March 19, 2019

theconcordian

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY’S WEEKLY, INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

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

VOLUME 36, ISSUE 23 | TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

Turning up the heat Over 100,000 young people take to the streets in protest against climate change inaction News p. 2

feature

Tattoo Box Traditional

life

Moe's diner is reborn in CJ

arts

p. 7

From memory to material p. 9

music

A Good Girl goes on tour

p. 10

sports

p. 13

opinions

Prioritizing the Reinvention in p. 18 retirement p. 15 real world

news

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

Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Divest Concordia is a university group asking the university to divest from fossil fuels.

Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

Protestors were encouraged to bring dishes and utensils to tap and be as loud as possible.

Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Concordia students were among those who walked out of class on Friday to join the protest.

Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

Québec Solidaire’s Manon Massé was at the protest as well.

Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

MARCH 19, 2019

theconcordian

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FLOODING THE STREETS A father holds their child above the crowd near the monument in Mont Royal Park.

Photo by Alex Hutchins.

A sea of over 100,000 young people fight for climate change action in Montreal Over 100,000 people marched the streets of Montreal on Friday to pressure Quebec’s government to take action against climate change. Some students walked out of classes to attend the protest and others were on strike on March 15, joining hundreds of other cities around the world.

The march was organized by La Planète s’invite à l’université (LPSU), a group started

by Quebec students with chapters in almost every university, including Concordia and

More than 100,000 people in Montreal gathered near the base of the George-Étienne Cartier monument in MontRoyal Park on March 15.

Photo by Alex Hutchins.

McGill. LPSU is asking governments to take the necessary steps to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

Establishing an educational program that teaches ecology and informs young citizens about climate change are among the requests made by the LPSU. LPSU is also asking academic institutions to be more transparent about their investments in fossil fuels and to keep carbon reports.

Payton Mitchell, a member of LPSU Concordia, led the march throughout the downtown core.

Photo by Alex Hutchins.

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theconcordian

MARCH 19, 2019

CITY IN Fixing international student healthcare BRIEF ELECTIONS

Concordia is currently negotiating its plan with Blue Cross MIA ANHOURY NEWS EDITOR

Graphic by @sundaemorningcoffee

The Concordia Student Union (CSU) wants to add the responsibility of providing international students with a health insurance plan to its Positions Book. The university is currently in charge of this responsibility, but John Hutton, CSU finance coordinator, said “Concordia University has the most expensive plan in Canada.”

This question will be brought up in the CSU’s next general elections.

Currently, Quebecois and Canadian students receive insurance from the union, but international students do not. Council approved the referendum in a special council meeting on March 9.

The union would work with the Graduate Student Association (GSA) to provide the insurance plan.

Hutton said the referendum is a way of putting pressure on the university to hand over the responsibility of the health plan for international students to the union. With its current plan expiring this year, Concordia is presently negotiating a new health plan for international students. “The referendum is a way to show that students are on the side of making the changes that need to be made,” said Hutton.

The CSU’s Positions Book was last updated in March 2016; it is a document compiling the positions the union takes on certain topics.

Positions, however, don’t mandate the union to execute specific tasks. In this case, Hutton

Mayor Valérie Plante announced her administration will lower speed limits across the city in an effort to reduce pedestrian and cyclist deaths, according to CBC. The speed limit on main streets will be reduced to 40 km/h, and on residential streets to 30 km/h. Twenty-six pedestrians and cyclists were killed in Montreal in 2017, down from 56 in 2006.

said if the referendum were to pass, it would simply be added to the Positions Book, and he hopes it will pressure the university to hand them the responsibility down the line.

As previously reported by The Concordian, Hutton and GSA President Amir Molaei met with Andrew Woodall, the dean of students, who manages the contract, to discuss the possibility of handing over the responsibility to the union and the association.

Hutton said the meeting was to learn more about the university’s plan since the information about the plan’s management and its data success is not available to them. Hutton and Molaei requested multiple documents and reports—specifically, the claims data of the plan and its loss ratio— from the university.

The loss ratio of the plan is weighted by the total number of premiums paid by

the students for the plan and the amount of claims made. “We’re looking for things such as the contract with Blue Cross and past quotes [the university] has been given,” said Hutton.

In their proposal to Woodall, the GSA and CSU asked Concordia not to sign a new health insurance agreement and to hand over that responsibility to them. The position, according to Hutton, “would show a message from students that they want to see action, they want to see change and they want to have a health plan that is by students and for students.”

“We think that student union management is the way to go and that’s why we’re trying to make this case” said Hutton.

Students will be able to vote on this referendum question from April 2 to 4 during the CSU’s general elections.

TUITION

Investment Management tuition hike

Domestic and international students will pay different fees in three programs IAN DOWN NEWS EDITOR Concordia’s Board of Governors has approved a tuition hike for the John Molson School of Business’s (JMSB) Goodman Institute of Investment Management.

The Goodman Institute offers a diploma, master’s and MBA in investment management. The increase, which will not apply to current students, will mark the first time since the Institute’s creation in 2001 that domestic and international students will pay different fees. The programs’s

Photo by Mia Anhoury.

IAN DOWN NEWS EDITOR

fees have been $18,000 a year for all students since 2012. In fall 2019, annual tuition will increase by $4,000, totalling $22,000 for domestic students, and by $9,000, totalling $27,000, for international students. Annual tuition for all students will then rise by $1,000 in both 2020 and 2021. This means a three-year master’s degree will cost $72,000 for domestic students and $87,000 for international students starting in fall 2021.

The changes were approved by the board in a meeting on March 13. In a PowerPoint presentation dated Feb. 25, which was included in the documentation for the

meeting, JMSB Dean Anne-Marie Croteau cited increases in costs for technology and space, international enrolment, and "students' needs related to professional and career development support" as reasons for the hike.

Because of these costs, the presentation says the Institute “will turn to a loss situation, given no increase in the last 7 years.”

“We need a financially healthy program in order to make the changes necessary to keep the program as one of the top offerings of JMSB,” the report reads.

The Goodman Institute is a private program that doesn’t receive funding from the provincial government. In addition to providing a degree or diploma, the program is designed to prepare students for the Char tered Financial Analyst designation, which the institute’s website calls “a passport to entry or advancement within the investment management profession.”

Croteau said she does not expect the increased tuition to affect international enrolment.

When asked why the Goodman Institute did not increase tuition for all students in the program equally, Croteau said, “it has become clear to us that to adequately

A South Shore man is seeking nearly $1.2 million in damages from the Verdun Hospital after staff allegedly failed to inform him of his cancer diagnosis, according to The Montreal Gazette. Régis Thibert, 57, was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer in 2018, three years after his visit to the Verdun Hospital. The suit alleges that Thibert could have been cured had he been informed of his diagnosis in 2015.

The Réseau express métropolitain has removed around 5,400 parking spots from its plans for light rail stations across the Greater Montreal Area, according to Radio-Canada.

The stations will have approximately 10,000 combined parking spots, whereas previous plans had promised just over 15,400. The stations in PointeClaire and Kirkland, which were meant to have 1,500 and 500 parking spots respectively, will now have none.

Veteran News Anchor Mutsumi Takahashi was awarded the Order of Canada on Thursday, according to CTV. Takahashi, who has worked at CTV News since 1982, was recognized for her contribution to broadcast journalism, as well as various charitable endeavours.

Graphic by @sundaemorningcoffee

prepare international students for the job market, there are additional costs.”

Croteau said the institute held off on increasing tuition by trying to limit expenses, “but rising fixed costs have now reached a point where, if enrolment remains constant, we will be forced to run a deficit.”

The day after the meeting, the Concordia Student Union issued a statement condemning the vote. “With the government's move to deregulate almost all international programs, yesterday's decision is an alarming preview of Concordia’s willingness to cash in and seize opportunities to profit from our education,” the union wrote in a Facebook post.

In May 2018, the Quebec government announced that it would deregulate tuition for all international students starting in the 2019-20 academic year.

This will allow universities to set their own tuition rates for these students.

However, tuition for international students in JMSB and the Goodman Institute was already unregulated at the time of the announcement.

MARCH 19, 2019

CONFERENCE

CTV’s Maya Johnson visits Concordia

Concordia alumna says news media should reflect the diverse society it serves

theconcordian

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NATION IN BRIEF IAN DOWN NEWS EDITOR Quebec may buy SNC-Lavalin shares to keep it in business, according to CBC . Premier François Legault said he would not rule out the move, as the Montreal-based construction firm grapples with fraud charges.

Former Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould resigned from the Liberal cabinet in February after reportedly facing inappropriate pressure from her colleagues to reach a deferred settlement with the company.

The RCMP is investigating claims of election fraud stemming from the 2017 United Co nse r vative Par t y (UCP) leadership race in Alberta, according to The National Post.

UCP Leader Jason Kenney is accused of conspiring with his opponent, Jeff Callaway, to sabotage the campaign of another opponent, Brian Jean. Alberta will have another provincial election in 2019.

Maya Johnson told journalism students “our stories carry weight and we have an ethical responsibility to make sure they are fair.” Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

MINA MAZUMDER ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Maya Johnson, Quebec City Bureau Chief for CTV Montreal, spoke to journalism students about how political polarization is creating tension around the world and the importance of racial diversity in the media, on March 13.

“I'm not saying political parties or individual politicians are directly responsible or should be blamed for acts of violence, like the Quebec City mosque shooting,” Johnson told The Concordian. “What I am saying is that our political discourse over identity issues can absolutely inflame social tensions.”

Johnson asked the audience a question as she discussed Quebec’s political tensions involving secularism: “When criticizing the CAQ, how far is too far?”

Then, Johnson showed the audience an editorial cartoon that was not published in The Montreal Gazette because the Editor-in-Chief, Lucinda Chodan, felt it was going too far. The cartoon depicted the CAQ’s logo with a hooded Ku Klux Klan figure as the ‘A.’ Johnson explained it’s times like these when the media should come in to bring balance to a news story without raising tension from the public. “This is a reminder that our stories carry weight and we have an ethical responsibility to make sure they are fair and they are balanced,” she said. “The consequences of our editorial decisions can have real and damaging impacts on people’s lives.”

Only two days before the mosque attacks in New Zealand, Johnson disclosed to the audience that the Quebec mosque shooting and its aftermath in January 2017 was the most difficult story to tell. “Every time you cover anything related to it, it’s like you relive the trauma of the original night of reporting,” she said.

