March 5, 2019

theconcordian

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY’S WEEKLY, INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

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

VOLUME 36, ISSUE 21 | TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2019

Finding beauty in the underground The Art Souterrain festival illuminates Montreal's subterranean spaces feature

news

Part-time faculty profile: Jenny Lin

life

music

Internship strikes Using excess to The bard of at Concordia p. 2 feed others p. 7 Berri-UQAM

p. 10

sports

p. 13

Arts p.9

opinions

Stingers become Having confidence champions p. 15 in your shyness p. 18

news

NEWS EDITORS /// news@theconcordian.com IAN DOWN & MIA ANHOURY ( @IanDown1996 @mia_anhoury)

CITY IN Quebec strike movement at ConU BRIEF STUDENT POLITICS

Three student associations will strike this March to fight unpaid internships

MINA MAZUMDER ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR The Plateau-Mont-Royal borough added metal shelves to its trash cans to allow bottle collectors to grab bottles and cans directly from them, according to CBC. Thirty five brackets were installed on garbage bins along St. Laurent Blvd. and Mont-Royal Ave. as part of a pilot project.

A man who was stabbed in the upper body on Sunday morning is now in the hospital in critical condition, according to Global News. The incident took place at the intersection of Ste-Catherine and Crescent streets. Police said the victim was conscious and refused to disclose the details of the incident during the ride to the hospital. Witnesses told police the victim hit two men with an object before being stabbed.

The COMS Guild general assembly gathered 71 students, and the strike motion passed with 63 votes in favour and 8 abstentions. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

MINA MAZUMDER ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Three undergraduate student associations at Concordia voted to strike in March to fight against unpaid internships.

The COMS Guild, also known as the Communication Studies Student Association, will strike from March 6 to 8, the School of Community and Public Affairs Students’ Association (SCPASA), and the Journalism Student Association (JSA) will both strike from March 18 to 22.

“We are looking to lend our voices to the greater strike movement that is happening in Quebec right now with unpaid internships,” said Hannah GoldApel, vice president of academic affairs for COMS Guild.

During two separate general assemblies by COMS Guild and SCPASA, on Feb. 20 and 21 respectively, a majority of undergraduate students voted to strike against unpaid internships.

At the COMS Guild general assembly, 71 students attended; 63 voted for a strike and eight abstained. At the SCPASA general assembly, 21 students attended; 20 voted for a strike and only one abstained.

These strikes are part of the larger movement against unpaid internships that started last November, when thousands of CEGEP and university students were striking across the province, according to CBC. However, Concordia student associations did not take part in this movement.

With the department’s support, COMS Guild decided a three-day strike would be enough to address the issue instead of a full week. “We don’t want the department to suffer; they have been incredibly helpful during this whole process,” said Gold-Apel.

The association is demanding that interns be paid a living-wage and be protected under the Quebec Labour Code. They are also asking students not to attend their courses, nor their unpaid internships, and not to submit coursework during the strike.

Gold-Apel said the strike will not take an antagonistic approach to prevent blaming the department. “We want it to be a show of solidarity and community rather than [...] a protest,” she said.

During the three days, communications students are planning to strike on campus outside of the Communication Studies and Journalism building. “We are going to be encouraging students not to go to class but we won’t be physically blocking any students,” Gold-Apel said.

Charles Acland, the chair of the communications department, told The Concordian he understands and supports the students’ decision to strike. “I think the students are very much engaged and interested in advancing the idea that paid internships is a much more equitable and fair way to run internship programs,” he said. “I wish them all the best in that endeavour.”

Acland said internships offered through the department are unpaid but they fulfill

certain course requirements, and the interns are credited for them. However, he said companies are not offering paid internships. When they do, Acland said the communications department “will be reviewing those and considering them.”

The department is considering the possibility of having an ad-hoc committee that would “help facilitate a more equitable and fair internship policy.” Acland hopes to have student representation in the committee. The chair and the internship coordinator are in talks with the executives of COMS Guild regarding the committee.

Sean Illman-Wh ite, secretary of academic affairs and advocacy at the SCPASA, said their department also voiced a positive outlook towards students’ decision to strike. “We have a very good working relationship with our professors,” he said. “I think they’ll be working with us as opposed to against us.”

On behalf of International Women’s Day, the SCPASA will also be striking on March 8 to echo the fact that unpaid internships particularly affect many female-dominated fields, such as nursing, teaching and social work. Illman-White said public affairs students will be joining the women’s march in Montreal to tackle women’s issues in addition to unpaid internships.

The SCPASA hopes to shut down all of their classes during the week of March 18. During the strike, the association will hold another general assembly to discuss whether or not their strike should be extended.

Journalism undergraduate students Miriam Lafontaine, Erika Morris and Jon Milton presented

Around a thousand Montrealers took to the streets on Sunday near Montreal’s Algerian consulate to rally against the Algerian president’s re-election bid, according to the CBC. Many voiced their disapproval of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika as they feel he is unfit to lead the country.

A 67-year-old woman suffered traumatic head injuries after a car accident on Sunday morning, according to CBC . She is presently in critical condition at a hospital. Police arrested a man in his 30s who was allegedly driving under the influence when he hit the woman’s vehicle after shifting out of lane. The suspect suffered no injuries.

Graphic by @spooky_soda

a strike motion against unpaid internships at a JSA general assembly in mid-December, and it passed on Jan. 16.

“We wanted to have more departments on strike at the same time to combine pressure on the university,” said Lafontaine.

Lafontaine said a press conference will be held on the first strike day. Throughout the week, a series of workshops will be hosted to educate students on their working conditions, which will include one about students’ rights as interns and freelancers in Quebec, and another about safety measures during protests.

“We want to join in the Quebec-wide movement against unpaid internships, because the more students go on strike, the more the provincial government is likely to meet our demands,” said Lafontaine.

MARCH 5, 2019

theconcordian

3

NATION CGA trial hears final arguments IN BRIEF

LAWSUIT

Centre for Gender Advocacy, provincial government wrap up hearings

MINA MAZUMDER ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR The B.C. Supreme Court allowed a 14-year-old transgender teen to begin hormone replacement therapy despite his father’s objections, according to The National Post. The judge said the female-to-male adolescent understands the implications of testosterone injections, and delaying the process could cause him to harm himself again. This ongoing legal fight raises questions about parental rights and child independence.

A Quebec City dentist is looking for two employees for the spring to meet the popularity of her unique ser vice that brings dental care to patients’ homes, according to CBC. For the past five years, Sarah Gagné has been providing mobile services to people with limited mobility, such as seniors and people with disabilities.

Wednesday’s hearing was the last of three days devoted to closing arguments. Photo by Ian Down.

IAN DOWN NEWS EDITOR Nearly all of the 50 seats in the courtroom were filled on the last day of the Centre for Gender Advocacy's (CGA) lawsuit against the Quebec Government.

On Feb. 27, the provincial government’s defence team made their final arguments.

In their argument, the defence addressed the testimonies made throughout the trial. During seven weeks of hearings, the topics ranged from transgender youth, to parents, immigrants, and nonbinary people.

The CGA is seeking to invalidate several articles of the Civil Code of Québec it claims violate the rights of transgender and gender nonbinary people. Article 62 states that transgender youth 14 years and older must have parental consent to change their legal name. “We want to make sure a minor has the cognitive abilities to make this decision,” said defence lawyer Stephanie Roberts in defence of the legislation.

Defence lawyer Sophie Primeau argued it was no longer necessary to change the laws regarding gender markers on birth certificates. Because of article 146 of the Civil code, Quebec residents must choose to identify as either male or female on official documentation. However, during

the first day of testimony on Jan. 15, the Directeur de l'état civil—the provincial body responsible for drawing up birth, death, and marriage certificates—announced it would remove gender markers from personal identification upon request. This is an administrative change that does not alter the Civil Code.

Primeau added that allowing non-citizens to change their name and gender marker on their documentation could cause complications across national borders. Quebec is currently the only province requiring a person to be a citizen to change their name or gender marker on their personal identification cards.

I n J a n u a r y, Fr a n ç o i s e S u s s e t, a psychologist and transgender activist, testified on the stigma faced by transgender youth. She said young people often fail to receive parental permission to change their name and gender marker.

The defence argued that because the CGA had not found a trans minor to testify, they had not presented enough evidence to show that parental stigma was a prevalent issue.

Following the defence's arguments, plaintiff lawyer Audrey Boctor delivered her final remarks. She sounded choked up as she responded to the defence's criticisms of her case. She said the lawsuit was about the fundamental

right to human dignity. “I ask myself if the attorney general really understands what human dignity means,” she said.

Boctor said administrative changes are not enough to address the issues raised by the CGA’s lawsuit, since changing the legislation itself would help validate transgender and nonbinary identities. “When I hear these arguments, it just underscores why it is so important to go beyond the cosmetic changes that are being proposed,” she said.

Regarding the lack of a testimony from a transgender youth, Boctor said it had been “impossible” to find someone who fit the criteria. For someone to testify against article 62, they would have to have applied for a name change and been refused because they lacked parental consent, and still be willing to testify.

Boctor said the idea that allowing non-citizens to change their gender markers poses a security concern only “cont r ibutes to t he st igma” around transgender immigrants.

Hon. Judge Gregory Moore said the final words of the day. “[This case] touches people in their daily lives, but it also reaches really deeply into how society is organized in a civil law jurisdiction, into how Quebec and Canada are organized in terms of fundamental rights,” he said.

Jody Wilson-Raybould, former minister of justice and attorney general of Canada, announced on Sunday she will be running as a Liberal candidate in the upcoming federal elections, according to CBC . WilsonRaybould, who testified last week concerning the SNC-Lavalin controversy, would run in the Vancou ver Gr anv ille r iding .

However, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is debating whether or not she should remain in the caucus.

S o m e of C a n a d a’s lea d in g water bottle brands have sold water that customers complained smelled of ‘urine’ and ‘dirty socks,’ according to the CBC. According to four years’ wor th of repor ts from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the brands Dasani, Real Canadian N a t u r a l S p r i n g W a t e r, a n d Refreshe spring water, among others, sold water with foul odors and tastes. The reports also found high levels of sulphur, a chemical element found in matches and fireworks.

Graphic by @spooky_soda

“We are happy with the work our lawyers have done,” said Dalia Tourki, a trans advocate and educator with the CGA, who spearheaded the lawsuit. “Much of what the government is saying has been deconstructed by our lawyers. There is no credibility to their argument.”

Moore said he could not give a definite timeline for when he would render his decision . “ It won’t be tomorrow, but it won’t be next year,” he said.

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theconcordian

MARCH 5, 2019

WORLD Climate protest comes to Montreal IN BRIEF Thousands expected at March 15 demo against climate change ACTIVISM

MINA MAZUMDER ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

U.S. President Donald Trump verbally attacked Special Counsel Robert Mueller at a Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland on Saturday, according to BBC. During the summit, Trump said Mueller had never received a single vote for his role in the Russia probe investigation. Mueller is expected to submit a report about it to the attorney general in the coming weeks.

Graphic by Ana Bilokin.

NASA declared that its Curiosity rover, a robot that was active on Mars from 2004 to 2018, is back to work after a strange glitch, according to BGR. This discover y comes after NASA declared Curiosity to be ‘dead’ due to a sandstorm in 2018. NASA is investigating what prompted Curiosity to go back to its safe mode.

