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Volume 105, Issue 22 Monday, March 14, 2016

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March 14, 2016 www.mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

Montrealers march for International Women’s Day

3 NEWS International Women’s Day march Panel discusses women of colour in law

Women of Diverse Origins denounces austerity

Demilitarize counters McGill24

Rayleigh Lee The McGill Daily

Nadia Savchenko demonstration

Statement of solidarity with students in India HIV prevention talk SSMU Council objects to Bill 56 AUS Council discusses constitutional amendment SSMU executive candidate debates

COMMENTARY

Exploring religion and slavery Community voices key to development projects Constitutional amendment an insult to democracy Letter

SPECIAL ISSUE: SSMU ELECTIONS

FEATURES

The sorry state of the Duff Medical Building

15 SCI+TECH Kindergarteners can learn calculus too

16 CULTURE

Outside influences and cream pop with Bodywash Humorous puppetry pursues dreams Mozart’s opera turns feminist Who says that women don’t poop?

EDITORIAL

Seriously, demilitarize McGill

20 COMPENDIUM! Exclusive interview with Trashy Spice

n the evening of March 8, around 200 women and allies gathered in Cabot Square to celebrate and stand in solidarity with women for International Women’s Day. The march was organized by Montreal-based feminist organization Women of Diverse Origins. The March began at 6 p.m. near Atwater station along Ste. Catherine, with the crowd chanting and waving banners from their respective organizations. The march was accompanied by the Service de police de la ville de Montréal (SPVM). According to a statement by Women of Diverse Origins, the march was against patriarchy, colonialism, racism, Islamophobia, austerity, capitalism, and imperialism. Marie Boti, a spokesperson for the organization, told The Daily in an interview that the march sought “to bring back the militant tradition of International Women’s Day to Montreal.” Multiple organizations participated in the march, such as the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, and the South Asian Women’s Community Centre. “We are women from different cultural communities, from different generations, many immigrant and

racialized women,” said Boti. Some held banners that said “Immigrant workers against austerity and for their dignity.” Boti continued, “Because many of our members […] have ties with countries in many other parts of the world, we have direct links and are affected by what is going on elsewhere as well.” Boti emphasized that the march specifically opposed austerity, noting the disproportionate impact of the provincial Liberal government’s austerity measures on women. “The issues that affect us are the issues that […] affect most working people in Montreal, only often we have it worse,” Boti said. Issues such as cuts to social services particularly hinder gender equality, she added. She said that the Women of Diverse Origins and the march also support Indigenous women who are on the front lines of resistance against “transnational, multinational corporations [that] have no qualms about engaging in aggressive extractivism and mining projects.” A moment of silence was also held for Berta Cáceres, a Honduran Indigenous woman and environmental activist who resisted dams and mining projects to protect the

Women and allies at the march. Jasmine Lee | The McGill Daily waterways in Honduras, and was killed on March 3. Carlos Hernan Cerpa Mallat, a member of Fight Back, told The Daily in an interview that attending the march was especially important for them because women are denied access to political engagement in most societies. “I’m here because I think it is very important to defend women’s rights, especially today, in the political moment we live in,” said Mallat. “I think we have to recover the very sense of women’s day,” they continued. “For example, in [the U.S.] with the elections, with Hillary [Clin-

ton], the question of feminism and women has been taken to the scene in a very narrow and confused sense.” Firdaous Sbaï, a U2 Arts student, also attended the march and told The Daily, “It’s a good way to have awareness on issues that affect women in a more general way and [...] connect these issues, and through that illustrate that women’s oppression is systemic and every individual issue is connected in a bigger way.” “I think it sheds light on the fact that women everywhere face some kind of disadvantage by virtue of being women,” Sbaï concluded.

“You deserve to be here,” panelist tells women of colour in law Panel discussion, coffeehouse commemorate International Women’s Day

Paniz Khosroshahy The McGill Daily

he Women of Colour Collective of McGill Law organized a series of events in commemoration of International Women’s Day last week. The first event, a panel discussion called “Our Voices,” took place on March 7, and focused on the experiences of women of colour and Indigenous women in law. The second event, the “Speak our Minds Coffeehouse,” was held on March 8, and celebrated art created by women in forms of musical performances, spoken word, poetry, and dance. “Our Voices” panel The panelists, who come from diverse fields of law and with unique identities, discussed barriers that women of colour and Indigenous women face in law. They highlighted the importance of creating a community in the workforce, among other ways of

overcoming obstacles in a field dominated by white men. Panelist Amanda Ghahremani, founder of Women’s Charters & Declarations and Articling Fellow for the Canadian Centre for International Justice, emphasized the importance of questioning hegemonic classroom practices. “This is the most important message I want to impart to current law students of colour: your presence is the best way to disrupt the status quo,” Ghahremani said. “Challenge your professors, challenge your classmates, challenge the course materials, challenge assumptions, and also challenge yourself. As you engage actively and authentically in this space, don’t ever forget that you deserve to be here.” Adelle Blackett, a professor of Law and William Dawson Scholar at McGill, highlighted the importance of community-building in law school. “Classrooms are not safe space, you need to find a group of people and carve your space,” she said.

In a message to The Daily, Ghahremani mentioned that an email was sent to the Law admissions committee asking them to reconsider their policies in light of some of the experiences expressed by the panelists. Romita Sur, a member of the Women of Colour Collective and an organizer of the event, said, “As women of colour, we don’t see ourselves represented in the law and events. And so we wanted to have a space where we would hear from women of colour and Indigenous legal [professionals] on their experiences and how they navigated law school and their careers.” Speak our Minds Coffeehouse The second event focused on the experiences of women of colour broadly in society. The larger theme of the event was a tribute to the ways in which women resist violence in their communities, and performers also focused on themes of sexual

assault, genocide, white supremacy, and diaspora, among others. Alice Rougeaux, a U2 English Literature student, told The Daily that the event was simultaneously humbling and empowering. Sponsors of the event included the Feminist Collective of McGill Law, Contours, the Black Law Students’ Association of McGill, Aboriginal Law Students’ Association, Rad Law McGill, and McGill Students for Feminism. “Despite how harrowing the experiences are that call for resistance, I felt like what we were ultimately left with was positive energy […] and joy,” Rougeaux said. “That is because the women who performed celebrated friendship, motherhood, laughter, sexuality, survival, solidarity, achievement, and the satisfaction of saying ‘fuck you’ to oppressors. I didn’t really know what International Women’s Day meant before tonight, but now I think all of these things define it perfectly.”

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McGill24 campaign incites countercampaign by Demilitarize McGill Alumni encouraged not to donate until military research ends

Grace MacEwan News Writer

n March 16, McGill will be running a 24-hour fundraising campaign, McGill24. According to the campaign website, the one-day campaign will “unite alumni, students, parents, friends, faculty and staff in support of the causes that matter to all of us.” However, which causes “matter to all of us” is a controversial topic for some groups on campus. Demilitarize McGill, which organizes against military research at McGill, is running a countercampaign called ChangeMcGill24 which encourages alumni to take a pledge not to donate to McGill until military research is ended at the university. According to the Demilitarize McGill website, there are six different research groups involved in military research at McGill: the Aerospace Mechatronics Lab, the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Laboratory, the Institute of Air and Space Law, Missile Guidance Research, the Network Dynamics Lab, and the Shock Wave Physics Group.

Thermobaric Weapons In an interview with The Daily, Jason,* a member of Demilitarize McGill, highlighted the Shock Wave Physics Group’s research on thermobaric weapons, also known as fuel-air explosives (FAEs), as particularly concerning. According to a Human Rights Watch report, “FAEs are more powerful than conventional highexplosive munitions of comparable size, are more likely to kill and injure people in bunkers, shelters, and caves, and kill and injure in a particularly brutal manner over a wide area. In urban settings it is very difficult to limit the effect of this weapon to combatants, and the nature of FAE explosions makes it virtually impossible for civilians to take shelter from their destructive effect.” According to the Demilitarize McGill website, these weapons have been used in the Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq wars, among others. Demilitarize McGill also documents direct linkages between McGill researchers with the American and Canadian militaries, including collaboration with researchers in the military and publishing papers which include research partially funded by military agencies.

According to McGill’s mission statement, the University will create and disseminate knowledge “by carrying out research and scholarly activities judged to be excellent by the highest international standards, and by providing service to society.” Jason claimed that by engaging in military research, McGill is being hypocritical because “if you hold that standard [...] I do think there’s an obligation to not be complicit in war crimes and violent, aggressive warfare.” Accessibility and regulation concerns Demilitarize McGill also questions how the McGill administration handles the research. Jason accused the administration of being secretive and “[bringing] students to court over access to information requests.” For example, in the Fall of 2012, some members of Demilitarize McGill submitted access to information (ATI) requests in response to questionable activities by McGill’s CFD Laboratory. These students were brought to court by the University, which claimed these students orchestrated a “complex system for ac-

quiring documents” as “retaliation” for unknown events during the 2012 student strike. Jason also voiced concern about the fact that “there’s really no regulation on the ethics of military research at McGill.” As part of a McGill review of general research ethics in 2009, Demilitarize McGill called for “an ethical review of any research conducted in conjunction with anyone receiving military employment or funding.” However, the final draft adopted by Senate in 2010 “lacked any ethical review for potentially harmful research,” says Demilitarize McGill’s website, and today McGill has no mechanism for investigating the potential harm of its military research. Withholding donations Anand Patwardhan, a documentary filmmaker who graduated with an MA in Communication Studies from McGill in 1982, has taken the pledge not to donate to the University. In a statement to The Daily, Patwardhan said, “I am deeply disappointed to hear that McGill, my alma mater, is involving itself with military research.” Derek Cassoff, McGill’s Director of Strategic Communications for

University Advancement, informed The Daily in a written statement that donors can choose where they would like their donations to go. “McGill24 donations won’t support researchers or research labs directly. Some donors may choose to give to the Deans Development fund in a particular faculty, which supports a range of needs and emerging priorities over the year, as determined by the Dean. Some of these could involve research, but this would be a very small percentage of overall donations,” Cassoff added. Regarding the University’s stance on military research, Cassoff said, “there will be no change to McGill’s policies based on this specific campaign” because “those who support the Demilitarize McGill campaign represent a tiny fraction of the approximately 30,000 donors who give to McGill every year.” Patwardhan, however, believes educational institutions like McGill “should set an example for the rest of Canada and the world,” and said he would be “both grateful and proud” if McGill ended its military research. *Name has been changed.

Montrealers in solidarity with Nadiya Savchenko Incarcerated politician and pilot a “symbol of Ukraine”

Marina Cupido The McGill Daily

n the evening of March 8, roughly a hundred members of Montreal’s Ukrainian community gathered in Phillips Square to stand in solidarity with Nadiya Savchenko, a Ukrainian politician and military pilot who has been incarcerated in Russia since 2014, when she was captured by pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine. Accused by the Russian government of killing two journalists, she has vehemently asserted her innocence, and was reported to be on a hunger strike last week. Protesters began arriving in the square shortly before 6 p.m., carrying Ukrainian flags and placards expressing support for Savchenko. After roughly half an hour of mingling and discussion, prominent members of the Montreal Ukrainian community gave a series of speeches, praising Savchenko’s defiant attitude toward her captors, and calling for her release. Karina Grinenko, who addressed the crowd in Ukrainian, explained that she had been a vol-

unteer in the same unit as Savchenko during the summer of 2014. This unit, the Aidar Battalion, has a history of links to the far right, and has been accused of human rights violations by Amnesty International. According to Grinenko, Savchenko joined the Aidar Battalion in May as a volunteer after having been turned down three times for missions to territory illegally occupied by Russia as a pilot. “A month later, on June 17, she was captured while trying to help a group of military agents. They were freed, but the group Nadiya was a part of was still in captivity. During the following month most of the combatants were released, but one of them was killed in the basement of a Luhansk prison, and Nadiya was taken to Russian territory by the end of June,” Grinenko said. Oksana Gerych, who also gave her speech in Ukrainian, highlighted Savchenko’s importance both as an individual and a nationalist symbol. “Nadiya Savchenko can be said to be a symbol of Ukraine: [...] unbreakable, patriotic, strong, confident, and

stubborn, who, not with words but with actions, said that she would fight until the very end. We would very much not want this end to come for her, and to lose her. [...] So we are here so that she lives,” Gerych said.

