January 7, 2020

The Concordian.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

LIFE // Student services roundup / Winter semester to-do list / January events calendar

ARTS // Imagine: Van Gogh / The Rise of Skywalker review / Illumi outdoor light show

SPORTS // Jeremy Murphy profile / A look at the Stingers' shots / Colour Commentary

MUSIC // Murda Beatz profile / Quickspins / Most anticipated albums of 2020

 // theconcordian  @theconcordian  @theconcordian theconcordian.com

OPS // Surviving the holiday season / Fake news / Quebec universities & student mental health

*news pg. 2 VOLUME 37, ISSUE 17 TUESDAY JAN. 7, 2019

News.

NEWS EDITORS Jad Abukasm /  @JAbukasm Virginie Ann /  @LaVirginieAnn news@theconcordian.com

RECAP

The 2010's biggest news events

A recap of 10 international news events that defined the decade Fern Clair Assistant News Editor

A new decade is here, bringing with it new events. But before we look forward, here are the 10 defining news events that have set the stage for the 2020s, in no particular order...

Arab Spring

Beginning in December 2010, anti-government protests shook Tunisia and, in 2011, quickly turned into a region-wide uprising referred to as the Arab Spring. This pro-democratic wave of protest that spread across Arabic-speaking countries in Northern Africa and Middle East overthrew the governments in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen. This then led to civil war in Syria, Iraq, Libya, and Yemen.

The #Metoo Movement,

In October 2017, #Metoo went viral, making international news, encouraging women to share their stories of sexual violence and harrassment.

The #Metoo movement brought to light sexual predators like Bill O'Reilly and Harvey Weinstein.

Donald Trump

In 2017, Donald Trump was elected and became the third American president to be impeached.

The Trump administration is known for separating migrant families at the border and shutting down the American government for 35 days — the longest in American history — in an attempt to try to force the Democratic party to agree to a deal to build a wall along the MexicanU.S border.

Release of information

The 2010s were filled with whistleblowers and leaks. Notably, Edward Snowden worked for the National Security Agency and leaked documents about monitoring American citizens. Then U.S. army intelligence analyst, Chelsea Manning – then Bradley Manning – leaked thousands of documents to WikiLeaks, a website intended to collect and share confidential information, created by Julian Assange.

The Black Lives Matter Movement

On Feb. 26, 2012, Trayvon Martin, a Black 17-year-old boy was shot by George Zimmerman, who ended up being acquitted for murdering Martin. This acquittal prompted the creation of the Black Lives Matter Movement, an international activist movement against violence and systemic racism towards Black people.

Brexit

England held a referendum and voted to exit the European Union in 2016. This created a riff in the country’s political parties, who are unable, to this day, to agree on what may be one of the biggest decisions in English history in decades.

Climate crisis

Rising temperatures throughout the past decade have caused an increase in natural disasters around the world. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the global temperature will increase by 1.5 degrees Celsius within the next 10-years, which will cause devastating damage to the planet. In 2015, 195 nations signed the Paris Agreement, agreeing to keep the global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius. The inaction of various government have caused people like Greta Thunberg to mobilize millions across the globe in a climate strike.

Photo by Laurence B.D.

America's School Shootings

There have been approximately 180 school shootings in America from 2009-18, killing 114.

According to an article by CNN, school shootings have increased since the start of the 2010s.

Russia invades Ukraine

Russian forces occupied Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in an attempt to stop Ukraine from trading with America. Over 10,000 people were killed in the long-lasting conflict between the two countries from 2014-18.

ISIS and the rise of terrorism

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was born of an offshoot of Al Qaeda in 2013. The group was involved in multiple terrorist attacks across the world, notably the bombing of a Russian airplane, killing 224 people, and a series of attacks in Paris o n t h e n i g ht o f Nov.13, 2015, killing 130 people.

...some other memorable moments

Leonardo DiCaprio finally won an Oscar

The only important event of the 2010's is that DiCaprio won best actor in 2016 for his role in The Revenant. He had been nominated six times prior to his first win.

Said goodbye to Harry Potter,

The last Harry Potter movie came out in 2011, ending the 14-year saga of the Wizarding World. The movie series brought in over $7 billion, and the book series sold over 450 million copies with a similar estimated revenue.

Discovery of the Higgs boson

The Higgs field is theorized to be what gives matter mass and is made up of a particle called the Higgs boson. This particle has been theorized since the 1960s, but was only detected in 2012.

This helps add to the understanding of the Standard Model, a theory that explains three of the four fundamental forces in physics.

Ice Bucket Challenge

The viral phenomenon of people dumping buckets of ice water over themselves to raise awareness for ALS and fundraise for the ALS Foundation took place in 2014.

Celebrities like Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr.

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participated in the challenge. The campaign raised over $10 million in 30 days, and funded a number of projects. One of these was Project MinE who, in 2016, were able to identify a gene associated with ALS which could possibly lead to a treatment.

First photo of a black hole

We got to see the first ever photo of a black hole, located more than 50 million lightyears away in the heart of the Messier 87 galaxy. The photo was created by the Event Horizon Telescope project, a global collaboration of more than 200 scientists using observatories around the world, ranging from the South Pole to Hawaii. It took more than two years to assemble all the photos gathered from all observatories to create an actual image of the black hole.

Discovering new species

Biologists discovered new species at an incredible rate, averaging approximately 18,000 per year.

Some of these include the Myanmar snub-nosed monkey and the Vangunu giant rat. New categories for animals were made to describe newfound fish with “hands” and frogs smaller than a dime.

Yet, in 2019, scientists warned that a quarter of plant and animal populations are at risk of extinction.

CONFLICT

Political tensions in Turkey forced many to escape imprisonment “[if I go back] I might get arrested,” said Concordia student Mehmet Said Noyan

SIMPLY SCIENTIFIC: Albedo Effect Jad Abukasm News Editor

Graphic by @sundaeghost

Is it snowing? Raining? Like, is it winter? What’s happening?

Jad Abukasm News Editor

Four years after the 2016 coup attempts in Turkey, repercussions of the tensions between the long-standing leading party and its rivals are still felt among many.

Mehmet Said Noyan, 20, fled Turkey in 2017 following his father’s imprisonment.

“I think it was eight or nine in the morning,” Noyan said. “[My father] was having breakfast, and the law force came and said ‘sir, we have orders to take you in, we’re going to have to rush you.’ And so they did, and he’s been in jail ever since 2016.”

Noyan’s father, Ömer Faruk Noyan, was a university professor in Turkey. During his off time, Ömer parted in the Gülen movement. The Gülen movement—or Hizmet in Turkish, named after its leader Fethullah Gülen—is a non-governmental religious movement that promotes democracy while focussing on education stemming from “Islam’s universal values, such as love of the creation, sympathy for the fellow human, compassion, and altruism,” according to their website. The movement first appeared in 1960 and has been growing in popularity since the ‘80s.

Once strong allies of the Erdogan government, members of the Gülen movement became one of Erdogan’s greatest foes. So much that, since 2016, thousands of its members were targeted and imprisoned for their involvement in the Gülen movement, including Noyan’s father and uncle.

After leaving his family and his life behind two days after his 18th birthday, Noyan fled in a delicate attempt to California where he made his way to Quebec. He now studies political science at Concordia University.

But going back to Turkey is out of the question for Noyan. “I might get arrested myself because of my father and my affiliation with [the Gülen] movement,” he said.

In 2014, Turkey’s leading party, Justice and Development Party, underwent allegations of corruption and bribery. Although all charges were dismissed for the majority of the suspects, the government blamed the Gülen movement for orchestrating the investigations, paving the way for an attempted coup two years later. The movement was said to hold strong influence among the ranks of Turkish institutions such as the judiciary, the police, and the secret security sector, as explained in an article by The Guardian; all of these institutions spearheaded the investigation against government officials.

Individuals like Noyan’s father were accused

of attempted terrorism, trying to bring the government down and hate speech against the prime minister, “none of which he had done,” Noyan said. “He’s a civil engineering professor and also a geologist back in Turkey, so I don’t know how he was in any way affiliated to these accusations. But they had to get rid of this opposition that was not working in their favour.”

Although Noyan admits that some members could have acted in bad faith, he condemns Turkey’s “bold accusations.”

In Ömer’s ruling, it was stated that there was no tangible evidence other than statements from fellow detained members, translated Noyan from the official document written in Turkish. Noyan explained that tactics used by officials to target individuals resembles giving names in exchange of liberation. “And I get that as people trying to survive,” Noyan said, although condemning these acts as unethical.

Since his father’s detainment, Noyan’s family, with the expertise of his sister who is a lawyer, applied to all levels of courts in Turkey, none of which were accepted. However, last November, the European Committee of Human Rights settled a hearing with the specific date still unknown. However, Noyan is pessimistic about the process, he explained, since Turkey would be reluctant to give compensation to released prisoners.

