October 16, 2018

theconcordian

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY’S WEEKLY, INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

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

VOLUME 36, ISSUE 8 | TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2018

Taking time to tune in Concordia offers a series of workshops to reduce student stress and promote peace of mind News p. 3

also in this issue...

v

life

arts

music

sports

Bringing light to Blurring cultural Inspiring stories Remembering dark times p. 6 boundaries p. 9 behind K.O.D. p. 10 lost cyclist p. 13

opinions

Self-diagnosing is harmful p. 15

news

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

NEW INITIATIVE

ASFA approves sexual harassment policy An investigative committee will handle complaints under new policy MIA ANHOURY NEWS EDITOR The Arts and Science Federation o f A s s o c i a t i o n s ( A S FA ) unanimously approved its new anti-harassment and sexual violence policy during its regular council meeting on Thursday, Oct. 11. The policy was initially put under review in March.

This new policy is the result of a collaborative process that lasted eight months. Irish studies councillor, Margot Berner, said the policy was developed with the help of the Centre for Gender Advocacy (CGA), the Sexual Assault Resource Centre (SARC), the Concordia Student Union (CSU), as well as ASFA’s task force.

Berner also consulted students from the University of British Columbia to write the new policy.

The new internal policy creates an investigative committee. Berner said it will be “made

of people who have proven to have knowledge about these issues in the past. What that means is that they have either learned experience from their personal life, or are involved in advocacy.” A legal representative and a representative from either the CGA or SARC will also sit on the investigative committee. “ There will be a flowchart to take you through the process if you want to report someone for discrimination, or sexual violence, or racialized violence,” said Berner.

Arts and science students who want to file a complaint using ASFA’s policy can go directly to the ASFA coordinators or simply give their report to ASFA’s front desk, Berner said.

The CGA and SARC will also inform students of ASFA’s new policy as an option for those who want to file a complaint.

T h e o r g a n i z a t i o n ’s r e p r e sentatives will be acting as an inter me diar y dur ing t he complaint process, Berner said, “So people who experience

t r a u m a w o n ' t h a ve to d e a l with us. We’re a lot of folks.”

The new policy “explains how we’re going to act when

people report to us rather than the university, and it specifies people are welcome to pursue multiple avenues,” said Berner.

Under ASFA’s new policy, students will be able to pursue actions simultaneously through the universit y and the police, Berner said.

“We have proven multiple times in the past that the ASFA is not quite equipped to deal with these types of situations,” Berner said. “We are all students, [...] we don't have training in disclosure, we don't have training in those things, so having the e xper ts help us out on how we respond is really important.”

ASFA is currently facing its second lawsuit in the Quebec Commission of Human Rights and Youth Rights, filed by the Center for Research-Action on

Race Relations (CRARR). The CRARR filed a lawsuit on behalf of Harris Turpin for ASFA’s alleged failure to address Turpin’s sexual harassment complaints in 2018.

The student federation also settled a case with the CRARR in 2015, after a biracial executive was subjected to racial and sexual discrimination.

According to Marguer ite Rolland, ASFA’s advocacy and executive coordinator, a first draft of the policy was reviewed by the policy committee and lawyers but was found to be flawed.

According to Jane Lefebvre, the women’s studies councillor who was also part of the task force, the first draft was not feasible in terms of the resources ASFA has.

All parties involved in its making—including Berner and Elliott Boulanger, internal affairs and administration coordinator—were working on it the whole summer, said Rolland.

“It’s been very diligent.”

Logo courtesy of ASFA.

STUDENT POLITICS

CASA looking to boost student involvement Reputation and awareness are challenges for the student association, say directors ALEXIA MARTEL-DESJARDINS CONTRIBUTOR

The Commerce and Administration Students’ Association (CASA) is looking for ways to increase student involvement.

Last Tuesday, CASA passed a motion during its board of directors meeting to create an ad-hoc Student Involvement Committee, following an extensive discussion about the challenges of involving more students in their associations and committees.

The goal of this new committee consists of finding solutions to increase student involvement and then make recommendations to the board. While it has yet to meet, the committee will be composed of a chair, six members, and possibly a first year representative.

“We do need to think of how can we get our information out there.

How can we best communicate all the events, the workshops that CASA does and how can we bring that out?” said CASA’s Alumni Director, Adrien Néret, who is the chair of the new ad-hoc committee.

The President of John Molson International Business Association,

The board of directors disagreed on whether CASA’s reputation or a lack of awareness among JMSB students was the biggest barrier to student involvement. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

Arthur Soares, tabled the issue at the meeting, as he believes some students have a negative perception of CASA. “I’m sure there’s [sic] different feelings for different people […] and I also feel like there’s people that don’t like us, maybe because we don’t portray the right image or something,” he said. “But then again, I don’t know the numbers.”

Maurice Ngwakum-Akisa, independent director on CASA’s board of directors, shared the

same sentiment.

“We have a really strong culture here at JMSB [John Molson School of Business], either you love it or you hate it,” he said. “You know it’s very hard to find people that are in the middle of the spectrum.”

Other board members, such as Isaiah Joyner, independent director on CASA’s board of directors and one of the new committee’s six members, disagreed. Joyner believes that in order to encourage

more students to get involved in the association, CASA must work on communicating the services and opportunities available to students more effectively, rather than focusing on its reputation.

“CASA has a very good image with the students overall,” said Joyner. “Sometimes, when they want to take that step further and be the ones getting involved, they just don’t know who to talk to.”

In order to establish what they should focus on, the committee’s

members will use the results of a survey CASA conducted among JMSB students last winter. The survey aimed to find out more about the students’s demographics and knowledge of CASA. “The idea of this committee would really be to put some numbers behind that and really see what people think of the organization,” said Néret. “Do we need to improve that sentiment, or how do we just get our information out there better?”

Some board members felt that their office space in the JMSB building may seem intimidating to students who are not yet involved and t this may work against CASA’s image.

“You can tell there’s a difference between involved students and non-involved students,” said Joyner.

It’s about “being in an environment you’re not familiar with.”

Soares stressed that increasing the number of people who are aware of CASA’s activities and who participate in them is the most pressing issue for his student organization.

“If not enough people attend your events, well, then you don’t exist, and I think we should exist because we add a lot of value.”

Soares said.

OCTOBER 16, 2018

theconcordian

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CITY IN A breath away from mindfulness BRIEF Teaching students techniques to help with stress management COVER STORY

EITHNE LYNCH ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR A free mindfulness workshop taught Concordia students techniques on how to manage their stress this past Wednesday.

The workshop was led by Jewel Perlin, a psychologist with Concordia’s Counselling and Psychological Services. It was one of many workshops offered through the Zen Den, a space for students to visit and relax.

Perlin said she hopes students apply the skills they learn in the workshop to help control their moods and thoughts.

Mindfulness is concerned with the connection between the mind and body and is used to better manage stress and maintain good mental and physical health. Perlin referenced Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, from the University of Massachusetts Medical School, who defined mindfulness as a practice “with the intention to embody as best we can an orientation of calmness, mindfulness, and equanimity right here and right now.”

Dr. Kabat-Zinn developed Mindfulness-Based St ress Reduction (MBSR), which com-

Graphic by @spooky_soda

bines mindfulness and medical practices to help manage physical and emotional pain.

The workshop taught students easy ways to practice mindfulness in their day-to-day life. Some of those practices included a guided meditation, a body scan where students were encouraged to focus on what their body was feeling starting at their feet and working their way up. Finally, they were led through the “ball of light” exercise, a breathing and stress management technique

in which someone envisions a warm ball of light traveling up one arm on an inhale and down the other while exhaling.

“I have some anxiety issues regarding my future,” said Elif Aksulu, a student who attended the workshop. “It was ver y strategic. Usually people talk about mindfulness, but they don’t actually show you how to do it,” said Aksulu. “It was really nice to be guided through the process.”

During the workshop, the students were told that their

emotions were like a green apple.

This analogy comes from the idea that if someone is told not to think about something, the first thing they will think of is exactly that.

The more they tell themselves not to feel something, the more likely that emotion will start to overcome them.

When using the mindfulness techniques, participants were told to pay close attention to their emotions—specifically, to accept whatever they were feeling.

Perlin said a difficult element of mindfulness is to not pass judgment, “from a very young age we're programmed to look at things as either good or bad.

When we're trying to develop a nonjudgmental stance it’s about being able to be aware of what we're doing in the moment without passing judgement.”

The university’s Counselling and Psychological Services will be hosting another mindfulness workshop on Oct. 18. For more information on upcoming workshops and services, visit their website: WWW.CONCORDIA.CA/ STUDENTS/COUNSELLING

CAMPUS LIFE

Fighting isolation at Loyola campus Lack of services leaves Loyola students feeling left out IAN DOWN NEWS EDITOR The Loyola committee of the Concordia Student Union (CSU) is looking to break what it perceives as a sense of isolation at Concordia’s Loyola campus.

According to the minutes from a committee meeting on Sept. 24, “members agree that Loyola campus feels very isolated and that this isolation is at the root of many of Loyola’s problems.” This includes what the union’s Loyola Coordinator,

Alexis Searcy, calls a “cycle of non-participation.”

Searcy said Loyola students often feel neglected “because services aren’t provided very regularly, because needs aren’t met there, because clubs and groups and even things like the CSU don’t spend as much time there, putting on events or mobilising there.”

Because of this, “[students] don’t reach out or they don’t mobilize or make their voices heard to people who could be making changes at Loyola,” said Searcy. She said this

The CSU’s Loyola Coordinator said that Loyola students suffer from a “vicious cycle of non-participation.” Archive photo by Savanna Craig.

“makes the people at the heads of these institutions feel like Loyola isn’t a priority.”

It’s not just Loyola students who are affected by the campus’s isolation. “The most common comment I get from anyone when I tell them I’m the Loyola coordinator is like, ‘Oh, I’ve been there once, it was such a pain,’” said Searcy.

She said she would like to see more shuttles run later into the night. Searcy has also discussed with administrators the possibility of having a shuttle that runs between

MIA ANHOURY NEWS EDITOR Beginning Nov. 1, doctors in Montreal will be the first in the country to pilot a museum prescription program, according to CTV. Montreal members of the Médecins francophones du Canada will be allowed to issue up to 50 prescriptions to visit the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. This clinical trial is one of 10 t r ials that the museum is participating in.