SIMON PRUD’HOMME STAFF WRITER Concordia students will join thousands of others across the world in the March 15 global protest against climate change.

La Planète s’invite à l’Université, a collective of students in Quebec, are organizing demonstrations across the province, including in Montreal. Jamie Latvaitis, Concordia political science student and member of the group, said the goal is to put pressure on the government to pass legislation to fight climate change.

Many other protests will be happening the same day all around the world. Many groups led by students began these strikes in response to the call of 16-year-old Greta Thunberg from Sweden, who said it was time for governments to take action against climate change.

The teenager highlighted the importance of such legislation during last year’s COP24 climate conference in Poland, according to CNN. The conferences are held every year by the UN in an effort to find climate change solutions. Thunberg plans to strike before Sweden’s parliament until they respect the Paris agreement. This agreement, signed by all UN members, seeks to limit global warming to 1.5 degree celsius.

By banding together, students involved in the movement hope their message will be heard by their governments. They believe that they have more power and visibility speaking from one united voice.

Latvaitis said La Planète wants the government to establish an educational program in partnership with young citizens that teaches ecology and informs them about climate change.

The group wants climate laws that meet the objectives recommended by

the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

The IPCC recommends a CO2 global net reduction of about 45 per cent compared to 2010 levels by 2030 and reduction of methane of 50 per cent by 2050.

La planète s’invite à L’Université wants academic institutions to show greater transparency concerning their investments in fossil fuels, and keep a carbon report in order to target the most important greenhouse gas producers and reduce them.

About 48,500 students across Quebec will be on strike on March 15. La Planète s’invite à L‘Université will take to the streets of Montreal and spread their message that now is the time for the government to take action.

“We feel a powerful wave of change wanting to take over,” said Latvaitis. “New values, new interests, and new ways to see the world. The fight for climate action is a fight for all of these things.”

Following the same wave as La Planète s’invite au Parlement, a collective created

by Dominic Champagne, artistic director for the Cirque du Soleil, decided to draft a “Pacte pour la transition.” This is a contract that citizens can sign as proof of their efforts to change their daily habits to protect the environment.

Champagne and fellow artists gathered more than 50,000 people to protest in Montreal in November, as well as thousands across Quebec.

La Planète s’invite à l’Université plans to hold a conference where experts will talk about climate change and inform people on what can be done and what is already done in the rest of the world.

Latvaitis said the creation of a climate policy could be done as part of a collabora-

tion between faculties, such as biology and political science, at schools across Quebec.

That new policy would also be inspired by the IPCC, whose main role is to assess the state of knowledge of climate change, according to its website. The IPCC also publishes studies to showcase the impacts of climate change as well as solutions that include a reduction of poverty.

Latvaitis said that a temperature change of just 0.5 degrees can have a major impact.

“The IPCC, the highest authority of opinion on climate change, are aiming for a 1.5 degrees increase instead of 2 degrees. They explained that the difference of just 0.5 degrees would save hundreds of species,” according to an IPCC study.

The Concordia Student Union is supporting Concordia’s division of La Planète s’invite à L’Université, according to Latvaitis. The organizers are expecting about 400 Concordia students to take part in the protest and join thousands of other Montreal students.

Mental disorders are more common in people who grew up in environments that lack green spaces, according to a study from the Aarhus University in Denmark. The researchers studied children from birth to age 10 and the mental disorders that could develop as they grew older.

Children who were raised in green environments, such as parks and forests, were 55 per cent less likely to develop mental disorders, such as obsessive compulsive disorder and schizophrenia.

On Monday, Pope Francis announced the access to archives from World War II from the pontificate of Pius XII will be open on March 2, 2020, according to The New York Times.

These archives will allow scholars and historians to learn more about the former pope’s response to the Holocaust. The Vatican traditionally opens archives to the public 70 years after the end of a pontificate.

Graphic by @spooky_soda

MARCH 5, 2019

theconcordian

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RESEARCH

Could short naps offset sleep deprivation?

New study by Concordia grad student looks at the effects of recovery naps

ALEXIA MARTEL-DESJARDINS STAFF WRITER A study on sleep could offer new insight into the benefits of recovery naps. Alex Nguyen, a Concordia Master of Science candidate, conducted a research project to find out more about what happens to our brains after sleep deprivation and during recovery naps.

Nguyen compared the cognitive performance and brain connectivity of participants after a full night of sleep, and after a night of total sleep deprivation.

The novelty of his research lies in the fact that he continued to monitor the participants after a night of total sleep deprivation—he monitored them during and after a 60-minute recovery nap. He used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and ElectroEncephaloGraphy (EEG) to measure brain activity.

“What we’re doing new here is we’re going to have them take that nap,” said Nguyen. He explained other studies did not evaluate cognitive performance and brain activity during and after a short period of recovery sleep.

Another novelty in Nguyen’s study was his simultaneous use of EEG and fMRI to obtain the results. “Usually people only do one or the other,” he said, adding that combining the measures of both will provide more comprehensive results. “EEG is really good at temporal resolution, meaning it’s good at capturing when things happen, and fMRI is really good at taking spatial resolution, meaning where it happens,” he said.

Nguyen is cur rently wor k ing on analyzing the results of his research from summer 2018. So far, “it shows that with just one hour of nap, you can find improvement in your performance,” said Nguyen.

A total of 20 people completed Nguyen’s full study process. Each participant spent three nights at the PERFORM Centre, where Nguyen and other students conducted their research on sleep. The first night ser ved as a habituation night to “let

Researcher Alex Nguyen said sleep is a topic he continues to investigate. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

you get used to the environment,” said Nguyen. “It’s not always that you sleep in a new environment with an EEG cap on.”

The participants returned for a second night; half of them started with a normal, full night of sleep, and the other half started with a night of sleep deprivation.

The former wore an EEG cap while they slept, a cap with electrodes that monitor the neurological connections in the brain.

In the morning, they did an fMRI screening with the EEG cap on and completed a series of tasks that tested their working memory, vigilance, attention levels, and resting state.

During the night of sleep deprivation, the par ticipants stayed awake with volunteers who made sure they didn’t fall asleep. In the morning, participants went in the fMRI scanner with the EEG cap and completed the same task s.

Then, they stayed in the fMRI scanner to take a 60-minute nap. Upon waking up, they performed these tasks again. This allowed Nguyen to observe what goes on inside the brain during this second test and to compare their performance before and after the nap.

However, cognitive performance after the recovery nap is not as good as after a normal night; the nap helps reduce the extent to which brain

performance is diminished after sleep deprivation. “We might think it’s not that important, like, ‘Oh I’m going to pull an all-nighter to ace this exam.’

But in the end, maybe pulling an all-nighter, based on these results, you’re going to see you’re not going to perform as well.”

Nguyen thinks that the malfunction of network connectivity inside the brain after sleep deprivation might cause task performance to deteriorate. “When they’re sleep deprived, it actually becomes a chaos,” said Nguyen. “Networks that should be talking to each other are no longer talking to each other, and networks that shouldn't be talking to each other are now talking to each other.”

By the end of the summer, Nguyen will know more about brain activity during and following a nap. “I think the most surprising part is going to be what goes on inside the brain because that’s something that no one has looked at before,” said Nguyen.

The study might also bring up new knowledge about power naps because it looks at the effects of these naps on brain connectivity. Dr. Melodee Mograss, a neurocognitive psychology research associate at the PERFORM Centre Sleep laboratory, also conducts

research to find out more on the effects of nap and exercise on productivity.

She said naps can be beneficial if they do not occur too close to bedtime. “The nap does help fend off fatigue and it’s important to take a nap if you are tired because there’s a chance of accidents, and performance errors because your cognition is impaired,” she said.

About 32 per cent of Canadians aged between 18 and 64 years old are sleeping less than the recommended seven to nine hours per night, according to Statistics Canada. Nguyen said his study targeted a key age group, which was 18 to 30 years old. Most participants were university students, whom Nguyen said are especially at risk for sleep deprivation. “As undergraduate students, we are staying up late a lot of times to complete work, academic needs, jobs,” and other responsibilities, he said.

Nguyen said research on sleep is crucial. “There’s an increase of people getting insomnia [and an] increase of people getting sleep deprived because of work demands, academic demands or social demands,” he said.

“It’s something that still intrigues me every day, I keep learning and I think that’s [what’s] beautiful about research.”

Participants of the study stayed three nights in this room at the PERFORM Centre. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

The EEG cap measures brain activity during sleep. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

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theconcordian

MARCH 5, 2019

STUDENT LIFE

Concordia to host first Model UN conference Delegations from all over the world will be participating in the committees MIA ANHOURY NEWS EDITOR The Concordia Model United Nations (ConMUN) association is hosting its first conference, with a theme of freedom of expression and tolerance, from March 8 to 10 on campus.

Gabriel Guppy-Garba, secretar y general of ConMUN has been planning this conference alongside his team since the 2017-18 academic year under his mandate of vice president of special project.

“My early job was actually setting the foundation for the conference that would happen this year,” said Guppy-Garba. “I had to set up a framework for it because Concordia [had] never held one before.”

Model United Nations (MUN), are simulations in which participants, who are called delegates, learn about diplomacy and international relations through a series of committees and debates. Created a few years after the UN, “it was made to give people an understanding about different global affairs through simulation,” said Guppy-Garba.

ConMUN’s first conference includes committees on the duties and rights of journalists, the organization of African unit y, freedom of speech and social media, the Yemeni crisis and social activism within the NFL, among many others. There will also be a committee on the Spanish Civil War and Francisco Franco’s dictatorship.

ConMUN has been an active delegation in conferences around the world. The Concordia association has had a 30 yearlong run, according to Guppy-Garba. He said what inhibited the association from

“Forming the team became very natural,” said Gabriel Guppy-Garba. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

hosting a conference, like other divisions of MUN, “was the fact that we didn’t have a large basis and the group was fluctuating back and forth.” He added that issues with member participation and funding made organizing a conference more difficult.

Former ConMUN president, Andrei Bochis s aid this conference is an i mportant milestone for the association and the university. “In the past two years, most of the financial policies that were implemented to save money were meant also for the club to have the resources to, one day, build a conference,” said Bochis in a statement to The Concordian.

Guppy-Garba said delegations from all over the world are coming to the

conference, including Italy, Ghana, Dubai, and Latin America. “What’s really interesting is you get to meet a lot of driven people and a lot of people can be very similar to you, but can also be very different.”

Guppy-Garba said that instead of learning through an abstract and formal way, MUN makes it tangible through the simulation. “It simulates different bodies where you get to play one of the different countries, and you get to learn about their foreign policies and where they stand on issues like healthcare, education, culture and security.”

According to Guppy-Garba, ConMUN became one of the top 50 delegations

in North America in the 2017-18 Best Delegate rankings. ConMUN delegates have accumulated 56 awards since 2017.

“A lot of people saw that Concordia was a very strong delegation, but that we didn’t have our place, like having our own conference,” Guppy-Garba said, adding that the first conference can be credited to his team. “They really wanted to see everything that we worked on put together into something tangible. And so, when you have a lot of people that are very involved, forming the team became very natural.”

Bochis said “Concordia having their [conference] is a dream come true for most of us that worked hard in the past years to see this club among the top in North America.”

WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK Our sustainability planning has come a long way! Have your say and help shape Concordia’s directions on Food, Waste, Climate, Research and Curriculum for our 2019-2024 Sustainability Plan.

