The McGill Tribune Vol. 36 Issue 4

SPORTS “Lacrosse: Bromley and Bolton both net hattricks to lead McGill past Queen’s” pg. 16

FEATURE “Swiped Connections: Exploring the landscape of online dating” pg. 08-09

The McGill Tribune

EDITORIAL: ADVERTISEMENTS IN SSMU: BROUGHT TO YOU BY LACK OF FUNDING pg. 05

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

VOL. 36 ISSUE 4

PUBLISHED BY THE SPT, A STUDENT SOCIETY OF MCGILL UNIVERSITY

McGILLTRIBUNE.COM

Proposed ssmu bicyle facility not on the right path Evan Thomas Contributor

Michèle Lemieux’s drawings evoke comparison to Tim Burton. (Christopher Li / The McGill Tribune)

Sketching on pins and needles

Illustrator Michèle Lemieux’s unique exhibit at the UQAM School of Design

Morgan Davis Contributor Walking into The Whole and its Parts (in French, Le Tout et la Partie) is entering Michèle Lemieux’s grayscale dream world of sketches and anima-

tions. Earlier this year, her film, Here and The Great Elsewhere (2012), was shown at the Canadian Culture Centre in Paris. Her exhibit, now at the Université de Québec à Montréal (UQÀM) School of Design, allows visitors to explore the film’s preliminary

sketches and visual experiments.

The exhibition is accompanied by a publication as well as a soundscape of 25 musicians created by New York composer Melissa Grey.

The short film exhibits the comforts of individual routines

and living spaces, as well as the effects of leaving them. The film was created entirely through a pinscreen and the story shows not only Lemieux’s technical mastery, but also her creative dialogue with the audience.

PG. 11

Homa Hoodfar released from Iranian prison Retired Concordia professor to return to Canada

Calvin Trottier-Chi Contributor After being held captive for 112 days, retired Concordia University Professor Homa Hoodfar was released from an Iranian prison on Sept.

26. Hoodfar, a Canadian-Iranian dual citizen, is a professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology with an interest in women’s roles in

Muslim societies. She travelled to Iran to visit family and interview female politicians for her research. In March, she was arrested without clear charges, and subjugated to solitary confinement in Evin Prison, the political prison where Iranian-Canadian photographer Zahra Kazemi was raped and killed in 2003.

Concordia University held a press conference the morning of

Hoodfar’s release. At the conference, Kimberley Manning, a Professor in Concordia’s Department of Political Science, expressed her appreciation for everyone involved in Hoodfar’s release.

“We [...] are overjoyed today to learn that our colleague and friend has been freed, and is on the way to reunite with her family,” Manning said. “We are thankful not only to the

pg. 11 - 13

academics and the media, but to the thousands of regular, ordinary people who signed petitions, wrote letters, attended rallies, and called for her release.”

Marc Lafrance, a professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Concordia, emphasized the importance of the academic community in securing her release.

PG. 04

For students already forced to navigate the labyrinth of construction on two wheels, the lack of bike parking on McGill’s campus is an additional grievance. The return to school was marked by the removal of two of the campus’ largest bike racks in front of the McConnell Engineering and Leacock Buildings, with no facilities added to pick up the slack. It is unacceptable that students must resort to precariously locking their bikes to the construction scaffolding outside the MacDonald-Harrington Building, or to the fence surrounding the field at the Y-intersection.

To combat the absence of bike parking, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) proposed a project that will “house secure bike parking facilities, shower, and locker facilities, and The Flat in the basement of the SSMU Building. The proposal is a step in the right direction for bike accessibility on campus; however, the project has many shortfalls, limiting its effectiveness.

The first of the problems with this project is the estimated cost. The cost is substantial—$1.2 million for bike racks and showers—but what may be even more off-putting to students is that the budget requires them to elect to pay a per semester fee to use the facility. Regardless of the eventual amount—which is not yet known—the fee will be a major turn-off for students, due to the fact that they can already park their bikes for free outside.

PG. 06

2

NEWS

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Tuition raised for French students, but enrolment remains stable McGill tuition still competitive with French universities Marie Labrosse Contributor Despite almost tripling tuition fees for French citizens studying in Quebec since Fall 2015, the provincial government has not seen a significant impact on the number of prospective students from France. McGill University’s enrolment report for Fall 2015 shows that, compared to Fall 2014, 127 more French citizens enrolled in either a full-time or part-time program at McGill.

The tuition increase, which was implemented in Sept. 2015, substantially reformed the cost of a full-year program. It was raised from $2,300 to $7,000 for French students at McGill University. Enrolment rates of French citizens in Quebec, however, have seen little variation since the tuition increase. The Ministry of Higher Education states that 10,272 French citizens enrolled in a program at a Quebec university in Fall 2015 versus 10,104 in Fall 2014.

Deputy Provost (Student Life & Learning) Ollivier Dyens noted that McGill has not seen a reduction in the number of French ap-

plicants.

“We have had very few criticisms or worries as far as I am aware,” Dyens wrote in an email to the Tribune. “I actually heard none. McGill students usually choose between our university and the US Ivy League schools.

We compare very favourably as far as tuition is concerned for French students.”

The hikes are a result of the reversal of fee reciprocity–a 1978 agreement between the French Republic and the Government of Quebec which ensured that French international students in Quebec were charged the same fees as Quebec students studying in France. As of Sept. 2015, French students are no longer reserved the right to pay the Quebec student fees, but instead pay fees equivalent to those of out-of-province Canadian students. Graduate and postgraduate programs were spared from the price increases, as were undergraduate students who were already enrolled at a Quebec university prior to Sept. 2015.

The adjustment of tuition fees for French students was offered as a solution to the 1978 agreement, which was no longer financially

sustainable for the province of Quebec.

Vice-Principal (Communications and External Relations) Olivier Marcil, explained that the number of French students studying in Quebec is greater than the number of Canadian students studying in France.

“Over time we saw growing enthusiasm to come study in Montreal, and we were facing a situation where for one Quebec student going to France, 10 French students were coming to Quebec,” Marcil said.

Quebec universities remain an affordable solution compared to Ivy League tuition fees or even those applied at certain highly selective French higher education establishments known as the “Grandes Écoles.” A four-year Bachelor’s program at École des Hautes Études Commerciales du Nord (EDHEC) based in Lille, France, for instance, costs over $17,000 per year. Incoming French students feel that the higher tuition fees are worth paying for a quality education.

Zoé Charpentier, a U1 Arts student from France, described the effect of the tuition hikes as

the lesser of two evils.

“The hikes didn’t affect my personal decision to go to McGill, because it’s still cheaper than the rest of North America,” Charpentier said. “[However,] the hikes forced me to take out a loan to pay for college and make me worry about money.”

Many other French students were also driven to seek out financial assistance, as pointed out

by Cara Piperni, director of the Scholarships & Student Aid office at McGill.

“When combining the aid dollars that went to French citizens from our entrance and incourse [scholarship] program in 2015-2016, McGill invested 70 per cent more aid dollars as compared to the prior year,” Piperni said.

In the future, however, French citizens’ fees should remain stable.

“Every year there is a small adjustment of fees for out-ofprovince Canadian students, which the tuition for French students follows, but you won’t see another increase where fees are tripled from what they initially were,” Marcil said.

Program was raised from: $2,300

$7,000

10,272 French citizens enrolled

(By Domitille Biehlmann)

Senate raises concern over high rates of sexual harassment complaints Received reports on research misconduct, sexual harassment, and social equity Domenic Casciato Contributor At its first meeting on Sept. 21, the McGill Senate reviewed reports on research misconduct, sexual harassment, and social equity from the past year. During the session, Senate appointed a new assessor under the Policy on Harassment, Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Prohibited by Law, and laid out the plan for the finalization of McGill’s Territorial Acknowledgment statement.

Research Misconduct Dr. Abraham Fuks, professor in the Departments of Medicine, Pathology, and Oncology, and last year’s Research Integrity Officer, presented the Annual Report Concerning the Investigation of Research Misconduct. The report analyzes incidents in the past year and compares them to cases from prior years.

“The number of allegations are stable over the past number of years, which is good news,” Fuks said.

According to Fuks, in 2010, 83 per cent of research misconduct allegations came from within McGill, while this year most allegations came from external sources.

“[Allegations in the past year] have come regularly [...] from external entities,” Fuks said. “Mostly [from] colleagues elsewhere or [...] journals who have noticed an irregularity in reviewing a manuscript that was submitted.”

The report noted that all allegations this year proceeded to investigation or inquiry. Of the 33 allegations made in the past six years, only seven were dismissed. “[McGill researchers] have undergone a fairly rigorous internal process,” Fuks said. “So the rate of findings of misconduct seems high only because they’ve done the first cut.”

Sexual Harassment Associate Provost (Policies, Procedures, and Equity) Angela Campbell presented the Appointment of Assessors Memorandum and the Annual Report on the Policy on Harassment, Sexual Harassment & Discrimination Prohibited by Law. Due to an increase in reported incidents of harassment from 23 in the 2014-2015 to 39 in the 20152016 academic year, the university has improved the training and number of staff members dedicated to receiving and investigating these

incidents.

The number of assessors has been increased from eight to 10 and their training has become more rigorous. In addition, Dr. Natalie Oswin of the Department of Geography was voted the new Harassment Assessor. According to the Appointment of Assessors Memorandum, Oswin was chosen for her experience working with queer and postcolonial theory. Assessors directly handle all complaints of violations of the Policy.

“We increased the level and the quantity and quality of assessors’ training [...] to enhance its professionalism,” Campbell said. “We had monthly meetings last year in addition to a two-day training retreat [....] The training was on issues of process, how can you be an effective assessor and a fair assessor, but also on substance, so, the meaning of the three grounds on which individuals can bring forth concerns or complaints.”

This retreat involved training by individuals from the Social Equity and Diversity Education (SEDE) Office, an organization that aims to cultivate a more inclusive campus through training and education. To aid the assessors, the role of Senior

Equity and Inclusion Officer was created. The individual chosen for the role in Fall 2016 will mediate between sexual harassment complainants and the university.

“She or he will be responsible for the intake piece, advise them on what options are available for someone who comes with an inquiry, and then will also have a role with respect to facilitating an informal resolution where that’s desired by the party,” Campbell said.

Senators raised concerns over a figure showing that 72 per cent of complaints of sexual harassment and discrimination at McGill did not move beyond the initial inquiry phase.

“It’s a really big decision [for complainants] to proceed with an investigation. There [are] also questions of ‘does this fall under harassment?,” Campbell said.

Social Equity Campbell also presented the Annual Report of the Joint Board Senate Committee on Equity (JBSCE). The JBSCE is mandated to look at the status and recruitment of underrepresented groups on campus, which includes visible minorities and Aboriginal peoples. The re-

port reviewed the activities of its six subcommittees in the past year. The Subcommittee on Queer People has been coordinating with IT services to implement the use of preferred names on McGill online platforms.

“MyCourses is tricky,” Campbell said. “The systems in place–the IT systems are not all aligned– so this makes it quite complicated.

We’re engaging [IT Customer Services (ICS) …] in terms of helping us understand where the challenges lie.”

The Subcommittee on First Peoples reached consensus on its Traditional Territory Acknowledgment, which recognizes McGill’s settlement on Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabeg sites of meeting and sets forth an agenda for consultations with these groups.

“The goal is to allow them to continue [with consultations] so that the Subcommittee can then finalize its Territory Acknowledgment statement,” Campbell said. “The statement that has been put out is the statement that is used for now, but once the subcommittee returns with what it sees as its own finalized statement [...] there [will be] a possibility to revisit the statement that was issued.”