Montreal police will rely on a fit-for-duty policy concerning cannabis consumption as of Oct. 17, meaning officers cannot be impaired by any substance while working, according to La Presse. The city isn’t following Toronto’s strict restrictions for police officers, who won’t be allowed to consume cannabis within 28 days of working , according to the CBC. A Tim Hortons truck crashed into a train overpass on Guy St. early Thursday morning causing a traffic jam, reported Global News . There was no damage to the overpass and the trains were able to continue using the rails. However, the cargo, including coffee, spilled onto the street, and the driver was fined $160 for failing to yield to a 3.7metre clearance sign.

Montrealer Bill Mavridis recently the campus and Vendôme designed an application called metro station.

AEROplainte to facilitate the Not everyone finds Loyola f i l i n g of n o i s e co m p l a i nt s isolating. “I generally avoid re garding airplane s at the going to SGW if I can,” said Trudeau airport, according to Gabi Mandl, a PhD student the CBC. Although 543 noise who has studied on the complaints were filed in 2017, campus for six and a half Mavridis told CBC he wanted to years. “Only for final exams increase that number so airport do I go. I prefer the ambiance, authorities take action. the scenery, the people [of the Loyola campus].”

Graphic by @spooky_soda However, Mandl said the lack of student services on the campus is “really unfortunate. I wish assaulted and you live at Loyola or [the Arts and Science Federation of go to school at Loyola, you have to Associations] and the [Graduate students tell health services, you go through Association] had main offices here that a checkup, and then they make an were open more often (or at all), so that appointment with SARC,” said Searcy, we don’t have to waste a few hours “which to me is just completely running downtown for simple things unacceptable.” like signatures or reference numbers Finally, Searcy said the CSU is that take five minutes.” trying to host more events at Loyola This fall, the CSU is opening to draw students to the campus. a daycare on Bishop St. near the This includes the clubs cultural fair, downtown campus to expand the a showcase of some of Concordia’s school’s existing daycare services. cultural clubs and student groups, While the union said they would like to which will be held on Oct. 19. open a facility at Loyola, no concrete Searcy said in order to make plans exist yet. these goals a reality, “you have In addition, Concordia’s Sexual to get students interested and Assault Resource Centre (SARC) mobilized as well, which takes only has one office in Concordia’s time. It has to be a student-led Hall building. “If you were sexually initiative.”

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theconcordian

OCTOBER 16, 2018

NATION Honouring those without a home IN BRIEF Faith leaders hold candlelight vigil for departed homeless citizens COMMUNITY

KENNETH GIBSON STAFF WRITER

various other faith groups to provide daily assistance to homeless people. For people of faith, facing homelessness is often a daily fact of life, not something to be regarded just once a year.

The same is true of many shelters and homeless aid organizations throughout the city. Hardships posed by homelessness often don’t take people's lives suddenly (although a few times a year, they do), but these organizations see the effects. “The people passing away are often passing away in hospitals or in the palliative care centre at la Maison du Père,” said Samuel Watts, CEO of the Welcome Hall Mission.

Launched in May 2017, la Maison du Père’s palliative care program has 10 spots for end-of-life care available to homeless

people. Welcome Hall Mission works closely with them, and Watts said that, on average, the two charities arrange about 45 funerals Around 60 people gathered with religious per year. leaders from multiple faiths at St. George’s The most recent numbers from the Anglican Church on World Homelessness city of Montreal estimate that there are Day, Oct. 10, to hold a candlelight vigil around 3,000 homeless people living and raise awareness of the plight facing here. Of that number, approximately homeless Montrealers.

400 sleep on the streets, while 2,000 World Homelessness Day is relatively new, are in shelters or transitional housing, and only being observed since 2010. Organizers another 500 are in prison or the hospital. at St. George’s chose a vigil prayer service to Watts said the most common ailments acknowledge the day, something normally that the Welcome Hall Mission treats at its reserved for the night before a funeral, emergency shelter are injuries from lack because they wanted to celebrate the lives of proper footwear, infected wounds and of those who may not have been mourned unmedicated chronic conditions like diabetes when they died. and heart disease.

“Nobody stood by the graves of those Chronic homelessness in Montreal we celebrate today,” said Rev. Steven is “completely solvable” Mackison of St. George’s during his but requires a long-term opening remarks. strategy, said Watts. “We Mackison was joined by Rabbi work with people, help Boris Dolin, Iman Musabbir Alam them get apartments and and Alan Harrington. Harrington is then we stick with them.” an Ojibway community leader who Welcome Hall Mission operates the Wolf Pack Street Patrol, employees will periodically which focuses on the Indigenous check in with those they homeless population of Montreal, have helped find lodging but provides aid to all. and help them navigate After prayers from the four the necessary steps so traditions had concluded, Mackison they can stand on their invited those in attendance to come own two feet. to the front of the church and light a Rev. Mackison also candle in memory of someone who argued it is about more passed away due to the hardships than just shelter. “It’s of life on the street. a more deeply spiritual The virtuousness of helping issue,” he said. “I think those in need is a belief common we are all looking for to most major world faiths, from the a home, and home is Abrahamic religions, to Buddhism more than four walls, Reverend Canon Steven Mackison welcomes people to light a and Confucianism. St. George’s it’s a connection and a candle to honour those who have died due to the homelessness.

Photo by Kenneth Gibson. congregation coordinates with meaningful relationship.”

STUDENT HOUSING

Montreal invests in Woodnote project Uncertainty hangs over project timeline despite municipal contribution IAN DOWN NEWS EDITOR The Concordia Student Union (CSU) Woodnote Housing Project has just received an important contribution from the city of Montreal.

Last week, Mayor Valérie Plante announced the city would triple its previous contribution to the project from $500,000 to $1.6 million, according to The Montreal Gazette. Plante was quoted in The Gazette as saying “We want this project to get done, and so we are putting in a supplementary contribution to really give them a hand so that it happens.”

The extra funding came after the group overseeing the construction, Unité de travail pour l'implantation de logement étudiant (UTILE)—the non-profit housing rights organization—petitioned the city for more money, according to UTILE’s general coordinator, Laurent Levesque.

The Concordian previously reported that the housing project was facing unexpected financial difficulties. At a CSU council meeting in September, Levesque said the project’s budget needed to be increased from $14

million to $18 million. This was mainly due to the increasing cost of construction in the city and tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on steel and aluminum.

The timeline of the project is still uncertain, according to Levesque. Construction of the building still has not begun, and Levesque said he is not sure how the new contribution will affect the timeline. “There’s a lot of risk elements in construction,” he said. “It’s hard to get fixed dates right now because we depend on a lot of partners who are around the table.”

However, Levesque said UTILE’s target is to begin construction by the end of the year and to finish the project before the end of 2019.

Although Montreal has a large student population, the city is lacking in student housing. According to a study commissioned

by UTILE in 2014, Montreal is in need of 4,200 beds for students. Levesque said that part of the reason for the shortage is provincial law, under which student housing is excluded from social housing projects.

In addition, “the traditional approach to student housing is residence halls, that are developed, owned and operated by

universities themselves,” said Levesque.

“This has been limited in supply because universities are directly dependent on the provincial government, [which] has to approve their capital projects.”

Once complete, the building located on Papineau Ave. across from Parc Lafontaine will have 90 units with 144 bedrooms.

The project was first approved by Concordia’s student body in a referendum in November 2014. According to the CSU’s website, 89 per cent of students voted in

MIA ANHOURY NEWS EDITOR The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency will be receiving $50 million from Canada after the United States pulled its funding, reported CTV. The goal of the agency is to improve health and education for Palestinian refugees. The donation will be allocated over two years. The Trump administration called the agency an “irredeemably flawed” organization, according to CTV. Cliff Graydon, a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, was accused of making an inappropriate sexual comment to a female legislative staff member, according to the CBC. Disciplinary action was taken immediately, according to the party's caucus chair.

His future in politics remains unclear.

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled seven to two on Thursday against the Mikisew Cree First Nation in Alberta, which means the Canadian government will no longer have to consult with First Nations communities before implementing new legislation. The argument in favour of the federal government was that the consultation would disrupt the judicial process.

On Friday night, a man stripped naked and jumped into a shark tank at Ripley's Aquarium in Toronto, according to CityNews.

The man got out after the aquarium’s security officers asked him to leave, only to jump back into the tank after security left. He is now wanted by the police.

Graphic by @spooky_soda

favor of the project.

Levesque acknowledged that given the demand for student housing in Montreal, the units being built by UTILE are “complementary.”

“We don’t want to pretend like the Woodnote is going to solve all of Montreal’s problems,” Levesque said.

“We are hoping that there will be more co-ops like this in Montreal in the future, and that the city will finance them, and that the CSU’s lead will be replicated.”

The project is expected to break ground before the end of the year. Archive photo by Mackenzie Lad.

OCTOBER 16, 2018

theconcordian

WORLD Making Concordia more digital-friendly IN BRIEF Survey findings show a need for digital literacy and data privacy TECHNOLOGY

MINA MAZUMDER ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

MIA ANHOURY NEWS EDITOR

Digital literacy and data privacy are of the utmost importance to the Concordia community, said Guylaine Beaudry, Concordia’s vice-provost of digital strategy and university librarian, at a public event on Oct. 12.

Beaudry recommitted to the university’s goals when presenting the results of a public consultation and survey conducted in the spring of 2018, which are available on the Concordia website. The digital strategy project team gathered feedback from the university’s students, staff and faculty on the renovated Webster Library and Concordia’s digital system, which include the university’s website, myConcordia portal and Moodle.

According to Beaudry, the survey results showed that 84 per cent of 115 respondents can access reliable university WiFi on campus whenever they need it. Additionally, 34 per cent of respondents agreed that Concordia protects their data privacy, and only 15 per cent said the university keeps them informed on how their personal data is stored and used.

Students “don’t know what Concordia is doing with their data,” Beaudry said. “This is something we need to work on and transmit to our students.”

The survey also found that 49 per cent of students would like to see more use of technology in their courses; five per cent want to see less, and 46 per cent are comfortable with what they have now. Beaudry said her team will conduct further research on the issues raised in the survey results.

The survey was sent to students through

Hurricane Michael hit the south east of the United States last week, killing 18, and leaving an unknown number of people missing, according to CNN. Residents in the affected Florida area were provided with provisions such as water and ready-to-eat meals over the weekend.