Join the consultation process and get a chance to win a free one-year BIXI membership!

Register at concordia.ca/sustainability to attend one of the sessions or to fill out our online survey.

Loyola Tuesday, March 19, 2019 12:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.

Loyola Jesuit Hall and Conference Centre (RF-120) Food will be served

Sir George Williams Friday, March 22, 2019 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Grey Nuns Event Hall (GN –E-104) Food will be served

life

Letter from Morocco

LIFE EDITOR /// life@theconcordian.com ALEX HUTCHINS ( @alexhutchinns96)

HUMANS OF CONCORDIA

Mahmudul Haque Jishan

How one student uses excess food to help a community at no extra cost

Mahmudul Haque Jishan is pursuing his master’s in engineering at Concordia. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

JACOB CAREY LIFE ASSISTANT In December 2018, Mahmudul Haque Jishan’s routine late-night departures from work at Arabica Lounge turned into something more. He had noticed the amount of excess food being wasted at the restaurant, and saw an opportunity to improve the living conditions for Montreal’s homeless community.

“I’ve been working at this place since October,” said Jishan. “I saw that there was a lot of food waste, but at the same time, when I’m coming home at night at 2 a.m. or 3 a.m., there are still homeless people.

I tried one day to give them food and then I went back the next day and asked the same person, ‘Was this food good enough for you?’ They said, ‘Yes.’” Jishan is from Bangladesh where he says homelessness is a common sight.

However, he did not expect it to be the same story in a developed country such as Canada. Additionally, the homeless community in Montreal have to deal with

the unbearable and often fatal temperatures during Canada’s harsh winters.

When Jishan first began working at Arabica Lounge near the Sir George Williams campus, he often noticed food that had been wasted by customers.

Food was ordered, yet uneaten; such as a small portion of fries, rice, pita, or salad.

On his way home, Jishan began to stop by fast food restaurants around campus, namely McDonald’s, Tim Hortons and Burger King along Ste. Catherine St. W. These restaurants also had excess food waste and were willing to give it to him to contribute to his initiative.

“There is a Tim Hortons beside Concordia University that is [open] 24/7 and there are at least five or six people outside of there,” said Jishan. “I have three days of work a week and after every night I go, there are still people there.” Jishan soon noticed the same faces waiting outside the Tim Hortons and continued to give them leftover food.

He started to categorize the food into plastic bags and would leave his shifts with enough to feed at least four people. It was not long until others around him began to take notice.

“I tried one day to give them food and then I went back the next day and asked the same person, ‘Was this food good enough for you?’ They said, ‘Yes,’” said Jishan. Photo courtesy of interviewee.

Jishan hopes that, as he continues his initiative, other restaurants will take notice.

Restaurants willing to give their leftovers to the homeless benefit their community at no extra cost.

“The people I work with at the restaurant, my colleagues who are also students, have asked what I was doing and they said ‘Okay, we will do it too.’ I asked my manager ‘Can I do this?’ They said they won’t get involved but they’ll allow me to do it, no problem,” said Jishan.

Jishan hopes that, as he continues his initiative, other restaurants will take notice. Restaurants willing to give their leftovers to the homeless benefit their community at no extra cost.

Jishan says that those he has already helped have never complained about receiving wasted food and have always accepted it graciously. He is adamant that if restaurant workers consciously try to conserve food waste during their shift, they could always leave with enough to feed a few mouths.

“I have just started my master’s in engineering,” said Jishan, “and many of the students here are working at different restaurants so we want to make a formal organization where each of us wants to contribute.”

After graduating, Jishan wants to use the connections he has made in school to start an organization that will tackle this issue efficiently. In the meantime, he hopes his story will inspire more people and restaurants to create change.

Companies can contribute to a cause that will drastically improve the quality of life for those who are less fortunate without spending a dime. They simply have to start.

A student on exchange writes to their loved ones in Montreal VIRGINIE ANN CONTRIBUTOR Feb. 25 Dear Katy, I arrived in Morocco one month ago today.

Time seems to go by so quickly sometimes.

The weeks I’ve spent here have been so far from the reality I was expecting. I can still see the anxiety in my friends’ and family’s eyes and feel the tension in their embraces as we said goodbye just a few weeks ago. Africa. That single word—the entire continent carries so many misconceptions and prejudices. I was starting to feel so trapped in my own occidental perspective—and in other people’s ideas—that I embarked on this journey for many reasons. But in the end, I really just wanted to see for myself. And dear, the past few weeks have already shown me such an eclectic, extraordinary place.

I flew to Rabat and automatically wandered into the labyrinthine marketplace of the Medina. I’ve found myself in situations where I am literally the only woman present. It’s a man’s world, but one that is fast-changing. I was expecting to feel consistently repressed, but in reality, I feel empowered by witnessing such a sense of solidarity between women. I am not welcomed with judgmental looks, but with warm smiles. I don’t think I’ve ever entirely comprehended the power of my freedom as a western woman or questioned it until now. Here, I walk the streets and I feel privileged. Call me naive, but Rabat has been so good to me.

The Moroccans’ kindness is so special. I’m finding such a strong sense of community—from the way people share their meals, consistently offer their help, laugh together, and greet you with “Salaam Aleikum,” or “peace be upon you.” I know this is just a first impression, but it’s such a contrast from back home, on such a deep level, that I sometimes fear I’ll never want to come back. And while everyone does stare at me, sometimes calling me “la gazelle,” “fromage,” or even “la blanche,” I’ve been responding with an open mind and my boundless sense of humour.

You know, most people think of Marrakech or Casablanca as the capital of Morocco, but it’s actually Rabat that holds the title since the country’s independence in 1912, and it has become so internationally accessible. We are barely one hour away from Casablanca, where I’ve heard life is chaotic and loud—even overwhelming—and yet, it’s so calm here.

As I sit on the roof of the house I now call “home,” beautiful Rabat is alive and well before my eyes. I can’t resist glimpsing over my neighbours’ rooftops, where mixed colours of hanging clothes and blooming flowers add to the diversity of the scenery.

In front of me, the Bou Regreg river— which separates the neighbouring city Salé from Rabat—is circling the old, fortified neighbourhood of Kasbah des Oudayas like a thick knife cutting into butter. I have to squint as I write to you, as the reflection of the sun on the water is bouncing onto my white pages. I am in awe as I sit before the imposing, bright blue Atlantic’s work, and deeply wish I could teleport you here to show you. Montreal seems so far from me now. I’ll send you another letter soon.

I can’t wait to tell you about my luck finding the gorgeous house I now live in with cats (yes, I am still very allergic, but I like to believe constant sneezing is now part of my charm), as well as the wild feasts and the musical nights I’ve been sharing with locals.

Beslama my dear friend!

Virginie Graphic by @spooky_soda

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theconcordian

MARCH 5, 2019

ACTIVISM

Taking control of the conversation

The Woman Power platform helps women around the city embrace their diversity BRITANNY GUISEPPE-CLARKE CONTRIBUTOR

social media. Last November, they launched a bilingual podcast.

For the podcast’s first season, International Women’s Day is meant Che explained that they chose to to celebrate women all around the feature female artists from Montreal globe. It’s a day when we commemsuch as Richenda Grazette, Anick orate what women have accomplished Jasmin, Feza S. Lugoma and more. and address what has yet to be Each guest discusses their work done. It’s a day when women are and talks about the importance of celebrated in all their diversity. art, culture and women in Montreal.

Hanna Che co-founded a platform These artists are also contributors called The Woman Power in response to the installation called Les vraies to this lack of representation. “I grew Demoiselles d’Avignon which was up in Montreal-North and when I was presented in the exposition D’Afrique younger, I never saw anything on TV aux Amériques : Picasso en facethat represented me or my reality,” à-face, d’hier à aujourd’hui at The said Che. Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

The reality is that diversity amongst Members of The Woman Power On Feb. 22, women gathered for The Sisterhood’s monthly meeting at The Local Lululemon in Mile End women isn’t always embraced. In are currently working on the next where they discussed this month’s theme of digital identity. Photo by Tyra Muria Trono. mainstream media, marginalized season of their podcast, set to be women, especially women of colour through Instagram and other social media digital identity, etc.) and from there, they released this summer. Che said and of the LGBTQ+ community, are often platforms. “Since we existed on social formulate questions to lead discussions. new artists will be invited to discuss the underrepresented. media, we wanted to bring people that The team is there as guidance, not to theme of identity, which will be the main The Woman Power is a platform that followed us online to meet in real life,” give advice to the women attending. The focus of the upcoming season. gives a voice to anyone identifying as a said Che, “That’s why we created The meetings are about letting women take The Woman Power is always thinking woman and highlights women of all ethnic Sisterhood.” control of the conversation and allowing of new projects to delve into. They want and cultural backgrounds through their The Sisterhood was created two them to share their stories with each other. to create more content and grow as a work. “We wanted to create something years ago. “It’s a safe space where “We’re all about positivity,” Che said, platform to spread their message to more positive," said Che. "We live in an era women get to discuss various subjects “It’s about personal development, learning people, Che said. where it’s easy to be angry at everything and share experiences with each to love yourself, listening to other people’s Even if Women’s Day only happens on and we wanted to change the narrative other,” Che said. stories and coming out a better human March 8, The Woman Power celebrates of the angry black woman."

Che explained that every month, being.” women 365 days a year and encourages The Woman Power started in 2016. At members of The Woman Power pick a topic The Sisterhood is not the only way The them to join the worldwide conversation that time, it operated almost exclusively for the meeting (such as mental illness, Woman Power is trying to expand beyond about issues women still face today.

COMPETITION

Beyond the business benefits of JMUCC Non-business students attending Case Competition walk away inspired

ALESSIA PROIETTI CONTRIBUTOR While you need to be a business student to join the John Molson Undergraduate Case Competition (JMUCC), you do not have to be a business student to reap the benefits it has to offer.

Last week, 24 universities from around the world came to the 11th edition of the JMUCC. During the competition, teams of four are presented with a real case from a local business where, in three hours, they must identify a problem and create an action plan how they intend to solve it.

Contestants must present their ideas through a PowerPoint presentation to a panel of judges in 20 minutes, after which they will face a 10-minute question period. Teams did this three times from Feb. 25 to 27, and then completed a 24-hour long business case on Saturday.

The event is open to the public to watch for free or live online. Students from all business disciplines are allowed to compete—but what about non-business students?

“This whole experience is about not just cracking a case, but it's also about how you develop that business thinking that's so crucial and so important to all the programs that people are studying,” said Kawish Lakhani, a tech volunteer for the event.

During presentations, guests witness how teams have worked together by putting forward their individual skill sets. Students can learn

valuable presentation skills like voice projection, concise phrasing and developing unique presentation styles. Most importantly, students can learn to have fun while developing new skills; a mix many students deem impossible when presenting. Seham Allison, a contestant for Concordia, did just that by laughing with the judges at her tongue-tied moment when she tried to say the word “compensation.”

As an added bonus, with the 10-minute question period, students can see how participants think quickly on their feet—a skill they can use for future job interviews.

