Volume 43, Issue 14

Volume 43, Issue 14 • March 21, 2023 • thelinknewspaper.ca

"Anthony Everywhere All at Once" Since 1980

CONCORDIA’S INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION SINCE 1980

Sexual Violence on Campus: How Concordia Fails Survivors P. 4-5

News Racial Profiling at Grey Nuns P. 3

Fringe Arts Shams: Uplifting Arab Voices P. 6

Editorial The Link Has a Problem P. 7

DEPUIS 1967

NEWS

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Black Students Repeatedly Harassed at Grey Nuns Campus Security Making Black Concordia Students Feel Unsafe Raveena Sagantiyoc

C

oncordia’s Grey Nuns Residence is meant to be a safe and comfortable environment for nearly 430 students. However, some residents say security guards have made it hard for them to enter their living space.

At around 9:15 p.m. on Oct. 17, 2022, Chlose Harriet and her friends were on the sidewalk outside the building for a smoke. As she was about to re-enter the building, Harriet realized she forgot her access card. Her friend, a fellow resident, said they would tap her in as a guest.

Once in the hallway, a security guard stopped them. “We could tell immediately he was getting pretty angry, and I was a bit shocked,” Harriet said. Her friends made it clear to the guard that she was not only a resident at Grey Nuns but was also tapped in as a guest, which should not be an issue.

According to Harriet, the security guard did not seem to mind her two white friends and instead directed his anger towards her, a Black woman. “I didn’t say anything because I tend to freeze in situations like that,” Harriet said.

The situation had escalated to the security office, where the guard refused to believe Harriet was a resident. Despite her attempts to explain herself, he continued to lecture her for an hour, causing her to feel increasingly frustrated and helpless.

Eventually, she gave up trying to reason with him and simply nodded, in hopes that he would let her go.

“I felt extremely shaken and deeply upset when that incident occurred in a place where I had al-

PHOTO IVAN DE JACQUELIN

ways felt safe before. All three of us cried after that incident happened,” added Harriet. “It really changed the way I felt about the residence, it made me not want to leave my home, it made me scared anytime I went through the door, and I still get anxious going back and forth passing through the security office.”

Unfortunately, this was only the beginning of the difficulties Harriet would face accessing her living space.

At around 9:15 p.m. on Nov. 7, 2022, Harriet and her two friends, non-resident Simaiya Shirley and resident Livia Beauchamp-Zagorski, were entering the Grey Nuns building when Harriet realized she had forgotten her access card again.

Zagorski, who is a white student, had offered to let them both in as guests. Upon entering, the same guard had stopped them.

He told them they weren’t allowed to have guests past 11:00 p.m. “I hadn’t heard of this rule previous to this,” said Zagorski.

All three students were left confused, and the guard was strict about not letting Harriet and Shirley in. Harriet attempted to clarify that despite forgetting her access card, she was a resident, but the guard accused her of being dishonest once again.

When Zagorski stepped in to explain that this had never been a problem before, the guard redirected his frustration towards Harriet and yelled at her. “I was really shaken to my core,” said Harriet. Shirley and Harriet, both Black women, were stunned and frozen

by the way the guard spoke to them.

“This was a very clear act of injustice and bigotry. I tried my best to comfort Chlose but it was really just a scary moment of him yelling at us,” said Shirley.

At last, Zagorski made the decision to cease arguing with the guard and instead reached out to the resident assistant at the Grey Nuns Residence for help in gaining entry. After conversing with the RA, the students were only then informed that the curfew rule applied solely during exam season, a detail the guard had neglected to mention.

Upon finally gaining entry, Harriet walked past the guard’s office and was filled with a sense of unease.

She said she found his body language to be particularly threatening.

“It was sad that this had to happen to her, but I will say I’m not completely surprised, living in an area not very Black-populated,” said Shirley. “Being a Black person, you’re somewhat accustomed to the microaggression, the side comments or the looks from security staff and police. It's something you can tell yourself ‘this isn’t reality and maybe it’s just paranoia’, but this was very clear.”

