The Concordian - October 31st 2017

Concordia University’s weekly, independent student newspaper

VOLUME 35, ISSUE 10 | TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2017

theconcordian.com  /theconcordian  @theconcordian

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Don't dream it

be it

After 10 years, Montreal's Rocky Horror has a new host Arts p. 10

also in this issue

news

life

Witchcraft is more The city's oldest than just hexes p. 2 costume shop p. 6

music

Scarriest songs of all time p. 12

sports

opinions

Hudon is setting What Bill 62 is the bar higher p. 14 really about p. 19

news

NEWS EDITORS /// news@theconcordian.com CANDICE PYE & ETIENNE LAJOIE ( @candicepye @renegadereports)

HALLOWEEN

Magic: Is it just a bunch of hocus pocus?

Concordia witches explain their faith, Halloween and the supernatural CANDICE PYE NEWS EDITOR Geena Papini is just like any other Concordia student. As a communication studies major, she goes to school, does her homework and hangs out with friends.

You may have walked past her many times, but there’s one detail you would not be able to gaugeby simply looking at her— she is a witch.

“I do practice magic,” Papini said.

“Many people think of Harry Potter when they hear ‘magic’ and, while it would be so cool if I could turn a teacup into a mouse, that’s not the kind of magic witches are referring to when they talk about their practice.”

Witchcraft means different things to different people. It can be either a spiritual expression from a variety of religions, or a secular practice performed without religion. According to Papini, it is a customizable craft.

“Witchcraft, to me, is a way to be in touch with the universe, the earth and myself. It is something I came to out of curiosity and out of a desire for spirituality that wasn’t rooted in a specific, rigid religious practice,” Papini said. “For some people, it is a structured thing, following rituals and ceremonies that are passed down from one practitioner to another.”

Witchcraft, when practiced as a part of paganism, is often referred to as Wicca.

“I don’t consider myself Wiccan,” Papini said. “I think there is a misconception that to be a witch, you must be Wiccan. This isn’t true. There are many secular witches who do not incorporate the religion into their practice. There are [also] many pagans who do not consider themselves witches.”

According to wicca.com, Wicca is a nature religion that acknowledges the cycles of nature, the lunar phases and the seasons. For many Wiccans, witchcraft is a spiritual system. While witches do hold rituals and brew potions, their craft mostly involves healing and natural remedies. For them, witchcraft is not a cult—they

do not worship Satan, consort with demons, sacrifice animals or people, or use their craft to ‘hex’ or cast spells on others.

“None of us have sold our souls to Satan,” Papini said. “I promise.”

Another Concordia student who identifies as a witch is Raken HowellSlater. Howell-Slater is Wiccan. She specifically identifies as a hearth witch, which, according to her, means most of her magic is intended to make people feel comfortable and happy in her home.

“I work with internal energies and call on elements [as well as] my Gods and Goddess for help when I need them,” Howell-Slater said. “I deal with mental illness, and I find my faith extremely helpful in combatting it.”

Howell-Slater said she had her first spiritual experience when she was 12 years old.

“I was walking in the woods when I went into a trance state and felt an extreme sense of peace, power, connection and emotion,” Howell-Slater said. “My first taste of something transcendental.”

She began to look into paganism when she was 18. When she first began studying at Concordia, she became involved with the Concordia University Pagan Society (CUPS) to meet other pagans.

“It’s really nice to hang out with a group of people who you don’t have to explain terminology or justify your beliefs to,” Howell-Slater said.

“I think it’s still finding its feet, but the group definitely has a lot of potential and is a great place for curious people to get resources or answers.”

According to CUPS’s vice-president Bree Stuart, approximately half of their members are Wiccan and many of them do practice witchcraft or magic on their own time. She said most of the witchcraft practiced by pagans revolves around lighting candles, burning herbs or laying out offerings. As for Stuart herself, she said she has always felt a pull towards the supernatural.

“There are few events and places in Montreal where pagans can

Photo by Alex Hutchins.

practice their spirituality and faith, therefore we try to accommodate the broad spectrum of Pagan faiths to make sure that everyone feels welcome,” Stuart said. “As for the Concordia community, I feel our mysticism brings about a different worldview as well as open-mindedness in general.”

On Oct. 27, CUPS hosted an event at Concordia’s Multi-Faith Spirituality Centre to celebrate Samhain (pronounced sah-win or sow-in), the Pagan festival honouring the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter.

“We celebrate the eight Sabbats in the wheel of the year. They're open to the public, so anyone can pique their curiosity and come celebrate,” Stuart said.

It is widely believed, especially in paganism, that many Halloween traditions are rooted in the Samhain festival.

“Samhain is actually the origin of Halloween,” Howell-Slater said.

“It is the Wiccan New Year and one of the two most spiritual nights of the year, when supposedly the veil between this world and the next is the thinnest. I celebrate Samhain by having my friends over and doing a private ceremony in remembrance of my dead.”

Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Halloween is Papini’s favourite time of year. She encourages people to celebrate and dress up as witches, but warns them to be mindful when donning a witch costume.

“Many negative depictions of witches actually come from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period, back when witches were thought of as people who had sold their souls to the devil in exchange for power, and are also rooted in anti-semitic prejudices,” Papini said. “The idea of a witch as someone with a hooked nose and green skin […] is something you should be mindful and aware of.”

Stuart agreed, and said she believes there is “no problem in donning a pointy hat and a broom.” “That's what I'm going to do,” she said.

To skeptics of her faith and practices, Howell-Slater has one message: “My beliefs and my gods are exactly as valid as any other god or set of beliefs you care to name. Mine just happen to be the ones that work for me.”

For more information about CUPS and their upcoming workshops on divination, herbs and the supernatural, visit their Facebook page: CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY PAGAN SOCIETY Graphic by Zeze Le Lin.

OCTOBER 31, 2017

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HALLOWEEN

The ghosts of Grey Nuns

An inside look at Concordia’s haunted residence

Ph oto by M

e g an H unt.

MEGAN HUNT ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR For many Concordia students, the ghost stories surrounding Grey Nuns—the former convent and current downtown residence—are nothing new.

According to former Grey Nuns resident Gabby Crowley, people have claimed multiple children from the building’s daycare report having the same “imaginary friend,” a man with tattered clothing and burnt flesh.

“It was actually kind of cool,” Crowley said, “but I was never really freaked out [by the stories].”

In 2016, CBC News confirmed 50 orphans died in a fire in 1918.

Concordia professor Daniel O’Leary explained that, among the many stories about Grey Nuns, the Awful Disclosures of Maria Monk is a chilling first-hand account of the convent from the 19th century.

Monk, who O’Leary described as a “non-voluntary inmate” at Grey Nuns, claimed the building hid an oubliette—a secret dungeon—containing the bodies of dead fetuses and infants from nuns who had secretly gotten pregnant.

Monk’s account might be seen as anti-Catholic propaganda, however O’Leary admitted to feeling uncomfortable being inside the building.

“It is an eerie place, and it is a common thing to see shadows and flitting figures” O’Leary said.

While I have never lived in Grey Nuns, both of my roommates have.

After hearing our fair share about the supernatural, we decided to investigate.

On Oct. 26, we embarked on a slightly non-conventional investigation: a séance, complete with a talking board and a protective circle (a space that is safe from demonic entities, and cast by reciting a spell).

As we set up our protective circle, we heard eerie, operatic music echoing from a piano down the hall. Neither of my roommates remember this being a normal occurrence, but we decided it was likely nothing more than a coincidence.

For several minutes, my roommates and I waited in silence—our fingers on the board’s pointer—but

nothing happened. It wasn’t until we were ready to give up that we felt the pointer glide across the board. In nearly perfect unison, we all insisted it wasn’t us moving it.

The planchette continued moving across the board, spelling out four letters: G-E-M-A. Then it stopped. Over the next 90 minutes, we seemed to have conversations with multiple entities, each one sliding to “yes” to tell us when they arrived, and “good bye” when they left. Few were as talkative as “Gema” seemed to be. When we asked her if she had been affected by the 1918 fire, she indicated no. When asked why she was here, the planchette slid from letter to letter, spelling out N-E-E-D-C-A-R-E. Towards the end of the session, we noticed the pointer was repeatedly circling over “good-bye.” While this left us with a bad feeling in the pit of our stomachs, we continued, until the pointer began sliding manically across the board. When we asked who

was with us, the pointer spelled out "Gema" again. Before we could ask another question, “Gema” began spelling out: G-E-T-A-W-A-.

Before she could finish, I quickly thanked her and told her she was released, as the board’s instructions indicated I should do.

My roommates and I were fine not knowing if “Gema” had really intended to send an ominous “get away” warning.

As my roommate Hanna Buchanan explained, it’s interesting that many Grey Nuns residents are first-year students as there is something almost symbolic about spending your first year away from home in an allegedly haunted convent.

“Since Grey Nuns is essentially a place where students go to […] get out of their comfort zones, the fact that there’s this whole mythology around ghosts and the other world feels symbolic,” Buchanan said. “It’s all linked to the unknown.”

y N un s are invo lvin g G re G host stor ie s an H unt.

Ph oto by M eg nothin g new.

FACULTY

Campus Equity Week for part-time job security CUPFA holds awareness campaign for Concordia's part-time faculty members GABRIELLE VENDETTE CONTRIBUTOR L ast week , the Concordia University Part-Time Faculty Association (CUPFA) held its 2017 Campus Equity Week, a week-long awareness campaign highlighting the difficulties many part-time faculty members face within the university.

Erik Chevrier, CUPFA’s chair of internal mobilization, headed the campaign’s organization and conception. Chevrier explained that the goal of the week was to inform people about the particular struggle of part-time faculty members who don’t have guaranteed positions within the university.

This year’s awareness campaign was focused on job security.

According to Chevrier, few students know about the specific conditions that affect part-time faculty members, such as how they must re-apply every semester to teach their courses at Concordia and how it can take them up to 10 years to be eligible for health benefits.

Recently, according to Chevrier, part-time faculty members have been offered fewer courses.

According to Chevrier, since the 2012-13 academic year, 26 of the 50 departments that offer part-time positions have reduced the amount of courses offered to part-time faculty members. This has resulted in a total of about 431 fewer courses available to part-time professors.

Some of the most extreme examples Chevrier gave were from the sociology and anthropology departments, which went from offering approximately 92 courses in 2012-13 to 34 this school year.

The geography, planning and environment department also saw a drop of almost 30 over the same period—from 74 to 46.

For professors who rely on these jobs as their main source of income, it can be extremely stressful to live without job security. Chevrier said he wanted the campaign to be fun and engaging, so CUPFA created short quizzes for students to fill out.

The association also encouraged

professors to take some time during their classes to give students the quiz.

It featured little-known facts about part-time faculty at Concordia, such as how about 57 per cent of the university's courses are taught by part-time professors.

