March 15, 2022

UNIVERSITIES UNITE WITH MONTREAL COMMUNITY TO WELCOME UKRAINIAN REFUGEES

Many small efforts contribute to helping the incoming refugees after millions flee the war zone

BY HANNAH TIONGSON Assistant News Editor

Following Montreal’s first solidarity rally to support Ukrainians facing the Russian invasion, Montrealers are proactively preparing for relief efforts to help Ukrai nians. The rally was orga nized by McGill and other universities on Feb. 24.

On the evening of March 9, Concordia University and Université de Montréal joined together to help the McGill Ukrainian Students’ Asso ciation (MUSA) make pero gies (a popular Ukrainian dish) and donuts for a fund raiser scheduled the next day.

All the money collected went to the Ukrainian Cana dian Congress (UCC) and the Canada-Ukraine Foundation.

“What can we do as students right now?” asked Julia Huko wich, social and cultural direc tor of MUSA. “You know, it’s small; we can probably only raise a couple of hundred dollars from this, but it’s some thing,” Hukowich added.

By the end of their fund raiser, the MUSA collected close to $900, with over 65 students attending the fund raiser showing support.

Annika Pavlin, a firstyear international devel opment student at McGill, shared her disappointment towards McGill while in line.

Concordia, along with McGill, shared their posi tions regarding the war in Ukraine in recent emails. Both universities defined Russia’s invasion as “conflict.”

“I’m here to support the private organizations, the clubs that have had to do what McGill is refusing to do, which is raise money, raise awareness,” said Pavlin.

Vitalia Khmil, president of the Concordia Ukrainian Students’ Union (CUSU), shared the same frustration as Pavlin.

“They just sent us an email [...] they’re trying to stay inclu sive. They didn’t mention anything about a war per se.

BY GABRIEL GUINDI News Editor

Quebec’s Interim Public Health Director Dr. Luc Boileau announced in a press confer ence last week the easing of certain COVID-19 measures.

As of March 12, Quebecers will no longer need to present their vaccination passport in public venues such as restaurants and bars, and businesses will be able to operate at 100 per cent capacity. By mid-April, the province intends to lift mask mandates, excluding on public transport, where mandates

will remain in place until May.

Though Boileau and the Quebec government regard mask measures as an effec tive one, they cannot continue to oblige it. As the govern ment continues to return to normalcy, Boileau said in his March 3 press conference that masks will become a personal choice. In last week’s press conference, Boileau lifted more health measures. For example, if asymptomatic, people will no longer need to self-isolate for five days if in contact with someone that has

texted postiive for COVID-19.

Though the government is adamant about continu ing to lift sanitary COVID19 measure s, many are still questioning whether now is the best time to ease all restrictions. The virus ’ prev alence has prompted experts to envision potential risks that could emerge from these actions later down the line.

Most optimisticbusinessesinreturn

For many businesses heavily impacted by COVID-19 regula tions, this is a breath of relief. The hardest hit businesses, like restaurants and bars, are grate

ful that they can now return to serving customers free of added restrictions and measures imposed upon their business.

Martin Vézina, vice president of governmental and public affairs for Association Restau ration Quebec (ARQ) claimed that many restaurants feel reas sured with the easing of sanitary measures. “This is good news for us because it comes down to a certain sense of normalcy that we haven’t seen since March 2020. We’re looking forward to opening at full capacity.”

Restaurants that opened amid the pandemic like Bistro La Franquette are cautiously optimistic about easing measures. Co-owner Renée Deschenes has experi enced many changes in health measures over the course of her restaurant’s existence, and feels like the added confusion from constant modifications has

planted seeds of uncertainty and confusion among patrons entering her establishment.

“It’s nice and all that we are able to open up at 100 per cent capacity, but the after-effects of people being in lockdown, people having a curfew, and the general public not really knowing what the rules are and aren’t, those effects are definitely felt in the restaurant,” said Deschenes.

Assistant professor at the McGill University Depart ment of Medicine and infec tious disease specialist Dr. Matthew Oughton is more

Experts are not fully convinced that now is the time to lift measures

The donations were collected St. Michael’sCatholicUkrainianChurchinHochelaga.

NewsTheConcordian

REFUGEESUKRAINIANPREPARESMONTREALFOR

They said ‘conflict,’ and it’s really import ant to get the vocabulary right because it’s clearly a war going on,” said Khmil.

Along with Khmil, Markel Reva, VP Finance of the CUSU, agreed Concor dia can and should do more to help.

“They provided us with links to psycho logical care here and helplines, stuff like that, but that’s literally it”, said Khmil.

The current situation in Ukraine is very distressing for students like Khmil and Reva, who are trying to focus on midterms while their extended family is currently in Ukraine.

“We are trying to contact our univer sities to see how can we help Ukrainian students because we have midterms, we have exams, we have quizzes, and with all [that] happening [...] I couldn’t read a single thing on my paper,” said Reva.

On Wednesday, Reva met with Andrew Woodall, Dean of Students at Concor dia University, hoping to get more help.

“It is still very unclear on the position that Concordia is taking regarding the Russian aggres sion and the war in Ukraine.”

Woodall suggested that Reva speak with Graham Carr, President and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University.

Though Reva can’t do much at Concor dia right now, he and his family have offered their help through donations to St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church.

Among the many churches turning into donation centres for Ukrainian refugees, St. Michael’s Ukrainian Cath olic Church has been accepting dona tions for refugees since Feb. 26, the third day of the Russian invasion.

St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catho lic Church is now receiving a large number of donations every day.

About two weeks ago, Reva’s family opened their home in the South Shore to collect donations 24/7 and bring them to the church. This included medication, clothes, food, hygiene products, sleeping bags, and more.

With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new program to facilitate the immi gration process of Ukrainian refu gees, Montreal ers have been helping newcom ers through the Ukrainian CongressCanadian(UCC)

Montreal Branch. This orga nization represents around 42,500 Ukrainians in Quebec.

The UCC helps in different ways, working as volunteers to help newcomers find housing, jobs, assisting with documen tation, English tutoring, and more. The impactianotherfundtothedonateaplacetheythemawithofsaidcityrationreallythatcomeofacceptgencyAuthorizationCanada-UkraineforEmerTravelprogramwillanunlimitednumberUkrainianswhowanttotoCanadatemporarily.“It’sahugeundertakingneedstobedone,andweappreciatethecollabothatwehavewiththeofMontrealinparticular,”MichaelShwec,presidenttheUCCMontrealBranch.“We’reinatightconnectionthecitytoputtogetherrobustplantowelcomeandmakesurethathaveasafeandwarmtostay,”Shwecadded.TheUCCalsoprovideslinkontheirwebsitetomoneythroughCanadianRedCross.“AllMontrealersdonatingtheRedCrossandhelpingmedicalsuppliesandformsofhumanitaraidaremakingapowerfulonUkraine’sabilityto defend

its people,” said Bogdan Lytvynenko, former news editor for The Concordian.

“Every dollar is critical. It is heart warming and inspiring to see Montrealers donating and join ing the rest of the world against the Russian aggression even despite being thousands of kilometres away from the warzone,” Lytvynenko added.

Restaurants are popular again now that COVID have

Despite the difficulty of accurately predicting if or when the next wave will hit, Oughton believes that if it does, it will be difficult for both the govern ment and public health authorities to convince the public to respect re-im plemented COVID-19 measures. “After two years, I think it’s fair to say that a lot of people are very tired of dealing with this. [...] Unfortunately, just because we are tired of the virus, that doesn’t mean the inverse, that the virus is tired of us.”

look at Ebola for example, the Ebola virus is not as transmissible because it has to travel through fluid, it’s not like an aerosol.” Darlington added that, the more variants like BA.2 are transmitted, there’s a greater possi bility of other mutations occurring.

“Transmissibility is what derives its effects across a large population,” Ough ton said. “Contagious diseases require close contact often for transmission so the more opportunities there are, the more you’re going to see some of these infections start to come back.”

while measures are eased.

cautious, and believes that though COVID-19 cases are low for now, the future of living with the virus can’t be accurately predicted. According to Oughton, continuing vaccine educa tion, heavier viral monitoring, improv ing indoor air quality, and individual optimal vaccine protection are the four items that should be of primary concern

Given how the virus has surprised many over the past two years, especially amid the emergence of variants with increased transmissibility like Omicron and BA.2, lifting sanitary measures may even tually lead to re-imposed measures on public spaces and venues. “All of a sudden within about a month or so it (Omicron) exploded in so many differ ent parts of the world. So, could we see that same process again, given all of the surprises that COVID-19 has dealt us over the past two years, we should expect to be surprised.”

Despite the decline in cases, Ough ton stated that most of Quebec’s population is not optimally protected from COVID-19. “If you look at the numbers, we’re about 91 per cent of people with at least one dose, we are at something like 87 per cent of the population with two doses, but we’re just only barely above 50 per cent of the population having three doses.”