The John Molson Undergraduate Case Competition (JMUCC) was held at Hotel Bonaventure at 900 Concordia contestant Mathieu Rue de la Gauchetière from Feb. 25 to 27, with the final day on March 2. Photo by Mackenzie Lad. Kost brought up a different point of view. He expressed the limitations for especially in a work setting. Students national students present, an extensive list non-business students visiting the event, as participating in the competition come from of companies sponsor the event, such as they do not have access to read the cases Canada, the United States, China, England, RBC, CN, Ardene and IBM, to name a few. beforehand and therefore would not be Ireland and more. “You can see there’s a Students can make connections that can help able to understand and learn fully. cultural difference in how we look at issues, them in their personal or business-related However, he did mention that there are how we solve problems, what we prioritize endeavors. benefits for students who own businesses as as a primary issue,” said John Fragos, a “It’s inspirational,” said Kevin Phok, they could learn “tangible actions that don’t member of the Concordia team. a member of the Concordia team. At cost too much money […] and then replicate “You can bond with a bunch of JMSB JMUCC, students from all domains can that specific piece of recommendation in students that you wouldn’t necessarily get be inspired and educated. These profestheir business.” to meet if it weren't for JMUCC, and meet sional skill sets can be applied to their For those who wish to travel or pursue people from all around the world,” said own lives since, after all, when you’re an careers elsewhere, they must know before- Julia Wheeler, the VP of logistics for the entrepreneur, everything is a business hand that every culture thinks differently, event. Due to the large amount of inter- opportunity.

arts

Happening in and around the White Cube this week…

ARTS EDITOR /// arts@theconcordian.com CHLOË LALONDE

COVER STORY

The search for truth in a digital age Art Souterrain considers honesty, technology and accessibility DAISY DUNCAN ASSISTANT ARTS EDITOR Annual Montreal contemporary arts festival Art Souterrain is celebrating its 11th edition, with this year’s theme being True Or False. Considering the relationship between the digital world and easy access to information, the festival is focused on looking at how that influences a navigation of the truth. In its opening statement on the festival and this year’s theme, Art Souterrain considers that: “Indeed, art is, in essence, an illusion of reality, a way of, in turn, representing, denying and questioning.”

This year, Art Souterrain takes place from March 2 to 24, hosting a large number of varied activities and featuring a mixture of both local and international artists, in various locations across the city. The underground passages across the city are the central location for many of the events, which includes the launch of the exhibition during Nuit Blanche, on March 2. A central focus of the festival this year is accessibility and diversity, by including more activities for families and children, along with a more diversified itinerary overall.

The festival is free, which plays into its focus on greater accessibility. The events are all held in public spaces, such as the underground tunnels, and Cinema du Parc, and the Cultural Institute of Mexico in Montreal. While art galleries around the city will also be hosting these events (including Concordia University’s VAV Gallery), the use of public and untraditional art spaces aims to challenge traditional structures of viewing and interacting with art, as well as some of the exclusivity that can often be present in these environments.

The festival includes Concordia alum and multimedia artist Florence Yee’s exhibition, Stuffed Kitsch, which will be showing at Complexe Guy-Favreau, from

CHLOË LALONDE ARTS EDITOR

A central focus of the festival this year is accessibility and diversity, by including more activities for families and children. Photo by Mike Patten.

March 2. Stuffed Kitsch consists of fleece objects, with polyester stuffing, appearing as blue and white porcelain ceramics. The work navigates the nuances and histories behind these objects, in the context of 17th century relations between European consumers and East Asian aesthetics.

Diaspora, truth and falsity are considered through Yee’s work.

6 Times Cameras Caught Molly Soda Off Guard is another exhibition that is showing during Art Souterrain , also at Complexe Guy-Favreau. The artist behind this work is Molly Soda, a visual and performance artist from Puerto Rico, based in the United States. Soda’s work is often online only, and explores themes of identity and connection, along with online culture. Social media platforms are often the medium that she translates these focuses through, creating work that promotes cyberfeminism using the digital to navigate humanity and human feelings.

Some of the other events include a

Concordia alum, Florence Yee, navigates the nuances behind 17th century relations between European consumers and East Asian aesthetics in Stuffed Kitsch.

tour of the underground tunnels, and family friendly events that encourage participants and viewers to also create art. On Saturday, March 9, a guided tour titled At The Edge Of Reality brings participants along three different thematic routes of Montreal’s underground tunnels. The event provides participants with greater knowledge of these tunnels, through sharing information about their structure and purpose.

As part of the family focus of Art Souterrain, the festival will be offering a special drawing workshop, in collaboration with the Place Ville Marie Observatory. On Wednesday, March 6, families will be able to draw and create a piece of art inspired by Alexander Pilis, whose work will be displayed in the observatory.

Pilis is an artist based in both Montreal and São Paulo, Brazil. His work considers the Architecture Parallax, which challenges ideas of vision as the only, and complete, verification of reality. Through this, Pilis has created a multimedia project that navigates the complexities of architecture, concepts of reality, and sight and vision.

Adding to the unique take on this workshop held in the observatory, Pilis will also be present for the event, along with an animator to help facilitate the event.

The location of the event will provide participants with a stunning panorama view, connecting specific aspects, such as vision and view, architecture, and interaction with art.

Over the first three weeks of March, True Or False will be pushing traditional art-viewing boundaries and sharing a diverse range of activities and events with Montreal. Showcasing different mediums, different themes, and different locations, there is something for everyone, when considering the ever-present ideas of truth in a digital age.

To find out more about Art Souterrain and this year’s events, visit their website: artsouterrain.com.

In its 19th year, Art Matters is the largest student run, non-profit art festival in North America. Every year, Art Matters selects curators for 10 exhibitions, who are then tasked with selecting up to 10 artists to complete their exhibition. This year, the festival began on March 2 during Nuit Blanche, with an ephemeral, outdoor exhibition at the Darling Foundry’s Place Publique. Would You Bury Me? was curated by Megan K. Quigley and featured eight multidisciplinary artists whose work questioned the act of saying “no.”

The suffocating, impractical desire to name is a weekly radio show that will be hosting a live performance event on March 15 from 6 to 10 p.m. Tune in to CIBL 101.5 on March 11, 19 and 26 at 6 p.m. to listen to nine works selected by the show’s curator, Emily Sirota.

Sous nos souffles // Vulnerability Lingers will feature the work of seven artists, surrounding ideas of touch. Curated by Tina Lê and Éloïse Joubert, the exhibition is open until March 17 at Galerie POPOP in the Belgo Building.

Opening on March 7 at NOMADNation, Interface takes its inspiration from the emergence of software development with the Jacquard loom. The exhibition includes a satellite exhibition at the Concordia Webster Library Visualization Studio on Thursdays from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until March 26.

The first week of the festival ends with a special, double vernissage on Friday, March 8 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. At Espace POP, porpos asks viewers to question the purpose behind the nine artworks exhibited and at the Rialto Theatre, Digital Dreams / I’ll dream about this someday considers the digital era’s ability to absorb visual information.

Opening on March 10 at Studio XX, In search of delicious features the works of seven artists who search for pleasure, satisfaction, well-being and care.

At Espace 8, students Nina Molto and Louise Campion have curated Look at what you made me do, an exhibition that looks at popular culture’s meme society and the relationship between images and text. The vernissage is on March 20 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

With a vernissage on March 22 at 6 p.m., MALAISE shines light on how women’s bodies and feminine power are “demonized” in today’s society, through explorations of gender, the bizarre, and feelings of unease.

And finally, from March 11 to 22, with Art Souterrain and displayed at the VAV Gallery, Sites of Embodied Silence questions the political nature of silence and censorship in this era of resistance.

For more information about Art Matters’s events and exhibitions, consult @artmattersfestival on Facebook or artmattersfestival.org.

Graphic by Ana Bilokin.

FEATURE: PART-TIME MARCH FACULTY PROFILE 5, 2019 10 theconcordian

Following the tide of artistic creation Part-time studio arts instructor Jenny Lin on how her practice continues to evolve MAGGIE HOPE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF “I’ve been working in a really introspective way,” Jenny Lin said of her recent artistic endeavours. The visual artist and part-time Concordia professor has found herself in what seems to be a creative ebb—drawing back from her usual schedule to make room for new projects and pursuits.

One glance at Lin’s resume will reveal how busy she’s been over the past couple of decades, with most of her artistic work taking place during her teaching career at Concordia. “I feel like I can be a better teacher when I’m actually making work,” she said. A 2018 recipient of the Fine Arts Distinguished Teaching Award, Lin is soft spoken yet firmly present.

Lin began teaching at the university during her master’s degree in print media in 2001. She taught a screenprinting course in her third year, but upon graduating, found herself unsure about a career as a teacher.

Instead, Lin worked in the studio arts office for a few years before Tony Patricio, the office administrator, convinced her to apply for a teaching position. She got her first teaching job in 2004 and has been an instructor at Concordia ever since.

“It made me a bit more confident and sure that I wanted to do this,” Lin said about landing her first gig. What started as a few occasional classes developed into a steady schedule, and by 2007, Lin had solidified her place at the university.

Lin said her job as a professor influences her creative career, and vice versa. “It’s inspiring to be around people making art and [to] get to talk about what they’re doing, and help guide them through the process,”

she said. “The teaching really inspires me to keep making work.” Keeping an open creative channel between work and play is essential for both aspects of her practice to succeed, Lin said. “[I’m] lucky to be able to work in the studio art [department].

Both things feed each other.”

It’s fair to say that she’s found the balance, because Lin’s artistic biography is staggering. Since her time as an undergraduate student at the University of Calgary, Lin has racked up over 150 credits in group and solo exhibitions, video screenings, residencies, artists’ book collections and workshops. But her list of accomplishments isn’t what Lin considers to be most important—it’s the people she’s been able to work with, and certain projects that have her particularly inspired.

Although Lin completed her master’s degree in print media, she also took video courses while studying at Concordia. At the time, Lin was interested in creating art through non-physical means. Though she has shifted gears a little since her graduate work, this is a sentiment the artist continues to investigate. “I feel interested in [the] different ways that people can be reached by an artwork,” she said. “It’s interesting that someone could see something on the web, in their house, or on a random computer, and enter into this world—like a story—that they get immersed in.”

In her recent projects, Lin has been more focused on print media and zine work. These works can be immersive in their own way, she explained. In addition to being a tangible medium that the viewer can interact with, “artists’ books can fit in many spaces,” she said. Opposed to more traditional work that only appears in a gallery, for example, zines and artists’ books facilitate a more intimate relationship between work and viewer, Lin said.

The artist said she feels more distant from the virtual world now than she did while creating video and digital work. “The way that I was presenting it, or the way that people were accessing it felt a little unsatisfying,” she explained. Lin refocused her practice, leading her to build quite an extensive collection of artists’ books, host bookmaking and zinemaking workshops, and participate in zine fairs across the country with her partner Eloisa Aquino, who is also an artist. Lin and Aquino publish some of their collaborative work under the name B&D Press.

In recent years, Lin has focused her artistic practice on artists’ book and zine making.

Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

It’s interesting that someone could see something on the web, in their house, or on a random computer, and enter into this world—like a story—that they get immersed in.

"

As for why she’s drawn to bookmaking and published work specifically, Lin said “[zinemaking] is a way to create a space for more marginalized voices, and also to create a different space where it’s about encountering different people.” She has worked with a variety of groups in efforts to showcase art from marginalized groups, such as the Qouleur collective, which focuses on art and activism of people of colour within the LGBTTQ+ community. According to its Twitter page, Qouleur also hosts a “festival celebrating racialized queer/trans* identities and experience.” Lin said she connected with many people, and was inspired by the time she spent working with Qouleur.

