The Concordian - November 8th 2016

Concordia University’s weekly, independent student newspaper

VOLUME 34, ISSUE 11 | TUESDAY, NOV. 8, 2016

theconcordian.com  /theconcordian  @theconcordian

theconcordian

theconcordian

Indigenous education in Canada and what's being done to change it

News p. 2 also in this issue

life

Making death less taboo

arts

p.7

music

sports

opinions

Indigenous history Concordia collabs Montreal's queen An Armada of with the MMFA p. 9 of ska music p. 12 talent on ice p.14 is denied p. 16

news

NEWS EDITORS /// news@theconcordian.com SAVANNA CRAIG & NELLY SERANDOUR-AMAR ( @savannacraig @nellsamar03)

CITY IN BRIEF VALERIA CORI-MANOCCHIO COPY EDITOR Mayor Coderre sticks with Montreal Police Chief

COVER STORY

Unmasking the hidden culture

Canadian education needs more involvement and influence from Indigenous culture

Despite demand for Montreal Police Chief Philippe Pichet’s resignation over discoveries of police departments secretly spying on reporters, Mayor Denis Coderre is standing by him. According to CJAD, Coderre told reporters this past Saturday hewouldnotscrutinizesomeone publically their alleged role in the matter. The mayor added it would be unfair for Pichet to resign as police chief prior to a public inquiry which would determine how journalists were surveilled without their knowledge by Quebec police forces.

PichetwasappointedbyCoderre to replace former police chief Marc Parent last year.

The statue located on Loyola is in honour of Haudenosaune (Iroquois) heritage and the Kanienkehaka (Mohawk) Nation, unveiled on Oct. 27, 2005 created by former artist Dave McGary. Photo bySavanna Craig.

Suspect in Plateau assaults in custody Yesterday, 26-year-old, Francois Dulude, was charged with three counts of assault for the brutal physicalassaulton three women in the Plateau area between Nov. 3 and Nov. 4. Dulude was arrested by police in AhuntsicCartierville midday Friday following a major crimes unit investigation, according to CTV News.Duludeallegedlyfollowed victims and seized them from behind to severely beat them —the victim of the third incident was sexually assaulted, reported the same article. He has a history of assault and failing to abide by b ail an d pro b at i onar y conditions.

Old Port workers’ strike comes to an end The Montreal Science Centre and other landmarks in the Old Port are scheduled to resume their operations on Nov. 10. The workers were the last of the Syndicat des employés du Vieux-Port de Montréal to agree to the new agreement in principle, which will raise minimum wage for seasonal employees from $10.67 to $12.38 per hour, reports CBC News. The same article says the seasonal Old Port workers joined the permanent, regulars and casuals who all approved an earlier agreement in principle and ended the strike that started on May 27, 2015.

SAVANNA CRAIG CO-NEWS EDITOR Indigenous education is becoming a greater priority among educators and the Canadian government, following calls to action from the Tr u t h a n d Re c o n c i l i at i o n Commission of Canada (TRC).

The TRC calls to action asks the federal government to implement a new legislation regarding indigenous education with the full inclusion and consent of indigenous peoples. The TRC first released these calls to action in 2015, which reinforced many high schools across the country to include the history of residential schools in their curriculum.

Some of the other demands include improving education and student success rates, creation of a culturally appropriate educational program, to preserve indigenous language by offering language classes as a credit course and valuing and recognizing Treaty relationships.

Concordia University is responding to these calls to action. On Nov. 2, the university announced the appointment of two special advisors to the provost on Indigenous directions, Charmaine Lyn and Elizabeth Fast. Lyn said she and Fast are spearheading Concordia’s response to the Truth

and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action.

“This is kind of an expansion of some of the work that I’ve been doing at our faculty level,” said Fast, who was originally just an associate professor for applied human sciences before being offered this position.

“Essentially over the next three years we’re hoping to explore, identify and recommend priority areas,” said Fast. She said currently she and Lyn are in the process of creating a leadership group to assemble and help guide them in identifying what the university should be focusing on in terms of indigenous representation.

“A lot of things are still unknown right now, but we really hope to set up a process with indigenous leadership in order to help guide us—including faculty, staff, students and elders,” said Lyn. She said they are seeking improvement on indigenous student support across the university and increasing the amount of and degree to which all educators include indigenous perspectives in their courses—not only with regards to content but in the ways and lenses these histories are taught.

“Everything is going to be including the [indigenous] leadership team, but Charmaine and I really have the

mandate to coordinate and move on things that the leadership team is identifying and recommending to us,” said Fast.

Along with the hiring of these advisors, the university will soon release an online indigenous hub on Concordia’s website which will provide an online environment for communication.

The appointing of these special advisors was initiated through the First Peoples Studies Member Association meeting with Concordia president Alan Shepard. Shiann Wahéhshon Whitebean—president of the First Peoples Studies Member Association and the founder and main organizer of the Indigenous Student Council at Concordia—was involved in the push for this change.

“We did a petition and it resulted in a meeting with president Shepard in May, where we were able to talk openly for a couple of hours face to face about the things we'd like to see,” said Whitebean.

“Concordia's seriously lacking in terms of indigenous presence voice and all around indigenous engagement initiatives."

Whitebean is also a part of an indigenous Concordia working group, to which she said the group initiated in response to the TRC’s

suggestions. Faculty, alumni, staff and students came together across campus to address their common concerns over the lack of indigenous immanence on campus. “We were really working together to push administration to push indigenous engagement initiatives in the strategic planning,” said Whitebean.

Whitebean said she was invited

by Fast to join the Truth and Reconciliation Leadership Group.

“I know from my part I would be able to just contribute my perspective and my experience as an Onkwehón:we:* person,” said Whitebean. She said , with this position, she will make sure student voices are part of these student initiatives moving forward.

She said she sees the hiring of Lyn and Fast as a positive move.

“It definitely demonstrates the commitment of Concordia as an institution and the administration to really engage with indigenous initiatives and people," said Whitebean.

“The university picked two fantastic people for special advisors,” said Karl Hele, associate professor and director of First Peoples Studies at Concordia an d m emb er of t h e G arden River First Nations community

NOVEMBER 8, 2016

of the Anishinaabeg people. “An advisory committee has been created—finally, I wait to see if the university will actually do more than engage in endless meetings, committees and reports.”

Hele said he would like to see concrete action made by the university, beginning with financial support. He said the university should support First Peoples Studies financially and all First Peoples on campus. In terms of the university funding First Peoples Studies, Hele said this includes funding resources, awards, research, elders involved, mentors and tenure stream hires.

Hele said he has heard the university and the Faculty of Arts and Science treats First Peoples Studies equally with all other programs and depar tments.

“Problem is when you have a program that starts from a lesser unequal footing and then reduce it, the faculty and university is reinforcing inequality masquerading as equality,” said Hele.

Concordia needs to realize it will take time and money to create indigenous presence and resources on campus, said Hele. However, he is doubtful the university will spend much time and money on this. “Hopefully the committee is more than an effort at publicity by the university,” said Hele.

Whitebean suggested the university can still i m p rove w i t h t h e implementation of a First Peoples House.

She described this as a central space where the First Peoples Studies program could be potentially housed, along with an aboriginal student resource centre and a space for ceremony and other indigenous events.

“Really, it marks a presence, acknowledgement and respect of first peoples and it's a physical reminder for people on campus about the history, the [politics] and the people that the university occupies that space,” said Whitebean.

She said McGill University already has a First Peoples House.

“A First Peoples House is one of the possibilities that will be explored by the special advisors to the provost on indigenous directions,” said university spokesperson Chris Mota. “All options are on the table.”

In a CBC article, it was mentioned educators would be implementing the history of residential schools within high

school curriculum, as per the TRC’s calls to action.

“There's huge movement in all the provinces and territories in the continued development of this curriculum around residential schools,” said Charlene Bearhead, education lead for the National Centre of Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR). “But also around the history and culture of First Nations and Inuit people.” Bearhead added the work involved in this initiative is ongoing.

"There's huge work being done across the country at the National Education Roundtable since then and, in fact, we're planning for our second [roundtable] in January of this year,” said Bearhead. The National Education Roundtable is a gathering that discusses heritage preservation education and training in Canada.

Bearhead identified the losses experienced by First Nations people as a result of residential schools including personality, knowledge, language and indigenous sciences.

“Not only are indigenous people worse off for the loss of that knowledge, but all Canadians

Hele is skeptical as to whether the inclusion of indigenous history into the curriculum will extend beyond First Nations contribution to the fur trade. “I doubt it will do actually very much on aboriginal history,” said Hele.

Hele said indigenous history should be taught in elementary schools. “It's hard to teach the really rough history or rough politics.”

However, he said there are certain parts of indigenous history which can be shared with elementary students. “Not everything in the past is negative,” said Hele.

For example, he explained Kahnawake community members were great boatmen in the Montreal river over the Lachine Rapids—a series of rapids on the Saint Lawrence River—where these boatmen would cross to transport tons of goods.

He said when the Lachine Canal was constructed, the industrial development of these canals ruined the industry for these communities.

“That's the negative story— industrial development ruined their industry,” said Hele. “The

Graphic by Florence Yee.

would benefit from those understandings,” said Bearhead.

Bearhead said there is a gap in the involvement of indigenous people in society. “The gap isn't in the people, the gap is in the system,” said Bearhead. She said education including an indigenous perspective will be more relevant, meaningful and useful to indigenous students if they actually can see themselves in the education. “How do students see education as valuable when they don't even see themselves in it?” Bearhead questioned.

Bearhead said indigenous students don't see a reflection of themselves in their educators, worldviews, science, health, literature, music or art. “How is that different than residential schools? It's still assimilation,” said Bearhead.

positive is they were the best boatmen on the river for like 100 years."

Hele believes there should be mandatory courses at Concordia across all departments, with a focus on indigenous culture. “I say that because the English department should have a mandatory course in aboriginal literature,” said Hele.

“First Peoples Studies is only a program.”

He said if some departments feel they cannot provide courses with content on indigenous peoples then they should require their students take an indigenous course outside of their discipline.

"It's definitely about time they change the curriculum, and I think it is a good thing to incorporate more indigenous history, knowledge and perspective,” Whitebean said.

“I think it's also equally important that it's done in cooperation with

First Nations, Inuit and Métis people … or otherwise it just becomes another form of misrepresentation.”

"My experience in high school history classes, the image that they [have] given of us and the way that there’s that colonial history,” said Whitebean. “We're made out to be as victims or as savage.”

“Indigenous studies is a growing field in education so I think it demonstrates that people are open to it,” said Whitebean. However, she said she believes there is caution needed in terms of respectfully approaching the issue.

She said Canada is forced to implement the teaching of residential schools after the TRC calls to action, after the Canadian government issued a public apology in 2008 for residential schools. Whitebean said the educational system in Canada needs to have a more meaningful development towards this issue.

Culturally-based models of teaching and learning by indigenous communities were not accepted, appreciated or valued, said Whitebean.

“It's like they're perceived as flawed in that colonial lens.”

While attending Concordia and being engaged in the university, Whitebean said she has dealt with racism, ignorance and inappropriate comments. “I think that's part of educating people for respect and respect for our cultures and for who we are," said Whitebean. "We have a long way to go in that sense."

"I think we could be that school that really can take on a leadership role in Quebec in terms of engaging with Indigenous people, implementing these recommendations from the TRC and all of that,” said Whitebean, adding that Concordia is currently the only university in Quebec to offer a major or degree program in indigenous studies. “I think that we're just well positioned to take that on."

*Onkwehón:we: is defined as the original, indigenous peoples, mainly of Turtle Island.

öö Be sure to check out The Concordian's video streeter on our facebook page and website at theconcordian.com

Graphic by Jennifer Kwan.

theconcordian

3

NATION IN BRIEF KATYA TEAGUE HEAD COPY EDITOR

Calgary in solidarity with Standing Rock Dozens of people gathered at the Peace Bridge in Calgary on Sunday in support of the protestors at the site of the Dakota Access Pipeline, reported Global News. The purpose of the rally in Calgary was to raise awareness about the ongoing protests in South Dakota over the environmental and cultural concerns of the $3.8 billion pipeline project, according to the same article. “When I started watching the news, it was making me cry,” the rally organizer, Marsia Big Snake, told Global News, adding that the rally hoped to support the people in South Dakota who are “fighting for us here in Canada, fighting for all of us.”