According to Chevrier—who teaches courses for the political science, sociology and psychology departCUPFA chair of internal mobilization Erik Chevrier organized a week-long ments—the quiz was awareness campaign about the difficulties of part-time faculty members. very well received by Photo by Gabrielle Vendette. students who were both surprised and concerned by how of Business, explaining what partCampus Equity Week is organized little they knew about part-time time faculty members brought under an international body called faculty working conditions. to their classes. Many part-time the Coalition of Contingent Academic “We teach quite a few courses. professors actively work in their Labor (COCAL), a network of groups With that in mind, we should be fields, which Chevrier said can bring that advocate for better treatment respected like others at Concordia a real-world perspective to the and working conditions for university University as well,” Chevrier said. classroom and enhance students’ part-time faculty, such as adjunct and The awareness campaign learning experiences. part-time professors. Universities also included three short videos “Looking forward, we want across Canada, the United States featuring students from the Arts to be respected as equals, as and Mexico each hold their own and Science and Fine Arts faculties, professors,” he said. “We want Campus Equity Weeks as part of as well as the John Molson School to be recognized as colleagues.” COCAL’s international campaign.

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OCTOBER 31, 2017

POLICY

Assessing standalone sexual violence policy

Student life coordinator Leyla Sutherland says current policy doesn’t fit the definition IAN DOWN ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR A collective of students from Carleton University called the National Our Turn Committee published a study on university sexual violence policies across the country on Oct. 11. Our Turn: a National, Student-Led Action Plan to End Campus Sexual Violence ranked the sexual assault policies of 14 Canadian universities on a 100-point scale.

Concordia was the lowest-ranked school on the list, receiving a score of 52, or a D-. One of the reasons the university was deducted points was for not having a standalone policy on sexual violence. University spokesperson Mary-Jo Barr said the university was “surprised by the findings of this particular report,” since Concordia has had a standalone policy since May 2016. This most recent sexual assault policy was based on recommendations made in August 2015 by the Sexual Assault Policy Review Working Group, chaired by deputy provost Lisa Ostiguy.

However, Concordia Student Union (CSU) student life coordinator Leyla Sutherland, who helped conduct the evaluation, said this

Concordia Student Union student life coordinator Leyla Sutherland says the university's policy doesn’t fit the definition of a standalone sexual violence policy. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

policy does not fit Our Turn’s definition of a standalone policy.

“Our Turn’s definition of a standalone policy stipulates that all aspects of the policy, including disciplinary codes and measures, be included in the policy itself,” Sutherland said.

“This is both to make the policy more accessible, as it does not redirect students to another document, and because [Concordia’s] Code of Rights and Responsibilities, through which sexual violence complaints are

processed at Concordia, is a code that was not created with the intent to cover sexual violence.”

“It is important that the policy and the people reviewing cases pertaining to sexual violence are people who are trained and equipped to manage the sensitive nature of these cases,” she added.

According to Section 5 of Concordia’s sexual assault policy, “Reporting and Discipline,” if an incident falls under the jurisdiction

of the university—meaning it happened on university property, during a university event or “in [a] context where activities or events have a real and substantive link to the university”—the incident may be reported to the university rather than to police. Rather than outlining a formal complaint procedure unique to sexual assault cases, the on-campus option redirects the reader to the Code of Rights and Responsibilities, which lays out

behavioral guidelines for students, staff and faculty, and the process by which all formal complaints are reviewed. This includes the process for submitting a complaint, the selection of a hearing panel and the hearing itself.

For complaints made against a faculty or staff member, “reports and complaints can also be made to the appropriate supervisor, depending on the parties involved." However, Section 11 of the code states that “nothing in the code shall replace or supersede any complaint, grievance or appeal procedure set out in any collective or employee agreement to which the university is a party,” meaning that faculty and staff are subject to whatever disciplinary procedure is laid out in their employee agreement.

Two other schools were penalized in the study for not having a standalone policy: McGill University and the University of Winnipeg. Another three—Dalhousie, the University of Regina and the University of Toronto—were awarded half marks for their standalone policies.

Sutherland confirmed she will be meeting with the administration during the week of Oct. 30 to discuss the outcome of the study.

SECURITY

University contests accusations of social profiling Commission des droits de la personne recommends damages be paid to victim ÉTIENNE LAJOIE NEWS EDITOR In July 2013, Chantal Lapointe was making her way through the underground tunnel between Concordia’s EV building and the Webster Library. She had been doing paperwork in the library and was carrying multiple bags.

As she was about to enter the building through the tunnel's revolving doors, two university security guards asked Lapointe for her ID. When she asked why they needed to identify her, the security guards told her they had the right to do so.

This identification request is one of many factors that were considered by the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse in recommending that Concordia and the Montreal division of the Commissionaires—a security firm—pay Lapointe $33,000 in damages.

The Commission wrote that Lapointe’s race and social condition played a “decisive role” in the security guard’s decision to intercept her.

“The fact that she was perceived as a homeless person led her to be

treated badly by security guards at Concordia,” said the executive director of the Centre of ResearchAction for Race Relations (CRARR), Fo Niemi. Lapointe noted that nothing similar ever happened to her at the Université du Québec à Montréal while she was earning her bachelor’s degree.

The report further indicates that Lapointe was intercepted by Concordia security for no valid reason and that a security guard attempted to take a picture of her without her consent.

Lapointe said she tried to stop the security guard from photographing her by blocking their view with her hands. When another security guard intervened, the guard who took the picture told a colleague that Lapointe tried to slap him, according to the complaint filed a month after the incident.

The guards called police when Lapointe refused to leave.

Police requested she provide identification, to which she obliged in order to avoid more trouble, she said.

In response to the accusations and the Commission's reports, Concordia wrote in a statement

The Commission des droits de la personne recommends that Concordia University pay $33,000 in damages to a woman who claims she was a victim of social and racial profiling. Photo by Étienne Lajoie.

that it “vehemently disagrees with the findings in [the] reports, which does not include all of the relevant facts.”

The university had until Oct. 27, 2017 to comply with the recommendations of the Commission—which doesn’t have the power to impose regulations—if it wanted to avoid going to trial for litigation.

Concordia failed to do so, writing to The Concordian on Oct.

24 that “it’s not appropriate for it to share those [relevant facts] at this time,” but that it “will be challenging the Human Rights Commission’s proposal, and the relevant facts will be brought forward through the judicial process.”

Commission legal counsel Buschra Jalabi—who prosecuted the case—declined to comment.

“We are the complainant, we have full legal status to be involved,”

said Niemi in a press conference alongside Lapointe.

CRARR—where Lapointe has worked in the past—has offered legal support to the complainant.

In addition to paying the damages, the Commission also suggested the university give “anti-discrimination training” to its security guards and modify its institutional policies in order to “remove elements that target and stigmatize homeless people.”

OCTOBER 31, 2017

CONFERENCE

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Trading sticks for stocks

Annual John Molson Sports Business conference to feature NFL, Sportsnet speakers

The John Molson Sports Marketing Committee organizes the annual John Molson Sports Business conference from Nov. 2 to 4. Photo courtesy of the John Molson Sports Marketing Committee.

ÉTIENNE LAJOIE NEWS EDITOR Nicholas Vonapartis was attempting to find speakers for the John Molson Sports Business conference when he received an email from Sportsnet president Scott Moore.

“He sends me an email [saying], ‘How do you like Bill Daly?’” recounted Vonapartis, the vice-president of speaker personnel for the John Molson Sports Marketing Committee (JMSM), in an interview with The Concordian. That is how

the conference managed to book the National Hockey League’s deputy commissioner as a speaker.

According to Vonapartis, two elements came into play when the committee began reaching out in June to potential speakers: name recognition and educational purpose. Daly fits both criteria.

In a few days, students from 23 North American universities will flock to Montreal for the threeday conference taking place at Hotel Bonaventure. According to JMSM vice-president of marketing Romana Kazi, 300 tickets have

alread been sold for the event.

Daly is one of more than 20 speakers, includeing lawyers from National Football League teams, public relations agents representing the biggest names in sports and Major League Soccer franchise presidents.

Daly’s panel with Moore and Sportsnet columnist Stephen Brunt will kick off the conference on Nov. 2. A discussion between Montreal Impact executive vice-president of soccer operations Richard Legendre and Toronto FC president Bill Manning will follow.

Vonapartis said the committee had a specific vision for the panels, and then found individuals who embodied that vision to host the talks. In short, the committee wanted to keep the panel discussions “completely up to date,” according to Vonapartis.

Consequently, the topic of national anthem protests in the NFL will be touched upon during a workshop featuring New England Patriots general counsel Jack Mula, Vonapartis said.

During Legendre and Manning’s discussion, Vonapartis expects the increasing number of MLS franchises to be addressed. The MLS imposes “huge franchise fees, but profits are nowhere to be found,” Vonapartis explained.

SOME FAMILIAR FACES The Concordia Stingers 2015 rebrand featured new colours and a new identity, but more importantly, a lot of business decisions. The man responsible for it, Patrick Boivin, will return to Concordia more than a year after leaving the school to join the Montreal Alouettes as the organization’s president. He will host the VIP breakfast on Nov. 4.

Boivin’s short-lived tenure

with the university—just over three years—doesn’t match Matt Pfeffer’s one-year stint as a consultant with the prestigious Montreal Canadiens.

Pfeffer—a data analyst for the Nashville Predators—is remembered not for the duration of his time with the Canadiens, but rather for the way his tenure ended.

Following the blockbuster trade that sent Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Shea Weber, Pfeffer wrote in a statement that he “made a passionate case in favour of Subban” prior to the trade. He added: “There was never a meeting with [Canadiens] management” prior to the trade.

A month later, the Canadiens fired Pfeffer. Pfeffer will talk about hockey analytics alongside Sportsnet writer Dimitri Filipovic, hockey analyst Mike Kelly, Stathletes co-founder Meghan Chayka and Florida Panthers assistant general manager Eric Joyce.

The conference is a representation of Vonapartis’ overall goal for panels. The JMSB student said he wanted “a mix of three things: journalistic perspective, independent company perspective and internal [team] perspective.”

COUNCIL MEETING

ASEQ CEO refutes gift-giving allegation

Concordia Student Union motions to create working group to review healthcare plan services ÉTIENNE LAJOIE NEWS EDITOR In a letter sent to Concordia Student Union internal affairs coordinator Veronika Rydzewski, Alliance pour la Santé Étudiante au Québec (ASEQ) CEO Lev Bukhman denied allegations that he provided gifts or benefits to CSU general coordinator Omar Riaz and finance coordinator Soulaymane El Alaoui.

Bukhman’s letter comes after Riaz and El Alaoui were issued formal warnings by the CSU on Sept. 20 for accepting plane tickets from ASEQ to Vancouver for the Student Union Development Summit (SUDS) conference held at the University of British Columbia from Aug. 18 to 21.

Bukhman wrote: “At no time did [ASEQ] or its CEO, Lev Bukhman, provide a personal gift or benefit to Omar Riaz and Soulaymane El Alaoui.” Instead, ASEQ’s CEO described the plane tickets as a “sponsorship” that should “in no way be construed as a personal ‘gift.’”

According to Bukhman, “the sponsorship was from [ASEQ] to the CSU as an organization, not

any particular individuals.”

At the Sept. 20 council meeting, the council decided to designate Rydzewski as the new liaison between the CSU and ASEQ. CREATION OF A WORKING GROUP A working group was created by the CSU to research ways to improve the union’s health and dental plan service. According to El Alaoui, the CSU’s last contract with ASEQ—the union’s healthcare provider—was signed in April 2017 and allows for the creation of a working group.

El Alaoui is one of five CSU executives and councillors in the group, along with Riaz, Rydzewski, councillors Rowan Gaudet and Rory James, and CSU general manager Robert Henri.