During the coverage, Johnson had the chance to spend time with Aymen Derbali at the rehabilitation facility where he stayed during his recovery. Derbali is a survivor of the shooting who was paralyzed after being shot seven times. “Those stories are so important to tell because it shows the real, concrete consequences of what happened that night,” Johnson said. “Derbali is one of the bravest people I ever met.”

Johnson graduated from Concordia’s undergraduate journalism program in 2006.

She started her internship at CTV in 2005, where she later returned as a full-time reporter in 2012. Within weeks of starting her internship, Johnson jumped from researching behind the scenes to reporting on-air. At the age of 21, Johnson became the youngest reporter in the newsroom at CTV Montreal.

“I didn’t think at that time that I would become the Quebec City’s bureau chief for CTV,” Johnson said. “I didn’t think that I would have the privilege of anchoring and I certainly couldn’t have imagined that I would be standing here in front of you giving this lecture.”

Johnson said her parents separately immigrated from Jamaica to Canada in the late 1960s. They eventually met each other

in Montreal. “My parents always told us that the key to success is education,” she said. “It has been a mantra in our family, and they have always said it with absolute unshakable certainty and I know it’s true.”

“There were times when I thought I was too soft, not enough to make it in TV journalism,” said Johnson. “I thought I would have to change my personality, be more of a bulldog, be more aggressive, but that’s not in my nature.” Johnson realized journalists should never change who they are, rather, they should put their best qualities forward.

As the only woman of colour in the Quebec Parliamentary Press Gallery, Johnson said there is a lack of diversity in the industry that is also apparent due to how male-dominated it is. “I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility and I take that role very seriously,” she said.

Johnson believes media should reflect the society it serves, which not only means that it must cover a variety of issues, but also that diverse people should be hired.

“People of different backgrounds bring different experiences, knowledge, expertise and contacts to the table,” she said. “If you're a news organization serving a diverse population and all of your reporters look the same, I think that's a problem.”

For Johnson, representing minority groups in the work environment equates to equal opportunities for everyone in society.

She used her own path to journalism as an example. “I was hired at CTV Montreal through a visible minority internship,” she said. “It was a federally-funded internship that was created specifically to give a student

An eight-year-old Edmonton boy was found safe on Saturday morning after an Amber Alert was issued for his whereabouts on Friday evening, according to CBC. Police praised the Amber Alert system for helping to locate the boy, who had been taken by his mother in violation of a parenting order.

Sixty-six greater sage grouse were released into the wild in an effort to save the endangered birds, according to Canadian Geographic. The National Conser vancy of Canada, the Calgary Zoo and Parks Canada joined together for the project.

Only an estimated 200 birds still exist in the wild.

Graphic by @sundaemorningcoffee

from a minority community an opportunity to work in the newsroom, because there was a recognition that there was room for improvement in terms of diversity.”

However, Johnson stressed that not everything is served on a silver platter. “It was made clear to me I was not there to be a token,” she said. “I would have to work hard, and prove that I deserved to be there.”

Johnson was recently nominated for the Radio, Television and News Director Association’s prestigious Dave Rogers Award for Best Long Feature in a large market in the country for her story on the Quebec City mosque attack aftermath.

“At the end of the day, we have a duty to report the truth but sometimes we may not know where the truth really is,” Johnson said. “It may be somewhere in the middle in what two people from the opposite side of the spectrum are saying.”

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theconcordian

MARCH 19, 2019

WORLD SEIZE referendum question denied IN BRIEF STUDENT POLITICS

CSU council voted against SEIZE’s proposed fee levy referendum question JAD ABUKASM ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR The Solidarity Economy Incubation Zone (SEIZE) has once again been denied its proposed fee levy referendum by the council of the Concordia Student Union (CSU).

Last Wednesday, the CSU voted during a meeting that SEIZE’s proposed 35-cent fee levy was not feasible, and therefore, was withheld from ballot in the upcoming general elections.

SEIZE is a student-led, Concordianbased organization, whose goal is to support solidarity co-operatives on and around campus. It was seeking a 35-cent fee levy from the CSU. The SEIZE fee levy referendum had been previously denied by the CSU last February in a secret ballot.

In a letter sent to the CSU’s chair, four councillors–Samantha Candido, Samuel Miriello, Eliza McFarlane, and Victoria Pesce—asked for a new vote on SEIZE on the basis that “the representatives of council did not vet the SEIZE project in good faith, [which] therefore invalidates the vote exercised.”

Graphic by @sundaemorningcoffee

During the meeting, CSU councillor Rowan Gaudet said a fee levy from the Student Space, Accessible Education, and Legal Contingency Fund (SSAELC) was financially dangerous for the union.

CSU councillor James Hanna believes that directly funding co-operatives with the already-existing CSU funds would be a better option than funding through a third-party that will ultimately redistribute the CSU’s money.

“Having an institutionalized service will be an invaluable asset for these initiatives, as opposed to simply having the union act as a grant body, and one that does not have the capacity to mentor and develop new businesses,” said Marcus Peters, SEIZE project leader.

Additionally, the SEIZE project would be open to funding any co-operative—not just from Concordia—“but the priority would always be for Concordia students,” said Peters. SEIZE would also “seek other sources of funding to enrich the experiences and opportunities of those that would use the incubator services,” he added.

For a question to go to ballot, it must follow specific dispositions from the CSU’s by-laws like “receiving a respective amount of signatures.”

“We followed all of the union's rules and procedures, resulting in a unanimous recommendation from the CSU's policy committee to have council rubber-stamp the process and allow the student body to have its say,” said SEIZE in a letter to students.

However, SEIZE’s referendum question was still shut down by the CSU. According to CSU councillor Christopher Kalafatidis, it is important for the CSU to act as gatekeepers when deciding to pass a question to ballot.

“No student is going to open up all the finances of an organization, the budget and the by-laws and start understanding the institution. They are just going to go ‘do I like this idea, yes or no?’” Kalafatidis said, during council. “That’s why we have a gatekeeper. It’s to filter out different fee levy groups that submitted an application in order to understand whether or not it is responsible and then to bring that to the ballot.”

IAN DOWN NEWS EDITOR Fifty people were killed at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand when a gunman opened fire on Friday, according to stuff.

A 28-year-old man is in custody in connection with the shootings.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called the attacks an act of terrorism, and called for the country’s gun laws to be tightened.

Children in Italy will now have to be vaccinated in order to attend school, according to BBC. The new law includes a list of mandatory vaccines that children must receive, including those for measles and smallpox. Italy’s vaccination rate was less than 80 per cent at the time the law was passed on Monday.

British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal was defeated for a second time in Parliament by 149 votes on Wednesday, according to CNBC. The House of Commons then voted to delay the UK’s withdrawal from the EU past the current March 29 deadline, according to BBC. Such a delay needs to be approved by the 27 other countries in the EU. George Pell, an Australian cardinal and the former treasurer of the Catholic Church, was sentenced to six years in prison on Wednesday, according to ABC. Pell, one of the most powerful Catholics in Australia, was convicted in December 2018 for sexually abusing two choirboys in the 1990s.

Graphic by @sundaemorningcoffee

This is the second time the CSU council voted against SEIZE’s proposed referendum. Photo by Gabe Chevalier.

CSU adopts position on free expression Statement aims to change conversation around freedom of speech on campus CHAHINEZ DIB CONTRIBUTOR On March 13, the Concordia Student Union (CSU) voted in favour of a motion adopting new positions on academic freedom, free expression, and the right to protest. Moved by Finance Coordinator John Hutton, the newly-adopted motion was put forward in order to change the way students talk about free speech on campus.

Throughout the motion, Hutton points out issues affecting academic freedom on campus, such as “increasing control over research agendas by non-profit interests, increased casualization and precariousness in the academic workforce causing faculty to be reluctant to be vocal and government threats to operating grants issued to universities, which fail to enact policies limiting the right to protest.”

Moreover, the two-page motion outlines ten new policy positions that the CSU, as

an organization, supports and will add to its book. They will support unionization of university faculty to secure and defend academic freedom and proper working conditions in their collective agreements.

The new free speech action also endorses the so-called “heckler’s veto,” by which a listener may disrupt or silence speech that they deem dangerous. The document says that this is often the only existing means for marginalized people to be heard in any capacity. By that statement, the CSU supports the right for students to speak up and to protest, and wants to protect it from governments and administrators that would try to limit it.

The document also reads: “The CSU shall reasonably seek to represent a wide variety of student perspectives while affirming that as a democratic, independent organization the union is not required to endorse or provide resources to individuals, causes, or organizations which do not align with the CSU’s position.”

In the motion, the CSU will adopt to its positions book that they “seek to elevate the voices of marginalized communities to ensure that the right to freedom of expression is equally held by all in society.”

By adopting the action, Hutton hopes the CSU will be able to focus on these issues affecting academic freedom on campus.

“Now the CSU has a comprehensive policy on academic freedom and free expression, and we can move forward with using that right to free speech and to protest to advance student interests,” said Hutton.

However, councillor James Hanna introduced the first free speech motion at the meeting and used the Chicago Statement as an example of how the university should support the rights of its students to express their ideas, even if they disagree with those ideas. The Chicago Statement, first adopted by the university of Chicago, recognizes free speech on campus and also defends free and open inquiry in all matters.

“ The Concordia Student Union acknowledges and supports the fundamental rights of student groups who express their values, ideas, positions even if the unions and its officers disagree with them,” the motion read.

Moreover, according to Hanna, the CSU could have used the opportunity of a newly-adopted free speech motion to help students who want to use their right of freedom of expression by inviting high profile speakers on campus, as well as to create discussions between students and speakers.

In comparing Concordia and McGill, Hanna said Concordia hosts fewer of these big talks.

“McGill have weeks when libertarians get to speak on campus; they have weeks for left-wing people [to] speak; and I want that stuff to come back at Concordia,” said Hanna.

Hutton brought the motion forward after deciding the CSU is overdue to change the vision students have about free speech at the university.

life

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

MEMOIR

Reopening a heartfelt chapter from the past 7UP sign from Moe’s Corner Snack Bar finds a new home in the CJ basement

KATELYN THOMAS COPY EDITOR When I was a kid, I spent most of my time in the basement of a 60s-style diner behind the Old Forum. My days consisted of playing “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls on the jukeboxes on repeat, riding around the block in one of the regular customer’s cabs, and mixing coffee, ketchup, pancake mix—anything I could get my hands on—together in a giant bowl. I called it a potion and begged my dad’s staff to have a taste.

