The McGill Tribune Vol. 41 Issue 19

The McGill Tribune TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 2022 | VOL. 41 | ISSUE 19

Published by the SPT, a student society of McGill University

McGILLTRIBUNE.COM | @McGILLTRIBUNE

EDITORIAL

FEATURE

STUDENT LIFE

The cancellation of the Dawson expansion cuts deeper divides

Oh, the humanities

A spotlight on McGill’s student YouTubers

PGs. 8-9

PG. 13

PG. 5

Know Your Athlete: Caiden Daley

Wordle’s popularity is no puzzle This quirky family group chat game is the latest pandemic phenomenon

Redbird forward Caiden Daley’s journey from the WHL to McGill Tillie Burlock Staff Writer

Suzanna Graham Staff Writer Sick of time-consuming crossword puzzles, or endless online games with thousands of repetitive levels? Wordle, the latest internet craze boasting roughly 3,000,000 daily players, might be your jam.

The premise is simple: Try to guess a random five-letter word in six or fewer tries. Once users guess a word, the game reveals the similarities between the guess and the winning word. Incorrect letters become grey, correct letters green, and misplaced letters yellow. The catch?

Players can only play one game per day and everyone in the world gets the same puzzle.

Software engineer Josh Wardle created the game in 2013 for his partner, who loved playing the New York Times Spelling Bee and daily crosswords. Taking inspiration from these two puzzles, Wardle created a hybrid puzzle that he and his partner could play together. Eventually, Wardle shared the game with his family’s WhatsApp chat, and eventually made it publicly accessible in October of 2021. He even named Wordle after a pun on his last name.

Three months later, Wordle has become a global phenomenon, leading The New York Times to buy it for PG. 7 over a million dollars.

(Drea Garcia / The McGill Tribune)

PG. 11

Behind the first pig-to-human heart transplant

After being drafted 22nd overall to the Brandon Wheat Kings in 2015, Caiden Daley, a forward for the McGill men’s hockey team, was forced to choose between starting a professional career in the Western Hockey League (WHL) or playing NCAA DI hockey at the University of North Dakota.

His decision to stay close to his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba and play with the Wheat Kings kicked off an impressive five-year career in the WHL. From the get-go, Daley played a key role right on the Wheat Kings, starting in 60 of 72 games in only his second season.

Prior to his final season in the WHL, Daley was traded to the Regina Pats in 2019, then the Saskatoon Blades in 2020, where he rounded out his WHL career. With the Blades, Daley took part in the 2021 shortened season WHL bubble, where he was a centrepiece in the team’s third-place finish in the Eastern Division. Not only was he an assistant captain, but Daley was indispensable as the team’s designated “snack guy.”

As the bubble came to an end last spring, Daley decided that he was ready to move on from playing out West.

PG. 15

Menstrual product dispensers empty or missing across campus SSMU initiative paused due to COVID-19 restrictions Juliet Morrison Staff Writer The McLennan-Redpath library complex, the Leacock building, and the Bronfman building, among other high-traffic buildings on McGill’s campus, are lacking the men-

strual products promised by the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU). An investigation conducted

by The McGill Tribune the week of Feb. 8 found the majority of dispensers empty—or missing altogether. Of the 10 bathrooms in McLennan that the Tribune checked, all dispensers

in the five women’s bathrooms were empty and the five men’s bathrooms had no dispensers.

In 2016, the SSMU passed a motion establishing the SSMU Menstrual Health Products project, an initiative that would provide free menstrual products on campus. The project will

run until McGill or Quebec declares the products “necessary goods” upon which menstrual products would be supplied in all washrooms for free.

The non-opt-outable ancillary fee funding the project helps cover the cost of purchasing the products, installing the dispensers, and paying

the wages of the project’s part-time SSMU staff—the menstrual health commissioner and two menstrual health coordinators. The student fee that funds the project increased in 2020, jumping from $0.90 to $2.40 per semester to account for greater PG. 2 expenses.

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NEWS

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 2022

Menstrual product dispensers empty or missing across campus SSMU initiative paused due to COVID-19 restrictions Juliet Morrison Staff Writer Continued from page 1.

In an interview with The McGill Tribune, SSMU vicepresident (VP) University Affairs Claire Downie stated that the project has been on pause since December 2021, which is why the Tribune found that only three out of 22 bathrooms checked on campus had menstrual products.

Downie explained the hiatus is due to strict COVID-19 restrictions limiting access to the University Centre, where the project is coordinated.

“We had the planned pause for the winter break and the holiday closure of the SSMU office, so we’ve been on pause for around a month,” Downie later wrote in an email to the Tribune.

“The menstrual health staff were offered remote work relating to the SSMU menstrual products policy during the pause.”

Downie called attention to the financial burden of purchasing menstrual products, highlighting the importance of having them widely available on campus.

“There is an additional huge lifetime cost imposed on people

who menstruate,” Downie said.

“If just a couple dollars every semester for a student can reduce that burden I think that’s a really awesome way to do it. These products should be free and accessible everywhere. If we can be a small part of that on campus, I think it is well worth doing.”

Anaïs Pronovost-Morga, U2 Arts and co-director of Monthly Dignity, a non-profit tackling period poverty in Montreal, applauded the SSMU initiative.

Yet, she also acknowledged that the responsibility of providing menstrual products should fall on institutions, not student leaders.

“This should not be a student initiative, it should be an institutional responsibility,” Pronovost-Morga said in an interview with the Tribune.

“It should be [McGill’s] responsibility to provide toilet paper, soap, and menstrual products in bathrooms [….]

It is just as debilitating to not

have toilet paper as to not have menstrual products. It is just as uncomfortable and awkward.

There are laws that you have to provide toilet paper, it just doesn’t apply to menstrual products.”

McGill media relations officer Claire Loewen informed the Tribune that kiosks at the Student Wellness Hub are supposed to provide menstrual products, but that their operations have been paused since the

Another initiative from SSMU, the Menstrual Products Pick-up Plan, allows students to order menstrual products for free and have them sent to campus for pick-up. (Anoushka Oke / The McGill Tribune)

“earlier days of the pandemic.”

“The Student Wellness Hub has provided students with complimentary menstrual products through health promotion kiosks across Campus since 2018,” Loewen wrote. “We plan to resume this service when we can safely do so. The kiosks began as an initiative to ensure McGill students have access to free health and wellness products to promote healthier living during their studies.”

Acknowledging that the supply of menstrual products on McGill’s campus is “patchy,” Pronovost-Morga. argued that menstrual products should be widely available on campus regardless of the pandemic.

“It is a question of feeling safe and having the products you need, where you need them, and when you need them,” PronovostMorga said. “Having the products available in schools is important because it permits people to live their normal lives, to not be stopped, or to not feel ashamed for forgetting to bring menstrual products with them [....] With issues from supply chains, people need these more than ever.

Periods never stop, pandemic or no pandemic.”

SSMU approves Academic Wellness Plan to improve mental health support amidst rigorous academic culture The plan encourages a critical reassessment of McGill’s academic setting Fanny Sachet Contributor

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n Jan. 28 2021, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Legislative Council adopted the Academic Wellness Plan. The plan aims to provide a preventive and holistic alternative to previous approaches that focussed exclusively on crisis intervention and service provision. Given that the SSMU Mental Health Policy and Plan acknowledges that the rigorous academic environment at McGill fosters an “overall increased potential of a mental health crisis” in students, SSMU Mental Health Commissioners were inspired to act on the policy and to spearhead the Academic Wellness Plan. The plan includes a faculty training initiative, mental health literacy programs, a MyCourses add-on, and more.

SSMU Mental Health Commissioner Julia Caddy, U3 Arts, who has been working on the proposal since its inception last year, explained that the Academic Wellness Proposal intends to facilitate preventative mental wellness within the specific cultural and academic context of the McGill community.

“The plan is an effort to address mental health at McGill at a systemic and upstream level,’’ Caddy said. “So instead of looking at the services we provide when students are in crisis or generally facing distress, we’re looking at the environments that we’re setting up, the culture that we’re creating and the community that we’re fostering. And since we’re an academic institution, a lot of this is around the classroom, the academic environment.”

In an interview with The McGill Tribune, SSMU mental health advocacy coordinator Julian Guidote, L1 law,

explained that stable mental health and academic excellence are not only individually significant, but complementary.

Guidote hopes SSMU’s plan will bolster both.

“One thing that we don’t want to say is that the two ideas, academic rigor and mental health, are diametrically opposed,” Guidote said. “They go hand in hand, and an improvement of one does not mean the detriment to the other.”

Kerry Yang, U3 Science and a Science Undergraduate Society (SUS) Senator noted that the Academic Wellness Plan is intended to benefit not only students, but the McGill community as a whole, including faculty and staff.

“We understand that professors are also very stressed and have a lot of work on their plate,” Yang said. “So, a lot of our focus is through incentive-based approaches rather than a top-down enforcement mechanism because we understand we need to care about instructors’ mental health as well, because if their mental health is not good, then they can’t create healthy environments in the classroom.”

Olivia Bornyi, U2 Arts and SSMU mental health outreach coordinator, outlined some of the concrete ways that the plan is currently being implemented at McGill, touching on cultural shifts in the classroom and the roles of instructors.

“There is a MyCourses pop-up that now says, ‘take care of your mental health’ [with links to resources]. That’s something that the strategic plan has been able to successfully implement here,” Bornyi said in an interview with the Tribune. “We also ensure that there’s faculty training so that teachers are aware of how to recognize if someone is having a crisis. [Faculty] are also provided with documents [...], in order to help out students and to foster a more inclusive and

welcoming environment within their classrooms.”

Moving forward, Caddy and other students involved with the strategic wellness plan encourage the McGill community to begin critically examining the academic culture.

“We can look at how the classroom environment can be

Mental health advocacy coordinator Julian Guidote cites overlap between the wellness plan and the Mental Health Commission of Canada. (arizona.edu) better, how different processes can be better,” Caddy said.

“Rather than assuming that the status quo is the status quo [...], we can really challenge that and do so in an educated way, whether that’s looking into what other students are doing or looking into it yourself and having conversations about it.”

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 2022

NEWS

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Tribune Explains: The loosening of COVID-19 restrictions on campus

McGill plans to eventually return to pre-pandemic operations Ghazal Azizi Staff Writer

for groups of up to 25 people will be allowed to resume at the same time. As such, McGill gyms are scheduled to reopen on Feb. 14. Other extracurricular activities are expected to follow on Feb. 28.

(Corey Zhu / The McGill Tribune) On Feb. 8, Premier François Legault announced the Quebec government’s plans to ease most pandemic measures in the province, with the exception of the vaccine passport and mask rules, by March 14. As the province reopens, McGill’s COVID-19 protocols will evolve accordingly. In university-wide emails sent out on Feb. 4 and Feb. 11, Deputy Provost Fabrice Labeau announced a first wave of loosened restrictions.

The McGill Tribune looked into the updated measures and the changes students can expect in the coming weeks.

When will gyms and other extracurriculars be allowed to reopen?

The Quebec government announced on Feb. 1 that gyms and fitness centres can reopen at half capacity as of Feb. 14, provided that vaccine passports, social distancing measures, and masks are maintained. Legault also announced that sports and artistic activities

When are members of the McGill administration and support staff returning to campus?

Starting Feb. 28, all administrative and support staff will be required to spend at least 30 per cent of their weekly work time in person.

This number will gradually increase in the following weeks to support the university’s transition to pre-pandemic operations.

Who can you call if you have symptoms or tested positive?

Students who were on campus in the 48 hours prior to developing symptoms are expected to report any positive diagnosis to the Case Management Group (CMG), regardless of whether the results are from a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) or an antigen rapid test.

The number to report symptoms and positive tests was recently changed. To contact the CMG, call 514-398-2920.

What is happening to the Emergency Operations Centre?

On Feb. 14, the Recovery and Operations Resumptions Committee (ROR) will replace the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), and lead the university through its transition to prepandemic operations. The EOC, first activated in Jan. 2020 to coordinate McGill’s COVID-19

response, was previously deactivated on Nov. 1, 2021, but the centre was reactivated following the Omicron surge in Quebec. The EOC directly reported to a branch of the university’s senior leadership; Under the ROR, however, administrative operations and governance will return to their decentralized and pre-pandemic structures.

How do the student body and the McGill administration view this transition?

Since McGill’s announcement of the return to in-person learning, many student associations have since gone on strike to protest the university’s reopening and its overall COVID-19 response.

Nathaniel Saad, U2 Management, is slighty apprehensive about the transition to prepandemic operations.

“I am excited to [have] most of the restrictions slowly dissipate, but every time we try to open back, we end up having another wave,” Saad said in an interview with the Tribune. “I think it’s really important that as we start going back to normal, we still do our part [so that] we can be done with COVID as soon as possible.”

Frédérique Mazerolle, a McGill media relations officer, explained in an email that the administration is aware of the anxieties about the return to in-person, but that its decisions are always in accordance with public health guidelines. “[McGill’s] measures, along with a high level of vaccination—more than 96 per cent of our students are now vaccinated with at least two

doses—make us confident that we can maintain both our commitment to in-person academics and to ensuring that there is a safe environment on our campuses,” Mazerolle wrote.