Ömer’s sentence is coming to an end with little more than 10 months left to serve. Noyan still doesn’t know what will happen to his family since the interactions with his father consist of 10-minute periods every Friday morning over What’s App. Afraid of the calls being tapped, his conversations with his father barely passes the threshold of “how was your day and university,” he said. The difficulty of knowing what will happen also lies in the bans set on released prisoners.

“They don’t let you out of the country, they don’t let you go to work, they just make you sit at home all day,” Noyan explained, referring to his uncle, who was released a few months ago. “As a man of his caliber, who speaks four or five languages, has published many books, appeared on national television and studied in France, it’s pretty much social death to my father.”

Such repercussions already affected his mother, Sümeyra, who was denied unemployment benefits and help finding work due to her husband ’s situation.

While his father’s decision is underway, Noyan is focusing on his degree and hoping for the best. He wishes to start law school, following his sister’s curriculum, which he finds ironic considering how "unlawfully" Turkey judged his father, he joked.

Although snow can be beautiful at times, and a pain for the vast majority of us at others, fluctuating temperatures have changed in the past few decades, affecting snow, posing a risk to our ice caps, and playing a part in global warming.

While climate-change skeptics will keep ranting in 2020 about “fake news,” saying “everything is fine” while storming Twitter with the new #WW3, let’s just hope enough people decide to care more about the environment as their new year’s resolution.

But why care so much about snow?

It’s not really about that dirty slush splattering everywhere in cities, but more about Arctic territories that consist mostly of huge patches of ice – think about Greenland, for example. In these areas, recent temperatures are shown to be increasing twice as fast as the rest of the world. Scientists refer to this as “Arctic amplification,” and it is the consequence of shrinking ice caps.

The albedo effect is what has been countering Arctic amplification for millions of years. Ice caps, being white, reflect large amounts of the Sun’s energy back into space. In other iceless parts of the world, the energy is absorbed into the ground, resu lt ing in increased heat.

Ultimately, the coolness created by the albedo effect balances out the global increase heat of our planet.

Unfortunately for us, those ice caps, either on land or floating on the ocean – like those around the North and South Poles – have decreased by a third to a half since the pre-industrial era.

This creates a rapidly-increasing cycle where the more ice is melting, the more the temperature increases, and so on and so forth. I’ll leave it there for you to figure out what will ultimately happen.

So, snow and ice, while being a nightmare for some, is actually a good weapon to fight climate change.

Graphic by @sundaeghost

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CONCORDIA

FEBRUARY 20, 2017

From Interim Presidents to Climate Clocks to the Hall building The news cycle didn’t stop during the holidays Virginie Ann News Editor

The University was closed from Dec. 23 to Jan. 5, but the news cycle didn’t stop.

Here's what you might've missed over the holiday break.

A five-year term for Graham Carr

On Dec. 12, Interim President Graham Carr was officially appointed President and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia. Earlier in July, Carr succeeded Alan Shepard after he stepped down from a seven-year mandate.

“ Concordia is a young, forward-looking

university. It’s a unique place where experimentation, innovation and creativity are truly valued,” said Carr in a press release.

“Our community of students, faculty, staff and alumni all contribute to our momentum as Canada’s next-gen university. As president, I plan to continue broadening that circle, pursuing collaborations with industry, government and community stakeholders to further demonstrate how Concordia makes a positive difference for the people and economies of Canada and the world.”

Carr emerged from an international search process as Concordia’s Board of Governors’ top choice, according to Board Chair Norman Hébert Jr, saying that Carr came from Concordia himself was a bonus. Carr joined the university in 1983 as a teacher in the Department of History.

“He brings that knowledge and those existing ties as well as his constant drive, imagination and curiosity to the position,” said Hébert in the press release. The five-year contract is effective starting now.

Closure of Henry F. H. Building’s sixth floor

Renovations will be taking place for the next year, ending in 2021, as the university is looking to improve the environment of the Hall building’s sixth floor. The transformation is meant to provide greater collaborative work-

spaces and lighting, according to Concordia’s website.

One of the major transformations will be to supply the entire floor with inclusive, gender-neutral bathrooms. The floor facilities, which haven’t been updated since 1966, will now be equipped with floor-to-ceiling stalls.

Facilities Management, who is responsible for planning, designing and developing a safe working environment for students, consulted all those who were involved on the sixth f loor to ensure the needs of everyone were being respected.

Information about the relocation of student groups’ offices is available on the university website.

Updating the Climate Clock Project

The Concordia real-time measurement countdown until we surpass the 1.5-degree Celsius temperature limit set by the Paris Agreement was updated for the fifth time since its creation in 2015.

The clock is meant to be a visual representation of the time left before the climate crisis becomes seriously threatening.

“

We feel that the clock is able to communicate the urgency of action in a way that people understand and can relate to,” said Damon Matthews in an interview with Concordia News.

Matthews is a professor in the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment and one of the project creators, alongside musician David Usher.

While reports of the CO2 emissions for 2019 won’t be released until later this year, various scientific magazines such as Scientific American are already reporting that they will likely be higher than expected. This year, the Climate Clock Project projected that the time left was 12 years, while last year’s update predicted that we would hit the 1.5-degree mark by 2034, according to the project’s website. You can check the Climate Clock Project updates on the Concordia website.

POLI SAVVY:

Turning WW3 and Franz Ferdinand into hashtags Virginie Ann News Editor

On Jan. 3, the Twittersphere woke up with the hashtags #WW3 and #FranzFerdinand exploding all over social media. This came right after Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was killed by American drones in Iraq. Memes were then shared and next thing you know, people were joking about being drafted for an imminent World War Three.

But why exactly are the death of Soleimani and WW3 trending together even more than, let’s say, the twisted relationship between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un’s nuclear threats?

Soleimani was a highly-known Iranian figure all over the Middle East, described in a statement by Trump after his death as “the number-one terrorist anywhere in the world.” Now, parallels are being drawn between him and Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which the younger generation usually knows as a rock band from the 2000s, but who was actually another famous General, killed more than 100 years ago in Bosnia.

As the heir of the AustroHu nga ria n Empire, Ferd ina nd ’s assassination is associated with the beginning of WWI. In comparison, Soleimani was considered as the next most powerful individual next to the widely popular President of Iran. With obvious similarities, the killing of Soleimani is seen as the boiling point to ongoing tensions between the US and Iran.

While the nonexistence of social media back in 1914 didn’t allow for these types of reactions, a hypothetical WW3 is currently turning into a joke.

Knowing how devastating both World Wars were, aren’t these memes and tweets leaving you with a sour taste?

Yet, humour has always been a coping mechanism. So, in the meantime, I suggest revisiting the Scottish band’s 2004 song “Take Me Out” and scrolling down the comments for a good laugh.

As if you’re listening right before WW3 starts.

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Graphic by @sundaeghost

CAMPUS LIFE

Concordia Students’ Nightline set to reopen this week The anonymous listening service is set to resume service Thursday, Jan. 9

WORLD IN BRIEF:

Political turmoil in the Middle East, deadly wildfires Jad Abukasm News Editor

Marissa Ramnanan Assistant News Editor The Concordia St udents’ Nightline is set to resume service this Thursday, Jan. 9, after the winter holidays.

The Concordia-based active listening phone service was founded in 2017 by Concordia alumna Jade Se. The student-run nightline is completely anonymous and is open to anyone who calls.

“We’re very excited to reopen and hear about students’ winter breaks, as well as hear from our non-student callers,” said Camille Zolopa, President of the Nightline. “As an organization, we really aim to promote self-care and consideration for our volunteer corps as much as for our callers, so I think it’s super important to take breaks.”

According to Zolopa, some calls can be emotionally heavy, so it was necessary for volunteers to take some time off.

“Our approach is quite specific, in that we validate and actively listen to callers,” said Zolopa. “We don’t offer our opinions or advice; we think of ourselves more as an auditory journal for people. And perhaps most importantly, we’re open when a lot of services are closed, from 6:00 p.m. until 3:00 a.m.”

Callers tend to feel more comfortable disclosing information with the students, said Zolopa, likely because they are considered peers.

“The volunteer active listeners are totally non-judgmental, and will keep any

information that's shared in the call confidential,” said Valentin Garriga, VP external of the nonprofit organization. “It creates a space that can feel safe to share anything that you may want to talk about.”

Garriga said having this alternative is important because some students may not benefit from mental health services offered by the university, or may feel uncomfortable with meeting someone in person.

With this extra layer of anonymity, students don’t need to go through triage — a process where they speak with a general mental health practitioner or nurse to discuss the general themes they want to resolve with therapy — like they would need t o t h r o u g h C o n c o r d i a ’s Counselling and Psychological Services. Through the Nightline, they can just call and talk.