3

NEWS

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

McGill to open medical school campus in Gatineau, Quebec Aims to address lack of family doctors in Outaouais region Alexia Martel-Desjardins Contributor On Sept. 6, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard announced that the McGill Faculty of Medicine will open a new satellite campus in Gatineau, Quebec. Gatineau is a major city in the Outaouais region, in the southwest of the province. According to Dr. Gilles Brousseau, assistant dean of Medical Education at McGill University for the Outaouais region, the campus should welcome its first class in Fall 2020.

Twenty-four new students will be able to complete four years of medicine in Gatineau and obtain their Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery degrees, the same way they would at the Montreal campus.

“The program will be the same as the one McGill offers because the agreement requires that we have the same academic material,” Brousseau said.

“There are no specific [admission] criteria for Outaouais, unless if one is extremely uncomfortable in French.”

Brousseau noted that one of the main objectives of this new campus is to address the lack of family doctors in Quebec by enabling students to start their medical education in the Outaouais

region as early as possible. The region’s medical care services are also interested in attracting people from outside Outaouais to practice there.

“The regions who train students have much less difficulty to fill their posts in family medicine because [students] leave their university and want to stay in the environment where they have learned, worked, and are already well integrated,” Brousseau said. “We could keep people in our region, but also attract people from other regions […] and also it often offers a visibility for students who come here to make their residence.”

According to Geneviève Côté, the information and media relations agent for the Integrated Health and Social Services Centres of Outaouais, the current number of doctors in the region does not provide enough resources for the whole population.

“The Outaouais region [has been] going through a period of lack of family doctors [for a] number of years,” Côté said. “We estimate that approximately 30 per cent of the population does not have a family doctor in the region.”

Unlike at the Montreal campus, the majority of the training will be done in French, except for the courses whose

subject material it is not possible to provide in French with current resources.

“For example, if there is a course on anatomy or something with material that is more complex to translate […] it will be kept in English, until we have more resources,” Brousseau said. “[...

English] will represent a maximum of eight per cent of the training.”

Catherine Boudrias, a second-year francophone medical student at McGill from Mont-Tremblant, had never studied in English before coming to McGill.

Boudrias says that the option to study in French may attract francophone students. However, in her experience, learning the subject matter is more of a challenge than the language it’s taught in.

“I am sure many people would like this opportunity [to study in French], but in my opinion, the language is not really an issue for medical studies,” Boudrais said. “The medical vocabulary is all very technical, and when we start, we don’t know the vocabulary in English nor in French, so it does not matter whether we learn it in English or French first.”

According Brousseau, Gatineau is already a popular location for McGill students to do their medical residency, and the objective is to eventually triple

the number of interns there.

Boudrias explained that students like to complete their residencies in Gatineau because of the learning environment.

“I personally felt that it was a good idea to have my first experiences in the medical field in the city, because it is closer to where the research happens and we are also more exposed to various ethnic groups,” Boudrias said. “However, I am considering applying in a setup like Gatineau for my residency, as I plan on having a career in the region, and I feel like learning in this milieu would be perfect for that.”

Classes at the Gatineau campus will have significantly smaller class sizes. According to Brousseau, this will develop a greater sense of familiarity and commitment among students and with the community.

“We will just have a more closeknit cohort and one that is closer to the community and more responsible for a regional clientele,” Brousseau said. “But after having done the McGill four-years medicine program, either in Montreal or at the Outaouais campus, it opens the same doors and the same potential for all students.”

The admissions process has not yet

been finalized for students who wish to enter the McGill four-year program. It is not certain if students will have to file different applications for the Gatineau and Montreal campuses or if McGill will create one joint application.

“We have not adjusted the finality and details of the admissions process, but it is certain that the objective is to fill the 24 spots,” Dr. Brousseau said.

Two new levels will be added to the emergency unit of Gatineau’s hospital, with McGill’s medical program occupying one of them. The Quebec Ministry of Health and Education will finance the majority of the project.

“Because we want the training to be done much closer to the clinical environment and where the people will have to work […] we will build [the school] where the hospital is,” Brousseau said.

Faculty and staff will come from both inside and outside Outaouais.

Close to 200 doctors who have an academic nomination at McGill are affiliated with the Outaouais region.

“We already have a pool of doctors who are interested, and we are expecting that in the four years to come there’ll be even more doctors who would want to work with us and participate in the training,” Brousseau said.

McGill students and faculty push for a greater sustainability Open Forum on Sustainability held downtown; two more planned for Sept.

Cherry Ng Contributor On Sept. 23, members of the McGill community gathered in Chancellor Day Hall for the first Open Forum on Sustainability in a series organized mandated by the Provost. Two more forums will follow, one on the downtown campus at Thomson House on Sept. 28, and the other on MacDonald campus at the Macdonald Stewart Building on Sept. 30.

According to Frédéric Bachand, an associate professor in the Faculty of Law and chair of the Open Forum, the events are being held after Divest McGill’s petition to the Committee to Advise on Matters of Social Responsibility (CAMSR) last academic year.

Divest McGill is a student group that lobbies for the university to withdraw its investments in fossil fuel companies and reallocate the funds to sustainable industries. The petition, which urged the university to divest its endowment in fossil fuel partners, was rejected by CAMSR. In response, Divest McGill staged a sit-in in Principal Suzanne Fortier’s office and on the steps of Community Square last March.

The group later met with Principal Fortier and Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Christopher Manfredi. In response to Divest McGill’s sit-in, Principal Fortier committed to

holding open forums on the recommendations made by the CAMSR report and sustainability.

“It is in context of the discussion that Divest McGill had with the administration [after the sit-in] that the administration created the open forum to provide

Provost Manfredi were also present.

Jed Lenetsky, an organizer of Divest McGill, believes the forums are beneficial for the McGill community.

“I think [the forum] is a very powerful opportunity for not only the McGill community, but also for the

more must follow.

“What the McGill administration is doing should constantly reflect what the students, the faculty, and members of the McGill community actually want,” Gu said. “[The forums] should not be a temporary solution.”

Divest McGill held a protest in March after their petition was rejected by CAMSR. (Noah Sutton / The McGill Tribune) an opportunity for the community to consult on various aspects of McGill’s sustainability and climate change initiatives,” Professor Bachand said.

The first forum was attended by students, professors, and members of Divest McGill. Principal Fortier and

McGill administration, to not only listen to the students, but to hear how students feel about these issues,” Lenetsky said.

According to Alison Gu, another activist with Divest McGill, the forums are a good starting point, but

For others, including Leo Tronchon, a U1 Arts and Science student who attended the event, the forum highlighted a need for action by the university.

“I’m a little disappointed,” said Tronchon. “I came to McGill with

more hopes for sustainability. On the website, they show sustainability as a strong value of McGill. It doesn’t feel right to see the administration on the defensive.”

David Aird, vice-president (VP) External Affairs at the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), agreed.

“McGill likes to claim it is very sustainable, but in real terms it is not doing nearly enough,” Aird said. “I’m waiting to see if some concrete action from the administration will happen and whether they will be accountable.”

According to Ram Panda, a board member of McGill’s Faculty Advisory Board for the Faculty of Engineering and chair of CAMSR, the McGill administration will seek a solution.

“We are all striving for the same commitment and something has to be done. [CAMSR] accepts it as well because the long-term climate change is going to be very injurious to all of us,” Panda said. “How we get there and with what forms and with what methods is up for a long debate.”

Written contributions from people who want to join the conversation, but cannot make the forums, can be sent to openforum.sustainability@ mcgill.ca or posted on the discussion board at blogs.mcgill.ca/open-forumsustainability.

4

NEWS

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Homa Hoodfar released from Iranian prison Retired Concordia professor to return to Canada Calvin Trottier-Chi Contributor Continued from page 1.

“A lot of people call into question the relevance of the university in this day and age, but I think that one thing is clear, one thing that happened over the course of [the] event that made it special, unique and worthy of remembrance, is that academics all over the world came together to fight for the immediate and unconditional release of Homa Hoodfar,” Lafrance said.

Lafrance explained the efforts of himself and other Concordia professors, who have worked to help Hoodfar since her arrest in March.

“We started out working through private diplomatic channels, working in a very discrete manner as best we could,” said Lafrance. “It was a huge learning curve for all of us, we were all working a variety of different fronts whether it was keeping the story alive in the media, whether it was editing the press releases, whether it was translating statements, whether it was updating websites.”

Although the closure of Canada’s Iranian embassy several years prior limited diplomatic responses, Manning spoke highly of the Canadian government’s involvement both with Hoodfar’s family and her advocates.

“I became increasingly involved at the end of August, and at that time I was able to establish a direct contact with Global Affairs [Canada] as well,” Manning said. “They were very helpful in terms of giving us clear parameters around how we could bring attention to

No experience or application required.

the issue without endangering [Hoodfar’s] life.”

Hoodfar’s condition and the specifics of her imprisonment remain unclear, but Concordia intends to release information as soon as it is available.

Vrinda Narain is Associate Dean of the Faculty of Law at McGill and a friend of Hoodfar. She has been in contact with Hoodfar’s family and emphasizes that the exact details of the release have not been been publicly disclosed.

“The main point is that she’s been released on humanitarian grounds,” Narain said. “She’s left Iran and landed in Oman, one of the countries that helped secure her release, and I believe that she’s on her way to London now.”

As an organizer of the Free Homa Campaign, Narain insisted that the imprisonment had no legal basis. Iran kept Hoodfar in solitary confinement longer than allowed, ignored her rights to see her lawyer and her family, and imposed the controversial charge of “dabbling in feminism.”

“Apparently [Iranian authorities] are fearful of the idea of feminism or the idea of gender equality as a subversive concept,” Narain said. “The odd thing is that, [Hoodfar] has been promoting women’s equality, but she’s never really been a political activist in the sense that she’s never challenged the Islamic regime.”

Rex Brynen, a professor in the McGill Department of Political Science who specializes in Middle Eastern politics, is equally critical of the accusations.

“Homa Hoodfar is an outstanding scholar, and the apparent charges against her were ludicrous,” Brynen

Professor Homa Hoodfar prior to her incarceration in Iran. (montrealgazette.com) said. “Everyone is extremely pleased that Hoodfar has been released; it’s the kind of thing where you have no idea how long it might take or whether she would ever be released.”

Brynen commended the efforts the Canadian government along with the support of Italy, Switzerland, and Oman in pressuring for Hoodfar’s release.

“There is a statement from the Prime Minister’s office and some press reporting now on what Canada had been doing behind the scenes with other partners,” Brynen said. “How much of [the release] was external pressure, how

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much of it was internal politics, and how much of it was a combination of the two, we’ll probably never know.”

Brynen theorizes that Hoodfar was caught in the middle of a political conflict between Iranian conservatives and reformists, with the latter eventually winning.

“Iranian conservatives undoubtedly see feminism and Western-based researchers as a political and ideological threat,” Brynen said. “I don’t think [Hoodfar’s imprisonment] was aimed at Canada, but it was an attempt to embarrass reformers, discourage independent scholarship and attention to gender

issues in Iran, and assert the authority of the conservative security services and judiciary.”

According to Brynen, Hoodfar’s case represents the dangers of research in authoritarian countries.

“The real problem is that scholars who are dual citizens are treated by their country of nationality as if they were local citizens, and are thus much more vulnerable to arrests,” Brynen said. “I think it’s something that McGill students, particularly McGill graduate students who may be undertaking research in dangerous areas, need to be aware of.”