Riaz and El Alaoui previously told The Concordian that the idea to bring services in-house came from the SUDS conference where they observed the work of UBC’s Alma Mater Society—the university’s own student union.

The Alma Mater Society, which also has a contract with ASEQ, brought its health and dental plan

services in-house, meaning UBC BY-ELECTION REFERENDUM of “establishing a standardized students can access ASEQ services QUESTIONS system and placement protocol on campus.

The council approved the for all student internships.”

During the council meeting on questions for the students at the The CSU will also ask if stuOct. 25, El Alaoui said the union CSU’s next by-elections, which dents would approve of adding would be able to save more than will run from Nov. 28 to 30. four new positions to its position $100,000 if it brought some of Two of the questions are related book, including: “that the CSU ASEQ’s services in-house. The to internships. The first will ask oppose racism in all forms and finance coordinator added that students if they are in favour of rejects all values, structures bringing services in-house would removing the requirement that and behaviours that perpetuate create jobs for students. mandatory internships in the systemic racism.”

The working group will not be a departments of applied human The last question will ask decision-making committee. Rather, sciences, education and ar t students if they are in favour “of it will bring recommendations to education be unpaid.

Concordia University refusing to the CSU council that will voted on.

Because of the uneven level of enforce” Bill 62. The refusal to Gaudet said it was “very obvi- support for internships from one enforce the bill would extend to ous that [the CSU] could provide department to another, according students, staff and faculty who those services for cheaper.” Riaz to the CSU, the second question choose to practice their right to explained students often come will ask if students are in favour religious freedom. to the CSU office with questions regarding their health and dental plans, and receptionists have to redirect students to call ASEQ’s operators.

The CSU general coordinator added that all communication between the working group and A SEQ would be done through Rydzewski because of El Alaoui and The Concordia Student Union council passed a motion during the Oct. 25 Riaz’s ban from commucouncil meeting to create a working group tasked with researching ways to nicating with ASEQ. improve the union’s health and dental plan service. Photo by Kirubel Mehari.

life

LIFE EDITOR /// life@theconcordian.com SANDRA HERCEGOVÁ

PROFILE

The city’s oldest costume rental shop

A glimpse into the closet of Joseph Ponton Costumes shop. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Joseph Ponton Costumes celebrates 152 years of business in Montreal MINA MAZUMDER STAFF WRITER At a time when temporary Halloween costume shops pop up in every available storefront, Joseph Ponton Costumes is celebrating 152 years of creating and renting out costumes.

“We first opened our store in the Old Port area of Montreal back in 1865,” said Carmelle Gagné, the co-owner of Joseph Ponton Costumes. “After 149 years, we decided to move [to Hochelaga-Maisonneuve] in August 2014 due to the fact that we all live nearby and it is more convenient for us.”

Gagné said many students have chosen to rent rather than purchase costumes for Halloween this year. “Many students are coming [to our store] wanting to be film characters. This year, students want costumes of characters in Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Star Trek and Superheroes,” she said. “Young people come in groups,

and they have a lot of fun just dressing up.”

Gagné said it’s important for the store to update its costumes to attract a younger crowd. “Our costumes change every year depending on what’s in fashion. This year, many students are requesting costumes of the clown from the It movie by Stephen King,” Gagné said, adding that Halloween costume requests often depend on what movies and TV shows are popular at the time.

“Some of the other popular choices include vampire and demon costumes, especially with films these days, and also clothing from the Middle Ages,” said Jocelyne Brassard, the former owner and now a part-time employee at Joseph Ponton. According to Gagné, one costume that seems to be ageless and unaffected by trends is the cowboy. “Many children and young adults want to be cowboys,” she said. “It is the costume that is the most widely requested by all ages every year.”

Upstairs at Joseph Ponton, costumes are

Joseph Ponton Costumes offers a variety of rentals and sizes. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

organized by time period. “From hippies to cowboys, we have costumes of all ages, including outfits from the 20s and the 60s,” she said. Downstairs, the selection is a little more miscellaneous, with costumes ranging from the characters in films like Back to the Future to comic book characters and superheros, including the Hulk, Wolverine, Superman, Batman, the Joker and Harley Quinn.

“We even have costumes for people who want to dress up in groups such as multiple characters of Star Trek,” Gagné added.

Aside from co-owning the store, Gagné works as a seamstress for Joseph Ponton Costumes. She especially enjoys creating handmade Victorian-style costumes. “I first started making costumes for theatres, and now I do it for Joseph Ponton Costumes,” she said.

As for renting a costume, the price ranges from $35 to $150. “When people

Joseph Ponton Costumes shop also offers wigs to go with your costume. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

come here, we ask for a deposit, which is the same price of the costume,” Brassard said. “The rental period is from Thursday to Monday for weekends, and 48 hours for weekdays.”

According to Brassard, since many people order their costumes online these days, the ones who come to the store are people who want to specifically try out the garments or find unique costumes. “Here, that is our specialty,” Brassard said. “When we first opened, our goal was [and still is] to provide handmade costumes for our customers.”

Although shopping for costumes online has become a trend over the past years, Brassard recommends students come experience what the store has to offer. “You need to at least come and visit,” she said, emphasizing the shop’s handmade selection.

“See what we have to offer because we do have many beautiful costumes that you cannot find elsewhere.”

The atelier where costumes get altered and created.

Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

OCTOBER 31, 2017

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP

A laundry service for students by students Wafty will pick up your laundry, wash your clothes, fold and deliver your load

The founders of Wafty, from left, Nicholas Auclair, Parker Graham, Marlin Jayasekera discuss their business journey. Photo by Sandra Hercegova.

For students, doing laundry can be very time-consuming. First, separating colours and delicates before loading your clothes into the washing machine takes time. Then everything has to either air dry or run through a cycle in the dryer before you can move on to folding it all.

The next thing you know, you have just spent three hours doing laundry when you should have been writing an essay that’s due tomorrow. Sound familiar?

If you are a student living in downtown Montreal, then Wafty is at your service.

Launched on Oct. 1, it is a laundry service “for students, by students,” according to their website. Wafty—an acronym for “wash and fold to you”—will pick up laundry from your home, clean and deliver it, nicely folded, within two days.

The business was founded by three Montreal students: Marlin Jayasekera, a second-year Concordia software engineering student; Parker Graham, a second-year art history and economics major at McGill University; and Nicholas Auclair, a first-year Concordia mechanical engineering student.

Graham and Jayasekera had spent the last year brainstorming ideas for their own business. While laundry wasn’t initially on their mind, the students realized after moving out that it can be one of the most time-consuming chores. Doing laundry can take a few hours a week, and for students, that time can be better spent working on assignments or studying for exams, Graham explained. Not only was time an issue, but Jayasekera said he faced the issue of finding a place to do laundry since his building

doesn’t have a laundry room. This is what inspired the idea for Wafty.

It didn’t take long before Jayasekera learned that creative business ideas are often initially met with skepticism. When he told his mother about his plan to start a laundry service, he said she responded with: “You don’t even do your laundry! And you’re going to do other people’s laundry?”

Nonetheless, Jayasekera and Graham pursued the idea of creating a service that would make it easier for students to do their laundry. The more they developed the idea, the more people encouraged them to make it happen. According to Graham, when he proposed the service to friends, they often responded with disbelief that no one had thought about offering a laundry service to students before. It was then that he realized Wafty might actually work.

Auclair, an old friend of Graham’s, joined the duo a little later. He said he was intrigued by the unique learning opportunity the business provided. “We’re constantly learning through trial and error,” Auclair said.

“So if we see that something is not working, we adjust.”

“Having one extra person to separate the load was ver y help ful, no pun intended,” Jayasekera said.

When the trio realized doing all the laundry themselves would be inefficient, Graham said they decided to outsource their laundry to increase productivity

and be able to help out more students.

Unfortunately, several local laundromats laughed when the Wafty partners made their pitch. “You have to be persistent, and you can’t get discouraged by rejection,” Auclair said. The Wafty founders said they went through many ideas and versions of their laundry service before finding the most productive business model. “It’s been a rollercoaster to get to where we are now,” Graham added.

Every pound of laundry costs $1.99. All you have to do is pack up your clothes and they will be picked up and dropped off at your home on weekdays between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. The laundry is washed and folded at the laundromat Wafty partnered with in the Milton Park borough.

According to Graham, the products the

Buanderie Du Parc laundromat uses are 100 per cent natural. And for every 15 pounds of laundry a student has washed, Wafty donates $1 to the British Columbia-based One Tree Planted, an organization that plants one tree for every dollar donated.

The first time Wafty got an order from a client the trio didn’t know personally, they said it felt like an accomplishment—and the business is still growing. Graham justified Wafty’s success because it’s an affordable and convenient service for students.

“As long as you’re a student and struggling [with laundry], we’ll come help you” Jayasekera added.

To try out Wafty’s services, visit: WAFTY.IO

Graphic by Alexa Hawksworth.

MIA ANHOURY STAFF WRITER

arts

ARTS EDITOR /// arts@theconcordian.com MAGGIE HOPE

ART SHOW

Reuniting pre-Concordia alumni artists

Upcoming show to highlight the work of Sir George Williams University, Loyola College graduates

Jackie Rae Wloski will be showing her piece, Myriam in the Backyard at the event. Photo courtesy of Jackie Rae Wloski.

Jackie Rae Wloski graduated from Concordia in 1971 with a bachelor's degree in two fields that don't usually go hand-in-hand: fine arts and biology.

At the time, Concordia didn’t actually exist. Sir George Williams University (SGWU) and Loyola College only merged to form Concordia University in 1974. Today, the multi-media artist works from her home studio and creates art pieces, mainly portraits, landscapes and master copies by commission.

Ten years ago, Wloski decided she wanted to organize an alumni art show to exhibit the work of her former university peers.

The process has been a long one, but it has finally fallen into place. Backed by the Concordia University Alumni Association, the art show will take place Nov. 1 and 2 and will feature the works of 64 artists, including Mark Prent, Ann McCall and Suraj

Sadan. Wloski will also be presenting two of her own pieces: Myriam in the Backyard and Don’t Worry - Pilot in Total Control.

Prent is a Polish-born sculptor and performance artist who graduated from SGWU in 1970. Since then, he has received several awards and significant recognition for his work, including the 1978 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship. At the alumni art show, Prent will be showing War and Peace.

McCall received her BFA from Concordia in 1978. The artist has had 10 solo exhibitions and participated in over 20 group exhibitions since 2008. Most recently, McCall won the Rideau Prize award for printmaking in visual art. Much of her work is inspired by the environment, from her seasonal series C’est l’hiver, based on the winter forest and animals of rural Quebec, to the complex environmental issues in Arborescence, which focuses on deforestation.

McCall will be showing and selling two pieces, Convergence and Arbes Hivernaux,

made using the printmaking process of collography.

S adan g r aduate d f rom Concordia in 1980 with a master’s degree in art education. In 2011, he received an India Empire NRI Award for promotion of peace through art in New Delhi. His work is greatly inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, whom he met at a refugee camp in 1947, according to Concordia University Magazine.

Sadan is a portrait artist and has completed over 20 portraits of Gandhi, one of which was made into an international stamp and featured on the cover of UNESCO Courier in October 1969.

