theconcordian
CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY’S WEEKLY, INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER
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VOLUME 36, ISSUE 22 | TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2019
Everyone and their Mother Mother Vancouver indie band aims to appeal to Montreal audience Music p. 10
also in this issue
news
life
arts
sports
opinions
Students lack 'Unhealthy' English LGBTQ+ need for Confronting tech Loyola's bball department p. 2 better care p. 6 dependency p. 9 success story p. 12 mental help p. 14
news
NEWS EDITORS /// news@theconcordian.com IAN DOWN & MIA ANHOURY ( @IanDown1996 @mia_anhoury)
CITY IN 'Unhealthy' English department BRIEF REVIEW
Over 50 students and alumni say they have been invited for drinks by a teacher
MIA ANHOURY NEWS EDITOR A nitric acid leak in the de-icing centre of the Montreal-Trudeau airport caused the evacuation of a dozen people from the Aéro Mag garage on Monday morning, according to Le Journal de Montréal. Paramedics evaluated employees as a preventative measure. Tenants rights organizations in Ville-Marie and PlateauMont-Royal are asking Quebec and Montreal to ban short-term rentals like Airbnbs, according to The Montreal Gazette. The two organizations found that suc h s er v ice s are replac ing affordable housing in the area. They are asking the provincial government to take action and better enforce current laws in p l a ce fo r s h o r t-te r m re nt a l services. A Mirabel barn’s roof collapsed on 25 cows on Saturday from the weight of the snow, according to CBC. The cows were rescued by farm workers and firefighters. However, rebuilding the barn could cost $100,000.
The report said there is a “whisper network” in the department. Photo by Mia Anhoury.
MIA ANHOURY NEWS EDITOR The climate in the English department at Concordia has been described as unhealthy, according to a report by third-party investigators. The report, released last Thursday, was commissioned by the university in January to evaluate the climate of the working and learning environment in the department after sexual misconduct allegations came to light in January 2018. The review was written by retired Justice of the Quebec Court of Appeal Pierrette Rayle, Business Psychologist Alain Reid, and Organizational Psychologist François Rabbat. The findings are based on an online survey and interviews with people, including students, staff and faculty. Students and alumni reported that faculty members have committed various forms of sexual violence, which are at the centre of the unhealthy climate in the department. “Certain faculty members
have held some classes in bars, had parties at their houses, invited students for drinks [...] or drugs. Some students reported that these situations have, on occasion, led to sexual misconduct being committed,” the report stated. The report said there is a “whisper net work” in the depar tment, where incidents are only communicated among students. The network “underlines the lack of trust that certain students have in the university’s handling of these matters,” according to the report. Prohibiting the university from holding classes in bars is included in the recommendation. Of the 89 students and alumni surveyed, 55 said they have been invited out for a drink by a faculty member, and 28 said they’ve been invited to dinner in a private or public setting. Thirty-eight said a faculty or staff member has engaged in behaviour aimed to stigmatize their identity, such as harrassment, threats and bullying. Lisa Ostiguy, deputy to the chair on student life, said “we certainly don’t want
to ban all opportunities” where students and professors meet off-campus. “But we do want to put some parameters or talk with the standing committee about what those opportunities should look like,” added Ostiguy. The report also found there is a culture of favouritism towards students by some faculty. The report emphasizes that “there is no place for any romantic or sexual relationship between an instructor and his or her student,” despite the fact that Bill 151, an act to prevent and fight sexual violence in higher education institutions, does not prohibit these relations. Ostiguy said “the [English] department has already started on a number of the issues around favouritism and some recommendations well before the climate review [was] released.” When asked if the university was aware of the common fraternization between students and faculty in the department, Ostiguy said “I’ve been actively involved in sexual violence and sexual misconduct files and processes, and I was not made aware.”
Quebec’s 13th cannabis store will open in Brossard this week, according to Global News. The Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) will be opening more branches across the province to shift cannabis users from the black-market to the legal market. Graphic by @sundaemorningcoffee
There is a general mistrust and lack of understanding towards the university's handling of complaints, according to the review. Most respondents disagreed with a series of statements about the efficiency of the process for consulting resources and the values promoted by the department. This mistrust, according to the review, is why students voice their concerns on social media rather than through official channels. The report also calls for another climate review in two years. Ostiguy said “the recommendations are certainly things that the university can act on.” Among the recommendations are educational and prevention training for faculty, awareness campaigns, and a selection process for publications to avoid favouritism. The report suggested the university hire a contact person for complainants involved in ongoing investigations. With files from Mina Mazumder.
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NATION SEIZE vote back on CSU agenda IN BRIEF STUDENT POLITICS
Councillors ask cooperative be given a place on election ballot IAN DOWN NEWS EDITOR At the urging of several councillors, the Concordia Student Union (CSU) will hold a second vote on the Solidarity Economy Incubation Zone’s (SEIZE) proposed fee levy referendum for the upcoming general elections. Four CSU councillors—Samantha Candido, Samuel Miriello, Eliza McFarlane and Victoria Pesce—wrote a letter to CSU Chair Caitlin Robinson, asking her to include a second vote on the agenda for the council meeting on March 13. SEIZE is a Concordia-based group whose goal is to support solidarity co-ops on and around campus. They are seeking a 35 cent per-credit fee levy to fund their operations. In a secret ballot on Feb. 20, council voted against SEIZE having a fee levy referendum in the general elections. This came after more than 900 students signed a petition in support of the referendum, which was then approved by the CSU’s policy committee. “We have come to the conclusion that the representatives of council did not vet the SEIZE project in good faith, and therefore invalidated the vote exercised on February 20th, 2019,” the letter to the chair reads. “We believe students are entitled to a fair vetting process for all projects.” Miriello confirmed the item had been put on the agenda in a statement to The Concordian. “In voting down a grassroots student initiative through secret ballot, the CSU denied undergrads the chance to vote on creating a new economy, ignoring their own policy committee, mandates, and the voices of more than 900 students in the process,” said SEIZE in a written statement to The Concordian.
For a fee levy question to go to ballot, it must be approved by both the CSU’s policy committee and council. “Policy committee has a very specific mandate, they do not look at the mission or the mandate [of the organization],” said CSU Academic and Advocacy Coordinator Mikaela Clark-Gardner, who chairs the policy committee. “That’s up to the students to decide whether or not they like the idea.” The CSU’s bylaws direct the policy committee to “verify the signatures on the submitted petition, to consider whether the wording of the question is prejudicial to the outcome, and whether the group’s proposed constitution would reasonably allow such an organization to operate and manage the funds being requested.” However, no such guidelines exist for council. Clark-Gardner said SEIZE fulfilled all of the criteria for a fee levy application, including a budget, a policy document and a petition with at least 750 signatures. However, she said that the committee was also concerned about the fees associated with membership. To qualify as a user member, a student or community member must pay annual dues. Employees of the co-op (or “worker members”) must pay a deposit equal to 1 per cent of their salary. “If you’re having a fee levy that all students are paying into, it should be inclusive to all students,” said Clark-Gardner. “We were worried that the regulations for becoming a member would be a little bit too restrictive, and that they should be able to open their membership without this criteria of payment.” Marcus Peters, SEIZE’s project leader, clarified that Concordia students would not have to pay dues outside of the fee levy. He said having employees pay a deposit is standard practice
for a co-op. “Worker members are expected in cooperatives to put in a personal investment so they can have a demonstrable ownership stake in the organization.” The committee also raised concerns about the broad scope of SEIZE’s plan. The first draft of its bylaws stated that “the business of the Co-op will be carried on in every province and territory of Canada and elsewhere and may include the provision of services for international organizations.” “Their focus should really be in Montreal and on the Concordia campus, because that’s where their money is coming from and that’s where the students that they’re supposed to be supporting [are],” said Clark- Gardner. SEIZE’s history dates back to 2015, when Concordia students and community members formed a working group on promoting solidarity cooperatives. “SEIZE is advocating that we channel the talents and ambitions of student and community entrepreneurs into creating cooperative businesses built around solidarity principles, and in so doing help facilitate an economic transition into a post-capitalist society,” according to their website. Shortly after SEIZE’s founding, in November 2015, the student body approved a referendum encouraging the CSU to fund a solidarity economy incubator, as previously reported by The Concordian. In a separate referendum question, SEIZE will ask for a 35 cent per-credit reduction in the fee levy for the CSU’s Student Space, Accessible Education, and Legal Contingency (SSAELC) fund to compensate for their proposed fee levy.