In December 2022, the incidents were subsequently reported to Darren Dumoulin, director of Campus Safety and Prevention Services. Following these complaints, the security guard involved was taken in for questioning. During the investigation, the focus was placed on the agent’s manner of interacting and inter-

vening with the students, Dumoulin told The Link.

“In all the cases, the agent was justified in the way he interacted with the students. Whether the students knew it or not, they broke the rules in residence. But in the matter of which the interaction happened, it did not match our standards,” said Dumoulin.

Based on the investigation, Dumoulin believes the security guard did not appear to have targeted any race or gender. The guard underwent coaching and was reminded of the policies of protecting the students. Two weeks later, the guard agreed to alter his behaviour and regained his position, determined to perform better.

On Jan. 24 at around 9:30 p.m., Harriet was outside Grey Nuns with her non-resident friend for a smoke. As she was leaving the building, she noticed the same security guard back in his position.

She was overcome with anxiety at the thought of having to re-enter. It was then that she realized that she had left her access card behind and only had a friend’s ID on her.

She was scared at the thought of having to explain herself to the guard knowing he could not be reasoned with. “I was so stressed about having to talk to that man, but if it had been any other security guard, I would’ve been comfortable going up to them and explaining that I forgot my cards. But I knew that if I talked to him, he would use it as another excuse to yell at me and pick on me,” said Harriet.

She felt like she had no choice but to use her friend’s ID. As she made it through the building, the guard stopped her and started yelling, stating that the ID tapped did not match her physical appearance.

Harriet was paralyzed with fear.

Her friend tried to explain that she was a resident and that she had simply forgotten her access card.

The security guard interrogated her, doubting whether she actually resided in Grey Nuns. He continued to scold her, questioned her morals and berated her about her ethics. Harriet felt attacked and completely disrespected.

Harriet’s white friend took over the conversation and the guard’s demeanor completely changed, speaking to them in a calm and respectful way. Finally, after some time, he let them in. At that point, Harriet had enough.

Dumoulin said that Concordia tried to help Harriet and others who have filed complaints about this same security guard. Students feel it wasn’t enough. Residents remain unsatisfied by the way the university handled these situations. “It was really upsetting the way the administration handled everything. Even though I broke the rules, I don’t think breaking any rules justifies getting treated that way,” Harriet noted.

“I honestly wish we could get an apology. To be in your first year and so far away from home and relatively living by yourself while being treated like a criminal is despicable,” added Shirley. “The least they can do is make people feel safe to live there.”

thelinknewspaper.ca • March 21, 2023

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NEWS

Sexual Violence at Concordia: An Ongoing Fight for Justice Concordia in Dire Need of Sexual Violence Policy Reform, Students Say The Link and The Concordian t the start of the Winter 2022 cordia Student Union (CSU), the encing any form of sexual violence. been given a pseudonym to protect A semester, Concordia student Graduate Students' Association Jennifer Drummond, SARC’s her identity, argued that institution- Processing Violence Katherine Leblanc’s theology (GSA), and the Teaching and Re- manager, was the centre’s first hire al changes are needed. “Only 10 per Once survivors consult with class was moved online due to COVID-19 precautions. After texting her class group chat about the challenges of the course, Leblanc began receiving hateful messages from multiple male classmates.

Their insults took a rapid turn.

In February 2022, Leblanc received a series of pornographic images and threats of bodily harm, including rape.

She followed Concordia’s sexual violence policy, which also applies to online harassment. As she attempted to seek justice for the harassment she endured, she said the university made it as difficult as possible for her needs to be met.

After filing a complaint to the Office of Rights and Responsibilities (ORR), Leblanc claimed she was left in the dark for weeks and routinely ignored by Concordia. After hiring a lawyer to get the university to respond, she claimed she finally received a reply with a hearing date the following day. “I shouldn’t have to get a lawyer to move my case to the tribunal,” Leblanc said.