According to Wloski, the art show is an opportunity for alumni to gain exposure while reuniting with old peers. Wloski said she hopes the show will inspire young artists and students outside of the fine arts department to seek out opportunities post-graduation.

“There is no need to study to practice,” she

Convergence, a collagraph by Ann McCall.

Photo courtesy of Jackie Rae Wloski.

said. “We’re artists, and we’d like to show people what we do.”

The Pre-Concordia Alumni Art Show will be open for two days in the new conference centre on the ninth floor of John Molson School of Business.

The vernissage will be on Nov. 1 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The show will be open until 9 p.m. on Wednesday, and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 2.

Comics by Libby Hopkinson.

CHLOË LALONDE ARTS ASSISTANT EDITOR

OCTOBER 31, 2017

theconcordian

9

EXHIBITION

Scaling down everything except fear

Miniature, picturesque murder scenes make up Sweet Dreams at the Station 16 Gallery

Goldman’s piece titled Hold Tight draws the viewer into a tiny scene of terror. Photo by Luca Caruso-Moro.

LUCA CARUSO-MORO CONTRIBUTOR Arms and legs outstretched, he felt the wind whipping through his hair and the blood rushing to his head. If he looked down the cliff edge, he would see a man splayed out, bloodied and dirty. Though he would give anything to be released, if the man holding him loosened his grip, he would surely fall from a fatal height.

Roughly six inches.

This scene is from Abigail Goldman’s miniature tableau Hold Tight, part of her highly original series Dieorama. The affectionately-titled solo show, Sweet Dreams, is Goldman’s newest installment to the series, showing at the Station 16 Gallery until Nov. 18.

Dieorama is a series of small-scale dioramas depicting murder scenes, often taking place in middle-class townhouses, open-concept office spaces or picturesque fields. The violence is cold-blooded and the figures are graphic and, of course, small.

Goldman creates her night-

mare dioramas out of styrofoam, model train sets and dirt from Las Vegas—as she described to Atlas Obscura, “something about that fine, sun-baked dirt is the best.”

Goldman called Sweet Dreams “a pushpull relationship between the grotesque and the humorous. Ideally, this common thread runs through the show like a bit of delicate tension: Should I laugh or should I cringe?”

As gruesome as the dioramas are, they are also very funny. A grandmother wields a shotgun on postcard-perfect rolling hills, a man showers with a bloodied scrubber, and a woman eats a man’s head at a table set for two.

Goldman’s scenes are fictional, but her subject matter is well researched. Formerly a crime reporter for the Las Vegas Sun, Goldman now works as an investigator for the Federal Public Defender in the District of Nevada where she spends her time uncovering stories for criminal defence cases.

Goldman manages to find and beautifully exploit a delicate balance of dark subject

matter and ironic humour with over-the-top scenarios and incredible attention to detail.

The result is an unexpectedly compelling method of storytelling.

“My primary consideration is story—what can I do to pull someone in and make them wonder what happened here,” Goldman said. “[I’m] hoping to find a narrative that leaves the viewer with something, whether that means feeling disturbed or amused.”

The small scale of Goldman’s work is critical to its impact. Blood-drenched garden shears, dogs eating their owners and cauldrons full of of limbs are especially poignant on a scale usually reserved for model trains and science fairs.

“The dichotomy is preposterous,” the artist remarked.

The tiny scenes resonated largely with audiences. Viewers at Station 16 Gallery leaned in and strained their eyes to fully absorb the obsessive detail in landscape, movement and gore.

The success of Goldman’s work is due not only to her whimsical storytelling and impressive dexterity, but to something

much deeper. As Goldman explained to Juxtapoz Magazine, people hold back a lot of anger to be polite, and so the dioramas may scratch an unexpected itch.

“By condensing rage, miniaturizing it, making violence preposterous and humorous—maybe there’s some relief,” Goldman told Juxtapoz. Perhaps stress and anger are easier to handle when we can observe our most violent thoughts made comical by these tiny displays. In this case, however, we might have to squint.

Dieorama is a joyous example of commitment to craft, animated storytelling and garish humour.

Don’t sleep on this one. Sweet Dreams is not to be missed.

Sweet Dreams will be on display at Station 16 Gallery until Nov. 18. The gallery is located at 3523 St-Laurent Blvd, and open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and until 5 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is free.

The exhibition, which showcases a selection works from the artist’s Dieorama series, will be on display until Nov. 18. Photos by Mackenzie Lad.

10 theconcordian

OCTOBER 31, 2017

COVER STORY

Moving toward more inclusive comedy Local comedian and performer Tranna Wintour takes the stage as Rocky’s new MC

Wintour said she is proud to be a part of the recent and growing movement of socially aware and considerate comedy. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

MAGGIE HOPE ARTS EDITOR She knows she has big shoes to fill.

When she was asked to be the new MC of The Rocky Horror Picture Show , Tranna Wintour was both honoured and apprehensive. This is the first time in 10 years that the Montreal show will have a new host.

Wintour is replacing Plastik Patrik, who has been a large part of the Montreal production of Rocky over the last decade.

Although she acknowledges that many people have become attached to Patrik’s role in the show, Wintour said she is excited to be a part of the event’s new direction. “I think that goes for all creative fields,” she said. “I think it’s important, even when something works, to push it further or try to make it fresh.”

Wintour applies this philosophy to her comedy as well. She said she is always looking for ways to reinvent her performances, and this show is just another opportunity to do so. Rocky’s audience is the largest crowd Wintour has performed in front of, and the comedian said she is grateful for the opportunity to meet more people and show them her work. Although she didn’t rehearse with the cast, Wintour met them about a week before the first performance and immediately felt welcomed.

MCing for Rocky also gave Wintour the chance to fall in love with costumes again.

“I love Halloween,” she said excitedly before adding that she recently lost interest in wearing costumes. Soon after accepting the role as the host of Rocky, Wintour faced the conundrum of what to wear for the show. By chance, she met local designer

Becca Love, who offered to dress Wintour.

Love creates handmade, gender-neutral, cruelty-free clothing, which immediately piqued Wintour’s interest. “I’m excited to showcase her work,” the comedian said.

Wintour received the offer to be the show’s new MC after being recommended to the producers last year by a number of people familiar with her comedy. Wintour hosts several of her own shows and has been gradually establishing herself as a comedic force within Montreal’s scene for a number of years. She hosts a bi-weekly series called Trannavision , where she and other local comedians hold movie screenings and provide light-hearted live commentary. She is also part of a monthly collaborative comedy show series called Stand Back, which features feminist, LGBTQ+ comedy acts in an effort to combat the homophobic, sexist and offensive humour that is often present in mainstream comedy.

“I really believe, now more than ever, in the power of the performing arts and live performance, because I feel like it’s one of the few things that really gets people together face-to-face,” Wintour said. “It’s easy to argue with people online and take things out of context, but when you’re face-toface with someone, it’s a

much more human and real experience.

I feel like that’s where a deeper level of communication happens.”

The comedian added that she wants to use her comedic platform as a way to unify and uplift people, especially in today’s social and political climate. “To offer, in some small way, some kind of comfort and escape. At the same time, we have to be vigilant and present, and we can’t ignore anything that’s going on,” she said. “But I think we also need some time to breathe a little bit and experience some kind of collective joy.”

In addition to providing much needed breathing room, Wintour said she hopes her work can be the spur for a more aware and attentive era in the world of comedy.

The events she organizes and takes part in are all in an effort to make audience

members feel safe, but also to have them leave with a deeper understanding of the importance of acceptance. “I think comedy has to be powerful, and I think comedy has to say something. I really believe that you can say something and be funny without having to be abusive,” Wintour said. “I don’t think that when comedy is considerate that it’s any less edgy.”

The final run of this year’s edition of The Rocky Horror Picture Show is on Oct. 31 at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.

The next Trannavision event will be a screening of Death Becomes Her (1992) at Psychic City at 8 p.m. The third installment of Stand Back : A Comedy Hour will be on Nov. 14 at Notre-Dame-des-Quilles from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets for the latter two events are $5 at the door.

Wintour stands at centre stage surrounded by the cast of this year’s production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Photo by Maggie Hope.

music

Quickspins

MUSIC EDITOR /// music@theconcordian.com CALVIN CASHEN

1

Q&A

Rocky Horror’s fabulous legacy

A conversation with long-time cast members of the annual performances

FUTURE AND YOUNG THUG

Super Slimey (Epic, 2017) Future and Young Thug’s collaborative mixtape, Super Slimey , is exactly what you would expect from trap music’s two most notorious rappers. Unlike his joint album with Drake, Future has found an artist he can flow with, as he and Young Thug possess a chemistry that only groups like Migos have. Future and Young Thug are pioneers when it comes to rap flow, and the way they trade verses over the album’s nocturnal yet fast-paced beats make it a must-listen for all rap fans. The melodies that project from their voices make each song sound unique and different, unlike many albums in the trap genre. Songs like “No Cap, Three” and “Patek Water” featuring Of fset are certifiable bangers and standouts on the album. Super Slimey just goes to show how versatile Thugger and Future really are, cementing them as the two best artists in their lane.

11 Trial Track: “Three”

8.8/10 HUSSAIN ALMAHR ASSISTANT MUSIC EDITOR

The Rocky Horror Picture Show has created a culture for itself. People all around the world come together to watch the movie, while performers reenact the film live on stage.

The Montreal performances are the biggest in North America, hosted annually at the Imperial Theatre.

I met up with a few cast members, Heidi Rubin and Nick Turnau, a week before the first show of the year. Turnau has been involved with the show for the last 18 years. Although he focuses on the behind-the-scenes elements of the show these days, he has performed as Frank, Riff, Brad and one of the groupies.

Rubin is a 19-year veteran of the Montreal production. She fell in love with the movie as a kid and joined the local cast when she was 19.

She has performed nearly every role, including Colombia, Janet, Rocky, Riff and Frank.

Q: How were you first introduced to The Rocky Horror Picture Show?

Nick Turnau: Funny you should ask. It’s actually due to the person sitting to my left. We met in CEGEP. I’d seen the film before and was aware of the midnight performances—a sort of weird cult thing that happened or whatever. But we met in an English class. We met ditching an English class to go…

Heidi Rubin: Smoke pot [Laughs].

NT: Smoke pot, and she said, “Hey do you want to come to the Imperial [Theatre] and be part of this thing called The Rocky Horror Picture Show? Do you want to come and check it out?”

I said, “Sure!” I ended up being in the show as a groupie [Laughs]. I think there was a dozen of us at that point.

Q: What’s the history of the show in Montreal?

NT: The cult thing started in New York. B-movie houses would play it on a weekly basis. Weird

cult fanatics—such as ourselves—would go and get really really into it and involved. That’s how it sort of began. I don’t know exactly when the cult phenomenon started in Montreal.

I know, when we signed up, the troope had been doing it for years.

HR: People did it in the Sivel Theatre, which was a theatre back in N.D.G., and they would do midnight showings—I think they did it weekly.

Then, the cast before us, they were doing monthly performances. When Phil Spurrell, our producer, came in 20 years ago—so a year after myself—he began producing it because they needed somebody to take it over. He had a lot of experience in the film industry here in Montreal. So he took it over and changed it from a monthly thing to build up the anticipation and turn it into a really big production, the biggest in North America—I kind of believe in the world. It changed the dynamic, going from just once a month.

