall 2021 enrollment (39,267 students) is comparable to Fall 2020 (39,736 students) and Fall 2019 (39,664 students),” Mazerolle wrote.

“In fact, withdrawal numbers are, since the first semester impacted by the pandemic (Winter 2020), down compared to the terms preceding the pandemic.”

Legault has, however, abandoned the idea of taking a leave of absence. Since the Arts OASIS notes that the request must be made before the withdrawal with a full refund deadline, she assumed that it was too late.

“There is no definitive statement from McGill that I can find, but what I gathered is that you can probably get a leave of absence for mental health issues provided that you get the proper documentation,” Legault wrote. “If McGill wants to be more progressive about mental health issues, they must be more forward and transparent about [leaves of absence].”

Students seeking support can contact the SSMU Mental Health team, and Keep.meSAFE. Students can also consult the McGill mental health webpage.

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8 2022

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AUS General Assembly fails to reach quorum, blocking motion to strike for hybrid learning

Organizers cite institutional barriers to collective action within AUS Ghazal Azizi Staff Writer

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n Feb. 2, the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) convened for a General Assembly (GA) to discuss a motion to strike in opposition to McGill’s current reopening plans. The GA was scheduled after a petition organized by former Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) President Bryan Buraga received the required 200 signatures. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Buraga has been vocal about his disapproval of McGill’s COVID-19 management and of the school’s decision to resume in-person activities amid the Omicron surge in Quebec.

According to the AUS constitution, the quorum to hold a GA is 150 AUS members, while the quorum to pass a resolution for an AUS strike or boycott is 500 students. At the GA, the number of attendees oscillated between approximately 145 to 160 students, prohibiting the motion to strike from being put to a vote and at times, when less than 150 members were present, pausing the entire assembly.

Dhruv Mehndiratta, U1 Arts, consulted with Buraga in developing the petition to hold the GA and campaigned in favour of a strike. Mehndiratta believes that despite the GA’s inability to reach a quorum, the number

of attendees reflects an increase in student willingness to participate in McGill politics.

“Having 145 people consistently for the better part of two hours on a Wednesday night [during] midterm season is definitely an achievement,” Mehndiratta said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “It definitely shows that the student body as a whole is getting more active in McGill politics.”

Since the motion to strike could not be put to a vote, it was amended to demand a welldefined stance from the AUS on the return to in-person learning instead. The amendments call on the AUS to oppose McGill’s current reopening plans and to affirm its solidarity with striking student associations. The new motion also demands that a COVID-19 Safety Mobilization Committee be established, with a mandate to organize a demonstration to advocate for safer in-person learning and hybrid options for immunocompromised students.

The amended motion passed with 124 in favour, nine against, and 30 abstaining. The resolution is now awaiting ratification, which is done through an online ballot sent to all AUS members. The referendum ballot was emailed to the student body on Feb. 7 and will close at 5 p.m. (EST) on Feb. 10.

Shlomo Enkin Lewis, U2 Arts, also campaigned for an AUS strike and shared Buraga’s sentiments about institutional

barriers restraining collective movement.

“While I was canvassing for this GA, I spoke with lots of students who were very

Generally Assembly ratification ballot to close on Feb. 10. (Léa Bourget / The McGill Tribune)

supportive of the need for hybrid options, but did not know that the GA was taking place,” Lewis said in an interview with the Tribune. “There are real barriers both to how information spreads through the Arts faculty and the absence of the existing organized institutions taking charge and spreading this message.”

Buraga was responsible for moving the motion to strike and for amending the motion for an AUS response. He believes that there are systemic barriers to organizing a strike in the AUS. “In the cases of the School of Social Work and the Faculty of Law, the way that those [faculty associations] are organized makes it so much easier for collective action,” Buraga said in an interview with the Tribune.

“The Faculty of Law requires a referendum and a GA for discussion, whereas in the AUS having 500 people show up to a GA rather than just going to referendum poses an institutional challenge to organizing people collectively.”

Despite the GA’s inability to reach quorum, Buraga remains optimistic about the future of the strike movement.

“I wouldn’t characterize [the low number of attendees] as the strike movement losing steam,” he said. “I would challenge this narrative and say that the strike movement is coming up along institutional barriers that have been set for them.”

Staff and students face difficult trade-offs as they transition back to campus

Many individuals cite barriers associated with returning to a sense of “normal” Sarina Macleod Contributor

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ollowing 2.5 weeks of online classes spurred by the Omicron wave, the administration’s decision to transition back to campus for the remainder of the Winter 2022 term has stirred up both positive and negative reactions amongst staff and students. Many eating spaces on campus do not respect provincial health guidelines and there is currently no compulsory distancing in classrooms—factors which have

fostered ongoing discussions of how McGill could better protect the health and safety of those returning to campus. Despite this, students are appreciative of the opportunity to once again learn in person..

In an attempt to aid in the transition back to in-person teaching, the administration offered professors the option to spend up to 20 per cent of the term—two weeks—teaching remotely. The grace period ended on Feb. 7 for professors who continued teaching solely online after the Jan. 24 return to campus.

McGill cafeterias have failed to implement the provincial regulations, including tables spaced a minimum of one metre apart, for eating spaces aside from requiring students’ proof of vaccination upon entry. (Léa Bourget / The McGill Tribune)

Samuel Guertin, U2 Management, noted that many professors in his faculty have opted to make material available both inperson and online, even after the grace period elapses. With factors such as zoom fatigue, isolation, the inability to concentrate, and a lack of mental health support, Guertin finds that grasping course material can be more difficult over Zoom than in person.

“A lot of profs in the management faculty teach hybrid, so they have Zoom open and students can either go online or inperson, but you are missing some things if you don’t go in person,” Guertin explained. “I feel like inperson is better for the learning, it’s better for the atmosphere, it’s better for the participation. You feel like you’re a real student.”

Not all students, however, have found the transition to in-person instruction comforting. Executives from the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS), and the Post Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) feel that there has been a lack of preventative safety action on the part of the administration, creating a sense of distrust between the student community and administration. Claire Loewen,

a McGill media relations officer, stressed that the administration is persistently working to implement protective measures for those oncampus.

“The health and well-being of our community remain our top priority, and all necessary health and safety measures will continue to be implemented to ensure that our campuses remain safe places to learn and to work,” Lowen wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune.

“Throughout the Summer and Fall semesters, ventilation in classrooms (and exam spaces) was optimized, and CO2 levels were measured in rooms without CO2 monitors already built-in.”

The current ventilation system, MERV 13, was implemented prior to the pandemic and is capable of trapping less than 75 per cent of air particles that are 0.3-1.0 microns in size. Coronavirus particles are 0.1 microns in size.

In an interview with the Tribune, Loïck Lépin, U2 Arts, explained that it has been difficult to remain on campus for extended periods of time due to the regulations around eating. In the few spaces designated eating spots on campus, social distancing is often not adequately practiced due to overcrowding and a lack of table

separators. The administration has also removed many microwaves on campus, adding another barrier for students who pack food.

“Eating on campus seems like a logistics operation,” Lépin said.

“You would think that more than two microwaves would be available to the 40,000 students on campus.”

Library security, tasked with enforcing proper masking and “no eating” regulations, have faced disrespect from select students who do not wish to, or care to, comply with COVID-19 rules.

As Quebec begins to loosen COVID-19 provincial restrictions, the administration plans to follow suit. Starting on Feb. 14, gyms in Quebec will be allowed to reopen at 50 per cent capacity and inperson extracurricular activities with up to 25 participants will be able to meet. It is currently unclear when, and to what extent, McGill will act in accordance with these provincial relaxations. At this time, SSMU continues to advocate for increased safety measures and accommodations directly from the administration. SSMU has compiled a crowdsourced list of accommodations provided by professors in over 60 courses, and continues to accept submissions for more.

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8 2022

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EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Sequoia Kim editor@mcgilltribune.com Creative Director Ruobing Chen rchen@mcgilltribune.com Managing Editors Kennedy McKee-Braide kmckee-braide@mcgilltribune.com Madison Mclauchlan mmclauchlan@mcgilltribune.com Maya Abuali mabuali@mcgilltribune.com

News Editors Lily Cason, Ella Fitzhugh & Madison Edward-Wright news@mcgilltribune.com Opinion Editors Matthew Molinaro, Aubrey Quinney & Sepideh Afshar opinion@mcgilltribune.com Science & Technology Editors Shafaq Nami & Youssef Wahba scitech@mcgilltribune.com Student Life Editors Holly Wethey & Wendy Zhao studentlife@mcgilltribune.com Features Editor Tasmin Chu features@mcgilltribune.com Arts & Entertainment Editors Lowell Wolfe & Michelle Siegel arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editors Sarah Farnand & Sophie Gorbounov sports@mcgilltribune.com Design Editors Jinny Moon & Xiaotian Wang design@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editor Anoushka Oke photo@mcgilltribune.com Multimedia Editors Noah Vaton & Wendy Lin multimedia@mcgilltribune.com Web Developers Abby de Gala & Sneha Senthil webdev@mcgilltribune.com Copy Editor Jackie Lee copy@mcgilltribune.com Social Media Editor Taneeshaa Pradhan socialmedia@mcgilltribune.com Business Manager Joseph Abounohra business@mcgilltribune.com

The McGill Tribune Editorial Board

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n Jan. 15, the federal government implemented a vaccine mandate for all cross-border essential workers, including truckers––meaning that unvaccinated drivers would have to quarantine for 14 days, and selftest after the eighth day whenever they enter Canada. Backlash has been fierce ever since, marked most obviously by the self-proclaimed “Freedom Convoy’’ that arrived in Ottawa on Jan. 28. Despite the fact that approximately 90 per cent of truckers are fully vaccinated and groups such as the Canadian Trucking Alliance have spoken out against the protests, this reactionary coalition has received intense and growing support.

From the over $10-million amassed in GoFundMe donations, to support from both provincial and federal conservative politicians and international actors like Fox News and former U.S. President Donald Trump, the convoy has managed to cut across wide swaths of the population. Granted, the movement has every right to criticize and organize against what they believe to be misguided and overreaching measures by the federal government, as is guaranteed in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. However, this campaign has quickly devolved

OFF THE BOARD Taneeshaa Pradhan Social Media Editor

TPS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

STAFF

CONTRIBUTORS Lillian Borger, Anna Berglas, Cameron Flanagan, Sébastien Géroli, Isabella González, Zoe Karkossa, Chloé Kichenane, Marion Laurençon, Sarina Macleod, Monika Maneva, Sabrina Nelson, Joseph Pappas, Annika Pavlin, Catherine Plawutsky, Dana Prather, Brian Schatteman, Sonja Soo, Jake Wagman

TRIBUNE OFFICE Shatner University Centre, 3480 McTavish, Suite 110 Montreal, QC H3A 0E7 - T: 519.546.8263 The McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Société de Publication de la Tribune, a student society of McGill University.

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

All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the McGill Tribune, its editors or its staff.

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o matter where I live or how old I get, I never escape the one ill-fated afternoon every two weeks when my family declares that we are going to the tailor shop.

As a toddler, a trip to this seemingly mundane part of town was an uphill battle––one where I turned into the poster child for restlessness. I fidgeted near the head tailor’s standing desk, which was always covered in a coarse beige cloth. While my mother discussed her latest fashion fixation with the head tailor, I always found the sights frustratingly boring and whined about wanting food or water.