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Opinion

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

e d i to r i a l Editor-in-Chief Julia Dick editor@mcgilltribune.com Creative Director Natalie Vineberg nvineberg@mcgilltribune.com Managing Editors April Barrett abarrett@mcgilltribune.com Nicholas Jasinski njasinski@mcgilltribune.com News Editors Jenna Stanwood, Sara Cullen, William Pang news@mcgilltribune.com Opinion Editors Emma Avery & David Watson opinion@mcgilltribune.com Science & Technology Editor Lydia Kaprelian scitech@mcgilltribune.com Student Living Editor Audrey Carleton studentliving@mcgilltribune.com Features Editor Albert Park features@mcgilltribune.com Arts & Entertainment Editors Selin Altuntur & Evelyn Goessling arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editors Zikomo Smith & Aaron Rose sports@mcgilltribune.com Design Editors Domitille Biehlmann & Daniel Freed design@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editor L-A Benoit photo@mcgilltribune.com Multimedia Editor Noah Sutton multimedia@mcgilltribune.com Web Developers Clare Lyle webdev@mcgilltribune.com Daniel Lutes online@mcgilltribune.com

Advertisements in SSMU: Brought to you by lack of funding Observant students returning to campus this year may have noticed something different about the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Building. In response to continued budgetary constraints, SSMU has—among other initiatives—increased the presence of advertisements. However, the advertisements have been met with backlash from some McGill students, leading some to accuse SSMU of “corporatization.” Much of the criticism was fuelled by an incident at Activities Night, where the presence of a promotional booth from the bank Tangerine upset participants.

SSMU’s turn towards corporate advertising and sponsorship for revenue needs to be considered in a broader context. It is important to remember that the turn to advertisements are the result of continued budgetary problems at SSMU, for which the student body also bears a share of responsibility. The move is not a sign of increased corporatization within SSMU, but rather a reflection of the desperate financial state that has resulted in part from the growing student disengagement and distrust of SSMU. As a student society, SSMU is responsible for funding many of the valuable campus services students might

off the board

Copy Editor Areni Nicoghosian copy@mcgilltribune.com Business Manager Mingye Chen business@mcgilltribune.com Advertising Executives Richard Blaser, Alexander Beaumont, Zain Hussain ads@mcgilltribune.com Publisher Chad Ronalds

TPS Board of Directors

Mingye Chen, Julia Dick, Arman Bery, Clare Fogarty, Arden Li, Audrey Carleton, Shrinkhala Dawadi

Contributors

Alexandra Harvey, Alexia Martel-Desjardins Ariella Garmaise, Cherry Ng, Christopher Li, Daniel Galef, Domenic Casciato, Emily Huang, Evan Thomas, Flaminia Cooper, Janine Xu, Jeannie Richardson, Lauren Benson-Armer,, Marie Labrosse, Matthew Schilling, Miguel Principe, Morgan Davis, Rebecca Zhuang, Selwynne Hawkins, Sydney Page, Weiyu Dang, Wendy Tran

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Letters to the editor may be sent to editor@mcgilltribune.com and must include the contributor’s name, program and year and contact information. Letters should be kept under 300 words and submitted only to the Tribune. Submissions judged by the Tribune Publication Society to be libellous, sexist, racist, homophobic or solely promotional in nature will not be published. The Tribune reserves the right to edit all contributions. Editorials are decided upon and written by the editorial board. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the McGill Tribune, its editors or its staff. Please recycle this newspaper.

Laurie-Anne Benoit Photo Editor While the idea of going abroad to help impoverished communities is commendable, volunteering abroad has several negative consequences that directly oppose the humanitarian intentions behind these trips. Many agencies that offer volunteer opportunities abroad sell the idea of ‘contributing to a community,’ whether by helping to build wells, schools, or even volunteering in an orphanage. These actions, however, do not necessarily result in long-term positive effects for the people they intend to help. Often, the good intentions of travellers harm these communities.

The projects undertaken during these humanitarian trips, such as building schools or other infrastructures, are generally completed by unskilled, volunteer labourers.

take for granted. This funding is made possible through a base fee collected from the student body every semester.

But, in a Winter 2016 referendum question, students voted against the $5.50 per semester increase to the base fee paid by students; the motion failed by

“

Students are right to speak up if they feel that their student society is erring in the wrong direction, but they must pair their concerns with a willingness to work with SSMU to reach a favourable solution.

”

the narrow margin of 0.3 per cent. The failure to pass the base fee increase was undoubtedly the product of the chronic disengagement that has plagued McGill student politics—only 17.5 per cent of eligible students voted in the

online referendum in Winter 2016.

SSMU’s 2016-2017 budget implemented severe cuts to cope with the failure of the base fee question: The society is currently not accepting applications for new student clubs, and has scrapped its annual yearbook in an effort to cut $230,000 in spending. In order to avoid further budgetary constraints, the Society has been forced to resort to other revenue streams, resulting in the turn to corporate advertising in the SSMU Building this year. Those who chastise SSMU for turning to sponsorships to pay its bills must remember that student voters, or lack thereof, are responsible for the society’s pursuit of alternative revenue streams.

Furthermore, while the changes at SSMU involve corporate sponsors, such activity does not reflect corporatization. The charge of corporatization implies that SSMU is allowing corporate interests to dictate its decisionmaking process; however, the simple fact that SSMU now relies on corporate sponsors does not necessarily mean these advertisers wield any influence over SSMU’s policies.

If anything, the agitation over corporate advertising in the SSMU Building should serve as a reminder

that SSMU works best when the student body remains positive and engaged. Students are right to speak up if they feel that their student society is erring in the wrong direction, but they must pair their concerns with a willingness to work with SSMU to reach a favourable solution. If the student body is truly concerned about SSMU’s reliance on corporate advertising, then it must find an acceptable way to support their society financially. Likewise, SSMU can help address the issue by making clear that the rise in corporate advertising is directly due to the failure of the base fee increase while urging the student body to reconsider an increase in the future.

An understanding of the nature and causes of SSMU’s current predicament must form an essential part of any discussion of the society’s turn towards corporate sponsors. Both SSMU and the student body have a crucial role in resolving issues surrounding SSMU’s shifting streams of revenue. Ultimately, SSMU provides essential funding and support to both individual students and student-led clubs and services. Given the failed base fee increase, corporate sponsorship is an understandable course of action.

The hidden harm of voluntourism Academics have pointed out that the lack of skills of the volunteers impedes the genuine progress of the communities: Locals often have to rebuild what volunteers have worked on during their stay. Volunteers can also obstruct opportunities for locals to have paid employment, since volunteers offer free, unpaid labour, and never work on a long-term basis. Unfortunately, these elements can lead host communities to become dependent on volunteer programs. Furthermore, some volunteer projects do not offer effective structures for communities to grow and develop by themselves—such as education or professional training—resulting in the stagnation of their socio-economic situations. Travel organizations sell volunteers the idea that their actions—which are on a very short-term basis—can positively impact a host community, without realizing that the volunteers’ lack of expertise ends up adversely affecting local communities.

Tourism has expanded in recent decades to include a different sector of voluntourism called ‘orphanage tourism’ as mentioned

by UNICEF’s 2011 report. Since international donors are the main revenue source for many orphanages, offering tourists the opportunity to come visit these orphanages

in person enables them to receive more funding.

The consequences of orphanage tourism, however, go beyond

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This reliance on international donors—people who will pay large amounts of money to volunteer—turns these orphanages into another element of the tourism industry.

”

the negative impact of unskilled volunteer labour. A supply of foreign volunteers encourages orphanages to remain dependent on charitable labour rather than hiring the staff they need. This reliance on international donors turns these orphanages into another element of the tourism industry. In most cases, volunteers go into this type of humanitarian trip with the good inten-

tion of providing emotional support and love to the orphans. But, it is important to keep in mind that these connections are short-lived and sporadic, and can be quite harmful for orphans.

UNICEF mentions that volunteering in orphanages, “negatively impacts children in care, who must repeatedly try to form emotional connections with different adults.”

This constant cycle of connection and separation creates instability in the lives of orphaned children, who already suffer from separation anxiety at a very young age.

In general, volunteers go abroad in hopes of effecting positive changes; however, the romanticized notion of being able to create a ripple effect of positivity blinds travellers from the issues with many humanitarian trip agencies. Many travellers are not aware of the impacts they are actually leaving behind. If one is set on embarking on a volunteer trip, thorough research must be done beforehand on the purposes behind and consequences of a given trip.

Some organizations, for example, like Operation Groundswell offer genuine help to host communities.

The gesture of volunteering abroad is well-intentioned and admirable, but the execution of such trips remains harmful.

6

OPINION Commentary

Evan Thomas Contributor Continued from page 1.

The first of the problems with this project is the estimated cost. The cost is substantial—$1.2 million for bike racks and showers—but what may be even more off-putting to students is that the budget requires them to elect to pay a per semester fee to use the facility. Regardless of the eventual amount—which is not yet known—the fee will be a major turn-off for students, due to the fact that they can already park their bikes

Commentary

Alexandra Harvey Contributor The international community cheered yesterday when Iran finally released acclaimed academic and former Concordia University professor, Dr. Homa Hoodfar. The Iranian-Canadian anthropologist was detained in Evin Prison in Tehran for over a hundred days without access to her family or lawyer. The details of Hoodfar’s charges were ambiguous, though reports in Iranian news outlets accused her of “dabbling in feminism and security matters.”

In the face of Iran’s grave human rights violations, students, professors, and scholars worldwide

No experience or application required.

Meetings When: 6pm Mondays Where: SSMU 110

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Proposed SSMU bicycle facility not on the right path for free outside. The only foreseeable benefits of this proposed bike space would be security and protection from the weather. However, protection from the elements may be superfluous as many students won’t choose to bike to campus on days of poor conditions—essentially, any day between November and April.

For a facility that will only realistically see use for a handful of months each year, $1.2 million is simply unjustifiable.

The second flaw is the distance of the SSMU Building from some important locations. SSMU is inconveniently located for students entering campus through the Roddick and Milton gates. Furthermore, it is not located near the academic buildings surrounding the Y-intersection, nor those above Dr. Penfield, such as McIntyre Medical, Stewart Biology, and the Education and Law Buildings.

Another issue with this project is the timeline. By committing to a permanent facility to be built in 2018, SSMU is providing a belated, perma-

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Although the indoor bicycle parking facility is a novel solution to a genuine, ongoing issue on campus, it will not effectively solve the problem.

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nent solution to a problem that needs to be addressed immediately, given the state of construction on campus.

Members of the McGill community need accessible and convenient bike storage locations now.

The Motion Regarding the Bicycle Facility Plebiscite Question was included in the SSMU 2016 Winter Referendum, and in spite of its shortcomings, was ratified with 83 per cent in favour. Democracy has spoken; however, this does not mean that the practical limitations of implementing such a project should be dismissed.

A sufficient—not to mention inexpensive and feasible—solution would be to place more bicycle racks outside of all major buildings on campus, including libraries and service buildings. Decentralizing bicycle parking will allow students to save time on their commute, as well as avoid the congested existing bike racks.

The McGill administration’s collaboration with SSMU marks a significant shift in attitude towards

bikes on campus. It would seem that students will win the campus cycling war, as the bike facility marks a departure from the university’s previous efforts to curtail bicycle use. Many cyclists remember being asked by campus security to dismount, and perhaps recall the bikeproof gates that were installed at the Milton Gates in 2013 to curb bicycle riding on campus. The issue of bikes has been divisive at McGill, with the McGill administration siding with pedestrians in asserting that bikes should be walked on campus—not ridden. Of course, cyclists have insisted that with proper accessibility and safety procedures in place—such as bike lanes—there is no reason to dismount.

Although the indoor bicycle parking facility is a novel solution to a genuine, on-going issue on campus, it will not effectively solve the problem. The proposal of a bike accessible space marks a progressive step towards accepting the inevitability of bicycling on campus, but the solution is neither practical nor sufficient.

What we can learn from Homa: Concordia professor’s release from Iranian prison underscores importance of her work cried out for justice, giving rise to the #FreeHoma movement. Just last week, Concordia University students rallied in downtown Montreal to demand their revered professor’s safe and timely release. On Sept. 26, their prayers were finally answered.