“It’s not really in the news lately, but it’s still very much happening, and people are dying both on the Russian and Ukrainian side every day.” Nadia Demko Several members of the McGill Ukrainian Students’ Association were present at the demonstration. “A member of my family, he actually was in the war zone, so he was part of the Ukrainian troops,” ex-

Marina Cupido | The McGill Daily plained one student in attendance. “A lot of people are [going] through certain physical or mental issues after that. I mean, [that member of my family] had a big, big problem; he couldn’t adapt to normal life after he [returned]. And still, I feel that he’s not recovered from that.” “I think it just comes down to human rights,” said Nadia Demko,

another McGill student at the demonstration. “I think you can sympathize with someone being illegally captured from their country, and this is all in the context of the war that’s happening in eastern Ukraine. It’s not really in the news lately, but it’s still very much happening, and people are dying both on the Russian and Ukrainian side every day.”

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March 14, 2016 The McGill Daily | www.mcgilldaily.com

McGill students stand in solidarity with Indian student protests

Charges of sedition against students in India spark criticism worldwide Clara Kyung News Writer

n response to controversies surrounding the arrest of students at India’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) following a pro-Kashmiri separatist event, a group of McGill students have responded to a call for an international day of protest and action on March 2, creating a statement of solidarity for students at JNU and collecting signatures. On February 9 students at JNU, a university in New Delhi, held an event to discuss the struggle of Kashmiri people for their democratic right to self-determination. Students also questioned the controversial hanging of Afzal Guru, a Kashmiri separatist convicted as a terrorist who played a role in an attack on India’s parliament in 2001. On February 12, Kanhaiya Kumar, president of JNU’s Students’ Union (JNUSU), was arrested after the university administration had let police, who were wearing civilian clothes,

into the JNU campus to find students who were involved in the event. Kumar was charged with sedition after “anti-India” slogans were allegedly shouted at the February 9 event. According to The Indian Express, Kumar and his supporters were allegedly beaten by lawyers on court premises, in police presence. Home Minister Rajnath Singh, in a tweet, said that any individual who opposed the sedition charge has been labelled as an anti-national by the Indian government, which is currently led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has close ties to Hindu nationalist ideology. Kumar has now been released from jail on a bail period of six months, based on a lack of any evidence that Kumar participated in anti-national slogans. However, two other students, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, remain in police custody under charges of sedition. Arrest and controversy Kumar’s arrest and the subsequent handling of the situation by

the government have generated massive protests across India and international criticism. In an interview with The Daily, Vertika, a first-year McGill PhD candidate and alumnus of JNU, said, “The stance of the JNU community has been that [the arrest] was a pre-planned political move by the right-wing forces […] so as to generate this polarization in [India] about nationalism, and then define who is an anti-national.” “India is such a diverse country. How can there be only one idea of nationalism?” Vertika continued. Bayar Goswami, a first-year McGill Law student, and a member of Stand With JNU, told The Daily that the sedition charges themselves are problematic. “The Supreme Court has a clear ruling that for sedition to exist in any act, incitement of violence has to occur,” said Goswami, yet noted that the students charged with sedition were not violent. Additionally, many separatists have called for the freedom

of Kashmir in the past and were not charged with sedition. Speaking to The Daily about India’s political state, Arunima Sharan, a U1 Economics and International Development Studies student who signed the statement of solidarity and is a member of the Indian Students Association, said, “We call ourselves the biggest democracy in the world but are we getting our rights as a democracy?” McGill stands in solidarity Vertika, Goswami, and Sharan, along with Gaurav Singh, a firstyear MBA student, and Aishwarya Nair, a first-year PhD candidate, organized a meeting to support JNU’s cause and created a statement of solidarity from concerned individuals of McGill, which has gathered fifty signatures so far. “As students […] we need to stand up for the rights of other students across other parts of the world for the right of freedom of speech and expression. Why? Because universi-

ties are spaces where students should be able to critique even the ideas of the state, critique the policies of the government,” noted Vertika. Universities across the world have also created their own statements, with some holding public rallies. According to Goswami, “This kind of peer solidarity […] creates pressure on the government to think about its actions.” The pressure resulting from international statements of solidarity has undeniably had an effect, said Vertika, as media that was aggressively branding students as anti-national have had to back down, and the administration of JNU no longer lets police enter the campus to arrest students. Vertika suggested that McGill faculty could write public letters to the administration of JNU. Vertika has also submitted a motion for the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) to take a position on the issue in order to raise more awareness in the McGill community.

HIV/AIDS lecture series concludes with focus on harm reduction

Lecturer emphasizes need for “political will” to end HIV/AIDS Xavier Richer Vis The McGill Daily

n March 10 McGill University hosted the final event of Concordia University’s Community Lecture Series, “Ending HIV/AIDS.” The main speaker was M-J Milloy, an infectious disease epidemiologist and assistant professor at the University of British Columbia and Principal Investigator of the AIDS Care Cohort to Evaluate Access to Survival Services (ACCESS). Although the talk was called “Ending HIV/AIDS” Milloy focused largely on HIV, speaking about the rise and decline of its prevalence in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Milloy said in his talk that in the mid-1990s, Vancouver saw the worst HIV outbreak ever observed in the Western world: within 12 months, the level of HIV infection in Vancouver’s Eastside went from 1 in 100 individuals to 1 in 4. Milloy said that this rise stemmed primarily from a shift from heroin, which is often injected up to five times a day, to cocaine, which can be injected up to 50 times a day. A rise in the demand of needles led to a decrease in supply, encouraging needle sharing. Those hit hardest by the crisis were men who had sex with

men (MSM), Indigenous peoples, people who were incarcerated, and other disadvantaged groups, a trend that has persisted to this day, noted Milloy. “The vast majority of people we work with are marginalized and there exist many barriers in their accessing social services,” said Geneviève Fortin, a representative from CACTUS Montréal, a Montreal community organization with needle exchange and collection services. “Many suffer from homelessness, mental health issues, and live in extremely precarious situations,” Fortin continued. “What our scientists and I have concluded is that what really happened in Vancouver was not as much a story of drug use as much as it was a story about deadly public policy,” said Milloy. He elaborated that the HIV crisis in Vancouver was exacerbated by the effects of a “public order-based” response to drugs: the fear of arrest and heightened stigma surrounding drug use pushed drug users away from healthcare facilities, resulting in less medical help for drug users. Correctional facilities lacked harm reduction initiatives and effective HIV/AIDS treatment. Regarding the low rate of HIV infection in Vancouver today, Milloy said, “This was not a quirk of nature, but rather very specific

actions [that] were taken during the outbreak which led us to the point where we could actually believe we could end the disease.” These actions included a reorientation of Vancouver’s public safety agenda, with the city’s Health Board declaring a state of public health emergency, and adopting harm reduction initiatives to curb future drug use. Harm reduction can be defined as a policy that does not prohibit or eradicate a harmful act itself, such as drug use, but works to reduces the harmful effects of it. Insite, the first legal supervised drug injection site in North America, opened in 2003 in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Unlike a hospital or free clinic, Insite presented itself as “lowbarrier,” allowing for a judgement-free zone where drug users were not afraid to seek out treatment. Over the next decade, some studies showed a 35 per cent decrease in the rate of fatal overdoses in the neighborhood. Clinics like Insite saw opposition from both provincial and federal Conservative governments, who believed that harm reduction techniques were encouraging drug use in urban areas. Even today, cities like Montreal grapple with the political challenges of setting up safe injection sites.

Marina Djurdjevic | The McGill Daily “The Harper government lost their attempt to close Insite in 2011,” said Milloy. “In response, what they did was pass Bill C-2, a federal law governing the opening of new facilities. [The bill] made it very difficult to [open new facilities], putting in a lot of unjustified conditions in front of organizations who wanted to open.” For example, letters from chiefs of police were required, but law enforcement agencies are traditionally against harm reduction methods. Milloy concluded by saying that little additional research was needed to eradicate HIV in Canada.

“If I leave you with one idea from this talk, it’s that eradicating HIV among drug users is no longer a medical concern,” said Milloy. “We no longer need to figure out the medical tools to end this pandemic.” He continued, “What Vancouver shows is that we need the political will to do something. We need politicians with the political will, who will not only devote the resources required, but who will also dismantle the structures of stigma, discrimination, criminalization and impoverishment which lead to HIV in these communities.”

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March 14, 2016 www.mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

SSMU objects to Lobbying Transparency Act New Bill would force SSMU to register staff as lobbyists Paniz Khosroshahy The McGill Daily

n March 10, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Legislative Council met to discuss Committee Terms of Reference and a motion to oppose Bill 56. Opposition to Bill 56 In June 2015, Bill 56, the Lobbying Transparency Act, was introduced to the National Assembly of Quebec to replace an older bill governing lobbying activity. The new bill extends the definition of a “lobbyist” to include any director, officer, or employee of a non-profit group who lobbies on behalf of the non-profit.

“This motion changes what it means to be a lobbyist. It makes it much more difficult for groups to lobby the government.”

Chelsea Kingzett, SSMU Environment Rep This extended definition would encompass SSMU, meaning that SSMU would be required to register its staff as lobbyists. Council adopted a motion to object to this change of definition. According to this motion, “through the office of the VP External, [SSMU will] prepare a memorandum detail-

SSMU Council meeting. ing its opposition to the inclusion of non-profits and community organizations in the Bill for presentation at any parliamentary commission on this issue.” “This motion changes what it means to be a lobbyist,” said Environment Representative Chelsea Kingzett. “It makes it much more difficult for groups to lobby the government.” Withdrawing from U15 lobbying VP External Emily Boytinck has been informally meeting with undergraduate student union representatives from the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities (U15). They have formed a coali-

Andrea Li | Photographer tion lobbying the federal government for, among other things, the Canada student loans program and the advancement of international students’ interests.

“People are advocating for predictable tuition growth but that is not SSMU’s position.”

Emily Boytinck, SSMU VP External

U15 is a group of 15 Canadian public research universities which represents its members’ interests at the provincial and federal levels. Boytinck mentioned her discomfort with the inefficacy and the informal nature of the coalition and noted her decision to end SSMU’s involvement with the group. “I just think that the informal nature […] doesn’t work. Their research briefs are not prepared in the slightest,” Boytinck said. “People are advocating for predictable tuition growth but that is not SSMU’s position, whether predictable or not.” The coalition has been meeting via Skype and is planning a meeting in Ot-

tawa in three weeks, which Boytinck says she will not be attending. Stalled Sexual Assault Policy negotiations President Kareem Ibrahim mentioned that negotiations with the administration regarding the Sexual Assault Policy (SAP) may not be completed during this academic year. “We’ve been stalled numerous times and it is a pretty frustrating process,” said Ibrahim. “But we are confident now that from this point, negotiations have become more consensus-based than previously, so hopefully we can pass the policy this semester.”

Campaign against “external and divisive” amendment at AUS Council

t a brief meeting of McGill’s Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) Legislative Council on March 9, a presentation was given by students campaigning against a controversial amendment to the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU)’s Constitution, which will be voted on in this week’s online referendum. Council also passed three motions with virtually no discussion. Presentation by “no” campaign Councillors Julie Skarha and Erik Partridge delivered a short presentation on behalf of the campaign opposing the proposed amendment to the SSMU Constitution. If passed, the amendment would empower an unelected steering committee to remove motions deemed “external and divisive” from the agenda at SSMU

General Assemblies (GAs). The committee’s decision could be disregarded should a two-thirds majority of those present at the GA vote to return such a motion to the agenda. The motion in question would then require a two-thirds majority to pass, instead of the usual simple majority. The amendment has caused significant controversy on campus since being brought forward at the February 25 meeting of SSMU Council, and will be voted on in the online referendum that will take place from March 16 to 18. Skarha argued that such an amendment would be undemocratic. “There’s no set criteria for [divisiveness] in the [amendment], so really it would just be whoever was sitting on this committee deciding what they deem divisive, [...] probably [based on] their own

political opinions,” she said. Responding to Skarha’s comments, one councillor called the amendment “an extension of [the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) SSMU GA motion].”