Childhood irritation fed by five-hour wait times and custommade pieces soon came to an end as I gave in to the grandeur of the Indian

into a disturbance of peace, where minority concern over government mismanagement is lost to the violence of the movement, including their desecration of national monuments and tombs, along their affiliation with white supremacists and anti-Semites.

A multitude of factors are responsible for the rise of the protests: Unclear restrictions, poor government messaging, political theatre, citizen apathy, the polarizing effects of Big Tech, and a Canadian tendency to forget local, fascist histories, are but a few. The truckers should cede ground, acknowledging that they have a damaging effect on public safety. Until then, government officials must push to address the root causes of the proliferation of this anti-science, false oppressive, and fascist-adjacent movement.

It is possible to raise concerns about COVID-19 measures in productive, pragmatic, and democratic ways––take efforts by small business owners and unions that have organized and spoken to the government as examples. This fringe minority group of truckers, on the other hand, perceives vaccine mandates as a restriction on individual liberty, hence their use of the rhetoric of “freedom.”

Valid skepticism about government overreach, though, should not employ anti-science language. Had the truckers chosen to protest vaccine

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EDITORIAL

The convoy should truck off

Sequoia Kim, Reem Abdul Majid, Matthew Molinaro, Shafaq Nami, Joseph Abounohra, Namrata Rana, Shreya Rastogi

Ghazal Azizi, Valentina de la Borbolla, Léa Bourget, Tillie Burlock, El Bush, Elissa Dresdner, Mika Drygas, Saumya Gogte, Suzanna Graham, Bronte Grimmer, Karthikeya Guatam, Charlotte Hayes, Rose Kaissar, Arian Kamel, Leo Larman Brown, Shani Laskin, Elena Lee, Louis Lussier-Piette, Dima Kiwan, Adam Matthews-Kott, Abby McCormick, Adam Menikefs, Zoe Mineret, Juliet Morrison, Sara Chiarotto O’Brien, Juwel Rana, Mikaela Shadick, Erin Smith, Courtney Squires, Niamh Stafford, Dante Ventulieri, Corey Zhu

OPINION

mandates in good faith, they would not have allowed such extremist, anti-science angles to debase their initial legitimate concerns.

But in a world where social media algorithms group like-minded individuals together and confine them to reductive echo chambers, it is unsurprising that individuals mobilize in the absence of critical thought.

The kind of groupthink exemplified within the convoy normalizes the idea that one’s individual rights and liberties supersede the health and safety of the general public. The movement pushes the rhetoric of individual liberty to the extremes: To fabricate a sense of oppression over a public health issue is to make a false equivalency with systemic and structural racism.

Though Nazi and Confederate flags appear throughout the rallies, some high-profile supporters, like newly appointed interim opposition leader Candice Bergen, argue that onlookers should not let these extremists’ opinions distract from the “real” problem. These protestors should take umbrage in how antiracist movements face relentless criticism when they rightfully hold governments to account. Consider the hypocrisy of police, politicians, and mainstream media during the Black Lives Matter protests: When millions walked peacefully in the streets, these powers sensationalized a minority that vandalized and took

down monuments of perpetrators of genocide and Confederate “heroes.”

In the eyes of the government— and certainly in the eyes of the police—white protestors continue to be treated as more human and more deserving of the right to protest, even as their movement fails to recognize actual threats to liberty, like wealth and racial inequality and settler colonialism. In reality, the trucker convoy itself threatens freedom, harassing people in shelters and small businesses. The protestors’ scrupulous focus on a specific kind of individual liberty does not and cannot fix far more pressing collective struggles.

The truckers show no sign of slowing down. When celebrated on the right as “freedom fighters” and met with next to no police intervention, they have good reason not to. Solutions remain tricky: Though Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that he will not negotiate with convoy participants, the Liberals’ absence feeds the flame and puts society at large at risk. But to really fix the problem, governments must be far more clear and transparent in communicating public health restrictions, while also cracking down on how Big Tech polarizes, brainwashes, and recircuits citizens’ engagement with each other. Doing so will not just tamper the protests, but protect Canadian democracy.

Back to the tailor tailor shop. With my toddler days behind me, my clothing preferences developed from multi-coloured ghagras with mirrors sewn into them to lavender blouses embroidered with flowers. For every new phase, my friendly neighbourhood tailor and his team of artists were ready to embrace change and create a new masterpiece.

Growing up, my local tailor shop had two floors, with the second hidden away from the customer’s gaze. Influenced by years of reading fantasy novels, I imagined a large sewing machine at the centre of the room surrounded by the desks of tailoring wizards who lorded over their personal projects.

While they may not harness magical powers, or own abnormally large machines, tailors have been a vital presence in Indian communities due to a commonly held belief that ready-to-stitch fabrics are better than fully stitched garments. Tailors were a staple in Indian neighbourhoods because they served every social class and religion, exempting their profession from the rigid hierarchies of Indian society. Unlike the gradual disappearance of independent tailors in Western countries, India has a rich network of small-scale tailor shops that serve the local clientele.

Local tailor shops create special bonds that blossom when two people

are inside the establishment. I found a friend in every little girl who stood behind her mother while she haggled over the price of stitching a new sari or fixing an old outfit.

Meanwhile, mothers shared quick looks of exasperation at their cranky children and the increased tailoring costs. Although I never spoke to my younger companions, their presence was enough to remind me that this is a communal experience.

Across South Asia, bespoke tailoring has made its way into the closets of millions of wedding-goers.

In India, for example, the tailoring industry boomed, courtesy of a decentralized garment industry with no universal sizing chart. While the clothing industry has experienced a rapid increase in production, tailoring still remains at the heart of creating unique Indian traditional clothing for marriages and milestones alike.

With its origins in making clothes accessible to different body types, the tailoring industry encourages customers to alter and customize their clothes instead of seeking out weight loss programs

and diets. As South Asia continues to grapple with the aftermath of colonization, media representation constantly works against this message and prioritizes thin and fair-skinned bodies in its conception of beauty.

Tailoring is a refreshing escape from the cultural obsession with imagining an ‘ideal’ body type. When the restrictive nature of the fashion industry caught up with me, my admiration for the beautiful patterns on the shelves of a tailor shop became distorted. I felt an overwhelming sense of dread toward stuffy dressing rooms, measuring tapes, and my reflection.

Luckily, fixing my relationship with my body is a life-long journey, and it began as soon as I stopped attaching moral judgment to the fact that my body will never mirror the sizing chart of stores with “readymade” traditional clothing. It might have gone underlooked in the past, but tailoring is more than just a commercial venture or a hub for social connection—it stitches together a better reality where clothes fit the body, and not the other way around.

ERRATUM An article in the February 1, 2022 issue (“McGill administration, student groups hold vigil marking the fifth year since Quebec City mosque shooting”) incorrectly stated that Sarah Abou-Bakr spoke to the Tribune in an interview. In fact, Abou-Bakr was not interviewed, her quote came from the speech she made at the vigil. The Tribune regrets this error.

6

OPINION

COMMENTARY

opinion@mcgilltribune.com

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8 2022

Spotify has a responsibility to protect its listeners from inaccurate information

El Bush Staff Writer

R

ecently, The Joe Rogan Experience, now a Spotify-exclusive podcast that brings in an estimated 11 million listens per episode, has come under scrutiny for platforming COVID-19 misinformation. The episode that initially spread controversy featured an interview between host Joe Rogan and Dr. Robert Malone, in which the pair discussed multiple conspiracies involving mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines. Following the release of the episode, Rogan and Malone faced backlash from both the medical community and the general public for their discussion of the subject, where they discouraged healthy young people from getting the vaccine and claimed that mRNA vaccines are gene therapy.

In the days following, Spotify listeners and artists alike demanded that the platform take action to combat the spread of misinformation. On Jan. 24, artist Neil Young asked the service

Artists like Joni Mitchell, Nils Lofgren, and India Arie have since also asked to be taken off Spotify.

(Brian Schatteman / The McGill Tribune)

COMMENTARY Ghazal Azizi Staff Writer Continued from page 1.

On the eve of the last Wednesday of the year, Persians celebrate a Zoroastrian practice called Chaharshanbe Suri by jumping over fire to cleanse themselves of sickness and evil. Traditionally, Haji Firuz is believed to have dark skin from the soot of this fire. Yet, this superficial explanation ignores the nuances of his persona that have direct links to slavery.

The man dressed as Haji Firuz carries a tambourine and sings a popular jingle: “My Master, greetings!

My Master, hold your head up!

My Master, why don’t you laugh?

It’s Nowruz, it’s one day a year!”

Not only does this rhyme reflect his status as an enslaved jester, but Haji Firuz hails from Siah-bazi theatre, which is itself a racist form of entertainment. Siahbazi, which translates to “playing black,” is no different than

to choose between him and Rogan—Spotify removed Young’s music from the platform. His departure was followed by Joni Mitchell’s soon after. After the public outrage, Spotify added disclaimers on Rogan’s podcast and created a COVID-19 information hub in an effort to facilitate access to accurate information. Despite these surface-level actions, Spotify remains above all committed to profit in refusing to reconsider its partnership with Rogan. In order to show a real commitment to combating misinformation, the platform should condemn and demonetize this kind of content.

In the statement it released as part of the launch of its information hub, Spotify did not address the issue with Rogan’s content specifically, nor did they acknowledge their policies surrounding the monetization of harmful misinformation. Indeed, Spotify should follow the lead of other streaming services, such as YouTube, which have policies in place to demonetize content that could be considered harmful. In Spotify’s case, acting responsibly would include revoking their exclusive $100-million podcast deal with Rogan that currently remains in effect.

Beyond demonetizing harmful content, Spotify has an obligation to its platform’s users to promote and provide information in line with science. While creating a COVID-19 hub is a welcome start, they must also invest in creators who are working to educate the public.

Take, for example, Foreign Policy’s podcast Don’t Touch Your Face: Spotify could make this accurate information more accessible by advertising it on the main pages of its platform.

The streaming service must realize that the safety of its listeners—and of the public, more broadly—should come before sensationalist anti-science content creators who cause harm by spreading misinformation.

Although the onus is on Spotify to take action to protect listeners, Spotify users themselves have a role to play as conscious consumers. Since many McGill students are active Spotify users, it is important for them to employ a critical ear when consuming the platform’s content. This means actively engaging with creators who spread accurate information. While everyone has different listening preferences, it is important to seek out multiple––factual–– perspectives while gathering knowledge, especially knowledge related to health and science.

Moreover, from the listener’s perspective, demanding more of creators and platforms will only help produce better content. Having high expectations would mean recognizing and promoting creators who create accurate and reliable content, and protesting those who do not.

Ultimately, it is the responsibility of streaming and social media platforms to help combat misinformation by promoting reliable content and creators. However, if the platform itself refuses to do so, it is integral that its users consume media through a critical lens and actively promote correct information within their communities. What the Joe Rogan conflict has revealed is that now more than ever, creators, streaming platforms, and consumers must intentionally seek out and share reliable information.

Anti-Black racism has no place in Nowruz celebrations the minstrel shows in the United States. Much like how stock characters in those shows mocked enslaved people, characters in Siahbazi perpetuate a lewd and clownish caricature of Black people.