Now that Homa is free, we must remind people of the significance and impact of her academic contributions. Homa’s lessons of cultural and religious acceptance are lessons that the world desperately needs to hear—especially given the increasing prevalence of cultural prejudice and intolerance in Western societies.

It takes nothing more than a glimpse at Hoodfar’s work to see that she never belonged in an Iranian prison. Her research is apolitical in nature; her mission is to educate, rather than to criticize or provoke. Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan described Homa’s detention as un-Islamic, emphasizing that her “research on Muslim women’s struggles—both in the Middle East and in the West—is balanced and characterized by respect for those

about whom she writes.” Homa poses no threat to Iran. She isn’t simply a respected anthropologist, she’s an advocate for the rights of Muslim women, wanting to shatter stereotypes. Hoodfar’s work is about making others understand cultural differences, not fear them.

For example, Hoodfar fervently condemns the Western notion that the Muslim veil is a symbol of oppression. In one of her early articles, The Veil in Our Minds and on Our Heads, she stresses that veiling is an individual choice that has nothing to do with ignorance or power. Western stereotypes of the veil, which stem from colonial legacies and racist practices, deny Muslim women their agency. Cue the controversial Canadian niqab debate of 2015 over the Federal Court of Appeal ruling that prohibited the ban of the niqab at citizenship ceremonies. Zunera Ishaq, the Muslim woman at the centre of the debate, told The Toronto Star, “It’s precisely because I won’t listen to how other people want me to live my life that I wear a niqab.” This

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Hoodfar’s work is about making others understand cultural differences, not fear them.

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debate was central in the federal election last year, underscoring the prominence of the social stereotype that Hoodfar works tirelessly to deconstruct.

Many of today’s problems are

The McGill Tribune’s

Opinion

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based on prejudice, misinformation, and intolerance: the world of today is one where an American presidential candidate can propose a “Muslim ban” as a tactic to gain votes. We also exist in a world where Islamist terrorist groups carry out mass killings of innocent people. This is the same world where a respected academic endured three months in prison simply because she was brave enough to challenge social constructions of race, culture, religion, and identity. Homa Hoodfar reminds us that Islam is not unidimensional—it is consistently evolving. She spreads messages of understanding and equality that combat anti-Muslim stigma. Her research bridges the gap between two cultures that are often portrayed as standing in opposition.

The #FreeHoma movement extended beyond the plight of one individual. It was a fight for academic freedom, cultural and religious acceptance, and female empowerment. Homa may be free, but her sacrifice makes it increasingly clear that this fight is not over.

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Student Living

7

B-Week: Revamping Gerts’ image

SSMU offers drink deals and good times to bring students back to their campus bar

Flaminia Cooper Contributor From Sept. 12 to 16, many McGill students found themselves at Gerts drinking from pitchers of beer and conversing spiritedly over loud music. Though this may sound like any normal week in the familiar student bar, this time the drinks were even cheaper and the music louder.

This was B-Week: An event that aimed to reintroduce Gerts to the student body.

After several poor fiscal years for Gerts, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) planned B-Week as an effort to revamp the student bar’s image. “[Gerts] was producing quite healthy profits up until two to three years ago, and this was due to [a] migration of student-run activities [...] like Hype Week or Carnival,” SSMU Vice-President (VP) Finance Niall Carolan elaborated about the challenges that Gerts has faced in the past couple of years. “[These events] used to be majoritively based out of Gerts [and] have now moved away to other private locations off campus.”

In addition to a decrease in studentled events occurring at Gerts, it doesn’t help that the current construction on McTavish Street has caused a drop in foot traffic at the bar. For both reasons, Carolan believed that new efforts are now needed to bring students back to Gerts.

“In previous years, we just relied on students to turn up [...] as opposed to actively seeking out students and student groups,” Carolan said.

The bar is one of SSMU’s main revenue-generating operations, and is run entirely by students. It provides many job opportunities, the quantity and availability of which rely heavily on Gerts’ fiscal success. As such, the recent dip in profits and downward trend in attendance has led to a reduction in students’ salaries in order to cut labour costs over the past year.

To overcome these challenges, B-Week was created as a week-long incentive to actively draw both new and returning students in and reinvigorate Gerts as a campus bar. It was no coincidence that B-Week was timed according to the beginning of the school year.

“We need to be actively promoting ourselves to important and [...] influential student groups on campus,” Carolan said.

“And, we wanted to try and build off the momentum of Frosh and OAP.” To increase patronage, Gerts offered extremely low prices on drinks throughout the week, including $7 pitchers of beer and $2 shooters.

“We just really reduced our margins with the hope of increasing volume,” Carolan said. “We quadrupled our sales, so we did better than an average week, which is good to begin with, but even then that wasn’t necessarily the goal. My goal was just to get people through the doors and show them what Gerts has to offer.”

For Carolan, B-Week was a way of giving students a refreshing new outlook on the bar and showing them a space where they can hang out and socialize in the evenings.

“The benefit from those revenues doesn’t stop at that one week,” Carolan explained. “I know that if people had a good time they will likely want to come check it out later on.”

Tim Mapley, U3 Arts student and bar manager at Gerts, echoed Carolan’s sentiment.

“What we really wanted to do this year was show that a) Gerts exists, and b) it’s a fun place for [...] the student population to come hang out,’ Mapley said. “[We were] really just [trying] to revamp our image.”

B-Week allowed new students at McGill to discover the bar and its cheap drink deals, and returning students had the opportunity to catch up with friends in a familiar setting.

“Just about everyone I’ve heard from enjoyed the event,” Carolan commented.

“From the [...] bartenders, to Alessandro [Sangiovanni], the Food and Beverage director [at SSMU], and most importantly the students as well [....] I considered the inaugural B-Week a resounding success.”

Ryan Ehrenworth, U3 Law, confirmed the positive student response after spending three nights of B-Week at Gerts.

“I thought it was a very good move

by Gerts in general because it attracted customers during the week, and made a lot of [broke] students really happy,” Ehrenworth said.

Furthermore, the increase in attendance at B-Week compared to other Gerts events was very clear. The bar was consistently packed with students throughout the week, and the line at the door often reached outside of the SSMU Building.

“We had people that were there every day of the week, and our Coyote Ugly event was very popular as well,” Mapley said. “The challenge for us in operations was just having enough pitchers for everybody because we consistently sold a lot of beer.”

B-Week probably won’t be the only time this year that Gerts managers battle increasing demand for drinks.

Gerts’ popular Oktoberhaus and St. Patrick’s Day events are set to provide more opportunities to boost revenue by selling drinks. Furthermore, according to Carolan, the iconic student bar will be piloting new events this year.

“We are reaching out to more faculty executives to get more events in Gerts,” Carolan said. “More campus events, more student events like Hype Week and Carnival, and not necessarily just drinking events either. It’s really just about engaging the student population.”

After the clear success of B-Week, Gerts has started the school year on a strong note. With promises to actively host many other events throughout the year, the future of Gerts’ reputation is looking up.

Gerts Bar plans new events for the upcoming school year to bring students back to the bar.

(Laurie-Anne Benoit & Natalie Vineberg / The McGill Tribune)

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The entire premise of Tinder and other similar apps is to provide users with seemingly endless choices. On Tinder, users can adjust the settings to their preferred gender, age, and distance. With a swipe of their fingertips, people are able shift through countless prospective partners; they are empowered by these choices, while also being fed the hope of finding a better partner.

Swiped Connections Wendy Tran Contributor Illustration on the cover by Alissa Zilber.

Exploring the landscape of online dating When I created my Tinder account, I never expected that I would end up finding a long-term relationship through it. I still remember the shocked look on my friends’ faces when I told them about how my relationship began. They congratulated me in confusion; most of them use the app for different purposes. Some of them use it to track down attractive people in their vicinity for a fling, while others look forward to networking with people outside their circles. They post the best pictures of themselves on their profile, along with a quirky introduction that can quickly grab one’s attention. Amidst the popularity of the app, and the abundance of choices I was given, I consider myself lucky to have found what I was looking for.

According to a Leger Marketing survey, 36 per cent of Canadians between the ages of 18 and 34 used online dating in 2011. Since then, its prevalence in the country has only been increasing, with figures showing that the online dating industry has been growing by six per cent every year since 2010.

Considering the traditional motives behind dating—primarily as a means to forming a deep-rooted romantic relationship—the rise in popularity of online dating is puzzling. Statistically, online dating is not the ideal platform for finding and fostering long-term relationships: According to a 2013 study by Pew Research Center, only 23 per cent of online daters claimed they’d met a long-term spouse through the internet.

The focus of dating in the modern romantic landscape has shifted away from long-term commitments. The connection between this idea and the rise in popu-

larity of online dating is explained through a theory by Caryl E. Rusbult, who was a professor of the Social and Organizational Psychology Department in Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, which postulates that there are three factors that determine how interested someone is in pursuing a long-term relationship: Satisfaction, alternatives, and investment. People are more likely to commit to a partner if the levels of satisfaction and investment increase while alternatives are kept low.

Reporting over 7 million monthly users, Tinder is one of the most widely used online dating service—especially amongst millennials—with the median age of users being 26. Its functionality reflects Rusbult’s theory that increasing alternatives leads to reluctance to commit. The entire premise of Tinder and other similar apps is to provide users with seemingly endless choices. On Tinder, users can adjust the settings to their preferred gender, age, and distance. With a swipe of their fingertips, people are able shift through countless prospective partners; they are empowered by these choices, while also being fed the hope of finding a better partner. Because of this, online dating has altered people’s idealization of serial monogamy; people are not always expected to fully devote themselves to one person.

Rhett Dumonceau, a first year student of economics and history at McGill, believes that it is not even worthwhile to post an introduction on his online dating profile because so few people are actually interested in learning about others, being only interested in quick meetups. “[There’s] no information on my [Tinder] profile,” he said. “I don’t expect

a long-term relationship from it.”

Dumonceau reminisced about the dating atmosphere in his hometown of Strathmore, Alberta, recalling that most people were committed in a long-term relationship. Ever since moving to Montreal, he has been shocked by the different dating scene provided by the big city and university setting.

“It’s funny, most people I’ve talked to here are not interested in a romantic investment,” he remarked. “Either that, or [they] are cheating on their partner.”

Yet, online dating is not completely devoid of users looking for long-term commitments. Some sites such as eHarmony, Match, and OKCupid cater towards these users by attempting to foster deeper connections through a system which matches singles based on different areas of compatibility, such as personality, intellect, and values. While these sites are used widely by middle-aged demographics, they are marginally less popular among young adults compared to Tinder, with OKCupid, reporting 2.5 million monthly users at a median age of 32. An even more mature user base can be found on Match which has a median user age of 45.

Mingye Chen, a fifth year student studying economics and psychology at McGill, has used online dating on-and-off for the past two years. She explained that she is not necessarily against the idea of finding serious relationships; however, she believes it should not be a primary expectation behind online dating.

“I don’t really go into [Tinder] with that [many] expectations [...] if it works out, I’d love a long-term relationship, if it doesn’t work out, it’s fine, what do you expect? This is a hookup site,” she said. “They don’t owe me anything, I don’t owe them anything.”

When asked what she thinks is the most difficult aspect of online dating as a university student, Chen touched upon one of the most discussed social concepts in modern society: The fear of missing out (FOMO).

“As a university student, I think it’s because we’re only here for a certain period of years, and it could be just a McGill problem, or like a Montreal type issue, like you said, people are reluctant to commit,” she said. “There’s this idea of FOMO [...] and people are always trying to chase the next best thing, or get a hotter, better girl or guy.”