Graphic by Ana Bilokin.

email and given out at the Webster Library entrance. One of the issues highlighted in it was digital communication between students and professors. “Younger students find emails to be too formal, and they don’t look at their email every day,” Beaudry said. “When they do use email, they have varying success in getting a response in a timely manner.”

According to the survey, some students felt several professors were not using Moodle as much as they would like. On the other hand, professors who responded to the survey preferred face-to-face interactions with their students over virtual ones. Many professors found Moodle to be too rigid, Beaudry said. “It explains the reason why students are confused, because they are going from one platform to another,” she said.

To prove students were comfortable with digital technology, Beaudry mentioned many students also rely on third-party platforms,

such as Facebook and Google Docs.

Recorded lectures and online videos were highly requested by many Concordia students.

Respondents found “pre-recorded content to be a good complement to their courses, such as recordings of past lectures,” Beaudry said.

“It is something students told us over and over again.” Beaudry said the administration is looking at how they can make that a viable option.

Beaudry said they should not only see Concordia as somewhere to get a good education, but a place where they can expand on their digital literacy.

“As a community, we need to take charge and seize every opportunity to contribute to the new digital landscape,” Beaudry said. She hopes that, by being more people-oriented and focusing on developing its community’s digital skills, Concordia will become a more technologically-advanced institution.

STUDENT POLITICS

Provost faces tough questions Tuition hikes, administrative salaries put Concordia’s provost on the spot IAN DOWN NEWS EDITOR What was meant to be a short presentation

by Concordia’s provost turned into a confrontation with the Concordia Student Union (CSU) at a regular council meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 10.

For more than an hour, CSU councillors questioned Graham Carr, provost and vicepresident of academic affairs, on everything from tuition hikes and administrative salaries, to student representation in school governance.

Carr had been invited to give a presentation on Concordia’s nine strategic directions. His presentation highlighted some of the school’s recent achievements, including the opening of the Institute for Investigative Journalism, as well as some of the university’s goals, such as the establishment of a health institute at Concordia.

However, during a segment of the presentation on diversity in the faculty of engineering, Arts and Science Councillor, Margot Berner, asked about the administration’s recent tuition increase for international students.

“I’m wondering how promoting diversity factors into international student tuition hikes in engineering,” Berner said.

Carr said international student enrollment was significantly higher this semester than last fall despite the tuition hikes, and this

was a sign that “our fee structure is not an impediment to them coming.”

Following the presentation, Berner brought up the representation of students in Concordia’s governing bodies. “It makes it difficult to believe that there’s been any meaningful consultation with students when the highest representatives of the student body are not allowed to sit on these [governing bodies].”

In her executive report prepared for the meeting, CSU General Coordinator Sophie Hough-Martin said she had been denied a place on Concordia’s Senate and Board of Governors because of her conditional academic standing, due in large part to a major depressive episode in the fall of 2017.

Carr responded that a working group had been formed to address the issue in the Senate.

Arts and Science Councillor, Patrick Quinn, alleged that the administration was violating Quebec’s Act Respecting the Accreditation and Financing of Students’ Associations. Article 32 of the act states that “The accredited students’ association or alliance may, alone, appoint students.”

Carr responded that this point constituted a “difference of opinion” between the CSU and the administration.

“It is not a question of a disagreement or a difference of opinion as Mr. Carr said in the meeting,” Quinn told The Concordian. “It is what the law states.”

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is implementing a new legislation that will ensure religious schools do not discriminate against gay students, reported the BBC. Under the new law, schools will no longer be allowed to reject students based on their sexuality, as they were able to previously.

A leaking oil pipeline exploded in Lagos, Nigeria, on Friday, killing at least 19 people, according to the Associated Press. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the owner of the pipeline in question, believes the explosion was caused by oil thieves, as Nigeria is Africa’s largest oil producer.

Indonesian police arrested four people in connection with an Instagram post attempting to sell an infant, according to The Guardian. The infant’s mother, a midwife, a potential buyer, and a man who ran the Instagram account were all arrested and are facing a maximum sentence of 15 years each. The account was advertised as a “family welfare” account.

Arts and Science Councillor, Rowan G audet , questioned C arr on the Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez is administration’s commitment to divestment the first Cuban president to from fossil fuels. He said if the univercreate a Twitter account, accordsity was concerned about being able to ing to Granma, the news outlet make a profit, “why not [cut] things like for Cuba’s Communist Party. administrative salaries, where we have Díaz-Canel announced in July a president who makes more than any during the Congress of the Union other administrator in Quebec?” of Cuban Journalists he would be Carr said Concordia has always been on Twitter by the end of the year. a “lean” university financially, and that The account now has over 25,000 the administration managed to weather followers. provincial funding cuts without sacrificing Graphic by @spooky_soda its academic mission.

The CSU’s chairperson put an end to question period, at which point council resumed its regular business.

After the meeting, Quinn said, “Any good student union won’t be afraid to ask the tough questions.

Our job is to obviously work with the administration, but it’s also there to ensure that our concerns are being Concordia’s Provost of Academic Affairs, Graham Carr, takes a voiced.” question from a CSU councillor. Photo by Ian Down.

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life

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

MARCH

Illuminating the Night

Thousands of Montrealers bring light to the darkness of cancer

More than 5, 000 people gathered in Parc Jean-Drapeau on Saturday, Oct. 13 to remember those lost to cancer. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

ANA LUCIA LONDONO FLORES CONTRIBUTOR The Light the Night Walk is organized every year in numerous cities across North America to honour those who have been affected by cancer. Families and friends from all regions of Quebec gathered Saturday, Oct. 13 in Parc JeanDrapeau on Île Notre-Dame to walk in remembrance of those who have been lost to cancer.

Many musicians were present, such as the People’s Gospel Choir of Montreal, Vikki Gilmore, a Montreal-based singer who performed during the walk, and many more. “It’s such an important cause,” said Gilmore. She felt the best way to get involved was through music, which can sometimes be more soothing than words. Gilmore volunteered at a psychosocial oncology lab for a year and said it was an incredible experience.

“I started performing at the march four years ago,” she said. “My aunt passed away from metastatic lung cancer in 2013, and after that, I wanted to get involved in cancer research awareness.”

Light the Night is hosted by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLS), a charitable foundation whose main mission is to cure blood cancer. The march helps fundraise for the foundation, as well as other research and support programs for patients.

“What’s great about this event is that it allows people to connect with others,” said Gilmore. “Often, when we deal with loss, grief or the stress and the heartache that comes with the disease, we feel isolated and forget that other individuals are potentially experiencing a similar situation,” she explained.

A crowd of more than 5,000 people gathered in the park before the march, which took place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. There was almost no industrial light throughout the event.

The only light cutting through the darkness came from the colourful lanterns waving in the air. From beginning to end, the march was full of cheerful volunteers, and smooth music set the ambiance for the walk.

Volunteers gently shushed the crowd to have a moment of silence for family members and friends who lost someone to cancer. On each side of the trail, there were small transparent bags with artificial candles in each one. Written on the bags were the names of those who have fought against blood cancer.

“It’s hard when you lose a loved one,” said a mother, who wished to remain anonymous, whose daughter passed away from leukemia at the age of four. “To have the family and friends here supporting you and your loss is such a beautiful gesture,” she added.

At the end of the march, volunteers congratulated the participants. “There is so much that can be done,” said Gilmore. “With foundations like the LLS Canada and fundraising events like Light the Night, so much more can be done.” The annual event creates a community of supporters, survivors, researches, and patients who, for one night, bring light to something typically so dark.

"What's great about this event is that it allows people to connect with others," said Montreal-based singer Vikki Gilmore. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Broken Pencil: Tales from the stall walls Sneak a peek inside ConU’s washroom graffiti subculture ALEX HUTCHINS LIFE EDITOR Confession: reading the messages and looking at the rushed art on the stalls in the women’s washrooms across campus is a guilty pleasure of mine—at least it used to be. A little investigative journalism venture in preparation for this article led me to realize how much of the graffiti I’ve been reading since first year has been covered up. Most of the current comments—or “tags,” if you will—I’ve found are in the women’s washrooms on the ground floors of the LB and EV buildings, plus a single, lonely and forgotten anti-Trump doodle in the H building.

First off, to the pair who, likely separately, tag-team wrote: “In a society that profits from your self doubt, liking yourself is a rebellious act … and loving yourself is a REVOLUTION,” in the first stall on the left side of the EV building washroom: thank you. And to whoever wrote: “❤️❤️❤️❤ for the [person] reading this” in the third stall of the LB washroom: ❤for you too.

While some may view these empowering tags as vandalism, for others, they can be that extra push you need to make it through the day. (Think The Handmaid’s Tale when Elisabeth Moss’s character is locked in her bedroom and sees the phrase about perseverance carved into the baseboards of her closet by a previous handmaid—but the struggling student version).

The stalls also house a variety of art, life advice and stickers. In the fifth stall of the LB building washrooms, there are two Sharpie sketches of people—one with longer hair and the other with what appears to be a hijab on; the sketch is headlined with: “Everyone has their own beauty❤.” The same stall also has a tag that reads “Work is long when you’re wearing a thong.” Found in some stalls are also the thoughts we dare not say aloud.

One person writes: “I’m an attention addict, but I don’t show it,” while another person confesses: “I’m constipated.” The mixture of subconscious confessions, with body positive support and comedic anecdotes that all corroborate the nuanced experience of life is raw and refreshing to read.

Many tags have humourous undertones of solidarity, particularly with comments like “BLOODY FEMININITY,” written on the lid of the menstrual product disposal box in the last stall on the righthand side of the EV building washrooms. “You are enough,” is written in the second stall of the LB building facilities. For me, reading messages like these warms my heart.

When having a bad day, week, month, or whatever, reading an honest tag about something similar, a funny anecdote or even just reading that someone else is also not okay, is oddly comforting.

The one, unifying theme found in all the stalls is the need for solidarity and support between women, female-identifying and non-binary people.

Whoever wrote: “To all my sisters, we need to love each other and be there. Stop bitchin’,” in the second stall of the LB building washrooms—you know what’s up.

Note: The Concordian recognizes that the graffiti and art mentioned in this article likely violate vandalism policies at Concordia University, and we are by no means encouraging anyone to go out and start attacking washroom stalls with writing utensils (wink).

Graphic by @spooky_soda

OCTOBER 16, 2018

theconcordian

7

CONFERENCE

‘This reckoning has been a long time coming’ Roxane Gay on body image, the #MeToo movement and contemporary feminism

"I don't have all the answers. I just write truthfully about the body that I have, in a world that is often hostile," said Gay.