Those who deny this antiBlackness continue to excuse Haji Firuz as a centuries old beloved icon who spreads joy during the festivities. Some defenders of Haji Firuz reference misreadings of the famous Persian epic, Shahnameh, as the literary source of the character. Not only do these claims lack factual and historical backing, but they are also tired attempts at erasing Iran’s involvement in slave trade during the Qajar dynasty.

Throughout the late Qajar period, historians estimate that one to two million people from East Africa were enslaved and brought to Iran, where slavery remained legal until Muhammad Shah of the Pahlavi dynasty finally abolished it in 1929. There exists a temptation to repaint slavery in Iran as a form of mild domestic servitude that was not based on race, especially in comparison to the United States. Yet, even if it may threaten the national pride of

some Persians, racialized forced labour existed in Iran in multiple forms, including eunuchism and concubinage. It would be an absurd irony to talk of Iran’s history devoid of any reference to slavery.

Haji Firuz is a product of Siahbazi, which itself is the aftermath to years of racialized slavery. Appreciating Iran’s rich history and criticizing its wrongs are not and should not be mutually exclusive.

Along with the erasure of slavery, the Black Iranian community has often been overlooked.

The media’s lack of Afro-Iranian representation has led to an illusion of racial homogeneity in Iran.

In 2015, German-Iranian photographer Mahdi Ehsaei created a series featuring photographs of Black Iranians in the Hormozgan province. The name of the collection, Afro-Iran: The Unknown Minority, is enough to demonstrate the neglect experienced by this community. Even so, while the AfroIranian community continues to be perceived as less Iranian, their cultural contributions are often viewed as Iranian products. Bandari music and dances, for example, are repeatedly stripped of

their Afro-Iranian origins. If Persians enjoy Afro-Iranian art, they must also recognize the presence of Afro-Iranians; they must stand up against anti-Black racism, and they must denounce Haji Firuz and other forms of blackface like Siah-bazi.

So, as you prepare your HaftSeen arrangements this year, celebrate Chaharshanbe Suri, and play Bandari music during Sizdah-bedar, remember and remind others that anti-Black racism has no place in our Nowruz festivities or anywhere else in our culture.

This Black History Month, let us debunk the myth of Haji Firuz.

(Coco in the Kitchen)

studentlife@mcgilltribune.com

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8 2022

STUDENT LIFE

7

Tackling the strenuous art of the cover letter

An interview with Linda Cicuta, CaPS career advisor Chloé Kichenane Contributor

What would the structure of a good cover letter look like?

over letters often prove to be a challenge to write.

With no straightforward structure to follow and only a blank page to stare at, they can leave students racked with nerves.

However, with a solid foundation of guidelines and a couple rounds of careful proofreading, perfecting your cover letter doesn’t have to be such a stress-inducing process; it can be an opportunity to express yourself and highlight your assets.

The McGill Tribune sat down with Linda Cicuta, a career advisor at the Career Planning Service (CaPS), to get advice on how students can write an impactful cover letter that accurately reflects their personality and accentuates their skills.

Linda Cicuta (LC): I think the perfect structure starts with selfreflection, starting off by the introduction of who you are and how you stand out. Starting off with a bang is important. An opening line could easily be: “As a second year McGill student in economics, with six months experience in ‘x’ or in a related field, I’m confident I would be a great asset to your team.”

Right away you’re different from everybody else. It also empowers you and builds your confidence, because in the end, you have to believe you can do this.

C

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Chloé Kichenane (CK): Writing a cover letter can be overwhelming when we don’t know where to start.

aren’t as confident as just stating you would be a good candidate, or you are a good candidate. But again, it has to reflect your personality, and you have to be comfortable writing it. A taboo thing would be to say “I” all the time. Don’t forget to proofread: Many times students have forgotten to change the name of the company, that will blow their application out of the water for sure.

And you don’t use pronouns if you are not sure. Don’t include the word “yours” at the end: You don’t belong to anybody.

CK: Any final tips?

While writing your cover letter, a rule of thumb to remember is to go beyond the facts included in your resume. (newyorker.com)

CK: It can sometimes be difficult for students to express what makes them stand out. Do you have any unique advice for writing those personal strengths into a cover letter?

or communication skills, those are fantastic things to highlight, and set you apart as well.

LC: What sets you apart is everything outside of your degree: Soft skills are huge. Whether you’ve developed leadership skills

LC: I think it needs to be engaging, but it has to reflect your personality, […] and it needs to be in line with the industry and the position that

CK: What are the highlights of a good cover letter?

you’re applying for. I think the highlights are proper formatting and making the connection between you and [your potential employer].

CK: What are the things to avoid while writing your cover letter?

LC: Don’t be generic, that’s for sure. Be confident. Passive words like “think,” “feel,” and “believe”

LC: There’s nothing wrong with being bold and forward if you’re comfortable with it. No matter who you are, you have a lot to offer, U0 to U4. You’re all incredible students, you all come from different backgrounds and you all have your own outstanding skill sets to offer.

For a more detailed guide to getting started on their cover letters, students can refer to McGill’s Career Planning Service guide.

When in doubt, eat out (of your fridge): Veggie leftovers soup A recipe to save your kitchen scraps and your wallet

Part 2: The Soup

Lillian Borger Contributor

W

Your pre-made broth will be the base of your soup, bringing together any remaining leftover vegetables and other miscellaneous ingredients. If you’re in a rush to eat, you can also use store-bought broth instead.

e all know the crushing feeling of opening the fridge and finding nothing to eat—with the exception, of course, of your leftover scraps, some languishing vegetables, and a bunch of mystery containers. Instead of giving in and going out, here’s how to save money, clean out your fridge, and minimize food waste by turning those random ingredients into a warm bowl of soup. This recipe is designed to be flexible, so you can use whatever ingredients you have lying around.

Possible ingredients: • • • • • • • •

Part 1: The Broth This is where you can get rid of any scraps left over from the last time you cooked, or any vegetables that aren’t looking so fresh––don’t worry, a bit of withering or staleness will not affect the broth’s flavour much. If you don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen and just want to whip up a quick meal, skip to Part 2 to go straight to making soup with store-bought broth.

Ingredients: •

Water

•

Chicken—legs, wings, necks or back bones; with or without meat (If you are using chicken bones, split them open to maximize flavour) Celery, including leaves Carrots, including peel Onions Mushrooms Potato, including peel Herbs (parsley, cilantro, etc.), including stems Good seasoning options: garlic, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, pepper

Possible additions:

• • • • • • •

Vegetable soups have a high nutrient density, filling us up more and for longer. (cookingclassy.com)

Steps: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Cut all of your desired ingredients into mediumsized pieces.

Put all of your ingredients into a big pot.

Fill the pot with water until the vegetables start to float (it should be about ¾ full).

Bring this to a boil and then let it simmer on low heat for at least 30 minutes. The longer you simmer, the more flavour the broth will have, so keep the broth on the heat for around 60 minutes for maximum umami.

Strain the broth into a container. This broth will keep for 4 days in the refrigerator and 3 months in the freezer or use it right away in your soup!

Tip: Start collecting your vegetable scraps instead of throwing them out. Keep a bag of kitchen scraps in your freezer and once the bag is full, make it into broth!

Steps: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Any fresh vegetables: Onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, cabbage, etc.

Frozen vegetables: Peas, corn, etc.

Canned tomatoes Beans Tofu Meat Cooked rice, noodles, quinoa, etc.

Seasoning: Some great options include garlic, fennel, black pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes

Cut any large vegetables you have into bite-sized pieces.

In a big pot, sauté vegetables in oil on medium heat for about 10 minutes or until soft.

Add your seasoning and stir.

Pour in the broth (and canned tomatoes if you have them).

Stir in any additions (tofu/meat, or rice/quinoa/ noodles) and smaller vegetables (peas, corn, etc.).

Bring the soup to a boil, then partially cover the pot with a lid and reduce the heat to a low simmer.

Simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

This soup will keep for three to five days in the refrigerator and one month in the freezer. Enjoy, and rejoice in your newly available fridge space!

This recipe is adapted from the following sources: tasteofhome.com, inspiredtaste.net, tasty.co.

When it comes to drugs, McGill is still stuck in the past

Moving from drug abstinence to harm reduction

A

ccording to a 2020 Prison Policy Initiative study on mass incarceration, one in five incarcerated Americans are in prison for a drugrelated charge. In the U.S., there are approximately one million drug-related arrests each year, and six times as many arrests for drug possession as there are for drug sales. I myself have loved ones who have faced incarceration, familial ostracization, and travel restrictions because of petty drug charges. A somber weight bears down upon me at the thought of how many people continue to experience the brunt of these punishments. In Canada, new legislation such as Bill C-5 and the proposed Bill C-22 may appear progressive by repealing mandatory minimum drug sentences for drug offenses, but these reforms do little to address the systemic impacts of drug prohibition.

There are many reasons why public and legal tolerance of drug use has been slow to develop. Stigma, antidrug campaigns in schools, federal and state laws, racism, and no-tolerance drug policies at institutions like McGill continue to privilege out-of-sight, out-of-mind approaches to drug use that are rooted in racist and colonial value systems. By prohibiting and punishing drug use, such policies enact undue harm upon people, especially marginalized and minority communities.

These attitudes, at a policy level, feed into the prison-industrial complex by justifying the incarceration of nonviolent offenders, and giving law enforcement more reason to harass and persecute.

Certainly, using drugs comes with inherent risks, including physiological and psychological harm. But zerotolerance drug policies have deleterious effects of their own. For one, they prevent scholars and researchers from asking serious questions about how drugs have affected human history, and how they could positively impact the future. And even worse, these policies can force people to hide their drug use.

Fearing legal consequences, users are less likely to access services such as drug testing and safe-use facilitators that reduce said dangers.

There is a long history of political movements using drugs as symbols to scapegoat minority communities.

For example, in the early 20th century, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Narcotics commissioner Henry Anslinger promoted propaganda campaigns that used the Spanish word “marijuana” rather than “cannabis” to forge an association between cannabis use and

Lowell Wolfe, Arts & Entertainment Editor Black and Latinx people. Aslinger’s campaign made xenophobia and antidrug legislation one and the same.

Later on, U.S. President Richard Nixon famously termed drug use “public enemy number one” and initiated a “war on drugs” that has resulted in the disproportionately high incarceration of Black and Latino people, who are significantly more likely to receive harsh sentences for the same drugrelated crimes as white people.

The criminalization of drug use is often associated with the U.S., and for good reason: The U.S. holds less than five per cent of the world’s population, but nearly 25 per cent of the world’s incarcerated people.

However, targeting minorities by policing drug use isn’t limited to the U.S. In 2012, Stephen Harper’s Conservative government enacted Bill C-10 (the Safe Streets and Communities Act), which amped up legal consequences for minor drug offenses. It increased the maximum possible penalty for the production of Schedule II drugs— substances which included marijuana at the time—from seven to 14 years.

Since the 1980s, Black communities in Canada have been systemically targeted by the country’s own war on drugs, as the Act facilitated intensive policing, racial profiling, and disproportionately high rates of incarceration for Black Canadians.