NT: It starts to become oversaturated once a month. It was far more niche back then.

HR: They didn’t have a cast. It was just random people who would go up.

NT: That’s how the shadow cast started, essentially. It was super-fans dressing up and acting it out.

HR: Montreal is just like any big city—there are so many diverse people here, they come to be in and a part of the show. It’s just been a riot for everyone, especially when I’d seen it back in the day.

Q: When you look at the audience, do you feel like it has changed over the years?

NT: It was more subversive back then. It had a much smaller niche market. It’s changed, but it’s always been great. Sometimes we get families [Laughs].

HR: Do you remember the old lady that would come to every show? She was like 85, and she would be sitting up there [on stage]. Anyway, she was awesome. But I find that when we first

started the costume contest, that’s when crazy stuff really happened. It’s out of our control, as people get up on stage and do whatever they can to get the audience going crazy.

NT: Things got out of control [Laughs].

HR: Back then, nobody had a cellphone, so they couldn’t take a video and post it. There were two years when there was a switch-over, and I think a lot of things went online and then people just realized, we can’t do this without having millions of people potentially seeing it.

So, the truth is, that there’s a part of it that’s kind of sad. Because of social media, we can’t keep secrets anymore. It’s all consensual for everybody in there, but it doesn’t stay in there anymore. So there’s a bit of a vibe that’s somehow changed.

Q: You’re right Heidi. Some people aren’t comfortable knowing that this may potentially be outing closeted people who don’t want others to know. For them, the show is a safe space.

HR: And that’s what we’re looking for. This is why I’m in the cast—this is the ultimate safe space. It doesn’t matter how weird or straightedge you are; if you're in the cast, you're safe. It’s good. And people come to the show because they want to be wild and they want to be crazy and they want to party and let loose, and you're still in fucking high school, looking over your shoulder thinking, “Who’s going to judge me?” People let go of that when [they’re at the show].

NT: There’s this aspect to it, but at the same time, the ideals that have always been part of Rocky have proliferated so much more. It’s helped us more, and it’s been wonderful to watch what it’s done for us.

— ALEX COLE, MANAGING EDITOR

2

STANDING ON THE CORNER Red Burns (Self-Released, 2017) Standing on the Corner is a jazz-infused collaboration between two New York City natives, Gio Escobar and Jasper Marsalis. Their latest effort, Red Burns, listens like a collection of snapshots, with Escobar and Marsalis navigating the desolate slums and alleys of New York through hip-hop instrumentals tempered by a healthy appreciation for jazz. The urban sounds of New York echo throughout the album like clockwo r k . Red Burns co nt a i n s co ll a g ey sound snippets weaved together into a free-flowing narrative consisting of five songs, titled “nate sees the storm,” “re d b u r n s co m i n! ,” “cl e b s e e s t h e storm!,” “what about the planet?” and “ the devil Meets Red Burns.” Across Red Burns ’ hour, you can hear Standing on the Corner writing an impassioned love letter to the city that raised them, with a dichotomy of hope and despondence driving them forward.

11 Trial Track: “Sellin Soap” The final performances of this year’s edition of The Rocky Horror Picture Show are on Oct. 31 at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. this interview was edited for length and clarity.

7.5/10 — CALVIN CASHEN, MUSIC EDITOR

12

theconcordian

OCTOBER 31, 2017

Quickspins

ROUNDUP

3

HAYLEY KIYOKO Feelings (Empire, 2017) “Feelings” puts into words the universally tender, yet terrifying, feelings of love rushing into our heads. This single is a new chapter in Hayley Kiyoko’s musical history. The singer, known for affirming her raw emotions and sexuality on dreamy pop sounds tinted with a progressive rock background, remains integral to her style. Kiyoko uses blunt changes of tempo, from energizing synthesizer to heavy bass riffs, to emphasize the tumultuous conflict raging inside her. This same conflict is found lyrically, as she apologizes for “feeling too much, saying too much,” when she should be “tough” or “like ice.” She asserts her desires by wishing for casual touch and steamy nights. Kiyoko provides an anthem to the excitement love brings, brushing aside the societal expectations of holding back one’s emotions. The song’s music video, directed by Kiyoko, was released the same day as the single. It highlights the same conflict as the song, using the fluidity of dance and warm-to-cold lighting to show the changes of tempo. “Feelings” is a light song with an important message, yet its instrumentals can easily become obnoxious.

11 Trial Track: “Feelings”

8/10 — ELISA BARBIER, ASSISTANT LIFE EDITOR

FOR EDITOR’S PICKS S THE BEST SONG WEEK RELEASED THIS

The top scariest songs of all time From your nightmares to your playlist CALVIN CASHEN MUSIC EDITOR 1. Suicide - “Frankie Teardrop” (1977)

Suicide's "Frankie Teardrop" follows the 20-year-old titular character from his mundane factory job to his tumultuous home life. Vocalist Alan Vega details how Frankie kills his wife, child and self in the midst of a complete breakdown over his routine life. The scarce, rigid song is a nightmarish narrative pushed to a halting climax by Vega's blood-curdling screams. Pure nightmare fuel.

2. Throbbing Gristle - “Hamburger Lady” (1978)

Nothing too out of the ordinary for art noise collective Throbbing Gristle, but the title alone is enough to induce out-of-whack mental images.

The lyrics are indecipherable, fed through a choppy, deteriorating vocoder underneath instrumentals that land somewhere between an alien abduction and the apocalypse.

3. Tom Waits - “What’s He Building In There” (1999)

This dramatic monologue from the uneasy perspective of a nosy neighbour is set to the tune of a subdued instrumental soundscape.

Tom Waits’s barking voice wheezes with a mildly inflected delivery, which comes off like a protective dog warning you not to come any closer.

4. Pharmakon - “Body Betrays Itself” (2014)

"Body Betrays Itself" exhibits the overwhelming claustrophobia of Margaret Chardiet’s brand of noise music. The song’s disfigured aesthetic puts to sound the sight of a body slowly disintegrating over time, and how there’s no way of controlling imminent death when stricken by illness. Chardiet fully embraces the tenets of noisiness, letting the music slowly build to a dissonant crux that offers a brief peek into a climax from which the listener will never recover from.

5. Slint - “Good Morning, Captain” (1991)

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Just a casual reading of the lyrics is enough send shivers down your spine. The build-up is excruciatingly tense, with meandering guitar riffs rotating in a never-ending cycle that jolts into an anguished scream of “I Miss You.” The last song on Slint’s masterpiece, Spiderland, “Good Morning, Captain” pieces together a narrative of a captain who has lost everything at sea.

The song’s explosive coda literally drove singer Brian McMahan toward the brink of insanity, to the point where he had to enroll in a psychiatric hospital a few days after the song’s release.

8. Black Sabbath - “Black Sabbath” (1970)

Once described as metal's "most evil track"

by Judas Priest's Rob Halford, Black Sabbath's eponymous song propelled heavy metal as a menacing new subgenre. The occult song about Satan ending humanity was inspired by an ominous riff that some say literally pulled Lucifer from the depths of hell.

9. The Doors - “Not to Touch the Earth” (1968)

“Not to Touch the Earth” is a paranormal hellscape in audio that captures Jim Morrison at his most confident and lyrically unhinged.

The song’s piercing organ morphs in and out of frame, expressing the song’s complete and total devolution into depravity. Lamenting the stark polarity between heaven and hell, Morrison drops clever allusions to necromancy and politics, concluding with a heartstopping crescendo.

6. Marilyn Manson - “Prelude (The Family Trip)” (1994)

10. The Jesus Lizard - “Then Comes Dudley” (1991)

The opening track on Portrait of an American Family is a cartoony spoof of the boat scene from the 1971 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, written by children’s novelist Roald Dahl. Marilyn Manson wanted to capture the fear a child feels at a carnival, and revamp those untapped feelings for an adult audience.

The Jesus Lizard is simultaneously one of the funniest, smartest and most incredibly off-the-wall bands in history. If it weren’t for their endearingly deranged sense of humour and self-deprecating lyrics, they’d probably be more inclined to crossover into the mainstream à la Nirvana. No wonder they were Kurt Cobain’s favorite band. The prickly guitar riff on this track, which was sampled from Miles Davis’s “Great Expectations,” and David Yow’s devilish howl culminate in an experience that makes you feel truly violated.

7. Primus - “Mr. Krinkle” (1993)

You know that instance when a serial killer matter-of-factly consults that little voice inside his or her head; the voice that told them to paint the neighbourhood red? Well, I’m pretty sure the voice they hear is akin to the traumatizing sounds that emit from Les Claypool’s southern drawl on “Mr. Krinkle.” Not to mention that petrifying bass part.

11. The Body - “Hallow/Hollow” (2016)

"Hallow/Hollow" comes from No One Deser ves Happiness, with Chip King's ear-shredding guitar and shrieked vocals

impacting like a car crash when matched against Lee Buford's body-quaking drums.

12. Joy Division - “Heart and Soul” (1980)

The bass-and-drums intro sets up a hypnotic rhythm that leaves plenty of space for Ian Curtis to insert his brooding, barely active voice. Curtis died just as Joy Division’s 1980 swan-song album, Closer, was released. While the layers of guitar start to dissolve into the mix around it, the stagnating rhythm further heightens the song’s incredibly unnerving restlessness.

13. Screamin’ Jay Hawkins - “I Put A Spell On You” (1957)

A spooky joint that's just as sensational as the allusion to voodooism implied in the title, Screamin' Jay Hawkins's "I Put A Spell On You" is one of music’s most seminal song s, and ser ved as a precursor for rock-and-roll upstarts using supernatural imagery and shocking visual elements.

Easily one of the great vocal performances of all time, it's also a prime validation that the premature seeds of rock and roll were just as dangerous as the general public initially thought.

14. Kate Bush - “Under Ice” (1985)

In “Under Ice,” Kate Bush vividly details a dream about a person skating on a frozen river that’s buried under snow. As the person skates along, they look down at the ice and spot an obscured object moving underneath.

As they follow the object moving under the ice, they come face to face with themselves in the water, drowning.

Graphic by Alexa Hawksworth.

etc

RISE OF THE DEAD FESTIVAL

Photos by Mackenzie Lad.

sports

SPORTS EDITOR /// sports@theconcordian.com NICHOLAS DI GIOVANNI ( @n_digiovanni)

PROFILE

Battling against all odds Stingers hockey captain Philippe Hudon continues to set the bar higher

Photo by Alex Hutchins.

forward with a quick release who uses his size to pressure defenders on the forecheck. After former captain Olivier Hinse graduated at the end of last season, “Coming to Concordia, to be quite honest, head coach Marc-André Élement told it wasn’t planned,” said Philippe Hudon, Hudon he would be team captain for the captain of the Concordia Stingers men’s 2017-18 season. hockey team. “I wanted to continue “Phil is a professional,” Élement said. playing competitive hockey. I was the “He’s easy to coach. He’s so well respected one really approaching the team. It was by his teammates, so for me it was an easy all last second.” choice. He’s doing a great job, he’s a great While his time with the Stingers has leader. I’m really happy that I chose him “turned out great,” Hudon said it was not to be captain.” the path he expected to take.