ELISE MARTIN CONTRIBUTOR Professor Roxane Gay delivered The Beatty Memorial Lecture at McGill University on Thursday, Oct. 11. Gay is an internationally acclaimed cultural critic and author of the short stories Ayiti and Difficult Women , as well as Bad Feminist , which The New York Times deemed to be “a manual on how to be human."

A McGill tradition since 1952, The Beatty Memorial Lecture series annually hosts some of the greatest minds from around the globe. According to The McGill Tribune, the 2017 lecturer was famous philosopher Charles Taylor. Faculty members, students,

FESTIVAL

academics and patrons from all walks of life engage in a public conversation and openly share ideas.

Gay was at Le James McGill bookstore for an hour and a half signing books before the lecture, with more than 600 people waiting for her in front of Pollack Hall. About 200 people tuned in to the live stream that was made available on YouTube.

After Nantali Indongo, the event's moderator, introduced the lecture, she invited Gay to join her on stage. Gay began by reading pages from Hunger: A Memoir of Body, which spoke about her relationship with her body and weight. An article by Laura Snapes in The Guardian explained that Gay’s memoir “deals with

[her] rape at the age of 12 and the lifelong consequences of her decision to make her body as big as possible as a form of self-protection.” @McGill_VPRI tweeted a quote by Gay: “I don't have all the answers.

I just write truthfully about the body that I have, in a world that is often hostile.”

Gay proceeded to speak about the #MeToo movement, Harvey Weinstein, Brett Kavanaugh, Bill Cosby, and the percentage of women who voted for Trump—all significant events of this past year. Twitter user @barbirite shared another quote by Gay: “53 per cent of white women voted for Trump. And I'm gonna say that over and over and over again because it's a horrifying statistic, because they're voting their own rights away.”

“Justice felt like a real, tangible thing rather than a vague, illusory ideal. This reckoning has been a long time coming,” Gay said. Victims of sexual violence and sexual harassment continue to await justice, she added, proving that she is more of a realist than an optimist. “Hope is too ephemeral, too inconsistent, too fleeting. This is a brutal time [...] Every day there is new information about men who have abused their position or acted inappropriately or committed crimes against women.” @McGill_VPRI shared a final quote from Gay: “I am often asked to describe #Feminism and I don't answer that question anymore, because honestly it's 2018. How can you not know?”

Making veganism palatable

Chef Jean-Philippe Cyr talks about the food industry and his diet transition SIMON PRUD’HOMME CONTRIBUTOR Are you curious about vegan food?

Always wondered if it's affordable for you as a student? Here's your chance to learn more about it! The Montreal Vegan Festival will be hosting its fifth edition this weekend, on Oct. 20 and 21.

Given the festival’s success from previous years, organizers had to relocate from Marché Bonsecours to the Palais des Congrès for this year’s event. The Montreal Vegan Festival is one of the biggest in Canada and is free for all, since the organisers want to keep it accessible and affordable. Many activities and workshops will be held in both French and English by well-known vegan chefs, such as Gaz Oakley and Sébastien Kardinal, a French chef and founder of VG-Zone. net, a platform for an array of restaurant reviews, food tastings and new recipes.

Jean-Philippe Cyr—known for “La cuisine de Jean-Philippe,” a Facebook page, website and now a book of recipes translated into English—is this year’s festival spokesperson.

Environmental and ethical issues surrounding the food industry are some aspects of veganism the chef wanted to

A festival patron munches on what looks like a delicious veggie-dog. Photo courtesy of Danny Payne.

share. Cyr said that, since the 1960s, the world population has doubled, while the population of cows has quadrupled, meaning our beef consumption has increased significantly in that time. He also mentioned issues concerning antibiotics given to the animals we consume. Cyr said the main problem our society faces now is caused by industrialization. “Back in the day, people had a cow and a pig to feed the family; it wasn’t a major environmental problem,” he said.

Cyr is a good model for students that want to try to out a vegan diet. He said becoming a vegan can't be done on the drop of a dime—it requires a period of transition. “I was a classically [trained] chef, already cooking vegan food in a Buddhist temple, but still I was going to McDonald's like everyone,” said Cyr. When asked about how he began cooking vegan food, he said his breaking point came one day when he had to serve lamb at a funeral home. The atmosphere of the funeral home combined

with the fact that Cyr was serving a dead baby animal was, for him, a revelation. “It was an intense connection,” he said. That day, Cyr decided to quit his job. His wife suggested that he start sharing his vegan cooking knowledge online—which Cyr thought was a good idea—and he began to do so on Facebook.

Aiming to make vegan food accessible to as many people as possible, Cyr offers alternatives for traditional recipes to help make this transition easier. “My meals are simple and easy to do and are cultural references; spaghetti sauce tastes the same whether you put beef or tofu. There are ways to eat vegan without noticing it,” said Cyr. “I am a chef, not a nutritionist,” he added.

If you are on a tight budget, switching to a vegan diet can actually help you save some money. “Last time I checked, chickpeas were still cheap and tofu is half the price of ground beef,” said Cyr. The Montreal Vegan Festival will take place Oct. 20 and 21 at the Palais des Congrès. Jean-Philippe Cyr will give a workshop on how to prepare tofu on Saturday, Oct. 20. On Oct. 21, he will take part in a vegan poutine contest with Sébastien Kardinal.

arts

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

THEATRE

“This is our Black Panther moment”

Centaur Theatre’s Choir Boy is a raw, emotional and truthful telling of excellence

Happening in and around the White Cube this week…

CHLOË LALONDE | ARTS EDITOR

The Choir Boy cast puts on a powerful performance for the Centaur’s inaugural show of their 50th season.

KAYLA-MARIE TURRICIANO COPY EDITOR When the Centaur Theatre premiered its first show on Oct. 28, 1969, the auditorium still smelled of paint and a team of plumbers had just fixed the sprinkler system.

The opening-night production of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, originally a novel by Muriel Spark and adapted for the stage by Jay Presson Allen, was reviewed by The McGill Daily ’s Randy Roddick a few days later. In this rather lackluster review, Roddick acknowledged the cast’s successful performance but also mentioned the struggles the Centaur dealt with: the colour of the theatre was “shitty” (quite literally—it was brown), and the building’s safety was only given the green light by the fire department 20 minutes before curtain call.

Roddick concluded his article with: “In the future, who knows, maybe this company will become more relevant and more exciting.” If only he could have known that the Centaur would be celebrating its golden anniversary, still hosting six to 10 shows per season and acclaiming success both locally and internationally.

This season’s inaugural play premiered in 2012 at the Royal Cour t in L ondon, and is set to debut on Broadway in December 2018. Choir Boy is about a talented singer named Pharus (played by Steven Charles) who is trying to prove to the Drew Prep School for Boys that he is the rightful leader of their choir. The coming-of-age story showcases a cast of young black men focused on their

dreams while dealing with everything life throws at them.

On Oct. 12, the opening night of the season, the Centaur Theatre was full of anticipation for the show which was nothing short of fantastic. The play began with Kanye West’s “Power” and the five choir boys on an elevated part of the stage.

It wasn’t long before banter and witty jokes got the audience laughing.

The back-and-forth dialogue showed the authenticity of the characters and added to the excited atmosphere of the theatre hall.

The way the actors interacted with the audience allowed the crowd to feel connected and as if they were a part of the story, possibly finding a small part of themselves in what was shown on stage. The a capella numbers were simple, yet delivered with such passion and fervor; each actor was given the opportunity to show their vocal talents.

During an interview, each of the actors said they were so excited and proud to be a part of something that, on some level, represents what they have been through in their lifetime.

Vlad Alexis, who plays Junior, said they’re “doing it for the culture” and that “this is our Black Panther moment; Wakanda really is forever.”

Patrick Abellard, who plays Bobby, said he tried to explain to his friends what the show is about, but it’s really something you have to experience first-hand. Choir Boy is raw, emotional and truthful; it’s a story of acceptance, friendship and loyalty through trials and tribulations. It is a whole-heartedly inspiring story of young black excellence.

Choir Boy runs until Oct. 28. To see what else the Centaur is showing this season, check out their website: WWW.CENTAURTHEATRE.COM

I’d like to take a moment to talk about the viral Banksy shredding. Lask week, the internet blew up with the news: the renowned street artist remotely shredded one of his paintings just after it was sold at a Sotheby’s art auction in London on Oct 5. According to a video on Instagram, Banksy had installed the shredder inside the painting’s frame in case it were to be auctioned off.

Banksy is all about making a statement.

When I first heard about the shredding, I rolled my eyes. Of course Banksy destroyed his own artwork. I was so over it. The idea of selling a Banksy is absurd—his pieces are meant to be public and ephemeral, accessible to all for free. Consequently, destroying his painting was the ultimate power move.

Art auctions are capitalist ventures, and the money raised rarely funds the artist—the very thing Banksy fights against.

According to The Guardian, by destroying his art, Banksy increased its value by at least 50 per cent. The shredded Girl with Balloon is now worth more than CAD $3 million.

Regardless of whether Banksy intended or expected the value to increase this much, we’re talking about the whole ordeal. Banksy has forced us to confront this system and is encouraging us to reconsider how we experience art and what we expect from it.

His pieces are admired by many for their rich and socially-relevant aesthetic qualities, but they aren’t meant to be sold.

“I don’t charge people to see my art unless there’s a fairground wheel,” Banksy wrote on Instagram in response to news of an exhibition about him in Moscow that he was not aware of. I believe Banksy would agree that locking his art inside a frame and placing it in a white cube is almost like jailing an innocent person.

The art world is so much more than what is happening inside the white cube, and there shouldn’t be a price tag on that unless the artist is involved and profiting too.

I created this column and named it the White Cube in a similar spirit—to acknowledge the capitalist corner of the art world and attempt to remedy this way of thinking by promoting mostly free and accessible art. I’m not going to lie, it’s harder than I expected.

That being said, if you are an artist, collective or just a person who happens to know of art available outside the white cube, write to me at arts@ theconcordian.com Graphic by @spooky_soda and Ana Bilokin.

OCTOBER 16, 2018

theconcordian

9

EXHIBITION

When it comes to Ellen Belshaw, art imitates life How an alumna’s internship in Mexico blurred cultural boundaries YOUMNA EL HALABI STAFF WRITER “I purposely went to Mexico without a curatorial concept in mind so that I wouldn't be trying to make the art that I found fit into my preconceived ideas," said fine arts graduate Ellen Belsha. Instead, "my ideas would be shaped by both my experiences in Mexico City and shaped by the works of the artists who I met with.”