“ They can have the con-

versation that they want to have, without having to talk about things they don't want to talk about,” said Garriga.

Although this alternative mental health service does not stand in for professional help, Garriga said the student listeners are thoroughly trained by senior volunteers.

“We will deal with a large variety of possible scenarios, and volunteers are trained on how to handle a number of subjects, especially those you might know as ‘tough’ topics, [like] sexual assault, violence, gender identity, or sexuality,” said Garriga. “Things that people have a really tough

time talking about. We want to make sure people are ready to listen and help accordingly.”

According to Garriga, the training happens in person, a nd i s qu it e a long-t i me commitment.

"While we are training extensively, we are also providing tons of support for new volunteers, as it could be emotionally draining and physically tiring," said Garriga.

With the new semester, the Nightline will be training a new cohort of volunteer listeners, which means things will get a bit hectic the first couple of weeks of the semester.

“During the first week of each semester, experienced volunteers will be running training for the new recruits,” said Zolopa. “Therefore, we need returning volunteers who are not involved in training to cover more shifts during the first week back in service.”

With time and more manpower, Zolopa explained that a long-term goal of the Nightline is to increase their support system.

“Our long term goal is to be open every night of the week; once we have the volunteer corps to support that service expansion, we’ll be looking into new projects like offering a text/ chat line,” said Zolopa.

Concordia’s Students’ Nightline will be open on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 6:00 p.m. until 3:00 a.m. at (514) 848-7787.

Graphic by @sundaeghost

Iran’s top security and intelligence commander, Qassem Soleimani, was killed in a US-led drone strike near Baghdad’s airport last Friday, reported the New York Times.

Since Soleimani’s death, the Iranian government announced its intentions of ending all commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal, raising fear all over the world and the new #WW3 storming Twitter. Escalations also reached Iraq, with the government calling for the expulsion of all foreign troops amid Soleimani’s death. There are currently about 5,000 US troops on Iraqi soil.

While seen as a hero by many in Iran, Soleimani was listed as a terrorist by the US. In a statement, the Pentagon accused Soleimani of planning terrorist attacks on the US and approving an attack on the US embassy in Baghdad last week.

Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, referred to Israel as a nuclear power in a slip of the tongue during a weekly cabinet meeting about a subsea pipeline deal with Greece and Cyprus.

Netanyahu said “the significance of this project is that we are turning Israel into a nuclear power,” he then paused, acknowledged his mistake with a shy smile before correcting his statement to “energy power,” reported Reuters. Israel has been long-denying the possession of a nuclear arsenal.

Ongoing wildfires keep ravaging Australia despite large efforts to tame the blaze. Since September, five million hectares of land have been destroyed killing 23 as of Jan. 4, reported Global News.

Efforts from Australian forces and other countries like Canada have been fighting the flames.

The causes of the fires are still unclear, but officials are pointing fingers to the extreme temperature, drought, and human activity. A 19-year-old was arrested on suspicion of arson. The individual was charged with seven counts of setting fire.

Graphic by @sundaeghost

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Life.

LIFE EDITOR Kayla-Marie Turriciano /  @lifewithk_ay life@theconcordian.com

CAMPUS LIFE

In the dark about Concordia’s student services?

With plenty of services and resources available, it can become difficult to navigate ... so here’s a roundup Kayla-Marie Turriciano Life Editor Here’s a roundup of many of the services and resources that Concordia has to offer that can help make your life both inside and outside of the classroom go more smoothly and be more manageable.

strategies; exam strategies; business, engineering and computer science study skills; writing and research tips.

If you feel like your studies and learning are on a good path and you want to start thinking about life after school, CAPS can help you to figure out which career can work with your degree or help find an internship within your field. They can offer help with your job search, give career counseling, and host career events, workshops and job fairs. CAPS also has an entire guide dedicated to cultivating and improving your interview skills, various guides as well as drop-in times/appointments to help with resumés and cover letters, and multiple sources to inform you about salaries, benefits and employers within the field you want.

Financial Wellness

Student Success Centre

The Student Success Centre is a catalyst for resources available to students aiming to improve their academic career or life after, with the help of their Learning Support resources or the Career and Planning Services (CAPS).

One of the available resources are Learning and Study Skill Specialists that can help with preparing for assignments (note-taking, oral presentations, exams), doing assignments (reading, writing, math), as well as other areas relating to school such as anxiety, help with learning in a second language, and time management. Peer tutors are also an available resource that can be accessed through the university.

If you are unable or are not willing to meet with someone in person, there are handouts for various topics that you can download and print from the comfort of your own home. Additional to those already mentioned, handouts are also available for problem solving (math), different methods to improve or adjust your learning habits (strategies to improve concentration, to improve your memory, etc.), tips for being successful in online classes, and even handouts that are specific to those applying to or already in graduate school.

If you function and learn better in a group setting, there are organized study groups for certain courses already in place such as for ECON 201, 203 and 221. There are also countless workshops offered for a variety of topics throughout the 6 course of the semester: learning

Are you concerned about money?

Concordia also has resources available, either through helping you achieve financial wellness or with bursaries, scholarships and loans. If you’re stressed about how you’ll be able to pay for your life while in school, Concordia’s website is full of hidden treasures to help you out.

From giving tips on how to make and manage a budget, to how to responsibly use a credit card and how to understand banking and financial institutions. If it all becomes a giant blur, you can visit the Financial Aid & Awards Office for more advice on how to attain financial wellness.

program, have access to government funding, have your textbooks and course packs converted to accessible formats, benefit from transportation accessibility, and more.

Birks Student Service Centre

for pregnancy, urine, pap, blood, STI, etc; obtain a medical note for school or work if you meet specific criteria; find a verified source list for various aches, pains, infections, general non-serious ailments, etc; find information on how to improve and maintain your overall health, such as eating healthy, being physically active, managing your stress and mental health, sleeping, and practicing safe sex.

While physical health is important, it’s not the only kind; it includes spiritual and mental health as well. Concordia’s health and wellness resources include counselling and psychological services where you can meet individually with counsellors or attend groups and workshops.

Online, there is also a PDF available with crises/after hours resources and a web page available with even more r e s ou rc e s fo r m e nt a l h e a l t h services.

Access Centre for Students with Disabilities

Concordia has an Access Centre for Students with Disabilities.

Online, you can find information on who can apply and how; examples include: “vision, mobility, hearing, chronic medical conditions, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, mental health conditions, Autism Spect r u m Disorder a nd ot her Neurodevelopmental Disorders.” You can get advising, attend workshops, participate in the peer note-taking

Campus Wellness & Support Services

Concordia’s health services include a vast array of resources.

Medical services include being able to book an appointment or receive urgent care from either a doctor or nurse, depending on what you need.

You are also able to receive vaccinations; pass a variety of tests such as

If you’re looking to obtain documents or information about them, the Birks Student Service Centre can help. Located in the J.W. McConnell Building (LB 185), you can request and obtain documents such as official forms and letters, transcripts, get a student ID or OPUS card, pay tuition and fees or request refunds, obtain information about studying in Quebec as a non-resident, and so much more.

If this resource roundup still leaves you questioning what you should do or what help you need, Concordia’s Navigator program allows you to connect to a staff member or experienced student who can help connect you to the right resources.

Graphics by Alexa Hawksworth & Zeze Lin

Here’s what’s happening in and around Concordia during the month of January...

Jan. 7-Feb. 29: Living

History: 100 Years of Black History, Culture and Heritage

Jan. 8-9: President's Back-to-School Get-Together

Jan. 14-Mar. 31: Guided Meditation

Jan. 15: January

Concordia Farmers' Market

Jan. 17-26: Montreal Auto Show 2020

Jan. 19: Skating in an Enchanted Forest

Jan. 25-26: ConUHacks V Jan. 28: Stressed?! You

can manage, we can help SCAN THE QR CODE FOR MORE INFO

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

SCHOOL

Six tips for a smoother backto-school experience A winter semester to-do list Lillian Roy Assistant Life Editor Once, long ago, I was a good student.

After a gap year spent working in the hellscape that is retail, I returned to university with a newfound sense of purpose and drive. Diligent and methodical in my approach, I attended every lecture, read every reading, climbed every mountain, and completed every assignment on time.

Coincidentally, my grades looked pretty good throughout the entire process. Who knew?

I like to refer to this time as the golden period of my academic career. In the years that followed—the dark ages, if you will—I admittedly fell out of touch with my good habits. As my motivation diminished, so did my GPA and my mental and physical health.

Thankfully, it’s a new semester, a new year, and a new decade. In the spirit of new beginnings, I’ve consulted with fellow students and reflected on some of my old habits in order to compile a list of six tips to help me (and maybe you) get back on track this semester. So, without further ado, let my academic renaissance begin!