SUSTAINABILITY
ASFA creates ethical purchasing
MIA ANHOURY NEWS EDITOR On Sunday, Conservative party leader Andrew Scheer said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should let Jody Wilson-Raybould reveal why she left the cabinet, according to The National Post. Members of parliament will meet again this Wednesday and WilsonRaybould may make another appearance to provide additional testimony. A 4.3-magnitude earthquake struck northwest of Rocky Mountain House on Sunday morning, according to CBC. There were only minor damages despite it being close to 10 kilometres deep. The area is prone to seismic activity. Ontario is looking to ban single-use plastics in an effort to reduce waste sent to landfills, according to The Toronto Sun. The provincial government is holding public consultations about the ways in which they can reduce litter, potentially with a deposit return system for plastic bottles and containers. A man was found guilty of second-degree murder for the death of Mylan Hicks, a Calgary Stampeders football player, on Monday morning, according to CTV. Hicks was shot twice in September 2016 after a fight erupted over a spilled drink at a bar. Graphic by @sundaemorningcoffee
Policy changes include more local, ethical and eco-friendly products on campus MINA MAZUMDER ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR The Arts and Science Federation of Associations’s (ASFA) ethical purchasing policy was approved at a council meeting on Feb. 14. This policy aims to respect ASFA’s values as a consumer by considering sustainability, ethical practices and financial solvency. It is also set to be reviewed every three years. “This policy will affect arts and science undergraduate students by providing them with resources to address how their purchases can incorporate sustainable practices,” said Kayla Miller, ASFA’s Loyola and sustainability coordinator. She added the policy is founded on social, economic and environmental sustainability. The changes to the policy relate to locality, environmental sustainability and harassment. All newly-elected member association executives will need to be made aware of the policy. According to the updated policy, ASFA and its member associations will give a preference to suppliers based in the province of Quebec. However, if no suppliers are available within the province, Canadian suppliers will be considered local. ASFA and its member associations (MAs)
will not buy single-use plastic items, including be able to effectively implement sustainable plastic straws, cutlery, water bottles and practices on a day-to-day basis,” said Miller. disposable cups, for their events. Instead, they “We hope that students will abide by ethical will invest in reusable items, biodegradable purchasing standards within their respective materials or access free materials from The member associations and continuously strive Dish Project, a “student-run waste reduction to improve themselves individually and initiative” that provides reusable dishes for collectively,” said Miller. free, according to its website. Apart from the updated policy, some ASFA and its MAs are also mandated changes were also made to the “standards of to prioritize buying ethically-sourced food labour” section concerning workers. An update that contributes minimally to environmental states that physical, sexual, psychological damage, which includes having vegan and vegetarian options at events. To reduce food waste, ASFA and its MAs must make an effort to donate the unused food to students, food banks and soup kitchens. Finally, they won’t purchase factory-farmed meats or support animal abuse. “It is integral, moving forward, that we as consumers acknowledge our responsibility to reduce environmental harm and degradation by abiding by ethical purchasing standards,” Miller said. “Our hope at ASFA is that [the Ethical Purchasing Policy] will provide students with the necessary resources and tools to Graphic by @sundaemorningcoffee
or verbal harassment or abuse, including corporal punishment, will not be tolerated. Students are encouraged to consult the ASFA Harassment, Discrimination and Violence Policy, which gives further information concerning these issues. In addition, overtime work should not exceed 12 hours per employee per week, and all employees who work from home should keep a weekly log of their hours to be fairly compensated.
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theconcordian
MARCH 12, 2019
WORLD ASFA by-election referendums IN BRIEF Structural changes could be made to the federation’s mandates
STUDENT POLITICS
MIA ANHOURY NEWS EDITOR
Graphic by Zeze Le Lin.
On Sunday morning, an Ethiopian Airlines flight dest i n e d f o r Ke nya’s c a p it a l , Nairobi, crashed minutes after its takeoff, killing all 157 people on board, according to The Globe and Mail. The Boeing 737 lost contact with the airport six minutes after takeoff. Last October, a Lion Air flight of the same plane model crashed in Indonesia, killing everyone on board.
JAD ABUKASM ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR The Arts and Science Federation of Associations (ASFA) will be holding two referendum questions during its next by-elections. CHANGES IN THE MANDATES OF EXECUTIVES Following last year’s executive restructure, ASFA’s current executive team pointed out issues with how the mandate for each position was divided. The advocacy and executive coordinator position, for example, “needed to be separated into two distinct positions, as both mandates themselves are quite a huge amount of work, and when put together, didn’t make much sense,” said Marguerite Rolland, ASFA’s current advocacy and executive coordinator. The proposed by-law suggests dividing the standing advocacy and executive position into two distinct mandates. Firstly, the mobilization coordinator would be created to carry out the advocacy mandate and the executive coordinator would be renamed general coordinator. “The goal of [this change] is to represent the interests of arts and science students, and empower causes that arts and science students care about,” said Rolland. The Loyola and sustainability coordinator will be removed under the proposed by-law. “After consulting with Loyola MAs the conclusion has been that they do not feel that the Loyola coordinator system is the best approach [to represent them],” according to the motion. The Loyola mandate will be absorbed by a standing committee composed of one member from each of Loyola’s member associations and will promote collaboration between these associations. This change is meant to better represent Loyola students within the federation.
“For all the hard work that Loyola coordinators have put in, Loyola member a s s o c i a t i o n s h a v e m o s t l y w o r ke d cooperatively through CAABS and other horizontal methods of cooperation,” said Nicholas Gertler, ASFA representative for the communications student association, COMS Guild. “This restructure is going to formalize that and make sure that Loyola MAs always have the institutional resources to continue doing what we’re doing.” The CAABS is a coalition of Loyola member associations that sets aside a portion of their budgets to create joint events for Loyola students. The sustainability mandate will be divided between the student life coordinator and the financial coordinator. The policy explains that this change will better ensure that member associations uphold sustainable practices. This division was proposed to facilitate the “overwhelming responsibility” previously held by only one executive. The policy explains that “the purpose of this change is to embed sustainable practices into everything ASFA does, rather than tokenizing it as an afterthought.” The proposed by-law would create two appointed coordinators: the elections coordinator and the frosh coordinator. “They will remove significant burden from the internal coordinator and student life coordinator, which will enable these coordinators to better complete the rest of the duties associated with their mandates,” said Rolland. A position was specifically created for frosh since it is the largest event put on by ASFA and requires months of preparation. “This shift of work load will also enable the student life coordinator to use part of the summer to begin planning the student life initiatives for the rest of the academic year,” Rolland said. A few changes also appeared throughout the new proposed by-laws for clarification on executive mandates. Rolland assured
that these changes to ASFA’s structure will not affect the next general elections since the positions being filled will be the new ones. WHETHER EXECUTIVES SHOULD HAVE A VOTE IN COUNCIL In an effort to reform ASFA, the federation will be asking the student body whether executives should have a right to vote in council. “Allowing the executives a vote on council empowers them to be involved in the decision-making process that directly impacts their work and mandate,” said Rolland. The proposed change would not only give direct decisional power to the executives, but it would also make executives more accountable. The current rules of ASFA do not require executives to attend council, something the federation hopes will change. “Their attendance would be mandatory,” said Gertler. “There would be a formal accountability process if executives aren’t present.” “I think it’s worth noting that students vote for ASFA representatives while they have no idea who’s going to council meetings,” said communication student Hannah Gold-Apel. “Expecting the [member associations] to represent the students’ interests more than the elected representative seems to me ridiculous.” Some councillors, however, think this measure will defy the role of councillors towards ASFA executives. “As per this definition, the council of representatives is the oversight committee of the organization, including the executive body,” wrote Jane LefebvrePrevost, councillor for the Women Studies Student Association, in a statement to The Concordian. “To give voting privileges to those whom the committee is ultimately
Since Thursday, Venezuela has been in a power and communication outage, according to Reuters. Although some areas had patchy connections, schools and businesses have been closed, and the blackout has endangered patients in hospitals and killed 17. President Nicolas Maduro blamed it on a sabotage by the United States, but opposition leader Juan Guaido said Maduro is to blame. More than 80 people were injured on board a ferry after it hit what seemed to be a whale in the Sea of Japan on Friday, according to BBC . Thir teen passengers were seriously injured, and the collision caused a large crack in the ferry’s stern. Siti Aisyah, the Indonesian woman accused of killing Kim Jong-Nam, the half brother of North Korea’s leader, was freed on Monday, according to The New York Times. She was jailed for two years. Siti and the second suspect, Doan Thi Huang, were accused of smearing a toxic chemical on his face when they thought they were taking part in a TV prank. Graphic by @sundaemorningcoffee
overseeing can potentially backfire terribly, and as someone who has been with ASFA for many years, it's better to be proactive than react once something goes awry.” According to Lefebvre-Prevost, such voting powers could impede on some decisions such as the removal of executives from their positions. Since delicate decisions require a majority of two thirds of the council representatives, executives’ votes could act as a blockade. “While we have had a fantastic team this year, future executives may not be as ethical as others in their responsibilities and may work towards blocking the two thirds majority vote to remove their colleague,” said Lefebvre-Prevost. To counter future unethical actions by executives, Lefebvre-Prevost suggested an amendment to allow executives one unanimous vote. This would synthetize the executive’s frustration with the potential conflicts. However, the amendment did not pass.