Emma Herrle, U0 Arts and Science, finds McGill’s correspondence tedious. She expressed frustration with the university’s unclear communications about its decision-making logic.

“There are a lot of emails that say nothing, just a lot of words and not a lot of substance,” Herrle said in an interview with the Tribune. “I don’t totally understand how they decide what’s in person and what’s online. For example, this semester, I have lectures with a hundred people that are in person, but my lab of twelve people is online. It just seems really random and arbitrary.”

Visitors coming to campus no longer need to complete a form. They are instead required to have a sponsor who has informed them of all safety protocols on campus.

(Cameron Flanagan / The McGill Tribune)

Five million dollar donation launches development of Laidley Centre for Business Ethics

Students praise the faculty’s move to implement ethics education in management Elena Lee Staff Writer

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cGill announced on Feb. 2 that David Laidley (BCom ’67), chairman emeritus of Deloitte LLP, donated five million dollars to establish the Laidley Centre for Business Ethics, which will be part of the Desautels Faculty of Management. According to Desautels communications manager Leilani Ku, the fledgling centre is in its very early stages.

“There are still many elements to be put in place, including the establishment of structure and objectives,” Ku wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “There is no one appointed [as the inaugural director of the Centre] right now.”

Matias Font is a first-year master’s student in business administration (MBA) and vicepresident External of Desautels Graduate Student Society (DGSS).

He says the donation is especially meaningful coming from inspiring alumni like Laidley because he was the one to acknowledge the lacking business ethics component of management education.

“There was a gap and he’s

willing to close that gap. Bringing all that knowledge to us is really important,” Font said.

The Laidley Centre is the first of its kind at McGill, but other Canadian universities began establishing similar centres as early as 1988 when the Clarkson Centre for Business Ethics at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management was founded. Anish Umasuthan, U3 Management and vice-president Internal of the Management Undergraduate Society (MUS), noted that Desautels does not currently devote significant attention to ethics.

“I haven’t had much exposure to [business ethics] as a whole or to the Laidley Centre,” said Umasuthan.

“We do integrate sustainability and ethical dilemmas into our classes, but a class that’s solely focused on ethics doesn’t fully exist outside of MGCR 360 [Social Context of Business].”

Unless students voluntarily participate in ethics-related case competitions outside of the classroom, MGCR 360 is the only ethics training required of Desautels undergraduates.

“The professors in MGCR 360 are great,” Umasuthan said. “They

definitely make the topics adjustable for [...] people who are more quant, [who] are not going to enjoy writing essays or doing readings, which is more arts focussed. But we would benefit from implementing business ethics a little more in some other classes.”

According to Font, the graduate program in business administration also lacks exposure to ethics discourse. Though McGill hosts workshops at the beginning of the year introducing multinational MBA students to ethics in the Canadian cultural and environmental context, the bulk of the instruction derives from external experiences, such as internships.

“We have a good onboarding process, but looking back, I don’t think it should be taught only once or twice,” Font said. “Every semester, every year, we need [...] to refresh the idea. Continuous learning is important and would be the next step.”

Font says the Laidley Centre is a welcome development, especially for a generation that is heavily invested in environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG), as well as equity, diversity, and

Desautels Dean and James McGill Professor Yolande E. Chan says that equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) will be an integral part of any discussion surrounding business ethics. (mcgill.ca) inclusion (EDI).

“So many students want to have an impact in ESG, they consider EDI, and how we could change things from the inside,” Font said.

“The centre [...] is for people that are going to be in various positions or even start their own companies.

And what’s better than realizing that a person started their company with a social purpose?”

To Umasuthan, business ethics is not an oxymoron. While businesses can be unethical, he believes it can

also be used for social good.

“You can make the argument that finance as a whole is destructive, but ultimately we are working in the system that we have, and [change is] going to be incremental,” Umasuthan said. “It’s hard to predict how exactly people will act in the real world once they leave Desautels, but implementing little bits of ethics here and there is helping change the narrative on what business should look like, and what profit-building means to people and to companies.”

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 2022

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‘Women in Policy’ panel talks tackling patriarchy in policymaking

A collaboration between McGill Women in Leadership and the McGill Policy Association Shani Laskin Staff Writer On Feb. 8, the McGill Women in Leadership (MWIL) and the McGill Policy Association (MPA) collaborated in hosting a virtual panel titled “Women in Policy.” The event featured three panelists: Nirushaa Senthilnathan, a senior policy analyst at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC); Maeva Vilain, the borough councillor for the district of JeanneMance; and Muna Tojiboeva, a current law student at McGill, former Parliament Hill staffer, and previous Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) president.

After outlining their individual career journeys, the speakers shared the obstacles they faced in politics and policymaking, offering hard-earned advice to students who wish to pursue similar paths. Senthilnathan spoke about how her identity as a woman and a daughter of refugees helped her pave her path in policymaking.

“One major challenge I can think of is [...] learning how to navigate systems that we are unfamiliar with,” Senthilnathan said. “It sometimes felt like we were never told the rules of the game that we were playing so we had to figure out what that was very quickly.”

Senthilnathan received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from McGill in 2015 and is a 2020 graduate of McGill’s Max Bell School of Public Policy. As the president and co-founder of the McGill Alumni Public Policy Society (MAPPS), Senthilnathan delved into the importance of forming connections with people in her professional life, encouraging audience members to get involved in groups they find interesting after university.

“My brother and I [...] grew up with mostly people who were in blue-collar and service-sector jobs which meant that we didn’t have any contacts or mentors within the professional

Women make up 36 per cent of elected members in local politics around 133 countries. (McGill Policy Association / Facebook) sector spaces,” Senthilnathan said about breaking into the field.

“Oftentimes [jobs] aren’t posted [....] You have to go through certain networks, so if you think that you can apply to a hundred jobs into a black box and never talk to anyone, that’s not the way for you to be successful.”

Vilain, as an elected official, noted that a supportive workplace helps ease the sometimes stressful transition into the field.

“What helped me a lot was when I decided to be a candidate with Projet Montreal, there was a very, very clear equity policy [....] They wanted women to win their elections,” Vilain said.

“My party, I would say, was a feminist party. It understood the importance of having women.”

Tojiboeva spoke of her experiences as a young woman working on Parliament Hill, where she often struggled with ageism and feelings of imposter syndrome, and offered advice on how to overcome such challenges.

“If you’re a young political staffer, especially if you’re a young political staffer from an immigrant background who

doesn’t know any other political staffers [...] sometimes it feels like all of this policy and all of this responsibility [...] is on your shoulders,” Tojiboeva said. “I would be reaching out to other people either for help or for support and it’s not a failure to do that.”

All the panellists agreed that fatigue from facing bureaucratic obstacles was a common experience among many women in policy.

“More often than not, government is very slow, it’s bureaucratic,” Tojiboeva said. “It takes a lot of bandwidth out of you and you have to know what to prioritize and where to let go.”

Lis Riveros, U1 Arts and vice-president of Events for MWIL, helped organize the event. For Riveros, it was important to see women at varying life stages represented on the panel— and in the policymaking field at large.

“People attending the panel see people like Maeva and they think, ‘Okay, I can be [...] a mother and still be able to take on such a large position,’” Riveros said. “But it’s also impressive to see people like Muna who are so fresh out of McGill being able to take on such a large challenge.”

Co-executive directors of the MPA, Michelle Marcus, U2 Arts, and Matthew McLaughlin, U3 Arts, hope that attendees walk away from the panel feeling inspired and excited to enter the field.

“We started thinking that we could really partner and create an opportunity for women and for female McGill students to really hear from some women who have been invested in the realm of policy,” Marcus said. “I think it’s really important that there are specific outlets and opportunities for [femaleidentifying students] to hear from female role models and women who have pursued careers in areas they are interested in.”

SSMU Board of Directors approves motion to spend 17k on refurnishing the SSMU ballroom

Directors also to establish a peer support system for triggering subject matter during meetings Leo Larman Brown Staff Writer The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Board of Directors (BoD), held their third meeting of 2022 on Feb. 10. The meeting began with a 30-minute open session and then closed for a confidential meeting amongst the directors. In the open session, the directors agreed to create a peer support system during BoD meetings where triggering topics are discussed. SSMU vice-president (VP) Finance Éric Sader also provided an update about the status of the collective insurance plan for McGill students, and directors unanimously approved funding for refurnishing of the SSMU ballroom.

Legislative Council representative Yara

Coussa presented a motion that would require SSMU establish a peer support system to provide a safe space for board members when discussing sensitive topics in board meetings.

“After conversations with different directors, we noticed that there [was a need to] support directors when discussing triggering topics,” Coussa said during the meeting. “This motion seeks to set up a process to mandate external bodies [...] to come to board meetings when these topics are discussed.”

VP Internal Sarah Paulin supported the idea and proposed assigning the AntiViolence Coordinators (AVC)—the employees responsible for coordinating SSMU’s response to sexual violence—to provide this support for directors during the meeting. Paulin did, however, express some concerns about having

The meeting highlighted the ongoing dispute between student unions in Québec and the Autorité des marchés financiers. (Anoushka Oke / The McGill Tribune)

AVCs, who are non-board members, listen in on confidential meetings.

“I think that’s a lovely idea, and I know for a fact that the AVCs would be willing to do it,” Paulin said. “We also have to think about confidentiality. Obviously, the [AVCs] are also bound by confidentiality, but there are some things that they just don’t need to know.”

Sader then gave an update on the dispute between the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), the organization responsible for financial regulation in Quebec, and student unions across Quebec. The AMF proposed measures that would end group insurance policies for students next year; however, SSMU and other student organizations’ campaigns have temporarily prevented those measures.

“There was a mandate by the AMF, that came out yesterday, following the press blitz that we have been doing, where they have stood back, so we are still guaranteed to have insurance as of next year,” Sader said.

“However, they have still not reneged on their desire to implement regulations that would end [...] collective insurance programs through student associations.”

VP Student Life Karla Heisele Cubilla also proposed that SSMU invest $17,027.30 plus tax to replace the ballroom’s aging furniture.

Heisele Cubilla drew on her experience with student groups to give justification for the replacement.

“All student groups use the ballroom for their events and all the tables that we have are really worn down because it’s been years since the last reno,” Heisele Cubilla said. “This is just

to benefit student groups so that they can have better events at the SSMU building.”

The motion was unanimously passed.

The meeting ended with a report by the nominating committee stating that they have selected three new representatives for the judicial board and one representative for the international students’ representatives position.

MOMENT OF THE MEETING

An update by VP Finance Éric Sader revealed that the dispute between the SSMU and the AMF over the AMF’s plans to cancel group insurance for students is ongoing. He informed the board that a coalition of 57 colleges, universities, CEGEPS, and student unions, including the SSMU, have been on a press tour to fight the AMF’s decision.

SOUND BITE

“I just wanted to thank Heisele Cubilla for the hard work she put into [the ballroom refurnishing plan]. She looked into three options and found one that is significantly cheaper than the others.

So thank you for your work towards this motion. I appreciate it.”

—Council Representative Benson Wan showing appreciation for Heisele Cubilla

opinion@mcgilltribune.com

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 2022

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Editor-in-Chief Sequoia Kim editor@mcgilltribune.com

The cancellation of the Dawson expansion cuts deeper divides

Creative Director Ruobing Chen rchen@mcgilltribune.com

The McGill Tribune Editorial Board

EDITORIAL BOARD

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 Sepideh Afshar, Aubrey Quinney & Matthew Molinaro opinion@mcgilltribune.com Science & Technology Editors Shafaq Nami 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 & Sophia Gorbounov sports@mcgilltribune.com Design Editors Jinny Moon & Xiaotian Wang design@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editor Anoushka Oke photo@mcgilltribune.com Multimedia Editor 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

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n Jan. 28, the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) government announced its decision to pull the $100-million grant dedicated to funding the expansion of Dawson College. Under the leadership of former Premier Philippe Couillard, the Quebec Liberal Party initially approved the project in 2018 to address the college’s overcrowded campus.

Plans included the construction of a new pavilion, which would have created an additional 11,000 square metres for health profession programs, such as the college’s nursing, radiation oncology, and physiotherapy programs. Defending the call to cancel the project, Premier François Legault argued that French CEGEPs should be given priority in infrastructure projects, citing his plans to increase their capacity by 22,000 seats by 2029. But the legitimacy of such a decision is questionable when it uses education as a political playground to further political ends, fuel the language divide, and deepen inequalities.

Many have accused the Minister

OFF THE BOARD Madison Edward-Wright News Editor

Business Manager Joseph Abounohra business@mcgilltribune.com

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

STAFF 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 LussierPiette, 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

CONTRIBUTORS Cameron Flanagan, Drea Garcia, Chloe Gavrilovic, Sébastien Géroli, Athena Ko, Henry Olsen, Fanny Sachet, Emme Smith

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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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t the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when we were all shut into our homes, washing our groceries when we got home from the store and buying every disinfectant we could get our hands on, everyone in my extended family agreed that we had to do everything necessary to keep our loved ones safe. However, as the pandemic evolved with the introduction of vaccines, vaccine passports, masking regulations, and travel restrictions, our opinions began to differ. Soon, it felt like our disagreements about COVID-19 were unwinding our once tight-knit group.