“Regardless of the vote passing or not, it’s still good for these discussions to come to SSMU and be discussed. That’s what democracy is about.” Gabriel Gilling VP Academic

“I’m not speaking to either side of the BDS campaign [...] but I know why this was put forward. It’s not about stopping the student democratic voice. When you have [issues] students are going to therapy for on both sides, and it turns the whole student body upside down for two weeks, this is what [the amendment is] trying to minimize,” the councillor said. VP Academic Gabriel Gilling disagreed, saying, “The way that I see it, most contentious issues ought to be discussed, and this is just another way for students that disagreed [...] with BDS [...] to stifle a debate that should be had. Regardless of the vote passing or not, it’s still good for these discussions to come to SSMU and be discussed. That’s what democracy is about [...] and that’s how we achieve real progress.”

New business Following the presentation, three motions passed unanimously and with virtually no discussion. The first increased the McGill Panama Field Study Program Fee from $4,980 to $5,500, to retain “the academic richness of the program and its viability” in the wake of the recent devaluation of the Canadian dollar. A second motion amended Council’s financial bylaws to allow Council to use a credit card in certain exceptional circumstances. Previously to the amendment, Council was only permitted to use a debit card for such transactions. The final motion approved a series of allocations of the Arts Student Employment Fund’s undesignated resources. —Marina Cupido

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March 14, 2016 The McGill Daily | www.mcgilldaily.com

Presidential candidates ambivalent over “external and divisive” amendment SSMU executive candidates answer questions from the press

Cem Ertekin & Xavier Richer Vis The McGill Daily

n March 8, candidates for the upcoming Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) elections participated in this year’s press debates, held in the SSMU Ballroom. The voting period for the executive elections will begin on March 16 and end on March 18. The candidates – with the notable exception of VP External candidate Alexei Simakov, who did not attend the debates – were given the opportunity to present their electoral platforms and to answer questions from members of the student press. President U2 Environment student Ben Ger and U1 Biomedical and Life Sciences student Jordan Sinder are competing for the position of SSMU President. Le Délit asked both candidates where they stood regarding the controversial amendment to the SSMU Constitution which, if passed, would block “external and divisive” motions from being discussed at General Assemblies (GAs). “I am for direct democracy,” said Ger. “As a student government, we should represent exactly what the student body wants, and the GA is an amazing way for students to come out and mandate their executives to do certain action.” He continued, however, by asserting that “there is something to say for the idea that the [motions would require a] two-thirds majority [to] stay on the agenda.” “If it passes,” he concluded, “I will support it.” Sinder argued that “there is a distinction between de-politicizing SSMU as a whole and making sure our executive council is politically neutral.” He explained that while his presidency would avoid political stances, he would feel a strong obligation to support activist groups on campus – even those that might bring forward potentially divisive GA motions. “As a member of the executive council, I think it’s wrong for us to assert certain stances on these divisive issues,” finished Sinder. VP External U4 International Development Studies student Alexei Simakov and U3 Philosophy and Political Science student David Aird are competing for the VP External position. However, Simakov was not able to attend the debate, and told The Daily that was owed to schoolwork. Most of Aird’s relevant expe-

rience has been with the McGill Against Austerity campaign. When asked by The Daily how he would support other campaigns on campus – such as Divest McGill and Demilitarize McGill – Aird replied, “My involvement with other campaigns is definitely less pronounced than with the anti-austerity campaign. [...] I intend to appoint someone who is very knowledgeable [about] those campaigns as Political Campaigns Coordinator.” Aird continued, “I think these campaigns benefit from having a certain independence from [the VP External] position, from SSMU in general. [...] I find [these campaigns] to be more or less selfmanageable and self-sustaining at this point. [...] I’m open to giving them all the institutional support that they need.”

“There is a distinction between de-politicizing SSMU as a whole and making sure that our executive council is politically neutral.” Jordan Sinder, presidential candidate VP University Affairs U3 History and East Asian Studies student and Arts Senator Erin Sobat is running unopposed for the VP University Affairs position. During his opening remarks, Sobat told the audience, “I want to do a lot more to inform you about [the VP University Affairs’s] role in advocating for your needs at the University level.” He also emphasized his experience in both “project-based” and “administrative portfolio-based” positions. Responding to a question from The Daily about his opinions on political neutrality and how that would affect the dynamics of next year’s SSMU executive team, Sobat said, “Next year in general will be a restructuring year and there will be a lot of conversations about what SSMU’s priorities are in terms of advocacy as well as service provision, knowing that cuts will have to be made. [...] I will say that I do feel that SSMU does have an important

SSMU executive press debates. role on campus and will advocate for that.” VP Finance U3 Strategic Management and Accounting student and SSMU Club Auditor Niall Carolan is running unopposed for the VP Finance position, one of the two positions that have been created out of the former VP Finance and Operations position. When asked by the Bull & Bear about how exactly he is planning to ensure SSMU’s financial stability given the recent failure of the membership fee increase referendum, Carolan mentioned the Student-Run Cafeteria (SRC) among the items that would need to be reconsidered, should the SRC run a deficit in the long term. Nevertheless, Carolan said, “I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable saying that I am going to cut this and this at this meeting right now. [...] I think that there are specific places that do get cut quickly, like the Club Fund. [...] However, I believe that that’s one of the most [significant] things that students benefit from by paying their student fees.” VP Operations U3 Biochemistry student Sacha Magder is running for VP Operations, the other half of the former VP Finance and Operations position. Among Magder’s campaign promises is the addition of a “sleeping space” in the Shatner building. Pointing out the conflict between the number of specialized spaces that SSMU would like to add to the Shatner building and the building’s physical

Sonia Ionescu | The McGill Daily limitations, The Daily asked Magder how he would approach space reallocations. Magder said, “There are spaces that are available and can be moved. [...] I think there are a lot of other ways we can optimize the space and use it better and more efficiently.” VP Internal U1 Materials Engineering student Daniel Lawrie is running unopposed for the VP Internal position. His platform centres on communication, organization, and trust. “I believe that through these values, we’ll be able to fix some of the issues that are currently [affecting] the VP Internal’s portfolio,” Lawrie said. The Bull & Bear asked Lawrie how exactly he plans to motivate students to be more engaged, apart from just communicating with them. Lawrie emphasized that SSMU needs to go beyond simply using the listserv, and start using mobile platforms such as the MyMartlet app. “It’s crucial for everyone to have access to information as easily as possible. [...] People will be able to get these notifications on their phone. If you look at our generation, we are the millennial generation. [...] Everyone’s on their phone 24/7,” Lawrie said. VP Student Life Elaine Patterson, a U2 English Literature student and Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) VP Communications, and Dushan Tripp, U3 History student and Clubs & Services Representative to SSMU, are competing for the newly created VP Student Life position, which is replacing the VP

Clubs & Services position and taking over the mental health portfolio from the VP University Affairs.

“There will be a lot of conversations about what SSMU’s priorities are in terms of advocacy as well as service provision.” Erin Sobat, VP University Affairs candidate The Daily asked both candidates what they saw the role of VP Student Life within SSMU Legislative Council to be, considering the scope and political nature of topics discussed. Tripp responded, “As much as I might keep my political opinions to myself, which I probably will, I do believe that SSMU is a democracy and that the voice of the people that vote and debate in SSMU should be [respected].” Patterson said, “As a SSMU councillor, I would do my best to make sure that my personal opinions did not interfere [with] opinions I received from [those] who are part of certain clubs and services, making sure that what they want to see happens in SSMU Council, even if it’s something I would not like to see happen.”

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March 14, 2016 www.mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

Chains and the church

An epistolary look at faith, religion, and enslavement

Nadir Khan Shadows of Slavery

here there has been slavery, religion has never been far behind. The rhetorical power of religion long justified and guided the process of enslavement, and this reality was no different in the transatlantic system of slavery. The Christianizing mission of African slavery is hardly a secret. Nor is Genesis 9:20, where one can find the Curse of Canaan, by now widely interpreted by historians as a biblical sanctioning of anti-Black racism and enslavement. Meanwhile, the Torah as well as the Quran and the Prophet’s Hadith contain passages that sanction slavery under various terms. Holy books aside, religious practices have long given concrete support to the institutions of slavery. Despite this, the experiences of enslaved peoples, as recounted in slave narratives from the American south, show that enslaved peoples drew their own conclusions from religious teachings and shaped them for their own ends. *** “After the alarm caused by Nat Turner’s insurrection had subsided, the slaveholders came to the conclusion that it would be well to give the slaves enough of religious instruction to keep them from murdering their masters. The Episcopal clergyman offered to hold a separate service on Sundays for their benefit. [...] Pious Mr. Pike brushed up his hair till it stood upright, and, in deep, solemn tones, began: ‘Hearken, ye servants! Give strict heed unto my words. You are rebellious sinners. Your hearts are filled with all manner of evil. ‘Tis the devil who tempts you. God is angry with you, and will surely punish you, if you don’t forsake your wicked ways […] God sees you. You tell lies. God hears you. [...] Your masters may not find you out, but God sees you, and will punish you. O, the depravity of your hearts!” —Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl *** “The fact that the church of our country (with fractional exceptions) does not esteem ‘the Fugitive Slave Law’ as a declaration of war against religious liberty, implies that that church regards religion simply as a form of worship, an empty ceremony, and not a vital principle, requiring active benevolence, justice, love, and good will towards man. It esteems sacrifice above mercy; psalmsinging above right doing; solemn

Sarah Meghan Mah | The McGill Daily meetings above practical righteousness. [...] But the church of this country is not only indifferent to the wrongs of the slave, it actually takes sides with the oppressors. It has made itself the bulwark of American slavery, and the shield of American slave-hunters. Many of its most eloquent Divines, who stand as the very lights of the church, have shamelessly given the sanction of religion and the Bible to the whole slave system. […] For my part, I would say, welcome infidelity! welcome atheism! welcome anything! in preference to the gospel, as preached by those Divines! They convert the very name of religion into an engine of tyranny and barbarous cruelty, and serve to confirm more infidels, in this age, than all the infidel writings of Thomas Paine, Voltaire, and Bolingbroke put together have done!” —Frederick Douglass, The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro *** “Whilst I thus struggled, there seemed a light from heaven to fall upon me, which banished all my desponding fears, and I was enabled to form a new resolution to go on to prison and to death, if it might be my portion: and the Lord showed me that it was His will I should be resigned to die any death that might be my lot, in carrying his message, and be entirely crucified to the world, and sacrifice all to

His glory that was then in my possession, which His witnesses, the holy Apostles, had done before me. It was then revealed to me that the Lord had given me the evidence of a clean heart, in which I could rejoice day and night, and I walked and talked with God, and my soul was illuminated with heavenly light, and I knew nothing but Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” —Memoir of Old Elizabeth, a Coloured Woman *** “‘Did any of the black people on his place believe in the teachings of their master?’ No, my child; none of us listened to him about singing and praying. I tell you we used to have some good times together praying and singing. He did not want us to pray, but we would have our little prayer-meeting anyhow. Sometimes when we met to hold our meetings we would put a big washtub full of water in the middle of the floor to catch the sound of our voices when we sung. When we all sung we would march around and shake each other’s hands, and we would sing easy and low, so marster could not hear us. O, how happy I used to be in those meetings, although I was a slave! I thank the Lord Aunt Jane Lee lived by me. She helped me to make my peace with the Lord. O, the day I was converted! It seemed to me it was a paradise here below! It looked like I wanted noth-

ing any more. Jesus was so sweet to my soul! Aunt Jane used to sing, ‘Jesus! the name that charms our fears.’ That hymn just suited my case. Sometimes I felt like preaching myself. It seemed I wanted to ask every body if they loved Jesus when I first got converted.” —Octavia V. Rogers Albert, The House of Bondage *** “When the glad tidings came that we were freed, and the war was over, such rejoicing and weeping and shouting among the slaves was never heard before, unless it was the time that the Ark of the Covenant was brought back to the children of Israel. Great numbers of the slaves left their masters immediately. They had no shelter, but they dug holes in the ground, made dug-outs, brush houses, with a piece of board here and there, whenever they could find one, until finally they had a little village called ‘Dink-town,’ looking more like an Indian village than anything else. There they sang and prayed and rejoiced. Later on, the soldiers began to come through, returning from the war. They brought many negroes with them who were searching for members of their families. I remember my mother, with me holding on to her skirts, standing watching the soldiers as they passed in their blue suits, and the colored people all shouting ‘Hurrah for Marse Abe,’ and cheering the Union boys as they passed.