Belshaw spent three months last spring interning at SOMA, a non-profit contemporary art education organisation in Mexico City. SOMA is an eight-week program conducted in English for international artists, curators, critics and art historians. It introduces participants to the dynamic art scene of Mexico City through visits to museums, openings and artists’ studios.

Through a series of seminars and workshops hosted by famous Mexican and international artists and curators, Belshaw came to know five ar tists: Marcela Armas, Daniel Monroy Cuevas, Lorena Mal, Ar mando Ros ales and Rogelio Sosa. She selected these artists to be a part of Lo que sabíamos pero no pudimos decir, or What we all knew but couldn’t articulate, currently displayed in Concordia’s FOFA Gallery.

“The staff at SOMA were a big help in connecting me with artists who I was interested in visiting at their studios,” Belshaw said. “Following each of the studio visits with different artists, I asked them to recommend me at least one other artist who they thought I should meet with, based on what we had connected on. That way I was more likely to get a wider range of artists, not just one social circle, but rather branching out into different circles, more like a web.”

The exhibit’s welcoming art piece is Rosales’s Actual State . At first glance,

Armando Rosales’s Actual State invites viewers to literally walk in his shoes. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

viewers may be confused by the several half-spheres of concrete scattered across the floor. By taking a closer look, the objects becomes clearer: they are sandals, which the artist invites viewers to wear.

Rosales suffers from bouts of dizziness and vertigo. His aim is to convey a personal story and a beautiful message.

When people put the shoes on and attempt to stand up straight, they experience a loss of balance. Furthermore, if people try to walk alone in these shoes, they will eventually fall. However, if they request assistance or if others choose to help, they will succeed.

“The main themes of the exhibition lies somewhere in the space between connection and disconnection,” Belshaw

Careful! Marcela Armas’s Resistencia might burn you! Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

explained. “How things can seem to be connected or disconnected at different moments, and the factors that create those apparent divisions. Often, the difference between disconnection and connection isn't something concrete (pun intended), but other times it can be very substantive. In a way, I would argue that the desire to connect is what fuels many human drives.”

According to Belshaw, other common themes between the works in this exhibition are tension, movement, borders and a range of sensorial perceptions, but that does not mean viewers can’t draw their own conclusions.

An echo of the border and tension theme would be Armas’s Resistencia. The

installation is made up of several metal wires, positioned in a way that alludes to the border between the United States and Mexico. At first, one only sees white dots delimiting the border. However, the viewer is separated from the artwork by yet another metal wire which could burn the viewer if touched.

When asked what inspired her to put on this specific exhibit and name it as such, Belshaw said her personal experience in Mexico played a significant role.

“My experience as a non-Spanish speaker in Mexico, and how I was often able to find ways to communicate with many non-English speakers who I encountered also helped form the concept for this exhibition,” she said adding that she started,“thinking about how language is so important to interpersonal connection, but isn't the only way to engage with others and what else allows us to connect.”

It wasn't until Belshaw was back in Montreal that she took the time to step back and think about her internship in Mexico City. She started to realize the common threads across the different artworks and began forming the concept for Lo que sabíamos pero no pudimos decir.

“Different things attracted me to each of the selected artists in the exhibition,” Belshaw said. “Seeing their work and talking to them about each of their practices brought me that satisfying sense of this is why I do what I do. These are views that I want to help them share; a raison-d'être in such a crazy world where sometimes it's hard to justify putting energy into art production and administration.”

A detailed essay on the connections between the artworks will be available at the FOFA gallery on Oct. 18. The exhibition is open everyday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Oct. 19.

music

Quickspins 1

QUAVO

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

Quavo Huncho

SHOW REVIEW

J. Cole is K.O.D.

J. Cole leaves fans inspired and in awe as he nears the end of his tour

(Quality Control) In Quavo Huncho, the long-awaited album released by Quavo from Migos, the Atlanta rap star attempts to display his individual talent.

Quavo’s trademark sound features throughout his eponymously-named debut solo album. From his autotuned melodic vocals, to the Migos’ signature adlibs (they couldn’t help but make some kind of appearance), the 19-track project has its fair share of bangers.

With a wide array of guests, from fellow Atlanta rap star Lil Baby to pop icon Madonna, the list of features is quite impressive. They successfully add a touch of flair to each song, and each bring their own unique swag and energy to the track.

The similar-sounding performance from Quavo throughout many of the songs is slightly disappointing, as the hard-hitting beats and autotuned melodies are only catchy for so long. Except for track 17, “Swing,” which features Normani and Davido on an island-vibe dance track, ost of the tracks on Quavo Huncho are catchy but predictable.

With Offset and Takeoff, the other two thirds of Migos, allegedly releasing their own debut solo projects in the near future, each of the members are attempting to prove their skills as individual artists outside of their successful, chart-topping group.

Die-hard Quavo fans are sure to enjoy this project, but those expecting anything different from the Migo might not be Quavo Huncho’s biggest fan.  Trial Track: “Workin Me”

7/10 — IMMANUEL MATTHEWS, ASSISTANT MUSIC EDITOR

J. Cole is as inspirational as he is prolific. Photo by Marie Demeire for Canadian Beats.

JACOB CAREY CONTRIBUTOR The Bell Centre filled its seats on Oct. 5 as eager hip hop fans gathered for the last leg of J. Cole’s K.O.D. tour, joined by special guests EarthGang and Young Thug.

While EarthGang started off the night by performing a quick set of their biggest songs, it was clear as the building packed up that many fans were eagerly awaiting Young Thug, fresh off the release of his compilation album Slime Language, with his label YSL, and his own EP, On the Rvn. The crowd was evidently excited as well as surprised that Thug actually made it into Canada, considering recent run-ins with the law that left him with eight felony charges including intent to distribute illegal narcotics and possession of an illegal firearm.

Given his extensive catalogue, Young Thug had no problem picking out the crowd-pleasers that would maintain hype throughout his whole set. Opening with “Anybody” off his early 2018 Hear No Evil EP, Thug may have only chosen two songs throughout the whole set that appeared on the same album. Showing that he has released hits year after year with no shortage, the Atlanta rapper played newer tracks such as “Killed Before” and his guest verse on Drake’s “Ice Melts,” yet surprisingly stayed away from the newest tracks in his catalogue.

The rapper finished his set with some of his biggest hits, including “Pick up the Phone” featuring Quavo and Travis Scott, and his break-out hit “Bestfriend.” Finally, Thug’s long-

time producer, London on da Track, was brought out to finish strong with “Lifestyle,” the song that put the Rich Gang signee on the map in 2014.

The lights dimmed as the spotlight shone a purple light on a large curtain covering the stage that listed the meanings of the acronym K.O.D. As the curtain fell and revealed the simple stage with hovering cloud-like “K.O.D.” balloons, Cole emerged from an underground staircase to the album’s “Intro,” leading then into “Window Pain (Outro),” while the crowd roared.

A few songs into the set, Cole sat down to explain the three meanings behind the album name K.O.D. “Kids on Drugs,” which represents the times we live in, when we often find ourselves escaping our problems with the scapegoat of our choice. “King Overdose” refers to Cole’s personification of himself from whenever he has used drugs to escape his past. The final meaning, “Kill Our Demons” is what he said he "hopes for everyone to one day achieve,” by facing their demons in a safe and healthy manner. The explanation led into “Photograph,” the third song from the album.

This was far from Cole’s last speech of the night. After playing various songs from his prior albums, 4 Your Eyez Only and 2014 Forest Hills Drive, the North Carolina rapper stopped to boast a humble brag. Explaining that the journey is the best part of any success story, Cole spoke about how Twitter users doubted him back in the day, saying that although he was good, “he can’t make a hit.” “But now,” Cole went on to say, smiling at a roaring crowd, “I think I got a few hits.”

The stadium erupted in cheers and applause as the beat to “Workout” began, the 2011 single that first established Cole’s credibility in the rap world.

Following hit after hit, Cole’s most inspiring speech lasted almost five minutes and was his last of the night.

He said the one thing that “determines if we are healthy or not comes down to our ability to process and deal with pain.” Cole said that everyone in the world has felt pain and questioned why no one has been shown how to properly process it. As we grow up and witness traumatic events, he explained, pain grows within us and we do not know how to rid ourselves of it.

Cole ended with words of inspiration, urging everyone to go out into the world and deal with their baggage as soon as possible, in order to live their most fulfilled life. He finished the speech by singing “Love Yourz,” his “own personal reminder and favourite song” that puts him back on track in the most dire of times.

T h e r a p p e r f a ke d a n e n d i n g by bidding his fans farewell after per forming “KOD.” As the crowd continued to cheer, even with the lights off, Cole came back out to perform his encore—“1985,” a diss song to new-wave rappers in which he delivered an a capella verse. He finally finished with “No Role Modelz.”

As Cole thanked his fans for coming to listen and walked off stage, the crowd dispersed feeling a mix of both inspiration and excitement as they poured onto the streets of downtown Montreal on a beautiful Friday night.

2

LOGIC YSIV (Def Jam) In his most recent project, Maryland rapper Logic, one of the most frequently joked about hip hop artists, reminds everyone how he got famous in the first place, by spitting bars.

YSIV is Logic’s fourth studio album and fourth project in his Young Sinatra series. First brought to the public with his mixtape of the same title in 2011, the four-part series features the Def Jam rapper’s alter ego, Young Sinatra, which pays tribute to one of his biggest influences, Frank Sinatra.

In the 14-track project, he returns to the musical sound that grew his fan base to one of the most loyal ones in hip hop today. The unmistakable old-school boom-bap beats throughout YSIV are sure to inject any hip hop-head with major nostalgia.

Logic uses the album as a way to sway slightly off the path of his most recent pop-friendly musical releases, like his hit song “1-800-273-8255.” From discussing his trials and tribulations during the beginning of his musical career to his achievements and growth, he uses YSIV as a reminder to all hip hop fans of his often-ignored rapping abilities.

Spitting deep-hitting bars throughout the album, as well as Eminem-esque ultra-fast flows on songs like “100 Miles & Running” and “Iconic,” Logic refuses to let anyone put down his album without experiencing his lyrical arsenal.