In an interview with The McGill Tribune, Alexandra Holtom, a knowledge mobilization specialist with the National Safe Supply Community of Practice (NSS-CoP) at the Canadian Association of People who Use Drugs (CAPUD) explained that this pattern of targeting minorities through drug policies continues into the modern day.

“When we’re talking about criminalization and prohibition, what we actually see is that people of colour, people who are racialized, people with disabilities, queer and trans folks, Indigenous folks all suffer disproportionately highly compared to white individuals, or people of higher class or status,” Holtom said.

CAPUD aims to empower and inform drug users by pushing for drug policy reform and giving drug users a voice in the creation of policies that affect them. At NSS-CoP, Holtom works to facilitate the development of medicalized safer supply models, which provide drug users with known quantities of legal pharmaceuticalgrade drugs in an effort

to prevent overdoses.

After decades of drug-related fearmongering in news and classrooms, the veils of confusion and apprehension that surround drug use are understandable, although I hesitate to use the term “natural.”

Opioid overdoses, addiction, extreme paranoia, and psychosis are truly scary.

But despite the harsh reality of these effects, not all illegal drugs induce these symptoms. Some illegal drugs could even potentially be used in therapies for certain conditions. Recent research into the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs––also known as entheogens or hallucinogens––suggest it might be a good idea to turn away from treating drugs as public enemy number one. One small study involving Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers found that two doses of psilocybin, the main active hallucinogenic chemical in a variety of fungi commonly known as “magic mushrooms,” rapidly relieved depressive symptoms in adults with major depression. The drugs were given in combination with supportive psychotherapy. “​​ I think that our society is changing,” wrote Dr. Gabriella Gobbi, a psychiatric researcher on psychedelics at McGill’s Neurological Institute, in an interview with the Tribune. “Young generations are aware that a materialistic and strictly biological vision of life is no longer sufficient. They need more meaning in life, spiritual values. They are asking fundamental questions about human cooperation, t o g e t h e r n e s s , empathy, the ability to love, mindfulness, acceptance.”

Gobbi’s lab has

been researching hallucinogens since 2014. They use techniques from fields such as neurochemistry and behavioural pharmacology to understand the chemical processes behind the effects that hallucinogens such as LSD and psilocybin have on serotonin and dopamine in the brain. By understanding the parts of the brain they act on, Gobbi and her team hope to uncover applications that psychedelics might have in the treatment of mental illnesses.

“We are trying to [...] run more modern clinical trials in patients with specific mental health conditions (depression, addiction, anxiety, PTSD, OCD) and measure their real clinical efficacy,” Gobbi wrote.

After receiving little-to-no scholarly research following the U.S.’s enactment of the 1970 Controlled Substances Act, and the now nearly over War on Drugs, researchers like Gobbi are beginning to realize that entheogens could be a powerful tool in psychotherapy and the treatment of addiction.

Studies emerging from McGill’s own The Neuro and the John Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research

demonstrate that, in the face of an ever-worsening mental health crisis, re-defining society’s relationship with drug use might offer avenues toward solutions.

“The entire scientific community has understood that pharmacological interventions [in mental health treatment] cannot occur without a psychotherapeutic intervention,” said Gobbi. “While 30 years ago, patients and doctors thought that a pill of Prozac could solve your problems, today we know that all pharmacological interventions also need psychotherapy, especially for psychedelics, which induce an expansion of consciousness, memory, and access to previous trauma.”

When supervised by trained facilitators, patients can consume psychedelics in a setting that allows them to process and interact with traumas and anxieties in intoxicated states that bring out healing and acceptance.

These professionals ensure practitioners do not experience adverse psychological and physiological effects. In an interview with the Tribune, Montreal-based visual artist Chris Dyer explained how his participation in ayahuasca ceremonies, an increasingly popular way for people to safely consume a plant-based psychotropic medicine from South America, is a tool for his creative process. Chris’s works, often termed “visionary art,” utilize drug-induced states to remove negative thoughts and experiment with aesthetics.

“In that space, I am doing work to liberate myself from attachments, boxes, […] from the world that has corrupted code and programming that tries to limit us, like traumas, fears,” Dyer said. “I can express whatever I want to express, whether it be visions that I see there, or me just expressing how I feel in the moment.”

Fortunately, more and more places around the world are beginning to pursue research into psychedelics.

For instance, in Nov. 2020, Oregon voters passed the groundbreaking Ballot Measure 109, approving the implementation of a new pilot project called the Psilocybin Program Initiative. The Initiative, which allows the state to manufacture, deliver, and administer psilocybin products under the provision and guise of the newly founded Oregon Psilocybin Services, began in Jan. 2021 and will continue until Dec. 2022—at which point the state hopes to reassess the effects of allowing citizens to legally consume psilocybin products for the first time.

The need for harm reduction at McGill Rather than outlawing and creating problematic preconceptions about drugs, individuals and institutions both can work toward making drug use safer and less stigmatized. After a string of overdoses last year, Canada began installing opioid dispensers in Victoria, Vancouver, and London, which dispense medical-grade opioids to users. By providing clean opioids, these machines drastically reduce the risk of overdose from fentanyl-laced drugs. In addition, users are now able to obtain opioids while social distancing, rather than going into risky indoor situations.

These types of approaches, grouped under the umbrella term “harm reduction,” redefine and improve how society treats drug use and users. Rather than punishing, and stigmatizing drug use, harm reduction simply encourages people to use drugs safely. Holtom explained that when drug use is prohibited and criminalized, people are more likely to consume drugs unsafely in isolation, without knowing the quantity or chemical makeup of the substance.

“Harm reduction can help in creating community, bringing people together ensuring that they’re using as safely as they possibly can,” Holtom said. “And ideally, not in a context in which they’re alone or isolated from others, so that if anything were to happen, they were able to get the help that they need.”

Despite the increasing evidence proving that harm reduction works, McGill remains behind the times when it comes to implementing these services for its students—in particular, for younger

undergraduates living in residences.

In an interview with the Tribune, Christian Tonnesen, U4 Science and vice-president Floor Fellow of the Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE), revealed that McGill’s recent residence policies promote unhealthy stigma around the use of drugs in residences. A veteran of Canadian Students for a Sensible Drug Policy (CSSDP), Tonnesen claimed that many floor fellows want to take harm reduction-based approaches, but that McGill policies prevent open dialogue between floor fellows and students.

Indeed, the Fall 2020 Residence Handbook informs students living in residence that, “As a member of the Residence community, it is your responsibility to report any instances of inappropriate behavior related to illegal or controlled substances.”

In other words, students are told to go to the authorities if they spot or suspect someone using or possessing drugs. This rule forces floor fellows and students to police one another, recreating the exact types of environments where users are likely to consume drugs unsafely. The rule does not account for the potential addictions or chemical dependencies that students in residence might have, and blocks them from seeking help if they want or need it. Although this clause no longer exists in the current student handbook, Tonnesen claimed that McGill administrators continue to demand floor fellows police, and report, the presence and use of illegal substances in residences.

To make matters worse, current residence rules prohibit “drug paraphernalia” within residences—a term left purposely vague on McGill’s part. Depending on one’s interpretation, “paraphernalia” could potentially even encompass important harm-reduction tools like narcan/Naloxone, which can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. In residences, alcohol use is carefully policed, with strictures limiting where, and how much, alcohol can be possessed and consumed within residences. The truth remains that no matter what, some first-year students will use drugs.

“We know in general and especially with young people, that people are going to use drugs, whether they know they’re safe or not, and whether they know what’s in them or not,” Holtom said. “We just know that. History shows it, science shows it.”

Though McGill is not preventing drug use writ large, it is preventing safe drug use. Such rules put both students and Floor Fellows into uncomfortable and potentially dangerous positions.

Floor fellows fear reporting students, and students fear being reported to upper-level administrators like the Residence Life managers.

“I have to go out of my way many times with my students to be like, ‘Hey guys, I just want you to know, I’m not here to bust you,’” Tonnesen said.

“Even then, that comes with a certain amount of, ‘every time I’m doing that, am I going against my employer? Am I risking my hireability by doing that?”

Tonnesen claimed that McGill residences have prohibited floor fellows from practicing bare minimum harm-reduction protocols, since it clashes with their out-of-sight, out-ofmind approach to drug use.

“There was a push at one point to get testing kits in residences, but it’s really difficult to square because in McGill’s eyes, the second they put testing kits in residence, that’s an admission [that students are using

drugs],” Tonnesen said. “There was no getting testing kits in residence because that was a step too far.”

All of this is happening in the shadow of a burgeoning opioid crisis and a spike in overdose deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dangerous drugs such as fentanyl continue to be found as cutting agents in what users believe to be cocaine. Indeed, Tonnesen recounted a story of residence students who purchased cocaine and, after testing it, found out it was laced with fentanyl.

Despite McGill’s inadvertency toward facilitating—or even allowing—harm-reduction practices on campus and within residence buildings, they continue to brand themselves as harm-reductive. At a 2020 McGill Senate meeting, McGill Provost and Vice-Principal Academic Christopher Manfredi responded to questions about residence harmreduction policies, claiming that residence employees “ensure every resident is able to live in a community that is safe, respectful, and conducive to learning.” McGill’s Student Housing and Hospitality Services webpage states that McGill residences “use a prevention-based harm reduction approach and provide stimulating living-learning opportunities.”

While these claims might look appealing to a parent interested in sending their child to McGill, they do not reflect the actual conditions of students living in residence. Tonnesen and other floor fellows see a different version of things on the ground. In light of these concerns, floor fellows have initiated a petition that demands that McGill residence regulations create a truly harm-reductive and antioppressive residence environment.

“We’re looking for an environment that doesn’t require us to ‘tattle’ on students, because that’s the number one issue,” Tonnesen said. “There needs to be something [in McGill policies] that re-evaluates the harmreductive approach they’re taking.”

In the meantime, inclusive oncampus groups such as the McGill chapter of CSSDP and MDMA continue to take steps toward creating harmreductive spaces at McGill—filling in for the administrative deficit.

McGill’s increasingly backwards approach to drug use in residences clearly indicates their tendency to ignore the existence of student drug use. Though they are not stopping students from using drugs, they certainly are stopping them from using drugs safely. Fortunately for McGill, harm reduction isn’t difficult— it simply means treating other human beings with the respect they deserve.

“Practicing harm reduction is not hard,” Tonnesen said. “It requires you to recognize the autonomy of an individual to make choices on your own, which is an inherently easy thing to do: To recognize that you are a person, you make your own decisions, and I do not really have a place in telling you what you can and can’t do with your body.”

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Dr. Gabriella Gobbi worked at McGill’s Neurological Institute In fact, Dr. Gobbi works in the Department of Psychiatry. The Tribune regrets this error.

The interview to Dr. Gobbi was extrapolated from another context and the view contained in this article does not necessarily reflect the sources interviewed.

Design by Jinny Moon, Design Editor

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STUDENT LIFE

studentlife@mcgilltribune.com

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8 2022

EDRSC event explores junctions of mental health, chronic illness, and eating disorders

The panel explored the intersections of EDs with gender identity Monika Maneva Contributor Content warning: disordered eating

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n Jan. 29, the Students’ Society of McGill University’s Eating Disorder Resource and Support Centre (EDRSC) hosted the panel, “Intersection of Mental Health, Chronic Illness, and Eating Disorders.” The virtual event gathered four specialists to discuss how individuals’ backgrounds can affect their experience with eating disorders.