Peter Darlington, associate professor in the Department of Health, Kinesiol ogy, and Applied Physiology at Concor dia University explained that a virus’s lifespan ultimately depends upon the number of people it can infect. “How contagious it is would have an impact, because the virus essentially wants to be in as many people as possible. If you

The data on the presence of the BA.2 variant in areas like Montreal is still limited, but the lack of sufficient testing has prompted the Quebec government to re-monitor the virus through waste water testing, a measure that experts like Oughton have been waiting for.

“I think it’s a brilliant measure and I’ve been arguing for this for a long time. By re-instituting our waste water screening, we will have an early indicator that on a population level gives you a reasonable measure of the amount of disease activity.”

Safeguards like providing third doses to the near 50 per cent of Quebecers who have not yet received it, educat ing the public regarding the contin ued presence of the virus, and ensuring proper air quality in higher transmis sion zones are all effective measures to lessen the chances of transmission and re-imposed sanitary restrictions.

McGill Ukrainian Students Associ ation (Above) organized a perogie and donut sale, which raised almost $1,000 for the Ukraine

Volunteers from St. Michael’s or ganized donations by category to distribute to incoming

PHOTOS BY CATHERINE REYNOLDS

“Long live image resistance, long live solidarity and sisterhood. Long live International Women’s work ing days,” said Ishita Tiwary, spokesperson and assistant professor at Concordia

BY HANNAH TIONGSON | Assistant News Editor

ON MARCH 12, HUNDREDS OF MONTREALERS GATHERED AT PARC METRO STATION TO MARCH SOLIDARITY

The main message was to show the urgency to stand in solidarity with women facing all the injustices caused by the pandemic and all the social issues happening in all communities across Montreal and internationally.

The rally is a yearly demonstration organized by the Women of Diverse Origins (WDO) organization to commemorate International Women’s Day and to recognize the history of injus tices and inequalities that women face.

The organization was initially created in the wake of the Global War on Terrorism, the American-led mili tary campaign launched following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

WDO includes women from differ ent ethnicities, religions, and ages who join together to support women’s rights and fight against patriar chy, racism, capitalism, colonial ism, fascism, and imperialism.

To honour the different ethnic ities that make up the organiza tion and to better represent all these women, the WDO invited women from various cultural backgrounds to share a word at the protest.

activist, and chef Marlene Hale. “Whether it’s one thing or the other, with the Indigenous, the non-Indig enous, for the coloured, we have been there before for each other.”

Kavitha Culasingam, a community organizer with the Centre des femmes d’ici et d’ailleurs, pointed out how the rise in violence against women and femicide in Quebec jeopardizes women’s rights of living equitably.

The Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equal ity and Rural Economic Development Canada, and Isabelle Charest, Minis ter for Education, shared a statement on March 2021 stating the COVID19 pandemic increased the rates and severity of sexual and domestic violence against women in Quebec. “It is important to remem ber that we can lose our rights at any time, and [we should] continue to fight,” said Culasingam.

Culasingam highlighted women’s injustice in Quebec. Alee Coloma, a spokesperson of PINAY Quebec, an organization for migrant and immi grant Filipino women, called atten tion to the wars happening around the world and the injustices that

warthinkenoughfoolishweaboutwe“Whenfollow.talkwar,arenottothatisonly

happening in Ukraine. War is every where. In Europe, the Middle East, in Africa, in South America and Asia [...] and who does war affect to the most, but women and children?” said Coloma.

During wars, women are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence, abuse and exploitation while caring for their families.

Ishita Tiwary, spokesper son and assistant profes sor at Concordia said, “On this day, we raise our voices to demand peace, NATO provocation and the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian borders.”

Another solution suggested by Hélène Bissonnette, a member of the Social

ist Fightback Students organization, is to transition into a socialist society.

“You see all the rise of violence in women, you see the rise of inequal ity, you see the attacks of abortion in the U.S. and across the world, they are real concrete reasons to fight against women’s oppression. But the root of all this, what we are seeing is that as the capitalist system,” said Bissonnette.

“Our stolen sisters — we still remember [them] from all across the land,” said Wet’suwet’en elder,

“Hey, hey! Ho, ho! The patriarchy has got to go!”

PHOTOS BY CATHERINE REYNOLDS /THE CONCORDIAN

Marlene Hale speaks at the international women’s rally.

A member of the organization Soy Nosotras invites rally participants to share their testimonies of violence against women.

Concordia students and TAs protest against sexual violence injustice at Concordia

BY MARIA CHOLAKOVA | Contributor

“When women’s rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” That’s how protesters made their voices heard at the “Stand up Against Harassment” protest on March 8, Inter national Women’s Day. The rally, held by the Norman Bethune statue, was intended to highlight the importance of acknowledging the lack of transpar ency in Concordia’s response to sexual violence and demand structural change.

The Teaching and Research Assis tants at Concordia (TRAC) union organized the event, aiming to spread awareness and demand change regard ing sexual violence victims who have been subject to Concordia’s treatment towards people suspected of commit ting sexual violence. Mya Walmsley, a TRAC delegate from Concordia’s Department of Philosophy, started her speech with a chant, enforcing the rally’s message for change, saying “We want change! When do we want it? Now!”

One of the reasons for the protest was philosophy students refusing to work with an unnamed professor in the department, who has an alleged history of sexual harassment. Until safer work ing conditions are set in place, the TAs and students refuse to work with him.

Late last year, the TRAC union created a petition, with 250 signa tures, demanding from the univer sity to be more transparent about

cases of sexual assault and violence.

Concordia has been involved in six sexual allegation cases, from multiple departments, with one case dating back to the 90’s. In addition, from 2012 to 2018, six former Concordia students filed complaints to the Human Rights Commission about Concordia’s lack of response towards its students surrounding sexual violence cases.

“For a decade, the university has known about these allegations, and rather than working with survivors of sexual harassment, rather than working with students and staff to find a long-term solution, Concor dia has swept these issues under the rug,” Walmsley explained.

The TRAC demands structural change to create a safer working environment, and an institutional response to sexual violence and harassment, emphasiz ing that sexual assault policies and gender violence must be survivor-cen tered, and it should never be a survivor’s responsibility to avoid the person who harassed or attacked them. Further more, the union demands Concordia protect survivors’ rights to tell their own stories, even if they have filed internal or external complaints. In addition, Students and TAs working and studying under the supervision of accused faculty members should be able to decide who they want to work with, or if the allega tions have been dealt with satisfactorily.

Mathilde, one of the event organizers who wished to be referred to by her first name, made her stance on the topic clear. “Today, we hold Concordia account able for their action and responsibility towards all members of the Concor dia community. We want everyone to be safe!”

Apart from the TRAC members and representa tives, dozens of students and supporters joined the protest. Ra’anaa Brown, a doctoral student in the Art History Department

joined the protest to show her support and draw awareness to unrecognized sexual violence at the university. “As a woman, as someone who has several sisters, as someone who knows non-bi nary and queer folks, this is an incred ibly important cause for me,” Brown said. “Today is International Women’s Day, and it’s when women can come together across the globe, recognize our important contributions to soci ety, but also fight for the basic human rights that we still do not have access to.” Nelson Graves, both a master’s student and a TRAC delegate member in the philosophy department, has dedi cated his time to fighting against prej udice in the Concordia administrative system. “It is a structural change. Yes, Concordia has the mandatory sexual violence course. However, someone that will perpetuate sexual violence is going to do it anyway, regardless if they have completed the course,” Graves explained. He believes that Concordia needs to enact more change, investigate how they work with survi vors, and improve on transparency.

Six former students filed complaints to Concordia’s Humans Rights Commission on the lack of transparency towards sexual violence cases.

Concordia’s teach ing assistants union and students gather to protest against a lack of transparency in sexual violence cases, aiming to spread awareness

Protesters gather near Norman Bethune statue voicing their anger towards a lack of accountibility.

PHOTOS BY KAITLYNN RODNEY /THE CONCORDIAN

CommentaryTheConcordian

How do you feel about Concordia’s dropping of the vaccine mandate?

BY JULIETTE PALIN Commentary Editor PHOTOS BY CATHERINE REYNOLDS

We can thank the vaccine passport for Quebec’s high vaccination rates, but now all incentive to get vaccinated is gone. As of March 12, the Quebec vaccine passport is no more in bars, restaurants, movie theatres and more. This means people who chose not to get vaccinated, once incentivized to get the shot by limitations placed by the Quebec government - limitations as recent as January - have no more reason to get their covid immunization.

To be transparent, here’s how I feel about the whole thing.

Even as a pro-vaxxer who feels safer with the shot and boosters, no public incentive will make me drag my feet. So imagine someone who just doesn’t want to be vaccinated – despite the public and personal safety it can bring us, many will never get the shot(s) for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons should be respected, but the general population should make up the difference, in a way.

This is my opinion — one of many different ones felt on the Concordia campus, as the university disman tled their vaccine mandate. While it was only in place for certain gath erings, sports clubs, the gym and Reggies, our campus bar, students had a lot of thoughts to share.

We went around Concordia’s downtown campus on Friday to ask students how they felt vis-avis the return to normality.