When the COVID-19 vaccine finally became available for those 18 years and older, I rushed to clicsanté. ca—the Quebec government’s online

of Higher Education, Danielle McCann, of discriminating against anglophone students by prioritizing French-speaking colleges in expansion plans. Although it is good public policy to invest in francophone colleges, the means of improving their situation do not have to come at the cost of pulling resources from anglophone ones. Teachers, parents, and students from the anglophone community believe that the decision to cancel Dawson’s expansion renders them second-class citizens who are on the backburner of government plans.

Indeed, in cancelling the expansion, Dawson, one of the largest CEGEPs in Quebec, will not have the minimum equipment necessary to ensure their students’ success.

While the decision could be seen as an earnest part of the CAQ’s ongoing effort to protect French culture in Quebec, it necessarily infringes upon the opportunities of non-French speakers—and French speakers who wish to learn English.

This misguided effort at preservation follows a marked pattern: Take, for example, the government’s choice to cap the number of places in Englishspeaking colleges until 2029 and pass

secularizing bills like Bill 21 that seek to consolidate a monolithic Quebec identity.

In reality, however, fanning the flames of a language divide between francophones and anglophones is not the solution the CAQ thinks it is.

For instance, several former Dawson students from the francophone community recently highlighted that attending an English-speaking college will not make them any less French.

The barriers to attending Englishspeaking colleges could even risk encouraging the outward migration of French speakers who want to pursue higher education in English or sharpen their language skills for future multilingual careers. The CAQ must understand that providing resources to both French and English colleges does not pose a threat to Quebec society––the province will be better off if it equips students with the best tools for their futures.

A major critique of the decision to cancel Dawson’s expansion is the increasingly partisan nature of public policy, which often leaves disadvantaged youth falling through the cracks. The limited number of spots in English-speaking colleges

OPINION

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EDITORIAL heightens the risk of anglophone students underachieving if they are forced to attend French-speaking colleges where the language barrier makes it impossible to keep up. If the government fails to address this inequality in access to fair education, then social and economic disparities are bound to emerge between French and non-French speakers in the future.

The CAQ should not be using education as a pawn of partisan politics in public policy, especially under the toil of the pandemic. It must commit to providing better education for all students, rather positioning education funding as a zero-sum game. Instead of fearing English assimilation, the CAQ should look to encourage ties between both language communities to protect the French language. If the anglophone community feels more accommodated than ostracized, then the government will be able to garner broader support for the preservation of Franco-Quebec culture. Amid the pandemic, it is not the time to play games with the budget—Legault must be a unifying force against language divides and distribute funds where they are desperately needed, French and English alike.

Attempting to bridge the gap: A family divided by COVID-19 platform for booking appointments through the public health-care system—and registered to receive my first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

One of my uncles and one of my aunts decided they would not be getting the vaccine. Although they decided to do so for personal reasons, they were ones that I could not understand. Although initially their decisions had little impact on me since the world was under lockdown, the introduction of vaccine passports complicated things. In October 2021, my sister turned 18 and wanted to go to a restaurant, all of which were open to fully vaccinated people. But, my unvaccinated uncle and aunt were not able to join us, and their decisions resulted in a celebration all too similar to those we had during lockdown, where those who came to the house kept their distance.

The debate was tough on my sister, and we discussed the impact that the differing opinions were having on our ability to spend time together. The issue grew from there, as my aunt and uncle became increasingly critical of vaccine passports and booster shots. When the Freedom Convoy began, my aunt agreed with its initial mission, but has stopped talking about it since it took a violent, disrespectful turn.

Tensions like these have resulted in my extended family barely speaking with each other, except for sending

non-political messages like “have a good day.”

My family is not the only one struggling with strain caused by differences in opinion. Multiple news sources have run stories on families disagreeing and friendships ending over standpoints on vaccination.

Public safety and personal rights in the time of COVID-19 have become two of the most politicized and polarizing debates in recent years.

People have been forced to confront opinions that are vastly different from their own and the way that this affects their relationships with others.

For example, some believe that the vaccine mandate imposed throughout Quebec infringes on individuals’ rights to personal liberty, as determined by section seven in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Despite the urge to ignore those we disagree with, navigating the cleavages that have emerged during the pandemic remains important. Ultimately, it is very likely that the pandemic will eventually end and vaccine mandate opinions will become inconsequential, and I do not want to lose my family because of this thing

of the past.

The first step, from my experience, is recognizing and respecting that people will ultimately have differing opinions, whether or not they are right or based on facts and research. Disagreement can be healthy, but arguing intensely with someone has been proven to reinforce opinions, not change them.

I have also learned that empathy is key. Mending relationships goes beyond recognizing the differences that exist; it requires understanding.

I know now that my aunt made her decision because she believes it is what will be best for her children. I do not agree with her, and I do not think I ever will—I believe in the science supporting vaccination—but I respect and understand that she is doing what she thinks will keep her children safe. I remind myself of this when the topic of COVID-19 comes up in casual conversation, when we actually see each other.

Going forward, treating each other with dignity must be a priority.

At the end of the day, we are all trying to get through the COVID-19 pandemic and doing so united would be much better than bitter and divided.

CLARIFICATION In an article published in the February 15, 2022 issue (“When it comes to drugs, McGill is still stuck in the past”) the interview to Dr. Gobbi was extrapolated from another context and the view contained in this article does not necessarily reflect the sources interviewed.

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OPINION

LAUGHING MATTERS

How to talk to the only Black person at work

Matthew Molinaro Opinion Editor

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o kick off Black History Month, The McGill Tribune prepared ways for you to talk to the only Black person in your workplace. Remember to speak to a Black person is to move closer to racial justice. Those were the words of Colin Powell or Clarence Thomas or Candace Owens I think.

Always stalk your co-worker. Every conversation requires preparation. Leave your high-rise, and go check out where the gentrifiers don’t go.

Check out the book-length sequel to this article, The Ways to Admire Your Diversity Hire. (Harvard Business Review)

COMMENTARY

They’re in their cubicle. Note their hair––the kink pattern will tell you if they are more of a Real Housewives of Atlanta or Potomac Black person. No kink? No problem! That’s not their hair, silly goose! And they’d love it if you comment about how unnatural their hair is. Wig, weave, extension, repeat these words. You listen to Drake, so. Work your way up their neck and touch—nay, grab!—their hair. If they’re wearing it out in the open, it’s open country! As you remember from the antiracism training that Rita from HR forced you to go to twice, Black people aren’t a monologue or the disease mono or whatever, so try and touch each one.

Begin talking to them. You’ll become their white friend here, and they’ll like you. Black people also want to be in romantic, and disturbingly physical, relationships with white people. We both know how beautiful mixed-race children are.

Think of famous mixed people! Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, they always become politicians in the U.S., end of list. You can invite them home to your mom, who remembers when Canada wasn’t so divided and Indian people didn’t exist before Apu from The Simpsons, and your dad who always pays his Black housekeeper whose name he can never remember (Lucinda, Jemima, Condoleezza?) under minimum wage.

You’re not like your parents though. You’re a good white person, a noble ally white person, put-BLM-in-my-bio white person. Your favourite movie is The Help and it reminds you that Viola Davis looks so much like your dad’s housekeeper who raised you.

Don’t get too overwhelmed with your future plans of having biracial children. You work with them, you’ll be professional (unlike their hair). Focus on the now. You don’t see colour, they’re just another co-worker like Gina from accounting

who is Filipina or Hispanic or Latina (what’s the x all about?) or Mexican or Asian. You’ll figure that out later.

Continue the conversation and stare at their features.

Are they light skin? If so, ask if they are from South Africa. Your uncle went once in the ‘90s! Talk about Charlize Theron, and share the Afrikaans swear words you learned from your sister’s ex-husband’s rugby league. Tell them they’re smart and articulate for a coloured person or whatever they call those people in South Africa (half-breed, mulatto?). They care that you’re trying. They’re not supposed to just fit in with white people!

Ask this light skinned god or goddess which parent is the one like you, the white one. If it is the mother, make a joke about their Karen mother and their sellout father. If it is the father, ask them how great it is to have a father who didn’t abandon them. Do you think you’re crossing the line? You’re not: Remember that Black people came out with that song We Are Family.

The darker their skin, the thicker your accent should be.

Do be advised that that’s how Lilly Singh and Awkwafina got famous! If you are in Toronto, make sure you sound like you stepped off of the shores of Montego Bay. You went to Sandals once! Remember, your mom was too scared to go because of disease and poverty and voodoo.

If you are in the United States, every Black person is from the South. Bring watermelon, fried chicken, and collard greens. If your co-worker is a woman, holler at her and call her “mama.” If he’s a man, wait until he gives you permission to use the n-word. Consent is implied. That’s what friends are for!

You’ll sound like you’re one of your favourite rappers. Aren’t Black people fun!

Standardized testing is a perpetuation of white supremacy

Sepideh Afshar Opinion Editor

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 2022

opinion@mcgilltribune.com

s students near the end of their degrees, whether high school or university, many opt to continue their education. And for those whose dreams involve college in the United States, law school, or medical school, a terrifying barrier to entry stands in their way: Standardized tests. Despite being known for their difficulty, their most troubling characteristics are often overlooked, including their racist origins and the way they systematically impede marginalized people’s access to further education. A system conceived to benefit wealthy white men, standardized testing has continued to create additional barriers to entry for those who are already disadvantaged by the institutionalized racism present in most universities. The fight for equal access and opportunity to post-secondary education must include the removal of standardized testing from the process.

The precursor to most standardized tests was the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), adapted from the Army Alpha—a test that was supposed to evaluate future cognitive abilities but, in reality, reinforced white male cultural biases. The College Board commissioned Carl Brigham, a noted white supremacist, antiimmigrant eugenicist, and segregationist, to create the SAT. His “research” claimed that African-Americans were on the “low-end” of a supposed racial, ethnic, and cultural hierarchy. Hence, the creation of standardized tests is inextricably tied to intellectual racism, separating different “intelligence levels” under the guise of science to falsely separate races. Standardized testing is a system created by and for white men: Knowledge that is com-

mon to white men given their life experiences and expected education levels is used as the baseline to test the intelligence and future potential of all students.

Today, standardized testing is mandatory to pursue many career paths. There is virtually no acknowledgement of the documented advantage that high-income white men continue to have on these types of examinations, whether it be the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), the SAT, or the American College Test (ACT). These tests are “normbased,” which, when the norms are biased toward majority groups, means they reflect the knowledge of white populations.

Another major issue with these tests is their financial barrier. Prep programs, which often exceed $1,000 per course, are much more accessible for wealthy families. For many lower-income families, where racial minorities are disproportionately represented, these resources are out of reach. Further, the LSAT costs $200 to take, a steep price that can discourage some participants from retaking the exam to achieve a higher score.

Otherwise, there are systemic factors in the tests that make it easier for certain people to excel. For example, according to the Law School Admissions Council’s own statistics, white people comprise the largest percentage of test takers and consistently have the mean highest LSAT scores, while African American and Puerto Rican test takers have the lowest.

Some explanations offered for this include the percentage of higher-scoring populations in high-income schools and neighbourhoods, and the way that this knowledge base is considered the norm. Studies have also shown that by the age of 10, many Black students

White people comprise the largest proportion of LSAT testtakers, followed by African Americans and Asian/Pacific Islanders. (teenvogue.com) have internalized racial biases, which often include negative academic stereotypes that can result in a paralyzing fear of underperformance in stressful testing environments.

While the hours in the exam room with nothing but pencils and an extra sheet of lined paper are supposed to promote a fair environment, people of different backgrounds and circumstances experience those three hours in vastly different ways. Three hours of a gruelling test embodies the effects of three centuries of exclusionary testing. On top of racial inequalities, standardized tests assume perfect fluency in the English language, resulting in a major disadvantage toward those whose first languages are not English.

The inequalities that seep into standardized testing reflect those that minority populations face in their everyday lives and continue to act as barriers to upward mobil-

ity. Some schools have made changes to mitigate these, such as Northwestern University and Massachusetts School of Law, which no longer require LSAT scores for admissions.

In Quebec, schools including McGill recognize the disadvantage to non-native English speakers and thus do not require MCAT or LSAT results for admissions. Schools must move away from this flawed system based on a single arbitrary test that does not accurately predict success in law school. Instead, they should start using holistic applications, equally considering grades, personal statements, work experience, and even extracurriculars. Just acknowledging these problems will not fix the racist and classist problems inherent to standardized testing. Since standardized tests were created to reinforce these differences, they must be removed from the admissions process.

arts@mcgilltribune.com

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 2022

‘The Music Game’ explores the challenges and joys of adulthood

Stéfanie Clermont’s book is a unique blend of novel and short story Louis Lussier-Piette Staff Writer

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ransitioning into adulthood is never an easy feat; it comes with the anxiety of an uncertain future in a world of independence and responsibility that is still unfamiliar. The English translation of Stéfanie Clermont’s debut novel The Music Game, released on Feb. 8, perfectly captures the dread of being stuck in the awkward in-between phase that is young adulthood.

Originally published in 2017 as Le jeu de la musique, Clermont’s novel won the Quebec Arts Council’s prize for a new work by a young artist in 2017, the acclaimed Ringuet Prize of the Quebec Academy of Arts and Letters in 2018, and the Adrienne Choquette Prize for short stories in 2018. Born and raised in Francophone Ontario, Clairmont spent her early 20s traveling around Canada and the United States before settling in Montreal.