Speakers included Dr. A.J. Rubineau, a family physician with experience working with people exploring their gender identity while struggling with eating disorders, as well as Jenna Jones, a social worker and psychotherapist specializing in eating disorders. Also joining the panel was Josée Lavigne, a representative from Anorexie & Boulimie Québec (ANEB), and Laura Ramesey, a content creator on social media who raises awareness for avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.

For many individuals, chronic illness can overlap with disordered eating.

(Lucy Jones / nytimes.com)

The event started off by addressing the common misconceptions regarding eating disorders and mental health.

“The biggest misconception is that it has to do with food,” said Jones. “Eating disorders [are] ultimately a coping mechanism—[an] iceberg scenario. The eating disorder is what you can visibly see, but there’s all the factors leading up to the eating disorder.”

Contrary to mainstream depictions, eating disorders are not always visible to the naked eye. This lack of clarity around what disordered eating looks like can stunt the journey to recovery.

“I think the biggest misconception is that dramatic weight loss and concern for your body image are required for an eating disorder diagnosis when they are not,” Ramesey said. “This is really damaging to those who need to get help.”

There’s also the dangerous myth that recovery is impossible.

“If there’s one misconception I want to knock down, it’s that you can’t get better, because that’s just not true,” Rubineau added.

“Treatment works, period.”

The panellists went on to discuss the intersections of personality, genetics, and gender identity in the development of disordered eating.

Researchers have hypothesized that certain personalities are more vulnerable to eating disorders than others.

“When it comes to anorexia nervosa, perfectionist tendencies have a strong link, and for bulimia nervosa, impulsivity is a link,” Jones said.

Genetics also play a factor. Lavigne explained that a person is more likely to get an eating disorder if others in their family have had eating disorders or other mental illnesses.

“Genetics loads the gun, and environment pulls the trigger,” Rubineau said.

Certain personal experiences can also come with an associated risk. Drawing from her background working with those exploring their gender, Rubineau noted that transgender people are typically more vulnerable to eating disorders.

“Being a trans person in a body that’s not the body they feel at ease

in understandably affects how food feels to [them],” Rubineau said.

For many individuals, chronic illnesses can also intersect with eating disorders. These illnesses are defined as conditions that have long-lasting effects, such as postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS).

The panellists discussed the difficulties of having to restrict certain foods due to chronic illness while also struggling with eating disorderrelated restrictions. It can be easy, for instance, to be tricked into being afraid of a certain food because of its effects on your body due to a chronic illness.

“I think the question is, how do you know when it’s your eating disorder [telling you to restrict], versus when it’s some other problem?”

Rubineau said.

Ramesey shared advice coming from her own personal experience with chronic illness.

“I tell myself that the food isn’t the enemy […] the food isn’t necessarily bad, it’s just not the best thing for me,” Ramesey said.

Conversations during the panel also centred on changing the way we talk about eating disorders. People of varying ethnicities and body types experience eating disorders. But the importance of portraying that accurately in media is often overlooked. There is ultimately no single “look” to experiencing disordered eating.

“I would also really encourage you to be inclusive of different types of disorders,” Ramesey said, referring to her own diagnosis of ARFID as an example, a condition associated with what may look like extremely picky eating to others.

For those on their own recovery journey, Ramesey gave some advice.

“Since we are rewiring pathways in our brains each time we don’t avoid something, it eventually does become easier. It might take it a while [....] But the more you do it, the easier it gets. You will not be this scared the whole time, I promise.”

Resources for transgender and gender diverse people experiencing disordered eating: https://fedupcollective.org/. Support groups at McGill: https://edrsc.ssmu.ca/services/

Word on the Y: Romantic moments at McGill Glimpses of campus love Rosie Kaissar Staff Writer

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ith Valentine’s Day fast approaching, love is in the air of McGill’s downtown campus.

Through the highs and lows of university, reflecting on little love stories can bring comfort, hope, and fun to our lives. Students shared some of their most memorable miniature moments of love at McGill.

The (political) science behind a study date

I was in my first political science conference in Leacock and didn’t have any friends in the class. I walked in late and sat next to a cute guy who didn’t seem to be paying attention to me, so I thought nothing of it. Afterwards, I was walking to the elevator when he tapped me on the shoulder, said he agreed with all of my contributions in the class and asked me to help

him with the upcoming paper due. He asked for my number and said he couldn’t wait for our “study date.” –– Ainsley Dong, U0 Arts

will never forget it. –– Anonymous

Dumpling darlings

We went to the Musée des Beaux-Arts and laughed at the Renaissance babies. Afterward, she asked if I wanted to get dinner. I said yes, and we went to a dumpling place. We both burned our tongues on the soup dumplings and laughed about it the rest of the night. –– Anonymous

The beauty of bagels

We sat next to each other in Russian history class, and, in between the professor speaking, we would always chat about little things. We found out we had the same favourite bagel shop and then I finally got up the courage to ask him out. We had a lovely date at a bagel shop in the plateau. –– Olivia Ardito, U1 Arts

“Falling” in love

From cafeteria encounters to slipping on the same patch of ice, McGill students have some of the sweetest meet cutes.

(Cameron Flanagan / The McGill Tribune)

It was my first January on campus when I slipped while walking to the McConnell Engineering Building. I fell really badly––it was quite embarrassing. When I looked around, though, I thought no one had seen, but when I was getting up, a guy came running up behind me to ask if I was okay. However, he then slipped on the same icy patch as me and fell.

Both embarrassed, we laughed about it and ended up walking to class together! –– Emma Smith, U0 Arts

during my second week here, the cutest guy I have ever seen came and asked if he could sit with me. He said that he had been watching me for a few meals, clarifying that he didn’t mean it in a creepy way. I laughed awkwardly but then realized that he seemed really genuine! We sat together every dinner for a week when he finally asked to take me out on a real date. We had the best time! –– Yael Benmor, U0 Arts

Cafe compliments

One of my favourite memories with someone was when she and I left a party to walk around for hours, talking with each other while she wore my hoodie. We eventually ended up at a lookout point where we lay down on the grass and watched the stars together before ending the night. To this day, it is still one of my favourite memories that I’ve shared with someone, and I

It was my fourth day living in my student residence. After coming here knowing no one, during meals I was left to sit alone, too anxious to ask anyone if I could join their table. Meals passed and I was alone watching others make friends while I couldn’t bring myself to show vulnerability by asking to join them. Then,

Stargazing had never been more amazing

McLove-in McLennan

I was in McLennan Library when this handsome guy and I made prolonged eye contact. As he was about to leave, he came up to me and asked for my Snapchat. We talked for a bit, then a couple of days after, we went thrifting at Eva B and had a good time. It felt like a modern-day fairytale trying on all these fun accessories. –– Anonymous

Caffeine courtship

We sat together in our sociology class for a couple of weeks, but we never really talked.

I always thought he was cute, but I was too nervous to approach him, so we just said quick hellos, and that was it. Valentine’s day was approaching when he asked me if I wanted to go out for coffee and just walk around (keep in mind the city was still in lockdown, so we were only allowed to order out). We talked a lot and got to know each other, and after a couple more dates, he asked me to be his girlfriend. It’s now almost been one year, and we are planning on moving in together for our third year! –– Anonymous

arts@mcgilltribune.com

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8 2022

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

11

The renaissance of Andrew Garfield Starring roles, viral TikTok trends, and vulnerability ushered the actor back into the spotlight Dana Prather Contributor

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022 is, without question, an excellent time to be Andrew Garfield. At 38 years old, the British-American actor is having a remarkable resurgence in his career: In the past 12 months alone, he’s starred as real-life televangelist Jim Bakker in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, reprised his role as Peter Parker in the Marvel/Sony blockbuster movie Spider-Man: No Way Home, and is garnering Oscar Buzz for his turn as Jonathan Larson in the film adaptation of the late Rent//-creator’s semi-autobiographical musical //tick... tick...boom!.

So what’s responsible for sending this fan-favourite actor back into Hollywood’s stratosphere? The answer is simple: A perfect combination of vulnerability, a wealth of critically acclaimed performances, and an unexpected boost from the TikTok algorithm.

Garfield’s breakout role came in 2010’s The Social Network, the fast-paced origin story of the world’s largest social media company. He played the ousted Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, an embittered but likeable counterpart to

Jesse Eisenberg’s cerebral, arrogant Mark Zuckerberg. Though the story necessitates that he play second-fiddle to Eisenberg, Garfield’s acting steals the show, and his now-famous, “Sorry my Prada’s at the cleaners, along with my hoodie and my fuck-you flip flops” outburst remains one of the movie’s best-loved scenes 12 years on.

While The Social Network earned Garfield critical acclaim, The Amazing Spider-Man made him a household name.

Stepping into the iconic dual role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man meant filling some big shoes, especially considering that original Spider-Man, Tobey Maguire, had only hung up his Spidey suit five years earlier.

Full of witty one-liners and palpable chemistry with co-star-turned-girlfriend Emma Stone, Garfield’s Peter Parker proved a more suave version than Maguire’s. Still, reactions to the first two instalments were lukewarm from fans and critics alike, and plans for The Amazing Spider-Man 3 were ultimately cancelled. Between fan loyalty to the original and the immense popularity of the latest reboot starring Tom Holland, Garfield was left as the mostly forgotten middle child of the live-action SpiderMan lineage. However, his reappearance

At 38, actor Andrew Garfield is having a remarkable mid-career resurgence. (myfilmviews.com)

as Peter Parker in No Way Home sparked renewed interest in both The Amazing Spider-Man franchise and Garfield’s acting career as a whole.

Recently, TikTok’s “For You Page” has become inundated with scenes from his time as Spider-Man, videos of people lip synching to his Eduardo Saverin outburst, and clips emulating the frenetic energy of his tick…tick..boom! musical numbers. As a result, both his recent work and his formerly overlooked career years populated with gems like his Oscar-nominated role in Hacksaw Ridge and Tony award-winning performance in the revival of Angels in America have received renewed widespread attention. On a platform that feeds on our increasingly short attention spans, the fact that these longer, Garfield-inspired clips garner so much attention speaks volumes about the actor’s engaging performances.

Garfield’s performances aren’t the only thing grabbing his ever-growing fanbase’s attention; his vulnerability is equal parts endearing and compelling. Compared to the banter and charming anecdote-filled talk-show interviews common of most Hollywood actors, Garfield is unflinchingly honest and unexpectedly sincere.

In a recent interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, he opened up about how playing mortality-obsessed Jonathan Larson helped him reckon with the recent passing of his mother.

“I hope this grief stays with me,” he said, tearing up. “Because it’s all the unexpressed love I didn’t get to tell her.”

This earnest admission has been viewed over 1.3 million times, demonstrating just how far his vulnerability goes.

After such a whirlwind of a year, some might question where Andrew Garfield’s career will go next. If this powerful mix of dedicated performances, loyal fanbase, and penchant for vulnerability keeps up, there’s nowhere to go but up.

Coffeehouse Presents: A Virtual Tour of Montreal’s Black History In the spirit of Black History Month, McGill’s Black Law Students Association holds a virtual tour of Montreal’s Black history and landmarks.