T h e Co r n e r S n a c k B a r— d u b b e d Moe’s—was opened by a man named Moe Sweigman in 1958. It was purchased by my grandparents, Vasiliki and Petros Thomas, 20 years later. For decades, the 24-hour greasy spoon served as an after-game pitstop for the Habs, whose home arena was located just across the street before they moved to the Bell Centre in 1996.

The Thomas’s eldest son, Eddy, dropped out of school at 15 to work at the diner full time. Eventually, a woman from Ontario named Lee was hired as a waitress. After a few years of bickering, the two fell in love and went on to have two children: my brother and me.

My grandparents passed the diner down to my dad in the 90s, and it’s where my parents worked for the better half of my life. It was everything to me; everything to us. Customers at Moe’s were as intrinsically tied to us as our family members. Even now, after all these years, they remain threaded into my memory like quirky, lovable characters from a Disney film.

I cried when employees quit. I cried when employees were fired (actually, the first time my parents told me they fired someone, I thought they meant they set him on fire). My mom used to say that when customers I didn’t like tried to talk to me, I’d just swivel around on my stool to face the opposite direction. I also apparently used to command customers to “talk” if they wore CHOM 97.7 apparel,

Vasilikai Thomas, a.k.a Yiayia.

Photo from The Montreal Gazette.

Moe's diner, located behind the Old Forum, was open from 1958-2015.

in an attempt to recognize their voices, since the station served as the soundtrack to Moe’s until aux cords became a thing.

The diner meant so much to so many people. For some, it was a 3 a.m. poutine pitstop after a drunken night on the town.

For others, it was where they brought a first date whose heart they would go on to claim forever; a place where you could bump into actors who were in town to shoot a movie; even a refuge during the Ice Storm of 1998 and the Dawson College shooting in 2006. For me, it was a go-to hangout, bottomless fries, Yiayia’s unrivaled tzatziki, and my first (and longest) full-time job. But above all, it was home.

e 90s. at Moe's in th Eddy Thomas nkinson.

Photo by Lee Je

When times got tough and we had to close in December 2015, it felt like I was losing part of my soul. My mom passed away six years prior to that, so it also felt like I was losing yet another part of her.

A chapter of my life closed forever, and it still feels like I’m being stabbed in the heart when I drive by its former location to find a trendy café in its place.

Nowadays, Moe’s crosses my mind every so often, like when I come across an old photograph I haven’t seen in a while.

But for the most part, it’s been compartmentalized into a part of my brain labelled “this hurts too much to think about.”

Since the diner’s closing, I’ve taken on a few different jobs, but most of my time

has been devoted to the journalism degree I’m pursuing at Concordia. As a journalism student, I spend a lot of time in the CJ building on the Loyola campus. Last fall, as I was walking down the hallway that leads to the tunnel connecting CJ to the SP building, I looked up and stopped dead in my tracks. Hanging there on the wall was a 7UP sign that read “CASSE-CROUTE DU COIN RESTAURANT.” It took a second, but then it hit me: I know this sign. It used to hang above the window outside my diner.

It’s hard to put how I felt in that moment into words, but for the most part I was overcome with a distinct feeling of warmth that I’ve never experienced before. It might be comparable to bumping into an old friend you haven’t seen in years, whose whereabouts you were entirely unaware of up until your paths happened to cross again. A twist of fate.

Of all the places on earth this sign could have ended up, it so happened to be in a building where I spend most of my days.

Moe’s lives on forever in the hearts of everyone who frequented it over the years, but also in the basement of Concordia’s CJ building. Somehow, three Eddy, Katelyn and Justin Thomas (left to right). years later, it made its Photo by Lee Jenkinson. way back to me.

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theconcordian

MARCH 19, 2019

PROFILE

Exploring identity through film Jackie Batsinduka touches on love, loss and family history in Geni ALEX HUTCHINS LIFE EDITOR “Growing up as a child of two survivors of the [Rwandan] genocide, the big thing for my family—and I think it’s true of many people’s family—is that it’s not really talked about,” said Jackie Batsinduka, a Concordia communications studies graduate. “My mom lost the majority of her immediate family, except for two brothers, and my dad lost his entire family. So imagine that, then you have a kid two years later.”

Starting on April 7, 1994 and lasting about 100 days, the Rwandan genocide resulted in the mass murder of nearly one million people, the majority of whom were Tutsis. Batsinduka was born in Ottawa just two years after the genocide.

“I guess it was easier to just forget and live your life,” she said, “focus on this new chapter.” Although her family rebuilt their lives and eventually settled in Gatineau, Batsinduka explained how the past would come up in small ways, no matter how much they tried to push it away.

“Whenever there'd be a class project that had to do with your family tree, I'd be like 'I don't know,’” said Batsinduka, with a shrug. “Then as a six-year-old, having to explain to your class like, ‘yup, doesn’t go higher than my parents; unfortunately I don’t know anything else’ and everyone else can’t really relate.”

Because her parents hardly spoke about the genocide, Batsinduka said she grew up feeling as though asking questions about her family’s history was too painful.

“I’m kind of embarrassed to say it,” said Batsinkduka, “but I also wasn’t, like, out there seeking to know more.”

Throughout her childhood, Batsinduka was fascinated with how TV shows and movies could bring people’s imagination to life, despite not thinking of herself as imaginative. “As I got older and into high school, I realized ‘hey, I can make this stuff,’” she said, with a laugh. Batsinduka’s filmmaking career began in high school

A rant about our recycled school curriculum

Why has the education system not evolved with the rest of the world?

JACOB CAREY ASSISTANT LIFE EDITOR

Jackie Batsinduka is a filmmaker and Concordia communication studies graduate.

Photos courtesy of Jackie Batsinduka.

where she’d make amateur videos with her friends in media club. In CÉGEP and eventually at Concordia, she further explored her multimedia passion and continued developing her unique voice.

After graduating from communication studies at Concordia in summer 2018, Batsinduka delved into writing the script for her first project post-graduation, titled Geni. The short film tells the story of a girl estranged from her mother, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, who is invited back to her childhood home at her mother’s request.

Batsinduka is both writing, directing and co-starring in Geni, which explores how one family is impacted by the genocide, the intergenerational trauma carried by the children of survivors, and how each family member’s unique experiences feed into one another.

Christine Kayirangwa, Batsinduka's mother, was born in Kigali, Rwanda.

Photos courtesy of Jackie Batsinduka

“This project is an opportunity to heal, not just for the Rwandans involved in the making of this film, but for everyone who will watch it,” writes Batsinduka in her director’s notes. “By bringing Geni to life, I can thankfully now say that my identity as the daughter of Rwandan genocide survivors is something I have begun to claim.”

Geni is also the shortened, Americanized nickname for the main character, Mugeni.

Mugeni means ‘bride’ in Kinyarwanda, one of the mother tongues of Rwanda.

Batsinduka’s mother, Christine Kayirangwa, has no acting experience but is also co-starring in the short film as Geni’s estranged mother. “Having her support and her confidence in me, and trusting me that this is a story worth being told and that I can tell it, has been amazing,” said Batsinduka. “Just her willingness to embark on this exploration of how this story could change our lives, or our relationship.” Though Batsinduka’s father passed away a few years ago, before this film was conceptualized, she likes to think that he’s smiling down on her and Kayirangwa as they explore their shared history together.

Identity reconciliation is a central theme in Geni, as is profound loss and the cyclical nature of family dynamics, which Batsinduka feels everyone can relate to. “The film is for everyone, but it’s especially for my community,” said Batsinduka. “There are nuances that are very much for people of that community, and that was important to me [...] to not hold back on the audience. This film will definitely leave you thinking.”

Geni is scheduled to film in early May, and is aiming to premiere at festivals in summer 2019. The timed release for the film coincides with the 25-year commemoration of the Rwandan genocide, which took place from April 7 to mid-July 1994. Batsinduka is holding a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo from March 19 to April 16.

As the world continues to change at such high speeds, why does it seem like the education system still relies on its age-old foundation? As important as education is with regards to shaping the society that surrounds it, I question how so many fundamental skills are missing from North American school curriculums.

I could explain, using supply-demand theory, how price suffers when demand decreases. I can recite Plato’s theory of Forms by explaining the Allegory of the Cave. I know Van Gogh cut off his left ear due to psychotic episodes. I can tell you about the Seven Years’ War, the War of 1812, and Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.

I know these things because I’ve learnt them 100 times. And while these may be fun facts to show off your knowledge somewhere down the line, I still can’t help but notice that school never taught me how to do my taxes or cook a proper meal.

Although high schools are developed at a provincial, if not municipal level, many of them remain the same at the core. Most classes are taught to cover the basics of certain topics that everyone should know. Yet, some of the additional material taught in these classes remains irrelevant for the large majority of students learning them. Learning intensive algebra and the periodic table of elements may improve mathematical problem-solving skills and expand our knowledge of chemistry, but these types of subjects should be left for those who want to pursue those fields in higher education.

Instead, we should omit these types of topics in order to make room for teaching life necessities. Taxes are unavoidable in life and we’ll all likely have to deal with them at some point, so why not teach us about this at a younger age? Why is it not required that high schools teach their students about money management and budgeting income?

Why have we not been taught the basics of the stock market?

In some high schools, cooking classes are offered to students in varying years, but these aren’t required for everyone the same way as math and science classes. Arguably, every person should know how to whip up a healthy meal off the top of their heads.

Should technological literacy not be of greater importance than being taught the history of Quebec, again and again, for five years straight? Should formal logic not go beyond the logic grids from elementary school math classes and become pillars for basic coding skills in a society where the Internet is everything?

As technology advances and our priorities continue to change, I believe there are more important life skills that today’s students should be learning instead of the same curriculum my parents were taught many years ago.

Graphic by @sundaemorningcoffee

arts

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

ARTIST RESIDENCY

Questioning memory and connection Hannah Claus’s new exhibition takes inspiration from the McCord Museum's archives

In the centre of the exhibition, a circular plinth is covered in teacups and leaves, all made from beeswax.

DAISY DUNCAN ASSISTANT ARTS EDITOR How do we create relationships with the past? How does history continue to influence our connections in the contemporar y world? These are questions that Hannah Claus’s work considers as artist-in-residence at the McCord Museum.

The exhibition contains multidisciplinary works, incorporating beading, sculpture and installation to navigate themes of memor y and connection, and the relationships between past and present. The exhibition was created during Claus’s time as an artist in residence at the McCord Museum.