Throughout Hudon’s hockey career, “If coming here as a Stinger was a bump others have put high expectations on in the road, it’s been one hell of a bump,” him. This began even before he started Hudon said. “I was able to learn a whole lot attending Choate Rosemary Hall in 2008, a about myself and the type of hockey player boarding school in Connecticut known for that I want to be. I’m really thankful for the its academics and hockey program. Choate experience I’ve had at Concordia, and I can plays in the Founder’s League, and is widely already be thankful for the next two years.” considered to be one of the top high school Over the past three seasons, Hudon hockey leagues in the United States. has established himself as a physical By the time he started at Choate, Hudon was already touted as a top prospect. He had decided to play at the boarding school instead of playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), according to NHL. com. He quickly impressed Choate’s head coach, Pat Dennehy, who said in an interview with NHL.com that Hudon was one of the most “high-profile” players he has ever coached. In his three years at the school, Hudon collected 59 points in 73 games, scoring the ninth-most points in the school’s history.

“The type of person I am, if I exceed expectations, I set the bar higher,” Hudon said about the standards he sets for himself on the ice and in the classroom.

The 2010-11 school year was a life-changing year for Hudon.

It was his senior year at Choate, Philippe Hudon was diagnosed with obsessive and he had committed to play the compulsive disorder in his senior year of high school.

2011-12 season at Cornell University.

MATTHEW COYTE ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Stingers have a on has one goal and three assists. The In five games played this season, Hud s.

4-1-1 record. Photo by Alex Hutchin

He was also scouted as one of the top 75 North American skaters going into the 2011 National Hockey League (NHL) draft. At one point, he was ranked as high as 31st among North American skaters. It was the same year he was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

Hudon said he remembers how his condition affected him in school and on the ice. He also realized things were not normal in his life.

“I knew something was wrong, but I just kept pushing because I thought everything would fall into place,” he said. “I was alone, my parents were five or six hours away. I had a roommate.

Things were kind of normal, but the year that it happened was my draft year.”

Hudon said after he committed to Cornell during his senior year, he had to maintain a good enough GPA in order to attend the following year.

“Expectations were very high, I was putting a lot of pressure on myself. It got to a point where it wasn’t manageable. My [expectations] weren’t attainable.

I kept trying and trying. I always had this personality trait of always having everything in order, very organized.”

The forward said he remembers when he realized his condition was getting out of hand. He would spent a good part of his day organizing his room, telling himself it would help him focus on school and hockey.

“It ended up tormenting me, hindering [me] to play the hockey that I would normally play, and to be a good student,” Hudon said.

He said he remembers feeling as though something was wrong, but believed he could power through it.

“There was one day, I had to take an exam at night that I had missed during the day because of hockey. I had studied quite a bit. I had studied a lot. There was a lot of anxiety inside of me and pressure exerted on me,” Hudon said. “As soon as I got my test, I opened my booklet and blanked.

Nothing was coming to mind. I couldn’t write. I broke down immediately. I kind of had a panic attack, I didn’t necessarily know what was going on.”

OCTOBER 31, 2017

theconcordian

15

COLOUR COMMENTARY

BY NICHOLAS DI GIOVANNI

Photos by Alex Hutchins.

Afterwards, Hudon said he got help right away and saw a psychologist at Choate.

“That’s when everything started heading in the right direction,” he said. “If it hadn’t been for the test, I don’t know how much longer I would have lasted. I had to learn the hard way. Since then, I’ve only been able to better understand myself.”

In June 2011, the Detroit Red Wings selected Hudon 145th overall at the NHL Entry Draft. “It’s a memory that I’ll cherish for my entire life,” Hudon said.

The experience of being drafted and at tending training camp showed him what sets the NHL apart from any other hockey league in the world.

“You don’t notice it until you’ve lived it,” Hudon said. “I got a lot of experience by going to NHL camps.

I learned a lot, even though I didn’t get to play any pre-season games, let alone play in the AHL [American Hockey League]. I got a lot of experience, got a lot out of the professionals that were there.”

Hudon opted out of his commitment to Cornell in the fall of 2011, taking a “leave of absence” after briefly attending the university. He stated his medical condition as a primary reason for leaving. Instead, he decided to play for the Victoriaville Tigres in the QMJHL. In three years with the Tigres, Hudon put up 71 points in 156 games.

In 2014, three years af ter getting draf ted, the Red Wings did not sign Hudon to an NHL entry-level contract, meaning he became an unrestricted free agent and was able to sign where he liked. Hudon said that, at this point, his plans for playing pro hockey got

Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

“pretty chaotic.” He signed a contract with the then-named Greenville Road Warriors of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), the third tier of professional hockey in North America. Only two months after signing, Hudon was released by the team.

While he doesn’t dwell on it too much anymore, Hudon said he remembers being disappointed at the time.

“Business is business, and they sent me home because [Greenville] had a lot of forwards coming down from the AHL,” he said.

In the end, his choice came down to McGill or Concordia. He picked Concordia in 2014 because he wanted to attend the John Molson School of Business as a finance major.

Even after the setbacks, Hudon’s goal remains unchanged. After his time at Concordia, he still hopes to play in the NHL. Hudon has seen other U Sports hockey players move up the ranks of professional hockey after graduating, and is hoping to follow that path. Recently, University of New Brunswick centre Francis Beauvillier, a Florida Panthers prospect, has been playing in the AHL. “What distinguishes me is my relentlessness, that fact that I always want to play for the crest that’s on the front of my jersey, - Philippe Hudon and not the [name] on the back. I just want to be on the ice,” Hudon said. “I’ve been passionate about “You have to play the guys that are paid hockey for a very long time. It’s not going more. I obviously have nothing against the to end tomorrow, not next year, not the business of hockey, but I felt like I belonged year after that. I’m going to keep pushing there, if not in a league above that.” until really [no opportunities] are open.

Hudon said he wanted a better chance I’m that determined.” to play in a professional league. “I thought I According to Hudon , he ha s big deserved more. Whether it was because they s k ate s to f i ll w i t h Hin s e gon e, b ut saw a downside to my mental condition or he’s not going to change the type of not, I really didn’t think that it did anything. leader he is. He’s focused on leading As soon as I stepped on the ice, that was my the Stingers by example. only safe haven. Nothing else mattered, not “Even if I was an assistant [capeven my medical condition.” tain], or not an assistant, I’m going After the Greenville Road Warriors to be the same person,” Hudon said. signed and released him in a matter of “Obviously [as captain] I’m going to two months, Hudon said he hoped to play be a little more vocal—it comes with at least one more year professionally the role. I’m not going to become before thinking about his academic someone that I’m not.” future.

"I’m not going to be become someone that I’m not."

alty well as playing on the pen play as a defenceman, as er pow the on ys pla This season, Hudon

ins. kill. Photo by Alex Hutch

On Oct. 19, Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch was ejected from a National Football League (NFL) game for making physical contact with a referee. During an on-field altercation between Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs players, Lynch ran onto the field from the sidelines.

After trying to separate the crowd of players himself, Lynch pushed a referee away from the scrum.

The official ejected Lynch from the game, and the NFL suspended him for one game.

I think it’s great that Lynch was punished for his actions. Referees and officials, no matter the sport, are constantly abused, yet professional sports leagues rarely penalize players for doing so. The NFL stepped up and made sure to send a message to its players— don’t disrespect the officials.

Abuse towards officials doesn’t only come from players and coaches at the professional level. The problem transcends everybody involved in sports at all levels, and it needs to stop. I’ve played minor hockey my whole life, and I have seen countless examples of young players, coaches and parents bark at amateur referees. When a kid sees their parents yell at the referee in hockey, they think it’s appropriate behaviour and start abusing the official themselves.

However, when a young athlete sees the consequences Lynch received, maybe they’ll think twice about disrespecting the referee.

I’ve never been a referee, so I don’t know what it’s like to be everyone’s enemy. So here’s Matthew Coyte, the assistant sports editor, with his thoughts: I could fill a book with all the insults that have been thrown my way in five years of being a referee.

As a minor hockey ref, I’ve been hit, grabbed, had water bottles thrown at me and have even been accused of bribery.

There have been multiple cases recently where players abused a referee, and received various degrees of punishment. In January 2016, Calgary Flames defenceman Dennis Wideman bodychecked a linesman during play. The NHL initially gave Wideman a 20-game suspension, which was later reduced to 10 games because an independent arbitrator ruled Wideman did not intend to injure the official, according to CBC. The linesman is still unable to work due to the injuries he sustained from the hit, according to The Globe and Mail.

At the end of the day, no matter the game, no matter the level, no matter how bad of a call the ref may have made, they are always off limits. To disrespect the officials is to disrespect the game.

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theconcordian

OCTOBER 31, 2017

OPINION

Media must respond better to traumatic injuries

Following the reaction to Gordon Hayward’s injury, sports journalists need a different approach BENJAMIN LANGUAY CONTRIBUTOR “Oh my goodness, Hayward came down so hard. Hayward broke his leg. Hayward has broken his leg. Oh my gosh… Oh my gosh. And that is how quickly a season can change.”

This was the live play-by-play by Kevin Harlan of TNT during a broadcast of the Boston Celtics game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, when Celtics star forward Gordon Hayward fractured and dislocated his left tibia.

Media outlets are often criticized for their handling of traumatic events. Some show the play over and over again, leaving their audience nauseous or numb to the gravity of the situation. Others are hesitant to refer to the play at all, and call the rest of the game as if nothing changed.

TNT received praise for their handling of the Hayward situation. Broadcasters kept silent while the Celtics’ medics attended to Hayward. Only the murmurs of concern from the crowd could be heard on TV. The crowd at the TD Garden in Boston was near-silent. Neither Harlan nor colour analyst Reggie Miller spoke until Hayward was removed from the court.

However, seconds after Hayward went down, Harlan commented on the effect this injury would have on the Celtics’s season. After the injury, bloggers and columnists were talking about what the Celtics would do to fill Hayward’s place in the line-up.

For analysts, it’s easy to forget the athletes in front of them have to recover from their injuries. Athletes also experience stress and psychological obstacles during

their recovery. and negative responses from the media don’t help.

Soon after the injury, Fox Sports analyst Skip Bayless tweeted: “If Gordon Hayward is gone, maybe for the season, LeBron’s path to losing a sixth finals gets even easier,” making reference to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ chance to return to the NBA final. And while this response is particularly soulless, its sentiment isn’t altogether uncommon.

Despite some examples of bad coverage, the media also has positive coverage of injuries. There is a much higher emphasis on head safety than there was in the past by both sports teams and the media. Media outlets now praise teams for being upfront and transparent in their treatment of head injuries, rather than discussing a player’s absence and potential replacement.

A player can heal a lot quicker from physical injuries, such as broken bones, than head-related injuries. Yet there isn’t enough thought put into the repercussions a physical injury can have on an athlete’s mental health. When the media focuses on the injured player’s replacement rather than their well-being, the player may get frustrated or lack the motivation to recover quickly.

There should be an onus to treat both head injuries and physical ones with the same level of empathy within sports journalism. The media applauded teams for improved handling of mental health issues stemming from head injuries. Now it’s time to focus on long-term physical injuries and the emotional responses that come with them.

Graphic by Zeze Le Lin.