1. Start while you’re ahead

When your professors provide assignment instructions weeks in advance, it’s usually because they want you to use that time to your benefit.

This is something I tend to forget (or maybe the better word is ignore). When someone does make use of this time, however, they tend to be considerably less stressed and produce higher quality work, so get cracking!

2. Schedule everything

This approach might not work for everyone, but it certainly does for me. It’s in my nature to be scatterbrained and impulsive, so by setting a clear schedule for myself, I’m less likely to lose my focus. For me, this means being really specific about what I study and when. Blocking off my Saturday afternoon for general schoolwork is too vague—I need to block off Saturday 12:00-2:30 for working on my paper and 2:30-4:00 for reading and review. This schedule is subject to change, of course, but it helps me hold myself accountable.

3. Get friendly

Knowing at least one person in each of your classes can be extremely helpful. Whether you need a fresh perspective on some tricky material or to copy someone’s notes when you’ve missed a class, it’s never a bad idea to introduce yourself

the art of being single

W/ KAYLA-MARIE TURRICIANO

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to a classmate. The same goes for your professors and TA’s—the more recognizable you are, the more likely they are to help you when you’re in a tough spot. Get to know your professors by participating in class discussions and using their office hours, if possible.

4. Know your limits and make them known

As I sat down to outline this portion of the article, for some reason all I could think about was an episode of Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide. Ned discovers he doesn’t know how to say ‘no’ to people, and he becomes so overwhelmed with responsibilities that he descends into a state of what can only be described as all-consuming madness. (This memory is lodged deep within the recesses of my brain, so I could be exaggerating some of the details here).

Save yourself the stress and know when enough is enough. Even if it means turning down a social event or a special project, there is no shame in being open and transparent about your boundaries! Despite the lame quotes business majors may share on Facebook, overworking and pushing yourself to extremes can be harmful to you in the long run (don’t @ me!).

5. Take care of yourself, damn it

I know, I know, this one gets thrown around all the time, but it’s true. Getting adequate sleep, nourishing and moving your body, and not binge drinking wine coolers every other night is extremely important. Taking care of yourself also means taking care of your environment—so do your laundry and your dishes, folks.

These are added stressors that are easily dealt with, so you might as well just get them out of the way. I hate to say it, but this is the step I and many others struggle with the most, and it’s arguably t he most crucia l of a l l. Baby steps, everybody.

6. Use the resources available

My last tip is to take advantage of the many services Concordia offers. The Student Success Centre, for example, can hook you up with tutoring, study groups, and workshops. If you struggle with writing, make an appointment for writing assistance or attend a drop-in time. Go to office hours, take a breather in one of the many Zen Dens on campus, and consult a librarian to help you with your research. There are so many systems in place that can help make your semester run more smoothly. Remember, you’re paying the big bucks to be here, so milk it!

Graphic by @sundaeghost

You spend weeks thinking about them, admiring them, flirting with them, talking for hours on end, sharing memes, tagging each other on random Facebook posts. You go on dates, pouring your heart out to them, sharing your hopes and aspirations. You start to fall for this person, who you’re only “talking to” and you’re left with the fantasy of what it will be like once you end up officially together.

Except, that never happens.

All of a sudden, messages dwindle down, they’re suddenly busy, they stop paying attention, ignoring your approaches.

They might even ghost you. All of a sudden, the potential of being anything more than two people in the “talking stage” gets thrown away, d isc a rded l i ke t he but t of a cigarette.

How do you get over this type of rejection? How do you get over someone you never dated?

Dating culture has become increasingly hard to navigate. More than being together or not, there is an entire spectrum of labels in between: the talking stage, seeing each other, friends with benefits, fuck buddies, dating. All these labels make it more difficult to know which one applies to you because lines, boundaries and what you think you mean to someone versus what you actually mean to them all become blurred.

So how do you get over someone you never dated? Someone you spent hours a day talking to, weeks opening up to, months falling for. It’s easier said than done to simply get over it, move on; there’s no sense in saying it’s your fault for getting attached too easily, for fantasizing about wanting something serious with someone.

It feels like every aspect of dating culture in this society isn’t taken seriously.

Why is it so strange that someone wants something serious? Why is it odd to want to plan a future with someone? Why can our emotions constantly get pushed to the side once someone new comes along? How can we move on after we put our all into someone who didn’t end up feeling the same for us because of a stupid label that allowed them to think they could walk over us any way they liked?

So the question remains: how do you get over someone you never dated?

While it may be easier said than done to just get over it and move on, there’s not much else you can do. I’m a firm believer that people will make an effort to keep you in their life if they truly want you in it, so there’s no point fighting to stay when they made it clear they don’t want you.

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If you have any topic suggestions or questions for advice, feel free to reach out to life@theconcordian.com

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Arts.

FEBRUARY 20, 2017

ARTS EDITOR Chloe Lalonde arts@theconcordian.com

EXHIBITION

Imagine Van Gogh: The good, the bad and the ugly Read our take on the exhibition on everyone’s newsfeed

THE UGLY Lorenza Mezzapelle Assistant Arts Editor

My initial reaction to the advertisements for Imagine Van Gogh was along the lines of “Oh wow, that’s where all those Instagram photos come from.” I had seen many Scandinavian and European influencers posting photos of the large projections, but never bothered researching the source. I simply assumed the photos were from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

THE GOOD Youmna El Halabi Opinions Editor It comes as no surprise to anyone who knows me that Van Gogh is one of my favourite painters ever. Imagine Van Gogh can be described as a visual presentation of all of the artist’s life’s work on several screens filling the gallery—even the floor.

The room goes dark, and suddenly a pair of familiar eyes stare right into my soul. As the image zooms out, the artist’s self portrait comes into view, and my eyes instantly teared up. Such pain, such agony, such melancholy, and such passion. Van Gogh disappears, his sketches make an appearance, and begin paving the way to what eventually made him famous.

The exhibition was all-consuming, all-too-captivating, and at times, even overwhelming. Normally I would walk around in a gallery, my own music in my ears, trying to depict whatever the artist attempted to convey. Imagine Van Gogh, I felt, is not like a normal exposition. I didn’t walk around, nor did I feel the need to. I remember feeling the urge to find a corner in the room, sit there comfortably, and just watch.

As Van Gogh’s work unfolds right in front of me, I am

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engulfed in all the colours of his palette. From the blinding yellow of his decaying but bright Sunflowers, to the depth of the indigo blue in Starry Night .

There are very few things in this world that would make me cry in public, and Imagine Van Gogh definitely made the list.

Imagine Van Gogh brought me into a world I never wanted to leave—if I were without responsibilities and bills, I wouldn’t have.

THE BAD Lisa Massa Contributor I love a good blockbuster exhibition every now and then.

Between the many advertisements plastered on social media and the many queries from friends and family, I knew Imagine Van Gogh had to make its way on my checklist.

Before getting into the actual exhibition, there is a room dedicated to contextualizing the life of Van Gogh. Chronologically organized, suspended placards provided visitors with a significant amount of information of the artist’s journey, from his youth until his death in 1890, at 37.

For those interested in art and art history but sometimes feel intimidated by being within a traditional museum atmosphere, Imagine Van Gogh offers a new

perspective on engaging with art.

The space is dynamic with people of all ages, freely conversing and laughing while looking at the projections of Van Gogh’s stunning paintings.

I view Imagine Van Gogh much the same as I do many major art exhibitions—a great way to immerse the general population into the art world, drawing interest from various age groups and backgrounds.

The exhibition is pretty lackluster overall to say the least.

In total, I spent approximately 45 minutes in the space, unsure of whether I had seen a full loop or not, and not caring to stay any longer. After a while, the exhibition was boring. The way I see it goes as follows: when one enters a museum for a solo visit, the guest has full autonomy in choosing what they wish to see, and in what order (most times, anyway).

Imagine Van Gogh only had one room of projections, which felt incomplete. Once in the space, the novelty of being immersed in the paintings wears off, leaving me wondering what made this different than a blown up PowerPoint presentation. Van Gogh’s works were originally quite small, averaging approximately 30cm x 40cm so, by increasing the scale of his works to be greater than human, I did not exactly feel immersed into the paintings. Rather, I felt surrounded or trapped by them.

The idea of a renowned artist’s work being this heavily marketed intrigued me for numerous reasons. I wondered, why Van Gogh? I came to the conclusion that everyone knows Van Gogh, and thus, displaying his work meant accessibility.

But therein lies the dilemma. With tickets prices varying by age, day and time of attendance, the show is in no way accessible. While Van Gogh is known by even non-connoisseurs, the exhibition does not lend itself to the democratization of art. While a fantastic idea in theory, Imagine Van Gogh remains fundamentally problematic.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t mesmerized by the colours that seemed to dance alongside some of my favourite classical music.

