McGillDailyVol101Issue33

Volume 101, Issue 33

March 1, 2012 mcgilldaily.com

HOW TO BE HOMELESS AT MCGILL

McGill THE

DAILY

On the outside looking in since 1911

Published by The Daily Publications Society, a student society of McGill University.

PAGE 8

DR.MARTIN A. ENTIN LECTURE IN THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE

Adrian Johns

Allan Grant Maclear Professor Department of History University of Chicago

“Medicine and the Crisis of Intellectual Property” Thursday, March 08, 2012 at 6:00PM Moot Court Seminar Room Chancellor Day Hall, 3644 Peel Street The public is cordially invited. For further information call the Department of Social Studies of Medicine: 514-398-6033 or visit http://www.mcgill.ca/ssom/upcoming-seminars-events

PGSS Society Elec ons 2012-2013

What you need to know:

Campaign Period:

Starts February 28, 2012 at 9:00 am Ends March 14, 2012 at 11:59 pm

Hus ngs (Debates): Tuesday February 28 Thomson House Room 405 - 6h pm to 7h pm

Monday March 5 Mac Campus, Centennial Building Room CC-207 - 6h pm to 7h pm

Wednesday March 7 Thomson House Ballroom - 6h pm to 8h pm During AGM

Vo ng Period:

Starts Thursday March 15 at 9:00 am Ends Friday March 23 at 5:00 pm Ques ons? pgss.mcgill.ca/documents/electoral-affairs or elec ons.pgss@mail.mcgill.ca Vote online at ovs.pgss.mcgill.ca

ANNUAL

GENERAL MEETING The AGM of the Daily Publications Society (DPS), publisher of The McGill Daily and Le Délit, will take place on

Wednesday, April 4th in Leacock 26 at 6pm Members of the DPS are cordially invited.

The presence of candidates to the Board of Directors is mandatory.

For more information, please contact

chair@dailypublications.org

MCGILLDAILY.COM/CONTRIBUTE

The Department of Social Studies of Medicine presents

News

The McGill Daily | Thursday, March 1, 2012 | mcgilldaily.com

3

Floor fellow dismissed due to involvement in #6party No termination clause in contract, legal action planned Jane Gatensby

The McGill Daily

F

rancis (Danji) Buck-Moore, a Solin Hall floor fellow, had his position terminated on Wednesday. His dismissal was due to participation in the occupation of the office of Morton Mendelson, Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning), in the James Administration building for five days in February.

Buck-Moore, a U3 student who has been a floor fellow for two years, was informed in a meeting with Michael Porritt, executive director of McGill Residences and Student Housing, that his position – and the benefits package that accompanies it – was “terminated, effective immediately.”

Porritt refused to comment on Buck-Moore’s dismissal because it was a personnel matter.

A second Solin floor fellow, who wished to remain anonymous, also occupied the sixth floor of the James building. The floor fellow had a meeting scheduled for Wednesday with Porritt, however, he was unable to attend. At press time the floor fellow still retained his position. The meeting has been rescheduled for this morning.

Both floor fellows were told in separate meetings with Porritt on February 14 that their positions as floor fellows were at risk.

The dismissals come after a consultation process with McGill’s residence community, which began on February 16.

Porritt sent an email to all residence councils and floor fellows calling for individuals to “speak now or

forever hold your peace” in respect to “the current issue regarding our floor fellow team and the residence community related to the James occupation.” The email was also shared with all residents on the two fellows’ floors.

During and after Porritt’s consultation process, two petitions calling for Porritt to drop proceedings against the floor fellows were prepared. Members of the McGill community, including 11 professors, signed the first petition. The second peition, presented to Porritt today, has signatures from 61 floor fellows, dons, and MORE fellows.

Prior to his dismissal, Buck-Moore was presented with a letter outlining his options. The first mandated that he turn in his keys and remove his belongings from his Solin Hall apartment before Friday. It also barred him from entering any McGill residence for the remainder of the academic year, but ensured him a place at Greenbriar Apartments at regular rental rates.

The second option would allow him to stay in Solin Hall for the remainder of the year, but require him to pay regular rental fees, and would strip him of his duties and responsibilities as a floor fellow.

Although Buck-Moore is required to answer by Thursday, he explained that he plans to dispute the legality of the action.

In an interview with The Daily prior to his dismissal, Buck-Moore said he had consulted with Legal Aid. “It’s a little bit unclear as to what labour codes or standards we fall under or into, given our nebulous condition as student academic staff,” he said, adding that

he will likely file for wrongful dismissal. “We’re definitely employees though, that’s for sure.”

There is no official termination clause in floor fellows’ contracts with Residence Life. Guidelines within the contract under the “Responsibilities of Floor Fellows, Dons, and MORE Fellows” include being a “positive role model,” and also require that floor fellows, who are not paid for their work but receive free room and board, are “vigilant at all times of how their behavior…might affect their position and reflect on the residence community.”

Another Solin floor fellow, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed concern in an interview with The Daily that, “If you can be fired by the discretion of whoever is in power, then there needs to be a clear and defined set what you can and cannot do because, as it stands, the contract is incredibly vague.”

“If I were to reapply this year, I would feel very differently about what it means to be a floor fellow,” the floor fellow continued.

Buck-Moore described the action as “completely discretionary,” adding that “Porritt’s boss is Morton Mendelson, and Michael Porritt is my boss. The other people that were on the sixth floor don’t have that direct employment connection [to the administration]…

It’s easier for him to get to me.”

One of the initial demands made by students who occupied the sixth floor was for Mendelson to resign. Occupiers presented the action as Mendelson’s “surprise resignation party.”

In an email to all McGill students

Victor Tangermann | The McGill Daily

Buck-Moore has been a floor fellow for two years. and staff on February 9, Vice-Principal (Administration and Finance) Michael Di Grappa stated, “Complaints will be lodged against the protestors

under the Student Code of Conduct.”

Disciplinary procedures within the University are confidential at the discretion of the individual charged.

Disciplinary action taken against student protester Queen Arsem-O'Malley The McGill Daily

O

n February 22, U4 Arts student Ethan Feldman was given disciplinary notice regarding an incident on February 15 in the Leacock building. A McGill Senate meeting took place in Leacock 232 on February 15, outside of which some students – including Feldman – were present.

The notice alleges that Feldman violated section 8b of the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures, which states that no student shall “knowingly create a condition which unnecessarily endangers or threatens or undermines the health, safety, well-being, or dignity of another person or per-

sons, threatens to cause humiliation or threatens the damage or destruction of property.”

Feldman said that since the disciplinary notice did not specify, he could not be sure what incident it refers to.

Feldman explained that he talked to a security guard about entry to Senate – which was a limited-access meeting, and was livestreamed in the Redpath Museum – and later handed out copies of the Quebec Private Security Act in the Leacock building. He said that he later went to the Redpath Museum to watch the livestream.

An initial meeting with Associate Dean of Students Linda Starkey took place on Wednesday, one week after the notice was delivered.

Associate Professor of Philosophy Alison Laywine and Philosophy Professor Hasana Sharp accompanied

Feldman to his meeting with Starkey.

Laywine and Sharp were not allowed to sit in on the meeting.

Starkey allowed the two professors to meet with herself and Feldman once the initial meeting was complete.

Another meeting has been scheduled for March 7 to exchange evidence between both parties.

However, Feldman explained that “I don’t know what the case is, so I don’t know what evidence I could provide.”

“I was surprised at the opacity,” Laywine told The Daily after the meeting. “It strikes me that that’s a problem with the way the disciplinary process is set up.”

The Code of Student Conduct is currently under revision, a point that Feldman said Starkey mentioned during their meeting.

Feldman’s notice came on the same day that other McGill students

Sergey Tsynkevych | The McGill Daily

The Code of Student Conduct is currently under revision. received notice of disciplinary action for the January 31 interruption of a Board of Governors meeting.

He said that he did not formally identify himself to University authori-

ties in the Leacock building, but that security personnel are familiar with him. Feldman was a fifth floor occupier on November 10, and a sixth floor occupier during #6party.