Restricting the activities of extremists The arrest of an alleged ISIL supporter in Ottawa for the second time in less than two weeks for violating the conditions of his release in raising questions about terrorism peace bonds, according to The Montreal Gazette. Tevis Gonyou-McLean, 24, was arrested on Oct. 25 for breaching the conditions of his bail, and again on Saturday after violating his curfew, the article stated. His case is the most recent one to call into question the effectiveness of terrorism peace bonds—restraining orders used by the RCMP to limit the activities of extremists and prevent them from leaving Canada to join terrorist groups, reported The Montreal Gazette.

Hope after fuel spill in British Columbia Transport Minister Marc Garneau discussed the details of the federal government’s marine safety plan with Heiltsuk Nation community members in British Columbia on Sunday, reported CTV News. Garneau’s visit comes three weeks after a tugboat sank near Bella Bella, B.C., releasing thousands of litres of diesel into the water, according to the same article.

The Heiltsuk Nation chief said in a press release that, after years of waiting for a robust plan to protect the community’s coastal waters, Garneau’s plans are “encouraging,” despite not including a moratorium on tanker traffic, reported CTV News.

4

theconcordian

WORLD IN BRIEF NELLY SÉRANDOUR-AMAR CO-NEWS EDITOR

17th-century painting stolen from earthquake-damaged church Italian authorities opened up an investigation for the thef t of a 17th-centur y painting from an earthquake-damaged church.

According to CTV News, the national police unit in charge with protecting cultural t reasures s aid Monday the 1631 painting “Pardon in Assisi” by French painter Jean L'homme was stolen from a village church in Nottoria. The ear thquakes on Oct. 26 and Oct. 30 brought buildings down across a region already r e e l i n g f ro m a d e a d l y August quake.

Mother of six possibly facing jail time Mariza Ruelas, a single mother of six in California could be facing jail time fo r s e l l i n g h o m e m a d e ceviche—a seafood dish, through a Facebook group that she created, as a hobby.

According to CTV news, prosecutors are saying she did not have proper business permits that restaurants need to protect people from eating food prepared in unsanitar y kitchens. She refused a plea deal with the prosecutors to spend a year on probation, performing 80 hours of community service.

She is now planning on taking the case to trial.

NOVEMBER 8, 2016

CAMPUS

ASFA task force in action

Student-led task force follows through with requests made in Mei Ling settlement GABRIELLE VENDETTE CONTRIBUTOR The student-led task force discussed the creation of an advocacy coordinator position, the composition of this position's hiring committee and how to ensure equal representation of different ethnicities in both the hiring committee and the task force during its third meeting on Nov. 2.

The meeting took place in the School for Community and Public Affairs building on Mackay Street at Concordia’s downtown campus.

The task-force meetings come as a response to a request made by the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR) for the Arts and Science Federation of Associations (ASFA) to revise the task force’s mandate. ASFA was required to create a task force as part of the settlement reached following the lawsuit against ASFA made by CRARR on behalf of Mei Ling*. Mei Ling was a former ASFA executive who experienced sexual harassment, discrimination and racism from two other ASFA

executives.

In a press release published by on Oct. 3, CRARR requested a revision of the mandate due to the fact that the previous one, while efficiently tackling sexism and sexual violence, did not focus enough on representation of racial minorities.

The new mandate, which was ratified by the ASFA council on Oct. 13, was distributed at the meeting.

It listed actions that will be taken by the task force to ensure cases of racism, sexism and sexual violence are dealt with swiftly. These actions include obligatory consent and power dynamic workshops for ASFA executives and volunteers, collaboration with students of different backgrounds to create and implement necessary services and working with Concordia University to ensure that these services are accessible to all.

Rebecca Paris, a Concordia graduate, attended the meeting.

She said she wishes there had been such a task force when she was a student, as she felt there were no resources available to women of colour facing discrimination. “If I ever

had issues of racism at Concordia, I had to create my own network of people,” said Paris. “It was made for us, by us and it was with no support of the university. It was made with no support of the entities here.”

Paris said many of her friends still go to Concordia and so, “as a support system for them, it’s important for me to be there if I have time.” She said people of colour need more visibility in the university and they should have designated safe spaces.

While the task force is not part of ASFA, Agunik Mamikonyan, the community outreach and sustainability coordinator for ASFA, led the discussions during the meetings.

Mamikonyan said she decided to take on the task“because she felt she had the time and passion for it.

Mamikonyan believes there is an urgent need for this task force. “There’s an obvious gap within Concordia University and it’s been a recurring problem, especially recently,” she said. “There have been a lot of cases coming up and no one to deal with them.”

The meeting concluded with the objective of finding students to sit on the hiring committee. A date for a future meeting has not yet been released. *Mei Ling is a pseudonym used to protect the identity of the person.

ASFA executives and volunteers gather to aid in completing the assembly of a task force. Photo by Ana Hernandez.

ANIMAL RIGHTS

Animal rights activists come together A vigil at the Marvid slaughterhouse raises awareness for animal cruelty

French Feminist group take a stand against gender pay gap A few thousand women throughout France left their job at exactly 4:34 p.m. on Monday to join an organized protest against the country’s gender pay gap. According to VICE News, the group behind the orchestrated protest, Les Glorieuses, argue that unequal annual pay means women are ef fectively working for free from 4:34 p.m. Nov. 7 until the end of the year.

Women in France still make 15.1 per cent less than men.

Rebecca Amsellem, founder of the group, s aid that French women would have to work an additional 38.2 days in a year to reach equal pay.

Activists from Montreal and Toronto are proudly raising their signs in front of the Marvid slaughterhouse. Photo by Nelly Sérandour-Amar.

NELLY SÉRANDOUR-AMAR CO-NEWS EDITOR A peaceful vigil took place in front of Montreal’s Marvid slaughterhouse, on the corner of Industriel and Lacordaire Boulevards, on Nov 6, to raise awareness about animal cruelty.

More than 20 people stood at the intersection of both streets, holding signs with phrases such as “Close down all Slaughterhouses” and a quote from Tolstoy “Tant qu’il y aura des abattoirs, il y aura des champs de batailles” written on them.

The vigil was organized by Montreal’s KARA (Kebek Animal Rights A ssociation) and the

Toronto Pig Save activists. They were joined by Anita Krajnc, a renowned Canadian animal rights activist who currently resides in Toronto.

Krajnc, founder of the Save Movement, a network of groups raising awareness on animal rights and veganism, has made news headlines because of her deep involvement in animal rights issues. In 2015, after offering water to pigs crammed in a truck headed to a slaughterhouse, Eric van Boekel (from whose farm the pigs were brought) filed a case against Krajnc, she was charged such as criminal mischief.

Due to her passion for animal rights, the charges didn’t stop

her from continuing her projects.

“For three years now, I’ve helped organize three vigils a week,” she said. “Since July 2011, we’ve almost done 1,000 vigils in Toronto.”

Krajnc was pleased with the turnout of the hour-long vigil in Montreal. “It is very positive and it is great for visibility.” Back in Toronto, she also organizes day-long vigils which usually bring together 300 to 400 people.

One of the activists who attended the vigil was Marion A c h o u l i a s , a p rof e s s o r at Concordia University. She said she believes Concordia used to be more active in the fight for animal rights. She said Le Frigo Vert used to be completely vegan.

Nonetheless, she is very proud to see a new generation of activists within the Concordia Animal Rights Association (CARA).

The Concordian spoke with CARA’s president, Lara Mackenzie, about the organization’s upcoming events. Mackenzie said there will be an anti-fur campaign on Nov. 28, where CARA will encourage students to go fur-free.

Mackenzie also spoke about Krajnc, describing her as a strong and perseverant woman. “Complete strangers go to her trials to defend her voice—she has a lot of support,” she said.

Another vigil will be held in the same location on Nov. 9, at 8 a.m.

NOVEMBER 8, 2016

theconcordian

5

CAMPUS

ASFA introduces bystander intervention training

ASFA executives believe more should be done to ensure a safer campus MEGAN HUNT NEWS ASSISTANT Concordia’s A r t s and S cie nce s Federation of Associations (ASFA) will be teaming up with the Sexual Assault Resource Centre (SARC) to deliver comprehensive bystander intervention training to all employees and volunteers of ASFA and executives of its member associations later this year.

The measure was proposed by Julia Sutera Sardo, ASFA’s vice president of internal affairs and administration. This was passed unanimously by A SFA’s executives. While consent training was already mandatory for ASFA members, Sutera Sardo felt additional training was a necessary next step to ensure a more safe campus.

“I wanted to bring something complimentar y to consent training,” said

Sutera Sardo. “It would be something different, but just as important… you can’t talk about one without talking about the other, which is why I wanted to have them both.”

The training sessions, which will be available to members of ASFA and its member organizations during both the fall and winter semesters, will be led by Jennifer Dr ummond , SARC’s coordinator. The sessions will cover strategies to help students recognize potentially dangerous situations and safe intervention methods.

The training is mandatory for ASFA executives and executives of AFSA’s official member associations, including the Loyola College Student Association, the Liberal Arts Society and the Science College Student Association, among others. In total, approximately 200 students will be receiving this training, and students will not have to pay for

the sessions.

ASFA represents Concordia’s largest faculty association, which consists of nearly 15,000 undergraduate students and approximately 20,450 students overall. Sutera Sardo believes executives of ASFA’s member associations are seen as student leaders, and so having them receive this training could help prevent sexual assault, bullying and other forms of harassment or violence on campus.

“I know a lot of students, especially first-year students in residence, might not necessarily know what kind of services are offered at Concordia and they often look to their peers. If their peers and their student leaders are aware of [bystander intervention strategies], then they can lead better and they can make the campus safer,” said Sutera Sardo.

The proposal met unanimous support when it came time to vote, but there were initial concerns, mainly regarding the

time commitment for mandatory training sessions. However, Sutera Sardo and Drummond arranged for the training to be offered as a one-time session available at various times throughout both semesters, making it flexible for students with busy schedules.

“It was a question of time. People had said that they had already given a lot of time to ASFA,” Sutera Sardo said. “But ultimately, they realized that an hour, two hours more to make sure that the people we represent feel safe, is nothing.”

The training—and its widespread support among associations—leaves Sutera Sardo feeling optimistic about the future of AFSA. “This was something that needed to be done. There was no question about it, and I’m glad all of ASFA is on board.

We’re moving towards this change that we need,” Sutera Sardo said.

Graphic by Florence Yee.

CAMPUS

No more flu for Concordia U

Concordia offers flu vaccine clinics for students at the Sir George Williams campus

CHLOE RANALDI STAFF WRITER With winter quickly approaching, Concordia University Health Services announced its annual flu vaccine clinics at SGW campus (EV-Atrium) and Loyola Campus Chapel will be held from Nov. 15 to 23.

“Last year’s Concordia flu vaccine clinics brought in more than 800 people,” said Gaby Szabo, Health Promotion Specialist.

The Public Health Agency suggests everyone over the age of six months should receive the flu shot every year, said Szabo.

“The flu shot will reduce students’

chances of getting the flu and spreading it to other people,” she told The Concordian.

“Unlike a cold, the flu can last up to three weeks—one week of body aches, sore throat, and other symptoms and an additional two weeks of fatigue,” Szabo added. “Students benefit from the flu vaccine because three weeks is a large proportion of a student's semester.”

According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, other flu-like symptoms include: runny or stuffy nose, headaches, fever, chills, cough, sore throat, and others.

Individuals who contract the flu can spread it to people with HIV, children, elders, or others who are vulnerable to catching the

flu or who are at high-risk of complications from the flu, Szabo said.

You can prevent the flu by washing your hands and not touching your eyes, nose or mouth. In addition, when you catch the flu or cold, staying home and avoiding close contact with others can help reduce the number of people who contract the virus, states the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The clinic is free for all individuals who have a valid Quebec Medicare card and meet at least one of the Department of Public Health’s Criteria. The criteria includes being an individual 65 years or older, or someone who has a long term chronic health condition like asthma or diabetes. Other criteria are listed on Concordia's website, at concordia.ca/flu.