Hannah Claus is a multidisciplinary ar tist, based in Montreal, and of Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) and English heritage. Her works look at themes of Indigeneity, memory and transformation in its various forms.

Claus was inspired by various sources to create this exhibition. Claus was able to go through the archives of the museum and find artifacts and register books, which influenced the thematic elements present within this exhibition.

Other works displayed in the exhibition, in a vitrine, include Indigenous beading work s, such as cradle board covers,

and register books from the fur trade.

The legibilit y, or lack thereof, of the fur t r ade registers’ wr iting and document at ion stood out to C lau s .

This lack of clear communication over trading not only speaks to the impact of colonialism and how it af fe c te d I n d i ge n o u s c o m m u n i t i e s , b u t a l s o provides greater insight into the fur trade and its impacts.

Claus explains, in a short video for the museum, that the title of there is a reason for our connection , “evokes the interactions between people when they meet.” The artist shares that she is specifically interested in personal stories and archival documentation, r ather than univers al recounts and artifacts.

In the centre of the exhibition, a circular plinth is covered in teacups and leaves, all made from beeswax. The cup structure was inspired again by Claus’s journey through the museum’s archives, where she found china and ceramics, made f rom porcelain. However, for the cups in her exhibition, Claus took molds from her mother’s personal china collection (which Claus herself helped polish when she was younger). There are berries and leaves within the pattern of the cups, which are also made from beeswax. The leaves and berries

find significance in that they are often used to make Indigenous teas, which are medicinal and healing.

Claus is well-known for suspended installations, and one such wor k is also present in there is a reason for our connection . The piece, titled fancy dance shawl for Sky Woman , consists of small, circular pieces, connected by string and hung in a linear formation.

At the bottom of each string, there are metallic, reflective strips of material, which create light and reflections across the wall and on the ceiling. The piece also has movement, and gently sways as viewers move around the gallery.

The piece is inspired by a Haudenosaunee creation story, about Sky Woman, which is passed down through oral tradition.

The artist describes the work as connecting the earth and sky through thread, while also connecting the past and the present, with this tale of creation, to the contemporary world.

On one of the walls of the exhibition space, four grey blankets are presented.

At closer inspection, viewers can see subtle patterns created by copper pins.

These patterns are inspired by traditional Indigenous designs on Wampum belts. Wampum refers to tubular beads to create ornamental, ceremonial and commercial pieces. While the copper

designs are arguably the focus of this piece, the presence of the blankets should not be overlooked. Through the themes of connection, and settler and Indigenous relations, the blanket holds potent symbolism. As an object t h at b ro u g ht d i s e a s e a n d d e at h to Indigenous communities at the hands of colonialism, the blanket is not just an object, but also a reminder of the past.

However, these can also be viewed as sources of warmth and comfort.

The multiplicity of this materiality shows the varied interpretations present in there is a reason for our connection , while also connecting past and present.

T he specif ic relationships bet ween set tlers and Indigenous people are prominent throughout the exhibition, but the concept of connection also finds a voice in the relationship bet ween ear th and sky, in fancy dance shawl for Sky Woman . Claus finds connection to her family and community through the teacups. there is a reason for our connection will be showing at the McCord Museum (690 Sherbrooke St. W.) until Aug. 11 . I nte ra c ti ve i nt ro d u c ti o n s fo r the exhibition will be taking place on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. in French, and at 8 p.m. in English. Find more on the McCord’s website.

FEATURE: PHOTO ESSAY MARCH 19, 2019 10 theconcordian

Shining a neon light on the history of ink At Tattoo Box Traditional, you’ll learn about more than just tattoo aftercare

Tattoo Box Traditional’s storefront.

VICTORIA LEWIN HEAD COPY EDITOR Decked out in blown up portraits of World War I veterans and acetates dating back to the early 1900s, the walls of recently opened Tattoo Box Traditional tell a story.

Artist Kate Middleton, living in France and working out of Montreal, began construction at Tattoo Box Traditional in August of last year. Originally meant to combat construction planned on Pine Ave. W, where her primary shop is located, she’s now hoping for the new location to double as a tattoo museum.

Collecting historical acetates and framed prints from artists she’s worked with over her career, Middleton has adorned the shop with bits and pieces of tattoo history. While the location only opened this summer, Owen Jensen, Sailor Jerry, Walter Torun, Zeke Owens and Jack Rudy are just a few noteworthy mentions who’s artwork can already be seen at Tattoo Box Traditional.

Middleton said she’s only just getting started, “I have so much memorabilia that I have yet to get in there.”

While residing in Avignon, France, Middleton also runs Livre and Let Die Books and Art Supplies on Pine Ave. W, as well as a small media studio out of California, her hometown. Ensuring the shop promotes a safe and open space for staff and clientele is one of Middleton’s top priorities. Being a female and lesbian tattoo artist, she said “misogyny is the biggest hurdle I’ve ever had to overcome, in myself and facing it from others. That needs to be ended before anyone or any gay woman can progress in their life.” Though the essence of Middleton’s vision is to showcase tattoo history, artwork that is traditionally misogynistic, racist, and otherwise offensive won’t make the cut in this tattoo museum.

Photos by Victoria Lewin.

As a lesbian woman, Middleton works hard to ensure the shop maintains an open, safe space for all LGBTQ+ individuals.

Jackie Neubert, an apprentice at the shop, learns the inner workings of the tattoo machines she'll be working with.

An acetate from the early 1900s by famous American tattoo artist Paul Rogers.

MARCH 19, 2019

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Artist Liam Lavoie tattoos his colleague on a quiet day at Tattoo Box Traditional.

Shop decor includes walls of art from various artists Middleton has met and worked with over the years.

Artists work on various projects during the snowstorm in Montreal on Feb. 13.

Middleton holds up the sketchbook of renowned artist Zeke Owens, who tattooed service men and women during and pre-war.

The shop offers free breast cancer ribbon and semicolon tattoos, symbolizing depression.

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MARCH 19, 2019

PHOTOGRAPHY

Laboratoire Photo dissects art practices

Artists explore narrative, texture and the importance of the digital in new exhibition

five images lines the left hand wall of the gallery.

Riley, a visual artist and photographer, captures a scene through a sequence of photographs. The composition consists of a ferry ride, outtakes from a journal entry titled ON LOOKING, and three snapshots of couples wherein one man is the subject of each photo. As per the title of the journal entry, this approach to the medium makes a commentary on observation, looking and perceiving.

This brings into light the well-established ”I want to take a picture of you,” reads the journal entry in Alana Riley’s work. The captured scene explores emotionality and observation in photographic art. Photo by Lorenza Mezzapelle. history of photographing moments and people, LORENZA MEZZAPELLE Laboratoire Photo features the works with a contemporary twist.

STAFF WRITER Bui's work is vibrant and differs from of Michelle Bui, a UQAM alumna, as well as Edward Maloney and Alana Riley, Concordia the other pieces in the space. Placed at Walking into Laboratoire Photo at Galerie University alumni. This is the second of a the back of the gallery, the works are Deux Poissons invokes a sudden feeling series of laboratory-themed exhibitions. distributed along both walls. Her three of coldness. The room is white and crisp, The first, Laboratoire Peinture, was held May photographs vary in size, consisting of lined with framed photographs that are to July of 2018. This style of presentation still lifes. The photos play with texture meticulously centred along the walls. As was designed to allow various artists to and contrast; delicate wildflowers differ the name suggests, this space resembles explore their practices. Rather than uniting from the tough texture of leather-like a laboratory; a place for the experimen- their art through a common theme, they materials, bright blue and pink hues stand tation and dissection of photographic art. are linked by a single medium. A series of out against the darker foliage of leaves

and flowers. Through the use of materials and the composition of the images, the viewer can acknowledge the importance of photographic practice for capturing the essence of the objects.

The last third of the gallery space features the works of Maloney, a multidisciplinary artist and curator. At first, the photographs are barely discernible, but after a closer look, they are captivating.

The images are of landscapes and have a glitched appearance. Whether of waves or mountains, the photos share the same tonality. The nature of landscape photos in contrast to the digital effect makes the viewer question the use of technology and editing techniques in art. Despite using images of landscapes, Maloney manages to convey a focus on the importance of the digital within contemporary art.

While each artist explores their medium through an entirely different lens, they approach their subject with distinct intents.

Whether it be through still life or depictions of scenes, the artists remind the viewer of the sentimentality and technicality that is part of a longstanding history of photographic art.

Laboratoire Photo is on display at Galerie Deux Poissons, at 372 Ste-Catherine St. W., Suite 414, until April 6. The gallery is open Wednesday to Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

EXHIBITION

At the cusp of new beginnings ARTX students question traditional paradigms of art-making

CHLOË LALONDE ARTS EDITOR “I couldn’t imagine myself not doing it,” said architecture-turned-fine-arts student, Maxime Sauvage, “I make art because I must… I can’t consider doing something else, even though I don’t really know what I’m doing.”

ARTX differs from other independent study courses at Concordia in that the class becomes a community, like an art collective, whereas an independent study is a niche, one-on-one, described another studio art student, Paul Tremblay. ARTX is a constant work-in-progress; students are always workshoping and bouncing new ideas off each other. These relationships and this feedback is important, as it fuels the students’ final project.

Taught by Mary Sui-Yee Wong, students enroll in ARTX 480 knowing that there will be an exhibition at the end. However, nothing is organised for them. As a group, they must fundraise, write grants, find a space and curate the overall exhibition.

It’s important to have the exhibition off campus, according to Sauvage, that way they are thrown into the real world and gain off-campus experience, which is especially important as the majority of the class will be graduating in the spring.

Also learning along the way, Wong, who teaches classes in both the fibres

and sculpture departments in addition to ARTX 480, observes her students at the cusp of new beginnings. Wong strives to push them to take up new challenges and experiment, invoking their individualities and questioning traditional paradigms of art-making.

One student used the opportunities this class has given her to approach her daily routines in a new way. “I want to create the most creative life for myself,” shared studio art student, Erica Hart. Hart is an interdisciplinary artist experienced in drawing, painting, performance and video. Her final project, hugging myself every night for twelve days, is an extension of a larger exploration of therapeutique healing methods in her artistic practice.

Their exhibition, rêverie, will contain a variety of work, from print media and artist books to sculpture, video and performance art, all centered around the notion of “collective dreaming” and interpretations of “the common.”