“I’d been cooperating for weeks and they would not send my case to the tribunal. They just wouldn’t answer. Instead of telling me the process, they moved me from person to person,” she continued. “I was cooperating with Concordia but they would not listen.”

From the ORR to the Sexual Assault Resource Centre (SARC), Leblanc never felt heard or properly taken care of by the institutional bodies meant to handle sexual violence on campus.

The history of sexual violence on Quebec campuses goes back decades. Years of advocacy from university and CEGEP students led to Quebec passing Bill 151 in 2017, an Act to prevent and fight sexual violence in higher education institutions.

In compliance with the new law, Concordia created the Standing Committee on Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Violence (SMSV) in 2018. Despite the mandatory inclusion of four student representatives on the committee, student members of the SMSV say they have routinely felt ignored and outnumbered by the administration.

In October 2022, the Con-

search Assistants at Concordia (TRAC) union began a boycott of the SMSV. They demanded student-led solutions, transparency, and gender equity.

In response to the boycott, Concordia appointed four students to the SMSV, potentially violating the Accreditation Act by not having representatives from student unions. The identities of these students have not been revealed.

and has remained in her role for a decade. For Drummond, SARC has two missions: support and prevention. “The centre provides counseling, academic and health accommodations, and other resources,” she said.

Currently, SARC employs two counselors, a facilitator and a project coordinator, according to Drummond. Volunteers fill the other posts.

cent of assaults on Quebec campuses ever get reported,” she said. “And from that 10 per cent, how many actually get any follow-through?

Accountability is incredibly hard to achieve at Concordia,” she said.

“The issue with SARC is that it’s not staffed enough to deal with the entire Concordia population,” comprised of over 50,000 people, Olivia added. “Rates of sexual violence are incredibly high—

GRAPHIC CARLEEN LONEY

Limited Resources, Limited Impact After Leblanc was sexually harassed, she consulted SARC for assistance. She was given information about mental health and other services available to her, but didn’t find much use from them.

Faced with physically returning to her classroom once in-person learning resumed, Leblanc was frustrated with Concordia’s Sexual Assault Response Team, made to help survivors navigate campus. “Just trying to get security to accompany me to class was a nightmare,” she said.

SARC was created in 2013 largely due to student-led efforts from the Centre for Gender Advocacy and in collaboration with Health Services, the Dean of Students Office and other units on campus. It is the primary point of contact for members of the university experi-

thelinknewspaper.ca • March 21, 2023

One of SARC’s responsibilities is the handling of sexual assault disclosures.

In Concordia’s annual reports, which are required by Bill 151, the university categorizes instances of sexual assault reported by students between disclosures and complaints.

The report defines disclosures as signaling a situation without going as far as filing an administrative complaint. Disclosures are resolved with accommodation measures for the survivor.

In Concordia’s 2021-2022 report, 111 disclosures were filed.

Many students have criticized the way SARC operates.

In a 2018 report, 70 per cent of people who sought the centre’s help were dissatisfied with the outcome of their cases.

Olivia, a member of the CSU’s campaigns department who has

over one in three people will be assaulted on campus in Quebec.

We need SARC to be well-staffed, which includes raising budgets.”

Drummond said she felt that SARC was well-equipped by the administration, but that more can always be done. “I think that with a community of this size, we can always have more counselors and resources,” she said.

If Concordia wants to fix its rape culture, Olivia believes the university must invest in better prevention.

She criticized Concordia’s online sexual violence trainings, which were made mandatory by Bill 151.

She said trainings should be annual, in-person and involving a facilitator. “If Concordia wants to call itself a next-generation university or a feminist space, it needs to care about survivors more than its bottom line.”

SARC, they are encouraged to file a complaint if they are comfortable, Drummond explained.

According to Concordia’s policy, complaints are formal measures aimed at taking action against alleged perpetrators.

The report makes a distinction between informal complaints, which “are often resolved to the satisfaction of both parties,” and formal complaints, which “can lead to disciplinary measures.”

Informal complaints can result in an apology letter, community service, or a no-contact agreement, Drummond said. It is a non-disciplinary option, but can escalate to a formal complaint.