That was a glad day. That certainly was a year of jubilee for the poor black slave. They had heard about the Liberation from Bondage of the Children of Israel from the Egyptians and their prayers were always to the Almighty God, and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that they too some day might be delivered, and now it had actually come. Oh! What joy!” —Emma J. Smith, Twice Sold, Twice Ransomed *** God and religion were crucial to the experiences of enslaved people in the Atlantic World, whether as targets for anti-abolitionist discourse or as a genuine means to make sense of an unbearable reality. Yet unlike the unbridled political, economic, and legal forces defending slavery, religious rhetoric assumed a more personal voice, authoritatively appealing to people’s deep-seated beliefs and fears of the world. All the while, enslaved people found their own way of negotiating faith to serve their own needs, resisting the very ideas and practices that daily sought to subjugate them. Indeed, the distance between the pulpit and the plantation was never great. Shadows of Slavery is a column that seeks to remember the history of slavery in the Americas and to examine how this history manifests itself today. Nadir Khan can be reached at shadowsofslavery@ mcgilldaily.com

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March 14, 2016 The McGill Daily | www.mcgilldaily.com

Development must be participatory No excuse to exclude local communities from the conversation

Vincent Simboli The McGill Daily

e are living in an age when it is simpler than ever to have direct conversations with people all over the world. This extends even to previously ‘inaccessible’ communities in countries that many in Canada and the U.S. want to support in the form of development projects. It has become commonly accepted in the academic world of development studies that direct consultation is critical when planning a development project. I will be the first to admit that I have not always been faithful to this principle. I remember writing in a journal upon returning from a decisively failed development project in Central America, something along the lines of: “Well, I couldn’t get ahold of the community beforehand, how were we supposed to know what they wanted? Why were they so hostile to me wanting to help them out? Who cares about the methods so long as the good intentions are there? Why don’t those ungrateful people appreciate my good will?”

In the age of information, ignorance is a choice. The project was doomed before it began because the founder arrived already convinced that he knew what was best for the community without soliciting their input. It was made infinitely worse when he reacted violently after the community insisted they didn’t want his kind of development project. I left after five days because of the repeated threats of violence with a gut feeling that this project was not going to help anyone. I think I’ve grown up a bit since then. While the project obviously didn’t fail solely on my account, I recognize that for me to call the people in that community “ungrateful” is counterproductive, insulting, and unacceptable. Any work done with that attitude would have been insincere, and work (especially development work) done without love is worth nothing. The fact is, as any good international development student, blog, or professor will tell you, good intentions and an education from “the Harvard of Canada” aren’t enough. The spirit of the times and shifting discourse around international development means that

geographical distance is no longer an excuse for a development project that enacts neocolonialism – that is to say, a project that doesn’t consider the needs and desires of the community in question, opting instead to impose the will of the Global North on the Global South without the agency and informed consent of the people involved. It’s astonishing, and frankly embarrassing, that it has taken the Western international development community so long to figure out that the people directly affected by socioeconomic issues probably have the best ideas for how to fix them. The push for participatory development projects has only come to the forefront of conversations about international development within the last decade. However, only in the last few years has the technology and infrastructure been created to make direct consultation with communities exceedingly simple. Internet access is quite high in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean (61, 47, and 42 per cent respectively) and continues to rise. Apps like WhatsApp and Skype make the once daunting task of directly communicating with a community about their needs easier than it has ever been. Cheaper and more powerful smartphones further contribute to increasing internet accessibility. It is a cliché at this point, but we really are globally connected in ways that have never been seen before. However, this global proliferation of technology and communications has been closely tied to neoliberal economic theory and ideology, which has given us a fixation on privatization and deregulation as the key to poverty alleviation. In simpler terms, it’s the wealthy’s old command to the poor to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps,” coupled with the belief that regulation is an inherent barrier to innovation. In the development sector, these principles can be seen, for example, in the emphasis on entrepreneurship as a way of turning poor, disenfranchised Indigenous women in Latin America into ‘productive’ members of society. This offensive notion completely erases the fact that these women work ludicrously hard and are very ‘productive’ despite being dealt a lousy hand by history. Consider, for example, the major role that Indigenous women played in the 2000 Cochabamba Water War in Bolivia. The tech sector’s fixa-

Sonia Ionescu | The McGill Daily tion on the whiggish “inevitable march toward progress” often comes at the expense of what a community actually wants, and in fact hides the agency of community members. At a summit in Nairobi last September, Kenyan activist Ory Okolloh Mwangi expressed concern about “the fetishization around entrepreneurship in Africa,” arguing, “it’s almost like it’s the next new liberal thing. Like, don’t worry that there’s no power because hey, you’re going to do solar and innovate around that. Your schools suck, but hey, there’s this new model of schooling. Your roads are terrible, but hey, Uber works in Nairobi and that’s innovation.” However, this is not to say that teaching Indigenous women the basics of running a business isn’t valuable, so long as it’s done with the consent and consultation of the community in question. Such was the case with the winning project of the Spanish and Latin American Students’ Association’s SLASummit 2015 social entrepreneurship case competition, “Construyendo Consciencia Femenina.” A community of mostly Indigenous women in Guayaquil, Ecuador, that reported very high instances of domestic violence, wanted economic independence by way of running their own beauty salons. Working with local leaders, the student team designed curricula for these women to learn the technical skills and the

basics of running their own businesses, and the project has been a resounding success. While this is not a permanent solution to the grave issue of domestic violence in the area, it was an important step through which the women claimed more agency and ownership over their futures. The forces of market globalization are difficult to stop – it’s no secret that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and other trade deals are negotiated by politicians with minimal input or respect from the people they claim to represent. Changing that process is a complicated and systemic issue that we as students don’t have much power to change.

The fact is, good intentions and an education from “the Harvard of Canada” aren’t enough. In a microeconomic context, on the other hand, especially in the world of development projects operated by NGOs, we have the ability and obligation to obtain the consent of the communities we want to help. We owe it to them to make sure that their voices are heard, and that they are involved

100 per cent of the way. With the advent of new communication technologies and their increasing accessibility, we no longer have any excuse not to get this consent. In the age of information, ignorance is a choice. The fear of being publicly condemned by left-leaning critics for enacting neocolonialism or imposing Western values upon a disadvantaged community should not be a reason to give up on a great idea to alleviate extreme poverty – but the previous paragraphs should inform how we go about the realization of development projects. I encourage any student of international development who is disillusioned by the proliferation of development projects that are simply variations on a theme of colonialism dressed as “progress” to consider instead what they could do if they were given a chance to get directly in touch with the concerned communities. Participatory development models are not perfect; development projects are very much trialand-error, no matter the model. However, when a project is developed according to the desires of the community in question, the feedback and improvements over time become much more meaningful. Vincent Simboli is a U4 International Development Studies and Hispanic Studies student, and is the co-chair of SLASummit. To contact him, email chair@slasummit.com.

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March 14, 2016 www.mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

Council shits on democracy

Sloppy constitutional referendum is disingenuous consultation Igor Sadikov The McGill Daily

n February 25, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Legislative Council betrayed us. By a vote of 12 for and 10 against, Council chose to put to referendum an amendment to the SSMU Constitution that requires all General Assembly (GA) motions to be pre-screened by an unelected committee to prevent motions deemed “external and divisive” from being discussed. A decision of this committee could be overturned by a two-thirds vote at the GA, but the motion in question would then also require a two-thirds vote to pass instead of the usual simple majority. Substantive criticisms of this undemocratic proposal have been offered elsewhere. What I want to do here is to address a procedural argument advanced by some councillors, which is that regardless of the merits of the amendment, the fair thing to do was to “let the students decide” by putting the question to referendum. If we consider the circumstances in which the

Letters

motion was passed at Council, we’ll find that this argument was made in bad faith, and those councillors whom it sincerely convinced have been duped. Indeed, in allowing this amendment to go to referendum, Council failed in its duty to represent students with proper diligence. First, the wording of the proposed amendment exactly mirrors that of an existing clause in the SSMU regulations that applies to motions coming to Council. This is not only lazy, but also highly inapprioriate, as it fails to account for the specificities of a GA – most glaringly the fact that Council is a representative body, while a GA is a direct-democratic one. Although SSMU regulations allow GA motions to be brought from the floor, it is unclear how or whether the amendment provides for this; further, it does not specify whether the two-thirds voting threshold applies to online ratification. If passed, the amendment would introduce severe ambiguities into SSMU’s highest governing document. The movers of the proposal showed an unacceptable level of carelessness in drafting it, as did Council in approving it.

Second, the referendum question was rushed in at the last minute, tacked on as a guerilla amendment to a set of unrelated maintenance changes to the constitution. In accepting such an amendment, Council neglected its duty to take the time to consult its constituencies regarding the wording of the amendment, or regarding other methods of achieving the amendment’s goals. Putting the question to referendum immediately was not, as claimed, a meaningful act of consultation, but rather the precise opposite. It has forced students to vote on an immature and confusing question with unclear but significant consequences. Third, in taking the vote on the amendment by secret ballot, Council displayed a reprehensible lack of transparency. Access to a representative’s voting record is a constituent’s democratic right, and councillors should not take the denial of this right so lightly. It is not unreasonable to assume that, perhaps aware of the amendment’s substantial shortcomings outlined above, some councillors made a conscious choice to evade accountability.

In electing our representatives to SSMU Council, we entrust them with the responsibility to make informed and responsible decisions on our behalf. At the February 25 meeting, a majority of councillors betrayed that trust. Disappointments such as this one are a regular occurrence in representative bodies, and it may well be that they are inherent to representative democracy itself.

to the principles of academic freedom, equity, inclusiveness and the exchange of views and ideas in responsible, open discourse.” We agree that such principles should absolutely guide McGill University. We hope, however, that you would agree that the University should uphold these principles in a universal fashion. Therefore, while it is the University’s right to reject BDS, we strongly believe that its statement in this context needs to critically address the welldocumented infringements of academic freedom, freedom of expression, and freedom of movement of Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as non-Jewish Arab citizens of Israel. Failure to do so lends the University an appearance of applying double standards with respect to these rights, and of perpetuating the unforgivably biased nature of media reporting, focusing almost exclusively on the rights and security needs of Israelis while neglecting to

apply the same to Palestinians. In 2012, we visited Gaza to attend a conference and were able to experience the terrible effects of Israel’s siege on academic life in Gaza. During this visit, we met with students, faculty members, and civil society organizers, and we witnessed first hand how the population suffers from the ongoing Israeli blockade and repeated military assaults. The population also suffers from the repressive Hamas government. However, until political conditions are normalized for Palestinians and sovereignty and freedom of movement are granted to them, this internal repression will likely not be resolved for Palestinians in Gaza, of whom many do not favour living under a repressive Islamic government. Another relevant personal experience occurred in 2010, when Noam Chomsky was invited to Birzeit University in the West Bank, but was refused entry by Israel for no good reason. In conclusion, whether or not one supports BDS, we commend the students who voted in its favour for standing up against repression in the face of increasing attempts by governments and other organisations to spread vilifying misinformation about the movement. Any statement about academic freedom in the context of Israel-Palestine must absolutely take into account that academic freedom

Submit your own: letters@mcgilldaily.com

Rectify the misrepresentation of BDS Dear Professor Fortier, We feel compelled to express concerns regarding the wording of and an important omission from the statement you released after the recent General Assembly (GA) vote for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) and its subsequent failure to be ratified by the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU). BDS was called for by Palestinian civil society in 2005 as an appeal to the international society to exert pressure on Israel to end its military occupation of Palestinian territories, provide full equality to Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, and protect the right of return of refugees in accordance with UN resolution 194. The movement has been gathering growing support worldwide, including among Jewish individuals and Israelis. Not all who actively advocate for human rights for Palestinians subscribe to BDS in its original formulation, and this includes some

Palestinian groups. The argument, however, is not whether or not BDS is a legitimate strategy, but whether it is a constructive strategy in the given situation. Your assertion that the BDS movement “flies in the face of the tolerance and respect” presupposes, and reinforces, a dangerous misconception that this movement targets or is intolerant toward particular groups – ethnic, national, or political. This plays into the hands of those who wilfully equate criticism of Israel’s policies with anti-Semitism. BDS explicitly does not target individuals. Its representation as being intolerant or in any way targeting Jewish or Israeli students on campus is a misrepresentation that potentially does much harm by falsely victimizing particular ethnic groups. The BDS movement is not intolerant; rather it demands tolerance toward Palestinians through peaceful globalized means. You furthermore write that BDS represents “actions that are contrary

Sonia Ionescu | The McGill Daily Ironically, such incidents only stand to show how important it is to defend students’ right to freely discuss and decide on whatever they wish in a direct-democratic forum like the GA. Igor Sadikov is a Commentary & Compendium! editor at The Daily, but his opinions here are his own. To contact him, email igor.sadikov@ mail.mcgill.ca.

is blatantly violated for Palestinian faculty and students. We hope to persuade you to rectify these omissions and publish an amended statement. —Máire Noonan, Course Lecturer and Research Assistant, Department of Linguistics, McGill University (McGill alumna) Hagit Borer, Professor of Linguistics, Queen Mary University of London, London Antoine Bustros, Composer, film composer and writer, Montreal (McGill alumnus) Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor and Professor of Linguistics (Emeritus), Massachusetts Institute of Technology David Heap, Associate Professor, French Studies Department and Linguistics Program, University of Western Ontario Stephanie Kelly, Assistant Professor, French Studies Department and Linguistics Program, University of Western Ontario Philippe Prévost, Professor, François Rabelais University Tours, Tours, France (McGill alumnus) Verena Stresing, PhD, biochemist Laurie Tuller, Professor, Linguistics, François Rabelais University Tours, Tours, France

Visit mcgilldaily.com for more letters from students, professors, and alumni in response to Principal Fortier’s BDS statement.