Guillaume Sercia

STUDYING HUMAN ENVIRONMENT

“I think its a good thing [the vaccine mandate is going away]. At some point we have to come back to reality, to normality. [...] It wasn’t a big issue for me, but I was frustrated for the people who couldn’t take part in regular activ ities. I would feel safe even without a vaccine, so it doesn’t bother me.”

Nadeem Alhajzein

STUDYING STUDIO ARTS AND ART HISTORY

“I don’t totally agree with the idea of a vaccine mandate being removed. I feel like [the] Quebec government is kind of like, going up and down different rules.”

“But I do understand how it’s supposed to be trying and getting people to go back to normal, I guess. But I still feel like it’s something that should still be at places because it does help us.”

Ahmed STUDYINGRiadELECTRICAL ENGI NEERING

“It’s great, people [now] have the choice of taking the vaccine or not, I personally took the vaccine. […] People should have the freedom to take the vaccine or not.”

Carles STUDYINGNgoupeyuACCOUNTING

“I don’t agree with the vaccine mandate. They didn’t think about the non-vaccintaed. [...] You just feel alone, separated from others. Those who are vaccinated will say the oppo site because they have access to everything. But when you are not vacci nated, it’s just different. And to feel like you can’t enter a store because you didn’t get a vaccine; feeling like you’re limited in your actions because of a vaccine, it’s just really terrible.”

Yannis STUDYINGAffoumFORACERTIFICATE OF SCIENCE FOUNDATIONS

I’m actually kind of happy. It’s very annoying to always have to worry about these things, and always having to show your phone, show your QR code, and all these things… It’s kind of annoy ing. And for people who dont have a QR code, it’s kind of discriminatory.”

here&there

“I wouldn’t really feel comfortable. Obviously, it’s a really crowded place, there’s a lot of people, and if they are not wearing their mask, you don’t know if they have [COVID], or dont have it, or even if they are facing symptoms. The removal of masks doesnt mean they don’t have COVID. [But] I don’t think it was the university’s place [to imple ment a vaccine mandate], I think it’s the government that makes that deci sion, then the university should follow.

BY TARYN MARTIN | Contributor

Slow-fashion, fast-fashion, sustain able fashion, timeless fashion, upcycle, resell, in-season, out-of-season — an endless supply of words to give mean ing to the clothes we choose to wear.

At first glance, they seem to be buzz words, ultimately deeming some clothes “good,” and some clothes “bad.” But more than buzzwords, these terms provide a direct correlation between

our clothes and the world around us.

Most of us have now experienced our first large trend cycle, with the return of Y2K fashion. But we are also expe riencing trend cycles on a ridiculously smaller scale, one with a timespan of two months, instead of 20 years. Trends cycle so fast it actually induces my anxiety.

I went into H&M on Saint-Cath erine St. for the first time in years

last week, and felt completely over whelmed. The fluorescent lights high lighting this season’s neon psychedelic trends, the seemingly infinite amount of clothes, the intensity of shoppers searching for something that will undoubtedly be out of style before they even return home. Not to mention the EDM blaring over the sound systems making me feel even more off-kilter, which only aggravated the situation. I couldn’t help but question, when we buy clothes, what are we buying? As consumers, we must acknowledge

the relation between clothes and the worldaroundus—theydon’tjustrepre sent your stature. We must understand the direct effect of the fashion industry and fast-fashion on the environment, on its involvement of child labour and on the society in which we participate.

Once we understand the factors that go into our clothes, it’s import ant to buy and wear them in a way that is responsible and adheres to our beliefs and morals about the world.

Marwa STUDYINGKhalidSOFTWARE ENGINEER ING

As someone who loved clothes and fashion from a young age, I have always considered my clothes as a repre sentation of myself. My style fluctu ates, which presents to the world my personal growth and changing envi ronments. Moving to Montreal from Halifax influenced my style the most in recent years, with my wardrobe becom ing more of a collection built from vari ous trips to the thrift store and less from stops at my local Lululemon. It reflected the culture of Montreal youth and my personal endeavors, mainly that of caring for the environment.

That’s the thing with clothes. They tell others something about you which often remains unsaid. It is a signifier to the world; this is who I am because this is what I wear. But if what we are buying is an extension of ourselves, what do trends have to do with it?

In this case, maybe trends are a signifier to the world simply that we know what is trending. For lack of better terms, wearing a trend makes us cool. It’s not an inherently bad thing. Trends have been around as long as fashion itself has, and it’s not wrong to want to participate in them.

Do

TALIA KILOT Assistant Commentary Editor

I know I spend too much time on TikTok. I tell myself that it’s mainly for journalistic research, which is at least partially true, considering that this article, as well as many others of mine, are inspired by videos I see while scrolling through my TikTok feed.

While the majority of my For You Page is riddled with Taylor Swift conspiracy theories, cute thrifted outfits, and cool new restaurants to try, a study hack sometimes slips into the mix (maybe that’s the algo rithm telling me something…).

Because I have a pretty intense week of schoolwork coming up, I decided that this would be a perfect time to test out some of the tricks that I’ve saved over time and see if they actually work for me.

Textbook heaven

The first one I tried is a true game changer. Maybe I’ve just been living under a rock, but I was completely excited to see that something like this exists.

Z-lib.org is a free textbook library that gives you easy access to textbooks and research material, which is partic ularly helpful when the university libraries don’t have what you’re look ing for or when you want to save some cash. I was writing a paper and needed a specific book that was already signed out from the university library. To my pleasant surprise, it was on z-lib and I didn’t even have to go in to get a copy!

Too good to be true

The next tip was definitely too good to be true. I saw a TikTok boast

But many of us fall into the trend trap, in which we buy something only to wear it once or twice and never reach for it again. We all remember those early pandemic era trends of 2020 — namely cow and zebra print on literally everything, whether it be pants, tops, hats, shoes or furry bags. I couldn’t scroll through Pinterest with out seeing some rendition of the alterna tive animal print trend, and now you’d be hard-pressed to find them anywhere.

Trend anxiety doesn’t just mani fest itself in the chaos of fast-fash ion shopping, as it also implores us to keep buying new clothes in order to retain the perception of being “trendy.”

In today’s social media-driven world, trends have made fashion more about others than about ourselves.

Maybe you feel really comfortable in a certain trend, and you know you can source it in a sustainable way. You’ve already done the hard part by acknowl edging how your clothes make you feel regardless of the perception of others. From here, we can wear trends in a way that respects the interconnectedness of fashion to self and the world around us.

When you’re shopping, choose pieces — regardless of their trend status — that you believe will last a long time. This means assessing the quality and durability of the garment, and ques tioning whether the piece will stand

the test of time in your wardrobe, even when it may no longer be trending. This eradicates the disposability of clothes.

I used to go to the thrift store and purchase every trendy item I found because I thought I’d get the chance to wear them all. Realistically, so many of those pieces went unworn because they’re too hard to incorpo rate into my daily wardrobe. It’s helped to really consider before buying each item, how will I style this in numerous ways to really get wear out of it? If my

style changes, will I no longer care for this item? Is it comfortable enough? We should all try to buy clothes mainly out of necessity. If you actually need a new pair of jeans, think twice before buying a new skirt or dress. Realistically, clothing is an investment. Buying clothes you know you’ll wear helps the environ ment, and saves you money in the future.

ing about the “TLDR” Chrome exten sion that summarizes long readings into bullet points to save time. I have an absurd amount of reading to do this week, so I was stoked to try it. I probably should have known that it wouldn’t actually work, but I was still

Serves me right for believing in things.

Racing to the finish line

I must say that I was very apprehen sive about listening to the Mario Kart soundtrack while writing an assign ment. Still, I’d seen tons of TikToks claiming that it helps give you a sense of urgency (as if the looming dead lines aren’t enough), so I figured that

bow Road. At first, the fast-paced tunes were stressing me out, but after a few minutes, the words were flowing from my hands almost faster than my brain could keep up. My assignment was done within the hour — I highly recommend it.

Tomato timers

Though not an exclusive TikTok hack, I definitely saw some videos preaching the Pomodoro method, which consists of allotting yourself specific amounts of study and break time to increase productivity. The most common time frame is 25 minutes of work to every five-minute break, a pattern that you repeat until you’ve finished your tasks.

I did two cycles of the Pomorodo method and found that it didn’t really work for my way of studying. Setting the timer definitely helped me actu ally start writing, which is often the most challenging part for me, and I appreciated knowing that I would get a break after 25 minutes. Once the 25 minutes was up, however, I was in a flow state and didn’t want to stop at that moment. For the sake of the arti cle, I continued with the method (you’re welcome), and then took the five-min ute break, which definitely didn’t feel long enough. But, I had the same chal lenges after the second cycle as well.

quite disappointed when it spewed out gibberish that honestly confused me more than the reading itself. There were two settings: short/concise and detailed/section-wise, but they both came up with the same useless summa ries. I also tried with another academic article in case the one I had was the reason it wasn’t working — spoiler alert: it didn’t. I still had to read a million pages on top of the wasted time trying to figure out how to use the extension.