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COMMUNITY
Encouraging locals to shop for a cause New fundraiser challenges fast fashion while helping women in need
BRYANNA FRANKEL CONTRIBUTOR The first Shop For A Cause fundraiser, a non-profit clothing drive and silent auction to help women in need, took place at The Boho Lab on March 8. On International Women’s Day, the Shop For A Cause fundraiser sold women’s apparel 50 per cent off. They also offered prizes and hosted a silent auction. All proceeds were donated to the Old Brewery Mission, specifically the Patricia Mackenzie Pavilion, which offers health services and shelter to homeless women. The Mission has a six year (2014-2020) campaign to collect $55.5 million to offer emergency services, housing, community support and knowledge building to help the homeless transition back into society, according to The Old Brewery Mission. Shop For A Cause was created by best friends Karen Brown and Raj Nair, in July 2018. Their mission is to help women, families and children in need. Brown and Nair are also fighting against the fast fashion industry to diminish the size of landfills by giving unwanted clothes a second life. In October 2018, Brown and Nair began collecting used clothes at Montrealers’ homes in preparation for the fundraiser. “I didn’t even realize there was a thing called fast fashion because I was a victim
Several organizations, including Yoga Jeans and the Montreal Alouettes, donated to the fundraiser. Photo by Bryanna Frankel.
of it,” said Brown. Fast fashion is the rapid production of clothing to keep up with new fashion trends. Consumers buy new clothes to replace clothes that the market deems outdated. Unwanted clothes thrown in the trash increase the size of landfills. Polyester, nylon, and acrylic are made from petroleum, which takes thousands of years to biodegrade, according to CBC. “After doing some research I found out fake clothing bins existed,” said Brown. “The clothes donated were being sold to third world countries or simply thrown away.” Brown had donated clothes to a local organization. She went back to repurchase items she regretted giving
away, but they were never put on sale. To confirm an organization’s legitimacy, all non-profits have a charity number which can be found on the Canada Revenue Agency’s list of charities or Charity Intelligence of Canada. “I learned about the event from The Old Brewery,” said the event’s first customer of the day, who goes by Mrs. Griffin. “I wanted to support the cause, especially knowing they are selling gently used clothes.” Mrs. Griffin purchased recycled leather gloves made by Montreal-based brand Kazak. The fundraiser had over 30 sponsors. Nintendo donated a Nintendo Classic
Edition entertainment system and the Montreal Alouettes donated four tickets to their opening game for the silent auction. Canadian clothing brand Yoga Jeans donated over 40 pairs of jeans to be sold at the event. Yoga Jeans, owned by Second Clothing, has been manufacturing in Beauce, Quebec since 2011, according to Second Clothing designer Ariane Brunet-Juteau. Brown and Nair have volunteered at the Old Brewery Mission for four years. Brown chose to donate to the Patricia Mackenzie Pavilion because it is a homeless shelter exclusively for women. Few Montreal shelters have a women’s division: The Old Brewery Mission and the Welfare Association Chaînon are among the only shelters in Montreal that do. The Patricia Mackenzie Pavilion “never turns anyone away,” said Brown. “They’ll just turn the office or the kitchen into a bedroom for the night.” “Karen reached out and I was happy to contribute to her cause,” said the owner of The Boho Lab, Hamza Menebhi. The Boho Lab lent their space to Shop For A Cause for their fundraiser. The store opened in May 2018, according to Menebhi, and sells homemade decor. “We can’t help [homeless people] directly,” said Nair. “If we can cause a spark in others to help, that’s all that matters.”
PROTEST
Montreal joins global women's march Crowd stayed calm and united when a man insulted protestors
AMANDA CLOUTIER-SANTOS CONTRIBUTOR A confrontation broke out at the end of the Women’s Day march when a man yelled vulgarities at marchers last Friday. A cluster of people formed around the man and continued to chant for women’s equality as the man tried to put them down with insults. They raised their voices until he backed away. On March 8—International Women’s Day—the 17th annual Women of Diverse Origins’s demonstration marched from Philips Square to Berri-UQAM. Women of Diverse Origins was founded in 2001, according to one of the founders, Marie Boti. Each year, the group organizes a demonstration with a variety of speakers from around the world to talk about their experiences with inequality. T h e m a rc h b e g a n w i t h a d a n ce per formance from PINAY, a Filipino women’s activist group, during which everyone was encouraged to participate. A few guests spoke about their causes, including Marlene Hale. Hale is a Wet'suwet'en caterer who gained visibility in January when a speech she gave about the B.C. pipeline in front Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau was broadcast on APTN National News. The Raging Grannies also took part in the gathering, wearing their signature flamboyant “granny ” clothes. Their organization sang songs both in French and English. The protest was about more than women’s rights. It touched upon many social inequalities, such as migrant j u s t i ce, a n d t h e f i g ht fo r a h i g h e r minimum wage. “My body, my mind,” “We want 15 right now,” and “Good enough to work, good enough to stay,” were among the phrases chanted in the streets, in a variety of languages. Despite the walk being a militant action, all marchers were respectful. It was composed of a diverse group—people from different social organizations and cultures came together on a chilly night. The event ended with a dance party, with everyone jumping and twisting to Aretha Franklin’s “Respect" and Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want To Have Fun.” Boti made a final speech, thanking everyone for coming and saying that she would see everyone next year. The crowd chanted one last time before they dispersed.
Despite the walk being a militant action, all marchers were respectful. Photo by Amanda Cloutier-Santos.
An altercation almost broke out when a man started to yell insults at the protestors. The crowd’s response was to continue their chants until he left. Photo by Amanda Cloutier-Santos.
life
LIFE EDITOR /// life@theconcordian.com ALEX HUTCHINS ( @alexhutchinns96)
EDUCATION
Steps towards trans-affirmative health care Concordia and McGill groups address the need for LGBTQ+ patient-physician allyship
MACKENZIE LAD PHOTO EDITOR Universal health care is a core value and a major source of pride amongst Canadians. Canada’s medical institutions are expected to meet the needs of a diverse population, yet the conversation around understanding and delivering quality care to meet trans-specific health needs is full of holes, if not entirely absent. At the end of February, a panel of experts convened at McGill to discuss the ways public health systems perpetuate outdated practices and institutionalized discrimination against LGBTQ+ people. Healthy McGill and the Nursing Peer Mentorship Program facilitated this safe space and invited audience members to bring the potentially offensive, random, or menial questions they might otherwise be afraid to ask about queer and trans health. For many of the future health care providers in the room, it was their first opportunity to address health care in an LGBTQ+ context with experts working in the field. For others, it was a chance to gain a better understanding of the barriers trans people face when seeking health care in Montreal and beyond. In A (Not So) Short Introduction to LGBTQIA2S+ Language, bioethicist and trans activist Florence Ashley defines transgender, often shortened to “trans” as, “a person whose gender identity differs from the gender they were assigned at birth.” They point out, “being trans is independent of one’s choice to take hormones or undergo surgeries.” It is not a sexual orientation, nor is it premised on anatomical criteria. “For health care providers there’s often the confusion between sex (assigned at birth) and gender,” said panelist Kimberly Wong, a youth sexual health educator at AIDS Community Care Montreal. “When we’re talking about sex, we’re really talking about anatomy. Gender is really a self-feeling kind of thing.” Health care providers often conflate the two, resulting in the frustrating experience of being repeatedly misgendered, interrogated about one’s transition, or forced to bear the burden of educating the physician about transgender realities in general. A strained patient-physician relationship can inhibit one’s willingness to disclose pertinent medical information, or lead to broad assumptions premised on misinformation. “As soon as you start assuming, things go wrong really quickly. So many people end up with substandard care,” said Ashley. Simple things like asking a patient’s pronouns and prefacing potentially sensitive questions can make a huge and lasting difference, said Wong. The willingness of health care workers to learn and use LGBTQ+ friendly language signifies allyship, which is crucial in building the trust needed to give and receive quality care. The process of unlearning outdated terms and practices written into medical literature is still in its early stages, and in the meantime trans people have had to seek out resources and services elsewhere. “Trans people are often very good advocates for themselves
Graphic by Mackenzie Lad.
because they have to be,” said Eve Finley, an equity facilitator at McGill. “That often translates into these very interesting networks of knowledge sharing that happen online and in person.” The Centre for Gender Advocacy, based out of Concordia, is one such network for trans people in Montreal. “A lot of people reach out to us or to other trans organizations and we provide them with such important information,” said Dalia Tourki, trans advocate and public educator at the CGA. “The role of the centre is to provide guidance and resources to people, whether Concordia students or not.” In collaboration with Concordia Health Services, the CGA reached out to experts in trans health care and organized the opportunity for health services staff to receive training in trans-affirmative care. Concordia is the only university in Quebec to have done so, said Tourki, “and they also use the latest approaches to transitioning, namely the informed consent model, where we accompany the person (throughout the process) and validate and affirm their decisions regarding their own body and self.” Despite the progress made at Concordia, the public system in Montreal is still rife with hostile spaces and ill-informed doctors unable or unwilling to provide trans-competent care. “Outside Concordia, it’s hit or miss.” said Tourki. “If you don’t know who the
trans-friendly doctors are, you might end up in the wrong place with someone who will not help you affirm your gender and would rather discourage you from being who you are, which is sad in 2019.” To help avoid these pitfalls, the CGA provides an interactive map of health care providers who have denied services to patients on the basis of their trans identities. “It’s really difficult to find non-judgemental health providers,” said Wong. “There are so many situations where people will not talk to their doctors or seek care because they fear judgement.” When they do, the reported medical problems are often minimized, dismissed, or blamed on unrelated factors. Tourki called it “trans broken arm syndrome,” which refers to the tendency of health care professionals to blame medical problems that someone might have on their trans status. “It still happens a lot, and many trans people choose not to go to the hospital,” said Tourki. The syndrome is not an isolated phenomena, and it’s one with significant repercussions. A 2012 study of trans people's medical experiences in Ontario found that over half of respondents had negative experiences in clinical settings, and 21 per cent opted not to seek emergency care due to fear of being mistreated. The Twitter hashtag #transhealthfail is an online repository for first-person accounts of such encounters, offering a glimpse at incidents ranging from
careless misgendering to outright denials of service from health care providers. With so few capable physicians in the Montreal area, even those who do manage to seek them out end up waiting weeks or months for an appointment. “We know from research and from people's personal experiences [that] that time between discovering, affirming to yourself that you are trans and starting transitioning is the time when people go through the most distress,” added Tourki. “The longer they wait, the longer they experience dysphoria.” While the gains made at Concordia signify positive change, Tourki said there is still a long way to go to reach a trans-affirmative standard of care in Montreal and beyond. “We know very well that the trans health care field evolves very quickly. There are new needs, new approaches, and so the trainings they did should be ongoing.” A belief in universal health care is a belief in offering accessible care to meet the unique health needs of all Canadians, and trans-affirmative care is no exception. Of all the things that can be done to improve the quality of services for trans people on a local level, Tourki said it starts with education and advocacy. “Change comes from people advocating for their rights to exist. That advocacy creates the pressure that cannot be repressed, and it leads to change in policy."