In 2015, Lin helped create the Queer Print Club at Concordia. The artist said she “felt there was a need to bring something more collective and more political into the studios, [and] it seemed like the perfect thing to bridge the community, and the art studios, and teaching in this institution.” According to Lin’s website, the club encourages undergraduate students to “[create] projects that explore

MARCH 5, 2019

theconcordian

11

“A physical object touches and impacts a person differently, and stays with them in a way that’s different than looking at something online and scrolling through or clicking through”

" The artist’s 2016 poster/zine titled That which separates you and I or here and there.

Photo courtesy of the artist.

the collaborative, community-based and democratic aspects of print.”

Although some may see print media and zine work as disposable, Lin believes in its ability to connect with and create space for those not reflected in the mainstream art scene. In mainstream publishing, for example, “there’s way more distance between the artist and the audience,” Lin said. She also finds smaller, physical artworks refreshing in an age of social media and technological inundation. “A physical object touches and impacts a person differently, and stays with them in a way that’s different than looking at something online and scrolling through or clicking through,” she said.

This is not to say that Lin considers virtual or computer-generated art forms to be inferior to her recent endeavours in print media. The artist referenced Montreal-based publishing company and studio Anteism as a current example of how to bridge the gap between virtual experience and physical work. According to Lin, Anteism experiments with artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) in tandem with publishing. Lin is particularly inspired by the work the studio does with artists’ books.

Although she has worked in the fields of AR and print media throughout her creative career, Lin admitted, “I’m not at a point where I know what to do with it myself.”

This artist also cited Zohar Kfir’s Testimony virtual reality (VR) project as insight into how computer-generated

Lin’s home studio.

Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

content can be used to express reality.

Kfir’s project involves testimonies from sexual assault survivors that the viewer is told through VR—they are confronted with looking at the subject while they tell their story, as if they were face to face. “I like the idea that people identify issues with technology,” Lin said. “If there’s a lack of something [...], people try to make work that addresses that. There are more and more people that are trying to humanize the experience of VR.” As of now, Lin has a few projects in the works, and although she admits they’re progressing slowly, she knows which direction they're headed in. The artist’s recent introspection has highlighted key ideas that she wants to explore further. Lin explained that she wants to create works by “trying to pinpoint emotional responses to different situations, and gathering really random and fragmented thoughts and fragmented images, and pairing them together [...] to create something that feels cathartic.”

Lin mentioned that her teaching schedule has reduced, allowing more time for creative pursuits, whatever those may be. She is currently working on a project with Aquino involving the Quebec Gay Archives. According to their website, “the Quebec Gay Archives have a mandate to acquire, conserve and preserve any handwritten, printed, visual or audio

Lin’s screenprinted zine, avoid taking too personally or literally, 2018.

Photo courtesy of the artist.

material which testify to the history of the LGBTQ+ communities of Quebec.” Lin and Aquino are interested in exploring queer people's responses to their collections.

Lin has also started an AR book in collaboration with Anteism, however it’s still in its early stages. “I feel like I’ve opened up more time purposefully,” the artist said, and although she has a few projects on the horizon, Lin is still waiting for them to take shape. “It’s just part of the process,” she said with a reassuring nod.

See more of Lin’s work on her website: JENNY-LIN.CA More of Lin and Aquino’s collaborative work can be found on their website: BANDDPRESS.BLOGSPOT.COM

Lin has been teaching at Concordia since she was a graduate student in 2001.

Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

...

This article is part of a series of profiles on part-time faculty at Concordia. Our goal is to highlight some of the incredible work these professors do, while also shedding light on the difference in treatment between being part-time versus full-time faculty.

This series came to life with the help of Laurie Milner, the chair of communications for the Concordia University Part-time Faculty Association (CUPFA), and Lorraine Oades, the vice-president of professional development at CUPFA.

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theconcordian

MARCH 5, 2019

PHOTOGRAPHY

An exhibition to challenge the scales Concordia Photography Collective exhibits student work at Galerie du Viaduc

YOUMNA EL HALABI STAFF WRITER “Photography has a really important role in fine arts to comment on what’s already existing in our lives,” said Concordia Photography Collective President, Olivia Ridge. “I mean it can create a lot of ideas, but it plays a role in deconstructing a lot of images.”

Ridge is originally from Minnesota, and moved to Montreal to study photography at Concordia. She has been working with the collective for over two years, and this year marks her first as president.

Several of Concordia’s photography students had their works exhibited at the Galerie du Viaduc on 5806 St-Laurent Blvd from Feb 20 to 24. This short-but-sweet exhibition strived to explore society’s tendency to rate everything on a certain scale. As described by FEAT Management, On a Scale of 1 to 10 was a photography exhibit exploring this systematic and vernacular concept used for rating things, people, places, emotions and ideas.

According to Ridge, although the Concordia Photography Collective hosts annual exhibitions of student work, this one felt different.

“We do an annual exhibition every year outside campus, mostly because we want to recognize Montreal art spaces,” Ridge said.

“But this one was a partnership with FEAT’s collective, who work with emerging artists.

Undergraduates are not recognized by art scenes, and [FEAT] is open to giving them those opportunities."

COMEDY

Mico Gonzorifico Mazza’s photograph, Two Paths . Photo by Youmna El Halabi.

Some students showed their work for the very first time.

FEAT co-founders Max and Rafaël Hart Barnwell reached out to the collective to make a collaborative exhibition and showcase student work in accordance with the theme they had created. All ideas were approved by the collective. The curating company made sure the exhibit was accessible to students and, as they do with most of their art works, encouraged many to submit.

Over 20 artists sent out their works, but 13 works from 10 artists were selected to participate. The works each conveyed the artists’ vision of what society weighs the value of.

Mico Gonzorifico Mazza’s photograph, Two Paths, shows a pair of gloves. The right glove is white, similar to that of a Mickey Mouse glove, while the left one is black leather, alluding to

a biker’s. An instant reaction is to consider it a cliché; to think of the work as an overused ideal of what people believe to be right and wrong. The white glove is positioned on the viewer’s right side and considered “normal,” symbolising the “right” path in life. On the other hand, the black glove is on the left, looking daunting in contrast with the white. Mazza did not mean for the viewer to admire the cliché, but to realize how quick the mind is reminded of values associated with certain symbols.

“We are constantly confronted in providing a relatable worth to what we encounter or do in our lives,” Raphaël explained. “We are interested in revealing the different values and processes that make up this scale while questioning the implications and consequences of adopting such a socially implied

Concordia Photography Collective hosts annual exhibitions of student work.

Photo by Youmna El Halabi.

abstract system of measurement. Through photography, we wish to portray an array of interpretations highlighting various ideas that lie behind a scale of 1 to 10.”

For more information about the artworks and artists behind them, visit FEAT management’s website, featmanagement.com.

The Concordia Photography Collective has an upcoming exhibit at the end of April. They will be open for submissions until March 10. For more information, visit their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/concordia.photocollective.

The Bad Boys are back in town Everything you need to know about NWAR is the new Black

ELYETTE LEVY CONTRIBUTOR

African with the three dreads,” arrived on stage, he was welcomed cheerfully. The crowd took in his set with faces lit up with smiles, heavy applause, and of course, roaring laughter. “"NWAR is the new Black" is an expression we had to change a little, we gotta commercialize that, because noir is something beautiful, but it’s often seen as something negative. And that’s not cool. I’m nwar, N-Capital W-A-R!,” Dolino exclaimed, to the audience’s acclamation.

In Dolino’s set, as well as those of the nine other comedians who performed after him, a common theme was the playful tease between Black and Arab people. As

they shared various anecdotes about their similar experiences and realities, the comedians seemed to express this symClimbing up the narrow staircase leading to biosis between both ethnicities perfectly. the second floor of Le Terminal, a small bar Throughout the night, they captured the in the Plateau, you could already hear the spirit of brotherhood they had with their liveliness of a crowd getting settled, with many Black and Arab friends and played on loud hip hop music setting the mood. The certain stereotypes they've been subjected room was only half full when I arrived and to, especially in the Montreal scene. After found a spot, but the hundred seats in the all, Dolino’s occasional, cheeky “gotta stay small venue quickly filled up. As the guests African” comment was just as applicable patiently waited for the show to start, laughter to his friends from the Maghreb. filled the air; some were even singing and “People of different ethnicities in dancing along to the music.

Montreal live fantastically together,” When the MC of the night, introduced said Renzel Dashington, the organizer by the organizer as “Dolino, my favorite and founder of Bad Boys du Rire, in an interview after the From left: Jean-Michel Junior Élie, Hassan Mahbouba, Renzel Dashington, Claudel Aimé, Anas Hassouna, are only some of the performing comedians part of NWAR is the new Black. show. “That’s something incredible to see, people of different origins just chilling, just talking, just having a great time, that’s Montreal!

Montreal is French New York, legit!”

Dashington went on to explain that, while Bad Boys du Rire set up their first event only about a year ago, they have already held over 24 shows. The NWAR is the new Black shows, which were held throughout the month of

February, sold out all 350 tickets available for their shows. Their open mic events, held each week at various locations, have attracted a similar crowd.

Although they have had some success since their creation, Dashington said his biggest challenge so far has been to convince concert hall managers to do business with him, on account of his skin colour.

“We were in Laval for about a year and we helped make something because nobody was there when we first started and they didn’t respect our audience, didn’t respect us,” Dashington said about his group’s role in incorporating diversity into the local comedy scene.

Despite these setbacks, Dashington found comfort in knowing that this project was bringing something new to the Montreal comedy scene. “To create things that don’t exist,” he said about his favorite part of having created the group. “And creating a space like Bad Boys du Rire where people can develop themselves and talk to a public that resembles them. So that we don’t have to explain all the undertones, we can just go straight to the meat.”

The Bad Boys du Rire open mic shows will be taking place March 6, 13, 20, and every following Wednesday at Agrikol.

Shows begin at 8 p.m., and tickets are always free. Find more information about the events on facebook @badboysdurire.

music

MUSIC EDITOR /// music@theconcordian.com SIMON NEW

PROFILE

Metro meets pan paradise Steel pannist brings the tropical drum from Trinidad to Jean Talon

IMMANUEL MATTHEWS ASSISTANT MUSIC EDITOR From keyboard and accordian players to vocalists and dancers, Montreal’s metro stations feature a wide array of talented artists all year round. Montrealer Ukpöng Etang is looking to add a splash of diversity to the city’s music scene, both underground and above, with one thing—his steelpan.

When Etang first began playing Trinidad and Tobago’s national instrument at Coronation Elementary School at the age of 9 around the turn of the millennium, it was far from a passion.

“A lot of my friends started playing pan before me,” said Etang, who also goes by the moniker Mr. Pöng. “I remember being in the third grade at our school’s spring concert with my mom.

All of my friends were on stage in the band, and she asked me why I wasn’t in it as well.

I didn’t know what to tell her.”

The following year, the half-Nigerian half-Jamaican Montrealer became the newest member of the school’s steelpan ensemble.

While Etang had taken piano lessons for two years—from age 7 to 9—the traditional music lessons were cut short due to his newfound love for steelpan. Etang was taught by a renowned pannist and music teacher: Trinidad and Tobago-born Salah Wilson.