I needed to be open-minded and give it a try. I also don’t generally listen to music while writing, unless it’s a dark academia classical Spotify playlist to calm myself down when I have tight deadlines. They also help me convince myself I’m much smarter than I actually am. I was pretty sure that the Mario Kart wouldn’t really have the same effect, but, after listening for a little while, it’s safe to say that working with these tunes was much easier than trying to stay on Rain

That’s not to say that the Pomo doro method, or any other study hack mentioned in this article or on TikTok won’t work for you (though if you do figure out the reading summa rizer extension PLEASE message me). Everyone has different ways of learn ing and aspects of doing school work that are more challenging for them — that’s why it’s so important to person alize your habits to what works for you.

Overall, TikTok seems like a great place to look if you’re trying to figure out the best way to get through your schoolwork. Just be weary of “hacks” that are simply too good to be true. And plagiarism. All my homies hate plagiarism. Happy(?) studying!

JAMES FAY ANXIETY

JAMES FAY

FeaturesTheConcordian

WE ARE THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

A Montreal homeless shelter coordinator shares his experience working during the peak of the Omnicron wave

BY DALIA NARDOLILLO | Contributor PHOTO BY JAMES FAY

When John Tessier first visited The Open Door seven years ago, he was a drug addict searching for a sense of direction. What he didn’t realize was how much the homeless shelter would change his life, or that he would end up serv ing the community he once was part of.

Tessier began volunteering for The Open Door seven years ago. “We have a reputation of doing things a little differently,” said Tessier, the centre’s coordinator. “We build a relation ship with the people that we serve.”

The Open Door is a homeless shel ter and drop-in centre located in down town Montreal, Quebec for low-income individuals. The shelter also offers vari ous other services like counselling, referrals to mental health profession als, and drug addiction counselors.

Walking up Park Ave, where The Open Door is located, you would

never think there is a homeless shel ter right in front of you. The shel ter is in the basement of a church — not easily spotted by the naked eye. When someone first arrives at The Open Door, they must go down two flights of stairs until they are eventually greeted by volunteers at the front desk.

Afterwards, the volunteers accom pany the clients to either a bed, the kitchen area to get something to eat, or a shower. There are many show ering stations around the shelter providing access to shampoo, soap, and other personal hygiene products.

Before becoming the centre’s coor dinator, Tessier was an Open Door client. “I was a drug addict and I needed services as well,” he said. “After I allowed myself to get straightened out, I wanted to give back. I started to volunteer, and a job opened up.”

Tessier’s day-to-day activities at the shelter are always different. “There is no standard day, I coordinate the entire centre. With the intervention team, we might be accompanying people to court,” Tessier explained. “Right now, one of our long-time users is in the hospital at the rehab centre. One of our team leaders is there with her, helping her get set-up and figure out what her next steps are.”

The pandemic shifted the usual routine at the shelter, as The Open Door couldn’t accommodate as many people as usual. With the tighter living quarters at the shelter, sanitary measures became of utmost importance. The volunteers and staff were equipped with gear such as N95 masks, goggles, gloves, and more.

The Omicron wave has made Tessier more aware of the issues in this commu nity. In particular, the challenges of how Montreal’s shelters are at over-capac

ity. He recalled the shelter experiencing waves of Omicron infections during the first few weeks of January 2022. This was a very difficult time, even with the isolation period only being five days for essential workers who caught the virus. Despite the challenges, Tessier said that The Open Door staff remain resilient. When the Omicron wave hit the shelter, everyone still came to work, even when the virus seemed to be getting worse by the minute. “I commend the volunteers who were still coming in here,” said Tessier.

“It’s so sad and heart breaking,” said Tessier in response to the news.

“This is ridiculous and tragic that this happened,” said James Hughes, the president and CEO of the Old Brewery Mission. “In many ways it shouldn’t be surprising, but it is shocking.”still

“This Omicron wave hit us, and a lot of places had to reduce their capacity,” said Tessier.

On Jan. 10, 2022, CTV news published an article about a 74-year old home less man who died in the freezing cold. The news of this tragic death sparked up a lot of debate among Montrealers.

“It’s so sad and heartbreaking,” said Tessier in response to the news.

“This is ridiculous and tragic that this happened,” said James Hughes, the president and CEO of the Old Brewery Mission. “In many ways it shouldn’t be surprising, but it is still shocking.”

Hughes explained that the Old Brewery Mission – one of the largest resources for homeless people in Quebec – experienced a tough January this year. Almost reaching full capacity, the shel ter has been unable to accommodate as many as they would have liked. In order to do so, Hughes and his team had to turn to large soccer stadiums. During the period of Jan. 13 to Feb. 6, 2022, the Old Brewery Mission was set up at the State de soccer de Montréal. Since then they have been able to stabilize.

A lot of people that come to the Old Brewery Mission only seek their services and do not want to stay over night, explained Hughes. “A lot of people just say no, I don’t want to stay here for a long time, I am just hungry and I want to warm up.”

“We expect [the unhoused people] to work with a counsellor and work on a housing plan,” said Hughes. “We’re trying to reduce home lessness above everything else.”

volunteer at The Open Door, the shel ter offers him options that he has not seen at others. “I was referred to The Open Door by a friend of mine, who was a full-time volunteer, and he told me that they offered only vegetarian meals, which was great for me because I am a vegetarian,” said MacIsaac.

The Open Door is staying afloat thanks to the volunteers who work there and the people in the Montreal commu nity who make generous donations.

When Victoria Kalisky, a political science student at McGill University, first read the headline about the death of a homeless man outside in the cold, she was motivated to start a GoFundMe campaign. Kalisky wanted to raise money to help homeless people in Montreal gain better access to winter coats. Since the beginning of January 2022, Kalisky has managed to donate over 150 winter jackets to The Open Door.

The shelter receives winter jack ets that are lightly worn and second-hand, according to Tess ier. However, receiving new, muchneeded winter gear hits differently.

“It is just a whole different feeling when we give someone something brand new with the tags still on it,” said Tess ier. “The smiles that we see when we are able to give people that are amazing.”

“The secret to this type of work is building up trust and treating people as if they are family. We haven’t lost many workers here because when you walk away from this place, it’s like you are walking away from people you truly care about,” said Tessier.

The smiles that we see when we are able to give people that are amazing.”

“The secret to this type of work is building up trust and treating people as if they are family. We haven’t lost many workers here because when you walk away from this place, it’s like you are walking away from people you truly care

“A lot of the centres in the city feel institutional ized and that’s why people won’t go to them,”

Creating long-term housing plans is one of the main goals that The Open Door shelter works towards with their clients.

“We have an Inuit specific housing program. However, we only have 16 spots in that program,” said Tessier. As a result, there is a long waiting list.

Projet Logement Montréal (PLM), a housing program that seeks to help house homeless people get apartments, recently made an offer to The Open Door in January 2022 to help support their clients with a more long-term housing plan. According to Tessier, the housing program offered The Open Door 25 spots for clients to join their program, so they could live in available apartments.

However, PLM is not a long-term housing solution. It helps unhoused people for up to three months, with their rent and utilities taken care of during that time. Afterwards, they are on their own.

Daphnée Dunleavy has worked as an intervention worker at the Open Door since August 2021. Central to their role, intervention workers provide guid ance and support to the people inside the shelter. “I find it’s a really import ant experience because you are dealing with people who basically have nothing.”

At The Open Door, Dunleavy can be seen helping people around from her spot at the front desk. Clients come to her with their questions.

As Dunleavy works the front desk, MacIsaac volunteers at the break fast service shift in the kitchen.

“I start at six in the morning, with the breakfast service, like today I made the oatmeal that we are serving,” MacIsaac explained.

“When you do see a homeless person, just go out and say, ‘Hey how are you doing today?’” said Hughes. “Acknowledge them, they are humans above everything else.”

“There is not enough funding to put people into long-term housing, and that is the main issue,” said Tessier. “If we had around 50 spots with the Inuit hous ing program that would be great, but since we don’t the waiting list gets long.”

According to Tessier, implementing a transitional house could be a potential solution. In the transitional housing, the unhoused people would have continuous support from the intervention workers until they have a stable living situation.

“A lot of the centres in the city feel insti tutionalized and that’s why people won’t go to them,” said Tessier. Most people that come through the shelter do not want to feel forced to adhere to a certain set of regulations. “They do not want to feel like they are in a jail or a hospital.”

Due to the various services that The Open Door offers, such as food and clothing, laundry services, shel ter during the day, counselling, and referrals to professional mental health and drug addiction, more people tend to want more of those services.

For Shawn MacIsaac, a client and

Part of Dunleavy’s motivations for working at the shelter are to combat dehumanizing stereotypes of homeless people. When someone starts working at The Open Door, they begin to under stand what kind of a community exists at the shelter, she explained. “Everyone knows each other, it’s really amazing.”

Hughes said that the best way to help one another during challenging times is by getting together in big groups, donat ing clothes, and starting food drives.

“When you do see a homeless person, just go out and say, ‘Hey how are you doing today?’” said Hughes. “Acknowledge them, they are humans above everything else.”

With spring around the corner, homelessness is still an ongoing issue.