STUDENT LIFE

Rocket’s promo worth it for Concordia students

From travel to eating to the arena atmosphere, here are some thoughts about going to a game NICHOLAS DI GIOVANNI SPORTS EDITOR For just $20, you can watch the second tier of professional hockey in North America. The Laval Rocket—the Montreal Canadiens farm team that plays in the American Hockey League (AHL)—has a ticket promotion called Student Wednesdays. For high school, CEGEP and university students, tickets at the box office are $20 for all Wednesday night games.

It’s the team’s first season, and their first Student Wednesday promotion happened on Oct. 25, when they played the Rochester Americans. I went to the game with two friends to see whether it’s really worth it for Concordia students. Here are tips for students who plan on going to Laval Rocket games.

GETTING THERE We left the Loyola campus at around 5:30 p.m. Even though the game started at 7:30 p.m., we thought traffic would have made us late. But the only traffic we really faced was on Décarie Boulevard.

Considering we were headed there in the middle of rush hour, it was a smooth drive after Décarie. The arena is located on Boulevard de la Concorde, just off Highway 15 in Laval, and it took us about 45 minutes to get there.

Finding parking was not an issue. The arena has indoor parking, and there’s a shopping centre next to the arena where you can park for free.

EATING For those who want to eat before the game, there are multiple restaurants in the shopping centre next to the arena, including Subway’s, Bellepro’s, Tim Hortons, Amir and Thai Express.

The arena food is a bit costly, but still cheaper than at a Canadiens game at the Bell Centre. A slice of pizza at Place Bell is $4.25, and a hot dog is $3.50.

If you’re thirsty at a Rocket game, it’s going to cost you $5.75 for a 355-ml beer, and $3 for a bottle of water. Both those prices are cheap compared to $12 draft beers and $7.50 water at the Bell Centre.

they would play music, it would get so loud I had trouble talking to my friends who were sitting right beside me.

OVERALL THOUGHTS I would definitely recommend Concordia students go watch the Laval Rocket play.

It’s fun and affordable. I spent just over

$40 for the whole night—I ate before and during the game—so if you control your hunger, you can have a fun night out with friends for $20.

The Rocket will host 10 more Student Wednesday promotions, including the next one on Nov. 1.

Place Bell is located right off Highway 15 near Montmorency metro.

Photo by Nicholas Di Giovanni.

TICKETS For $20, tax included, we got tickets four rows behind the net. The regular cost for those tickets is $32 before taxes and fees. We really couldn’t have asked for better tickets for their price and location. Place Bell is a small arena with 10,000 seats, so there probably isn’t a bad seat in the house.

The seats are also really comfortable and leave a lot of leg room. Not even the Bell Centre compares to the level of comfort I had at Place Bell.

ATMOSPHERE Honestly, I loved it. It’s different than going to a Canadiens game because the arena has more of a family-friendly atmosphere. There were quite a few students, but more importantly, a lot of families were there, even for a Wednesday night. Not far from where we were sitting, there were two kids dancing and cheering for most of the game, so it made for a fun atmosphere.

However, I found the arena music was too loud. During breaks in the game when

For just $20, we got to sit four rows behind the net at Place Bell for the Laval Rocket’s game. Photo by Nicholas Di Giovanni.

opinions

OPINIONS EDITOR /// opinions@theconcordian.com SANIA MALIK

Don’t write off your right to vote On Nov. 5, citizens across the province will have the chance to exercise their democratic power by voting in a municipal election. We at The Concordian would like to take this opportunity to remind our fellow students that they too hold the power and responsibility to cast a vote and be a part of the democratic process.

To start off, it’s important to understand the structure of municipal elections. In Montreal, for example, votes will be cast not only to decide the city’s mayor but the city councillors and 19 borough mayors as well.

Each borough has its own council con-

sisting of at least five members, including city councillors, borough councillors and a borough mayor. This council meets every month and can make decisions about issues pertaining to parking permits, construction work and libraries, among other topics within the jurisdiction of their borough.

The city council, on the other hand, consists of the mayor of Montreal, 46 city councillors and all of the borough mayors.

This council can make decisions about urban planning projects, the environment, the city’s budget and other major projects.

A s voters, it’s also essential to know about the two major mayoral candidates and what their platforms entail.

Wh en it com e s to public transit in Montreal, for example, incumbent Mayor Denis Coderre said he hopes to add to the S TM’s f leet and invest in more ele c t r ic bu s e s .

Projet Montréal leader Valérie Plante, on the other

hand, plans to create a pink metro line that would run from Lachine to Montreal North.

In terms of housing, Plante wants to advocate for provincial and federal investment in housing programs. Meanwhile, Coderre is looking to increase the number of housing inspectors and create a registry to investigate slums and poor apartment conditions.

Among other initiatives proposed by Coderre, there is a plan to develop day and night centres for the homeless in various boroughs, to promote creativity in arts and culture, to expand the cycling network, and to open a new sports complex in Lachine and an aquatic centre in Pierrefonds-Roxboro.

Along with her Projet Montréal team, Plante hopes to make major repairs to transform bike lanes into bike paths, increase transparency when it comes to funding cultural events, increase the amount of time pedestrians have to cross the street and make 300 more homeless shelter spaces available in the city.

On Oct. 23, the two mayoral candidates squared off in an intense debate that tackled topics ranging from the controversial breed-specific ban and bringing professional baseball back to the city to public transit and Bill 62. An article by CBC News described the two candidates as “polar opposites, as night-and-day.”

The same article also highlighted the importance of word choice in politics and provided an analysis by two political science PhD students. “In focusing on word patterns, as opposed to specific utterances, this kind of analysis offers a general sense of how the two contenders are trying to win over voters,” the article stated.

It’s important to understand the stances each candidate takes, to notice their choice of words and observe the tones they used when discussing specific issues. But what’s more essential is recognizing your own power as a citizen and the opportunity voting allows you to make a difference in your community.

Municipal elections may not seem like a high priority for many, but they are arguably more important than larger provincial or federal elections. The changes each candidate is looking to make are about issues that directly impact your community. These are the issues that are closest to home.

When we don’t vote, we don’t see the changes we want. When we don’t vote, we lose the ability to say we live in a democratic and politically active society. So take the time to learn a little bit about what each candidate is offering and, most importantly, go out and vote on Nov. 5.

Graphic by Zeze Le Lin.

MEDIA

The division between the West and the rest

The media's late response to the attack in Somalia highlights our sense of disconnect BEN FRASER STAFF WRITER When a truck bomb in Mogadishu, Somalia, detonated on a busy street on Oct. 14, it claimed more than 300 lives. It was the country’s deadliest attack in years, according to Al Jazeera.

Despite this, there was a severe lack of response from Western media. It is a reaction I believe to be common when a deadly attack happens in a country far away from our own.

I consume a lot of news, and yet I didn’t hear about the attack in Somalia through mainstream news outlets until days later.

Now compare the media coverage of the violence in Somalia with attacks in places like England, France or the United States.

In the latter cases, Western mainstream media often talk or write about the topic for weeks, whether it’s to condemn the violence, commemorate the victims or investigate the root cause. Stories about the Las Vegas shooting, for example, are still being told by the news media almost a month later. Yet our extensive local coverage was not only because four Canadians were killed in the attack, but because it happened in the West.

News stories thrive on tragedies, but more importantly, on the connection the audience feels to those tragedies. It may seem

unfair that attacks in the Western world get more coverage than similar events elsewhere, and it is somewhat. That being said, I don’t believe it is because the Western world values certain lives over others. I believe it is about feeling more sympathy for those we relate to more.

Unlike after the attack in Paris in November 2015, there was no Facebook campaign allowing you to make your profile picture filter the Somalian flag.

To me, it seems simple why this did not happen. The Paris attack quickly became worldwide news, while Mogadishu did not.

It's a shame the Somalia attack didn’t receive the same attention on social media, but I don’t believe Facebook would devote their resources to a cause that isn't considered major news in the Western world.

According to the Global Terrorism Database, the vast majority of terror attacks occur in the Middle East and North Africa.

When war-torn or unstable countries like Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq appear in the news, it is often through stories of casualties caused by war or terrorism. Since tragedy is all we hear about in these nations, we have become desensitized to the violence taking place there.

In comparison, the type of stories we hear and read about from countries like England, France and the United States are more varied and highlight our shared cultures.

As such, hearing about major terror attacks in Western countries is like hearing about one here in Montreal—it feels like home.

Now don’t get me wrong: it isn’t a good thing that the Western world is like this. I do believe we should care for the well-being of people around the world. However, it is also not surprising that we tend to disregard regions that are plagued with harsh political climates. The bottom line is, when we believe violence is common place in particular countries, we are less likely to mourn when these attacks happen.

It hurts me to write this, but it is one of the ugly truths of our society. In the Western daily news cycle, there is no time for events that the audience shares no connection to. When the local connection to the story is lost, so is its ability to resonate with us. As unfortunate as this is, it’s what leads attacks in the Middle East and Africa to be depicted as minor stories.

It is a terrible shame that terror attacks claim the lives of people in those regions.

It’s a shame that the lives claimed in future attacks will not receive much air time in the Western news media. However, that is simply the way the world works. We sympathize with people who we connect with.

At the moment, our connection with people in troubled regions of the world is severed. In order for this connection to be re-established, we need to understand that violence isn't and shouldn’t be the norm anywhere in the world. Regardless of the fact that we are different as human beings, our compassion for one another must bring us together in dark times.

Graphic by Zeze Le Lin.

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theconcordian

OCTOBER 31, 2017

ANIMAL WELFARE

Highlighting unseen animal cruelty in our city How the election could help Quebec move towards a better system for animal welfare

BECKY LUGER COPY EDITOR Citizens of Montreal, we have a problem.

It’s time we talked about how our city handles animal welfare because the current way is completely unacceptable.

O ver t he summer, news out let s went wild over the calèche horse that collapsed in the Old Port. I am the first to admit utilizing animal labour for our own monetary gain is horrible. But what about the animals we interact with on a daily basis? What about stray dogs and cats we see on the streets?

It starts with shelters . It’s great that we have them here in Montreal, however, the public is ignorant about how the city deals with shelters and animal services.

Montreal is split into boroughs which are all responsible for their own dealings in animal services. To clarify, animal services can include things like how the boroughs deal with surrendered pets, strays and cleaning up roadkill. According to the Montreal SPCA website, their services include investigations and inspections, foster programs, lost and found animals and the TNRM program (trap-neuter-release-and-maintain) for stray cats.

In our city, animal services are taken care of either by the non-profit Montreal SPCA or the for-profit privately contracted and operated “shelter” Le Berger Blanc Inc. To differentiate, non-profits are mission-based and ultimately service the animals, whereas Le Berger Blanc wants to make money from adopting out animals.

Each borough in the city chooses either the Montreal SPCA or Le Berger Blanc in a sort of “bidding-war” to see who takes care of animal services. The

provider who gives a better bid (less costly, offers certain services, etc.) is contracted and has full reign over animal services in that borough.

This system is incredibly out-dated and, according to former Minister of Agriculture Pierre Paradis in a Montreal Gazette article, “Quebec is about 20 years behind the rest of the civilized world” in terms of how the province deals with animal welfare. Not to mention our province is considered “the animal abuse capital of Canada,” according to the same article.

A large part of the problem is Le Berger Blanc Inc. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because they were caught in a big scandal in 2011. A documentary was released showcasing an undercover Society for the Protection of Animals (SPA) worker’s time “employed” at Le Berger Blanc facilities, where he recorded the abuse and murder of animals at this so-called “shelter.”