From the Wu Tang Clan reunion on “Wu Tang Forever” to the 13th track “Iconic” featuring Jaden Smith, YSIV is an entertaining, old-school style hip hop album with noteworthy guests and top-notch production.  Trial Track: “The Glorious Five”

8/10 — IMMANUEL MATTHEWS, ASSISTANT MUSIC EDITOR

OCTOBER 16, 2018

theconcordian

11

HISTORY

The Canadian indie bedrock

A short history of the Montreal scene that birthed iconic indie rock bands

KENNETH GIBSON STAFF WRITER By the early 2000s, mainstream rock music had become mired in a postgrunge funk, bloated with nu-metal faux angst and drop D tunings. Picking up a copy of Spin in the year 2000, you’d likely see Papa Roach or Creed on the cover. Or Eminem. Canada had the Tea Party and Our Lady Peace.

Young people were looking for something dynamic and eclectic, something that stood out against this stodgy musical landscape.

Scenes emerging in places like Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Brooklyn’s Williamsburg and Montreal’s Mile End would eventually oblige this apetite, and the early 2000s indie rock boom would begin.

This period was the first time Canadian acts en masse were at the cutting edge of a musical movement. Not only were they taken seriously as artistic contenders, but they were setting the parameters by which other bands would have to play.

They brought xylophones and accordions, they brought 11-piece bands, they combined lo-fi garage rock with whimsical keyboards—they were moody, grandiose and endearingly chaotic. They were rockstars but were low-key about it; they liked to party but wanted to make sure everyone was having a good time.

Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew embodied that low-key good spiritedness.

Drew was a sad-guy indie rocker, cast in

a similar die as those who came before him. The only difference was Broken Social Scene wanted to make music that was loud and bombastic, rather than quiet and shuffling. It’s something they shared with a lot of bands from the early 2000s indie wave: a desire to re-emphasize the drums and bass.

Yet, Canadian indie bands always seem a bit more colourful and joyous. While the Strokes were all dimly-lit dive bars and cigarette smoke, Broken Social Scene seemed to be channeling the clattering beauty of a thriving metropolis like Toronto.

With 11 members, Broken Social Scene combined horns, strings, shimmering layers of textured guitars, a strong rhythm section and a trio of excellent singers, including Feist, to create loud and exuberant pop-inflected rock songs. The band would do more to define indie rock’s grandiosity and looseness than most others. When Pitchfork gave their album You Forgot It in People a 9.2 review in 2003, the world suddenly became interested in Canadian indie rock.

Around this time, Arcade Fire was about a year old. By the spring of 2003, they had recorded an EP and broken up on stage at a notorious release party at Casa del Popolo. Win Butler brought in his brother, William, to hold the band together as they toured in support of the EP. The new line-up became extremely tight as a live band. A brash live show got

them a record contract with Merge. Their 2004 debut, Funeral, was indie rock filled out with traditional instruments such as the accordion, horns and strings, featuring intricate arrangements around post-punk rhythms. The vocals were wounded; the music was cathartic and urgent. For the first time in a long time, disaffected youth had music that encouraged them to get off their ass and do something.

Upon release, Pitchfork gave the album a stupidly-glowing review, and the rest was history. A year later, they were performing one of their biggest singles, “Wake Up,” with David Bowie live on British television, which U2 used as their entrance music on the Vertigo tour.

That pretty much blew the Montreal music scene wide open. David Carr, the New York Times media critic, wrote an article about it in February 2005. Some of the bands he mentioned were very important in the early Montreal scene but never quite achieved breakthrough success: the brooding-pop of the Dears, the cool electro of Chromeo, and the madcap indie-pop of the Unicorns.

The Unicorns had actually broken up in late 2004, but were a creative dynamo in the beginning of the Mile End scene. Prior to the release of their debut album, the biggest thing Arcade Fire had done was open for the Unicorns on an American tour.

Sporting pink tuxedos at most of their shows, the Unicorns were just one of those bands too brilliant and unhinged to last very long. Using tinny

beats and lo-fi recording techniques with wobbly keyboards and fuzzy guitar to make child-like pop songs, their sound won over many critics. Their 2004 album, Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?, is a true gem of the era.

The next big Montreal band to emerge, Wolf Parade, was a group of west coast transplants (as were the Unicorns). What makes Wolf Parade a quintessentially Montreal band, though, is that its members landed in the city seeking a creative safe haven. A mixture of economics and artistic vibrancy made Montreal an ideal training ground for developing bands.

Guitarist Dan Boeckner’s old west coast band, Atlas Strategic, had already garnered attention from the label Sub Pop after touring with Modest Mouse. So, when Wolf Parade started performing, they were quickly offered a record contract and their debut, Apologies to the Queen Mary, came out in 2005.

In many ways, that album captured all the sounds of the Montreal scene at once: yelping vocals and vulnerable lyrics, baroque, poppy keyboards, guitars that swag gered with Spring steen-esque w i s t f u l n e s s , a s te a m ro l l e r r h y t h m section. Pre-release hype for the album was substantial. Broken Social Scene released their self-titled follow-up to You Forgot It in People the same year, and Canadian indie reached its maturation point.

Graphic by @spooky_soda

sports

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

PROFILE

A striking work ethic

Simon Malaborsa is training hard to recover from an injury

Simon Malaborsa said he played for the Stingers because he wanted to have the student-athlete experience. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

KAYLA-MARIE TURRICIANO COPY EDITOR “I’ve been playing soccer since I was four years old. It’s in my blood.”

Simon Malaborsa reminisced about his best memories of soccer, when he used to play with his siblings in their family’s backyard in Ahuntsic-Cartierville. It was Malaborsa’s father who sparked his interest in the sport, and signed him up for it. The 22-year-old has been playing ever since.

Although he’s been a striker for the Concordia Stingers men’s soccer team for the last two seasons, he didn’t always play that position. He used to play defence and winger, sometimes even goalie, but was always most comfortable as a striker. “I used to play with people who were older than me, and that’s how I got competitive,” Malaborsa said.

“There was no way that I wasn’t going to play for the team,” Malaborsa said about being a Stinger. “I played for the college team, I played for club [teams]. Part of the experience for me is being a student-athlete.”

Malaborsa noted that, while school is important, he wouldn’t be enjoying his time at Concordia as much if he wasn’t also an athlete. “It’s part of the lifestyle,” he said.

In 2013, after graduating from LaurenHill Academy, Malaborsa played with the Dawson College Blues. In his first year there, the team went to nationals. It was a successful end to a season that had a rocky start, he recalled. In 2015, Malaborsa decided he wanted a change in atmosphere and to

focus more on his grades. He transferred to Vanier and played for the Cheetahs from 2015 to 2017. At the club level, he has played with Ahuntsic, Longueuil, Outremont and Salaberry.

Originally, Malaborsa studied marketing as a full-time student at Concordia, but he didn’t like math so he switched to urban studies and urban planning. Although he is interested in the program, he doesn’t want a job in that field.

“I want [my career] to revolve around soccer. I want to do some type of coaching,” Malaborsa said. “I kind of don’t want to use my degree. I’ll have it, but I don’t want to use it. I want to go out and use my soccer. I obviously still want to play pro; I’m still pushing.”

Malaborsa works one day a week as the manager at Casey’s restaurant in Marché Central, but the rest of his time is spent at school and playing soccer.

Malaborsa usually goes to school from 9 a.m. to around 3 p.m. everyday.

During this time, he trains and goes to physiotherapy for a hamstring injury he suffered a week before beginning this season. He has been injured all season but is still playing although not at his full potential, but he hopes to reach the level he wants to be at soon.

Having only played three out of nine games with the Stingers this season, Malaborsa said it has been difficult not playing the sport he loves so much. “It’s hard on the mental [side] too. [I] just have to stay positive and trust the process,” he said. “It’s easy to be distracted or depressed

because you’re injured, but it’s part of the sport. You just have to work hard to get out of it.”

However, Malaborsa has a newfound appreciation for the game now that he’s spent so much time on the sidelines. “Every minute I get, I try to play the best I can.”

As a dedicated student-athlete, Malaborsa is very busy but said that prioritizing and managing his time allows him to balance everything. “Yes, you can have fun,” he said. “[But] you can have fun doing serious things—I’m having fun doing super serious things.”

Malaborsa said he had his time to go out when he was younger, and he still does go out occasionally, but that’s not why he looks forward to the weekend.

“I’m looking forward to games,” he said.

Ideally, within the next three years, Malaborsa hopes to have both a degree and a professional soccer career—perhaps in the Canadian Premier League, which is expected to start in April 2019.

“I try to do whatever needs to be done,” Malaborsa said in regards to reaching his goals. “I’m sure that if you do everything that you need to be doing, and you’re positive and you’re persistent and consistent, you’re going to be getting what you want. Hard work pays off. I believe in that.”

“It always feels like I’m playing in my backyard; it’s just so familiar to me,” Malaborsa said. “No matter what stage of play, it should always be the same.

You shouldn’t be nervous, you should be excited; it’s what you’ve worked for.

It’s what I’ve been working for.”

COLOUR COMMENTARY WITH NICHOLAS DI GIOVANNI On Oct. 10, a group of Quebec investors announced they were working to bring an NBA team to Montreal.

Former cabinet minister Michael Fortier and Stéphan Crétier, a businessman, said that if the NBA ever expands from its 30-team league, they will be ready with a proposal.

The announcement came hours before the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets tipped off at the Bell Centre in a preseason game. Over 20,000 fans showed up to watch the Raptors beat the Nets 118-91, and the crowd was energetic.

Montrealers have seen this story play out before with a baseball team.

There’s a group who seriously wants to bring an MLB team back to the city, and every year, the Toronto Blue Jays play preseason games in front of large crowds here in Montreal.

So here we are, going through this rodeo again. Rich businessmen want to bring another big-league sports team to a city that surprisingly only has one team in the top-four men’s professional leagues in North America. What makes this basketball project different from baseball is that we have an arena ready for a basketball team. The Bell Centre is a state-of-the-art facility ready to accommodate a basketball team alongside its hockey team. But could it work?

Both Fortier and Crétier said it would cost $1.5 to $2 billion to bring a team to Montreal, with Crétier saying he would invest 10 per cent of the cost.

Rather than wanting the public’s money for funding, they want to attract other investors. I’m no finance student, but that price tag seems hefty considering it doesn’t include a new arena. A 2013 study

by Ernest & Young concluded it would cost just over $1 billion for a Montreal baseball team, but it included building a new $467 million stadium, with money coming from the government.