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March 14, 2016 www.mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

The despair

The Duff has it rough: a case

Astha Agarwal - -

any of McGill’s campus buildings are in poor condition, facing a set of issues ranging from floods caused by bursting pipes to students and faculty fainting and vomiting due to inadequate air ventilation. The deferred maintenance issue at McGill has been growing and worsening in magnitude and in seriousness over the years, due to neglect and a lack of capital funding. In 2007, a study carried out by McGill estimated that the University had accumulated $647 million in deferred maintenance costs. This amount has now risen to an estimated $1.3 billion across the Downtown and Macdonald campuses, according to McGill Vice-Principal (Administration and Finance) Michael Di Grappa. Deferred maintenance problems sometimes reach dangerous heights, such as in 2008, when eight employees in the Leacock building reported symptoms suggesting chemical exposure due to air ventilation problems. A building assessment failed to identify the cause of the symptoms, but found that the building’s air cooling machines had been removed and that both of its humidifiers were malfunctioning. This resulted in humidity levels as low as 10 per cent, below the Quebec building code requirement of 20 per cent and recommended minimum of 40 per cent. In the Lyman Duff Medical Building, one of McGill’s most serious cases of deferred maintenance, lab experiments go awry due to faulty temperature controls, and narrow laboratory hallways, inaccessibility of safety showers, and a faulty eyewash station emitting hot water present hazardous conditions for students and faculty.

Students and faculty suffer in the Duff

The autoclave facility is in terrible shape.

According to students and administrators of the building, the Duff building is in many ways falling apart, presenting a hazardous and inconvenient research and learning environment. The Duff, home to McGill’s Department of

Microbiology and Immunology (MIMM), was built in 1926, and an additional wing was added in 1966. MIMM Student Affairs Officer Jennifer DiMassimo, who has been working in the Duff for over 35 years, recalls an instance a few years ago when her office was flooded. “The window was closed but it had a hinge that wasn’t working, and so it blew open and the pipes had frozen. I came into my office and realized it was cold. I’m sitting here and I hear a noise and I turn around, and I see dark water running down the pillar,” DiMassimo said. “I looked up and saw the ceiling tile was laden with water and sagging. I moved away from the ceiling tile above me and the whole thing came down where I was sitting. I moved away just in time.”

Temperature control in the building is faulty. According to Lypaczewski, several machines in the building have shut down because they have internal temperature controls and the room was too hot for them to function. The temperature in freezers containing biological material, which should be kept at below -70 degrees Celsius, has climbed up to -40 degrees due to power failures, Lypaczewski said. “There have been power failures on those freezers numerous times, and the temperature climbs and breaks everything inside that’s priceless, samples that you sometimes have only one of,” said Lypaczewski. “This affects all the students and professors doing research who use any of the freezers. Sometimes experiments work, sometimes they go

“Some of the eyewash stations are badly placed, and one of them uses hot water – so if you used it, you would burn your eyes off.” Patrick Lypaczewski, PhD student and teaching assistant Students have complained about the lack of adequate study space, locker space, vending machines, or a functional cafeteria, as well as about the inadequate safety measures and abnormal heating patterns that interfere with their experiments. There are only two safety showers in the building, according to PhD student and teaching assistant (TA) Patrick Lypaczewski. “To get to the [safety shower] on the fifth floor from a lab, you would have to go through two doors and down the hall, which is usually full of undergraduates, and by the time you get there it would not be of any use,” Lypaczewski said. “Some of the eyewash stations are badly placed, and one of them uses hot water – so if you used it, you would burn your eyes off,” he said. Lypaczewski has been working in the Duff for three years as a PhD student and worked there for three years as an undergraduate.

weird and you end up losing a few months of work.” According to a count by Lypaczewski, the Duff Amphitheatre has 34 broken spotlights out of 50, and 18 broken fluorescent lights out of an estimated 60. Another issue of the building is the limited amount of lockers, and on top of that, the extremely small locker sizes. Many locker doors do not work, presenting a problem for MIMM students, according to U2 student Adam Hassan. “You can’t put in any major locks in them, and when you try to open the door of the locker, sometimes it’s stuck and the entire locker starts coming down on you,” Hassan said. Accessing food is also a problem for those who spend long days at the Duff. Located at University and Pins, the building is somewhat removed from the rest of campus. “The closest place for food is the gym or lower campus. Most of

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March 14, 2016 www.mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

of disrepair

study in deferred maintenance Writer and photographer the time we work nine-hour days, but it can be longer – a lot of immunology people are here from 7 a.m. until midnight,” said Lypaczewski. “All we really have to hang out in is the cafeteria [which no longer serves food]. We don’t have food, we don’t have coffee, and we have to go the [Montreal Neurological Institute] if we want coffee,” said U2 student Olivia Crescenzi.

same floor as the teaching laboratory, causing problems for the technicians who are forced to walk up and down several times per day. “This is not an appropriate way of working. Our tech unit is suffering,” said Zamani. “They promise that they will demolish the floor and give us a better setup, so that students and TAs

“I moved away from the ceiling tile above me and the whole thing came down where I was sitting. I moved away just in time.” Jennifer DiMassimo, MIMM Student Affairs Officer The building accommodates over 300 undergraduates, but the only available study space consists of two couches and a table on the fourth floor. Only one functioning computer remains there for student use. The Duff ’s undergraduate teaching laboratories are not well designed for the department’s needs either, according to laboratory course coordinator Aghdas Zamani. Each laboratory cubicle has 12 students and each TA is assigned to two cubicles, which means that TAs must run from one cubicle to another during labs. The structure of the building has been called hazardous and inefficient, both by community members and in McGill’s review of the department performed last year. “The ventilation in teaching labs is never such that [...] students feel comfortable doing their experiments,” Zamani said. “We are trying to improve it. Last year they put in [air conditioners], and we are hoping that next summer [they] at least [work] and we have a better environment downstairs.” U2 student Sean Taylor agreed. “You’re there for a four-hour lab, sometimes upward of five and a half, six hours, and it feels like it’s 35 degrees, since we can’t open the windows and Bunsen burners are running all the time,” Taylor said. Zamani added that the preparation laboratory is not on the

will be together. But it hasn’t been done yet. [...] McGill many times has promised it,” she said. Tom Ringer, who manages the Biobar supply centre in the Duff and runs the department’s autoclave (pressure chamber used for sterilization) and glass-washing facility, said that two of the building’s four autoclaves are functional but in bad condition due to overuse. The autoclaves are twenty years old. Generally, autoclaves are expected to last about ten years, Ringer said, though with proper maintenance they can last longer. “When I’m running the autoclave room, sometimes the autoclaves and glass washers don’t work because the steam goes into the machine and what’s not used goes back through the system,” Ringer said. “The pipes are corroded. It’s slowly changing, but unfortunately the plumbers have more to do than look after one

building, so they do what they can,” Ringer said. Maria Babiak, associate director of the Administrative Excellence Centre that serves the MIMM department, said that her office faces constant issues as well. “We’ve had an ongoing request since last February to get a new [electric] plug installed in our space, because we only have two circuits, which have five computers and a big photocopier and [are] constantly blowing fuses. It’s been a year since we’ve asked for the photocopier to be on a separate circuit, and [we] are still waiting,” Babiak said. “It’s very embarrassing to have students come here and see the state of this building and the labs,” said DiMassimo. “McGill has a reputation of being a very renowned, good university, and then you have the reality that people come and see what type of facilities we have and the condition of those facilities.” Quoting the review of the department conducted in 2015, MIMM department chair Joaquín Madrenas told The Daily that “the state of the available space in the Duff Building could hamper the future ability of the department to recruit the best new candidates and to retain existing faculty.”

A single small sink serves a lab of a dozen students.

Attempts at improvements in the MIMM department Madrenas, who took office in August 2011, said he has since been working with his team toward his vision of revamping the space resources to meet the needs of the department.

“There have been power failures on those freezers numerous times, and the temperature climbs and breaks everything inside that’s priceless, samples that you sometimes have only one of.” Patrick Lypaczewski, PhD student and teaching assistant

This narrow corridor between labs presents a safety risk.

Features

March 14, 2016 The McGill Daily | www.mcgilldaily.com

A table with a few chairs and a single computer is the only designated study space in a building that accommodates over 300 students.

“McGill has a reputation of being a very renowned, good university, and then you have the reality that people come and see what type of facilities we have and the condition of those facilities.” Jennifer DiMassimo, MIMM Student Affairs Officer “Overall, we have tried to make the building nicer to the view, painting areas and clearing spaces. But this is not enough. The main challenge right now is to fully redevelop the undergraduate teaching laboratories to accommodate the growth of our undergraduate program,” Madrenas said. Although the MIMM department will continue to make significant use of the Duff building, Madrenas’s aim is to relocate the departmental labs and offices to another space more suitable for the research needs of members

and for increased interaction with other departments and units at McGill, potentially the recently vacated Royal Victoria Hospital site. MIMM Senior Administrative Coordinator Patrick Ritchie has been overseeing the building’s improvements over the past year and a half. He commended the progress made under Madrenas’s leadership, while recognizing that there are still improvements to be made. “There was an old computer room that used to look like a cave and is now a conference room, and there is a new lounge also,”

said Ritchie. “I worked a lot on the beautification of the building, making it look better and work better, and we are now painting the D wing so it’s brighter.” “Of course, there are still things that need to be taken care of, but it needs money to happen,” added Ritchie. Unfortunately, the funding required from the Faculty of Medicine and the University to complete these renovations and repairs has not yet been available. “It’s a combination of factors: [...] a lack of money and resources for space allocation, as well as the complexity of space planning,” Madrenas said. “[The Duff ] is just one of the most extreme cases of buildings that need to be renovated [at McGill], but not the only one.”

Awaiting investment in infrastructure

In February 2015, the McGill Board of Governors approved a financing plan to address the university’s most pressing deferred maintenance issues. Di Grappa told

“It feels like it’s 35 degrees, since we can’t open the windows and Bunsen burners are running all the time.” Sean Taylor, U2 student The Daily that McGill is borrowing $400 million to invest $300 million in deferred maintenance and $100 million in information technology (IT) projects. “The government’s annual contribution of about $48 million is by no means as much as we need, so we’ve really taken the initiative to make a major investment in the condition of our buildings,” said Di Grappa. McGill plans to repay these funds by issuing bonds that are repaid in different time frames. “We just raised $160 million this past month, which will be repaid over forty years. Next time we are in the market it will be repaid over twenty years. Then the last amount we raise will be repaid in ten years,” Di Grappa explained.

The MacDonald Stewart building, the Strathcona Anatomy and Dentistry Building, the Lyman Duff Medical Building, and Wilson Hall, among others, are on the list of buildings the University has plans to invest in. According to Di Grappa, the Duff building alone would require an investment of an estimated $200 million to transform it into a state-of-the-art facility. Despite ongoing investments in infrastructure, deferred maintenance problems have continued to grow in recent years, and it is unclear when the users of the buildings in question will see tangible improvements. “We have been waiting for renovation for a long time,” said Zamani. “But it hasn’t been done yet. We are still waiting.”

Not satisfied with how things are on campus? Make your voice be heard. Write to us at letters@mcgilldaily.com (up to 400 words).