4 News

The McGill Daily | Thursday, March 1, 2012 | mcgilldaily.com

SUS GA date changed to Friday at last minute Science Mobilization Committee worried about losing quorum Doris Zhu

News Writer

L

ast Monday, February 27, the Science Undergraduate Society (SUS) announced

that its General Assembly (GA) would be held on Friday, March 2 at 5 p.m., rather than on its original date of February 29.

The announcement was made over the weekly listserv email that

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SUS VP Communications Maria Zamfir sends to Science students.

Askshay Rajaram, SUS president, said in an email to The Daily that midterm season was responsible for the lack of room availability.

The room shortage was also the reason that SUS delayed the official announcement of the GA to February 13, even though it had decided on an original date of February 2.

Because they delayed the official announcement, students had four days to submit motions before the deadline, which, according to SUS bylaws, is two weeks before the actual GA. Rajaram said, “The time between February 2 and February 13 was spent trying to find a room for the GA, which was exceedingly difficult given that the campus is in the middle of midterms and all available rooms have been taken for this purpose.”

It has been decided that the final location will be in the McIntyre Medical Sciences Building.

Carl Dion Laplante, a U1 Biology student and member of the

Science Mobilization Committee, expressed concern about the location and new date.

In an email to Rajaram, he wrote, “Unless the intent is to lose quorum or not reach it at all, a Friday night is not the right moment for a GA.” At least 125 Science students are required to be at the GA to maintain quorum.

Noemi Stern, a U1 Cognitive Science student and a member of the Committee, shared similar worries.

“On Fridays, people usually have other plans. Wednesday would [have been] a good day.

We would have [had] two days in advance to mobilize people,” Stern said.

There has also been a lack of advertising for the GA. According to Rajaram, this was because the SUS executive wanted to “make sure that only one set of correct dates and times was sent out.”

Even though the GA is scheduled, Laplante still believes that the SUS is falling behind the rest of the Quebec student movement.

“Ideally we should have started mobilizing for the strike,” he said.

“McGill [students] haven’t been having a lot of mobilizations, petitions, or strikes. If we wanted to have a strike, we [would] have [had] to start mobilizing early for the strike,” he continued.

The Science Mobilization Committee started to take action in January, when they submitted a petition to call for a Special GA to discuss and mobilize around tuition hikes and accessible education. This petition was approved by the SUS on January 24.

Two motions will be voted on at the GA. The first is a motion regarding accessibility, which calls for the SUS to adopt a policy in favor of accessible education and against tuition hikes, with the long-term goal of obtaining free education for all students.

The second motion is regarding the recognition of an SUS Strike Committee.

The Science Undergraduate Society General Assembly will take place this Friday, March 2.

The GA will be held in room 522 of McIntyre Medical Building at 5 p.m.

News

The McGill Daily | Thursday, March 1, 2012 | mcgilldaily.com

5

Building up to the unlimited general strike Henry Gass

The McGill Daily

T

wo weeks ago, 11,000 Quebec university students declared themselves on strike by entering McGill campus and demonstrating in front of the James Administration building for about thirty minutes.

Since that day, over 73,000 more students in CEGEPs and universities across the province have declared a strike, and actions and strike votes are scheduled throughout the next few weeks.

Henry Gass | The McGill Daily

The unlimited general strike began February 23.

From the streets to the stacks: tuition protests continue at McGill Andra Cernavskis The McGill Daily

A

March 1: Concordia Philosophy Students Association, Concordia Fine Arts Student Association, Dawson Student Union

$2,068

Feb. 29: Concordia Women’s Studies Student Association, Concordia School of Community and Public Affairs Student Association, Concordia Geography Undergraduates Student Society

$1,968

49,724 total students

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Students on unlimited general strike

The unlimited general strike A week later, the Quebec student movement’s unlimited general strike began with up to 15,000 students marching through downtown Montreal on February 23.

An additional 68,400 students went on strike for the day. The protest was organized by the Coalition large de l’Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante (CLASSE).

A splinter protest marched down Ste. Catherine towards the Jacque Cartier Bridge, but was intercepted by riot police near Papineau metro station. According to the SPVM, some protestors successfully blocked the bridge, but were dispersed with pepper spray after a standoff with police.

$1,868

VOTING THIS WEEK:

Tuition increase

$1,768

there wearing $500 to $700 jackets.

If you can cut on that and spend that money for education instead of walking around yelling ridiculous slogans, you could get a decent education. It’s something that you have to accept.”

“I think it’s a bit ridiculous,” he added.

As the demonstration moved through McLennan, they were joined by a number of students and McGill workers. Nancy Crowe, a library assistant at McLennan Library and a MUNACA worker, clapped along in support as the students chanted.

“University needs to be accessible,” she explained. “I don’t want to speak for all of us, but a lot of us are sympathetic to this cause.”

“I’m from Quebec, and I went to university on loans and bursaries, so I know what it’s like,” she added.

With many universities and CEGEPs already on strike, the Arts Undergraduate Society and Science Undergraduate Society will vote on joining the strike in separate General Assemblies in March.

On February 16, around 200 students protested outside the Montreal Stock Exchange. The demonstration blocked entry to the building, but was eventually cleared by Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) officers using pepper spray. Four demonstrators were arrested without explanation.

That night, 37 protestors were arrested for barricading themselves inside the CEGEP du Vieux Montréal and for allegedly vandalizing the building. SPVM spokesperson Anie Lemieux said demonstrators were seen throwing fire extinguishers and bottles at police officers.

SSMU VP External Joël Pedneault, however, said the occupiers only moved tables and chairs.

“When I hear ‘vandalism’ I imagine people breaking down walls, or breaking windows, or writing on things, and I didn’t hear of any of that,” he said.

Pedneault added that he heard police drilled holes in a wall to break through and reach the occupiers.

“I get the sense that people decided to take a room, and that the police busted up a wall to get at them,” he explained.

The next afternoon, students protested downtown outside the Sheraton Hotel while Education Minister Line Beauchamp spoke at a conference about school dropout rates.

Over two weeks into the strike, Quebec Premier Jean Charest has yet to begin negotiations with students. At last week’s march, CLASSE spokesperson Gabriel NadeauDubois declared that, “soon [Charest] won’t have the choice.”

“This government has no choice, it has to listen to us, and it has to stop increasing tuition fees,” continued Nadeau-Dubois.

Pedneault said the government is unlikely to begin negotiations until the strike threatens to cancel the semester, meaning there would not be enough time for classes to achieve the legal minimum of hours taught required to qualify for school credits.

“Normally that’s six to eight weeks of a strike. So that would mean the strike going on for another few weeks,” Pedneault continued.

At McGill, the Arts Undergraduate Society will be voting to strike in the coming weeks.

Pedneault remarked that SSMU could hold a special General Assembly to discuss a strike, if not vote on one, within roughly three weeks. He added that he had already begun working on a petition to call a special General Assembly.

“At the very least, we’ll try and have a General Assembly before the end of March,” he said.

$1,668

t around 11 a.m. yesterday morning, students from McGill and other universities and CEGEPs in and around Montreal gathered in front of the Shatner Building to participate in a demonstration in support of the unlimited general student strike in Quebec.

The strike aims to place economic pressure on the Quebec government, in order to force it to reverse its decision to raise tuition hikes by $325 per year over the next five years.

The demonstration moved through campus, making its way through the Leacock Building and McLennan Library, and pausing briefly at the Y-intersection. After about an hour, a smaller group of students moved off McGill campus, making their way to Université de Québec à Montréal (UQAM).

According to Kevin Paul, a U3 Cultural Studies student and member of the AUS Mobilization Committee, the event was organized by a group of independent students from McGill.

“I’m in my last year,” Paul said. “I won’t be directly financially affected.

However, I want to live in a society that values education not as a commodity but as a fundamental right.”

Paul explained that he was pleased with the turnout from other Montreal schools.

“There are students that are on strike at other universities and CEGEP campuses coming to McGill. It’s a powerful show of solidarity as a strike vote approaches at McGill,” he said.

Cedric Lejeune, a first year

Biology student at UQAM, spoke on behalf of a group of UQAM Science students who participated in the demonstration.

“When we hear that there is an organized protest, we try to give our support,” he said. “Tomorrow [March 1], we are going to Quebec City. There is a huge protest there.

We hope [that there will be] over 10,000 people. We hope 100 Science students will be going tomorrow.

From UQAM, there will be a lot.”