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CONVERSATION
Optimism through comedy despite hardships Ellen DeGeneres on self-love and acceptance at Montreal tour stop later, despite a successful stand-up career and being the star of the Ellen sitcom show, DeGeneres felt like something was missing. In 1997, DeGeneres made the choice to come out as gay in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, and again on her sitcom. “I hate lying and I never lie about anything,” said DeGeneres. “That’s one big lie and if anyone found out I was gay, I would lose everything.” DeGeneres attributed her reasoning to a dream she once had about herself as a bird trapped in a cage. “The bird being me said ‘I don’t belong in here,'" said DeGeneres. "I woke up and said ‘I’m coming out.'" The bird realized it was small enough to fly between the bars and escape through an open window. While DeGeneres was praised as a hero the day her coming out episode aired, the tables quickly turned and she was met with hate, including bomb threats and death threats. Ellen was soon cancelled and the comedian claimed her phone did not ring for three years following. “Well, it was unplugged,” said DeGeneres, jokingly.
Ellen DeGeneres spoke at the Bell Centre on March 1 as part of her tour. Photo by Jacob Carey.
JACOB CAREY ASSISTANT LIFE EDITOR TV talk show mogul and stand-up comedian Ellen DeGeneres shared her story with a crowd of thousands at the Bell Centre on March 1 as one of the pit stops on her talking tour: “A Conversation with Ellen DeGeneres.” DeGeneres was greeted with a round of applause as she waved a custom “Ellen” Montreal Canadiens jersey to the crowd. After
receiving a brief French lesson, DeGeneres began cracking jokes with the audience. “I’ve been here before,” she said. “It’s a beautiful, beautiful city. It is very cold. Do you know you don’t have to be here? It’s not this cold everywhere. Have your parents lied to you?” In the early 1980s, DeGeneres’s career in stand-up comedy took off. Her claim to fame came in 1986 as the first and only woman to ever be asked to sit next to Johnny Carson following her bit on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson. A decade
Fast forward to over two decades later, DeGeneres is one of the most famous talk show hosts and philanthropists. She has won dozens of awards, hosted numerous award shows, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and has given over $97 million in prizes and donations to fans on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Yet, it is not only through her humour that DeGeneres manages to stay on top. Her longevity could be accredited to her uplifting view of the world around her. DeGeneres encourages everyone to be themselves and to love themselves despite their biggest insecurities. Her tale of struggle and recovery brought tears to the eyes of some in the room. It was not the sadness of the story that stood out, but instead the positivity that DeGeneres has always carried with her that had people of all ages gather to see her talk. DeGeneres did not need to convey her message explicitly, the idea was clear: love will conquer all. Towards the end of the night, moderator Dave Kelly noted that many people hear their names only when they’ve done something wrong, so he asked the crowd to say DeGeneres’s name with love and respect. “Ellen!” the crowd chanted. “I’ll do it too,” DeGeneres said in response. “JeanClaude, Mélissa, Stuart… it’s taking too long. I’ll just say Montreal.” Addressed with love and respect, Montreal felt DeGeneres’s warmth as they left the venue to brace the cold that awaited them outside.
SUSTAINABILITY
Minimize waste to maximize impact understanding The Dish Project challenges Concordia students and faculty to live waste-free for five days SARAH BUBENHEIMER CONTRIBUTOR From March 11 to 15, several Concordia organizations are encouraging students to partake in the Zero Waste Challenge 2019. Part of the event series Sustain’alive, the Dish Project, Concordia University Center for Creative Reuse (CUCCR), and Zero Waste Concordia organized this challenge to encourage Concordia students, faculty and staff to try living “zero waste” for five days. “The objective of the challenge is to really start a conversation about waste and unsustainable waste management on and off campus, and to create a strong community around the zero waste movement at Concordia,” said Maya Provencal, the external coordinator of The Dish Project. Participants are challenged to refrain from creating any landfill waste, and instead use products that are recyclable, reusable, or able to be repurposed. Adopting a completely zero waste lifestyle may sound difficult at first, which is precisely why the Zero Waste Challenge was created. Since it is a community effort, participants are encouraged to share tips and tricks for living a more sustainable lifestyle. This way, the challenge won’t seem as intimidating. “It can be really scary to try and move away from that dependency, especially alone, so The Dish Project started the Zero Waste Challenge
in an attempt to make this a community affair rather than an individual one,” said Provencal. Those wishing to partake in the challenge can sign up through email and receive tips from The Dish Project. Participants are also encouraged to tailor the challenge to meet their own lifestyle if they feel they cannot commit to living completely zero waste. For example, changing one aspect of their daily routine, such as packing a reusable
water bottle instead of a plastic one, is an excellent start. Taking small steps towards being more eco-conscious contributes to larger change. Taking steps to create a waste-conscious community both on and off campus is pertinent since sustainability is an issue that affects everyone, albeit disproportionately. Many think it is simply an environmental issue, but it is also a social and economic issue.
Provencal explained that our current extraction-based economic system wastes valuable resources, contributes to landfills and other waste management sites, and that this system affects marginalized communities at an extremely disproportionate level. “We want students to understand that by reducing their waste production, they are rejecting this destructing system and creating a better world,” said Provencal. Graphic by @sundaemorningcoffee
arts
ARTS EDITOR /// arts@theconcordian.com CHLOË LALONDE
CONFERENCE
Cultivating a relationship between two worlds Concordi’ART presents the second edition of their arts and business conference
The Concordi’ART team at last year’s conference. Photo by Mathieu Tranchida.
ESTEBAN CUEVAS CONTRIBUTOR After their first success in November of 2017, Concordi’ART is bringing The Collision of Art and Business Conference back for a second edition this Friday, March 15, in the John Molson School of Business (JMSB) building. The team behind the conference is gathering eight talented professionals and entrepreneurs who will share their experience working in the arts industry. Concordi’ART is a club that serves as career guidance for students who have a passion for both arts and business. The President and Founder of the club, Alizé Honen-Delmar, is a graduating student in international business and film studies. The idea of starting the club came from a desire to cultivate a relationship between these world. “I created this club because, three years ago when I was at Concordia, I was in JMSB and in the Fine Arts faculty, and no one was talking to each other. JMSB students were staying with each other,” said Honen-Delmar, “and then the same for the arts faculty students, I decided to create this club to bridge the gap between business and arts at Concordia but also in general.”
The core belief of Concordi’ART is that arts and business are not opposites. Rather, a student could very well study both fields. “The objective of this [club] is to show students that art and business are not two different things. They can work together and create amazing things,” said HonenDelmar. “We believe that if you work in the art industry, you need some business skills also. That's why business is also central to us.” The eight speakers at tending the conference will discuss their background, studies, and key decisions they made to achieve success. “We want them to share their career paths. Especially since there are a lot of students ready to graduate and go to these industries,” said Sarah Morstad, the social media manager of Concordi’Art and a graduating student in communications. “They can learn about the stepping stones of how these big people in the industry got to where they are now." Honen-Delmar added that “it’s also an opportunity for students to network and to discover this industry that a lot of people don’t know about.’’ The event will start at 5 p.m. and runs until 8 p.m. After the discussion, a networking mixer will follow. Not only will
students hear the speakers' presentations, they will also get the chance to speak with them one-on-one. “You will have eight people from the industry and then you will have 50 or 60 people in the audience. It’s very easy to communicate with these people and ask them questions and advice,” said Honen-Delmar. Morstad said the conference will be more relaxed and intimate compared to larger events that take place in the JMSB building. “You are sitting right in front of them and there are only 60 people,” said Morstad. “There’s more of a connection.’’ “It’s not a business formal kind of conference. It’s very business casual,” added Honen-Delmar. “Everyone is very relaxed—even the speakers who have very high positions in their companies. They are very approachable people. It’s very easy to network with them.” At the event, attendees can expect to meet: Aude Mathey, a marketing and business development expert who is now working in distribution and marketing for Cirque du Soleil. She is also the founder of Culture et Communication, an online magazine
on the best practices for cultural and PR professionals. Helene Ha, a film producer and entrepreneur who graduated from Concordia University with a B.A. in communication studies and a minor in film studies in 2015. Ha founded her own production company, Gourmandises , and has worked with L’Oréal Canada, Moisson Montréal and The Government of Canada. One of her latest accomplishments is the screening of her short film Merveilleuse at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. Minh Nhat Le, a modeler/texture artist at Ubisoft. During his career, he has worked on AAA games that include the Far Cry franchise, the Watch Dogs franchise and Rainbow 6 | Siege. Peter Dehais, a marketing professional who has experience working on festivals like ÎleSoniq, Osheaga and HEAVY MTL. In recent years, he has managed hundreds of events while working for Evenko. Dehais is also a Concordia graduate with a bachelor’s degree in commerce and marketing. Tickets for the event can be bought online for $17.50. For more information about the conference or the eight speakers, visit the event on the Concordi’ART Facebook page.