According to a survey conducted by WayUp, the majority of users of dating apps —53 per cent of college student—are only looking to find friends through Tinder. Furthermore, for many LGBTQ people, making connections with members of the queer community, whether romantic or friendly, can be easier to navigate on online platforms. Dating apps where the users’ sexuality is at the forefront, such as Grindr and Her, can serve as a safer space than typically heteronormative bars or clubs.

Madeleine Hubler, a first-year student of music at McGill, used Tinder to network and making friends.

“I think different people have different purposes with it, but for me, it was an interesting way to meet different people,” she remarked. “I was introduced to people I would’ve had no contact with otherwise, and some [of them] are still some of my close friends.”

Regardless of whether the user is looking for romantic relationships or friendships, the common theme seems to be the user’s appreciation of the abundance of choices. The phenomenon of “choice overload” has been studied by psychologists. In a study by Columbia Business School published in 2000, researchers found that in a grocery aisle, people were more likely to pick jam from a broader variety than when given just a handful of options. In a follow-up study, they found that there is less satisfaction when choosing from a small pool of alternatives. A similar psychology can be applied to dating: When given a variety of options, people are more satisfied that they can pick and choose as they please. This temporary happiness is not a mystery, but a psychological process.

Chen explained how this choosing process plays a part in making online dating enjoyable and addictive.

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“It was very entertaining, because you’re judging people. It’s like a binary system, it’s like a ‘zero’ or a ‘one,’ a ‘yes’ or a ‘no,’ and that was always very entertaining,” she said. “Also, matching with people you know [is] hilarious. [...] You are obviously making a judgment based on their appearance, and who they appear to hang out with or what they do, based on some pictures, and a tiny little description. Basically, you’re boiling someone down to just ‘how hot is this person’ or ‘how good looking are they,’ and that’s [kind of] shallow.”

However, the high number of choices presented by online dating does not make it a perfect avenue for building relationships: Exposure to such a high availability of potential partners has affected how people deal with obstacles and eventual breakups in their relationship. In an article for The Atlantic in 2013, Dan Slater wrote about a man named Jacob and his love life. Jacob met a woman named Rachel on an online dating service, and the two started dating. However, when things were rough between them, Jacob acted much more optimistic and complacent than the situation called for; the high availability of choices through online dating had warped his approach towards relationships.

“Having met Rachel so easily online, [Jacob] felt confident that, if he became single again, he could always meet someone else,” Slater wrote.

Many users, however, do not even progress beyond the initial game of choosing and matching. According to a study by Pew Research Center published in Feb. 2016, only about one-third of people who have used online dating have actually gone on a date through it. It is during the conversation process after the match is made, when the feelings generally fade out. Dumonceau feels that talking to people through online dating apps often ends up feeling scripted and insincere. “[Even] when it comes to parties or events for school, I can only handle talking to a handful of people at the same time before getting tired [of] having to rehearse the same speech over and over again,” he said. “I prefer to space things out to make things feel more genuine.”

While this is an aspect of online dating he did not enjoy, Dumonceau concedes that there is much less pressure to create an immediate connection with someone when meeting people online. In a way, this had made him feel less restricted about choosing who he should talk to.

“In order to feel legitimately interested in a long-term relationship, there has to be a ‘spark,’ per se,” he said. “In the case of a more short-term relationship [through online dating], I am more open-minded.”

Chen believes that people’s individuality is often diminished due to the fact that they have to conform to a certain format in order to be successful in online dating.

“I think [my] problem with [meeting men online] lies in how [straight] men think they should talk to women on these apps,” she said. “The way a lot of guys feel they need to talk to be successful on this app is the same. Because that’s how they see their friends— especially friends that get a lot of girls—talk to these girls on the app.”

Developers of dating apps have come up with methods to address this shortfall of conversing online. Many different dating apps attract users using creative premises. For example, on Bumble, the female must send the first message. There is also Happn, an app which allows users to discover people they’ve crossed paths with in real life, based on their smartphone’s GPS system.

There is a multitude of alternative dating sites and apps available online, each catering to people with different backgrounds, preferences, personalities, priorities and interests. There is something for everyone because the search for a partner is a basic and natural part of almost everyone’s life. Humans crave connections and the ability to relate to someone. The medium through which a person uses to find their partner may shape their approach and experience with dating, but at the end of the day, what matters most is their satisfaction in life.

Student Living

10

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Dispatch Coffee sets off for the Plateau

McGill student favourite to add third location on Duluth and St. Laurent Emily Huang Contributor McGill students’ campus coffee favourite, Dispatch Coffee, will be more widely accessible to students in the Plateau come November. Dispatch Coffee prepares to open its third brickand-mortar retail location just on the corner of St. Laurent at Duluth.

Currently serving up coffee in three locations—its Mile-Ex home base, McGill’s downtown campus, and in miscellaneous spots throughout the city from its mobile coffee truck—this café and micro-roaster is seeking to offer higher quality coffee to an even larger audience.

Chrissy Durcak, founder of Dispatch Coffee, holds onto her philosophy of offering accessible quality products as she prepares to open the new store. Though her philosophy remains, the aesthetic of the new location will differ from their current ones: The new Plateau spot will feature

a more diversified menu, and a more relaxed environment, complete with a sit-down area for in-house orders.

Durcak hopes to establish a new store experience at the St. Laurent location that future Dispatch locations can be modeled after. For example, Dispatch will be piloting an in-store coffee education area, similar to that of an Apple ‘genius’ bar. From simple questions about home-brewing basics, to inquiries about equipment and technique, the Dispatch staff is ready to help customers become coffee experts with their line of coffees and brewing equipment. For Durcak, sharing her knowledge of coffee is a key part of running her cafe.

“I’ve always tried to infuse service with a lot of knowledge sharing, openness, warmth,” Durcak said. “I try to meet all my customer’s curiosities with direct answers. We will have a designated spot in the store for free knowledge-sharing and chatting. We want to share industry knowledge with

every home coffee brewer.”

Dispatch started as a hands-on business when Durcak first made coldbrew coffee in her home to sell at popup locations around the city. In her mobile coffee truck, Durcak delivered products to the city’s under-served business areas. “[The company] started with me in a truck, driving better coffee around town,” Durcak recalled. “[I aimed to tell] the stories of the coffee growers that were behind the product.”

Despite its rapid expansion, Dispatch still maintains the do-ityourself approach that they emphasized when first opening, remaining involved in all stages of coffee production. Their local roastery in the Mile-Ex production space roasts beans that the company sources from independent coffee growers around the world. Serving quality coffee with a side of social responsibility, Dispatch attempts to improve the broken coffee supply chain by establishing direct relationships with

Dispatch Coffee prepares to expand beyond its McGill and Mile-Ex locations.

(L-A Benoit / The McGill Tribune) wage.” small-scale coffee growers.

As the company continues to “I discovered, working as a barista, that the coffee supply chain is expand, they continue to promote completely shattered,” Durcak said. social responsibility and compassionate “There are over 500 million coffee consumption among their customers.

“I envision a world where farmers [...] around the world [.…]

Over 100 million of these farmers are everyone drinks better coffee,” Durcak living in survival mode. And there is said. “Everyone who drinks Tim a direct correlation between drinking Hortons coffee, who drinks Folgers high quality coffee and more expensive or instant coffee—I want them to be coffee, and farmers making a living drinking Dispatch coffee.”

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner on a budget A day of recipes, each under $7

LUNCH:

Jeannie Richardson Contributor You’ve finally made it out of Rez and into your own apartment. On one hand, you no longer have to wait until 1 p.m. to eat on the weekends, and you don’t have to suffer through any more mystery meat from Bishop Mountain Hall (BMH). On the other, you’re technically an adult now and have adult-like responsibilities—which include buying and making your own food. With Wi-Fi bills, textbook prices, and a social life, it can be hard to budget. For this reason, The McGill Tribune has compiled a short list of healthy vegetarian recipes to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Breakfast:

Veggie Breakfast Sandwiches

This recipe is pretty versatile—you can bake almost any vegetable into the eggs that you want, as long as you sauté them a little bit before. You can freeze the eggs after you make them and save them for a quick and easy breakfast later on. Since the preparation time is about 30 minutes, you could easily cook it the night before if you don’t want to get up extra early to make these.

6 large eggs ($1.50) ½ cup milk ($0.19) ½ tsp salt Freshly cracked pepper ½ lb. frozen cut leaf spinach ($0.80) ½ 12oz. jar roasted red peppers ($1.25) 6 English Muffins ($1.99) 6 slices cheese ($1.72) 1. Preheat your oven to 350º F. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, milk, and salt.

2. After thawing out the spinach, squeeze out the extra moisture.

Dice the roasted red peppers and mix them into the egg mixture, along with the spinach.

3. Butter an 8x12 inch casserole dish and pour in the egg mixture. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the middle feels firm. Once the eggs have cooled, cut them into six pieces.

4. Toast an English muffin, then stack a piece of egg and a piece of cheese on top of it.

5. Wrap the remaining egg pieces in plastic wrap and freeze until you’re ready to eat it. It can last for up to two months.

6. To reheat, unwrap and place on a piece of paper towel in the microwave for around 30 seconds.

Chili Garlic Tofu Bowls

Not only are these nutrient-packed bowls delicious, with superfoods like kale and brown rice, they’ll also keep you full for a long time. If you’re in a rush, try using Minute Rice— you can make a single serving size more quickly, which will give you more time to focus on the rest of the recipe.

SESAME KALE 1 bunch kale ($1.50) 1 Tbsp cooking oil 2 cloves garlic ($0.16) 1 Tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp toasted sesame oil ($0.11) 1 Tbsp sesame seeds CHILI GARLIC TOFU 14oz. block firm tofu ($2.00) 2 Tbsp chili garlic sauce ($0.42) 1 Tbsp soy sauce 1 Tbsp brown sugar BOWLS 4 cups cooked brown rice ($0.64) 1 lime ($0.33) ¼ bunch cilantro (optional) ($0.25) 1. Unwrap tofu and cut into thin slices. Place the tofu strips between two pieces of paper towel and place a pot of water on top. Leave the tofu pressed for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, cook the rice.

2. De-stem the kale and cut into 1-inch strips. Wash and drain.

3. In a large pot, heat one tablespoon of cooking oil. Add minced garlic and cook for one minute. Next, add the kale and sauté until it is wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds, and set aside.

4. Mix the sauce for the chili garlic tofu in a small bowl.

5. Heat a tablespoon of cooking oil in a large skillet. Add the tofu pieces and fry until they are golden brown on both sides. Next, add the sauce and turn off the heat.

6. In a bowl, add a cup of rice and ¼ cup of wilted kale.

Once the sauce is absorbed into the tofu, add it to the bowl. Squeeze a lime wedge on top and garnish with cilantro, if desired.

dinner:

Spaghetti with Butter Tomato Sauce

There’s no better way to end the day than with a steaming hot bowl of carbs. This recipe gives you a delicious sauce that is easy to make and can be frozen, if you can resist eating it all at once. Note that while the breadcrumbs are optional, they’re a good staple to have around the house. They’re great to coat protein in when you want something a little bit crispy—baked or fried.

TOASTED BREAD CRUMBS (optional) 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.22) ½ cup bread crumbs ($0.24) ¼ tsp salt ½ tsp dried oregano Freshly cracked Pepper PASTA WITH BUTTER TOMATO SAUCE 8oz. pasta ($0.50) 4 Tbsp salted butter ($0.31) 3 cloves minced garlic ($0.24) 28oz. can diced tomatoes ($2.43) ½ tsp salt (or to taste) Freshly cracked pepper 1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add the breadcrumbs, salt, oregano, and cracked pepper. Cook until slightly browned and set aside.