He said that if the tuition rates are to increase, it will affect many students at UQAM. “We will all need to work more and longer. We will have less time to study and less time to sleep. If we have to work more, it’s more stressful.”

Carolamn Beigeven, a student of the CEGEP du Vieux Montréal, explained that this was the first time she attended a tuition hike-related demonstration. If the government goes through with the increase, she said, she will not be able to attend a Quebec university.

Melanie Le Berre, a U2 Physical Therapy student at McGill who participated in the demonstration, shared similar sentiments. “I feel enraged for people who won’t have access. I feel we are collectively concerned and responsible for the others. I don’t feel people are concerned [at McGill], and I think it’s sad… This protest is very small.”

Not all students are against tuition hikes, however. Rasul Abdoullakhi, a U2 Chemical Engineering student from Montreal, was standing outside of the McConnell Engineering building, during the demonstration.

“There’s always going to be hikes,” he explained. “There’s always going to be inflation. I saw at least 10 people

Early actions

Negotiations

3,300

2,300

6,381

22,835

30,205

65,021 students and 54 student

associations

CEGEPs UQAM

UQR

UdeM

Laval

Alyssa Favreau | The McGill Daily Source: bloquonslahausse.com

6 News

The McGill Daily | Thursday, March 1, 2012 | mcgilldaily.com

McGill and AMUSE reach agreement Nearly a year of negotiations concludes with first ever collective agreement Henry Gass

The McGill Daily

A

fter nearly a year of negotiations, McGill reached a tentative agreement on its

first collective agreement with the Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE) last Wednesday.

If ratified, the agreement will last for three years. The union was formed over two years ago, and rep-

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resents roughly 1,500 part-time and casual employees at McGill.

The agreement came after four meetings with a conciliator appointed by the Quebec Commission des normes du travail. AMUSE President Jaime Maclean described the end of the negotiation process as “a huge relief.” “[The agreement] means that we’ll be able to make a real change and to really, really help our members in a way that we can’t when we don’t have a collective agreement,” said Maclean. “It’s the beginning of us moving forward as a strong labour union,” she continued.

Both the union and McGill have agreed to not release details of the agreement until after the union’s ratification vote. Maclean said that she expects the vote to be held within the next few weeks.

Farid Attar Rifai, member of the AMUSE bargaining team and former union president, said in a statement released last week that all the union’s bargaining priorities have been met.

“A first agreement is always a long process, and we’re pleased to have achieved all six of our bargaining priorities... However, it’s up to the membership to decide whether it’s a satisfactory deal,” reads the statement.

Associate Vice-Principal (Human Resources) Lynne Gervais also commented on the agreement in a statement released last week.

“The University is satisfied that a deal was reached with AMUSE without having to revert to arbitration,” said Gervais in the statement.

The agreement is the third that the University has reached with

AMUSE’s agreement comes as students across Quebec mobilize against five years of tuition increases scheduled to begin this September. Many of the union’s members are students with part-time jobs at McGill.

71 associations, representing over 84,500 students, are currently on strike across the province.

Maclean said AMUSE has yet

“A first agreement is always a long process.”

Farid Attar Rifai AMUSE bargaining team member campus unions this academic year.

McGill settled new collective agreements with teaching assistants in AGSEM in November, as well as nonacademic workers in MUNACA after a semester-long strike.

McGill has also been in negotiations with invigilators for almost a year. The bargaining unit representing invigilators is awaiting word from the provincial mediator to start arbitration hearings. The two parties last met January 30, and invigilators almost held a strike vote before exams last December.

to take an official position regarding the student strike. “It’s normal for labour unions to be involved in movements like this,” she said.

“I know that the [Public Service Alliance of Canada], who is our parent union, often puts out statements of support,” she continued. “It’s definitely in our mandate to know what’s going on with the movement, and then to take a decision on how involved we’ll get.”

—with files from Erin Hudson

Commentary

The McGill Daily | Thursday, March 1, 2012 | mcgilldaily.com

7

Accessible education is not a pipe dream Why Quebec’s tuition increases are unnecessary Balaclava Discourse Davide Mastracci

balaclavadiscourse@mcgilldaily.com

I

n the upcoming months, students will mobilize to fight against the tuition increases proposed by the government of Quebec Premier Jean Charest. If the student strikes are to be successful in deterring tuition increases, as they have been in the past, mass student support is required. This reality makes a general student strike at McGill extremely valuable.

In order for this to occur, though, the many doubts McGill students have about the intentions of the movement to stop tuition increases will need to be quelled. While these doubts vary from person to person, they essentially boil down to the question of “where will the money come from?”

This question is a fair and healthy one, but it seems to indicate that the anti-increase movement is perceived as utopian, with vast ideals but no means of achieving them. This is partially due to the movement’s inability to communicate to a broad audience their alternative means of overcoming the “underfunding”. In hopes of helping to overcome this problem, an alternative option to raising tuition will now be presented, though I speak in no way for the accessible education movement as a whole.

The question of “where will the money come from?” arises in response to the claim that Quebec’s universities are currently underfunded. This initial claim is actually false, as it would be more accurate to state that Quebec’s universities are improperly funded. Despite the fact that Quebec has the lowest tuition rates in Canada, it spends the largest amount of money per student in the country, and internationally is only trumped by the United States and South Korea. It only appears as if the universities are underfunded because a large portion of funds are directed towards research, rather than operating costs such as professors’ and non-academic employees’ salaries.

Regardless, if you accept the claim that universities in Quebec are underfunded, this should not lead you to automatically assume that students need to carry the burden to make sure that universities receive the funding they need. The Quebec government is capable of carrying this burden – although, with the relatively small amount required to do so, it seems disingenuous to call it a burden for the government. For example, the Quebec government could generate the revenue needed to provide free education by raising the top-bracket income tax by 1.4 per cent and creating a corporate capital gains tax of 2.4 per cent. If the government can raise the funds for free education this easily, prevent-

Amina Batyreva | The McGill Daily ing the proposed tuition hikes is certainly plausible.

Moreover, in order to fight the tuition increases, you don’t need to believe that education is a right, and you don’t need to be one of the so feared “radicals” at McGill.

The effects of raising tuition will be numerous, and they will be harmful.

If the proposed tuition increase goes through, students will be excluded from education based solely upon their available means of income.

Some claim the financial aid system will prevent this, but in reality, the same 17 per cent of students who are eligible for aid now will be eligible in

the future, leaving 83 per cent with the full burden of the increases.

Beyond keeping certain students out of the system, the increases will punish those who choose to go to university with debts in the future. As it currently stands, the average debt for students in Quebec who take out student loans is just over $15 000, while the Canadian average is just over $26 000. Increased student debt will certainly come along with tuition increases that seek to bring Quebec tuition to the Canadian average.

Essentially, there is nothing “radical” about opposing policies that will inflict this type of damage upon stu-

dents and their families. And despite what some would like you to believe, realistic alternatives to these policies do exist. The matter of tuition increases is not one of idealists versus realists, but rather one of access versus exclusion and debt versus financial security.

The next couple months will decide which side prospers, but a large part of the result rests on you, the student.

Balaclava Discourse is a column written by Davide Mastracci on the structures of authority, hierarchy, and domination in society. You can email him at balaclavadiscourse@ mcgilldaily.com.

Is it time to make corporate giants pay their interns?

How the Wang case illuminates private sector abuse Tamkinat Mirza

The McGill Daily

T

he desirability of the unpaid internship remains an ongoing debate, most recently spurred on by a lawsuit by Xeudan Wang, an intern for Hearst Magazines.

Wang sued Hearst for violating the US Labour Department’s criteria for unpaid internships, as outlined in the 1938 Fair Labour Standards Act, which in part aims to ensure the educational value of internships while guarding against the displacement of regular workers.

Wang has accused Hearst of violating these terms, stating that the employer must derive no immediate benefit from the intern, the internship must be for solely education purposes, and that the intern must not be a substitute for regular employees. Wang was allegedly working up to 55 hours a week dur-

ing her internship, regularly doing menial tasks that should have been carried out by paid employees.

These duties included delivery coordination and record maintenance.