Clairmont’s nomadic experience inspired her novel’s main character, Sabrina, who finds herself lost in her adulthood as she puts down roots in Montreal after years of travelling around North America. From her childhood spent in Ottawa with her best friends Céline and Julie to her adulthood working minimumwage jobs in Montreal, Sabrina navigates life with relatable incertitude.

As both a novel and short story collection, The Magic Game’s structure is what sets it apart. Each chapter tells a self-contained story from the point of view of someone within Sabrina’s inner circle, be it a long-lost friend or a neighbour. Hitchhiking from perspective to perspective, the narrative voice, like the main character, travels from Ottawa to Montreal— with a quick detour to an anarchist commune in Oakland, California.

The beauty of The Magic Game is its familiarity: Each story relates emotions and adventures that are relatable and relevant to the Franco-Canadian millennial experience. The stories perfectly capture the struggle of a generation forced into activism during the 2012 Quebec student’s protests, and how the abrupt ending of the protests left Quebecois young adults hungry for social change. Clermont’s reflection on activism is skillfully nuanced, exploring both the hopefulness and cynicism that often come with political engagement.

The novel covers a broad range of social issues without belittling any of them. Each narrator navigates

distinct, but interrelated topics, touching on socio-economic struggles, racism, mental health struggles, and sexism. One of the recurring characters is Sabrina’s best friend Céline, a white upper-class graduate student who perfectly encapsulates the practice of performative activism. Vincent, another member of Sabrina’s friend group, is a tragic figure who hides his depression and suicidal thoughts behind a know-it-all façade.

Other characters only appear for a chapter or two, like Céline’s neighbour Cassandra, a survivor of domestic violence, and her roommate Kat, a single mom who experiences constant racist microaggressions. The novel’s main theme, the hardships that accompany the transition into adulthood, ties these stories together while respecting the plurality of characters’ diverse, intersectional experiences.

The strength of The Music Game lies in its impeccably realistic characters. Despite the many narrators whose voices come and go, each has a defining personality and distinct style, making the reader feel as if they’ve known them for years.

While the English translation may lack certain subtleties of Franco-Canadian patois, The Music Game remains a compelling read for all non-French speakers who wish to plunge into Clermont’s world. It is a perfect introduction to millennial Quebecois culture, and filled with fun easter eggs for those already familiar with it.

The novel’s main character, Sabrina, struggles to find her place in adulthood after years spent traveling around North America. (open-book.ca)

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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Hair

Dana-Kaye Matthews My hair’s been oiled, shorn, processed, ironed It has prickled and tickled and bounced It has contorted itself, tried to walk the straight and narrow But she never quite fit in tight spaces She breathes easier now You know my kitchen is always clean She’s fresh, brand spanking new Baby hairs They’re cranky Won’t let them nap They’re bathed and fed and slicked A coda about grabby fingers: My curls ensnare, entrap, bewitch They’re coarse, they’ll curse if I want them to They burrow and leave their mark Beware Be wary My hair is kinky Provocative And political It says professionalism ain’t racial It says I don’t care if I’m in your way It takes up all the space It whips you into submission My hair says don’t touch me Not a step closer My hair is a fist With a black beret perched on top She screams freedom She is pride She is history and ancestry and heritage She is rebellion and riots Revolution is nestled within her My hair holds its shape My hair holds its ground

Wordle’s popularity is no puzzle

This quirky family group chat game is the latest pandemic phenomenon Suzanna Graham Staff Writer Continued from page 1.

Combining luck, vocabulary, and gam Combining luck, vocabulary, and gameplay scarcity into a five-minute game, Wordle is genuinely addicting. It is easy for players to incorporate into their daily routines. What’s more, there are no ads or paywall on the site—just a grid of blank boxes on a screen. But this does not mean that the game is boring; Wordle promotes friendly competition between players, as every participant in the world plays for the same five-letter word. Since there is only one puzzle per day, players can compare daily gameplay streaks, correct letter guesses, and numbers of attempts with fellow users. To ensure a level of spoiler-free result sharing, Wardle programmed the play-

ers’ responses to appear as a grid of coloured square emojis matching the attempt progression. As Wardle attempted to eliminate spoilsports, several Twitter bots have been taken down for cracking and leaking the Wordle algorithm. Several human users have also flocked to Twitter to post their funny, yet revealing results.

Families have also been using Wordle to keep in touch.

As game results can be easily shared through text messaging, loved ones can compare their results and check in with each other each day. In fact, some families have been so consistent that missing a Wordle check-in can be a reason for concern. For instance, when 80-year-old Denyse Holt’s daughter did not receive a Wordle text from her mother living across the country, she called Holt’s landline, only to find it was disconnected. The daughter enlisted the help of Holt’s neighbour, who ultimately ended up rescuing Holt from a knife-wielding intruder who had locked Holt in her

basement. Shockingly, Wordle has saved lives.

Wordle has gotten so popular that many app developers are creating spinoffs to try and grasp a sliver of the original game’s success. These imitation games include Squirdle, for guessing Pokemon, Lewdle, which uses rude words, and more. But what these spin-off apps are missing is the simple, gimmick-less feel of older 2010s internet games like Flappy Bird, which Wordle somehow managed to achieve in 2022.

The basic graphic and premise model is reminiscent of 2048—a number game created in 2014 that remains popular among bored university students. But what makes Wordle especially unique is its constraints against being binged. It is perfect for every puzzle-enjoyer, no matter how much free time they have. Wordle may not be the most original game, but its attractive gameplay awards it the 2022 gaming C-RO-W-N.

Oh, the humanities Life, liberal arts, and the pursuit of humanities Matthew Molinaro, Opinion Editor

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t is a truth universally acknowledged, that every single employer in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a humanities graduate. The humanities graduate was spiteful. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. How do I turn from my degree and live? For students of the humanities, all this happened, more or less.

Any student of the humanities understands the power of stories: How they unite us, how they diffuse past borders, how they free us. For example, the story that I jokingly tell myself and others about my English literature major is that it acts as a way of combating thoughts that I am an interventionist. Unfortunately, not everyone believes that understanding stories is still necessary––or relevant.

The humanities have a long, if not fraught, history.

Part of it might be its softness or subjectivity. Unlike science’s hard empiricism, humanities take on critical, historical, and oft-conflicting lenses in their quest for truth. In ancient Greece, there was the concept of paideia, a broad-ranging system of education meant to guide men to becoming good, active citizens.

Later on in western Europe during the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church took a decisive role in creating strong programs of liberal education. By the late 12th century, the university was born in Bologna and Paris, where instructors typically emphasized teaching theology––quite literally

modern manifestation of the humanities is the liberal arts college. Though they are more of an American phenomenon, north of the border, small, boutique universities like University of King’s College, Bishop’s University, Mount Allison University, and Acadia University stress a liberal arts curriculum.

Carleton University’s Great Books program, Western University’s School for Advanced Studies in the Arts and Humanities (SASAH), and McGill’s own Liberal Arts major show that even large research universities can incorporate humanistic content.

What is essential about the humanities is that these fields take a normative approach to answering abstract questions about the good and how we should live, whereas the sciences focus foremost on gathering empirical information. These approaches do not need to be mutually exclusive, however. The rise of the medical humanities and environmental humanities–– fields which assess human impacts in medicine and climate change––shows that humanistic approaches to the sciences can have positive concrete effects on practice and knowledge creation. In social sciences, there has been a turn to the affective, where scholars focus on emotions in politics and society, and the rise of qualitative methods like narrative counter-storytelling used to magnify the

t h e interpretation of texts. More recently, some universities have touted Great Books programs and Western Civilization courses with the aim of making students read “our” civilization’s venerated works––though these reading lists skew European and Anglophone and propagate Eurocentrism. Perhaps the greatest

experiences of marginalized c o m m u n i t i e s .

These approaches to humanistic inquiry challenge the “hard,” positivist science turn that has taken over some social sciences.

The interaction between the two different communities of sciences and humanities fascinates Victor Wang, a U2 Arts student studying computer science and English literature.

“I get to find really lovely connections and intersections between these two disciplines, the disciplines of computer science, or the skill of programming, along with the skills of reading and writing within English literature,” Wang said. “It may be different to finish, like the coding project versus finishing an essay. One really nice thing to know, as well, is how similar these students’ work and struggles are as well.”

My journey to studying English literature is decidedly not unique––I love to read and write, I love how politics and art intersect, I want to change the world. But I’ll confess that these clear-cut signs alone still did not stop me from starting my degree in management. As a convert to the humanities, I’m especially grateful to finally study my passions. It was not an easy choice. I still grapple with what literature does, what humanities offers, and what theory means, beyond the academy. We live in a profoundly unequal world. The ability to face the pressure to get a job after choosing a pathway of study typically known for its unemployability reflects my own class privilege.

Having had the privilege to study the humanities, I want to be able to do something substantial with them.

Studying the humanities only to be a passive agent in the face of injustice is a fundamental contradiction that needs to be addressed, unpacked, and dismantled at all times.

Resisting the cultural pressures to study something more “useful” is something that Thai Judiesch, a U3 Arts student in the English cultural studies stream and Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies (GSFS), takes seriously. To Judiesch, the humanities open up discourse on our social context and lived experiences. “ H u m a n i t i e s articulate something differently which tries to get at the unanswerable questions of the world,” Judiesch said. “And I think that t h e r e w a s

something in that level of mystery that felt more intriguing to me [....] I stand pretty firm. I don’t get really wavered.”

After starting at the individual level—through, usually, closeness with a text—humanities students and scholars have to go out into the world. In the wider community, humanities offer opportunities for collaboration and can encompass making, creating, and doing interdisciplinary work. Michelle Hartman, a professor of Arabic literature at the Institute for Islamic Studies and an acclaimed literary translator, emphasized the rewarding outcomes of interdisciplinary scholarship.

Hartman, who has collaborated with education scholar rosalind hampton and Black disability studies pioneer Therí Pickens, brought together methods from Black Studies and critical Arab American studies in her most recent book, Breaking Broken English: Black-Arab Literary Solidarities and the Politics of Language.

“We have these things in common, [along] with these things not in common,” Hartman said in reference to her collaborators, Hampton and Pickens. “If you’re [engaging in interdisciplinary work], genuinely I think it will force you to ask difficult questions that will force you to be spinning around things that are outside your comfort zone. That’s what

interdisciplinary work means: Working outside of your comfort zone and really challenging yourself to think in different ways.”

As the story sits, any conception of the humanities, traditional, interdisciplinary, or even multicultural, is under attack from all angles––whether from capitalism, globalization, changing syllabi, or the university system itself. The academic job market has become a nightmare (or perhaps it has always been), funding is limited and limiting (but you have to expect that of funding, you’ll spend more time writing grants than writing your work), employers don’t care about what grade you received on an undergraduate thesis they neither sought nor read (nobody reads anymore, let alone critical work). If the humanities need defending, would it need a strategy compatible with capitalism?

At the same time, there are new approaches to texts in the digital humanities (DH) that make use of computational tools for research. Wang, who bridges his studies together with DH, finds that the superpowers of both fields allow DH to enrich the humanities just as humanities enrich the sciences. For example, he emphasized a recent study by Richard So that found that white authors wrote over 90 per cent of books published by major publishing firms yearly from 1950 to 2018.

“DH can help tell stories, it can give voices to those who might not have that voice in the traditional humanities or the other way around and give voices to those who might not have the same [powerful] voices,” Wang said. “What can we do with that? Like, how can we hone that?

Those who knew how to program and have these great ideas, but didn’t necessarily have an outlet

f o r both?

Now they can take that, they can inspire their friends, and more importantly, they can tell stories and look at stories about race and about literature.”

In an age where the traditional humanities still feel threatened, however, the reception to these approaches isn’t always positive.

“With the surge of digital humanities, there was a lot of backlash,” Judiesch said. “Old school humanities scholars do not like the idea of bringing in quantitative analysis into the humanities. It’s complicated in a lot of ways, because there is this sense that you have to be flexible and be able to move with the times.”

Of course, scholars should not be coerced into making their work quantitative simply because DH offers an additional perspective or set of tools.

For younger people interested in humanities, the popularity of alt academia shows that there are more ways the humanities can enrich themselves beyond the old guard. For instance, YouTube longform essay content, like videos by ex-philosopher Natalie Wynn, is incredibly popular. “[Traditional] people are stubborn, and to be fair, I get it is kind of scary, like, ‘What will it mean?’” Judiesch noted. “The humanities just turned into this science discipline that let go of these ideas of multiple truths. And I guess that’s some dystopian reality that I feel like a lot of people are imagining, which I don’t think is [necessarily] true.”

An attitude that does have to be modernized, though, is the idea that humanities scholarship should

solely focus on those interested in graduate work.

Hartman noted that nowadays, many of her students go on to cross-disciplinary careers across the world.

To her, that shows that the humanities opens up social conversations even for those who do not solely focus on pursuing the humanities.

But to have conversations openly is political–– which is perhaps another reason why the humanities are under attack. Free speech is a contentious issue, especially at a time when conservative states in the U.S. are banning ways of thought and interpretation, like critical race theory. The so-called liberal university and Canada itself is not immune from eradicating thought that supports misconstrued, dangerous ideologies.