Seeing the enlarged brushstrokes of the artist’s famous self-portraits was definitely a remarkable experience.

However, as marketed, and much along the lines of my initial association to Instagram influencers, the exhibition remained a marketing trap. The majority of visitors skipped past the biographical information and curator’s statement, immediately taking out their phones to document the experience. The amount of phone screens lit up in the room made it feel less like an artistic experience, and more like an elitist, social media trap disguised as culture.

While I wish I could say that Imagine Van Gogh will continue to enable the general public—both those well-versed in art, and those not—to experience and understand the history of a great artist, I cannot.

There is no doubt the experience was beautiful, but it remains too inaccessible to be truly appreciated by most.

Photo by Lorenza Mezzapelle

URBAN ART

Illumi, an ode to winter’s beauty and magic

The incredible outdoor light show proves that the cold isn’t so bad after all Camila Caridad Rivas Staff Writer As winter progresses and the days become shorter, Illumi–A Dazzling World of Lights by Cavalia–which took place in Laval from Nov. 1 to Jan. 5, showcased winter’s beauty with millions of gorgeous lights, all while transporting visitors through different places with sight and sound.

Illumi offers much more than a dazzling, original, and seemingly endless universe of lights. The experience also includes food trucks and numerous small stores to visit, all placed at the main entrance of the course and referred to as the Christmas Market.

Illumi presents eight different worlds, beginning with The Many Colours of the Savanna, followed by Feliz Navidad, Infinite Poles, Santa’s Real Home, Dreaming of the Star, The Merry-Go-Round Square, Magic Lanterns and Frolic on the Boulevard. These different worlds are placed on a course and visitors are free to visit at their own rhythm, though the light show’s website states that it takes 90 minutes to get through them all.

When I attended with my family over the break, we spent over two hours outdoors which allowed us to disconnect from our phones and spend time

together and talk. We began in the The Many Colours of the Savanna, which showcased animals composed of different coloured fairy lights; elephants, giraffes, flamingos, zebras and lions were presented beautifully. Trees were also different shades of white, purple and green. The bright adventure was accompanied by african music which seemed to melt the snow away and transport us back to summer.

Moving on to Feliz Navidad, the even brighter coloured world represented the beauty of South America,

drawing inspiration from multiple hispanic cultures, from Mexico to Perù.

The exhibition celebrated the multiculturalism of South America through its visuals and blend of different types of hispanic music. This world contained llamas, giant piñatas, birds, Indigenous-inspired masks, butterflies, flowers and a multitude of other tropical animals. It was a nice part of the Illumi experience as I was able to feel pride for being part of the latinx community.

Infinite Poles contained many

arctic animals such as penguins, polar bears and deer, surrounded by a seemingly-endless legion of stalagmites and igloos of different sizes and colours to explore. Infinite Poles was also accompanied by a very adorable holiday world which exhibited snowmen, gifts and snowflakes among other holiday symbols.

Although Illumi is a light show throughout, a short film titled Dreaming of the Star was presented on a large screen that was solely made up of lightbulbs–four million in total.

The multimedia tale told the story of two siblings who went on a quest to find the brightest star in the sky to decorate their christmas tree.

The Merry-Go-Round Square, which had a carousel composed of white cavalia horses, gave visitors a fun place to rest. Magic Lanterns was mainly composed of Asian fauna and references to samurai and geishas, as well as pandas, fish, dragons and cherry blossom trees. Frolic on the Boulevard honoured Hollywood with a bright silhouette of Marilyn Monroe as well as a clapperboard, among other pop culture references, all accompanied by popular film scores.

Though its prices and location aren’t the most accessible, Illumi filled visitors with wonder over the holidays.

Photo by Camila Caridad Rivas

FILM REVIEW

Star Wars: The rise of mediocrity

JJ Abrams helms the finale of the Skywalker saga with love… and technical difficulties

Lola Cardona Staff Writer Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a messy movie, but it’s a movie with heart.

It’s almost impressive how it balances being nearly incomprehensible and yet a satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker Saga.

The elements of The Rise of Skywalker that didn’t sit well were technical, which is surprising considering Star Wars is a multibillion-dollar franchise, giving it the ability to hire the best in the industry to improve every aspect of the film. The editing was choppy to a point where it ruined the emotional value of its scenes. The pacing was too fast, with each scene jumping to the next leaving the audience without time to breathe. I didn’t feel as though I was even spending time with the characters, which is a large part of why most people are there.

However, the screenplay is where everything went wrong from the start.

Much of the dialogue was so overly-expository to a point where I kind of feel bad for the cast. But these talented actors

were forced to say these simplistic, explanatory lines because of the greatest flaw of the film: it was not related to its previous two films enough that anything in the film felt warranted. Its major plot points and McGuffins (physical objects used as plot devices) seemed like they were made up on the spot with no connection to the rest of the trilogy. It made the film feel poorly thought out and lazy.

There was a surplus of “crisis” moments where it seemed like all was lost for a character, then whatever went wrong was almost immediately corrected a

few minutes later, taking away from any genuine drama or investment. In simple terms, it felt cheap. Star Wars is all about the characters, their journey and their struggle with the light and dark forces of life. It’s hard to do that when you fill the movie with unnecessary action, unrealistic dialogue, poor writing and an editor who cuts every scene like it’s a Transformers movie.

That said, the film managed to find ways to save itself.

Rey has excellent character development as she struggles with her past and her relationship with the force. The emotion that

her character brought to the film felt deserved since it was properly established in earlier films.

Kylo Ren, Poe Dameron and Finn had fairly good development as well and brought tension, charm, humour and spirit to the story.

They’re interesting enough to keep you invested, and the relationships between each character redeem the film for me. On an emotional level, it’s like the fundamental ideas were there, but were assembled together so poorly at every stage of production.

At heart, The Rise of Skywalker is an emotional movie for die-hard Star Wars fans. A fan’s love for and devotion to Star Wars and its characters save the film, but it’s a film that would not work if it didn’t have “Star Wars” in the title. Its flaws are really integrated into the film and the trilogy, but the characters were well-developed and fun to be around.

Watch it if you’re a Star Wars fan, or even if you just like the new trilogy, but if Star Wars isn’t your thing, then don’t bother. Its appeal comes from its fan service.

Graphic by@sundaeghost

9

Music.

MUSIC EDITOR Jacob Carey /  @jacob_carey music@theconcordian.com

PROFILE

Murda Beatz has big plans for 2020

The Concordian sat down with Canadian hip hop producer Murda Beatz following his Montreal show with A$AP Ferg Jacob Carey Music Editor Seated backstage in the u nderg rou nd la ir t hat is MTELUS’ green room, following A$AP Ferg’s “Floor Seats” tour stop, Murda Beatz reflects on his child hood ex posure to music.

“I grew up on classic rock, hard rock, metal – Metallica,” he says. “That’s what I grew up on.

That’s what I got a taste for as a kid.

That’s why I wanted to play drums.

I wanted to make a band and do all that shit because I had a rock background.”

No, Murda Beatz is not the stage name of a drummer for an up-and-coming rock ‘n’ roll band.

Instead, Murda Beatz is one of the most successful hip hop producers of our generation, with an extensive catalogue that dates back to the early years of the decade. Most impressive, perhaps, is that the shaggy-haired Canadian from the southern suburbs of Toronto has become a contemporary staple in the Atlanta trap scene and beyond.

“

If there’s 20 thousand producers in Toronto and you’re trying to get to Toronto artists, how are you so different than anyone else?”

Murda asks.

“You have to catch someone’s attention to make you different.

So I went to Chicago, got in the drill scene, got my name established in the drill scene - enough to hit up the Migos and be like ‘Yo, I’m Murda Beatz, I work with Chief Keef and these guys’… Until your name holds weight, your credentials are going to hold more weight than your name.”

Murda tells the story of his early days while his thick “MURDA”

chain glistens atop his pendant of a chef – a symbol for being the master at cooking beats.

Following his collaborations with Chief Keef, Murda went on to become one of the main producers for Migos, the Atlanta rap trio credited with being some of the early forefathers of the ad lib trap rap that currently dominates the market. The exclusivity and credibility that came from that honour then allowed him to collaborate with other industry chart toppers. In the last two years alone, Murda has been responsible for creating hits like “Butterfly Effect”

by Travis Scott, “Nice for What”

by Drake, and recently 10x plant i nu m re c ord “F E F E ” by t he incarcerated rainbow-haired rapper 6ix9ine and Nicki Minaj.

Murda acknowledges that he typically knows when he has a hit on his hands. While that criteria depends on a few factors like the artist and the beat itself, a lot of the magic happens when the song

is made live in the studio.