MARCH 12, 2019
theconcordian
9
EXHIBITION
Digital reflection in an unexpected place Eric Pickersgill’s analog photography showcases human relationships with technology
Each image shows a subject looking at their cell phone. Yet, with a closer look, the viewer realizes there is no phone.
DAISY DUNCAN ASSISTANT ARTS EDITOR As part of Montreal’s Art Souterrain 2019 festival, running until March 24, artist Eric Pickersgill is showcasing a photographic series, titled Removed . The collection of black and white photographs focus on the constant presence of cell phones and technology in contemporary life. Connecting to the festival’s theme, Pickersgill’s project considers the significance of technology as a navigation of what is true, or false, and the way it influences one’s perception of the world and relationships to others. In their opening statement on this year’s theme, the festival discusses how “art is, in essence, an illusion of reality, a way of, in turn, representing, denying and questioning.” Pickersgill is an American artist, based in North Carolina. He works primarily in analog photography and finds a connection between education and art, influenced by his teaching experience with Teach For America, a nonprofit organization dedicated to mobilising future
leaders. In his photography work, there is consideration over how images can reflect a greater society. Each image of Removed shows a subject in their everyday life and looking at their cell phone. Yet, upon closer inspection, the viewer realizes there is no phone. While the subject is positioned as if they are holding a mobile device, their hand is actually empty and they are staring at a blank space. Pickersgill was inspired to create this project after following his own routine of scrolling through his phone in bed, before falling asleep. He was woken by his phone falling, yet found his hand in the same position, as if he was still holding it. From there, he began to take photographs of those around him, such as friends, strangers on the street, and even audiences at a TEDx Talk that Pickersgill presented at, speaking to relationships with devices. An aspect of Removed that directly connects to Art Souterrain’s True Or False, is the viewer’s own interpretation and questioning of Pickersgill’s images. As one views these images, it is difficult to
decipher whether or not there is editing involved, especially with the removal of the phone. Did Pickersgill simply edit out the device which the subject is holding and staring at? Yet, there is no editing to these images—the artist describes them as performances, in which the subjects of the photos act as if they are holding a device, and often find a space of reflection as they stare at their empty hand. The lack of clarity as viewers wonder about the reality of the image further connects to the ideas of truth in a digital age. The artist also considered the prominence of fake news and how most people now receive all of their information and news from an online source. Through this, there is a complex navigation of faith, questioning and confusion around information gained online. Removed is exhibiting in the Palais des Congres de Montreal, at 1001 Jean Paul Riopelle Pl., near Chinatown. It is showing in a passage connected to the Place d’Armes metro, as a space that is industrial and does not necessarily appear like somewhere
art would be showcased. Yet, this detail plays an important role for Pickersgill in connection to his work. In considering the focus on devices and technology, these objects in expand the accessibility one has to art. For those who stumble upon these works by accident, a greater reflection of their own relationship with technology is encouraged, as they pass by and interact with these works in an untraditional art space. The work encourages questioning of editing and reality both within the image, and in a broader context of contemporary society, while reflecting back to the viewer a very common sight—someone deeply engaged with their cell phone. These aspects work together to create art that challenges and encourages viewers to situate themselves within the works, and invoke greater consideration of the relationships between physicality, the digital, and human connection and truth within it all. Removed will be showing until March 24, and is accessible through the underground tunnels at Place Des Arts.
Removed is a collection of black and white photographic prints, focused on the constant presence of cell phones and technology in contemporary life.
music
MUSIC EDITOR /// music@theconcordian.com SIMON NEW
CONCERT
Travis Scott takes us to Astroworld The rapper's unique style hyped up the crowd Tuesday night
SKYE LEGAULT CONTRIBUTOR It seemed like all of Montreal piled into the Bell Centre to see Travis Scott perform live on March 5 for his sold out show, Astroworld: Wish You Were Here Tour 2. His latest album, Astroworld, was released last year and merch featuring the “Wish You Were Here” tagline was being sold to promote it. It's impossible not to hear his songs "Antidote," "Butterfly Effect" and "SICKO MODE" during a night out. The 26-yearold r apper is k now n for his us e of voice effects and adlibs that create an eccentric, distinct sound that can almost be described as mumble rap. Born in Houston, Texas, Scott moved to New York to pursue music after graduating high school. He later released his first untitled EP on MySpace in 2008. Scott is a part of GOOD Music, Kanye West’s music label. The two artists are practically family. Scott has released three studio albums: Rodeo, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, and Astroworld. He also formed a duo group with Quavo of Migos called Huncho Jack, and they released their debut album Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho in 2017. Rapper Sheck Wes, who is featured on Scott’s new album, was the opening
act for the Montreal show and performed his biggest hit “Mo Bamba.” The main act, following Wes, was a wild ride from start to finish—literally, since two rollercoasters were set up above the crowd. People on the floor were invited to wait in line for a ride on the roller coasters. They climbed up, were strapped in by security, and enjoyed a slow coaster ride as the crowd cheered. Scott energized the audience while shouting “Montreal!” as he was suspended upside down in his roller coaster seat. Pyrotechnics added to the wow-factor. Astroworld is inspired by a now-closed theme park Scott used to go to in Texas. It meant a lot to him and was a place of fantasy and imagination. He captures that sense of wonder in his show, with trippy visuals and huge blow-ups of his head and an astronaut. Scott moved between the main and
Rapper Travis Scott performs on middle stage at the Bell Centre March 5 for his Astroworld: Wish You Were Here Tour 2. Photo by Skye Legault.
middle stages throughout the night. The crowd on the floor matched his energy with massive mosh pits. One guy was especially excited, as he jumped onstage with Scott and then crowd-surfed. The mood changed with a slower song off his mixtape Days Before Rodeo, “Drugs You Should Try It.” The audience’s cheers were
replaced with phone lights illuminating the room. The night proved to be lit. Scott closed the show with crowd favourite “SICKO MODE,” featuring Drake, hyping up the audience one last time. Scott will be ending his Astroworld Tour at the Firefly Music Festival on June 22 in Dover, Delaware.
PREVIEW
To the concert hall and beyond GFN Productions set to bring a Star Wars concert to Montreal
IMMANUEL MATTHEWS ASSISTANT MUSIC EDITOR
performance. It really brought the movie and soundtrack to life, and they were craving for a continuation of the trilogy. The concert, in every aspect, was a success.” GFN’s Lord of the Rings show featured the l’Orchestre FILMharmonique, recently renamed from MTL Film Music Orchestra, and MTL Film Music Choir. The upcoming Star Wars concert will not feature a
The Quebec entertainment company GFN Productions was only founded last year, but it’s already shooting for the stars. On April 19 and 20, GFN is bringing George Lucas’s 1977 film, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, to Salle The upcoming Star Wilfrid-Pelletier at Place des Wars concert will not Arts, in a live concert rendition feature a choir, as of the world-renowned, epic the film’s score solely requires the space film. After the enormous accompaniment of success of its first ever film-toan orchestra. Photo concert adaptation of Lord of courtesy of GFN Productions. the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in January, the Montrealbased company is extremely hopeful for a similar result in their upcoming show. “The reception of the Lord of the Rings concert was astonishing,” said Francis Choinière, president and production manager of GFN. “With two sold-out shows, the public was moved by the scale and power of the
choir, as the film’s score solely requires the accompaniment of an orchestra. L’ O r c h e s t r e F I L M h a r m o n i q u e w i l l provide the soundtrack while the film is projected on a mega-sized screen above the stage, with french subtitles. The orchestra will be conducted by experienced Finnish-American conductor, Erik Ochsner.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope is scored by veteran composer and film soundtrack great, John Williams. Williams is responsible for the music from iconic films like the Harry Potter series, Jurassic Park, the Indiana Jones series and more. Known for his epic, full-bodied sound, Williams has made his mark on both the film and music industries, providing the perfect foundation for live-orchestra film concerts. “Not every film is well suited for the concert hall,” says Choinière. “John Williams’ musical score is exceptional, and creates exactly the impact we want in our shows.” With tickets ranging between $60 and $140, GFN hopes to create an inclusive event for all film and music fans. Star Wars: A New Hope and its score attract all generations, and GFN hopes its second film showing does the same. Tickets for the April 19 and 20 shows at Salle WilfridPelletier can be purchased on the Place des Arts website.