Regardless of the actual cost of an NBA expansion team, the group of investors are approaching this from the right angle. They know the government won’t want to contribute public money (and why should they?), so they’re doing it privately.

Having fans at 41 home games every year, on top of 41 hockey games, is a hurdle that a potential team could face.

The Canadiens have an average ticket price of $115, while the Raptors sell for an average of $145. I really don’t think Montreal basketball fans, especially young families, will be willing to dish out that money.

If a basketball team were to work in Montreal, its investors would need to fork over the money, and keep ticket prices low. There’s a possibility this could work, and I think there’s a market for basketball in Montreal, but it will be a long shot.

OCTOBER 16, 2018

theconcordian

13

HOCKEY

New home signals shift in women’s hockey Les Canadiennes de Montreal win season-opener 2-1 in first game at Place Bell

MATTHEW COYTE SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR With goals from Maude Gelinas and Sarah Lefort, Les Canadiennes de Montréal opened their season with a fast-paced 2-1 win against the Calgary Inferno on Oct. 13.

Montreal played an offensive game with more fast-break chances than you could count. On the other end, the Inferno used their speed to work the offensive zone. Les Canadiennes just edged Calgary in shots, 20-21. Both goalies, Calgary’s Alex Rigsby, an American Olympic gold medalist, and Emerance Maschmeyer for Montreal, were tested often and were forced to bail out their teams. Rigsby’s highlight of the game was stopping Mélodie Daoust, the 2018 Olympic MVP, on three separate breakaway chances.

The Canadiennes played their first two games of the season at Place Bell. Both against the Inferno this past weekend, they lost 3-1 on Sunday. The arena has been home to the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL) since its inauguration in 2017.

The 1,500 fans in attendance weren’t exactly the numbers the team was hoping for. This could also be partially attributed to the Laval Rocket playing right before and the Montreal Canadiens playing at the Bell Centre downtown at the same time.

The crowd was more than enthusiastic, however, and the loud cheers filled the empty

NEWS

Marie-Philip Poulin returned to the Canadiennes as captain after playing with the Olympic team last year. Photo by Matthew Coyte.

seats. For captain Marie-Philip Poulin, the move to the 10,000-seat-capacity at Place Bell is a sign that the women’s game is continuing to take strides forward.

“Women’s hockey is growing. We have the chance to grow the size of our arenas as well,” said Poulin, who was held pointless.

“Hopefully fans will come to watch us.

That’s what we want. That’s what we hope for. That’s what we want to grow for the next generation. For us, seeing little girls in the stands, that’s why we play.”

After playing three games at the end of last season, without earning a point, forward

Hilary Knight recorded her first point with Montreal, an assist. She said she wasn’t thinking too much about getting her first point in her new colours. “It doesn’t matter.

As long as we win [...] The expectation is to win,” Knight said. “I wouldn’t expect anything less with this team.”

Knight joked she had only ever seen road signs to Laval, but so far the team’s stay in the city and at the arena has been positive. “I love [Laval]. Place Bell is great,” Knight added.

“The energy is great. Les Canadiennes always have a great crowd. We want more fans to come and embrace us as the city’s team.”

With the (partial) move to the 10,000 seat arena, Les Canadiennes are one of the first Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) teams to make the jump to a larger rink.

Place Bell is officially the second-largest CWHL arena, after the Shenzhen Dayun Arena in China, which can seat a whopping 18,000 for the Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays.

The Canadiennes are scheduled to play five more games at Place Bell this season, four at the Bell Sports Complex in the South Shore, and two at Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard in Ahuntsic-Cartierville.

Salut Clément: 365 days later Local riders honour young cyclist one year after his death

JAD ABUKASM CONTRIBUTOR A year ago, Clément Ouimet tragically lost his life on Camillien-Houde Way in a collision. His bike is still hanging there, a white fixie strapped on the side of the road. The two hockey sticks in an X shape are no longer dangling under the bicycle, but the 18-year-old cyclist is far from forgotten.

On Oct. 4, more than 200 people attended the silent ascension up CamillienHoude Way on Mount Royal to honour Ouimet’s memory.

There were two words on everyone’s minds: “Salut Cyclists prepare for a silent ride up Camillien-Houde Way on Oct. 4. Photo by Jad Abukasm.

Clément.”

Ouimet’s team, many rival cycling clubs, and his friends were present at responsible that he biked. But yeah, life are other people in life that support the event. “We just didn’t understand,” said was evil.” them, and that are trying to send good Antoine Ippersiel, a friend of Clément. “He Annie Lafontaine, who had only seen thoughts,” she added. was 18 and just like that, he wasn’t there Ouimet at the Bromont velodrome a few years The white bike and the hockey sticks anymore. It was hard to accept it.” ago, said it is important to show Clément’s mark the exact spot of the crash and hold Bernard Fortin, Ouimet’s neighbour, still parents that they still remember him. “I met a lot of meaning. has vivid memories of him. He considered his parents when we strapped the bike,” said “Those, I see almost every day and they Clément his son: “I’ve know him since he’s Lafontaine. She wanted to show them that mean a lot to me,” said former professional a toddler. We’ve seen him ride his first bike, people continue to support them by bringing cyclist James Piccoli. “I look at them every we’ve seen him skate, we’ve seen him do flowers to Clément’s memorial. “I say to time I pass. It’s been a nice little reminder everything. We also lent him our tools to myself that, if they pass by, whether by to give me perspective every time I’m fix his bike,” Fortin said. “We almost felt bike or by car, they will know that there training here.”

Maxime Martin, Ouimet’s girlfriend’s father, said not every driver is a maniac, and that sometimes cyclists take unnecessary risks too. He wants cyclists and drivers to properly share roads.

“You hope that, when people pass by the white bike, they think: ‘OK. Am I really in such a hurry?’ and on bicycles: ‘Am I really being careful enough?’ That’s the presence we want to win with the message,” Martin said. He added that it makes him angry to think it took such a tragic event to send a message to make things safer for cyclists.

“I think we gave honour to Clément, but it’s really to send a message to Montreal and to provincial jurisdictions,” said the event’s organizer, Marc-Antoine Desjardins. “It’s important to have safety measures for the most vulnerable and that’s only possible from safe infrastructures accessible to cyclists, pedestrians, elderly people, students, children [...] We’ve seen many nice things [regarding this issue] during the electoral campaign. I’m excited to see the results.”

However, Desjardins said, the memorial was for Clément Ouimet: “We won’t forget you Clément. We’re never going to forget you; count on us to perpetually remind everyone who you were and honour your memory. Salut Clément.”

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

EDITORIAL

The religious symbol ban is backwards Ban. Forbid. Prohibit. Most would assume these words are associated with important issues like banning plastic bags, forbidding child marriage or prohibiting smoking in certain areas. Instead, Quebec is once again caught in a useless but ever-present debate about banning religious symbols.

The incoming Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government under François Legault is attempting to follow through on their campaign promise to ban religious symbols for civil servants in positions of authority. This includes preventing teachers, police officers and judges, among others, from wearing the Muslim hijab, the Sikh turban or the Jewish kippah. This isn’t the first time Quebec politicians have tried to forbid people from wearing religious symbols. In fact, it was only a year ago that the provincial government was debating Bill 62, which would have prevented civil servants from covering their faces when accessing public services. Initially, the CAQ said government employees who didn’t comply with the ban would be choosing between having a job and wearing a religious symbol.

Following criticism from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and protests from others in Quebec, the CAQ has now stated that they are willing to compromise and only apply the ban to newly hired employees, according to The Globe and Mail. Frankly, this is appalling and downright frustrating.

Our schools and teachers must be diverse in order to reflect reality. When you walk down the streets of Montreal, you

inevitably come across diversity. Why should walking down Quebec school hallways be any different? Preventing people from expressing their religious beliefs is oppressive and destructive to society’s progression. Having children taught by teachers who wear the Sikh turban helps to normalize religious diversity.

A police officer who wears the hijab can help enforce the idea that your religious beliefs don’t hinder your ability to do your job well.

We at The Concordian wholeheartedly reject this atrocious ban; but more importantly, we reject the rhetoric behind it.

While the CAQ and the ban’s supporters insist the ban is solely intended to achieve religious

neutrality, it’s important to note where the ban is coming from. Simply put, it’s coming from a place of ignorance and intolerance.

It encourages the idea that people must be one and the same, that diversity and differences weaken our society rather than strengthen it.

This is hateful, wrong and offensive to many.

This ban is flawed in so many ways, and is hypocritical at its core. When asked if the crucifix in the National Assembly will stay, Legault replied that it’s not a religious symbol but rather part of Quebec’s heritage. “We have a cross on our flag,” he said, according to Global News. “I think that we have to understand our past. In our past we had Protestants, Catholics,

Graphic by Ana Bilokin.

they built the values we have in Quebec. It’s part of our history.”

How can a religious symbol—the crucifix—not be religious? It’s clear to us that this ban is based on senseless intolerance rather than actual facts and concrete arguments. It seems the CAQ wants to preserve one faith: Christianity. If the ban were truly applied to all facets of public civil service, it should be applied to the National Assembly as well.

That’s only fair, right?

Although Christianity certainly played a historic role in establishing Quebec, it’s wrong to single out this one belief system as superior to other religions in Quebec. This logic is a product of the abuse and erasure of Indigenous peoples and culture. It is a result of what happened when colonialism, exploitation and racism collided and created chaos for a group of people.

Quebec’s past was forcefully Christian— other faiths were trampled upon and completely disregarded. Quebec’s present, however, is a multitude of faiths, belief systems and religious identities. Its future is in the hands of many people from different backgrounds who believe in different things. Banning their religious symbols and their ability to freely express themselves is not only oppressive, it’s regressive. We at The Concordian strongly encourage our fellow citizens to stand firm in rejecting this hypocritical, backwards, oppressive ban.

Let’s fight for a future where diversity is celebrated, rather than forbidden.

POLITICS

Francois Legault does not speak for a majority How much of a mandate does Legault of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) party really have?

KENNETH GIBSON STAFF WRITER News media outlets have been clear since the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) won Quebec’s provincial election: they won by a stunning majority. No, no, actually, they “romped to victory,” they won a “commanding majority,” they “surged,” “swept to power” and “stormed to a majority,” according to various sources.

This rhetoric would make a person think the CAQ was elected by an overwhelming majority of Quebecers. Certainly, premier-designate François Legault would have you believe that.