The students have embraced this course as an opportunity to find their voice, break away from making pretty, aesthetically pleasing work, and search for meaning. For Tremblay, art is a tool used to participate in cultural, social and political conversations.

“It’s an investigation deep into oneself, into materials, into social issues,” added Celine

Cardineau, whose final project attempts to articulate abstract concepts in the form of a children’s book. rêverie opens on March 21 at Art Mûr (5826 St-Hubert St.). On March 22, the vernissage will take place from 5 to 7 p.m., and will include a performance by Santiago Tamayo Soler at 6 p.m.

Graphic by @sundaemorningcoffee

music

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

INTERVIEW

Ralph: Canada’s cool older sister

Her latest album, A Good Girl , is featured on her cross-country tour with Scott Helman CANDICE PYE MANAGING EDITOR From performing in musicals as a teenager decked out in Vans, a pair of fairy wings, and a crinoline over her jeans, to working in several bands over the years while sporting boho-chic hats, Toronto artist Ralph’s sound and look have evolved greatly throughout her life and career.

Ralph can safely say that she has always taken risks in music and in fashion to stand out and do things differently. Having now ditched traditional singer-songwriter attire for a more fun and edgy look, she said she currently focuses on comfort and occasionally plays with gender ambiguity.

“I love that my style can walk this line of androgyny,” she said. “I think that’s really fun to play with for music videos and for looks in general.”

Since the release of her 80s-driven EP in early 2017, Ralph said her main goal when it came to her latest album, A Good Girl, was to focus on a more contemporary sound.

“I got type-casted as this 80s synth-pop artist and I didn’t want that,” said Ralph. “I think my music transcends one genre.”

According to Ralph, the album released last fall still features nostalgic moments reminiscent of sounds from the past, but feels fresh and new—especially with the inclusion of the track “Girl Next Door,” a collaboration with Toronto singer and rapper TOBi. Ralph said that despite having strayed away from her beginnings performing as a folk artist, there are still many similarities between her music then and now. The most significant constants are the themes she is drawn to when writing lyrics.

“Pop is just such a huge genre and you can kind of make it what you want it to be,” Ralph said. “I write pop music in the same way that I wrote folk, in the sense that I still tell stories.”

Ideas of self-love, self-acceptance, and self-worth are driving forces behind Ralph’s lyrics. Having dealt with an eating disorder in the past, and still occasionally feeling insecure about parts of her body, she said that slowly opening

up about her struggles has been therapeutic for her and her audience.

“It can be scary and challenging, but I think it’s really rewarding, and there are so many people who need to hear conversations about it,” said Ralph.

Another of the many themes Ralph explores in the album is how relationships shape our lives.

“It’s a universal theme, it’s very relatable,” Ralph said. “Whether it’s the relationship we have with ourselves, the relationships we have with our friends, with our family [...]. They help you grow so much.”

Ralph’s favourite track on the album, “Cereal,” dives into this topic, focusing on love and heartbreak. It features the lush, female harmonies of Montreal-based duo Milk & Bone. “I remember listening to it and just getting shivers,” said Ralph.

“It felt like the perfect closure to the album for me.”

“Cereal” was the last song Ralph wrote for the album and it holds a special place in her heart.

“It’s funny listening to it now because it’s about a breakup and I’m back together with the person that it’s about,” said Ralph.

While Milk & Bone will not be joining her for her Montreal performance, Ralph said she is thrilled to be touring with Canadian singer-songwriter Scott Helman. She and Helman, also a Toronto native, met at the iHeartRadio Beach Ball festival in Vancouver two years ago. “He’s such an amazing songwriter and performer,” said Ralph.

“Each time I see him play, I’m blown away and I respect him more and more as an artist. It’s a cool opportunity.”

As far as future collaborations are concerned, Ralph said she hopes to branch out and work with people outside of Canada. “I have a lot of friends in Los Angeles who are great singer-songwriters and musicians,” Ralph said. “I think [collaborations] are such a cool part of being a musician [...] It’s such an awesome experience to create something out of nothing with someone else.”

When it comes to A Good Girl, Ralph said her biggest challenge was curating the track list. She said she wrote approximately 40 songs for the album and struggled to make cuts. “You have to be open minded and able to understand that

Ralph’s new album includes songs about relationships and self-love. you will write a million songs,” she said. “I get so attached to each song that I write, that it feels excruciating to think that I may never use that song for anything.”

Ralph said she is learning more every day about when it’s best to include a song or leave it off the album. “I’m just constantly getting better at understanding how to be more collaborative, more patient, less stubborn, and to think about how being an artist also often involves being part of a team,” said Ralph.

Already looking towards the future, Ralph said she already has 30 new songs written with her next album in mind. She started writing on the road during her last tour, and plans to perform new material on her current tour.

“I’ll write another 10 or 12 and then we’ll start picking which songs we want to put on a new album or EP that’ll come out in the spring or summer,” Ralph said.

For now, Ralph said she is focused on touring and promoting her latest album. While she typically sees a large number of young men and

people from the LGBTQ+ community attending her shows, she said Helman’s audience tends to be mostly comprised of young women.

Ralph said the LGBTQ+ community is her biggest support system. “I’m so grateful to have that, but it’s also really cool to also be exposed to a different kind of audience that isn’t necessarily hearing my music,” she said. “I think a lot of my music speaks to young women, so it’s really cool to be creating a new fan base and meeting new people who are connecting with the songs.”

Though she gets worried about staying healthy while touring, especially during the winter, Ralph said she is mostly excited to be on the road again.

“My shows are open and safe for everyone to come, and they’re fun,” Ralph said. “They’re fun and personal [...] and we dance a lot. If you’re not a big dancer that’s cool, but I encourage everyone to try and shake their hips a little bit.”

Ralph and Scott Helman will be performing at L’Astral in Montreal on March 20. Their tour will conclude with a show in North Bay, Ontario on April 6. A Good Girl is available now.

Quickspins THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA

TO BELIEVE The Cinematic Orchestra is a British music group consisting of six members. The ensemble, formed in 1999, fall into many genres, though downtempo—a genre of electronic music similar to ambient music—and nu jazz, are most fitting. Their creative approach to mixing both traditional

and synthetic musical sounds is one that sets them apart.

To Believe is the group’s fifth studio album, and comes 12 years after the release of their previous one, Ma Fleur. Their latest project is only seven songs long, though the above-average length of the songs makes up for the short track list. Each track is at least five minutes, with the last song of the album, “A Promise,” running for 11 and a half minutes.

With five of the album’s seven songs featuring vocals from less known singers, To Believe’s two other songs are strictly instrumental. The project’s sound is one that reflects a kind of personal, introspective journey. Each track, in its own way, provides the listener with a mental depiction of emotion and energy—whatever that may look like. Songs like “The Workers of Art” do well to demonstrate the

reason for the group’s name. Its melancholic, flowing string melody is reminiscent of a dramatic, romantic scene between two troubled lovers. Though some tracks may run flat at times, highlighted by their extremely long lengths, each song ends on a reassuring note—one displaying The Cinematic Orchestra’s expert production and creativity.

TECHNICOLOR DREAMERS

6.5/10

8.5/10

 TRIAL TRACK: To Believe” ft. Moses Sumney

APERITIVO

 STAR BAR: “Our walls come down Reveal to me / No need to wait, no / For me to see” — Tawiah on “Wait for Now/ Leave the World”

The Italian word for appetizer, Aperitivo is a 5-track debut EP from Montreal rock band Technicolor Dreamers. The length of the EP, clocking in at 20 minutes, forces the group to put their best work forward with high-quality production, dance-worthy instrumentals and catchy vocals from lead singer Alex Sciola.

At times, their tracks sound as if they took inspiration from the Smiths or early Kings of

— IMMANUEL MATTHEWS, ASSISTANT MUSIC EDITOR

Leon–high compliments for the first project of any up-and-coming group. The opening song, “What If We Could Dance?,” sets the precedent for the rest of the EP, although the latter tracks evolve from softer, slower vibes to heavier rock ‘n’ roll. The heaviest is “No Time For Trouble (Live Version),” which mimics a live recording without taking a hit to sound quality.

If Aperitivo is supposed to be an appetizer for what is to come, we look forward to seeing what Technicolor Dreamers have prepared for the piate principale.

 TRIAL TRACK: The Lizard  STAR BAR: “What if we could dance until our feet fell from the ceiling? What if I could say three words that didn’t have a meaning?” — Technicolour Dreamers on “What If We Could Dance?”

— JACOB CAREY, ASSISTANT LIFE EDITOR

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MARCH 19, 2019

INTERVIEW

Raphael reaches out

Montreal singer-songwriter navigates continents and mental health issues SIMON NEW MUSIC EDITOR “My parents don’t even know I sing,” admitted Edwin Raphael to the crowd at Petit Campus on Thursday night. He moved to Montreal from his parents’ home in Dubai five years ago, where the most he did was play guitar. He just released Will You Think Of Me Later, his first full-length album.

After moving to Montreal to study economics at John Molson School of Business, Raphael became disenchanted with his studies and immersed in his craft.

“I was procrastinating, trying to write music. I was like ‘anything's better than studying economics,’” he said. His biggest song, “Queen of Coasts,” from his 2015 EP Ocean Walk, has over 2 million plays on Spotify.

Dubai, said Raphael, has a more mainstream, corporate-feeling music scene that he found uninspiring. Montreal was a breath of fresh air. “There's a live show every fuckin’ night; here's music everywhere,” he said.

Raphael had the crowd swaying on every note. The show, which marked the launch of Will You Think Of Me Later, felt like a hometown gathering at a house party,

Raphael and Ridgely hit some devastating harmonies. Photo by Simon New.

attended by friends, fans and other local musicians. Raphael’s sound is innately intimate, his smooth voice gliding across gentle instrumentation from his band. He gave the band a break to do a few songs solo with his guitar, backlit by a spotlight.

Raphael cites Ben Howard as someone he emulated when he was writing in his dorm room.

There were powerful moments in Raphael’s set, when he brought up singer and rapper junï, for their collaboration

“Bloom.” The track is a downtempo, nostalgic elegy of a relationship with a lover, studded with a blaring organ sample that brings the hook to a boil: “You say flowers don’t bloom / Like they’re supposed to / When we’re hanging out / Shit’s just different now,” sings Raphael. Golden-voiced Montreal pop singer-songwriter Claire Ridgely joined him for “Tangerine Skies,” a topdown, summer romance ballad that was as sweet as it was sad.