MARCH 12, 2019
theconcordian
11
COVER STORY
Mother Mother dances and cries Vancouver indie-pop outfit reaches out to L’Astral’s captivated crowd SIMON NEW MUSIC EDITOR A familiar riff breaks the chatter at L’Astral in the fourth quarter of Mother Mother’s set. The crowd roars like they hadn’t before on this Friday night; there was a noticeable jolt in the energy of the room. It was the opening of “Hayloft,” the single that defined the band’s presence as an alt-rock Vancouver heavyweight a decade ago. Molly Guldemond and Jasmin Parkin, the two supporting vocalists, began the electric hook: “My daddy’s got a gun, you better run.” The tune that tells the story of two lovers evading a crazed, armed father leverages it’s vivid simplicity and effervescent melody. There was a gripping imminence in the lyrics thoroughly encapsulated in the breakneck riffs which the frontman Ryan Guldemond, Molly’s brother, handled easily. The song was released on Mother Mother’s 2008 album, O My Heart, to critical acclaim. While floating in poprock waters, the tape was anchored in Ryan’s incendiary confidence and unique melodies that landed the Vancouver band in a saltwater limelight. The lyrics were playful but vivid, the instrumentation was tight and textured. On the following album, Eureka, Mother Mother posted their portion of the pop-rock patch, with Ryan’s voice coating the project in a signature gloss. You could find them at the fringe of pop, tip-toeing between heaviness and more tender moments. As Mother Mother progressed however, their tonal range became more restricted, moving their voice closer to the indie-pop centre. The band lost some of its shimmer in what could only have been a grasp at a wider audience, sacrificing their charming verses and hooks for lyrical platitudes. Mother Mother opened with “I Must Cry Out Loud,” the first track on their newest record Dance and Cry , after which this tour is titled. Unfortunately, this album
doesn’t travel into much deeper I wanted to ask Ryan Guldemond where his sleeves went, in the tone of an uncle that asks you if your knees are cold in your ripped jeans. Photo by Simon New. thematic waters than dancing and crying. Ryan traded the hoarse, unhingedness of “Hayloft” for a safer, more anthemic chant borrowing from the trite indiepop formula epitomized by The Lumineers’s 2012 burden of a chart-topper, “Ho Hey.” If they opened with the ‘cry,’ they followed up with the ‘dance,’ playing the title track on which the hook starts with “Dance, dance, dance / While you cry / Dance, dance, dance / As you try,” and ends with a repetition of the album’s title. The song has an Apple-commercial cleanliness that is as present in its sound as its lyrics. Not that there isn’t a relatable core to the cathartic idea of dancing while you cry, it would just be nice if the reason for it went further than an escape from a vague “valley of darkness.” “Bottom is a Rock” was a highlight from the new album, taking up the Sisyphytic cycle of life’s highs and lows. The melodies were similarly safe, but the rhythm and chords were satisfyingly heavy. Sanitary lyrics fortunately came with crisp, rich sounds as the whole band was undeniably sharp. They meshed synths with tight basslines and strong lead guitar in a way that left no frequency unaccounted for. Mother Mother was very gracious Mother Mother’s set was frustrating This was especially apparent when they covered “Creep” by Radiohead, with Molly with the audience, involving them in a in its safeness, but seeing hardcore fans delivering an excellent vocal performance. way that showed their humility. “This getting red in the face going word for word The band’s movement was comparably shit is the best form of group therapy with Ryan, I knew those shoutouts were tight, Ryan’s super saiyan-esque spiked there is,” said Ryan. He went on to say for them. The band connected with the blonde hair and intense features had the how he wished he could sit down with captivated audience, despite their music audience captivated. During faster songs, the crowd and pass around a talking becoming harder to spot in a crowd. Still, they head-bopped, bounced and yelled the stick. Drummer Ali Siadat gave a speech no moment that night came close to words in a way that was oh-so-respectful in broken French about the band’s love when “Hayloft” dropped, and L’Astral for Montreal. turned into Vancouver in 2008. of me and my camera gear.
Quickspins DABABY
jittery and simple. Baby’s charisma shines while showing that he has no time to build a pattern and break it. Every song structure is so fleeting that it’s hard to get bored track-to-track, even though each one is almost tonally identical. While the freshness is satisf ying, it doesn’t give any single cut a chance to shine. Songs featuring Offset and Rich the Kid, among others, dot the tracklist of this solid introduction to DaBaby’s frenetic world.
JUICE WRLD
4/10
7/10 BABY ON BABY Atlantic Charlotte, NC native and recent Interscope signee DaBaby dropped an album that sounds like he’s late for something and doesn’t have time to record, but his haste gives the project life. His urgency in spitting and singing catchy hooks builds purely infectious energy. Beats are fun,
TRIAL TRACK: Tupac STAR BAR: Star Bar: “I'm like the 2Pac of the new shit / A hundred thousand hoes and they like the way I do shit” -DaBaby on “Tupac” — SIMON NEW, MUSIC EDITOR
There are some great emotional moments, such as “Robbery” and “10 Feet,” but Juice meanders throughout Death Race so much that these brief looks into greatness are shadowed by generic and uninspiring songs like “HeMotions.” Undeniably influenced by Lil Peep, this project is suffocated by its attempt to recreate his sound. Death Race was promoted by Interscope as Juice Wrld’s Reasonable Doubt, but it feels more like his Blueprint 3.
DEATH RACE FOR LOVE Interscope Death Race for Love, the sophomore album from Juice WRLD, is a misfire. With 22 tracks and a 72-minute runtime, the project drowns itself in filler tracks and underdeveloped themes of heartbreak and depression. Stylistically, Juice stays in his emo-rap lane without pushing any boundaries.
TRIAL TRACK: Robbery STAR BAR: Star Bar: “I problem solve with Styrofoam / My world revolves around a black hole / The same black hole that’s in place of my soul, uh / Empty, I feel so goddamn empty” -Juice Wrld on “Empty” — LOUIS PAVLAKOS, STAFF WRITER
sports
SPORTS EDITOR /// sports@theconcordian.com NICHOLAS DI GIOVANNI ( @n_digiovanni)
FEATURE
Growing from the success of March Madness The Loyola-Chicago Ramblers have gained popularity since Final Four appearance
NICHOLAS DI GIOVANNI SPORTS EDITOR Any Concordia student who watched the 2018 March Madness—the national tournament for university men’s basketball in the United States—probably remembers the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers for its similarities to Concordia. Their maroon and gold colours replicate those of the Stingers, and like Concordia’s Loyola College, Loyola University Chicago was also founded by Jesuits. Despite the connections between the two schools, what the Ramblers did on the court is what they will be remembered for the most. They upset everybody as an #11 seed in the South Region to make the tournament’s Final Four, before losing to the eventual champion, the Michigan Wolverines. “There are days when it doesn’t feel real,” said Loyola Phoenix sports editor Nick Schultz, who has covered the team since the 2016-17 season. “I’m from a town of about 4,000 people in central Illinois, and there I was in the Alamodome in San Antonio [for the Final Four] with 70,000 of my closest friends. It was wild.” The Ramblers won the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) championship last year and played in their first March Madness tournament since 1985. Being in a city like Chicago, with one team in the NHL, NFL, and NBA, plus two teams in the MLB, the Ramblers lack coverage from mainstream local media. “I was the only one there every game last year,” said Schultz, who saw the Ramblers’s popularity grow throughout the season. “Then the Chicago Tribune started coming when Loyola beat the number five team in the country [Florida Gators] in December. Then they started winning through conference play and the Chicago Sun-Times started showing up, then all the TV stations, then ESPN. It was weird seeing the evolution.” Once the Ramblers got to the national tournament in March, one person was stealing headlines, and it wasn’t a player. Jean Dolores Schmidt, known as Sister Jean, is a 99-year-old team chaplain for men's basketball. She travelled with the Ramblers
Head coach Porter Moser (centre) celebrates the Ramblers’s appearance in the Final Four. Photo by Hanako Maki / Loyola Phoenix.
throughout last spring’s tournament and offered her support. “We know how special she is and how much she means to our program,” said Bill Behrns, the assistant athletic director of communications. “It was great to let the world know how much she means and everything she brings to the university. She’s a truly special individual with an unbelievable passion for life.” Sister Jean was on hand to witness the Ramblers’s unbelievable finishes to their first two games in Dallas, Texas. In their round of 64 match-up against sixth-seeded Miami Hurricanes, after Miami missed a free throw with less than 10 seconds left, the Ramblers were still down a point. Instead of going for an easier two-point shot, guard Donte Ingram made a three-point attempt to win the game with no time left. Two days later on March 17, 2018, the Ramblers played the third-ranked Tennessee Volunteers. The Ramblers moved on to the next round, the Sweet 16, after Clayton Custer’s shot with three seconds left took a lucky bounce off the rim to fall in.
Clayton Custer (on the ground) watches his game-winning shot go in against the Tennessee Volunteers. Photo by Ralph Braseth / Loyola School of Communication.