“Homelessness doesn’t start in Decem ber and end in March,” said Hughes. “We need innovative solutions all the time.”

“They do not want to feel like they are in a jail or a hospital.”

“Thereabout,”

is not enough fund ing to put people into long-term housing, and that is the main issue,” said Tessier. “If we had around 50 spots with the Inuit housing program that would be great, but since we don’t the waiting list gets long.

MusicTheConcordian

PHOTO AND STORY BY GUILLAUME LABERGE Music Editor

After Montreal have been deprived of large arena concerts for the better half of three years, Tyler, The Creator and friends made up for lost time with an electrifying performance at Place Bell on March 9 for the Call Me If You Get Lost tour. Fresh off the release of his massively success ful 2021 record of the same name, it was only right for Tyler to go around the world to perform his beloved hits.

Before seeing Tyler play his set, fans were lucky enough to have three open ing acts, courtesy of Teezo Touchdown, Vince Staples, and Kali Uchis. As the first of four acts, Teezo really set the bar high for the perform ing artists to come with an energetic and highly inter active performance centered around a construction theme decor. Following him was Vince Staples, who despite having a catalogue to deliver an interesting perfor mance, had next to no stage presence. While the songs themselves made up for the lackluster performance, he was still the least interest ing act of the concert. Last opening act but not least Kali Uchis was magnificent. She gave a sensual rendition of her material that saw her go back and forth between her biggest hits and her most recent Spanish cuts, all of which were executed graciously in both languages. Now up to the showstop per. The stage was set to fit the luxurious vibe of Call Me If You Get Lost, fitted with a manor and balcony, a teal Rolls-Royce and even a boat

which was fixed to the floor. Tyler was using the props in really interesting ways, navi gating to the other smaller stage with the various means of transportation. The Cali fornian rapper began his set with a couple of tracks from Call Me If You Get Lost like “SIR howcandidateandtoItardorthefromarolemovesenergyanotherHiswhentolikes,at,fans,jokes,try.estthatwellflashystandrialsomeeachingintouchingHEAD.”“CORSO”BEAUDELAIRE,”and“LEMONHefollowedbyeverystudioalbumhisdiscography,performatleastonesongfromofthem,deliveringofthestrongestmatefromhis15yearcareer.AthingthatmakesTyleroutfromothersishispersonality.ItisaknownfactatthispointheisoneofthefunnirappersintheindusWhetherheiscrackinginteractingwithhisorevengettingbooedwhichissomethinghehealwaysmanagesbeentertainingevenheisn’tperforming.stagepresenceisonlevelandhisgoodandsoliddanceplayasignificantinwhythismanissuchcaptivatingindividual.Tylerkeptfansengagedstarttofinishandcrowd’spassionandwereatpeakform.wasdefinitelyspecialseelivemusicagainTylerwastheperfecttoremindusgreatconcertsare.

Guillaume’s picks

While I was mostly busy listen ing to a new album a day for the past month for another piece, I still managed to find the time to listen to the hot singles that were being released. With that said, here are three songs that have been “On Repeat” for me.

CONWAYSTrESSEDTHE MACHINE

This might be Conway’s most personal track to date, as he drops bar after bar about some of the most gut-wrenching events of his life, like the suicide of his cousin, or the death of his son. A truly captivating listen.

THE LOOP TOrO Y MOI

This song feels like having a jam session with your friends. The smooth vocals mixed with this incredibly catchy bassline and the guitar solos at the end

all make for such a feel-good experience.

HEAr ME CLEArLY (WITH NIGO) PUSHA T

This aggressive cut from cokerap king Pusha T sees the MC in his bag with his usual cocaine references and luxurious one-liners over a killer instrumental. Saro’s picks

Lately, I have been finding myself going back to artists that I would listen to and see live back in 2019 — damn that was three years ago… Anyway, here are some singles that could fit your weekend vibe, courtesy of me!

THE DrIPPING TAP KING GIZZArD & THE LIZArD WIZArD

Have you ever wanted to listen to an 18-minute song from a critically-ac claimed stoner acid band? This jammy single will make you melt into what

ever you’re sitting on (maybe) with its bubbly, mellow vocals and outback-es que rhythm. Uluru eat your heart out!

FOrEVEr STErEOPHONICS

This song will take Stereopho nics’ loyal fans back to their Perfor mance And Cocktails album. Kelly Jones’ rough voice pierces through the song’s brit-pop guitar riff, reas suring listeners that they haven’t changed their style, and have rather merely adapted through the years.

OLIVE ALANISBrANCHMOrISSETTE

Looking to reconcile with a friend or loved one to “reach out and make amends?” Well, look no further because the ’90s national trea sure’s latest single will have you feel ing like doing just that. A stripped song with just piano, strings, and the infamous Jagged Little Pill voice.

BY GUILLAUME LABERGE | Music Editor

For the second year in a row, I decided to attempt a challenge that requires an extreme thirst and curiosity for discov ering new music, a keen sense of atten tion to detail, and a lot of free time. It consists of listening to an album you’ve never heard before every day, for a whole month. Fortunately for me, the month of February is the shortest month of the year. While it still might sound like a lot considering albums are usually between 30 to 75 minutes long, trust me, it’s not just a lot — it’s way more than that.

Now you may be asking, “Guillaume, why are you doing this? What are you gaining from committing to such a time consuming challenge?” Well, there’s a lot to gain from this experience. The main reason I did this was to expand my music tastes and knowledge. I find that by forcing myself to listen to a full body of work every day that is completely different from the last, it helps me appre ciate what every genre has to offer and what makes them stand out compared to others. I see this challenge as I would see a Christmas advent calendar, where every day you open a door to get a differ ent chocolate or treat — in this case you “open the door” to discover a new album and experience it for the first time. During the challenge, you will also most definitely discover a new artist or album you’ll love, which makes it exciting.

The albums that were selected for the challenge had to fit two important criteria. First of all, I wanted to include as much variety as possible. From jazz to metal and from the early 60’s to the late 2010’s, I wanted to cover as much musical ground as I could. Despite being all so different stylistically from one another, they all share a point in common, which is my second rule: all of these albums had to be consid ered classics by the music commu nity within their respective genres and eras. During such a tough challenge like this, I was a lot more thrilled and motivated to complete it by listening to respected classics rather than listen ing to more obscure material, mostly because I know what I’m getting into.

I can’t say this challenge was a breeze for me, because it is never easy to incor porate such a time consuming activ ity into my already busy schedule, but what I can say is that I was definitely

successful in my quest to become a bigger music nerd. I won’t lie, some days were harder than others and I did a lot of catching up, especially towards the end of the challenge, but my strug gles were mostly attributed to the fact that some days, I simply didn’t have the time. On top of that, while I was doing my challenge, artists were still releasing new music (how inconsiderate of them). The new Beach House, Big Thief, and Conway the Machine albums all made it hard to focus on the older records I had to listen to for the challenge.

My top five favorite albums of the month consists of the following (this list is in no particular order):

Paranoid by Black Sabbath

This album is a pioneer in the hard rock and metal realm, the riffs and drumming fills are way ahead of their time and Ozzy Osbourne’s song writing is in top form on this one.

Funeral by Arcade Fire

This album is so grandiose and powerful, it makes you feel like you could take over the world. Just an epic alternative rock experience.

A record that sees two of the greatest jazz musicians of all time come together for an incredibly smooth 34 minutes. It’s a meeting of the minds for the ages.

Third Eye Blind by Third Eye Blind

This pop-rock record offers anything you would want from a 90’s album in the genre: infectious hooks, angsty lyrics, and banging instrumentals.

The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest

This is such a chill and laid back jazz rap album, it’s definitely for the vibers. This record is perfect to listen to while taking a walk outside.

While this challenge might seem scary at first, if you put in the time and effort, I guarantee you that the expo sure to a large number of records in a short amount of time will most definitely expand your horizons and sharpen your curiosity as a music listener.

While extremely fun to do, this undertaking truly gave me a hard time

Duke Ellington & John Coltrane, Self-titled

CATHERINE REYNOLDS

Revisited: Teen Angst

BY LILY COWPER | Creative Director

We all go through phases. Some are more embarrassing than others, but they all play an equal part in shaping who we are now. To think of these phases musi cally, the curation of our own tastes over the years can be especially defining.

Call it an accidental reminiscence. I was browsing through Spotify last month and came upon a playlist called “Alternative 80’s.” “Waiting Room,” by Fugazi, was playing. Suddenly, after years of repression, I was taken back in time to age 16, when music filled every nook and cranny of my life.

I’d blocked it out for a long time. I moved into a long phase of passivity, listening to whatever random music I happened to stumble onto, includ ing the radio, which in my angst phase was a sin worse than murder. Then that damn Fugazi song played, and it all came back.

Shortly after freshman year started, I found myself involved with something called, “the scene.” Being punk (close

to) Washington DC then wasn’t so much about being part of a single genre like when it first started. That was a time which gave way to punk legends like Fugazi, then later, Dave Grohl, and by 2015 it was more of an established subculture of DIY. Diverse genres includ ing punk, bedroom pop, lo-fi, alternative rock, hardcore (a subculture of its own), emo, math rock, and many others first came about, and later called it home.