Wang’s case relates to a broader change within the past years that has altered the basic structure of internships in general. Recall the original motivation behind internships, which started out as being a means of career exploration, a chance for a person to “try out” an industry to see if it was a fit for them or not. This motivation is alluded to in the Fair Labour Standards Act. Somewhere along the line, the internship evolved into being a competitive entry-level position, completing at least a few of which became essential to eventually procuring employment in a consistently unsteady job market. In this context, when does it become unethical to refuse an intern pay?

The idea behind unpaid internship started out with a focus on the

interns, to allow them to gain handson sexperience within the industry, to allow them opportunities to network and to apply classroom theories to the real world. All in all, the idea was to amplify and fine-tune interns’ skill sets in a work environment while they learned new ones. Somehow, this ideal got warped along the way, sometimes transformed into unpaid exploitative labour, shifting the focus and benefit onto the employer.

Within the internship world there emerges a sub-divide which I want to focus on: smaller newspapers and journals, like those run by NGOs, versus corporate giants like Hearst.

NGOs rely on interns to do a significant chunk of work, but don’t have the resources to compensate them. Arguably, this enters the realm of volunteer work. Still, NGOs offer similar training and work experience as larger companies. Based on this context, unpaid internships in the nonprofit sector

are usually justified.

However, larger corporations in the journalism and publishing industry cannot justify unpaid internships due to their different financial structures. These organizations tend to be relatively more attractive for their huge networking potential and higher employee salaries and so, procuring internships with them is often a fiercely competitive ordeal. In addition, when compared to internships with NGOs, those with larger corporations are often more demanding of an intern’s time, and the (generally) vertical organization structure leaves interns anonymous pawns, overworked and unpaid.

Wang’s lawsuit exemplifies this: interns overwork themselves for no pay, hoping to network, to procure employment, to get that corner office overlooking 57th street. Yet as these corporations find loopholes in Labour Department criteria and continue to get free labour

from the intern, employment remains elusive for the intern.

The debate over unpaid internships is then not about making every employer pay its interns; it is about assessing types of employer and their capacity to pay. As NGOs are fiscally constrained, expecting them to pay their interns is not realistic, it would simply force them to reduce the number of, or complete remove, their internships. However, if corporate giants were to be pressured into paying their interns, the amount of internships they offer would not change significantly, since the resulting dent in their profits would be relatively small. Reaping profits by the billions while leaving interns starving hardly seems ethical, whatever corporate spin you put on it.

Tamkinat Mirza is a U3 Humanistsics Studies students. She can be reached at tamkinatmirza@ gmail.com

8 Features

HOMELESS PURPOSE ON

HOW A U1 PHILOSOPHY STUDENT BRAVES THE ELEMENTS, SLEEPS OUTSIDE, AND KEEPS AN EYE ON HIS GPA TEXT BY KATE McGILLIVRAY PHOTOS BY VICTOR TANGERMANN

I

nside one of Shane Dussault’s backpacks is a laptop, a small bag of tools, a bag of electronics, and an ultra-absorbent compressed towel the size of a washcloth. In the other is a kettle, food supplies such as olive oil, fruit, cheese and bread, and a bag of toiletries. His other three possessions are a down mat, a sleeping bag, and a “bivy bag,” which is a large Gore-Tex sack.

Shane is a U1 Philosophy student at McGill, and has been homeless since July. He lives on campus, using its facilities like most of us use different rooms in a house. He eats his meals in student lounges and does push-ups in the library. He showers at the gym and stashes extra socks in convenient hiding spots. He won’t say where – he guards his possessions closely.

He also sleeps outside year round, on campus in the winter and on the mountain in the summer. Again, for his own safety and privacy, he doesn’t disclose where. Every morning, he packs up his gear and begins another typical student day – he walks to class, takes notes on his mini Acer laptop in lecture, and logs long hours in the library to stay on top of his courses. (You can usually find him in Blackader Lauterman, the Art History library in Redpath). At the end of the day, he returns to his spot and sets up again, completing what must be the shortest commute in McGill history. On the weekends, when he visits friends or goes to parties, he’s careful not to drink too much – alcohol slows the blood’s circulation, something Shane can’t risk while sleep-

ing outside in February. And the strangest part? He does it all by choice.

W

hen I first heard about Shane, my mind scrolled through the possibilities: this was a political statement, an experiment in asceticism, a pitch for a book deal. Whatever he was doing, I was fairly confident I would react with either irritation or pity. I was shocked, then, to meet Shane in the flesh. He’s tall and bony.

He has long, frizzy, brown hair, which he sometimes wears up in a turban made from a silk scarf. His sole outfit consists of a pair of baggy black pants and a black sweater – he looks a bit like a Vietcong guerrilla.

Inside, he is often barefoot. He’s also unfailingly friendly, speaking in a soft, slightly Quebec-accented voice. He smiles a lot, an encouraging, wide-eyed, intelligent smile, the kind a teacher might give a pupil working their way through a problem on the board. You probably think he’d have to be a bit daft to sleep outside in the Montreal winter, but, then again, you haven’t heard him explain why he does it.

As it turns out, he has chosen to live outside as a creative solution to a difficult financial problem. Shane receives no financial help from his parents or relatives, with whom he has little contact. Thanks to Quebec’s system of loans and bursaries, his tuition is covered, with a little money left over for books and expenses. The Programme de prêts et bourses, however, does not provide him with enough money to pay for housing.

For most people, this is a problem with only one solution – get a job, and use that money to pay for a place to live. Shane, to use the old saw, is not most people.

In the absence of anyone paying his rent for him, Shane would rather live rent free than get a job to pay for an apartment. He briefly considered couch-surfing full-time or purchasing a bus to live in – an idea which was benched because he doesn’t have a drivers’ license – before hitting the streets this past July. And compared to many students, he’s in amazing financial shape. “Depending on how I do the math,” he says, “I could end up with zero debt at the end of university.”

“Housing,” he’s decided, “is more of a luxury good rather than a basic good. As an independent individual without children, at least, you can live very well sleeping outside, even somewhere cold like Montreal.”

T

o make it all work, Shane has put himself through what essentially amounts to a crash course in all-weather camping, accumulating gear and know-how usually reserved for the more dedicated members of the McGill Outdoors Club. Initially, Shane slept in a light, durable weatherproof hammock strung between trees, first in Mont Royal Park, and then on the grounds of a nearby mental hospital. “I am bonded to that hammock,” he says, laughing. But when schoolwork picked up and the temperature began to dip, he moved to campus for convenience and found himself in

need of a new system.

Now, he prepares his “nest,” as he calls it, by laying down a waterproof mat stuffed with down, originally built to be used on arctic expeditions. He then climbs into a down sleeping bag, which is tucked inside a bivy bag. Neither wanting to suffocate nor get soaked, Shane has to manage the delicate balance between breathability and impermeability. The combination of sleeping bag and bivy bag is meant to reconcile the two, but Shane admits he hasn’t yet perfected his system. “Past minus 20, I’ve got enough insulation, but at that point sweat kind of freezes up, even inside the bivy bag. There was a weekend when it was minus 25, and that was a bit uncomfortable, just because I didn’t have the right stuff.” He says he could use a balaclava and a more effective bivy bag, but otherwise he’s happy sleeping outside.

“Just this morning, I woke up, and I’m in a cocoon. I’m very comfortable.”

Part of what makes Shane’s life possible is that, as of yet, he has experienced almost no trouble with campus security guards. Though he has the right to remain on campus 24 hours a day (all students do), it wouldn’t be particularly hard for them to make his life difficult, rooting out his belongings or waking him in the night. In reality, they are almost invariably kind to him. Before he moved to campus, Shane had only been asked to pack up and leave a sleep spot once, while sleeping on the grounds of a private mental hospital not far from McGill. The encounter ended in a friendly discussion of survivalist camping methods with a curious guard.

The McGill Daily | Thursday, March 1, 2012 | mcgilldaily.com Since moving to his spot on campus, no one has bothered him – although he has been caught several times committing the cardinal library sin – sneaking in a snack.

“There are probably not many students who speak to the security guards as much as I do,” he says. One security guard, after inadvertently stumbling upon one of his caches of school supplies, went as far as to compliment his hiding spot. Janitors have also proven to be allies. “One janitor gave me some tips on how to better hide my stuff. And he gave me a tip, though I don’t need it, about some heating vents up the hill, so if I wasn’t well prepared for the winter, it would be a good space to go [sleep].”