Sci+Tech

March 14, 2016 www.mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

Calculus for kindergarteners Redesigning the way we teach math

Jessica Hunter Sci+Tech Writer

any of us raised in Canada and the U.S. were exposed to the traditional sequence of math instruction as children, beginning with counting and working our way through the different and increasingly complicated tasks. We assume that the math we learn follows some sort of natural order so that when we finally are introduced to calculus we assume we have reached the pinnacle of high school math. I’d hazard a guess that most of us can all think back upon countless childhood hours bent over math drill sheets, stuffing our growing brains with mathematical factoids. These practice sheets are tantamount to torture for many kids, and although we’d like to believe this challenging time spent is justified, a growing number of curriculum reformers are claiming that this strategy is inefficient – and they may be right. Natural Math Maria Droujkova, math educator and curriculum designer, is a vocal part of this mathematical revolution. Droujkova has said, in various talks such as at SPARKcon and the Computer-Based Math Education Summit, that the current method of instruction for mathematics “has nothing to do with how people think, how children grow and learn, or how mathematics is built.” The entrenched system of forcing children to execute repetitive and boring computations over and over doesn’t teach them anything about why these numbers actually matter and what they can do. In fact, Droujkova points out that these activities, despite their relative “ease,” are actually harder for children to do because they drain cognitive resources like working memory, attention span, and accuracy. These exercises stress finicky manipulations of numbers as opposed to understanding grand underlying patterns. This misplaced focus can distract students from the true purpose of math – resolving and analyzing patterns – and potentially discourage many potential engineers, statisticians, designers, et cetera, from following that path. Instead, Droujkova argued in an interview with The Atlantic that mathematics education should reflect the “playful uni-

verse” of advanced mathematics. Mathematics is a diverse and creative macrocosm encompassing over sixty disciplines that influence the way that we think about and execute almost everything in life. In order to restore children’s interest in math, Droujkova advocates an alternative method she calls “Natural Math.” Natural Math harnesses a child’s productive and creative instincts and channels them into different games and free play exercises. These games are designed to teach fundamentals of a variety of mathematical principles. Droujkova claims that once children understand underlying concepts foundational to many upper level math disciplines, they begin noticing changes and can engage with mathematical patterns in complex ways. Following this format, math educators should strive to create exercises that are rich and complex (can be interpreted in different ways) but easy (conducive to immediate play). Some example activities Droujkova provides in her talks include constructing with Lego, making origami, and using imaginary tools like a “function box” (which manipulate inputed variables according to an unstated rule that the child must figure out).

“[The current method of instruction for mathematics] has nothing to do with how people think, how children grow and learn, or how mathematics is built.” Maria Droujkova, math educator and curriculum designer A hierarchy of learning Droujkova states that there are many complex yet easy aspects to all branches of math, but in particular she has zeroed in on calculus and algebra. She emphasizes the importance of calculus and algebra as pattern-drafting tools that can be used in designing and

creating. This creative and productive element is thought to allow kids to engage in free play while simultaneously learning. In her book, co-authored with Yelana McManaman, Moebius Noodles: Adventurous Math for the Playground Crowd, she explains the principles of teaching math using her application-based approach and outlines different activities that can be used to introduce complex mathematical concepts to young children. Such activities include making fractals which touches on notions of recursion and infinitesimals, and using “mirror books,” where mirrors reflect upon other mirrors, allowing children to assess concepts of infinity and transformation. Clearly this resembles less of the calculus you did in high school, or are doing here at McGill, but Droujkova argues that it provides the grounded, hands-on fundamentals of the discipline that can be built upon in future years once students move onto the use of abstract words, graphs, and formulas. Perhaps Droujkova and her like-minded associates are striving toward higher levels of learning in children, using a hierarchy of learning outcomes to measure educaional value as postulated by Bloom’s taxonomy. At the very bottom of the taxonomy is “remembering” – recalling facts and concepts – moving up toward more complex and generative types of learning such as “analyzing” – drawing connections between ideas – “evaluating” – justifying one’s stand – and “creating” – producing new or original work at the pinnacle. Creating teaching material that accesses the top tiers (that is, evaluation and creation) of Bloom’s pyramid is difficult to do at all educational levels. It is even a pervasive issue in college and university, where students learn to memorize and regurgitate facts without truly grasping any of the deeper conceptual or applicable understanding (recall that multiple choice midterm you did last week). In the case of elementary math, it is easy to see how those painful addition and multiplication worksheets we all encountered as children access only the bottom tier of this hierarchy, whereas Droujkova’s alternative may challenge children to analyze and create. A new door for children An entertained student is an engaged student, and an engaged student is more likely to stay in

Amanda Fiore | The McGill Daily school. As it stands, mathematics can turn a lot of children off from schooling, as they find it difficult and boring. Difficulties at school are even greater for disenfranchised populations who may not have the kind of support network and constant supervision that those with higher socioeconomic status, who are largely white, benefit from. Perhaps anticipating this problem, Droujkova, and colleagues have made their material and courses available for free under Creative Commons, and have designed activities that require only easily accessible materials. Furthermore, Droujkova emphasizes the importance of math circles in creating learning communities for students who may otherwise lack this supportive network. Their goal is to empower local school systems to begin teaching in a way that breaks down as many mathematical and financial barriers as possible. Of course, the Natural Math camp has met resistance from different camps who claim that Natural Math is not a tenable option. Some critics state that this type of math may put undue pressure on children to learn complex concepts at ever younger ages, somehow justifying the behaviour of overly strict parenting (“My 3 year old can design fractals, can

yours?”). Others argue that the focus on play will prevent children from learning traditional calculation skills, ultimately setting them behind. These concerns are justified and important to take into consideration when dealing with the important issue of mathematical literacy. It is optimistic to think that this more generative and pattern-oriented type of math education will result in a more math-literate population. Curriculum reform is indeed a slowgoing process, and simply changing math curriculum itself does not address systemic issues such as poverty or social constructs that dictate who can excel at and love math. However, as Drujkova argues in her interiew with The Atlantic, the emphasis in our current education system on precision and replication does not have any true relation to the real world; instead, the logic puzzles and open projects that Natural Math advocates allow kids to explore, innovate, and interact with their world in new and signifiant ways. Thus, different approaches that attempt to fundamentally shift the way our children think and learn will no doubt have a signifiant impact on how they respond to both the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Culture

March 14, 2016 www.mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

Leaping out of the McGill bubble

Bodywash talks cream pop, melancholy, and cultural influences Harrison Brewer Culture Writer

rammed into a small recording room in the CKUT Radio offices, I caught up with four of the Bodywash band members: Austin Pine on drums, Tom Gould on bass, Adam Macpherson on guitar, and Chris Steward on vocals and guitar. Rosie Long Decter, Bodywash’s vocals and synth, and a former Daily editor, was not present at the interview. Bodywash is a group of musicians who perform in the selfinvented genre of cream pop, a dreamy, synth-based version of dream pop, which was made popular by the likes of Tame Impala and The Radio Dept. Having started jamming in the basement of McGill’s Gardner Hall, the group, coming from Toronto, Malaysia, the U.S., and the UK, started out playing a few gigs to find their sound. The end of 2015 saw a name change from the previous Cult Classic, and a newly released selftitled EP, cementing the band’s jump from small-scale group of McGill musicians to a Montreal band with an incredibly well-produced set of

songs and a unique sound. Their music video for “Nothing At All” was released on February 12, and it set the stage for a successful new year for Bodywash. As I tried to work the recording software, we chatted about “Nothing At All,” which became one of my favourite songs right after its release. The music video is set in Redpath Hall, a building steeped in history and a landmark on the McGill campus. With an emphasis on technicality and music rather than image, the inoffensive and smart backdrop proves a fitting parallel to the band’s single. One thing that sticks out about Bodywash is how much they can riff off of each other both in the band and socially. That’s how “Nothing At All” became a synth of diverse emotional states and expressions. The single captures a quirky medium between melancholy and joy. Propelled by a strong beat, the song features drifting lyrics that sweep over you before bringing you back down with a consistent bass. The Daily spoke to Bodywash about their new single and upcoming plans. The McGill Daily (MD): The video you released is a live session of

one of your songs, “Nothing At All.” It’s one of my favourites because of the vibe and feel of the song, and I was wondering how you reach this unique sound capturing a moment between happiness and sadness? Chris Steward (CS): The song was born out of the graveyard of the sexual frustration that constitutes all our love lives... Adam Macpherson (AM): But mostly Chris’s because [he] wrote it. CS: Well, melancholy is definitely in there. Tom Gould (TG): So much of this dreamful genre is focused around this weird juxtaposition of sad lyrics and kind of happy music. CS: [The song] is [...] drifting all the time. It’s a big propulsive rhythm section, everything else just kind of glides on top of it. MD: One of the big bands that you are frequently compared to is Tame Impala, and I think that the sound is similar in that it’s beatdriven, very melodic, and captures that in-between feel of eclectic emotions well. CS: We’d be lying if we said we weren’t inspired by Kevin [Parker of Tame Impala]. MD: How did you reach that

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Schneider vs. Bax

Tuareg blues guitarist

By Alex van Warmerdam

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Marina Djurdjevic | The McGill Daily ambience? Was there an actual pinpoint moment when you wrote the lyrics, and what inspiration did you take? CS: I was basically wandering around places, mumbling [lyrics] into my phone. [...] I was reading a lot of books when I was writing. I was literally alone for three months, didn’t really see anyone. MD: In “Nothing At All,” you avoid showing your faces and feature the process of playing the instruments and feeling the vibe instead. Was that a purposeful decision? CS: No, not really. TG: I just think the videographer was repulsed by us… Austin Pine (AP): That was kind of cool, though, to just have us all in this half-circle, because we never really get to play looking at one another. CS: Also, we’ve already showed [...] our facial expressions [in other songs], at least now there will be some idea of how we play the instruments. MD: What kind of impact do you think your music has on the McGill student population? Do you feel like it fits the McGill music scene or do you think you’re outside of that? TG: I don’t really feel like we’re aiming at students. [...] There are bands at McGill that are cool, but there isn’t really a cohesive scene. AM: I mean, we would love to play with more McGill bands that are coming up, but right now we don’t really know [who we would play with]. TG: To the second part of your question, I would add that yeah, we’re less focused on McGill. AP: I mean, there’s a little more room to grow in a wider community. TG: The more shows we start getting into, the more inspiration we start to get [outside of the university environment]. CS: I think [Montreal] facilitates this sort of creative artist lifestyle. There are certain very definite preconditions for artists, which is basically a lot of cheap labour, like lots of jobs you can pick up and leave afterwards, a big student population, and lots of venues to play at.