“Most of the Migos stuff is in studio,” he says, “like ‘Pipe It Up,’ ‘Motorsport,’ some new shit we got coming out called ‘GNF (Give No Fucks)’ with Travis and Thug. ‘Butterf ly Effect’ was done on FaceTime. ‘FEFE’ was in studio.

Most of the special ones come from the studio – most of them. I think it’s just the synergy, you know what I mean? It’s just different. But some stuff, artists might hit me up and like ‘Yo, I got some crazy shit,’ which is not in studio. Then I’m gonna do my own shit, make a call, and say ‘Ey, we got a record.’”

Murda recalls the time he collaborated with the recently departed Juice WRLD, a Chicago rapper most known for his highly successful track “Lucid Dreams.”

“So me and him, the day before he signed his deal, I hit him up,” Murda says. “I became a fan, you know what I’m saying, me and Cole Bennett, we started talking a few years ago. So I was always

on his page, watching his shit, so I saw the ‘All Girls Are the Same’ video, said ‘This kid is fire.’ I was bumping that shit every day. So I found out he was in LA, hit him up, went to the studio, and we made 14 songs in six hours. Crazy.

He’s the fastest working man possible on this earth. We made 14 songs in six hours. That shit was crazy. None of them came out, unfortunately, some of them leaked and stuff. Hopefully they might come out in the future, you never know. It’s definitely music that should come out. Everyone would appreciate it, and it’s definitely some of my best music.”

While Murda is in high demand among a wave of both new and already established artists, there are still dream collaborations that he wishes to cross off his bucket list in the near future.

“Definitely like, Rihanna, Beyonce, Bieber, Kanye, [Jay-Z] … Ed Sheeran,” Murda says. “I think me and him in a picture together would break the internet.

If we did a music video together - if I was Ed Sheeran and he was Murda Beatz… that’d be crazy. I should definitely hit him up. We’ve talked back and forth. I was supposed to go to his show a few months ago but I just got too busy, but yeah, we got to do some shit.

If he was me and I was him in a video, that shit would go crazy.”

Murda Beatz’ success shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.

“New songs coming out in 2020.

Album in 2020. The years just keep getting bigger and bigger.”

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Photos by Chris Carpenter (@cb43media)

THINKPIECE

Most anticipated albums of 2020

2019 was an excellent year for music—can these 2020 releases top it?

Rihanna - TBD

Drake - TBD As expected, the chart-topping king will return in 2020 after a fairly quiet 2019. Scorpion came and went in 2018 and despite its long run in Billboard’s charts, failed to resonate with most of its listeners. It was too long, too safe, and the number of bad songs outweighed the number of good ones. The year 2020 represents an opportunity to return to form. No longer shadowed by a deadly beef that kept criticisms of the rapper high, Drake can release an album on his terms with his own promotion. “War,” the first new bit of Drake we’ve seen in a while, borrows elements from Chicago’s drill music and the UK's grime scene, but ultimately wound up being just another passable moment in his lengthy discography. Let’s just hope the new album is less filler and more killer.

Look, this one’s been floating around since Anti dropped, and the hype for Rihanna’s newest album keeps growing as every Instagram post of hers has a wave of comments imploring her to release new music. Anti was stellar and whatever kind of project Rihanna decides to drop, we’ll be accepting it with open arms. Twenty-twenty needs this.

Lana Del Rey - White Hot Forever (tentative)

Frank Ocean - TBD The elusive Frank Ocean has been confirmed to headline 2020’s Coachella after releasing two singles (and a few other snippets) in 2019.

When Blonde came out, the R&B singer was difficult to track. Now, it seems he’s ready to embrace the fame a little bit more as he’s been sneaking in new songs at various events he’s hosted throughout the year. “In My Room” and “DHL” weren’t as well-received as his previous songs, but perhaps they’ll sound better in the context of the album. We still have no indication of when the album will drop, but we do know it’s coming (eventually).

Immediately after releasing her best album, Norman Fucking Rockwell!, Lana Del Rey announced she had another project in the works with an expected release in Fall 2020.

The tentative title is White Hot Forever but she also stated that it could change.

Del Rey reached new heights with NFR and expectations will undoubtedly be skyhigh for this new record.

Tame Impala - The Slow Rush The Slow Rush will end a five-year drought from

the Australian music project, Tame Impala. Backed by a few singles like “Borderline” and “Posthumous Forgiveness,” the fourth studio album from Tame Impala is shaping up to be another strong entry to their already proven discography. Thankfully, the wait is almost over.

Kendrick Lamar - TBD We all knew this one would be on the list. I mean, it’s been three years since DAMN. and we want more. The Black Panther soundtrack was passable and Lamar’s features continue to be subpar but we can all agree he has yet to release a bad album. His follow-up to the acclaimed 2017 project is expected to be an Album of the Year contender across the board. There is absolutely zero confirmation that an album is on the way this year, but one can only hope.

?

- Louis

Pavlakos, Assistant Music Editor

Quickspins HARRY STYLES FINE LINE

JACKBOYS & TRAVIS SCOTT JACKBOYS Travis Scott proves his label has more to offer than just himself as their quarterback JACKBOYS is Travis Scott’s formal introduction of his Cactus Jack label signees to the world, that being Sheck Wes and Don Toliver. While we may have already been acquainted with them through their solo projects, Scott wanted to shed light on the rookies on a collaboration album alongside industry titans like himself, Migos, and Young Thug.

JACKBOYS is an easy-listening 20-minute album, and that’s why it works. A 13 track album may have dragged on the project and allowed for many fillers to make the final cut, yet seven tracks, including an intro, made the work feel tight and complete. While Sheck Wes brings little to the table other than his predictable and overdone ad-libs, Don Toliver’s choruses are easily the most enjoyable parts of the album.

This, alongside a feature from Thug, makes for a pleasant listen that, fortunately, was not sacrificed for more throwaway tracks in the

streaming era.

The success of this album assures that there will likely be many more to come and that the Jackboys aren’t going anywhere any time soon. Keep your ear out for the name “Don Toliver.”

8/10  TRIAL TRACK: OUT WEST (ft. Young Thug)

— JACOB CAREY, MUSIC EDITOR

Harry Styles inches closer to delivering a truly great rock album

With his debut self-titled album

from 2017, Harry Styles made it evident that he was fully abandoning his sugary teen-pop image from his One Direction days. As the star of his own show, the British singersongwriter opted for a sound rooted in classic rock, a genre that is increasingly waning in popularity.

makes the album sound like a loosely compiled amalgamation of tracks, rather than a streamlined body of work.

7/10  TRIAL TRACK: WATERMELON SUGAR

On Fine Line, it seems like his personality as a solo artist is developing even more. Songs like “She” and “To Be So Lonely” offer a different perspective from Styles that would make you jump at the thought that this man was the frontman of a band that made “What Makes You Beautiful.”

Despite being sold as a rock album, Fine Line often finds itself jumping around from subgenre to subgenre, and that lack of sonic consistency is often what makes the record so disjointed at times. It never quite figures out what it wants to be, and while that doesn’t necessarily ruin the quality of its strongest songs, it

— LOUIS PAVLAKOS,

ASSISTANT MUSIC EDITOR

11

Sports.

SPORTS EDITOR Matthew Ohayon /  @MatthewOhayon sports@theconcordian.com

HOCKEY

A healthy and happy new year for the Stingers The Stingers iced a healthy lineup for the first time since October Matthew Ohayon Sports Editor The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team can have some fun in 2020, as a treat.

If their game on Jan. 4 was any indication of what the second half of the season is going to look like for the Stingers, then the players, coaches, and fans are in for a wild ride.

We’ve been over this before: the first part of the season for the Stingers was tough. There were 16 games plagued with injuries, bad bounces and a complete lack of goal scoring.

Things are seemingly turning a corner, though. On Jan. 4, they played with a healthy lineup for the first time, minus a banged up Marc-Antoine Turcotte, since shit hit the fan and the injuries started to pile up back on Oct. 18, 2019 when they played the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks.

Philippe Sanche, one of the three players who sustained injuries that game, ref lected on the first part of his team’s season after Saturday night’s 8-7 overtime victory against the Ottawa Gee Gees.

“When things don’t go your way, maybe you grip your stick a bit too tight,” said Sanche.

“We were trying too much, not scoring goals and forcing plays. I think [tonight] the boys were just happy to be playing hockey. It’s a fun game so we want to have fun out there.”

Tyler Hylland, who was doing the heavy lifting in terms of scoring for the Stingers, was giddy after Saturday’s game. I mean, how could you not when you go coastto-coast and finish off the play with a between-thelegs goal?

“We were definitely at our best offensively,” Hylland laughed.

“We can’t be

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playing every game like that; we gave them a lot that we probably shouldn’t have. But like I said on [the last time we played] Ottawa, with this lineup, we match up with any team in the league.”