When Raphael was writing Will You Think Of Me Later, his guitarist Jacob Liutkus would offer his opinion as a co-writer, as well as writing all of his own guitar parts. The two aimed to speak frankly of mental illness, from the outside. “For me, the story was how to deal with someone dealing with addiction,” said Raphael. Liutkus added that the project is meant to reach out.

“This album was about [how] you're never alone in terms of what you're feeling, if you ever think ‘I'm the only one feeling this way,’” he said.

On “Sober,” Raphael is losing his lover to addiction. “You're crying out for these words I know / With you moving out cause you're losing hope / Won't you come around / Just be sober now, just be sober,” he sings. Raphael acknowledges the limit of this perspective as a second-person narrative. “Me looking at it from the outside, like I can't tell you what to feel, because I don't know what addiction feels like, and there's only so much I can do,” he said. “That was me understanding that I don't understand. People try to think they understand addiction because they're addicted to something, but there's so many levels to that.” Will You Think Of Me Later is Raphael doing what he can to help others understand these struggles—it is an invitation to join in learning, without forgetting to be a remarkably smooth listen.

REVIEW

Fans of all ages come out for Teenage Fanclub Influential 90s Scottish band play nostalgia-filled set at Petit Campus

KENNETH GIBSON STAFF WRITER When you are a band that Kurt Cobain consistently cited as one of his favourites, your reputation can tend to proceed you.

Yet, Teenage Fanclub’s near 30-year career of being “musicians’ musicians”—Noel Gallagher also referred to them as “the second best band in the world” at the height of Oasis’s popularity—doesn’t seem to have created any inflated egos among them.

“If someone told us when we first wrote these songs when we were 20, that we’d still be playing them now,” said singer and guitarist Norman Blake to the crowd two songs into the band’s set at Petit Campus on March 9, trailing off before finishing the thought.

The gratitude they feel to still be playing sold-out rooms (albeit not the theatre-sized rooms they used to play) was clear from the first song, as Blake’s faced beamed with an uncontrollable smile, locking eyes with the other members as they found their timing together.

The band’s cult status has helped them maintain a solid fan base through ups and downs of popularity. However, the music itself, with timeless lyricism and a preternatural ear for melody, is arguably what has kept them consistently accumulating new fans over the years. That fact was present among the delighted onlookers: while there were plenty of older indie-rockers with touches of grey in their hair, there were also

many who couldn’t have been far out of their teenage years.

The band elected to start their set with the opening tracks from their two most successful albums, 1995’s Grand Prix and 1997’s Songs from Northern Britain.

Both songs (“About You” and “Start Again”) were writ ten by Blake, and unfortunately the crowd would be denied other classic singles such as “Sparky’s Dream” and “Ain’t that Enough,” written by recently-departed bassist Gerard Love.

He retired from touring last fall after the band performed their first five albums in chronological order across three nights in Glasgow.

Emerging from a British independent music scene in late 80s that hadn’t quite figured out what was going to come after New Wave and synth-pop, Teenage Fanclub fused howling, massively distorted guitars with a penchant for the power pop of 70s bands like Big Star and Cheap Trick and harmonies of 60s pop-rock of bands like the Byrds. In doing so, they somehow anticipated both the Grunge movement in the United States and the Britpop movement of their home country. While never quite gaining the mainstream success of other 90s alternative acts, their career always seemed to hew close to the most important things happening in alternative music.

“If someone told us when we first wrote these songs when we were 20, that we’d still be playing them now,” said Norman Blake. He didn’t finish his sentence. Photo by Kenneth Gibson.

Their 1990 independent debut album, A Catholic Education, was released in North America on the then-newly founded Matador Records, and was the first release to attract considerable attention to a label that would go on to help make the careers of bands like Pavement, Sleater-Kinney and Modest Mouse.

Their breakthrough single, “The Concept,” released ahead of their 1991 major-label debut Bandwagonesque, seemed ahead of the curve, perfectly capturing the sarcastic aloofness that would define 90s alternative rock, with lyrics like “she says she don’t do drugs, but she does the pill.” That album famously beat out Nirvana’s Nevermind to be named album of the year by Spin magazine.

As the night progressed, the band would jump from brand new material in “Everything is Falling Apart,” a single released in February and penned by lead guitarist Raymond McGinley, to songs only for the hardcore fans such as “Only With You” from 2005’s Man-Made and “My Uptight Life” from 2000’s Howdy!, interspersing it all with other highlights from their more popular albums, such as “Alcoholiday,” “Your Love Is the Place Where I Come From” and “Verisimilitude.”

At this point, the crowd seemed to be getting a bit antsy as “The Concept” had yet to make an appearance. The consummate showmen they are, Teenage Fanclub saved the best for last, playing it to close out their set before returning for a short encore that included a cover of The Who’s “The Kids Are Alright” and their first ever single release “Everything Flows.”

sports

COLOUR COMMENTARY

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

WITH NICHOLAS DI GIOVANNI

PROFILE

The curious case of Diane Brown How a 69-year-old personal trainer proves age is just a number

SANIA MALIK OPINIONS EDITOR While most people spend their early 60s planning their retirement, Diane Brown decided to pursue a new career: becoming a personal trainer.

“I had never thought of pursuing it before,” said Brown, now 69 years old. “I was a single mother when I was younger, and after that, I was always worried about providing for my child.”

Brown worked random jobs most of her life in order to pay the bills. At the age of 61, Brown realized she wanted to transform her passion for health and fitness into something she could monetize—and consequently, do for a living. Today, she’s a personal trainer and also works as a floor clerk at a Jean Coutu Pharmacy, where she’s been for the past 20 years.

“I don’t want to stop working,” Brown said. “I thought I’d want to retire, but really, I won’t retire until they kick me out,” she said with a loud chuckle. As a personal trainer, she has trained many people, whose ages ranged from 30 to 80.

“I don’t think age should be a factor

in terms of whether or not you exercise,” Brown said. “The way I approach fitness is it’s a way to be the best version of yourself.”

For Brown, anyone can step forward and try their hand at working out—she believes there are no excuses. “Age really isn’t an excuse,” said Brown. “Neither is time. If you tell me you’re too busy to work out, I’ll tell you about a seven-minute power workout that strengthens your core. If you tell me you can’t afford the gym, I’ll tell you how to turn your living room into one. There’s really no reason not to be the best version of yourself.”

When Brown decided to become a personal trainer, she wondered whether her age would make clients hesitant about working with her. But she quickly realized that her fitness level coupled with her age was the very thing that attracted clients to her.

“I guess they could tell I was the real deal,” Brown said with a laugh. “But to be honest, I don’t really like being told I look good ‘for my age,’” she said. “I look and feel good—doesn’t matter how old I am.”

Doctors have told Brown that her body functions as if she’s 35 years old. “I feel young,” she said. “But of course, there are

days where my body tells me, ‘Okay Diane, you need to take a break.’” Sometimes, her toes ache; other days, her mind will want to lift weights, but her body won’t let her. “I have the hardest time stopping,” she said.

“I’m working on that.”

Brown tries to give herself time off when she can but finds it hard to pause her passion.

“I just genuinely enjoy it,” she said. “I love helping people realize their full potential, and I love working with others. I want to help them—it’s as simple as that.”

Brown’s passion for helping others with their fitness goals also stems from a certain place: control. “I couldn’t control most of my life,” she said thoughtfully. “Things happened to me, and most of them were bad. But with fitness, I have power—I can control how I treat my body, and as a trainer, I can exert what little control I do have to help someone become better.”

Yet, Brown still hopes she can learn to let some control go. “I’m a Libra after all,” she said. “I’m all about the balance. I just have to give myself a few talks sometimes. I’m still learning,” she laughed. “After all this time, I’m still learning to be the best version of myself.”

Photos by Sania Malik.

In a game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning on March 11, Leafs defenceman M o rg a n Ri e l l y a l l e g e d l y s a i d a homophobic slur to the referee.

After an investigation, the NHL concluded that what sounded like an anti-gay remark in the arena’s mics did not come from Rielly, and he was not disciplined.

Although Rielly did not make the remark, reactions on social media to the NHL’s investigation were worrisome. I went on Twitter and Facebook after it happened and kept shaking my head as I read through comments. The people who believe “the world is too soft” and “people get hurt over anything” were out in full force, showing their ignorance to matters like this. But the one comment that got me thinking the most was, “What happens in the rink stays in the rink.”

In other words, whatever unacceptable behaviour someone does i n t h e r i n k , d o e s n' t h o l d t h e m accountable outside of it. It doesn’t work like that. Although Rielly didn’t actually use a homophobic slur this time, they’re used way too often in sports, especially in hockey.

I’ve played hockey my whole life, and there will always be insults on the rink—it’s part of the game to get into your opponent’s head.

The most homophobic sayings I’ve heard were probably when I played bantam or midget. Unfortunately, words to describe members of the LGBTQ+ community are used as insults. I’m not going to lie, I used to say those things on the ice until I learned it was wrong.

It continues to amaze me that some adults believe using homophobic slurs are acceptable as insults because it happens in a hockey rink.

How someone acts on the rink is also how they act off of it. Eliminating homophobia in all aspects of life starts by stopping it in the places where it’s most common.

Hockey probably has to be one of the worst sports for gay athletes—there are still no openly-gay players in the NHL, while Michael Sam in the NFL, Jason Collins in the NBA, and Glenn Burke in the MLB were some of the first few athletes to come out in North America’s major sports.

However, the NHL does a good job at promoting inclusivity through its partnership with You Can Play. It's an organization founded in memory of Brendan Burke, the son of NHL executive Brian Burke, who came out as gay in 2009, a few months before he died in a car accident.

I understand insults are part of hockey, but homophobic slurs don’t belong on the ice—or anywhere for that matter. Not using those words is really simple—just call your opponent stupid or something. Or as my dad always told me, “Respond by putting the puck in the net.”

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FOOTBALL

Maurice Simba not taking draft for granted Stingers offensive lineman held pro day for NFL scouts in Lachine last week NICHOL AS DI GIOVANNI SPORTS EDITOR Maurice Simba has taken another step towards his dream of playing professional football. The Stingers’s offensive lineman held a pro day for NFL scouts at the Catalogna Soccerplexe in Lachine on March 12.

“Personally, I think I’m very satisfied the way the day went,” Simba said. “I can say I gave all I could, and I hope the scouts saw that and liked it. I’m looking forward to what will happen.”