2. For the sauce, melt the butter in a skillet over mediumhigh heat. Then, add the minced garlic and sauté for around a minute. Mix in the can of tomatoes with a bit of pepper.

3. Let the sauce cook until it reaches a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue cooking for 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to its instructions.

Set aside a cup of the cooking water.

5. Season the sauce with salt to your liking. Mix in the drained pasta and add a bit of the cooking water if it’s too thick. Toss in the breadcrumbs and serve.

Price estimations are based on unit required per recipe, and may vary slightly by store and quantity available for sale. All recipes and price estimations adapted from www.budgetbytes.com.

11

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Sketching on pins and needles

Illustrator Michèle Lemieux’s unique exhibit at the UQAM School of Design Morgan Davis Contributor Continued from page 1.

The pinscreen is a remarkable feature of the animated film community. Developed in 1931

by Alexander Alexeïeff and Claire Parker, the machine is installed within a dark studio for animation purposes.

Lemieux used her own pinscreen to create her film, a method that is both efficient and precise. The metal frame holds 240,000 tubes merely by pressure. When one presses against the back with their hand or an object, the pins stick out of the tube and create a shadow. Lighting from the side illuminates the pinscreen so that the pins create a shadow onto the board. The camera placed in front of the screen is unable to see the pins, only the array of grey shadows created. Using everyday household items, such as light bulbs, the artist is able to project silhouettes onto the pinscreen—ideal for animation.

An illustrator, filmmaker, and professor at the UQÀM, Michèle Lemieux has taught illustration for over 20 years. Previously, Lemieux worked with children’s illustrations before transitioning to animated film.

Working exclusively in black and white, many of Lemieux’s drawings are similar to those of Tim Burton.

P o p R h et o ri c

Her style is a cluttered collection inspired by various children’s illustrators such as Shel Silverstein.

The mixture of these influences creates a mysterious, yet youthful, atmosphere.

Lemieux’s sketchbook work for animated films from 2003 to 2012 is displayed on one lightened wall.

Directly across the room are iPads showcasing various pages of her books. With this, the viewer is able to observe the development of her style—from grotesque mutant figures to nature scenes drawn in only a few crude lines. Behind a hidden corner, a dimly lit wall shows Lemieux on three consecutive screens; each displays real-time footage of her working on the film. Her patience, frustration, and meticulousness are apparent as she works on a pinscreen.

Lemieux’s presence within the exhibit is emphasized with another footage piece—a recording of her interacting with students during a lecture.

For two-and-a-half years, Lemieux was devoted to this pinscreen project. Informational excerpts explain that the exhibit—in addition to serving as an introduction to Lemieux’s creative process—is an attempt to heighten viewer’s understanding of drawing in the animation world. By focusing on the pinscreen, viewers can learn the

Lemiux’s sketches reveal a greyscale dream world. (Christopher Li / The McGill Tribune) process of using dated tools in what is commonly seen as a ‘modern’ art form.

On display from September 23 until November 6th The Whole and its Parts: Michèle Lemieux, from

Drawing to Animation can be viewed at 1440 Rue Sanguinet Wednesdays to Sundays from 12-6 p.m.

Harr y P o tter an d t h e b u r d en o f d i v ersit y

Shandika Indrarajah Contributor Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has been in the news regularly for her steadfast refusal to let her series fade from public consciousness. These efforts range from small pieces uploaded to the website, pottermore.com, to the addition of an entirely new instalment in the form of a play script. In the past few weeks, she has once again set critics aflame on social media, this time with an added tidbit about how her character Remus Lupin’s affliction of werewolfism—also known as lycanthropy—is really a metaphor for HIV. The main criticisms come at the issue from two different angles, although one is angle is more compelling than the other.

One side sees the lycanthropy metaphor as a lazy, unimaginative, and quite problematic way to represent HIV. The other, more intriguing, argument is that her reveals are not genuine, and are simply a retrospective re-writing of her works in order to make them more inclusive to today’s more progressive audience.

Lycanthropy as a metaphor

Lupin’s lycanthropy is rumoured to be a metaphor for HIV. (www.blu-ray.com) for HIV is poorly thought out.

It is problematic in that it helps reaffirm a couple of the most harmful stigmas against those with HIV—that they wilfully spread the illness, and that the general public should be wary of those with HIV. The claims made by the second group of critics are a bit more interesting. It is

undeniable that Harry Potter is not a progressive story. It is not regressive, per se, but it certainly makes no effort to be diverse.

It is, overall, a series that deals mainly with the issues of straight, white, able-bodied, and middleclass people, with the occasional outlier thrown in. Given that the first installment was published almost two decades ago, it is

certainly at odds with a more modern readership who, as time goes on, want more and more representative literature.

Considering the economic and cultural posterity of the canon, it’s easy to see why Rowling would intentionally change the meaning of her works in order to make them more relevant to a contemporary audience. However,

her motivation to be inclusive in her writing is questionable and inconsistent. For example, she is willing to accept interpretations that Hermione is black, but is adamant that Draco Malfoy was and is completely straight.

Rowling appears to believe it necessary that the general public considers her works as wholly inclusive of minority characters, although the work in question does not actually deal with being a minority. Writing a story about a white character, and going back to change all of the physical characteristics to fit those of a black character, does not do enough to make the story inclusive of black narratives; it comes across as disingenuous.

Inclusive works and the visibility of minorities within art is crucial. Being able to identify with characters in books is a wonderful feeling, and works that acknowledge their minorities without using them as token characters are most important. The more audiences praise inclusive media without being critical of its execution, the more diversity is used for the sake of diversity, and the further audiences get from art for art’s sake.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

12 P o p R h et o ri c

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

t h e small s c reen rea c h es wi d er a u d ien c es

The 2016 Emmys proved television is finally overtaking film Ariella Garmaise Contributor Television has long been regarded as film’s more annoying, less accomplished younger sibling.

Sound bytes like ‘made for T.V. movie’ and ‘multi-camera sitcom’ continue to haunt audiences’ psyches, evoking nightmares of outrageous laugh tracks and over-dramatic soap opera acting.

For decades, critics considered film the real art form—a medium that actually allowed its stories and characters nuance and development.

However, this past awards season has proven otherwise.

When the Academy Awards tried to congratulate itself on a year of great films, audiences were livid.

The movies that made Hollywood so proud did not represent the diversity of the American public, and the awards ceremony was infamously dubbed, “Oscars So White.” In comparison, this year marked the most inclusive Emmys in its 68-year existence. As host Jimmy Kimmel so cuttingly quipped, “The Emmys are so diverse this year, the Oscars are now telling people we’re one of their closest friends.”

While television is finally reflecting diverse stories,

Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang win their first Emmy. (www.sfgate.com) mainstream filmmakers continue to cling to their claim that only white, heteronormative narratives make money.

This year’s Emmys broke countless records. It was the first year that each leading acting category nominated a person of colour. Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live’s first openly gay cast member, won for “Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy.” Aziz Ansari was the first Indian-American to be nominated for a leading actor award.

However, Kimmel recognized that there is still room for improvement: “Here in Hollywood, the only thing we value more than diversity is

ALBUM REVIEW William Burgess Contributor “Borders, what’s up with that?” asks Sri Lankan musician M.I.A. in the lead track “Borders.”

Unfortunately, on her latest studio album, we never get a clear answer. AIM lacks a distinct target, and the final result is misses the mark. Compared with previous hits “Sunshowers” and “Paper Planes” that propelled M.I.A’s message into the mainstream with their oblique beats and lyrics, AIM’s tracks are mediocre.

The album’s limitations are all the more regrettable considering that M.I.A.’s past achievements give her unique potential and force within the pop music industry. While her fifth album hardly represents her legacy, it’s an odd choice for what she claims will be her final studio release. Throughout, M.I.A.’s lyrics vary from lackadaisical—“See the sea / do the boat / do the jump / jump rope,” on “Fly Pirate”— to nonsensical—“Where’s your chicken at? / I’m watching like a hawk / I need more birds! / Gully like a seagull,” spoken over a kazoo instrumental on “Bird Song (Blaqstarr Remix).”

The production on AIM is full of hits and misses.

About half of the beats on the standard release, including “Borders,” “Foreign Friend,” “Ali r u ok,” and “Visa,” are excitingly original world music bangers. Others, like “Bird Song (Blaqstarr Remix)” and “Jump In,” require patience to listen to in their entirety.

congratulating ourselves on how much we value diversity.”

Transparent star Jeffrey Tambor’s acceptance speech highlighted Hollywood’s tendency to cast cisgender people in trangender roles. He said he would “not be unhappy” to be “the last cisgender man to play a female transgender on TV.” Master of None writer Alan Yang used his airtime to call attention to the lack of Asian-American representation within mainstream media. The evening’s underlying tone of advocacy was proof that not only has television made tremendous progress, but that it is working

hard to continue to do so.

Diversity on screen is indebted to new formats of television. Film is confined to vague financial measurements like ‘foreign box office’ and ‘international markets.’

Movies lack diverse representation largely because studios think they will make more money by keeping their films broad and generic. When director Rupert Sanders cast Scarlett Johansson instead of a Japanese actor in his remake of Ghost in a Shell, Forbes magaizine defended him by explaining, “Scarlett Johansson is a big movie star and for a film that will cost what Ghost in the Shell will probably cost, you

arguably need a ‘put butts in the theater seats’ movie star to justify said investment.”

Mainstream award shows like the Oscars are evidence that not only does this mentality restrict the representation in box office hits, but it also limits the variety of films Hollywood will recognize.

New independent content developers, whether it be Netflix, Amazon, or FX, understand that putting faith into individual creators to tell their own stories makes for better television. The shows the Emmys celebrated this year are all proof of the success in new types of distribution: John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight is produced by HBO and viewed primarily on Youtube; Amazon streams Jill Soloway’s Transparent online; and Aziz Ansari’s Master of None is a Netflix original.

Television has dramatically improved largely because network television is an outdated format—when artists have autonomy from studios, they create more unique and powerful work.

The Oscars continue to pander to media moguls who insist that movies can only make money with bankable white stars. Meanwhile, T.V. producers have discovered that audiences respond to seeing themselves on-screen.

AIM M.I.A. As always, M.I.A. is having fun the whole time, but /AIM/’s lyrics are lazier than usual.

Authenticity and experimentation have always been two of M.I.A.’s strong suits, and occasional bombs are a natural consequence of deviating from safe, formulaic pop. M.I.A. has navigated this space for a while—even at her best on early releases, Arular and Kala—so it’s strange that on AIM she doesn’t demonstrate anything she’s learned from past risks.

It’s very possible that M.I.A. isn’t aiming to please this time around, and that AIM is more for fun, for herself, or both. Still, from someone who is as’woke’ as she presents herself, it’s reasonable to expect a more definitive statement from her final LP. Musically, AIM has its inspired moments, but doesn’t progress far beyond M.I.A’s admittedly well-carved sonic lane.

Politically, she fails to say anything more interesting than her stream of controversies over the last few years, including an April 2016 statement questioning Black Lives Matter in the Evening Standard and the accompanying tweet “A#blacklivesmatter B#Muslimlivesmatter [....] It’s how u can say A not B right now in 2016.”

With AIM as her soapbox, she has the attention of international music fans and nearly 40 minutes of time. It’s disappointing that 140 characters have caused more of a stir.

M.I.A’s new album AIM is ultimately disappointing. (www.slantmagazine.com)

13

Science & technology

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Ask a Scientist: Why isn’t the sky blue?

The Scientist explains the secrets of the atmosphere Daniel Galef Contributor Two questions stood out for our first column. First, “Why is the sky blue?” This is a wellknown one, but the subject has also been tackled by just about every scientific blog and answer column under the blue sky.