“I’m concerned about a debate, where the premier says there’s no systemic racism in Quebec, it’s factually untrue. And it closes a conversation that right now is an important conversation young people are having,” Hartman said. “So if you can pronounce, and get all of your ministers and society to pronounce, over and over and over again something as a truth and say that it is not allowed to be discussed, that directly speaks against the experience of the majority of people

who are affected by it.”

In truth, the university is not neutral ground because learning itself will always be political.

And updating a reading list to include a few more authors of colour is not the be-all, end-all of updating the curriculum.

To do the humanities differently is not to read Toni Morrison or Edward Said just to realize that Black and Palestinian people are different. Reading racialized authors as dark drops in a sea of whiteness does not centre their art as beautiful, as dynamic, as powerful. Reading books themselves is not enough when reading Black and Palestinian authors does not reorient your worldview or your engagement in the world. While some scholars promote new models of diversifying the humanities, like the University of Chicago English department’s decision to accept only PhD students working in Black studies, these models often lack bold structural changes that scrutinize systemic failures in academia.

McGill is certainly no exception. Judiesch pointed out how certain course offerings are continually underfunded and disparaged, both inside and outside of the university.

“This year there were so many [courses] that were put on the curriculum for gender studies [that] ended up getting taken away at the last minute because they just didn’t have enough funding for them,” Judiesch said. “It’s this weird thing where I feel like gender studies is often seen as a tag on to the humanities.

For example, in literature, you’ll see people doing a postcolonial class like it’s attached as this kind of amendment to the humanities.”

No wonder when McGill likes to associate itself with the veneer of cultural capital and academic prestige. The iconic Arts building featured on almost all McGill communications reminds us of the university’s ties to the humanities. Even the first

endowed research chair at McGill, the Molson Chair, is reserved for a professor studying English, showing a vested interest in the relationship between humanities and the university. This relationship, though, is unequal. The humanities no longer remain a plural discipline when the classical, white, Western subjects of the humanities erase the bold work certain newer disciplines provide. Meanwhile, other universities across Canada like Queen’s have picked up the pace on Black studies, with cultural geographer and Black feminist thinker Katherine McKittrick rightfully gaining recognition from a major source of funding, the Canada Research Chairs Program. McGill remains far behind on working on the potentially transformative changes of the Anti-Black Racism Plan.

Hartman questioned the reasoning that decides which authors, theories, and lives are political.

She recalled a particularly egregious New York Times review of her translation of Jana Elhassan’s psychological novel The Ninety-Ninth Floor, where the reviewer explicitly argued that readers should read

Elhassan’s carefully crafted work because of its political content rather than the storytelling.

“It’s the political rather than the personal that’s most engaging for the foreign reader,” wrote reviewer Alison McCulloch, “since there are some truths only a storyteller can tell.” “[The argument is] that certain kinds of literature in the context that we’re in, let’s say, in North American academia, Anglo academia, Canadian academia, etc., is itself a political statement,” Hartman said. “Because the assumption is that the works that we’re working on are themselves not neutral. These other things are neutral. These other things are literature. And what you’re doing is: ‘Oh, it’s literary, but it’s somehow political.’”

Even McGill’s disciplinary categorization is political. Why are classes in East Asian studies, for instance, not considered part of Languages, Literatures, and Culture or Classics? Overcoming the arbitrariness of disciplines requires interdisciplinary work. Hartman noted that at the Institute for Islamic Studies alone, historians, literary critics, political scientists, and scholars of religious studies all come together for challenging and collaborative conversations under a broad tent. Where scholars work multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity into structures, unidisciplinary fields can be undone.

“In the humanities, everyone’s talking about ‘undisciplining.’ And I think that disciplines overall are very fundamentally a colonial construct, the idea that you can in any way separate out forms of knowledge,” Judiesch said. “There’s been more uptake in Indigenous scholars and Black studies scholars that are articulating that integration of different disciplines is essential to working, and decolonizing academia.”

Designed by, Xiaotian Wang, Design Editor

10 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

arts@mcgilltribune.com

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 2022

2022 Oscar nominations: Winners, losers, and snubs

Will 2022 be a travesty or a turn-around for the Academy Awards?

Charlotte Hayes Staff Writer

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fter yet another long and tumultuous wait, this year’s Oscar nominations have been released—and I, for one, am pleasantly surprised. With the past year yielding a wide variety of films from across the globe, the 94th annual Academy Award nominations recognized an impressive collection of well-deserving work. It can be hard to know what’s worth your time, so here are the best and worst nominations of the show, with predictions of who will take home the top prize.

Netflix took the biggest wins this year, coming away with a whopping 27 nominations, including 12 for The Power of the Dog, the most for any individual film this year. They also have two films in contention for Best Picture: The aforementioned The Power of the Dog and previous Oscar winner Adam Mckay’s Don’t Look Up. The other notable winner is Danish film Flee, which is the first film to be nominated for Best International Feature Film, Best Animated Feature, and Best Documentary simultaneously. Netflix’s final winner is the entire Best Supporting Actress category—and wow. Every performance was well deserving of a nomination. From Jessie Buckley in The Lost Daughter to Ariana DeBose in West Side Story (2021), this category may be just near impossible to predict.

Unlike the Best Supporting Actress category, the biggest loser of the nominations was the Best Actress category. Putting aside the questionable nomination for Nicole Kidman’s performance in Being the Ricardos, the

category fails to acknowledge any break-out performer. In a year with two truly excellent first-time performances from Alana Haim in ​​Licorice Pizza and Rachel Zegler in West Side Story (2021), the oversight is not only an unjust but a painfully dull decision. The last loser is arthouse film distributor A24. Known for their consistent, exceptional artistry, A24 films are typically received with warm audience reactions and mass critical acclaim. With their impressive slate of 2021 films including Red Rocket, Zola, C’mon C’mon, and my personal favourite The Green Knight, it’s almost incredible how they managed to accumulate so few nominations—a mere three for The Tragedy of Macbeth.

In addition to the broader categorical snubs, there were quite a few individual oversights in other nominations. Denis Villeneuve definitely should have received a Best Director nomination for Dune (2021). The Academy has been traditionally hesitant to acknowledge the achievements of sci-fi and horror films,

‘The Power of the Dog’ leads the pack with 12 nominations. (hollywoodreporter.com)

such as Ari Aster’s Midsommar, which wasn’t nominated, and The Matrix, which only received craft awards. Although Dune (2021) did break through by receiving an astounding nine nominations—including Best Picture—Villeneuve should have been recognized for his brilliant handling of adapting such a highly technical novel.

Now that I’ve thoroughly complained about the nominees, or lack thereof, what do I think will actually happen on Hollywood’s biggest night? As passionate as I am about smaller films like Drive My Car and CODA, I predict Netflix will receive Best Picture, and we’re looking at a The Power of the Dog vs Don’t Look Up showdown for the top prize.

Although Belfast seemed to be a strong contender earlier in the awards season, winning a Golden Globe at the start of this year, it fell short in nominations compared to other films, suggesting that it might have fallen into third place.

In terms of viewing recommendations, for both personal enjoyment and winning that Oscar pool, The Power of the Dog, Worst Person in the World, Licorice Pizza and Drive My Car are my top choices. Slightly less relevant, but still excellent films you should seek out are CODA, The Lost Daughter and West Side Story (2021). I would recommend skipping Don’t Look Up as well as Being the Ricardos, because there are far superior films nominated that are more worth your time. No rush, though: The Oscars telecast will air on Mar. 27, so there’s plenty of time to catch up with all the nominees and craft your opinions for who will take home what.

Theatre Trivia Night!

The Players’ Theatre and The McGill Savoy Society co-hosting an exciting night of theatre trivia.

Thursday, February 17 at 7 PM Hosted through Triple Play\ Free

Serpentwithfeet and Apollo Mighty @ PHI Center The Brooklyn-based experimental musician Serpentwithfeet will be performing at PHI Central during his DEACON Tour, joined

by R&B/Soul artist Apollo Mighty.

Saturday, February 19, 2022 at 7 PM PHI Center in Old Montreal $21.74

Tatreez Workshop

The Palestinian Youth Movement is organizing a workshop on Tatreez, a Palestinian embroidery technique.

RVSP on their Facebook page.

Saturday, February 19, 2022 at 5 PM Downtown Montreal FREE

PAX – A Contemporary art installation

Take a break to focus on serenity with the PAX art installation by Louis-Olivier Desmarais. The art installation is open to the public during the weekends of February and March.

Feb. 18, 2022 from 2 PM to Feb 19, 2022, 5 PM Chapelle Historique du Bon-Pasteur FREE

Fact or fiction? Creative liberties in biopics

Tension lies between compromising historical accuracy and bringing figures to cinema Henry Olsen Contributor

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iographical movies are not a recent phenomenon. From Lawrence of Arabia to Malcolm X, biopics in modern cinema have consistently met commercial success, as audiences seem to have an interest in seeing the lives of famous figures dramatized. But there is always the risk of biopics misrepresenting the lives of those who have passed. How then does one navigate the tension between telling a compel-

ling story and maintaining historical accuracy? Ultimately, script writers can afford themselves creative freedom in crafting an entertaining story, but should still uphold a standard of realism and accuracy.

Take, for instance, Amadeus, a film about the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his rivalry with the composer Antonio Salieri. The costumes in the movie are grand and colourful, the set pieces magical; the movie gives an enchanting, lighthearted depiction of the Age of Enlightenment in Europe. There is, however, a

Bohemian Rhapsody won four Oscars at the 91st Academy Awards.

(Mika Drygas / The McGill Tribune)

major inaccuracy here: The historical rivalry between Mozart and Salieri was not as sensationalized as the movie portrays—in fact, it was likely based on a rumour. But would audiences want to see a more tame depiction of Mozart? Probably not. Despite the movie’s major historical inaccuracies, it is frequently listed as one of the best biopics of all time.

This trend of prioritizing theatricality over accuracy continues in biopic production today. Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman—recent biopics covering the careers of Freddie Mercury and Elton John, respectively—take major creative liberties in depicting real-life events. For instance, Rocketman portrays Elton John’s father as neglectful and unloving, but this fact is heavily contested

by John’s own half-brother. In a different, but no less problematic turn, Bohemian Rhapsody diverges from reality by downplaying Mercury’s bisexuality and making it seem as if the band broke up in the early 1980s before their show at Live Aid, which is not the case. In both instances, historical accuracy is diminished in favour of crafting a story for the audience’s enjoyment.

But are there times when theat-

ricality can come before accuracy?

With Bohemian Rhapsody, former band members have stated that they liked how the movie turned out, including guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. But who is to say that Freddie Mercury would have approved of the movie—and its portrayal of his sexuality—if he were alive today? Closeting the main character is rather unethical, so situations like this need to be taken into account when writing the script.

These ethical decisions are rarely easy to make. Recall the success of Amadeus, which received critical praise and won numerous awards despite its historical inaccuracy. Mozart did not give his consent to create the movie, and producers today continue to fail to obtain the consent of the figures in question, as seen with the controversy concerning Pamela Anderson’s recent biopic series. Conversely, another celebrated biopic, Steve Jobs, received criticism for inaccurately portraying its titular character by highlighting the negative aspects of his life to make him appear as less loving than some people said he was. Both films’ creative liberties provide theatricality that audiences tend to like. But, in this case, some view-

ers actually did care about the biopic’s rightful portrayal, hinting at the possibility that perhaps the time between a person’s death and the creation of the movie changes viewers’ opinions on the importance of a movie’s historical accuracy. Historical fallacies in biopics are applied rather arbitrarily, so an objective moral solution to the dilemma of “fact or fiction” in cinema is muddled.

However, moral arbitrariness is not always a bad thing. Unless egregiously inaccurate, film creators should allow themselves creative liberties as they see fit. The inaccuracies of Bohemian Rhapsody crosses this paradigmatic line, as closeting the main character fundamentally changes who is portrayed on screen—here, fact should be preferred over fiction.

On the other hand, the less serious and more playful inaccuracies of Amadeus are a classic example of when it is acceptable for fiction to rule over fact.

Audiences should be able to enjoy cinema, but some degree of historical reality should also be preserved. Although these two tend to be at odds in an industry specifically made to be sensational, entertainment value seems to take precedence— sometimes for the better and some-

scitech@mcgilltribune.com

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 2022

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

11

Behind the first pig-to-human heart transplant

A terminal cardiac patient at the Maryland Medical Center underwent the surgery on Jan. 7 Chloe Gavrilovic Contributor

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uman heart transplants have revolutionized treatments for terminally ill cardiac patients for the last 117 years, but a lack of donors has meant that every year, thousands are left with no other option than to wait on a seemingly endless waitlist. To combat this shortage, researchers are looking into other experimental approaches, including bioprinting, the use of engineered organs, and the transplantation of geneticallyengineered pig hearts into humans.

Xenotransplantation—transplants that use organs from a different species—has been employed in a number of procedures, ranging from small skin grafts to entire kidney transplants.

While the field has been around since the 19th century, it only recently started showing signs of success through the use of genetic engineering. On Jan. 7, 2022, years of research culminated in the first successful heart transplant from a pig to a human patient.