Feb.10, 5:30 p.m.

Online Free

StraightOuttaMontreal presents Comedy Showcase Live stand-up show, filled with comics fresh and experienced alike for a night of laughs.

Feb. 9, 8 p.m.–9:30 p.m.

6548 St Laurent Blvd, Montreal, Quebec $10

-22.7°C by Molécule Experience “nomadic electronic music” alongside a visual experience with northern lights and sounds of the Arctic.

Feb. 8–26, Tues–Sat, 5 p.m.–6:30 p.m.– 8p.m. $15

Dream Scenes: a Dream Comic and Zine Workshop Visual artist Jenny Lin discusses the creative technique of “dream recall” while holding writing and drawing exercises.

Feb. 11, 2–4 p.m.

Free, tickets required

Saba’s ‘Few Good Things’ is a musical scrapbook Saba adventurously explores his sound and feelings

Isabella González Staff Writer

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our years after the release of his second studio album, the pain-ridden CARE FOR ME, Chicago-based rapper Saba has returned with Few Good Things, released on Feb. 4. This new project takes a refreshing step away from the despair of its predecessor, with Saba reflecting upon what he loves and appreciates in his life through his lyrical storytelling.

Although the songs lack musical cohesiveness, Saba’s exploration of new themes and emotions makes up for it, creating a stunning album packed with stories of his life.

For most of the 48-minute project, Saba remains in his comfort zone of melodic beats and rhythmic flow. In “Still,” guest features Smino and 6LACK flow well with Saba as he explains his fast-paced life, over

airy percussion and a mellow bass line.

However, Saba does occasionally venture into uncharted territory. Unlike his more mellow tracks in past albums, Saba successfully creates a joyful tone in “Fearmonger.” Here, he juxtaposes the bright beat of the song with an amusing monotone flow, a perfect addition to the playful character of the track. While Saba’s mix of style is generally pleasant, his experiments with rhythm and percussion in “A Simpler Time” are sloppy at best. Saba’s verses provide some stability in the song, but overall, the beat feels disjointed, with just a few ad libs, drum beats, and sound effects thrown around randomly.

The lack of sonic consistency in Few Good Things ideally paints Saba’s changing emotions and perspectives, despite the new musical endeavours not always succeeding. Saba contrasts hard-hitting, drill

Despite the lack of sonic cohesion, Saba creates a beautiful album where he explores his emotions lyrically and musically. (pitchfork.com) inspired songs like “Survivor’s Guilt,” which vividly details his adolescence in

disadvantaged, marginalized Black communities, with ambient pieces like “2012,” where he candidly reflects on his meaningful and affectionate childhood. Thematically, the album is very consistent, exploring the topics of money, gratitude, and fame.

On “Make Believe,” one of the most stunning songs off the album, Saba raps solemnly over fluttering synths about making it in the music industry: “Cause Black boys on this side of town not supposed to be on / the front page of the newspaper / For doing greater.”

Few Good Things feels like a scrapbook. Saba experiments with new sounds and instrumentation, sometimes succeeding and other times falling short. Although the album is slightly disjointed, overall it is an honest reflection of Saba’s emotions, capturing him doing what feels right musically.

12 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

arts@mcgilltribune.com

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8 2022

McGill professor examines elitism and pastoralism in 16th century Venetian art

Chriscinda Henry discussed the political and historical background of Titian’s ‘Concert Champêtre’

Suzanna Graham Staff Writer

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n Feb. 3, Chriscinda Henry, one of McGill’s associate professors of art history, delivered a lecture for The Courtauld Gallery’s online speaker series on Concert Champêtre, a famous painting by Venetian Renaissance painter Titian. Henry exposed how Concert Champêtre, the title of which translates to “pastoral concert,” offers a window into how the elite youth in Renaissance Italy chose to spend their leisure time.

Painted between 1509 and 1511, Concert Champêtre depicts a young man adorned in a lavish red outfit, playing his lute alongside a more simply dressed man and two semi-naked women. Although seemingly at ease, several qualities hint that the youth in the painting does not belong. Besides his clothing, his elaborate instrument is grand compared to the simple pipe that one of the women holds, suggesting his capability to create complex music compared to her simple tunes. Henry attributes his out-of-place persona to some art historians’ assumptions that the lutenist was a real, yet unidentified patron who commissioned Titian to insert his image into the pastoral scene. This artistic self-insertion was popular among the elite in the

16th century as a form of informal self-representation.

“In the homes of certain Venetians, who might be considered as a cultural avant-garde, novel forms of intellectual exchange, music-making, theatrical performance, and collecting came to articulate a new mode of poetic self-fashioning and generational distinction on the part of young Venetian patrons,” Henry said.

“The shepherd maschera, or persona, […] provided the ideal vehicle for a liberating poetic form of self-expression steeped in classical literary and theatrical culture.”

While he is participating in an artistic movement celebrating self-expression and leisure, the patrician’s outfit clearly boasts his high position in the Venetian political society. Henry noted that the youth wears Compagnie della Calza attire, identified by his cloak and subtly striped hose. The group, called “Company of the Hose” in English, was a fraternal youth society that collected and refined the sons of Venetian elite by having them host lavish spectacles for the public. The company included several different groups, all of whom sported distinguished colour combinations of hose. The youth in Concert Champêtre wears a white and grayish-green striped hose on his right leg and rosecoloured hose on the left—which

is hidden in the painting—representing the so-called “happiness group.” This group prioritized the reciprocal exchange of friendship among guests and fellow patricians alike.

The painting itself features the homosocial—or, as Henry argues, potentially homoerotic—friendship between the central youth and his pastoral companion, showing that the friendship has transcended beyond elite status. However, Henry argued that the similar body positioning between the urban elitist and pastoral shepherd reflects a sense of alter-ego. Therefore, Concert Champêtre reflects both the youth’s pride in his political status and the equal passion he feels for simple, pastoral life. “[There is an] intimate gesture of homosocial fellowship, almost fusion, between the two young men seated at the center of the composition—the elegant compagno, and his rustic shepherd counterpart,” Henry said.

Although Venetian elite were free to live joyously and abundantly in their youth, their powerful parents expected them to renounce these luxuries and take on a more serious and political role upon reaching adulthood. In 1509, the youth had to abandon their lifestyle due to the War of Cambrai, instigated by a European alliance led by Pope Julius II and Louis

Dr. Henry identified the central figure as a real Venetian youth explained why people in the 16th century felt so connected with pastoral imagery. (commons.wikimedia.org) XII of France, who aimed to disassemble the Republic of Venice.

At that time, the Venetian government forbade all festivities and colourful hose to facilitate focus on war planning. Although the war ended in 1511—once again permitting festivities—the previous generation of elite youth had become Fausti, meaning soldiers, outgrowing the carefree privileges of their adolescence. Henry acknowledged that the pastoral theme of Concert Champêtre represents the generational nostalgia for both a

simpler rustic life without war and for an adolescence celebrating life and art.

“If one of the young men of the Fausti had proved to be not only the central subject, but also the patron of the Concert Champêtre, this prompts questions about the painting, as a work that captures and commemorates for posterity, a brief and liminal stage of life that was already nearing its end for the Fausti by 1509, when the painting was likely commissioned and begun.”

‘Landscapes, Colour and a Portrait’ exhibit adds colour and vitality to winter days Montreal Artist Kim Dorland uses neon and strings of oil in his paintings to reflect contemporary climate

Anna Berglas Contributor

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andscapes, Colour and a Portrait is a one-room exhibit currently hosted by Bradley Ertaskiran, a gallery nestled in the Saint-Henri area. Featuring pieces painted

by Toronto-based Canadian artist Kim Dorland, the exhibit portrays 13 forests and a single portrait. As traditional depictions of winter landscapes are often seas of grays, the brightly coloured oil paintings of foliage and sky are an especially compelling collection.

Dorland employs three-dimensional aspects of visual art to create a diverse array of texture-based effects, which add dimensionality—literally—to the viewing experience. Many of the artworks invite viewers into a dense, deep forest. For instance, his large painting Black depicts a forest in monochrome black, with brush strokes creating tree-like shapes amongst what is otherwise a homogeneous canvas. Additional techniques are featured in Orange and Pink, which has globs of thick paint that curl downwards to resemble shrubbery. In The Fence, the paint is

Landscapes, Colour and a Portrait by Kim Dorland is a distinctly Canadian exhibition unconstrained by realism. (Anna Berglas / The McGill Tribune) a translucent wash which reveals the canvas underneath.

Contrasting colours are also a focal point of Dorland’s work. In Pink and White, for instance, a neon pink background affronts the eyes, and the whiteness of the trees contrasts with a psychedelic sky behind it. The landscapes aren’t realistic, nor can they be tied to specific locations, but they nevertheless possess an air of nostalgia for a viewer familiar with the Canadian winterscape. The depth of paint strokes, as well as their wild direction, is reminiscent of thick foliage. The absolute

white emerging from harsh colour is similar to the blinding reflectivity of freshly fallen snow.

Viewers can then turn their attention to the uneasiness present in many paintings, which surfaces through the tangles of brushstrokes and unnatural neons. As written in the exhibit description, Dorland’s landscape follows the stakes of the climate emergency from vague concern to approaching palpable reality. In light of this helpful interpretive guide, one can see an undercurrent of climate crisisrelated panic running through many of Dorland’s pieces. A particularly striking example is Smoke, which depicts the sky above a burning forest. At the bottom of the painting, the top of a black treeline lies beneath a red sky with trails of white smoke. Rather than drawing the viewer’s eyes to the forest below, the smoke situates the viewer’s perspective into the atmosphere, where the smoke from forest fires, which are ironically also often exacerbated by climate change, further contribute to the greenhouse effect. In Smoke, Dorland makes subtle, but poignant, social commentary: Just as a fire rages beyond the painting’s frame, the forces propelling climate change,

such as the emission of greenhouse gases and building of pipelines, are invisible to many.

The final photo, if viewers circle the room, is a portrait of a girl called Lori. She is bisected by different colours, and her face is demolished with thick paint smears. The brushstrokes leave traces of the canvas underneath, and there is a troubling sense of incompleteness as the featureless face confronts viewers at eye level.

The masses of oil pants Dorland works with artfully impress depth and chaos to the forests and Lori.The journey from deep pink to pure black to olive green is a reflection of the turbulence witnessed in the environment today. The more time spent in Landscapes, Colour and a Portrait, the more the paintings reveal themselves to be a dreamlike meditation on the tensions of our relationship with the outside world. It is a thought-provoking and moving experience.

The art gallery is free and open to the public without reservation and can be visited during 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, until Feb. 26.

scitech@mcgilltribune.com

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8 2022

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

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Fishing for diversity: Understanding the lake trout’s genome

Sequencing the genome of species can help with conservation efforts and maintaining biodiversity Zoe Karkossa Contributor

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aced with the sharp shifts of climate change and continuous human expansion, animals must adapt to survive, an ability that depends largely on a species’ genetic diversity. Ioannis Regoussis, head of genome sciences at the McGill Genome Centre, is studying this diversity through the genome sequencing of species native to Canada, including the lake trout.