AM: And it’s not so big that you would drown in the scene. MD: You’re not all from Montreal, you come from diverse music scenes. I would imagine you had different experiences growing up. How do you think that’s influenced your music taste, if at all? AM: In the last few years, like three or four years, there’s been a bit of indie pop scene [in Malaysia] that had some impact on me. [...] This influenced my music taste because I felt like I had an entire world to choose from. I had a friend or two [who were] into good music, and we grew together divorced from any scene or any cultural influences, whereas for these guys I feel like [they] were more [influenced] by trends. AP: I think just coming from a place that supports music is really important. MD: Tell me about your introduction to music. What was the first album you bought and do you still listen to it? AM: I think mine was [...] Westlife. TG: I remember receiving Now! 50 for Christmas one year. AP: I feel like I got tape cassettes before anything else. I think I had Baha Men’s Who Let the Dogs Out. CS: Mine was the first Busted album with “Year 3000” on it. MD: Lastly, what piece of advice would you give to a young musician? AM: I would just say listen to as much [...] music as you can. TG: Putting your money where your mouth is and actually writing as much as you can, nonstop. AP: Practice every day. Once you get bored with what you’re doing, just try something new. CS: I’m gonna go against all of you and say that none of that is important, you should just try and do everything. Learn how to write effectively, play your instrument, learn how everything works, but also [work on] arts and aesthetic. [...] Make yourself as useful as possible. TG: Or meet someone who’s willing to do as much as that. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Culture

March 14, 2016 www.mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

Clashing humour with vulnerability The Table discusses artistic struggles and selfhood

Kateryna Gordiychuk The McGill Daily

n March 5, an impatient audience filled about three-quarters of the majestic yet cozy Théâtre Outremont venue. At a leisurely pace, three puppeteers and their puppet appeared on stage with a beige wooden table and a translation board as their sole equipment. The three travelling artists, Marc Down, Nick Barnes, and Sean Garratt, each controlled a different part of the puppet’s body in the traditional Japanese style of bunraku. The Table, a self-aware narrative of a puppet’s selfhood woven into a biblical narrative, was part of the 11th annual Festival de Casteliers, which ran from March 2 to 6. Silence crept in and held the viewers still. Suddenly, a foot tapped on the table. The puppet, with its soft fabric body and cardboard head, came to life, welcoming the crowd in a British accent, a voice given by Down, the show’s director and one of the puppeteers. The evening was introduced as “English humour on a good solid French Canadian table.” Thus began Blind Summit Theatre’s modern rendition of the twelve days preceding the prophet Moses’s death. It occasionally diverged from the traditional storyline when the puppet danced and told tangential stories. Staged in English with French subtitles, the performance

centred the puppet’s conversation with the audience, making each of the three evenings unique and only vaguely plotted. The fact that the show relied heavily on the viewers’ reactions to jokes and often direct questions to arbitrary audience members added to the list of impressive puppetry skills and smooth workings of the show. “Puppets are performers. They only exist when they are performing, when they are being watched. A show is always a dialogue with the audience on some level. In this show, we wanted to confront that with direct address,” Down explained in an email to The Daily. Weaving dialogue with the audience into the storyline, The Table explored the inner struggles of an artistic puppet whose dream was to “serve a better purpose” on stage by playing meaningful roles, and not solely function as a children’s toy at birthday parties. This is how his ambition of bringing the most climactic scenes of Moses’s story to life on stage came about, as the puppet explained to the audience. In the end, it is not an easy job to use a wooden table to enact Moses’s destiny, wisdom, and elaborate conversations with God. The puppeteers’ skill was most apparent in the scene “The Death of Moses,” where the puppet jumped back and forth between the roles of God, whispering the fate of Israel to a weeping Moses,

and the prophet, noting everything down. Intelligent coordination in tune with subtle humour and pop culture references made the scene stand out. Despite the main storyline being set in the distant past, Down filled the show with pop culture references, making the show feel contemporary and accessible. At one point, the puppet mentioned that most of his Moses acting was based on the Book of Deuteronomy, but was also embellished by pop singer Madonna’s lyrics. The director and cast also included a bit about Montreal’s winter weather conditions. When the puppet was “showing the audience around the table,” he emphasized his favourite corner, where he grew a garden containing his “dead Montreal flowers,” withered by the cold. But “I’m an artist” Through entertaining and informative acting lessons, the puppet gave the audience an idea of the three tricks the puppeteers used to handle him: “focus” (puppeteers’ constant attention to the puppet’s actions), “fixed point” (maintaining contact with the table), and “breathing” (the puppet’s rhythmic movements). Demonstrating each of those techniques by having the actors let go of one or several of his body parts, the puppet emphasized the importance of a connection between the actors and himself.

Courtesy of Lorna Palmer Garratt temporarily left the stage, at which point the puppet tearfully urged him to come back, since the actor was his “right hand” both literally and figuratively. The scene showcased the team’s brilliant ability to perform on two fronts: speaking for and to the puppet. The Table was filled with masterful acting, straightforward humour, and hilarious puppet dancing, while also portraying the character of an artist who is self-confident and ambitious, yet very vulnerable and dependent on other people’s praise. The puppet’s movements hinted at self-awareness, when he was shyly strolling

along the edge of the table, thinking of his next action, and shaking as he teetered at the edges of the table. His desire for self-realization veiled by apparent confidence ultimately defines the idea at the core of the show - the tale of an underappreciated artist pursuing his dreams. The puppet left the stage melancholically and self-contemplatively, encouraging the audience to stand up for the challenge of selfrealization in the money-driven global media industry and follow their dreams just like he did, performing some “epic biblical puppeting on a table.”

The school of lovers, redefined

Feminism meets Mozart in Opera da Camera’s Così fan tutte Carly Gordon Culture Writer

n Saturday, February 20, Opera da Camera served up its last performance of a delightful evening of humour and song, with an intimate production of Così fan tutte, proving that size doesn’t matter. A miniature orchestra and scaled-down staging harmonized with a splash of 1920s panache and some exquisite singing, while a pre-performance lecture on the opera’s feminist undertones made for a thoughtprovoking convergence of song and community. Così fan tutte, first performed in 1790, counts among Mozart’s most famous comic operas. Its protagonists are the gullible soldiers Guglielmo and Ferrando, who disguise themselves as aristocrats and attempt to seduce each other’s unwitting fiancées, Fiordiligi and Dorabella, in a twisted competition to prove that their fiancées, as all women, are fickle and thus are inherently unfaithful. Overseeing the gambit is cynical philosophaster Don Alfonso, who, aided by the scheming housekeeper Despina,

interjects his own intentions into the adulterous experiment. Opera da Camera wove a fun and vibrant presentation of this Mozartean warhorse, imbued with a creative roaring twenties spin. From Art Deco set pieces to glittering flapper costumes, the 18th-century storyline came to life within a Gatsby aesthetic. Preceding the performance was a half-hour lecture by Marie-Pierre Poulin, librarian at the Montreal Goethe-Institut, investigating Così fan tutte through a feminist lens. Poulin introduced Mozart’s biography and the context surrounding the opera’s composition before delving into possible subtexts. The Enlightenment, an era defined by intellect and reason, was at its peak as Mozart set pen to paper. The plot of Così fan tutte, then, might convey an Enlightenmentstyle science experiment, an objective observation of romantic cause and effect. Poulin pointed out that Enlightenment society viewed women as the very opposite of its rationalist ideals: “Women were considered unreasonable and unpredictable by nature,” Poulin said at the lecture. The opera’s

title alludes to this, translating to “thus do all women” – meaning that all women are, like Fiordiligi and Dorabella, innately impressionable. Contrary to the assumption implicit in the title, the women of the opera embody scandalous autonomy, unheard of back in 1790. “[They] take lovers in full sight of the public,” Poulin added, “staging actions completely against what was expected of women at the time.” With Opera da Camera’s 1920s twist in mind, Poulin drew attention to the archetype of the flapper girl, a fiercely independent woman who “smokes, drives, and has sexual liaisons.” These flappers were skillfully brought to life by soprano Carol Leger and mezzo-soprano Kathrin Welte, who were sublimely charming in their respective roles as Fiordiligi and Dorabella. Leger’s sparkling voice and unceasingly concerned facial expression recalled the poised melodrama of Downton Abbey, while Welte’s emphatic pouting and mischievous glances harkened back to the leading ladies of silent film. Fiordiligi and Dorabella are traditionally portrayed as dim and coquettish

Neapolitan noblewomen, so it was refreshing to see them coiffed and garbed as emancipated, freewheeling flappers in Opera da Camera’s vintage adaptation – especially in light of Poulin’s discussion. The male leads shone as well, with tenor David Menzies as Ferrando joining baritone Laurent Deleuil’s Guglielwmo in a comedic duo à la Abbott and Costello, equal parts clumsy and conniving. Their mastery of physical comedy – demonstrated in a scene in which the disguised lovers feign near-death in order to win the ladies’ sympathy, with Menzies and Deleuil writhing exaggeratedly on the floor after drinking fake poison – was matched by their controlled voices, tight harmonies, and suave delivery. Supporting roles, however, were underwhelming – though, fortunately, mezzo-soprano Meagan Zantingh’s over-the-top antics as Despina compensated for her strained vocals. Zantingh’s brand of comedy was, in fact, a highlight of the show: her impersonations, disguises, and aptly smug stage presence left the audience in stitches. Opera da Camera’s Così fan

tutte celebrated smallness, with the seven-voice chorus as just one example. An “orchestra” of only five instruments performed on stage alongside the singers rather than ensconced in a pit, while a cleverly minimalist set design lent fluidity and efficiency to each scenic transition. What truly made the production stand out, however, lays beyond the stage. Opera da Camera’s dedication to intimacy was noticeable as soon as one entered the Théâtre Le Château, from the table of Mozart-themed snacks to the handwritten admission tickets and the cozy audience that gathered in folding chairs for Poulin’s lecture. The lecture elevated the performance even further, tasking the audience not only to enjoy the show, but to ask questions and draw connections between the drama on stage and the social issues that concern our everyday lives. Every detail amounted not to a mere performance, but to an experience – a warm welcome into the oft-intimidating world of classical opera, which Opera da Camera proved can be relaxed, friendly, and fun.

Culture

March 14, 2016 The McGill Daily | www.mcgilldaily.com

More puking bridesmaids, please

Female vulgarity is a necessary subversion of gender norms Rosie Long Decter The McGill Daily

recently rewatched Bridesmaids for the first time since it was released. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, given that I hadn’t really been a huge fan the first time around, but also by how tame the movie was relative to your average gross-out comedy. The infamous wedding dress/food poisoning scene, in particular, was much less shocking than how I remembered it – in fact, you only see two instances of vomit in the whole scene. It’s possible that I just misremembered, but part of the reason I was expecting it to be more, well, disgusting, is because that scene was the movie’s claim to gross-out fame when it was first released. Moviegoers, critics, everyone was talking about its shock value. But on rewatching, I had to wonder, why? I’ve seen much worse in other comedies: the penis-shooting scene in 21 Jump Street or the vomit scene in I Love You, Man, for starters. So why was this one scene so remarkable? Maybe because this wasn’t Paul Rudd and Jason Segel puking on each other – this was a group of five women, in wedding dresses, doing the most ‘unfeminine’ thing possible. In our patriarchal societies in Canada and the U.S., when men make reference to their bodily functions, it’s seen as a joke – an immature one, but, ultimately, a harmless one. It’s just perceived as “boys being boys.” Women, however, are not afforded the same leniency. When girls become teenagers, their bodies are regulated and submitted to a double standard, the age-old virgin/whore dichotomy. On the one hand, women must be prudish and cover their bodies, while on the other, they are sources of sexual pleasure for men, their bodies exposed for objectification. Any function of the body that falls outside of these two categories, such as puking or having your period, is erased. Pop culture is one of the biggest culprits in this regulation and sexualization of women’s bodies. Although there are some examples of female perspectives on how women are portrayed in film and TV, the standard portrayal of women still adheres to what film critic and feminist Laura Mulvey calls “the male gaze”: a woman’s body is filmed for the male viewer, making it a source of pleasure – no pooping, puking, and periods allowed. Hence a dire lack in Hollywood of vulgar comedies that make light of women’s experiences with their bodies. Just look at the division between teen

Alice Shen | The McGill Daily comedies: teen flicks targeted at men often feature a storyline where a sexually preoccupied teenage boy is trying to lose his virginity, such as in Superbad and American Pie, and engages in gross hijinks along the way.

When men make reference to their bodily functions, it’s seen as a joke – an immature one, but, ultimately, a harmless one. It’s just perceived as “boys being boys.” Women, however, are not afforded the same leniency. In teen flicks aimed at girls (think Mean Girls and Clueless) the coming-of-age story is usually not about coming into sexuality, but rather dealing with social image issues and finding a boyfriend. This trend where

men can be gross and women are either desirable or trying to become desirable continues into adulthood and adult comedy. This bias in bodily regulation and humour not only affects who gets to make gross jokes on screen, but also which kinds of gross jokes are acceptable. Period jokes, for instance, are way less common than fart jokes or puke jokes in movies. The first time I saw Superbad, I found the period gag (where Jonah Hill dances with a woman and gets period blood on his leg, and proceeds to freak out) pretty annoying, because I saw it as demonizing periods. But it’s actually a great joke, not only because period jokes are so absent from comedy culture, but because, yeah, it’s gross when your period leaks. And it’s funny – and arguably even healthy – to be able to laugh at those gross moments. But, even in Superbad, it’s the guys who get to make this joke. This is why it’s so important for women in pop culture to be gross. Every time a female comedian makes a joke about the gross functions of her body, she is subverting norms of femininity that regulate the female body and tell women how they must behave and what they can and cannot do. One poop joke may seem like an insignificant action, but it is one small means of empowering women to make their own statements about their bodies. On the bright side, as more female comedians become popu-

lar, they begin to shift the paradigm of what is acceptable to put on screen and what isn’t, if only slightly. 2015 wasn’t a bad year for women in body humour – Amy Schumer’s Trainwreck and the Amy Poehler-Tina Fey feature Sisters both include some refreshingly surprising moments, but there’s still a long way to go. Broad City is perhaps the best example of (increasingly) mainstream comedy that doesn’t shy away from the female body; one only has to look at the poop shoe episode of season one for confirmation.