The second attention-grabbing question was “Why isn’t the sky blue?” That query raises a very important point that our familiarity with the first topic can cause us to gloss over–– particularly, that the sky isn’t always blue.

The sky above our heads is one of the most striking and varied displays of nature.

Sailors can extract volumes of information from the appearance of the sky at any given time. All kinds of fascinating atmospheric phenomena can affect the colours of the firmament, from sunrise and sunset to the eruption of a massive volcano.

The sky is often blue

because light can get scattered when it passes through fluids, especially in the case of the earth’s atmosphere. By and large, there are two kinds of scattering that affect the sky’s coloration.

Rayleigh scattering—the scattering of light by particles that are much smaller than the wavelength of light—and Mie scattering—when they’re scattered by particles larger than the wavelength—influence the colour. Scattering makes the light diverge from its path, which is why the sky is lit up at all. Without scattering, the sky would look like it does from the Moon or Mars, with bright light coming from the sun, but the rest of the sky looking as black as night. Light with shorter wavelengths, like blue, gets scattered more efficiently, which is why the daytime sky is blue. When light passes through more air and gets scattered, such as during sunrise and sunset, then the sky lights up in oranges and reds. These colours are all

a result of Rayleigh scattering.

Mie scattering happens with bigger particles than air, like dust and water droplets, which is why clouds and foggy days look greyish.

In 1883, Krakatoa, a volcanic island between Java and Sumatra, exploded in what was the largest eruption in recorded history. The effects of the eruption were devastating, with massive waves and earthquakes killing thousands and the island itself being mostly destroyed.

However, some of the spookiest effects involved the sky.

Have you seen Edvard Munch’s painting The Scream ?

It looks pretty striking— which it should, because it’s expressionistic and doesn’t have to represent the world as it is— but there’s also another reason the sky looks the way it does, roiling rivers of blood and fire as if written in ghostly hues.

According to researchers at the American Physical Society and an entry in Munch’s own journal,

Munch based his colour palette on the very real colours of the sky around 1883 and 1884. By then, the eruption of Krakatoa had caused dramatic changes in sky colour all over the world, from South America to Munch’s native Norway. In New York, fire departments chased after phantom conflagrations that loomed as if an occult hand had set the horizon itself alight; in England, Lord Tennyson recorded “many a blood-red eve.”

The eerie colours were a result of volcanic ash in the atmosphere. In fact, the particles of ash, which quickly spread around the world, were about one micrometre large, which happens to be ideal for scattering red light. This caused sunrises and sunsets to become spectacular displays of scarlet and crimson.

While other times, in direct light, red became scattered out altogether, causing blue or even green moons for almost a year.

Satisfied with the Scientist’s answer? Ask us more at scitech@ mcgilltribune.com

SciTech has the answers.

(April Barrett / McGill Tribune)

Canadian government to impose contentious national carbon pricing Pan-Canada climate plan provokes debate

Miguel Principe Contributor “We [are] all united in our commitment to stepping up in the fight against climate change, to ensuring that we have a Canadian approach to climate change,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a press conference last November.

While Liberal government has made many statements on climate change, until now, there had been very few concrete strategies proposed.

To limit the private sector’s dependency on fossil fuels, Canada’s federal government plans to implement a minimum carbon price for provinces that do not have adequate carbon pricing schemes. The Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, said on Sept.

18th to CTV’s podcast Question Period that the federal government will present these plans to Parliament in early fall.

The Globe and Mail explained that the minimum carbon price that will be enacted would try to reach the United Nations’ 2030 goal of lowering greenhouse gas emissions to 30 per cent below 2005 levels.

According to the CBC, there are currently only four provinces that either have or plan to have a

carbon pricing scheme. British Columbia and Alberta have a carbon tax scheme while Quebec and Ontario have a plan to implement a cap-and-trade system.

“Any system that puts its price on carbon is going to have the same exact effect,” Associate Professor Christopher Barrington-Leigh of McGill’s School of Environment said. “So, the mechanics of whether it’s just a tax where everybody knows what the price is or it’s a cap where everybody knows what the amount of emissions is, [...] in the end, they have a lot of similarity and to the extent that you can guess the price and what the price [is going to be] in the future, then they have the same incentive for businesses.”

The plan to have a minimum carbon price attracts criticism from all sides. Environmentalists believe that the Liberal Party’s carbon pricing plan is unambitious and that the federal government should set a higher target.

“To pick a target in 2016 that is the same one left behind by [former Conservative Prime Minister] Stephen Harper, that doesn’t fall due until 2030, is irresponsible and is an abandonment of leadership,” Green Party Leader Elizabeth May told The National Post.

The Liberals have responded that Harper’s government created

Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna called for Parliament to implement a national carbon pricing scheme. (CTV.ca) the targets with no accompanying plan to reach their goals. The new carbon pricing scheme, by contrast, presents specific actions to reach the carbon level target.

Conservatives, on the other hand, believe that the government enacting a minimum carbon price shows that they have completely abandoned coordinating with provinces on carbon policy. The fiercest opposition comes from Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, who not only believes that the Liberals have abandoned their cooperation with provincial governments, but also are

antagonizing the already struggling energy sector.

Meanwhile, Barrington-Leigh believes that imposing a clear federal pricing scheme would increase the transparency and clarity of incentives for private companies. The federal pricing scheme would make it easier for companies to look to more renewable energy sources while still reaching their emissionsreduction targets.

“You have huge amounts of capital [to] invest in [...] multibillion dollar projects,” BarringtonLeigh said. “Energy companies are

diversifying, so if the incentives were clearer and stronger to invest in renewables, then that capital and the labour forces would be shifting smoothly and more gradually in the way they should. The less smooth and gradual it is the more [...] the public will have to bear the cost of retraining [....] Then you would have more waste, layoffs, and capital doing the wrong thing.”

Despite the controversy surrounding a minimum carbon price, the Liberals plan to implement the policy before COP22, the United Nations summit in Morocco, in early November.

14

Science & technology

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Will legalizing the ivory trade save elephants?

Social media campaign #KnotOnMyPlanet highlights elephant population in crisis

Janine Xu Contributor A recent social media campaign, #KnotOnMyPlanet, inundated newsfeeds last week.

With high-profile celebrities–– like supermodel spokeswoman Doutzen Kroes––pledging to the cause, #KnotOnMyPlanet runs in a similar vein as the once-popular ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

In an effort to raise awareness about the illegal ivory trade, the challenge involves tying a knot from a piece of clothing and posting the picture on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with the hashtag #KnotOnMyPlanet, then subsequently donating to the Elephant Crisis Fund. So far, the challenge has mostly been attempted by individuals in the fashion industry with few ties to the cause.

The reality of the ivory crisis

has had devastating impacts on the elephant population. In the past three years, over 100,000 elephants in Central Africa have been poached for their ivory tusks. It is estimated that elephant populations across Africa have plummeted by 95 per cent over the past century––likely due to high demand for precious ivory tusks which can be valued up to $2,100 USD per kilogram. #KnotOnMyPlanet is not the only effort dedicated to poaching preventions. In an opinion column to National Geographic, Dan Stiles suggests that the solution lies in legalizing the ivory trade so that poachers can harvest ivory sustainably.

“With a legal raw ivory trade, elephants can thrive,” Stiles said.

This idea has been debated before. The governments of Namibia and Zimbabwe have proposed that some elephant populations are healthy enough to

be managed for ivory production.

Both countries are expected to bring up this debate at the 17th meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which runs from Sept. 24 to Oct. 5 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

“The ivory ban is a total failure,” Rowan Martin, Zimbabwe’s representative to CITES, said to National Geographic in August.

Instead, as Martin has crafted in his proposal, the plan is to decriminalize the trade, taking away the need for a black market and theoretically generating enough revenue to pay for elephant conservation.

It sounds simple, but according to a study published in Sept. 15th issue of Current Biology, the reality of the situation is complex. With a gestation period

of 22 months, elephants grow and reproduce much too slowly to support a commercial trade––no matter how regulated it may be.

“The demand for ivory is simply too great––it outstrips what elephants can produce,” said University of Aberdeen Professor of Behavioural Biology David Lusseau, lead researcher on the study.

The proposal set out by Namibia and Zimbabwe suggests a process called the ‘decisionmaking mechanism,’ which would involve using ivory from existing piles of seized illegal ivory and natural elephant deaths. However, these sources would still only meet a fraction of current ivory demand.

Lusseau and his co-author have created a virtual simulation of a herd of 1,360 elephants using data from Amboseli National Park in Kenya to predict how much ivory can be sustainably harvested.

According to their data, the sustainable model would allow at most 100 to 150 kilograms of ivory annually––and that’s assuming a perfect living environment with a steady market and without the threat of poaching.

That’s the ivory equivalent of one large male elephant. Not nearly enough to quench the demand in East Asian countries, such as China and Vietnam, where nearly 600 kilograms are sold annually.

“We cannot brush aside the fact that poaching has reached industrial scale,” the study states.

“We must urgently work on finding ways to change consumer behavior as the only avenue by which we can resolve the ivory trade tragedy.”

In the end, the focus must be on reducing demand more than anything else. Legalizing the trade won’t help—so maybe for now, it’s best to keep tying those knots on social media.

The leading cause of liver damage: Acetaminophen Health Canada implements new warning labels Rebecca Zhuang Contributor Acetaminophen is one of the most popular pain relief— analgesic—drugs. It can be found in a variety of medications—it is most commonly sold as Tylenol— and can be readily purchased over-the-counter at any corner pharmacy or drugstore.

It is also the number one leading cause of liver damage in Canada.

On Sept. 15, over a year after Health Canada published its safety guidance in 2015, the federal government released their review of the drug, highlighting the unusually high overdose rates of acetaminophen linked with the likelihood of liver injury.

There are approximately 4,000 hospitalizations associated with acetaminophen in Canada every year. With more than 250 cases of serious liver damage, over half of which can be accredited to accidental overdoses. Six per cent of the total hospitalization cases resulted in acute liver failure.

“It’s the most common cause of liver injury. Period,” Dr. Michael Reider, a pediatric clinical pharmacologist at Western University, told CBC News .

Acetaminophen is used in a wide range of both prescription and non-prescription products.

It is found in more than 400 medications authorized for sale in

medications.

The labelling will immediately apply to all new products, and all products already on the market will be updated within the next 18 months. A calibrated dosing device will also be included with all children’s liquid products, so parents know exactly the amount of acetaminophen their child is consuming.

Despite this, many medical experts are disappointed with Health Canada’s lack of action in implementing further preventative methods. Aside from adding warning labels, federal drug regulators have failed to lower the recommended maximum daily dosage, or take extra-strength acetaminophen medications off the counter— both measures which health professionals believe are imperative in reducing accidental overdose rates.

“Overall, when it comes to As the nation’s leading cause of liver damage, acetaminophen will now carry warning labels. (Cordelia Cho / The McGill Tribune) drug safety, Health Canada has Hospital, regularly “Those are the kind of a culture of slow incremental Canada, most commonly used to General treat symptoms such as coughs, encounters patients who suffer inadvertent uses that can lead to change,” Dr. Joel Lexchin, a drug from severe liver failure due to drug-induced liver disease [and] safety researcher and professor colds, headaches, and fevers.

In fact, according to Dr. accidental overdoses. The most acute liver injury,” Yoshida emeritus at York University, told Reider, many may not even typical case, he told CBC News , warns.

The Toronto Star .

Health Canada seeks know about the presence is an individual losing track of However, these warnings of acetaminophen in their how many medications with to address this issue by are no reason to panic and medication unless they carefully acetaminophen they took and working towards making it avoid acetaminophen-containing easier to recognize drugs that medications altogether. Most examine the label. Some widely accidentally taking too many. recognized brands that contain Other common mistakes have acetaminophen as an Canadians have no trouble using Drug producers these drugs safely. Improper acetaminophen include Tylenol, include taking the next dosage ingredient.