Etang’s talent, which was first nurtured through his piano lessons, quickly revealed itself as he sought out advanced, extracurricular lessons. This led him to Salah’s Steelpan Academy in Montreal, where he was able to hone his skills and passion for pan with countless hours spent practicing and participating in competitions. Regardless of Etang’s somewhat limited musical knowledge and prior pan training, it was his musical ear

The Cover of Echoes Between a Rock and a Hard Place. Photo by Lionel Nguyen.

and drive to learn that allowed him to improve at the rate he did.

Etang had to step back from playing when school became more difficult, though he began busking in the metro in 2015 after getting his own pan. Busking was a way to earn some extra cash and do what he loved while studying commerce at John Molson School of Business. It was a success from the start.

“I remember my first metro gig was in Namur, close to where I grew up,” Etang said. “I played for 30 minutes, went home, and counted up $40 in change. It was dope.”

It didn’t turn out to be as easy as the first day made it seem, though. Etang went through ups and downs, learning the ropes of the busking world: which metro stations are better to play in than others and what time of day is optimal for business. Busking in the metro in Montreal is divided into two-hour slots, between 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Only select stations are available to play in, such as

Jean-Talon, Place des Arts, and McGill, and it’s organized on a first-come first-served basis.

Etang later gained entry into the audition-mandatory Étoiles du métro program, which is responsible for the “recruitment, selection, integration and management of the chosen artists.”

On Feb. 19, 2018, Anthony V Tao, a singer-songwriter and new Montreal resident, came across Etang’s pan-playing in the bustling McGill metro station after a long day of work. He was so captivated by the unique, tropical sounds of the steelpan that he couldn’t help but stop to listen, even filming a video on his phone.

“His music is very uplifting, and I think people including myself respond to that,” Tao said. “The other thing is he just has a really nice energy about him. He's very gracious and when people gave him money, he thanked them, and you could tell he was really making a connection with people.”

While Etang is extremely thankful for his experiences in metro, his horizons have continued to broaden over time. The last thing he wants is to be confined to any barriers or locations—especially underground.

As stated on his personal website, Etang has performed at 27 community events, 14 private/corporate events, and 10 weddings. He recently purchased a license to perform on the streets in the Old Port.

This was one of his longtime goals as a public performer with a proclivity for outdoor performances. These venues are made special by their natural beauty, openness, and heavy flow of cheerful pedestrians in the summer, according to Etang.

Since the release of his debut cover album Echoes Between a Rock and a Hard Place on March 30, 2018—a compilation of personally memorable tracks—the pannist has vowed to work on more original work while continuing to pioneer the slowly-but-surely growing steelpan movement in Montreal.

Etang visited Trinidad and Tobago for the first time in 2017, as a long-awaited graduation gift to himself. It allowed him to build an ever deeper connection to the instrument he had spent years learning about.

“When I went to Trinidad, I saw how important steelpan was to the musicians and to the culture, but I still feel like more could be done to support [the pannists], especially financially,” Etang said.

Etang’s dreams of expanding the steelpan culture and diversifying the music scene in the city are ever-growing.

See him live at the Rialto Theatre on May 7, at Raw Montreal’s Natural Born Artists showcase.

Quickspins HOMESHAKE

HELIUM (Fixture, Sinderlyn)

Genre: Indie pop

A raw-built beat with chiming synths pulsate throughout the Montreal-based band’s new release Helium. After parting from Mac DeMarco’s live crew, Peter Sagar further established his solo project, Homeshake, in 2012. Since his previous albums, Midnight Snack (2015) and Fresh Air (2017), the musician has continued to develop his soft,

electric-nocturne sound. The artist lyrically falters in this new release. Though, gems like “Like Mariah” and “Nothing Could Be Better” demonstrate the artist’s distinct DIY feel that taps into a hyper-real yet euphoric after-dark experience. Despite the overall chillness of this album, the atmosphere can seem lonesome and dark. Best to listen alone or in a relaxed setting.

KEHLANI

like “RPG,” “Nunya”, and “Too Deep” lyrically express the abruption of desire in a digital atmosphere. While the queer artist prolongs her soulful sound into 2019 with her fourth project, she hesitates lyrically on tracks like “Feels” and “Morning Glory.” Overall though, she does not lack in vocal and melodic range. Kehlani, despite her well-earned fame, still carries a humble approach to her music.

7/10

8/10

 TRIAL TRACK: Just Like My

 TRIAL TRACK: Love Language

 STAR BAR: “Dressed up like I’m going out, I feel it and I turn / Empty out my pockets for a tab to soften up the burn / So I walk in little circles rung around just like a bell / Maybe I could feel better with some people that I know so well” - Peter Sagar on “All Night Long” — ABEGAIL RANAUDO, CONTRIBUTOR

WHILE WE WAIT (TSNMI, Atlantic) Genre: R&B, Soul Kehlani stuns with her vocals and tuned harmonies in her new mixtape While We Wait.

Cheers to this woman, who while pregnant with her first child, created a bubbly yet, musical R&B gem. With appearances from Musiq Soulchild, Dom Kennedy, 6LACK, and Ty Dolla $ign, the Oakland native continues to impress with her bouncy choreographic-worthy melodies. Tracks

 STAR BAR: “And when I walked away / I left footsteps in the mud so you could follow me / You’re so bad at holding water, slips right through your fingers / We’d both end up drowning, it would hit the ground / And then the path would wash away, wash away” - Kehlani on “Footsteps” feat. Musiq Soulchild — ABEGAIL RANAUDO, CONTRIBUTOR

14 theconcordian

MARCH 5, 2019

PROFILE

Onasis uses YES to progress Montreal rapper breathes new life into his career with help of non-profit ISAIAH MARTEL-WILSON STAFF WRITER Lenworth Wynter is a Montreal artist, DJ, and producer who goes by the rap moniker Onasis. He has been performing live shows since 2011 and has seen success on various streaming platforms.

After posting his album In a Cloud of Smoke to Reverb Nation on Sept. 12, 2018, Onasis’s album reached #1 on the Hip Hop charts in the Montreal area on Dec. 5, 2018 and currently sits at #4. His music is regularly aired on the radio show, “La Sauce,” hosted

by Bobby Payne on 101.5 FM. The two have a partnership and will be performing together on Friday, March 29 at L'hémisphère Gauche.

Onasis is in the process of making a collaborative album, which includes John Molson School of Business (JMSB) student and aspiring rap artist Jahrome Brooks.

Onasis had talent in navigating the complex world of entertainment. In an interview with The Concordian, Onasis shared that a lot of the skills he learned came from a non-profit organization called YES. YES once stood for Youth Employment Services, but has since reinvented their slogan to “Successful futures start with YES,” to better represent their current objectives.

Sponsorships from local and governmental agencies, as well as donations through fundraisers, provide YES with the necessary means to support their operation. They are a non-profit Montreal-based organization that

helps people achieve their goals through three specialized programs for entrepreneurs, job seekers, and artists. In early 2010, they began expanding their services outside Montreal.

Today, YES's services can be found across the province.

When YES was founded in 1995, the organization’s objective was to reverse the outflow of young English speaking Quebecers.

The following year, they began an entrepreneurship program and five years later, the artist program began. YES realized that supporting locals within the province would benefit the lives of not just anglophones, but all Montrealers, improving the economy in the process and the lives of those involved. YES provides individual career counseling, business coaching, day and evening workshops, mentoring, conferences and networking opportunities. With partnerships ranging from Emploi Quebec to CTV, they create a unique service catered around helping Montrealers succeed in various industries, including music.

YES is hosting a conference on March 25 at St. Jax called “Business Skills for Creative Souls.”

When asked about YES, Onasis recounted his first experience with a business coach named Gerald Silverberg. “I registered a company [Build-A-Berg Inc.] with my brother but none of us went to school for that. When I went to YES and I met with Gerald Silverberg, it made me see the whole business part of it.”

Silverberg was known for his honest and direct communication with his clients, something Onasis experienced. “I was really

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Onasis is in the process of making a collaborative album. Photo by Isaiah Martel-Wilson.

on this high horse, very arrogant, and he said to me ‘you’re doing music business, you have the music part down, now you have to handle the business and that’s where the money’s at,’” Onasis said. “I had to really humble myself and listen to what this man had to say, and it’s working. He’s one of the reasons why my music is out right now, why I have a studio right now.”

Concordia professor Dr. Jordan Lebel spent five years as vice president of YES. Although he is no longer on the board of directors he continues to volunteer his time at the organization whenever he can. “Everybody wants to be part of a success story,” said Dr. Lebel.

“Whether it’s your story or someone else’s.”

Dr. Lebel remains in contact with countless individuals he mentored through YES and values those connections. The relationships forged between employees and clients alike enrich the experience for both parties.

Director of Marketing and Events Catherine Brisindi said, “My tag line for the job search program is your job search doesn't have to be lonely. Sometimes the best thing is just being in a room of people who get what you’re going through.” Brisindi is a JMSB graduate and has been involved with YES for nearly a decade.

Uncertainty about the future isn't unique to young teens and adults. The fear of not realizing our true potential can be overwhelming. Onasis benefited greatly from a single encounter with a YES consultant. Sadly, Silverberg passed away in April of last year, leaving a lasting impact on his co-workers and clients. When notified of Silverberg’s passing, Wynter said, “We’re going to make millions for Gerald, he was an angel.”

To learn more about YES, follow them @yesmontreal, or visit their website yesmontreal.ca.

sports

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

BASKETBALL

A long journey to the championship

Head coach Rastko Popovic is proud of everybody involved

Guard Ricardo Monge (centre) won his first championship in his last game with the Stingers. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

NICHOLAS DI GIOVANNI SPORTS EDITOR The Concordia Stingers men’s basketball team played their first preseason game on Aug. 6, 2018, against the Ole Miss Rebels. Almost seven months later, the Stingers won the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) championship, beating the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) Citadins, 73-69.

“To become a champion, it’s a long road,” said head coach Rastko Popovic after the Stingers’s win against the Citadins on March 2. “You don’t just show up; you have to put in the work. I told our guys that game against Ole Miss paid off.”

From that first game against the Rebels, the Stingers played 33 preseason, regular season, and playoff games. They won 20 times, and had an 11-5 regular-season record.

“We struggled with some injuries, but I thought we had a pretty good regular season,” Popovic said. “We had some losses near the end, but you can’t expect to win every game in our league when you play each other so many times.”

For most of the Stingers, this championship title has been the result of hard work throughout the years. They last won

From left: Monge and Garry Merisier played together for five seasons. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

the title in 2012, before Popovic was named head coach in 2015. Under him, the Stingers lost two semi-final games in 2016 and 2017, before losing last year’s final to McGill.

“We just had progression every year, but lost a couple of tough games in the playoffs,” Popovic said. “You have to learn the daily habits of becoming a champion and you have to live by that. We pushed our guys, and I’m so proud of our guys.”

Although the team had a handful of rookies this year, they might not have won the championship without help from their veterans. Fifth-year players Garry Merisier and Ricardo Monge stepped up and performed when it counted—Merisier played 22 minutes and collected four rebounds in the final, while Monge had a team-high 19 points and made four of his six three-point shots.

“Big-shot Rick, MVP, team captain, whatever you want to call him, he does it all for us,” said guard Adrian Armstrong.

Monge, who won the RSEQ’s MVP trophy, played in the last home game of his Stingers career, and his teammates saw it as inspiring. “We were going to ride or die with him making [important] shots,” said forward Olivier Simon. “He’s been working on shooting all year. He has confidence [in himself], so we’re not surprised.”