If you do not meet the criteria, the flu vaccine costs $20 in cash.

Students can also get the flu shot at a variety of different locations, such as the CLSC or their local pharmacies. öö For more information on scheduling a booking for the vaccine clinics or for different locations and times visit the Concordia website.

Graphic by Florence Yee. Photo by Savanna Craig.

life

LIFE EDITOR /// life@theconcordian.com DANIELLE GASHER

CULTURE

Relearning what it means to be Cree Cree storyteller discusses his return to Indigenous culture and ways of learning The storyteller performed a few songs and some spoken word during the lecture. Photos by Danielle Gasher.

DANIELLE GASHER LIFE EDITOR Cree storyteller, actor, musician and residential school survivor Joseph Naytowhow discussed his approach to “Cree ways of knowing” during a lecture held at Concordia on Nov. 2.

The lecture was organized by the university’s Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Society and Culture, and was moderated by David Howes, a professor of anthropology and co-director of Concordia’s Centre for Sensory Studies.

In a packed conference room on the Hall building’s seventh floor, Howes introduced Naytowhow to the sea of attendees with warmth and pride. “One of our purposes this afternoon is to explore what it might mean to indigenize a university education,” said Howes. “It’s precisely that idea of bridging the distance between the academy, Concordia University, and Cree ways of knowing that we are here to explore this afternoon.”

Naytowhow, who was born in Sturgeon Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan, discussed his past and personal experiences of embracing and relearning his Cree culture.

When Naytowhow got out of the residential school system after 13 years, he felt he had to relearn how to be Cree. “I was empty. There was nothing… I was basically Canadian,” The lecture took place in the Hall building’s conference room on Nov. 2

said Naytowhow.

Residential schools were introduced in Canada as a means of assimilation. The school system was put in place by the Canadian government in 1880, and the last residential school closed in 1986. The Catholic Church ran these schools, which aimed to assimilate aboriginal children into mainstream Canadian society, into the English language and into the Christian faith.

Naytowhow attended All Saints residential school in Saskatchewan. There, Naytowhow said he faced different forms of abuse, which made him feel detached from his culture and language. The experience also affected his confidence and sense of self-worth.

“I’m still working on forgiving the Anglicans,” he said. “They really did a number on me and my people, my relatives, my family.”

Naytowhow said it was an elder he met at the University of Saskatchewan, where he was pursuing an undergraduate degree in education, who reintroduced him to what he lost during his time at All Saints. The elder, Solomon Mosquito, inspired him to re-embrace his culture and language and to begin a healing process using the Cree way of seeing life.

“Something tweaked inside of me that I had to go and spend time with him. So I missed classes,” he said. Naytowhow described the

Cree way of learning as experiencing things with all senses, with open-mindedness, with forgiveness and with an appreciation for the elements, living beings and nature.

Naytowhow recalled a comparison Mosquito made that helped him understand how expansive the Cree way of thinking, learning and being is. He said Mosquito compared the Cree way of knowing to the pharmaceutical aisles in a drugstore, because of how vast and diverse it is. “It just totally placed that image right in my mind…What a great way to explain it,” said Naytowhow, laughing.

While Naytowhow didn’t directly address what universities can do to bring Indigenous knowledge to school curriculums, he said that “learning is about observation, insight,” and that schools could benefit from using that approach in classrooms across Canada.

Universities across Canada are starting to introduce ways to further bridge the gap between Indigenous ways of learning and universities. According to a University Affairs 2016 article, “Indigenizing the academy,” the University of Regina, Brock University, Lakehead University and the University of Winnipeg, among others, have introduced measures to better include and represent Indigenous culture in their teaching.

Naytowhow said that relearning his Cree culture has helped and still helps him heal

from his past in the residential school system.

“I can’t hang on to this grudge forever—it’s going to kill me. I’m working on that.”

Indeed, Naytowhow still heavily works on healing and put a lot of importance on forgiveness once he started getting back in touch with his “Cree side.” “There’s still some debris,” he said. “I call them my little demons.”

“I had to go to high mountains; I had to go to the valley; I had to go to sweats; I had to go to ceremonies. I went into Buddhist communities. I went through therapy, life skills; I went to the University of Regina. I got married, [at a] pretty young age—20 years old. I didn’t have a clue of what marriage was about,” he said, laughing again.

Above all, Naytowhow said he couldn’t have gotten through his healing journey without music. “It’s hard to stop, I just want to keep on going,” said Naytowhow with a laugh as he ended a song he performed during the lecture. “Drumming saved my life,” said Naytowhow, with his drum still in hand. “It’s like a primal scream.”

While Naytowhow still has his demons, he will never forget the day a nun apologized to him for all the harm the Catholic Church caused Indigenous peoples in Canada.

“At the time, I was still angry. I didn’t really respond in a compassionate way,” he said.

Today, Naytowhow said he would have.

NOVEMBER 8, 2016

theconcordian

7

COLUMN

The healthy side with Fardad The human balance: How does our body achieve balance and maintain it FARDAD JABBARY CONTRIBUTOR The human body is a crazy, fascinating thing. It works hard to keep all its systems balanced. As students, we know it’s not easy to be balanced. Let’s look at how the human body works, and how it is able to keep that balance.

As with many other complex life forms, humans are made of living biological units called cells. Cells are basic units of life—all living things are made up of one or more cells. · Humans are made up of more than 30 trillion cells—of many different types. Your muscle cells and brain cells are worlds apart. · Similar cells in your body with similar functions and structures work together to form tissue, like muscle tissue or nerve tissue. Tissues work together to do a particular job. For example, your heart pumps blood throughout your body, and your lungs oxygenate your blood. These tissues are collectively called organs. · Different organs also work together.

Your circulatory system, which includes your heart, your blood and blood vessels, and your lungs, transports nutrients and oxygen through your body, among other functions. These organs are collectively called organ systems. · Finally, an organism is a collection of organ systems working together to form an entity, such as humans, animals, plants, fungi

or bacteria.

As you see, the human body is a very complex system. All humans are formed from a marriage between two cells: a sperm and an egg. Doesn’t it make you wonder how all these different

G r a p hic

by T h o m

relatively, which is important because, depending on the specific system, the body is tolerant towards some turbulence. For example, your body can tolerate a dramatic change in external temperature. When the environmental temperature changes suddenly, your body will immediately work to compensate the negative change

B e ll .

types of cells, tissues, organs and organ systems cooperate and coordinate with each other in almost perfect harmony?

How did we develop to be this complex machine with a high cognitive function? And what happens when a part in this complex machine fails?

Let’s define health and disease. A human is healthy when all these parts work well and in harmony with each other. This is called homeostasis—keeping a relatively stable environment, suitable for continual maintenance and growth. The keyword here is

and return your body to a favourable temperature.

You have hardwired mechanisms that counterbalance negative changes in your body.

Some of these changes encompass a relatively generous range, as with temperature, but some encompass a much narrower range.

For instance, blood pH (i.e. its acidity) is tightly controlled between 7.35 and 7.45. Your body keeps a close eye on these levels. A sudden change in pH can be fatal: think alcohol intoxication, as an example. If you binge drink too fast, there may be no coming back. Unfortunately, this is not as uncommon as we’d like to think.

Basically, for all intents and purposes, homeostasis means health. A severe deviation from a homeostatic state causes unease… so we call it a disease. Diseases can be caused by a multitude of sources. It can be external such as viruses, bacteria and fungi or internal such as cancer, genetics and old age.

• Fardad is a science student here at Concordia. He wants to share his research and learning about the science field with the Concordia community.

DEATH

Discussing death in a positive way

University of the Streets Café hosts a discussion on embracing death DOMINICK LUCYK STAFF WRITER Attendees and speakers discussed embracing and accepting death through rituals at the University of the Streets Café event held on Nov. 4.

The conversation was held in honour of the Latin American holiday Dia de los Muertos, which translates to "day of the dead." The public holiday is mostly associated with Mexico, where it originated, but is also celebrated in the rest of Latin America. This holiday, which was celebrated on Nov. 1 and 2, unfolds as a festival, with lots of face painting, dancing, music and remembering.

The discussion featured speakers Kit Racette, who runs regular Death Cafés that allow people to speak openly and freely about death in a non-judgmental environment, and Lilia Luna Gonzalez, who grew up in Mexico and, as such, offered a different cultural perspective on the subject of death and insight on Mexican rituals surrounding it.

About 20 people gathered at the Ruche d'Art St-Henri, a small art studio filled with artwork and candles, to discuss death and its many different aspects.

The discussion explored the cultural norms surrounding death, dealing with

both grieving and accepting one's own death, different methods of burial and other similar topics. Anyone present at the discussion was encouraged to take part in the discourse. The conversation was moderated by Genevieve Brown, a Concordia student.

Racette voiced her beliefs regarding the way modern Western societies handle death. "For me, the question of death is really important,” she said. “When was the last time you actually had a conversation about death? There's a modern-day absence of the relationship with death, that people have had for thousands of years… There is an absence of ritual."

She spoke about how death is often perceived negatively in modern Western culture, rather than as something that's an unavoidable part of life. "The idea that death is a failure is deeply ingrained in our culture," she said. She believes that embracing death is an important part of life. "When we realize that our days are limited, we give ourselves the chance to value every day, every encounter, every moment,” she said.

The Death Café project was started in 2010 by a British man named Jon Underwood. Now, people host Death Cafés in their homes and public venues in over 30 countries. Racette has hosted

numerous Death Cafés, including this event, in the greater Montreal region.

Gonzalez, who grew up in Mexico, shared her experiences with death from a different cultural point of view. She went over many key differences between how death is looked at in Mexico versus how it is handled in Canada and the US. For example, she said, "Here, we're obsessed with control, both in how we die and what happens after." She spoke about how, in Mexico, death is seen as much less taboo and negative. She shared anecdotes about how, throughout her childhood, the annual Dia de los Muertos celebrations were focused on remembering those who were lost in a positive way, with brightly coloured artwork and flowers in abundance. She mentioned that, in Mexico, death isn't usually seen as something to be feared—it's simply a part of life.

Many of the meeting's attendees shared stories and personal experiences with death, which fit with both Racette's goal of encouraging discourse about death and Gonzalez's personal recollections of how Mexican culture treats it.

Dia de los Muertos is celebrated every year during the first two days of Nov. to honour the dead.

Photo by Ana Hernandez.

arts

ARTS EDITOR /// arts@theconcordian.com JESSICA KINNARI & TIFFANY LAFLEUR

PUBLIC ART

Outside the museum: part one Montreal and public art, a feature story to be published in three parts LAURIANE BELAIR STAFF WRITER Public art seems to bring out a lot of negative opinions in our province. So why does the gover nment keep on investing in it?

“You’re not photographing this! It’s fucking ugly,” says a construction worker to artist Michel Saulnier, as he takes a picture of one of his public artworks: a larger-than-life bear, installed right outside the Children’s Hospital at the McGill University Health Centre.

According to the Bureau d’art public, there are more than 315 works of public art displayed around the city of Montreal, and they often elicit strong reactions -be they good or bad. In Suzanne Guy’s documentary on public art in Quebec, À Tout Hasard, artist Jean-Robert Drouillard recalls a moment when a teenage girl saw his life-sized dancer sculpture. “It’s not going to stay here,” she said to the artist, thinking he was a construction worker installing it. People are often shocked when made to look at contemporar y art. “A [lesson on] at least notions on how to look at a piece of art, would be needed,” said Pascal Beaudet, project manager at the Ministry of Culture and Communications.

In t h e s umm er of 20 15 , t h e c it y of Montreal unveiled La Vélocité des Lieux, a work of public art by collective BGL on the corner of Henri-Bourassa and Pie-IX boulevards. Many people used the launch of this particular piece to express their discontentment with public art. In a Journal de Montréal story announcing the launch of the work, 133 people commented online, and very few had positive opinions. Many questioned why money was spent on public art, considering there were so many cuts to governmental services like health and education. “It’s ugly, too expensive and useless,” said one citizen in the comments.