Schultz and the other staff members of the Loyola Phoenix had to quickly plan to cover the next rounds in Atlanta, Georgia. “It was the first NCAA [National Collegiate Athletics Association] tournament game any of us had ever been to, let alone covered,” Schultz said. “It was a unique experience to be there for that buzz-beater [Ingram’s three-pointer], and that’s when we looked at each other and realized this could be a thing.” When the Ramblers returned to the university after their upset wins, Behrns saw a different morale amongst the students. “The good thing for us was to see the amount of school spirit and pride people had on campus,” he said. “It was something we had struggled with for a while, so that was fantastic. It was good to see people wear Loyola gear for the first time in a long time.” The Ramblers went on to beat the Nevada Wolf Pack in the Sweet 16 on March 22, 2018 and the Kansas State Wildcats in the Elite Eight to clinch their spot in the final weekend in San Antonio, Texas. There,
they lost to a strong Michigan team, but it was a magical run that will forever live on in the school’s history. “During the run, what the country saw and what the world saw from our players and staff, that was genuine,” Behrns said. “That’s really how those people are on and off the court; it wasn’t an act or anything that they were putting out there.” Since last year’s March Madness, Schultz has seen his school’s popularity grow nationwide. He said he’s talked to first-year students, who aren't necessarily basketball fans, but had heard about the team’s success. When head coach Porter Moser joined the Ramblers prior to the 2011-12 season, he wanted their home court, Joseph J. Gentile Arena, to be loud every game. “At that point in time, when he said that, we laughed at him, because they [weren’t] going to sell out and Loyola is not a sports school,” Schultz said. “They just had their sixth sellout of [this] year, and they never had six sellouts in a year. Because of the attention they got in the Final Four, people are coming to games.” With new recruits coming in, the Final Four appearance will help the Ramblers in the long run. Schultz said Moser is considered a top recruiter, but national exposure motivates high school players to play at Loyola. “It gets your foot in the door with recruits,” Behrns added. “Now people know who we are; they know our brand and our style of play.” The Ramblers lost in the semi-final of the MVC championship this past weekend and will not play in this year’s NCAA tournament. But their magic from the 2018 March Madness will live on forever.
MARCH 12, 2019
PROFILE
An undivided passion for the Stingers Lisa-Marie Breton-Lebreux always wanted to be at Concordia
Breton-Lebreux in front of her plaque for the Concordia Sports Hall of Fame. Photo by Alec Brideau.
ALEC BRIDEAU ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR The Concordia Stingers’s strength and conditioning coordinator, Lisa-Marie Breton-Lebreux, who is a member of the Concordia Sports Hall of Fame, has been to five national championships with the women’s hockey team. It was when she participated in the 1993 Canadian Junior Hockey Championship presented at Concordia that Breton-Lebreux’s life changed. The St-Zacharie native, 15 years old at the time, said she didn’t know university hockey existed prior to the tournament. “We, team Quebec, were changing in the Stingers’s locker room. I then saw all the pictures [of the Stingers hockey teams] and realized [university hockey] existed,” said Breton-Lebreux, who decided then she wanted to play for Concordia. “At that moment I started having a dream, not only to go to the Olympic Games, but to learn English, come to Concordia and one day become captain. It was my dream, and from there I started training a lot.” Breton-Lebreux, who is in charge of strength and conditioning for all Stingers teams except men’s basketball, already knew she wanted to work in that department since her first years with the Stingers. She said she
loved her training experience, given by Reg Grant at the time, followed by Scott Livingston. “I was at all their trainings,” Breton-Lebreux said. “They had summer trainings at 7 a.m. and I was there three times a week. I was passionate." The strength and conditioning coordinator loves her role at Concordia. Breton-Lebreux said there was no doubt in her mind that this is where she wanted to work. “I love it,” Breton-Lebreux. “I’ve been training since the age of 13. Training is a passion for me, and this is where I wanted to work.” An impressive fact about Breton-Lebreux is that she co-founded the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL), which Les Canadiennes de Montréal are part of. The four-time Clarkson Cup winner, as part of the CWHL’s championship team, said the league was founded when the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) ceased activities in 2007. “In the NWHL, there were different owners who were paying for their team’s costs,” Breton-Lebreux said. “In 2007, there had been conflicts [related to money]. Owners then closed the league. It wasn’t making sense because you had a lot of players, with many of them being the best players in the world, not having a place to play.”
Breton-Lebreux (#26) celebrating her Clarkson Cup win in 2009. Stingers assistant coach Caroline Ouellette is second from the right. Photo by Esther Bernard.
Another interesting aspect of BretonLebreux’s life is her roller hockey career. She said her passion for roller hockey actually started at Concordia. “We had a roller hockey league during the summer,” Breton-Lebreux said. She then decided to establish a women’s team, as a complement to ice hockey. “I heard there was a Canadian [roller hockey] team, so I went to the team’s training camp in Toronto and I made the team.” Despite not realizing her dream of being an Olympian in ice hockey, Breton-Lebreux succeeded in roller hockey, and made the national team in 2006. “I was always in the best scorers in the league,” Breton-Lebreux said about her Olympic dream. “Yet, I was always being told I had something missing. That’s because chances to continue in the program are better if you make the team before the age of 22, and because I didn’t, I was like the seventh defenceman.” In 2006, the Canadian team told BretonLebreux she wouldn’t make the Olympic team, and thought her dream to represent Canada would be over. “Yet, I had the opportunity to make the Canadian [roller hockey] team, and I went to the World Roller Hockey Championships and won the tournament. Life gave it back to me,” Breton-Lebreux said.
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COLOUR COMMENTARY WITH NICHOLAS DI GIOVANNI I remember the first time I watched Carey Price on TV; Canada was playing the United States at the 2007 World Junior Championships, and the semi-final game went to a shootout. The shootout lasted seven rounds but Price made three huge saves, including the last on Peter Mueller, to send Canada to the final, which they won. I remember thinking, “Wow, this guy is a Montreal Canadiens prospect.” Fast forward 12 years, and Price is more than just a Montreal Canadiens player. On March 5, he tied Jacques Plante for most wins in franchise history, with 314. In a franchise that’s been around for 110 years, with its many legends and all-time greats, Price is now number one for wins. Although Price has often been criticized, Canadiens fans of this generation are so lucky to have him. I don’t think we truly appreciate just how good Price is. With a career 314-220-67 record, Price also has a career .918 save percentage and 2.47 goals-against average (GAA). Since becoming the Canadiens’s full-time starter in 2010-11, he’s only had two seasons with a GAA higher than 2.50: 2.59 in 2012-13, when he played 39 games, and 3.11 last season when the Canadiens finished third to last in the league. We definitely can’t forget about Price’s 44-win 2014-15 season, in which he had a career-best 1.96 GAA, which is just mind-blowing. It’s a no-brainer that he won the Hart Trophy as the league’s best player that year. There is one thing missing from Price’s trophy cabinet, and that’s a Stanley Cup. Pessimistic fans will be quick to criticize Price’s career with the Canadiens for this reason, since Plante and Ken Dryden won six, while Patrick Roy won two with the Habs and two more with the Colorado Avalanche. However, these Hall of Fame goalies had Hall of Fame players in front of them. Price doesn’t, except for a potential Hall of Famer in Shea Weber—who’s only been with the Habs since 2016. Plante played on the 1950s dynasty team, which included 12 Hall of Fame members from Jean Beliveau to Maurice Richard. Dryden’s team in the 1970s had 11 members in the Hall of Fame. It’s a shame Price couldn’t have played on better Canadiens teams. They came close in 2014, as he carried them to the Conference Final before getting injured. This season, he’s helped carry the Habs past expectations as they continue to fight for a spot in the playoffs. We can only hope this young team will improve and Carey Price will finally win his Stanley Cup.
opinions OPINIONS EDITOR /// opinions@theconcordian.com SANIA MALIK
EDITORIAL
Concordia can do better to help its students
Graphic by @sundaemorningcoffee
We’ve all been there. And if we haven’t, we know someone who has. As students, we expect to feel nervous, stressed, anxious and even depressed at some point during our studies. As school, work and other responsibilities pile up, it can be difficult to reach out to mental health professionals and care for yourself. With the numerous resources they have, depending on their financial capabilities, universities often emphasize that students should reach out with mental health concerns about themselves or others. But what happens when more people are reaching out than there are hands being offered? If you’ve tried to access the Counselling and Psychological Services at Concordia, you might be familiar with the long wait times and
lack of availability. At the end of last semester, Concordia’s Fine Arts Students Alliance (FASA) conducted a Mental Health and Wellness Survey. According to The Concordian, FASA coordinators noticed that common concerns included long wait times and a lack of communication about mental health services at Concordia. The coordinators will present the survey results in April and propose initiatives to better address students’ needs, according to the same article. Concordia does, however, offer free sessions and workshops on stress management, self-confidence, and other topics. Posters about mental health can be seen around campus as well. Even so, there are only 14 mental health professionals listed on the Counselling and Psychological Services website. This isn’t proportionate with Concordia’s 45,000 students. According to The Montreal Gazette, many Canadian universities have been
dealing with increasing demands for better mental health support on campus. A 2016 National College Health Assessment found that 44 per cent of the 43,780 Canadian higher-education students surveyed felt too depressed to function, while 65 per cent experienced overwhelming anxiety, according to The Globe and Mail. The assessment found these two figures had increased from 2013, where 38 per cent were depressed and 57 per cent had anxiety. According to Maclean’s, 51.8 per cent of Concordia University students felt overwhelmed on a daily or weekly basis. It is clear there is a need for mental health support, but what can Concordia do to meet this demand? Firstly, we at The Concordian would like to see the university invest in and promote more student-run initiatives, of which there are multiple. In an email sent to fine arts students by FASA on Feb. 20, the alliance outlined various services offered by student groups and the university. The email referenced the Concordia Student Union’s 24-hour mental health hotline, Empower Me, the Concordia Art Hive, an open space in the EV building where students are free to create and heal through art-making, and the Concordia Students’ Nightline, a student-run organization that offers confidential support on Friday and Saturday nights. While we at The Concordian don’t want to dismiss everything the university has done to better promote mental health for its students, we can’t deny that the administration could
do better in promoting the varied services available. There are students trying to help each other through these difficult times, but their efforts don’t reach many of the people who need support. We at The Concordian know first-hand that many students weren’t familiar with the resources offered on campus until they read about them in our newspaper or heard about them through a friend. We believe the university must better address the struggles its student body faces with mental health. It could be as simple as including a list of services on every syllabus.