Students have been surprisingly kind to him, too. “There’s a large proportion of people who don’t fit the McGill stereotype,” he says. “Even people who do fit the McGill stereotype – people from Outremont or Westmount – are very nice. I don’t tend to see the world in terms of hard divisions. I think most people are tolerant and good-natured.”

Sometimes students will inquire after his safety and offer him places to stay. Shane recently returned to his sleeping spot to find a gift certificate to a grocery store, along with a small bundle of food.

As a Montreal native, he also has a group of friends looking out for him, many of whom leave their doors unlocked with an open invitation to drop in whenever he wants. “In one sense I have many homes,” he says. “Someone who just arrived in Montreal, who doesn’t have a network of people, it would be hard to manage that. I have very good friends.”

There are more challenging parts to living homeless on campus. In order to be functional, Shane must live with an almost militaristic efficiency, carefully planning out his day to make sure he has everything he needs with him. He can’t wander over to the fridge when his stomach grumbles – he needs to visit his hidden bag of food when hunger hits, and often it’s a few buildings away.

Since July, he’s refined his system substantially, paring down his possessions to the absolute bare minimum. Now, he lives more or less out of two backpacks. He wears the same shirt every day, a warm black wool sweater, which he washes in bathroom sinks.

“I would do my washing more often,” he explains, “but the security guards don’t like it when I dry my clothes in the library.” He later messages me: “As a kid, I remember being worried about what ppl would think if I wore the same clothes two days in a row. I now see it as fur rather than clothes.”

He is also well aware that he is almost never alone, whether in McGill buildings or at the homes of friends. He doesn’t let it bother him too much, though, instead preferring to go about his business as if he had the privacy he lacks. “I don’t mind standing out a little,” he says, “and that’s one of the things you need to do to feel at home when you’re not at home. I sing in the hallways.”

One of the hardest things to grasp when describing Shane’s homelessness for the first time is that he’s doing just fine. He’s not a victim, or freezing to death, or in danger at every moment. In fact, he’s only felt unsafe a couple of times since July, after hearing strange sounds while sleeping in his hammock on the mountain. To ensure his own safety, he’s done his research and assessed risks as best as he can, refining his systems as he goes.

His rosy worldview seems to insulate him from the things that go bump in the night, and he sleeps peacefully. He jokes about the threats he faced when he lived on the mountain: “Maybe a highly motivated serial killer…

I mean, it wouldn’t be the psychotic type.

Perhaps the mission-oriented type.”

E

veryone needs four walls and a roof to live a comfortable and dignified life – this is taken for granted by most people in the developed world. Shane isn’t one of them. “Once you strip down the home,” he says, “it’s not a source of warmth, because you can be warm sleeping in a sleeping bag. It’s not a source of food, because you can eat food elsewhere. Strip it down, and what’s left is a place where you can put everything together, and you can shift from thing to thing with ease.”

Though he may miss the simplicity of combining activities – of, say, hopping in the shower while a kettle boils, or grabbing a catnap between chapters of a book – Shane thinks he has everything he needs.

But he has no illusions about the challenges faced by many others who find themselves without a home. For those struggling with addiction or mental health issues, young people who have been kicked out or are fleeing an abusive home life, or children and the elderly, doing what Shane does is neither desired nor possible. It is for these people, those who want desperately to come in from the cold, that our government has an infrastructure of shelters, subsidized housing, foster care, and job training programs.

Still, not everyone falls into this category. “There’s a lot of homeless people who don’t want housing and all that it implicates – which means working to pay your rent,” Shane tells me. “The government should make it easier to be homeless. Montreal has a lot of space. You could have homeless people sleeping in the warm if there was just a bit of basic infrastructure and guides teaching them how to do it.”

Shane may be just the man for the job. Right now he’s planning to write an all-season guide for sleeping outside, and publish it on his personal website, www. policycraft.com.

Shane doesn’t plan on staying homeless forever. A minibus, then eventually a house or an apartment – he wants to settle down one day and raise a family. He also hopes to work in philosophy, writing and teaching.

But for now, he’s happy where he is. He recalls a morning this past October, while he was sleeping on the grounds of the mental hospital – one of the many moments that have convinced him he’s on the right track.

“I could see the skyscrapers… It was a really beautiful spot – you see the pink come up in the morning. In a hammock you get to wake up with the sun.”

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Health&Education

The McGill Daily | Thursday, March 1, 2012 | mcgilldaily.com

11

Know HIV, no HIV One of the biggest challenges in treating HIV/AIDS today is one that might be thought of as the simplest: diagnostics David Ou

Health&Education Writer

H

uman Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV, is an RNA virus that causes the devastating disease called Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, or AIDS. The virus survives by injecting its own RNA sequence into the host cell and eventually, through a series of enzyme-facilitated processes, the nucleotide chain is converted into DNA and incorporated into the genome of the host cell. The virus then uses the host’s own cellular systems to reproduce and infect other healthy cells. The time it takes for the initial infection to become AIDS can be from two weeks to up to twenty years – or more – depending on the individual. During this period of latency, various opportunistic infections, cancers, and other conditions may develop.

HIV infection may occur in a variety of ways, with the most commonly known ones being unprotected sex, the sharing of needles, and from a mother to her child during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding.

The World Health Organization classifies the virus as a pandemic that infects about 2.5 million people per year, with an estimated total of 60 million individuals having been infected since its discovery. In 2008, over 2 million people died from AIDS-related causes.

The disease has caused about 25 million deaths in history. While the infection rates appear to have stabilized in most developed areas of the world, prevalence is increasing in Central Asian and

Eastern Europe. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region with the highest infection rates and the largest HIV-positive population, accounting for 71 per cent of all new infections in 2008.

Shockingly, studies show that six out of ten HIV-positive individuals are unaware of their status, which is why frequent testing must be conducted in order to reduce the number of new infections.

Unfortunately, many of the available test are costly and are infrequently available, especially in developing areas of the world.

Presently, there are two types of rapid HIV/AIDS testing systems, Point of Care (POC) tests – designed to deliver results rapidly and conveniently at a much lower cost than traditional tests – and self-tests – essentially POC tests, but even simpler. However, there are few FDA approved point-of-care (POC) tests and even fewer self-tests on the market. A recently published systematic review and meta-analysis study at McGill and Queen’s University, headed by Nitika Pai, a clinical epidemiologist at the McGill University Heath Centre, looks at the effectiveness of the POC antibody test OraQuick Advance HIV-1/2, manufactured by OraSure Technologies in Pennsylvania.

The study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases on January 24, compares the diagnostic accuracy of OraQuick, and investigates how the results may be applied to sub-Saharan African to help in eventually reducing the number of new infections.

“Although previous studies have shown that the oral fluid-based OraQuick Advance HIV-1/2 test has

great promise, [McGill’s] is the first to evaluate its potential at a global level,” states Pai. The test itself is a simple white stick with a flat swab at the end, and is administered in a swipe around the mouth between the gums and the lips. The swab end is then placed in a buffer solution, and results are produced after around twenty minutes.

The study shows a 99 per cent accuracy in diagnosis for high-risk populations, and a 98 per cent accuracy in low-risk ones. It has been found that in the 1 to 2 per cent error margin, more false-positives are produced than false-negatives, which many argue is better than the alternative.

Even with this high level of accuracy, researchers like Rosanna Peeling, coauthor of the study from the London School of Hygiene and Topical Medicine, strongly recommend a professional follow-up after self-testing.

By making a rapid POC test readily available, Pai hopes to “bring an end to the stigmatization associated with HIV testing.”

As part of her research, Pai has developed an innovative self testing strategy to be implemented in Africa, which is expected to make OraQuick more available, reduce visibility, increase privacy, and eliminate discrimination.

The strategy is presently being evaluated in a small sample of healthcare workers at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and at the University of Cape Town, both in South Africa.

A downside to the twenty-minute OraQuick stick is that it only looks for the presence of antibodies, which can leave a window

of one to three months between infection and the immune response where antibodies are produced.

Peeling suggests that this should be kept in mind when interpreting the

To further test OraQuick, Pai has paired up with Pierre-Paul Tellier, director of McGill Student Health Services, to test out OraQuick amongst students. According to Pai,

“HIV today is not a death sentence. There are cheaper, fast acting drugs available that can prolong the life of an individual, provided you are diagnosed early and treated early.”