Even if one of the goals of public art is to, among other things, make art more accessible, negative opinions seem to hold more weight for those in the arts.

Why do e s t he gover nment ke ep investing in public art?

Public art, according to the Canadian Encyclopaedia, is commissioned for a public space where the composition, dimensions and proportions blend into the surroundings. “It’s a way of being directly in contact with art without having to make an effort,” said Beaudet.

When Saulnier was working on his bear cub statue on the MUHC site, a piece named Je suis là, he experienced first-hand the reactions of having his works of art on display at a public site.

Construction workers passing by stopped to comment on how they had asked for more materials and were refused, but that the government paid for an illuminated bear cub. Why is it that healthcare is being subjected to so many cuts, but the

government has money for art, some would ask? For Saulnier, those reactions reflect a lack of understanding of the one per cent decree.

The Quebec policy of Integration of Art to Architecture, also known as the one per cent decree, was first established in 1961. With some modifications over the years, it has resulted in an obligation to spend approximately one per cent of the building's total construction budget on public art. This policy applies to all buildings that receive grants from the government.

The decree promotes art creation and acquisition, advertises the works of Quebec’s artists and allows people all over the province to have access to contemporary art, according to Art Public Montréal.

The process of integrating art into architecture is complex. Beaudet said the integration starts with a file, a sort of bank, which gathers artists according to categories. Professional artists join the file on a voluntary basis, and then two members of the ministry and two visual arts specialists review their applications.

There are many requirements that must be met in order to join the file: the artist needs to have Canadian citizenship, to have been living in Quebec for at least 12 months and to have professional artist status. Then, when a building receives a grant, a project manager will go through the construction project to create a committee that will establish the type of artwork to include based on the place and what would appeal to the people that occupy it. A few artists from the file will then be invited to propose a project.

While the ministry takes care of the art in the whole province, the Montreal Public Art Bureau, created in 1989, is responsible for all public art within the city. Laurent Vernet, commissioner of the bureau, said the one per cent decree is managed in Montreal by the bureau, following the ministry process. They also take care of the investments made by the city of Montreal outside of the policy.

Some projects are not included in the one per cent decree, but still receive investments from the city of Montreal.

That was the case for La Vélocité des Lieux . T he bureau need s to review those investments, making sure they are pertinent and that they fit correctly within the overall environment of the city.

Since investment projects don’t have a predetermined budget, unlike those who qualify under the one per cent decree, the bureau works with comparable projects.

Usually, the allotted budget will be of about one or two per cent of the total cost of the building.

This article is part of a long-form feature on public art that will be presented in three parts. Stay tuned for part two, which will appear in our Nov. 15 issue.

The bear statue outside the MUHC is one of the many disp lays of pub lic art around Montreal. Photo by Margaret Griffin.

NOVEMBER 8, 2016

theconcordian

9

THEATRE

A theatrical look at a refugee’s life in Canada Teesri Duniya Theatre is making a statement with another politically charged play, The Refugee Hotel

The Refugee Hotel tells the tale of Chilean refugees whofledtoCanada after a coup d’état overturned the government in 1973. Photos by Charles Labarre andJamesDouglas.

PAULINE NESBITT CONTRIBTOR The Refugee Hotel is a politically charged, dark-comedy play that chronicles the experience of Chilean refugees and pays tribute to the positive influence their Canadian hosts had on their resettlement.

The play was performed in English with Spanish surtitles on a screen. Put on by the Teesri Duniya Theatre, the play features four Concordia grads, including Mariana Tayler, Sally Singal, Gilda Montreal and Charles Bender.

In the aftermath of the Chilean coup d’état in 1973, Canada welcomed over 7,000 Chilean refugees. At the time, a right-wing dictatorship seized power from the democratically-elected government. The dictatorship tortured and killed those they considered dissidents and imposed severe economic control by the state, according to Paulina Abarca-Cantin,

the play’s director. Canada’s offer to these reluctant immigrants was a beacon of hope that soothed their physical and emotional pain.

Abarca-Cantin said the play is based on her story, as well as Carmen Aguirre’s, the playwright. “It is her true story and it is also mine, except that Carmen arrived in Vancouver and my family arrived in Montreal,” AbarcaCantin said.

The play takes place in Montreal during a snowy week in February 1974. The story is told from a child’s perspective, a technique used to represent the refugees’ innocence upon arrival, explained Abarca-Cantin. She said some refugees opposed the dictatorship, while others, such as teenagers, were exiled despite not yet having formed any political leanings.

The Refugee Hotel opens with a monologue by eight-year-old Manuelita (Mariana Tayler) describing the determination and courage these refugees required to adapt to their new

country. Although delivered in a child-like tone, the message is loaded with wisdom that comes from the processing of childhood memories later in life as an adult.

Much of the play takes place in a hotel, where Manuelita and her family are staying.

Pat Keleman (Sally Singal), the social worker overseeing their resettlement, is caring and kind, but speaks no Spanish, causing the family to misunderstand everything she says.

Each day, more Chileans arrive at the hotel and they quickly bond and share details of their escape—a cathartic and helpful part of the healing process.

Eventually, to everyone’s relief, Bill O’Neill (Charles Bender), a Canadian NGO activist, visits the hotel and uses his not-too-fluent Spanish skills to communicate with the refugees. Having O’Neill in their corner helps the refugees understand Canada’s commitment to helping them rebuild their lives.

“My character is an activist,” Bender said.

“[He] would have sat in front of the government to try to convince it to change policies [on refugees] by showing up with placards.” He added that O’Neill “is a free-spirited kind of guy,” who worked alongside an interfaith church and helped the refugees find jobs, apartments and furniture—unlike the bureaucrat social worker who did nothing but check the boxes on her government-issued forms. “ The Refugee Hotel is ultimately about love and its power to heal,” Aguirre stated in the program notes. “It is the best way I know that I can send on a love letter to new people [refugees],” Abarca-Cantin said. öö The Refugee Hotel is playing everyday except Fridays, until Nov.13, at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts, at 5170 Côte-Sainte-Catherine Road.

Student tickets are $18. A talk-back with the audience takes place after each performance.

EXHIBITION

Socio-economic issues through the lens of an artist Trying to make sense of an increasingly challenging reality through art ROMINA FLORENCIA ARRIETA STAFF WRITER “Anomie” is defined as the alienation, personal unrest and social instability that comes from a breakdown of standards and values. This theme is present in Concordia studio arts student Emilie Tremblay's first solo exhibition, Anomie, which took place at the Cégep du Vieux Montréal on Nov. 1.

“It was really exciting to be able to show my work so early on in my development as an artist,” said Tremblay. “It’s very gratifying because I was invited by the Cegep after graduation. It’s heartwarming to see them support and believe in me like that.”

The art pieces presented all discuss social issues in modern day society. Tremblay does not hold back in her work—some pieces are avant-garde and meant to upset the viewer. For instance, Ruptures is a crude insult to the patriarchal values which are omnipresent in our society.

The piece presents the outline of several women who are faceless and, therefore, emotionless. According to Tremblay, this lack of personification is meant to symbolize the tendency in current society to mute women's voices. Women’s rights have been, and continue to be, a political issue and an

important international social problem. In a statement issued on March 8, 2010, Dr. Margaret Cahn, director-general of the World Health Organization, argues women are still denied the same opportunities and rights which are recognized by law.

Another prominent work is Stop-Motion, a collection of different door locks stacked together. According to Tremblay, these locks are meant to represent the obstacles, be they social or societal, that minority groups must overcome in order to fulfill their dreams.

“I have an approach that is very critical and engaged in my work, in general. I choose my themes based on what calls to me, in this case, it was a feeling of general uneasiness towards our generation in regards to societal function,” said Tremblay. “I feel this desire to step away from the past and question it, but without bringing any answers. I think as an artist, it’s important to ask questions.”

The exhibition is also composed of pieces which use space efficiently. There is a 3D aspect to the compositions—their perception changes depending on where the viewer is standing. It makes the process of looking at art dynamic, as one can't help but look at the designs from different angles.

What is striking about Tremblay’s pieces

are the simplicity of the art, yet the complexity of the messages presented.

Tremblay 's wor k u s e s straightforward designs, to convey her views and values.

Her pieces are refreshing, accessible and approachable—even to those who are not overly familiar with studio arts. Tremblay’s work can be viewed on Inst agram unde r the handle @epithumia_rose.

Emily Tremblay, a Concordia student, held her first solo exhibition on Nov. 1 at the Cegep du Vieux-Montréal.

Photos by Arnaud Clermont.

10 theconcordian

NOVEMBER 8, 2016

STUDENT ART

Out of the classroom , into the museum

Family Works, a project led by a Concordia professor culminates in student work exhibited at the MMFA

1

TIFFANY LAFLEUR CO-ARTS EDITOR It isn’t often that a class project is exhibited at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts—but until Dec. 5, 11 artworks

by Concordia undergraduate students, ranging from video to textile installations, are on display in the promenade at the MMFA. These works represent the culmination of a year’s worth of work which brought together different programs within the Faculty of Fine Arts in a partnership between the MMFA and Concordia Universit y.

Art history and studio arts students had the opportunity to work on a project that transcended the typical classroom experience.

Family Works: A Multiplicity of Meanings and Contexts is a multi-faceted, ambitious project led by Concordia ar t histor y professor Loren Lerner. Along with the exhibition at the MMFA, Lerner created a website that groups the collective work done by the undergraduate students in her seminar course, Here’s Looking at You Kid: Picturing Children, Envisioning Childhood.

“It was tough for them, and they were really the very best students. I was really lucky,” said Lerner. “They worked so very hard and there was no grumbling, at least no grumbling with me. But they really understood the challenge. They met the challenge head on.”

The art history students in Lerner’s seminar had the task of analyzing 82 works

pertaining to the representation of family from the MMFA’s permanent collection.

These analyses are hosted on the Family Works website for all to see, divided into four different sections according to the assignments for the class, which included descriptions of individual works and comparative analyses addressing broad themes of family.

What Mélanie Deveault, educational projects developer at the MMFA, found interesting about the theme of family was its universality. The strength of the website, and of the student works, lies in the diversity and new perspectives reflected on a theme as old as time. According to Deveault, this reflection showcased different ways we can approach the theme of family, and allows people to enjoy the museum’s permanent collection in a new way while discovering a new generation of artists and art historians.

The fourth section of the website hosts works by the 20 studio artists from Raymonde April, Laura Endacott and Tema Stauffer’s undergraduate courses.

The studio art students were tasked with producing an artistic work inspired by a piece from the museum’s permanent collection. This work was then analyzed by the art history students.

According to Deveault, the website represents research, quality content and a different point of view from the MMFA’s neighbouring community of Concordia.

“It was over 80 work s that were analyzed, discussed and interpreted by university students, so it’s really a per-

spective from one of our communities that brought richness to the collection,” said Deveault.

For Lerner, creating the website with her students was meant to give them an idea of what they could hope to do after graduation.

“I felt that it’s really so important to understand, because we have to be a little pragmatic—you want to get a job when you graduate, so what kind of work is out there?” said Lerner. Since the target audience for this website is the general public, this meant the tone had to be different from the academic art history essays her students were used to producing.

“I really wanted to create something that the students were working on that gave them skills that they could take into their working life after they've graduated,” said Lerner. “So I’m really a believer in web publishing.”

At first, there was no intention to display the student works at the museum. Space at the museum is booked years ahead of time, and there was simply no room to fit in 20 additional artworks done by the students. That changed along the way.

Deveault was impressed with the quality of work produced by this next generation of artists and art historians. So much so that she found an unused space that would be able to host the student work.

“When I received the texts from the works in the collections, and then the interpretations from the studio students… well, we’re always curious to see what’s

there, but it was really a joy to see the diversity in interpretations,” said Deveault.

Of the 20 works submitted by the studio students, 11 were selected to be installed in the museum’s promenade, which leads to the education centre. Of those 11, two are videos, ten are displayed as virtual exhibits, and one is a physical work by Geneviève Grenier, displayed at the entrance to the promenade.The virtual works are presented as images on screens along the promenade of the museum. Designed as slide-shows, each of the three screens rotates between the works and includes the text analyses written by the art history students.