This game could be a def ining moment in the Stingers’ season. They were just able t o k e e p t he i r heads above water in the OUA East playoff race, amassing 15 points in 16 games.

The most important thing to note about the first part of the season was that they ne ve r s h i e d away from being held accountable.

Through many conversations with Hylland, Chase Harwell, and Carl Neill, they never felt sorry for themselves or blamed their situation

on the injuries. They felt they were just not playing well enough to consistently win games. Now, it is evident that with the fully healthy lineup, they are a much more energized and confident team.

“It was definitely a huge boost of confidence. Everyone gave it all they had before Christmas but it just didn’t go our way,” said Neill.

“Playing with all the guys does something to your confidence and the whole mental side of it.”

On top of Sanche, Alexander Katerinakis, and Zachary Zorn being back in the lineup from injuries on Saturday, the team had two newcomers: Félix Lauzon and Jéremy Diotte.

Lauzon spent his last season of junior hockey playing with the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Lauzon not only played with the likes of NHL prospects Joe Veleno, Maxim Comtois and Pierre-Olivier Joseph, but he was also a stand out performer for the team. In that same season, Lauzon put up 80 points and was given the Guy Carbonneau Trophy, which is awarded to the QMJHL’s best defensive forward.

Best defensive forward. In a season where he put up 80 points.

80. Eight zero. Yeah, I think the

Stingers found themselves a gem.

Lauzon was not fully healthy on his Stingers’ debut on Saturday but he still received high praise from his coach and teammates for his effort.

“He was rea lly good on faceoffs for us and really good defensively,” said head coach MarcAndré Élement. “He’s going to be really good for us. He’s a complete cent rema n a nd w i l l be a ver y important part of our team.”

Speaking of important parts of the team, Turcotte is still ailing with an undisclosed injury. But Élement did give an update on his starting goaltender’s status, saying he is “day-to-day.”

The Stingers have a tough stretch of games ahead of them, with just four home games left on the schedule. It’s no secret that the Stingers still have a ton of work left to do. But they can rejoice in the fact that they are once more a full, healthy line up.

“We have a lot of work to do, a lot of video to review especially after a game that [we gave up 7 goals],” said Element. “Right now, I’m just happy and it was really fun to see the guys back and [healthy]."

Photos by Cecilia Piga

BASKETBALL

Stingers men's basketball team restart the season 4-1

Back from a tournament in Halifax, the Stingers are ready for the second part of their season Alec Brideau Assistant Sports Editor

R ARY U T O L N CO MME ew h t t O a C w/ Mayon Oh

The Habs GM made two notable moves last week, yet people are still complaining

The Concordia Stingers men's basketball team is back from holiday break and looking forward to continuing a good start to the season.

The past couple of weeks included a big stretch of games for the Montreal Canadiens.

The Stingers's last Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) season game dates back to Nov. 30. However, the team remained active by playing a tournament in Halifax at the end of December. Stingers head coach Rastko Popovic said at this level, teams don't have much time to rest during the season.

"We usually have a little break of about a week at the beginning of December for exams," Popovic said. "We then practice and have a few days off before Christmas. We were back practicing again on the 26." Popovic said the Stingers flew to Halifax on Dec. 27 for its tournament. The team then played three games from Dec. 28-30, registering two wins.

"It's a very short break of about six school days off that players get before Christmas, but that's about it," Popovic said.

The Stingers won four of their first five games of the 2019-20 season, and are currently ranked second in the RSEQ behind McGill, with one game in hand. The team also had a 4-1 record after five games in the 2018-19 season.

"The McGill game was a close game all the way until the end," Popovic said. "It's a good start to the season, with two good wins against the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) Citadins. Obviously, after losing Ricardo Monge last off-season, we kind of had to get used to playing without him."

Monge was the point-guard, team captain, played his fifth and final season with the Stingers in 2018-19, was named the MVP in the RSEQ and received all-Canadian honours.

The transition period for the point-guard position was a bit tough at first for the Stingers.

The team played exhibition games before the RSEQ season, but had to deal with injuries.

Popovic said it was an adjustment for his team and the young players coming in. However, he said the team is satisfied with what came out of the first five games this season.

"We understand that our league is very competitive," Popovic said. "There won't be any easy game during the second semester. We have to get ready [for all of them]. Our next six games are against UQAM, McGill and the Bishop's University Gaiters. Those will be six very competitive games. Those teams all played during Christmas time and got better."

Popovic said that, since the start of the season, the coaching staff has been stressing a lot on making the right plays on offence, and sharing the ball.

"We don't care who scores," Popovic said.

"We just want them to get the best shots as possible

They played a back-to-back against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers, then went to Carolina to play the Hurricanes on New Years Eve, and back home for another game against Tampa on Thursday night.

They needed to win at least two of those games to remain comfortably in the playoff chase. Well, they went 0/4. That is what we in the sports world call “not good.”

With a multitude of players out of the lineup due to injuries and fans calling for change, the Canadiens General Manager, Marc Bergevin, went out and made two notable acquisitions.

First, he traded a fourth-round pick for NDG-native Marco Scandella, a left-handed defenceman — something the Canadiens lack. Bergevin also signed an aging Ilya Kovalchuk to a one year, US$700,000 contract.

Will these moves save the Canadiens’ season and catapult them into the playoffs? Probably not. But what Bergevin is doing is flexing his asset management skills — something a lot of Canadiens fans fail to see.

Scandella is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, meaning come the trade deadline, teams will be lining up to give up an asset for him for their playoff chase. This is what, in the business, is called a “rental player.”

Kovalchuk, who turns 37 in April, is an interesting one. He signed a contract two summers ago with the LA Kings, figuring he wanted to play with a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

Well, the Kings are anything but that, so in December they mutually decided to part ways.

According to many hockey analysts, Kovalchuk is still very motivated and wants to play. Bergevin said himself in a press conference that this move may work, or it may not, but it’s totally up to the player.

If the move works, Kovalchuk will likely get dealt again at the trade deadline should the Canadiens still be out of the playoff picture at that point.

If not, they terminate his contract and everyone goes on with their lives.

Trading Kovalchuk at the deadline, should he pick up his play, would literally be Bergevin creating something out of nothing, when it comes to assets.

in every position. We want to eliminate turnovers.

Early in the season, we turned it over too much.

I'd say that right now, it's a great overall team effort. Defensively, we've been pretty good, especially at understanding what we want to do against each team. However, there are still a lot of games left, so there are many things we want to get better at."

Last season, forward Sami Ghandour missed the first two games of the season following a shoulder surgery. Ghandour is an important part of the team and is recognized for his energy on and off the court. This season, the forward was in uniform for the first five games of the season, having registered 58 points, and is tied for first in the RSEQ in rebounds, averaging 8.4 per game.

"We call Sami — what we call in basketball terms — a glue guy," Popovic said. "He's not the one who will score 25 points per game. However, he does a lot of little things for us. He communicates and knows where to be on the court. Every team needs players like that to be successful.

We're looking forward to a big second semester for him."

The Stingers only played five games but some players are already leaving great impressions on the court.

"Nathaniel Boisvert is playing a decent role for us," Popovic said. "I also think Tariq Barki-Hamad has played well as a backup pointguard. We need these guys to come in and play well. We're hoping we can get contribution from everyone, and that they can keep improving because it will make our team better. When you're a young athlete coming in this league and playing minutes right away, you have a lot to learn. When players like Bryan Coriolan and Adrian Armstrong will graduate, we'll need these guys to step in and play big minutes for us."

With 11 games left in the season, the Stingers aren't looking too far ahead. Popovic said the team simply wants to focus on itself. “ It's going to be one game at a time, with one practice at a time by trying to get better," Popovic said. "We already know our opponents, as we played them before."

Photos by Laurence B.D.

A lot of people are calling for Bergevin’s head saying that this was a desperate move. I think it was an incredibly savvy move on his part.

13

Opinions.

FEBRUARY 20, 2017

OPINIONS EDITOR Youmna El Halabi / @HalabiYoumna opinions@theconcordian.com

EDUCATION

It’s time to stop normalizing exhaustion in university students Excess stress and college shouldn’t be a package deal

tacked. It doesn’t have to be this way.

I’m thinking of the university system in Germany that I had the opportunity to experience last year while on an academic exchange.

Most German university students also work while studying. They key difference is that the university system has adapted to this reality. Students have slightly less class time than here, but more importantly, they have less assignments throughout the semester.

Maya Lach-Aidelbaum Contributor As I was reading coverage of the recent Quebec Student Union (QSU) study, which found that 58 per cent of students in Quebec struggle with psychological distress, two things came to mind. First, that this was not surprising in the least; since beginning my university studies, I’ve anecdotally heard and seen signs of stress, depression and burnout everywhere.