Nikita Pai McGill Health Centre result of a test. The current cost for one OraQuick test is $10.

To reduce the window of inaccuracy, Pai is currently working on another POC HIV test called Alere Determine HIV 1/2 Ag/Ab, manufactured by Alere, which tests for both antigens and antibodies. This test successfully reduces the inaccuracy window down to two weeks from OraQuick’s three months. Pai is also researching another POC test which can simultaneous detect HIV, Hepatitis B and C, and syphilis. The multiplex test takes only 15 minutes to complete and costs around $4.

By increasing the availability of POC or self-HIV tests, Pai stresses that “HIV today is not a death sentence. There are cheaper, fast acting drugs available that can prolong the life of an individual, provided you are diagnosed early and treated early.”

this is the first HIV self-testing study in the world being conducted on an educated population. This new venture will allow researchers to test the accuracy of OraQuick (originally made for POC) when used in a self-testing setting. The results are expected to pave the way for better-designed self-tests.

Currently, Pai and Tellier have recruited over 125 McGill students for the study, and are still looking for more.

Today, OraQuick Advance HIV1/2 is a POC test only available for administration in clinics by health care professionals. However, OraSure Technologies has already submitted a very similar self-test to the FDA, and Pai expects its approval sometime this year.

Students interested in the HIV self-testing student may contact Student Health Services at 514-3986017 to participate.

Alyssa Favreau | The McGill Daily

Culture

The McGill Daily | Thursday, March 1, 2012 | mcgilldaily.com

12

Street view Taking a look at the gentrification of the Mile End’s Rue de Gaspé Gaby Lai

Culture Writer

F

or many McGill students, as you stumble into the depths of Mile End, onto Rue de Gaspé, things become a little less familiar. Especially at such a bleak time of the year, the lines of furniture shops and windows with nothing but a “louer” sign slapped on them may seem quite discouraging.

It took some digging before I saw that this neighborhood harboured a different kind of excitement, one that will most likely appeal to those looking for creative inspiration in its purest form. I was happy enough to see past the cluster of deserted factories and into the rich culture of this neighborhood, step-by-step, with the help of a barista, an artistic entrepreneur, and an artist.

First stop, Le Falco, a curious looking cafe sitting snugly along the graffiti-ed walls of Rue de Gaspé.

The cafe is a balance between minimalist and vintage aesthetics, with huge wooden tables, photographs, and welcoming leather couches – an ideal place to spend a lazy afternoon. Its unique concept however, stood out the most.

Barista Yuji Okada told The Daily, “my boss studied at L’École supérieure des arts et techniques de la mode (ESMOD) in Paris for 10 years before coming here. She liked Japanese interior design and her husband is a photographer, so they designed the cafe this way.”

As one might expect, it is a popular hangout for artists in the neighborhood. Local singer Ariane Moffatt, local actors, and the planners of POP Montreal are regulars. Besides the stellar cup of coffee that the cafe offers, I was given a perspective on the recent artistic development of the neighborhood. “This place has changed a lot.

It was really different three years ago,” Okada claimed, “sadly, it has a pretentious vibe and the artists do not work with each other a lot. They stay in separated groups.”

But the beauty of the neighborhood, according to him, lies in its compelling nature, “it is hard to reach, but once you know about this place, there is so much to see and know about,” he continued. Amongst the many artistic endeavors worth noting in this area is the POP Montreal International Music Festival.

Located just a few doors away, in a factory dominated by textile companies and studios, are the coordinators of this annual five-day festival, which boasts more than 600 artists yearly as well as film and visual art components. Co-founder and McGill graduate Dan Seligman

Gaby Lai for The McGill Daily was able to make this happen through years of experience as the tour manager for his brother’s band Stars, as well as his serendipitous encounter with the originator of Halifax Pop Explosion ten years ago. Seligman demonstrated an adamant dedication to his work.

“We continuously want to make the events better and we always try to push the boundaries of artistic programming,” he said. However, Seligman’s keenness does not come without occasional troublesome consequences, “I got punched by the bouncer at Bifteck for ‘flyering’, but really I was just sitting there at 3 a.m. with a stack of my flyers sitting next to me,” he chuckled.

According to Seligman, Rue de Gaspé and its surroundings form a place for artists and musicians who are always looking for more.

Despite the unavoidable effects of gentrification and a recent drug bust, the area is still “high density, and vibrant,” he claimed. Billy Maurease, an artist and one of the many vintage shop owners of the street, has a similar view.

“Gentrification always follows artists,” he stated, “this is how it goes: first there is this community, artists come and stylize it, they create art for the scene, then comes this issue that everyone has to face.” Though this process is clearly not a desirable one for the

artists, or for previous and current residents, Maurease believes that as long as the place remains “accessible, charming, and not being too overridden by landlords in their Ferraris,” then all is well.

After all, as he pointed out, “a ‘true artist’, if I dare say, should be expansive in nature. Artists should not stay in Mile End the whole time.”

As for his own work and the whimsical items in his store, Maurease has but one steadfast belief.

“What I’m doing here is not like BabyGap, or whatever you see downtown on Ste. Catherine; it is not for consumption. What I do is art and I am an artist. What’s here is my labour of love,” he stated.

Though the area may seem secretive and out of reach to those who have not ventured far enough, it sure is an art scene worth exploring if you’re hoping to find something beyond the galleries on Sherbrooke or the Musee des beaux-arts de Montreal. See past the bombardment of factories and trucks as you get off bus 55, and you will find cafes and independent businesses, workshops and galleries, all with their own artistic deeds.

A barista, an entrepreneur, and a local artist may not have much in common, but as the daily observers of the progress of Rue de Gaspé, they seem to have faith in the direction in which it may be going.

Culture

The McGill Daily | Thursday, March 1, 2012 | mcgilldaily.com

13

Cheap pho, pho sho!

Isabel Carey

Culture Writer

I

f you decide to venture down to Chinatown to eat at the Vietnamese restaurant Cristal No. 1, you might want to remember to bring some cash. Otherwise, you’ll be pointed to the nearest ATM, located at the back of a highsecurity jewelry shop. There, you’ll be buzzed in, and directed to the end of a long, dimly lit hallway. A slot in a thick glass window will slide open and a hand will poke out, gesturing for your card.

Now, there are only a few things that test your trust more than a human ATM. However, when it’s the only obstacle between you and a huge bowl of cheap Vietnamese food, such details become irrelevant.

Upon finally entering the restaurant, my friend and I we were met with the hectic lunchtime crowd. As we quickly took off our coats, hats, and scarves, we squeezed onto the end of a communal table. Talking to the owner, Mr. Chiuc, we found out the din was the norm for weekdays. Cristal No. 1 is a lunchtime haunt for people living and working in the area. After having a single meal there, I understand why.

The service is fast, the prices are low, and the atmosphere is cafeteria casual. It’s the type of place that seems to exist solely for a midday break.

When we got the menus, along with a pot of hot green tea, we settled in for the complex process of deciding what to eat. This was more difficult than it is at many other establishments due to the menu’s relatively large size, split into sections of soups, rice dishes, and noodle bowls. In addition, there was a list of drinks, on which I found the intriguing sweet & salty plum juice – though, when I asked, they were all out of it. As I continued down the list of drinks, it appeared they were out of everything liquid. We made a compromise and I settled on an old favourite, water.

I decided to get the restaurant’s most popular dish, Number 41A: stir-fried pork over vermicelli noodles, or bun ti nuong cha gio. This totaled in at $8.95, the standard price for dishes here. In exchange, I was met with a big, plastic bowl filled to the brim with vermicelli noodles.

On top was a handful of fried, marinated pork, an imperial roll, and a small salad. On the side, I received a small pot of fish sauce.

The table was cluttered with other sauces, as well. There was peanut-hoisin, a Vietnamese chili sauce, which was surprisingly fruity, and two different types of soy sauce. All had their moments on my bowl of noodles. This was partly because sauces – we can agree – are great. Unfortunately, it

Amina Batyreva | The McGill Daily

Cristal No. 1 offers big bowls, but bland food

was mostly because the dish badly needed it. Although the portions were generous, the food was generally pretty bland.