“I always believed in the genius of my students. I’ve seen so many amazing things happen at these levels, so I thought yeah, let’s get on board,” said Endacott, who was teaching a 200-level fibres course, where students learned printing and dyeing techniques and how to work with different textiles. “It doesn’t matter if it’s small—it’s the validation of being within the museum’s walls that’s really exciting for a younger student, even for an experienced artist.”

Endacott hopes that the effort put in by the students comes through in the exhibit at the museum. “You don’t hear a lot of people say ‘Well anyone could be an engineer.’ There’s always this assumption that in the arts, it’s very easy,” she said.

In addition to the website and the exhibited student works, a series of videos depicting the process of assembling the website are available on YouTube.

NOVEMBER 8, 2016

theconcordian

11

3

4

2

Amanda Grzelak was at work when she found out her installation, Family Roots, would be displayed on a virtual screen in the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA).

“I was just completely ecstatic—I was running around, literally jumping for joy. I was in shock, I was telling everyone who was around me. I called my parents right away,” said Grzelak, a studio arts student who was in Laura Endacott’s class. “It really felt like it was an amazing opportunity, especially for an undergraduate student, and it felt like it gave me hope for doing art. Like all the hard work was finally starting to pay off.”

For the students involved in the project, Family Works was more than just an assignment. It was a portfolio-builder and an opportunity.

For Kimberly Glassman, an art history student, part of the challenge was easing into a new mindset.

“We were used to writing essays to be

graded in class, but for this it was different because we were peer editing each other’s work,” said Glassman. “We were more apprehensive that it was going to be read by more people than just the teacher and our peers.”

The website hosts work by 16 art history students and 20 studio arts students.

Each written assignment submitted for the class was peer-reviewed, edited, rewritten, re-edited and rewritten again before being posted.

“Above all, I was intrigued by the idea of virtual museums. [...] They’re everywhere now and they’re the next step for museum development, I think,” said Glassman about the Family Works website. “I was just so happy to hear that the unseen collections of the Museum of Fine Arts were going to be put online virtually in a place people could visit it all the time.”

When Dina Georgaros found out her work would be featured on a website in collabo-

ration with the MMFA, she was intimidated at first—but Lerner pushed everyone to do their best and embrace the challenge.

“It gave us a voice, in a sense,” said Georgaros. “The thing with this project was that it meant something because we were going to be working in collaboration with the museum, and we worked really hard on all the papers we wrote.”

Sarah Amarica, who finished her bachelor’s in art history and has begun her masters’ at Concordia, is happy knowing that the assignments everyone worked on during the year came together to form the website.

“One of our goals was to make art accessible. So we constructed our projects knowing that it might be read by an audience that might not have an art history background,” said Amarica. “It would be great if someone read one of these papers and learned a little bit more about an artwork that they wouldn’t have known before.”

1. Isabelle Hayes, What If, 2015, screen print, gold fabric and embroidery on canvas. Photo courtesy of the artist.

2. Amanda Grzelak, Family Roots, 2015, direct application of dye and block printed pigment on cotton, Styrofoam inserts, hand and machine sewn. Photo bu Guy L'Heureux.

3. Geneviève Grenier, Fémelot, 2015, dyed textiles, stockings, glass, wood, cables, oil and milk. Photo bu Guy L'Heureux.

4 . Francis Macchiagodena , Tra n s f e re n c e, 201 5 , 4 4 . 45 x 56.29cm,black and white negative, inkjet print. Photo courtesy of the artist.

For Grzelak, her installation presented another, additional challenge: size. Her work, consisting of several “roots” intertwined and weaved together, is nine by three yards.

“Working with such a large-scale object was really time consuming and was really a big risk, because, if it didn't end up looking like how I imagined or didn't end up working as well as I thought, all of that time would have amounted to nothing,” said Grzelak.

“And it’s hard to restart.”

Both the studio art and art history students had the support and confidence of their teachers, who pushed them to write better, produce better and surpass even their own expectations.

“Dr. Lerner puts a lot of faith in undergraduate students. She values our thoughts and our writing,” said Glassman.

To see the work produced by the students, visit the MMFA’s promenade or visit familyworks.hybrid.concordia.ca.

From left to right, students' inspirations: Janieta Eyre, The Sisters Sophie and Sarah, 2001, colour print.

Claire Beaugrand-Champagne, Accueil des réfugiés dans les baraques de l'armée canadienne, Longue Pointe, Québec, 16 avril 1980, série « Thienet Hung ».

School of Moscow, Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God, second half of 16th century, tempera and gold on panel.

music

Quickspins

MUSIC EDITOR /// music@theconcordian.com SANDRA HERCEGOVÁ

1

PROFILE

Meet the Montreal ska queen

Lorraine Muller, former band member of The Kingpins, is a legend in the world of ska

A portrait of Lorraine Muller. Photo by Andrew Dent.

EMILY VIDAL ASSISTANT MUSIC EDITOR Lorraine Muller is a legend in the world of ska music. She is recognized for being one of the first women in ska music in Montreal to have garnered success.

Though Muller is in the spotlight now, she started off in the shadows.

She began her musical career in 1994 with the Montreal ska punk band, The Kingpins.

She was the alto saxophone player—But she would soon become much more.

“We were running through songs [at a rehearsal] and [the lead singer] wasn’t there,” she said. “So I was like, ‘Okay, whatever, I’ll sing it. Just for the rehearsal.’ And then they were like, ‘Holy crap! She can sing!’”

The band was so impressed by Muller’s vocals that she continued to sing on their albums. As a result, she began to sing at The Kingpins’ shows. “Every time I would do a show and I would step up to the microphone, people would go crazy,” said Muller.

While she was on stage one night, the band’s guitar player introduced her as “the Queen of Ska,” a nickname that has stayed with her ever since. “It just stuck,” said Muller.

“Nobody had ever had that nickname before me in North America.”

When the lead singer of The Kingpins left the group in 1999, many of the original band

members followed suit. The band shifted from 10 musicians down to five, with only three of its original members remaining.

Muller immediately began looking for a new lead singer for The Kingpins’ third album, but the band already had someone in mind. “The drummer said, ‘What are you doing? Why are you looking for somebody?

You can sing,’” Muller said.

At first Muller was hesitant, as she preferred to go unnoticed. “I never wanted to be in front or anything like that. I always preferred to be in the back,” she said. “Some people like that stuff. They’re like, ‘Look at me!’ I’m like the total opposite.”

She also battles with stage fright—Muller said it stems from her insecurities about her musical capabilities. “Just thinking that you’re not good enough or you don’t have anything to offer or that there are people that are better than you, all that stuff,” she said.

But her passion for music is what pulls her through when she gets caught up in her insecurities. “My strength is my passion, because that is what surmounts everything else,” she said.

With that passion and drive, she put everything aside, and became the lead singer of The Kingpins. “Trust is a big thing,” she said. “When I got pushed at the front of the band, it was trust. I trusted my guys.

They said ‘You can do it, come on, let's do

it.’ And so we started writing after that.”

The Kingpins eventually lost all of its original members, except for Muller. In 2003, the band’s name changed to Lo and the Magnetics, with Muller as the lead singer.

When they took a break in 2006, she decided to come up with a new and exciting concept. She gathered a group of musicians she had worked with before and created a band, the Fabulous LoLo. She then approached the Montreal Jazz Festival to see if her new band could perform at the festival, and they loved the idea.

Muller brought in many legendary musicians, including guitarist Lynn Taitt, who discovered many bands, such as The Wailers, and is also credited for being the creator of rocksteady music—a genre that is the successor of ska and reggae.

Muller also brought on a former Studio One musician from Jamaica, a member of Planet Smashers and several former members of The Kingpins. “I just assembled the best musicians in Montreal for that style and we just had such a wonderful time,” said Muller.

Muller would love the chance to play with her former bandmates again and relive those wonderful memories. “The community, the shared experience, for example, of touring and being onstage and playing a good show, or you know, just having fun at rehearsals… you become a family,” she said.

Muller’s life has been completely changed by music, and she said can’t see herself without it. “I find it a very zen thing that I’m just where I was meant to be,” she said. “And you know, whatever, I don’t have a white picket fence around my house… Maybe I don’t have anything to show, nothing material, but I sure have a hell of a lot of experiences and I wouldn’t really change it, to be honest, you know?”

Muller said she is very grateful for the chance to follow her dreams. “I want to give my gratitude to everybody who comes out to the shows and who buys the albums and who supports the music and who makes it a special thing that we share together,” she said.

Muller can now be seen playing with Les Handclaps, a French-English pop band in Montreal. They just released their third album, Brooklyn, in June, which is a compilation of their best music from the past three years.

THE DARCYS

Centerfold (Arts & Crafts, 2016) After dropping four singles in anticipation of this album, The Darcys, a Torontobased two-piece band, have finally released their fourth album, Centerfold.

This project is something a little different from their usual sound. The bleak tone and heavier sounds of their previous albums are now replaced with electro-pop funky freshness. Lead singer Jason Couse’s silky smooth voice guides the album. Another surprise is the way the album is produced—it has normally been on the darker side, on this record, it has an 80s and 90s pop vibe—Prince is a clear inspiration in particular. The main attraction when it comes to this project: it’s just so goddamn cool. Suave instrumentals on the part of Couse and Wes Marskell radiate swagger on every track.

The lead single, “Miracle,” is honestly one of the most fun pop songs to come out this year. The old-school vibe of the entire album, combined with the simple but fantastic vocals makes this one of the best Canadian albums of the year.

11 Trial Track: “Miracle”

9.5/10

AVENGED SEVENFOLD

The Stage

2

(Capitol Records, 2016)

California metal band Avenged Sevenfold’s new studio album, The Stage, is their most ambitious record instrumentally to date.

However, ambitious doesn’t always mean good. From top to bottom, this album is a mess. The band was criticized on their last album, Hail to the King, for being too simple. On The Stage, the band completely overcompensates for those criticisms.

The majority of the songs on this record are two minutes longer than they need to be, with the extra time used to showcase unnecessary guitar solos and flashy drumming. Lead singer Matt Shadows sounds scratchy on the record and struggled to achieve any harmony with his vocals. Songs like “The Stage” and ballads like “Roman Sky” are decent, but not enough to make the album better. The Stage is a cruel reminder that even the best metal bands from the 2000s are washed up at this point.

11 Trial Track: “The Stage”

4/10 Lorraine Muller (left) hanging with Les Handclaps. Photo by Marie Lynn Baril.

—Matthew Coyte, Staff Writer

— Alexander Cole, Sports Editor

NOVEMBER 8, 2016

theconcordian

13

RECOMMENDATIONS

D.R.A.M.

3

Big Baby D.R.A.M. (Atlantic Records, 2016)

Intro to Canadian alternative rock

A guide to the country’s recent chart-topping alternative rock bands

MATTHEW COYTE STAFF WRITER

Rapper D.R.A.M.’s debut album is by far one of the happiest records of the year.

The album’s perfect blend of rap, R&B and soul instantly puts you in a good mood and keeps you coming back for another listen.

Besides the smash-hit single on the album, “Broccoli,” featuring Lil Yachty, songs like “Cash Machine,” “Cute” and “Misunderstood” are buttery smooth tracks that showcase D.R.A.M.’s infectious personality. Musically, the album tends to jump around. One moment you could be listening to an upbeat rap tune, and the next, you’re listening to an R&B mood-setter. The record starts off strong, but after the song “Cute,” the hype dies down. Songs become more repetitive and so does the subject matter, which mainly discusses relationships and success in the music industry. Despite its flaws, D.R.A.M.’s debut is a fun record that displays an artist who truly enjoys making music.