The documentary, Le Mauvais Berger Blanc , was broadcasted by the RadioCanada program Enquête, and honestly, the video is brutal. Throughout 26 minutes, you see footage of the mistreatment in these “shelters.” Workers blatantly lied to patrons searching for their lost pets, illegally performed euthanasia that caused animals pain and threw half-living animals into garbage bins. The director of the shelter, Pierre Couture, and his wife, Murielle De Lasalle—who is also Le Berger Blanc’s operations director—were confronted with the footage. They were in disbelief and supposedly unaware of their employees’ actions.

While the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association stipulates that euthanasia be conducted by a trained veterinarian in a manner “that is quick […] and causes

the least possible pain and distress,” the documentary shows the exact opposite.

In one case, footage captures a general employee at Le Berger Blanc euthanizing a dog by repeatedly stabbing it with a needle.

In another case, a cat, whose lower torso is totally paralyzed, drags its legs across the floor in an effort to escape. Another cat runs hysterically back and forth in a cramped cage, and an employee laughs when the animal’s paralyzed leg gets caught in the cage’s bars. The expression of a dog standing among a sea of dead canine bodies as it waits for its turn still haunts me to this day.

Le Berger Blanc has changed for the better since the scandal in 2011. According to a Montreal Gazette editorial in February, strict new conditions specified that “healthy animals are not to be euthanized […], operations will be subject to spot checks and camera recordings must be made available upon request.”

But do we still want a corporation with such a history of animal cruelty to be responsible for our city’s animal services?

As a society, we need to re-evaluate how our city deals with animal services. Le Berger Blanc is not looking for long-term or big-picture solutions to rectify animal welfare issues in Montreal.

This corporation does not care about problems like the overpopulation of cats, breed-specific bans, lack of education on animal behaviours and needs or respecting animal rights—they are simply looking to make money. For this reason, the upcoming municipal election is an important one for animal welfare.

We have a mayoral candidate whose platform actually mentions animal welfare measures, including protecting animals in our city rather than treating them as

objects to gain profit from. Projet Montréal’s platform on animal welfare plans to “prohibit the transfer of lost or abandoned animals to laboratories for research or commercial purposes. Make it mandatory that they be transferred to rescue organizations instead […] provide support for animal sterilization […] support education programs in schools to educate young people about the responsibilities of animal owners.”

These kinds of actions would really lead Montreal in the right direction towards adequate animal service policies and, hopefully, to a complete overhaul of the city’s current system. We should be looking to other cities and the success they’ve had.

Calgary’s model is a perfect example.

Bill Bruce, the former director of Calgary animal and bylaw services, developed a model that requires owners to properly train, sterilize and exercise their pet, provide it with adequate medical care and ensure the animal is not a threat or nuisance to the city, according to an article in the Calgary Herald. In an interview, Bruce explained that his model is about shifting “away from the animal control model to the responsible pet owner model. [It is about] empowering people to be great pet owners.”

There’s a lot of work to be done in our city, but this is more than just a pet owner's problem. This is an everyone problem. This is about looking at the bigger picture and seeing animals as more than just property, but as sentient beings. We need to eliminate the use of Le Berger Blanc, which is only concerned with profit—not the welfare of the animals it is responsible for.

We need to care. We need to act. We need change.

Graphic by Zeze Le Lin.

OCTOBER 31, 2017

theconcordian

19

BILL 62

Another manifestation of Islamophobia in Quebec

How the construction and timing of Bill 62 is a convenient tactic for election campaigns SANIA MALIK OPINIONS EDITOR It’s disheartening that the same society that supports a woman’s choice to wear a short, black dress criminalizes a woman’s right to wear a long, black burka.

Since the National Assembly passed Bill 62 on Oct. 18, people have voiced mixed opinions about the “religious neutrality” law. The bill states that in order to give or receive public services—like public transit, healthcare and educational services—a person must have an uncovered face, according to the Montreal Gazette. While Bill 62 doesn’t explicitly target Muslim women who wear a face veil (the burka or niqab), it seems obvious the bill is geared towards that minority.

The fact that this religious neutrality bill was voted into law beneath a crucifix hanging in the National Assembly is as hypocritical as it gets. If Quebec really wanted religious neutrality, they would get rid of any symbol that directly refers to a religion—not just Islamic symbols like face coverings. Quebec doesn’t seem to know where it stands on religious neutrality, which just stirs up more confusion and controversy.

In Quebec, the exact number of Muslim women who wear a face veil is unknown, but according to the social research forum Environics Institute, three per cent of women in Canada wear the niqab. That number is even less in Quebec—which raises an important question. Why spend so much time and effort creating a law that marginalizes such a small group of women? The answer, I’ve realized, is a sickening election campaign trend in this province.

With less than a year until the provincial elections, this law has taken media outlets

by storm and has created a tense, divisive political climate in Quebec. People are once again divided over a debate about Muslim women’s choice to wear what they want. It brings us back to 2013, when Parti Québécois leader Pauline Marois attempted to remove all religious symbols under the guise of the Charter of Values.

“This ban shows that the government is trying to steer away attention from real issues,” said Razia Hamidi, the Montreal representative of the National Council of Canadian Muslims. “It’s not a priority for Quebecers. We’ve seen polls from the Angus Reid Institute that show that this issue is rated as very low priority. So why does the government continuously bring it up and give it so much attention?” In Hamidi’s opinion, the fact that this debate is happening with an election around the corner isn’t a coincidence and isn’t acceptable. “They can’t go around pushing such legislation whenever they need to get their voting rates up.”

A new Angus Reid Institute poll suggests 70 per cent of Quebec respondents favour the ban, while 23 per cent discourage it and only eight per cent say the niqab should be welcomed, according to the Montreal Gazette.

Another poll from the same institute found that one in five Quebecers said Bill 62 would be an important factor when deciding which party to support, according to CBC News.

It seems to me the Liberals are playing a game of identity politics by attempting to appease future voters who dislike the niqab.

And in a province where 42 per cent of the population dislike Islam, according to a 2016 Forum Research poll, it is an unfortunately effective tactic.

A conversation with Hafsa Hussain, a Muslim woman from Montreal, furthered my

understanding of how strong anti-Muslim sentiments already are in Quebec. “I wear the hijab and abaya (a long loose dress).

As it stands, I have received many verbal assaults out in public,” she said.

Hussain said she feels Bill 62 wasn’t intended for security reasons, but was a product of Islamophobia. “There hasn’t been a single case where a person wearing the niqab has posed any kind of threat,” she said. “I don’t see how this is a security issue. Whenever identification is required, women wearing the niqab don’t have any problems with complying and showing their faces. We have so many problems in Quebec to tackle, I find it ridiculous that they spent their time discussing dress codes instead of housing, health and education problems, to name just a few.”

At a press conference on Oct. 24, Quebec Justice Minister Stéphanie Vallée attempted to reassure citizens that they would only be required to uncover their faces for identification purposes and when speaking directly with a public service employee. This would nonetheless prevent veiled women from checking out library books, speaking with hospital staff, picking up their children from daycare or attending classes, according to CBC News.

Educational institutions like Dawson College and Université de Montréal were quick to insist that women who wear face coverings should still be allowed to attend class, according to the Montreal Gazette.

Similarly, a McGill spokesperson said the university must accommodate religious differences and “will continue to do so.”

Here at Concordia, the history department condemned the bill and the CSU announced its intent to take action against the the

legislation. Concordia president Alan Shepard himself said the status quo will remain unchanged on campus.

While it’s refreshing to see people protesting against the bill and speaking up, it’s also important to analyze the construction of Bill 62 and understand where it comes from. The harsh truth is that it is just another manifestation of Islamophobia in Quebec. It targets a small group of women and criminalizes their choice to wear a religious garment.

This bill also emboldens those with Islamophobic biases. Among other remarks, I’ve often heard the question: “If they want to cover their face so badly, why don’t they go back to their country?” The thing is, those countries don’t preach diversity and acceptance—Canada does. Our federal government seems to pride itself on accepting and promoting immigration and multiculturalism. So why shouldn’t women be allowed to freely express their religious beliefs? Legislation like Bill 62 contradicts Canada’s identity as a nation, and therefore should hold no validity.

Truthfully, a lot of people misunderstand Islam and spend more time disliking the faith than learning about it. With a little bit of effort, people could come to understand why Muslim women choose to wear the face veil. Asking their opinions instead of assuming negative stereotypes about them could solve this entire ignorant debate.

Freedom of choice dictates that one should have the right to express their individuality whether it be in the form of a little, black dress or a long, black burka.

The government should have no place in telling women what to wear. After all, we live in a free society for all. Don’t we?

Graphic by Zeze Le Lin.

20 theconcordian

OCTOBER 31, 2017

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Among a variety of recent diversity initiatives, the Department of English successfully advertised for a tenure-stream appointment in Indigenous Literature and Culture; presented to the Faculty of Arts and Science a detailed proposal for a cluster hire in Black Studies; and submitted a second proposal for a tenure-stream appointment in the 19th Century Black Atlantic. Though neither of the latter bids was approved, we are confident that the University will respond again to our promotion of such priorities. We have submitted to the Faculty a Letter of Intent detailing a proposal for an Interdisciplinary Minor in Black Studies, supported by the Departments of Geography and History, and are now preparing the formal proposal.

The Department consults with its student associations on matters of curricular development, but note that, by citing only those courses that explicitly and exclusively treat issues of race, gender, and sexuality, your 3 October editorial elides their pervasiveness in the English curriculum. It is not only our courses on e.g. African Literature, Caribbean Literature, Gender and Sexuality, etc. that historicize and theorize these issues, so too do those on traditional subjects, such as Beowulf, Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Milton. This is no less true of our courses on the graphic novel, electronic media, and literary theory. Our required Introduction to Literary Studies outlines theories of race, sexuality, and gender. Any synoptic, national or historical subject we teach is the occasion for sustained treatment of these issues. The editorial did not mention, for instance, our courses on Modernism and American Postmodernism; yet, though the editorial may neglect the fundamental contributions of African-American writers to modernist and postmodernist literature, these courses most certainly do not.

Whether or not it should be axiomatic, as the editorial proposes, that courses on subjects directly concerning BIPOC students “should be taught by those who identify as such” or “should be led by black professors,” such insistence would prevent us from offering those courses until the University endorses our requests for further hires in these areas. Furthermore, all of us want to avoid a patronizing racial calculus whereby those members of visible minorities on our faculty would be typecast to teach according to pigment.

Students continue to play a signal role in fostering a responsible, effective, and compelling policy of inclusive excellence in our department, for which your impetus is appreciated.

Sincerely, Andre Furlani, Chair Department of English

The Concordian’s team EDITOR-IN-CHIEF KATYA TEAGUE editor@theconcordian.com MANAGING EDITOR ALEXANDER COLE managing@theconcordian.com PRODUCTION MANAGER LOREANNA LASTORIA production@theconcordian.com PRODUCTION ASSISTANT HYACINTH WOURMS NEWS EDITORS ÉTIENNE LAJOIE CANDICE PYE news@theconcordian.com ASSISTANT NEWS EDITORS IAN DOWN MEGAN HUNT

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VOL. 35, ISSUE 10 OCT. 31, 2017.

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