My friend, who had ordered the pho, had a similar experience.

Besides the imperial roll, which was crispy and salty and succulent and god knows what else, the food

was average. It’s the kind of food you can find just as good, and just as cheap, at a dozen other small Vietnamese places (such as Saigon, a block off campus and my personal favourite). My friend and I left contented, our bellies and our wallets full, but our tastebuds not particularly impressed.

Nevertheless, the place is adored and it thrives. Part of its appeal, perhaps, is its location, as may patrons work downtown. And after your meal you can stroll around Chinatown: you can look through the markets and the souvenir shops, and maybe, with that extra cash, grab dessert at one of the cheap nearby patisseries.

A contemporary cure Ariella Starkman clears her head at Montreal’s contemporary art museum

M

y hangover and I set off for the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal on a brilliantly sunny and harsh winter morning. The attraction was an exhibit featuring three internationally recognized and remarkable artists: Wangechi Mutu, Ghana Amer, and Valérie Blass. These women all utilize different mediums to create vibrant and dynamic works of art.

Vibrancy, energy, and movement.

Adjectives substantially far from how I was feeling that morning.

Exactly what I needed.

To explain, I have had strong reservations and extreme hesitations with regards to the contemporary art genre. My appreciation for more antiquated art came from family vacations spent loitering in various museums across Europe. The summers would pass and, as my sister and I learned to order cheap beer in various languages, I mastered my ability to observe, gawk, and reflect

on renowned works of art whilst being hungover. With contemporary art, however, I had never achieved the same familiarity.

Reservations and hesitations aside, I was at a crucial moment.

I reached for the door to the museum while willing myself to hold down my greasy Place Milton breakfast. It was in this moment I resolved to engage my observational skill. Regardless of a dismal emotional state or initial repudiation of the style, art in any medium is an expression of emotion, opinion, and revealing sensibility.

I repeated this in my head a few times before entering the open and airy space.

That morning’s emotionally fragile state allowed me to be particularly captivated when the exhibit guide explained that Mutu, Amer, and Blass have created an impressive and forceful collection that highlights their approach to female struggle and feminist consciousness.

Immediately intrigued, I began to absorb all of the fascinating and unique materials employed by each artist. With my stomach refusing to even think about food, the exhibit was shaping up to be a feast for the eyes.

Wangechi Mutu is renowned for her collages, which, as it happens, are pretty extraordinary. One particular diptych, entitled People in Glass Towers Should Not Imagine Us, uses mixed-media images from women’s fashion magazines and splatters of paint to incite reflection on the representation of women.

Many of her works show a vision of African women, one that projects strong, powerful, and animated females. I was floored. (Let me preface by stating that this was a special blend of hangover where each image I saw incited a particularly overwhelming reaction.) Mutu’s work made me reflect on and ponder the media representation of women in different nations. Before I reached the second artist of the

exhibit, I was engaged in an internal dialogue that was the opposite of exhausting – a shocking feat given my mental state.

Slowly but surely I was entering a clearer, less alcohol infused headspace. My theory of engaging with art in an attempt to evade hangover hell was reinforced upon venturing into Egyptian artist Ghada Amer’s collection.

The artist’s large canvases feature women engaging in sex with other women and pleasuring themselves. I realized that Amer is engaging in a conversation about the female body and our society’s tendency to present women in a way that, according to the museum’s website, “satisfies a voyeuristic gaze.”

I ventured to the exhibit featuring the work of Valérie Blass, a selfproclaimed “macho” sculptor – a designation alluding to her hands on approach – who wills the viewer to get lost in the assembly and material of her work. She uses everyday con-

sumer objects to create sculptures that situate her in the discourse of feminist consciousness. For example, a narrow wooden sculpture with “jeggings” superimposed on posts attempts to lend itself to a discussion of female anorexia. While I know this sculpture was intended to incite reflection, it went over my head. Blass uses various materials usually synonymous with packaging or imperative in games of beer pong to create pieces designed to look exactly like stone, iron, marble, and plaster. Impressed?

I was. Moved? I was not.

And so, waves of nausea at bay, I realized this may be the trick to contemporary art. There isn’t always one obvious narrative, and it is often a little erratic and unpredictable. However, if you allow yourself to genuinely appreciate the skill and creativity that goes into the work while utilizing your imagination to derive meaning and feeling from whatever is in front of you, then you’re probably doing it right.

Hangover optional.

Compendium!

The McGill Daily | Thursday, March 1, 2012 | mcgilldaily.com

Lies, half-truths, and laxatives

14

Laxative executive ponders run for SSMU President Campus activists attempt to constipate nomination Zee Lo Green

The McGill Daily

A

fter receiving 100 signatures, Laxative Executive Zacharia Poohburgh plans on publicly announcing his candidacy for SSMU president. Many campus activists have cited a possible conflict of interest regarding his credibility.

Poohburgh is currently a U7 Gastroenterology student and newly– appointed partner at Crapbook, a laxative multi-national with headquarters in London, San Francisco, and New York. Poohburgh achieved the partnership through his formidable charm and ability to never be tied up in glacial and dry details.

If elected president, Poohburgh would help develop a laxative specially designed for McGill students, SSMUTH Move.

Crapbook CEO Ivanna Shitt described many of Poohburgh’s traits.

“Zacharia is just one of those genuine dudes who is always prepared to run the extra mile for the team… I see him speeding things up at McGill. He will certainly create many openings on campus ”

Samosas

McGill administration members have also stated their support for Poohburgh’s candidacy. Shmichael Dee Crappa, Arch-Capitalist Finance and Operations Administrator, explained Poohburgh’s viability as a potential SSMU President.

“First, I would like to say that as a member of the McGill administration I love intervening in student democratic processes that have little relevance to my position… Poohburgh is definetely the strongest candidate and is the least likely to be tied up in extranneous details. Also, I want someone who can really let loose on those crazy campus activists. Zacharia can help us build a constipation free environment.”

However, many campus activists have been worried about the possible conflict of interest coming out of having a laxative executive as SSMU President. Many Blob Squad members are organized a “Shit-In” at the workplace of SSMU’s chief rectoral officer in order to delay Poohburgh’s nomination. Blob Squad non-hierarchical Chief Executive Officer Erich von Sphincter described the occupation’s goals.

“I’m really annoyed by Poohburgh’s feelings of entitlement towards this

SMMUTH MOVE, crapbook’s specialty McGill laxative. position. We don’t need no McGill laxatives, we already got coffee and greasy overpriced food… I expect all my fellow blob squadders to be outside the chief rectoral officer’s door, toilet paper in hand, singing solidarity forever.”

Dee Crappa responded to the

Winner 3

Winner 1

A proper meal

Student Code of Conduct

SHOWDOWN

Milton Avenue Revolutionary Press

guys honestly think I give a fuck about student democracy or campus consultation?”

In an e-mail to the daily, Von Sphincter responded to Dee Crappa’s message.

“It’s not an occupation, it’s a pooh party!”

Provisional protocol

FINAL

Zach Newburgh

threat of an occupation of the Chief Rectoral Officer’s workplace in a two sentence e-mail to the McGill community.

“There’s no such a thing as peaceful Shit In. I will not tolerate the occupation of the chief rectoral officer’s building. Also, do you

I. Spott Fitzgerald | The McGill Daily

Daily’s March Madness starts up

PLUS 16

Last month of lectures

PLUS 34

Summer job application stress is here

Winner 2

Winner 4

Midterms Community’s back

Welcome to The Daily’s McGill-based pop culture and current-events March Madness bracket. The series will run all month! Email compendium@mcgilldaily.com or tweet at @mcgilldaily with your picks or if you think you have better match-up ideas. All contestants subject to our comedic whims.

MINUS 31

Christopher Plummer finally got an oscar

PLUS 84

The Lorax comes out this weekend!!!