11 Trial track: “Cash Machine”

7/10

—Alexander Cole, Sports Editor

4 LADY GAGA

Joanne (Interscope Records, 2016)

9/10

— Sandra Hercegova, Music Editor

Dan Mangan Since releasing his debut album, Postcards and Daydreaming back in 2005, Dan Mangan has been steadily growing his reputation as one of the most consistent and talented Canadian songwriters in recent memory. The singer is based out of Vancouver, B.C. and frequently collaborates with other Vancouver artists, including Kenton Loewen, a former member of Mother Mother. Mangan’s sound has been compared to that of Bon Iver. He takes a softer, more subdued approach to the alternative genre. He has always been an artist who appeals to Canadian audiences because of his storytelling ability. His album Oh Fortune won the Best Alternative Album in 2012 at the Juno Awards. Recently, Mangan has shifted from his usual acoustic guitar-driven sound to fuller, darker, band-orientated projects. His latest record, Unmake, is full of that same ability to tell deeply personal stories, but Mangan’s stripped-back guitar and heavier production makes the overall tone bleaker in comparison to his earlier work, which was closer to the folk-pop genre. His impeccable production has become a trademark throughout his past albums. Mangan’s evolution is a story, heard from album to album.

11 Recommended album: Unmake (EP)

The Dudes There is no other band that recreates that Western Canadian sound like the Dudes, a rock group from Calgary that’s been around since the late 90s. With each subsequent album, the band explores and digs further into their Canadian roots for inspiration—through catchy hooks and laid back storytelling. Tracks like “Saturday Night” showcase what it means to be a Canadian hockey fan, while incorporating heavy guitar riffs and pumping drums that have become signature components of the band. Their albums embody the feeling of a drunk night in Banff, spending hours telling stories with friends around a campfire.

The Dudes accompany their pop-rock sound with an ability to make some of the corniest lines sound cool, such as “And I think she's right for someone else, let me introduce myself, I'm someone else, Mr. Someone Else.” They’ve become a staple in the Canadian rock conversation—the band brings an air of consequence-free fun that is sorely missed in music these days.

11 Recommended album: Blood Guts Bruises Cuts

Coleman Hell Alternative rock singer Coleman Hell blasted onto the musical scene in 2015 with the song “2 Heads,” a track that went triple platinum in Canada, which comes

July Talk July Talk is arguably the most exciting Canadian band around right now. They’ve played shows alongside Canadian rock icons such as Billy Talent, Sam Roberts and Matthew Good Band. They also won Breakthrough Group of the Year at the 2014 Junos. The group dropped their much anticipated follow-up album, Touch, which cemented them as the band to watch in Canadian music. Their latest release, Touch, focuses on themes of loneliness and lust.

One particular reason for their success is chemistry. Lead singers Leah Fay and Peter Dreimanis—both from Toronto—have this electric energy between them. Every song feels like a battle for control. Through all of this emerges a sound that can only be described as captivating—each track is an explosion. Songs like the lead single ,“Push + Pull,” only further serve to ingrain July Talk’s rapidly growing reputation as a mainstay in the Canadian rock scene.

11 Recommended album: Touch

Graphic by Florence Yee.

Say “howdy” to Lady Gaga’s new release, Joanne. Who is this woman? She plays chameleon in this album, between a country gal, a pop star and an R&B singer.

Oh, but she delivers—this is her most versatile album yet. Tracks like “Joanne,” “A-YO” and “Sinner’s Prayer” make it sound as though she’s been singing country her whole career. Don’t be fooled, though: her addictive pop dance songs are still present. “Dancin’ in Circles” sounds just like the Gaga tunes that have played again and again on every radio station for the past few years. Her powerful voice will get you hooked on songs like “Perfect Illusion” after just one listen. Another one of this album’s great country tracks is “Diamond Heart,” where she mixes pop and country like mashed potatoes. For “Hey Girl,” Gaga becomes the sophisticated R&B singer, as confident as can be. The track has an 80s electro mixture that sounds just right. Give Joanne a listen, you’ll go Gaga for it.

11 Trial track: “Perfect Illusion”

Canada has always been a breeding ground for great alternative rock groups.

Pioneers such as the Tragically Hip paved the way for countless other groups to become successful. Recently, new Canadian talents have been emerging at an astonishing rate—their down-toearth, authentic and deeply personal takes on the genre are turning heads, not just around the country, but around the world.

from his debut album, Summerland. The album is inspired by the Wiccan belief of a purgatory between lives. Hell’s distinct, deep voice is accompanied by electronic beats. The intense electronic sounds and light, poppy banjo riffs come together in Hell’s Summerland album. Playing off this theme of purgatory, death and rebirth, the album delivers some of the best songs of the year. “Howling Moon,” “Devotion” and the title track, “Summerland,” all bring out the best in Canadian folklore. He doesn’t play it safe—he experiments with different sounds to bring a unique spin to the alternative genre. He manages to keep this light, catchy and triumphant album grounded.

Even though it’s very possible Hell might become one of the biggest names to come out of the Canadian alternative scene, it seems like he’ll never lose sight of his Canadian background that inspires him.

11 Recommended album: Summerland

sports

SPORTS EDITOR /// sports@theconcordian.com ALEXANDER COLE ( @AlexCole_80)

BASEBALL

Saying farewell to Concordia's pitching duo Dan Connerty and Sam Belisle-Springer reflect on their time with the Stingers baseball team JAMES KIERANS ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Through the month of September, Connerty and Belisle-Springer allowed a Anyone will tell you that, in any sport, combined 29 runs in just every team could use more than a few over 23 innings. Before too veterans that other players can depend long, Schwartz decided on. What is less widely discussed is the to sit both of them down pressure these veterans often put on and put his background themselves to be dependable. in sports psychology With the Stingers baseball season over, to use. veteran pitchers Sam Belisle-Springer "He sat us down, and Dan Connerty have finished their we spoke for a good last season with Concordia. Both players twenty, thirty minstarted their careers with the Stingers in utes about what we 2013. Connerty left to pitch in the United needed to focus States for two years, returning to Concordia on,” Connerty said. in 2016, while Belisle-Springer has played "[Howie] said that four straight seasons.

I was just putting When the 2016 season started, both were too much presslated to be the team's premier starting sure on myself. pitchers. Connerty had just come back [I'm a] strong from playing for Northwood University enough leader in Michigan and was named team captain, of f t h e f ield while Belisle-Springer had been awarded that, when I go Pitcher of the Year in 2015. into the game, Sam Belisle-Springer felt like he needed to be perfect coming into this season.

Both were feeling the pressures of I don't have leadership. to expect to "Going into [this season], I knew I had to be perfect." team didn't care,” Belisle-Springer said. your goal is to get the team prepared to be a starting pitcher. I had to be the number Connerty adjusted his leadership strat“The starters really cared but we had a lot win,” Connerty said. “We didn't win. In one guy,” said Belisle-Springer. The team egies, understanding that not everyone on of guys who were [just] there.” that sense, I failed. I can handle it, [but] had lost one of their other starting pitchers the team had the same competitive spirit he With Schwartz's guidance, the two it'll take time." from the year before, and Connerty hadn't and Belisle-Springer brought to the game. pitchers were able to finish the regular Belisle-Springer doesn't want to carry played on the team in two years. "There "There was a difference this year [from] season with style. By mid-October, too many regrets about how his collegiate were a lot of question marks. A lot of the 2013 team. Not playing at 100 per cent both had managed to bring their respec- career ended, but wishes his team could that pressure was pressure that I put on wasn't acceptable [in 2013]. We had guys tive earned-run-averages below four. have had one more showdown with their myself, and I think that really played into on the team who held you accountable.

Unfortunately, they weren't able to translate rivals. "It was disappointing not to get my slow start."

This year, you couldn't really do that,” this strong play into success at Nationals. another shot at Mcgill," he said. The Stingers Meanwhile, Connerty found himself Connerty said. "There's a fine line between "I had a really strong stretch of three played the Redmen six times this season struggling with the pressures of captaincy. being constructive, and coming off as a or four starts, and I wasn't able to carry without pulling off a single win.

He admitted that when manager Howie condescending asshole." that over into Nationals,” Belisle-Springer As for how the team will do without them Schwartz named him captain, he felt like Belisle-Springer agreed that sometimes said. "The big disappointment is that I feel next year, Belisle-Springer is uncertain, but he needed to be the perfect leader the the commitment level on the team was like I'm a lot better than what I've done in cautiously optimistic. "I think we've got team deserved at all times. lacking. "I had the feeling that half the my four years." some good young guys. [Pitcher Jarryd] The Stingers lost in the Taylor is going to be really solid next year,” semi-finals of the Canadian Belisle-Springer said. "Hitting-wise, that's C o l l e g i a t e B a s e b a l l where I'd be a bit worried, because we A ss ociat ion Nat ional weren't a great hitting team this year and Championships to the the best hitters are leaving."

Université de Montréal.

For Connerty and Belisle-Springer, the Neither Connerty nor end of their time at Concordia does not Belisle-Springer have necessarily mean the end of organized won a title in their time baseball. They both have intentions of with the team. going pro.

"The main reason I "We're both at the skill set where we can came here was to win continue to take baseball further,” Connerty a national champion- said. While Major League Baseball may ship. I really thought be out of the question, both pitchers are we had it,” Connerty confident they could make it in lower-level said. "Once I got to independent leagues or overseas.

Nationals, I wanted "I've always been told, anything you to leave this week- can do, do it as far as you can,” Connerty end with no ‘what said. "[So] why the hell not? Real life's ifs.’" pretty boring anyway."

Despite perBelisle-Springer is equally ambitious f o r m i n g w e l l about his future in the game and said individually he'll look back fondly on the time he at Nat ional s , spent playing for the Stingers.

Connerty still "I grew a lot as a baseball player, and c a n ' t s h a k e I have a lot more growing to do,” Belislet he st ing of Springer said. “When I finally put it all the loss. "As together, I'll be able to say I was a pretty Dan Connerty pitched in the United States for two years before coming back to the Stingers. Photos by James Kierans. the captain, good baseball player. One day."

NOVEMBER 8, 2016

S

Playing with an Armada of talent Rookie forward Philippe Sanche makes the transition to the Stingers BRANDON SHARE-COHEN STAFF WRITER Big things come in small packages. In the case of Stingers rookie forward Philippe Sanche, that statement has rung true for his entire life. At just fivefoot-five, Sanche has never been the biggest guy on his team. What he may lack in size, he’s made up for in spades with his heart and passion for the game of hockey.

“Because I’ve always been smaller, I’ve always had to work harder than [most people],” Sanche said. “All my coaches told me that work ethic is more important than talent.”

Getting into hockey was an interesting journey in itself for Sanche. While he may be in love with the sport now, there was a time when he considered leaving hockey altogether. In his defense, he was only three-years-old at the time.

“I started skating at three years old,” Sanche said. “I watched hockey on TV, my dad liked it and I decided I wanted to play.

I actually wanted to quit, though, because I didn’t like to skate. My parents told me that if I started something, I had to finish it. Eventually I would cry because I didn’t want to get off the ice.”

Sanche has never looked back on his decision to continue playing the sport.

He went on to play hockey in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.

“I played Midget Espoir at 15 and saw a few of my friends play in the QMJHL,” said Sanche. “It looked like fun and I knew it was what I wanted to do.”

Sanche had a successful career in the QMJHL, recording 79 goals and 200

points in 207 games. His best season came in 2014-15 when Sanche recorded career-highs in every statistical category, including 65 games played, 36 goals, 36 assists, 72 points, 55 penalty minutes and a plus/minus rating of plus 23.

Although Sanche is no longer an active player in the QMJHL, there’s no denying the impact he left on the league. In 2015, Sanche won the award for the hardest working player in the QMJHL—an award voted on by fans of the league. Even more impressive was the fact that the Armada created the “Philippe Sanche Trophy,” which was given to Sanche to commemorate his work ethic. The award is now given to the hardest working player on the Armada team each season.

“It’s pretty nice [to leave that legacy behind],” Sanche said. “I didn’t score 100 goals in a year, I didn’t break any record, but it’s nice to get rewarded for just working hard. It’s what I’ve done since I was young.”

Going from the QMJHL to university hockey has been an interesting transition for Sanche so far, although he almost didn’t play for Concordia. Growing up, the Mercier, QC native said he always had some interest in attending McGill. When Stingers head coach Marc-André Élement talked with Sanche about recruitment, however, that all changed.

As Sanche put it, Élement didn’t pressure him, he just made it clear that the Stingers really wanted him—more than the McGill Redmen did.