Formal complaints involving students will be sent to the Office of Student Tribunals, where a hearing will take place. If a survivor’s case involves a member of the administration or faculty, an investigation is planned. Disciplinary action may be taken, and final results are in the hands of panelists trained in part by SARC, Drummond explained.

Formal complaints can lead to a note on file, suspension, restricted access to the campus, expulsion or firing. According to the latest annual report, 18 complaints were reported in 2021-2022.

Sexual violence complaints are handled by the Office of Rights and Responsibilities (ORR), the body charged with resolving all incidents where the Code of Rights and Responsibilities has been allegedly violated.

When Leblanc attempted to file a complaint with the ORR, she was met with seemingly endless problems. “The whole time I dealt with the ORR, nothing was explained to me. It felt like I wasn’t worth their breath.”

Because sexual violence had been involved in her case, Leblanc wanted to take it to a student tribunal. She claimed her requests were ignored by ORR members.

Leblanc spent her summer in Zoom meetings with the ORR, forced to retell her story multiple times to many different people.

She recalled Drummond sitting in during one of the meetings and offering her words of sup-

NEWS

INFOGRAPHIC NATASHA SPINELLI AND INESS RIFAY

port, but nothing substantive came out of their interaction.

“We are not a reporting office.

We just receive disclosures, provide support and provide education,” said Drummond, explaining that reporting is handled by the ORR. Bill 151 stipulates that universities must have separate policies pertaining to sexual violence that distinguish them from other policies. While Concordia meets these criteria, students have criticized the university for not having a body independent of the ORR to handle cases of sexual violence.

Olivia pointed to Concordia’s poor sexual violence policy rating in the 2017 Our Turn report, a national action plan that examined 14 Canadian universities. “The reason we got a D- rating was because our policy essentially equates sexual violence to plagiarism,” she said. “It all goes back to the Code of Rights and Responsibilities, which is meant for academic offenses, not sexual violence.”

Drummond affirmed that SARC works very closely with the ORR on cases of sexual violence, helping guide members as they deal with complaints. Additionally, students who sit on student tribunals are given trainings by SARC for when they have to deal with sexual violence cases.

The Policy Problem Concordia’s Standing Committee on Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Violence (SMSV) was created in 2018, following the implementation of Bill 151.

According to Concordia Spokesperson Vannina Maestracci, the SMSV “explores ways to strengthen prevention and response and so it reviews the policies, looks at responses, training and so on.” The SMSV does not rule over issues of sexual violence at Concordia, but rather looks into the policies and procedures used in such cases.

In 2018, Concordia student Elena, who has been given a pseudonym to protect her identity, sat as her union’s representative on the SMSV. At the time, the committee forced members to sign non-disclosure agreements with the university. Elena refused to sign the NDA and Concordia eventually stopped asking for it, despite her constant presence at the committee.

Elena recalled a board room filled with administration officials, lawyers and faculty representatives. Each meeting would begin with a lengthy speech from one of Concordia’s lawyers.

“Sometimes, they would send us massive documents the night before so that we didn’t have time to read through them in time,” Elena said.

“We students would stay up all night making notes and organizing, and we’d enter meetings with solutions.”

After poring over reports, the students wanted to give their input.

“They told us, ‘that’s really not what you should do in this meeting, we’re just here to discuss and get a general vibe. You’re all very loud.’ They wanted to let everyone speak, but nobody besides us had read the documents,” Elena added.

Elena recalled survivors standing before the committee, sharing their stories and experiences. “The administration sat in silence and rolled their eyes,” she said. “Watching survivors recount their trauma while crying hysterically as these overpaid motherfuckers scroll through Instagram, rolling their eyes, is just evil. That kind of behaviour is the true definition of SMSV.” Since its inception, Concordia’s sexual violence policy has been under harsh scrutiny. According to Sophie Hough, former student representative on the SMSV, systemic change must take place. Hough is a member of Students for Consent Culture (SFCC), the group responsible for the Our Turn report.