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES OFFERED AT CONCORDIA INCLUDE: ĘĘ 24-hour confidential and multilingual
hotline, Empower Me (1-844-741-6389)
ĘĘ Counselling and Psychological Services ĘĘ
ĘĘ
ĘĘ ĘĘ
on both campuses in rooms GM-200 and AD-103 The Zen Den, a calm public space offered at the Counselling and Psychological Services office, which is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Concordia Art Hive, offered in EV-5.777 on Mondays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Thursdays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Concordia Students’ Nightline, which is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. (514-437-9797) A meditation room in the downtown office of the Multi-faith and Spirituality Centre in the Z Annex on Mackay St.
POLICE
Folks, we need to make cops more comfortable A satirical approach highlighting why the SPVM should wear body cameras when dealing with citizens DIMANA RADOEVA CONTRIBUTOR Just last month, the SPVM released a whopping 215-page report concluding that body cams were an ineffective and overpriced project for the Montreal police force, effectively dropping it entirely. Additionally, the conclusions of a survey on officers revealed that they felt they were being watched and the cameras presented a breach of privacy, leading to them being uncomfortable having it on. The conclusion of the report states that “according to the steps required by the local directive, it is up to the police officer to activate [the body camera], which has the effect of making them bear the weight of an important additional responsibility.” And folks, the last thing we need is around 3,000 people in possession of firearms and a dozen different incapacitating and violent tools (that are legally usable on civilians) to feel uncomfortable with the idea of additional responsibility! This is why I come to you with a fervent plea: won’t somebody please think of the cops? Over the past few years, the SPVM has been through a myriad of “uncomfortable” situations and it would be a complete shame
to burden them with extra responsibility. Like when two Montreal police officers forcibly picked up a homeless man from downtown Montreal and drove him in a cruiser all the way to the Ontario border and dumped him there, according to CBC News. The punishment for essentially re-creating a kidnapping from one of the Taken movies with an innocent man off the streets was suspension with pay. However, fear not, because it took eight years to charge the officers with forcible confinement, assault and uttering threats, according to the same source. The arc of history is long, but it eventually ends with reluctantly admitting officers kidnapping people is bad. This whole conversation about using body cams does not consider the fact that serving and protecting Montreal is super hard when everyone can see footage of you loading a person into a cruiser like it’s moving day and chucking them into Ontario. Or, imagine how awkward it would be if the officers tasked with spying and tracking journalist Patrick Lagacé in 2016 had to be held accountable for allegedly breaching his privacy by obtaining tracking warrants that allow the police to locate his cellphone via its GPS chip, according to The Globe and Mail. But, wait a minute, doesn’t the report on body cams
mention that the officers felt uncomfortable being watched and isn’t this whole situation hypocritical? The answer is no, because cops need to be able to put someone in a chokehold for a minor infraction—turning on a surveillance device makes it difficult to squeeze a person’s entire respiratory system into dust as quickly as it would without surveillance. Meanwhile, journalists could potentially report on it and make the police look bad. Coming to terms with the consequences of your actions is just a hard concept to grasp when you’re on the force. The report on body cams states that 90 per cent of the public has confidence in the SPVM. So, for the rest of you who probably think that cops harassing homeless people, spying on journalists to halt stories and pepper spraying protestors because they’ve been taunted one too many times is unwarranted—tough luck, because it seems like you hate cops getting comfortable with using their excessive amount of power on the daily. How dare you! Finally, the report clearly indicates that it costs way too
much to maintain the use of the body cameras. The pilot project cost $3.4 million and in order to implement them full-time, it would cost around $24 million a year, according to CTV News. I completely agree that it would be a waste of money for the SPVM. The police budget should strictly be used to make surveillance of citizens without their permission easier. Also, it should be used to equip officers with even deadlier weapons, so they can comfortably deal with people who are out of line. If the choice is between trusting the police’s promises or actually enforcing policies to keep them in check, you know I’m takin’ the path of least resistance…mostly because we all know what happens if we don’t.
Graphic by @sundaemorningcoffee
MARCH 12, 2019
the art of being single W/ KAYLA-MARIE TURRICIANO
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CLIMATE CHANGE
Let's talk about the environment Why the upcoming protest about climate change is needed
Accepting not knowing why you’ve been ghosted You’re single. Then, you connect with someone. You spend hours pouring yourself out to them. You allow yourself to get attached. Everything is fine and dandy and it seems like it's finally headed somewhere serious. Then it's suddenly over. And it's time to move on—or at least try to. I understand how difficult it is to give up on someone after investing so much time and energy, and losing sleep over building a relationship. It hurts to see it all go to waste. A connection you thought was mutual collapsed to a ghost of what it almost was. If you’re lucky, the person told you they weren't interested anymore. But most of us aren't so lucky: we get ghosted instead. To the person who ghosted: I get it. The person you were talking to wasn’t living up to your expectations, or they gave you a red flag, or life just got really damn busy and you couldn’t handle something (someone) else. But while people don’t owe you shit in life, there is a minimum expectation. While it’s easy to just ghost someone you’re no longer interested in, it also makes you an entitled jerk. If you’ve ever ghosted someone, have you stopped to think about the consequences of your actions? Being ghosted by someone you’ve developed feelings for is the worst. There’s a sinking feeling in your chest and your heart drops to the pit of your stomach. You try to wrap your head around it: Did something happen to them? Are they okay? Eventually though, these logical thoughts start imploding. You start thinking it was your fault. Was it something I said? Something I didn’t say or do? What’s wrong with me? The problem is that you just don’t know. You could spend days, weeks or even months wondering if the reason someone ghosted you was your fault. While I can sit here and say it isn’t, the truth is I’ve been in that position of being ghosted and trying to understand why. And now, there’s nothing I can say other than you eventually get used to it and you are able to recover faster when it inevitably happens again. But sadly, nothing will ever soften the blow of being ghosted.
ANTONIA MACRIS STAFF WRITER On Friday, March 15, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., many Concordia students will participate in a walkout to protest inaction from authority figures on the issue of climate change. The strike will be in solidarity with international climate strikes and walkouts in other institutions in Montreal, such as McGill and UdeM. Later in the day, protesters will join a Montreal-wide march to stand up for climate action. Now, although I do not condone skipping class, I would like to stress the importance of the call to action this protest aims for: to raise awareness on the current environmental crisis we find ourselves in and to act now for a more sustainable future for our planet. To get a little scientific, the Keeling curve (which many aren’t aware of) is a graph of the accumulation of measurements of the concentration of CO2 emissions taken at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii from 1958 to today. The sense of urgency to take action stems from the Keeling curve, as it has been increasing—this year it has reached its highest level of CO2 concentration measured ever. As a Master’s student in environmental assessment, in the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, I’ve learnt about the environmental science behind these issues firsthand and the detailed extent of how humans
impact the planet. Just last week, our class visited the Anthropocene exhibit at the National Gallery of Canada. Witnessing attendees appreciate the beauty in photos of environmental destruction as art was terrifying, to say the least. However, it did bring about an opportunity for the public to learn about the effects we’ve imposed on our environment, similarly to what the walkout aims to do. March 15 is an important date since many schools will be on strike that day to follow the European demonstration movement initiated by Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Swedish political activist working to fight against climate change and global warming. It is crucial to acknowledge that this walkout is a response to a global issue. It is also important to emphasize the international scale of this crisis, as seen by the lone protest of Thunberg. Her actions have led to a powerful global movement of school climate strikes, spreading to countries in the UK, Australia, Belgium, Germany, the United States, Japan and dozens more, demanding politicians act on behalf of the planet, according to The Guardian. At the UN Climate Change COP24 in Katowice, Poland, in December 2018, Thunberg announced, “[World leaders today] only talk about moving forward with the same bad ideas that got us into this mess even when the only sensible thing to do is to pull
the emergency brake.” Following this urgency for action against today’s environmental issues, Concordia’s Department of Geography, Planning and Environment has begun a number of projects in suppor t of raising awareness and promoting ways to reduce our environmental impact. Some of these projects include Concordia’s Climate Clock, which shows how current greenhouse gas emissions affect our planet’s trajectory to reach two degrees. Another project is Climate Bytes, which aims to translate complicated studies on climate change into “digestible byte-sized pieces of information” for the public to more easily understand the science behind these issues. Another is the newly formed Climate Emergency Committee, which allows students within the department and professors in the field to come together and discuss the issues and ways to move forward in addressing these problems. To learn more about these issues, I invite you all to attend the upcoming Sustainability in the City and Beyond Conference from March 19 to 21 at the Loyola Jesuit Hall and Conference Centre. Here, the Climate Emergency Committee will be speaking more about their work. Remember, the need for action is urgent, and the time to become aware of environmental issues and how to help is now! Graphic by Ana Bilokin.
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theconcordian
MARCH 12, 2019
Graphic by @sundaemorningcoffee
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CONTRIBUTORS: Amanda Cloutier-Santos, Antonia Macris, Bryanna Frankel, Dimana Radoeva, Esteban Cuevas, Sarah Bubenheimer, Skye Legault
Concordia University’s weekly, independent student newspaper VOL. 36, ISSUE 22 MAR. 12, 2019. OUR COVER THIS WEEK
“Mother Mother”
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