It was hard to remember everything at first. All my favorites who were active during (2015-2017) either broke up or went AWOL in 2019. As soon as I dug deeper, though, every church basement, house show, and sweaty mosh pit came through crystal clear.

Pulling from memory, I could at least remember my very favorites: Forth Wanderers was one of them, who’s first EP Mahogany, 2014 album Tough Love (remember when Lorde tweeted it?!), and later EP Slop was playing for the majority of 2016 and 2017. Probably my favorite band of all time (RIP), Forth Wanderers was formed by three great musicians look ing for a lead vocalist. Everything became whole when they came together.

Remembering that led me to remem ber my other favorite sing-alongs, like

Hop Along’s 2015 release Painted Shut

If you’re suburban-rural bred like me and in need of some melancholy remi niscence, it will bring out everything heavy in you. Anyone into shows like Shameless and Twin Peaks, or any other malaise will find this album well. Pale hound always had a similar effect on me, led by Ellen Kempner, whose voice and lyrics carry the same strength and atti tude as Hop Along’s Frances Quinlan. Also on repeat was Philly-based band LVL UP. Hardcore fans will be disap pointed that this was about as angsty as I got — if you want something edgier check out Cold Foamers, Stove, Down town Boys , or Spirit of the Beehive , but that’s as deep as I’m taking it.

LVL UP songs “Soft Power” or “Angel from Space,” both from their 2014 Hoodwink’d album, had these intense build-ups which did a good job trans forming teen angst into pure elation.

Don’t limit LVL UP to your angsty moods though, they’re still the best medicine for any moment. “I Feel Extra-Natural” was my go-to for general sorrow, along with Clique ’s “Lil T,” another fave, with major “oof” lyrics like “I’ve been thinking a lot / all the fights we had / and what they were about / I can’t even remember.” More uplifting is the classic Clique banger “Get By,” sure to be a hit the next time you find your self among a group of angsty teens or, more likely, angsty nostalgic adults. The real angst party soundtrack, however, would be (RIP) Warehouse ’s 2016 album Super low (can we agree that all the best music comes out of Atlanta?), whose timeless symphonies would also make great exercise companions. We were all teens once. It may have been angst during the day, but at night it was all sorrow. Don’t lie. There was a lot of heartbreak, mostly from begin nings and endings that never actu ally played out in real life. We all had the music to help us get through it.

Some tracks made me fall in love, like Soccer Mommy’s 2015 EPs songs for the recently sad and songs from my bedroom (parts one and two). I can still remember every line, and some still make my heart skip: “I just want you in my life / kissing circles on my thighs / like you do” and “you’ve been spending all your time / living on the backside of my eyes” (both from songs from my bedroom pt. 2). Montrealers can see her perform at the Corona Theatre on March 30.

If Soccer Mommy was my teddy bear back then, Alex G was water. A master guitarist, lyricist and composer, his songs bench heavyweight somewhere

between lullaby, emo, and indie folk. Between the years 2011-2019, he was busier than anyone else I listened to, putting out over 24 releases, most of which were full-length albums. As one example out of many, “Thorns” from the 2015 Beach Music release tells a full story in one minute (first verse): “why would I lie / this thing / it haunts me like a shadow / never lets me go / he was cross / I knew how lost / I knew my way / oh, how I played him.”

As I discovered more, I saw every memory attached like a supernatu ral vision, unearthing old feelings of anger, sadness, grief, and happiness that hadn’t been touched in so long. It was like opening a time machine. Other icons from that time including Furnsss, Clique, The Obsessives, Snail Mail, Foozle, Swings, Tall Friend, Shya, Horse Jumper of Love, and Brittle Brian, all of whom bring back all the car trips, late night diners, Fort Reno sunsets, and concerts that made my teen life worth remembering. Each song is a roll of film, vine artistry, finsta post, reveal ing all the beauty I had wanted to forget.

My teen phase wasn’t just an awesome time for music, it was an awesome time in general. It was a time of intense feel ings and discovery. What I found was that even if you’re 22 and permanently jaded, your teenage self is still there. Just hit play on that old playlist and you’ll remember who they really were.

PHOTOS BY NATHANIEL SALFI OF BLEARY EYED, LISTEN BLEARYEYED.BANDCAMP.COMAT

The Concordian

The Spirit of the Beehive playing in 2016. PHOTOS BY NATHANIEL SALFI

Furnsss playing at Above the Bayou in May 2016.

In between sets at Above the Bayou in May 2016.

ArtsTheConcordian

Things dipped in gold never grow

BY BRIANNA MACNEIL | Contributor

John Steinbeck, J.D. Salinger, F. Scott Fitzgerald. You don’t have to be an English buff to recognize these prominent names in classic litera ture. These authors have written some of the most highly acclaimed novels, contributing tales heralded as time less that still permeate the fabric of academia today. Their work has been coated in gold on account of their many accolades, rendering their words in certain circles as immortal, unchang ing — which can be dangerous. This is especially true concerning outdated stereotypes of women in these books, which were written by men roughly eighty years ago. These stereotypes uphold archaic ideas of women like a massive golden statue that towers over modern women. These female figures stay the same while the world changes around them. Singer-songwriter, Jhené Aiko, said it best: “if everything is dipped in gold, then baby it will never grow.”

The inaccurate depictions of women in classic literature might not be so alarm ing if it wasn’t for the surviving stereo types that actively challenge women to this day. Of Mice and Men by John Stein beck is a world-famous novella taught in nearly every high school English class. The themes of racism and misogyny are not the main focal points of the tale but may very well rest in the subliminal consciousness of its readers. The way Steinbeck writes Curley’s wife is compa rable to how individuals on social media, news platforms and podcasts have spoken about countless sexual assault victims. The wife is described as being dolled up to provoke male attention, and she is all-too inclined to give men “the eye.” The story ends with one of the male characters murdering her by snap ping her neck, with the witnessing men instinctively attaching blame to the wife, the victim, despite her repeated protest. Looking over her frail, helpless body they shoot her a final sneer: “You God damn tramp [...] you done it.” Of course, the circumstances are not a direct reflec tion of how we respond to sexual assault victims today, however it does feel eerily familiar to the accursed response

of “Well, what was she wearing?” that is heard far too often in the media.

The Catcher in the Rye, the cult clas sic written by J.D. Salinger, is another example of how beautifully written clas sics can perpetuate misogynistic under tones on account of their notoriety. The main character, Holden Caulfield, has a view of women so sexist it rivals that of American Psycho’s Patrick Bateman — satire excluded. Every woman he encounters is subjected to his sexual ity, and he quickly analyzes all the ways in which women are ridiculous, attrac tive (or not), and thus he concludes how much value she has. Even his ideal love interest Jane Gallagher is not exempt from his stringent criticism, despite Holden’s alleged respect for her. He overtly affirms his belief that “most girls are so dumb and all,” but it seems intelligence is not much of a substantial factor in his pursuit of women. His ulti mate concern with women is as deep as a teaspoon; he is a self-proclaimed “sex maniac” who does not even need to like the women he “courts,” to put it politely.

Not all representations of women are as vulgar, name-calling or carnal in nature as Salinger and Steinbeck illustrate. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s opulent classic The Great Gatsby character izes a more subtle but equally offensive stereotype. Tom Buchanan, the burly and violent elitist, has two love interests. His wife, the soft-spoken and roman tic Daisy, and his mistress, the seduc tive and provocative Myrtle. These two women are emblematic of what we know today as the “madonna-whore complex.” Daisy and Myrtle serve as foil charac ters, complete opposites that promote a binary archetype that women fall into. While one represents the “ideal” female form to be virginal, innocent and docile, the other represents the fallen woman. She embodies loose morality, tempta tion and impurity. The greater impli cations of these stereotypes is that it revokes women’s personhood, confining them to negative or weak impressions.

I am in no way condemning classic literature for not passing the Bechdel Test. This feminist criteria for proper representation of women in fiction is about 10 social eons ahead of these early

20th century texts. It would be irrational to judge historical authors based on standards developed nearly a century after their making. I do, however, believe it is imperative to critique the ideas perpetuated in the literature that we read, especially when they are being assigned to impressionable minds in high school and college. With the right analysis of these outdated themes, we can remove the harm of these representations and turn them into a useful learning tool.

ART EVENT ROUNDUP: March

How the depictions of women in classic literature perpetuate harmful stereotypes that persist today

Words and projections at the Dazibao art gallery

reality of individuals who struggle with hear ing disabilities, allowing visitors to experience to a degree what these individuals go through.

The artists also play with the idea and necessity of captions “Captions are broadly considered an obligatory add-on or even an aesthetic annoy+ance,” reads the description of the work.

each other. New symbols compose the resulting image, creating a hypnotizing experience. During the projection, the images evolve, becoming out of focus at times, with a blue background suddenly appearing behind the transformed words. Headphones made available to visitors play cheerful songs during the video. The marriage of a familiar music beat with intriguing visuals creates a new language that misleads the viewer’s senses and offers a unique experience.