One of Monge’s biggest shots of the game came right at the end of the third quarter, while the Citadins started to come back. He made a three pointer, giving the Stingers a 48-43 lead heading into the final quarter.

Popovic said it gave his team energy for the fourth, and helped them win.

“This is the materializing of all the hard work I’ve put in throughout all these years,” Monge said. “It never happened for me, but it feels good to win my first championship.”

The point guard said only his team knows exactly what they had to go through to reach this point in the season. “We worked so hard, we’ve been through so many ups and downs,” Monge said. “Practices in cold gyms, hot gyms, it’s just a grind. It’s really special.”

Popovic added his team wouldn’t have won the championship without the work from everybody around the team. “I’m so proud of our coaching staff, our therapists, everybody in the [athletics] department,” he said.

“This is for everyone involved with Concordia basketball, from the alumni to the supporters. Everybody has a piece of this [trophy], and helped us and seen our progression since day one.”

The Stingers will now play at the national tournament in Halifax from March 8 to 10.

When they last won the RSEQ title in 2012, they lost two games at nationals. Popovic played at the tournament for the Stingers in 2005, also in Halifax, and lost in the final.

“It’s the first time at nationals for all these guys,” Popovic said. “Going to nationals is the best experience of your life. You represent your school and it’s just a great reward for all the hard work these guys have put in.”

The players want to represent not only their school, but also the RSEQ as a whole, as they are the only team from Quebec. “We want to go out and show Quebec is one of the stronger conferences,” Armstrong said. “Obviously, we had some respect this season being ranked [in the Top 10], but it’s not enough.”

COLOUR COMMENTARY WITH NICHOLAS DI GIOVANNI Sports fans around the world witnessed one of the most outrageous incidents in a soccer game on Feb. 24. In the Carabao Cup f inal—one of England’s cup tournaments—between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium, Chelsea manager Maurizio S a r r i wa nte d to s u b s t i t u te h i s goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga, for back-up Willy Caballero.

The game was tied 0-0 in the 120 t h m i n u te a n d s e t to g o to penalties. Sarri saw Kepa cramping up, and wanted to take him off before the penalty shootout.

Instead, when the coach signalled to his goalie to change, Kepa, who signed for a world-record fee of over US$75 million last summer, simply refused. The keeper told Sarri he would stay on the pitch.

This is Sarri’s f irst season managing the club, and earlier that week, he was already unsure about his future with Chelsea. Once Kepa refused to change, Sarri lost his temper, started yelling at his staff and players on the bench, and walked towards the door, as if he was quitting his job, but ultimately returned to the bench.

Kepa won the argument with the manager to stay on, but then his team lost in penalties, 4-3.

It’s understandable why Sarri l o s t h i s t e m p e r l i ke t h a t . T h e coach is the head of the team , and no player should ever make, or refuse, a coach’s decision. Of co u r s e Ke p a wa nt s to h e l p h i s team win in penalties, and with the money they paid for him, why wouldn’t he? But he has to help his team win by sitting on the bench.

Ego is of ten too involved in spor ts now, and some of these athletes forget about the bigger picture: it’s a team sport. I guess these players were never told “no” growing up either.

Kepa also demonstrated that he doesn’t care about his team, his coach, or even his fans. He made an embarrassing decision, which cost his team the game. Luckily for him, Sarri didn’t throw him under the bus in the post-game press conference. Sarri called it a misunderstanding, but responded properly by benching Kepa the next game.

Athletes are role models for kids, and if they see their favourite playe r disobeying their coach , it’s a toxic influence. These kids will start ignoring their parent’s orders, then their teacher’s, then their boss’s, until we have a world of egomaniacs refusing all rules.

Team sports are all about working with others, and respecting those around you, to achieve a greater goal. If Kepa, or any athlete, refuses to play nice with anyone around him, he should probably play darts.

16

theconcordian

MARCH 5, 2019

VARSITY

Concordia-McGill rivalry renewed in playoffs Women’s basketball, hockey teams faced Martlets in postseason action NICHOLAS DI GIOVANNI SPORTS EDITOR The Concordia-McGill rivalry is one of the best in university sports, but it takes on another level when the two schools meet in the playoffs. That was exactly the case this season for both the women’s hockey and basketball teams in their respective Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) semi-finals.

The Stingers women’s hockey team hadn’t beaten McGill in five previous playoff series. Their bad results against their cross-town rivals continued this year, losing in two games. McGill is now 12-0 against Concordia in the playoffs since the Stingers won the 2005 final in three games.

The women’s basketball team has had the same misfortune against the Martlets.

Before this year’s playoff match-up, they hadn’t beaten McGill in the playoffs since 2002, losing in 2016 and 2017. This year’s team turned history around and beat the Martlets in the RSEQ semi-final, 62-55, at the Concordia Gym on Feb. 27. They also ended McGill’s seven-year run as provincial champions.

“All of us just wanted to dethrone them, as bad as that sounds,” said third-year guard Caroline Task after the game. “It was time

The Stingers only won two of seven games versus McGill in women’s hockey this season. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

for someone else to take the lead, so I think we went into this knowing this is what we wanted to do.”

It was a tightly-contested game, typical of the Concordia-McGill rivalry in any sport, with a loud and energetic crowd. The Stingers had a 10-point lead in the second quarter, and the Martlets responded well, leading by eight points in the fourth. That’s when the Stingers crowd got behind their team as Concordia scored 19 points in the last five minutes.

“Obviously there are a bit of butterflies in your stomach when you’re down with the time going down,” Task said. “Not for a second I didn’t think we wouldn’t pick it up.”

M ISSE D OPPORTU N ITY On the men’s side of basketball and hockey, there were no Concordia-McGill playoff meetings this year. McGill’s men’s basketball team lost in their semi-final, which would have set up a final against

Concordia. In hockey, the Stingers met the Queen’s Gaels in the first round of the playoffs, but should have played McGill.

According to U Sports hockey insider Victor Findlay, the Gaels dressed an ineligible player in their final game of the season. The Ontario University Athletics Association only sanctioned them after their series against Concordia started, deducting them a point. Originally, the Gaels finished third, and McGill in fourth, but because of the loss of points, McGill jumped into the third seed. They would have played the sixth-placed Stingers if the issue had been dealt with earlier.

This could have set up a fantastic series between the schools. “It’s fun to play,” said rookie defenceman Bradley Lalonde after the Corey Cup on Feb. 2. “[The Ed Meagher arena] is kind of smaller, so when you get a lot of people, there’s a lot of noise.”

Stingers captain Philippe Hudon has seen it all from the rivalry during his five years at Concordia. “It’s an old rivalry, and these kind of games speak for themselves,” he said after the Corey Cup. “There should be more exposure to this kind of game, it’s fun hockey and the rivalry is tremendous.”

Fans will get another taste of the Concordia-McGill rivalry when the football season kicks off in September.

SEASON REVIEW

Injuries challenged rookies in men's hockey Stingers head coach Marc-André Élement looks to learn for next season

ALEC BRIDEAU ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

experienced these past months.

“I think in the second half of the season, we brought our game to another level with the acquisitions that were made during the holidays,” Charlie Roy said.

“It looks good for the seasons ahead.”

The Stingers’s best scorer in 201819 was second-year defenceman Carl Neill, who finished the campaign with 33 points in 28 games. Élément said Neill has proven he can produce offensively since joining the Stingers.

“Neill is really an offensive defenceman,” Élément said. “You need offence from [defence] if you’re having less of it from up front. He did a good job this year.”

Three of the Stingers’s 10 best scorers this season were first-year players.

It was a season of adversity for the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team. The team went to the U Sports nationals last year after winning the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) bronze-medal game. They then lost many of their best scorers before this season and started the year with 12 rookies. The Stingers were eliminated in the f irst round of the OUA playoffs.

Including goaltenders, 32 players played at least one game for the Stingers this season. Head coach Marc-André Élément said the team has been dealing with injuries all year, and had to make tough lineup decisions on a consistent basis.

“It was unreal,” Élément said. “[Philippe] Charbonneau even playe d a p ar t of t he season as a for ward [as opposed to defence] before Christmas because we had too many injuries up front.

However, it’s part of the game.

I think we’ll be better [in the future] with the adversity we faced—even us, the coaching staff.”

F ir s t-year defenceman Charlie Roy saw a positive a sp e c t of t his s e a s on . H e said the team is young and Simon Bourque joined the Stingers midway through will benefit from what they this season. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

Rookie centre Hugo Roy finished the year with 19 goals and 26 points in 28 games, which ranked him fifth in the league in goals, and first of all rookies. However, HugoRoy won’t be back with the Stingers next season, as he signed a professional contract with the Milwaukee Admirals in the American Hockey League.

Every year, Concordia’s hockey team at tracts more talented athletes and helps develop players for professional leagues. In the past, Élement has brought players to the next level, and that helps Concordia’s visibility.

“It seems like most of the young players who came to Concordia have always had success,” Élément said.

“Those are guys that give exposure to your program. It puts our program on the map.”

After defenceman Simon Bourque and goaltender Anthony Dumont-Bouchard joined the team in January, the Stingers will add two other experienced players from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in 2019-20, as Tyler Hylland and Alex Katerinakis will join the team for the beginning of the season.

“I’m excited for next season,” said Charlie Roy, who played with Hylland and Katerinakis. “Players coming in, like Katerinakis and Hylland, are good friends. We still have to see who will be back and who will not, but I’m looking at next season with a good eye.”

The Stingers finished the regular season with a 15-11-2 record. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

opinions

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

EDITORIAL

Fighting for student newspapers We all know the importance of newspapers in a democratic society—but we should also acknowledge the importance of student newspapers on campuses.

Not only are they an outlet for student creativity, they are a way to convey stories that are important to those who attend these institutions. It seems like this integral part of universities is being challenged in Ontario.

In January 2019, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced changes to post-secondary funding and costs. The Ontario government wants to lower student tuition by 10 per cent, which, at first glance, seems great. According to a News Release by the government, the tuition rate reduction is a step to “keep more money in the pockets of Ontario students and families.” But one of the changes brought forth in this plan is the Student Choice Initiative. Through this initiative, the government wants to give every student the choice of which student fees will be paid and how that money will be allocated, according to the same source.

Some campus-wide services such as athletics and walksafe programs will remain mandatory. These ancillary fees range from $500 to $2,000 annually, according to The Globe and Mail, and contribute to services like campus newspapers, LGBTQ+ centres, and student government. The Student Choice Initiative gives students the choice to opt-out of paying for fees that are deemed

Graphic by @spooky_soda

non-essential. While it may seem great, in theory, to give students a choice like this, it isn’t beneficial for important services on campuses that rely heavily on these fees to exist and function.

According to a recent survey by OneClass, a Toronto-based education technology company, 57.4 per cent of students would opt out of fees used to fund student newspapers, if given the choice. The survey, taken by almost 600 Ontario college students, highlighted how damaging this initiative will be for campus newspapers in Ontario, and elsewhere too.

We at The Concordian are not the only ones concerned about the proposed changes.

Many student groups have protested this

change, stressing how this initiative can hurt student unions that fund services important to many students, according to The Globe and Mail. We are worried that by deeming student newspapers “unessential,” the Ford government is encouraging the narrative that media and journalism are not a key component of our democratic society.