At a press conference held the day after the election, Legault proposed using the notwithstanding clause to force through legislation that would ban public authority figures from wearing religious symbols.

He said the “vast majority” of Quebecers agreed with his proposed ban and, therefore, it wasn’t a big deal to use the clause (and besides, Premier Doug Ford already did it in Ontario).

So, Legault wants to disregard a vital aspect of democratic society (the Constitution of Canada), but he cites a foundational

democratic concept (that of “the majority”) as giving him the mandate to do so. It seems Legault is only interested in democracy when it suits him.

Besides, a closer look at the election results deflates the idea that Legault represents the will of a majority of Quebecers. The CAQ received approximately 38 per cent of the popular vote. That in itself is not an “absolute” majority, which would require more than 50 per cent of the vote in order to have more votes than the combined opposition.

However, in Canada, we operate by a plurality voting system, sometimes referred to as “first-past-the-post (FPTP),” where a party simply needs to get more votes than any other party to win. What this means is that a majority of the candidates who won seats for the CAQ did not get at least 50 per cent of the vote.

Moreover, voter turnout for the 2018 election was estimated at 63 per cent.

There are about six million eligible voters in Quebec; a little over 3.7 million of them came out to vote. This adds up to the CAQ representing 38 per cent of just 63 per cent of eligible voters, so approximately 1.4 million people. Legault speaks for 1.4 million people in a province of more than

eight million.

Legault’s majority is an electoral majority, and that’s a weak basis on which to claim one has a mandate to act for a ‘majority of quebecers.’ Pretty much anyone you ask right now agrees that the democratic election process needs reform. Elections keep resulting in situations where a small segment of voters can elect a “majority” government that doesn’t represent the true feelings of most people.

An alternative model to FPTP is proportional representation, which essentially means the number of seats a party gets in the legislature is equivalent to the percentage of the popular vote they received. In Quebec, that would mean the CAQ had 47 seats in the National Assembly, the Liberal Party would have 30, Parti Quebecois 22 and Quebec Solidaire 19.

In a situation like that, if the three opposition parties decided to put their differences aside and oppose the most egregious elements of the CAQ’s agenda, they could.

That would be a truer representation of people’s will than the FPTP system.

When contemporary conservative politicians are criticised for their inhuman policies, they often smugly reply that they have the will of the people behind them. We need to remind them of the basic facts of electoral democracy. Rarely does any government under a FPTP system have a real claim to majority representation. If you want us to accept your proposals, you need to argue them on the merits. So, tell me, what are the merits of state harassment of religious minorities?

Graphic by Ana Bilokin.

OCTOBER 16, 2018

theconcordian

15

UNIVERSITY

Keeping up with the chaos of being a student Why the daunting task of saving up is almost impossible when you’re in school TIA GIANNONE CONTRIBUTOR Does anyone else feel as though the world is rigged a g a i n s t s t u d e n t s? I ’m referring to the financial pressures to keep up with the trends and behaviours which have been glorified by society.

For example, as a student, you have to pay for your tuition, books, public transit, etc. This is just a small list of the necessities. You also have to consider the coffee it takes to sur vive these long days, the phone plans we all have to pay to stay in touch, and our basic needs such as clothing and so on.

Honestly, the daunting list never ends.

Even a student who receives help from their parents will see the bills add up, and fast. Is it just me or is all of this one giant trap set up by the society we live in? How are we supposed to pay for all those basic necessities, while keeping up with the latest travel or fashion trends, let alone save anything? There is so much pressure to be living our lives to the fullest, yet if we do so, we end up broke with an uncertain future.

Another aspect that needs to be mentioned is that we are expected

to achieve high levels of education with acceptable grades, but we’re also supposed to work and be productive members of society. On the surface, this is a good thing, since working allows us to gain experience, meet people, become responsible, etc. But the harsh truth is that not all university students have the time to work. Different programs have different schedules that aren’t flexible and make it difficult for some students to work consistently throughout the semester. Yet, the expectations and expenses are the same for all of us.

How does that make sense?

The solution could be to make sure students are educated on when and how to spend money, and how to budget.

However, if our parents don’t teach us how to save, the difference between bank accounts, and how to set them up, we're already five steps behind. The banking system is overwhelming and intimidating to say the least, and anyone who isn’t taught how to move within it may be too scared to ask the questions needed to achieve success. Essentially, students who aren’t good with saving money might find themselves torn between wanting to pursue a desirable, luxurious lifestyle

that’s promoted in society, versus aiming for a financially stable but ‘boring,’ life.

Where do we go from here? Do we live in the moment, travel and gain memories that last a lifetime? Or do we focus on our future and save for our first car and down payment?

The truth is, it’s up to you, and there’s nothing wrong with trying to achieve a little bit of both. It seems the best solution is patience. Hold off for one more summer before going on that trip; skip those unbeatable sales for a few months and accept that this is the choice we all have to make at some point.

The pictures we see on social media of our acquaintances’ amazing travels don’t show how hard they worked or the debt they acquired from that trip. The amazing fashion influencers we try to keep up with don’t advertise the best places to get similar, cheaper alternatives, nor do they acknowledge the fleeting moment of a trend and how quickly it will be replaced.

While a certain lifestyle might seem easily accessible, there is often a lot more hard work involved than advertised.

Attention must be given to the negative impacts of these trends.

Graphic by Ana Bilokin.

MENTAL HEALTH

Hello Dr. Google, do I have ADD?

Self-diagnosing mental health issues should be avoided SHUGOFA DANESH CONTRIBUTOR Juggling university, part-time work and extra curriculars is a catalyst for poor mental health. To determine what is normal and abnormal, we have the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), a standard classification manual published by the American Psychiatric Association to guide professionals in their diagnoses. Yet these guidelines should be complemented by professional expertise, and as a standalone diagnostic tool are regarded by many as incomplete.

Today’s internet age gives everyone access to medical information and long lists of symptoms that can harm them in ways they often don’t perceive. If I type “Do I have..” in the Google search engine, the top three hits are for depression, anxiety and ADHD. According to the CBC, one of the results of self-diagnosis is cyberchondria, a term used to

define the anxiety produced by self-diagnosis.

There are numerous reasons why people experience negative emotions, and mental health problems can be telling of physical health problems that are overlooked or exaggerated. I believe everyone should get routine checkups and, if a problem arises, seek professional help.

You do not want to delay a treatable illness by relying on the conglomerate of information available on what some call “Dr. Google.”

As a student in the last semester of my undergrad, I have had to cut back on my hours at work and increase time at the gym in order to maintain my mental health and focus. I, too, am culpable of diagnosing myself with attention deficit disorder and depression at different points in my life, but I have also met with professionals to obtain accurate information. Words like ADD, bipolar and depression are tossed into conversation frivolously, consequently blurring the distinction between normal mood changes and mental illness. This, in turn risks minimizing the gravity

of a person’s personal experience with mental illness.

I took a psychology course in CEGEP, and my professor explained that in order to be diagnosed with depression, symptoms should persist for at least two weeks and the person should exhibit at least five of the symptoms listed in the DSM-V. These guidelines are used by professionals to diagnose clinical depression, which differs from situational depression in its duration and severity.

The technological age has given people the freedom to post whatever they choose online without censorship. Therefore, we use this terminology to describe erratic behaviour and the “abnormal.”

One of the most misunderstood mood disorders is depression, due to the complexity of the brain as well as the spectrum of depression and its ability to recur even

after treatment. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression has risen worldwide by 18 per cent since 2005, and many people are not getting effective treatment due to stigma and lack of support.

Full-time students at Concordia are eligible for 10 free sessions with a psychotherapist on campus. They can also book an appointment with a learning specialist at the Student Success Centre.

These services, along with good coping skills and relaxation techniques such as yoga and meditation are much better alternatives to self-diagnosis and will get you closer to receiving the help you need.

Graphic by Ana Bilokin.

16

theconcordian

OCTOBER 16, 2018 Archive graphic by Charlotte Bracho.

ia d r o c n o C The

To the Editor, Having marched downtown along with others in last Sunday’s March against Racism, I thought I’d add a note to Elise Martin’s otherwise excellent coverage of the event.

Like other Montreal papers, The Concordian’s coverage emphasized the participation of socialists, feminist, and immigrant groups, all of whom were certainly well represented.

But others like myself, closer to the public mainstream and unaffiliated with any group, marched as well: simply a concerned citizen. I strolled along

n

with a Concordia colleague on one side and a staunch Presbyterian neighbour on the other, glad and honoured to be in the company of others of all stripe, hue, and ethnicity.

As we hit St. Catherine Street, we spied two young women of colour, one wearing a hijab, who had been out shopping. We encouraged them to join in with us. After a little hesitation, they did so. They turned out to be first year university students, one a Somali and one a Sudanese, and neither had ever been in a demonstration before.

The occasion gave us an opportunity to discuss participatory democracy

with them, not (to say the least) very common in their respective homelands.

It was, in short, a day for all comers: professorial fuddy-duddies of a certain age like me, and North African students new to public discourse. Best of all, it seems to have had an impact on the incoming Legault administration.

Peaceful protest must never be ignored or taken for granted!

Yours, Robert Tittler ‘Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus’ Concordia University Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada

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Concordia University’s weekly, independent student newspaper HEAD COPY EDITOR VICTORIA LEWIN COPY EDITORS KATELYN THOMAS KATYA TEAGUE KAYLA-MARIE TURRICIANO copy@theconcordian.com BUSINESS MANAGER FRANCIS LADOUCEUR business@theconcordian.com ADVERTISING MANAGER BILAL QADRI advertising@theconcordian.com BOARD OF DIRECTORS NATHALIE LAFLAMME DAVID EASEY directors@theconcordian.com

CONTRIBUTORS: Alexia Martel Desjardins, Ana Lucia Londono, Elise Martin, Jacob Carey, Jad Abukasm, Kenneth Gibson, Shugofa Danesh, Simon Prud'homme, Tia Giannone, Youmna El Halabi

VOL. 36, ISSUE 8 OCT. 16, 2018.

OUR COVER THIS WEEK “Taking time to tune in” Graphic by @spooky_soda FOLLOW US ON    COME TO OUR WEEKLY STORY MEETING AT THE LOYOLA CAMPUS CC-431 FRIDAY AT 12:00 P.M. PITCH. WRITE. EDIT. Editorial office 7141 Sherbrooke St. W Building CC - 431 Montreal, QC H4B 1R6 (514) 848-2424 ext. 7499