BY VÉRONIQUE MORIN Assistant Arts Editor

Artists Amalle Dublon and Constan tina Zavitsanos come together in Dazi bao art gallery’s current exhibition, Flux Incapacitor. The show features collaborative works as well as indi vidual creations from both artists.

Emma-Kate Guimond, coordinator of exhibitions and special projects for Dazi bao, described the show’s main theme as “the creation of abundance.” This idea relates to notions of dependency and debt explored in the exhibition,

which the artists link with the reality of individuals living with disabilities.

Guimond explained that the gallery was first interested in Dublon and Zavit sanos’ collaborative work titled April 4, 1980. The audio-visual creation is presented on a screen at the entrance of the gallery. When putting head phones on, viewers hear a robotic voice. Because the voice is garbled and difficult to understand, the captions projected on the screen become essen tial in their understanding of the work.

The dependence on the words being displayed on the screen emulates the

Licorice Pizza

BY LOLA CARDONA | Staff Writer

In director Paul Thomas Ander son’s latest film, an ambitious teenage boy meets a young woman who is still figuring her life out. The teenager, Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) tries to ask Alana Kane (Alana Haim) out, but she rejects him for good reason: she claims to be 25, a good 10 years Gary’s senior, but she’s known to lie. What follows, however, is a rocky but heartfelt friend ship as the two come of age in 1970s Los Angeles. There is no strong plot to speak of. The central conflict comes from the highs and lows of Gary and Alana’s friendship, one that is riddled with jeal ousy despite the agreement that their relationship is platonic and professional.

Gary and Alana’s banter and the clash of their personalities propel the story forward. As they get to know each other and learn more about themselves in the process, the audience is on the journey with them, and comedic scenes keep viewers engaged. But at the end of the day, Licorice Pizza exists for the audi ence to spend time with the characters without the rules of a classic film narra tive. Changes come and go, as they do

in life, and so the crux of the film becomes deter mining the true nature of Gary and Alana’s feelings for one another. However, in my watching of the film, I ultimately became most concerned with determin ing the nature of its rela tionship with women.

In several scenes, Alana loses her agency and autonomy to the whims of men, both willingly and unwillingly.

In one scene, Jon Peters (Bradley Cooper) leans over her as she drives a truck, attempting to “help” her pass a car on a narrow lane, getting uncom fortably close to her face. In another, Gary is tempted to touch Alana while she sleeps, but he doesn’t give in. Other times, Alana willingly sexualizes or exposes herself for the attention or vali dation of her male peers. There is an odd trend of Alana seeking the validation of the boys and men around her. This isn’t to say that no female character can ever have this trait, especially consid ering it happens frequently in reality, but the difference in how she and Gary are represented leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Gary’s inner life is rich. He’s goal-oriented, confident, and always on the lookout for a new business venture. He feels strongly about Alana and enjoys her company, but he doesn’t rely on her validation and attention the way she relies on his. There are moments when he is jealous of the attention she receives from other men, but he never has to be as physically vulnerable as she does.

All the time, created by Zavitsanos, also plays with words on screens. The work engages with the physical presence of users. On the bottom of a large screen, two texts are ingthetoworkGuimondmakinglayertionadaptsthewhenhardseensimultaneously.projectedWhentogether,theyaretodistinguish.Butvisitorsapproachscreen,thesystemtheprojecsothatonlyoneoftextappears,itreadable.relatedthisabouthologramsthelargerthemeofexhibition,explainthat,“whenyousplit

a hologram, you’re not creating two halves, you’re actually doubling. So by taking away, you’re making more.”

“This relates to people with different abilities, whose lives depend on more care or different devices..[...] So this is where the theory of debt comes in: it’s not by needing more care [that] you create a debt, by needing more care you’re generating care,” added Guimond.

Placed at the end of the gallery, Zavitsanos’ Girl there’s a better life is another screen projection. The video features two texts overlayed on top of

Alana can be endearing because of her relatability as a young woman who is unsure of her future, spending her time with friends to pass the days. Gary can be endearing because of his strong ambition and his dedication for her. But the way Alana is written as needing male validation with no arc that allows her to seek validation inwards makes her char acter feel incomplete. In other words, Alana feels like a victim of the male gaze, in that she only exists to do something for the men on screen, behind the camera, and in the audience, rather than existing as a complex character in her own right.

Ultimately, my feelings towards the

A piece created exclusively for the exhibition, Known Donor Agree ment by Dublon and Jordan Lord, is a revisited version of a sperm donation contract. Visitors can read the contract on paper and listen to it through head phones. The work explores notions of mutual consent and care through reflections on friendship, connection, and parenthood. The sensitivity and openness transmitted through the work adds to the reflections enabled by the other artworks in the space.

Guimond described Dazibao’s mission as “to disseminate and pres ent contemporary image-based prac tices that deal with issues of social importance.” For her, Flux Incapac itor totally fits into this mission, as it delves into reflections about disabili ties and their representation in the arts.

Dublon and Zavitsanos’ innovative approach to the themes of abundance and debt shed light on the necessary theme of inclusion and accessibility.

The gallery’s website features La View ing Room, a page presenting the texts from the exhibition as well as back ground information about the artists’ past works and studies. This initiative allows the public to deepen their knowl edge of the context behind the art pieces.

film are mixed. Women can be insecure and flawed, and deserve to be repre sented as much as confident, strong women are. Alana is all these things, but her womanhood is tied so much to the men around her, it makes it hard to fully enjoy the film as a slice-of-life, character piece. That said, each character had a distinct essence to them, with their indi vidualized quirks and personalities. The film deals with themes of growth, unre quited feelings, and friendship, all of which make for a lovely coming-of-age tale. But ultimately, the male gaze (as well as some racist jokes), get in the way.

FLUX INCAPACITOR IS PRESENTED AT DAZIBAO ART GALLERY, LOCATED AT 5455 DE GASPÉ AVE., UNTIL APRIL 2.

A still from Licorice

Pizz, a new movie directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

SportsTheConcordian

prepare] all the regular moun taineering gear, with some adaptations: a tent for the lower altitude camps and an ultra light bivouac shelter for the high camps. I also bring my 8,000 metre boots because I expect extremely low tempera Fortures.logistical preparations, I need to organize a support team of two: an expedition manager, and a router/weather fore caster.

TC: Can you talk to me about mentally preparing for a climb, especially a solo one? How do you get into the right headspace before your ascent?

with the route. With supporting photos and maps, I spent time visualizing the various sections of the route, the potential hazards, and picturing myself [climbing] solo in this envi ronment. But I did not expect to not only be solo, but also to be almost alone on the moun tain. This was quite an experi ence, and although it added to the challenge and the fear, I felt so privileged to experience this unique opportunity, alone on Canada’s highest peak.

TC: Do you ever envision yourself writing a book about your adventures in the future?

BY ASHLEY FISH-ROBERTSON Arts Editor

In 2009, during a trip to the Mediterranean island of Corsica, mountaineer Monique Richard found her calling: exploring the untamed beauty of mountains. Following the trip, Richard was consumed by the desire to summit some of the world’s highest peaks, beginning with Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro. It wasn’t long before the Quebec mountaineer decided to immerse herself in training for the Seven Summits challenge, where she would eventually reach the world’s highest peaks.

The Seven Summits challenge consists of climbing the high est mountain in each of the seven continents. In 2014, Richard broke her first record: she became the first Canadian woman to summit Nepal’s Makalu, the world’s fifth high est mountain. In 2018, Richard broke another major record, becoming the first woman to ever reach the summit of Cana da’s Mount Logan on a solo Asexpedition.oflate,the alpinist has taken some time off from climbing, preparing and training for future expeditions, as well as hosting motivational confer ences. Richard sat down with The Concordian to discuss her passion for high-altitude adventures, how she overcomes adversity, preparing for solo climbs, and more.

The Concordian: What initially ignited your passion for climbing?

Monique Richard: My love at first sight for the vertical world was during the GR20 hike in Corsica, reputed to be one of the most difficult in Europe. Then, my first high altitude experience, on Kilimanjaro. After looking at the sun rise above the clouds on the summit of Africa, I was hooked! Kili manjaro was the first in my quest [to complete] the Seven Summits from seven conti nents […] culminating with Mount Everest in 2012.

TC: As an alpinist, what’s been the biggest chal lenge that you’ve had to overcome?

MR: From a mountaineer ing point of view, I would say my Mount Logan solo ascent in 2018. The remoteness, the hostile conditions, the solitude and isolation made this trip the most challenging climb I’ve done so far. From a human point of view, it was the death of my dearest friend Arvid Lahti in 2015 on Mount Rainier after reaching the summit together.

TC: Can you talk to me a bit about your 2018 climb, where you were the first woman to summit Mount Logan solo? How did this major achievement impact your future expe ditions?

MR: More than any other expe dition, my Mount Logan solo ascent remains the one that has marked me the most during my mountaineering journey. Beyond the seven peaks, or the mountains of the Himalayas, Logan is the jewel of my expe

ditions, and it represents my biggest challenge.