A cardiac patient at the University of Maryland Medical Center, David Bennett Sr. was ineligible for a traditional heart transplant due to the severity of his arrhythmia. His last resort for treatment was to undergo an experimental pig heart xenotransplant. Post-surgery, the 57-year-old patient remains stable, marking this procedure a success and a milestone in transplant history.

What distinguishes this successful transplant from previous attempts is that scientists genetically engineered the donor animal organ prior to surgery—a procedure vital in preventing the patient’s antibodies from rejecting the foreign material. Pig cells produce a sugar called alpha-gal that causes a fatal immunological reaction when transplanted into humans. To ensure a fully functional transplant, scientists must modify the donor genes to eliminate this sugar. On top of the removal of alpha-gal from the pig heart, six human genes were inserted into the pig heart to de-

The regenerative medicine company that provided the geneedited heart, Revivicor, is working under another company, United Therapeutics, that is experimenting with bioprinting for transplants.

(Drea Garcia / The McGill Tribune) crease the risk of rejection, while the three pig genes that caused an immunological reaction were removed. The researchers also removed an additional gene to prevent any excessive growth of the pig heart.

J. Matt Kinsella is an associate professor in the Department of Bioengineering at McGill whose research focusses on tissue engineering and bioprinting. In an interview with The McGill Tribune, he highlighted the risks of organ transplants using geneedited tissues.

“A few of the challenges are getting the genes to the site where you want the function to occur,” Kinsella said. “If you try and just deliver a gene systemically to a person, it’s not a targeted system that would go directly to your cardiac tissue, it can go anywhere. You can knock out gene tissues that shouldn’t have that gene knocked out.”

While the risk of using gene-edited animal organs offers hope for those on transplant waitlists, there are still many ethical debates surrounding the procedure. Many view xenotransplants as a form of unnecessary animal cruelty, while others think its potential to save many human lives outweigh these concerns.

“I think that might be what is missing right now, the public opinion on a lot of this work,” Kinsella said. “On the scientific side, we find it very fascinating that we can do this, but it came out pretty quick and I don’t know that there’s been much consultation [with] the public.”

In fact, the Food and Drug Administration only approved the procedure because it was the patient’s only remaining option.

As biomedical and bioengineering fields develop, scientists can avoid using living organisms as organ donors by looking toward tissue engineering and bioprinting in transplants. However, these complex fields are not advanced enough to perform procedures at the organ level yet. Such transplants are not suitable for every patient, either, as some people are more susceptible to allergies or have adverse reactions to biomaterials.

“To complete an entire anatomically correct, functioning heart is something we are still very far away from,” Kinsella said.

The first successful heart xenotransplant, although controversial, is a critical turning point in the evolution of organ transplants and a valuable learning opportunity for many researchers to better understand the influence of genetics on the field of biomedicine.

Top five podcasts to grab science on the go

Plug into the podcasts that are getting science communication right Shafaq Nami & Madison McLauchlan Science and Technology Editor & Managing Editor

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or university students, podcasts can provide a muchneeded respite from the monotony of studying and attending online classes. Their portable format makes them a great tool to learn science on the go while commuting, running errands, or doing chores.

The McGill Tribune has compiled some of our favourite science podcasts for easy and informative listening.

Ologies with Alie Ward

Every week, actress and journalist Alie Ward invites an expert in a random scientific field to discuss their research in a way that appeals to any listener, regardless of their level of scientific literacy. From thanatology, the study of death, to dendrology, the study of trees, Ward learns alongside us as the guest expounds on their favourite -ology, complete with fun asides to break down the scientific jargon. The show’s tagline, “Asking smart people dumb questions,” captures the lighthearted curiosity that inspires Ward’s love of science and reels in listeners.

Since its inception in 2017, Ologies has grown enormously popular and now boasts more than 50 million

listeners across over 250 episodes.

Part of its appeal is Ward’s unique ability to keep the science accessible and fun with witty banter and her bubbly personality.

Favourite episode: Cheloniology (SEA TURTLES) with Camryn Allen

This Podcast Will Kill You

In light of the current pandemic, many people may not be reaching for a podcast about deadly diseases.

But hosts Erin Welsh and Erin Allan Updyke manage to make learning about the science of illnesses an escapist experience. In under two hours, the Erins explore not only the mechanisms of disease at the molecular level, but also the social and historical contexts of a given virus.

In fact, the show’s strong point lies

in its attention to how disease research interacts with social justice: Episodes exploring the nonconsensual use of Henrietta Lacks’ cells or the stigma surrounding Hepatitis B ties medical research to activism.

And for those who can still stomach pandemic content, their ongoing mini-series, Anatomy of a Pandemic, delves into the myriad effects of COVID-19, from physical symptoms to government mismanagement and a growing mental health crisis.

Favourite episode: Sickle Cell Disease: Invisible Illness, Enduring Strength

Daniel & Jorge Explain the Universe

For those who may be intimidated by the complexities of astronomy and astrophysics, look no

further than Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe, an entertaining romp through space-time concepts from quirks and quarks to the Higgs boson. Each episode entices listeners with questions that are both endlessly fascinating and terribly complex, like “Can we build a wormhole?” and “Could a solar flare wipe out humanity?” The hosts are Daniel Whiteson, a physics professor at the University of California, Irvine and researcher at CERN, and Jorge Cham, a scientist-turned-cartoonist and science communicator. Both have a talent for distilling complicated scientific concepts down into digestible segments for listeners, especially those who may not be well-versed in physics. Where many podcast host duos sound like they are trying a little too hard to infuse the episode with humour, Cham and Whiteson have an organic chemistry that is infectious and easy to listen to.

Favourite episode: Is there an explanation for the Universe, or is it random?

SciShow Tangents

94 per cent of podcast listeners tune in while doing other tasks.

(Vicky Leta / Mashable)

With new episodes released every Tuesday, SciShow Tangents was launched in 2018 as a podcast offshoot of the popular Youtube science channel SciShow. The hosts include science communicators Hank Green, Ceri Riley, and Sam Schultz.

Each episode is under an hour

and tackles one broad topic—anything from birds of prey to mirrors to volcanoes. Filled with hilarious and oftentimes weird science facts, the hosts try to one-up each other while trying to avoid going on a “tangent.”

However, staying on topic is usually unsuccessful, resulting in a podcast that feels like listening to a conversation between friends. The hosts often play Two Truths and a Lie as they try to guess which bizarre fact from a list is a falsehood, making it an interactive experience for the listener as well.

Favourite episode: Black Holes

Nature Podcast

The allure of the Nature Podcast is simple—every week, in under 20 minutes, it covers the best emerging stories in science, ranging from vaccines and ecology to astronomy.

For those who get their latest scientific intel from podcasts, this one can be an easy way to stay up-to-date on a spectrum of science news.

If you were wondering whether it has any relation to the prestigious research journal Nature, you are not mistaken. The podcast features a selection of exciting research from each issue of the journal, and takes time to showcase the scientists behind the research too.

Favourite episode: Recreating the lost sounds of spring

12

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

scitech@mcgilltribune.com

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 2022

From tusked to tuskless in one generation

New study builds on dataset tracing examples of rapid evolution in populations Adam Matthews-Kott Staff Writer

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uring the Mozambican civil war, which spanned 15 years from 1977 to 1992, armed forces poached African elephants to sell their tusks and continue to fund their respective war machines.

This caused a drastic reduction in the elephant population by the time the conflict began to subside. As much as 90 per cent of the elephant population was decimated in some areas, including the Gorongosa National Park.

When the conflict ended, elephant populations began to slowly replenish, but a nonprofit called ElephantVoices noticed that there was something different about these animals compared to those in pre-civil war Mozambique. A large fraction of the female elephants were birthing calves without the tusks that had been so sought after during the conflict. The growing population of tuskless elephants was attributed to the selective pressure caused by poaching in that

area. The tuskless elephants tended to fare better, as they were missing the ivory that made other elephants walking targets.

Tuskless elephants are one fascinating example of a phenomenon termed “rapid evolution” which was the focus of a recent paper led by Sarah Sanderson, a PhD candidate in McGill’s biology department, and Kiyoko Gotanda, an assistant professor at Brock University.

The paper is part of an ongoing study of rapid evolution that began over two decades ago, when this phenomenon first started to gain the scientific community’s attention.

Andrew Hendry, a researcher on the paper and a biology professor at McGill, was one of the first people to calculate the rates of change in populations and combine them into a database.

“My involvement goes back 25 years,” Hendry said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “Back when I was a graduate student, we started to see people talking about rapid evo-

lution [....] We’ve had several expansions of this database since the most recent one.”

The project has been a huge undertaking and one that Sanderson has been involved with since her work as a master’s student at McGill over four years ago. Aiming to conglomerate previous research into a massive dataset on rapidly changing traits from organisms around the world, much of Sanderson’s work involves filling in the gaps left by previous iterations of the database.

“I got interested in how these human disturbances are affecting rates of change in natural populations. With a bunch of other students we worked hard to fill in a bunch of gaps and add [new] data to the database, and that took a few years,” Sanderson said in an interview with the Tribune.

The dataset combined examples of rapid evolution with immediate environmental responses, as the two are often hard to distinguish. This means that some of the behaviours

Plants have developed zinc tolerance near zinc-coated electricity pylons in the UK. (Getty Images) studied are not examples of true evolution, but rather single generational responses to environmental changes. Regardless of whether these responses are evolutionary or plastic in nature, their impact is felt throughout the local ecology.

An example of rapid evolution featured in the paper that is especially relevant to Canada is a slow decline in salmon body mass. Although it is a challenge to pinpoint any single environmental factor as being responsible for the decrease, the effects

are felt throughout the salmon’s ecosystem and also by the Indigenous peoples along the Yukon River who rely on it as a food source.

The project is ambitious and will lead to a deeper understanding of how species react to changes in the environment, with human-driven changes being the main factor currently. Both Sanderson and Hendry hope that their work will benefit conservation biologists by giving them a launchpad for future investigative studies.

Student Research: Emma Dawson-Glass on pollination and plant ranges McGill graduate publishes ecological meta analysis in prestigious journal

Sara Chiarotto O’Brien Staff Writer

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hen Emma Dawson-Glass, BSc ‘20, was completing her Honours degree in environmental science, she confronted the age-old question: What would be the subject of her undergraduate thesis?

An unexpected encounter with professor Anna Hargreaves of McGill’s Department of Biology turned out to be the answer Dawson-Glass was looking for. At the time, Hargreaves was studying how the distribution of plant species changed geographically depending on pollen limitation—the limited availability of pollen due to a lack of pollinators or poor-quality supply. Dawson-Glass was fascinated by Hargreaves’ research, and it just so happened that Hargreaves was in need of a student to assist her.

Over the next three years, DawsonGlass and Hargreaves would conduct one of the largest meta-analyses in the world, using data collected by several other researchers to measure the effects of pollen limitation across nearly every corner of the planet. In January 2022, the study was published in the journal // Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B//. Their results were surprising to many in the biology and ecology communities.

Previous assumptions held that pollen limitation should increase toward the edges of a geographic range. Intuitively, this makes sense—where a field or forest approaches a road or city, one would expect to find fewer plants and animals, and thus to see less pol-

Many factors affect whether or not plants are able to reproduce. (Ruobing Chen / The McGill Tribune) lination occurring. Instead, Dawson-Glass and Hargreaves discovered no significant link between the location of plants in a range and pollen limitation.

The results of the study indicate that the lack of access to pollen is not the only factor limiting plant growth toward the edges of geographical ranges. Instead, pollen is part of a complex web of factors that influence rates of reproduction.

In other words, lack of pollen is not the main contributor to dwindling concentrations of plant species—other factors are likely at play. For Dawson-Glass, the opportunity to run this study was an exciting way to learn about an important topic often overlooked by ecologists. “[Pollen limitation] directly impacts plants’ ability to reproduce [....] It’s also cool because it’s a mutualistic relationship,” Daw-

son-Glass said. “A lot of studies focussed on what impacts plants have [looked at] abiotic factors, like [...] temperature, […] but there’s been less focus on the biotic factors.”

Understanding the relationship between plant reproduction and the activities of other organisms gives scientists a more holistic view of an ecosystem. It also enables them to better understand how changes in climate or topography may impact the health of various species.

Going forward, Dawson-Glass is eager to see the research on pollen limitation develop.

“Since our study is a meta-analysis, we’re using data from other studies that were not specifically designed to test the question that we’re asking,” she said. “It would be cool to try to do experiments specifically tailored to test how pollen limitation might change throughout a plant range.”

Dawson-Glass is also interested in learning more about specific latitudinal tests for analyzing pollen limitation. Biological theory holds that biotic interactions become more important closer to the equator and less important around the poles, where abiotic factors like weather play a larger role in ecological dynamics. Testing whether this theory applies to pollen limitation would add to the field’s understanding of how plants interact with their environments.

Since graduating, Dawson-Glass has gone on to continue her research and work with plants at the Holden Arboretum in Cleveland, Ohio, as a research specialist in community ecology.