The lake trout is a glacial relic that has commanded a widespread presence in North America since the Wisconsin glaciation event ended 11,000 years ago. Flourishing in deep, cold waters from Alaska to New England, the trout is the top predator of the Great Lakes. Its abundance made it a major food source for many Indigenous communities, from the Inuit in Quebec to the Yukon Indigenous Peoples.

Throughout the 19th century, overfishing by colonial powers, corporate pollution, and invasive species predation devastated the population. By the 1960s, the lake trout population had plummeted in

many lakes that it previously thrived in. A significant consequence of this major decrease in population size was a loss of genetic diversity.

“Fish and other organisms try to maintain some form of genetic diversity that will allow them to adapt to different conditions,” Ragoussis said. “If the genetic diversity is lost, then the ecological diversity is lost at the same time [and] they don’t have the tools to adapt to a changing environment.”

Genetic diversity allows species to adapt to changing conditions like the increasing global average temperature and ecosystem perturbations caused by climate change. A greater variety of fish is crucial for repopulation and also helps ensure that individuals can survive in many different conditions.

Genome sequencing serves as an essential tool for the many hatcheries working toward lake trout repopulation. Understanding the fish’s genetic diversity allows researchers to evaluate and track the diversity of the individuals released from these hatcheries. A species’ genome can also provide insight into its evolution, as well as serve more strategic

purposes.

“Once we establish the required diversity using science, we can make a much better argument to governments and environmental organizations [about] the need for maintaining certain numbers of species,” Ragoussis said. “It will be a tool that will allow us to have a better leverage in establishing environmental protection and conservation efforts in Canada.”

The lake trout genome was sequenced as part of CanSeq150, a collaborative initiative by the Canadian Genomics Enterprise to assemble the genome of 150 species through a network of Canadian research centres. Following the initial success of this program, the Canadian BioGenome Project seeks to sequence the genomes of 400 species crucial for biodiversity and conservation in conjunction with the Earth BioGenome Project. The work will be shared by McGill Genome Centre, the Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre in Vancouver, and the Centre for Applied Genomics at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

“There are committees that are

Genetic diversity is important even for the tiny kelp fly, allowing for insect size to vary given food availability. (Timothy Knepp / US Fish and Wildlife Service) deciding who will go into Noah’s Ark, but due to the financial pressure, this time it can only include 400 species,” Ragoussis said. “We want to select the ones that are more threatened or very important to Indigenous communities. There is priority given to the needs of Indigenous populations and communities, like the sequencing of the genome of the muskoxen.”

The interdependence of ecosystems places great importance on the survival of each of its members.

This project will sequence the genome of species from every level of animal life, from insects and fungi to fish and mammals. Understanding and preserving the genetic diversity of the animal kingdom will be crucial for a future of prosperous and resilient natural environments.

Getting to the roots of hair loss

Start-up dNovo is genetically “reprogramming” cells to produce hair follicles Marion Laurençon Contributor

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air loss and shedding are very common in times of stress and can affect anyone—even those who have no family history of the condition. Apart from genetics, other factors such as lack of sleep, medication, stress, or birth control can kill the stem cells inside hair follicles.

Because stem cells self-renew, they have the potential to differentiate into a variety of subtypes, including hair-follicle stem cells, which are responsible for the formation and growth of hair. Unfortunately, hair follicles are similar to eggs in female mammals: Individuals are born with a finite amount and the number only keeps decreasing. Therefore, the production of new hair follicles in labs is of huge relevance to those who suffer from hair loss.

Biologist Ernesto Lujan launched the start-up dNovo in 2018 in an attempt to genetically reprogram blood, skin, or fat cells into hair-forming cells to treat hair loss. The process of reverting mature, specialized cells into induced pluripotent stem cells, called “reprogramming,” is slowly emerging across the globe as a way to treat patients. dNovo is currently testing the technology on mice and pigs.

The process consists of collecting cell samples from a patient, reprogramming them into hair-follicle stem cells, growing these genetically manipulated cells in the lab, and adding them to the scalp of the patient, who should see hair growth one to three months after the procedure.

Even though the procedure may seem simple when summarized in these four steps, hair follicles are complicated organs and their formation is not fully understood. Tamara Ouspenskaia (B.Sc.’09, M.Sc.’10), who completed her PhD on the mechanisms involved in the specification of stem cells during mouse development in 2016, was part of the Fuchs lab that succeeded in growing hair on a nude mouse by purifying hair stem cells and injecting them into the skin of the mouse. However, the experiment succeeded in part because it chose nude mice as its subjects.

A successful transplant of human hair stem cells realized by the start-up dNovo on a hairless mouse. (Sébastien Géroli / The McGill Tribune) “[Mice] lack an immune system and thus don’t reject the injection as they can’t recognize the stem cells as foreign,” Ouspenskaia said.

The scientists then used lentiviruses to inject the reprogrammed cells into the amniotic cavity of mice. Since mice are only embryos at this stage, the reprogrammed cells will pass down their hair-growing abilities to all their descendant cells. Another way to grow a hair shaft and transplant it onto nude mice is by growing organoids—3D structures made from pluripotent stem cells.

“If conditions of growth are right, [organoids] will try to replicate the tissue normally present in the body,” Ouspenskaia said.

There are different ways to grow hair stem cells in labs, but the more complex part is ensuring that the patient’s immune system does not reject the new cells. One solution is to take functional hair follicles from other parts of the body

and to transplant them onto the scalp, but this raises questions about the best regions to take the hair from.

Apart from growing the hair shaft of nude mice, the Ouspenskaia lab showed how a mouse embryo grows hair. From day zero to 10, the embryo is surrounded by identical cells which then become clusters of cells expressing markers of future hair follicles that eventually stop dividing.

Stem cells at this stage of a mouse are called embryonic stem cells and present unique properties, as opposed to adult stem cells.

“Something special about embryonic hair-follicle stem cell[s] is that they can regrow hair follicles, [whereas] adult hair-follicle stem cell[s] can’t,” Ouspenkaia said. “If we could understand more differences between embryonic and adult hair-follicle stem cell[s], maybe we could reprogram them to grow hair again.”

14

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

scitech@mcgilltribune.com

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8 2022

Projecting global temperatures more accurately New projection model builds on a 50-year old approach to the Earth’s energy balance Sonja Soo Contributor

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stimating global climate change with any degree of accuracy is no easy feat. Although climate models all agree that global temperatures are increasing, the rate and extent to which predictions differ leaves us with uncertainty. For example, it is unclear when the Earth will surpass key temperature thresholds, such as the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit set out by the Paris Agreement, past which a slew of negative climate impacts will become inevitable.

A group of scientists at McGill found a new way to project climate change more accurately using new mathematical equations that incorporate the Earth’s energy balance.

These results were recently published in the

journal Earth System Dynamics in a study led by former graduate student Roman Procyk and professor Shaun Lovejoy from the Department of Physics.

“It is common in geophysics to start with a mathematical result or model and then try to find an application,” Lovejoy said. “I proceeded in the opposite manner.”

Early in his career, Lovejoy focussed on discovering scaling relationships between large and small structures, such as weather systems and clouds. This symmetry principle can be seen in objects such as “fractals,” which have patterns that, when zoomed in, repeat exactly the same pattern ad infinitum. For example, a tree has branches that also have smaller branches, and those branches have even smaller branches, all of which resemble trees at different scales. Un-

There is more energy coming into the Earth than leaving due to the Greenhouse effect. This extra energy is stored in the subsurface, mostly in the oceans. (MIT Technology Review)

derstanding these scaling relationships in the atmosphere helped Lovejoy discover the macroweather regime—an intermediate period that is distinct from short-term weather, or atmospheric conditions in periods of less than 10 days, and long-term climate, or atmospheric conditions over decades.

While other models projected climate by simulating weather in the long term, Lovejoy and his group projected their climate model based on this macroweather regime. To simulate weather, researchers must take many details into account, such as the shapes of clouds, altogether resulting in a huge computational burden. But by making the model directly in the macroweather regime, these details become irrelevant because variations in these details will average out over a long period of time.

Additionally, this new model incorporates equations for the Earth’s energy balance—an energy exchange between the solar energy input from the sun and thermal energy output to outer space. However, because of greenhouse gases which trap heat due to their molecular structures, there is less energy leaving than coming in, disrupting this balance and contributing to global warming.

The key aspect of this new model is that it takes into account this extra energy stored on Earth by applying principles of scaling.

Adding in the collective behaviour of other atmospheric structures such as clouds and weather, Lovejoy and his group were able to project climate temperatures to 2100.

“Our projections overlap a huge amount with the IPCC projections,” Lovejoy said, referring to the projections used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

“They fundamentally agree with each other, but our uncertainty range is quite smaller.”

This means that there is a narrower timeframe for reaching the 1.5 C limit.

To date, human activity has caused global warming to reach 1 C above pre-industrial times. Many people have witnessed and suffered the effects of climate change in the last few years, with wildfires in California and severe floods in Europe. Lower-income countries have experienced food insecurity, increased poverty, and climate migration as a result of these extreme weather changes.

Exceeding the 1.5 C threshold would mean that heatwaves, storms, and floods will become more and more frequent.

Climate projections have important implications for individuals’ everyday decision making, from planning what crops to grow to choosing where to live. At the infrastructure level, climate predictions guide mitigation policies, such as for managing floods or building seawalls. With the smaller uncertainty range projected by this new model, Lovejoy says that this means less “wiggle room” for politicians when it comes to reaching their targets—policies will have to be more stringent about reaching their goals.

With these promising results, his group hopes to extend this model to make regional climate projections. But first, they aim to further understand and improve the model by trying techniques such as testing its accuracy against satellite data.

“This [model] is the beginning of something that will be going on for a long time,” Lovejoy said. “It’s going to be really interesting times.”

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8 2022

sports@mcgilltribune.com

SPORTS

15

Know Your Olympic Athlete Liam Gill Sarah Farnand Sports Editor Continued from page 1.

“Derek has been my mentor and idol in my journey of training in halfpipe this past year, and replacing him makes me want to make him proud,” Gill wrote in an email to the The McGill Tribune. “I really want to land a run for him, [because] I know he will be cheering me on.”

Livingston’s injury came just two days before the team was set to leave for Beijing. Gill remembers the moment he received the news—he immediately had to start packing and preparing to leave given the quick turnaround.

“It was late morning the day before the snowboarding team had to leave. My mom woke me up and told me the news that Derek had been injured and I was going to replace him,” Gill wrote. “My first reaction was honestly being sad for Derek. I said, ‘No no no no.’ I knew how much Derek wanted to go and was hurting for him. I called Derek right away and talked to him while packing.”

The next day, Gill was on his way to his first Olympics, set to be the second youngest member of the snowboarding team. Although he has never competed at the Olympic level, Gill has had other experience on the international stage.

In 2020, Gill represented Canada at the Winter Youth Olympic Games, where he finished eighth in the big air category, 11th in slopestyle, and 13th in halfpipe.

During the 2020-2021 season, Gill was selected for both the slopestyle and halfpipe junior national teams, and this season, he moved up to be on the senior national halfpipe team. While he enjoys both events, he found his groove on the halfpipe.

“I always competed in both [halfpipe and slopestyle], but I was progressing

Lilah Fear very quickly in pipe and was motivated to catch up in my halfpipe skills compared to my slopestyle and big air skills,” Gill wrote.