Second, I couldn’t help but think that the recommended solutions do not address the root problem.

Among its recommendations, the QSU urged the provincial government to create a policy to improve the mental health of university students and to give schools money to offer psychological services.

Solutions that encourage “teaching students about mental health” put the responsibility on students to seek out these services. Yet there was little to no mention of the responsibility of universities to provide quality psychological services to their students. In reality, there is a clear problem with our university system.

If we want students to have improved mental health, we need to address the societal 14 and institutional problems

students are facing. We need to start questioning university as a structure.

While having more psychological support resources on campus is great, it is important to note that these are merely band aid solutions. These resources cater to students who are already distressed. This is for when the damage has already been done and only help students deal with psychological issues after they’ve already been pushed too far.

Teaching students how to manage stress is important and necessary. Although it does not replace the need for a discussion surrounding the changing demands and pressures on students.

Students’ daily lives and the expectations placed on students have changed drastically in the last few decades, and I question whether university structures have adapted to this changed reality as well.

Nowadays most university students work, often fulltime. This may be for financial reasons; many people cannot afford university without the extra cash. Some simply work to have spare change.

But many students also work because of the changing employment situation. A university degree no longer guarantees a job after graduation.

In the current competitive job market, employers are often looking for previous work experience. Students feel the pressure to find relevant work experience not only during the summer break, but also while studying.

The more some students gain work experience at university, the more other students feel the pressure to do the same in order to stand out when applying for jobs. It’s a vicious cycle.

I’m not saying working while studying is a bad thing. On the contrary, it’s a great way to develop various skills you could not through university, make connections, enjoy financial independence and many more.

The problem is that universities have not adapted to this reality in the least.

Universities operate on the assumption that school is the sole focus of students’ lives. They assume that we have the time and luxury to focus exclusively on our ever-growing pile of assignments and readings.

From the moment the semester starts, students are on a speeding train they cannot keep up with. But we are told that this is what university is; that this is normal. So when we can’t keep up with the train, we feel at-

Most of the time, a course has either one final exam, or a final exam with an additional midterm exam. The final exams are scheduled a few weeks after the semester ends so students have time to study. Most of the time, if a student fails the final exam, there are opportunities to retake the exam without having to retake the class.

This allows students to work during the semester without being overburdened with school assignments.

Students can focus on studying more heavily once their classes are already over.

It’s also important to mention that a big portion of student jobs available in Germany aren’t minimum wage cashier or cafe jobs. Most companies and institutions have several “working student” jobs that offer valuable work experience and good pay.

From my experience, students in Germany experience a far better quality of life. They actually have a work-life balance, and have time to enjoy their friendships and focus on their interests outside of university.

In Quebec, if you try to balance a social life, school work and actual work, you will quickly find you are no longer sleeping enough and your (mental) health is sharply declining.

If we want students to enjoy their university experience, we need to ensure that accommodations are made for their current lifestyles. Only a minority have the privilege not to work while studying in this day and age.

Graphic by @sundaeghost

INTERNET CULTURE

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

Fake news is a meme that should die In the spirit of the new year, leave the term in 2019 Martin Payette Staff Writer Fake news—that awful, awful term is a meme that has hit its mark, proven its fitness, and is gaining traction due to misunderstanding, division and lulz that we are all guilty of spouting. We are feeding it every time we utter it.

And we should just stop using it. Fake news generally refers to information that is false or misleading, often sensational, and masked as news. It is a term that is shouted, spouted, typed and copy-pasted a great deal. It’s even associated with a specific voice in my head—can you guess whose?

Now, when I refer to fake news as a “meme,” I don’t mean those tacky time-wasters we should all ignore on the internet. I’m writing about the original definition of meme as coined by Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book, The Selfish Gene.

The book itself presents the view that the gene is the agent of evolution (as opposed to the individual or the group). In the last chapter, Dawkins explores the idea of a unit of cultural evolution that works kind of similarly, though

also differently. The meme, as he named it, is an idea, behaviour or style that exists in human minds and persists because of its sticking power and ability to spread. A particular style of carpet is a meme.“Smoking is cool” is a meme that receives help from nicotine and the tobacco industry.

To be clear, internet memes aren’t quite the same. As Dawkins put it in a speech at Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors’ Showcase 2013 in Cannes in 2013, “instead of mutating by random chance and spreading by a form of Darwinian selection, they are altered deliberately by human creativity.” Internet memes are mere playthings for humans, and while real memes are created by humans, they evolve naturally.

Fake news is a meme in the original sense, and a strong one at that. It survives because it’s based on truth: false news is a real problem.

It thrives by latching on to our fear of being lied to, the belief that people of opposing views are more likely to spread or believe lies — our fear of journalism’s demise, and the mix of humour and outrage we feel when Donald Trump uses it as a slur.

Graphic by @sundaeghost

Sure, disinformation has always existed and will always exist—much like the people generating it, believing it and the journalists fighting against it. It’s a never-ending struggle. But this “fake news” business has gotten out of hand. It doesn’t simply exist to refer to disinformation in one form or another anymore.

The Washington Post and BuzzFeed News were among the first to use the term in October 2016 to describe how false news articles on Facebook had influenced the US elections. That put the seed in people’s minds. Then, President Trump threw an allcaps FN-bomb at CNN on Twitter in December of that year, which was the water that nurtured the

meme’s growth.

Columnist Margaret Sullivan of The Washington Post actually warned us a couple of weeks later, calling the term a label that has been “co-opted to mean any number of completely different things: Liberal claptrap. Or opinion from left-of-center. Or simply anything in the realm of news that the observer doesn’t like to hear.”

To my liberal friends, stop using it ironically. To my conservative friends, stop using it so angrily. To my journalistic friends, stop using the term entirely. After this article, I will also stop using it. That’s the only way to kill a meme. Because we’re not really using it. It’s using us. Stop saying it. Stop writing it. Let it die.

MENTAL HEALTH

All I want for Christmas is sanity

Ringing in the new year with some holiday reflection Callie Giaccone Assistant Opinions Editor I fall head first into the consumerism trap of the holiday season every year. My heart jumps at the first sight of twinkly lights, snowflake decorations and Christmas specials.

Poking my head around a decorated Indigo, I pretend I can afford a $67 light up travel mug while browsing Gwyneth Paltrow’s new collection on how to solve all of life’s problems through drinking a green smoothie. My heart quickens.

The snow hits my face and I truly feel like I’m in wonderland.

As I finish exams and head to Ottawa to see my lovely family, there’s one thing I always forget—I hate the holidays.

They are stressful and that’s coming from a Jew. Afterall, Hanukkah was just branded to compete with the hype of Christmas, but that could be a whole other article—let’s try to stay on track here.

For me, the holidays consist of socializing every night, draining me of my emotional and physical energy.

I am squeezing people into my schedule and unintentionally leaving people out—without a moment to relax. Why doesn’t Micheal Bublé or Mariah Carey remind me about this feeling?

Personally, as somewhat of an adult living in a different city from my parents, I feel like I exist as a 20-something-yearold experimenting with her independence most of the year.

That being said, the moment my foot touches my parents’ carpet, I magically transform into a bratty 16-year-old in a Disney channel movie.

Clearly this page of writing is not going to fix my immature behaviour or even help me with my much needed introspection, but I do hope that if you feel even an ounce similar during the holidays, then perhaps I can help you feel less alone.

Spoiler alert—Santa isn’t real and neither is Christmas magic, a concept I have clung on to for quite a while.

I’ve come to realize that the only way I can enjoy the holiday season is by accepting it’s not going to be perfect. My mental health fluctuates from good to not so good depending

on the day.

I always forget that just because it’s snowy and bells are ringing, it doesn’t mean my day has to be filled with joy.

My best advice (and I’m speaking mostly to myself here) is that just like any other day, try to do things that make you feel calm and make time for yourself in the holiday madness. If you need to miss an event, or even just take a walk to avoid a loud dinner guest, do what you need to do. Your time is still your time, even during the holidays.

So, finish your candy canes, stuff yourself with leftover chocolate and let’s take on the new year, where assignments are starting and no one is telling you be a good cheer. It’s January and there will be no more rhyming.

Oh, also, if you’re a member of my family reading this (mom), remember this is about me, not you. I love you all and I hope you had an enjoyable holiday season.

Graphic by @sundaeghost

15

FEBRUARY 20, 2017

ADVERTISMENT

Happy 2020!

To those of you returning from the holiday break, welcome back!

If you are joining our community for a first term, I hope you’ll enjoy everything that Concordia has to offer.

I’d like to invite all of you to bring a mug and join me for a Back-to-School Get-Together at which light refreshments will be served: Loyola: January 8, 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. in the SP Atrium Sir George Williams: January 9, 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. in the EV Atrium

Graham Carr President and Vice-Chancellor

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