(holdenfg.org)

studentlife@mcgilltribune.com

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 2022

STUDENT LIFE

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A spotlight on McGill’s student YouTubers

The internet lives of three McGill vloggers Abby McCormick Staff Writer

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s of late, McGill’s student YouTubers have been exploding in popularity among the McGill community and beyond. These content creators provide viewers with an inside look into their daily lives as McGill students, from morning routine vlogs, to dorm room decor ideas, to study habit guides.

1. Alena Russell, U3 Arts

Alena McKenzie’s Upper Residence vlogs from her first year at McGill gave Known as one of McGill’s many incoming first-year students an original YouTubers, Alena Russell, inside look into life in McGill residences. or Alena McKenzie as she is known (studiopics.site) on YouTube, has been creating content on the video-sharing about student life and life in McGill platform since her junior year of residences and wanted to change this high school. for incoming first years.

As she began her new life “YouTube gives more insight chapter at McGill, a channel that had into student life than any content initially consisted of ballet vlogs and coming from the university would,” makeup videos soon shifted gears Russell said. “The university to showcase Russell’s university presents things more objectively and experience. positively, but it doesn’t give you a During her application real idea of what being a student here process, Russell noticed the lack is like.” of information accessible online Above all, Russell values

the support she has received from members of the McGill community.

“It has been very heartwarming,” Russell said. “I’ll often have first years come up to me and tell me that my videos helped them choose what residence to pick. [Their] positive feedback really helps motivate me.”

While this may be her last semester at McGill, Russell intends to continue her shift to a more relaxed, vlog-style channel in the upcoming months and years. As a soon-to-be graduate student, she plans to take viewers along with her as she takes on new heights in her academic and personal pursuits.

2. Yasmeen El-Irani, U2 Arts Like Russell, Yasmeen ElIrani started creating content on the internet long before she began her studies at McGill. During her high school years, El-Irani created her own lifestyle blog, where she would share her day-to-day experiences with her audience.

El-Irani’s move to Montreal marked an ideal time to transition from blogging to vlogging. She started her YouTube channel with

the handle “A Dose of Yasmeen.”

“There are some things that you just can’t translate into writing,” ElIrani said of her shift to vlogging.

“In university, you’re constantly changing, so there’s always something to talk about.”

While she acknowledges that YouTube can often be a vehicle for negative criticism, El-Irani points out that it is also an invaluable space for personal growth. “[On YouTube] you kind of have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable,” she said.

“Otherwise, you stop yourself from growing.”

Going forward, El-Irani intends to continue vlogging her experiences at McGill to help provide prospective students with an inside look into life at the university.

3. Phoenix Plessas, U1 Science As she began her first year at MAs she began her first year at McGill in Fall 2020, Phoenix Plessas was inspired to start a YouTube channel to document her undergraduate experience.

Like Russell, the clear lack

of McGill-related content on YouTube motivated her to provide prospective students with a more authentic perspective on student life at McGill.

“I was having trouble finding information to supplement my decision [to come to McGill],” Plessas said of her own experience. “[I] was coming in blind, especially with COVID.” Although Plessas initially feared putting herself out there on the internet, the sense of accomplishment that she feels after posting a video makes the risk worthwhile.

“It’s definitely daunting to cultivate an online persona,” Plessas admitted. “There’s always that moment of hesitation, but getting over the barrier [is so] rewarding.”

Plessas encourages her fellow McGill students to reach out to her via Instagram or the YouTube comment section if they have any video ideas they would like to see on her channel.

“I try to cater my channel to what [students] want to see,” Plessas explained. “My goal is really to help people.”

Decadent desserts for roommate harmony Post-Valentine’s recipes for quality kitchen time

Emme Smith Contributor

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n Valentine’s Day, many enjoyed sweets in the company of loved ones. Though the day of love may be over, it’s never a bad idea to strengthen your relationship with your roommate(s) for year-round amity. There is no better way to do so than by savouring some baked creations together. Here are two decadent recipes that will be a delight for you and your roommates to make, even in the tiniest of kitchens.

Lemon Almond Pan-Tart

This delicate dish is one of the easiest you’ll ever whip up.

• • • • •

4 eggs 2 lemons 2 tablespoons unsalted butter ½ cup sliced almonds Powdered sugar

1.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Zest and juice both lemons. Chop almonds, then grind in a blender.

Then combine your ground almonds, sugar, salt, heavy cream, sliced almonds, eggs, and lemon zest and juice into a bowl. Mix together.

Take a 6-8 inch ovenproof skillet and melt the butter over low heat. Once the butter is fully melted, pour the batter into the pan and cook over low heat until the edges set.

Place the pan into the oven for about 10-15 minutes. Once it’s finished cooking, turn the broiler on high for about a minute to give the top of the tart a nice golden brown colour.

Take the tart out of the oven and, once cooled, garnish with some powdered sugar and sliced almonds on top.

2.

3.

4.

Tip: For the ultimate richness, try serving the tart with a chocolate almond spread on top and let it sit overnight for maximum flavour.

As a kid, blonde brownies were my favourite summer vacation treat. The edges are crispy, while the centre is chewy and soft. The secret is simple: Dark chocolate and a small baking dish. The dark chocolate chips create a more complex, deeper flavour than milk chocolate chips. This batch lasted about two days in the apartment, and I’m guessing they will go just as fast in yours.

Ingredients: • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour • 2 sticks of butter, softened • ¾ cup sugar • ¾ cup dark brown sugar • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 2 eggs • 2 cups chocolate chips 1.

2.

The Best Blonde Brownies These almond lemon tarts and blondies are a surefire way to win your roommates’ hearts—through their stomachs.

(Emme Smith / The McGill Tribune)

The best part? It takes less than 30 minutes, so you can prepare this in between studying as a well-deserved treat.

Ingredients: • ½ cup ground almonds • ½ cup sugar • ½ cup heavy whipping cream • ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

3.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the flour, salt, and baking soda to a bowl and mix. Then beat the butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in an electric mixer.

Crack the eggs into a separate bowl and whisk together.

Slowly pour the eggs into the mixture in four parts, gently beating after each addition. Once fully mixed, slowly fold in the flour mixture.

When a wet dough is formed, add the chocolate chips and mix by hand. Equally divide the mixture into two greased 8x8 pans. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown on the top. Then allow to cool for the crisp and gooey textures to fully form.

Tip: You can serve these blondies with some vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce to take the dish to the next level. Feel free also to play around with the recipe; if you don’t like dark chocolate, use milk chocolate chips. You can even try adding some walnuts for a crunchy texture in the middle.

14

STUDENT LIFE

studentlife@mcgilltribune.com

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 2022

From socialism’s romantic influences to skeletal bromances, multifaceted love through time and space ‘Love in the Time of’ event presents three stories of historical love and amity Isabella González Staff Writer

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head of Valentine’s Day, the History Students’ Association (HSA) and the Classic Students’ Association (CSA) hosted their annual “Love In The Time Of” panel on Feb. 10. The event featured four researchers and faculty members from the department of history and classical studies who delivered lectures on diverse instances of love throughout time, including love’s impact on socialism and queer histories in London.

The evening began with Natalie Cornett, a postdoctoral research fellow in the history department. Her lecture focussed on Rosa Luxemburg, a socialist revolutionary, and her reflections on love and joy while imprisoned in Germany for her political activities. While incarcerated, Luxemburg wrote letters to console her colleague and friend Sophie Liebknecht, a member of the Communist Spartacus League whose husband was also in prison.

Cornett drew interesting connections between socialism and love. Given that one of the goals of socialism is to rid humanity of inequality and egotism, many socialist thinkers, including Luxemburg, drew inspiration from the Romantic period and earlier concepts of

love when crafting their political agenda. These influences were reflected in Luxemburg’s letters; despite being surrounded by death and poor living conditions, she nevertheless showed Liebknecht compassion and love, urging her to stay strong. Following Cornett’s lecture, archaeology professor Darian Totten discussed the history of bromance through skeletons. Twenty years ago, a pair of skeletons holding hands dating back to Ancient Rome were discovered in Modena, Italy. When the story broke, many assumed it was a heterosexual couple buried together. Professor Totten explained that because the skeletons were poorly preserved, it was initially difficult to tell their gender through the pelvis or the size of the skull. However, new technologies that detect the peptides in teeth, which differ between sexes, revealed that both the skeletons were male.

Totten proposed that the relationship between the two skeletons could have been a bromance, which she defined as non-sexual relationship between two or more men exceeding that of a usual friendship. This should come as no surprise, Totten explained, referencing the iconic first Imperial bromances between Maecenas and Augustus and later of Marcus Agrippa and Augustus. Statues of soldiers who displayed affection for each other

were also common in Ancient Rome.

However, Totten points out that the relationship between the skeletons will never be certain just by looking at the burial and analyzing the historical context at the time.

“When we look at burials, we have to be really careful because they might not represent the final wish of the individuals who had died, especially individuals who die earlier in life and don’t necessarily express their wishes before they die,” Totten said.

The penultimate speaker of the night, professor Brian Lewis, explored the love life of English gay novelist E.M. Forster. Forster lived in England during the 19th and 20th centuries, when queer relationships were illegal. As Forster grew older, Lewis explained, he became more aware of his sexuality, especially in his 20s. Forster dreamed of a world where he could freely love a man and be loved by a man. In 1930, Forster was experiencing loneliness, despite being a successful literary figure. It was during this low state when he met Bob Buckingham. After exchanging books and knowledge, they pursued a sexual relationship, despite Bob’s heterosexual marriage.

“For much of the second half of his life, he had lived at least part of his dream to love a strong man of the lower classes and to be loved by him,” Lewis said.

During Professor Darian Totten’s lecture, Totten presented potential examples of bromance preserved in statues and skeletons, a distinct homosocial relationship in Ancient Rome distinguished by high levels of emotional intimacy. (glamour.com)

Though Valentine’s Day in the modern age is traditionally tied to romance and giftgiving, “Love In The Time Of”’s annual reflections look to the past to redefine love and uncover its enduring multiplicity.

Growing up in the West as an Asian woman: Being the ‘Other,’ fetishization, and self-love East Asian activists discussed their journeys of cultural suppression and acceptance Brontë Grimmer Staff Writer

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rowing up in the West as an Asian woman is an experience of sharp contradictions. While those from Asia or of Asian descent are told that they “are one of us” through performative displays of diversity, they are made to feel like the “Other.”

This was the message from a recent panel hosted by the East Asian studies student journal, Orientations, called “Growing Up in the West: East Asian Perspectives.” The event brought together three McGill students, Estelle Mi, Annette Hong Kim, and Angelina Guo, to discuss their experiences as Asian women and activists.

Everything was on the table:

Multiculturalism, childhood, romantic relationships, bi- and tri-lingualism, fetishization, self-love, and the panellists’ journeys toward self-acceptance.

Guo grew up in Montreal and Longueuil, a Montreal suburb. A translator and literature student, she made her mark last spring when she delivered an impassioned speech at an anti-Asian hate rally.

“I already knew I was different when I was in Montreal because there weren’t that many Asians,” Guo said. “In Longueuil, I realized that without even saying anything, people perceived me as this ‘Other,’ and that ‘Other’ was a subject worthy of getting mocked and either verbally or physically assaulted.”

Mi’s story was quite different, having grown up in a relatively liberal, colour-

One of the speakers of the event, Angelina Guo uses poetry to navigate women’s issues and questions of identity for the Asian diaspora in Quebec. (Athena Ko / The McGill Tribune)

blind bubble of multiculturalism at the international schools she attended. Born in Lyon, her parents were immigrants from China to France.

“The first time I felt that I was the ‘Other’ was when the pandemic started and I faced my first assault,” Mi recalled. “It was the first time I realised my identity was a problem in my everyday life.”

Guo’s feeling of “Otherness” was etched into her memories by incidents from her childhood. “I thought [the attacks] were my fault and that whatever is repulsive about me is tied to my [Chinese] ethnicity,” Guo said. “I think that is why I spent so long detached from my culture because it was so dangerous. It was a way of surviving.”

A Korean-Canadian born in the Netherlands, who spent part of her childhood in South Korea, Kim discussed the phenomenon of pushing away one’s culture as a survival tactic.

“One of the things I’m really proud of is that I’ve never wanted to be someone else,” Kim said. “I know that’s a pretty common thing in our community—to not want to be Asian. That’s the only way we can survive—to forget our language, forget our culture, eat Western food, not listen to our culture’s music, and not watch our films.”

The panellists went on to discuss the duality of fetishization and repulsiveness that often comes with being an Asian woman in the West.

“When I was young, I never felt that I was part of the Western beauty ideals,”

Mi said. “In a sense, I felt that I was not a woman. For so long I felt that no one would love me because all I saw in the media were white women.”

In tandem, Guo described the difficulties she has been forced to navigate as someone whose cultural identity is degraded and objectified.

“When I turned 12, that’s when the catcalls started, that’s when I started getting followed and stalked, and when men would come up to me, they would ask where I’m from.” Guo said. “It’s been a weird thing to comprehend, because what once used to be the reason why people despised me and attacked me became a very desirable thing for men.”

Despite these alienating experiences that many Asian women experience at the hands of men and the media, Mi offered an optimistic counterpart to Guo’s and Kim’s panels, describing her personal journey of finding self-love and acceptance.

“Today, I can say that I accept my Chinese identity,” Mi said. “Two years ago, when I was facing all of this anti-Asian racism, I wanted to eradicate my Chinese identity.”