S c o u t s f ro m t h e S a n Fr a n c i s c o 49ers, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, and New York Jet s tested Simba t hroug h v ar ious drills. He bench pressed 25 reps of 225 pounds, had a 19-inch vertical jump, a broad jump of six feet, 11 inches, and ran his 40-yard dash in 5.99 seconds.

“For sure I would have liked to run a 4.4 [in the 40-yard dash] but it’s hard to do when you weigh 343 pounds; it’s just not realistic,” the six-foot-eight lineman jokingly told reporters. “As an athlete, you have to be great everyday, so that’s why I train. What I did today won’t change anything, and I’m just going to continue working hard.”

Simba just finished his four th season with the Stingers, and has been attracting scouts throughout the year.

The CFL ranked Simba as the 18th-best C anadian prospec t, and f if t h-best offensive lineman in their September

2018 list. They ranked him 11th on their prospects list in December 2018 for the draft in May. S cout s f rom t he Pit t sburg h Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs attended several Stingers games this past season. In January, Simba played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in California alongside some of the best American prospects.

“I always keep my head down a n d I d o n’ t t a ke a ny t h i ng fo r granted,” Simba said. “The NFL is not granted for me, nothing is set that I’m going to play in the NFL [...]. Any opportunity I have, whether it be in the CFL or NFL, I’m just grateful to be here.”

Simba’s journey to become a football player is quite impressive. Bor n in K insha s a , in t he Democratic Republic of Congo, Simba moved to Quebec at 18 years old to rejoin his mother, who left home when he was three. The 24-year-old barely knew what American football was when he came here, but has been playing for six years.

“I’m very lucky for what’s happened in my life the past couple of years ,” Simba said . “ T his [pro day] is a way for me to say thank you to Concordia Universit y and to the city of Montreal for giving me these opportunities. For an immigrant like me who arrived [six] years ago, to get these chances, it really means a lot.”

After the standard drills, scouts had made Simba perform drills made for offensive linemen. Photo by Nicholas Di Giovanni.

Simba normally played left tackle this season, but admits he would be able to play anywhere along the offensive line if asked. The scouts had him do drills for both the left and right tackle positions.

“Right now, I want to play everywhere.

If you pay me, I can play centre,” Simba added. “I’m too broke right now; I just want to help my mom. But honestly, I just want to show scouts [that] if they give me a chance, I’ll show them I can play, whether at guard or tackle.”

Simba will attend the CFL national combine in Toronto f rom March 22 to 24. The NFL draf t is on April 25, while the CFL has theirs on May 2. “If I get drafted [in the NFL], thank God,” Simba said. “But in my head right now, to not be disappointed, if I don’t get drafted, I just want to an invitation to a rookie mini-camp to prove what I can do. If the coach tells me no, I’m still a Canadian citizen and I can play in the CFL.”

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

Learning season for Stingers women’s hockey Concordia went 8-1-1 in 2019 after a rocky start to the regular season ALEC BRIDEAU ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR It was a learning season for the Concordia Stingers women's hockey team, which saw many ups and downs. They were eliminated in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) semi-final in February.

The Stingers started the season with 11 rookies, and finished the regular season in second place with a 13-4-3 record. Head coach Julie Chu said that if there’s one thing to take away from this season, it’s growth. “[Every season], we start at a different point,” Chu said. “This year, we [did so] because we were young and had a lot of new players.”

After winning five of the first 10 games, Chu asked her players for patience.

“We had a young team in a lot of ways,” Chu said. “Even if they’re talented players who have been successful, it still takes time to develop and play a complete team game for a full 60 minutes. I think that's what we saw in the first half of the season. We didn’t have the consistency and execution that we needed in order to win games.”

Five Stingers earned individual RSEQ awards, including forwards Audrey Belzile and Rosalie Bégin-Cyr, the Stingers’s best

scorer and the RSEQ’s highest-scoring rookie, respectively. Chu said the working environment her players built help them succeed.

“They want to get better and learn,” Chu said. “They push themselves, and they do it in a competitive and awesome environment where they find a way to support each other. I don’t think it’s sur-

prising that we had individuals from the team who were honoured for successful seasons.”

Veterans Katherine Purchase, Devon Thompson, Melinda Prévost, and Sophie Gagnon won’t be back with the Stingers next season. Chu said these graduating players helped develop Concordia's hockey program into what it is.

Forward Lidia Fillion (pictured) finished the season with seven goals. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

“They are huge part of why we have the foundation we have [today],” Chu said.

“When young players arrive in our program, they know what to expect. They know what they’re building off [of], and I think that’s a really special part of the culture and tradition we want to have here at Concordia.”

Despite Purchase’s departure, the Stingers will still be able to count on goaltender Alice Philbert for the upcoming season. Chu said that having Philbert with the team for the seasons ahead is huge.

“Alice has been a great part of our team the last two years,” Chu said. “She always works hard, she wants to get better.

She asks questions and because of that, she’s been able to develop and become a really great goaltender.”

The Stingers announced in December that forward Scout Watkins Southward of the Kingston Junior Ice Wolves will join the team for the beginning of next season.

Chu thinks Watkins Southward will bring a lot to the team.

“She has the work ethic, the personality, and the character we want to include in our program,” Chu said. “I think that she will arrive and have a really big impact right off the start. We’re really excited for everything that she will be able to bring.”

opinions

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

EDITORIAL

Concordia must be more clear Concordia’s climate review of the English department has made headlines in every major Canadian news network since its release last week. Last week, one of our News Editors, Mia Anhoury, wrote a piece outlining the lead-up to the review, its focus, some recommendations from the review, and comments from several people involved.

Some of the recommendations for professors include: making students more aware of the process for filing complaints, prohibiting classes in bars, clearer definitions and training about power dynamics in relationships, consent and conflicts of interest. Another recommendation is the requirement to disclose a conflict of interest in professors’ relationships with students, and clear consequences for failure to abide by it.

We at The Concordian encourage you to read the report for yourself. Many of the recommendations are focused on clarifying Concordia’s legislation around sexual misconduct and the process of voicing a complaint.

There are many takeaways from the report. Concordia has started many initiatives already, such as updating their sexual violence policy, and indeed they seem willing to comply with many of the recommendations. One recurring goal was increased clarity; many students are unaware of the process of filing a complaint, and many don’t even know what situations qualify as a

Graphic by Ana Bilokin.

breach of university protocol. Clarity among the administration is also key, since many members claimed to be unaware of the toxic climate in the first place. Lisa Ostiguy, the head of Concordia’s standing committee on sexual misconduct and sexual violence, told The Concordian, “I’ve been actively involved in sexual violence and sexual misconduct files and processes, and I was not made aware [of fraternization between students and faculty].” Accountability between faculty members and accessibility to the complaint system will put more checks in place to prevent violent behaviour.

The report claimed “there is no place for any romantic or sexual relationship between an instructor and his or her student.” This is the kind of concrete, definitive language that we need surrounding this issue. Ostiguy acknowledged that "it's very difficult to

prohibit relationships between adults that are consenting." We at The Concordian believe this is an issue that requires more clear, direct, and precise language. Being vague in the policy or when referring to it will only contribute to the difficulty of prohibiting toxic relationships.

Responses from the university thus far have not included an explicit apology to past or current students who were affected by abuses of power from several members of their institution. This includes Alan Shepherd’s recent response letter to the climate review, titled, “Concordia welcomes the recommendations put forth in the Climate Review of the Department of English.”

In his response, Shepard mentions that the “unhealthy” climate the report describes in the English department gives the university “cause [for] concern.” Immediately after,

however, he mentions that many students have had a positive experience, that only a small percentage of faculty members were accused, and that most of the complaints came from alumni rather than current students. What are we supposed to make of these defences? It’s hard not to see this as an effort to save face.

Shepard’s letter goes on to highlight the ways Concordia has been investing in sexual assault resources, independently, he stresses, of the climate review. We do think that the letter is a useful way to discuss or promote resources for sexual assault. It is great that the university is working on developing new strategies, and it certainly needs to provide new resources to students as much as possible. But without the preface of an apology, it is easy to perceive the report in-part as an attempt to preserve the university’s reputation.

We at The Concordian want to see the university take responsibility for its employees by explicitly apologizing to its students, and demonstrate their sincerity by clearly defining their policy around student-professor relationships, the definition of ‘conflicts of interest’ and consequences for when that is breached.

The complaint-filing process needs to be clear and accessible, and the university needs to make an active effort to investigate claims and enforce consequences for perpetrators.

ROMANCE

How to be a happy romantic in a hookup culture One student’s experience with romance and realizing why it begins when you stop partying AMANDA KATHERINE STAFF WRITER It took years for me to realize that it’s possible to be a happy romantic in a hookup culture. And it all started in April 2017, when I made the conscious decision to stop partying.

Throughout my years of partying, I surrounded myself with hookup enthusiasts who constantly told me that my romantic aspirations were juvenile. They warned that I was “too serious” for my own good, and a big part of me believed them. YOLO and FOMO smothered my brain like thick cobwebs. I wanted to experience the euphoric young adulthood talked about in all those hype dance songs, and portrayed in all those badass Hollywood movies. Consequently, I became desperate to emancipate my heart from emotion.

I wanted to go out and dance with cute guys, without caring whether they asked for my name. If they asked for my name, I wanted to answer without hoping they’d ask for my number too. If they asked for my number, I wanted to flirt without expecting the conversation to blossom into something more meaningful. I failed miserably. Every time a cute guy would prove that his interest in me was purely physical, I’d feel a pang of

disappointment deep in my belly. Every time a crush flirted with other girls the way he flirted with me, I’d feel a punch of rejection bruise my heart.

Hookup culture was crushing my inner romantic and the desire I had to find someone legit. At the time, however, I didn’t see it that way at all. I resented the pain, and told myself it was proof that I desperately needed to get a handle on my emotions. When I stopped partying though, I was no longer under the influence—not of friends, of alcohol, or of hookup culture. I was able to weed out

anxieties and facades that I kept having to live up to while in the skin of a social butterfly.

Without a shadow of a doubt, abandoning nightlife was integral to my confidence as a romantic person. It was step one along a path that, almost two years later, led me to a wellspring of happiness and peace. I do not believe I would’ve been able to access this wellbeing had I continued partying.

We live in a culture that constantly encourages us to believe that we can be anything. And in some ways, that’s inspiring.