PLUS 3D

TOTAL

PLUS 103

The McGill Daily | Thursday, March 1, 2012 | mcgilldaily.com

volume 101 number 33

editorial 3480 McTavish St., Rm. B-24 Montreal, QC H3A 1X9 phone 514.398.6784 fax 514.398.8318 mcgilldaily.com coordinating editor

Joan Moses

coordinating@mcgilldaily.com coordinating news editor

Henry Gass news editors

Queen Arsem-O’Malley Erin Hudson Jessica Lukawiecki features editor

Eric Andrew-Gee commentary&compendium! editor

Zachary Lewsen culture editors

Christina Colizza Fabien Maltais-Bayda

science+technology editor

Shannon Palus

health&education editor

Peter Shyba sports editor

Andra Cernavskis photo editor

Victor Tangermann illustrations editor

Amina Batyreva production&design editors

Alyssa Favreau Rebecca Katzman copy editor

James Farr web editor

Jane Gatensby le délit

Anabel Cossette Civitella rec@delitfrancais.com

EDITORIAL

Coming out against hate crime On February 2 at a MacDonald campus event, six individuals assaulted Kristian Fidrych, a U2 Wildlife Biology student, after he was seen dancing with another male student. Fidrych was punched, kicked, and put in a headlock before managing to escape from his six attackers, who were not McGill students. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. According to Fidrych, many openly queer individuals on Mac campus are targeted with verbal attacks and pushing.

What’s more, the McGill administration has completely failed to respond to this attack. No email was sent from the McGill Relations Office making students aware of the situation. Further, Associate Dean of Student Affairs for the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, David Lewis, said to The Daily “I just wish [the incidents] didn’t occur, but I can’t stop them from occurring.” This defeatist attitude towards assault is unacceptable.

Hate crimes like these on campus, and McGill’s subsequent lack of response, give evidence of a broader institutional problem. There is, in fact, much that the administration can and should be doing to make all students feel safe and supported.

To begin with, the administration and student groups like the MacDonald Campus Student Society must foster an open-minded and inclusive environment on Mac campus.

This can be achieved through providing support for initiatives such as Rez Project, a program designed to facilitates discussions with downtown campus first-year students on sexual assault sensitivity, gender awareness, and queer and trans-positivity. There is currently no equivalent to Rez Project at Mac Campus.

On-campus resources and support groups for queer students are also desperately needed at Mac campus. Earlier this year Rainbow Mac, Queer McGill’s counterpart, was closed due to consistently low membership. The closure was ostensibly because of an intolerant environment on campus, which made students fearful of aligning themselves with groups that deal with queer issues. Services to support survivors of sexual assault are noticeably absent from Mac campus, and there are few safe spaces on campus.

The McGill administration should be doing everything in its power to implement and maintain such valuable resources to students – by improving the currently woeful state of transportation between the campuses, for example. But it’s student groups like Queer McGill and SACOMMS that run most of these services on the downtown campus, and they too should take the lead in expanding services to Mac Campus, by hosting panels and workshops, and establishing safe spaces for students.

By ignoring rather than addressing incidents such as these, the administration is only helping to perpetuate the larger institutional and societal problems at play. All students should be able to go to classes and social events without fearing for their safety. McGill must take action now and show that hate crimes will not be tolerated on either campus.

cover design

Victor Tangermann Contributors Isabel Carey, Laurent Bastien Corbeil, Evan Dent, Gaby Lai, David Ou, Davide Mastracci, Kate McGillivray, Tamkinat Mirza, Ariella Starkman, Doris Zhu

Editor’s Note On Friday, March 2, the Science Undergraduate Society will be holding its General Assembly at 5 p.m. at the Macdonald Medicine Building. The Daily encourages all Science Undergraduate Society members to attend.

The Daily is published on most Mondays and Thursdays by the Daily Publications Society, an autonomous, not-for-profit organization whose membership includes all McGill undergraduates and most graduate students.

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All contents © 2012 Daily Publications Society. All rights reserved. The content of this newspaper is the responsibility of The McGill Daily and does not necessarily represent the views of McGill University. Products or companies advertised in this newspaper are not necessarily endorsed by Daily staff.

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ISSN 1192-4608.

Errata In the article “Do you want a radio station or not” (Commentary Page 7, February 13) it is stated that CKUT is regularly ranked as either the first or second most listened-to radio station in montreal; rather, CKUT is regularly ranked as the number one or the number two best radio stations in Montreal, according to the Montreal Mirror reader’s poll. The Daily regrets the error.

15

Winter Referendum Period

Campaign Period: March 5th-March 14th Polling Period: March 8th-March 14th

The following referendum questions will be on the ballot: Arts and Science Councillor Seat Do You Agree, That Article 4.1 of the SSMU Constitution shall be amended with the addition of the following clause: “-one (1) councillor elected by and from students in the Interfaculty of Arts and Science”?

ASEQ Fee Do you agree to increase the current SSMU Health and Dental Plan fee by $35.40 (19.2%) for a total of $220.00 for fullyear coverage in order to maintain the current level of plan coverage?

CKUT Fee Do you support Radio CKUT’s undergraduate fee becoming non-opt-outable to support the operations of Radio CKUT? Composition of Council Do you agree that Article 4.1 of the SSMU Constitution be amended to read as follows?

Council shall be composed of the following: • The executive officers as described in Section II of the Title elected in accordance with this Constitution and Bylaws; • One (1) councilor elected by and from each Faculty or School, if that School is not already represented by a faculty-level student association, for every two thousand students (2,000) or part thereof to a maximum of four (4) councilors in accordance with the procedures set out by that constituency; • Three (3) councilors elected by and from the Society’s clubs and services in accordance with this Constitution and Bylaws; • Three (3) councilors elected by and from the undergraduate student members of the Senate, excluding the President and Vice-President (University Affairs), in accordance with this Constitution and Bylaws; • One (1) councillor elected by and from students living in McGill residences in accordance with the procedures set out by that constituency; • One (1) councillor elected by and from the Students’ Athletics Council in accordance with the procedures set out by that constituency; • One (1) councillor from the SSMU First Year Council in accordance with the procedures set out by that constituency; • The Speakers (non-voting) chosen in accordance with this Constitution and Bylaws; • The General Manager of the Society (ex-officio, non-voting); • The Recording Secretary of the Society (non-voting).

Composition of the Judicial Board Resolved, that Constitution Article 31.1 be amended to read “The Judicial Board shall consist of five (5) members of the Society who have completed at least four (4) full-time semesters in the Faculty of Law, or equivalent, and two (2) other members of the Society, appointed by the Nominating Committee, who shall serve a term of one year, or until their successors are appointed (whichever is later)”;

Resolved, that Constitution Article 31.2 be amended to read: “No member of Council, or of any McGill University faculty, school or departmental student association council, past or present, may sit as a member of the Judicial Board”; Resolved, that Constitution Article 31.3 be amended to read “The Judicial Board shall not sit with fewer than three (3) members, of whom the majority must be members who have completed four (4) full-time semesters in the Faculty of Law, or equivalent”.

Accountability of the Judicial Board Resolved, that Constitution Article 30.2 be amended to read “The Judicial Board shall follow principles of natural justice, including equity and good conscience. The Judicial Board may establish its own rules of practice, subject to ratification by the Legislative Council, and must file such rules with the General Manager and make such rules publicly available to all members of the Society.”

Jurisdiction of the Judicial Board Resolved, that Constitution Article 30.4 be amended to read “Rulings of the Judicial Board do not have the effect of binding judgment until ratified by the Board of Directors.

Every final written decision of the Judicial Board must be presented to the Board of Directors by the Judicial Board within two (2) weeks of said decision, accompanied by any preliminary decisions rendered, at the request of either party to the proceedings or as the result of a motion that the Judicial Board heard. As a general rule, decisions of the Judicial Board shall be considered final and shall be ratified by the Board of Directors. Notwithstanding the above, the Board of Directors remains the final authority of the Society and may, at its discretion or at the request of a party to the proceedings: • •

receive a written appeal of the final decision After reviewing the decision in its entirety and considering such an appeal, the Board of Directors may either 1) ratify the original Judicial Board decision by a simple majority vote; or 2) send the decision back to the Judicial Board for further consideration by a simple majority vote, 3) overturn the decision of the Judicial Board by a 4/5 majority vote

Important: Please note that this is not the full text of the referendum questions.

They can be found at www.ssmu.mcgill.ca/elections.

Polling station locations and dates will be announced via email and posted on: ssmu.mcgill.ca/elections If you have any questions please contact Elections SSMU at: elections@ssmu.mcgill.ca