Student newspapers give students a chance to make their stories heard. Not only do they promote the idea of free speech, they give us an opportunity to put it into practice. Student newspapers improve communication between different groups and highlight distinct voices. They hold universities accountable and call problematic figures into question—like how

The Concordian has been following the sexual misconduct allegations at Concordia since they arose. More than a year later, we still use the space in our newspaper to shed light on the allegations, their aftermath, the authority figures involved, and how all of this affects students. Students dedicate their time and effort to investigating these important stories, and break news that affects us all in one way or another. These bundles of papers also provide a space for those who want to participate in reasonable debates.

They’re not non-essential. Frankly, they matter a lot. They’re an integral part of what makes university life so unique.

Student newspapers, student groups, centres for minorities—all of these services combined allow different people to come together and function in a space where they can learn and flourish together. They all advocate for students’ interests—isn’t that enough of a reason to consider them important?

If it weren’t for student newspapers, you wouldn’t be able to read this editorial. You wouldn’t be able to read the various stories and events covered by students at our university.

You wouldn’t have the opportunity to have your own voice heard. You wouldn’t have the space to call authority figures into question—be it in our own school or in the country. Student newspapers matter. We at The Concordian believe that by giving students the illusion of choice, the Ford government is actually forcing campus newspapers to give up and vanish.

Where’s the choice in that?

ENVIRONMENT

Don’t damage the earth while getting dressed How fast fashion negatively affects our environment and how we can do better as consumers ESPERANZA TACCHI CONTRIBUTOR I know that as a student, it is hard to keep up with the fast-changing world of fashion trends that incite our consumerism while on a tight budget. We tend to buy from the stores right around the corner from our homes. It’s close, it’s cheap and it gives us access to more. But, have you ever stopped and thought about how damaging these stores are for the environment?

Fast fashion is characterized by the mass production of clothes and cheap prices, to the extent that some stores have around 52 different seasons every year, according to

the documentary The True Cost. That means new clothes coming in every week, which hooks consumers and attracts those who are more money-conscious. It sounds great in theory—I mean, who doesn’t like variety and low prices? However, the reality and the manufacturing ethics behind these products are not so great.

Behind these clothes are starving women and children who work long hours and for little money, according to The Guardian.

Not only that, but these workers are abused in order to meet unrealistic deadlines, according to the same article. According to The Independent, these factories mostly operate in Asia and are known for their use of toxic chemicals, large amounts of material waste Graphic by @spooky_soda

and contamination of one of the most precious natural resources: water. Large amounts of water. Thus, fueling the overheating of our planet, according to BBC. Since clothes have become even more accessible than before, we buy more, we use less and we waste on a larger scale.

If you are vegan, vegetarian, or pescatarian, you probably already have a grasp on how harmful agriculture is for the environment. But did you know that, according to Forbes, the second largest industrial polluter world-wide is the fashion industry? If you are committed to minimizing your consumption of animal products and you are already interested in being more environmentally conscious, why not apply this living ethic when it comes to shopping?

Montreal is known for its style—I’m sure you know what I mean. The further you wander out of downtown and into the Plateau-Mile End, the more evident this becomes. Thrift shops also start clouding your vision, as there are plenty, and some are really worth checking out. Buying second-hand clothing is an amazing step towards being more sustainable: you help small businesses, you reuse, and it is affordable (unless you’re shopping in the Plateau). Plus, it has its advantage beyond the environmental question—you won’t be wearing what everyone else already is.

Some of my favourite items in my wardrobe have been found in thrift shops, and surprisingly, I purchased them from Value Village. It is a huge store and can be a little overwhelming, but if you have a good eye and some enthusiasm, you will find some valuable treasures. Another one of my favourite thrift stores is definitely Ruse Boutique; it is a consignment store that always has unique pieces from renowned brands at unbeatable prices. If you are not already sold by these two suggestions, you should try Annex Vintage, Cul-de-sac, Citizen Vintage, Eva B, Empire Exchange, Bohême Friperie, or just walk up St. Laurent Blvd.

If thrifting is not your thing, you could start being more conscious when you shop by selecting only products made with recycled materials, non-toxic dyes or organic fabrics. Although these small changes won’t fix the global environmental issue at hand, they do make an impact that multiplies as more people adopt them. If this article sparked anything in you, I would highly encourage you to watch The True Cost (available on Netflix), investigate, and stay away from the most damaging mass production brands, like Zara, H&M, and Forever 21. Reusing makes you feel and look better. And more importantly, will help the environment. It’s a win-win situation.

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PERSONALITY

You don’t need to shout to be seen

Why one student believes the media is sending the wrong message about shyness AMANDA KATHERINE STAFF WRITER

Graphic by @spooky_soda

Millennials are trying to ward off nerves like they're a disease. Under the influence of celebrities who constantly show us their sass, we’ve become a flashy society that worships extroverts. Nerves have been pitted against confidence, and now, being shy is seen as a sure-sign of insecurity. Well that’s garbage. The truth is, you can actually be both super shy and super confident.

It starts by unlearning what the media has taught us about confidence.

Pop culture promotes confidence as the ability to handle the spotlight.

Confident people are those who easily hold conversations, address crowds, and bring the room to life. According to this logic, the easier time you have expressing yourself face to face, the more confident you are.

The problem with this definition is that it makes confidence all about your rapport with others, when truly, it should be about the relationship you have with yourself.

To me, confidence is less about how you talk to others, and more about how you talk to the person in the mirror.

More specifically, it’s exuded through an ability to show yourself unconditional love.

The keyword here is “unconditional.” Truly

MEDIA

confident people are not those who never get flustered, but conversely, those who do mess up and don’t hate themselves for it.

Our generation underestimates the coolness of being shy. That’s right, I just used “shy” and “cool” in the same sentence.

Here’s why: if you don’t automatically feel comfortable in every room you walk into, that can actually be a statement about how well you know yourself. The fact that you feel less comfortable in certain environments simply means you’ve explored your personality enough to know that other activities, topics and people interest you. By sitting quietly instead of trying to insert yourself into the conversation, you’re showing that

you’re not a shapeshifter who molds their personality to fit in—and in a society of posers, that makes you a breath of fresh air.

Sure, eloquence and extrovertedness demonstrate some level of self-assurance.

However, being bubbly in front of others doesn’t automatically mean you treat yourself with love and enthusiasm. Lots of effervescent public figures battle insecurity behind closed doors. They cannot bear the idea of messing up, and therefore, the belief they have in themselves is conditional. It rests on the requirement that they constantly control their nerves.

Except, the healthiest bodies are those whose organs don’t need to be manipulated;

stomachs that digest without the help of an electrical stimulator; hearts that beat without the prompting of a pacemaker; blood that flows without the aid of a circulation machine. There are so many reasons to be grateful for our body’s intrinsic clock. Why on earth do we punish ourselves for blushing cheeks, accelerated heartbeats, and lungs that get short of breath? Society wants us to view nervous reactions as weird and embarrassing, when the truth is that they’re just as natural as the reactions keeping us alive.

For me, the most impressive people are those who refrain from gossip when they see other people’s nervous tics, and those who don’t talk themselves down for getting awkward.

How wonderful it is when a person can get nervous, laugh about it or simply carry on with their day because they know it’s not a big deal.

So long as you can identify a few environments or specific individuals who bring out your more conversational side, you don’t have to feel bad about getting shy. You’re not chronically insecure, nor are you missing out. You’re simply an individual with specific interests and friends, who isn’t automatically titillated at every turn. In a generation filled with attention-seekers who require constant validation, that actually makes you quite rad.

The boy who cried ‘hate crime’ Hoax or no hoax, Jussie Smollett’s story can be a lesson to everyone

YOUMNA EL HALABI STAFF WRITER On Jan. 29, Empire actor Jussie Smollett was allegedly brutally attacked by two masked individuals in the city of Chicago.

The beating went as far as Smollett finding himself on the brink of death, as a noose was put around his neck, and his ribs were fractured. Smollett later went on to say that both men were yelling, “this is MAGA country,” along with racist and homophobic slurs, ultimately branding the attack as a hate crime, according to The Washington Post. However, a spokesperson from the Chicago Police Department informed many news outlets that "there is no report of that being said,” according to Complex.

And so, investigations got to the bottom of this alleged hate crime.

While the Chicago Police Department further studied the case, Smollett received an impressive amount of online support from many Hollywood stars outraged by this supposed hate crime against Smollett’s race and homosexuality.

On Feb. 20, however, Smollett was allegedly indicted for fabricating the entire story, of staging the attack, and was taken into custody, according to Esquire.

Dissatisfied with the amount of money he was making on Empire, he supposedly created this entire scenario in order to gain sympathy from Hollywood producers and actors. While his involvement in the “hate crime” is still to be determined, as there are a number of

news outlets with different theories pouring out everywhere, it is the reaction from the masses that I wish to discuss.

I personally remained skeptical about Jussie Smollett from beginning to end. I was particularly taken aback by his “I’m the gay Tupac” claim, at a performance on the Troubadour stage in West Hollywood, according to Complex. His insistence on advertising the event led me to question his sincerity, and ultimately, the truth behind what happened. When news broke out that he made up the whole story, I was not surprised, but rather disappointed to the core. And now, I’m just completely confused as to how to feel.

However, Jussie Smollett is not what angers me, because he is not the first, nor the last person of colour to use their minority status to gain stardom, or sympathy for that matter. Back in 2016, after Donald Trump was appointed president, a Muslim student

Graphic by @spooky_soda

at the University of Michigan claimed she was followed by an intoxicated man urging her to remove her hijab, lest he sets it on fire.

As the investigation went on, the absence of any evidence rendered this story false, according to CNN. Smollett is not the first one to cry wolf and diminish people in real danger.

Smollett is just one of the many examples that white supremacists use to make their cases. When they see instances where hate crimes happen to be hoaxes, they use it as a way to push their own narratives about minorities and “social justice warriors” who are all just “too sensitive” and have victim mentalities.

But, if Smollett really did plan the entire attack, then I by no means blame anyone who passes judgment onto him.

What hurts the most about Smollett’s alleged actions is that he has completely shut

a door already ajar to minorities’ voices. It is by no means a secret that minorities face many obstacles when it comes to confessing hate crimes and sexual abuse. I go as far as saying that white men and women have a higher chance of being believed when coming forth with sexual abuse stories than people of colour. Nations are tainted with racial biases.

It is unfortunately innate, and it’s going to take more than a few marches to get rid of this bad seed.

When the Jussie Smollett hashtag was trending all over Twitter, the amount of hate speech I saw was intense—specifically coming from white supremacists. Men, and women with MAGA all over their profiles were claiming that hate crimes are nothing but another form of fake news.

While I don’t believe this was ‘fake news,’ seeing a gay African-American man like Jussie Smollett be willing to compromise his own community for personal greed makes me wary of the world we live in. For a minority to put other minorities at risk of further discrimination is not only bewildering, it is disgusting.

Hate crimes are not a joke. They are not hoaxes, and it is never okay to use them for personal gain. Hate crimes are a real issue, and if we’re not careful about how we use those words, we will forever fall prey to white supremacist discourse of ‘fake news’ that pushes the idea that leftists or people of colour are too sensitive, and that there is no racism in America—which is perhaps the biggest hoax out there.

MARCH 5, 2019

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MARCH 5, 2019

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Concordia University’s weekly, independent student newspaper VOL. 36, ISSUE 21 MAR. 5, 2019.

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