Ever since he shifted his focus to the halfpipe, his skills developed rapidly.

“Learning new tricks was motivating and progression came quickly,” Gill shared. “Halfpipe is a challenge, doing runs is terrifying and you really respect the riders that do it for that reason.”

This year’s snowboard halfpipe event will run from Feb. 9 to Feb. 11 and will consist of two qualifying rounds and three finals rounds. Gill hopes to use this opportunity to try to land more advanced tricks.

“I want to land a clean run, and then I also have a couple bigger tricks that I would like to put down, maybe one or a couple double 1260s,” Gill wrote. “[But] I don’t feel like I have to look out for any specific athlete, as we all try to cheer for each other and want each other to put the best runs we can down.”

Even with the strict COVID-19 restrictions put in place, Gill’s time at the Olympics has been both busy and rewarding so far. Though he enjoys going to the Olympic village to participate in the games or activities, nothing compares to the feeling of competing alongside his teammates.

“My favourite part overall has to be being on snow with the rest of the Canadian team,” Gill wrote.

As the only Indigenous athlete on the snowboarding team, Gill hopes his performance will serve as a source of inspiration and pride for his community.

“I’m honoured to represent First Nations and Indigenous people in sport and hope to make them proud,” Gill wrote.

“Hopefully I can inspire the youth up north in Liidlii Kue and all the Dene and other Indigenous communities to follow their passions and do what they love.”

Gill won his first major event, a gold medal in slopestyle, in 2018 at an event in Sun Peaks, B.C. (Liam Gill / Instagram)

Sophia Gorbounov Sports Editor

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ondon-raised Lilah Fear took up skating the moment she could walk.

Currently a U3 Arts student at McGill, Fear will be representing Great Britain in ice dancing at this year’s 2022 Winter Olympics, competing with her partner, Scottish ice dancer Lewis Gibson.

Speaking with The McGill Tribune, Fear looked back on her upbringing that steered her toward the ice rink.

“Both of my parents are Canadian and there is a history of figure skating and ice hockey in my family,” Fear said. “I started group lessons in primary school, going to Queens Ice Rink in London weekly with my friends.”

Quickly, Fear turned her focus to ice dancing, where skaters dance on ice with a partner, and no jumps or throws are allowed.

In contrast to figure skating, ice dancing pairs emphasize fluid, ballroom dancing-like motions, without the adrenaline overload of flying through the air on skates.

“I did both free skate and ice dance, but always gravitated toward ice dance,” Fear said. “I didn’t love jumping and really didn’t love falling!”

Living in London afforded her a wealth of opportunities to pursue her talents “Great Britain has an amazing solo ice dance circuit which allowed me to work on the technique and performance side on my own until I was lucky enough to find a partner,” Fear said. “I had one partner before teaming up with Lewis.”

A powerful and dedicated dancer, Fear also brings her work ethic to her studies.

A part-time student studying psychology and social entrepreneurship at McGill, Fear believes that with good time management, it is possible to be both a world-class athlete and a university student.

“I have really enjoyed my studies and learning, and feel that having both aspects

in my life is really enriching,” Fear said.

“Sometimes [my studies feel] like a heavy load, especially during the competitive season, but [...] I have also met some wonderful friends through McGill and am so thankful for these connections.”

Spending time in Montreal has allowed Fear to further hone her skills. She explained that her group training at the Ice Academy fosters unconditional support rather than rivalry.

“Within the realm of ice dance, we are lucky to train at the Ice Academy of Montreal, where we are surrounded by many of the top teams in the world,” Fear explained. “Not only are we inspired by them, we have an incredible coaching team that works to bring the best out of all the skaters.”

Like many athletes, making it to the Olympics had been a lifelong dream for Fear. She will be joining McGill alumna Tina Garabedian in the ice dancing category, who is competing for Armenia with her partner Simon Proulx-Sénécal. In the competition, each pair of dancers must execute several elements, including a lift, spin, step sequence, and turn sequence. There are also time limits, and dancers lose points if they exceed them.

Every athlete, Fear explained, is going into this year’s Olympics with their own unique goals in mind. Many have been working toward these aspirations for months, and even years. Team spirit and morale has remained high across all events, and Fear plans to cheer for Great Britain in competitions like bobsled, speed skating, and curling.

Reflecting on her own goals, Fear hopes to highlight the spark between her and Gibson, and to deliver an emotional performance as ice dancing partners.

“At these Olympics, we are aiming to deliver two performances that reflect how hard we have worked and the training that is in place,” Fear said. “We want to soak up the electric atmosphere, to share in this journey with athletes from around the world.”

With her skating partner Lewis Gibson, Lilah Fear is a three-time Challenger medalist, and a four-time British national champion. (Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP)

16

SPORTS

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8 2022

sports@mcgilltribune.com

The legacy of Tom Brady: His impact on the past, present, and future of football After 22 influential years, Bucs QB announces his retirement

Jake Wagman Contributor

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midst the excitement of the National Football League (NFL) playoffs, rumours began to circulate about the retirement of one of the most talented players to ever step foot on the field: Tom Brady.

To the shock of many fans, the announcement was made official on Feb. 1, when the quarterback confirmed his retirement from the NFL via Instagram.

Brady wrote a heartfelt message to his fans, teammates, and anyone else who had an impact on his career in an eightpage post.

“I’ve done a lot of reflecting this past week and have asked myself difficult questions,” Brady wrote in his announcement.

“And I am so proud of what we have achieved. My teammates, coaches, fellow competitors, and fans deserve 100 [per cent] of me, but right now, it’s best I leave the field of play to the next generation of dedicated and committed athletes.”

Anybody who knows anything about sports knows Tom Brady. The debate over the greatest athlete of all time is always a heavily contested

one; however, most football fans staunchly believe it to be Brady.

Being held to such a high standard is both a blessing and a curse: Brady has shown up year after year dominating the NFL, but this level of success does not come easy. Any sport, especially at a professional level, is gruelling on both the body and the mind, and his accomplishments only add extra pressure to maintain his stellar record. Perhaps, after 22 years, Brady wanted to end on a strong note with the most passing yards in the league this regular season—a whopping 5316—or perhaps he just wanted that monumental pressure lifted off his shoulders.

Since being drafted by the New England Patriots in 2000, Brady has never given less than his absolute best for the teams and organizations he’s played for.

With his countless accolades, it is difficult to make a valid argument denying Tom Brady as the greatest athlete to ever play the sport of football. The statistics are there to see: 15-time pro bowl competitor, three-time all pro team member, three-time MVP, and perhaps most notably, seventime Super Bowl champion.

Adding on, over the span of the 20-year Brady-Belichick era,

Tom Brady was selected as the 199th overall NFL draft pick in 2000.

(Matt Stone / Boston Herald) when the Patriots were playing at home in the regular season and leading at halftime, their record was 106-1.

Brady’s impact extended past the football world, bringing the athlete up to role model status.

Patrick Domsa, U1 Management, felt that though Brady’s initial entry into the NFL was met with many doubts, his perseverance and dedication to his craft propelled him forward.

“He came into the league

not really having anything going for him besides the underdog mentality and his drive to succeed,” Domsa said. “He wasn’t an insane arm talent, [and] he couldn’t run like Steve Young or Randall Cunningham, but he still ended up proving everyone wrong, [...] which is a pretty great message for kids.”

Nobody has dominated the game like Brady, especially at his age, with his last Super Bowl win at 43 years old. Winning the same

number of Super Bowl titles in his twenties as he did in his forties, he’s demonstrated that skill does not necessarily decline with age.

Brady has been met with nothing but support from the world of football after his decision to retire. Fans like Luke Dawick, U1 Education, continue to celebrate the talented player’s accomplishments.

“When thinking of Tom Brady, you think of a winner, a leader,” Dawick wrote to the Tribune. “Someone that not just athletes but anyone can look up to. He broke almost every record that a quarterback can have. There will never be another Tom Brady to play in the NFL.” With his passion for the sport, it is likely that Brady will continue to be involved with the industry in other respects.

Whether it be in analytics, management, or another position, many doors remain open for the football veteran.

Tom Brady is not only the most decorated athlete in football, but one of the most decorated athletes in the history of sports.

His retirement is well earned, and his legacy will continue to make an impact on both football and sports as a whole for many years to come.

Know Your Athlete: Emma Hawko

An extraordinary sailor, Hawko shares her experience with club and collegiate sailing Erin Smith Staff Writer

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s the new captain of McGill’s sailing team and a qualifier for the 2022 Lightning World Championships, Emma Hawko has found remarkable success in both collegiate and club sailing. In 2021, at only 21 years old, she was named the Canadian Intercollegiate Sailing Association female crew of the year.

Since she began sailing 12 years ago, Hawko has used a large variety of sailboat classes like Lightning, Etchells, and Laser. She started at McGill three years ago and has excelled both on the water and in class, where she studies international development.

Sailors form teams with their crews for a multi-person boat but work as a single unit toward a spot on the podium.

Although usually boats from the same clubs or countries do not form a team, collegiate regattas differ in that a team has multiple boats sailing, instead of just the one. In an interview with The McGill Tribune, Hawko detailed the differences between her time sailing with her club, Lake Champlain Yacht Club, and with the McGill sailing team.

“The biggest difference is that in McGill’s team it’s very much as a team,” Hawko said. “You send two boats of people to a regatta and you have to work as a team to do well, whereas the rest of my sailing, it’s more of an individual [effort].”

Collegiate sailing provides the unique opportunity to step away from the familiar functioning of national and international regattas and embrace new team-based

dynamics. Reflecting on these differences, Hawko revealed that she did not have a favourite between the two.

“I like them both,” she said fondly. “They’re both good challenges and good learning opportunities.”

Another marked difference between club sailing and collegiate sailing is the presence of women, nonbinary, and genderqueer people. Hawko has noticed this discrepancy both in her time at the local club and while working toward qualifying for the World Championships. “[It is] a little bit jarring, thinking, ‘huh, there are only five other women here,’” Hawko said. “Most of the people I interacted with were men at [the] North American [Championships].”

Though this paints a bleak picture of sailing as a maledominated sport, Hawko insists that this is no longer the case.

“I think it’s getting better, especially with collegiate sailing and Title IX,” she said. “There are no mens-only teams, but there are women-only teams. You’re not allowed to have a team that is designated as men only.”

Title IX stipulates that collegiate teams are representative of their student populations and increases opportunities for women in sports where they previously were limited.

McGill’s team is unique in its composition, with women actually outnumbering men.

“On the McGill team two-thirds of our team are women, it’s pretty awesome,” said Hawko. “It’s not a common thing for a team to have mostly women, so we’re pretty proud of it too.”

In addition to sailing, Hawko is an avid Nordic skier during the winter months. (Emma Hawko) As the sport moves toward a more inclusive future, the McGill sailing team finds itself in a unique position to break the mold of traditional sailing culture.

Hawko is not anticipating ending her sailing career anytime soon. She hinted at the future possibility of working with either U.S. Sailing or Sail Canada, but for now, she has her sights set on Lightning Worlds.

“As long as I am able to keep sailing at a fairly competitive level, I am going to be pretty happy wherever I end up,” Hawko said.

Hawko will be competing at the Lightning Worlds in May and intends to train as hard as she can to earn a high standing.