However, too many millennials are trying

Graphic by Ana Bilokin.

to transcend desires that they’d be better off embracing: feelings of wanting more from one person intellectually, emotionally, and romantically. It saddens me to think that I ever villainized my desire for loyalty.

I bought into pop culture’s highly manipulative lie, which says that the happiest young people are those who are down for anything, anywhere, with anyone.

If you’re a romantic millennial, I urge you to tread cautiously in environments that propagate hookup culture. These scenes will trick you into believing that you’re your own worst enemy. But in the words of inspirational speaker Alexander Den Heijer, “When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.” If in your heart you are hoping to meet somebody special, the dance floor isn’t so much a place of freedom as it is a vortex that forces you to be something you are not.

To my fellow romantics: I can confidently assure you that none of those parties will go down as the best nights of your life.

Conversely, they’re liable to endanger your happiness, and demotivate you from seeking the loyal relationship you deserve.

Your person is out there, but they’re not waiting for you in a room that ridicules the real you.

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CULTURE

My name is Patrick and I am not a leprechaun!

Exploring the two Irelands of "Emerald Isle" and the different hues of identities Graphic by Ana Bilokin.

PATRICK MCKENNA CONTRIBUTOR After many years in Montreal, I have little sentimental connection to my native Northern Ireland, but as Saint Patrick’s Day approaches, when friends and neighbours inevitably ask me about Ireland, I feel obliged to explain there’s more to it than leprechauns, floppy green hats and ginger wigs. “First of all,” I say, “you should know there isn’t just one Ireland, there’s two. There isn’t just one sort of Irishness, there’s many.

And Ireland’s national language isn’t English, but Irish, even though it’s not really spoken in everyday life.”

The two Irelands came into being in 1921 when the “Emerald Isle” was divided into Northern Ireland (NI)—part of the United Kingdom (UK)—and the independent Republic of Ireland (ROI).

Once the NI-ROI border was in place, various hues of Irishness bloomed on either side of it. By the turn of the 21st century, ROI citizens saw themselves as “real” Irish, with NI citizens relegated more or less, to the status of foreigners, according to popular weblog Slugger O’ Toole. Evidence of this mindset popped up during the ROI’s 2011 presidential televised debate, when a young female in the studio audience told NI candidate, the late Mr. Martin McGuinness, that he was from another country.

How Mr. McGuinness, the then NI Assembly’s deputy first minister, devout Catholic, and ex Irish Republican Army (IRA) commander felt about this I cannot say. Did he wonder, for instance, why on earth the IRA had tried, from 1969 to 1998, to bomb NI into the ROI? However, despite grassroots ROI sentiments about NI Catholic citizens being foreigners, most of them, like Mr. McGuinness, feel strongly Irish.

Now, with Brexit on the horizon, some NI Protestant citizens, who usually identify as British, are applying for an Irish passport.

In fact, an increasing number might even support unification with the ROI so as to

remain in the EU after Brexit.

Finally, after the ROI joined the European Communities (EC) in 1973, now the European Union, its prosperity took off and it became an immigration nation. According to Central Statistics Office (CSO), the ROI was home to 535,475 non-Irish nationals and 104,784 persons with dual-Irish nationality. “So you see,” I tell my friends and neighbours, “there are many different hues of Irishness on the Emerald Isle.”

You might think that, in Ireland, national identity would include the official language, which is Irish, but you’d be wrong. According to the 2016 ROI

Census, Irish is spoken daily by only 73,803 citizens—of whom a goodly number live in a Gaeltacht, a rural area that functions in Irish only. Outside of the Gaeltacht areas, in urban settings such as Dublin, an Irish speaker would struggle to order a drink or a burger, call a cab or chat with the driver in the national language. In fact, in Dublin, a Polish speaker would have more chances of doing so in Polish, which is now Ireland’s second-most spoken language after English.

Mind you, Irish isn’t dead; it’s one of the EU’s official languages. You can find it on Google Translate, and Irish language classes are even offered here in Montreal. Comhrá, a non-profit group that delivers Irish language classes exists in Montreal—as does Concordia’s School of Canadian Irish Studies. Meanwhile in my native NI, Irish is gaining ground, according to CBC News. Some NI Protestant citizens are studying Irish which they pragmatically consider to be part of a rainbow of Celtic languages, namely Scots Gaelic, Welsh, Max and Cornish. All of these are woven into the tapestry of Britishness, according to the same source.

“So, there you are,” I tell my friends and neighbours. “There’s ver y little that’s simple about Ireland and the Irish, but even so, with the Saints Pat’s parade around the corner, I’d like to wish you, Lá Fhéile Pádraig Shona! Happy Saint Pats!

Joyeuse Saint Patrick!”

TECHNOLOGY

Disconnecting when being interconnected One student’s thoughts on why we should consider putting our phone away and living in the present ESPERANZA TACCHI CONTRIBUTOR I’m sure all of you who have smartphones have experienced some sense of guilt for devoting so much time to them every day. We are being reminded daily of the amount of time we spend in front of our screens. We live in a virtual world, where we maintain and develop connections, at the cost of engaging with those who are physically present. Why is it that despite having contact with others at our fingertips at all times, we still feel lonely?

According to Psychology Today, we are being haunted by a “loneliness epidemic,” where those of us who spend the most time on social media feel the most lonesome. Even if you have deleted all social media off your phone, you are still susceptible to this epidemic. Studies have revealed that the relentless use of mobile phones leads us to experience anxiety, depression, isolation and loneliness. Faceto-face interactions are losing value as we feel closer to our friends and family by nurturing relationships virtually. We are only drifting away from the reality in which we are living.

For those of us who use our phones as a means of sustaining connections with those far away, it is harder to find balance between living in the present

and being elsewhere. We are victims of being virtually connected while in the presence of those we love, thus isolating ourselves even further. We are completely addicted to constantly checking the time, the weather, Instagram, Facebook, you name it; all of these are distractions that affect us more than they benefit us. According to The Telegraph, we are spending approximately 24 hours per week

on our phones. Can you imagine being in front of your screen for a whole day non-stop? Of course you can, because this is our weekly reality.

We are prioritizing the virtual world over the real world. We feel empty as we try to capture every moment for social media and friends, and are not enjoying the present while we’re in it. This strikes a nerve because we are constantly seeking

Graphic by Ana Bilokin.

entertainment and wasting our time by overindulging in our cellphones.

I think it’s sad when a couple or a group of friends are sitting at a restaurant, scrolling down their screens instead of talking to each other. I feel bad for those who are in the middle of a forest recording every moment for their Instagram story. But the truth is that we have all done those things.

I know it sounds cheesy, but we should really be living in the present. No one truly cares about what we are doing anyway—you are aware of that yourself as you skip/scroll through other people’s stories or messages.

Scrolling through our social media can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction with our own lives as we compare it to the perfect reality of those portrayed through pretty filters and thought-out captions.

The chronic need to check our phones prevents us from relaxing and checking in with ourselves. Rather than connecting with each other, we are disconnecting from our real lives and from the present.

The first step in spending less time on our phones is to recognize the fact that we have a problem. Putting our phones down more often will help us obtain a clearer mindset. If you want to go further, maybe a real alarm clock will be the solution to late nights and morning screen scrolls.

These are small steps that can have a big impact—why not start today?

etc

FEATURED CONCORDIA ARTIST

MARIANA MORENO My name is Mariana and I was born in Colombia. As an artist, I believe visual reproduction, in my opinion, plays a key role in the passing of knowledge and storytelling, as well as recreating the dominant ideologies that shape our thinking. The inspiration for my work comes from cultural differences, stereotypes, gender and ideas of femininity. My work deals with cues such as language and cultural diversity in an attempt to expose invisible borders. I try to represent a sense of belonging— whether wrongful or desired—in my work, through the lens of a graphic novel. I prioritize self-representation and play with ideologies I was taught, and challenge them with a feminist approach.

Etc is a space dedicated to showcasing Concordia artists!

Submissions can be sent to production@theconcordian.com

20 theconcordian

MARCH 19, 2019

Graphic by @sundaemorningcoffee

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theconcordian's team EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MAGGIE HOPE editor@theconcordian.com MANAGING EDITOR CANDICE PYE managing@theconcordian.com PRODUCTION MANAGER LOREANNA LASTORIA production@theconcordian.com SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR MATTHEW COYTE online@theconcordian.com

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ARTS EDITOR CHLOË LALONDE arts@theconcordian.com

PHOTO EDITOR MACKENZIE LAD photo@theconcordian.com

ASSISTANT ARTS EDITOR DAISY DUNCAN

PHOTO ASSISTANTS GABE CHEVALIER HANNAH EWEN

MUSIC EDITOR SIMON NEW music@theconcordian.com ASSISTANT MUSIC EDITOR IMMANUEL MATTHEWS

GRAPHICS EDITOR WEDNESDAY LAPLANTE graphics@theconcordian.com GRAPHIC ASSISTANT ANA BILOKIN

SPORTS EDITOR NICHOLAS DI GIOVANNI sports@theconcordian.com

VIDEO EDITOR SANDRA HERCEGOVA video@theconcordian.com

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR ALEC BRIDEAU

VIDEO ASSISTANT ARIANNA RANDJBAR

HEAD COPY EDITOR VICTORIA LEWIN COPY EDITORS JULIET BOOKER KAYLA-MARIE TURRICIANO KATELYN THOMAS copy@theconcordian.com BUSINESS MANAGER FRANCIS LADOUCEUR business@theconcordian.com ADVERTISING MANAGER BILAL QADRI advertising@theconcordian.com BOARD OF DIRECTORS NATHALIE LAFLAMME DAVID EASEY MIA ANHOURY ORENZO PORPORINO directors@theconcordian.com

CONTRIBUTORS: Amanda Katherine, Chahinez Dib, Esperanza Tacchi, Kenneth Gibson, Lorenza Mezzapelle, Patrick McKenna

Concordia University’s weekly, independent student newspaper VOL. 36, ISSUE 23 MAR. 19, 2019.

OUR COVER THIS WEEK

“Turning up the heat” Photo by Alex Hutchins.

FOLLOW US ON    COME TO OUR WEEKLY PITCH MEETING AT THE LOYOLA CAMPUS CC-431 FRIDAY AT 12:00 P.M. PITCH. WRITE. EDIT. Editorial office 7141 Sherbrooke St. W Building CC - 431 Montreal, QC H4B 1R6 (514) 848-2424 ext. 7499