Guo highlighted the importance of processing trauma and continuing to discuss these issues.

“I encourage everyone to keep talking.

Having multiple heritages and speaking multiple languages is something that enriches you so much,” Guo said. “I think we are very lucky to be at a point in time when people are listening to us.”

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 2022

sports@mcgilltribune.com

SPORTS

15

Growing the game: The importance of the Olympics to women’s hockey Why women’s hockey will always belong on the international stage Tillie Burlock Staff Writer

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n Sunday, Feb. 6, an article titled “Why women’s hockey doesn’t belong in the Olympics” was published— and no, it was not by the Onion.

A columnist at the Toronto Star berated women’s hockey, arguing that because Canada and the United States dominate the sport at the Olympic level, that the women’s team simply do not deserve to play. The columnist further insulted the sport, calling Olympic women’s hockey another form of “affirmative action” and a “cheap medal.”

What are the Olympics for, if not to put the talents of the most skilled athletes in the world on display? The speed and calibre of the women’s game is the best it has ever been, with achievements extending well beyond those of the North American teams. This is why women’s hockey deserves to be broadcast on the world stage. A team’s purported skill differential is not reason to dismiss every player’s dedication to the game.

Jenni Hiirikoski, a 34-yearold Finnish defenceman, was ranked as a top-three generational player by the Athletic. As a member of the national team for 20 years and the captain for the last 10, Hiirikoski has averaged more than 25 minutes a game

Klára Peslarová, the Czech goalie, is playing her sixth season in the Swedish Women’s Hockey League and was named the Best Goaltender at the 2014 IIHF Women’s World U18 Championships (Anthony Wallace / Getty Images) throughout her international career and has appeared in 75 world championship games—more than any other women’s player.

Alina Müller, a 23-year-old forward for Switzerland, is at her third Olympics in Beijing this year, with two Patty Kazmaier nominations to her name after lighting it up with the Northeastern Huskies since 2018.

Klára Peslarová, the 25-yearold goalie for Czechia, put on an outstanding performance in the Olympic quarter-final against the

United States this year, making 56 saves on 59 shots. How could the world not want to watch that?

On the McGill women’s hockey team, the Olympics are a huge motivating factor for highly skilled players. The Martlets’ associate coach, Katia Clément-Heydra, emphasized the importance of the Olympics as an attainable goal.

“If you look at TSN, there’s no women’s sports at night,” Clément-Heydra said in an interview with The McGill

Tribune. “Having that recognition [at the Olympics] brings our value up. We’re sold short, because no one knows about us. No one recognizes us as being elite because we’re women.”

Clément-Heydra also stressed the lack of professional opportunities for women’s hockey.

“We have some graduating players that are close to the top elite athletes of the country, but there are not a lot of places for the girls to play [professionally] right now, unless it’s going overseas,” Clément-Heydra said. “I see so many girls that are so good at hockey retire after university, just because they’re not in a city where there is a [professional] team. It’s really important to have the Olympics, but the next piece would be more investment in women’s professional hockey.”

A peak audience of 1.3 million people watched the Canada vs.

U.S. women’s hockey game on Feb. 7, drawing CBC’s largest late night audience so far this Olympics.

Inconsistent and inadequate television coverage of women’s hockey at the professional and collegiate levels across North America has resulted in the Olympics being the single moment of exposure for many fans. The Olympics remain one of the only opportunities for many to discover international stars and

watch hometown favourites such as Mélodie Daoust, a McGill graduate.

“The product is there,” Clément-Heydra said. “The girls are really good. It’s TV [that] people are going to watch.”

Currently, two professional women’s leagues exist in North America: The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF), formerly known as the National Women’s Hockey League, and the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA), which is a hybrid between a league and players union. The two leagues remain divided in their abilities and demands, with the PHF being unwilling, or unable, to provide players with the necessary health benefits, living salary, and professional hockey infrastructure the PWHPA is demanding. The NHL’s statement that they would only support a united women’s league in combination with the PHF’s deal with ESPN+ has created an incentive for the two to come to an agreement.

Until there is a cohesive professional league, the Olympics is a vital event to the continued growth of the women’s game. It’s beyond time to drop the age-old, sexist debate over whether or not women’s hockey belongs, and focus on enjoying the incredible display of skill at the 2022 Olympics.

Know Your Athlete: Caiden Daley

Redbird forward Caiden Daley’s journey from the WHL to McGill Tillie Burlock Staff Writer Continued from page 1.

“I wanted to try something new and experience a new culture,” Daley said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “That was what drove me to make the decision [to come to McGill], to try a new thing and get out of my comfort zone. [McGill] gave me a lot of time to just decide what I really wanted to do and sit back and focus on myself [....]

It’s been awesome, and the city is amazing.”

In his first eight games with the Redbirds, Daley, a U0 Arts student, has already begun to establish himself as a powerful forward, working to model his game after Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Growing up as a multi-sport athlete, Daley’s success in hockey eventually overruled his passion for basketball and football. But in choosing hockey, a predominantly white sport, Daley often found himself to be the only person of colour in the rink.

“My parents did a really good job of teaching me,” Daley said. “There’s not a lot of Black athletes in hockey but I just didn’t really focus on that at all. I just wanted to go

out there, have fun and enjoy myself. And that’s just kind of what I did in every aspect of the game, off the ice and on the ice.”

Daley added that in the context of team dynamics, his role has transformed from mentee to mentor as he has gotten older.

“I’ve tried to be a good role model for people in my community and young Black athletes in hockey,” Daley said. “That’s just something that I’ve always strived for.”

Following the last two years and the “racial awakening” that has consumed the sports world, Daley presented himself to his coaches and teammates as a person they could talk to.

“I told my coaches, if you guys want to talk about that stuff, ask me questions,” Daley said. “I think people sometimes are scared and end up tiptoeing around talking about [race].

To talk about what’s acceptable, what’s right, and what’s wrong is only going to help the world and the sport get better.”

If Daley’s not at the rink, you can find him on the links golfing with his dad, or in the kitchen pursuing his journey to be the next Chopped star. As a U0 student, Daley has an abundance of open doors at his disposal.

What’s for certain, however, is that his love for hockey will surely be a part of his life for the foreseeable future.

McGill forward, Caiden Daley, is playing in his first season with the Redbirds. (McGill Athletics)

16

SPORTS

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 2022

sports@mcgilltribune.com

Pole position in disappointment

Exploring Formula One’s hollow attempts at diversity and inclusion Erin Smith Staff Writer

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n the eve of their 2020 season, Formula One (F1) released its #WeRaceAsOne initiative in tandem with the #PurposeDriven movement launched by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). Cited as both a response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the Black Lives Matter protests, the initiative aimed to harness F1’s international reach to address what the FIA called the world’s two current major problems: COVID-19 and inequality. While F1 officials have stated that this initiative will be an ongoing process, the main goals seem to have been lost since the end of the 2020 season.

In the original announcement detailing the #WeRaceAsOne initiative, F1 declared that they would accessorize cars and parts of race circuits with rainbows. The stated meaning of the rainbow was to represent unity across communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, rather than its common association with the queer community. However, prior to the 2021 season, they announced that this element would be dropped.

The other key element of #WeRaceAsOne was for drivers to take a knee prior to national anthems preceding races. The action originated with American football player Colin Kaepernick, who took a knee during the national anthem as an act of protest

against police brutality and systemic racism in the United States. When the action was first introduced at the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix, 14 of 20 drivers took a knee, but by the first race of the 2021 season, half of the F1 drivers remained standing. Last week, F1 announced that the 2022 season will no longer have a scheduled moment for the gesture.

The current CEO of the Formula One Group, Stefano Domenicali, stated in a recent interview with SkyNews that it was time to “move on” and start taking concrete action instead of focussing on gestures. As it stands, however, the only action taken in this vein has been an extension of the previously existing engineering scholarship program for marginalized students until 2025.

While there has been some effort made toward creating a more inclusive space in the sport, F1 continues to take problematic actions that counteract its goals. For example, the F1 race calendar features visits to countries that have anti-LGBT governments despite their stated commitment to improving diversity and inclusion.

Both individual drivers and F1 teams have made their position clear on this matter, with drivers like Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton having voiced their concerns. Prior to the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, Vettel received a reprimand for wearing a pride shirt during the national anthems because of the Hungarian government’s support of discriminatory, anti-

Lewis Hamilton is the only Black F1 driver in the sport’s 71 year history (@sebvettelnews / twitter.com) LGBT legislation. During races in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Hamilton donned a helmet with a pride flag across the top in response to antigay laws that he called “terrifying.”

Teams have also made an effort toward inclusivity and diversity. Last June, Aston Martin partnered with Racing Pride, an organization focussed on increasing LGBTQ+ representation in motor sports. The team underwent diversity workshops and reviewed existing policies to improve visibility and acceptance of the queer community within F1. Aston Martin is certainly a leader in this regard, as many other teams have not matched their efforts.

F1 still has many steps to take in eradicating persistent prejudice and apathy.

Following last season’s British Grand Prix, the FIA, F1, and Mercedes condemned racist abuse online against Hamilton, the only Black driver in the circuit. Despite this, F1 still chose to remove the scheduled opportunity to take a knee, one of the only gestures they made in the first place.

The sport has demonstrated its ability to make positive change, but continues to reverse its efforts in accordance with hesitation from the higher-ups of the sport. Stefano Domenicali and president of the FIA, Jean Todt, even commented that politics have no place in motorsport. This instance, along with many others, leads many to rightfully challenge F1’s hollow, performative commitment to fostering diversity.

Tribune Tries: Watching the Super Bowl LVI

Recapping the Rams v. Bengals showdown and explosive halftime show

Sarah Farnand, Sophia Gorbounov, & Madison McLauchlan Sports Editors & Managing Editor

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he 2022 Super Bowl was a memorable affair, especially for The McGill Tribune sports section. The evening was hectic right from the start; accessing the biggest game in American football as Canadian university students and finding a good stream proved to be a challenge. As students without cable, armed with only a Roku TV, a laptop, plenty of snacks, and determination, we went through a number of options before finding a 20-dollar service.

Without further ado, The McGill Tribune sports editors present the most compelling moments from the 2022 edition of the greatest show on Earth: The NFL Super Bowl.

third quarter was a 75-yard play off of a beautiful pass from Joe Burrow, putting the Bengals in a 17-13 lead.

While Jalen Ramsey of the Rams allowed this reception, many were calling foul play, as Higgins grabbed Ramsey’s face mask to avoid being tackled. Ramsey’s defence was otherwise phenomenal and helped bring the Rams to victory. However, the Rams’ most important play of the game was arguably Aaron Donald sacking Joe Burrow and quashing any hopes of a comeback after the Bengals went down 23-20 with less than a minute left. The Rams would

likely not have the Super Bowl title today if it weren’t for his efforts.

However, the Super Bowl MVP was awarded to his teammate Cooper Kupp, who made eight catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns.

Injuries Bumps, bangs, and big bruises are a far too common occurrence in football, and this game was no exception. Quarterbacks for both teams sustained injuries, and Rams star Odell Beckham Jr. had to leave the game after his foot caught in

The Halftime Show

Standout players Just when things started to look bleak for the Bengals, Tee Higgins came to their rescue with two backto-back touchdowns. One of them, a pass from Joe Mixon, constituted the very first throw of his five-year career to help the Bengals start their comeback bid, making the score 1310. Higgins’ second touchdown in the

the artificial turf and he suffered a knee injury. Before going down, OBJ opened up the scoring for the Rams with a 17-yard touchdown reception and another stunning 35yard reception. A key player for the Rams, OBJ’s absence was certainly felt in the second half as the Bengals piled on the pressure with a touchdown and an interception all in the first 15 seconds of play.

Nevertheless, the team prevailed, and although he was unable to play for much of the game, he still walked away with a Super Bowl ring.

The last time the Rams made it to the Super Bowl, it was the year 2000 and they were still stationed in St. Louis. (Sébastien Géroli / The McGill Tribune)

This year’s halftime show featured hip-hop legends Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, and surprise guest 50 Cent. The starstudded lineup was complemented by a carefully crafted set exploding with detail, including what looked like a depiction of the Los Angeles city grid covering the field. While each act proved incredible, two of our favourites were Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar. Blige’s performance, a passionate act with powerhouse vocals, captured early2000s nostalgia with flair. Eminem closed out the acts, capping off

his performance by taking a knee for one minute, defying rumoured instructions by the NFL to keep politics out of the show. The rapper was largely met with praise, while activist and former quarterback Colin Kaepernick continues to be ostracized from the NFL for taking the knee in 2016.

Rams Final Touchdown After a tumultuous push toward the end zone in the fourth quarter of the game, the Rams’ persistence, coupled with some questionable calls, led the team to score a touchdown. This tipped the scale, bringing the score to 23-20 and setting off what would ultimately result in a Super Bowl title for the Los Angeles team. After the Rams’ third down, Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson received a holding penalty. Referees ruled that the penalty would give the Rams an automatic first down. In the following play, both teams were given penalties, which referees ruled would “cancel out” the play and allow the Rams to start yet another first down. With a third opportunity in hand, Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp scored a one-yard touchdown with less than a minute and a half left of play.