“Students on campus have been advocating pretty tirelessly since 2011 for a standalone sexual violence policy,” she said. According to SFCC, a standalone sexual violence policy is completely independ-

ent from the Code of Rights and Responsibilities—a requirement they claim Concordia does not meet.

For any changes in sexual violence policy, students, faculty, and other stakeholders must be included, Bill 151 states. The SMSV must have student representatives to function.

In November 2022, the University appointed four new representatives from the student body at large.

When asked for the names of the current SMSV members, Maestracci would not disclose the information “due to concerns around the current climate for these members.”

The Link and The Concordian both reached out to SMSV Chair and Equity Director Lisa White for comment, but were denied.

According to Maestracci, “the Chair of the Standing Committee still hopes to meet the CSU and GSA to discuss the issues with them directly, rather than through student media.”

An Alternative Approach For some sexual violence survivors on campus, using the resources provided by the institution in which they were assaulted can be traumatizing. Many have to look outside the university for the help they need.

According to Deborah Trent, executive director at the Montreal Sexual Assault Centre (MSAC), uni-

5

versities are legally required to have services, procedures and policies in place to deal with sexual violence.

If universities fail to follow their own procedures, Trent said, survivors have the full right to seek guidance outside the institution.

“They have every right to press charges; they have every right to go to the police,” she explained.

“But for a whole lot of people, it's a really difficult decision.”

Since 2010, the organization has operated a Sexual Violence Helpline to ensure survivors have a place to share their experiences and get information and resources that best fit their case.

Nonetheless, since the SMSV boycott began in October 2022, students and workers have mobilized to create an alternative within Concordia.

In order to combat the restrictive nature of the committee and call for a complete restructuring of the university’s sexual violence policies, a grassroots, worker-led group called the Inter-organizational Table for Feminist Affairs (ITFA) was created.

ITFA contains a variety of student and worker groups at the university, including the CSU, GSA and TRAC. They aim to find solutions to sexual violence at Concordia from and for the people most affected by the issue.

TRAC delegate Mathilde Laroche said that the main problem with the current SMSV committee is rooted in its lack of student inclusion. "It doesn't give any space for students to be involved and informed or to have the right information to participate in the decision-making,” they said.

Julianna Smith, the CSU’s external affairs and mobilization coordinator, believes that very little meaningful change can be made through the SMSV. “Right now, the students are completely outnumbered on the SMSV committee,” said Smith. “So even when we are able to mobilize as students and work together, we’re always outvoted so we can’t actually put any initiatives forward.”

The need for student-centred solutions was an important part of the decision to boycott the SMSV. “ITFA works within a transformative justice framework. It is important to have an organization that is authentically interested in addressing sexualized abuses of power,” said GSA representative Akinyi Oluoch.

“Addressing these abuses at their root will require worker, student, community, and survivor-led processes of justice,” she added.

With files from Hannah Vogan, Iness Rifay, Joëlle Jalbert, Maria Cholakova, Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman, and Zachary Fortier.

thelinknewspaper.ca • March 21, 2023

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FRINGE ARTS

Healing in The Spotlight: Platforming Arab Storytelling Edward Said Presents Shams: Uplifting Arab Voices Exhibition

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rom March 11 to 17, the Fine Arts Student Alliance hosted Shams: Uplifting Arab Voices—a curated exhibit featuring the artwork of ten Montreal Arab artists. Held at the Eastern Bloc arts centre, a white-walled space that warmly welcomed curious guests, Shams exhibited an array of sculpture, videos, photos and paintings.

Shams—meaning ‘sun’ in Arabic—was created to highlight artists who seek to explore the self while reappropriating Arab stereotypes. Themes encountered in the multimedia exhibit included the intersectional duality of Arab identity as well as multiethnicity.

PHOTO MENEL REHAB

“I wanted the show to be as versatile as possible; I didn’t want it to be homogenous,” said FASA outreach coordinator Nesreen Galal, the organizer and curator of Shams.