First of all, because of the extremely hostile conditions on Logan: the altitude being 5,959 metres, the temperature being Siberian cold, storms (one of them immobilized me in my tent for six days), avalanche risks, white outs, and crevices.

And above all, because in addi tion to being solo, I had the luck, or bad luck, of being prac tically alone on the mountain.

I was 100 per cent in charge of all aspects of the expedition, including orientation, camp construction, and meals.

This solo expedition really placed me in unique condi tions that allowed me to live an unprecedented experi ence alone, facing this huge mountain, and facing myself, my dream, my doubts, my impulses, my fears, and of course, my past and the trag edy on Mount Rainier in 2015.

TC: What have your expe ditions taught you about yourself, especially in regards to overcoming adversity?

MR: I learned to never take anything for granted. Always question, doubt, evaluate, adjust, and accept what needs to be, without wanting to control events or nature, and even sometimes, let go! It’s part of life. It’s good to reach the summit, but the path to it has much more impact on us and is more enriching on a personal level.

TC: How do you prepare for a solo climb?

MR: For physical preparation, I train four or five times per week. Usually at 5:30 a.m. for an hour and a half to two hours, with weights and cardio. For material preparation, [I

MR: Mental preparation is essential in any expedition but especially in the case of a solo. My mental preparation allows me to anticipate and envi sion various situations I might encounter during the solo Sinceclimb. I attempted to climb Logan with a partner in 2017, when we managed to reach a high point on the mountain, it allowed me to become familiar

MR: It’s a project I’ve been working on for many years. The pandemic has been an opportunity for introspection and reflection, and I’ve started working on my project to write a story about my Mount Logan solo [climb], which will also include my other adventures. My friend Arvid made me promise to one day write a story of my adventures in the moun tains, and I intend to fulfill that promise!

Montrealer Monique Richard (Above) was the first woman to summit Mount Logan in 2018. COURTESY MONIQUE RICHARD

The lifestyles and journeys of YouTube sports content creators

can cause creative blocks, but both Skanes and Murdock have come up with ways to overcome them.

Murdock said he likes to look at old ideas he has worked on and expand on them or make a variation, like for ranking videos.

Skanes usually likes to make videos that are fun for him, whether it’s about a “horrible season a team had in the ’90s,” or uploading a video on his other channel, “The Entertainment Guy,” about a movie or a show he just watched.

MADELINE SCHMIDT

third year on YouTube, in April 2018.

BY MARIA BOUABDO Assistant Sports Editor

A common theme in YouTube success stories is the unexpected ness of it all. A lot of sports content creators start making videos as a hobby because they like a sport or a team, but almost none think it will lead to making sports content full-time.

Shannon Skanes, from the Vancouver area, started his YouTube channel “The Hockey Guy” in 2015. He started making vlogs, until one day when he decided to make a video predicting who would win in the first round of the 2015 playoffs.

As time went on, Skanes decided to start making content about the NHL in general, as many simi lar YouTubers would usually only talk about their favourite team.

Nathan “Grav” Murdock, from Dallas, Texas, started uploading videos on his channel “Graviteh” in March 2017. He started making MLB videos, but when the season ended in September and the hockey season started, he decided to branch out his content. By the end of that year, his channel focused entirely on hockey.

“I was 14, I was just making it for the sake of making it, and thankfully, it’s turned out pretty well,” Murdock said, with four Dallas Stars jerseys hanging on the wall behind him.

“It’s one of those things where I feel like most people that find some success aren’t truly expecting it to work out.”

He switched to making content fulltime in 2019, around the trade deadline, the playoffs, and especially the draft.

“That’s when the whole thing started to become a lot more [of a]reality,” Murdock said. “And I started to take it a lot more seriously.”

Earlier this year in January, Murdock joined Sportsnet, for whom he now makes content on top of making videos for his own YouTube channel.

Skanes also switched from making videos as a hobby to full-time in his

“What happened was the channel was growing, and it was getting to the point where if I worked my regular job, I actu ally made less that day than I did if I just made YouTube videos that day,” he explained, adding that he had to quit his job to be able to cover the playoffs.

Although Skanes and Murdock both cover hockey, their routines are pretty different.

Skanes wakes up every day at around 7-8 a.m. He starts by working on game preview videos and news videos. Then, throughout the day, he moderates the comments section on his channel to prevent it from getting toxic. He keeps an eye on Twitter during the day, as well as a few other sites, to know whenever something happens in the hockey world.

“If there’s a trade and I’m not paying attention and watching a movie, I will have at least 15 messages between Facebook, emails, Discord… There’ll be messages everywhere, so I have to make sure I’m on it and I get a video done,” he said standing in front of his whiteboard, ready to be filled out for the review video of the day.

During the offseason, Skanes can have a specific schedule, but it’s harder during the season since no one knows what’s going to happen from one day to another. But he always makes sure he has time set aside for the games to be able to do review videos.

On the other hand, Murdock wakes up at around 9-10 a.m. He starts film ing his daily video, which usually takes him until 11 a.m. He then does the editing and thumbnail, and by the time he puts in the titles and final izes the video, he can upload it at 3:05 p.m., which has become the time at which he always uploads his videos, though he’s not sure how it started. He also watches the games every night, and once they’re done he starts cultivating ideas for the next day.

Murdock usually tries to make two to three videos every week for Sportsnet, and three to four on his channel, while Skanes uploads multiple videos every day.

Making a lot of content frequently

Another part of being a content creator is sponsorship offers. Oddly enough, both Skanes and Murdock have received more offers to do ads for makeup, jewelry, and mobile games than for hockey products.

“I’m not doing a makeup tutorial. It’s just not happening. I don’t even know how I would work that in. Do I work that into a news video?” he laughed, adding that he wouldn’t get paid if the ad was done in a sarcastic way.

They have both only ever had a few hockey-related deals. Murdock has done an ad for the Topps Skate app, and Skanes has had deals with Bench Clearers and Ben H Sports on eBay. It’s important for them to have sponsors that fit their channels.

They also both said they don’t take any part of their journey and success for granted. Murdock said that being a part of Sportsnet is still a “huge deal” for him. “Hopefully, it lasts forever. But for as long as it lasts, I’m happy to be here,” he added.

“If I ever take it for granted, that’s when I know I’m in trouble,” Skanes said. “It’s like a dream job for me. So I have to make sure that I maintain that same level of work ethic and that I don’t take it easy and decide ‘well, I’ve made it’ because as soon as I do that, then I’m pretty much hooped.”

THE BUZZ The athleticsConcordianewslatestin

BY LIAM SHARP | Sports Editor

Upcoming playoff hockey schedule

The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team will face the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks in the OUA East quarterfinals at the Ed Meagher Arena on Wednesday. The Sting ers finished the 2021-22 regu lar season with a 9-5-1 record after their final game against the Carleton Ravens on Mar. 12 was cancelled.

The women’s hockey team will compete against the McGill Martlets in a best-of-three RSEQ finals matchup throughout the week. Game 1 will take place at the McConnell Arena on Thursday, Game 2 will be held at the Ed Meagher Arena on Saturday, and if Game 3 is needed, the Sting ers will have to win on the road. The finals were originally scheduled for last week but the series was postponed for health and safety precautions.

Six Stingers make RSEQ women’s hockey all-star teams

Both fifth-year veterans Stépha nie Lalancette and Brigitte Laganière had exceptional years, earning first all-star team honours for the 202122 season. Lalancette led the Sting ers in scoring and finished third in the conference with 21 points in 15 games. Laganière is now a three-time all-star, having also been selected to the first all-star team in 2020, and the second team in 2017. She had another standout season for the Sting ers, amassing 17 points in 15 games.

Stingers forwards Rosalie BéginCyr, Audrey Belzile, and Marie-Pas cale Bernier were selected to the second all-star team. Fourth-year goaltender Alice Philbert made her all-star debut, recording four shut outs during the season. She is the first Stinger netminder to earn an all-star recognition since 2015.

Women’s hockey head coach Julie Chu named RSEQ Coach of the Year

Stingers basketball teams will face McGill to end regular season

Following a week-long hiatus, the Stingers men’s basketball team will attempt to spoil McGill’s hopes at an undefeated season on the road at 6 p.m. on Thursday. The George Lengvari Cup will take place at McGill’s Currie Gymnasium and will feature the two best teams in the conference. McGill and Concordia will play again on Satur day afternoon at the Concordia Stadium.

The women’s basketball teams will also compete in consecutive match ups this week. The Stingers are tied for the top seed in the RSEQ, while McGill will be looking to win their first game of the season on Thursday.

Chu led the Stingers to an 11-3-1 record in the regular season, finish ing second in the conference. Concor dia hasn’t lost a game since their Nov. 26 loss to Montreal, and have outscored their opponents 40-6 during their eight-game winning streak. Chu is a three-time recipi ent of the award, having earned the honour in 2016-17 and 2019-20.

Veteran defensewoman Brigitte Laganière was the recipient of the RSEQ Leadership and Community Engagement award, and first-year forward Émilie Lavoie was named the conference’s Rookie of the Year.

Content creators share what their daily lives look like.

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