Now 21-year-old Sanche is seven games into his career with the Concordia Stingers and he’s done well to establish himself early. In seven games, he’s scored one goal and seven points while skating alongside forward Scott Oke and captain

Olivier Hinse.

“It’s [Hinse’s] fifth year here. He knows a lot about this league,” Sanche said. “It’s always tough to transition from league to league, and he made it much easier on me and for everyone else that’s come into this program.”

Sanche grew up playing hockey in Canada and like any other hockey-hungry Canadian growing up, a career in the NHL has always been something he’s thought about. A realistic mindset has kept Sanche grounded, though, and his success and work ethic can be attributed to that realistic perspective.

“I dreamed of playing in the NHL like every kid, but it was never one of my goals,” Sanche said. “I’ve always wanted to play hockey to have fun, and I’d love to make a career out of it, but I’m taking it step by step.”

If not the NHL, a hockey career in Europe is definitely on Sanche’s radar..For now though, he’s more concerned with playing hockey with the Stingers and doing well both on the ice and in the classroom.

Sanche is currently enrolled in independent studies at Concordia, but his ultimate goal is to go into business and study accounting. While he would love to make hockey his career, Sanche is taking the appropriate steps to ensure he has a good foundation to fall back on, or even to transition to after his hockey career is finished.

Right now, Sanche is just enjoying his time playing hockey—something he’s done for the last 18 years of his life.

“The feeling you get when you go to the rink—you play with your friends,” Sanche said. “That’s why I love hockey.”

15

PORT

S

PROFILE

theconcordian

in the news

BY ALEXANDER COLE WIN WORLD CHICAGO CUBS SERIES

In game seven of the baseball World Series, the Chicago Cubs ended a 108-year championship drought by defeating the Cleveland Indians by a score of 8-7 on Nov. 2, according to CBC News. The Cubs were up 6-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning, but their relief pitcher, Aroldis Chapman, gave up three runs which let Cleveland tie the game. The game then went to extra innings where the Cubs eventually won the game. After four games in the best-ofseven series, the Cubs were down three games to one but were able to mount a comeback. According to CBC News, the Cubs were favourites to win the World Series this year, after having finished the season with a record of 103-58.

RESIGNS FROM NORV TURNER VIKINGS

Nor v Turner, the of fensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, resigned on Nov. 2, according to nfl.com. At the time of his resignation, the Vikings had a record of 5-2 and had control of first place in their division. Vikings tight ends coach Pat Shurmur was named interim offensive coordinator by the team on Nov. 2. According to nfl.com, Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford is familiar with S h u r m u r, a s S h u r m u r w a s Bradford’s offensive coordinator when he played for the St-Louis Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles. Having struggled to score in the two weeks prior to his resignation, Turner felt like he was no longer a good fit for the team and said leaving the team was “the hardest thing I’ve done in football.”

WA ON LEAVES OTTA CRAIG ANDERS SENATORS

Sanche has excelled on a line with Olivier Hinse and Scott Oke. Photo by Brianna Thicke.

Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson has been granted a leave of absence from the team to spend time with his wife, who was diagnosed with cancer last week, according to the Ottawa Citizen. Anderson had taken a leave of absence last week to be with his family, before coming back to play against the Edmonton Oilers on Oct. 30. Before the game, Anderson alerted the media of his wife’s condition.

He went on to get a shutout in the team’s 1-0 victory that night.

According to the Ottawa Citizen, goaltender Mike Condon, who was recently acquired by the Senators from Pittsburgh, has been brought up to play with the team in Anderson’s absence.

opinions OPINIONS EDITOR /// opinions@theconcordian.com DAVID EASEY

EDITORIAL

Quebec turns a blind eye to indigenous history

Photo of an Inuit family taken in 1854. Photo by Paukrus.

A dark shadow hangs over this province, as many Quebecers overlook the fact that these lands were once inhabited by a thriving indigenous population, prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 15th and 16th centuries.

There are approximately 1.4 million individuals who identified as Indigenous on the 2011 National Household Survey, representing 4.3 per cent of the Canadian population, according to Statistics Canada.

Furthermore, in Quebec, the indigenous population is approximately 104,633, representing two per cent of the provincial population, according to data from the Quebec government.

Yet, education surrounding aboriginal issues is constantly disregarded and evaded—in order to pander to Quebec’s sovereignty debate.

Many of us here at The Concordian do not recall ever learning about the atrocities that greatly affected First Nations populations in elementary or high school history classes, such as the implementation of the Indian Act or residential schools.

How could it be that many of us are uneducated about these events and their horrific impacts until we reach adulthood?

Lack of education surrounding First Nations history and culture continues to persist for children growing up and learning today. A new history curriculum for high school students was unveiled earlier this year, after being conceived by the previous Parti Quebecois government under Pauline Marois.This curriculum virtually excludes all minority and aboriginal narratives, according to CBC News.

This curriculum is absolutely unacceptable and insulting, because the indigenous communities played a massive role in both Quebec and Canada’s history, and continue to do so today.

This was also a major aspect of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which issued a call to action, and strongly urged governments place a greater emphasis on First Nations history.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, also referred to as the TRC, was created to understand and investigate almost a century of misconduct towards First Nations’ children in the residential school system. The commission was launched in 2008 and a final report was released last December, providing evidence there was indeed a cultural genocide in Canada against the indigenous peoples.

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard acknowledged the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and admitted there was indeed a cultural genocide in this nation for more than a century, according to another report by CBC News. In the same report, the premier even stated his government needed to work more closely with indigenous communities across the province.

It’s highly hypocritical, to say the least, to green light an educational pilot project

that essentially misinterprets our province’s past and oppresses several minority groups, including First Nations.

If we look within our own university, we can see there is progress being made compared to our own government. Concordia University just announced the creation of Truth and Reconciliation Leadership Group last week, which shall advise the university's provost regarding a wide range of indigenous affairs.

The group will be comprised of Elizabeth Fast, an assistant professor of Applied Human Sciences, and Charmaine Lyn, the senior director of the Office of Community Engagement.

Even though our university is slowly taking initiatives, we cannot let the rest of our society fall behind. Considering our own government cannot provide a proper educational history, The Concordian suggests that every citizen take it upon themselves to learn about First Nations history and culture—be it through books, articles, or the talks and events that take place at Concordia, like the one we covered this week, “Cree Ways of Knowing.” We also have a First Peoples studies program, and some classes are available as electives for those who are not in the program.

We cannot ignore the past, nor can we simply brush off the original inhabitants of these lands in order to address other political agendas.

INTERNET

Exploring controversial meme art

How comedic memes can often spur controversy in our technological society KATERINA GANG COPY EDITOR Memes have been largely confined to the Internet. Recently, however, memes and Internet culture have been bleeding out into the real world. Mainstream media has been reporting on them and our culture has been affected by them.

It’s no secret that many people enjoy memes. They’re funny, they’re creative and yes, they can be political.

They’ve become so pervasive and influential that, back in August, a Texan presidential poll revealed individuals had registered to run under the names Harambe and Deez Nuts.

The poll revealed Harambe was even tied with with Green party candidate Jill Stein, at two per cent of the vote, according to New York Daily News. Deez Nuts was beating both, at three per cent, according to the same report.

However, the newfound relevance of memes in the political and social sphere has put them under attack. In September, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted a picture where the faces of his father, other prominent conservatives and Pepe the Frog had been photoshopped onto the bodies of the actors in The Expendables 3 movie poster.

Soon after, a Clinton campaign staffer released a blog post on Clinton’s website explaining how Pepe, the cartoon frog in

the picture, was a symbol of white supremacy. Hillary’s campaign website cited a now-defunct Twitter account, @JaredTWift, as proof that Pepe is, in fact, racist. Clinton even held a rally slamming Pepe.

Those entrenched in meme culture might find this overreaction to memes funny, but it’s actually really frightening. The notion that a politician can use their authority to come out and declare any symbol—especially a meme, a hate symbol—controls people's ability to express a wider range of thought.

Pepe is a reaction image. Some Pepes are happy, some are angry, most are sad.

The problem with classifying memes as hate speech is their very nature: they are pictures that can be manipulated to mass-produce a wide variety of jokes.

Sure, there are racist Pepes. There are racist uses of any meme. But calling Pepe, in general, a hate symbol, is like calling a blank canvas a hate symbol because someone can potentially paint a swastika on it. That is not a good way to prevent a few instances of hateful behaviour.

You might be thinking, “Okay, but Clinton hasn’t outright banned Pepe”—and you’d be right. But politicians are not the only figures of authority attacking memes.

Many universities have started banning memes, especially Harambe.

Clemson University in South Carolina sent out an email to one of its dorms stating that Harambe memes could not publicly be

displayed because they were “racist” and the non-racist depictions innocently will promoted “rape culture,” according to The be labeled racist, sexist or bigoted.

Independent.

It may be hard to take memes seriThe university never provided a reason ously. But how we treat any expression for why they considered the Harambe meme of creativity or culture reflects on us as a to be racist or to promote rape culture, society. We need to be more careful about which ironically, makes those imposing what we label as “hateful,” and right now, the ban seem bigoted and careless. While we are not being careful enough.

Clemson officials later overturned the decision, according to the same report, people who use the meme have continued to be shamed.

The McGill Daily printed an editorial about a Harambe vigil being held in Montreal, accusing those celebrating Harambe of racism because they were making a bigger deal of Harambe’s death than black deaths. This prompted a lot of outrage. Many comments in the article pointed out that the Harambe meme is often used to mock those who advocate against shooting him rather than to protect the child who fell in his enclosure.

Authority figures banning entire memes stifles freedom of speech, creativity and culture.

If such malleable things as memes are classified as hate speech, many who have used Photo of a chalk-drawn Pepe Frog by Michael Esposito.

NOVEMBER 8, 2016

theconcordian

17

US POLITICS

My personal choice to dump Trump

After a campaign of smoke and mirrors, it must be hard to defend him GREGORY TODARO MANAGING EDITOR I know you’re all tired of hearing about Americanwq politics and I didn’t plan to write an opinion piece on the matter leading up to Tuesday’s vote.

However, last week, The Concordian published “Donald J. Trump is my personal choice,” an opinions piece so selective in its use of partial truths and logical fallacies it’s laughable. While I don’t have the space available to challenge every line I could contest, I’ll take some time to address a few of the most absurd arguments.

Let’s just start with the claim that Trump can, in any way, be a “peace candidate.” This view is unsupported and, frankly, ludicrous.

Trump is the candidate who allegedly, during a meeting with a foreign policy expert, asked three times why the United States couldn’t use nuclear weapons, according to MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough. He also clearly expressed his willingness to give more countries nuclear weapons and to use them in the Middle East and Europe during several interviews.

This indicates a willingness to use these weapons, which might stem from either a lack of understanding of the consequences of starting a nuclear war or a lack of concern for those consequences—and I’m not sure which is worse. Trump even said “I love war in a certain way,” during a campaign speech in Fort Dodge, Iowa almost a year ago. In that same speech, he said “I’ll bomb the shit out of them,” referring to ISIS, in order to clear oil-rich areas to get the oil for the United States. As the non-partisan fact checking group Politifact reported, Trump also expressed support for the war in Iraq—something he now regularly denies he ever said.

None of this even includes the fact that Trump said during campaign events that he’d be willing to target the families of suspected terrorists and use torture, including waterboarding. These are not the policies of a “peace candidate,” and to make such a claim is bordering on disillusionment.

A team of journalists at Vox examined Trump’s statements about his foreign policy and found a common thread: he believes foreign policy needs to be tied to the US’s financial interests. “The problem is that foreign policy can't be reduced to a question of dollars and cents,” they wrote, “and attempts to do so—even in the form of Trump's bombastic campaign rhetoric—can do lasting damage.”

All this doesn’t even cover the level of domestic unrest that could emerge with Trump’s presidency. The encouragement of stop-and-frisk policies—which, as a 2013 court case in New York highlighted, can be abused and violate Amer ic an’s four t h amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure—are part of his “law and order” stance. These policies are a continuation of policies

which contributed to the U.S. having the highest prison population rate in the world, according to The Washington Post. It’s also difficult to see how breaking up families and kicking out more than 11 million undocumented immigrants with a deportation task force, as Trump has promised to do, is something that can be done peacefully or easily.