Shams was brought to life with the help of several grants from FASA and the CSU. Tricia Middleton, the faculty designate of Concordia's Fine Arts department also provided funding. Thanks to the grants she received, Galal was able to pitch her idea successfully.

“I really wanted to do a project that would fill a gap in the art market. […] I’m half Syrian and half Egyptian, and I felt like there was a gap for Arab artists to express their creativity,” explained Galal. “That’s why I used the term ‘Uplifting Arab Voices’, to bring them to the spotlight.”

Galal explained that the goal of this exhibition was to steer away from oriental fantasy, fetishization and the barbaric connotations attributed to Arab cultures by the

West. She said that what inspired this project was Edward Said’s book Orientalism, a critique of the Western settlement in the Middle East and the invention of the Orient.

Orientalism presents a challenge to the dichotomy between the East and the West—a division that Said posits was invented to legitimize colonial projects.

Said points out that defining the East becomes about the West defining itself and its own sense of superiority more than it becomes about the East. Throughout the work, the reader realizes that the only thing that the East starts to mean is “not West”. Said was critical of how historically, knowledge has been employed to support systems of power and dominance. He argues that the information created by Western scholars frequently served to legitimize and sustain colonialism’s attitudes and actions.

Following Said’s paradigm, Shams aims to discredit the stereotypes by showcasing marginalized Arab voices. Queer people, women, immigrants, disabled people and refugees were among those whose artwork was displayed. Galal said that she wanted anyone who identifies with any of those to harness a safe space and a home.

Some featured artists were Concordia Fine Art students, while others were from Montreal’s Arab community at large. All works blended together to create an introspective journey of what it means to be Arab in a Western society.

Lebanese sculptor Rafaël Khoury presented “A Lesson Between Sculpture.” According to Khoury, his sculpture tackles exposure to both the vernacular and classical forms of the Arabic language and nurtures notions of self-compassion and acceptance.

“My piece relates to Said’s argument and how people from the East have been othered throughout history,” Khoury said.

“The sculptures themselves are meant to be imbalanced. Even though they're standing, they appear asymmetrical, as if they’re trying to pace themselves as best they can on these square points.

This idea of being othered but trying to fit in was definitely part of the work.”

thelinknewspaper.ca • March 21, 2023

Khoury further touched on the hardships of feeling like an outsider as an Arab creator in Montreal’s artistic scene. He explained that orientalism in the media reduces entire cultures to a few words or phrases, which is dehumanizing and not accurate. It is a product of symbolic representation rather than a true understanding of the culture.

“There are so many ways that the media will find shortcuts to explain how other cultures exist and I feel like one aspect of Edward Said’s work is this notion of being able to describe a culture with few words,” said Khoury.

Concordia student artist Ranime El Morry engaged in the conversation about redefining the meaning of being an Arab artist in Montreal through her painting “Just a Lookalike II.” Centered around a mask that appears to be a self-portrait, the work is made of disposable paperlike material, moulded and folded over a face to show vague protruding facial features. El Morry’s work illustrates autistic masking, self-discovery in regard to autism and how art can be understood.

“My work is about unmasking and revealing your identity; what your actual personality is after hiding who you are and creating different personalities with each person,” El Morry said.

Touching on the impact of Shams, El Morry stated that withstanding Western society’s outlook on Arabs—perceiving them as being unable to have powerful identities or think for their own—is a very painful experience to undergo.

These biased and inaccurate depictions lead artists to consider a certain paradox of subjection, explained Galal. This paradox being that while one resists that power, it reinforces their own.

The artists she selected for Shams use the resistance against these stereotypes as a way to heal.

“Resisting is also a form of healing because you’re not internalizing that. […] Growing up, I always internalized stereotypes because [they’re] so in-your-face, and I think by being aware of that gaze, awakening our subconscious, we’re more prone to resist and make a change for ourselves and for our community,” she said.