Women [...] often don’t have the power to make light of their own bodies within mainstream culture. The breastfeeding scene in Neighbors – a film noteworthy for including the wife character in the film’s comedic core, instead of relegating her to the sidelines – is one of the most memorable recent female body gross-out scenes. It turns the trope of the ‘pregnant woman with big boobs’ on its head by making fun of just how pain-

ful and unappealing breastfeeding can be. Though, again, the line between demonization and humour is a fine one, and it’s still Seth Rogen who gets the laughs.

Well, guess what, guys, we poop too. This isn’t to say that, as a society, we should all be making poop jokes. But, clearly, there is something about bodily functions that we find funny – Canada’s most popular emoji last year was the poop emoji. We laugh when we are surprised; this is probably also why comedy can be extremely offensive, because there’s humour in shock value. Poop is funny because it’s something normally deemed too gross for a conversation, but it’s also something that every human on the planet deals with on a daily basis. Women, though, often don’t have the power to make light of their own bodies within mainstream culture – and this is especially true for trans women. So when a scene in a big budget Hollywood film takes five women in pristine bridesmaids dresses, the definition of chaste femininity, and has them puke all over those dresses, it subverts gender norms so shockingly that it’s not just funny – it’s subversive, and if the vomit got a little more screentime, it could subvert a little more.

Editorial

volume 105 number 22

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March 14, 2016 www.mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily

Withhold donations until McGill ends military research

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cover design Sarah Meghan Mah, Sonia Ionescu, Rahma Wiryomartono contributors Astha Argawal, Harrison Brewer, Julia Bugiel, Marina Cupido, Marina Djurdjevic, Amanda Fiore, Carly Gordon, Jessica Hunter, Nadir Khan, Paniz Khosroshahy, Clara Kyung, Jasmine Lee, Rayleigh Lee, Rosie Long Decter, Andrea Li, Grace MacEwan, Xavier Richer Vis, Alice Shen, Vincent Simboli

n March 16, McGill will host McGill24, a 24-hour fundraising campaign inviting alumni, students, faculty, parents, staff, and others to donate to the university. In response, Demilitarize McGill has created a pledge whereby people can sign up to withhold donations until McGill ends its involvement with military weapons research. A number of labs and research initiatives at McGill receive funding from the Department of National Defence (DND), and this research has direct applications in a military system responsible for inhumane warfare abroad, in parts of the world to which many at McGill have direct connections. This is why it is crucial that alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff, and other donors withhold donations from McGill until the University puts an end to military research collaborations. McGill’s involvement in military research initiatives is not abstract knowledge generation. Rather, it results in concrete contributions to technologies that have been or will be used to injure and kill individuals. Moreover, there is no regulatory body at McGill to evaluate the potential harm of military research – a military research policy, by then already unenforced, was scrapped entirely by Senate in 2010. By engaging in military research, McGill joins the military-academic complex that perpetuates imperialist warfare, treating the lives of marginalized people as disposable at home and abroad. Not only are these actions immoral, but they further demonstrate the University’s disregard for those McGill students who have been affected, directly or indirectly, by the destructive technologies that McGill helps develop.

Universities have long considered military funding as a necessary operational measure for certain fields of research. Neither the funds contributed by the DND nor the weapons research that comes out of these contracts should be seen as a financial necessity, as researchers can seek out other sources to pursue socially beneficial objectives in their field of study. Invaluable human lives are an unacceptable price to pay for sustaining a university, and cannot be passed off as a necessary evil. If McGill is (in fact) so desperate for funding, it should focus its efforts on sourcing ethical funding for socially productive, as opposed to destructive, research. Pressure from student groups, including SSMU and PGSS, has elicited no response from the University on this issue. The boycott proposed by Demilitarize McGill is a new tactic that has the potential to be effective. Alumni and other donors comprise an extremely important source of income for the University, and they also lend reputation and prestige to the institution; as such, they can exercise significant influence over University policy. Individuals who have seen economic and social returns from their McGill education might want to give back to the institution, but it is important that they realize that their gifts also have ethical repercussions. Donations are an implicit endorsement of McGill’s decision to continue military research, and donors should leverage their unique position to make the University think twice about its deadly affiliations. —The McGill Daily editorial board

Editor’s Note Readers should note that the author of the article “Redefining anti-Israel” (February 22, Commentary, page 12) was, at the time of publication, a Campus Media intern with HonestReporting Canada and Hasbara Fellowships Canada, a position “designed to promote Israel’s image on Canadian universities.” The Daily regrets that it was not aware of this fact at the time of the article’s publication. 3480 McTavish St., Rm. B-26 Montreal, QC H3A 1X9 phone 514.398.6790 fax 514.398.8318 advertising & general manager Boris Shedov sales representative Letty Matteo ad layout & design Geneviève Robert

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Compendium!

March 14, 2016 www.mcgilldaily.com | The McGall Daily

Lies, half-truths, and purring truth to power.

Trashy Spice for SHMU President Exclusive interview highlights need for catification

Jan Sybron The McGall Weekly

rashy Spice is an eight-humanyear-old cat running for SHMU President. Spice is an orange tabby with a single dark patch, and although this patch is often mistaken for dirt, Spice emphasized to The Weekly that he actually has excellent personal hygiene and always covers his poops after using the litter box. Spice is not a native Quebecer, but was born in Bedford, Nova Scotia. The Weekly sat down for an exclusive interview with the famed feline candidate this week. The McGall Weekly (MW): Who are you, Trashy? Are you even a student? What do you study? Trashy Spice (TS): I am really personally offended by questions like this. The implication is that I am not suited, qualified, or eligible to run for SHMU President, which is honestly unacceptable. This would never happen to a human candidate. It’s only because I’m not part of the SHMU clique. Humans, I tell you. Anyway, I am, in fact, a student – I study the squirrels. MW: How do you feel you size up to last year’s feline presidential candidate, Margaret Scratcher? TS: It’s really important that cats be represented in student government. I was inspired when Margaret ran last year, with all the work she’s done for cats. Honestly, the idea that cats should be competing with other cats is detrimental to all cats. Stop cat-on-cat hate. MW: What is the role of politics in SHMU? Would you characterize yourself as a “feline justice warrior?” TS: I don’t like the term “feline justice warrior.” We should all stand for justice. SHMU has an important opportunity to be doing influential political things, such as furthering the interests of its feline constituents, and SHMU cannot be neutral in this fight. Look at the attacks that I’ve faced – someone asked for my birth certificate. This would not have happened to a human candidate. Someone actually reported my

Facebook event, saying Trashy Spice was not a real name. I had to shut down my account. Where is your birth certificate, Mark Zuckerberg? Is that even your real name, “Mark Zuckerberg?” Everyone knows what Spice is – it’s a real word! When has anyone ever Zuckerberged? More importantly, there were insulting comments made about the size of my paws last week. I guarantee... The size of my paws does not imply anything about the size of anything else. Aside from the paw comment, there has been little discussion of how cute I am. While it’s nice that I am not being judged solely for my appearance, it really is one of my strong suits. I think this lack of recognition is contributing to the subpar number of selfies I’ve been receiving from my supporters on SnapCat. MW: How do you feel about not being invited to the press debates? TS: It’s really upsetting. It’s all part of people making weird accusations about me not being eligible. I am a student of life, I spend time at McGall, therefore I am a student at McGall. I am getting some media on my side, which I really appreciate, but it’s going to be an uphill battle. And honestly, the whole way these things are structured just doesn’t take into account my nap schedule. Elections SHMU just doesn’t care about feline needs or feelings. This exclusion has delegitimized my campaign in the eyes of many students – most don’t even ask me about my platform despite the fact that mine is the only one to address all the pillars of the presidential portfolio. MW: I’ll ask about your platform. You promise more lounging space for those of us who need at least 12 hours of sleep. Are these empty promises? What is your concrete plan? TS: First, we urgently need to increase the amount of sunbeams in SHMU spaces. We need to fix the windows and change the overall sun placement at McGall. It’s also interesting to note that people have a narrow definition of what a nap space actually is. Really it can be expanded to include any warm, flat surface.

Majestic Trashy.

E. Southern Land | Photograbber

I really want to see more creativity in accessing the lounge spaces that already exist on campus – I really don’t understand why the boiler room isn’t open to students 24/7. We have the spaces, students just aren’t allowed there. MW: Where will you find the money for items in your platform such as breakable objects to knock over and an exclusive sitting cushion? TS: One of the current referendum questions is for the addition of a mental health fee. This should be used for the provision of breakable objects to channel student stress. That can be a good mental health measure. It’s important for students

to get their frustration out. As far as my cushion – ultimately, sacrifices need to be made for great leadership. Me having a prestigious and comfy place to sit is important to my cat body, and should therefore be important to the student body. MW: What are some other initiatives you’d like to see if elected? TS: I really like the spirit of samosas at McGall. But I find that it is very exclusionary for those of us who only eat meat. I’m proposing SamoSalmon to bring students together in a kind of scavenger hunt way by randomly placing large Atlantic salmon around campus, the locations of which can be shared in

a Facebook group. Also, cats, mice, dogs, and exchange students are not allowed to vote – this needs to change. Finally, I would really like to see improved litterbox maintenance in the Leacock basement. MW: Wait, are there litterboxes in Leacock? TS: There are if you’re creative about what a litterbox is, which I am. MW: Bilingualism is an important issue on campus. Is there a difference between anglophone and francophone cats? TS: There are indeed several dialects of feline language. However, we are able to understand a universal feline language – Cursing and Taunts (CAT) – so bilingualism is not a major hurdle in our community. Overall catification at McGall, however, is a major issue. What is catification? Watch a few episodes of My Cat From Hell. The title implies that the problem is in the cat, but it’s generally environmental situations and a lack of extremely comfortable spaces that makes these cats act out. Cats can flourish. But are cats flourishing at McGall right meow? Not to the extent that I would like. I urge my fellow McGallians: catify your mind. MW: How can students support your campaign? TS: First, I would like to encourage my supporters to show their support by updating their cover photos, drawing my likeness on their personal possessions, or choreographing an interpretive dance. I’m actually a dancer – I consider most of my movements to be dance. —With files from Djemme Arrikan The Weekly would like to apologize for the failure to make the print version of this interview available in any feline languages. An audio translation has been made available online. Further, we would like to express our deepest regrets that our basement office, where this interview took place, completely lacked sunbeams and was thus a hostile environment for our feline interviewee.

The Centre for Feline Advocacy endorses Trashy Spice Trashy Spice purrs what everyone thinks but dares not say: we must emphasize food- and nap-related endeavours on campus and end this nonsense we’ve been calling student politics. Given our strong anti-speciesist and pro-self-care ideals, it is with no doubt or reservations that the Centre for Feline Advocacy endorses Trashy Spice for SHMU President. The absence of proper litterboxes on campus has robbed our four-legged comrades of their dignity for too long, and the lack of representation of our kind in student politics has slowly transformed us into passive actors while our bipedal colleagues take advantage of us. It is time to rise up, stretch a bit, and hop on the proverbial forbidden kitchen table to reclaim our rightful place: wherever we fit. —Tigris, Purrsident of the Centre for Feline Advocacy

February 22 crossword solutions Across: 1. Deal 5. Gato 7. Panic 12. Debase 14. Foci 15. Slushy 16. Television 19. Hostel 21. Penne 23. Newer 24. Stir 26. Laos 28. Rodeo 29. Lull 32. ECT 34. Irae 35. Herald 37. Netflix 39. Poses 40. Rue 41. MSG 42. Bit 44. Parc 46. Bouts 47. Herod 49. Rea 51. Aboard 54. Spin 55. Silent 56. GST 57. Das 58. Nos Down: 1. DDS 2. Eel 3. Abu 4. Lashes 5. Geyser 6. Tote 8. After 9. Noon 10. Icon 11. Cineplex 13. Show 17. Else 18. Epi- 20. Trodden 22. Ale 23. Notes 25. Towers 27. Acho 30. URL 31. Laicite 33. Mas 36. Reaching 38. Tugboats 39. PSP 42. Burden 43. Tsar 45. Brest 48. Dal 50. Cpt 52. Bed 53. On a