This isn’t to say that I think Hillary Clinton’s neoliberalist policies will move the world towards peace or cut down America’s military industrial complex. However, she has decades of experience and her stability in the face of international turmoil will allow her to guide the United States through the rough waters of international relations. The last thing we need is someone as unstable as Trump, who has shown repeatedly on his Twitter page that he’s quick to shoot from the hip without thinking of the consequences.

On a quick side note, Trump’s immigration policy in particular is serving as a rallying cry for white supremacy groups across the country. Trump’s legitimization of racist rhetoric has contributed to a political climate where someone like former Ku Klux Klan grand dragon David Duke can openly run for the senate in Louisiana.

Trump has definitely amassed a questionable group of supporters to say the least. Take a look at the endorsement of Trump by The Crusader, a prominent white-supremacist publication. While Trump’s campaign has condemned the endorsement, it nonetheless serves as an example of how his rhetoric and policies appeal to a violent group of racist extremists. If those voting for Trump are unable to acknowledge or even question why he appeals to such people, they (no matter how unwillingly) contribute to legitimizing these deplorable groups and what they stand for.

Now, onto the claim that Trump is somehow “pro-ethics.” It’s true that his policy puts forward some measures to fight for term limits and push back against

lobbying in Washington. However, it doesn’t hide the fact that he runs a large company which is a massive conflict of interest, one which I find more of an issue than any potential conflict critics have pinned on Clinton. This is especially troubling since, according to Newsweek, he’s given three different answers about the fate of his company and finances should he win, none which properly separate him from those conflicts of interest.

After refusing to release his tax returns, it’s difficult for voters to know if he has ties to Russian financial institutions. However, an investigative report by Slate magazine revealed regular email communication between Trump email servers and the servers of Alfa Bank, a Russian bank established in the 90s.

Last week’s article took a narrow view

on ethics, only looking at financial conflicts of interest of the candidates. It’s much easier to defend Trump based on his claims that he’s taken less money from special interest groups, but even if it were true that’s really the only ethical high ground for a candidate who has repeatedly behaved disgustingly during the campaign.

I won’t waste too much space elaborating on Trump’s degradation of women, people with disabilities, journalists, judges and other politicians. And I would need a separate article just to list the number of people he’s refused to pay for their work—such as Larry Walters, the owner of a Las Vegas drapery company interviewed by the Wall Street Journal—or his hypocritical exploitation of undocumented workers as reported by Slate. I think it’s clear ethics and Trump don’t mix.

I have two more brief points to cover.

First, arguing that Trump isn’t a misogynist (despite overwhelming evidence which suggests otherwise) because he supports paid maternity is simply outrageous. Even if supporting paid maternity leave was sufficient to say someone wasn’t a misogynist, he has a lifetime of comments and actions—including his comments about Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly and his hot mic comments with Billy Bush—which say otherwise.

And second, trying to use Clinton’s gay marriage flip-flop to paint her as an immoral candidate is embarrassingly laughable, considering Trump’s running mate said same-sex marriage is causing a “societal collapse,” according to Time magazine.

Pence has even advocated for conversion therapy, according to Politifact.

It’s a shame that I have to spend all of this space rebutting this deplorable defence instead of actually focusing on a campaign between two candidates and how they could better the lives of Americans and the world.

Original graphic b y J e n n i f e r Kw a n .

Edited by Jennifer Farrow.

letters Divest - Did You Know?

Did you know that Concordia has over $10 million invested in the fossil fuel industry? Or that this industry is responsible for ravaging our planet’s climate, putting indigenous and marginalized peoples in a position that can only be described as environmental racism? How about that Concordia’s investments make us responsible for these effects? For all the administration’s talk of becoming a next-generation university, our investment principles are still stuck in the past. The pre-composting, lead paint, climate-denying past. Fossil fuels are going the way of the dinosaurs they’re made from – they’re getting scarcer and less profitable by the day. Soon, they’ll be no different from the coal industry they replaced. Just look at the returns on Concordia’s investments; the trial-period divested funds have done exceptionally well, while the past two years have seen our fossil fuel investments flounder.

But besides the economics of it, our fossil fuel investments are unethical. The fossil fuel industry is responsible for dramatically rising cancer rates among indigenous populations, and forces them off the paltry land they still hold stewardship over. The Dakota Access Pipeline was rerouted with blatant disregard for the Standing Rock Sioux – if we know fossil fuels are too dangerous for our communities, why are they any less dangerous for First Nations communities? They’re killing our planet, our environment, and actual human beings.

As long as Concordia keeps its investments in dirty energy, the university has blood on its hands. And no amount of proxy voting or entryism is going to change that. Join Divest Concordia in demanding our investments be removed from the fossil fuel industry, and redirected towards a renewable future!

- Eamon Toohey

Support Social Justice, Support QPIRG Concordia!

In a world where disturbing anti-immigrant and anti-women views are getting more and more space, it’s important to have organizations and resources to unapologetically promote social and environmental justice. QPIRG Concordia is one such space, and I urge my fellow students to vote YES to QPIRG Concordia and their small fee levy increase during the upcoming CSU by-elections.

One of the positive things about Concordia is that it’s a place where progressive, feminist and ecological ideas can thrive. QPIRG helps that process with its many working groups, on issues ranging from anti-racism and immigrant rights, to accessibility and queer/trans support. QPIRG is a welcoming hub for justice and one of the reasons that makes the C o n co rd i a l ea rn i n g ex pe ri e n ce so interesting.

I appeal to all progressive, feminist and ecological Concordians to come out in large numbers this November 15-17 to support social justice on campus, and support QPIRG Concordia.

- Jenna Rose, Women’s Studies & Community, Public Affairs, and Policy Studies

QPIRG letter I’m writing to make an appeal to my fellow Concordia students, especially those people who, like me, want to link classroom learning with the real world.

I’ve recently gotten more involved with the group QPIRG Concordia, a social justice center on campus that initiates and supports so many useful projects and campaigns, like the School Schmool agenda, an Alternative Library, 30 working groups, as well as taking important political stances like the recent protest in support of Concordia professor Homa Hoodfar.

I support QPIRG Concordia for the opportunity to make real community-campus links, and provide mentorship, jobs and support for students seeking to make an impact in the community. It’s been more than a decade since QPIRG Concordia has asked for a funding increase, and in the upcoming CSU by-elections, they are asking for a modest increase to continue another decade of amazing work.

QPIRG Concordia helps to nurture a just world, on campus and beyond, and I encourage my fellow Concordians to support them again this fall. Vote Yes to QPIRG Concordia on November 15-17!

- Camille Thompson

Art, Community and Progressive Values on Campus: Vote YES to QPIRG Concordia For the past three years, I’ve had the pleasure of working in close collaboration with volunteers, board members and staff involved with QPIRG Concordia, a group that pro-actively promotes progressive initiatives and values on campus. I’ve had the chance to see how they find ways to make innovative links between the classroom and community through their projects.

As a Fine Arts student, I’ve been impressed by initiatives like Art In Action linked to Study In Action, which allows undergraduate research and art creation to be highlighted, and I’ve had the great opportunity to show my own artworks as part of Art in Action 2015. I’ve enjoyed picking up aesthetically beautiful and informative publications like School Schmool and Convergence. And I’ve learned from QPIRG Concordia working groups like the Decolonizing Street Art Convergence and as a member of the Sidetracks Screenprinting Collective.

As a student in general, QPIRG’s key support in opposing the xenophobia and racism around the Charter of Quebec values, or co-organizing the yearly Anti-Colonial Dinner in support of Indigenous self-determination, are very important to me. As much as I’m a student and an artist, I’m also linked to a larger community, and I’m glad to be able to fight together for progressive values with campus allies.

QPIRG Concordia accomplishes so much with modest resources and financing. They are a group that values transparency and accountability to their student membership, and have helped to improve best practices among all campus-community groups.

After almost a decade, they are asking students for a small fee levy increase, so they can continue another decade of great work.

I urge my fellow fine arts students to learn more about QPIRG Concordia and, on November 15-17, vote Yes to their referendum question during the CSU by-elections.

- Marion Miller

etc

Artists from Concordia featuring Gabrielle La-Petite

Untitled porcelain watercolors

(left) Pineapple dance, Acrylic, 2016.

(above) Untitled, acrylic, 2014.

Gabrielle La-Petite just graduated with a BFA at Concordia.

Conducted as a multi-facetted subject specific series, the work presents a reassuring arrangement of spaces that are indeed not tangible in their entirety. This work desires to host stages for places and objects to interact.

Multidisciplinary, the art attempts to re-appropriate the relation with domestic spaces through a revival of still life and the exploration of spaces. This stands as a conducted research focused on these spaces and objects to be arranged and studied through various mediums.

The spaces constructed of fiction, research material, and on site studies present ambiguous floor maps and optic superimposition which form duplicated reseeding plans and spaces within spaces. These, alongside a parallel series of object portraits in subtracted context, create an ongoing revised collection of subject specific studies. From a keen association with inanimate items and spaces comes the want to create stages for romantic encounters with these objects and places. The execution dynamic in its sense of play and engagement with process, using illustrative collage like processes to acquaint with the medium and its materiality a perspective to its personality-like qualities when entertaining subject matter.

Untitled space arrangement 3, acrylic, 2016.

20 theconcordian

NOVEMBER 8, 2016

Comic by Anthony Labonte.

The Concordian’s team EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CRISTINA SANZA editor@theconcordian.com MANAGING EDITOR GREGORY TODARO managing@theconcordian.com PRODUCTION MANAGER PAULINE SOUMET production@theconcordian.com PRODUCTION ASSISTANT PARISA FOROUTAN JEN FARROW NEWS EDITORS SAVANNA CRAIG NELLY SÉRANDOUR-AMAR news@theconcordian.com

Graphic by Pauline Soumet.

ARTS EDITORS JESSICA KINNARI TIFFANY LAFLEUR arts@theconcordian.com

MUSIC EDITOR SANDRA HERCEGOVÁ music@theconcordian.com ASSISTANT MUSIC EDITOR EMILY VIDAL SPORTS EDITOR ALEXANDER COLE sports@theconcordian.com ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR JAMES KIERANS

NEWS ASSISTANT MEGAN HUNT

OPINIONS EDITOR DAVID EASEY opinions@theconcordian.com

LIFE EDITOR DANIELLE GASHER life@theconcordian.com

PHOTO EDITOR ANA HERNANDEZ photo@theconcordian.com

ASSISTANT LIFE EDITOR MINA MAZUMDER

PHOTO ASSISTANT ALEX HUTCHINS

Concordia University’s weekly, independent student newspaper VOL. 34, ISSUE 11 NOV. 8, 2016 GRAPHICS EDITOR FLORENCE YEE graphics@theconcordian.com

OUR COVER THIS WEEK “Indigenous education” Photo by Florence Yee.

GRAPHIC ASSISTANT THOM BELL HEAD COPY EDITOR KATYA TEAGUE COPY EDITORS KATERINA GANG REBECCA LUGER VALERIA CORI-MANNOCHIO copy@theconcordian.com CONTRIBUTORS Gabrielle Vendette, Chloe Ranaldi, Fardad Jabbary, Dominick Lucyk, Lauriane Belair, Pauline Nesbitt, Romina Florencia Arrieta, Matthew Coyte, Nicholas Di Giovanni, Brandon Share-Cohen.

FOLLOW US ON  

BUSINESS MANAGER ORENZO PORPORINO business@theconcordian.com ADVERTISING MANAGER ORENZO PORPORINO FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES advertising@theconcordian.com BOARD OF DIRECTORS NATHALIE LAFLAMME JACOB SEREBIN MILOS KOVACEVIC directors@theconcordian.com

COME TO OUR WEEKLY STORY MEETING AT THE LOYOLA CAMPUS CC-431 FRIDAY AT 12 P.M. PITCH. WRITE. EDIT. Editorial office 7141 Sherbrooke St. W Building CC - 431 Montreal, QC H4B 1R6 (514) 848-2424 ext. 7499