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EDITORIAL

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GRAPHIC ADAM GIBBARD

The Link Has a Problem e, the remaining editors of vealed some of the deepest flaws This exploitation has cre- to operate for almost half a cenThe Link is in dire need of a W Vol. 43 of The Link, want to in The Link’s organizational struc- ated a culture of privilege that tury without requiring immense conversation that will ensure the thank every single member of the ture. We were originally going has resulted in The Link being a unpaid time, energy and sacrifice level of sacrifice required for this Concordia community for such a fruitful year.

This was our first volume back as a bi-weekly newspaper following half a decade as a magazine.

We have had the privilege to be able to connect with so many more of you because of this change. Thanks to you, we have helped bring life into our campuses despite a global pandemic.

From holding the university accountable for their actions to putting a spotlight on incredibly talented members of our community. We could not be happier with how you’ve received us.

While this year has been immensely rewarding, it has re-

Volume 43, Issue 14 Tuesday, March 21, 2023 Concordia University Hall Building, Room H-645 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W. Montreal, Quebec H3G 1M8 editor: 514-848-2424 x. 7407 arts: 514-848-2424 x. 5813 news: 514-848-2424 x. 8682 business: 514-848-7406 advertising: 514-848-7406

to publish 15 print issues of The Link. However, due to understaffing, high job expectations, and minimal compensation, the issue you’re currently reading, Issue 14, will be our last of this volume.

This year has been a notable example of editors being pushed to their limits—not out of duress, but from the passion and expectation to make this paper produce the best work it can. Many of us could not sustain this workload while struggling to make ends meet. Those of us who remained only could because we either had the financial privilege to do so or because we chose to sacrifice even more at our own detriment.

white-dominated space. In turn, this has subjected BIPOC staff to racism, ignorance and insensitivity. Due to a lack of proper EDI training, The Link has continuously placed the responsibility of teaching sensitivity and accountability on BIPOC editors and writers who educate their peers without compensation.

We have had seven resignations this volume—a number totaling almost half our masthead. The last words of almost every person who has resigned have been along the lines of, “I am not paid enough for this.”

We think it is a great shame that The Link has not found a way

from its editors and staff.

If The Link expects good work from its editors and staff, it should in turn cease to rely on an extractive structure that exploits students and depends on their burnouts.

We want future editors and staff to be able to produce quality content without worrying about not being able to pay rent, working multiple jobs outside of The Link, dropping classes, halting their academic progression, barely seeing their families and friends for weeks on end, or feeling constantly overwhelmed because they're working too hard for a so-called job they are told they are volunteering for.

The Link is published fifteen times during the academic year by The Link Publication Society Inc. Content is independent of the university and student associations (ECA, CASA, ASFA, FASA, CSU). Editorial policy is set by an elected board as provided for in The Link ’s constitution. Any student is welcome to work on The Link and become a voting staff member.

Material appearing in The Link may not be reproduced without prior written permission from The Link.

Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters 400 words or less will be printed, space permitting. The letters deadline is Friday at 4:00 p.m. The Link reserves the right to­­­edit letters for clarity and length and refuse those deemed racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, libellous, or otherwise contrary to The Link ’s statement of principles.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2022-2023: Voting Members: Kaity Brady, Caroline Marsh, Diane Yeung | Non-Voting Members: Rachel Boucher, Adam Gibbard, Colin Harris, Michelle Pucci | Advisor: Laura Beeston TYPESETTING by The Link PRINTING by Hebdo-Litho.

CONTRIBUTORS: Menel Rehab, Raveena Sagantiyoc, Hannah Vogan, Iness Rifay, Joëlle Jalbert, Maria Cholakova, Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman.

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job as well as burnout does not happen again.

While much of this work will be internal, there are ways the Concordia community can help ensure quality independent journalism thrives on campus over the coming years. In the near future, it is likely that a fee-levy increase to The Link in a CSU by-election will be raised, which will allow editors and staff to be compensated more for their efforts.

Our publication needs to resolve its lack of sustainability rather than putting a bandage on ourselves for Volume 44. Good journalism must start with good working conditions.

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