Neocitran, Percocet, Nyquil, too soon, taking more than the will add the warning ‘Contains usage and overdoses can easily be Vicks, and Vicodin. recommended amount, or using Acetaminophen’ in bold, red prevented with just a little extra Dr. Eric Yoshida, a liver two medications containing text on the top right-hand corner caution to read the warning label of the labels of all applicable that comes with any medication. specialist at the Vancouver acetaminophen at the same time.

15

Sports

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

In conversation with the NFL’s Director of Football Development Samantha Rapoport A Canadian football fan has scored big in an unlikely field Sydney Page &Aaron Rose Contributor & Sports Editor “I’ve always known I wanted to work for the NFL,” Samantha Rapoport said. “It was a dream of mine since I was young.”

Rapoport, a McGill alumni, is the NFL Director of Football Development, a position tasked with developing the game in order to connect qualified people with NFL jobs. Born in Vancouver, Rapoport isn’t a typical candidate for a high ranking position within the league.

Her position was previously occupied by former Baltimore Raven Matt Birk.

In her second year studying kinesiology at McGill, Rapoport tried to get a job in the NFL. After getting rejected, she decided to get creative and re-apply. “[I] thought about how to stand out as a female from Canada with no connections to the NFL, other than that I just loved playing,” Rapoport said. “I kind of came up with a creative way to apply, [I literally] wrote something on a football and that’s how I obtained my first internship and then I went up from there.”

Rapoport’s father sparked her interest in Football. He was a die hard Dolphins fan and a quarterback on the McGill Redmen.

“My dad [...] had two girls so he didn’t think we would become interested in football,” Rapoport said.

“But he always says there’s a football gene and it must have gotten passed down to me.”

From a young age Rapoport played girls flag football before playing tackle football in her later years. Her successful sporting career eventually led to national honours.

“I played for the Montreal Blitz–the female tackle football team in Montreal,” Rapoport said. “I also played a flag football team since I was

12 years old. I played as quarterback for Team Canada and have just been so heavily involved in football [...] so I wanted to stay on the football side of the business if I could.”

Over the years, Rapoport has worked extensively in developing youth and girls flag football programs.

Between 2010 and 2013 she worked for USA Football where she oversaw youth engagement programs as well as the creation of the USAF-NFL Girls Football Program. In 2009, she won the NFL Commissioner’s Award for Innovation for developing a leadership program that enabled girls to start flag football programs at their schools.

Now, as the Director of Football Development, Rapoport has a mandate to connect qualified women with NFL jobs. She has had a positive experience with the NFL and wants to extend that experience to other women.

“This is my 14th NFL season and I honestly mean this, I have never experienced any feeling of not feeling welcome,” Rapoport said.

She is determined to break down perceptions of football as an exclusively male sport.

“The first step is to show them visually that females can fill these positions and that they have power in sport,” Rapoport said. “The second step is changing the culture of the hiring managers within the organization to show them that females can be very successful and explain to the them the benefits of having gender diversity within your organization.”

According to Rapoport, the NFL wants to encourage gender diversity.

“We are going to identify, train, develop and connect qualified women to the NFL so people stop thinking it’s an ‘old boys network,’” Rapoport commented. “Men in the industry are

Sam Rapoport alongside NFL commissioner Roger Goodell at a co-ed youth flag football game (twitter.com) generally very open to the idea, it’s just that a lot of our head coaches are very busy guys and they just don’t know where to find these females.”

Rapoport believes the central issue with the lack of female representation in the industry stems from a shortage of interested and eligible women in close contact with leading NFL figures.

“We recognize that a lot of jobs across the board are all procured from informal social networks,” Rapoport explained. “A lot of the time it’s who you know […] it’s easy to just pick someone who looks like you.”

Alongside her mission to promote gender equality in the NFL, Rapoport will also be working to ensure equitable minority hiring practices in the NFL. The NFL implemented the Rooney Rule in 2002, which required that all NFL teams have to interview at least one minority candidate for head coaching positions. Recently, the policy has

been criticized for producing modest increases in non-white head coaches since its inception.

“I think we’ve made waves,” Rapoport said. “There’s a debate about whether or not the Rooney Rule has been successful and I would say it has been successful [.…] I think our numbers can be better and that’s why we are dedicating this much programming to helping achieve higher numbers as far as minorities are concerned at the head coach, general manager, and other coach levels.”

Rapoport believes she is well positioned to give back to a game that has given her so much.

“I’ve always been in love with the sport and still am,” Rapoport stated. “I just knew that it’s what I was put on this planet to do. I was put here to help make the game better and stronger, so I’m really lucky to be in the position I find myself in now.”

If Rapoport’s mission is successful and more women join the

NFL ranks, the future is bright for the sport. While it may seem unlikely today, having a woman calling the shots from the sideline might soon become a reality.

“I will be very excited to celebrate the first female head coach,” Rapoport said. “I believe we can achieve that in our lifetime.”

Favourite NFL team: “We are supposed to say all 32, [but] I grew up with a father who was a Dolphins’ fan and I was a Cowboys’ fan.”

Favourite quarterback: “Troy Aikman. I got to work with him on an event [...] and I had to pinch myself pretty hard.”

Favourite McGill professor: “Donald Taylor. He was a Social-psychology professor and always referenced so many interesting studies. So many of his theories stuck with me and I constantly find myself referencing them.”

Favourite study spot: “Second Cup on Parc, the library was too quiet for me.”

Montreal deli fan or New York deli fan: “100% Montreal deli, Montreal bagels [too.] I’ve been [in New York] for 14 years or so but I will never get used to New York bagels. Montreal is the best to me!”

16

Sports

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Lacrosse: Bromley and Bolton both net hattricks to lead McGill past Queen’s

Redmen continue strong start against the Golden Gaels Selwynne Hawkins Contributor On Saturday Sept. 24, at the newly refurbished Forbes Field, McGill Redmen Lacrosse (41) faced off against the Queen’s Gaels (1-4). McGill scored first and maintained its dominance for the rest of the game, finishing with a 15-8 score line.

Thanks to a strong first half of the season, the Redmen find themsleves ranked second in the CUFLA East Division.

“We’re at one loss right now,” Midfielder Bohe Hosking said.

“But we’re still confident.”

McGill’s only loss of the season was against Trent University, who are currently undefeated in CUFLA play. McGill led for most of the game, but Trent had a strong fourth quarter and scored the game winner in the last minute of play.

“We had a tough one against Trent,” fourth-year attacker Spencer Bromley said. “You never like to lose, but it was a good game and I think we’re off on the right foot.”

Bromley, who leads the team with 21 points, scored four times

and assisted once against Queen’s on Saturday afternoon. Attacker Goose Bolton also notched five points, scoring three times along with a pair of assists, while midfielder Emile Sassone-Lawless was credited with five assists.

Though the point leaders from Saturday’s game are all seasoned veterans, many of the rookies also made valuable contributions. The wide score line afforded Head Coach Tim Murdoch the flexibility to give minutes to players who haven’t had much field time so far this season.

“Some of our freshmen stepped in and played key roles,” Murdoch noted. “[It’s] very inspirational for our [starting lineup], who are playing ahead of these guys, to see them step in […] and perform.”

Saturday’s game was their home opener, and a dedicated group of fans watched from the hill behind Forbes Field. As the Redmen look to repeat after a national championship last year, they’re hoping to garner even more support from the McGill community.

“We just like seeing the

McGill Redman Rhys Burnell in action against the Queen’s Golden Gaels on Saturday. (Lauren Benson-Armer / The McGill Tribune) bleachers packed,” Hosking said.

“Hopefully that can happen with a few [more] home wins.”

The Redmen have seven more regular season games, four of which are at home. Next weekend, they’ll travel to Ottawa to play against the Ottawa Gee-Gees and the Carleton Ravens. They’ll then return to host the Bishop’s Gaiters on Oct. 6 at Molson Stadium.

QUOTABLE

STATS CORNER

“Everyone wants to beat us, so It only took Goose Bolton 62 everyone is good competition.” seconds to score McGill’s first goal of the game.

-Spencer Bromley.

MOMENT OF THE GAME Rookie defender Alessio Marcogliese scored the first goal of his McGill career by carrying the ball from the half and whipping it past Queen’s goalie.

Summers of Scully The end of an era: A tribute to the great Vin Scully

Vin Scully saying goodbye to Dodgers fans after announcing his last home game on Sunday night. (ABC7.com)

Weiyu Dang Contributor When Vin Scully first started broadcasting Dodgers games in 1950, baseball had just desegregated. Mickey Mantle and Hank Aaron were the league’s MVPs and New York had three baseball teams. Dodgers games took place in Brooklyn, far from the current swashbuckling, free-spending Los Angeles iteration of the team. In those days, Vinnie’s voice was the

city’s summer soundtrack, filling a city that buzzed during the peak of the American Dream.

Scully’s six-decade tenure, which comes to an end on Oct 2, seemed to knit baseball’s various epochs together. The red-haired, Bronx-Irish tenor’s perfectly-inflected words transformed each baseball game into a gripping, unfurling narrative.

During his Brooklyn Dodgers days, in the heyday of radio, Scully voiced the hopes of a whole borough with an eloquence surpassing

his years. The young Scully was a recent Fordham graduate who had been in centrefield for the school team, while singing in a barbershop quartet and announcing football and basketball games. As soon as his voice rang out from the radio, Scully assumed the role of a familiar poet, an uncle-like figure to all those casually listening to a baseball game.

Scully’s simple, descriptive storytelling captured listeners’ attention as though he were sitting in the

bleachers and chatting with them.

Scully’s commentary—unlike conventional colour-commentary broadcasters who stay silent during plays and then evaluate after the fact—ranged from player anecdotes to historical events. Some commentators build walls of jargon in front of the listener, barring them from appreciating the raw beauty of the game. Scully, however, speaks as though he’s shooting the breeze with an old friend. His ability to see the humanity in baseball elevated him above most commentators stuck in a uniquely baseball frame of mind.

With the Dodgers’ move to California, Scully shifted from the working-class bustle of Brooklyn to the glitzy stage of Los Angeles.

His move westward connected a nation by spreading baseball from the eastern seaboard to the Californian beaches. Scully wasn’t so much a commentator as a frontiersman spreading the story of baseball.

Scully’s timelessness rests in his extraordinary narrative ability. Of his repertoire, many incontrovertible touchstones of baseball history stand out: The Brooklyn Dodgers’ last championship in 1959, Sandy Koufax’s perfect game in 1965, Hank Aaron’s then record breaking 715th home run, to Fernando-mania, and of course, the “she is gone” Kirk Gibson home run in the 1988 World Series. He wears the laurel

as baseball’s bard for a reason. He’s recorded baseball and American cultural history for generations of baseball fans. Grandparents are now telling their grandchildren about Vinnie from the Bronx, Vinnie from Brooklyn, and The Voice of the Dodgers.

On Sunday Sept. 25, Scully’s last home game entered the ninth with the Dodgers down 3-2 to the Rockies. On their last out, presumable NL Rookie of the Year Corey Seager ripped a homer to right field to tie the game and give Scully a chance at a storybook ending. In a game where Dodger stars all tipped their helmets to the retiring legend, the dramatic ending came courtesy of career backup Charlie Culberson hitting a walk-off tenth inning home run—his first in two years— to clinch the NL West title.

It was inevitable, the Baseball Gods wanted to give Scully a chance to commentate one last memorable moment.

When generations of young broadcasters look back for inspiration, there’s no doubt they’ll listen and learn from the greatest.

Check out what Jonah Keri had to say about Vin Scully and much more in a Tribune exclusive podcast on mcgilltribune.com/sports